22% Of Students Took Online Classes While Seated On A Bed, 14% Sat On Floor: Godrej Interio Study

 

* Hosts webinar with educationists and healthcare experts to discuss how wrong posture is a cause of concern for the long-term physical and mental health of children Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, announced today that its business Godrej Interio, India’s leading furniture solutions brand, in its recent survey, that children studying from home are facing long-term mental and physical health concerns due to bad posture.

The study ‘Taking care of children as they learn from home’ by Godrej Interio’s Workplace and Ergonomics Research Cell attempted to study the home-schooling behaviour of 350 school-going children of the age group of 3-15 years from across India. Parents who were a part of this research revealed that their children used gadgets for a minimum of 4–6 hours a day which is 2-3 hours more than what they did before schools closed on account of the lockdown. This upped screen time can increase the risk of physical health issues in children. The study also revealed that 52% of the children had daily online classes while 36% had classes four times a week and as a result, 41% children complained of eye strain issues.

In response, Godrej Interio hosted a webinar titled ‘Helping Children Adapt to Learning from Home’. The webinar educated parents and care givers on the best ways to create an environment crucial for the overall wellbeing of children as they learn from home, as the state governments continue to impose micro-lockdowns to arrest the pandemic. The webinar also highlighted the importance of ergonomic learning spaces, the need for sensory diets and physical activity to create an environment of healthy learning for children.

The session was held today in the presence of over 1700+ registered attendees. Participants witnessed leading educationists and healthcare experts explore the challenges and the plausible solutions to support parents in the endeavour.

The webinar which was moderated by Lt. Col. A. Sekhar, CDO, Jagran Education Foundation had an eminent panel consisting of Siddharth Rajgarhia – Director, DPS Nashik, Varanasi and LAVA Nagpur, Lina Ashar – Co-Founder, Korroboree, Chandni Bhagat – Child Psychologist, Fatema Agarkar – Founder, Agarkar Center of Excellence and Dr. Reena Valecha – Principal Ergonomist - Workplace & Ergonomics Research Cell, Godrej Interio. During the one-hour insightful webinar the panellists explored and deliberated upon the subject from multiple vantage points including home-schooling behaviour, healthy sitting posture for children, precautions while studying in free spaces. They also spoke about the importance of sensory breaks and using good-old pencil and paper as well as the physical-virtual hybrid model of learning as online learning is likely to stay for longer than we predicted. Dr Reena Valecha, also shared simple ways that parents and caregivers can ensure a healthy learning environment for children and the long term effects of having incorrect posture leading to musculoskeletal disorders.

Godrej Interio’s focus has always been towards making space for life, learning and pursuing passions. Through their intuitively designed products and solutions they hope to enrich the quality of their customers’ lives, every day and everywhere. Its Workplace and Ergonomics Research Cell regularly undertakes studies that are of critical importance to consumers so Godrej Interio may share the knowledge they gain with them and promote healthy ergonomic behaviours. This webinar is a step towards providing multiple perspectives from leading experts which would serve as a real-life guide for parents and caregivers when designing ergonomic learning spaces for their children.

Godrej Interio, through its myriad range of products and solutions has been supporting the education industry for over 30 years and has serviced over 15,000 educational institutions.

Quotes Annexure

Fatema Agarkar, Founder of Agarkar Centre of Excellence (ACE), said “Virtual School enabled ‘learning’ to continue despite all odds, building on important skill development, not to mention academic targets, and for most progressive families and schools, it became a year of adaptation as homes transformed into ‘schools’ and schools embraced tech platform to empower students. Adjustments, and building capacities and capabilities became the order of life, and this new normal enabled plenty of re-thinking, and re-design and for most parts was about balance. Looking at it as opportunities to grow rather than be bogged down with challenges and ditching some ‘traditional’ beliefs meant learning was continuous. For me, striking the right note, and being flexible and open-minded has defined the journey for families that have coped and schools that enjoy parental support. In addition, having resources such as Godrej Interio’s whitepaper 'Taking Care of Children as they Learn from Home' can provide you with innovative ways to address the opportunities that virtual learning has brought us.”

