businessfortnight

The Coronavirus infection has impacted thousands of people worldwide. For those impacted, the stress goes beyond health and involves high medical costs, loss of pay (in some case) and associated financial stress. It is important for people to be aware that if they have a regular health Insurance plan from any insurer paying for medical costs either through a cashless facility or reimbursement, all illnesses including Covid-19 are covered.Further in view of serious challenges by this pandemic for customers, Edelweiss General Insurance has taken the following steps for its customers: As mentioned above, the Edelweiss Health Insurance policy covers COVID-19. However, we have decided to cover hospitalization for not only those who have a confirmed diagnosis but also those who have been quarantined in specific facilities identified by the government. The coverage amount is up to the sum insured under the policy Further for quarantined patien...

Troubled Times Equal Opportunity for NRI Investors by Shajai Jacob, CEO – GCC, ANAROCK Property Consultants While all economies are shaken at the moment, it is in such times that smart investors buy into their preferred asset classes. For NRIs, opportunities back home are evn more appealing with the fall of the Indian rupee. As the equity markets continue to vacillate, NRI investors had become wary of the stock markets and fell back on gold, real estate and bank deposits because of the relative security of these products. Interest Rates Plummet: Amidst the turmoil in the Indian banking sector and SBI, the country’s largest lender, reducing interest rates on savings accounts and fixed deposits, NRIs are averse to trusting banks. SBI reduced interest on savings accounts to 3% for all categories from the earlier 3.25% for accounts with less than 1 lakh rupees, and 3% for accounts with more than 1 lakh rupees. Moreover, the interest rates for fixed deposits for a tenure of fewer than 45 ...

Sharp build-up was seen in forex reserves in Q3 due to lower trade activity and rise in foreign investment flows, providing the RBI enough liquidity ammunition to inject in the system and curb the volatility in the rupee. The reserves have further increased to cover 12 months of imports till Feb’20.  CAD at 14-month low: Amid lower trade activity, CAD narrowed in Q3FY20 to 0.2% of GDP. Commodity-oriented imports witnessed a sharper decline in Q3. This was supported by stronger services imports and remittances.  Capital account surplus at 3.1% of GDP: Strong FDI and FII investment have contributed to a rise in capital flows. Although the ECB has tapered off from Mar’19, it is still higher to somewhat compensate for the fall in bank credit growth.  RBI to Intervene to curb currency volatility: The sharp depreciation in the INR to ~74 levels, coupled with excess forex reserves (higher than optimal levels), was a clear indication that the RBI is likely to intervene to protect the curre...

SLG Hospitals, the multi super specialty tertiary and quaternary level care hospital operating from Nizampet, Hyderabad, has added result-oriented Oncology Care to its 40+ list of specialties. The Hospital has already gained a form footing in the areas of Cardiology, Gastroenterology. Gynecology, Orthopedics, Urology and other specialty areas that demand a highlevel of precision and experience. The Oncology Department at SLG Hospitals was inaugurated today by Mr. Manthena Venkata Rama Raju, Chairman, Vasudha Foundation, Vasudha Group of Industriesto extend the best available treatment options at an affordable price bracket to benefit as many patients as possible. With some of the top specialists ledby Dr. Ch. SwarnaKumari, MDRT, FHPRT, PDCR, Consultant Radiation Oncologist and Dr. B. BhanuPrakash, MD, DM MED ONCO , Consultant Medical Oncologist, the Department hasup-to-date technologies, sophisticated equipment and the strictest protocols, to provide the latest procedures in Medic...

Bajaj Auto, one of the world’s leading automobile companies, has launched the Dominar 250, a variant of the proven Dominar Sports Tourer, that will make it attractive for riding enthusiasts to enter the world of touring.The new offering features liquid cooled 248.8cc DOHC engine, delivering 27 PS power and 23.5 Nm of torque. Further, it retains all the state-of-the-art technological and class leading features of the Dominar 400 like the up-side down (USD) forks that provide superior handling & comfort along with a muscular look, the twin barrel exhaust that produces a throaty exhaust note with a heavy bass, enhancing the sports tourer feel.It also features innovative bungee straps tucked under the seat to help secure gear during long distance touring, a redesigned secondary display showing time, gear position and trip information, and spacecraft inspired tank pad decals. Commenting on the Dominar 250 launch, Mr. Sarang Kanade, President – Motorcycles, Bajaj Auto Ltd. said, “ The ...

