A Silver Lining Worth Nearly Rs 90 Crores of Kindness Across India

As the world still reels under the impact of the COVID pandemic, the need to be optimistic has never been greater. But even through this daunting time, people are proving that compassion and empathy do not depend entirely on the giver’s personal well being.

Milaap, South Asia’s largest platform opened up their platform for COVID related needs on March 22, 2020. Within a month, thousands of individuals have collectively mobilized funds worth nearly Rs 90 crores. The online funding campaigns not only span across helping stranded migrants and daily wage labourers get access to essentials and community kitchens but it has also come to the aid of peripheral communities such as trans people, male sex workers, circus artistes, drivers, delivery personnel, rural artisans, dancers and freelance workers.

Anoj Viswanathan, President and co-founder of Milaap said “During the times of natural calamities like floods in Chennai, Assam and Kerala, crowdfunding has enabled people to unite and help the worst affected section of people rebuild their lives. It was a stroke of hope to see it happen at a time like this when everyone’s life is displaced in some way or another. Over the last one month, we have seen more than 5x increase in customer queries and a 65% increase in the number of fundraisers. It was new for us, but now, more than ever, we wanted to ensure a seamless user experience. Therefore, we immediately built a special team to prioritize these needs, and waived off our platform fee for all Covid-19 initiatives so that people in need can get all the help coming their way.”

The preliminary theme of fundraising was for food, meals and ration for the worst-affected segments, like daily wage earners and migrant workers, followed by funds for medical and personal protective equipment for healthcare and other frontline workers. The third one is for specifically vulnerable segments of people. A Chennai based trans community started a fundraiser to reach out to at least 100 members initially but the response was so overwhelming that they went on to facilitate support for additional 200 affected trans people. Similarly, 11-year-old Ridhi from Hyderabad also received generous contributions from across the globe. This 6th grader has collected over 7.48 lakh and has distributed 1250 ration kits to daily wagers. She has plans to distribute 500 more kits in the coming days.

Among others, Luis Miranda, Chairman of CORO and Centre for Civil Society also started a fundraiser on Milaap to raise funds to distribute essential items to daily wage workers. So far, he has raised about 70% of the required Rs. 1.3 Crore and families of thousands of wage workers have received help. Speaking about his fundraising experience, Mr. Luis Miranda said, "Milaap has been a great partner. When CORO decided to crowd fund for support to daily wage earners who were impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown, Milaap immediately agreed to let us use its platform without any fee. This was the first time I was raising funds on an online platform and getting onto the platform was relatively easy. The team was very responsive to our requests. And the response from donors has been amazing. We are glad we went with Milaap."

Even popular service aggregators stepped up and united to support their most affected segment of employees: delivery personnel and drivers.

Mayukh Choudhury, CEO of Milaap said, “While tomorrow is uncertain for everyone, we can still agree that the problems of today are harsher on some than the others. We would like to thank the 3000+ unsung heroes who lobbied support for critical needs and the 1.6 lakh generous donors who came forward to help, for adding an unforgettable chapter of hope even in these tough times. Some of these campaign organizers already have managed to serve over 50 lakh meals from the support they received online from generous donors and on-ground from government and administration officials. The response has been humbling, to say the least, and the people who did it are the real heroes. As it has always been, we will make sure that we go the extra mile to connect people with each other. Our next effort will be to help local businesses across India through our new initiative, the Small Business Relief Initiative."

Small and micro businesses are a lifeline for countless societies. They often address critical issues of sustenance and employment. With some support from their communities and generous people around the world, they can raise small grants that can help them restart their source of livelihood.

He further added, “Over the last decade, Milaap has built a network of over 1.5 small businesses who we have supported through regular capital interventions. We wish to extend our platform to qualifying small and micro local businesses that have been affected by the crisis. We are working with our partner Intuit QuickBooks to help these businesses raise small grants to restart their work after this phase. We hope additional companies and generous individual donors will continue to contribute to this Fund in the coming weeks, in order to provide the much-needed aid to even more businesses across the country,”

The Small Business Relief Initiative which will support businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19. They can raise small grants with the help of people, especially from the communities they serve to tide over the present standstill.

At a time when people gathering together is considered dangerous, more than 1 lakh people have come together on our platform to support various causes in Milaap. Perhaps one of the rarest incidents where a mass gathering has helped the cause of fighting Covid-19 and not the other way.