Lina Ashar, Co-Founder Korroboree said “If this time has taught us anything, it is that an anti-fragile mindset, agility, adaptability, empathy, self-awareness, self-regulation, focus and creativity are more important than Math, English, History and Geography. We always have a choice in how we view situations and circumstances, and our children are most likely to adopt the same stories and ways of seeing things as their parents do. We have a choice to think about technology as increasing or decreasing the quality of our emotional health and wellbeing, learning and motivation. The way we perceive it will make all the difference in how we use it and the outcome this has for our children. Resources such as Godrej Interio's whitepaper titled 'Taking Care of Children as they Learn from Home' are essential tools in arming us with information to make the right choice for our children.”

Chandni Bhagat, Prominent Child Psychologist, said “The ongoing pandemic has been extremely challenging for kids. As they are home-schooling for the second consecutive year, they are grappling with several issues which they maybe unable to freely express. Godrej Interio’s whitepaper 'Taking Care of Children as they Learn from Home’ spotlights the need to promote a healthy home-schooling experience.”

Commenting on the webinar, Sameer Joshi, Head – Associate Vice President, Marketing (B2B), Godrej Interio, said, “Owing to the precarious pandemic situation, today, parents and children have been forced into home-schooling and this is likely to carry on for a while. However, as safe as this new model of education is, it is equally challenging in certain ways. Parents often find their children hunched over a laptop computer screen to attend lectures and complete their assignments. This lack of infrastructure, coupled with awkward postures adopted while studying and limited physical activities impose health risks on children at a very young age. 53% of the children we surveyed in our whitepaper 'Taking Care of Children as they Learn from Home' ‘felt tired at the end of the day due to online classes. We hope these well researched resources are widely used by parents and teachers alike and serve as guides to creating a better learning environment for children. These small and doable changes to the study environment that are detailed in the whitepaper will go a long way in keeping children healthy and happy in the long term.”

About Godrej Interio:

Godrej Interio (GI) is India’s premium furniture brand in both home and institutional segments with a strong commitment to sustainability and centers of excellence in design, manufacturing and retail.

Led by the largest in-house design team in the country in the furniture category and awarded with 34 India Design Mark Awards till date, GI aims to transform spaces with its thoughtfully designed furniture to create brighter homes and offices with products that have the highest design quotient in aesthetics, functionality and technology. With consistent pursuit of excellence and a special focus on health and ergonomics, GI’s product portfolio comprises a massive range.

Today, we design and manufacture furniture for office spaces, homes, educational institutes, healthcare facilities, laboratories and more. Along with furniture we offer Audio Visual and 360 Degree Turnkey solutions. Each of our product range revolves around comfort and aesthetics while delivering well-designed, fun and functional furniture solutions. Briefly, Godrej Interio transforms dream spaces to life!

Godrej Interio has 7 manufacturing facilities situated at Mumbai, Khalapur, Haridwar, Shirwal, and Bhagwanpur. GI’s Shirwal Plant is Green Co Platinum Certified, and Mumbai Plants are Green Co Gold Certified. GI is widely known for its comprehensive sustainability certifications for its products in furniture category.

GI commitment to the environment has resulted in manufacturing products with lesser environment footprint. Our pioneering efforts include designing less environment burdening products, usage of eco-friendly materials and setting up less polluting and consuming processes, ensuring eco-friendly packaging and transportation and finally the extended responsibility of recycling/reuse of used furniture and scrap, thus ensuring a lifecycle approach to green. GI has the widest range of green choices for our customers which not only includes products but also services such as green interiors and recycling.

Currently present in over 650 cities with 250 exclusive showrooms and 800 dealers, GI is one of the largest divisions of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., part of the Godrej Group, one of India's largest engineering and customer product groups.

The brand boasts of noteworthy awards received so far- CII Exim Bank Award for Business Excellence 2016, Superbrands 2017-18, Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brand 2018 Gold (Home Furniture and Modular Kitchen), TRA’s India’s Most Consumer focused brand 2019, GreenCo Star Performer Award 2019, National Energy Leader Award at CII National Award for Excellence in Energy Management 2018.

Zupee Skilling Academy Launched To Improve Employability Skills, Promote Equal Opportunities

* NIIT Foundation will be the first partner association; to provide 100% placement assistance to the students as they learn 

Online gaming pioneer and industry leader, Zupee announced the launch of their skilling academy, which will impart employable skills and promote equal opportunities in the youth of the country. Zupee Skilling Academy (ZSA) will be a first-of-its-kind mission by a corporation, aimed at skilling, upskilling and educating young, disadvantaged Indians. The idea is to prepare them for the future by getting them ready through skill training and ensuring that everyone in the program has equal opportunities for employment. 

