TECNO Unveils Largest Door-Step Delivery Initiative with 35,000+ Retailers Across Indian Market

Highlights

* The initiative will help TECNO’s massive network of 35,000 offline retailers to get back to business by connecting them with consumers
* TECNO’s endeavor will empower customers to opt for the product of their choice and allow them to connect directly with retailers from the safety of their homes
* TECNO to resume operations of its Noida factory and service centers in accordance with the zoning regulations of the government

TECNO, the global premium smartphone brand, today launched its unique ‘Doorstep Delivery’ initiative with the largest offline retail network of 35,000 outlets across India in a bid to meet its consumers’ smartphone demand as rules of lockdown are relaxed. The innovative model will help retailer revive their businesses and empower consumers to select the product of their choice from the safety of their homes.

Consumers can reach out to their preferred retailers at https://www.tecno-mobile.in/home-delivery and enter their pin code details to initiate this service. The microsite with a store locator will assist in mapping the retailer and their contact details, and the device will be delivered at their doorsteps by their nearest retailer.

TECNO’s unique initiative will enable its consumers to connect and place order with their preferred retailers as per the zoning guidelines of the government from the comfort of their home.  All orders will be delivered within 24 hours in compliance of the norms and guidelines prescribed by the Government for zones created in the wake of the Covid-19 crises, and consumers will not incur any additional charges.

Commenting on the initiative undertaken by TECNO, Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of TRANSSION India, said, “We are a consumer-centric brand and at the time of crisis, when going out to a physical store is difficult for consumers. We are taking a step towards bringing them closer to our 35,000 retailers. The Doorstep Delivery initiative is an innovative lead generation model that will allow us to create an environment of business continuity that will empower the retailers, the consumers and all those who are involved across the supply chain. Operations will be carried out in conformity with the prescribed advisory and guidelines set by the Government.”

Effective immediately, the doorstep delivery service will include TECNO’s popular smartphones with many segment first features like CAMON 15, CAMON 15Pro and the Spark Go Plus. And consumers can continue to avail the below offers

* Free Bluetooth earpiece worth INR 799 available for limited period only (with Spark Go plus only)
* 1-time screen replacement, and 1-month extended warranty (12+1 month)

As part of the endeavor, TECNO’s 370+ service centers have already resumed operations and will restart its Noida factory in the week starting 11th May, conforming to the advisory and guidelines of the state governments.

To ensure the initiative adheres to the highest safety standards, TECNO has assured that its retailers would ensure safe and hygienic delivery, following all statutory requirements and regulations of the Government. Earlier, TECNO also announced initiatives like implementing a two-month warranty extension policy for its smartphones whose warranty expires during the period between March 20 and May 31, 2020.

Hyundai Motor India Rolled-Out 200 Cars on First Day of Production Restart at Sriperumbudur, Chennai

Hyundai Motor India Ltd., country’s first Smart Mobility Solutions Provider and the largest exporter since inception, has rolled-out 200 cars on first day of production restart at its Plant at Sriperumbudur, Chennai. The company commenced production operations on May 08, 2020, ensuring   100 % social distancing compliance in accordance with standard operating procedure.

Hyundai is adhering to all the guidelines set by the State and Central Government and also practicing 360-degree safety – Care at workplace & Care at all times within the factory premises. In line with the Government’s objectives of reviving the economy and Hyundai’s Global Vision of Progress for Humanity, the commencement of manufacturing operations is aimed at boosting economic activities and striving to bring back normalcy.

Log on to www.hyundai.co.in for more information.

Lava Resumes India Operations in Noida Factory with 20 Percent Production Capacity

Lava, a leading Indian mobile phone company has resumed production at its manufacturing facility in Noida. The company has started operating with 20% per cent of its production capacity, post receiving an approval from the state authorities. 600 out of its 3500 workforce have resumed work.

The company has arranged special buses for the transportation of its employees. Lava is also encouraging its employees to practice basic hygiene and social distancing both inside and outside the company’s premises. Some other stringent measures that the company is taking to ensure the safety of it workers includes regular health check-ups, fumigation and sanitization of its premises.

Lava's Noida factory was shut since the government announced the nationwide lockdown in March to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Mr. Sanjeev Agarwal, Chief Manufacturing Officer of Lava on resuming factory operations says, "We welcome government’s move to permit mobile phone companies to resume operations. Though, we might face some challenge due to the delayed availability of manpower & materials, we have sufficient inventory to maintain the pace of our production for the initial period. We are also expecting our components partners to open their factories soon. Meanwhile, we have accelerated our efforts towards the localization of components to reduce our dependency on other countries.”

3,468 Attend Liberty General Insurance’s Virtual Partners’ Day During Lockdown in India

Liberty General Insurance Ltd, one of the leading general insurance companies in India, celebrated its annual event, “Flames of Liberty 2020 -Partners’ Day” on a virtual platform for the first time ever and 3,468 partners and agents participated with their spouses and children.

With the country in a lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak there is unprecedented uncertainty and disruption impacting not just the insurance sector, but the entire economy. With everyone in a stay home mode, Liberty General Insurance organised a virtual event for its Partners and their families which was an entertaining day with performances by a magician and a beat boxer, workshops on fitness, health, grooming tips, cooking, contests, and a story telling session for kids.

Roopam Asthana, CEO and the Whole Time Director, Liberty General Insurance Ltd. addressing the Partners day event said, “During these challenging times, we were determined to live up to our commitment to our partners by maintaining the legacy we have built over the last four  years of organizing the annual ‘Flames of Liberty’ event. In the current situation, Liberty General Insurance’s priority is the safety and well-being of our employees, customers, partners and the community at large. Nothing can stop us from celebrating our partnership and acknowledging the efforts all our distribution partners have put in through the year and therefore we took the event on a digital platform this time!”

“We wanted to personally thank our Partners with the reassurance that together we will soon be back on our path of growth,” Mr. Asthana added.

As a mark of appreciation to its partners, Liberty General Insurance started its flagship Partner Engagement Programme called the Flames of Liberty in the year 2016. With this astounding initiative, the Company redefined and set new standards of principal – partner relationships in Indian general insurance sector. The event is a unique initiative to bring its brokers, agents and their families together on one platform, thereby enhancing the engagement between the Company and its partners. It is also an acknowledgement and celebration of their hard work, and to appreciate their families support in all their endeavours.

Hyundai Leads The Way – Empowering Customers With 5 Unique Car Finance Schemes

Hyundai Motor India Ltd., country’s first Smart Mobility Solutions Provider and the largest exporter since inception, today announced 5 Unique Customer Centric Car Finance Schemes to empower customers with peace of mind and convenience during these challenging and uncertain times.

Commenting on the announcement of Unique Customer Centric Car Finance Schemes, Mr. Tarun Garg, Director (Sales, Marketing and Service) said, “Hyundai has always been at the forefront of driving customer focused initiatives and yet again we are leading the way with 5 Unique Customer Centric Initiatives. Under these challenging times, it is vital that we empower customers with such programmes that ease their financial burdens and assist them in staying on track with life goals such as buying their favourite Hyundai Car.” 

5 Unique Customer Centric Car Finance Schemes extending choice to Hyundai Customers through various finance institutions are as given below:

3 Months Low EMI Scheme*: Customers can opt for Low EMIs for the first 3 Months and the balance amount in remaining equal EMIs for 3 Year, 4 Year & 5 Year loan tenures. This scheme is valid for all Hyundai models.
Step-up Scheme*: With this scheme, customers need to pay low EMI of Rs 1234/lac for the first year for a 7 year tenure loan. From the 2nd year onwards; the EMI would increase by 11% every year till the end of the loan tenure. This scheme is valid for all Hyundai models.
Balloon Scheme*: Customers who want to spend less in current times but are confident of paying higher amount later can opt for this scheme. Here customer would need to pay a lower EMI ( ~14 % Lower than normal EMI ) from 1st to 59th Month and the Last EMI will be 25% of Loan repayment. This scheme too is valid for all Hyundai models.
Longest Duration Scheme*: Customers who want to pay smallest amount monthly EMIs to ease up the repayment of loan amount throughout the loan tenure, can opt for up to 8 years of loan repayment duration. This scheme is valid for select Hyundai models.
Low Down Payment Scheme*: With the minimum possible down payment, customers can opt up to 100% On-road funding from financers under this scheme. This scheme is valid for select Hyundai Models

*Terms & Conditions Apply for every mentioned scheme. All the above-mentioned schemes are from different banks for different sector.

