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Tag: covid

  • MIB asks GECs to promote Covid helplines

    Mumbai: The union ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) asked general entertainment channels (GECs) to promote six central government Covid helpline numbers. The country is battling with its worst-ever health crisis, with over 2,500 people succumbing to the infection daily.

    “The private general entertainment (non-news) TV channels are advised to promote awareness of these six national level helpline numbers by way of a ticker or such (other) appropriate ways as they may consider, at periodical intervals,” the I&B ministry said in its recent advisory.

    It has asked channels to promote national helpline numbers that include the union ministry for health and family welfare (1075), women and child development ministry (1098), and the national institute of mental health and neuro-sciences for psychological support (08046110007).

    Apart from these three major helplines,it has also sought to promote other helpline numbers that include, the AYUSH COVID-19 counselling number (14443), the MyGovWhatsApp help desk (9013151515), and that of the union ministry of social justice and empowerment for senior citizens (14567).

    In its advisory, the I&B ministry noted that the second wave of the coronavirus in India was showing signs of slowing down, even as the number of fresh cases was still on the higher side. On Friday, the country recorded as many as 1,34,000 new cases. The advisory also lauded private channels for complementing government efforts to fight the Covid pandemic by creating awareness regarding the infection.

  • Covid takes its toll on 65-year-old iconic luggage brand

    Mumbai: The pandemic has taken its deathly hold not just on people’s lives but also their livelihoods. Business organisations across different sectors are struggling to wade through the detrimental impact of Covid-19, and many others are facing closure. One such casualty has been the Chennai-based luggage retailer, Witco.

    After running for nearly 65 years, the iconic luggage retail chain has announced its decision to shut shop after it could not recover from the severe downturn caused by the ongoing pandemic. “We regret to inform you that we have closed down our business. The decision to close down this business was not an easy one, but unfortunately due to COVID-19 and the restrictions on international travel it was not sustainable for us,” the company wrote on its website.

    The company’s mainstay was international travel which contributed a significant portion to revenue. “While domestic travel resumed to some level towards the end of last year, International travel did not pick up and this impacted our sales,” the company’s MD VP Harris told Moneycontrol.

    The initial three months of the last financial year were a complete washout because of the lockdown, and the company could recover only 25-30 per cent of business after the economy reopened. “Given our rentals, employee salaries, and other expenses, we would have not been able to survive even if we had done 50 percent of our pre-Covid business,” he added.

    According to Harris, Witco’s downward spiral began with demonetisation, announced by the government in November 2016, which worsened further, after GST impacted its sales. The pandemic and lockdown proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the retail chain. The brand also tried to take the e-commerce route to survive and registered on Amazon and Flipkart but that too did not yield returns, shared Harris.

    Travel & tourism has been one of the worst affected sectors due to the pandemic. The market share for travel-related accessories and equipment has also taken a huge hit. While most sectors are still hopeful of recovery by the end of this financial year, the travel sector remains apprehensive and could take a long time to revive, according to industry experts. Consequently, the outlook for related segments such as luggage, too, remains grim.

    The brand with a strong presence in Chennai also had stores in Trichy, Kozhikode, Bengaluru and Kochi. Witco offered not only travel bags, but also laptop bags, backpacks, school bags, as well as handbags, from renowned brands like Samsonite, Delsey, American Tourister, Nike, Puma, VIP, Skybags, Baggit, Hidesign, Wildcraft and more.

    The sudden closure of the brand has left its decades-old customers dismayed. Several of them reminisced on social media, and shared childhood memories of shopping at the stores before starting the academic year of school and college or for their first trip abroad.

    “This is super sad. Witco was that one stop that you always window shopped and ogled in Forum Mall. It was also the place where we bought the first two large samsonite boxes that every graduate student buys before he goes to the US (and that was 18 years ago!),” shared one of the customers.

    Another tweeted, “This is terrible news. the 65-year-old brand shuts down. I fondly remember trips to Anna Nagar Witco ahead of school reopening to purchase school bags. One such backpack bought in 2002 is still in use.”

  • Mankind Pharma urges people to mask up in new campaign

    Mankind Pharma urges people to mask up in new campaign

    Mumbai: India is still grappling with the second wave of Covid-19 and continues to report over 1.5 lakh cases in a day. Still, there are people who are reluctant to take basic measures like wearing a mask to stop the virus from spreading. Mankind Pharma, the fourth largest pharmaceutical company in India has taken the initiative to make citizens aware of the importance of wearing a mask and is urging them to do their bit through its new campaign #MaskMyIndia.

