Category: COVID19

~The fund will support around 3500 authors and composers from the music fraternity ~

Bengaluru, 20^th 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.”

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Students to supply dry ration to over 1.7 lakh households

BENGALURU: Five students of Bengaluru-based Ekya School stand tall among Covid-19 warriors! The students of grade 9 and 11 have been able to raise over INR 2.2 lakh as part of a fundraiser campaign to provide dry ration and educational materials to the children from underprivileged sections of society.

Dia Sawlani, Anirudh Kudavelly, Richa Thyagarajan, Nandani Yadav and Govind P. Menon from Ekya School at the ITPL campus decided to do something different for society, especially children representing the deprived sections, considering the prevailing situation across the country.

Speaking about their initiative, Anirudh Kudavelly, grade 11 student, said, “We realised that we were so lucky to have shelter, food and supplies to meet our daily needs. At the same time there are thousands and thousands of children who did not have all these privileges like we have. So, we decided to do the least we can by helping them out.”

The students came up with a game plan and are leveraging the social media to mobilise support for their noble cause. The students are using Twitter, Instagram, Facebook platforms to drive home the importance of helping underprivileged children in such challenging times, especially when their parents, who are daily wage earners are out of the job. The students are also reaching out to people through WhatsApp appeals.

In addition, platform Ketto has been useful for the students in reaching philanthropists and donors. A message on Ketto states “the on-going nationwide lockdown has severely affected the livelihoods of marginalized communities, most of whom are dependent on daily wages for survival.”

Within five days, the students were able to raise INR 1 lakh from the public. Encouraged by the response, the students have decided to intensify their campaign to raise more funds to ensure that greater number of children from underprivileged sections of society are benefitted.

The students are currently interning with the CRY (Child Rights and You), the organization that works for the welfare of the children. This internship is further helping them to expand the scope of their initiative.

The students aim to raise INR Rs 10 lakhs to reach out to 200 households and children with a one-month ration and educational kits for children.

You can join Ekya School students in this campaign by visiting link: https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/CRYCovid19_fundraiser-for-vulnerable-children-and-families?payment=form

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·         These Funds can be used by the Government for Covid 19 Relief Efforts

18 May 2020: National Health Forum (NHF), India’s leading NGO working in the field of tobacco control and which has been involved in various key effective activities on tobacco control measures, lauded the efforts being made by the Government of India in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

NHF, through its letter to the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health Family Welfare has appealed to the Government for regulating the sale of non-Virginia tobacco by ensuring that the sale of non-Virginia tobacco is processed through auction platforms overseen by the Tobacco Board of India or via APMCs and taxing the non-Virginia tobacco at the same tax as the Virginia tobacco on per kilogram basis. The initiative will have a double benefit, firstly the enhancement of revenue and secondly controlling the sale of the so far unregulated tobacco products in India.

According to Mandakini Sinh, Managing Trustee, NHF, “As per our estimates, a 30% levy as a reverse charge levied upon and paid by the manufacturers and dealers of non-Virginia tobacco products will yield a revenue increment of around Rs. 30,000 crores. This will lead to a far wider net of taxation and all types of tobaccos will be uniformly brought into the tax net. Currently, all tobacco products manufactured using non-Virginia tobacco (such as Burley tobacco) are in the unorganized sector and there is large scale evasion of tax by manufacturers and scant respect for the tobacco control laws.”

Presently, non-Virginia tobacco is freely sold without any intervention by the government and in the process, the Indian farmer gets a raw deal. The non-Virginia tobacco is used in the manufacture of chewing varieties of tobacco, hookah, gutkha, kiwam, gudaku , zarda and bidis. These non-Virginia tobaccos constitute about 85% of tobacco grown in India. And these are neither appropriately taxed nor it’s growers who are the poorest of poor farmers get stable prices for their produce. There are private intermediaries and middlemen who take advantage of the situation and milk the poor Indian farmers.

Virginia Tobacco on the other hand, is properly and strictly controlled and taxed by the government with checks and balances in place, such that not only proper revenue is generated but the interest of the farmer is also addressed.

A sizeable quantity of the non-Virginia tobacco goes in the manufacture of chewing tobacco, gutkha, Pan Masala with tobacco, zarda and snuff which are all products that are extremely dangerous in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic as they need to be spat out after consumption.

There is no doubt in our mind and other like minded NGOs that if the government regulates the sale and distribution of non-Virginia tobacco as it has done in the case of Virginia tobacco, it will lead to fair and uniform taxation of all tobacco products and definitely benefit our farmers (who are currently not paid for almost a year after the sale occurs due to the price setting power of the powerful middle man).

COVID 19 pandemic has caused widespread destruction of economic activity and there is a need to channel increased resources in resurrecting economic activity and provide relief to the jobless. A new source of tax collection to the tune of 30 thousand crore will be a great boost to support the post COVID rebuilding efforts.

In conclusion, we reiterate and compliment the Government and the Ministry of Finance for proposing this measure, which is a step in the right direction and seeking to bring a structured and regulatory layer between the farmer and the manufacturers of tobacco products using non-Virginia tobacco, which will not only benefit the Indian farmer but also immensely benefit revenue collection and will curb the consumption of these pernicious products.

