7.4% Reduction in Severely Acute Malnourished Children after Successful Year of BSI’s Nutrition India Programme

 * BSI NIP saved 6,500 children between 0-5 years across districts of Amravati and Nandurbar in Maharashtra from malnutrition

* An independent evaluation by sustainable Square found every INR 1 invested in the BSI Nutrition India Programme delivers INR 36.90 of social value 

* The ongoing programme additionally aims to engage with 1,77,000 mothers and children with the goal to eradicate malnourishment in Amravati & Nandurbar in the next four years

After the first successful year of Dettol BSI - Nutrition India Programme, the community witnessed a 7.4% reduction in the proportion of severely acute malnourished children across the districts of Amravati & Nandurbar in Maharashtra. Within the first 10 months, the programme was able to save the lives of 6,500 children between the years of 1-5 with the help of 41 community nutrition workers. An independent evaluation by sustainable Square also found that every INR 1 invested in the BSI Nutrition India Programme delivers a social value of INR 36.90.

The programme was developed to support in the first 1000 days of a child’s life, utilizing digital and artificial intelligence-based innovative modules, to strengthen the health, hygiene and nutrition status of pregnant women and children in Maharashtra’s Amravati and Nandurbar.

Commenting on the partnership initiative, Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, South Asia, Reckitt Benckiser Health, “Proper nutrition & sanitation are the catalyst to social change and one of the most critical aspect to empower young children and mothers. Given the alarming number of malnourishment cases witnessed in states like Maharashtra, districts of Amravati and Nandurbar became the starting ground for the Nutrition India Programme in partnership with Plan India. The five-year programme is aimed at strengthening the health, hygiene, and nutrition status of pregnant women and children across impacted communities.”

Acknowledging this support Mohammed Asif, Executive Director, Plan India, said, “Nutrition India program has shown the light on the imperative of collaborative actions by governments, corporates and civil society to successfully tackle the challenge of malnutrition and undernourishment in rural communities. The learnings and outcomes from this program should be widely disseminated so that other development actors are able to replicate. Also this initiative by Reckitt Benckiser and its partners is contributing to the larger national efforts to mitigate the public health challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“We are thankful to RB for the partnership and for ensuring timely access to life-saving and preventive measures to ramp up nutrition and public health outcomes in underserved communities.” He added.

In the past one year, Nutrition India Programme has worked with local communities and developed a workforce of travelling nutrition champions who are known as ‘Community Nutrition Workers (CNWs)’. These workers are given rigorous training by public health experts, pediatricians, gynecologists, and community development specialists, and are educated about the golden rules of good nutrition. 

The ongoing programme is focusing on maternal and child health. Everything related to it is being taught to these community nutrition workers, such as–what precautions are to be taken by expecting mothers, what should be their diet, lessons on breastfeeding, the importance of breastfeeding within the initial hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the newborn, and the diet which should be given to a child so that he/she is saved from the ill effects of malnutrition.

Over the next four years, the programme aims to reach 1,77,000 mothers of undernourished children across 1,000 villages with a target of 40% reduction in the number of children under five who are stunted, and to reduce and maintain childhood wasting to less than 5%.

Plan India’s on-ground expertise is helping reach communities properly through a systematized process. The partner organization is also supporting by providing nutrition workers with simple interactive tools that deliver clear and effective messaging around nutrition and hygiene to create behavioral changes in the society. For more information on Plan India, login to www.planindia.org

Social Return on Investment measures the value of the benefits relative to the costs of achieving those benefits. It is a ratio of the net present value of benefits to the net present value of the investment. The total public health impact could be measured for a population of 5 lakhs

About RB:

RB* is driven by its purpose to protect, heal and nurture in a relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We fight to make access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment a right, not a privilege, for everyone.

RB is proud to have a stable of trusted household brands found in households in more than 190 countries. These include Enfamil, Nutramigen, Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Clearasil, Lysol, Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Cillit Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Calgon, Woolite, Air Wick and more. 20 million RB products a day are bought by consumers globally.

