Takeda India Stands United for Hemophilia on World Hemophilia Day

Key Points

• Approximately 21,000 hemophilic patients registered in India
• With the ongoing government support, standards of care have improved in the country

On World Hemophilia Day, Takeda India, part of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, a global biopharmaceutical company, pledges to stand united to support patients for a better life and brighter future. Takeda is committed to driving awareness and conversations around Hemophilia to ensure an increased number of diagnoses and, thus, timely treatment with quality replacement therapy. 

Koki Sato, General Manager, Takeda India, commented, "As a company, we are committed to serving patients suffering from Hemophilia and support them in their journey to ensure an improved quality of life. Together with the hematology community, we are raising expectations for the future, including earlier diagnosis, earlier and full protection against bleeds, and more personalized patient care. With our innovative therapies, awareness drives, and initiatives, we aim to contribute towards building a bleed free India by 2030."

Through Access to Medicine (AtM) strategy, Takeda aims to address the broader structural barriers that prevent patients in underserved communities from receiving the care and treatment they deserve. In addition to AtM, Takeda India in 2017, launched Purna Samparq, a patient support program to address the critical unmet needs of Hemophilic patients by offering them Counselling, Diagnostic, Physiotherapy, Nursing and Education Support under the guidance of the Consulting Physician to improve the quality of life.

Gopal Agrawal, Head Market Access, Patient Advocacy, and Patient Services, Takeda India, said “We are committed to addressing the unmet needs of patients wherever they may be, andsustainably strengthening local health systems at every stage of the patient journey. We complement this approach with a commitment towards developing an end-to-end access approach to make our highly-innovative medicines available as soon as practically possible”.

Hemophilia is an inherited single gene disorder that is usually inherited, and about one in every 5,000 males is born with the disorder[2]. As per a reputed patient body in the country, there are approximately 21,000 registered hemophilia patients in India (footnote source). This rare disease mostly impacts pediatric males. While most of the patients opt for on-demand treatment when an episode of bleed occurs, there is prophylaxis treatment that can reduce the annual bleed rate, therefore leading to a reduced lifetime risk of future bleeds and helping the patients to live a better-quality life.

ITC Savlon Launches the Zero Contact ‘Savlon Surface Disinfectant Spray’ to Help Fight Against Covid-19

In the ongoing fight against Covid-19, health stipulations have mandated two important facets to help protect against the deadly virus – hand hygiene and the hygiene of frequently touched surfaces. Hand hygiene is critical and continues to be in conversation with educative programmes to enhance awareness and the introduction of handwashes and hand sanitisers like Savlon Hexa. The relevance and the importance of surface disinfection is increasingly being accepted now.  Frequently touched surfaces are high contact areas through which germs are transmitted and can increase chances of infection. Many have adopted home made, often cumbersome, ways to clean such surfaces. At times, the disinfection is not very effective due to the design of the surface, making nooks difficult to reach.

To make this new routine more convenient and very effective, ITC’s leading hygiene brand Savlon announces the launch of Savlon Surface Disinfectant Spray. The easy to use spray kills 99.99% germs around home including virus, bacteria, molds & fungi*. It also kills commonly contagious viruses like H1N1, Rotavirus & Norovirus.

Tables, door knobs, chairs, sofas, etc. are spaces in homes and commercial areas that are touched often by several people. Cleaning these areas properly is critical to maintain the health and hygiene of the people who come in contact with these surfaces and their families. The zero contact Savlon Surface Disinfectant Spray disinfects and deodorizes in one easy step.  Its unique spray formula can be used on various hard and soft surfaces alike, leaving behind a fresh and pleasant smell while killing 99.99% germs*. The active ingredients in this formulation also kills certain antibiotic resistant germs. Spray once on these high contact areas through which germs are transmitted, and allow it to air dry. There is no need to wipe it down.