To kick off the mission, Zupee has joined hands with a leading NGO, NIIT Foundation, to launch a unique CSR vocational skill program for the underserved youth of Mumbai, enabling them to get entry-level jobs. The Zupee-NIIT Foundation program will include certification training in digital marketing. The participants will be trained in important concepts like search engine optimization, running search ads, social media marketing and analytics, all highly desirable skill sets that prepare them for jobs of the future. 

“We are truly delighted to launch the Zupee Skills Academy (ZSA), which is part of our broader CSR vision based on three key pillars focusing on Sustainability & ESG, equal opportunities through skilling and upskilling, and technology & gaming for good.  We are happy to have NIIT Foundation as our first partner in the Zupee Skilling Academy. This CSR initiative is aimed to raise the target population’s quality of life, status and living standards, leading to overall community development in the long run. Being a leader in the online gaming space, Zupee’s mission is to use gamification of education and skilling for better learning outcomes. With our association with NIIT Foundation, we will be providing certification courses that will prepare the marginalised sections of the Mumbai youth with the much-needed employment opportunities. We are excited about this partnership as this is a tremendous opportunity to do good and bring about a transformation that has been long awaited”, said Dr. Subi Chaturvedi, Chief Corporate and Public Affairs Officer, Zupee. 

Commenting on the partnership, Sapna Moudgil, Director, NIIT Foundation, said, “We are thrilled to have Zupee on board as our CSR partner. This initiative will include a hybrid model, which will leverage our Learning Management System and in a co-curated program, which will be implemented by NIIT Foundation, students will have access to training modules, audio-visual media, ebooks, and other curriculum based study and testing material. Post-certification, we will provide 100% placement assistance to every youth that successfully completes their training and we will do our best to ensure that every single participant is placed in their relevant field.” 

Skilling the youth for the new jobs is becoming a global concern. According to the United Nations, by 2030, 4.9 billion people will be living in urban areas and depend on skilled jobs. With emerging technologies promising to usher the next industrial revolution, it is imperative to prepare the workforce for it. From digital marketing to machine learning and automation, skilled manpower will be the biggest challenge going forward as traditional learning methods fail to prepare the students for such jobs. Zupee intends, through its skilling academy, to create game-based learning programs that can teach these skills to users in an engaging and entertaining way. It has been proven that game-based learning improves learning, motivation and retention in students and this partnership intends to leverage this for maximum efficacy. To ensure maximum coverage, Zupee will be looking to tie up with several charities, trusts and skilling organizations to bring about this transformation in learning and education. 

The Zupee Skilling Academy (ZSA) is a continuous, sustained long-term project that intends to lead the biggest transformation in traditional education, learning and skilling. This program aims be the impetus the country needs to become the talent hub of the world for emerging technologies, as it has been for the IT and ITES companies in early 2000s preparing a workforce of the future and unlocking the potential of gaming for all, to claim India’s rightful place in the global value chain. 

We remain committed towards realisation of the Hon. Prime Minister’s vision of a fully connected and empowered Digital India. 

Avishkaar To Offer Curated Online Courses With Every Computing Devices Purchase On Flipkart

* A recent survey by Avishkaar revealed that 53% of the parent respondents use the hands-on learning approach in the form of toys and kits to keep up their children’s interest levels in next-gen tech & STEM subjects 

Avishkaar, a leading next-generation technology education provider, has joined hands with Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, to offer curated online courses along with the purchase of laptops and tablets to enhance students’ learning potential. As part of this, Avishkaar will be providing an Innovators Launchpad Course to enable children as young as 8 years to learn the basics of robotics, electronics, coding, and application development with expert trainers all for free. In addition, Flipkart customers will be able to avail Avishkaar Robotics and IoT Kits and  Microdegrees for children in an affordable manner. 

This collaboration is a part of Flipkart’s 3 month long Back to School campaign announced earlier in April and is aimed at enhancing the learning potential of students as digital learning takes precedence. A survey conducted by Avishkaar among 5,000 parents and 5,000 children  gauged the perception of parents of young children, as well as the children themselves on their career aspirations in STEM and next-generation technology fields. The survey revealed that 53% of the parent respondents use the hands-on learning approach to keep up their children’s interest levels in next-gen tech & STEM subjects. This includes toys and kits that help their children with application-based learning. 

