Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Crosses 1 M Followers On Koo

Union Minister Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad recently crossed 1 million followers on Koo, India’s micro-blogging platform. Ravi Shankar Prasad is the current Union Minister for Law and Justice, Electronics & Information Technology and Communications portfolios in the Government of India. He joined Koo in August 2020 after Koo was declared a winner under the AatmaNirbhar App Challenge. He has been one of the early adopters of the platform and has garnered the 1 million followers mark within 9 months of being on Koo.

An active member of the Koo community, he posts important information on the recent policies, details about different initiatives and schemes run by the government. He is seen Kooing in Hindi as well as English. He’s been at the forefront of encouraging a culture of sharing opinions in multiple languages, especially in the mother tongue.

Ravi Shankar Prasad has been on Twitter since November 2013 (almost 7.5 years) and has garnered 4.8 Million followers over these 7.5 years – that’s almost 650,000 followers per year. While he’s crossed 1 million on Koo within just 9 months.

Koo has attracted many prominent faces of India to the platform since the last few months. These include Union Ministers and Chief Ministers, Bollywood Actors, Actresses, Directors, Sports Personalities, Top Indian bureaucrats and members of the armed forces, among many other distinguished personalities. It’s common to see these prominent figures engage with users everyday on Koo.

Aprameya Radhakrishna, Co-Founder of Koo, commented, “We created Koo because we wanted to democratize voice and enable a larger population in India to express themselves in a language of their choice. We are very happy to have Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on the platform, as a part of our journey, and see him share his thoughts with fellow citizens in multiple Indian languages. He’s crossed 1 Million followers within a few months and I’m sure that his followership on Koo will cross his followership elsewhere in a much shorter span than it did on other global social platforms. Many users that connect with him here don’t have accounts on other social media platforms. We are sure they value tremendously from the daily updates he posts here.”

Many celebrities and prominent personalities have got anywhere between 2x-100x the number of followers here in a very short span of time. They are seen Kooing in multiple Indian languages catering to unique audiences that aren’t seen on Twitter. This stands true to the proposition that Koo has been building around – the power of vernacular languages in India’s internet.

The app was founded by Bengaluru-based entrepreneurs Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka in March 2020. The app recently crossed 5.5 million users within a year of inception.

About Koo:

Koo was founded in March 2020, as a micro-blogging platform in Indian languages. Available in multiple Indian languages, people from across different regions in India can express themselves in their mother tongue. In a country where just 10% of India speaks English, there’s a deep need for a social media platform that can deliver immersive language experiences to Indian users and help them connect with each other. Koo provides a stage to the voices of Indians who prefer Indian languages.

Practo Launches Online Consultations In 15 Vernacular Languages

* Reaffirming its commitment to improve access to quality healthcare, this move is aimed at taking a holistic approach towards understanding and responding to the needs of native language customers

In a country where just over 10% of its population can speak English, the need to break down the language barrier in patient-doctor communications and facilitate equitable, value-based healthcare cannot be emphasized enough. Keeping this in mind, Practo, India’s leading integrated healthcare company, has introduced vernacular language options for its teleconsultation service.

This initiative will allow online consultation users to choose a doctor who can speak in their preferred language. Currently, this service covers 15 languages – including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada and Bengali – with more to be added soon. With this, Practo is one step closer to breaking down access barriers for 200 million unique users in the future.

After receiving lakhs of user requests for language-specific features on Practo, this was launched as a pilot project earlier this year, with Hindi as the alternate option for users to choose from. 

During this time, 25% of all online consultations on Practo were conducted in vernacular languages, with  Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, and Kannada (in that order) emerging as their preferred language(s) for consultation. Around 67% of all vernacular consultations were from users living in non-metro cities. Remarkably, 65% of all vernacular consults were from users aged 60 and above.

Commenting on the new initiative, Siddhartha Nihalani, VP - Product Growth, Practo, said, “With a single-minded focus on creating equitable access to quality healthcare, Practo has devoted the past 12 years in building products that suit the needs of a heterogeneous user base. This has given rise to new products and more layers in older ones. In enabling interactions in native languages for online consultations - that undoubtedly enjoys wide acceptance - we hope to be one step closer to turning our vision of building access to quality healthcare into reality.”