About Milaap:

Milaap is South Asia’s largest crowdfunding platform for personal needs, especially healthcare and related needs. Constantly endeavoring to make it easier for people to raise money online for the causes that matter to them, the platform enables lay-people to raise funds for personal causes and emergencies, especially for tertiary healthcare like cancer care, organ transplants and accidents. Milaap’s community of funders come from over 130 countries across the world and have contributed nearly 950 crores for 200,000+ projects across India. Over the last 10 years, Milaap has become a preferred platform for people to raise and contribute towards causes they care about in India. Milaap.org is constantly working to take crowdfunding to the masses. The website has over 2.5 million page views every month and is growing 3x yearly. The platform constantly adds new features based on user feedback to ensure a hassle-free experience. The e-mail support extends over 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is rendered via a dedicated team that hand-holds users through any procedure on the website.

Explore the Best Adventure Destinations that Asia has to Offer with Discovery’s Expedition Asia with Ryan Pyle’

Join adventurer Ryan Pyle as he spends months exploring the best adventure trekking destinations in Asia. Ryan’s human-powered adventures are always inspiring as he proves that anyone can get out and explore the great unknown. Expedition Asia is a modern television series that is focused equally on adventure, exploration and cultural education. Join Ryan Pyle has he unplugs from his urban life and heads out to explore the world in an exciting new 10-part series ‘Expedition Asia with Ryan Pyle’, which premieres on May 25 at 8:00 pm on Discovery, Discovery HD and newly launched app Discovery Plus.

Ryan Pyle’s Expedition Asia explores Asia’s best adventure trekking destinations such as Mount Apo in Philippines, Badain Jaran Desert in China, Bali in Indonesia, Khuiten Peak in Mongolia, Holy Ridge in Taiwan, Maclehose Trail in Hong Kong, The Turkestan Circle in Kyrgystan, Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia, Northern Thailand Trail and finally Jagatsukh Peak near Manali in India.

The Indian experience

Ryan and his team arrive in Manali, the hub of adventure sports in India. After a short acclimatization and enjoying some local food and culture it’s time to head out to explore the eastern Himalayan range. The early stages of the journey are a gentle stroll through forested mountains just outside of Manali, but soon things become incredibly difficult with challenging weather, snowstorms and Mother Nature puts their entire journey in India at risk.

“Going on an adventure is all about adapting to the change; the most important thing about an adventure is to adapt to the changes and the unknown. One needs to understand and respect the world around and put yourself right in the natural world. That’s why on my TV show, I am never the main host, I’m always the second host. Nature is the first host,” said, Ryan Pyle. “The Indian experience was exhilarating as we landed in the beautiful Manali with people busy with Dussehra celebrations.  The trek from Manali to Jagatsukh was breath-taking and helped me imbibe the beautiful Himalaya’s. Beyond the physical location, the hospitality of India is what enamours you. I’ve spent a lot of my professional career filming in India, either on the back of my motorcycle or on my feet exploring the magical nature that exists in the country. My heart goes out to my friends in India as we globally deal with this challenging viral pandemic. I hope when we can rise up and defeat this virus, I’ll be back in India continuing to explore."

Sai Abishek, Director–Content, Factual & Lifestyle Entertainment – South Asia, Discovery said, “Discovery India has always been at the forefront of bringing the best explorers from around the world who discover the world from fresh perspectives bringing new insights in the modern day adventure travel. A very interesting aspect of Expedition Asia with Ryan Pyle is that Ryan effortlessly lets nature do the talking thereby taking the audience on a journey that they not only get to see but also, experience. At a time like this, when we’re practicing social distancing, a show that allows viewers to explore this world and live the adventure right from where they are, safe and sound at home, is definitely going to be well liked and admired by the audiences.”

Join Ryan Pyle as he unplugs from his urban life and heads out to explore the world. Tune in to EXPEDITION ASIA WITH RYAN PYLE, premiering on 25th May at 8 PM, only on Discovery, Discovery HD and Discovery Plus app.

Lactalis India Pledges Rs 1.5 Crores to PM Cares & State funds; Joins the Fight Against COVID-19

Key Points

●     Emmanuel Besnier, Chairman of Groupe Lactalis writes to PM Modi to express solidarity with the country’s fight against the pandemic
●     Lactalis India group companies: Prabhat Dairy, Anik Dairy and Thirumala Milk together contributes INR One crore to PM Care Funds and an additional INR 50 lakh to support state administrations

Lactalis India, the India arm of Groupe Lactalis, world’s largest dairy group has pledged INR One Crore to India’s PM Care fund as a gesture of solidarity to the country’s fight against the global pandemic. The amount is donated through Lactalis India’s group of companies - Prabhat Dairy, Anik Dairy &Thirumala Milk.

