Tag: Covid 19

Companies join hands in India’s fight against COVID-19

For battling against the oxygen shortage in the country, Delhivery, Tata Group, ITC, and several others are doing their best.

With the coronavirus cases seeing a massive increase each day, the entire country has been struggling to keep up and stay safely in their homes.

However, several companies have come in and decided to join hands in the fight against COVID-19. Whether it be a consumer goods company or a cigarette joint, no one is at the back foot when it comes to fighting this life-threatening virus.

For battling against the oxygen shortage in the country, Delhivery, Tata Group, ITC, and several others are doing their best.

IFFCO, UPL, and even a few smaller companies have made announcements for augmenting fresh oxygen supplies amidst the crisis that has dawned upon India.



ITC in its tie-up with Linde India will air freight cryogenic ISO containers from several Asian countries. It is also airlifting containers of oxygen to distribute in areas near Bhadrachalam.

Linda along with Tata Group has been able to secure 24 cryogenic containers to East India, which now has surplus oxygen and is helping north India as well. Delhivery is flying charter planes to China to be able to get oxygen and other essential supplies to India.

Sequoia Capital has also mentioned that they’ve got a few leads for oxygen concentrators through their employees in China during their scout. Many plants are using their facilities for the production of oxygen.



Delhivery joins the COVID 19 fight, to get oxygen compressors via Charter Planes

Delhivery has joined the bandwagon and announced that they will fly charters in India with oxygen concentrators as well as other essential supplies.

India has been fighting its biggest war against coronavirus. Delhivery has joined the bandwagon and announced that they will fly charters in India with oxygen concentrators as well as other essential supplies. The announcement was made by Delhivery’s co-founder Sahil Barua through a LinkedIn post.

The flights will fly out on Wednesday as well as Thursday. An executive from Delhivery also tweeted that in case there is an increased demand even further, they are ready to arrange for more such flights as well. They are doing this at a minimum margin.

India is facing a massive shortage of oxygen cylinders with many patients even losing lives due to unavailability of oxygen concentrators. In fact, with the cases in India reaching new heights, Indian healthcare hardly has any bandwidth to cater to new patients.



The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has directed its officers to ensure that all import consignments which include oxygen equipment and essential drugs must be cleared, considering it as the highest priority.

This is to make sure that anything related to fighting against COVID 19 reaches the ones in need in the shortest amount of time possible.

Just about a few days ago, Tata Group had mentioned that cryogenic containers were being imported by them for transportation of liquid oxygen. Moreover, Tata Steel will supply liquid medical oxygen to hospitals and state governments in need.



Struggling Businesses: This is how to turn things around

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken most businesses to the cleaners, literally. Although stay-at-home orders that were in place are being lifted, the vast majority of businesses are struggling to resume normal operations.

Are you struggling to keep your business afloat?

Who isn’t?

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken most businesses to the cleaners, literally. Although stay-at-home orders that were in place are being lifted, the vast majority of businesses are struggling to resume normal operations.

There’s good news, though. Just because your business is struggling doesn’t mean it’s on its way to closure. There are effective steps you can take to restart the engine of your business and make the sales numbers start trending upwards.

In this article, we’re sharing a revival playbook for struggling businesses. Continue reading to learn what you can do to boost your company.

Identify Why Your Business Is Struggling

Turning around a struggling company is akin to what physicians do with their patients. When you’re ill and you go to your primary care physician, the first step is a diagnosis, right?

Similarly, the first step to turning around a struggling company is to identify why it is struggling.

During these coronavirus times, it’s easy to place blame on the pandemic. However, it’s possible that your business was struggling long before the virus struck at the start of 2020.

If that’s the case, what’s the reason behind the struggle?

There are a number of potential reasons. One, it could be that competition in the market is too fierce. This would be the case if there are several dominant companies offering the same product or service in your market.

Two, poor product quality. If your product doesn’t satisfy the needs of your customers, it’s unlikely that they’ll keep buying it. Your sales will slump as a result. Running a customer survey is an ideal way to establish whether your product is to blame.

Three, bad customer experience. You see, offering a superior product alone isn’t enough to keep customers back. If customer service is poor and your business has a bad reputation, customers will walk away.

Four, lack of innovation. Is your business still doing things the old way? Did you just say you don’t even have a business website? If you haven’t digitized your business, there’s a good chance it’s the reason you’re struggling.

Or, did a major catastrophe bring your business to its knees? If you’re in food retail, for instance, a fire can raze down your business and cripple your operations.

When you know what’s ailing your business, it’s easier to turn it around.



Cut Back Your Costs

When your business is struggling, one of the first things to take a hit is your revenues. And the more your revenues fall, the closer they get to your costs.

In business, your revenues should never be lower than your costs. This would mean you’re operating at a loss, a breaking point you don’t want your company to be in.

The big question is: how do you stop this from happening?

There are only two ways: get the revenue up again (while keeping costs constant), or reduce your costs.

If the business is struggling, the first option is off the table. Reducing your costs is the path with the least resistance.

There are a number of steps you can take to reduce your costs, including laying off a couple of employees, harnessing virtual technology, closing a couple of stores (if you’re a brick and mortar business), and reducing production costs.

Keep in mind, though, that reducing costs is a short-term measure. If your business continues struggling and revenues keep declining, there’s only so much cost-cutting you can do before revenues fall below your costs.

Clean Up Your Business’s Reputation

If one of the reasons your business is struggling is a poor reputation in the market, you have to invest in a clean-up campaign.

In the Digital Age, having a bad reputation certainly means your online reviews and comments are wanting. Hiring a digital reputation management company is a step in the right direction.

These professionals have what it takes to help your business rebuild a positive reputation on the web. This will have a direct impact on your sales, especially considering that the vast majority of consumers now check a business’s reputation before making a purchase decision.

Sharpen Your Marketing Strategy

Every business needs to invest in marketing.

However, marketing strategies aren’t created equal. Your competitors are ahead of you probably because they’re better at marketing their products and services.

If it’s been a long time since you changed your marketing strategy, now is the best time to perform an audit and draw a better strategy. This is especially the case if you haven’t embraced digital marketing.

If your business doesn’t have a website, now is the time to take it online. If you already have a website, a redesign is long overdue.

Don’t forget to capitalize on the power of social media. Create business accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms that suit your business. It won’t take long before your digital marketing strategy starts to yield fruit.



Are Your Employees Holding You Back?

Laying off some employees will have a significant impact on your costs, but you might need to do more when your task is to turn around a struggling business.