This, along with the rise in digital learning due to the pandemic-induced lockdowns make it imperative for students to choose the right set of computing devices namely laptops and tablets to have an immersive learning experience.

Speaking on the association, Pooja Goyal, COO and Co-founder, Avishkaar said, “Flipkart's campaign is a great initiative to inspire children to master technology skills when lockdowns are forcing children to stay home. Avishkaar sets the gold standard for learning next-generation technology skills like Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and coding and we are thrilled to partner with Flipkart to make it accessible for children across India. Also, with the right computing devices offered by Flipkart coupled with Avishkaar kits and courses, children will be able to better learn by building, breaking, and re-building chapters”. Speaking on the partnership, Rakesh Krishnan, Senior Director, Electronics at Flipkart said, “Flipkart has a nuanced understanding of customers’ evolving needs and is at the forefront of fulfilling their requirements with the best-in-class technological solutions. WIth digital learning taking precedence since last year, our partnership with Avishkaar will help students find their favourite online learning materials along with the right set of computing devices. Currently,  almost 40-45% of the demand for electronics for Flipkart comes from the student community and hence it becomes even more imperative to offer curated offerings to this customer cohort”. 

Flipkart has especially curated a page to help students in selecting the right computing and electronic items such as laptops, tablets, printers, audio devices and IT peripherals along with online learning materials depending on one’s primary use case. Avishkaar’s products can be found here: https://www.avishkaar.cc/shop/

Leading Tech Enterprise - HFCL To Set Up 2nd Model PM-WANI Village In Karnataka

* Project undertaken in collaboration with the Telecom Infra Project and i2e1 to power the Wi-Fi network in Baidebettu

Leading Indian Wi-Fi brand and one of the first TIP OpenWiFi compliant solutions provider, IO by HFCL, in collaboration with Telecom Infra Project (TIP), today announced setting up their 2nd PM-WANI powered connectivity for Baidebettu village in Karnataka. This PM-WANI network will provide high speed Wi-Fi Internet to over 9,000 residents of the otherwise poorly connected village located in Brahmavara Taluk, Udupi district.

The project entails setting up a robust outdoor Wi-Fi network for providing broadband Internet connectivity to the entire village population. The outdoor network will use HFCL IO’s TIP OpenWiFi-based Access Points, Point-to-Point radios, Solar Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices and other network equipment. The Wi-Fi network authentication and regulatory monitoring will be powered by i2e1 core solutions who will also act as the Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA) under the PM-WANI model. The network is expected to go live by July 31, 2021.

The integrated package being deployed is indigenously developed and built in India for high performance, is fully secure and designed to withstand and perform under harsh weather conditions including heavy rainfall that the village receives throughout the year.

The network will offer Wi-Fi Internet with bandwidth of up to 500 Mbps in all common areas of the village that is spread across a radius of 6 kilometers. Due to its remote location under high rainfall zone, and absence of IT and Internet infrastructure, Baidebettu presently does not have any reliable connectivity. As a result, villagers earlier would travel many kilometers to nearby towns to get digitally connected. Recent Covid-19 restrictions further impacted this travel and have severely affected their lives.

With this deployment, the entire village of 9,000 population will come under the broadband fold, which is expected to significantly improve their quality of life by providing them access to digital services such as healthcare, education, banking, retail, entertainment, government digital services and many more. 

After the huge success of HFCL’s first PM-WANI model village deployment, which was set up three months ago in the small remote village of Baslambi in Haryana, HFCL intends to replicate the model and once again demonstrate the strength of the PM-WANI concept powered by TIP’s multi-vendor compatible OpenWiFi capabilities. HFCL believes that this will not only connect the residents of this remote village and offer them access to all digital services but also inspire other ISPs and solution providers to collaborate & innovate to address the two biggest challenges to rural connectivity - affordability and accessibility.