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ನಾಳೆ ಬೆಳಿಗ್ಗೆಯಿಂದ ನಾಲ್ಕು ನಿಗಮಗಳಿಂದ ಬಸ್ ಸಂಚಾರ

ಕಂಟೇನ್ಮೆಂಟ್ ಜೋನ್ ಹೊರತುಪಡಿಸಿ ಉಳಿದ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬಸ್ ಸಂಚಾರ

ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಕರು ಕಡ್ಡಾಯ ಮಾಸ್ಕ್ ಧರಿಸಬೇಕು

ಬಸ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂವತ್ತು ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಕರಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಅವಕಾಶ

ನಿರ್ವಾಹಕ, ಚಾಲಕರಿಗೂ ರಕ್ಷಣೆ ಕೊಡಲು ಸಿದ್ದತೆ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೇವೆ

ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಕರ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಆದಾಗ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ನಷ್ಟ ಆಗಲಿದೆ

ಆದಾಗ್ಯೂ ಒರಿಸ್ಸಾ, ಹರಿಯಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಟಿಕೆಟ್ ದರ ಏರಿಕೆ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ

ವಿಶೇಷ ಸಂದರ್ಭ ಅಂತ ನಾವು ಟಿಕೆಟ್ ದರ ಏರಿಕೆ ಮಾಡಲ್ಲ

ನಷ್ಟವನ್ನ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ತುಂಬಿಕೊಡುತ್ತೆ ಅಂತ ಸಿಎಂ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದಾರೆ

ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಕರಿಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಹೊರೆ ಹಾಕಲ್ಲ

ಆಟೋ, ಓಲಾ, ಊಬರ್, ಟ್ಯಾಕ್ಸಿಗಳು ರಾಜ್ಯಾದ್ಯಂತ ಸಂಚಾರ ಮಾಡಬಹುದು

ಖಾಸಗಿ ಬಸ್ ಕೂಡ ಸಂಚಾರ ಮಾಡಬಹುದು

ಅರವತ್ತು ದನಗಳಿಂದ ಖಾಸಗಿ ಬಸ್ ಸಂಚಾರ ನಿಂತಿದೆ

ತೆರಿಗೆ ವಿನಾಯಿತಿ ಕೊಡಬೇಕು ಅಂತ ಖಾಸಗಿ ಬಸ್ ಮಾಲೀಕರು ಮನವಿ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ

ಸಿಎಂ ಹಾಗೂ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಇಲಾಖೆ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳ ಜೊಯೆ ಚರ್ಚೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಕ್ರಮ

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Bangalore May 2020:  There is promising news for thousands of stranded Indians waiting for their return from UAE to India on the background of current COVID 19 pandemic. The air traffic between these two countries has been resumed and the process of registration of names with Indian Consulate and ticket booking has also commenced. Dr. Dhananjay Datar, Chairman & Managing Director of Al Adil Trading, is extending his co-operation in sponsoring the air ticket expenses of the needy travellers coming back to India.

Dr. Datar said he will contribute to the ticket expense and COVID testing fees for Indians from the UAE who are waiting to get repatriated. Dr. Datar said this is a personal initiative from his side to help those who are unable to meet the expenses in order to travel to their homeland. “The repatriation efforts taken by the Indian Government is one of the largest initiatives undertaken to help those stranded on account of the pandemic. It goes without saying that this could be seen as one of the largest emergency evacuations and it is the duty of all of us to help our brethren in distress in whatever way we can,” he said.

There are many people who are not in a position to meet the airfare and COVID testing fees. “I understand that many individuals who have lost their jobs are unable to make use of this initiative to go to their hometown since they do not have the required money. I will be coordinating with the approved bodies to extend a helping hand to those in need. All necessary guidelines in connection with this will be strictly followed. I spoke with the Indian Consulate General Mr.Vipul & would like to sponsor tickets for Indians. I am doing my small bit and I hope my initiative will be of use. I also request all my fellow citizens to do their bit so that together we can overcome this crisis at the earliest. I express gratitude and salute the efforts of all those who are involved in the repatriation process,” Dr. Datar added.

Al Adil Trading group under the leadership of Dr. Dhananjay Datar has performed a key role in bringing more than 9000 Indian products to UAE. Today this group encompass a chain of 43 spacious super stores spread across Gulf Countries, 2 modern spice factories, 2 flour mills and an import-export company. The rulers of UAE felicitated Dhananjay with a prestigious award and the title Masala King, for his invaluable contribution to the business sector.

The group also produces more than 700 products within categories like readymade flours, spices, pickles, jams, Namkeen and instants, under its own brand ‘Peacock’. His group’s Indian arm, Masala King Exports (India) Pvt. Ltd. is successfully operating from Mumbai. Al Adil Group is in active expansion mode and increasing its outlets in other gulf countries. It has established special trade routes in USA, Canada, Kenya, Switzerland, Italy, Eretria, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE. 

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