Log on to www.hyundai.co.in for more information.

JK Tyre Partially Resumes Operations Commenves Production at 3 Manufacturing Facilities

Indian tyre industry major and the pioneer of radial tyre technology in the country, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, today announced partial resumption of operations after adhering to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and permissions granted by the respective state governments and local authorities.

JK Tyre has commenced production in a graded manner at its manufacturing facilities in Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Kankroli (Rajasthan) and Laksar (through Cavendish industries Ltd.- subsidiary company,  in Uttarakhand). The Company has also resumed operations at its global Research & Development hub, Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence, Mysore, Karnataka.

The remaining manufacturing plants of JK Tyre in India and Mexico are in preparatory mode and will resume operations subsequently.

All the facilities will function with restricted manpower and stringent precautionary measures to ensure safety, sanitisation and social distancing.

Only the essential staff will be allowed to the listed facilities and the remaining employees across corporate office, sales offices and other plants will continue to work from home until further notice.

JK Tyre has kept the safety and wellbeing of its employees at the core of its resumption roadmap. The Company has prepared a detailed ‘SOP Manual’ that has been shared with the employees and supply chain partners much before the commencement of operations

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & MD, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., commented, “As a nation, we are passing through a challenging phase, yet it is imperative that we take small, but significant steps in our endeavour to achieve the right balance again. While we recommence our manufacturing operations, we are placing the safety and well-being of our employees and communities, which are the prime importance of our resumption plan. We have worked out a thorough and stringent roadmap that is not only aligned with the protocols of the authorities, but goes a step further in ensuring access to safe workplace. We are optimistic that the economy and business ecosystem will gradually proceed towards recovery in the coming months.”

Explorer Ed Stafford Biggest Survival Challenge Yet in New Discovery Show ‘Man Woman Child Wild’

Renowned adventurer Ed Stafford has survived alone in some of Earth’s most hostile environments, often desperate for food, shelter and water, but now he’s putting himself to the ultimate test. In the brand-new documentary ED STAFFORD: MAN WOMAN CHILD WILD premiering on Discovery, Discovery HD and Discovery Plus App on May 11, Ed will live off-grid on a remote uninhabited island in Indonesia for one month. He will be totally self-sufficient fending for himself in this unchartered location, but there’s a twist – this time, he won’t be alone as Ed will be joined by wife Laura Bingham and 20-month-old son Ran, where they will have to survive as a family, on the beautiful yet demanding island.

Completely self-filmed Ed, Laura and Ran’s survival challenge will see them based on one of Indonesia’s 18,000 islands, deep in the Indian Ocean. One hour away from civilisation and with no provisions, they will have to totally fend for themselves, with no idea of the water and food sources in advance, and with the looming threat of tropical storms ever present.

In the experiment, Ed and Laura want to take themselves away from the modern trappings of life to explore how life is when lived ‘back to basics’. With screen heavy lives, how will it affect them and their relationships when stripped of the modern trappings and obligations. Will they discover a more natural, wholesome way of living away from the distractions of modern-day life? Will their relationships get closer and will Ran’s development accelerate?

Talking about the show, Ed Stafford said, “I thought it would be fascinating as an experiment, for a family to go out and see whether they can survive and leave behind all the trappings of everyday life. Discovery Channel bought into the idea and they thought it would make a very interesting TV programme. I think we learned a lot of lessons along the way.” Talking about what helps him the most at stressful moments, Ed said, “The thing that I use on expeditions that helps me above everything else, especially, in survival situations is meditating.  It’s so important for me to be centred, to be aware, to be able to notice the things that are going on around you, but also to step back from your thoughts and your emotions and get to a place of calm.”

“Man Woman Child Wild’, with the involvement of Ed’s family, elevates the survival-adventure, in its own unique way. This show is inspiring and gains more relevance in times like these, when forced under lockdown, families are coming together, looking after each other. Such immersive programming is what our audiences are yearning for,” said, Sai Abishek, Director–Content, Factual & Lifestyle Entertainment – South Asia, Discovery. “Given Ed Stafford’s immense popularity, Discovery will premiere the next exclusive series ‘First Man Out Season 2’ immediately after starting May 16.”

This unique show, which started as an experiment, seeks to answer some very pertinent questions about the kind of lives we lead today, questions which have become even more important in light of the current pandemic that we are dealing with. Ed and Laura wanted to take themselves away from the modern comforts of life to explore how life is when lived ‘back to basics’. With screen heavy lives, how will it affect them and their relationship when stripped of the modern ways of living and social obligations? Will they discover a more natural, wholesome way of living away from the distractions of modern-day life? Will their relationship become stronger and will their son, Ran’s development accelerate?

Along with this exciting family show like no other, Ed Stafford will also be seen competing against the world’s top survivalists in a gritty, real-life race to get out of some of the most hostile environments on the planet on yet another Discovery Channel show: ‘ED STAFFORD: FIRST MAN OUT Season 2’, starting from 16th May.

To view all the action, unfold, tune in to ED STAFFORD: MAN WOMAN CHILD WILD, which premieres in India on Monday, 11th May at 8 PM, only on Discovery, Discovery HD and Discovery Plus App.

Lionsgate Launches ‘Lionsgate Live! A Night At The Movies’ on Facebook from Friday, May 8

Content leader Lionsgate India has launched a unique initiative to bring the community experience of watching movies in movie theaters to live streaming and to raise funds for GiveIndia in order to support people impacted by the COVID19 pandemic. ‘Lionsgate Live! A Night at The Movies’ in association with Facebook India, will consist of a series of four Fridays of complimentary movies streaming LIVE on Facebook. Beginning Friday, May 8 at 8:00 pm, Lionsgate Live! will LIVE stream some of Lionsgate's biggest and most popular library titles every Friday  – The Hunger Games, Twilight, Now You See Me 2 and Wonder which audiences can watch together with their friends and family from the comfort of their own homes.

The ground-breaking initiative has already been a resounding success for Lionsgate in the U.S. and the UK with Hollywood stars like Jamie Lee Curtis, Gerard Butler, Margot Robbie and many more participating and extending their support. Further, Twilight series starrer, Peter Facinelli and The Social Network famed Jesse Eisenberg have shared  special video messages to support Lionsgate India in this noble initiative. Lionsgate has enlisted popular film stars Anil Kapoor, Ananya Panday and Sanya Malhotra to participate in this initiative.

Audiences will have an opportunity to join Lionsgate India in extending support to Indian NGO’s in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic by donating money via Facebook Fundraisers while watching their favorite films. People will be able to make a donation via the donate button next to the video while watching the movie.

Mr. Rohit Jain, Managing Director Lionsgate South Asia said, “In these unprecedented times, Lionsgate has launched this global initiative to support families of millions of people who have been impacted by COVID19. Here in India, we have partnered with Facebook to create a fundraiser whose proceeds will be donated to GiveIndia helping fight this pandemic. This will be a unique opportunity for viewers to extend their support and donate for this charitable cause. Moreover, we are delighted to have Ananya Panday, Sanya Malhotra and Anil Kapoor on board who will help us to spread awareness of this ground-breaking initiative.”

Speaking about the partnership, Ananya said, “I am really happy to be a part of this noble cause initiated by Lionsgate. I am glad if my voice can reach out to those who can extend their support as together, we can help the impacted people. This is truly a testing time for all of us and we can do with some lighthearted and entertaining distraction in the form of movies.  Movies act as a medium of escape and take us to parallel worlds. I would like to urge everyone that in this unusual time we need to come forward, act together and donate generously as even a little help from all of us can be of great help to the people in dire need.”

