NumaHands is a multiuse device dedicated to minimise transmission by contact-based exposure to communicable diseases. It provides a contact-free medium to perform routine tasks.
Why NumaHands?
The pandemic COVID-19 has forced India and the world as a whole to combat incomparable humanitarian and healthcare crisis.
Simple activities such as grocery shopping, using the ATM, taking the elevator or even using workplace restroom, pose a threat of being exposed to surfaces that might have – been contaminated with infectious droplets. NumaHands provides individuals a contact- free medium to perform the afore mentioned activities in turn enhancing the standard of living.
Salient features of NumaHands
• Safe to handle and convenient to carry • Easy to sanitize – a simple solution of soap and water will do the trick • Safe to use on any surface • Can lift items weighing up to 10kg
Applications of NumaHands
• Control door knobs • Function keys on lifts and ATMS • Carry bags and other items • Operate switches • Run taps and operate flush knobs in toilets
*This product is not a substitute for hand glouse
*Usage of this product does not discourage hand hygiene
*Please follow healthcare guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health & Family Wellare, Govermment of India
For More Details Contact: Mrs.Sujatha | ANTASEVIS|+91 9620354709 Mail Id: gokulspaceranjeet.gr@gmail.com
Delivery: Courier only (*terms and conditions apply)
The travel and tourism industry, unarguably, is one of the most affected sectors since the onset of COVID-19. With country borders sealed, cities brought to a standstill and all transportation stationary, it is difficult to imagine the recovery trajectory of travel. Industry experts suggest that while travel will eventually recover in stages, we should expect a shift in both travel norms and traveller behavior. Here’s VFS Global addressing some common questions on every traveller’s mind and sharing guidelines to assuage their concerns and help navigate their holiday plans once international borders open again. What happens to passports submitted before services were suspended? Following the national lockdown in India, Visa Application Centres had to shut down operations in adherence to directives from central and local authorities and diplomatic missions. When the Visa Application Centres are allowed to re-open, VFS Global will be able to evaluate at which stage of assessment each application is and resume the applicant return process accordingly.
If you have a query about your passport that was submitted with your visa application, please write to customercare@vfsglobal.com.
Will Visa Application Centres open for appointments once the national lockdown lifts? Visa Application Centres in any city/country operate according to the directives of the central and local authorities and the diplomatic mission / the country being applied to. In some cases, even if central/local authorities lift the lockdown, the country you are applying to may not be accepting visa applications. In this scenario, an open Visa Application Centre might not serve your purpose. Make sure you’re checking regulations by not only your government, but also that of the country you plan to visit.
What are health and safety precautions implemented at the centres? As per guidelines prescribed by the World Health Organization, as well as local authorities, both customers and employees at Visa Application Centres will be subject to body temperature checks, face masks and gloves – for their own protection and that of others. Centres are also maintaining preventive measures such as disinfecting high-contact surfaces, use of hand sanitizers, and social distancing practices.
When services resume, can one avoid visiting a Visa Application Centre as a social distancing precaution? Once services resume, customers who wish to avoid visiting public places can also use optional services, such as the Visa At Your Doorstep service for application submission – with this service, trained VFS Global staff will visit the customer’s location of choice (home, office, etc.) to complete the visa application submission process and/or biometric enrolment if needed, while maintaining necessary health precautions. In India, this service is available for select destination countries only, and will resume after lockdown subject to approvals from the concerned embassy/consulate. Customers using regular services as well are encouraged to opt for courier services to get their passports back (once the centres re-open), to avoid crowding as a precautionary measure.
Would we be required to submit medical history for visa applications? Medical reports are usually a part of required documentation in some visa applications, though they may or may not be related to COVID-19. However, as governments may beef up health screening measures going forward, make sure you’ve carefully been through the updated document checklist requirements for the country you’re visiting, in case of any medical and vaccination histories are required as part of your visa application.
What about work and residency permits? Although most governments have currently suspended travel visa services, customers may still be able to apply for other categories such as long-stay visas or residence permits. However, this remains limited to only a few countries. Several countries have put in place border control measures, temporarily disallowing certain non-essential travelers to submit visa applications. Nevertheless, if you already hold a valid work or residence permit, you may still be able to enter some countries, despite entry restrictions.