It’s possible that your employees are the weak link. Perhaps most of them aren’t up to the task or they’re not as motivated and productive as they should be.

You’re not going to boost your struggling business alone. You need a dedicated team by your side. Accordingly, you might need to invest in employee training to enhance their occupational skills, as well as hire new, more qualified employees.

There’s a Silver Lining for Struggling Businesses

Even before 2020, the number of struggling businesses in the United States was quite high. If yours is among these businesses, don’t give up. As demonstrated above, there are steps you can take to turn things around and run a wildly profitable company.

All the best and keep reading our blog for more business tips and insights.



Startups facing biggest challenges, 70% have less than 3 months of cash runaway

NASSCOM Survey reported that 70% of travel and transport startups have faced 40% revenue decline, 50% of fintech and logistics startups have seen a similar dip whereas 14% of edtech and health tech startups expect revenue growth amid coronavirus crisis.

The Indian Startup sector is hanging by a thread. National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) conducted a survey to study the impact of coronavirus crisis on Indian Startups.

Survey statistics

The survey showed the biggest challenges for Indian Startups as;

  • 90% registered a decline in revenues
  • 70% have less than 3 months of cash runaway
  • 30-40% have suspended their operations

Survey also reported that 70% of travel and transport startups have faced 40% revenue decline, 50% of fintech and logistics startups have seen a similar dip whereas 14% of edtech and health tech startups expect revenue growth amid coronavirus crisis. Infact, B2B startups have seen lesser revenue drops.

Another report conducted online over 250 startups across sectors by ‘Start-up Pulse Survey’ showed 92% decline in revenue for about 34% of such startups.

Worst-hit segments

Nasscom survey revealed that early and mid-stage business are the most affected segments, especially in B2C (Business to consumer) space. It also found that around 60% of B2C startups were facing closure as revenues plummeted to near-zero levels after businesses were forced to shut for nearly 2 months into the nationwide lockdown in order to curb the spread of the virus.

However, India continues to be 3rd largest tech startup ecosystem in the world with over 9,300 technology startups. They are rebounding with 54% respondents as they were looking to spindle their business.

Service startups are looking at different ways to survive. Infact, they are growing due to increasing utilization of Artificial Intelligence, blockchain and IoT.

President Speaks

Debjani Ghosh, president of Nasscom, stated, “However, it is not all doom and gloom; more than half of the start-ups are looking to pivot to new business opportunities, diversify into growth verticals like healthcare, and enhancing focus on emerging tech like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud.”

She also added, “to ensure that the Indian start-up movement and its growth trajectory is not derailed, coordinated support from key stakeholders is the need of the hour. Some of our key recommendations to the government include access to working capital, easing compliances and fiscal policy and funding support.”

Time to wake up

The study was analysed on various parameters like growth stages, revenues, employee strength, revenue verticals and lots of more. This focussed on the need for integrated central-state initiatives on procuring Made-In-India startup products and solutions.

This is because many startups were forced to undertake severe cost-cutting measures, such as laying off staff, slashing salaries, and ceasing all expansion plans and projects, in a bid to preserve cash and have a longer runway in an uncertain operating environment.

Vedantu sees growth revenue by 80 percent in April

Many businesses have gone down the line due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, but education section and sector seems to be blooming as the schools are shut for over 2 months now. The demand for online teaching is increasing day by day.

Online teaching and education seem like never heard or never thought of before today. Isn’t it? But now the condition, situation as well as circumstances are demanding safety from every possible way and side. Now the one and only option to keep children and their education going is ‘online Education’.

Many businesses have gone down the line due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, but education section and sector seems to be blooming as the schools are shut for over 2 months now. The demand for online teaching is increasing day by day.

Bengaluru based edtech start-up Vedantu too has witnessed a notable flow after it announced free access. The platform has rapidly grown to 6,50,000 additional learners across K-12 & Competitive Exams including JEE and NEET.

“More than and a million students have attended live online classes in the past one month and the total watch time of those video classes stands at a staggering 1 billion minute.” According to the company.

The company in a statement said: “Vedantu’s collections and revenue grew by 80% over the previous month, achieving the highest growth over the collective last 2.5 years.”Vedantu was founded by Vamsi Krishna, Pulkit Jain, Saurabh Saxena and Anand Prakash. Vedantu’s most important business is to provide live classes from class 1 to 12th.

Vedantu also provides live interactive sessions for NTSE, PSA, KVPY, IMO, JEE Mains and other competitive exams.Apart from Vedantu, edtech majors Byju’s,Toppr, Unacademy have also seen a fast rush in users’ growth and involvement on their platforms.

Recently, Unacademy claimed to have seen an 82% surge in revenue in April in comparison to the previous month along with registering more than 10X growth as compared to April 2019. Toppr too who has seen a traffic search during lockdown with its upskilling courses in high demand.

Due to the lockdown, students are using Byju’s daily and spending an average of 100 minutes per day. In the last month alone, the company claimed 6 million new students learning from its app

A report provided by marketing intelligence platform SimilarWeb for 28 days till April 29 showed that Byju’s got 2ndposition while Unacademy was ranked 5thin terms of traffic post the announcement of the lockdown. Toppr has jumped to 4thposition and Vedantu which was the highest within the pre-COVID period has slipped to 7thposition.

In terms of funding and evaluations, Vedantu has raised $7 million in its ongoing series C round at evaluation of about $280 million last month. While Byju’s was valued at about $8.2 billion in the last round, Unacademy was valued $510 million in February 2020.

Zomato and Swiggy face competition as Amazon enters Indian Food delivery market

Zomato and Swiggy occupy a majority share of the food delivery market in India and Amazon’s entry in this space could be a massive challenge for them.

The most popular e-commerce site, Amazon India, has decided to launch its food delivery operations in selected parts of Bengaluru. Amazon will be a tough competitor to the already existing food delivery Swiggy and Zomato.

This announcement by Amazon India has come out when Zomato and Swiggy announced to cut out over 1600 employees amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Although, the service is in testing period for few months now.

Spokesperson of Amazon India said “Customers have been telling us for some time that they would like to order prepared meals on Amazon in addition to shopping for all other essentials. This is particularly relevant in present times as they stay home safe, we also recognise that local businesses need all help they can get.” The company hasn’t talked about its expansion plans in the Indian market.

“Amazon food will be launched in selected Bengaluru pincode allowing customers to order from handpicked local restaurants and cloud kitchens that pass our high hygiene certification bar. We are adhering to the highest standards of safety to ensure are customers remain safe while having a delightful experience.” the spokesperson added.