Sanya Malhotra commented,“I’m elated to be a part of ‘Lionsgate Live!A Night At The Movies’.  This is a noble initiative to assist thousands of families who have been impacted by the pandemic. All one needs to do is log on to Lionsgate Facebook page and watch some acclaimed movies and donate whatever they could. We all need to come together to fight this together. I request everyone to join me in this worthy initiative because in these tough times, every small contribution counts.”

Speaking on the occasion Manish Chopa a Head and Director of Partnerships, Facebook India commented, “ We are grateful to our partners for coming out in support of those  affected by the COVID -19 pandemic. ‘Lionsgate Live! A Night At The Movies’ on Facebook, is a great way to not only keep people entertained in their homes, but is also a great initiative that will enable people to donate. All of the proceeds from the fundraiser on Facebook will go to GiveIndia platform chosen by Lionsgate India.”

Online Digital Marketing Workshop by North Storm Academy will Host a Free 3-Day Digital Marketing Training

North Storm Academy is launching one of the Biggest Online Education events in the history of education where they are organizing a free 3-day Digital Marketing Training exclusively for students and till now there are 60,000+ registration received who wish to attend the event live. This event is happening on 8th, 9th and 10th of May from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Students from over 450 colleges and 250+ cities are participating.

Prior to this event, North Storm Academy had organized a free online Faculty Development Program for teachers where over 7,000 teachers were educated on how to take their schools and colleges online. Teachers are silent COVID19 warrior forces who are trying their best to keep the country’s education system intact during this pandemic, but a lot of schools, colleges are not digitally ready for it. North Storm Academy, one of the finest institutes for Digital Marketing in India decided to change this. Before the onset of Largest Student Workshop

This event is happening on 8th, 9th and 10th of May and is a 3-day online event where the topics covered are

Day 1: Fundamentals of Digital Marketing & how to begin your online journey
Day 2: Path to become an Influencer and how to perform Affiliate Marketing
Day 3: How to build a perfect online resume & stand out among your peers

Time: 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Those who wish to join can register here: http://bit.ly/sdmay20

The event will be conducted on YouTube LIVE. This event aims to reach 1,00,000+ students and we wish to make a history in the field of education. In the past no other institute has handled and hosted such a big event online and at such a scale.

The communication with these students is powered by Zoho Campaigns—an email marketing software. North Storm Academy is thankful to Zoho Corporation—a made in India company with a suite of over 45 applications—for helping us connect and engage with all these students.

This event is for students across India and has received a tremendous response. This is one of the biggest events during the lockdown. The founders of North Storm Academy are Hitesh Motwani, Roshni Motwani and Neil Dodhia.

Hitesh Motwani, Director North Storm Academy said, “We aim to change the education system in India by empowering Youth, Teachers and everyone with Digital knowledge. Today Digital Marketing is no longer an option, but it is a necessity. Especially during Lockdown one of the most in demand skills is Digital Marketing skills. After empowering 7000+ teachers we thought why not empower students too. To our surprise one the first day itself we received 35000 registrations and we couldn't believe our eyes. We are excited and anxious as you can say this is equal to a Digital concert happening online. Help us reach 1,00,000 students by sharing this information with as many as people as possible.”

Matic Network, Harmony and æternity Join Telangana Blockchain District’s Accelerator Program

T-Block Accelerator, the inaugural accelerator program under the aegis of the Telangana Blockchain District today announced its partnership with three of the leading global blockchain protocol companies- Matic Network, Harmony and æternity as the platform partners.  A first of its kind public blockchain accelerator organised by Telangana government and Tech Mahindra and run by IBC Media, an innovation management company, T-Block Accelerator is aimed at startups that have a strong blockchain use-case; thereby accelerating the start-up growth and therefore contributing to the growth of the overall industry.

The platform integrators are fast, secure scalable, next-gen blockchain protocols that are equipped to help startups build scalable and decentralised solutions to everyday problems. The Matic Network - India’s homegrown public blockchain network, will provide a high scale platform for decentralised applications. The æternity Blockchain, engineered by Yanislav Malahov - the Godfather of Ethereum, provides scalable smart contracts for decentralised applications. The Harmony Protocol, a Silicon Valley-based sharded Proof-of-Stake blockchain, will give fintech startups the ability to create & transact digital assets on its global ledger with instant confirmation and near-zero transaction fees.

With the support and expertise of these protocols as innovation enablers in the blockchain realm, T-block will provide the Indian startups that make it into the boot camp phase with technical support to build their solutions on their platform, GTM (Go-To-Market) support in Europe, technology implementation support and grants on a case-on-case basis.

Jaynti Kanani - CEO & Co-founder, Matic Network, commented, “As a part of the partnership, we will extend the Matic Network and our in-house expertise to mentor and train the participating startups. The startups will be familiarised and trained to use the platform based on their projects’ requirements.” He also added that this is just a facet of Matic’s involvement. “In addition to mentoring the startups, our in-house experts will also join the judges’ panel to select the startups that will go on to the next level of acceleration and aid with financial grants to support the startups through their journey,” said Kanani.

Nikola Stojanow, CEO of AE Ventures and CBO of æternity added, “India has a booming blockchain ecosystem and we are happy to be a part of this growth story. Having concluded the first edition of Starfleet India Accelerator recently, we are excited to join this initiative by the Telangana government and Tech M for T-Block and look forward to supporting the startups with our GMT access in the European countries.”

“At Harmony, we are confident of India’s technology prowess and are excited to enable the creation and innovation of highly-scalable & secure FinTech solutions from India through our partnership with T-Block Accelerator. We are happy to support them with the technical expertise to build products & applications on our platform and aid them with grants that will provide the necessary impetus for their growth in this journey.  ” Sahil Dewan, Co-Founder, Harmony commented.

These collaborations with prominent players like the Matic Network, æternity, and Harmony for initiatives like T-block will truly make an impact on Indian startups and innovators who are making their way through this realm and strengthen Telangana Government’s endeavor to make Telangana as the ‘Blockchain Capital of the World’.

Rama Devi Lanka (Director, Emerging Technologies & Officer on Special Duty, ITE&C Department, Government of Telangana) said “Building synergies between all the stakeholders in this ecosystem will propel India’s blockchain revolution and we are happy that our T-Block Accelerator is partnering with these platform protocols to strengthen this ecosystem. As the first government-led blockchain accelerator, this partnership is a true testimony to how a synergy between the government body and private players can support innovators in their entrepreneurial journey and will help build, scale, and create amazing opportunities for startups. We’re excited to see how the startups will benefit from these partnerships.”

With go-to-market support from Tech Mahindra, infrastructure support from the State Government of Telangana, innovation deal-flow support from IBC Media, and platform support from the Matic Network, æternity, and Harmony, the startups to be shortlisted are stepping into a growth-fueled environment. Launched in February 2020, the T-Block Accelerator has completed its deal flow and selected start-ups will undergo a one-week boot camp, followed by a four-month-long intensive training program.

Kids’ Food and Nutrition Startup ‘Lil’ Goodness’ Announces the Completion of Seed Funding

Funding

* Funding led by prominent institutional investor  Beyond Next Ventures (BNV), VC fund based out of Japan
* Funds to be used for expanding packaged foods product range, new digital interface with features such as real-time quality checks and 100% COVID-19 safe facilities.

‘Lil'Goodness’, a Bengaluru based kids’ food and nutrition start-up, has announced the successful completion of their seed funding round of RS. 5 Crores.

The new investors in the round included Beyond Next Ventures (BNV), a Japanese VC Fund, led by Tsuyoshi Ito, President and Mayu Morishima, Executive Officer.  Top business leaders such as Sajan Pillai, former CEO-UST Global, and General Partner-Season two Ventures, the family of Lalit Pai, ex-CEO, Nightingales Healthcare and Dr. Muthu Krishnan, ex-CEO Tata Health have also earlier invested in the seed round.

