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Tag: covid2019

  • Milagrow founder Rajeev Karwal loses battle against Covid

    Milagrow founder Rajeev Karwal loses battle against Covid

    MUMBAI: Milagrow Robots founder & chairman Rajeev Karwal died of Covid-19 on Wednesday morning after he was on ventilator support for almost a week. He was known for his contribution to the Indian electronics and technology space. 

    Karwal-founded Milagrow Human tech has installed humanoid robots at dedicated Covid-19 wards. Designed the hospitality industry, the robot had been modified to suit the requirements of the healthcare sector. At a time when doctors and other health care staff at hospitals are at risk of contracting the lethal pathogen, Milagrow’s humanoid robots deployed at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other hospitals in the country mitigated the hazard by performing contactless monitoring of the admitted Covid-positive patients and disinfecting and sanitising the Covid wards without human help.

     It is truly tragic that while his robots are helping doctors win the battle against Covid-19, Karwal himself succumbed to the disease.

    The man behind Made in India robots set up Milagrow in 2007 for management consultancy and by 2012 the company transitioned to making robots for residential and industrial use. Prior to this, he was known for his brand-building efforts at LG, ONIDA, Philips and Electrolux, where he became part of the senior management. He was known transforming LG Corp as their VP of sales and marketing. He also worked as the president and CEO of Reliance Digital for a year before he founded Milagrow.

    As the novel coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across India, the demand for automated solutions across sectors is high. Milagrow had introduced four humanoid robots to cater to increased demand in the healthcare, hospitality and office management industry. The robots also perform the function of disinfecting and cleaning the Covid wards.

    “This humanoid is specifically for the hospitality industry but when Covid-19 broke out and the reports started to come from Italy that almost 28 per cent to 30 per cent people in the healthcare sector were infected because of the proximity with the patients, then immediately our mind started to work, that how this robot can be used in actual infectious wards where distancing between the doctor and the patient is very important,” Rajeev Karwal had told ANI in April 2020.

  • Wai Wai promotes hand hygiene through its new packaging

    Wai Wai promotes hand hygiene through its new packaging

    New Delhi: Nepal-based Wai Wai noodles maker CG Corp Global has embarked on a more socially conscious brand messaging in its second largest market, India. With the rising number of Covid2019 cases in the country, Wai Wai is doing its bit to instil the habit of handwashing in its young consumers. The company echoes the ‘Hand Wash Program’ lead by WHO by amplifying the message through a dedicated space on each packet of noodles.

    This is in line with the ideology of creating a safer, healthier, and hygienic ecosystem in the regular buyer-seller relation. The noodles is a popular brand among many young adults and children worldwide, therefore; the company is propagating the messaging within the millennial consumer base through its packaging. Moreover, the message of ‘Wash hands be healthy’ is printed both in English and Hindi alongside the catchy slogan of Sabun paani haath, humesha saath saath, thus aiding inclusivity and accessibility.

    CG Corp Global business head GP Sah stated, “As a customer-first organisation, we are always seeking opportunities to make the customer experience enriching and wholesome. This year we have already manufactured and distributed around 60 crore packets in parts of India and over 240 crore packets in parts of south Asia. We as a global corporation have been involved with many initiatives through are multiple subsidiaries spread across the world and we constantly strive for the betterment of these societies we dwell in.”

  • ‘Awsum’ idea: Immunity booster chocolate brand launches in India

    ‘Awsum’ idea: Immunity booster chocolate brand launches in India

    Mumbai: Amid the Covid2019 pandemic, with people going gaga over immunity boosters, here’s a new one – now, chocolates made of Ayurvedic herbs and botanicals to boost your immunity.

    Designed to help the urban working millennials deal with their modern-day lifestyle disorders, Pranav Sharma and Kritik Thakur have launched India’s first functional chocolate brand, Awsum – a first of its kind chocolate brand which uses Ayurvedic principles to make products healthier without compromising on taste. Awsum uses the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and combines it with premium dark and milk chocolate to create exciting products that come with functional benefits.

    Functional chocolate as a category is very new and novel for the Indian markets with no similar brands available in the same space. These chocolates are packed with herbs and nutrients that help the body to deal with modern-day lifestyle health disorders and are very relevant for the current scenario where we are all dealing with a pandemic like Covid, the brand said in a press release. The chocolates have a rich and smooth texture and do not come at a compromise of taste.

    Awsum has launched four variants to start off with: Daily Energy, Sleep, Goodbye Stress, and Active Immunity.

