100 Pipers ‘The Legacy Project’ Wins Bronze Pencil at The One Show Awards

As a stamp of recognition, 100 Pipers ‘The Legacy Project’ has been awarded the coveted Bronze Pencil and a Merit at The One Show Awards in New York, the world’s most prestigious award show in advertising, design & digital marketing. The One Show awards are regarded as the top-level global recognition in the creative industry.

Seagram’s 100 Pipers has consistently lived its brand philosophy of ‘Be Remembered For Good’ with various endeavours that lead a positive change. In 2019, the brand embarked on yet another journey of goodness with The Legacy Project; to keep the legacy of endangered Indian art forms alive and help these communities thrive.

2019 saw the first chapter of 100 Pipers Legacy Project where the brand curated designs from six Indian art forms across India - Gond, Bhil, Pattua, Pachedi, Cheriyal and Kalighat. It engaged with local artists from these art communities to present a reflection of their version of ‘goodness’. To take these 6 unique designs to a larger audience, they embellished the new Seagram’s 100 Pipers Limited Edition Pack for 2019 with them.

To further give these artforms a well-deserved platform for exposure, this was amplified via large-scale digital & on-ground campaigns.

Speaking about the award, Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India said, “Seagram’s 100 Pipers has always stayed true to its promise of “Be Remembered For Good”. The Legacy Project was an initiative that displays the brand ethos of leading a positive change in the society by supporting revival of India’s endangered art forms. Winning the Pencil at One Show Awards only strengthens our resolve of boldly marching forward on this chosen path. It’s heartening to make a difference and be globally recognised for it – it only serves to take the dying arts to a larger audience”.

Sharing his enthusiasm about the legendary win, Nitin Srivastava, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy, Gurgaon said, “The Legacy Project brings to the forefront folk artists of India. It's wonderful to see their work being recognised on a global platform as it gives such artists the hope and inspiration to continue on their path of creating beautiful artworks. Ogilvy and PRI have had a long association of over a decade during which we've built the brand together. This project is an example of how we've created something for a greater good and ensures the legacy of India's art forms continue to thrive.”

The brand 100 Pipers is positioned on the platform of ‘TRUE LEGENDS’, personified by successful people who rise above materialistic markers of success and work towards leading a positive change for the society. And hence, the brand’s expression of ‘Be Remembered For Good’. Over the years, 100 Pipers has consistently translated this positioning into actual consumer experiences through interventions like The Legacy Project and the ‘Play For A Cause’ music events. With Play For A Cause, the brand brings together celebrated musicians & organizes performances to generate awareness & contribution for various causes that impact our society like Clean Drinking Water, Meals for the underprivileged, Kerala floods, to name a few.

Seagram's 100 Pipers is the largest Scotch Whisky brand in India; market leader in Standard Scotch segment with twice the size of nearest competition. It is the first & only scotch brand in India to achieve the milestone of selling 1 million+ cases in a year in 2018.

AI-Powered Diagnostic Solution from QuEST Global to Accelerate Covid-19 Screening

QuEST Global, a global product engineering and lifecycle services company, today announced that it has developed a robust AI-powered solution that will enable healthcare professionals to accelerate the screening of COVID-19 patients with pneumonia symptoms. Using advanced deep learning models, the AI-powered diagnostic solution can sort and identify chest X-rays of patients with COVID-19. With an accuracy of more than 95%, the solution can be deployed on the cloud as a service, making it easily accessible on edge for healthcare professionals and end-users. The solution is backed by Microsoft Azure Machine Learning, which helps accelerate the development and deployment on machine learning models in a highly secure and trusted fashion.

The Medical Devices engineering team at QuEST developed this technology demonstrator using chest X-rays of healthy individuals, patients with symptoms of pneumonia and COVID-19. These X-rays were used to train and build a deep neural network model that could discriminate the radiological patterns of pneumonia related to COVID-19 and highlight the suspicious ones, thus leading to a faster screening of the disease.

Elaborating further on QuEST’s AI solution, Krish Kupathil, Global Head, Hi-Tech and Digital, QuEST Global said, “As the pandemic continues to rage, our focus has been to deliver a solution that can support the healthcare professionals effectively. Since the fight against COVID-19 is all about faster screening and immediate isolation of maximum number of people, we aim to accelerate the screening time as much as possible. The AI-based solution will make radiography examinations much faster by leveraging modern image diagnostic systems. As we continue to add more features, we aim to reduce the screening time to less than a minute”.

