ITV

Tag: compliance

  • TISA Tech Secure’s Covid-compliant sanitisation solutions for production sets

    TISA Tech Secure’s Covid-compliant sanitisation solutions for production sets

    MUMBAI: One harsh reality that we must adjust to in the post-Covid2019 world is the constant sanitisation drives at homes, workplaces and everywhere else. Nearly three months after lockdown commenced, the Maharashtra government has given the nod to resume TV and film shootings, albeit with conditions.

    For producers, the challenge is to maintain hygiene and safety. This includes conducting regular sanitisation, thermal checking and several other measures. In an interaction with indiantelevision.com, Manish Popat, who last worked with Contiloe Pictures says that even though products are available in the market, people are clueless about their usage.

    That is when Popat, along with Fidelis Management Consultants director Harish Kale, who is responsible for audits of films, television, OTT and ad films, decided to come up with a solution to help the film and television industry. It led them to meet Tisa Tech Secure CEO Atharva Samant. Tisa Tech Secure is a security systems integration and consultancy company which has been in the business for the past 11 years. The company is currently providing services to BMC and certain Covid2019 hospitals.

    Tisa Tech Secure has now teamed up with the duo to bring together their experience in their respective fields to come up with effective Covid2019 response services and solutions. It involves recce of the shooting site, with the intention to identify areas where there are high chances of getting infected.

    Samant explains that this entire solution will be monitored by people on the ground and implemented as per government directives.

    Pre-shoot sanitisation process will involve disinfection and misting. It will cover the entire set, main floor, vanity vans, makeup rooms, PCR rooms, equipment etc. All the disinfectants are EPA approved. The entry will have a disinfecting tunnel which is loaded with thermal scanning kiosks tools. It will also keep a log of people entering. A team of two or three people will be stationed for temperature screening.

    There will be a UV disinfection chamber, which has UV-C technology which disinfects anything in 60 seconds. The chamber will be placed at various units like the makeup department and edit facilities. It will be used to disinfect phones, laptops, clothes, masks, PPE-kits, keys, tools and equipment.

    Samant said that most people are using UV tube lights and other products which are dangerous. “UV lights inherently have the tendency to do the danger if filaments are not correctly used as it leaves out carcinogenic fumes. Hence, it needs to be a closed UV chamber. So, we put a lot of thought into products which we are using,” he shares.

    The process of sanitisation is also technical. A sodium hypochlorite solution should have a ratio of 10 ml in 1 litre of water. Anything more can turn acidic.

    Samant suggests that the sanitisation process should at least happen thrice a day. Additionally, health and safety officers need to be hired now. Companies that haven’t yet positioned CCTVs at entry and exit points should do so now. Another way of ensuring minimal movement is colour-coded wristbands that provide entry in select areas. It also proposes a daily sanitisation process which will involve fogging and misting of the entire set.

    There will be an emergency action plan in case of any potential positive symptoms. The checklist includes isolating the person to the isolation chamber, coordinating with an on-site medic for checking various parameters, check oxygen level with an oximeter and log the results, immediately create a log of all the people who came into contact with the person and equipment, contact the nearest healthcare sector for an immediate Covid2019 test and much more.

    Producers can pick services that fit their needs on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. They also have the option to rent or buy equipment. A team of 55 is making the service available only in Mumbai for now. However, in the near future, it might be extended to Hyderabad and Telangana.

    What makes them stand apart is their understanding of the industry coupled with trust.

  • Kolkata cable ops to meet FM

    Kolkata cable ops to meet FM

    KOLKATA: With cable operators liable to pay 12.36 per cent of the subscription amount collected per month from customers as service tax to the government, 12 cable ops met the finance minister P Chidambaram in the city today to talk on Voluntary Compliance Encouragement Scheme (VCES).

     

    Two months ago, indiantelevision.com was the first to report issuing of summons to over 350 city-based cable ops for evasion of service tax for the past five years. We had also reported how service tax officials conducted two raids to probe into alleged financial irregularities of two MSOs.

     

    This, despite the government having introduced the VCES on 10 May. VCES is a one-time amnesty scheme for paying service tax dues for the said five-year period from 1 October 2007 to 31 December, 2012, without any interest or penalty.
    Cable Operators Digitalisation Committee of the Association of Cable Operators convener Swapan Chowdhury, confirmed the news saying: “We will discuss the voluntary service tax with the minister.”

     

    A key issue the cable ops plan to discuss is the government’s U-turn on the proposed service tax waiver for operators with turnover of less than Rs 10 lakh per annum. With authorities now saying that as cable ops are selling brands like Manthan and Siticable, they are liable to pay service tax, irrespective of the turnover shown in books, Chowdhury stressed: “We requested the government not to include operators below Rs 10 lakh turnover for service tax payment.”

     

    As the secretary of Cable and Broadband Operators’ Welfare Association, Chowdhury also informed the finance minister that after implementation of DAS in the city, consumers have had to wait for bills and upon not receiving them, remained unwilling to pay service tax to the LCOs.

     

    About the amnesty scheme, which Chidambaram has been urging service tax defaulters to take advantage of, tax consultant Namit Dave said: “By giving up interest, the government wants people to clear their dues.”
    Meanwhile, an industry analyst opined that MSOs which have evaded service tax to the tune of Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore in the past four years, now have a chance to pay their dues without penalty and prosecution.