In initial stages, this service will be available in four places of Bengaluru namely Mahadevpura, Marathahalli, Whitefield and Bellandur covering over 100 restaurants. Some of the outlets that are included are Box8, Chai point, Chaayos, Faasos, Mad over Donuts and some restaurants from hotel chains like Radisson and Marriott. Shao, Melange and M Cafe among others.

Customers can place the orders through the Amazon app, but this option will currently be visible and available to customers in the live pin codes only.From the past six months, the food delivery service in India is being tested by Amazon among its employees.

Zomato and Swiggy occupy a majority share of the food delivery market in India and Amazon’s entry in this space could be a massive challenge for them. Zomato has already acquired the Indian business of Uber Eats, earlier this year so that it could build its position in the Indian market.

The nationwide lockdown, which started on March 25 has a bad impact on the business of restaurants which has forced Zomato and Swiggy to re-organize their business.

The CEO and Founder of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal posted a blog last week stating that “many aspects of the company’s business has changed to dramatically over the last couple of months and many of these changes are expected to be permanent. While we continue to build a more focus Zomato, we do not foresee having enough work for employees. We owe all our colleagues a challenging work environment, but we won’t be able to offer that around 13% of our workforce going forward.”

“The covid-19 pandemic has “severely impacted” the core food delivery business and this will continue to be the case over the short term. Swiggy will scale down its cloud kitchen operations as well.” Swiggy said.

Moreover, Swiggy on Thursday announced that, “We have started home delivery of alcohol in Ranchi and are in talks with various state government to provide support with online processing and home delivery of alcohol in their states.”

Mukesh Ambani slips 12 spots on Forbes billionaires list

Ambani is no longer the tenth richest man in the world or even Asia’s richest man. He lost this title of Asia’s richest man to Alibaba founder and Chinese billionaire. Mukesh Ambani is now the world’s 21st richest person after slipping 12 spots from his previous rank in 2019. However, he continues to be the richest person in India.

India’s richest man has lost his place amongst the top 10 richest billionaires in the world as Covid-19 wiped off Indian stock markets.

Ambani is no longer the tenth richest man in the world or even Asia’s richest man. He lost this title of Asia’s richest man to Alibaba founder and Chinese billionaire Jack Ma who is worth $38.8 billion, according to Forbes.

Mukesh Ambani has now become the world’s 21st richest person after slipping 12 spots from his previous rank in 2019. However, he continues to be the richest person in India.

The sudden fall in Ambani’s wealth is because of the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, one in every two rich people on the planet have lost their wealth as compared to last year due to coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the richest person despite parting with a massive fortune due to his divorce. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is the second wealthiest with $98 billion fortunes and French fashion mogul Bernard Arnault is the third richest with $76 billion of fortunes.

The Ambanis however took advantage of the immense meltdown in stock prices to increase stake in the company, Reliance Industries. His net worth saw a marginal increase after the Ambani family — Mukesh and Nita Ambani and their three children — raised stake.

RIL’s shares — which have been trading above ₹1000 a piece — saw a 39% decline in March during the massive sell off triggered by Coronavirus. However, the share price regained the market after the company board, an oil-to-telecom-to-retail conglomerate with a market cap of $90 billion.

Services Allowed During Lockdown 2.0

Lockdown implemented to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus has been extended till May 3. The Ministry of Home Affair has issued detailed guidelines regarding services that’ll remain operational and those not.

Lockdown implemented to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus has been extended till May 3. The Ministry of Home Affair has issued detailed guidelines regarding services that’ll remain operational and those not.

Some conditional relief may be seen in areas that are not hotspots for the novel coronavirus from April 20. Originally, the 21-day nation-wide lockdown was to end on April 14 but considering the rising number of cases, especially in Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, a majority of states agreed to extend the lockdown.

WHAT’S OPEN DURING LOCKDOWN 2.0

  1. All kinds of essential services. These services include all health workers (doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and sanitation workers.)
  2. Media persons belonging to print and electronic media (though they too can’t enter the containment zones, also known as hotspots.)
  3. Homes of children, disabled, mentally challenged or senior citizens, women.
  4. Movement, loading or unloading of goods cargo (both inter or intrastate)
  5. MNREGA works are allowed with strict implementation of social distancing and use of face mask.
  6. Hotels, homestays, lodges and motels.
  7. Services provided by self-employed people, including electrician, IT repairs, plumbers, motor mechanics and carpenters will also remain operational.
  8. Industries in rural areas, SEZs, and EOU zones, units making essential goods, food processing units, IT hardware companies, coal production will be allowed to function.
  9. Construction of roads, irrigation projections, buildings and all kinds of industrial projects, including MSMEs, in rural areas and construction of renewable energy projects will be allowed.
  10. Government will also ease restrictions for farmworkers (since the rabi crop harvest season has started in states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.)
  11. All security personnel, including police and security forces, are also exempted from the lockdown.
  12. All kinds of essential service agencies, including cook gas agencies, fuel pumps, ration shops, wholesale and retail shops and vegetable mandis will remain open.
  13. Pathology labs will also be allowed to operate amid the lockdown.
  14. Goods trucks carrying goods — weather or not essential goods — within states and outside states will be allowed to operate during the extended lockdown period.
  15. During a televised address to the nation on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India might have to pay a big economic price for the lockdown but there was no alternative to saving human lives.

Youngsters step up to make face shields

The novel coronavirus outbreak has opened a new market for face shields as protective gear for doctors, policemen, and other frontline workers and a bunch of 20-year-olds from Mumbai has taken the lead in designing and manufacturing them. Many 3D printing companies donate to public hospitals, police stations, other frontline workers.

The novel coronavirus outbreak has opened a new market for face shields as protective gear for doctors, policemen, and other frontline workers and a bunch of 20-year-olds from Mumbai has taken the lead in designing and manufacturing them.

Arjun and Parth Panchal, co-founders of 3D printer manufacturer Boson Machines, are providing healthcare professionals face shields to keep them safe from contracting the infection from patients.

Face shields are physical barriers meant to protect the facial area from splashes and spatter of body fluids. However, they cannot be used alone and are worn over the face masks for additional protection. With the help of Dr Swapneil Parikh, Boson Machines connected with experts and doctors who helped in curating and designing the product.

Arjun says that the current capacity of the manufacturing startup is 500-800 shields per day, but can scale it to 4,000 pieces in full capacity. However, this too is not enough to meet the current demand. “There are 20,000 face shields being used by doctors across India. The total requirement for the shields is more than four lakh in Maharashtra alone,” he added.