In addition to the contribution made to the PM Cares fund, Lactalis India employees put together voluntary contributions that the company matched to contribute a total of INR 50 lakh. This contribution will go to the state administrations in which Lactalis India is operating in, namely, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking on the announcement, Mr. Rahul Kumar, MD, Lactalis India said, “Lactalis India stands in solidarity with the country in this fight against COVID-19. As essential services organizations, Prabhat, Anik&Thirumala and all their employees have been working relentlessly to ensure uninterrupted supply of milk and milk products across the country. We have increased our milk collection and continue to support our farmers through these trying times. As a responsible organization, Lactalis India has also maintained a consistent and timely payment to all farmer partners in all perimeters. We salute all the frontline workers and essential service providers who have been working tirelessly to keep the country moving forward”

About Lactalis India

Lactalis the largest dairy group in the world, headquartered in France, with a large global footprint, contributes to the economy of all countries where they are present. Lactalis portfolio consists of popular global brands such as President, Lactel, Galbani and many others. With the acquisition of leading dairy companiesThirumala in 2014, Anik in 2016 and Prabhat in 2019, Lactalis became a major player in the Indian market and now with a Pan India presence, serves a cross-section of consumers in the country. With 14 functional dairy plants across India, Lactalis India handles 2.5 million litres of milk every day, collected from 400,000 farmers at remunerative prices.

Chowman Gives the Gift of Life Through Mobile Blood Donation Drive

The ongoing pandemic has taken a toll on regular health operations. Hospitals and clinics have been closed in order to minimize exposure to the virus. This has resulted in a dearth of blood reserves. While the government and its officials are doing their part in donating blood and organizing blood donation drives all over the state, it still continues to remain a major concern at the face of any emergency.

So, for the first time in the Indian Food & Beverage Industry, Chowman Chain of Restaurants came forward to host a blood donation drive among its employees and lend a helping hand to the government’s fight against Covid-19.

This drive was executed on May 15th with the support of Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya, Minister of State, Health and Family Welfare, who helped arrange the mobile blood bank keeping in mind the safety and hygiene of all the donors.  Many employees from various branches of Chowman donated blood at the drive. The drive was held in the mobile blood bank, a bus converted into a sanitary and safe blood donation unit, which had successfully housed few more such donation drives in the previous weeks, all conducted under the supervision of Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya.

Speaking on the occasion, DebadityaChaudhury, Managing Director, Chowman Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. said, "Many other companies are stepping forward to help out in any manner possible. After delivering essentials and medicines door-to-door, we felt such a step was the need of the hour. Emergencies, accidents, and patients with certain types of cancer and liver diseases, among others, are in constant need of blood. Due to the low availability, many of them have been affected. So we have decided to come forward and help out with this initiative, which we want to dedicate to our Healthcare Professionals, who have left no stone unturned in helping and treating us. We hope to alleviate the distress of as many people as we possibly can and we are eager to host some more such camps in the near future."

About Chowman

With a strong presence in Kolkata, and a recent introduction to Bangaluru, Chowman Chain of Restaurants has successfully become a household name. It was set up exclusively to give each visitor a fine dining experience. The ambience is created with personally handpicked decor from the markets of Hong Kong and Thailand. From the moment you enter the restaurant, the world-class experience begins with hand crafted sculptures, exquisitely carved walls by expert craftsmen, warm lighting with elegant red and black interiors. Apart from the interiors and the lavish spread, special attention has been given to the hospitality. Combining contemporary elegance with an intimate ambience and an unparalleled service, Chowman presents the hallmark of true and authentic Chinese cuisine.

Chowman has successfully opened 14 outlets in and around Kolkata with 2 more ready to open in the next few months. In its 10th year of service, the Kolkata-based chain of restaurants has put its plan of foraying into other major cities into action, starting with Bangaluru. Besides adding more outlets in Bangaluru, Chowman will soon also set up shop in other metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Pune to give the locals a taste of authentic Chinese cuisine.

Indian Tourism Industry Goes Into a State Wave of Shock and Disbelief

Details

* No announcements to support tourism
* 10 Weeks of constant discussions come to a naught
* Industry has gone directionless

Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality, the policy federation of all the national associations representing the complete tourism, travel and hospitality industry of India (ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI) says the Indian tourism industry has gone into a state of disbelief and shock.

The Indian Tourism industry was looking forward to deep set of survival measures for tourism from the ₹ 20 lakhs crore package announced over 5 days, which however were not addressed.

The Indian Tourism, Travel & hospitality is believed to impact almost 10% of GDP through its direct and indirect impact. It has already seen over one quarter of accumulated losses which began from February onwards.