    The pharma company has released a video that captures a moment in the life of doctors, the frontline Covid warriors, who are setting examples by doing more than their call of duty during the pandemic in India. The campaign, #MaskMyIndia throws light at the stressful working hours and heavy duty situations of healthcare workers and doctors. It walks the viewer through their endless spirit-breaking work routine day in and day out to ensure every one of us are safe while we, the people, are coming up with excuses to not wear a mask.

    Despite all the efforts our frontline workers are putting, the mortality rate is on the higher side and people are witnessing the grief of losing their loved ones. Through this campaign Mankind Pharma has urged everyone to do their bit by wearing a mask properly and help to fight the deadly virus. They request each one to be a responsible citizen and not take the situation lightly. Not wearing a mask is not an option, and we all should ensure we support our frontline workers by just doing our basic duty.

    The campaign is designed to raise awareness and to grow a sense of responsibility amongst the citizens and encourages all of us to take a pledge to wear a mask correctly to cover the nose and mouth entirely.

    Managing director & vice chairman Rajeev Juneja said, “At Mankind Pharma, we follow a strong brand philosophy of raising awareness on social issues. Through this campaign, we would like to spread the message that together we can all fight with deadly coronavirus, all we have to do is wear a mask and follow all the preventive measures given by the government. The video campaign is an attempt by Mankind Pharma to deliver the message of wearing a mask, and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and healthy. We all need to behave as responsible citizens and take ownership of ensuring our safety and other’s as well.”

  • Producers Guild of India organizes mass vaccination campaign

    Producers Guild of India organizes mass vaccination campaign

    Mumbai: The Producers Guild of India (PGI), the association of Indian film, television, and digital content producers on Monday announced it will conduct a mass vaccination campaign to give coronavirus vaccines to guild members and associated production crews. 

    The Guild, in a press release, noted that members will be vaccinated across several days in a drive to commence on 1 June at Mehboob Studios, in suburban Bandra. The organizers said that mass vaccination is the single solution to curb the spread of the pandemic, and would also facilitate safer shooting, once production work resumes. 

    “An activity of such importance and magnitude cannot be carried out singlehandedly, and we are extremely grateful for the support we have received to make this possible. We are happy that we are able to provide this facility to our members, their employees, and the cast and crew of their (respective) productions as we work to get the industry back on its feet again in the weeks ahead,” said Producers Guild of India president Sidharth Roy Kapur. 

    Kapur also thanked production company Excel Entertainment for playing ”a pivotal role in securing the vaccine, as also Mehboob Productions, who very generously offered complimentary use of the spacious Mehboob Studios.”

    Due to the second wave of the Covid pandemic, the Maharashtra government has suspended all shooting activities, both indoor and outdoor. Currently, the shooting of a few films and television shows is being carried out outside the state. 

    Maharashtra, on Sunday, reported 18,600 fresh Covid cases, with the death toll due to Covid-related complications costing 402 human lives, pushing the total number of fatalities to 94,844. 

     

     

  • Dettol launches anthem to spread the message of hope

    Dettol launches anthem to spread the message of hope

    New Delhi: With India struggling to combat the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Dettol on Monday launched an anthem to spread the message of positivity and hope. The brand has attempted to reiterate the criticality of good habits like hand hygiene, wearing masks, maintaining social distance and vaccination to fight the pandemic.

    The anthem to infuse positivity has been performed entirely by children across the nation from the safety of their homes and executed with complete adherence to current safety protocols, said the company.

    Reckitt, South Asia- Health and Nutrition, regional marketing director, Dilen Gandhi said, “Dettol has been driving mass behavioral change and has played an important part in creating a healthier and more hygienic environment. Children have played a crucial role in helping us spread awareness on the importance of health and hygiene. Today, our children have been massively impacted and facing extreme duress due to the virus. This campaign is our way of saluting the future of our country and spreading the message through them of hope, positivity and protection.”

    Elaborating on the concept, McCann, executive director and India head of creative, Ashish Chakravarty said, “This anthem is a message of positivity and hope. And who better to bring such a message than those in whom the hopes of a better tomorrow lie; the children of the nation. We hope that this simple message finds a voice in every home of India.”  

    Dettol has been focused on addressing the rising need of health, hygiene and sanitation in India. With Dettol’s Banega Swasth India initiative, Dettol has impacted more than 20 million children across India.