PAYBACK India deepens its tie-up with brand ambassador, Yuvraj Singh, by supporting his Cancer Foundation ‘YouWeCan’ As a CSR Initiative, PAYBACK India will sponsor treatment for underprivileged children suffering from cancer and help in the efforts to spread awareness. PAYBACK India, the country’s largest multi-brand loyalty program, extends support to ‘YouWeCan’ Cancer Foundation to aid the treatment of children suffering from cancer. The foundation, an initiative by ace cricketer Yuvraj Singh, works extensively on cancer control in India through cancer awareness programs, cancer screening centers, treatment support and survivor empowerment.   Talking about the partnership with ‘YouWeCan’ Foundation, Mr. Ramakant Khandelwal, CMO, PAYBACK India , says, “ We are pleased to be part of this noble initiative by Yuvraj Singh. We have seen the spirit behind YouWeCan foundation, its impact on the people, and we hope our support will further strengthen the efforts. Through this partners...

 The Government of India (GoI) has invited an expression of interest (EoI) for the strategic divestment of its entire stake (~53%) in BPCL.  The stake sale will transfer management control of the company to a strategic buyer, except for BPCL’s 61.65% stake in Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), which will be transferred to a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).  The last date for submission of EoIs is 2nd May’20. Other key details from preliminary information memorandum  Eligibility: CPSEs and central government owned cooperative societies are not eligible to bid for the proposed transaction.  Financial Criteria: The net worth criterion for any Interested Party (IP) is a minimum of USD10b. Also, the maximum number of members in case of a consortium is four (with minimum net worth of USD1b for each member).  Reserve Price: The GoI will set up a reserve price for the transaction before the bids open; however, it will not be disclosed to the bidders.  Open Offer: The confirmed ...

To mark the  International Women’s Day, the city’s leading hospital Nanavati Super Specialty Hospital initiated several programmes and campaigns for making women aware of preventive healthcare. The initiatives at the hospital and other parts of the city included urological consultation for senior women ( Live360@60 ), lecture about Women Health Complications and Preventive Techniques, the importance of Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation ( CPR ),  ‘Health Mela’  for preventive check-ups and a social media campaign ( I Make it Happen ) among others.    The International women’s day aims at promoting and celebrating the achievements of women and raising awareness around having Generation Equality across our communities. Aligning with the aims and objectives with the Women’s Day Nanavati hospital celebrated womanhood by hosting special two-day programs in several locations of Mumbai. The programmes and campaigns primarily aimed at educating women to reduce the risk of ...

~ ‘Faayde Ki Baat’ campaign spearheaded by General Insurance Council aims at increasing awareness and educate on the benefits of non-life insurance Mumbai: In a bid to increase awareness and adoption of non-life insurance, the General Insurance Council (GIC), the apex body of general insurers, with support from the Insurance Regulatory Authority of India (IRDAI) today launched an awareness and education campaign, ‘Faayde Ki Baat’. All 25 General Insurance, 6 SAHI (Standalone Health Insurance) and 2 Specialized Insurance companies in India, along with 11 Reinsurers have come together in a joint effort to raise awareness and educate the people of the country about the importance of non-life insurance. Under this campaign, GI Council aims to increase awareness about General Insurance and at the same time educate people on how to safeguard themselves and their assets especially their health, home and motor vehicle. The campaign titled, ‘Faayde Ki Baat’ is in line with the current...

Nanavati Hospital’s Specialised Drug Testing Laboratory is receiving 5-6 requests by walk-in parents and in-house patients on Monthly basis.Along with common drugs such as Cocaine, Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, Methadone and Opiates, experts cite rising abuse of deadly Phencyclidine (Angel dust), Barbiturates, and Benzodiazepines in patients aging 13-25 years. Mumbai: Over last one year, over 50-60 parents walked in Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital for voluntary drug testing of their children. Citing the extent of drug addiction and available variety of dangerous drugs, experts advised immediate need to create awareness about ill effects of drug abuse in schools and colleges. “A large number of youngsters are struggling with addiction than ever before. We get around 5-6 drug test requests per month, predominantly for male patients,” said Dr Maya Varde, Consultant Pathologist, Laboratory Medicine from Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital. It is observed that majority of these drug abus...

Equities & bonds remain preferred investment assets for Indian ultra-wealthy, Asians prefer property investments: Knight Frank Wealth Report 2020 72% increase in equity investment allocation by Indian ultra-wealthy in 2019 Mumbai, March 5, 2020: According to the Attitudes Survey, part of Knight Frank’s Wealth Report 2020, despite global headwinds, equity investments remained the most attractive asset class for Indian ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs). 83% of Indian ultra-high-net-worth­-individuals (UHNWIs) in India are planning to increase or maintain their allocations in equities, followed by bonds (77%) and ahead of property (51%). ASSET ALLOCATION In 2019, for Indian UHNWIs, equities remained the most preferred asset class in the portfolio with 29% allocation, followed by 21% allocation for bonds and 20% into property investments. On the contrary, Asian UHNWIs preferred property investments with 28% asset allocation, followed by 21% in equities which is closely foll...