There is no cash inflow expected for many quarters over FY 20-21 as the key segments of the Indian tourism economy will be down. The international inbound tourists, inbound and VFR - (visiting friends and relatives) and the outbound travel will remain mostly non performing due to international flight restrictions & tragic impact in most key markets tourism markets of India.

Domestic travel and corporate travel within the country may slightly ease up post lockdown but will be highly restricted due to fear of travel among elders & children, the new social distancing norms, corporate travel freeze and the closure of the holiday season which will impacting all leisure, adventure, heritage, spiritual, cruise and niche tourism segments.

The meetings incentives exhibitions & events segment will be severely impacted due to meeting size restrictions.

Consequently, all tourism service providers, the hotels, travel agents, tour operators tourist transporters, restaurants, guides will be compromised and the tourism industry of India will be operating with extreme under capacities making most tourism businesses unviable on a cash operating basis.

To prevent this and to ensure survival, FAITH had proposed a dedicated interest and collateral free long term fund for paying salaries & operating costs and for a minimum of 12 months of complete waiver of fixed central & state statutory and banking liabilities without any penal or compounding interest which have not been addressed.

The proposed MSME fund with its many underlying restrictions may have a very limited usage.

FAITH & its ten member associations  (ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI) had been constantly dialoguing with all factions of the Government over the past 10 weeks the PMO, ministries of Finance, commerce , aviation, and tourism, with RBI, with all 28 chief ministers, Niti Aayog and with the Empowered Group 6.

Indian tourism travel and hospitality is said to impact 10-12% of India’s employment which is believed to cover almost 5 crore + direct and indirect jobs.

The industry has gone numb from a lack of any umbrella direction from the Government or without any fiscal & monetary support.

With no visibility of cash inflows the Indian tourism industry is now looking at large scale bankruptcies, business closures which will lead to job losses across cities, towns and hinterlands of India. This has the potential to set back the Indian tourism, travel and hospitality industry by many years.

IIM Sambalpur Adopts Innovation by Conducting all “Examinations Using Online Proctoring Systems”

The global pandemic has taught us to find innovative ways to ensure continuity. This crisis has shown that being innovative is the only way to lead. With innovation as one of their core values, IIM Sambalpur, one of the most promising and dynamic management institutions among the new generation IIMs of the country, has taken a giant leap towards a digital future. Riding on the heels of successfully completing the remaining of their MBA 2020 admission process online, IIM Sambalpur has announced that they will now be conducting the end term examinations of the first-year students using online proctoring systems as well. This will be the first-of-its-kind initiative taken by any IIM across the country.  The batch of 2019-2021 had to leave campus and return home before their examination started due to the lockdown.

Speaking on implementing the innovative digital solutions for both prospective and present students, Prof Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, stated, “Although our major admission process as part of CAP 2020 along with the other IIM’s were completed before lockdown, however for the remaining process for around 400 candidates, we had to adopt online proctoring systems for Written Ability Test (WAT) and Online VC for Personal Interview (PI).  We also had to postpone the end term exam of MBA first year due to lockdown and now we have decided to conduct that through the same process as well. Students can appear for the tests by logging in through their laptop/desktop at their home in different parts of the country. About 100 students will be appearing for the term end exam of 10-12 subjects. This system of conducting tests online allows more transparency in the process. Moreover, with the help of Artificial Intelligence, there is no scope of human error in invigilation during the exam. There is no wastage of paper and we can send the answer scripts to our visiting faculties sitting at their homes online, for scrutiny, quickly and more safely, instead of sending them via the postal system. We, therefore, plan to conduct all our examinations online, henceforth, even after we reopen once the circumstances normalize.”

The third-party online proctoring portal will serve only as a platform for the students to appear and give the examination. The questions will be set by the faculty of IIM Sambalpur and the answer scripts will be scrutinised by them as well. The online proctoring system will allow each student to be monitored and invigilated through an AI tool so that they do not receive any external help for writing their answers. The interface will also capture the retina movement of the prospective candidates. The exam disrupts even if an examinee attends a phone call. Keeping internet disruption in mind, students will be allowed a buffer time for the exam as well.