  • Verizon Identifies Key Enterprise-Technology Trends for 2014

    Verizon Identifies Key Enterprise-Technology Trends for 2014

    MUMBAI: Enterprise users will gain unprecedented control over their technology environment in 2014, according to Verizon Enterprise Solutions’ list of top enterprise technology trends for 2014. The new year will see a sharp focus on how enterprises and governments use technology to enhance the customer’s experience and enable innovation.
    “We are experiencing the democratization of enterprise technology,” said David Small, Verizon Enterprise Solutions’ chief platform officer. “Mirroring what has happened in the consumer technology space, enterprise technology users look for services to be delivered on demand, to a time and place of their choosing, and in the way that they want. In 2014, enterprise success will be measured by how well organizations are able to use technology to meet user expectations and harness individual innovation.”
     

    Here are the key trends Verizon believes will drive change for enterprises and government in 2014:

    1. The Customer of One Comes of Age

    The ability to tailor a customer’s experience to best meet personalized, individual needs will increasingly be a brand differentiator. In 2014, enterprises will refocus on customer touch points, recognizing that integrated omnichannel connections – across online, mobile, broadcast and in-store –can make customers feel valued at every step of the purchase and experience lifecycle. These integrated systems will be the key to opening up new routes to markets by enabling businesses to engage directly with the individual on demand, and build trusted connections to simplify transactions. Insight provided by big data analytics will create new, individualized marketing opportunities that will transform and focus the customer engagement model.

    2. M2M ‘as a Service’ Simplifies Path to the Connected World

    Ubiquitous4G LTE wireless service and the availability of machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions “as a service” – on demand, over the Internet and ready to use –coupled with strong security will overcome the issues that have previously prevented many organizations from fully embracing M2M. By leveraging third-party expertise, organizations will be able to quickly transform the conversations of intelligent endpoints into unprecedented insights – and unprecedented business opportunities. As M2M adoption accelerates, manufacturers, dealers and business partners will be able to realize the full potential of new revenue streams and increased operational efficiencies, while better meeting the needs of their customers.

     

    3. The Shortage of Security Expertise Forces Changes to Cyber security Management

    Continued targeted attacks and high-profile security breaches impel corporate boards of directors to demand substantial increases in security investments in 2014 – and rethinking of traditional approaches to cyber security management. As enterprises increasingly adopt mobility, big data, cloud and broadcast solutions, the complexity of effective cyber security programs far exceeds both the availability of human capital around the world and the capability of any one enterprise to execute alone. Enterprises will develop and execute hybrid cyber security-management models that combine an agile staff of in-house security-minded business experts with trusted managed security services across a broad range of capabilities such as identity management, security analytics and cyber intelligence, and governance, risk and compliance.

    4. IT Decentralizes

    Organizations embracing the new information technology world of cloud, mobility and M2M will see IT increasingly decentralized. IT will be core to every business function. As a result, IT will work more closely with individual business units and focus on developing tools for seamless process enablement that empowers employees and customers. The C-suite (e.g. CFO, CMO, COO), lines of business and staff functions will increasingly take the lead role in engaging and deploying in the cloud, because of the immediate deployment speed, flexibility, control and cost value they see in cloud, as well as advantages in big data analysis. IT will be integrated into financial performance planning, and the lines between the IT department and finance will continue to blur as technology becomes the valued enabler, rather than the end game.
    5. Providers Add Gravity to the Cloud

    In a world where mobile is the norm, and rich media content is a given, the cloud will come into its own as the only location where growing data volumes can be stored, accessed and analyzed on demand. In 2014, adding software and services to the cloud will be a key focus for cloud providers seeking to attract customers –adding gravity and encouraging user stickiness. 

    Integrated cloud offerings will increasingly enable mashups of fixed and mobile networks; systems, ideas and solutions; people and things; and intelligence and information. Providing systems and tools to transform these data into insights in the cloud and on demand will transform the customer experience.

    Small concluded: “Verizon Enterprise Solutions brings together an unparalleled set of assets with the objective of driving open a connected world of opportunity for our clients. Whatever their industry or sector, in 2014 our clients will look to invest and innovate so they can more rapidly and securely deliver their products and services where, when, and how their users want them. Our focus is on offering powerful answers to business challenges by harnessing the power of our advanced technology platforms to deliver industry-specific solutions that unlock productivity and value for our clients, their customers and society.”

  • Sports ministry gets notice to ensure compliance of IOC directions by IOA

    Sports ministry gets notice to ensure compliance of IOC directions by IOA

    NEW DELHI: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court today issued notice to the Union Sports Ministry on a public interest litigation filed by IPS officer Amitabh Thakur and social activist Nutan Thakur to ensure compliance by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) of the directions issued by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

    After hearing arguments of petitioners’ counsel Asok Pande, the bench of Justice Imtiyaz Murtaza and Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya directed the Sports Ministry to present facts related with the matter within one week.

    According to the petition, IOC suspended IOA in December 2012 for not complying with the directions to suitably amend its constitution for introducing integrity, ethics and good governance in sports and reiterated it again during its meeting in Buenos Aires on 4 September directing IOA to amend its constitution by 31 October.

    Amitabh and Nutan said that participation in the Olympics is associated with not only sports but is also linked with the nation’s sentiments and has ramifications in international diplomacy and prestige, hence the sports ministry be directed to use its authority to ensure that IOA complies with the IOA directions in the prescribed period.