In yet another brilliant medical and philanthropical initiative to help children suffering from life-threatening medical conditions, Aster CMI Hospital has helped one-year-old infant, recover successfully from a rare kind of serious autoimmune disease described as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly known by the name lupus. Aarush (name changed) was suffering from SLE, an inflammatory disease caused when the immune system attacks its own healthy tissues. The debilitating disease got compounded with the aggravation of infections spreading all over his body putting his life at risk. This is when Aster CMI hospital decided to intervene medically and financially aid the child’s treatment through the Aster Sick Kids Foundation as part of its CSR initiative. Aarush was unwell for over six months and had been suffering from repeated fevers, skin rashes and ulcers in the mouth. He was diagnosed to have SLE at 11 months of age and was started on an appropriate therapy, steroids and ot...

The report titled “ Global Drug Abuse Testing Devices Market Outlook to 2 025 –By Products (Consumables, Analysers and Rapid Testing Devices), By End Users (Criminal Justice Systems, Workplace and Schools, Hospitals, Research Laboratories and Others) and By Region (United States of America, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Mexico, France, India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Others) ” gives an in depth, comprehensive outlook on the drug testing devices market globally. The report covers various aspects including genesis of the market, global drug abuse trends, market size by revenue along with segmentations for four regions (North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and LAMEA). Country snapshots for major 10 countries (USA, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Mexico, France, India, South Africa and Saudi Arabia and Others) including segmentation by product, by end users, by rapid testing devices (urine testing devices and oral fluid testing devices) and by production of devices (domestically or ...

New Delhi headquartered Fin-Tech Startup; Loanwalle.com added another feather to its cap by expanding its operations in Punjab. Going ahead with its rapid expansion plan, the company invested INR 30 Cr in Punjab while focusing on key cities like Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Ambala, Jalandhar and Amritsar. Ranked 14 th on the GDP index, 46% of population in Punjab comprises of serviced individuals. The city holds great significance for start- ups like Loanwalle.com as the company serves the short-term financial needs of serviced individuals. Launched in 2018, Loanwalle.com was initiated with an objective of helping salaried individual with their emergency financial needs as the company’s founder Mr. Sachin Mittal came across various situations where people get stuck in a financial crunch and although they require small amount but the urgency of money is so immediate that waiting in long queues to get loan is not a fruitful option. Catering to this immediate need of finance is Loanwalle.com t...

Yeo Chuen Chuen, an award-winning leadership executive coach working regularly with Fortune 500 clients and founder of ACEsence in Singapore, has recently been named one of the “Top 101 Global Coaching Leaders” and “Women Super Achiever” at the 7th Women Leadership Congress, a segment of the World HRD Congress. The awards recognise her professional achievement as a thought leader and a contributor of value.   Yeo Chuen Chuen with her “Woman Super Achiever” award “I am honored to have received both awards. It is a recognition of the resilience and grit that help me get to where I am,” said Yeo. “These awards not only show that my relatively younger age is not a barrier to becoming an excellent executive coach, but also how it is possible for all women to overcome gender bias whilst redefining roles and definitions of success.” In her forthcoming book, 8 Paradoxes of Leadership Agility, she draws from her pragmatic, international experiences in coaching senior executives from over ...

Calcification of coronary artery plaques poses unique challenges in treatment with angioplasty and stent. Hard calcified blockages do not yield easily to balloon and therefore the stent doesn’t expand well. This effect long term outcomes of angioplasty. Various methods have been hitherto available to deal with this situation, such as rotablation , very high pressure balloons , atherectomy devices etc. A very recent addition to the armamentarium is Shockwave lithotripsy also called intravascular lithotripsy, which uses a special balloon to deliver high pressure waves at the blockage and breaks the calcium. This softens the blockage and facilitates successful angioplasty and stenting. Sakra World Hospital, one of the city’s leading multispecialty hospital, performed Karnataka’s first Coronary Shockwave Lithotripsy surgery recently. This surgery was carried out by   Dr Sreekanth B Shetty, Senior Consultant and Head of Interventional Cardiology, Sakra World Hospital on  a 75-year...