Funkskool's “Roll Out” Of A Diverse Range Of New Product Offering

* Funskool India Ltd. launches 40 new products across various categories ranging from infant & preschool toys, traditional games, puzzles, creatives and much more.  

The exciting annual tradition continues as Funskool India Ltd., India’s leading toy manufacturer, returns to launch a wide assortment of eagerly awaited engaging and exciting toys, games, and puzzles to help fill children’s summer holidays with non-stop fun. 

The 40 new launches are from a plethora of diverse categories, which   will not only encourage development of multiple skills -cognitive, physical, social and emotional but will also provide an ideal opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children during these challenging times. 

Introducing a new meaning of fun, and being true to kids-always, Funskool has launched an exciting range of outdoor traditional games like Kho Kho and Kabaddi, which can now be played as an indoor board game within the safe confines of your home. Lagori, Gilli Danda, Spinning Top and Golli are some of the other exciting outdoor games that have also been launched under the traditional game series.  

All set to raise the bar, Deluxe Chess and Deluxe Chinese Checkers, all made of high-quality wood, with unique designs and enduring durability are just some of the great new generic games that are being introduced this summer. 

Just because school is out doesn’t mean the learning has to stop. Parents can keep their kids engaged and learning with the new range of educational Flash cards comprising of Alphabet, Numbers and Fruits, thereby ensuring a solid learning foundation for pre-schoolers or if your child is a bit older, let their imagination run wild as they discover playing with Science Kits that are STEM based, that enable children to understand theoretical concepts more easily through practical applications. 

Riding around or playing “Doctor” in the summer is a favourite childhood memory for many. Children can ride and play into summer in style with unique role play toys such as The Doctor Dough Kit which aims to help them understand the responsibilities of a doctor and the Complete Kitchen Set which aims to encourage them to imagine themselves as a Master Chef. 

Last but not least, historical tales based on the popular Panchatantra fables and legendary national heroes are converted into intriguing puzzles for children of age 4 and above through the Traditional Indian Story Series and Historic Character Series, attempting to enhance a child’s cultural connect along with creating affinity towards moral values like honesty, punctuality, kindness etc. 

Commenting on the new products launch for summer 2021, Mr. R. Jeswant, CEO, Funskool India said: “Perhaps more than any other season, parents are looking to engage and entertain their children during the summer while they’re out of school. Our goal is to inspire, engage  and entertain every child  by making  them find that perfect new toy as easy and convenient as possible, whether they’re looking for a STEM toy that keeps them learning or playing a board game with family or friends   or even with just a DIY creative  toy for those extra hot days”. 

KRAFTON Announces “Battlegrounds Mobile India” Gaming Event

KRAFTON, the South Korean video game developer, today announced the reveal of BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA. Developed by KRAFTON, the game will offer a world class AAA multiplayer gaming experience on mobile. BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA will release with exclusive in-game events like outfits and features and will have its own esports ecosystem with tournaments and leagues. The game will launch as a free-to-play experience on mobile devices.  

BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA, a battle royale experience, will have a period of pre-registration before the launch. The game will be available to play only in India. KRAFTON will collaborate with partners to build an esports ecosystem while bringing in-game content regularly, starting with a series of India specific in-game events at launch, to be announced later.  

Here’s a first look at the logo of the upcoming game.  

With privacy and data security being a top priority, KRAFTON will be working with partners, to ensure data protection and security, at each stage. This will ensure privacy rights are respected, and all data collection and storage will be in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in India and for players here.  

We believe, that at this time, more than ever, your health and safety are a paramount priority.  We urge each one of you as super players, to stay safe, stay at home and wear a mask.  

Third Covid-19 Wave To Be More Dangerous For Children, Motherhood Hospital Issues Advisory Against Rising Infection In Kids

With the second wave of pandemic impacting children severely and third wave in the pipeline, Motherhood Hospital at Bangalore have warned parents on the rising infections in the city. Considering the number of cases being reported among children of age group 0-16 years, parents must be overly cautious in protecting their children and not letting the guard down.  More children are testing positive and require hospitalisation in the second wave of the pandemic, as the different variants and double mutants are highly contagious which is causing the surge in corona cases among children said Dr. Santosh Kumar, Consultant Neonatologist & Paediatrician, Motherhood Hospitals, Bangalore.

Since the new-born babies are vulnerable, exclusive breast feeding is highly recommended to minimise the risks and build baby’s immunity. It is also advisable for parents to strictly follow the vaccination schedule of their babies and not to miss any of the doses, as this will shield the baby from infections and therefore a very crucial element in preventing the covid infection.