Michael Kuptz, General Manager – Americas IoT & Mixed Reality Sales, Microsoft, said, “In these unprecedented times, saving human lives is the ultimate goal, and technology can help. Microsoft’s collaborations with product engineering leaders like QuEST can go a long way to driving a more positive outcome. For example, QuEST’s AI-driven diagnostic solution, built on Microsoft Azure, empowers healthcare personnel in the fight against COVID-19 by reducing screening time, thereby enabling more testing capacity.”

Over the years, QuEST has been working as a trusted thinking partner with the world’s most recognized companies in the medical devices industry. The company is committed to enabling its customers Create The Frontier by enhancing healthcare experience to improve the lives of millions of people around the world. With its expertise in new-age technologies like deep learning, AI, IoT and machine learning, the company has been developing comprehensive engineering solutions by using Azure IoT and Azure AI solutions. These solutions have been helping OEMs, and tier-one suppliers seamlessly take a giant leap in their digital transformation journey and make products safer and more reliable.

Signify, Boston University Validate Effectiveness of Signify’s UV-C Light Sources on Inactivating the Virus that Causes COVID-19

Highlights

* Test results show that the virus could no longer be detected after seconds of exposure

* Signify to make its UV-C lighting technology widely available to other lighting companies

* Signify has been at the forefront of UV technology for more than 35 years

Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, together with the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL)[1] at Boston University in the US have conducted research that validates the effectiveness of Signify’s UV-C light sources on the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Since the start of the SARS CoV-2 pandemic, Dr. Anthony Griffiths, Associate Professor of Microbiology at Boston University School of Medicine and his team have been working on developing tools to support scientific advancement in this field.[2] During their research they have treated inoculated material with different doses of UV-C radiation coming from a Signify light source and assessed the inactivation capacity under various conditions. The team applied a dose of 5mJ/cm2, resulting in a reduction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus of 99% in 6 seconds. Based on the data, it was determined that a dose of 22mJ/cm2 will result in a reduction of 99.9999% in 25 seconds.[3]

“Our test results show that above a specific dose of UV-C radiation, viruses were completely inactivated: in a matter of seconds we could no longer detect any virus,” said Dr. Anthony Griffiths. “We’re very excited about these findings and hope that this will accelerate the development of products that can help limit the spread of COVID-19.”

Signify is the leader in UV-C light sources and has been at the forefront of UV technology for more than 35 years. It has a proven track record of innovation in UV-C lighting, which is designed, manufactured and installed in line with the highest safety standards.

“I’m very happy about the fruitful cooperation with Boston University in the fight against the coronavirus. Boston University has validated the effectiveness of our light sources as a preventive measure for companies and institutions as they seek ways to provide virus-free environments,” said Eric Rondolat, CEO of Signify. “Given the potential of the technology to aid the fight against the coronavirus, Signify will not keep the technology for its exclusive use but make it available to other lighting companies. To service the growing need for disinfection we will increase our production capacity multifold in the coming months.”

Tata Motors Releases its Annual CSR Report FY 2019-20 Over 8.3 Lakh People Benefitted from Community Programmes

Key Highlights:

* Health (Aarogya): 3.9 lakh people benefitted and over 74% of malnourished children were treated

* Education (Vidyadhanam): 1.5 lakh students engaged, more than 44% students scored above 60% in FY20 in their 10th standard pre-board exams

* Employability (Kaushalya): 1.17 lakh youth skilled, out of which 63% have been employed

* Environment (Vasudhara): Planted 1.17 lakh saplings (of indigenous varieties) and educated over 91,025 people on eco-friendly practices

* Volunteering: Over 50% of the 28000 employees participated and invested over 1.1 lakh volunteering hours for social causes, a 67% increase over previous year

