Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pledges Support for Superior Healthcare Services to Counter COVID

In an unwavering endeavor to support the authorities in their battle against COVID 19, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has undertaken a several measures in the areas of health, safety and food in support of Karnataka Government and local administration to safeguard the health and well-being of the care givers.

TKM has pledged to support the authorities with 45 thermal scanners (20 to the Bangalore police and 25 to quarantine hospitals) to enable quicker detection and proactive support to affected individuals. In addition, the company has provided 45,000 hand sanitizers bottles, 100 bedding, consumables for 100 patients, 20 sets of equipment’s such as IV stands and BP monitors and safety gears including 12,000 examination gloves, 70,000 3 ply face masks, 7500 N95 masks to  Health Department, Government of Karnataka, Bangalore police personnel and community.

In order to safeguard the citizens and to stop the virus from spreading further, TKM has also offered fumigation equipment, 10 numbers to Victoria Hospital through BMCRI and 10 numbers to the Town Municipal Corporation, Bidadi, Ramanagara District, Karnataka as per their requirements.

Commenting on these initiatives, Mr. Vikram Gulati, Country Head & Senior Vice President, External Affairs, Public Relations, Corporate Social Responsibility & Corporate Governance, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “In such perilous times, when the whole country is battling the repercussions of the COVID 19 pandemic, Toyota, in line with its safety and security philosophy has taken numerous measures to aid the Government and the citizens. We have been continuously monitoring the evolving situation to identify major problem areas wherein we can provide our aid and support to those individuals who are risking their lives to protect us. Our endeavor has always been to be with the people in these uncertain times and to provide relief whenever and wherever we can.

Toyota salutes and supports the police force, healthcare workers and the Government in its initiatives and pledges to be instrumental in this war against the virus. We believe that together we can and together we will be able to overcome this adversity.”

Since the onset of the pandemic, TKM has been monitoring the fast-evolving situation and proactively responding appropriately in accordance with needs of the community & the Government. TKM, along with its multiple stakeholders have responded in multiple ways to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Recently, TKM contributed to 2 crores to Karnataka Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. 3000 Hazmat suits were handed over to the Government Health Volunteers in Karnataka, 3500 essential kits to daily wage workers while benefitting over 15000+ members, sanitizers & masks to police dept. This was followed by deployment of 14 buses to support the health department in the state. TKM also supported its supplier partner, Stump Schuele & Somappa Springs Pvt Ltd., to ramp up the production of “Face Shields" for healthcare workers from 275 to over 17000 units per day.

In its commitment to support the authorities, TKM has been and will continue to study and observe the evolving situation, determined to devise effective and efficient solutions to arising problems in hopes to aid the nation into a speedy recovery from the inflictions of the COVID 19 pandemic. The company has also aggregated the efforts of its partners and other stakeholders to ensure maximum support to the Government. TKM along with Dealer partners from across all-India network has undertaken several initiatives in the terms of safety and wellbeing of the society by distributing food rations to the needy families benefitting thousands of people. The dealer partners also supported the government by donating  their share of contribution in terms funding, followed by distribution of safety gears such as masks and hand sanitizers. This ensures that the brand unifies its strength and efforts towards the common mission of alleviating the ramifications of the pandemic.

Pune-Based FITTR is Motivating People to Stay Fit Amidst Lockdown with Prize Money of Rs 1 Lakh Each for 5 Winners

Notes

* This year, Fittr expects 15,000 people to participate in Transformation Challenge 10, India’s Biggest Online Transformation Challenge
* Melwyn Pawar, the winner of Transformation Challenge 9, goes home with a brand-new Harley Davidson Street 750

Due to the lockdown, gyms and fitness centers across the country are shut. With the Covid-19 situation being far from resolved, it is feared that this closure will continue for some more time. As people are staying indoors and physical movement is restricted, it becomes all the more important for them to stay fit. To help people in these times and to motivate them to embrace a fitter lifestyle, Pune-based online fitness platform Fittr is back with the 10th edition of its much-awaited Transformation Challenge (TC).

TC 10 launches on May 1st and is a 12-week online challenge that will be hosted on the company’s fitness app (also called FITTR). Registration for the challenge is free and anyone above the age of 18 can participate in it, no matter where they are located.

Speaking about TC 10, Founder Jitendra Chouksey said, “The entire world is facing a major challenge right now in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic. At such a time, it’s important to stay positive and motivated. That’s what Transformation Challenge 10 wants to do: motivate people to rise up to the challenge and make the most of it. We’re all in this together and the best thing we could do is to invest in our own health and fitness.