Unlike last year, second wave is seeing a huge spike in infection in children. The common symptoms seen are spike in fever, gastroenteritis symptoms, respiratory issues. Most of the parents are not maintaining covid appropriate behaviour and then once they develop symptoms the infection is passed on to the kids. These children are asymptomatic, and carriers of infection and they may intrun infect their grandparents at home. Since there is no vaccination yet for children in the age group of 0 – 10 years, they are exposed and more susceptible to catching infection said Dr. Santosh.

Therefore, prevention of infection must be the top priority, below are some tips that can protect kids from the deadly coronavirus.

·         Follow hand hygeine, washing hands and frequently with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water, as this kills the virus present in the hands.

·         While sneezing and coughing, cover mouth and nose with handkerchief or tissue. After using, discard the tissue into a bin and wash the hands properly. Do not use the same tissue again and again.

·         Follow social distancing of atleast 6 feet while talking to another.

·         Do not touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with your contaminated hands, if you touch frequently, you can transfer the virus from the surface to yourself.

·         If the kid is suffering from high fever, cough and have difficulty in breathing, consult the doctor immediately and share all the symptoms in detail with doctor as this may be due to a respiratory infection or other serious condition.

·         One should never miss the scheduled immunization vaccines for the children. If there is any delay, one must get the pending doses at the earliest in consultation with the doctor.

·         Healthy gut helps build immunity in children. Food like yogurt is rich in probiotics that help in keeping the gut healthy. Encourage remaining active and maintain personal hygiene.

·         Avoid Consumption of raw or undercooked animal products.

·         Avoid going to a crowded place and parents must wear double mask that offers better protection against variants & double mutants.

“Following Covid appropriate behaviour and religiously sticking to the precautions can eliminate chances of infection among kids. In case of any covid like symptoms, it is advisable for parents to consult an experienced paediatrician without any delay and must avoid self-medication, added Dr Santosh.

Trend Micro Announces Next Generation ICS Endpoint Security Solution

* Specially designed to provide cybersecurity without interruption to ICS environments 

Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, today announced a first-of-its-kind OT-native endpoint security solution, provided as part of its total security solution for smart factories. Developed by TXOne Networks, TXOne StellarProtect is designed to secure all OT endpoints, regardless of environmental conditions, for any mission-critical ICS environment. 

The massive number of ICS endpoints in these working environments provides a large variety of attack surfaces, as they often include many unpatched or otherwise vulnerable devices. Disruption of these endpoints causes significant problems for manufacturers and can jeopardize the entire operation. According to the Trend Micro 2020 annual cybersecurity report, the manufacturing industry became a primary target for highly infectious ransomware attacks, making it more important than ever to secure these assets with technologies tailored to their purpose (https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/research-and-analysis/threat-reports/roundup/a-constant-state-of-flux-trend-micro-2020-annual-cybersecurity-report). 

"The ugly truth of ICS endpoint security is that there has not been any security solution specifically designed for the high-availability needs of modernized equipment in the OT environment," said Akihiko Omikawa, executive vice president of IoT security for Trend Micro and chairman of TXOne Networks. "Cybersecurity solutions for ICS endpoints must consider three elements to meet industry expectations: low impact to performance, zero interruption, and all-terrain protection." 

The unique needs of the shop floor environment create challenges to finding protections that secure the work site while still giving the necessary priority to performance. Traditional solutions, such as signature-based antivirus, can identify known threats but require constant internet connectivity and frequent updates, which is simply not possible for mission critical assets. Advanced machine learning-based solutions are able to identify anomalies and unknown threats quickly, but have a high rate of producing false positives that can easily interfere with operations. While application control or lockdown-based solutions are more streamlined and their trust list makes deployment straightforward, they also rigidly limit a machine to a specific purpose and so are only ideal for fixed-use systems. These single technology solutions serve many useful purposes, however are unable to provide the adaptivity necessary to both safeguard and accommodate the operational integrity of assets dedicated to production. 

TXOne StellarProtect delivers uniquely ICS-native endpoint protection against both known and unknown malware via machine learning and ICS root of trust. To avoid redundant security scans and ensure minimal impact to performance, ICS root of trust collects over 1,000 ICS software certificates and licenses and verifies them in advance. StellarProtect requires no internet connection to defend against malware-free attacks due to its least privilege-based policies. Operational interruption from malicious attacks or even mis-operation by personnel is prevented by its built-in ICS application behavior learning engine.

"ICS endpoint security solutions must accommodate the needs of OT environments, not the other way around," said Dr. Terence Liu, General Manager for TXOne Networks. " TXOne StellarProtect is setting a new milestone for endpoint protection in ICS security. We look forward to helping customers mitigate cyber risk in their environments without any disruption or adjustments." 

About Trend Micro 

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro's cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. 