RB's passion to put consumers and people first, to seek out new opportunities, to strive for excellence in all that we do, and to build shared success with all our partners, while doing the right thing, always is what guides the work of our 40,000+ diverse and talented colleagues worldwide. For more information visit https://www.rb.com/

*RB is the trading name of Reckitt Benckiser group of companies.

PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT CREATED BY NUTRITION INDIA PROGRAMME IN ONE YEAR

* 71% increase in proportion of child with timely initiation of complementary feeding

* 7.4% reduction in proportion of severely acute malnourished children

* 7% increase in proportion of pregnant women with Complete Ante Natal Care Coverage

* 23% reduction in pregnant women with anemia

* 59% increase in institutional birth at a public facility

* 56% reduction in proportion of low birth weight babies

* 37% increase in proportion of children with breastfeeding initiated within 1 hour of birth

* 11.6% increase in proportion of lactating women whose diet diversity is ensured

Dettol BSI and Wipro GE Healthcare Join Forces to Strengthen Covid-19 Response

 Highlights

* The partnership program is reaching out to the frontline health workers in communities across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand

* A total of around 770 frontline health workers are envisioned to be trained under this partnership, the ongoing first phase has so far touched 143,164 lives by training 250+ frontline health workers on the Covid-19 pandemic across the impacted communities

With a focus at enhancing public health system, Dettol Banega Swasth India, a flagship program by RB, in partnership with Wipro GE Healthcare India introduced training program for front line health workers amidst the raging spread of COVID-19. The integrated partnership program is aimed at training 250+ health workers across the states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand with on-ground support from Plan India and Jagran Pehel.

COVID-19 leaves some of India’s most vulnerable communities facing “a crisis within a crisis”. As per a study conducted by the United Nations (UN) in India, there have been major concerns around the impact of the crisis on vulnerable populations, especially women and children. Some of the factors include disruption in the supply of essentials and divided attention towards other healthcare facilities/support. Additionally, the public health support system assisting to fight back COVID-19 at the grassroots levels is weakening given these unprecedented challenges.

Addressing the gravity of the issue and to alleviate the panic & appropriately curb community transmission, the two-leading healthcare organisations partnered to equip ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, women health educators and allied front line health workers in India.

Commenting on the partnership initiative, Mr. Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, AMESA, RB Health, said, “We at Dettol are deeply concerned given this unprecedented pandemic and its impact on our healthcare warriors exposed to vulnerable communities across the nation. We understand that our front-line workers need community support & correct upgraded skill set as they are assigned the crucial role of screening and awareness generation at the grassroots level. With a vision to support the frontline health workers, Dettol, #1 trusted partner of the Indian population and Wipro GE Healthcare joined forces to provide accurate knowledge & elevated skill sets. we hope that with this training, the community health and nutrition workers are better able to perform their field duties and carry out efficient screening and awareness activities to address the Covid-19 pandemic. We will continue to serve, educate, and partner with the aim of a healthier nation.”

“We are immensely proud to partner with RB and ‘Dettol Banega Swachh India’ initiative in enabling frontline healthcare workers strengthen their response to Covid-19. GE Healthcare’s long-standing experience in the healthcare industry has taught us that a bottoms-up approach to awareness, prevention and cure goes a long way in addressing a healthcare crisis of this scale. This partnership has allowed both organizations to come together and deploy their unique strengths in India’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. We look forward to take this partnership from strength to strength and play our part in creating a healthier India,” said Nalinikanth Gollagunta, Managing Director, Wipro GE Healthcare.

Dettol BSI will be providing technical support in infection prevention, best practices, as well as mobilization support through its partners in the field. Wipro GE Healthcare is the end-to-end training implementation partner, involved in content development, curriculum management and deploying experienced faculty for the program. The participants will be trained on best practices in hygiene and infection prevention, DIY tools (e.g. making a mask, preparing sanitizer at home, etc.), personal safety & precaution guidelines, recommendations for home isolation & quarantine, myth-busting and overall mental health.