What happens to a valid visa, if the country in question has restricted/banned travel? Advisories for various countries differ with regards to who can enter, irrespective of whether they hold a valid visa or not. Some countries have imposed border control measures that only allow citizens, residents, or specific permit holders to enter the country, and disallow other non-essential travelers even if they hold a valid visa. Citizens who are yet to travel and whose existing visa has expired or is expiring soon can re-apply for a fresh visa when operations resume. Those who had already travelled before lockdown to a foreign country and whose visas are due to expire soon, are urged to reach out to the concerned embassy/consulate for assistance. For further information on any of the above queries or any details that you may need to plan your next international travel, you can visit http://www.vfsglobal.com Given the fluid ongoing scenarios and threats of misinformation, being armed with the correct data about your travel destination, as well your own country, are paramount before you set out on your next journey. In order to aid customer queries and concerns, VFS Global has set up a dedicated webpage for COVID-19 customer advisories (www.vfsglobal.com/covid-19), that is updated daily and covers visa application processes for the 64 governments they serve worldwide. This page has information regarding geographies where services are suspended and helps address questions regarding the visa processes.
Mumbai, May 20, 2020 – Franklin Templeton Trustee Services Pvt. Ltd., as advised by SEBI pending unitholder vote, and as desired by the Trustees for the duration of the winding up period, today announced the appointment of an independent advisor to work together with Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Pvt. Ltd (the AMC), to assist the Trustees in monetizing portfolios of the six schemes that are being wound up.
The Trustees have appointed Kotak Mahindra Bank, who, through its Debt Capital Markets team, will work closely with the Franklin Templeton Trustees, to assist with all portfolio actions in these six schemes that are being wound up. These actions will be limited to the below-mentioned schemes. • Franklin India Low Duration Fund • Franklin India Dynamic Accrual Fund • Franklin India Credit Risk Fund • Franklin India Short Term Income Plan • Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund • Franklin India Income Opportunities Fund
The Trustees of Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund are pleased that Kotak Mahindra Bank, a highly reputed firm with strong corporate governance practices and deep financial market experience will, wherever required, act as their agent and provide its independent advice and assistance to the Trustees through the entire process. Their appointment will provide the Trustees with the added experience and ability to monetize assets at the earliest possible time.
Sanjay Sapre, President, Franklin Templeton – India, said, “Franklin Templeton is committed to ensuring an orderly and equitable exit for all investors at the earliest possible time, and we will partner with the Board of Trustees and Kotak Mahindra Bank to ensure an efficient wind-up of these schemes, while preserving maximum value for our investors. Franklin Templeton has a long history of over 25 years in India and the firm remains fully committed to our clients and our business in India.”
Sujata Guhathakurta, President – Debt Capital Markets, Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited, said, “Kotak Mahindra Bank is pleased to take on this assignment and is looking forward to working closely with the Trustees and the AMC to assist them in wind-up of these schemes
~The fund will support around 3500 authors and composers from the music fraternity ~
Bengaluru, 20th May 2020 : With the world under lockdown battling the COVID pandemic, music as an art form has brought solace to millions of people across the globe. Be it any genre – jazz, rock, pop, classical, folk or country, music has helped people and communities come together and worked as a soothing balm on the weariness resulting from a prolonged lockdown and helped people deal with these difficult times in a positive way. Unfortunately, the music community while trying to spread cheer everywhere has also not been left unimpacted.
The Indian Performing Right Society Ltd (“IPRS”) had in April announced a significant financial package to help thousands of authors and composers address their essential needs during the initial stages of the lockdown. IPRS has now announced the release of an additional tranche of emergency relief fund for its members. The fund will support around 3500 authors and composers in the music fraternity, across the country, whose livelihoods have been deeply impacted by COVID19. IPRS is taking all required measures to facilitate distribution of the relief fund on an urgent basis.
Mr. Javed Akhtar, Chairman of the IPRS said,“IPRS was established with the objective of helping the creative music fraternity grow and flourish and this holds true now more than ever when our community is in dire need because of these unprecedented times. Our initial financial assistance package in April 2020 brought much needed relief to the community and we hope the additional money that is being released now will help again to provide necessary respite at this moment. I would humbly urge everyone to come forward and help others in this time of distress in whatever capacity they can. It is only if we come together and stand united against this crisis that humanity will be able to overcome this situation.”
On the occasion, Mr. Aditya Gupta, Director of Aditya Music and Board member of IPRS, said, “We are the first and the only label from south on IPRS board. And we are working very hard to get the rightful royalties for all our author and composer members from south.”
On the occasion Mr. U. Vidyasagar, composer & musician and Board member of IPRS said,“This crisis has been the most severe times for all of us. The South Indian Music fraternity is proud of IPRS for coming out to support musicians and composers in such difficult times. These are difficult times and we have to stand by each other and look after our community. I’m glad to be a part of such noble initiative. “
On the occasion Mr. Mr. Sahithi Cherukupalli, lyricist and Board member of IPRS said, “ These are testing times for all of us. This pandemic has created financial uncertainties across sectors. I am very heartened that IPRS has stepped forward in time to help those in need. This small act of humanity will be remembered by all for many more years to come.”