  • India Inc has no-deal with Covid stress on working minds

    India Inc has no-deal with Covid stress on working minds

    Mumbai: So, May was mental health awareness month. Not surprisingly, along with everything else, Covid-19 has taken a toll on our anxiety and stress levels too. As the pandemic’s second wave sweeps across the country, it is inducing a considerable degree of fear, distress, and alarm in the population at large, and especially among the working professionals.

    The economic repercussions of the ongoing pandemic have made Indian professionals vulnerable to job uncertainty, financial instability, and bleak company outlook while continuing to work remotely, according to a LinkedIn workforce confidence index (WCI) report on mental health.

    “The ongoing stress around the three Rs — Remote work, Return to work, and Risk of exposure — are adversely impacting the mental health of Indian professionals,” said LinkedIn, India country manager Ashutosh Gupta.

    The pandemic also impacted, in particular, working women and their ability to focus on work, with a major part of the household and childcare responsibilities falling on their shoulders at home- further highlighting the gender disparity in our society. Many professionals experienced financial uncertainty with salary cuts, lay-offs, job instability, and unemployment looming large.

    PRE-COVID

    It is a known fact that even pre-Covid, workplaces added to mental health concerns while doing little to address them.

    “Indians are among the most overworked workers globally while earning the lowest minimum statutory wage in the Asia-Pacific region, barring Bangladesh”, as per a study on the state of mental health in Corporate India by Gi Group India. The report does a comparative analysis of the working hours per week in India, as against the US and the UK. India stands at 48 – 50 hours while the US is at 40 and the UK a cool 33 hours.

    “There are 1.2 million registered companies in India out of which only 1,000 provide EAPs (employee assistance programmes) for mental health. How India Inc fares on the mental health index is very clear by this statistic. It is also a cry for help as the magnitude of mental health issues among Indian workers is increasing at an alarming rate.” GI Group MD Marcos Segador Arrebola told ET.

    So how does India Inc fare on the mental health index ?

    The Covid-19 impact

    As per the GI group survey, due to the Covid-19 lockdown: 29 per cent of the employees surveyed suffered due to erratic work schedules and 21 per cent suffered due to reduced salariesPIC:

    The contingency did affect organizations to the point of being a serious call-for-action. And, 48 per cent of the employers surveyed reported having taken cognizance of mental wellness concerns. Of this, 29 per cent believe they have been able to identify issues and provide an appropriate form of assistance. While the rest are at various stages of inadequacy, 9 per cent of the employers seem helpless in this regard.

    According to PeakMind.in-Empowered Emotionally, clinical psychologist Shefalika Sahai, the pandemic situation threw most of our coping mechanisms out of the window with anxiety and panic taking over. “According to the data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), the number of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder increased from 11 per cent during the pandemic, which also resulted in many organisations launching free mental wellbeing helpline numbers.”

    We are seeing many organisations leading creative and innovative engagements and collaborations with experts to build the morale and mental wellbeing of the employees. In that sense, Covid-19 has been a mixed bag for issues concerning mental wellness. Awareness and accessibility leapfrogged and taboos surrounding it significantly diminished.

    Hospitality firm Oyo rolled out a set of initiatives for its employees to alleviate their stress levels amid the coronavirus pandemic, including four-day working in a week and flexible infinite paid leaves. OYO Rooms CEO Ritesh Agarwal wrote about the company’s new initiatives on Twitter.

    The online food tech unicorn Swiggy also announced that it will be moving to a four-day work week for May.

    Gi Group Head for Staffing Business Sonal Arora said, “Although raising awareness is an essential part of the solution, the concept of a well-defined action plan has been lacking and a majority still struggle due to restricted sources of assistance.”

    Given the rising anxiety levels among employees, several organisations are revealing their compassionate side by offering staff a much-needed break from work. Many companies acknowledge that in such dark times, it’s essential to go beyond mere words of being a ‘people-first organisation’ and ensure that caring actions towards each and everyone’s well-being are prioritised.

    Realty developer Godrej Properties provided its employees a five-day complete break from office work to allow its teams to “recuperate emotionally” in the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic.

    “The work from home burnout is real and the last thirteen months of Covid and the second wave have taken a toll on people; emotionally and mentally. As a company, it is our responsibility to be with our employees and we understand that in tough times like these, everyone deserves a break,” said Godrej Properties MD and CEO Mohit Malhotra. This applied to nearly 2,000 permanent employees of the company and around 600 contract employees working across all its locations in India.