HFCL’s Promoter & Managing Director, Mr. Mahendra Nahata said, “We at HFCL are committed to transforming #InternetForAll into a ubiquitous reality and have successfully collaborated with leading core solution providers to strengthen the connectivity ecosystem. After great success of our first model PM-WANI village in North India, where we deployed our robust, scalable, interoperable, and TIP OpenWiFi based Access Points to provide broadband access, we are now replicating the model in a remote village in Southern India. With this initiative, we believe students in the village will no longer need to travel to get connected and this would pave the way for every villager to stay connected and explore infinite possibilities to grow in all areas of life. This further demonstrates our faith in PM-WANI scheme as a significant enabler in connecting the remotest parts of the country.”

TIP’s Chief Engineer David Hutton said: “We are glad to have HFCL as an active participant of the TIP OpenWiFi community. It is heartening to see HFCL’s enthusiasm and commitment to making multi-vendor Wi-Fi architecture a reality. HFCL’s “Built in India” disaggregated OpenWiFi solutions in conjunction with PM-WANI demonstrates early success in employing TIP OpenWiFi to address the digital divide.”

“We are pleased to associate with HFCL for yet another PM-WANI opportunity. It feels proud to be part of another HFCL’s “Connect the Unconnected” initiative using their TIP OpenWiFi compliant solutions. This further emphasizes HFCL’s commitment to make in India world class network equipment to connect the unconnected. This also demonstrates their faith in PM-WANI scheme as the key driver to provide broadband Internet access to all citizens of the country,” said Satyam Darmora, Founder & CEO, i2e1.

About HFCL Limited:

HFCL Limited (formerly Himachal Futuristic Communications Limited) is a leading technology enterprise engaged in manufacturing of high-end Transmission and Access Equipment, Optical Fiber, Optical Fiber Cables (OFC) and is specialized in setting up modern communication network for Telecom Service Providers, Railways, Defense, Smart City and Surveillance projects.

The Company has state-of-the-art Optical Fiber and Optical Fiber Cable manufacturing facilities at Hyderabad, Optical Fiber Cable manufacturing plant in Goa and in its subsidiary i.e. HTL Limited at Chennai along with FRP Rod manufacturing facility in its subsidiary at Hosur. It also has a telecom equipment manufacturing facility at Solan.

The Company’s in-house Centre for Excellence in Research located at Gurgaon & Bengaluru along with invested R&D Houses and other collaborators at different locations in India and abroad, innovate futuristic range of technology products and solutions. Some of the newly developed products through in-house R&D are Wi-Fi Systems, Unlicensed Band Radios, Switches, Electronic Fuses, Cloud Management Systems and Video Management Systems. There is a suite of products under development, which include Electro optic devices, Software Defined Radios, Routers, PON, Small cell for 5G, Intelligent Antenna Systems and Ground Surveillance Radars among others.

About i2e1:

i2e1 is India's first PM-WANI compliant Wi-Fi company. They harness the power of cloud to create a data platform over software defined networks using Wi-Fi.  Incubated at IIT Delhi, the company has been set up by a team of IIT /IIM graduates with extensive experience in data analytics and marketing. Visit www.i2e1.com for more information.

About the Telecom Infra Project

The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) is a global community of companies and organizations that are driving infrastructure solutions to advance global connectivity. Half of the world’s population is still not connected to the internet, and for those who are, connectivity is often insufficient. This limits access to the multitude of consumer and commercial benefits provided by the internet, thereby impacting GDP growth globally. However, a lack of flexibility in the current solutions - exacerbated by a limited choice in technology providers - makes it challenging for operators to efficiently build and upgrade networks. Founded in 2016, TIP is a community of diverse members that includes hundreds of companies - from service providers and technology partners, to systems integrators and other connectivity stakeholders. We are working together to develop, test and deploy open, disaggregated, and standards-based solutions that deliver the high quality connectivity that the world needs - now and in the decades to come. 

Third Edition Of Delivery Delight Index Launched By RedSeer And Shadowfax

* Increasing demand for express deliveries, higher willingness to pay for express delivery in ePharma 

* Players reliant on Third Party Logistics Partners are able to provide Impeccable Delivery Experience

According to the third edition of Delivery Delight Index (DDI#3) launched by RedSeer and Shadowfax, in 2021, digitally native brands (DNB) and vertical market players have emerged as the key champions on the back of improved delivery experience. 

In CY20 direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands grew 3x faster than overall eCommerce in India. The major growth drivers for this segment include the sizable set of mature customers and an enabling infrastructure. 