Speaking on augmentation of Savlon’s portfolio, Sameer Satpathy, Divisional Chief Executive, Personal Care, ITC Limited said, “Savlon has accelerated the launch of effective products in this unprecedented battle against COVID-19. We picked up this need to disinfect surfaces in our consumer work and decided to quickly introduce it into the market.  This has been possible only due to ITC’s research and development capabilities and strengths in innovation & distribution. The innovative Savlon Surface Disinfectant spray introduces a hassle-free and convenient way to effectively clean hard and soft frequently touched surfaces.  Disinfecting homes and surfaces will continue to be a critical need hereon and a zero-contact disinfectant like Savlon Surface Disinfectant Spray, which does not need a subsequent wipe down, will definitely help prevent transfer of disease-causing germs*. The development and the subsequent launch across India in a short period of time, is a testament to innovative and passionate teams of ITC, working round the clock in this fight against the virus.”

The Savlon Surface Disinfectant Spray is the second consecutive launch by Savlon during the lockdown period, the first being Savlon’s advanced hand sanitizer Savlon Hexa for quick and persistent action.

Savlon Surface Disinfectant Spray is available in a spray pack of 170 g priced at INR 159. It is being rolled out across retail channels and online platforms throughout the country.

*Basis in vitro studies  

AESL Revolutionises Digital Learning; Launches One-of-its Kind “Live Streaming Courses” at the Aakash Prime Class

Highlights

* The extended course aims to “Bridge the Gap” and provide the best test preparation for students irrespective of their geographical location
* Live streamed through the Internet to a classroom equipped with audio-visual equipment, Aakash Prime Class is a two-way interactive medium
* Aakash Prime Class will have medical and engineering courses for students from Class XI-XII and those who have passed Class XII.

Heralding a revolution in the digital learning sector, Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL), the national leader in test preparation services, has launched a one-of-its kind Extended Classroom Course called the Aakash Prime Class, that will be delivered through New Age Satellite Technology to students who wish to become Doctors and IITians across the country.

Live streamed through the Internet to a classroom equipped with audio-visual equipment, this is a two-way interactive medium that will enable students preparing for JEE and NEET to study in a classroom sitting in their respective town/city interacting with the Faculty@Aakash based in Delhi live on screen.

Today, the knowledge domain of students is restricted to bare school curriculum. They are unable to and at times disinterested in higher-order insights and exposure. Aakash Prime Class Courses are designed to fill this void by providing higher-order subject-matter exposure to students; delivered by National-level faculty over New Age Satellite Mode.

The program aims to impart an integrated learning, spanning “Boards” & “Competition” preparation. A better learning experience coupled with continuous testing & analysis will help and nudge the students achieve visible improvement in academics and co-curricular performance.

Mr. Aakash Chaudhry, Director and CEO of AESL, “AESL is known for innovative applications and products that have revolutionized the way information technology is used to deliver new age learning to next generation learners. The Indian education system suffers from a three-pronged problem of Quality, Access and Cost. The challenge is to provide the best possible quality of teaching centred on the best faculty to students across the country at very low costs. Aakash Prime Class is a solution to all this and will enable students to continue with their education from home regardless of their geographical location. Our sessions will be interactive, allowing students to clear doubts, ask questions and be able to address their queries and concerns. We hope that students and educators will take advantage of this unique initiative.”

The Aakash Prime Class courses will be delivered through the national network of AESL. The centres are VSAT-enabled and with the heldp of state-of-the-art studios & telecommunication facilities, they will channelize audio, video and data-enabled high-quality, faculty lectures to students.

Advantages of Aakash Prime Class

Best National Level Faculty Set: Our Faculty is among the best in the country and have produced stellar results year-after-year
Best Study Material: AESL’s study material is acknowledged as the best among peers & is highly sought-after by discerning aspirants
Pre Learning Module: Web Based Text and Multimedia lessons to set the pace for upcoming topics along with PLA (Pre learning assessment)
Review and Recall Quiz: In-Class exercises to assess your learning of in-class teaching. Enables Learning-Gap Analysis and Corrective action by student & Faculty
Assignments: Post Class Assignments for recall, revision as well as higher order preparation
Doubt cell: A dedicated team to resolve the doubts of students will be provided
Planner: To inform and make visible class schedule, tests, and assignments
Video Archives: All sessions conducted are recorded and are available in the students’ id which can be used for later review. Parents can also have a look at all the sessions
Regular PTMs: Online review sessions to jointly review the wards performance and plan accelerative or corrective steps
Academic Help Desk: Automatic Intelligent call routing to available faculty or voice mailbox. Query record and query tracking
E-Mail/SMS Alerts: E-mail/SMS alerts on events, changes, scores, assignment completion/
Incompletion, to parents and faculty

ACT Fibernet Globally Recognized as Gallup Exceptional Workplace for the Third Consecutive Year

ACT Fibernet, one of India’s largest wired ISPs (Internet Service Provider), has been awarded with the prestigious ‘Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award’ for the third consecutive year. The company has been recognised as one of the top firms amongst 38 exceptional workplaces by Gallup globally.

ACT Fibernet was recognised as a company with an extraordinary ability to create an engaging and vibrant workplace culture that encourages employees to excel while driving successful business outcomes. The company’s key integrated employee engagement across accountability and performance, development and ongoing learning as well as communication and knowledge management have been greatly lauded.

Gallup workplace experts identify leading organizations having the most engaged workplace culture worldwide. The panel assesses the applicants based on a set of rigorous, established eligibility criteria and evaluates their notable contribution towards integrated employee engagement performance. ACT Fibernet’s employee culture and ecosystem is a testament to their outstanding efforts in connecting passionate employees while fostering and nurturing them in a fast-paced environment.

Speaking on the win, Shefali Mohapatra, Chief People Officer, ACT Fibernet said “We are honoured to be recognized by Gallup Exceptional Workplace globally for the third time in a row. This win is yet another testimony to our philosophy of ‘happy employees deliver exceptional delight to our customers’. Our developmental, caring and compassionate approach towards building a vibrant workplace, helps us deliver our promise to our customers”

“In the last decade we have grown to be one of the most preferred and high-performing workplaces where we engage and motivate employees to deliver their best and outshine in their field of work”. She further added.

Vikas Chaturvedi of Gallup India said “At Gallup, we endeavour to recognise brands that have consistently delivered over and beyond for their employees. ACT Fibernet has for the last three years reflected this with their determination and the efforts undertaken by the company to make it a people first workplace. We congratulate them on this win and wish them many more in the years to come.”

About Gallup Great Workplace Award

Gallup Great Workplace Award is a globally recognized award that honours the most elite organizations with excellent workplace culture and produces excellent business results. It is backed by world-class analytics and in-depth research to acknowledge the ability of organizations to maintain high levels of workplace engagement.

Microsoft Adds Five Indian Languages to Microsoft Translator to Help Break Communication Barriers

Highlights

* Brings in the power of Artificial Intelligence and Deep Neural Networks for real-time translation across 10 Indian languages in all
* Enables organizations to conduct business across the country and globally in their native languages with Microsoft Translator text API

Microsoft India has announced that Microsoft Translator will now offer real time translation in five additional languages viz., Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam and Punjabi.

This takes the total number of Indian languages supported to 10, including Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.  With this, the service will now allow over 90% of Indians to access information and work in their native/preferred languages, making computing language-agnostic and more inclusive in the country.

Language translation is a core part of Microsoft products and services. Users can avail the benefits of AI and Deep Neural Networks-enhanced, real time translation in all these languages while using Bing and the Microsoft Translator website, as well as the Microsoft Translator App for Android, IOS and Windows. The Microsoft Translator app can recognize and translate languages from text, speech and even photos. Microsoft is also rolling out support for these languages in the Microsoft Office 365 and the Swiftkey keyboard.