Given that 9 out of 10 new internet users in India are native language speakers, an initiative like this will be critical in bridging the digital divide and overcoming language barriers in India’s growing digital healthcare ecosystem. 

The vernacular language support feature will now be available on both Practo app and website. The company is also planning to introduce new interface capabilities to make the doctor-patient interaction more seamless and engaging. 

About Practo:

Practo, the country's leading integrated healthcare company, connects the entire health ecosystem together – including patients, doctors, clinics, hospitals, pharmacies and diagnostics - to generate exceptional value and service for all, especially the end consumers. It integrates different parts of the patients' healthcare journey so they can have a seamless experience, right from finding and booking an appointment with verified doctors, consulting online with ETA as low as 60 seconds, getting medicines delivered and lab tests conducted at home, and accessing insightful health articles authored by verified doctors. Practo also makes software products that help healthcare providers - ranging from small clinics to large hospitals - digitize and deliver more efficient and higher quality healthcare to millions of patients around the world.

As technology becomes an integral part of healthcare, Practo has also become an essential enabler in helping doctors understand the nuances of managing and securely storing all health data. Practo encrypts all data with 256-bit encryption, uses HIPAA compliant data centers, and is one of the few healthcare companies to be ISO 27001 certified. Practo is present in 20+ countries, helping over 18 crore patients every year by connecting them with 1 lakh+ verified doctor partners.

This World Health Day, Lets Build A Balanced And Healthier World

Every year today is celebrated as World Health Day. It is observed annually to create awareness about health and wellbeing and draws attention of people from all around the world to highlight important health issues. It is very imperative to be prepared mentally, physically and financially for all kinds of uncertainties during these constantly evolving times. The outbreak of COVID-19 Pandemic is one example of such an unprecedented situation. Some people were able to live healthier lives and had better access to health services and some were facing difficulty fighting back. These unforeseeable situations make us realize the actual importance of planning and securing our health above all the other necessities of life.

While planning and investing in an insurance plan can be a dominant initiative towards ensuring secured health, it is also essential for one to take care of the necessary health measures prescribed by experts to resist any health infirmities. This World Health Day, Mr. Vinit Kapahi, Head of Marketing, Aviva Life Insurance offers some ways to be wise and protect your health in the times of COVID-19:

·         Eat Healthy, Live Healthy

Diet is very imperative for maintaining health. You should eat a well-balanced, low-fat diet including lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. A diet which is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, moderate in sugar, salt and total fat is the best to choose. You should also try to avoid the intake of processed food because it not only impacts the changing lifestyle but also has an adverse effect on the health. Refrain from smoking and control consumption of alcohol.

·         Masks on, Risks gone

Everyone is aware of the general guidelines but revising them will not do any harm. Wearing a mask is essential to protect yourself and the people around you from spreading the virus. Many coronavirus cases can be asymptomatic, and wearing a mask protects you and others in close proximity around you. Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly with soap, especially after returning to your home from being out in public. Finally, follow social distancing (even when you are wearing a mask), staying at least 6 feet away from others.

·         Don’t Procrastinate. Get Vaccinated

As the vaccine is here and India is hosting the largest vaccination drive in the world, you should volunteer and get yourself vaccinated as per government guidelines. One has finally got the chance to return to work and refrain from another lockdown. This World Health Day take a pledge to get yourself vaccinated and protect yourself and your family from getting infected.

·         Plan and be financially secured

Financial protection is also one of the key contributors which allows you to secure the health of your family. By investing in various health insurance plans or critical illness plans you can protect yours as well as your family’s health. In addition, you can manage your savings and investments for the future. You can enjoy the benefits of insurance if you select a suitable insurance that has an appropriate cover. It also ensures that you and your family have a proper cushion against unprecedented times like these.