    Ericsson India has launched an employee wellness programme that is focused on interventions around their physical, financial, emotional, and social wellbeing. In addition, the organisation has set up a 24X7 Employee Assistance Programme to provide one-to-one support to its employees.

    Visionet Systems set up a dedicated helpline for its employees, providing free mental health professionals, via phone or text.

    “We have close to 4500 employees across three centres in India and unless they are all moving in the same direction, are feeling safe, appreciated and financially protected, we cannot expect the company to do well,” Visionet Systems MD and country head Alok Bansal told Businessworld.

    Vestige Marketing started a Covid-19 support initiative, called SAMVAAD- a platform wherein the HR and the management regularly connect with teams and departments to acknowledge their efforts, listen to their concerns, provide support and inspire and motivate them.

    While these and many other companies have set the ball rolling and taken some initiatives towards employees’ mental wellness the question remains, is it enough for a country as vast as India?

    There is a dire need for corporates to factor in mental wellbeing in their regime and inculcate measures for the mental well-being of employees. Covid-19 is a wake-up call for employers to sensitize their organizations and formalize their mental wellness approach.

  • HDFC Life’s latest digital campaign celebrates kindness

    HDFC Life’s latest digital campaign celebrates kindness

    Mumbai: HDFC Life has launched a campaign #TheRightStep celebrating stories of kindness and encouraging people to be the ray of hope in someone’s life through small acts of generosity during these difficult times. 

    The campaign aims to inspire everyone to take the right action and help fight this pandemic in whatever way they can. To spread this message, HDFC Life has created six ten-second videos with a selection of slice-of-life stories, showcasing everyday moments where people from all walks of life are contributing towards fighting the pandemic in their capacity.

    HDFC Life executive VP Vishal Subharwal said, “Our campaign #TheRightStep is our small initiative to recognize the everyday heroes around us while also encouraging the audience to follow their footsteps. With this campaign, we also wish to spread a sense of optimism with examples of how society has taken a selfless turn, and how with these small acts of kindness we can together fight this pandemic.”

    The stories revolve around one family, where each story sees one main character taking #TheRightStep and feeling a strong sense of contribution as a result of owning up to their duty and responsibility.

    Commenting on the challenge of creating a thought-provoking campaign that aligns with the brand’s philosophy of SarUthaKeJiyo, Logicserve Digital VP Manesh Swamy says, “Everyone’s morale was at a low, we thought this is the right time to encourage people to step up and do the right thing and help people navigate through these tough times. We wanted to convey how every single person can make a difference by taking the right step. Since a majority of the cities in the country were in lockdown, it was difficult to shoot but we managed to pull it off with all the safety norms in place. We hope after watching this, viewers get inspired to do the right thing.”

  • Why restaurants are stepping away from Swiggy, Zomato with #OrderDirect campaign

    Why restaurants are stepping away from Swiggy, Zomato with #OrderDirect campaign

    MUMBAI: Food delivery continues to be the mainstay for the restaurant industry hit hard by the pandemic with lockdowns and restrictions in place. While this has come as a boon for the food aggregators and delivery apps, it has also taken away a significant portion of the restaurants’ earnings by way of commission to these platforms.

    With these food apps currently the only source of revenue for many restaurants across the country, restaurants fear the industry is emerging into a duopoly controlled by the food aggregators. With reopening of the hospitality sector looking uncertain in the near future, more eateries are looking to improve margins by trying out alternatives to aggregators Zomato and Swiggy.

    The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) recently announced the #OrderDirect campaign to offer a democratized digital channel with low commissions, data ownership, control over policies, and an unbundled technology stack. NRAI president Anurag Katriar referred to the food aggregator apps as ‘virtual landlords’ last year highlighting the urgent need for the sector to reduce its dependence on such platforms. To safeguard their interest, restaurants are now collectively coming up with their loyalty scheme, bill settlement technology, and even a home delivery solution.  

    Riyaaz Amlani- CEO & MD, Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality, who operates a chain of restaurants in several cities- is among the key voices backing #OrderDirect in India. From this week onwards, in a first-of-its-kind pilot project, his hospitality portfolio has teamed up with Mumbai’s Dabbawala for home deliveries. Riyaaz Amlani posted on LinkedIn, “Thrilled to announce a partnership that just fits. Dabbawalas know a thing or two about getting you your meals on time. They are severely impacted by the pandemic. Working with this awesome group of people is a privilege and a natural extension of our D2C push. #orderdirect “.