Vedanta Pledges To Setup 'COVID Field Hospitals' With 200 Beds Infra At Karnataka To Combat COVID

* Vedanta to set up COVID field hospitals equipped with critical care facilities at Chitradurga and Hubli in Karnataka, Which will be extension to recognised & reputed healthcare facilities. 

* Vedanta has a plan to set up 200 Bed infrastructure including 20 ICU beds and 180 oxygenated beds at Karnataka. 

As the country battles the second wave of COVID-19, Vedanta has pledged to set up 200 beds state-of-the-art ‘Covid field hospitals’ infrastructure in Karnataka to support the state administration and the local community in combating COVID. These hospitals with critical care facilities will be set up as extension to recognised and reputed healthcare facilities with 100 Beds infrastructure set up, each at Chitradurga & Hubli. 

Vedanta will set up air condition COVID field hospitals at Karnataka, which will be inclusive of 20 ICU Beds and 180 oxygenated beds, in order to extend support for creating COVID care facilities and fight against COVID crisis. 

Critical care facilities in hospitals are incredibly important in the response to the COVID pandemic. The unprecedented medical crisis created by the second wave of the COVID-19, has resulted in an exponential surge in the demand for critical care Covid beds and healthcare facilities. Vedanta’s initiative to boost critical care infrastructure in the state of Karnataka will help in efficiently controlling the pandemic and treatment of the patients. 

Hon’ble Union Minister of Mines Shri Pralhad Joshi in his tweet mentioned, “I had requested Chairman of Vedanta Group Shri Anil Agarwal ji for arranging Makeshift Hospital at Hubballi keeping increasing Covid patients case in the district. He has agreed to provide 100 beds Makeshift Hospital with oxygen provision. I thank Vedanta Group for supporting us on this noble cause.”.(https://twitter.com/JoshiPralhad/status/1388768258061266944)

Mr. Sauvick Mazumdar, CEO, Iron & Steel, Vedanta Limited said, “We at Vedanta are committed to giving back to the community & extend our support to combat this nationwide health emergency posed due to COVID-19. I am hopeful that through our collective efforts we will succeed in tiding over this pandemic & will overcome this unprecedented situation. " 

Mr. Krishna Reddy, Director, Vedanta's Iron Ore Karnataka said, “In line with Vedanta's  philosophy of care, we have pledged to set up 100 bed ‘Covid field hospital’ each, at Hubli in Dharwad District and at Chitradurga District in order to support respective district administrations to ensure the healthcare & safety of communities around. This infrastructure will be useful for the treatment of the patients and upgrade the COVID care facilities at both the districts, which is a genuine need during this COVID Crisis."

To counter the first wave of COVID-19, Vedanta has provided relentless support to the people of Karnataka and frontline warriors such as providing Masks, Sanitizers, groceries supplies during lockdown, Camera with Drone to District administration etc. 

Vedanta has planned several initiatives to support the nationwide fight against the COVID-19 second wave. Implementation of most of these initiatives has already started at various regions across the country.

This Mother’s Day, Pledge To Secure Your Financial Future

Motherhood isn’t easy and is considered even tougher for young and working mothers. Mothers often juggle between their personal and professional roles; their lives are full of challenges and responsibilities both at home and those on the professional front. They are constantly caught between looking after the physical and emotional needs of their kids and family, besides catering to other needs such as financial and medical needs. In this constant juggle they tend to neglect their personal financial planning and protection. 

Motherhood is no child’s play and mothers across life-stages need to take charge of their finances to ensure a smooth journey. Managing income helps you understand how much money you'll need for tax payments, other monthly expenditures and savings, insurance policies, emergencies, retirement etc. According to a recent survey – reflecting women’s changing dynamics with finance, 70 percent of women save for their kid’s education and 54 percent save for their kids’ marriage. Also, 76 percent of women have a life insurance policy, and 29 percent women consider medical emergencies as a greater priority and save for it.

On this Mother’s Day, Vinit Kapahi, Head of Marketing, Aviva India suggests ways for mothers to become financially independent and ensure a secured future for themselves and their family.

Create a budget

Budgeting is very important as it tells you about your income and expenses. Take stock of your income and priority expenses such as EMIs, rent, childcare, groceries, utilities, etc. If you are a working woman, make sure to keep a track on the monthly budget. A housewife can opt for work from home and plan for cash inflows. A budget will help you focus your money on what’s truly important and help curb overspending. 

Invest in term insurance

One of the first steps to ensure financial security is investing in term insurance. Term insurance is a pure protection plan that provides a financial safety net for the children in case of any unfortunate circumstance. A term plan with regular income, or pension after a certain age, could be an ideal option. These policies pay death benefits apart from regular monthly income to the policy-holder or to the nominee.