The specialised players in the logistics players enabling last-mile delivery, warehouse and new-age logistics space are enabling these brands to deliver and help them grow at such a rapid pace.

Delivery Delight Index is a toolkit for brands and platforms that has been developed after ~10,000 consumer surveys covering 38 players across four types of platforms i.e., E-tailing Marketplaces, Hyperlocal Marketplaces, Digitally Native Brands and Traditional Brands/Retailers. 

Commenting on the launch of the report, Abhishek Bansal, co-founder of Shadowfax, said, “The index reinstates our belief that customer expectations are moving towards faster and faster deliveries today. On the other hand, brands who are investing behind speed and delivery delight for consumers are gaining market share and consequently emerging as leaders in the index.” 

Key Highlights from the ‘Delivery Delight Index’

- Improved performance of players across ‘Speed of Delivery’ and ‘Delivery Experience’ is attributed to- 

·         Complete unlock in the JFM’21 period leading to smooth flow of the supply chain

- DNB platforms have improved speed of delivery by

* Adoption of Micro-warehouse, in partnership with third party warehousing aggregators and started same day or next day delivery

* Leading DNB platforms have also implemented ‘Doorstep QC’ of products leading to a  reduced refund time

Key frontrunners of the  ‘Delivery Delight Index’

E-tailing Marketplaces- Amazon, Firstcry, Myntra, Nykaa, Purple

Hyperlocal Marketplaces- Dunzo, Flipkart Supermart, Swiggy

Traditional Brands/Retailer- Lifestyle

Digitally Native Brands- Mi, Mamaearth, Wow, Bewakoof, Boat

On the launch of the third edition of delivery index, Anil Kumar, founder and CEO of RedSeer, said, “The study has shown that  despite the phenomenal growth of the D2C brands in recent times, these brands have been able to provide a superlative delivery experience with the support of third-party logistics players. Further, the specialised players in the warehousing and logistics space are enabling these new-age brands to fulfill the growing demand with a quality experience.”

About Shadowfax: Shadowfax, one of India’s largest crowdsourced logistics platforms, was established in 2015 with the vision of enabling commerce by empowering everyone, everywhere. Our unique tech-driven platform caters to the logistics needs of brands across verticals such as food, grocery, pharma, and e-commerce by providing a comprehensive, speedy and reliable solution right from first mile movement to doorstep delivery. On a mission to build the fastest and most reliable logistics network by empowering a million micro-entrepreneurs through technology to deliver anything, anywhere, our plug-and-play yet immersive APIs seamlessly bridge the logistical gap between businesses and their customers within minutes. Having raised $100Mn till date from marquee investors, the company currently services 500+ cities, covers 7000+ pin codes, 150K+ delivery network partners, and delivers 500K+ orders per day.

About RedSeer: RedSeer is a leader in the Internet and new age advisory. In 2020, RedSeer also emerged as the No 1 Deal Advisor to Private Equity. Our advisory is differentiated through our high-quality IP, market insights, and research, which helps both corporate and funds make the right choices. With more than 200 consultants across 5 offices, we have emerged as the largest home-grown regional consulting firm in the last 12 years.

NSDC and WhatsApp Launch “Digital Skill Champions Program” To Fuel Skill Development And Entrepreneurship Opportunities For Youth

* The alliance aims to support Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision to make India the Skill Capital of the World

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and WhatsApp today announced an alliance to launch the Digital Skill Champions Program that aims to train India’s youth on digital skills, in order to make them employment ready. Through this program, school and university students would be coached to imbibe digital and online skills that would culminate with WhatsApp and NSDC awarding ‘Digital Skill Champions’ certification. The course is based on a module-format, is comprehensive and intensive in imparting knowledge about important aspects of the online ecosystem, equipping students with technology-based learning on campuses across tier 3 and 4 towns and cities throughout the country.

The partnership identifies two broad areas of collaboration viz., WhatsApp Digital Skills Academy and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) and WhatsApp Business App Training sessions.

WhatsApp Digital Skills Academy: As part of the Digital Skill Academies, young adults from tier 3 and 4 cities will be trained on critical aspects of digital safety and online privacy. These digital academies will deliver safe technology-based learning among the youth and train them on taking charge of their safety online as they embark on their professional journeys. The initiative will kick off with a pilot across 50 campuses in five states, namely Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The program will be imparted through WhatsApp’s project implementation partner- InfiSpark.