‘Lil’Goodness’ is empowering millennial moms with a unique combination of ‘goodness’ filled choices for their Lil’ ones. The company, led by IIM Calcutta alumnus, Harshavardhan & nutrition expert Pariksha Rao, is set to revolutionize the eating habits among children through a comprehensive ecosystem of fresh and packaged meal options integrated with technology to create awareness of eating right amongst kids at an early age. The start-up is focused on providing a range of kids foods based on good health to strengthen immunity, extreme focus on quality, hygiene and food safety, while providing the convenience of anytime, anywhere accessibility to moms. In the times of COVID-19, these core pillars are even more relevant.

Expressing his optimism on the fresh funding support, Harshavardhan, Co-Founder & CEO, Lil’ Goodness said, “We are excited to receive the additional investment support from ‘Beyond Next Ventures’. Given the current circumstances, this is indeed a good boost for the entire team. We, at ‘Lil’ Goodness’ have the vision to positively influence the eating habits of our future generations through tasty, nutritious food options. With this fund infusion, we are looking to further expand our product range & distribution of packaged foods, develop a digital interface that will enable mothers to order products directly to their homes through a contactless delivery option for the fresh meals business, SCoolMeal. We are already preparing ourselves for the new normal once this pandemic ends and are confident that our extreme focus on immunity based nutrition, highest standards of food safety, hygiene will be rewarded by our consumers.”

Tsuyoshi Ito, President and Mayu Morishima, Executive Officer, Beyond Next Ventures said, "We are quite excited by the vision of the founders -Harshavardhan & Pariksha, in building a scientific food and nutrition brand focused on the kids. There is a huge opportunity for growth in this space especially as mothers look for healthy and hygienic solutions in the current context of COVID-19. We are impressed with the differentiated business model of the enterprise that combines the range between fresh meals and packaged foods, enabled by technology, and with a deep focus on principles of good nutrition”.

Sajan Pillai, General Partner, Season Two Ventures said, “I personally believe that in today's context good health, hygiene and the convenience of contactless digital ordering for convenience will be the key drivers in a COVID-safe world. Lil’Goodness founders have the right vision, attitude and hard work to make this happen. I am particularly impressed with the manner they have approached the go-to-market, from the perspective of an end to end solution to the mother’s daily problems. Given their experience in healthcare and nutrition, I believe the founders know what it takes to really understand and come up with innovative solutions in these challenging times”.

‘LiL'Goodness’, the packaged food brand, is currently offering 7 products across 67 stores in Bengaluru and through online delivery app Amazon India. The products are designed to build immunity in kids using vegetables, cereals, and milk in crackers, porridges, and shelf-stable yogurts. These products are manufactured in hygienic, sterile facilities to ensure the highest quality of food safety and hygiene. The products contain zero preservatives and no artificial colors. Lil’Goodness also owns and operates sCoolMeal, a fresh meal brand, has partnered with 55 educational institutions in Bengaluru serving around 1800 orders per day, in the next session it is expanding to across 90+ institutions in Bengaluru sCoolMeal is available at educational institutions, kids’ activity centers, and at home through online delivery app Swiggy.

The company is also introducing a new application that will enable mothers to order meals directly to their homes through a contactless delivery option. The kitchen facilities have been recently re-certified for ISO-22000 (2018), a testament to the high standards of hygiene being maintained.

Additionally, despite being an early-stage start-up, as a socially responsible corporate, the company like many other big corporate giants stepped up its relief efforts towards COVID-19 pandemic and provided 30,000 meals to less privileged and less fortunate kids in Bengaluru as part of the ‘Hope, Not Hunger’ program with Swiggy.

The startup also recently was recognised as one of the top 5 most disruptive startups for customer value creation by FICCI-FLO.

Deliver Hot Meals to Hungry Customers with ‘Food Delivery Run’ by Platanista Games

When it comes to food, everyone likes their meals to be hot, tasty, and served on time! With a growing number of food delivery apps in the market, there are fewer hungry customers worrying about the delivery of their meals. Inspired by the thrilling journey of food delivery riders, Platanista Games, a gaming studio by IN10 Media Network, announces the launch of ‘Food Delivery Run’ a 3D casual game for mobile devices.

Link to the trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVT2auwPgPI&feature=youtu.be

Food Delivery Run is a 3D casual game where the player gets to be a delivery boy. The mission is to fight through the city traffic, overcome various obstacles and challenges, and successfully deliver food to hungry customers. Features like ‘Speed Boost’, allows players to run at supersonic speed; ‘Multiplier’, doubles the player’s score and cash on delivery; and ‘Super Delivery’, let’s the player deliver the food in every lane of the city. The game also allows players to customize characters for the gameplay as well as collect and redeem in-game cash to unlock super vehicles from the shop for an enhanced experience.

Commenting about the launch, Mansi Darbar, Vice President - Corporate Strategy and Development, IN10 Media Network, says, “The rapid digitization of the food delivery industry is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating innovations and its market is booming at lightning speed, especially in current times. It’s the amalgamation of technology and a universal concept of delivery that inspired us to create Food Delivery Run, giving a fun peek into the world of riders. With Food Delivery Run, Platanista Games reaffirms its commitment to provide captivating gaming experience for a broad range of players.”

With an aim to create universal-appealing and immersive gaming experiences across all demographics, Platanista Games has launched several interactive, casual games in a short span. The first game by the studio was ‘Surgical Strike – Border Escape’, a multilingual (English, Hindi & Marathi) 3D endless shooting game, followed by ‘Super Keeper’, another multilingual (English, Hindi, Marathi & Tamil) 3D casual sports game wherein the player gets to play the role of their favourite wicket-keeper and recently launched ‘Space Finder’, an endless casual game offering space travel to players for iOS and Android users.

Along with Apple Store on iOS and Google Play Store on Android, players can download ‘Food Delivery Run’ from Catappult, Apptoide, Indus IOS, Amazon Apps, Samsung Apps, Cherry Mobile, Multilaser, 9 Apps, Bemobi, GetJar, Appxplore.

Download Food Delivery Run now, and zip, zap & zoom through city traffic to become a star delivery rider!

Game links below

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.platanista.fooddeliveryrun&hl=en_IN

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/food-delivery-run/id1507998016

Indian Startup Dhiway Joins the ToIP Global Foundation as Founding Member

Governments, nonprofits and private sectors across finance, health care, enterprise software and more team up with Linux Foundation to enhance universal security and privacy protocols for consumers and businesses in the digital era

Dhiway, India’s first Verifiable Data Exchange Platform joined the Trust over IP (ToIP) Foundation as a Founding Steering Committee member, to help enable trustworthy exchange and verification of data between any two parties on the Internet. The ToIP Foundation is hosted at the Linux Foundation with the goal of creating a robust common standard that gives people and businesses the confidence that data is coming from a trusted source, allowing them to connect, interact and innovate at a speed and scale not possible today. 

Dhiway is a startup out of Bengaluru, India. Founded by technologists with extensive experience in building open source projects which scale, Dhiway is committed to working with open standards in order to drive innovation.  Dhiway builds data interchange systems and enables organizations to deploy governance frameworks to sustain these as sustainable digital assets.

“Our strategic initiatives are designed to bring a higher degree of assurance to the exchange of data between peers, over the Internet and other digital networks. Our participation is aligned with our vision to make the world more transparent and trusted, using digital frameworks that can be universally referenced, understood, and consumed,” said Satish Mohan, Founder & CTO, Dhiway. “We intend to contribute our knowledge and expertise towards the mission of establishing a complete architecture for Internet-scale digital trust that combines cryptographic trust at the machine layer with human trust at the business, legal, and social layers.”

The ToIP Foundation is being developed with global, pan-industry support from leading organizations with sector-specific expertise. The other Founding Steering Committee members include Accenture, BrightHive, Cloudocracy, Continuum Loop, CULedger, esatus, Evernym, Finicity, Futurewei Technologies, IBM Security, IdRamp, Lumedic, Mastercard, MITRE, the Province of British Columbia and SICPA. Contributing members include DIDx, GLEIF, The Human Colossus Foundation, iRespond, kiva.org, Marist College, Northern Block, R3, Secours.io, TNO and University of Arkansas. Dhiway is proud to belong to this foundation, the only Indian company to do so.