Maintain an emergency fund

As a thumb rule, at any given point of time, one should have an emergency fund in the form of a regular savings account. As a mother, one should be prepared for eventualities such as job loss, sudden medical emergency etc. For an emergency fund, park your money in a savings account, fixed deposit, and recurring deposit. One should maintain liquidity worth 3-6 months of your current income, and build it up to 6-12 months with time.

Invest as per your financial goals

Budgeting will also help you create avenues for savings and investments. Create an investment plan that caters to your varied life goals. One needs to invest in various assets like equity, debt, deposits, gold/real estate (in case of surplus). Take the time to educate yourself and spouse about investment options, the investment markets, and the various instruments at your disposal.  

Fund your own dreams

The previous generations of mothers put everyone else first, often diverting their personal savings to fund their family’s needs. But one must learn to prioritize your financial needs as well. It’s heartening to see young mothers saving for their children’s education while also shoring something away to pursue their own hobbies and goals. While securing children’s future, it is critical to invest to continue pursuing your own dreams.

Plan for your retirement

As a mother, retirement may not be your top priority. You would first want to take care of your children and other family members. But to have a happy and peaceful retirement, you should put yourself first and plan a retirement that can take care of your needs in your golden years. Making small, monthly contributions to your retirement fund is a good idea.

Invest in government aided schemes

There are several government-aided funds for single mothers, widow women. Also, look at different government schemes like Sukanya Samridhi Yojana for your girl child, PPF and various other schemes to earn decent returns with sovereign guarantee.  While Sukanya Samridhi Yojana fetches interest rate of 6.9% and PPF will get an interest rate of 6.4%, these interest rates are quarterly revised and historically have been above long term bank FD rates.

Financial planning should not be a priority only for male members in families. It is equally important for female members as well. A woman is fully capable of providing a financial umbrella to her family by planning wisely and investing smartly.  But though the approach to investing and the tools of investing has evolved, what hasn’t is the understanding of the importance of a secured financial plan for mothers. So this Mother’s Day, every woman must pledge to secure her financial future herself.

Government’s Vaccine Purchase Plan Defocusing Private Hospitals From Patient Care To Vaccine Procurement: AoH

* Patients waiting for 2nd dose of vaccine at severe risk 

In a meeting of the Managing Committee of the Association of Hospitals (AOH) held last week, the urgent matter of vaccine availability to serve their communities was discussed. The committee agreed with full consensus that government’s current vaccine purchase plan which forces each organization to independently negotiate with the vaccine makers was defocusing private hospitals from patient care. The Association of Hospitals is a group of 53 Trust Hospitals in Mumbai and Pune.

Gautam Khanna, President, Association of Hospitals and CEO, P.D. Hinduja Hospital said, “The community around each hospital expects the hospitals to be a primary point of vaccine administration. In fact, the first round of vaccines provided to hospitals by the government has already been given to tens of thousands patients by hospitals across the country. Several of such patients are anxious since their second dose is due. However, the change in the vaccine purchase policy, asking all organizations including hospitals to directly buy from the vaccine makers is affecting vaccine supply and putting many thousands of patients at risk. Firstly, it is almost impossible for any small or medium sized hospital to connect with, negotiate quantities and deliveries of vaccines for their patients. They neither have the expertise nor the clout to acquire any significant quantities, in light of huge demand from central and state governments, almost eliminating private hospitals as an option to be supporting the Covid vaccination drive. Secondly, this policy is defocusing attention from the urgently needed patient care to vaccine procurement.”

The President of AoH further added, “We fully understand the multiple priorities that are before the Government and respect those. But if Covid has to be beaten, all agencies, especially healthcare delivery institutions like hospitals must be provided vaccines on priority through the State governments, as it was being done earlier. We are also agreeable if the government fixes the prices , since  we consider  vaccination a national health emergency and not a profit making stream. If private hospitals are not given a priority in delivery of vaccines, I am afraid full vaccination will not happen for many months compounding the Covid problem manifold. In light of the current shortage in the country ,Government should also allow import of vaccines by hospitals from across the world ”  

About Association of Hospitals:

The Association of Hospitals has been formed under the Memorandum dated August 6, 1985 and is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The Association is also registered under Maharashtra Public Trust Act, 1950 as Public Charitable Trust with the office of Charity Commissioner, Maharashtra State.

Presently there are 53 members of the Association and all of them are Public Charitable Trust Hospitals registered under Maharashtra Public Trust Act, 1950 with the concerned offices of Charity Commissioner, Maharashtra State depending upon the Jurisdiction. The members being not-for-profit charitable hospitals render yeomen service to the public and bear a major share of healthcare service to the people.