Mr. Rakesh Nigam, CEO of the IPRS said, “As a responsible copyright society, it’s our duty to extend our support to the music industry in whatever way possible. We are trying our best to amplify our efforts in providing financial assistance to our members and ensure they have some income available to them while all other streams of earning a livelihood have temporarily dried up.”
Bengaluru, 20th May 2020 : Prabha Khaitan Foundation, an organization that is dedicated to the socio-cultural welfare and humanitarian cause had through its platform Kitaab, organized a virtual book launch of the e-book ‘The Coronavirus: What you Need to Know about the Global Pandemic’. The book iswritten by Dr Swapneil Parikh, co-founder DIY Health, Maherra Desai, clinical psychologist and medical researcher and Dr Rajesh Parikh, Director of Medical Research and Neuropsychiatry, Jaslok Hospital. Published by Penguin, the book takes the reader through the history of pandemics while giving some serious advice on how to keep oneself safe from the deadly virus. Kitaab, connects Asian writers with readers globally and provides a writing and publishing platform to emerging and seasoned writers from the region to express themselves creatively. Ms. Shama Deo, President of Spectrum – a Study group from Pune committed to learning gave the welcome note and moderated the session.
Written by frontline COVID-19 warriors, the book gives us an illustrated account of world’s tryst with pandemics and epidemics at various points in history and the challenges that are ahead of us now. With regard to this virtual session, Ms. Manisha Jain, Communications & Branding Chief, Prabha Khaitan Foundation stated, “Through this initiative, Prabha Foundation and Penguin endeavours to spread awareness on what needs to be known about the current global pandemic. Through this interactive session our discerning viewers and listeners were able to know credible and comprehensive information from professionals that helped us understand what this deadly virus is, and how we can prepare and protect ourselves against it, for the future of humankind.”
Dr Swapneil Parikh, who co-authored the book added, “This is the first book that addresses the history, evolution, facts and myths around the pandemic. Though the world now has enough technology and experience of pandemics and epidemics like SARS, E-bola, Swine flu, Zika, etc. still our inability or unwillingness to learn from past experience caused the delay to handle the situation.”
He further stated that, “We started writing the book in early February when the problem was perceived as Chinese and largely confined to Wuhan and Hubei province.WHO called it infodemic before calling it pandemic. By the end of February, the virus has spread globally, and the effect was enormous. Nothing on this scale has been experienced in living memory. One of the key learnings is that with any new pandemic we should assume that we have to deal with worst case scenario then only we can prepare ourselves ”
Throughout the hour-long engaging session, the doctors discussed about how we should prepare ourselves to deal with this global pandemic. They explained in detail the virus’s mechanism of action, and how it manages to dive deep into the lower respiratory tract, multiplies silently until its ‘discovery’ by the immune system. It is in the degree of the response, when the immune system itself hits panic mode that it launches a frenzied attack which, in more ways than one, can result in overkill. This severe respiratory disease can end up being detrimental to the aged, those with diabetes or cardiovascular disease, or have a history of smoking. They also discussed the modern history of viral contagions which shows that pandemics are those catastrophes when health care professionals are overwhelmed while doing their job. As they also try to save themselves, they become unwitting amplifiers of disease and turn into objects of fear — as numerous videos of doctors and healthcare workers being harassed attest to.Experts have predicted there will be a mental health crisis of epic proportions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms. Maherra Desai, clinical psychologist and medical researcher stated in the virtual session, “A vast majority of Indians can’t access quality healthcare, and I hope when we come out of this danger, people start caring for those who have constantly suffered due to lack of basic medical facilities.” She has researched the effects of social media as the medium which is both a strength and weakness for public-at-large. Ms Desai added, “While the Chinese whistle blowed about the disease on the medium, social media also propagated misinformation, xenophobia, racism among other social evils which played onto people’s minds. Due to this pandemic, there will be long term psychological effect, half of the population is sequestered, over 1.2 billion children are not going to school. There will be a global food crisis at the end of this pandemic.”
Prabha Khaitan Foundation is devoted towards the promotion of literature culture and performing arts and collaborates with caregivers, committed individuals and like-minded institutions to implement cultural, educational, literary and social welfare projects in India. Kitaab is an initiative of Prabha Khaitan Foundation. Through this initiative PKF has launched books of Dr Shashi Tharoor, Vir Sanghvi, Pavan Verma, Salman Khurshid, Sunita Kohli to name a few.
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