·         Be Wise and Exercise

Being physically active is essential for a healthy body and an active mind. You should be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day. You can break this up into three 10-minute sessions when there is a time crunch. Healthy movement may include walking, sports, dancing, yoga, running or other activities you enjoy.

·         Manage Stress, Resist Mess

You should learn to manage stress in your life. Trouble sleeping, frequent headaches, stomach problems, getting angry a lot are some signs of being stressed. Reasons for stress include hectic schedules, lack of rest and sleep, occupational and peer pressure etc. To deal with stress you should try to attain a good work life balance, exercise regularly, have healthy eating habits. You can also practice relaxation exercises such as deep breathing or meditation. Speaking to trusted family members and friends can help overcome stress.

By following these steps, you can ensure the wellbeing of yourself and your family. This World Health Day, let’s build a fairer, healthier world and take a resolution to get vaccinated, follow the safety guidelines and protect yourself and your family with an appropriate financial cover.

HackerEarth Launches ‘HackerEarth For Enterprises’, An End-To-End Platform To Source, Screen, Interview And Upskill Developer Talent

* HackerEarth’s Integrated Suite Empowers Enterprises to comprehensively build great tech teams

HackerEarth, the leading solutions provider to attract, hire, upskill and engage developer talent, today launched HackerEarth for Enterprises, the industry’s first comprehensive platform that unites every step of the tech employee lifecycle from sourcing, screening, interviewing and continuously engaging developer and data science talent. This solution unifies all the existing fragmented market solutions in the developer hiring funnel.  

“The problem with building great tech teams today is that the process is fragmented, and companies are forced to stitch together a series of point solutions for screening, interviewing, and upskilling developer and data science talent,” said Sachin Gupta, CEO of HackerEarth. “There needs to be more emphasis on creating dialogue between recruiters and hiring managers on the hiring side and even HR departments and Chief Learning Officers on the L&D side. With HackerEarth for Enterprises, HackerEarth facilitates collaboration between teams and unsilos the hiring and upskilling process so that organizations have a consistent and widely accessible 360-degree view of their tech teams.”

HackerEarth for Enterprises bridges the gap between recruiters, hiring managers, HR departments, Chief Learning Officers, and CIOs to create comprehensive visibility of their developer and data science talent. HackerEarth’s platform-based approach provides significant time and cost savings, allowing everyone who touches developer and data science talent to assess their skills in a single integrated suite.

Organizations can now manage the entire developer lifecycle — from engaging and sourcing talent with ease via hackathons and hiring challenges, to building assessments in minutes, to running super-smooth coding interviews, to upskilling employees as new technologies and trends in software/application development evolve over time. This unlocks skill-based hiring practices that see past pedigree and professional resumes by accurately identifying the most skilled developers in record time and provide a clear pathway to augment and build on their existing skills.

HackerEarth’s end-to-end platform includes robust solutions for companies to:

Attract and Source: HackerEarth’s Hackathons allows companies to engage their internal tech workforce or connect with external developer talent to attract the right caliber of developers. HackerEarth’s community of more than 5.5 million developers represents a readymade talent pipeline, giving recruiters and hiring managers ready access to the best global talent.

Assess: With HackerEarth’s Assessments, companies can objectively evaluate technical skills with the most advanced developer assessment tool out there and conduct accurate coding assessments across 40+ programming languages and 80+ skills, to hire talent remotely. Companies can choose from a massive library of more than 12,000 questions or add their own.

Interview: Using HackerEarth’s FaceCode, companies can efficiently conduct coding interviews both remote and onsite. Companies can run coding interviews with high quality video, a collaborative, real-time code editor with a built-in compiler, and diagram boards. They can also host 1:1 or panel rounds and use HackerEarth’s library of 300+ questions to build a comprehensive interview in a short time. FaceCode also helps benchmark and standardize the interview process through custom evaluation parameters with the added ability to automatically generate interview summaries, so that bias and subjectivity are all but eliminated from coding interviews.

Map Competencies, Upskill, and Engage Internal Talent: HackerEarth’s Assessments also allow you to continuously assess your employees, identify skill gaps, and craft tailored learning paths to keep employees up-to-date and engaged.