    “The mission of the brand is to inspire lifelong healthy habits by bringing simplicity, inspiration and delight to the world of supplements and nutraceuticals. These functional chocolates immensely help you to fight and deal with modern-day lifestyle problems- from sleep deprivation to stress and anxiety,” said Awsum co-founders, Pranav Sharma and Kritik Thakur.

    The idea of Awsum was conceived in the backdrop of nationwide lockdown declared by the government last year in 2020 when the co-founders themselves grappled with problems such as sleep deprivation, day time lethargy, and anxiety. And their own experience led to the creation of the brand that aims to help people deal with these problems in a more convenient and palatable way. 

  • Guest column: Post pandemic, advertising shifts focus to brand building

    Guest column: Post pandemic, advertising shifts focus to brand building

    NEW DELHI: Do you remember TV commercials that featured fans at crowded football games, or that focused around cities choked with people, or with celebrities doing every possible thing to woo their audience? You may call them the “before coronavirus” commercials/ads that no longer work in today’s scenario. With the onset of the pandemic, everything changed in a matter of hours, and TV commercials of various brands were no exception. As the Covid-imposed lockdown continues, Indian advertisers are completely relying on media-led brand building to reap long term benefits.

    The rise of ad flexibility

    As major live events, where TVCs played a pivotal role, were cancelled keeping in mind to curb the spread of the Coronavirus, advertisers had to regulate themselves according to their new programming slate. This has also been changing according to the scenario outside, making the ads more compassionate and caring towards their customers. Since the airing of many programs was also cancelled due to the pandemic, the TVCs mostly aired during the news broadcast or in the news channel. 

    Advertising in digital content

    With the remote working and stay at home guidelines, the viewership of TV and OTT platforms is seeing an explosive growth. Though the advertising demand during this phase is being subdued due to the current situation, advertisement in certain categories like essentials, health and hygiene worked like never before. Brands across industries have responded to this situation quite promptly and started investing in TVC and campaigns for essentials and health and hygiene products across media. Whereas, non-essential categories didn’t fall behind and rather started their communications in digital medium by tagging alongside essential categories. Few companies have shifted to the basics and once again emphasised on brand building by highlighting their efforts towards combating the situation through their advertisements. 

    Brand building is the new focus

    With a stepped-up viewership of TV and OTT platforms, lessened advertiser clutter and potentially lower rates due to lower demand, brands have realised that this is the perfect time to invest in brand building by emphasising more on the brand’s core values. Brands have once again started earmarking for BTL so that it can be redirected to deploy on media and have put consumer promos, offers among others on a backseat. They executed brand building by exploring higher ACDs (average commercial durations) and consumer-relatable storytelling. 

    New industries, new advertisers

    As we have entered a much dreaded second phase of the Covid2019 pandemic, there is no clear timeline by when we will emerge out of the unprecedented situation. Therefore, brands need to engage in rigorous scenario-based planning, where they have to make an imaginary timeline of recovery, changes in consumer behaviour and upgraded budgets. The digital-first approach should be the first line of advertising for a brand in this ‘new normal’ situation. Brand’s media plans also need to be aligned with business strategy so that a balance can be made between opportunity and reality. One needs to keep in mind that whenever there is an extended lockdown, there is a downward pressure on consumer purchasing power and planned purchases will be on the lower side.

    (The author is director, Bonn Group of Industries. The views expressed in this column are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

  • No more TV & film shoots in Goa, govt enforces 15-day lockdown

    No more TV & film shoots in Goa, govt enforces 15-day lockdown

    New Delhi: With one of the highest rate of Covid2019 infections in the country, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Friday announced a state-wide curfew in the state from 9 May to 23 May.

    According to government data, Goa has recorded a positivity rate of 41 per cent, which has surpassed the infection rates in Delhi as well as Mumbai. “The positivity rate and death rate are increasing in the state. There is no shortage of oxygen and medicines in the state. A detailed order regarding the state-level curfew will be released by 4 pm on Saturday,” said Sawant.

    The announcement comes hours after the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) cancelled all permissions granted for film and television serial shootings in the state in the wake of the raging pandemic. The ESG is Goa government’s nodal agency empowered to give permission for commercial shootings in the state.

    Several film and TV serial makers from Mumbai and Chennai had recently shifted their sets to Goa after strict restrictions were imposed in Maharashtra and other states.

    “We will not allow any shooting of films or television serials in public or private properties till the Covid2019 situation in the state comes under control,” ESG vice president Subhash Faldesai told PTI.

