Abbott Launches Grow Right 2.0 Highlighting The Right M-E-A-N-S To Help Parents Foster Holistic Growth In Children

·     Indian parents remain concerned about after-effects of the pandemic on their children as they begin returning to a normal lifestyle, reveals a new Abbott-Momspresso survey

·     Abbott’s Grow Right 2.0 Charter can help parents address concerns with expert-backed guidelines to help encourage healthy habits in children

The pandemic has shifted many normal routines, especially related to parenting, and a new Abbott-Momspresso survey has brought to fore several concerns and apprehensions that Indian parents continue to face. To encourage healthy, holistic growth in kids, Abbott has launched its Grow Right 2.0 charter introducing M-E-A-N-S guidelines for good practices in Measuring growth, Eating, Activity, Nurturing and Sleep. The charter – backed by health and nutrition experts – can help address parents’ concerns by providing tips to encourage healthy lifestyle habits that will positively impact their children.

The survey, conducted online earlier this year with over 2,500 moms across India, highlights changes in eating habits and physical activity – two key lifestyle functions impacting healthy growth in children:

68% of the respondents feel that their child have become fussier with food choices

84% feel that the pandemic has led to reduced physical activity and increased use of digital technologies

70% feel that their child’s immunity is not strong enough to be safe in external environments

The Grow Right 2.0 Charter developed by Abbott acknowledges the survey results and includes recommendations from a guild of leading experts in childcare pediatrics, nutrition and behavioral science, including pediatricians Dr. Indu Khosla and Dr. Sumon Poddar, nutritionist Dr. Eileen Canday and child psychiatrist Dr. Shiva Prakash Srinivasan.

An Underlying Need to Adopt the Right M-E-A-N-S to Grow

With the world re-opening and with physical schools and offices resuming, there is a noticeable momentum in the shift back to the highly anticipated normal. It is important for parents and children alike to unlearn some habits formed over isolation – like inactivity – and disrupted living patterns.

''The early years of a child’s life are foundational and very important for lifelong health and development,'' said Swati Dalal, general manager of Abbott’s nutrition business in India. ''Nurturing growth is critical, which is why Abbott is acknowledging parents’ concerns and empowering them with the Grow Right 2.0 Charter with the right M-E-A-N-S to ensure their child is not just growing physically but also holistically.''

The M-E-A-N-S guidelines include disciplined sleeping patterns, meal schedules, physical activity time and intellectual pauses/reflections:

Measuring & monitoring growth: Correct measuring is important to understand and monitor a child’s growth. It can also help identify shortfalls in growth so that parents can act early and address the cause.

Eating correctly: Nutrition is key for holistic growth and immune system support. A child’s daily diet should include the five food groups – cereals, pulses, milk & meat, fruits & vegetables, fats & sugar. For parents of fussy eaters, oral nutrition supplements can help ensure children receive balanced nutrition.

Actively playing: Physical activity helps improve bone health, enhances sleep, and promotes overall physical health. It can also help lower risk of health issues, including pediatric obesity.

Nurturing & disciplining: Parents can promote emotional well-being by showing empathy and encouraging kids to share their feelings. Experts recommend avoiding punishing children frequently but instead allowing them time to reflect and resolve to help fix their behaviour.

Encouraging sleep: Early-age healthy sleeping habits are important to promote physical and cognitive performance in children. It is recommended for parents to build a bedtime routine for kids and maintain timing consistency.

''The foundations of lifelong physical and mental health are laid in early childhood. Building healthy habits and routines can help promote optimal growth and enhance children’s chances of succeeding in school,'' said Dr. Shiva Prakash Srinivasan, Child Psychiatrist. ''Parents and caregivers have the opportunity to find effective and creative ways to engage with their children and to lead by example.''

World Wi-Fi Day: ACT Fibernet Builds ‘Digital Inclusion’ Through Public Wi-Fi Hotspots In India

* In 2021 alone, the broadband company installed over 4000 Wi-Fi Hotspots across Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai, that consumed over 2500 TB of data.