The shields are priced at Rs 150 a piece but Arjun hopes to provide them for free to government hospitals. “We have kept the standard rate across the country. For all private hospitals, we are giving it out at Rs 150 per piece while for government hospitals, we are trying to cater to them for free but we are in need of a lot of funds,” he says.

Once doctors use the mask, they will need to throw it after completing the treatment and replace it with a new one.

The startup is facing problems in delivering the products due to logistical skirmishes amid lockdown. In order to ensure availability, Arjun himself has delivered the shields to local hospitals in Mumbai.

कोरोना संकट और लॉक डाउन में Google का कमाल, ऐसे कर रहा है परेशान और भूखे लोगों की मदद

गूगल के इस नए फीचर का उद्देश्य कोरोना वायरस के चलते हुए लॉकडाउन से प्रभावित नागरिकों की मदद करना है। फिलहाल, यह अंग्रेजी भाषा में ही उपलब्ध है। हालांकि, इस पर काम चल रहा है, ताकि इसका इस्तेमाल हिंदी भाषा में भी किया जा सके।

देश में कोरोना के मामले लगातार बढ़ते जा रहे हैं और अब इनकी संख्या 4000 के पार चली गई है। कोरोना को देखते हुए देश में 21 दिन के लिए लॉकडाउन लागू है। इसकी वजह से गांवों, कस्बों और शहरों में लोगों की जिंदगी बाधित हुई है, लोगों की आजीविका और यातायात पर हुए असर की वजह से बहुत से मजदूर जो बेहतर जिंदगी की तलाश में शहर आए थे, वे या तो पैदल घर जाने लगे हैं या फिर उनके पास खाने को नहीं है।

नया फीचर लाया Google

ऐसे लोगों की मदद के लिए गूगल ने अपने मैप्स और सर्च के साथ गूगल असिस्टेंट में भी नया फीचर ऐड किया है। जहां आपको भारत के 30 शहरों के पब्लिक फूड शेल्टर और नाइट शेल्टर यानी रैन बसेरों का पता चल जाएगा।

गूगल मैप के इस नए फीचर का उद्देश्य COVID-19 यानी कोरोना वायरस के चलते हुए लॉकडाउन से प्रभावित नागरिकों की मदद करना है। फिलहाल, यह अंग्रेजी भाषा में ही उपलब्ध है। हालांकि, इस पर काम चल रहा है, ताकि अंग्रेजी के साथ-साथ इसका इस्तेमाल हिंदी भाषा में भी किया जा सके।

इसके लिए बस आपके फोन में गूगल मैप्स ऐप होना चाहिए, जिसपर आप अपने नजदीकी फूड शेल्टर और रैन बसेरों को सर्च कर सकते हैं। इसका लाभ आप KaiOS आधारित फीचर फोन पर भी उठा सकते हैं, जैसे कि जियो फोन। गूगल ने ट्विटर पर इसकी जानकारी दी है, कंपनी ने बताया कि इसके लिए वह MyGovIndia के साथ काम कर रही है।

कैसे करें इसका इस्तेमाल?

इसका इस्तेमाल करना भी बेहद आसान है। जिसके लिए आपको गूगल मैप्स, गूगल सर्च या फिर गूगल असिस्टेंट पर जाकर, Food shelters in <शहर का नाम> या Night shelters in <शहर का नाम> डालकर सर्च करना है। रिजल्ट आपको तुरंत दिखाया जएगा। शुरुआती रूप में यह सुविधा अंग्रेजी भाषा में ही है, लेकिन आने वाले दिनों में जल्द ही आप इसके लिए हिंदी भाषा का भी इस्तेमाल कर सकते हैं।

कंपनी ने यह भी कहा कि वह जल्द ही एक क्विक एक्सेस शॉर्टकट शामिल करेगी। जो कि सर्च बार या पिन के नीचे दिया होगा जिससे लोगों को Maps पर फूड और नाइट शेल्टर की जगह का पता लगाने में आसानी होगी।

जरूरतमंद लोगों के पास नहीं हैं स्मार्टफोन्स, फिर कैसे..?

यह पहल इस बात को सुनिश्चित करने के लिए है कि सभी लोगों की खाने और शेल्टर की पहुंच रहे। क्योंकि बहुत से जरूरतमंद लोगों के पास स्मार्टफोन्स या मोबाइल का एक्सेस नहीं हो सकता है। इसके अलावा, जिन लोगों को फूड शेल्टर या फिर रैन बसेरों की जरूरत पड़ती है, उनमें से ज्यादातर लोगों स्मार्टफोन यूज़र्स नहीं होते हैं, गूगल ने इस बात का भी ध्यान रखा और यह पुख्ता किया कि यह सुविधा हर जरूरतमंद तक पहुंचे, इसके लिए गूगल ने इस सुविधा को जियो फोन जैसे फीचर फोन के लिए भी ज़ारी किया है। मालूम हो कि, जियो फोन में गूगल असिस्टेंट एक्सेस उपलब्ध होता है।

गूगल इंडिया के सीनियर प्रोग्राम मैनेजर अनल घोष का कहना है कि जरूरतमंदों तक इस सुविधा की जानकारी पहुंचाने के लिए एनजीओ, ट्रैफिक अथॉरिटी, वॉलेनटियर्स का सहारा लिया जा रहा है, ताकि यह जरूरी सुविधा हर जरूरतमंद तक पहुंचे जिसके पास स्मार्टफोन एक्सेस न हो। गूगल इसमें न केवल ज्यादा भाषाओं को शामिल करने पर काम कर रही है बल्कि आने वाले दिनों में इसमें और शहरों के शेल्टर्स को जोड़ा जाएगा।

कंपनी ने कोरोना से संबंधित कई कदम लिए

कोरोना वायरस की महामारी के दौरान गूगल ने अपने स्तर पर कई ऐसे कदम लिए हैं जिससे इस बात को सुनिश्चित किया जा सके कि लोग बीमारी के बारे में जागरूक हैं और उनके पास अपने स्तर पर इसके खिलाफ लड़ने के लिए जरूरी जानकारी है।

टेक कंपनी ने अलग से वेबसाइट बनाई है जिसमें केवल विश्वसनीय जानकारी है जो विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन (WHO) और दुनिया भर की स्थानीय स्वास्थ्य अथॉरिटी से ली गई है, जिससे लोगों को बीमारियों के बारे में कोई गलत जानकारी न मिले।

Death toll rises to 132, confirmed coronavirus cases reaches 4700 mark in India

India has reported over 4,700 COVID-19 cases and over 400 new cases in the last 24 hours. The total death toll now in India stands at 132.