    All those currently shooting films and serials in Goa have also been asked to wind up their schedules. The ESG said it will review its decision only after the situation is under control.

    On Thursday, Goa reported its highest daily tally so far with 3,869 Covid2019 cases that took the count of infections to 1,08,267.

  • Disney and Star India contribute Rs 50 crore for Covid relief efforts

    Disney and Star India contribute Rs 50 crore for Covid relief efforts

    KOLKATA: Amid the ongoing Covid2019 crisis, leading TV network Star India has pledged financial support of Rs 50 crore for relief efforts. The announcement was made through Star India’s Twitter handle today.

    The proceeds will be utilised to aid India’s battle against Covid and towards the procurement of critical healthcare equipment, including oxygen concentrators, BiPAP, and ventilators along with setting up oxygen plants across hospitals.

    This is in addition to the Rs 28 crores that The Walt Disney Company and Star India had contributed towards Covid2019 relief in 2020. In an endeavour to create awareness around Covid appropriate behaviour (CAB), the Star India network has been running an awareness campaign through public service announcements (PSA).

    The Walt Disney Company India and Star India president K Madhavan said, “We stand in solidarity with all of India in our fight against Covid2019. The Walt Disney Company and Star India are humbly contributing Rs 50 crore to aid relief efforts. The need of the hour is to provide critical healthcare supplies and equipment to save lives. This is our common fight and our contribution reaffirms our steadfast commitment to India, and builds upon the Rs 28 crores that our company contributed towards Covid2019 relief in 2020.”

    The media and entertainment giant will also continue supporting relief efforts through its Disney Employee Matching Gifts program, wherein for employee donations to pre-approved charitable organisations, the company will match the amount.

  • Yash Raj Films offers to sponsor vaccines for 30,000 FWICE workers

    Yash Raj Films offers to sponsor vaccines for 30,000 FWICE workers

    NEW DELHI: As the Covid2019 crisis worsens, Yash Raj Films (YRF) has offered to sponsor vaccines for all members of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) through its charitable arm, the Yash Raj Foundation. According to a letter the YRF wrote to the president of FWICE, the foundation has already petitioned Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to help it procure vaccines to inoculate the 30,000-odd members of the cine workers’ body.

    The foundation, named after legendary director Yash Chopra, has assured that the cost of the vaccines and all related expenses will be borne by it.

    “We have sent a request to the honourable chief minister of Maharashtra to allocate and allow us to purchase Covid2019 vaccines for 30,000 registered workers, who are members of the film industry’s federation in Mumbai at the earliest. The Yash Chopra Foundation will bear all other costs too associated with vaccinating the workers such as raising awareness, transportation of workers and setting up of all the required infrastructure for the immunisation programme,” wrote YRF in its letter to FWICE.

    The request comes amid a record rise in Covid cases in Mumbai. Given the surging caseloads across Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena-led ruling dispensation had imposed a statewide halt on film production activities.

    YRF further said that during these dire times, there is an urgent need to restart filming in the state so that thousands of workers have a steady stream of income to support their families.

    Following this letter from YRF, FWICE has also penned a missive to CM Thackeray, urging the government to provide 60,000 doses of the Covid2019 vaccines for 30,000 members of the film industry’s federation, according to a report by India Today. In the letter, which has been signed by all the designation holders of FWICE, it is mentioned that once vaccination is complete, members can resume their work without any fear.

  • Amazon India steps up to help small businesses amid Covid surge

    Amazon India steps up to help small businesses amid Covid surge

    New Delhi: As the country battles the devastating onslaught of the novel Coronavirus, Amazon India has rolled out a slew of measures for small and medium businesses to help them wade through the crisis.

    The e-commerce major said it will waive 50 per cent of the ‘sell-on-amazon’ or ‘referral fee’ from 1-31 May for sellers who have had an average monthly gross merchandise sale (GMS) of Rs 10,000 or below across January, February, and March 2021. It will also reimburse storage fees and long-term storage fees charged for keeping sellers’ products at its warehouses for merchants based out of non-serviceable pin codes.

    “Never has it been more important to stand with small businesses and we wanted to do our part to help our sellers tide through these tough times. We hope our initiatives, which include fee waivers, policy relaxations, and vaccination support, will be of help to our sellers at this time,” tweeted Amazon India vice president Manish Tiwari.

    Amazon India has over 8.5 lakh sellers on its platform. It has recently announced its decision to cover the Covid2019 vaccine costs for its eligible sellers and their dependents.