The authenticity and verification of data sources is a key challenge for businesses worldwide. The deficit in confidence has an impact on the adoption of key business drivers such as digital identity, verifiable credentials, and smart contracts. The operational efficiency of businesses; ease of access to markets and convenience of transactions are focus areas to build through innovation and introduction of new products and technologies.

“The time has never been more important to advance an integrated stack for digital trust, which is clear from the strong representation of companies across industries that are supporting this work,” said Drummond Reed, interim executive director, ToIP Foundation. “We’re pleased to have Dhiway contributing this work and look forward to the collaboration.”

The Linux Foundation’s open governance model enables the ToIP Foundation to advance a combination of technology and governance standards for digital trust in a neutral forum that supports pan-industry collaboration. An open governance model that can be integrated into the development of the standards for digital trust is essential where the business, legal, and social guidelines for technology adoption impacts human trust and behaviour.

The ToIP Foundation will initially host four Working Groups. The Technical Stack Working Group and the Governance Stack Working Group will focus on building out and hardening the Technical and Governance halves of the ToIP stack, respectively. The Utility Foundry Working Group and the Ecosystem Foundry Working Group will serve as communities of practice for projects that wish to collaborate on the development of ToIP utility networks or entire ToIP digital trust ecosystems.

The ToIP Foundation will host an all-digital launch event on May 7, 2020, at 9:30 PM IST (9AM PDT) that will feature a panel discussion, interoperability demonstration and live Q&A. Register now for the live event. A second event will be hosted for the APAC region on May 8, 2020, at 6:30 AM IST (6:00 PM PDT).

Manipal Hospitals Bangalore Collaborates with Government of Karnataka to Conduct E-Rounds Initiative

Manipal Hospitals Bangalore in a bid to support Government of Karnataka (GOK) to combat pandemic cases is providing support via conducting E-rounds for high risk Covid Patients across 7 districts of the State. The war room set up in Bangalore, comprising of Principal Secretary for health and family welfare, health commissioner and government appointed doctors facilitate virtual health rounds between the districts and the specialists. The team facilitates consultations via video conference with all the Hospitals twice daily. Over the last 2 weeks, a specialist team comprising of a Geriatrician, Intensivist, Pulmonologist, Anesthetist and Nephrologist have been monitoring critically ill COVID – 19 centres across the state.

The expert team of doctors are getting together virtually everyday at 11:00am and 18:00pm to evaluate cases of SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Illness) and ILI (Influenza Like Illnesses), across 7 districts of the State i.e Belagavi, Bidar, Kalburgi, Vijayapura, Gadag and Dakshina Kannada and Davangere. Identifying critically ill patients, going through the case records, lab investigations, XRays and coming up with a treatment protocol in conjunction with the treating doctors at these district hospitals has now become a routine. The doctors go through all the case details and come up with individual management plans.

The doctors have relentlessly supported and carried out 550 clinical interventions so far and more than 570 case discussions have happened until date. Around 47 lifesaving interventions like ventilation, dialysis, inotropes and thrombolysis have been performed. 40 of the 160 critically ill cases have recovered.

Dr. Trilok Chandra, IAS officer said, “The war room at Bengaluru maintains a parallel case sheet of every critical patient in the state. The expert team interacts with the local doctors four times a day and takes stock of the treatment being given to each of them. If required, the experts the experts also suggest the next line of treatment that can improve the condition of the patients. The main intention of the e-rounds is to ensure that not a single ICU patient is lost to Covid-19.

He further added “The team has taken telemedicine facility to a new level, where doctors from private hospitals have also joined the hands to fight this pandemic. As and when required, they take inputs from medical experts from other private hospitals also including paediatricians”

Along with medical interventions, the e-round team has also begun interacting with district administration and district health officers to ensure the doctors and medical staff receive all the required equipment and medicines to treat the patients.

Dr. Anoop Amarnath, Chief of Clinical Services at Manipal Hospitals, who is handling the e-rounds said, “This a very good example of how public-private partnership can work to improve accessibility to healthcare. Digital health enables remote care delivery. The e-rounds help in providing peer reviewed, best practice guidelines virtually. This is a thoughtful and wonderful initiative by Government of Karnataka which is helping critical patients through collaborative efforts.”

Sharing his thoughts Dr. Satyanarayana Mysore, HOD Interventional Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine, Manipal Hospitals Bangalore, “We have been able to streamline care, process of healthcare and this has reduced mortality in 6 districts of north Karnataka. It takes nearly 6 hours a day to get this private government partnership going to achieve low mortality amongst covid19 patients. This is in addition to our regular patient care.

Dr Sunil Karanth, Chairman, Critical Care Services, Manipal Hospitals said, “The COVID 19 pandemic has created tremendous distortion in all walks of life. During this health care professionals from different spheres have united to fight this common enemy. In a unique PPP, the state's health authority has teamed up with many private hospitals for conducting E-Rounds of critically ill COVID suspect patients in the second tier cities and interior parts of the state. This gives access to take expertise from the tertiary level hospitals to the grass roots and help saving lives.

Piramal Swasthya Attends Over 2.5 Lakh Calls on COVID-19 Via 104 Health Information Helpline

Piramal Swasthya Management and Research Institute, an initiative of Piramal Foundation, in partnership with various State Governments has managed to address over 2.5 lakh calls related to COVID-19 queries through 104 Health Information Helpline services. The Health Helpline in partnership State Governments of Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh attended to these calls during the lockdown period from March 25, 2020 until date. On an average, the 104-Health Helpline received around 20,000 calls in a day.

During this COVID-19 pandemic, the 104 Health Information Helpline has been acting as a channel between the governments and the communities by offering validated medical advice to the callers 24x7 every day of the week. It has undertaken several unique and customised initiatives in collaboration with State Governments to create awareness around Covid-19 cases. State Governments of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar have announced 104 helpline as one stop solution for all COVID -19 queries and grievances.

In order to deal with increased number of calls, the frontline staff team has been significantly expanded as per state requirement. Currently, over 1200 staff across various centres that includes paramedics, counsellors and doctors, are relentlessly attending to calls related to health advice, counselling, information sharing and reporting of COVID-19.

Paresh Parasnis, CEO, Piramal Foundation said, “At Piramal Swasthya we stay resolute in our efforts to support Central and State Governments to address the COVID-19 pandemic, even in the remotest part of the country. The 104 health helpline proved to be a simple and yet effective tool to share validated information as per the guidelines of WHO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, especially for people who are not technology savvy or live in areas where access to media is challenging.  This initiative has helped in creating awareness thus bringing down the anxiety and fear in the society caused due to the coronavirus.”

In the year 2006, Piramal Swasthya started 104 Health Information Helpline in India as a one stop solution for all health-related information and advice. The service is supported by innovative software application and Clinical Decision Support System of validated algorithms and disease summaries and helps in tackling shortage of human resource enabling access to quality Healthcare services.

Piramal Swasthya in partnership with the state governments has been supporting beneficiaries through 104 Health Helpline across 7 states – Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Bihar.

Salarpuria Sattva Group Contributes To Central And State Funds To Fight The Battle Against COVID 19

Highlights

* Takes Up Community Outreach Initiatives, to Help the Needy During the Extended Lockdown Period
* INR 1 crore to PMCARES Fund
* INR 1.25 crores for Karnataka and Telangana CM’s Relief Funds
* INR 21 Lakhs to Iskcon’s Akshaya Patra

Salarpuria Sattva Group, India’s leading Property Development, Management and Consulting organization, has always been responsible in making a significant social impact to the communities it serves. Amidst the growing criticalities due to COVID19 crisis, where the most affected are from the marginalized sections of the society, Salarpuria Sattva Group has extended its boundaries and taken several noble initiatives for contributing to the upliftment of the impoverished, thus helping them survive in this challenging situation.

The group has donated INR 1 crore towards the PMCARES fund and simultaneously has contributed INR 1.25 crores to the CM relief fund of Karnataka and Telangana State Medical Services & Infrastructure Development Corporation, Telangana. These funds are aimed to be a conscious effort from the company’s end for the required upliftment of the deprived in a testing time like this. The group has also provided INR 21 Lakhs to Iskcon’s Akshaya Patra for distributing grains to the needy along with INR 5 Lakhs to Agarwal Samaj to feed the poor and needy during this unprecedented time. The company is also providing 1500 meals daily for migrant workers

Furthermore, the group continues their existing endeavor, to feed the needy across different locations in the city everyday, till the end of lockdown. The group is taking the onus of cooking by themselves while adhering to hygienic precautions and distributing it in a systematic manner, following the Govt. directives of social distancing. Amongst selected areas across the city, Old Airport Road (near Rajeshwari Theater), Royal Orchid Road (near Manipal Centre), Challaghatta,  Nagasandra, Murugeshpalya, Jyothi Nivas College at Koramangala, are the primary locations where the group has initiated food distribution. Police Stations at Jeevan Beema Nagar and Electronic City, have extended help to the company officials to successfully implement this initiative.

In addition to this, the group has organized ration packets consisting of essentials like rice, wheat flour, oil, lentils, salt and other necessities for the extended lockdown period, aiming to touch the lives of 1500 migrant workers on a daily basis

Greenwood High School, the educational entity of the group has also come forward to provide cooked food to more than 600 people at Varthur and other nearby localities every day

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Bijay Agarwal, MD, Salarpuria Sattva Group said, “It has been challenging times for the entire country. It is important that we come together and help those in need. As a responsible entity, we at Salarpuria Sattva Group pledge to help the marginalized sections and provide them with food till the situation demands. This is our humble effort to help the people in distress.”

Hershey India Demonstrates its Care for the Nation and Partners Amidst COVID 19

Notes

* The organization will provide 120,000 fortified beverages and cookies across 20 cities to medical staff, police, sanitation workers, migrant laborers and underprivileged children
* Allocates a special fund to cater to medical needs of frontline sales force and contract workmen
* Hershey India and employees also contributed towards PM cares

Hershey India Pvt Ltd will distribute 1,20,000 fortified beverages and cookies across 20 cities pan India to express their gratitude and support towards the medical staff, police, sanitation workers, migrant laborers and underprivileged children in these tough times. The organization will be distributing Hershey’s Milk Shake, Sofit Almond Milk, Sofit Soy Milk and Sofit Protein Cookies.  The distributed products are fortified with essential vitamins and minerals.

Hershey India has associated with India Food Banking Network (IFBN) of the Food Security Foundation India to conduct the distribution. The organization will also be distributing their products to the medical staff in All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal and Sion Hospital in Mumbai.

Commenting on the activity Herjit Bhalla, MD, Hershey India, said, “As India and the world continue to battle the pandemic, this is a small gesture of gratitude and support by Hershey India to lift the spirits of all the brave frontline workers and the affected communities. We salute the medical staff and the police who are gallantly serving the society in these critical times and hope that they continue to stay safe.”

Highlighting the steps taken by the organization internally he further added, “We have also rolled out several programs to ensure protection and safety for our frontline sales force, contract workmen and depot staff in these challenging times. We have implemented our ‘Hershey Cares’ program which ensures suitable insurance scheme for all our frontline sales force. Additionally, we have allocated a special fund to cater to medical needs of our frontline sales force and contract workmen.”

Hershey India and employees have also contributed towards PM cares. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused an alarming health crisis across India and the world, with the healthcare infrastructure overwhelmed with critical patients. The need of the hour now is for everyone to stand together and support the communities that need utmost care in these trying times.

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, Pa., is an industry-leading snacks company known for bringing goodness to the world through its iconic brands, remarkable people and enduring commitment to help children succeed. Hershey has approximately 16,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 80 brands around the world that drive $8 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers and SkinnyPop.

For more than 125 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on helping children succeed.

AI Is No Magic: 4 Steps Your Organization Can Start On Its AI Journey

By Sandeep Alur, Director, Microsoft Technology Center, Microsoft India

For decades, artificial intelligence (AI) has demonstrated its heartbeat via the predictive power it possesses and the profound impact it can have on society. As with any emerging technology, AI went through its phase of hype where it was considered to be a futuristic magic pill, to becoming a reality, as we see organizations leveraging AI to light up aspirational use cases and develop new business models.

By attaining human parity across vision, speech, and text, AI has the potential to have a significant impact on business outcomes. At the Microsoft Technology Center, I interact with customers every day about infusing AI into their solution portfolio, and it is clear that we are past the incubation stage and the time is ripe to put our learnings into practice.

For organizations that are still trying to figure out their AI journey, here are four things I have learned from customers who have successfully implemented AI projects:

Be realistic

One of the common questions I hear from customers during our initial meetings is how they can experiment with AI to understand the ‘art of possibility’ and the eventual return on investment. I believe experimenting is absolutely the right thing to do since the most difficult task at hand is not implementation via technology but identification of the right use case. Being realistic about what you wish to solve or accomplish is the need of the hour, and this is where business and technology leaders must come together. It is also essential to strike a balance between the accuracy and precision you strike on day one versus the eventual goal post. The partnership should lead to choosing a use case that gives a head start to their AI journey and yet qualify to be a significant one from a business impact standpoint.

Invest in the evolution of an AI model

AI is no magic, and the outcome of implementing an AI model has a direct correlation to the underlying data that has gone into training it. Building an AI model involves eternal iterations, and the outcome only gets better with new or more data over time. Do not expect human parity on day one. Businesses need to invest in the evolution of the model that may take umpteen number of iterations, even before it reaches an acceptable level of accuracy and precision.

A real-world example that comes to my mind is related to our operations at the Microsoft Technology Center (MTC), where we host customers. A Technical Architect (TA) leads these engagements. By virtue of hearing and dealing with so many customer challenges, they get better each day in their ability to operate as trusted advisors. A TA’s knowledge graph gets updated daily with new learnings and they keep getting better to help our customers.

Similarly, an AI model has an evolution journey too. Invest in it.

Set guardrails for responsible AI

From a data science lifecycle point of view, when you choose a use case, you either realize that you do not have an apt dataset or you probably have taken on an area where technology is still evolving. Either way, organizations will fail fast or end up building an AI model with certain accuracy and precision.

But even before an organization starts building an AI plan and gets aspirational in infusing AI into their suite of applications, an element that should be the backbone of overall design thinking is related to principles of ethics and responsibility. Every organization needs to put into place guardrails on how it will develop and deploy AI models, and more importantly, the impact they will have on individuals.

At Microsoft, we have identified six principles for responsible AI that guide the development and use of AI with people at the center. These are - fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability. You can read more about them here.

Organizations may develop their own principles according to the nature of their business, but the guiding principles will ensure that their AI models are trustworthy.

Establish trust

This is where one needs to understand that implementing a model into production alone is not success, but ensuring the outcome adheres to the design principles indicated above. Over a period of time, this will ensure that users can trust the predictions these models generate, and it should be an eventual goal post for any business.

For example, imagine a model in the healthcare domain, where the system predicts the outcome of a patient’s health check. For the care team to establish trust with the system, there have to be minimum ‘false positives’ and there needs to be a feedback loop for the care team to improvise the system. Hence, establishing ‘trust’ is critical on the trail of assessing AI impact for a use case.

To conclude, implementing AI in an organization needs business and technology leaders to invest in defining an operating manifesto to uplift the spirit of responsible AI. Success on this path will do a lot of good in instilling trust in the system. It is also imperative that one be realistic and practical about the expected outcome, and think long term.