Updated on Apr 7, 2020: The number of cases of the novel coronavirus across the globe crossed the 1.3 million mark as the global death toll topped 70,000. India has reported over 4,700 COVID-19 cases and over 400 new cases in the last 24 hours. The total death toll now in India stands at 132.

Updated on Apr 7, 2020 8:00 AM IST: Maharashtra remains the worst affected state with 868 confirmed cases and 45 deaths, followed by Tamil Nadu (621 cases and 6 deaths) and Delhi (525 cases and 7 deaths).

Updated on Apr 7, 2020 7:00 AM IST: With 16 deaths reported, toll in India from the virus rises to 132.

Updated on Apr 7, 2020 4:00 AM IST: A total of 35 new corona cases have been reported in Rajasthan on Monday taking the total number to 301, confirmed health officials here.

Updated on Apr 7, 2020 2:00 AM IST: The coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh reached 256 on Monday night as 23 cases were reported in the last 12 hours. Indore with 151 cases has the highest number while Bhopal has 61 patients as six new cases were reported here.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020: According to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India has 4,281 confirmed cases, 111 deaths and 310 cured/discharged/migrated cases.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 11:45 PM IST: With 120 fresh cases, Maharashtra’s COVID-19 tally jumps to 868, death toll rises to 52: Official

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 11:30 PM IST: Increase of 704 COVID19 cases & 28 deaths in the last 24 hours, the biggest rise so far in India.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 11:15 PM IST: 37 new positive cases reported in Andhra Pradesh today, taking the tally to 303 in the state: State Health Department.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 11:00 PM IST: Total number of COVID19 positive patients in Punjab stand at 79 with 7 deaths: Punjab Health Department.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 10:45 PM IST: 22 new coronavirus cases in Rajasthan, total rises to 288.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 10:30 PM IST: Number of coronavirus cases in Haryana rises to 87 after 11 people test positive.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 10:15 PM IST: 13 new COVID19 positive cases in the state today including 9 in Kasargod, 2-Malappuram, 1-Pathanamthitta & 1-Kollam; Total number of positive cases in the state now stands at 327: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 10:00 PM IST: 5 new positive cases reported in Uttarakhand, taking the tally to 31: State Health Department.
Updated on Apr 6, 2020 9:30 PM IST: Total positive cases in Tamil Nadu is 621.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 9:15 PM IST: There are 50 new COVID19 positive cases in Tamil Nadu today including 48 from Tablighi Jamaat; Total positive cases in the state is 621 including 570 Tablighi Jamaat returnees.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 9:00 PM IST: In the last 24 hours, 12 new cases have been confirmed for COVID-19 in the state. Till now, there are 163 COVID-19 positive cases in the state, including 4 deaths & 20 discharged: Karnataka Health Department

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 8:30 PM IST: 57 new COVID-19 cases in Mumbai; tally 490 including 34 deaths: BMC.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 8:00 PM IST: 39 positive cases in Odisha.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 7:30 PM IST: As of 12 PM today, the total number of active cases reported in West Bengal is 61, of which 55 cases are from 7 families only: Mamata Banerjee.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 7:00 PM IST: Total COVID19 cases are 109; Active cases 103 (85 in Kashmir division and 18 in Jammu). 3 new cases so far in Kashmir: Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary-Planning, Jammu and Kashmir.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 6:30 PM IST: 266 positive cases detected till 9 am today. 243 of them are those who attended Delhi Jamaat & their contacts: AP Medical & Health Dept Special Chief Secy.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 6:00 PM IST: 1,750, out of total 2,083 foreigner Tablighi Jamaat members have been blacklisted till now: MHA official.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 5:30 PM IST: 693 new COVID19 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 4067 in India out of which 1445 cases are related to Tablighi Jamaat.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 5:00 PM IST: 9th out of 10 COVID19 patients in Chhattisgarh has also now fully recovered: Chhattisgarh Health Minister.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 4:30 PM IST: Bhopal’s count touches 50 as 9 more test positive.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 4:00 PM IST: Two deaths in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, taking the total toll in the state to 3.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 3:30 PM IST: 18 people who were in quarantine after attending Tablighi Jamaat event shifted to Medical College Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 3:00 PM IST: 14 new cases reported in Andhra Pradesh today, said a state government release, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 266.
Updated on Apr 6, 2020 2:30 PM IST: 16 new cases in Gujarat, state total now 144.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 2:00 PM IST: Nine persons with Tablighi links test positive in Haryana’s Palwal, state total up to 85.
Updated on Apr 6, 2020 1:30 PM IST: Kanika Kapoor cured, discharged from hospital.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 1:00 PM IST: Third death in Uttar Pradesh, curfew in parts of Varanasi.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 12:30 PM IST: Death toll in India crosses 100, positive cases at 4067, 291 cured.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 12:00 PM IST: 8 more people test positive for coronavirus in Rajasthan, state count 274.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 11:30 PM IST: 16 more people (all men) have tested positive for COVID-19, they are admitted at various hospitals in the state: King George’s Medical University (Lucknow) Administration

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 11:00 AM IST: Telangana has reported 62 new Covid positive cases on Sunday night, taking the total to 334, according to a stage govt release. This includes 33 recovered and discharged and 11 deaths so far.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 10:00 AM IST: Total coronavirus cases rise to 135 in Indore.

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 9:00 AM IST: 6 more persons tested positive in Rajasthan’s Bikaner. 5 of them are relatives of 60-yr-old COVID-19 positive woman who died earlier. 1 of them is a 17-yr-old male & is a contact of a Tablighi Jamaat returnee positive case. Total 266 cases in state: State Health Dept

Updated on Apr 6, 2020 8:00 AM IST: 23 more persons tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, taking the total number of cases in Bhopal to 40 including 20 Tablighi Jamaat (Delhi) returnees: State Health Department

COVID-19 impacting Indian startups both negatively and positively

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the Indian startup ecosystem is facing the brunt of this economic slowdown.

Now-a-days, startups are laying off jobs, delaying promotions, and employee bonuses have taken a backseat due to the recession in the economy.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, people are more worried about remaining employed, more than anything else.

The Indian startup ecosystem is facing the brunt of this economic slowdown.

While the “quarantine economy” has promoted the use of video conferencing platforms like Skype and Zoom, to make the most of these tools, a strong internet connection is mandatory and not everyone is blessed with one.

Dewaker Baset, Founder of Gangtok-based educational travel startup Invacations, says, “Mobile networks are not great in the hills and the odds of coordination are more for us. Remotely working is not as smooth as working from the office is.”

Dewaker also feels that the travel industry is going to face a setback for the next six months. “We had established certain targets; those have been shattered. It is like starting a business from ground zero,” he says.

FareFirst, a Kannur-based travel startup, has a similar opinion. CEO Yajnesh T says the travel industry is facing the maximum burn. The startup’s monthly flight searches have gone down from 4.5 lakh to almost nil. “We will not be able to survive the next three months unless we do a pivot,” Yajnesh says.

Companies like LegalWiz is keeping unnecessary expenses in check, and shrinking its marketing budget.

ExpertRight reports that there has been a decline in the demand for freelance writers in the hospitality and travel industry.

Despite the turmoil, Biofie, which uses video resumes and AI-powered matching processes to make the job search and hiring process efficient, has seen more traffic on its website, from the applicant side.

“People have more time to think about and explore newer opportunities. Most of us tend to delay the job searching process because we are busy, but being at home, people seem to be more interested,” Biofie Founder Mrityunjay Sharma says.

Therefore, we can say that where on one hand companies are laying off jobs and experiencing a recession, on another hand they are experiencing new opportunities to grow their business.

KlinicApp offers COVID-19 home tests

KlinicApp is now enabling home tests for COVID-19 in Mumbai. It is also planning to roll it out in Pune and Delhi in a week.

KlinicApp is now enabling home tests for COVID-19 in Mumbai. It is also planning to roll it out in Pune and Delhi in a week.

KlinicApp is an e-diagnostic start-up that brings affordable, standardised lab test services to the doorstep of patients. In four years, KlinicApp has serviced about 200,000 patients and conducted more than 7.3 million tests. It has expanded its fleet of phlebotomists to 300.

Patients can simply call 8929176409 and book a test, but only after they produce a doctor’s prescription. Results are available within 48 hrs.

This service is being provided through tie-ups with government-approved labs like Thyrocare and Metropolis.

KlinicApp has deployed 100 phlebotomists on the ground for collecting samples in Mumbai. They are trained extensively as per ICMR guidelines and are equipped with disposable safety suits and other adequate gear.

“At KlinicApp, we are fully committed to the fight against COVID-19 and together help the nation come out of this difficult situation,” said Satkam Divya, CEO, KlinicApp.

“KlinicApp is focussed on adding/scaling up capacity in all major cities to a sufficient number of tests per day. Our fleet of Phlebotomists has been given extensive training for home sample collection and has been provided a one-time use safety suit (personal protective equipment) and gear for their safety,” he added.

KlinicApp competes with the likes of Practo, Mylab, Healthians, mFine, MedLife, and others in a fast-growing e-diagnostics sector.

A person is considered to be at risk of having COVID-19 if he/she has travelled to an area with ongoing community transmission in the last 14 days or have had close contact with an infected person. Common key indicators include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Other indicators include fatigue, myalgia, anorexia, sputum production, and sore throat.

Ola to provide interest-free loans to drivers in face of COVID-19 lockdown

Ola cabs has announced the introduction of a micro-credit initiative for its drivers, in a bid to lend financial aid in times of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Ola cabs has announced the introduction of a micro-credit initiative for its drivers, in a bid to lend financial aid in times of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The initiative is called ‘Sahyog’ and is being targeted at over 1 lac driver-partners that are presently associated with Ola cabs.

It will provide interest-free loans to drivers on its platforms to address the immediate liquidity crisis faced by drivers across the country.

Drivers of cabs have been hard hit under the COVID-19 lockdown, with many not having funds to make ends meet.

As part of the initiative, Ola cabs will be extending small loans of Rs 1,200 per person per week, for three weeks, hence extending total financial assistance of Rs 3,600 per driver.

Ola will disburse these loans via micro-finance company Avail Finance to drivers across its categories including Ola Auto, Ola Rentals and Outstation.

“Sahyog enables them to access micro-credit instantly, in their registered bank accounts, allowing drivers and their families to tide through these difficult times,” said Anand Subramanian, Spokesperson and Head of Communications, Ola in a statement.

“Avail’s platform will help Ola identify eligible driver-partners as well as to manage the disbursement of credit in real-time,” said Ankush Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, Avail Finance.

This unique offering is tailor-made for Ola driver-partners and will help address immediate liquidity needs of over a lakh families driver-partners and their families pan India.

This move follows Ola’s multiple initiatives focused on the well-being and economic upliftment of the driver community, who have been one of the worst-hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As people lock down due to COVID-19 outbreak, online gaming industry takes off in India

Currently, there are about 300 million online gamers in India and the number is expected to grow by 46% to 440 million in two years.

At a time when people are locked up inside their houses to help limit the spread of COVID-19, online gaming in India has seen a spike.

Saumya Singh Rathore, co-founder, WinZO, said Italy has seen 70% growth in mobile gaming over the last two weeks of lockdown, and a similar trend is observed in India.

Currently, there are about 300 million online gamers in India and the number is expected to grow by 46% to 440 million in two years, according to online market researcher Statista.

Ashish Bhakuni, Head of Marketing, Adda52Rummy, reveals that due to the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a 40% increase in the company’s month-on-month (M-o-M) revenue and a 50% increase in its user base.

“We are doing our bit to help people stay mentally fit amid this crisis. We are introducing Adda chips which will help people get tax benefits on playing rummy. We also expect to introduce weekly 5 lakh prize pool tourneys in the coming weeks,” said Bhakuni.

Adda52Rummy is also working on a similar approach. The startup, which saw a 200 percent increase in new users, is also trying to “increase our market spend” as it feels this the right time for brand awareness campaigns as people are more online.

The platform is offering bonus codes for first-time players, and tax savings and referral codes for existing top players.

To capitalise on the current surge and to keep the users on their platforms engaged, companies are also coming with new features.

Meanwhile, psychologists also believe that gaming in moderation can benefit people during the lockdown.

Indian online retailers set to lose $1 billion amid COVID-19 lockdown

India’s largest E-retail platforms like Amazon and Flipkart have suffered an estimated loss of at least $1 billion in gross sales due to 21-day lockdown to control the novel Coronavirus.

India’s largest e-retail platforms like Amazon and Flipkart have suffered an estimated loss of at least $1 billion in gross sales due to 21-day lockdown to control the novel Coronavirus.

Despite online grocery seeing a spike in orders, it constitutes only about 10% of overall sales for e-retailers.

According to data compiled by American market research and advisory firm Forrester, the e-commerce sector in India, which is dominated by mobile phones, electronics, and fashion, are already estimated to have lost $400 million worth of sales during the last week starting with the ‘junta curfew’ on 22 March.

Several businesses, including online retail, came to a grinding halt after PM Narendra Modi last week announced a total lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Satish Meena, a senior forecast analyst at Forrester, said India’s e-commerce sector will continue to grapple with low demand and a disrupted supply in the near future.

Forrester now predicts a tepid 5% growth for the e-commerce sector in India in 2020 compared to an earlier estimate of 26% growth. The sector had grown 28% in 2019 to touch $32 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) – a term used to indicate the total value of merchandise sold. Interestingly, the grocery sector, which is currently in high demand on online platforms, accounted for just 6% of the overall GMV in 2019.

Many e-retailers across segments, including Myntra and Firstcry, are not taking any new orders. Meanwhile, after multiple complaints of disruptions in operation by e-tailers and e-grocers, the government had allowed transportation of goods without the essential and non-essential distinction during the 21-day coronavirus lockdown.

Scientists Develop Tool To Find If Covid-19 Outbreak Is Natural Or Manmade

Researchers have developed a tool that can assess if Coronavirus outbreak has naturally originated or not. 

Researchers have developed a tool that can assess if Coronavirus outbreak has naturally originated or not. The main aim is to find out whether the novel coronavirus mutated from a virus already prevalent in humans or animals or did it originate in a laboratory. 

Grunow-Finke assessment tool (GFT or mGFT) as it is called, is developed by Virginia-based Society for Risk Analysis. The mGFT contains 11 criteria for determining if an outbreak is of unnatural origin, including existence of a biological risk. 

If the tool reveals a score of less than 30 points, out of 60 possible points, then the outbreak is of natural cause. If a biological agent is released artificially, it is expected to be found in unusually high concentrations in the air, soil and drinking or surface water over a large area. 

It assesses if there is presence of a political or terrorist environment from which a biological attack could originate. The tool also checks if the pathogenic organism may be atypical, rare, antiquated, new emerging, with mutations or different origins, genetically edited or created by synthetic biotechnology. 

“Unless the question of origin is asked, unnatural outbreaks cannot be identified. Public health training, practice and culture defaults to the assumption that every outbreak is natural in origin and does not routinely include risk assessments for unnatural origins,” said the study published in the journal Risk Analysis. 

However, the researchers cautioned that the findings simply flag unusual patterns in an outbreak, but do not prove unnatural origin.

MakeMyTrip’s Executives To Draw Zero Salary amid COVID-19

MakeMyTrip’s Group Executive Chairman and Group CEO announced that they would draw zero salary, and the rest of the company’s leadership team has offered to take a 50% pay-cut amid Coronavirus outbreak.

MakeMyTrip’s Group Executive Chairman Deep Kalra and Group CEO Rajesh Magow announced that they would draw zero salary, and the rest of the company’s leadership team has offered to take a 50% pay-cut amid Coronavirus outbreak.

“On people costs front, both of us will take the lead and take zero salary effective April 2020, while the rest of our leadership team have also offered to take a reduction of approximately 50 percent in their compensation,” Kalra and Magow said in a message to company’s employees.

In a recent announcement, Indian Government has ordered a complete lockdown in the whole country till for 21 days. People are advised to forbid any kind of travelling.

As MakeMyTrip provides online travel services including flight tickets, domestic and international holiday packages, hotel reservations, and rail and bus tickets. This business sector has been hit really hard by the decision. There has been sharp drop in bookings with spiralling cancellations and the latest restrictions on domestic air/rail/bus travel has brought the industry to a virtual standstill.

“The last few weeks have been very tough for all of us with the sudden and sharp spread of Covid-19 in India. Our stellar performance in Q3 2020 was sadly short lived as the travel and tourism sector is one of the worst sectors that have been hit by this pandemic,” Kalra and Magow said.

Economic experts across the world are predicting it to be a global economic tsunami that will have far reaching implications for the global economy.

कोरोना संकट के बीच पेटीएम ने किया बड़ा एलान, दवा बनाने के लिए देगी 5 करोड़ रुपये और अमेजन ने लिया ये फैसला

डिजिटल भुगतान से जुड़ी कंपनी पेटीएम (Paytm) ने एक बड़ा एलान किया है. पेटीएम ने कहा है कि वह कोरोना वायरस (Coronavirus) की दवा विकसित करने के लिए भारतीय शोधकर्ताओं को पांच करोड़ रुपये देगी, पेटीएम के संस्थापक और सीईओ विजय शेखर शर्मा ने रविवार को ट्वीट में यह बात कही।

डिजिटल भुगतान से जुड़ी कंपनी पेटीएम ने बड़ा एलान किया है। पेटीएम ने कहा है कि, वह कोरोना वायरस (Covid-19) की दवा विकसित करने के लिए भारतीय शोधकर्ताओं को पांच करोड़ रुपये देगी। पेटीएम के संस्थापक और सीईओ विजय शेखर शर्मा ने रविवार को ट्वीट में यह बात कही। बता दें कि, देश में कोरोना वायरस के मामले लगातार बढ़ रहे हैं और इसकी रोकथाम व इलाज के लिए अभी तक कोई दवा नहीं है।

विजय शेखर शर्मा ने ट्वीट में लिखा, “हमें अधिक संख्या में भारतीय इनोवेटर्स, शोधकर्ताओं की जरूरत है जो वेंटिलेटर की कमी और कोविड-19 के इलाज के लिए देशी समाधान खोज सकें। पेटीएम संबंधित चिकित्सा समाधानों पर काम करने वाले ऐसे दलों को पांच करोड़ रुपये देगी ”।


विजय शेखर ने आईआईएससी, बेंगलुरु के प्राध्यापक गौरव बनर्जी के एक संदेश पर प्रतिक्रिया व्यक्त करते हुए यह बात कही। बनर्जी ने अपने संदेश में किसी आपातकालीन स्थिति में देशी तकनीक का इस्तेमाल कर वेंटिलेटर बनाने की बात कही थी।

इंजीनियर्स बना रहे हैं प्रोटोटाइप

बनर्जी ने अपने संदेश में कहा है कि, उनकी एयरोस्पेस, इलेक्ट्रिकल और इलेक्ट्रॉनिक्स इंजीनियर्स की एक छोटी टीम भारतीय सामग्री का इस्तेमाल करते हुए एक वेंटीलेटर नमूना तैयार करने का प्रयास कर रही है। यह काम कोविड-19 के दौरान आपात स्थिति को देखते हुए किया जा रहा है। शर्मा ने कहा कि, उन्होंने अपने ट्विटर में सीधे संदेश भेजने का विकल्प खुला रखा है। इसमें संभावित टीम और नवीन खोज करने वालों की सूचना प्राप्त की जा सकती है।

पेटीएम के अलावा अमेजन ने भी लिया यह फैसला

इसके अलावा शनिवार, 21 मार्च को, ई-कॉमर्स की दिग्गज कंपनी अमेजन के संस्थापक और सीईओ जेफ बेजोस ने घोषणा किया कि, स्वास्थ्य और आर्थिक संकट के इस समय में, अमेज़न एक लाख नई भूमिकाओं के लिए लोगों को काम पर रखेगा, और साथ ही जो ऑर्डर पूरा कर रहे हैं और वितरित कर रहे हैं तनाव और उथल-पुथल के इस समय में अपने ग्राहकों के लिए उनके प्रतिदिन के कामगारों के लिए वेतन बढ़ाएगा।

जेफ बेजोस ने कहा, “इसी समय, रेस्तरां और बार जैसे अन्य व्यवसायों को भी बंद करने के लिए मजबूर किया जा रहा है। हम आशा करते हैं कि, जिन लोगों का काम बंद कर दिया गया है वे हमारे साथ काम करेंगे जब तक कि वे नौकरियों में वापस जाने में सक्षम न हों।

कोरोनो वायरस के मामलों में बढ़ोत्तरी

बता दें कि, देश के अलग-अलग हिस्सों से ताजा मामले सामने आने के बाद सोमवार यानि 23 मार्च को दोपहर 2 बजे तक कोरोनो वायरस के मामलों की संख्या बढ़कर 429 हो गई। कुल मिलाकर दिल्ली, पटना, कर्नाटक, पंजाब और महाराष्ट्र से अब तक 41 विदेशी नागरिक और आठ मौत का मामला सामने आया है।

कोरोना वायरस (कोविड-19) का टेस्ट किट विकसित करने वाला पहला भारतीय लाइसेंस कंपनी बना अहमदाबाद का यह स्टार्टअप

CoSara ने 2014 में शुरू की गई ‘मेक इन इंडिया’ पहल के साथ खुद को संरेखित किया है। इसका लक्ष्य भारत को एक वैश्विक डिजाइन और विनिर्माण केंद्र में बदलना है।

केंद्रीय औषधि मानक नियंत्रण संगठन (CDVCO) द्वारा स्वीकृत की गई कोरोना वायरस टेस्ट किट, मूल रूप से को-डायग्नोस्टिक्स द्वारा डिज़ाइन की गई थी, जो कोविड-19 के निदान के लिए सीई अंकन प्राप्त करने वाली पहली यूएस-आधारित कंपनी है। आणविक नैदानिक परीक्षणों के विकास के लिए एक अद्वितीय, पेटेंट प्लेटफॉर्म के साथ, CoSara ने गुरुवार को घोषणा की कि, सह-निदान के साथ इस संयुक्त उद्यम के माध्यम से, यह भारतीय बाजार में इन किटों को बेचने और आसपास के क्षेत्रों में भी निर्यात करने की उम्मीद कर रहा है।

को-डायग्नोस्टिक्स के सीईओ ड्वाइट एगन ने कहा, “पेटेंटेड को प्राइमर तकनीक पर निर्मित उच्च-गुणवत्ता वाले परीक्षणों का दुनिया के सबसे बड़े हेल्थकेयर मार्केट के रूप में अनुमान लगाने पर सकारात्मक प्रभाव पड़ेगा। साथ ही, उन्होंने यह भी कहा कि, हमारे संयुक्त उद्यम को-डायग्नोस्टिक्स को इस तरह की सफलता हासिल करने के लिए सम्मानित किया गया है।

CoSara ने 2014 में शुरू की गई ‘मेक इन इंडिया’ पहल के साथ खुद को संरेखित किया है। इसका लक्ष्य भारत को एक वैश्विक डिजाइन और विनिर्माण केंद्र में बदलना है। इसके बाद, स्वास्थ्य विभाग के वरिष्ठ अधिकारियों ने लाइसेंस के लिए की जाने वाले अनुमोदन प्रक्रिया को तेज कर दिया है।

भारत के प्रधान मंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने गुरुवार को सभी भारतीयों से कोरोनोवायरस से संक्रमित होने से बचने के लिए हर संभव प्रयास करने की अपील की। और साथ ही यह भी कहा कि दुनिया ने इस तरह के गंभीर खतरे को इससे पहले कभी नहीं देखा है।


प्रधानमंत्री मोदी ने 22 मार्च को सुबह 7 बजे से रात 9 बजे से ‘जनता कर्फ्यू’ का आह्वान करते हुए कहा कि आवश्यक कार्य अगर ना हो तो घर से बाहर ना निकलें। यही नहीं, मोदी ने एक राष्ट्रीय प्रसारण में कहा “यहां तक कि प्रथम विश्व युद्ध और द्वितीय ने भी दुनिया को इतना प्रभावित नहीं किया जितना कोरोना वायरस से हो रहा है।

उन्होंने लोगों से “उनके कुछ सप्ताह व उनके कुछ समय” का त्याग करने के लिए कहा। मोदी ने कहा कि कोरोनोवायरस का अभी तक कोई इलाज नहीं है, सुरक्षित रहने का एकमात्र तरीका घर के अंदर रहना है। “मैं देश के सभी लोगों से अनुरोध करता हूं कि वे घर से तभी बाहर निकलें जब बेहद आवश्यक हो, कोशिश करें कि सभी काम घर से ही करें।

CoSara के निदेशक मोहाल साराभाई ने जानकारी दी कि, ” इस समय 52 सरकार द्वारा अनुमोदित परीक्षण सुविधाएं हैं और किट वितरित करना पहला लक्ष्य है, इसके अलावा कोविड-19 परीक्षण करने के लिए 60 मान्यता प्राप्त निजी प्रयोगशालाओं को लगाना है। कुल मिलाकर, हमारा लक्ष्य बाजार निजी होने के साथ-साथ सरकारी लैब भी होगा। ”

पिछले कुछ हफ्तों में, भारत ने अपने नागरिकों को वापस बुलाने, देश में यात्रा की व्यापक सीमा और अंततः देश की सीमाओं को बंद करने के लिए शुरुआती उपाय किए, जिससे 1.3 अरब की आबादी की सेवा के लिए स्वदेशी कोविड-19 परीक्षणों की मांग भी बढ़ गई है।