To further strengthen its initiative towards building a digitally inclusive society, ACT Fibernet has been enabling free internet access to all the people across major cities in India. In 2021 alone, the broadband company installed over 4000 Wi-Fi Hotspots across Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai, that consumed over 2500 TB of data.

Today, we depend on internet connectivity for everything, from work to shopping, entertainment, and knowledge. As people’s lives are increasingly mediated via digital interactions built on information and communication technologies, multiple services are now being available digitally. However, not all have access to the internet and its abilities, which creates a digital divide in society.

To build a digitally inclusive society and to empower citizens of India, ACT Fibernet undertook multiple initiatives across different parts of the country in the last year. The company installed 4300+ Wi-Fi Hotspots across Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bangalore. These hotspots, powered by ACT SmartFiber™ technology, are located across hospitals, bus stops, malls, public libraries, parks, and schools. In the last year, ACT Fibernet saw the success of these projects, as the hotspots registered a total of over 1.4 million unique users, who consumed an average of 1.8 GB data each.

On the occasion of World Wi-Fi Day, Bala Malladi, CEO, ACT Fibernet said, “Today, we are at a stage where digital technologies are increasingly the heart of everyday interactions. So, having limited access to technology often results in limited access to basic needs and services. As a result, solving digital disparity is more important than before. At ACT Fibernet, this has always been important to us, and we are happy to contribute to bridging the digital divide through our Wi-Fi hotspots.”

Across all ACT Fibernet Wi-Fi hotspots, existing customers of ACT Fibernet, when they login with their ACT credentials, get their current home plan broadband speeds. E.g. if ACT Fibernet users have 100 Mbps plan speed at home, they will get 100 Mbps speed at these Wi-Fi hotspots too. Guest users have to login through the ACT Free Wi-Fi portal with their phone number and OTP and can use free internet for 45 mins at 40 Mbps speed and 1 GB data limit without any cost.

Godrej Appliances Records Triple-Digit Growth For Deep Freezers

~Targets doubling market share in 5 years with significant investments

Godrej Appliances, business unit of Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, has recorded over 100% volume growth for Deep Freezers this summer season in comparison to pre-pandemic summer of 2019. This growth was led by rising temperatures in the summer season that brought about an incremental demand and consumption of ice creams across India. Moreover, ready-to-cook and frozen foods are gaining popularity and acceptance among the working professionals and millennial generation, especially with a boom in the variety of frozen foods being offered to consumers today.

India's commercial refrigeration market is sized at approx. 1 million units with 10% -12% CAGR in the last 5 years. This year, the industry grew by 15% over the previous year, and the expected CAGR over the next 5 years is also around 15%. Godrej Appliances is ready to cater to this increased demand and has witnessed robust growth across India.

Kamal Nandi, Business Head and Executive Vice President – Godrej Appliances, part of Godrej & Boyce said, “We witnessed high growth this year for Deep Freezer category which accounts for around 5% of our overall business. We are currently at 10% market share for this product category. In next two years, we plan to invest over 25 crores towards adding new models and expanding production capacity. This will help us to grow our market share to 15% by FY 23—24, and achieve our goal of doubling market share to 20% in the next 5 years in Deep Freezers.

Rajinder Koul, Product Group Head – Godrej Appliances said, “There was a pent-up demand this summer after the pandemic-induced lockdown in the last two summers. Consumers showcased more confidence to venture out of their homes. With hotels and restaurants doing well, consumers wanting to indulge in a variety of frozen foods and ice-cream, especially given the strong heat wave, Deep Freezers witnessed strong demand.”

In line with the brand’s commitment to energy efficiency and environment, Godrej was the first in India to introduce Deep Freezers with 4 star & 3 star certified BEE energy rating.  It also uses the world's most eco-friendly R-290 refrigerant making it highly energy-efficient and environment friendly. The brand is known for its cooling expertise across categories. It pioneered D-cool technology in its deep freezers which maximises refrigeration efficiency without consuming extra energy. It also introduced the 5 side Penta cool technology, an advancement over the regular 4-side cooling, and its high PUF thickness of 70-85mm delivers maximum cooling retention, All these technological advancements enable upto 44% faster temperature pull-down time*, up to INR 10,000* power savings annually and cooling retention of up to 200 Hours* basis internal tests – delivering superior performance to consumers.

*Visit  http://bit.ly/GATnC_  

About Godrej Appliances

Godrej Appliances, a business unit of the highly diversified Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. is one of the leading Home Appliances players in India. Godrej was the first Indian Company in 1958 to manufacture Refrigerators and has since then, expanded its portfolio across many other categories like Washing Machines, Air Conditioners, Microwave Ovens, futuristic Thermo-electric cooling solutions, Air Coolers, Deep Freezers, highly specialized Medical Refrigerators and more recently, UVC Technology-Based Disinfecting devices and Dishwashers, all powered by the driving philosophy of 'Things Made Thoughtfully’/ ‘Soch Ke Banaya Hai’. 

This thought extends from human-centric design to planet centric design. Environment is a core value at Godrej Appliances. Both manufacturing units of Godrej Appliances’ - in Maharashtra and Punjab, became the first in the country to win the coveted Platinum Plus Green Co certification for its pioneering green manufacturing practices. 

The brand takes pride in not just its carefully designed products and environment-friendly technologies, but also best in class after-sales service delivered through over 680 service centers and more than 4500 SmartBuddy service experts spread all over the country.

To learn more visit : https://www.godrej.com/godrej-appliances

Aditya Birla Health Insurance Launches ‘Health Add-Ons’ In India

~A range of unique add-on covers for comprehensive protection~

Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co. Limited. (ABHICL), the health insurance subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), a significant non-bank financial services conglomerate, has launched ‘Health Add-ons’, a range of six unique add-on covers that can be added to the existing indemnity plans to provide a comprehensive cover at an affordable price. These Health Add-ons can be added to ABHICL’s retail indemnity plans such as Activ Health, Activ Assure and Activ Care.

In the recent times, investing in health insurance has become an important part of financial planning to protect your loved ones from medical emergencies. These ‘Health Add-ons’ will enable policyholders and their families to safeguard their future. The new set of health riders with specially designed add-ons can be attached with standalone health insurance plans such as Activ Health, Activ Assure and Activ Care.

Speaking about the launch of Add-ons, Mr. Mayank Bathwal, CEO, Aditya Birla Health Insurance said, “In today’s uncertain times, customers continuously look for comprehensive health cover. In order to help them expand their universe of indemnity, we have launched a set of add-on riders that can be added to our retail indemnity plans. The six new health add-ons will provide extra protection to the policyholders by making their health insurance policies more robust and comprehensive. Available at an affordable premium, customers can now avail multiple benefits like protection of no claim bonus, cover for vaccines, tele-OPD consultations, and more.” 

The six new add-ons are namely, Future Secure, Cancer Hospitalisation Booster, Vaccine Cover, Personal Accident, reduction in PED waiting period and Tele-OPD Consultation. The key features of these products include:

1.       Future Secure Add-On:

Non-Medical Expense waiver – The rider covers the cost of non-medical Items during hospitalization arising out of illness or injury during the policy period.

Sum Insured Inflation protection – Helps with the additional increase in the sum insured of the base policy based on inflation rate in the previous calendar year as an inflation protector

No Claim Bonus Protector – Ensures no impact or reduction on ‘Any No Claim Bonus’ accrued at renewals, if total claims paid in the previous policy year of the base policy does not exceed the 25% of the sum insured of the base policy.

2.       Cancer Hospitalization Booster:  Customer will get up to 100% additional sum insured of the base policy towards medical expenses incurred for hospitalization in case of “Cancer of Specified Severity”. It also covers pre and post hospitalization expenses up to the sum insured of the base policy on reimbursement basis.

3.       Vaccine Cover:  Customer will be able to get vaccination cover for protection against any diseases which are declared as pandemic or epidemic by World Health Organization (WHO) or Central Government or State Government

4.       Personal Accident:  Claims in case of accidental death and permanent total disability (100 % of the sum insured) and a portion of the sum insured in case of permanent partial disability, if the said event occurs within 12 months of the accident. It also offers a cumulative bonus of 5% per claim free year, up to maximum 50% of Sum Insured

5.       Reduction in PED waiting period: If this Add-on cover is opted at the inception of the first policy with the insurer and they have accepted the same, then they will reduce the applicable Pre Existing disease waiting period for claims related to Pre-Existing Diseases to the period as opted and specified in the policy schedule/product benefit table.

·         Option 1 : 4 Yrs to 2 Yrs

·         Option 2 : 4 Yrs to 1 Yr

·         Option 3 : 3 Yrs to 2 Yrs

·         Option 4 : 3 Yrs to 1 Yr

6.       Tele – OPD Consultation: Medically necessary consultations / e- consultation and/or tele consultation will be provided from medical practitioners within network provider’s network on out-patient basis pertaining to an illness, injury contracted or sustained during the policy period.

Available at very affordable premiums, customers can choose one or multiple Add-on covers by paying additional premium. Same add-on covers are allowed with multiple base policies, subject to underwriting. However, Health Add-ons cannot be purchased in isolation or as a separate product.

LTI Named Snowflake GSI Global Delivery Platform Partner of the Year

Larsen & Toubro Infotech (BSE: 540005, NSE: LTI), a global technology consulting and digital solutions company, has been named the GSI Global Delivery Platform Partner of the Year by Snowflake, the Data Cloud company. This award was presented at the Snowflake Summit 2022 ‘The World of Data Collaboration’.

As an Elite Partner of Snowflake, LTI works with leading global organizations providing comprehensive Snowflake implementation and migration services across different industry verticals. This award demonstrates LTI’s leadership and excellence in accelerating migrations and implementations on the Snowflake Data Cloud at speed and scale.

Sudhir Chaturvedi, President & Executive Board Member, LTI, said “We are honored to be Snowflake GSI Global Delivery Platform Partner of the Year. This award is a testament to LTI’s execution expertise across strategy, migration, and modernization journeys on the Snowflake Data Cloud. Our Fosfor data suite facilitates adoption of Snowflake with optimized data processing performance, and the recently launched PolarSled 2.0 enhances our migration capabilities further. With these comprehensive offerings, we will continue to break the new ground in our partnership with Snowflake.”

Colleen Kapase, SVP WW Partner and Alliances, Snowflake, said, “I congratulate LTI on achieving this distinction. Snowflake’s strong partner ecosystem is foundational to our mission of enabling every organization to be data-driven. We look forward to continuing to help clients across industries better activate and unlock their data for business value together with LTI.”

Fosfor by LTI, data-to-decisions product suite for monetizing data is now available on the Snowflake platform. As a Technology Launch Partner for Snowpark Accelerated Program, LTI’s Fosfor suite offers:      

* Spectra: a comprehensive DataOps product enabling the fastest way to harness data

* Aspect: a no-code, unstructured data processing product

* Lumin: an augmented analytics product with a search-like interface for all types of insights

LTI has also earned the Snowflake Partner Network Competency badges for the Financial Services and Manufacturing industries by recently showcasing an impressive track record of customer success in these industries. 