PMKK and WhatsApp Business App Training: WhatsApp will conduct training sessions to familiarise   Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra trainers with the WhatsApp Business app. The training will cover modules on leveraging benefits of the WhatsApp Business app and to make small business entrepreneurship aspirational for young skill seekers. The trained PMKK community cadres will further manage and administer the WhatsApp Business app training to youth aspiring to become small business entrepreneurs. 

Announcing the program, Dr. Manish Kumar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) said, “In a rapidly evolving digital world, NSDC aims to extend scope of virtual learning for youth across India.  It aims to empower youth with new-age skills to make them employable and more productive in their work environment.”

Talking about the partnership, Mr. Shivanth Thukral, Director - Public Policy, WhatsApp- India said, “We are honoured to be a part of NSDC’s mission to skill India and to take shop floor readiness training to the last mile. As India embraces digital innovation and entrepreneurship, it is imperative that the youth today are made aware of and educated about how they can upskill themselves and take charge of their presence online. At WhatsApp, we believe that  online safety and privacy are vital drivers to a progressive digital society. Through this partnership, we are committed to enhance the digital skills of the aspiring entrepreneurs and empower the youth of our country to create a safe digital environment for all.”

About National Skill Development Corporation

National Skill Development Corporation, working under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, is a unique public-private-partnership that aims to catalyze the creation of a quality vocational training ecosystem in India. Since its inception in 2010, NSDC has trained more than 2.5 crore people through its partnership with 600+ training partners, 11,000+ training centers spread over 600+ districts across the country. NSDC has established 36 Sector Skill Councils and is implementing Government’s flagship skill development schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), among others.

About WhatsApp

With 15 million monthly users of the business app in India, and more than 50 million globally, businesses are finding tremendous value through WhatsApp. WhatsApp has played an instrumental role in helping small businesses interact with their customers and optimize sales especially now at the difficult time of the pandemic, when digital tools continue to serve as a lifeline for businesses and customers to stay connected. This association is another meaningful step towards WhatsApp’s commitment of driving digital and financial inclusion in India.

The Science Of Lung-Gut-Brain Axis In Fighting COVID-19 Across India

By: Ajoy Prabhu

Co-Founder & CTO, Circee Health Pvt. Ltd., DCA, MS (Pathology), MBA

(Ajoy is a medical scientist, innovator, and a serial entrepreneur)

COVID-19 has, rightfully so, brought a lot of attention to the health of our lungs. We are thinking of increasing - even if not practising regularly -  pranayam, yog, neti. We are even taking in zinc and vitamin D to try and stave off any viral infections. It might surprise you to know that most of our immunity building doesn’t come from physically keeping the lungs moving, but taking care of what truly runs our entire body smoothly. Before you read on, try to guess what that could possibly be. 

Did you know that we humans are actually a bunch of human cells carefully being controlled by microbes that outnumber our own cells? For every 100 human cells we have within us, there are 130 microbial cells! Does that sound fantastic and outlandish? Wait! It gets even more ridiculous- human cells have about 20,000 genes, but the gut microbes in-total have about 20,000,000 genes! Tell me now, who controls whom?

First let me convince you that this (the fact that we are being controlled) is true, before talking about the health of our brain, and finally, our lungs. 

Consider a case reported in 2015 of a lady that had a major colon infection. No matter what her doctors tried, her infection just wouldn't go away. Decades before the infection, she was of normal weight. During the infection of course, she lost some weight. Finally as a last resort, the doctors suggested a fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). An FMT is exactly what it sounds like - the process involves taking feces from a donor (usually a close relative), scrubbing it of wastes, and depositing the rest (mostly microbes) in the recipient's colon. In this case, the donor was her sixteen year old daughter. In due course, the lady got better, but noticed something strange - she became overweight and even obese - just like her daughter was! The gut microbes were not only more effective at digesting and absorbing fat, they were perhaps even making her think about eating more often. There was no other change in her lifestyle other than the FMT. This is not an isolated case. Similar phenomena have been observed many times in cases following FMT. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that her daughter’s gut microbes were now responsible for the weight gain in both mother and daughter!