IIM Sambalpur also announced the successful completion of 100% Summer Placements for the Fifth Batch (2019-21) of its flagship MBA programme. With more than 85 companies participating in the on-campus Summer Internship placement process for a batch strength of 95 students, this year concluded with one of the best placement seasons beating previous years' records. The institute has witnessed a highly coveted pool of first-time recruiters and the noteworthy mentions are Boston Consulting Group, Google, Walmart, McDonald’s, Amul, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail (Pantaloons), Bajaj Allianz General and Life Insurance, Bajaj Finserv, DSM Group, Ernst&Young, IBM, Justdial, Jubilant Life Sciences, KPMG, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Reserve Bank of India, SIDBI, Tata Steel BSL, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), V Guard among many others. The influx of recruiters saw an increase of over 40% this year providing opportunities in multiple domains viz., Advertising, Apparel, Automobile, Analyst, BFSI, Chemicals, Consulting, Consumer Goods & Services, E-Commerce, Edu-tech, Financial Services, FMCG, Insurance, IT/ITES, Mining, Pharmaceuticals, and Retail.

This year the highest stipend offered was INR 1,60,000 domestic and the top quartile of the batch received an average stipend of INR 82,640, the top half of the batch secured an average stipend of INR 66,600 wherein the average and median stipend of the whole batch stood at INR 55,432 and INR 50,000 respectively.

COVID-19 crisis has changed the way management institutes and corporates collaborate, and IIM Sambalpur is no exception to it. It has become imperative for management institutes and organizations to explore new forms of engagement, which gave rise to virtual internship programs. IIM Sambalpur too is engaging its students through virtual internships programs, about 82 students in a batch of 93 are currently pursuing internships in virtual mode while the remaining are awaiting to start off their virtual internships.  They appreciate the students and the organizations for adopting the new normal with such ease. This virtual exposure though has its own challenges opens doors for new perspectives and opportunities.

This pandemic has acted like an equalizer and levelled the field for one and all. The world is entering a new normal whereas human beings one will be even more dependent on the digital tools. With the advancement of technology, one must also keep on reinventing themselves to survive in this period. With the research focus of IIM Sambalpur being around 3D’s (Digitalisation, De-carbonisation and Democratisation of Business), the institution is prepared for this post-digital era. They already follow a model of blended pedagogy, combining the advantages of both online and traditional classroom education. Last year, they introduced a unique concept of Flipped classrooms, which is blended learning that is partly physical and partly digital. Now, IIM Sambalpur has also become pioneers in making transformation to an online method of examination.

Masala King Dhananjay Datar to Sponsor the Repatriation of Indians from UAE

There is promising news for thousands of stranded Indians waiting for their return from UAE to India on the background of current COVID 19 pandemic. The air traffic between these two countries has been resumed and the process of registration of names with Indian Consulate and ticket booking has also commenced. Dr. Dhananjay Datar, Chairman & Managing Director of Al Adil Trading, is extending his co-operation in sponsoring the air ticket expenses of the needy travellers coming back to India.

Dr. Datar said he will contribute to the ticket expense and COVID testing fees for Indians from the UAE who are waiting to get repatriated. Dr. Datar said this is a personal initiative from his side to help those who are unable to meet the expenses in order to travel to their homeland. “The repatriation efforts taken by the Indian Government is one of the largest initiatives undertaken to help those stranded on account of the pandemic. It goes without saying that this could be seen as one of the largest emergency evacuations and it is the duty of all of us to help our brethren in distress in whatever way we can,” he said.

There are many people who are not in a position to meet the airfare and COVID testing fees. “I understand that many individuals who have lost their jobs are unable to make use of this initiative to go to their hometown since they do not have the required money. I will be coordinating with the approved bodies to extend a helping hand to those in need. All necessary guidelines in connection with this will be strictly followed. I spoke with the Indian Consulate General Mr.Vipul & would like to sponsor tickets for Indians. I am doing my small bit and I hope my initiative will be of use. I also request all my fellow citizens to do their bit so that together we can overcome this crisis at the earliest. I express gratitude and salute the efforts of all those who are involved in the repatriation process,” Dr. Datar added.

Al Adil Trading group under the leadership of Dr. Dhananjay Datar has performed a key role in bringing more than 9000 Indian products to UAE. Today this group encompass a chain of 43 spacious super stores spread across Gulf Countries, 2 modern spice factories, 2 flour mills and an import-export company. The rulers of UAE felicitated Dhananjay with a prestigious award and the title Masala King, for his invaluable contribution to the business sector.

The group also produces more than 700 products within categories like readymade flours, spices, pickles, jams, Namkeen and instants, under its own brand ‘Peacock’. His group’s Indian arm, Masala King Exports (India) Pvt. Ltd. is successfully operating from Mumbai. Al Adil Group is in active expansion mode and increasing its outlets in other gulf countries. It has established special trade routes in USA, Canada, Kenya, Switzerland, Italy, Eretria, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE.