National Doctors’ Day is observed on July 1 every year. The role and importance of Doctors in our lives was never valued more than now

Authored by : Dr.Kasu Prasad Reddy – Chief Surgeon and Founder – MaxiVision Super Specialty Eye Hospitals, Hyderabad.

First and foremost let us remember the heroes of our country, the soldiers who lost their lives while doctoring to protect all of us from the enemy. 

Then some heroes don’t wear capes, we call them doctors. This anonymous one-liner has never been more true that it is today. We have all witnessed it at some point or the other during these past few months across television screens, in the news and elsewhere. I am 71 with high risk but working from day one for emergencies and from 1st May for selective because the primary duty of a doctor is to serve and this is the time when we are most needed. 

The role and importance of Doctors in our lives have never been valued more than during the current Pandemic. Though Doctors have always played a significant role in the lives of individuals and society as a whole the current scenario has bought the significance of their role

to the forefront. Like a soldier during wartime, doctors have gone beyond the call of duty working non-stop to save lives risking their own, especially our government doctors. 

In these difficult times, doctors have not given up in spite of many incidents being reported of

doctors being attacked by patients. Adding to their difficulties are also reports that some state governments are not being able to pay salaries. Some doctors have not gone home for several days. So far over 32 doctors have died of COVID 19.

Their contribution to human health is beyond comparison as Doctors not only save lives they also make a difference by helping patients alleviate pain, recover from a disease quicker and help improve the quality of life of a patient. A patient’s ability to lead a good life, even if they can’t be cured, makes a huge difference to them and to their families.

A doctor uses his extensive knowledge and applies the same to identify a medical problem faced by a patient and then uses his or her skills to cure it. During times like today where a contagious disease is threatening to claim almost an entire population across the globe not just a few hundred people. Timely measures and awareness by doctors is helping curb and contain this catastrophic situation from of going beyond control.

Like never before as a nation, we need to rise for this special occasion of Doctor’s Day, to show that we are proud of the talented medical professionals we have in our country. Recognizing the fact that doctor and their nurses and other medical personnel today are dealing with medical emergencies that neither India nor the world has ever witnessed.

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Exide Life Insurance in FY 2019-20 delivers strong growth in profits (INR 29 Crs, up 141%) with growth in premiums (INR 3220 Crs, up 12% vs FY 2018-19)

30 June 2020, Bengaluru: Exide Life Insurance, a 100% owned subsidiary of Exide Industries, reported a growth of 141% in Profits Before Tax (PBT) at INR 29 Crores in the Financial Year ended March 2020, compared to INR 12 Crores in the previous Financial Year (FY 18-19). This is the eighth consecutive year in which the Company has reported profits.

The Company has continued its emphasis on protection products resulting in the protection business mix increasing from 9% of Annualized Premium Equivalent (APE) in FY 18-19 to 11% in FY 19-20.

The Company has achieved its highest ever Claims Settlement Ratio at 98.15% and has a healthy Solvency Ratio of 210% versus the regulatory requirement of 150%.

Continuing with a very strong track record of declaring bonus payouts to participating policyholders every year since inception, the Company has announced Policyholder Bonus distribution of INR 324 Crores in FY 2019-20, a growth of 13.1% over previous FY.

Commenting on the results, Kshitij Jain, MD & CEO, Exide Life Insurance said, “Our primary focus remains value creation for customers and shareholders. Our long term strategy is to grow new business faster than the industry while continuing to improve on the quality of business.

Our commitment to this philosophy has paid off and our business performance has manifested in superior returns to our policyholders, with us being able to pay bonus to participating policyholders every year since inception. Needless to say we live by our promise and our core brand essence of Lamba Saath, Bharose Ki Baat.”

Policyholder Bonus
Considering the surplus that arose over the Financial Year in the Participating fund, the Company announced policyholder bonus of INR 324 Crores in FY 2019-20, a growth of 13.1% over FY 2018-19

Solvency Ratio
The solvency ratio of the Company stood at 210% as on 31st March 2020, compared to the regulatory requirement of 150%.

Assets under Management
The Company’s Assets under Management (AUM) recorded a growth of 10% over the last financial year and stands at INR 15,795 Crores.

Profit Before Tax (PBT)
During FY 2019-20, the Company recorded Profit Before Tax of INR 29 Crores, compared to INR 12 Crores in FY 2018-19.

Claim Settlement Ratio
The Company continued its growth journey with ‘Individual Claims Settlement Ratio’ improving to an all-time high (since inception) of 98.15% in FY 2019-20. The Company paid death claims worth INR 213.70 Crores (Individual INR 88.95 Crores and Group INR 124.75 Crores) during the Financial Year 2019-20.

Renewals and Persistency
The Company achieved 12% growth in individual renewal premiums at INR 2,221 Crores with improvement in persistency ratios for 13th month, 25th month as well as 37th month.

Protection Business Mix
The mix of protection business was further strengthened to 11% of the individual new business premium (Annualized Premium Equivalent).

Life Insurance Coverage (Sum Assured)
The Company has increased its total coverage and now has total Sum Assured of INR 3.44 Lakh Crores as on 31st March 2020.

Awards
The Company’s all round performance on value creation continued with receiving external recognition in various areas of business. Some of the noteworthy awards won are:
Exide Life Smart Term Plan voted as Product of the Year 2019
Helmet Saves CSR initiative won:
Best BTL campaign for a socio economic program in Masters of Modern Marketing
Brandvid (Gold) Best brand integration in Music Video
Brandvid (Silver) – Best brand film for Social initiative
FICCI best CSR initiative in Life Category

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Acclaimed artist & activist Madame Gandhi debuts new music video for “Waiting For Me’’

~Latest in series of videos produced by women & gender non-conforming creatives~

~ Signs to Sony Music Masterworks in advance of new music~

Bengaluru, 30th June 2020 :  Multi-talented artist, percussionist, producer and activist MADAME GANDHIreleases her newest video for Visions track “Waiting For Me”. Directed by Misha Ghose, “Waiting For Me” has been conceptualized and produced by an all-female team and features queer, trans, female and gender non-conforming cast members and marks Madame Gandhi’s first-ever video shot in India.  With its contrasting industrial imagery and color palettes, the visual brings to life the song’s empowering message, an eco-feminist call to action that eschews institutionalized power structures in favor of forging new narratives of self-expression.

Madame Gandhi explains, “We as artists have the power to use our art to vividly reimagine the world we wished we lived in. ‘’Waiting For Me’’ is a song about questioning societal norms as they exist.  The video opens with the quote, ‘We always assume our own powerlessness, but never our own power.’ With the interconnected social justice movements happening around the world, we are seeing a larger belief in the power of the collective for change. This music video is a call to action for each of us to examine how hierarchy, capitalism and systemic oppression serve to keep us obedient, with little space for dialogue or critical thinking. My hope is that this video inspires folks to ask, ‘Are my behaviors contributing to the oppression of somebody else? And what contributes to my own oppression? What does my version of freedom look and feel like?” 

The video for “Waiting For Me” launches the next chapter in Madame Gandhi’s already critically-acclaimed career, as she announces her signing with Sony Music Masterworks.  With an imitable pairing of complex percussive rhythms and empowering messages of liberation, Madame Gandhi is known for her passionately uplifting body of musical work that continues to elevate the female voice and redefine notions of gender, identity and politics.  Having released her first two EPs as part of an overarching short-form album trilogy, most recently 2019’s Visions, Madame Gandhi begins her new partnership with Sony Music Masterworks ahead of the third and final installment in the series. 

Selected as 2020 TED Fellow for her commitment to creating meaningful and positive change, Madame Gandhi will also participate in TED2020 later this year, joining multidisciplinary individuals across the globe for an online gathering of conversations, sessions and performances.  She returns to the TED Stage later this year after her 2018 TED Talk about the importance of making music accessible to those hard of hearing. The talk now has over 200k views – watch here.

Further, today’s news and video arrive on what has been a massive week for Madame Gandhi, who made her NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert debut recently, performing tracks from both her Visions and Voices EPs.

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Airtel XStream app to “LIVE stream Rath Yatra 2020”

Airtel mobile and broadband customers can now watch the proceedings on their smartphones and tablets by simply installing the FREE Airtel Xstream app 

Bengaluru, 30th June 2020 : As India observes social distancing norms, Airtel is bringing this year’s Rath Yatra to devotees on their smartphones in partnership with Shemaroo.

Airtel Xstream app will be LIVE streaming Rath Yatra 2020 from Puri enabling users to catch the proceedings on their smartphones or tablets, wherever they are. The LIVE stream will be available on an exclusive channel on the home page of the app. Users can also rewind and replay the LIVE stream as per their convenience.

  • 1st July 2020 (8:00AM to 6:00PM) – Bahuda Yatra & Hari Sayana Ekadasi
  • 2nd July 2020 (3:00PM – 11:00PM) – Sunabesa
  • 3rd July 2020 (7:00PM – 10:00PM) – Adharpana Ritual
  • 4th July 2020 (2:00PM – 10:00PM) – Niladri Bije 

Airtel Xstream, an india-first video network for premium digital content, is available to all Airtel customers as a FREE download on Playstore and App store.

The app offers over 10,000 movie and shows from India and across the world along with over 400 TV channels. Airtel Thanks customers can also access premium content from top content producers on Airtel Xstream app.        

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TalentSprint and Blue Prism Partner to buildRPA skills among India’s youth

To empower 10,000+ students with Blue Prism Foundation Certification free of cost

Bengaluru, 30 June, 2020: TalentSprint today announced that it has partnered with Blue Prism (AIM: PRSM),a global leader in Robotic Process Automation (RPA),  to build RPA skills among India’s college students. TalentSprint aims to certify 10,000 students on Blue Prism Foundation Certification by the end of 2020.

TalentSprint will offer this program to the students of 50+ colleges who have set up TalentSprint Centers of Excellence across India. While the program will be offered in a self-paced learning format, the students will have the additional benefit of being mentored by TalentSprint faculty.

“The Global Robotic Process Automation Market size is expected to reach $7.2 billion by 2025, rising at a growth of 32.6% CAGR” (source). The pandemic has accelerated the focus on robotic process automation (RPA), 94% of Blue Prism’s global customer base found RPA as a lifeline for maintaining business continuity and ensuring a higher level of overall responsiveness while supporting remote collaboration in this “new normal”.

Commenting on this partnership, Linda Dotts, Chief Partner Strategy Officer, Blue Prism, said: “With automation becoming front and centre, it has become crucial for academic institutions and students to gain exposure to emerging technologies. We, at Blue Prism, have built a true community of intelligent automation pioneers, innovators, developers, and doers. Through our collaboration with TalentSprint, we look forward to creating a large pool of promising certified working professionals to get premium recruitments in the industry. We are excited to support TalentSprint in this initiative, and are looking forward to doing some great work together.”

Dr. Santanu Paul, Managing Director and CEOTalentSprint, said: “TalentSprint is at the forefront of offering transformational learning programs in deep tech areas to both young and experienced professionals. We are proud to partner with Blue Prism which will enable us to build RPA expertise amongst the Indian youth. Our 50+ College CoE partners are very keen to offer this program for their students and get them ready for the new normal.”

TalentSprint is accepting applications from colleges and universities which are interested in setting up Centers of Excellence that will provide opportunities to enhance student capabilities in areas of tech knowledge, leadership, and enhance industry readiness. Interested colleges are invited to write to tscoe@talentsprint.com.

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