This is just one example (of weight gain), but there have been numerous documented cases of the gut bacteria changing the mood of individuals (in one case of even making the person suicidal!). The very same type of FMT has even shown to reduce type 2 diabetes in individuals.

Consider this - our gut harbors 99% of the bacteria in our body. Until recently, the thought was that we obtain our gut bacteria from the mother during childbirth. Recent evidence has emerged that this is not the case. We now know that much before birth, these bacteria (and other microorganisms) start their interaction with the human “host” (fetus) and “teach” the fetus their way of signalling. As they signal, we respond - way before birth. There is strong proof from the fact that prematurely born children have a disrupted “lesson” learned from these microbes. This can lead to many immunological issues including in the lung, in the form of allergies. This phenomenon has also been replicated in germ-free (GF) mice. They too suffer the consequences of diminished immunity towards infections, and even behavioral traits! 

It is now known that bacterial by-products that come in contact with the inner gut surface, stimulate special types of cells lining the gut (called the enteroendocrine cells) to produce several neuropeptides - small molecules that alter the brain function. Therefore, it follows that these neuropeptides control, in real-time, the brain’s reaction to the condition of the gut. If the gut is full and food is being digested, one set of signals are received by the brain, if not, then another set is received. For example a type of bacteria called Lactobacillus acidophilus stimulates brain receptors for opioids (opium-like compound), thereby reducing perception of pain in the gut. Other neuropeptides function to regulate blood flow into, and motility of, the gut lining. In fact, in a study of over 4,000 patients, scientists at the famous Cleveland Clinic showed that they can predict strokes in the brain a full 3 years ahead simply by looking at the production of a compound called TMSO, by certain gut microbes when the subjects digested meat. Until a few months ago, this was only thought to be a coincidence. A few months ago, the same scientists then re-created the phenomenon in mice and showed that increased TMSO causes strokes.

Think of the gut microbes as a well-manicured lawn. In that, densely growing grass does not allow other weeds to proliferate. However, when the make-up of gut microbes is altered significantly - such as when a person takes antibiotics - it is known as dysbiosis. This phenomenon turns the gut microbes and the brain to foes- they start to send wrong signals to each other, and an already disrupted lawn gets clogged with weeds - in this case, infection. To add to this, 90% of the main nerve that connects the gut to the brain (called the vagus nerve) goes towards the brain, not from it! What does that tell us? The nerve takes information (commands?) to the brain and not the other way around. Multiple sclerosis, a devastating autoimmune disease that leads to progressive deterioration of neurologic function, has been shown to be greatly  influenced by the gut microbiome.

Just as the gut alters the brain function, it does the same with many other organs. Of particular interest is its influence on the lungs. Lungs are by far one of the most vasculated organs in the body. By that, I mean there are literally hundreds of thousands of blood vessels that supply deoxygenated blood and remove oxygenated blood from the organ. As mentioned earlier, the gut bacteria is responsible for “teaching” the organs, particularly the lungs about keeping good house- compounds produced in the gut bacteria directly affect how the tissues within the lungs respond to inhaled foreign objects- be it a particle of soot, or a bacteria. It teaches the lungs exactly what types of cells and compounds (such as antibodies and antiviral compounds, called interferons)  to produce for defense, and when to do so. 

By far the strongest link that has been established between the lung and gut is by way of compounds called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These are the main byproduct of the gut microbiota. Evidence suggests that SCFAs play a role in the control of infections both through direct action on microorganisms attempting to infect the lung, as well as in “teaching” the human cells and other aforementioned compounds how to kill or neutralize the attacking microorganism such as COVID-19.

The natural next question in your mind should be, about production of these SCFAs. These natural anti-COVID-19 compounds are best produced when complex carbohydrates and fibers are being digested (more accurately, fermented) in the gut by certain bacteria. The best “fertilizer” for these bacteria are vegetables, fruits and nuts. Bacterial digestion of plant-matter in the gut is like a booster shot of immunity to the body. Therefore it should come as no surprise that a 2021 study in the British Medical Journal of about 3,000 frontline healthcare workers documented that those that ate a whole food plant-based diet were 73% better protected from severe COVID-19 infection. This is even better than some of the anti-COVID-19 vaccines that are being marketed!

So, eat your vegetables, fruits and nuts to feed your gut bacteria. A healthy set of gut microbes will automatically lead to strong, immune-boosted lungs and a healthy brain!