HackerEarth for Enterprises is enterprise-ready with integrations from all the leading ATSs, advanced AI-based proctoring, ISO 27001:2013 certified, EU-GDPR compliant, and has a guaranteed uptime of 99.99% with best-in-class support. To learn more, visit: HackerEarth for Enterprises.

About HackerEarth

HackerEarth is a global company that helps large enterprises source, screen, interview, upskill  and continuously engage with developer and data science talent. HackerEarth for Enterprises is an integrated suite of solutions that empower companies to manage the entire developer lifecycle, start a skill-based hiring practice, and speed up their recruitment cycle. HackerEarth is also a leading facilitator of online hackathons and coding challenges, where its community of over 5 million developers can upskill and practice for interviews, and companies can attract and source top developer talent globally. HackerEarth was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in the US and India. 

Randstad India Elevates CFO Viswanath PS To MD & CEO

Randstad India, one of the country's leading HR service providers today announced the appointment of their current CFO, Viswanath PS as the company’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, effective July 1st, 2021. The finance chief takes over from Paul Dupuis, who served as the MD and CEO of Randstad India for the last four years.

Viswanath PS  (or Vishy, as he is popularly known) is a business and finance leader with an illustrious track record of leading companies across multiple industries to sustainable growth and profitability. Starting his stint at Randstad India in 2014 as the Head of Shared Services Centre (SSC), Vishy took over as the CFO in 2016. Vishy has proven to be a strong leader; both strategic and tactical. He is also a dynamic, people-focused leader with a track record of building high performing teams across a wide span within the organization. Vishy has championed several critical transformational initiatives, not only within finance but also in how Randstad delivered services to their clients and talent. His relentless focus on constant, incremental improvement and kaizen has led to a steady improvement in productivity and overall outcomes of the organization.  

Vishy brings more than three decades of diversified expertise and experience in key leadership roles at leading global and Indian organizations, particularly in the areas of strategic planning and business development. Before joining Randstad India, he has held leadership roles across General Electric, Motorola and the TVS Group.

Commenting on the changes, Chris Heutink, Chairman for Randstad India and EB member, Randstad Global said, “Paul is an exceptional business leader who has transformed Randstad India, making it one of the best-performing companies in its sector, and one of the most admired companies in the country”.

“Paul’s vision, drive and performance focus, combined with his commitment to serve the best long-term interests of the company, have materially strengthened Randstad India. He leaves a more agile and resilient company, well placed to win in this fast-changing, dynamic business landscape. I would like to thank him personally and on behalf of the Executive Board for his contribution to Randstad India and wish him the very best in taking over as the MD of Randstad Japan”.

Commenting on the announcement, Paul Dupuis said, “It has been an honour to lead Randstad over the last 4 years. Throughout this time, I have been humbled by the commitment and hard work of our people, and their passion for creating a truly purpose-driven company. I am very grateful to them, as I am to Randstad’s stakeholders, with whom we have worked to build our long-term, sustainable business. I look forward to taking these learnings into my new role in Randstad Japan".

"I would also like to congratulate Vishy, who is a strong, strategic thinker, and values-driven leader with an impressive track record of delivering consistent and high-quality performance. Having worked closely with him for many years, I am highly confident that under his leadership, Randstad India will prosper long into the future. His appointment demonstrates the strength of Randstad’s succession planning and talent pipeline", Paul added. 

Expressing his excitement for the new challenge, MD & CEO, Viswanath PS said, “It will be a huge privilege to lead Randstad India – a truly global company full of talented people, and a brilliant brand. Over the last 6 years, I have seen the many ways in which our company improves people’s lives, positively impacting clients and candidates. As part of the strategy, Randstad India will accelerate to profitable growth through continuous innovation, while focusing on strong execution.  We will continue to deliver long term growth and value creation to all our stakeholders. As the economy emerges into an era of reimagined opportunities, Randstad India is set to deliver outcomes that enrich the experience for all our stakeholders.”

“I’d also like to extend my gratitude to Paul’s remarkable leadership of Randstad and I look forward to his continued guidance through the transition, Viswanath added.

A Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Viswanath is a certified black belt in Six Sigma and a keen fitness enthusiast who enjoys running, yoga and cricket.

About Randstad India:

Randstad India offers the broadest HR services portfolio ranging from Staffing, Search & Selection to Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). The organization has a vast network of offices across the country to be within the reach of clients, candidates and flexi workers. The company, previously called Ma Foi is one of the leading players in the HR services industry in India for more than 25 years and became part of Randstad through its global acquisition of Vedior in 2008.The Randstad Group is the global leader in the HR services industry, active in 38 countries across the globe.

Randstad India continues to focus on developing customized and innovative HR services, leveraging on its unique strengths of geographical presence and end-to-end capability across all HR service functions.

Airtel joins Hands With Apollo 24/7 To Enable Customers To Access Healthcare Services Digitally From Safety Of Their Homes

* Apollo 24|7, the fastest growing health App in India is extending complimentary membership to its flagship program Apollo Circle for all Airtel Platinum and Gold customers 

* With Apollo Circle membership, Airtel customers can consult Apollo doctors online, book tests and buy medicines online with express home delivery at great value 

Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s premier communications solutions provider, has partnered with Apollo 24/7, the fastest growing health App in India to offer a wide range of e-healthcare services to its customers as part of their exclusive Thanks benefits. 

Airtel Platinum, Gold Customers Will Get Complimentary Membership To Apollo Circle 

* Online Consultation: Virtual Consult top doctors and specialists from Apollo at best rates 

* Diagnostics: Online test booking along with home sample collection facility 

* Pharmacy: Home delivery of medicines with attractive cashback benefits   

Wellness: Exclusive access to ‘UR Life’ platform for wellness engagement and contents 

These exclusive benefits can be unlocked by eligible customers through the Airtel Thanks app. Airtel Platinum customer will get 12 months membership to Apollo Circle while Airtel Gold customers will get 3 months membership at no cost. 

How can Airtel customers activate their complimentary Apollo Circle membership? 

Airtel Thanks users (Gold & Platinum) can go to “Discover Thanks” section in the app. 

Click on Apollo Circle benefit. 

Choose Start Free trial. 

Enter mandatory registration info which leads to a confirmation page. 

User is redirected to Apollo 247 app to start using their subscription.  

Antony Jacob, Chief Executive Officer, Apollo 24|7 said, “With Airtel we would like to strengthen our vision towards healthier India. Airtel shares our constant drive for innovation and quality customer experience, and we are truly happy to partner with them to take our digital health services a step further. I am confident every Airtel user will have best in class access to quality healthcare from Apollo.” 

Shashwat Sharma, Chief Marketing Officer, Bharti Airtel said, “We, at Airtel, are obsessed with enabling a differentiated experience to our Airtel Thanks customers, In the post-Covid world, customers are increasingly looking for contact-less healthcare journeys. We are delighted to join hands with Apollo 24/7 to allow our Thanks customers to access best-in-class healthcare digitally from the safety of their homes.”  

About Bharti Airtel  

Headquartered in India, Airtel is a global telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally and its mobile network covers a population of over two billion people. Airtel is India’s largest integrated telecom provider and the second largest mobile operator in Africa. At the end of December 2020, Airtel had approx. 458 million customers across its operations. Airtel’s portfolio includes high speed 4G/4.5G mobile broadband, Airtel Xstream Fiber that promises speeds up to 1Gbps, converged digital TV solutions through the Airtel Xstream 4K Hybrid Box, digital payments through Airtel Payments Bank as well as an integrated suite of services across connectivity, collaboration, cloud and security that serves over one million businesses. Airtel’s OTT services include Airtel Thanks app for self-care, Airtel Xstream app for video, Wynk Music for entertainment and Airtel BlueJeans for video conferencing. In addition, Airtel has forged strategic partnerships with hundreds of companies across the world to enable the Airtel platform to deliver an array of consumer and enterprise services.    