Tata Motors – India’s leading automobile brand, today released its FY 2019-20 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report. In line with the Tata Group’s vision of promoting community well-being, Tata Motors has actively implemented initiatives under its key thrust areas of Health (Aarogya), Education (Vidyadhanam), Employability (Kaushalya) and Environment (Vasundhara) and the Rural Development. The scope and the depth of the CSR programmes of the company have consistently increased and has positively touched 8.3 lakh lives in FY19-20, out of which nearly 41% belong to the SC and ST communities.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Guenter Butschek, CEO & MD, Tata Motors said, “As we enter the 75th year of Tata Motors, I share with immense pride that our collective CSR efforts over the last decade have made a positive difference to the lives of 5 million people across India.  Our role has progressively grown from being just a resource provider to a facilitator and now an enabler for driving positive change. This is a true testament to ‘innovating mobility solutions with passion to enhance quality of life’ philosophy rooted in our mission statement. We will continue our endeavor towards uplifting the unprivileged communities and improve their quality of life by making them aware and self-reliant.”

Below is a snapshot of the company’s CSR initiatives across key pillars:

1. Building and Strengthening Healthcare Facilities ‘AROGYA’

In FY20, 3.9 lakh people benefitted from the health initiative ‘Aarogya’, which aims to curb malnutrition through facilitation of clean drinking water to remote communities and by provision of preventive/ curative health services. Over 74% of the acute undernourished children treated by Tata Motors are now in a healthy status. Water security ensured for around 21,666 individuals through company’s National Drinking Water Programme titled ‘Amrutdhara’.

The company has also laid down a strategy to contain the spread of COVID-19 and to assist those who have been impacted most by the lockdown. The company is achieving this by provision of essentials, equipping the heroes on frontline with protective gear and education masses on ways to prevent transmission. This direct assistance benefitted 1.5 lakh people including migrants, daily wage earners who lost livelihood, and those who were left stranded or forced to seek shelter in transit camps.

2. Augmenting Education System ‘VIDYADHANAM’

Over 1.5 lakh students were engaged through the education initiative ‘Vidyadhanam’, which focuses on improving the academic performance of secondary/college going students through targeted approach by instituting need-based financial support, special coaching classes, etc. These initiatives have led to an improvement in pass percentage from 55% in 2015 to 80% in FY20.  More than 44% students scored above 60% in their 10th standard pre-board exams in FY20. During the year, the company also collaborated with Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNVs), to coach over 400 students for JEE and NEET entrance exams. Tata Motors is the first corporate in India to support IIT Bombay under Affirmative Action (AA) for Financial Aid Programme (FAP).

3. Enhancing programmes on Employability ‘KAUSHALYA’

Over 1 lakh people were trained through under employability initiative ‘Kaushalya’, which focuses on training unemployed youth in three segments viz. auto trades, non-auto trades and agriculture & allied activities. 63% of the people have found employment (or are self-employed) resulting in an annual increase in family income by ₹1 lakh.

The company also engages with community based groups of women and farmers and helps them earn supplementary income through agriculture and allied programmes.

4. Nurturing sustainability through environmental programmes ‘VASUNDHARA’

Close to 1.2 lakh new saplings were planted across Tata Motors plant locations through and ensured their survival rate remained significantly high (i.e. 71%) despite prolonged rains last Monsoon. Through the environmental awareness programmes, over 91,000 people (mostly young children) were sensitized about this cause. The company also encourage communities to adopt alternate sources of energy.

5. Integrated Village Development

With a focus on holistic development of a tribal village/hamlet, Tata Motor collaborated with Sahabhag (the CSR Cell of Government of Maharashtra) to run a pilot project that improved the quality of 3000 tribal lives of Pathardi gram panchayat in Jawhar block of Palghar district. 70% of the resources for village development came from the government.

6. Volunteering Programme:

The Tata Motors Employee Volunteering Programme also saw a surge in volunteering hours with more employee participation and deeper engagement in various community welfare initiatives. More than 50% of the 28000 employees participated and invested over 1.1 lakh volunteering hours for social causes, a 67% increase over the previous year. 

Two exceptional natural occurrences during the year necessitated extraordinary interventions. Ferocious floods in Maharashtra caused extensive damage to life and livelihoods, demanding a substantial relief effort to support the ones impacted. Tata Motors complimented Maharashtra State Government Flood Response Programme and provided aid to over 45,000 people.