Hyundai Announces Industry First ‘Hyundai EMI Assurance’ Program

Hyundai Motor India Ltd., country’s first Smart Mobility Solutions Provider and the largest exporter since inception, today announced Industry First ‘Hyundai EMI Assurance’ program to enhance convenience and raise positive customer sentiments. As announced, Hyundai Motor India is all set to re-open dealership operations under strict adherence of government directions in COVID-19 affected areas.  Maintaining all Safety and Hygienic parameters, all Hyundai touch points -showrooms and workshops are following contactless services for customer interactions.

Announcing the Industry First Hyundai EMI Assurance Program, Mr. Tarun Garg, Director – Sales, Marketing and Service said, “Hyundai is a Progressive, Innovative and Caring brand. We understand customer aspirations of buying a vehicle and to ease the vehicle acquisition in uncertain times, we have brought the unique and industry first Hyundai EMI Assurance Program. We are sure, the Hyundai EMI Assurance Program will give new Hyundai owners working in private organisations full peace of mind during these times and create positive and confident sentiments for Hyundai car purchase.”

To ease the buying process, while keeping the fear of employment uncertainty at bay, a unique and Industry first customer program ‘Hyundai EMI Assurance Program’ has been introduced for select new Hyundai customers covering up to 3 car loan EMIs. The program covers the customers under uncertainties such as employment loss in view of Poor financial health/Acquisition/ Merger of the company or due to any applicable laws.

The Hyundai Assurance Program is offered on select Hyundai car models purchased during the month of May’20 and covers the customer for a period of one year from date of sale of the car (Excluding first 3 months).

Hyundai Cares

Under the ambit of the ‘Hyundai Cares’ initiative, HMI has laid down guidelines to be followed at its Dealerships across India that encompass all facets of customer interactions. This will include Display car & Test Drive car preparedness, Customer Lounge & Washrooms sanitization (showroom & workshop), Delivery process of New car & Serviced car, Contactless Demonstration, and servicing. Customers can also opt for remote car demonstrations through online video conferencing application with Sales Consultants at Dealerships. Further, with Hyundai’s Click-to-Buy Integrated end-to-end online car sales website, customers can buy a brand-new Hyundai Car online. Hyundai is also offering customers its 360 Digital Service & Contact-less Service Experience, through which customers can book a service appointment online through the Hyundai Care app, WhatsApp, Hyundai Website, or a call to Dealers.

Manufacturing, Media, and IT Staff Least Confident About Future Opportunities: LinkedIn’s Confidence Index

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network on the internet, today announced findings of their second Workforce Confidence Index, a fortnightly pulse on the confidence of the Indian workforce. Findings for the week of April 13-19 introduce industry-specific insights along with professionals’ current sentiments about the jobs market, their financial status, career progression, and their expectations going forward.

LinkedIn’s second Workforce Confidence Index shows a slight dip in the overall confidence towards future opportunities with a composite score of +51 (a rolling average of weeks April 1-7 and April 13-19), as professionals foresee testing times ahead. This is two points less than last fortnight’s score of +53. A tough jobs market, pay cuts, and an ailing economy are suspected to have caused unrest amongst Indian professionals as findings show that 1 in 3 Indians have reported a decrease in their personal incomes, whereas 48% of active job seekers and 43% of full-time professionals anticipate fewer job openings in the next 2 weeks.

Online learning continues to see a steady rise in demand as 67% professionals (in comparison to 64% professionals from last fortnight) will increase their time spent in online learning, while 37% of Indian companies (in comparison to 31% from last fortnight) will offer online resources to professionals in India.

Below are key findings that show how professionals in India across industries perceive future opportunities amid the pandemic:

Professionals in IT, media, and manufacturing feel their companies will fare worse in the next 6 months

Survey findings show that professionals in healthcare, education and corporate services industries (such as management consulting, accounting, and human resources) are the most confident about the future of their companies. This fortnight’s report states that 52% of corporate service professionals, 50% of healthcare professionals, and 33% of education professionals are confident about their companies faring better in the next 6 months. These industries are also confident about their companies’ long-term outlook, as more than 4 out of 5 healthcare professionals, 4 out of 5 corporate service professionals, and more than half of all education professionals in India think their companies will do better in the next 2 years.

In contrast to this optimism, IT, manufacturing, and media professionals display low confidence towards job stability and career progression, as companies in these industries buckle under the      pressure of COVID-19. Findings show that 1 in 4 manufacturing professionals, more than 1 in 5 IT professionals, and more than 2 in 5 media professionals feel their companies will fare worse in the next 6 months, exhibiting a bleak outlook towards the short-term future. However, the same industries are confident about strong long-term growth as 77% of manufacturing professionals, 67% of media professionals, and 65% of IT professionals feel their companies will fare better in the next 2 years.

62% of self-employed professionals report a decrease in income

This fortnight’s findings state that 32% of the Indian workforce reported a decrease in earned income, while 45% reported a decrease in personal spending. This strain on personal finances is particularly prevalent among business leaders as 39% of senior executives in comparison to 27% of individual contributors cite a decrease in earned income. However, self-employed professionals emerge as the worst hit with 62% reporting a decrease in income as businesses adopt cost-cutting measures to avoid long-term financial insecurity.

As various sectors announce a hiring freeze, job-seekers have reset their expectations as more Indian professionals anticipate fewer job openings going forward. Findings support this by stating that 48% of active job seekers think there will be a decrease in available job opportunities, up 9% from last fortnight’s findings. Findings also show that 36% of active job seekers expect a decrease in recruiter response in the next two weeks, up 8% from last fortnight’s findings.

Indian companies struggle to meet wellness needs of employees during COVID-19

While more companies (37%) in India are offering online resources when compared to last fortnight (31%), fewer SMB professionals feel their companies are providing them with selected benefits in response to COVID-19. Findings show that only 17% of SMB professionals are offered support for physical health, while 14% are offered support for emotional well-being - a decrease of 7% and 3% respectively from last fortnight’s findings. This gap indicates the immediate need for companies to strengthen their wellness initiatives for the benefit of their employees.

The Workforce Confidence Index also explains that the perception of people towards challenges depends on how confident they are. Findings show that people with a high confidence index consider 'working remotely' and 'changing communication methods' as key challenges, whereas those who are less confident cite job uncertainty, job market, finances, and social & health impact as bigger professional challenges. Monitoring these challenges during different stages of the pandemic can articulate how ‘confidence’ influences an individual’s outlook towards future opportunities.

Check out the news item and member commentary on the index on LinkedIn here.

About LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index

The Workforce Confidence Index is a fortnightly pulse on the confidence of the Indian workforce. It is based on an online survey of 2,254 members across two weeks: April 1-7 and April 13-19, and uses a scale from -100 to +100 to reflect professionals’ current sentiments about the jobs market, their financial status, career progression, and their expectations going forward. It is a measure of how professionals feel about their job stability and access to opportunity as well as how business leaders expect to invest in their companies in the near and mid-term.

About LinkedIn

LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful and transforms the way companies hire, market and sell. Our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce through the ongoing development of the world’s first Economic Graph. LinkedIn has more than 690 million members and has offices around the globe.

Employee Wellness and Immunity-Boosting Activities Gain Importance in COVID-Era Boardroom Discussions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to follow immunity-boosting guidelines issued by the Ayush Ministry to supplement the fight against COVID-19. While there is still no cure for the disease, a lot of health experts are saying that a strong immune system could help. 

As the tables have turned, the prime agenda of corporate management discussions has also shifted to employee wellbeing with many corporates evolving their employee wellness initiatives extensively by introducing webinars on ayurvedic nutrition and its benefits and virtual yoga sessions and respiratory exercises.  Several companies are reaching out to counselors, psychiatrists, Ayurveda experts and to help employees to boost their immunity. Here is the list of companies helping their employees to boost their immunity and mental well-being:

Brookfield Properties (a global real estate services company),  is hosting a webinar with Dr. Shijoe Mathew (Consultant, Ananda in the Himalayas) on how right ayurvedic nutrition can help boost one's immunity and gut health. This is a part of the ‘‘Positive Pulse, A Wellness Initiative’, where the company is hosting a series of engagement activities, interactive sessions with industry experts, creating engagement videos and running rewarding contests. Through this, it is ensuring the safety of its stakeholders and employees across its Commercial Real Estate portfolios, CandorTechSpace in Gurgaon, Noida and Kolkata; as well as for Powai Business District and Equinox Business Park in Mumbai.