    Impresario Handmade Restaurants is employing several dabbawalas in Mumbai who will service direct delivery orders received on Impresario’s tech-enabled platforms for their restaurant brands such as SOCIAL, Smoke House Deli, and Salt Water Cafe. Orders from these restaurants in the Lower Parel, Bandra, and BKC areas of Mumbai will be fulfilled by the dabbawalas starting this week in a seemingly win-win solution for both parties. The association will roll out in phases over the next few months, each employing more dabbawalas and strengthening the partnership.

    This association also takes away from delivery aggregators such as Swiggy and Zomato. According to Amlani, ordering directly from restaurants (and not through aggregators) empowers the company to have direct and deeper relationships with its customers and saves on prohibitive commissions paid to the aggregators. “We are then able to pass on these savings to our customers and allow them to benefit from ordering directly. Now, ordering directly is also helping to employ our dabbawalas, who have lost their livelihoods due to the pandemic. We need to support each other through these trying times, and this is Impresario’s way of meaningfully extending a helping hand. We are hopeful that this association will trigger the rest of the hospitality industry to employ them too,” he told a publication.

    While recognising the positive aspects of what the aggregators are offering the restaurants and customers, Food Matters’ founder and CEO India Gauri Devidayal, says “This relationship is no longer a partnership but rather is one built on dependency… This is not just about saving on commissions but also servicing an increased radius of delivery and therefore having the potential for higher revenues.”

    For restaurateurs looking to start their online ordering platform and reduce dependency on food aggregators DotPe, Thrive Now and Peppo are some of the tech partners supporting NRAI in this campaign. They are helping to build full-stack solutions and a sustainable hospitality ecosystem together with the restaurants.

    Whether these innovations are feasible and able to democratize the food industry, only time will tell.

  • Bikano donates Rs 22 lakh to PMCares Fund

    Bikano donates Rs 22 lakh to PMCares Fund

    Mumbai: As the country battles its worst ever health crisis, Snacks brand Bikano has announced its decision to donate Rs 22 lakh for Prime Minister Cares Fund. The country has recorded over one lakh deaths from Covid-19 in the last 26 days, becoming the third country after the US and Brazil to record the highest cumulative death toll so far.

    “Bikano has always stood for what counts for the greater good. As a company with a conscience, we aim at not only winning the hearts and minds of our patrons and food lovers; we are sincerely looking forward to giving back to the wider society where we belong to. And what better than pitching in for a cause which has affected nearly every one of us in some ways or the other,” said Bikano Director Manish Aggarwal. “It was our bounden duty to come forward and make our small contribution count.”

    The company has remained relatively unscathed from the economic headwinds coming on account of Covid-19 even during the second wave. In fact, only recently, Bikano launched as many as seven products on a single day nationally which was soon followed by separate launches in cities in Punjab and northern Hindi speaking markets of UP and Uttarakhand, demonstrating its brand strength and performance.

  • Covid aid: Zee Bangla Cinema says ‘we’re there for you’ with amraachhi.org

    Covid aid: Zee Bangla Cinema says ‘we’re there for you’ with amraachhi.org

    NEW DELHI: Zee Bangla Cinema, in association with its digital partner Mind and Matter, has launched a website named Amra Achhi (amraachhi.org) which means ‘We are there’ to provide all Covid-related help to people in West Bengal. 

    The website is a one-stop destination for all information related to Covid-19 care in the state. In a statement, the channel said the sole objective behind launching this site is to ensure people get all the helping hand and also encourage others to contribute to their fellow citizens in this difficult situation. 

    The uniqueness of this platform is that it will grow organically through a crowd-sourcing model. Through this initiative, the channel will enable people to volunteer for their locality and show their comradeship with one another.

    This initiative will also encourage people to become Covid heroes in their locality and assist families affected by the pandemic. It aims to extend the helping hand to the needy ones by supplying essential medicines, utilities, and rations. 

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd cluster head-east Samrat Ghosh urged people of West Bengal to visit the site and do their bit for those in need. 

    “This platform will bring all the people together who want to be there with you when you indeed need them. I would appeal to everyone in West Bengal to visit the site and come forward to become a Covid hero in their locality. We believe this small initiative along with help from our viewers can make a big difference in these challenging times,” said Ghosh.