For organizations of all sizes, Microsoft provides APIs on Azure that they can use in their products to conduct their business across the country and globally in different languages. Businesses can easily integrate the Microsoft Translator text translation API into their applications websites, tools, or any solution requiring multi-language support, including e-content translation, e-commerce product catalogues, product documentation and internal communication among others. The Microsoft Translator service  is part of the Azure Cognitive Services API collection of machine learning and AI algorithms.

Sundar Srinivasan, General Manager, Microsoft India(R&D) Pvt. Ltd.,  said, “We’re committed to empower every Indian and every business in India by bringing the power of AI into their daily life. Microsoft celebrates the diversity of languages in India and wants to make the vast internet even more accessible. We have supported Indian languages in computing for over two decades, and more recently have made significant strides on machine translation across languages. With this release, we are bringing in cutting edge machine learning tech to democratize access to information for everyone in India,”

Bringing Deep Neural Networks to language translation

Since early 2000s, Microsoft has been pioneering the traditional Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) paradigm to translate global as well as Indian languages. The incorporation of Deep Neural Networks into translating complex Indian languages brings more accuracy and fluency to translation. While SMT is limited to translating a word within the local context of a few surrounding words, Deep Neural Networks has the capability of encoding more granular concepts like gender (feminine, masculine, neutral), politeness level (slang, casual, written, formal), and type of word (verb, noun, adjective). Microsoft continuously iterates the translation models keeping in mind tech advancement and usage, and releases newer and improved versions to all its users in a transparent manner.  You can learn more about Microsoft Translator here.

Microsoft and Local Language computing: Microsoft has been consistently working to provide local language computing in Indian languages for over two decades since the launch of Project Bhasha in 1998, allowing users to input localized text easily and quickly using the Indian Language Input tool. Microsoft also announced support for email addresses in multiple Indian languages across most of its email apps and services. Through its global Local Language Program (LLP), Microsoft provides people access to technology in their native.

Withdraw DBT Funds and Cash from Thousands of PayNearby Outlets

The nation-wide lockdown in the wake of Covid-19, predictably, has hit the poorest sections of society the hardest, especially migrant workers and the rural population. However, now, through the help of bank mitras and Aadhaar enabled payments, customers can withdraw upto Rs. 10,000 daily simply through the use of their thumb, which is a blessing in rural areas where there is a lack of adequate financial infrastructure. PayNearby, through its 8 lakh network of banking correspondents has been seamlessly facilitating cash withdrawal and transfer in this period - conducting over 8.5 lakh transactions per day.

The ground reality is that rural regions face a severe scarcity of ATMs and POS machines, expired or non-operational debit cards and the population in these areas are less digitally savvy regarding online payments. Only 5% of rural India which is 30k of the 6.5 lakh villages have access to ATMs. Last year, the government declared over 115 million debit cards invalid since they lacked the appropriate chip and PIN mandate. In the wake of this the pandemic lockdown, the owners of these invalid cards are now left in the lurch as they are non-functional. In this case, it was PayNearby that gave people access to financial services through their BC network.

Even as the finance ministry announced ₹1.75 lakh crore will be given to “80 crore poorest Indians” under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) over three months starting April 1, there are several logistical challenges that impede their access to this relief package. Furthermore, there is a lack of awareness by the rural population themselves - 1.25 lakh crore DBT remains unwithdrawn in bank accounts. In such circumstances, it is banking correspondents who are doing the national duty of serving as disbursal points for cash withdrawal - doing over 125 crore worth transactions per day.

PayNearby has been integral in promoting AePS (Aadhar enabled Payment System) in the country. It currently has over 33% market share in AePS, with transactions more than doubling in the last month to almost 6 lakh daily. India’s unique demography is such that even as 1.1 billion people have bank accounts, a large chunk is unable to fill out official documents. Thus, India has greatly benefited from AePS for direct benefit transfer, which aids in seamless DBT deployment.