Xanadu Realty a real estate B2B consulting firm over the past four weeks has driven the engagement agenda through constant engagement with associates with the leadership including live address to the group by the CEO. They have also introduced free online health checkups for associates and their families. They have introduced an innovative digital talent hunt - Xanadu’s Got Talent - which encourages all associates to express themselves and share it with the rest of the organization to make the WFH fun.

OZiva, pioneers of plant-based nutrition in India has started an initiative called ‘Each one, one call’ for their employees. Everyday they draw 2 chits and the names in the chits are supposed to talk to each other for an hour or so. This practice is done to keep the team connected and making sure that each one has someone to talk to. Because in the times where people are stuck at home, many times we might have anyone to talk to and that’s the main reason for stress and depression. This initiative helps the employees in their mental well being.

Stanza Living, India’s largest shared-accommodation player is conducting webinars for its employees & their families, wherein members from their internal L&D (Learning & Development) team are conducting live rejuvenating yoga sessions. These are 1 hour long sessions, to keep the teams physically & mental wellness. Such initiatives are helping employees to keep themselves motivated and energized during these unprecedented times.

Accenture cares about both the minds and bodies of its employees. The business management consultant company offers employee assistance programs, which provide confidential support for issues like stress, substance abuse, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, employees are offered Teladoc services, where they can ask a physician any health-related question 24/7. As for fitness, Accenture’s innovative wellness program allows employees to set health goals and offers rewards for completing healthy activities. 

Whirlpool Offers Technical Service Support Through Remote Online Services Throughout Indian Market

The lockdown has put forth umpteen problems for the entire nation. While everyone is staying indoors and managing their household chores, our home appliances are our real heroes, supporting us in leading a clean and comfortable life indoors. All home appliances including washing machines, dish washers, air conditioners and refrigerators require regular servicing. In the current time, since service technicians are unable to offer on ground support, we at Whirlpool of India have come up with a range of initiatives to help our consumers.

Mr. Vishal Bhola, MD, Whirlpool of India, “At Whirlpool we believe in ensuring our consumers have our 100% support, especially in these times. Smooth functioning of home appliances is critical and therefore, we are offering a host of services to guarantee that every need of the consumer is looked after. We have trained our highly skilled service engineers to offer assistance through virtual formats and make sure we extend care at its best.”

These include extending product warrantees, DIY tips with illustrations, DIY videos, live chats, etc. to bring respite from challenges posed by remote working.

Personal chat for service-related queries on Whirlpool’s website now available. Log on to www.whirlpoolindia.com
DIY video for AC filter cleaning to take care of the summer - Easy steps to clean your Whirlpool AC filters on your own
SMS and Toll Free numbers now operational
SMS ‘WPL’ to 58558 | Email us at helpdeskindia@whirlpool.com | Call us on our toll-free number 1800 2018 1800
All product warranties ending during the period of the lockdown (22nd March 2020 – 3rd May 2020) have been extended till 31st May 2020 (T&C Apply)
About Whirlpool India:

Whirlpool of India Limited headquartered in Gurugram, is now one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of major home appliances in the country. The company owns three state-of- the-art manufacturing facilities at Faridabad, Pondicherry and Pune. Each of the manufacturing set-up features an infrastructure that is witness of Whirlpool's commitment to providing its consumer with forward looking solutions.

Whirlpool entered India in the late 1980s as part of its global expansion strategy. It forayed into the market under a joint venture with TVS group and established the first Whirlpool manufacturing facility in Pondicherry for washing machine category. In 1995 Whirlpool acquired Kelvinator India Limited and marked an entry into the refrigerator market as well. The same year the company also saw acquisition of major shares in TVS joint venture and later in 1996, Kelvinator and TVS acquisitions were merged to create, Whirlpool of India Limited. This expanded the company's portfolio in the Indian subcontinent to washing machines, refrigerator, microwave ovens and air conditioners.

Additional information about the company can be found on Twitter and Facebook @whirlpool_india

Azizi Developments Inks Partnership with 3i Infotech for IT Transformation

Azizi Developments, a leading real estate developer in the UAE, has partnered with 3i Infotech, an internationally acclaimed, global IT company, to enhance its Information Technology (IT) infrastructure. This announcement comes in light of Azizi Developments’ unwavering pursuit of Digital Transformation and customer experience enhancement.

The agreement comprises noteworthy overhauls of Azizi’s cyber security, data protection, cloud and end-user computing and IT Governance Risk Compliance (GRC), gearing the developer up for its Digital Transformation and granting property seekers a safer, more seamless, transparent and convenient home-shopping experience.

Dr. Syed Mahsud Ali, Chief Information Officer at Azizi Developments, said: “This partnership serves as the ideal launchpad for our IT Transformation, a cornerstone in our overall, swiftly-progressing Digital Transformation journey. Having the right IT infrastructure in place is a much-needed step in propelling ourselves to the very forefront of digital innovation. Only by implementing the latest technologies, which are ultimately to the benefit of the end-user, can we become the most customer-centric developer in the UAE and beyond – a vision that we are now much closer to realizing.”

“We have found ways to optimise our costs, with our comprehensive, world-class IT Transformation now only costing us 0.92 per cent of the total corporate budget, while the real estate industry’s average usually lies at 1.5 per cent,” he added.

“We are delighted to be selected as a strategic partner by Azizi Developments, a leading real-estate organisation in the Middle East region, for their Digital Transformation journey.” said Mr. Suryanarayan Kasichainula, President & Global Head - ERP and Global Sales & Solutions Head – IT Services, 3i Infotech. “Our continuous commitment to high quality, cutting edge technology solutions along with our proven experience in understanding customer challenges will enable us to create solutions for their ongoing requirements and long-term goals alongside Digital Transformation.  This partnership endorses the value we bring in with our Infrastructure and Cloud Services to deliver world class experiences by using Cloud, Maggie (Virtual Engineer/BOT), Artificial Intelligence, predictive analytics and integrated solutions that enhance employee and end-customer experiences.”

Notably, Azizi Developments has successfully implemented state-of-the-art Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and Business Analytics (BA) technologies, and is now looking at enablers like digital workplaces, advanced process optimisation, and radical digitalisation. The developer is also using other business intelligence and data analytics tools to create actionable strategies for existing and new business opportunities.

Emirates SkyCargo Calibrates Operations to Keep Trade Open in Seven Destinations in India

Emirates SkyCargo has announced it is operating dedicated cargo flights to Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram, ensuring key trade lanes are kept open during the Covid-19 crisis.

Last week, Emirates SkyCargo carried around 140 tonnes of equipment and commodities to Bengaluru and Mumbai from East Asia, the US, Europe and its hub in Dubai. From Bengaluru, the cargo airline carried around 70 tonnes of medical equipment and perishables to destinations in the GCC and Europe.

Emirates SkyCargo uplifted 52 tonnes of perishables, including fruits and vegetables, from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai and the GCC countries that rely on India for their crucial food supply. Another 83 tonnes of perishables made their way from Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai to these destinations.

Abdulla AlKhallafi, Cargo Manager India, Emirates, said: “In these challenging times, Emirates SkyCargo stands by its commitment to India and the global community to act as a global conveyor belt for transporting essential commodities such as food, medicines, machinery and other commodities vital for communities and businesses.”

Emirates Pharma is also uplifting pharma products and medical equipment from India and beyond. Last week, Emirates SkyCargo flew a charter operation carrying 60 tonnes of life-saving pharma from Mumbai to New York, while a scheduled freighter from Ahmedabad uplifted 80 tonnes of mostly pharmaceuticals to destinations across the US, Europe and Australia.

Apart from its fleet of 11 freighters, Emirates is also operating its Boeing 777 passenger aircraft as cargo-only flights.