Transformation Challenge represents the ethos of Fittr. We firmly believe that anyone can get fit, provided you have the proper mindset. Fittr App provides all the free tools that one needs to get healthy and stay fit. In addition, Fittr Coaches are conducting free live online sessions every day and helping people stay fit in these times.”

Apart from the chance to get fit, Fittr has further sweetened the deal for TC 10 participants. Instead of just 1 winner, this time, there will be 5 winners and each winner will take home INR 1 Lac in cash.

Melwyn Pawar, the winner of Transformation Challenge 9, took home a brand-new Harley Davidson Street 750 as the top prize. “It has always been my dream to get shredded and look aesthetic. When TC 9 was announced, I knew this was a golden opportunity to achieve my dream. Those 12 weeks of the challenge were incredible. I received a lot of support from the community and that really pushed me to give my best.”

Fittr was founded in January 2016 by Jitendra Chouksey, a software engineer who transformed himself while working a 12-hour/day IT job. Today, Fittr is the largest online fitness community in the world with over 850,000 members. Fittr has been profitable since inception & has achieved a cumulative revenue of $13 million USD.

Recently, the company was in the news when it announced that it was part of Surge, Sequoia’s rapid scale-up program for startups in India & Southeast Asia. Under the arrangement, Fittr has raised $ 2 million as part of the pre-Series A investment.

Staying at Home is Now More ‘Rewarding’ Across Indian Cities

Staying at home is the best thing you can do right now and InterMiles is rewarding members for it. Members can earn as much as 1800 InterMiles by making the responsible choice to #StayHome.

Here’s how it works: With the InterMiles app running in the background, members shall be credited with 100 Bonus InterMiles for each day that the member doesn’t venture beyond their Home location.

Free medical consultation on MFine

InterMiles members faced with medical queries, can avail access to India’s leading AI-Powered online doctor consultation platform, MFine that connects them to leading doctors across the country. InterMiles members will be able to benefit from free-consultation for their health-related queries starting April 24, 2020.

Free subscription to Magzter GOLD

To keep members engaged through meaningful breaks during the lockdown, while keeping updated with the news InterMiles has leveraged its collaboration with Magzter to offer free and unlimited access to 5,000+ magazines and newspapers until the end of April 2020. Members will be able to gain these benefits through a free subscription to Magzter GOLD.

Pledging support to the PM CARES Fund

InterMiles is empowering members to make a difference in the lives of others. Members can contribute to the PM CARES Fund, for relief efforts against the outbreak via InterMiles. All contributors through InterMiles will receive an 80G certificate for their contribution.

Earn Miles when shopping on Kindle & attending TEDxGateway Webinars

In an ongoing effort to grant members access to some of the best content platforms, InterMiles’ has tied- up with Amazon Kindle. Members will be able to earn 5 Miles for every INR 100 spent to purchase Kindle E-books on Amazon via shop.intermiles.com. On their first purchase, members will be directly given a flat 50 InterMiles.

To keep engaged, informed and entertained, InterMiles is collaborating with TEDx for a 6-part ‘The World has Changed’ webinar series. Under this, InterMiles members can register for the webinar and get rewarded with 500 InterMiles.

Non-Expiry of Miles

To ensure that members gain the utmost value from this programme under these extraordinary circumstances, InterMiles has decided to temporarily suspend expiry of Miles. In accordance with this, members who had Miles expiring in March, April, May or June 2020 will get an extension till 31, July 2020 with a follow-up expiry rule being announced on 31, July 2020.

ServiceNow Reports First Quarter 2020 Financial Results

ServiceNow, the leading digital workflow company making work, work better for people, today announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2020, with subscription revenues of $995 million in Q1 2020, representing 34% year‑over‑year growth, 36% adjusted for constant currency.

During the quarter, ServiceNow closed 37 transactions with more than $1 million in net new annual contract value (ACV), representing 48% year‑over‑year growth. Deals included the company’s second‑largest new customer transaction ever, as well as the Asia Pacific region’s largest customer service management deal ever. The company now has 933 total customers with more than $1 million in ACV, representing 30% year‑over‑year growth in customers.

"This pandemic has allowed us to engage our customers in new ways, enabling them to focus on their most critical workflows,” said ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott. “Businesses are splitting apart old value chains and reassembling them in end‑to‑end, mobile‑first experiences on the Now Platform. Our Q1 results are a direct reflection of ServiceNow’s unique position as the workflow platform to create great employee and customer experiences ‑ even in these challenging conditions. With our outstanding team and culture, I am extremely confident in the long‑term growth trajectory of this company.”