About Apollo 24/7 

Apollo 24|7 is India’s largest end-to-end omni-channel healthcare platform that is enabling users from any part of the country to use trusted Apollo services from their phones, at the click of a button. The app has 7million+ registered users and over a million people have availed the services so far. The platform currently offers a full bouquet of healthcare services – 24x7 consultation with 7000+ Apollo doctors pan-India and across 55+ specialties, seamless medicine delivery at home, diagnostic test booking and doorstep sample collection, digital health records and more. 

Learning Milestones Have Been Significantly Impacted: Worried Parents

The learning and development milestones for preschool children across India have taken a severe hit due to Covid-19. According to a survey conducted by EuroKids International with pre-school parents, as the Covid-19 pandemic caused the early closure of schools in March and resulted in disrupting the 2020 academic year, they are quite worried about their children losing out on learning as a result, and believe that it is very important to keep a child’s education going during this pandemic.

According to the survey results, a high degree of parental concern towards continued education is evident as 95% of the parents have enrolled their child in some form of learning - online or home schooling, to ensure continuity in their education. When asked how long children spend learning during a week, 43% of the respondents stated that children spend between one to three hours a week learning, while 37% stated that children spend more than three hours learning.

A key factor in online learning for toddlers is the involvement of parents and the amount of time they spend with their children in the learning process. When asked about how much time parents spend on their child’s education in a week, 43% of the respondents stated that they spend more than three hours a week, which indicates that almost all the learning for young children requires the aid of their parents. 42% of the respondents revealed that they dedicate one to three hours a week for their child’s learning. An in-depth look into the responses showed that this is a point of problem for many parents and that they have to dedicate an inordinately large amount of time on their children’s learning, which includes online classes, then the related homework and additional activities.

33% of the respondents felt that when pre-schools open, a single shift preschool of 2-3 hours daily would be most appropriate for their child, while 20% of the respondents stated their preference for the pre-school to have a double shift with smaller batches, for example two hours daily for separate batches in the morning and afternoon. Over 70% of the parents also stated that they would continue/choose online learning (led by the teacher and supplemented by the parent), in case schools do not reopen in the next six months, while 22% would seek a home schooling option, by the parent, perhaps with teacher support. 

As pre-schools were shut down a year ago, parents have found that online learning has been a viable substitute for their toddlers to avoid a near zero-learning year for their children. When asked about the achievement of learning outcomes of their children, parents cited that their children were able to grasp pre-academic skills such as recognizing colours, printed names, letters of the alphabet, numbers, etc. more than any other skills. The survey also reveals that many parents believe that while academic learning is being somewhat managed and learning outcomes therein are being addressed, parents are more worried about their child’s social and physical development. As per the survey findings, 80% of parents who had enrolled in online pre-schooling saw delivery of clear learning outcomes and 75% of these parents were willing to recommend online pre-schooling to their friends and families.

The EuroKids International survey was conducted by The Hearth Education Advisors across 10 cities with 1,082 parents. The research study was conducted in detailed Qualitative and Quantitative phases. Here, insights were gathered through the qualitative probes and to provide an understanding of what parents of toddlers feel about the learning pathway of their children.

About EuroKids International:

As India’s leading Early Childhood Education & K-12 Education company, delivering the ‘Joy of Learning’ is at the heart of EuroKids International. By enhancing its pedagogy and consistently building a holistic, nurturing and secure learning environment for children, EuroKids is coming closer to its vision of REINVENTING EDUCATION in the country. Over the last 18 years, EuroKids International has played an active role in the evolution of the education landscape. With its portfolio of brands - EuroKids Preschool, Kangaroo Kids Preschool, EuroKids DayCare, EuroSchool & Billabong High International, EuroKids is committed to delivering a robust foundation for future generations. The group’s ‘Child First’ ideology ensures that growth and engagement needs of a child are met in a home-like environment. Child safety focus and ensuring active engagement with parents during these crucial developmental years of the child is what makes EuroKids, a child’s Second Home. EuroKids, with its presence in over 350 cities with 1,100+ pre-schools and 35 Schools is achieving new milestones in education every day.