    The etailer said it will temporarily relax the claim windows for various types of reimbursements that the sellers file for 30 days. It will also take steps to mitigate any negative impact on sellers’ performance metrics due to defaults caused by the pandemic and the resulting restrictions in several states, on the sellers’ account health.

    “We are also working to relax our policies regarding late shipment rate, order cancellation, and returns to better support our sellers during this period,” said Tiwari in a blog post.

    India on Sunday recorded a massive surge of 3.92 lakh new Covid2019 cases and as many as 3,689 deaths from across the country. While the government has announced the beginning of phase-3 of the vaccination drive, the process remained suspended in several states due to a shortage of vaccines for the 18-44 years age group.

    Amazon India said the lockdowns and curfews announced in different states to tackle the situation continues to impact its businesses, even though the e-commerce companies have been allowed to operate. The government has allowed the delivery of only essential items like groceries and medicines.

    Amazon India works with more than 10 lakh small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) including sellers, delivery and logistics partners, neighbourhood stores, enterprises, developers, content creators, and authors in the country.

    “Our number one priority right now is to help save lives and extend support communities across the nation including our employees, sellers, delivery associates, other partners, and their dependents in this time of crisis,” said Tiwari.

  • Facebook to launch vaccine finder tool on its mobile app

    Facebook to launch vaccine finder tool on its mobile app

    New Delhi: Social media platform Facebook said it is partnering with the government to roll out a vaccine finder tool on its mobile app this week to help people identify nearby places to get inoculated. The announcement comes at a time when the country has begun the vaccination process for all citizens above 18 years.

    Earlier this week, the social media giant had announced a $10 million grant for emergency response efforts for the Covid2019 situation in India, which is grappling with a deadly second wave of Covid2019. “We are committed to doing our best to help the local communities in the country with medical supplies and other life-saving equipment,” it said in a public post on Friday.

    The tool will provide information in as many as 17 languages. The details of the vaccine center locations and their hours of operation have been provided by the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW).

    According to the government data, over 2.45 crore people have already registered on the Co-WIN app ahead of Phase-3 of the Covid2019 vaccination.

    In a post, Facebook said its tool will also show walk-in options for those aged above 45 years and a link to register on the Co-Win website and schedule vaccination appointments.

    “We are also partnering with organizations such as United Way, Swasth, Hemkunt Foundation, I Am Gurgaon, Project Mumbai, and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) to deploy the funds announced to help augment critical medical supplies with over 5,000 oxygen concentrators and other life-saving equipment like ventilators, BiPAP machines and to increase hospital bed capacity,” it stated.

    The platform said it is also providing health resources to people from UNICEF India about when to seek emergency care and how to manage mild symptoms at home. The information is accessible and prominent on Facebook’s COVID-19 Information Center and in Feed. It is also promoting this information on Instagram.

    Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have emerged as a lifeline, connecting those looking for oxygen cylinders, hospital beds, plasma donors, and ventilators with possible donors. Twitter too has set up a COVID-19 SOS page that helps surface information from those offering or seeking immediate help during this crisis.

    India is reeling under one of the most severe waves of Covid2019. The country reported a record 4 lakh new positive cases in the last 24 hours, its sharpest spike since the pandemic first gripped the country last year. 

  • Aaj Tak anchor Rohit Sardana succumbs to Covid

    Aaj Tak anchor Rohit Sardana succumbs to Covid

    NEW DELHI: Covid keeps taking its toll on the Indian news broadcasting industry. Reports emerged on Friday that Hindi news channel Aaj Tak’s lead anchor Rohit Sardana has passed away after testing positive for Covid2019.

    “More terrible news friends. Well known TV news anchor Rohit Sardana has passed away. Had a heart attack this morning. Deep condolences to his family,” tweeted journalist Rajdeep Sardesai.

     

     

    A senior broadcast journalist and a popular face on Hindi news channels, Sardana had left Zee News to join Aaj Tak in 2017. He was the host of the popular debate show Taal Thok Ke on Zee News and was last hosting Dangal on Aaj Tak.

    Sardana’s untimely demise has left the news media world in a state of shock, with several friends, colleagues and prominent personages expressing their sadness over demise on social media. Zee News editor-in-chief Sudhir Chaudhary and Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia took to Twitter to condole Sardana’s passing.

     

     

     

     

    The last few posts on Sardana’s Twitter account shows that he was trying to help people even while suffering from Covid himself. He was amplifying the SOS calls of people who were in need of amenities amidst the second wave of the Covid2019 pandemic.