During the year, the company received several prestigious accolades from a diverse set of stakeholders - (1) 5th Tata Affirmative Action Programme (TAAP) Jury  Award, (2) Creating Shared Values Initiative for Inclusive Business and (3) SIAM’s CSR Award. The CSR work done in and around Sanand Plant was also recognized by the Ahmedabad Collectorate.

Vedantu Assists the Government of Karnataka to Train Doctors Online on COVID-19

Train Doctors

* Karnataka Ministry of Health reinvents its training and communication channel

* Goes online using Vedantu’s W.A.V.E platform to train the doctors to battle COVID 19

Vedantu, a pioneer in LIVE online learning platform in India, is assisting the Ministry of Health (Govt of Karnataka) to impart COVID  training and communication to doctors across  the State. 

To assist the Karnataka State Government & Doctors in the ongoing battle against Covid-19, Vedantu has volunteered to offer its WAVE platform. This initiative is helping the ministry to reach out to 250+ doctors across Karnataka and train them LIVE using Vedantu’s platform to improve their understanding on the following - 

* How to diagnose a Covid-19 patient

* What precautions are to be taken while treating a Covid-19 patient

* Which are the nearest hospitals that are available for testing

* How to attend to numerous queries of individuals about Covid-19 

* Daily preventive measures to be taken to prevent the Covid-19 

* This training is led by senior officials - Dr. Ravi Kumar, Senior Regional Director at Ministry of Health & FW, Govt of India and Dr Mahamood Shariff, Research officer, NVBDCP, Directorate of H&FW, Govt of Karnataka.

Speaking on the partnership, Dr. PC Jaffer (IAS), Secretary to Govt (Expenditure), Finance Department, Karnataka Govt Secretariat, said, “In the current times, taking the risk of face to face training was out of question for us. It was imperative to find a solution that mirrors, but also has the same impact as the face to face training. Hence, we decided to choose Vedantu’s platform, given its rich and interactive platform capabilities, to train and converse online with our COVID warriors across the state. We are glad as our training sessions are happening smoothly now and we continue our fight against COVID.

“It is Vedantu’s great honour to support doctors who are in the front line of the fight against the pandemic. We are happy to extend our support to the Government of Karnataka through our W.A.V.E platform to deliver their training sessions to doctors LIVE and Online " said Shivani Suri, Chief Marketing Officer, Vedantu.

Livinguard Technologies Introduces Face Mask that Inactivates 99.9% of COVID-19 Virus

With the development of medication to combat the novel coronavirus still in the works, it has become imperative to find an immediate solution for this global pandemic. After conducting more than 65,000 experiments and filing more than 100 patents, Swiss hygiene company Livinguard, with operations also in India, as well as Germany, USA, Singapore, Japan, and South Africa, has come up with a revolutionary and first of its kind face mask, that can directly inactivate bacteria and viruses, including 99.9% of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. While most masks available across counters or open markets are preventive in nature, Livinguard face masks are protective and prevent bacteria and viruses from spreading, benefiting both self and others in close proximity. The globally patented technology was invented by Mr. Sanjeev Swamy, an entrepreneur of Indian origin, who also heads the company.

Researchers from the Free University of Berlin at the Institute for Animal Hygiene and Environmental Health have been able to demonstrate that textiles treated with Livinguard Technology can reduce very high amounts of SARS-CoV-2 particles by more than 99.9% within a few hours. "The textiles in these masks can thus continuously inactivate the exhaled viruses and can make handling these masks even safer overall," says Professor Uwe Rösler. "In addition, such textiles could also help to reduce hygienic issues in other general and medical areas, even beyond COVID-19." The masks were launched today in India through a virtual press conference where the founder joined from their Swiss headquarters.

Mr. Sanjeev Swamy, Founder, Inventor & CEO, Livinguard Technologies said, “The World Health Organization estimates 89 million medical masks will be required every month throughout the pandemic. Providing superior quality of daily life has always been our aim. Our mission is to provide hygiene suited for the modern world, hence the reason that we chose to conduct our tests at the FU Berlin, who is renowned for their highest standards; and we are honored to be able to introduce Livinguard masks in India. With the number of cases rising in the country daily, it has become crucial to find an answer to the problem. The unique characteristics of Livinguard masks will provide users with an unprecedented level of security. Fine Hygienic Holding in the Middle East is one of our biggest users, as well as millions more across Singapore, Japan, Germany and China. I am confident that we will have similar success in India too.”