“We are working closely with our customers to support them in this challenging environment,” said Gina Mastantuono, ServiceNow CFO. “In Q1, we exceeded the high end of our guidance for subscription revenues and billings and delivered another strong quarter of operating profit and free cash flow. With our recurring revenue model, we are in a strong financial position to manage through near‑term uncertainties and for long‑term growth. We continue to focus on customer‑driven innovation and remain confident in our path to $10 billion in revenue and beyond.”

Financial Outlook

While we believe we are in a strong financial position to weather impacts caused to our business by COVID‑19, many of our customers are now operating under very challenging circumstances, especially those in industries highly affected by COVID‑19, and may re‑evaluate their spend. As such, the second quarter 2020 guidance and updated full‑year 2020 guidance we are providing today factor in the expected impacts of COVID‑19 based on information available to us today. Our guidance is also based on the assumption that generally the most significant headwinds will occur in the second and third quarters of 2020 and there will be increased uncertainty around new business, renewal timing or billings terms, particularly with customers in these highly affected industries. We are further assuming that economic conditions will begin to open up more broadly by the end of the year. Significant variation from these assumptions could cause us to modify our guidance higher or lower.

Our guidance includes GAAP and non‑GAAP financial measures.

Hyatt Announces Global Care and Cleanleanliness Commitment in India

Focusing on the safety and wellbeing of colleagues and guests during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, Hyatt’s commitment includes Global Biorisk Advisory Council accreditation, hotel-level sanitization specialists, and a working group of trusted medical and industry advisors

Guided by its purpose of care and experience delivering world-class hospitality for more than 60 years, Hyatt today announced a Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment to further enhance its operational guidance and resources around colleague and guest safety and peace of mind. The multi-layered commitment builds on Hyatt’s existing rigorous protocols and will include an accreditation process by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) at all hotels around the world, colleague training and support resources, and a cross-functional working group of medical experts and industry professionals that will contribute to various aspects of the hotel experience.

“The world as we knew it has been fundamentally changed by COVID-19 and when we are all ready to travel again, we want to make sure that every Hyatt colleague and guest feels confident that each aspect of our commitment is designed with their safety in mind, and that we’re putting their wellbeing first,” said Mark Hoplamazian, president and CEO, Hyatt. “To do this, we must critically examine the hotel experience from every vantage point – from our rooms and our lobbies to our spas and dining – bringing in the latest research, technology and innovation to make that happen. Hyatt’s Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment is an important expression of our purpose to care for people so they can be their best – now and in the future.”

Global Cleanliness Accreditation

Hyatt remains committed to providing safe and clean environments and upholding the highest standards of cleanliness for colleagues and guests at all hotels globally. In May 2020, Hyatt plans to introduce a GBAC STARTM accreditation through a performance-based cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention program that will focus on establishing hotel environments that are sanitary, safe and healthy. GBAC is a division of ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, and is composed of leaders in the area of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis and mitigation, designed specifically to deal with biological threats and real-time crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Hyatt is the first hospitality brand to announce plans to commit to GBAC STARTM accreditation which will include detailed training at more than 900 Hyatt hotels worldwide. Hyatt intends to complement this with regular internal and third-party auditing.

Hotel-Level Sanitization Specialists

The wellbeing of colleagues is at the heart of Hyatt’s business and core to advancing care for guests and

customers. In response to COVID-19, Hyatt is continuing to develop new work procedures and mandatory trainings in an effort to ensure safety for colleagues and guests. Daily colleague surveys will be introduced to measure colleague comfort, a hotel’s cleanliness, working order and customer service, enabling hotel leaders to address opportunities, make adjustments as necessary and meet colleagues’ needs in real time.

Further, as part of Hyatt’s Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment, by September 2020, every Hyatt hotel will have at least one person on property trained as Hygiene Manager who will be responsible for their hotel adhering to new operational guidance and protocols, some of which may include:

* Colleague certification, trainings and recertification process for hygiene and cleanliness
* Increased frequency of cleaning with hospital-grade disinfectants on all high-touch surfaces, guestrooms and shared spaces
* Implementation of enhanced food safety and hygiene protocols for restaurants, room service and group meetings and events
* Prominently placed hand sanitizer stations throughout hotel public and employee areas and entrances
* Exploring purification and sanitization device installation in an effort to ensure enhanced air quality
* Protective masks and other equipment for hotel colleagues
* Social distancing guidance in public areas across hotel properties

Cross-Functional Panel of Industry Experts and Professionals

At the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, Hyatt assembled a global cross-functional response team and engaged infectious diseases and occupational health experts to support efforts with COVID-19 research findings and information, which enabled Hyatt to promptly update detailed guidance to hotels and address specific needs and situations.

Hyatt continues to engage additional medical experts and leading industry professionals as part of its commitment. The goal of the working group will be to provide counsel on key areas of Hyatt’s business, challenging Hyatt to act even more holistically in this new environment. Topic areas and advisors in discussion include:

* Health & Hygiene: Dr. Daniel Lucey, M.D., M.P.H., Infectious Diseases Professor, Georgetown University Medical Center; Fellow, Infectious Disease Society of America
* Colleague Safety: Dr. Charles Yarborough, M.D., M.P.H., Preventive/Occupational Medicine Expert; affiliated with Johns Hopkins Department of Medicine and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
* Food & Beverage Safety: Dr. Elaine Black, Ph.D., Food Science and Microbiology, Ecolab
* Travel Journey:
* Julie Rath, Vice President, Customer Experience, Innovation and Delivery, American Airlines;
* David Peckinpaugh, President, Maritz Global Events
* Space Design: Tom Ito, FAIA, LEED® AP, Global Hospitality Leader, Principal, Gensler
* Technology: Ahmad Ouri, Chief Executive Officer, Sonifi
* Wellbeing: senior leadership from the Global Wellness Institute

“As a key part of our loyalty collaboration with Hyatt, we are committed to looking at the holistic experience of our customers with a special focus on their wellbeing,” said Julie Rath, vice president, customer experience, innovation and delivery American Airlines. “The benefit of this collaboration is that we can share insights from our enhancements to cleaning and protective procedures while applying best practices from Hyatt to elements of our operation.”

Additional COVID-19 relief efforts underway by Hyatt include The Hyatt Care Fund, a program designed to support colleagues with the most pressing financial needs due to COVID-19, through a series of coordinated efforts around the world. Impacted Hyatt colleagues in owned, managed and franchised hotels and in Hyatt’s corporate offices around the world are eligible to apply.

For more information about Hyatt's Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment, please visit www.hyatt.com/info/global-care-and-cleanliness-commitment.

The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation 

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 20 premier brands. As of December 31, 2019, the Company's portfolio included more than 900 hotel, all-inclusive, and wellness resort properties in 65 countries across six continents. The Company's purpose to care for people so they can be their best informs its business decisions and growth strategy and is intended to attract and retain top employees, build relationships with guests and create value for shareholders. The Company's subsidiaries develop, own, operate, manage, franchise, license or provide services to hotels, resorts, branded residences, vacation ownership properties, and fitness and spa locations, including under the Park Hyatt, Miraval, Grand Hyatt, Alila, Andaz, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Thompson Hotels, Hyatt Centric, Caption by Hyatt, Joie de Vivre, Hyatt House, Hyatt Place, tommie, Hyatt Residence Club and Exhale brand names, and operates the World of Hyatt loyalty program that provides distinct benefits and exclusive experiences to its valued members. 

SHAREit, Akshaya Patra Foundation Join to Provide Cooked Meals, Grocery Kits to People Affected by the Ongoing Pandemic

SHAREit, in an attempt to help fight the adverse effects of COVID-19 in India and with the intention to provide aid to vulnerable families impacted by the pandemic, has partnered with The Akshaya Patra Foundation. The global content discovery, consumption and sharing application has committed to donate INR 1 crore as a part of the initiative which would help feed 500,000 people in need.

“The world is going through extremely harsh times at the moment and we at SHAREit believe that it is times like these that demand everybody to join hands to help each other. While the world is trying to find a way out of this pandemic, it is crucial to ensure that the people affected by the crisis are taken care of. Providing meals and groceries to these people is our way of showing that we are all in this together”, said SHAREit spokesperson Hitesh Dhingra.

Expressing his gratitude, Mr. Shridhar Venkat, CEO - Akshaya Patra, said, “We are immensely grateful to SHAREit for their support in these crucial times. Their generous contribution will enable us to serve freshly cooked meals and distribute essential groceries kits to thousands of people from vulnerable communities, affected by the nation-wide lockdown. In these testing times, only collective efforts in the service of those in need will carry us through as a nation.”

SHAREit has also taken steps to increase awareness about the virus by setting up a live updates section on the application. The application updates the consumers about the number of cases discovered both in India and globally as well as the state wise bifurcation of the spread of the virus. The application also offers a helpline number to ensure safety.

SHAREit is available both on Google Play Store and iOS App Store. 

Securing Farmers with Technology: How Agritech Can Be a Solution to Farmers’ Produce-Related Woes

By Amith Agarwal, Co-Founder & CEO, AgriBazaar

Contributing about 15% to India’s GDP, the agricultural sector sustains almost half the population of the country. Interestingly, more than 265 million people in India are engaged in farming, which also makes it one of the largest employers in the country. More than 70% of rural India is employed in this space, running their daily expenses with income generated through agriculture. However, there are some significant challenges that the small farm-owner community faces in their day-to-day operations. These hinder the growth of farmers’ income and keeps the sector from flourishing to its full potential. 

To begin with, farmers in our country do not get the deserving returns on their produce. The reason? The presence of intermediaries and the high price of carrying out physical transactions in the local mandi. It leaves farmers with fewer returns. While this remains a major concern for this sector, many more challenges go unacknowledged. 

In a bid to address these challenges, the government has, fortunately, taken several laudable initiatives over the past few years. Pradhan Mantri FasalBima Yojana (PMFBY), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), E-NAM, and Soil Health Management (SHM), among others, are some of the top schemes that came as a significant relief to the farming sector. However, the sector yet calls for more attention. It is where agri-tech startups come to the picture.

How can startups address the farming challenges using technology?

The small size of farmlands – Unlike the west, size remains a crucial challenge for this sector. Still, the sector houses a vast population of farmers who own highly fragmented agricultural lands. They produce in small quantities and eventually earn less income. With the help of agri-tech, these farmers can take their produce to an online marketplace and sell it across India. Through these online platforms, they can reach international buyers and sell their produce at attractive prices at a global level.

The presence of intermediaries – Most Indian farmers fail to get excellent prices for their produce due to the presence of intermediaries which increases the cost per transaction – mostly 2-3% of the value - for conducting offline transactions in local mandis. However, through online agri-tech platforms, this can be brought down to almost 0.5% of the produce while eliminating intermediaries. In an online platform, the money is directly transferred to the respective accounts of farmers, allowing them to benefit from a healthy payment cycle.

Crop Traceability – From a buyer's point of view, crop traceability is a challenge that they majorly face in an offline mandi. For instance, today, when you visit a local mandi for buying vegetables, you have no idea about the actual producer. In case you face any challenge with the quality of the produce, you have no option to identify the farmer. Agri-tech can bridge this gap by creating transparency between the consumer and the original farmer. It means that any future requirement based on factors like quality, produce or consumer needs, can be efficiently ascertained through online platforms. These technology-driven platforms also give large Indian or global institutional buyers access to small farmers through an aggregation model. 

Crop Wastage – Farmers usually have no access to scientific data that they can leverage for better decision making associated with crops and fields. However, agri-tech companies have crop advisory teams that provide in-depth insights on soil health based on the past analysis. These experts are also adept at predicting weather conditions using tech advances such as artificial intelligence (AI) and drones. It helps farmers minimize crop wastage due to natural factors such as heavy rainfall, drought, etc. Moreover, with such technological assistance, farmers can have a better idea of when to plant and harvest a particular crop for the highest-quality yield.

Low Crop Yield – Agri-tech can also address and improve the crop yielding capacities of farmers by studying the history of farmers, crops and their lands. By leveraging this data, experts can develop tailor-made seeds, agri-nutrients and other pre & post-harvest inputs for farmers and help them deliver higher yields from their farms.

Financial Inclusion – By registering with agri-tech platforms, farmers can digitally upload their records in a convenient and hassle-free manner and apply for credit. It will free him from the clutches of the local money-lender who charges exorbitant interest rates. Based on the credit history and quality of the produce, farmers can secure loans, also termed as warehouse collateral agri-financing. Hence, these platforms can help the farmer community attain their growth objectives through easily-accessible financial instruments.

At a time when the entire world is disrupted by COVID 19, electronic mandis can be a great way of conducting buying and selling transactions between farmers and customers while also ensuring compliance to social distancing norms in the post-COVID world. Moreover, it can be an efficient solution to farmers’ several woes and add transparency and efficiency to the entire marketplace. Given these advancements in the farming space, agri-tech can be a newfound opportunity to bring back glory to Indian farmers and help them ramp up their contribution to India’s GDP.

Amith Agarwal is the Co-founder & CEO of www.agribazaar.com, one of India’s pioneering and largest agri-tech platform; views expressed above are his own.