About LTI:

LTI (NSE: LTI) is a global technology consulting and digital solutions Company helping more than 485 clients succeed in a converging world. With operations in 33 countries, we go the extra mile for our clients and accelerate their digital transformation journeys. Founded in 1997 as a subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Limited, our unique heritage gives us unrivalled real-world expertise to solve the most complex challenges of enterprises across all industries. Each day, our team of more than 45,000 LTItes enable our clients to improve the effectiveness of their business and technology operations and deliver value to their customers, employees, and shareholders. Find more at https://www.lntinfotech.com or follow us at @LTI_Global.

ABD India Unveils “Taste the Thrill” Campaign For Officers Choice Blue

 

* The campaign is live across the brand’s social media pages, key television channels and OTT platforms

ABD India has launched its new campaign “Taste the Thrill” for Officers Choice Blue (OC Blue). The brand’s new exciting creative expression urges the consumer to free “one’s mind” and recharge in a world of high energy, fun and enjoyment.

Stylish and modern tone of voice appeals to the youth who seek to live life to the full with their friends and colleagues.

Talking about the campaign, Shekhar Ramamurthy, Executive Deputy Chairman at ABD said “The new campaign for OC Blue taps into the inherent category codes of enjoyment and relaxation. We are confident that this communication will energize OC Blue with existing and new consumers. “

“For the OC Blue consumer, one of the key reasons to engage is the promise of escape and excitement. That’s the core idea the campaign brings alive in a simple, vivid way” said Kartik Smetacek – Jt. National Creative Director, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis Groupe

The brand plans to amplify the content through a targeted media campaign keeping consumer affinity for sports, news, and entertainment on television and the digital.

Link of the video: https://youtu.be/_CC3SdPxuwQ

India Tourism Development Corporation In Collaboration With Ministry of Tourism (MoT) Launches Tourism Awareness Programme

 

* The programme aims at drivers’ behavioural & soft skills training, with basic knowledge of foreign language

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, launched Tourism Awareness Programme (T.A.P) for taxi, cab, and coach drivers to offer behavioural & soft skill training. The programme has been launched under the ‘Capacity Building for Service Provider’ (CBSP) Scheme, and was officially launched by Dr. Sambit Patra, Chairman, ITDC), at the majestic Ashok Hotel, New Delhi in the presence of over 200 participants representing the transportation sector. On the occasion, Dr Patra also released the training manual, jointly with Sh. Piyush Tiwari, Director, Commercial & Marketing, and Sh. Harsh Bhutani, GM, Ashok Institute of Hospitality & Tourism Management (AIHTM).

Speaking at the event, Dr. Sambit Patra, Chairman, ITDC said, “Over the last 2 years, the tourism industry has witnessed a tidal shift in its growth, and with the world gradually opening up, we need to take crucial steps towards redefining the Tourist services. With this program, we aim to enhance the learnings of ‘saarthis’ and to provide them with the right skill set to effectively and efficiently present themselves and service the tourists exploring Incredible India”. Dr Patra applauded the Women Drivers and emphasized their importance in ensuring the comfort of foreign tourists arriving in our country.

Sharing his thought about the initiative, Mr. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, IAS, MD, ITDC said, “As we strengthen our focus towards redefining the tourism segment, it is vital to recognize the efforts and contributions of important segment such as Drivers of Tourists’ transport. With the initiation of the Tourism Awareness Program, necessary steps toward the growth and learning of this sector would be undertaken. Ashok Institute of Hospitality & Tourism Management (AIH&TM); HRD Division of ITDC; is proud to be a part of this program.”

The Tourism Awareness Program being conducted by the Ashok Institute of Hospitality & Tourism Management (AIH&TM), ITDC has been curated post identifying the necessity of Soft Skill training of taxi/coach Drivers as they are the first interface for the tourists who arrive at the Airports, Railway stations etc. The training programme has been designed very professionally and is flexible in nature, keeping in mind the daily wage/earning pattern of the Drivers. Spread across 16 hours, it focuses on imparting knowledge about behavioural & soft skills, personal hygiene and grooming, basic acquaintance of foreign languages, first –aid administering etc. enabling the drivers to service the tourists.