“We are extremely grateful to the government for establishing the Aadhaar system so successfully within the country. In times like these, the use of biometrics is a great equaliser in terms of financial access, as AePS resolves many operational hurdles, especially in rural areas. Currently, 93% of our retailers are dedicatedly serving in rural regions, with 1 lakh Digital Pradhans doing transactions daily, mindful of careful sanitation and social distancing. We are extremely privileged thatwe could answer to this call of National duty”, remarked Anand Kumar Bajaj, MD & CEO, PayNearby.

During these challenging times too, PayNearby’s platform and their Digital Pradhan retailers have been summoned to serve people at the last mile. Along with their banking partners and NPCI, they have been working tirelessly in severely affected areas where ATMs are non-operational or non-accessible, and even hospitals, police stations and NGOs are availing their services.

About Nearby Technologies Pvt. Ltd.:

Incepted in April 2016, Nearby Technologies is a fintech company offering financial/non-financial services to the underbanked and unbanked segment. Nearby Technologies works on a B2B2C model through its various brands – PayNearby, Insure Nearby, BuyNearby and few more. PayNearby empowers retailers at the first mile to offer digital services to local communities, thereby boosting financial inclusion in India. Retailer services are focused on Aadhaar based banking services, Domestic Remittances, Bill Payments, Card Payments, and insurance services among others.

It was founded by Anand Kumar Bajaj, Subhash Kumar, Yashwant Lodha & Rajesh Jha who bring with them rich experience in the field of banking, payments and other financial sectors. PayNearby is a DIPP-certified FinTech startup, partnering with various financial institutions including YES Bank, RBL Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Axis Bank, CC Avenue, Bill Desk, NPCI, FASTag, NBFC and FMCG companies. It is the sole technology provider using Aadhaar Enabled Payment Services (AEPS) and IMPS to YES Bank, making them one of the only two fintech companies hosted by the National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI).

Emirates Becomes First Airline to Conduct On-Site Rapid COVID-19 Tests for Passengers

Emirates in coordination with Dubai Health Authority (DHA) will be introducing additional precautions. Passengers on today’s flight to Tunisia were all tested for COVID-19 before departing from Dubai. Emirates is the first airline to conduct on-site rapid COVID-19 tests for passengers.

The quick blood test was conducted by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and results were available within 10 minutes. This test was conveniently done at the Group Check-in area of Dubai International Airport Terminal 3.

Adel Al Redha, Emirates Chief Operating Officer said: “The testing process has gone smoothly and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the Dubai Health Authority for their initiatives and innovative solutions. This would have not been possible without the support of Dubai Airport and other government authorities. We are working on plans to scale up testing capabilities in the future and extend it to other flights, this will enable us to conduct on-site tests and provide immediate confirmation for Emirates passengers travelling to countries that require COVID-19 test certificates. The health and safety of staff and passengers at the airport remain of paramount importance.”

HE Humaid Al Qutami, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said: “We are glad to work with Emirates on the successful implementation of rapid COVID-19 testing at the airport for departing travellers. To tackle COVID-19, we have been proactively working with various governmental organisations and the private health sector and we have implemented all necessary measures from public health protection to provision of high-quality health services in line with the latest international guidelines. We believe strongly that the most effective solutions require close partnerships with other public and private sector organisations.”

The airline’s check-in and boarding formalities have also been adapted with social distancing in mind. Protective barriers have been installed at each check-in desk to provide additional safety measures to our passengers and employees during any interaction. Gloves, masks and hand sanitisers have been made mandatory for all employees at the airport.

Passengers are also required to wear their own masks when at the airport and on board the aircraft, and follow social distancing guidelines.Emirates has modified its inflight services for health and safety reasons.

Magazines and other print reading material will not be available, and while food and beverages will continue to be offered on board, packaging and presentation will be modified to reduce contact during meal service and minimize risk of interaction. Cabin baggage are currently not accepted on flights. Carry-on items allowed in the cabin are limited to laptop, handbag, briefcase or baby items. All other items have to be checked in, and Emirates will add the cabin baggage allowance to customers’ check-in baggage allowance.

All Emirates aircraft will go through enhanced cleaning and disinfection processes in Dubai, after each journey.