He further added, “Livinguard’s current focus is to apply this Technology to solutions that lessen the health risk and economic impact of the crisis by enabling people to protect themselves, return to work, and take back their lives. Since our product is washable and reusable, and mostly made from cotton, the mask is eco-friendly and sustainable. Our research shows that if a million people use one reusable Livinguard mask 210 times, we can save 36,000 tonnes of waste. It is also cheaper than a regular mask because one will need 210 masks to compare with one of ours.”

One of the most respected science leaders of India, Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, said “This scientific breakthrough of deactivating SARS-COV-2 virus on contact with the mask, authenticated fully by world’s top universities, is a global game changer. Every effort should be made so that every Indian benefits from this unprecedented paradigm shift in this provision of safety, security & sustainability, going far beyond the current pandemic.”

The principle underlying the Livinguard Technology is empowering the textile surface with a strong positive charge. When microbes come in contact with fabric, the microbial cell which is negatively charged, is destroyed leading to permanent destruction of the microorganism. Unlike heavy metal-based solutions, such as silver, zinc and copper, this novel technology has been found to be safe for both skin and lungs. Moreover, Livinguard Technology destroys continuously and allows users to reuse the mask up to 210 times with no compromise on safety or efficacy. Livinguard AG believes that the future is tied to sustainable solutions that treat our world kindly. The Livinguard Face Mask not only harnesses powerful coronavirus killing technology but also minimizes waste and uses resources efficiently, thereby offering a unique solution for an overheated supply chain.

The Livinguard mask comprises 3 layers that give 5 levels of protection. The unique patented Tripellent Technology on the Outer layer offers 3 levels of protection - Livinguard Antiviral and repellent coating on the outside of the fabric, Livinguard Antiviral Technology bonded into the fabric itself and Livinguard Antiviral and repellent coating on the inside of the fabric. Non-woven industry-standard filters in the middle layer channels viruses for destruction to the outer or inner layers. Sandwiched between disinfecting fabrics, it is protected from biological contamination, allowing the mask to be safely washed and reused. Denser than the outer layer, and also treated with Livinguard Antiviral Technology, the fabric of the inner layer provides powerful inactivation of coronavirus. Odour free and quick drying with low humidity, the soft and stretchy fabric gives a comfortable fit for the mouth and nose. This specially treated fabric has 36 billion positive charges per cm2.

The Livinguard mask can be washed up to 30 times with undiminished efficacy of its protective properties. If used daily and washed weekly under normal usage conditions, the mask can be used for 6 months, effectively replacing the need for single-use masks. The mask can be used for extended periods and reused before washing because the fabric covering the filter media continuously destroys microorganisms upon contact. This significantly diminishes the risk of transferring them to the user and to other surfaces. The mask is proven to be non-toxic and safe for use. The masks are being used by frontline COVID warriors across the world. Depending on the type of mask required, the cost is INR 1490-1990 only.

Livinguard is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Innovators Community. Arnaud Bernaert, Head of Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum commented, “The World Economic Forum is happy to have Livinguard join our Global Innovators community. We are delighted to work with Livinguard as their innovation holds the potential to greatly advance the world's response toolkit in the fight against COVID".

Castrol India Announces Second Interim Dividend for FY 2019; Recalls Final Dividend for FY 2019

The Board of Directors of Castrol India Limited, at a meeting held today, declared a second interim dividend of INR 3/- per equity share for the financial year ended 31 December 2019. Simultaneously, the Board recalled the earlier recommended final dividend of INR 3/- per equity share for the same period (2018: final dividend INR 2.75/- per equity share).

The delay of the 42nd Annual General Meeting of the Company from April to July due to the national lockdown on account of the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted many shareholders, small and institutional.

The Board took this decision to pay an interim dividend during these unprecedented times to help release payment earlier to the shareholders.     

“Castrol India has always valued the enduring relationship it has with its investors. These are extraordinary times which require organizations to take extraordinary measures in order to support various stakeholders,” said Mr. R Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of Board of Directors after the meeting.  

This second interim dividend, is in addition to the previously declared interim dividend of INR 2.50/- per equity share (2018: interim dividend INR 2.25/- per equity share) for the financial year 2019.