Adhering to the nationwide lockdown and social distancing norms, the participants are being trained digitally through a Learning Management System that features quizzes, videos, interactive tools, and additional reading materials, available to all participants.

iQOO Introduces Referral Program, Chance for Users to Earn Benefits

With an aim to provide the latest technology innovation to the Indian customers, iQOO, today announced an exclusive Referral Program for their existing iQOO 3 users. For each successful referral, the referrer and referee both get a Flipkart voucher of INR 1000/- each.

Easy referral process:

1.       Click on the link available on iQOO website

2.       Existing iQOO users can generate their referral link by submitting the request (Get a unique referral link within 24 hours)

3.       Share the referral link with the referee to purchase the iQOO 3 from iQOO website

4.       After purchase verification, both referrer and the referee will receive INR 1000/- Flipkart voucher

Customers can purchase India’s fastest smartphone iQOO3 at INR 34,990 (8+128GB 4G), INR 37,990 (8+256GB 4G) and INR 44,990 (12+256GB 5G). The devices are available in three attractive colour options — Volcano Orange, Quantum Silver and Tornado Black.

Speaking on this initiative, Mr. Gagan Arora, Director-Marketing, iQOO India said, “iQOO 3 has received an overwhelming response till now and we are thankful to our customers in India. The iQOO referral program gives us the opportunity to reward the existing customers and make the iQOO 3 a more attractive preference for potential customers. This is the best time to join the iQOO family.”

iQOO 3 comes with the latest Snapdragon 865 processor and is designed to offer a perfect integration of performance and innovation backed by technology. The iQOO 3 includes a 48 MP AI Quad camera setup with 20X digital zoom complimented with EIS, segment first 8GB/12GB (LPDDR5) RAM and 128GB/256GB (UFS3.1 Flash Storage) ROM, 16.36cm (6.44) E3 Super AMOLED display with HDR 10+ Standard Certification and Super Small Front Camera (2.98mm). The device has been synonymous with supreme performance and boasts a mammoth with the latest 55W Super FlashCharge and 4440mAh battery to offer uninterrupted gaming experience.  Other gaming features like Monster Touch Buttons, 4D Game Vibration and 180Hz Touch response rate makes iQOO 3 a perfect smartphone to play heavy-duty games like PUBG, Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9.

The company has also announced regular software updates. The iQOO 3 will be one of the first smartphones in India to receive Android 11 OS update, a guaranteed update to Android 12 and regular OTA updates for three years.

ASSOCOHAM Launches Illness to Wellness, a Awareness Programme Aimed at Promoting Healthy Living in Association with SAVLON

Healthy Living

* Programme to promote healthy living with focus on wellness and preventive health through healthy habits, diet, exercise, and holistic health

* Programme kicked off with a webinar titled ‘Illness to Wellness – The Yoga Way’ with discussion on the role of yoga in fighting the COVID-19 health crisis

* Webinar revealed that the Delhi Government has deployed 30 yoga instructors in COVID centres to help the patients; and yoga therapy is being extended to the contact chain like family members, police personnel, medical professionals among others 

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India has started a national health & wellness awareness program called ‘Illness to Wellness’ to promote healthy living and preventive health through holistic measures. 

Supported by the hygiene brand SAVLON, the programme was kicked off with a webinar on the topic “Illness to Wellness – The Yoga Way” which saw leading health and yoga experts and recognized industry leaders deliberate on how Yoga could be the answer for mitigating threats caused by viruses and other ailments like the COVID 19.

A key speaker at the session Dr Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, director, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, revealed that, “we have deployed 30 instructors in COVID centres run by the Delhi government, who would teach patients yoga for three hours in the morning. Additionally, we have undertaken yoga lessons for COVID patients in the neighbouring 11 districts. We received 500 applications from Department of Science & Technology to understand the beneficial aspects of yoga especially for COVID patients and so are working on three projects with renowned yoga institutes to arrive at findings.” The programme is being expanded to cover people who have come in contact with COVID patients like family members, police personnel, medical professionals etc. 

For centuries yoga has proven to be a tool for mental and physical well-being. As the focus on boosting immunity grows due to the widespread adverse health effects caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, the role of this ancient and spiritual practice has become prominent in the journey from illness to wellness. Other eminent speakers emphasised the importance of wellness, not just in challenging times, but in general as a way of life.

While sharing his perspective, Mr Rajiv Chandran, director and office-in-charge, UN Information Centre emphatically stated that United Nations embraced the Yoga and 175 out of 193 countries unanimously agreed to celebrate Yoga as an annual International Day. The COVID–19 pandemic has completely transformed the concept of wellness. Now, wellness is not merely an individual's concern rather a community strategy and is being viewed in a very broader perspective of people's relationship with planet and the society.”

Promoting adoption of correct lifestyle and wellness strategy, (Padma Shri) Guruji Dr. H. R. Nagendra, Chancellor, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana & President, Indian Yoga Association said, “During the present COVID pandemic situations, Yoga – A Way of Life – can bring wellness for people at large. Coronavirus has the potential to infect and affect the human lives, however our immune system is also very strong as WBC (white blood cells) acts a gigantic robust army to defend from many viruses including corona. Stress weakens our immunity system and thus it becomes a victim of virus (corona) attack. He further stated that although one can cure through medicines, vaccinations and other supplements, the solution to strengthen our immunity is Yoga only.” 

Sharing his views, Mr Anil Rajput, Chairman, ASSOCHAM CSR Council said, “COVID pandemic has taught human race the hard lesson that medical science may not have readymade answers to emerging health crises. Therefore, we need to go back to the basics by putting focus on preventive measures and healthy living. Illness to Wellness has been timely conceived to bring the spotlight back on aspects we perhaps know at the back of our mind, but many are not able to practice in the rush of a busy life, such as the importance of healthy diet, exercise, hygienic habits, timely preventive practices among others.”

Vedanta Launches Phase 2 of ‘Meal for All’ Program to Daily Wage Earners

Vedanta Limited a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, a global oil & gas and metals company, has launched Phase 2 of its “Meal for All” program to provide meals to daily wage earners across the country during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The program successfully provided more than 11.08 lakh meals to daily wage earners in the first phase. The project also distributed 49,626 dry ration packets to local communities and engaged more than 15,000 women in mask-making activities. The program not only provided aid to the suffering people, but also extended a helping hand to stray animals in the rural and urban areas. More than 12.70 lakh stray animals were fed in Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Pune in the first phase.

Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Anil Agarwal, Chairman - Vedanta Resources, said, “The spread of Covid-19 pandemic has led to the closure of many economic and employable institutions. This has left a huge number of daily wage earners stranded without any scope of income and daily essentials.  Our initiative is an effort to provide them with the basic necessities and ease their pain as much as possible. We aim to reach maximum number of people with this initiative and provide a ray of hope to the daily wage earners and give them strength.”

The Phase-2 of the ‘Meals for all’ program was flagged off by Mr. Gunvant Patel, noted entrepreneur and philanthropist. It will be a week-long initiative with a target of reaching 38,000 daily wage earners and their families across Delhi, Mumbai & Ahmedabad. They are being provided with ration kits consisting of daily essentials such as Rice, Pulses, Refined oil and Spices along with a pair of slippers. The project aims to provide better living conditions to people in the coming days whilst providing a temporary relief.

Complimenting Vedanta on this initiative, Mr. Gunvant Patel said, “The pandemic is truly a test of our resilience and the strength of togetherness, this is the moment where we have to come together to give, share and reach the people in need. Vedanta’s gesture through the program “Meals for all” is an example of humility and how such initiatives are so important during times like these. I am glad to contribute to the program and look forward to maximize our effortsrogram 

Vedanta Limited a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, a global oil & gas and metals company, has launched Phase 2 of its “Meal for All” program to provide meals to daily wage earners across the country during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The program successfully provided more than 11.08 lakh meals to daily wage earners in the first phase. The project also distributed 49,626 dry ration packets to local communities and engaged more than 15,000 women in mask-making activities. The program not only provided aid to the suffering people, but also extended a helping hand to stray animals in the rural and urban areas. More than 12.70 lakh stray animals were fed in Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Pune in the first phase.

Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Anil Agarwal, Chairman - Vedanta Resources, said, “The spread of Covid-19 pandemic has led to the closure of many economic and employable institutions. This has left a huge number of daily wage earners stranded without any scope of income and daily essentials.  Our initiative is an effort to provide them with the basic necessities and ease their pain as much as possible. We aim to reach maximum number of people with this initiative and provide a ray of hope to the daily wage earners and give them strength.”

The Phase-2 of the ‘Meals for all’ program was flagged off by Mr. Gunvant Patel, noted entrepreneur and philanthropist. It will be a week-long initiative with a target of reaching 38,000 daily wage earners and their families across Delhi, Mumbai & Ahmedabad. They are being provided with ration kits consisting of daily essentials such as Rice, Pulses, Refined oil and Spices along with a pair of slippers. The project aims to provide better living conditions to people in the coming days whilst providing a temporary relief.

Complimenting Vedanta on this initiative, Mr. Gunvant Patel said, “The pandemic is truly a test of our resilience and the strength of togetherness, this is the moment where we have to come together to give, share and reach the people in need. Vedanta’s gesture through the program “Meals for all” is an example of humility and how such initiatives are so important during times like these. I am glad to contribute to the program and look forward to maximize our efforts.

Vedanta's SESA Football Academy Continues to Foster Skill Development in Sports Across the Country

SESA Football Academy (SFA), a flagship CSR program of Vedanta which aims to identify, nurture and groom young footballing talents in the country, felicitated young graduates during Convocation Ceremony 2020 through virtual platforms. 27 boys who completed their football training at SFA were felicitated and awarded with E-certificates in the distinguished presence of Mr. Annanya Agarwal (President- Sesa Football Academy), Mr. Sauvick Mazumdar (CEO- Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore Business), Mr. Brahmanand Sankhwalkar (former Captain of Indian football team and  Arjuna Awardee), Mr. Denzil Franco (Former Indian team player, ISL player and an SFA alumnus) and Ms. Leena Verenkar (Head- Group CSR , Vedanta Limited).

The event witnessed an active impressive line-up of core team members of SESA Football Academy and young sports enthusiasts cheering for the graduating students and wishing them for their future endeavors.

Sesa Football Academy was established in the year 1999 with an aim to identify, nurture, create platforms and build talent for Indian football. Till date, around 200 footballers have graduated from the academy. Apart from this, football initiatives undertaken by SFA have also positively impacted over 500 young players belonging to Goa and other cities of the country through various grassroot training programs. The residential academies provide systematic and robust football training through its team of national and international football experts, along with formal education of the trainees during the training period.

While congratulating the graduating batch, Mr. Annanya Agarwal, President, Sesa Football Academy said, “I am extremely happy and equally proud to see that we could produce another talented pool of 27 footballers, who will be next generation football icons of the nation. In line with our vision to contribute towards development of Indian football through robust grassroots training programs, we at SFA are taking significant steps in providing world class training to budding footballers to nurture their talent and groom them as professional footballers. I wish all our graduating players great success and a bright future.”

The SFA alumni have very good track records, making their mark in premier national football platforms including Indian national team, ISL teams and other prestigious football clubs across the country.

Mr Sauvick Mazumdar, CEO of Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore Business said, “At Vedanta, community engagement is at the core of our business philosophy. Sesa Football Academy, developed on reclaimed Sanquelim mine with an aim to provide a training platform for Goan youths, has immensely contributed to Goan football & nation at large. Despite difficult business situations for past several years, Vedanta has continued with our flagship CSR initiatives, especially SFA, to ensure uninterrupted contribution towards development of Indian football. I congratulate all our graduating students and wish them a very bright & successful footballing career.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Brahmanand Sankhwalkar, former Captain of Indian football team and Arjuna Awardee said, “SFA has been doing praiseworthy work for the football community in Goa and country at large. The academy is producing good football talent by grooming them through grassroot training programs. I am happy to see these young players get such amazing training opportunity at SFA which is helping them pursue their career in football”.

Former Indian Football team player and SESA Football Academy alumnus, Mr. Denzil Franco congratulated all players and said, “I take pride in being a part of SFA. Contribution of SFA towards honing skills of young and talented footballers of Goa is immensely commendable. I am confident that the students graduating today from SFA will achieve greater heights and bring laurels for the academy boosting its legacy further."

SESA Football Academy also aims to raise the standard of women’s football in the country through Vedanta Women's League, which is helping in development of women footballers by providing them a platform to showcase and hone their talent. Vedanta’s contribution in development of sports is recognised by FICCI, and was conferred “Best Organisation Contributing in Sports through CSR” at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2019.

SAP Launches MSMEs Initiative “Global Bharat” to Make them Globally Competitive

SAP India announces the launch of Global Bharat, a program designed to enable Indian MSMEs become globally competitive by equipping them with digital technologies. In association with NASSCOM Foundation, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Pratham InfoTech Foundation, the program further compliments Government of India’s vision to empower MSME sector by providing them access to global marketplace, digital skilling for the workforce and transforming business processes.

Given the current business environment and state of economies, Global Bharat will enable Indian MSMEs to become future-ready while driving greater efficiencies by adopting these 3 initiatives:

Gaining Access to Global Marketplace: MSMEs will have open access to SAP Ariba Discovery where any buyer can post sourcing needs and any of the four million suppliers on Ariba Network can respond with their ability to deliver the goods and services required with no fees through December 31, 2020. Ariba Network is the largest digital B2B marketplace where more than USD $3.3 trillion in global commerce flows annually. By accessing the SAP Ariba Discovery offer, Indian MSMEs can enroll themselves as suppliers and access a global customer market.

 

Digitally Skilling Workforce: Business owners will have access to SAP India’s Code Unnati, a coveted Golden Peacock Award winning digital skilling initiative. MSMEs will be provided accessibility to 240 courses (more getting added in a few months) on Digital Financial, Soft Skills, Productivity Technologies that will digitally skill the workforce and adapt to the new working environments. The curated courses will be made available through a mobile application for people to access via their android smartphone devices. Under this digital literacy program, SAP India has already trained over 1 million youth with the help of 1500 physical training centers

Digitally Transform Businesses: Global Bharat brings affordable and accessible enterprise technology for MSMEs. Through Bharat ERP initiative, they can now adopt SAP’s world class ERP; Business One Starter Pack on the cloud.  We understand from SAP’s partner ecosystem that they will make available this cloud offering for Rs 3999 per user per month with accessibility for maximum of 5 users per MSME. This Digital transformation will enhance efficiencies for businesses while enabling them to provide better products and services to their customers.

Speaking about the program, Deb Deep Sengupta, President and Managing Director, SAP Indian Subcontinent said, “The impact of pandemic on economy and businesses has been felt majorly by MSMEs across the country. Being a potential contributor to India’s GDP (29%) and providing employment to over 111 million people, it is imperative to strengthen the sector for the revival of the country’s economy. Global Bharat, is our endeavour to enable MSMEs to augment business operations and re-access critical processes that overcome inefficiencies and make them globally competitive.”

Subramanian Ananthapadmanabhan, Vice President and Head of General Business, SAP Indian Subcontinent further states, “80% of SAP’s customer base are SMEs that have adopted digital technologies and witnessed exponential growth. As India opens up to a post-COVID business landscape, we are excited to partner with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises on their digital journeys and support them with technologies and skills necessary to gain scale and compete in the new environment.”

MSMEs can access these offerings under the Global Bharat program at www.GrowthMattersForum.com 

C-CAMP, Applied Materials India Assist Biotech Start-Ups to Increase Availability of Indigenous Medical Supplies

C-CAMP and Applied Materials India Private Limited (Applied Materials India) announced financial and technical support to two biotech start-ups in order to fast-track near-to-market technologies in the battle against COVID-19.

The two start-ups, Coeo Labs and Biomoneta, incubated under the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), an initiative of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), and were chosen by C-CAMP’s COVID-19 Innovations Deployment Accelerator (C-CIDA) launched on 25th March 2020 to identify and help accelerate near deployment-ready solutions that have the potential to fight the pandemic.

C-CIDA received more than 1100 innovation submissions and after a rigorous assessment, selected 31 innovations that have high potential to help battle against COVID-19 as C-CIDA Stars for Impact. With this, C-CIDA has built a diverse portfolio of innovations ranging from diagnostics and novel therapeutic approaches to air and surface sanitization and many more categories.

Of the 31 innovations identified as “C-CIDA Stars for Impact”, Applied Materials India selected two start-ups working in the following high-priority areas:

Assisted Respiratory Technologies: Coeo Labs, for its non-invasive Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) product, Saans ProAir Sanitization Technologies: Biomoneta, for its air decontamination product, ZeBox

 

The Applied Science & Technology Research Accelerator (ASTRA) provided an avenue for multiple start-ups incubated by C-CAMP to explore potential collaborations and/or investments with Applied Materials India. In continuation of these efforts and to help battle the COVID-19 crisis, Applied Materials India will provide technical expertise and financial assistance to C-CIDA, Coeo Labs and Biomoneta.

Speaking on the funding, Srinivas Satya, Country President and Managing Director, Applied Materials India said, “It is heartening to see the passion start-ups bring to our nation’s battle against COVID-19.  Many of these entrepreneurs have brilliant solutions and need help bringing the technology to scale.  As a company with deep technical expertise and a long history of supporting our communities, we believe we must do all we can to accelerate the development of innovations that can strengthen the country’s response to COVID-19. In a time when infrastructure is a challenge and access to medical relief is limited, we are pleased to collaborate with indigenous start-ups that can help pave the way to a healthier future in India.”

Speaking on the collaboration, Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO and Director, C-CAMP said, “We are delighted to get this support from Applied Materials India for our C-CIDA, where our mission is to bring near deployment-ready innovations to the field. C-CIDA has had a significant impact across India and this support further fosters our efforts. We look forward to working closely with Applied Materials India to deliver impactful innovations together.”

C-CAMP is one of the flagship incubators set up under the DBT and a member of the Bangalore Life Sciences Cluster (BLiSC), with a mandate to enable cutting-edge life sciences research and innovation and promote life sciences entrepreneurship. In 2019, C-CAMP forged a close collaboration with Applied Materials India to help accelerate time-to-market of promising biotech start-ups in India. Applied Materials India has also been engaging with the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, a program under the DBT, across various levels since 2019.

To find out more about these companies in India who are part of new wave of health tech start-ups aiming to create innovative solutions that are also affordable, please visit the Coeo Labs website for Saans Pro and the Biomoneta website for ZeBox.

Avail IT education tourism in India from IBM

IBM today announced the launch of an education programme that it said would enable IT professionals and students to come to India and receive IBM certified training here.

To avail of this offer, an individual needs to register for a course from the IBM Power and IBM System Storage Curriculum, the company said in a statement.

All visa formalities, tickets and accommodation requirements are arranged and facilitated by an IBM training partner, it said.

The IT education tourism programme, slated to start next month, is a unique initiative where IBM has partnered with Stratom IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd., India to introduce IT education tourism as a package for global students and IT professionals.

IBM plans to target around 300 participants in India for a minimum of 30 days this year.

As part of the programme,IBM would offer a comprehensive portfolio of technical training and education services for systems designed for individuals, companies and public organisations to acquire, maintain, and optimise their IT skills, the statement added.

Agencies

Has Conficker attacked thousands of PCs globally?

A malicious software programme known as Conficker that many feared would wreak havoc on April 1 is slowly being activated, weeks after being dismissed as a false alarm, security experts said.

Conficker, also known as Downadup or Kido, is quietly turning thousands of personal computers into servers of e-mail spam and installing spyware, they said.

The worm started spreading late last year, infecting millions of computers and turning them into "slaves" that respond to commands sent from a remote server that effectively controls an army of computers known as a botnet.

Its unidentified creators started using those machines for criminal purposes in recent weeks by loading more malicious software onto a small percentage of computers under their control, said Vincent Weafer, a vice president with Symantec Security Response, the research arm of the world's largest security software maker, Symantec Corp.

"Expect this to be long-term, slowly changing," he said of the worm. "It's not going to be fast, aggressive."

Conficker installs a second virus, known as Waledac, that sends out e-mail spam without knowledge of the PC's owner, along with a fake anti-spyware program, Weafer said. The Waledac virus recruits the PCs into a second botnet that has existed for several years and specializes in distributing e-mail spam.

"This is probably one of the most sophisticated botnets on the planet. The guys behind this are very professional. They absolutely know what they are doing," said Paul Ferguson, a senior researcher with Trend Micro Inc, the world's third-largest security software maker.

He said Conficker's authors likely installed a spam engine and another malicious software program on tens of thousands of computers since April 7.

He said the worm will stop distributing the software on infected PCs on May 3 but more attacks will likely follow. "We expect to see a differen
t component or a whole new twist to the way this botnet does business," said Ferguson, a member of The Conficker Working Group, an international alliance of companies fighting the worm.

Researchers had feared the network controlled by the Conficker worm might be deployed on April 1 since the worm surfaced last year because it was programmed to increase communication attempts from that date. The security industry formed the task force to fight the worm, bringing widespread attention that experts said robably scared off the criminals who command the slave computers.

The task force initially thwarted the worm using the Internet's traffic control system to block access to servers that control the slave computers. Viruses that turn PCs into slaves exploit weaknesses in Microsoft's Windows operating system. The Conficker worm is especially tricky because it can evade corporate firewalls by passing from an infected machine onto a USB memory stick, then onto another PC.

The Conficker botnet is one of many such networks controlled by syndicates that authorities believe are based in eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, China and Latin America.

Agencies

Will Microsoft layoff H-1B visa staff too?

Observing that the H-1B work visa programme helps hire the best available talent of the world, American software giant Microsoft has said H-1B visa holders has contributed significantly to its success. However, the company, which had recently announced to lay off some 5,000 jobs in the next 18 months, would be handing over pink slips to H-1B visa holders too.

Microsoft’s observation on H-1B visas and their significant contribution to its success was made by the company in a letter to senator Charles Grassley.

H1-B employees have always accounted for less than 15% of Microsoft’s US workforce, the level that is used in immigration law to determine whether a company is “H-1B dependent,” the letter said. The senator in a letter dated January 22 had sought information from Microsoft particularly about how its plan to fire 5,000 people would affect US workers and non-US citizens working for Microsoft. The Microsoft letter dated March 3 written by Bradford L Smith, its general counsel, has been posted on its website http://microsoftontheissues.com.

Agencies