Month: February 2022

Kauvery Hospital Successfully Performs Leadless Pacemaker Implantation on a 58-year-old man, First in Trichy

Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India

Kauvery Hospital Heart city – Trichy, a unit of Kauvery Group of Hospitals, a leading multispecialty healthcare chain in Tamil Nadu, today announced the successful implantation of a leadless pacemaker on a patient with recurrent pacemaker allergy.

Dr. T. Joseph, Lead Electrophysiology & Interventional cardiologist successfully performs Leadless Pacemaker Implantation on a 58-year-old man at Kauvery Hospital Heart city – Trichy

The patient, aged 58 years, had approached the hospital with complaints of multiple episodes of pacemaker erosion ever since he received an implant of a conventional (lead) artificial pacemaker in 2017 from another hospital. The patient’s case history was thoroughly studied by the medical experts lead by Dr. Joseph who then decided to go ahead with the implantation of a Leadless Pacemaker.

Speaking on the case, Dr. T. Joseph, Interventional Cardiologist and Lead Electrophysiologist, Kauvery Heartcity, Trichy, said, “The patient had previously been implanted with a conventional lead pacemaker 4-5 times on both left and right side of the chest at a hospital elsewhere, which kept getting eroded. My team and I explained to the patient the advantages of a leadless pacemaker – AV MICRA (Dual chamber), which is an advanced device and non-allergic to patients. The patient agreed to go ahead with the implantation.”

Pacemaker allergy is a rare phenomenon that can present with a spectrum of mild local inflammation to severe systemic inflammation and hence remain a serious concern to the affected heart patients. This results in multiple device replacements, high cost to patient and increased morbidity burden.

“Leadless pacemakers are introduced in Cardiac Electrophysiology with the goal to avoid lead and pocket-associated complications from conventional artificial pacemakers (CPM). The leadless pacemaker is 90% smaller than a conventional/transvenous pacemaker. The device weighs less than 9 gms and has a volume of 0.8cc. It is a miniature device sent directly to the heart through a catheter. It is a self-contained generator, where the electrode system (battery) is directly implanted into the right ventricle. The device is implanted via a femoral vein transcatheter approach; it requires no chest incision or subcutaneous generator pocket whereas, in a conventional pacemaker, the electrode system is placed in the pectoral area (chest) with wires connected to the heart. This technology turned out to be the best option for this particular patient,” added Dr. T. Joseph.

Commenting on the success of the case, Dr. T. Senthil Kumar, Executive Director and Chief Cardio Thoracic-Vascular Surgeon, Kauvery HeartCity, Trichy said, “This technology is relatively new in the market, having been introduced in 2018 and has been offered to only 8-9 cases in our country. This is the first time in Trichy, and 2nd in Tamilnadu, that this type of advanced Leadless chip Pacemaker AV MICRA, with Dual chamber, has been used on patients.

Dr. Joseph has used the same technology for a 7-year old child in 2020, which was the first in the country, and globally the 3rd paediatric Implant. This placed India on a world pedestal, at a Pacing Series Workshop in 2020 held in Hungary.

Allergic reactions to pacemaker device components are uncommon. However, when they occur, they usually mimic pacemaker infection, which results in multiple pacemaker replacements. This is what happened to the adult patient featured here. He approached us and we were able to provide him the better procedure that shall ensure that his woes won’t return, and that he shall not be troubled with further complications in the future. Without the right treatment from the right specialists, these infections can be life-threatening – making it crucial to seek and find the highest level of care as soon as possible.”

The patient was discharged post-observation the very next day after the implantation. He will however be visiting the hospital to get the device monitored over the coming months.

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(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NewsVoir India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same)

The Johns Hopkins University’s Institute for Global Tobacco Control updates its free online course on the dangers of tobacco use and COVID-19

BALTIMORE, Feb. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — With the COVID-19 pandemic still a concern as 2022 begins, arm yourself with knowledge about the connection between tobacco use and COVID-19 with a free online course from the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Updated with new information in late 2021, COVID-19 and Tobacco Use covers topics such as the impact of smoking on COVID-19, the effects of nicotine at a molecular level, and the behavior of the tobacco industry during the pandemic.

Current evidence shows the negative impacts of smoking on COVID-19 outcomes, providing one more compelling reason and an added sense of urgency for people to quit using tobacco products. As infections continue to disrupt daily living, any step taken to curb the negative outcomes of COVID-19 should be explored and implemented. This course can help amplify that effort.

The COVID-19 and Tobacco Use course joins a distinguished suite of existing free online courses, which have been completed by more than 6,700 participants from more than 100 countries around the world.

Global Tobacco Control: Learning from the Experts is a comprehensive primer on the tobacco epidemic featuring 27 subject matter experts from 14 countries. Participants in the course will get a unique global perspective on the burden of tobacco on death and disease and evidence-based solutions to reduce it.

Learning from the Experts: A Course for Healthcare Providers is an online course developed with input from globally acclaimed tobacco control advocates in healthcare careers. Designed for busy healthcare providers, this course provides up-to-date information about the role healthcare professionals can play in tobacco control, and how to help their patients quit tobacco. Recent updates to the course include how cessation medication works; how to help a patient quit smokeless tobacco and other non-cigarette tobacco products; and addressing practical issues clinicians face when helping their patients quit tobacco.

All three courses are free to any user around the world and feature a responsive design that allows users to take the course at their own pace on any device. Users who complete a course receive a certificate of completion from the Institute for Global Tobacco Control.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1749383/COVID_website.jpg

(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

We-Ace and PayU Come Together to Launch an Exclusive Returnee Women Program

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

We-Ace, an online skilling and networking platform designed to engage, enable and employ women, along with PayU have come together to create a unique opportunity for women aspiring to return to work after a break. The program titled Return. Reset. Reimagine is initiated by PayU in collaboration with We-Ace and it is exclusively aimed for women ready to return to work after a break and interested in exploring learning and career opportunities in the fintech industry.


Return. Reset. Reimagine – A returnee women program powered by PayU in collaboration with We-Ace

While sharing the details about this joint initiative, Chief People Officer at PayU – Priya Cherian says, “Diversity & Inclusion are key focus areas for PayU and our partnership with We-Ace to design the ‘Return. Reset. Reimagine’ program is a natural outcome of our culture. This is our proactive commitment to further improve PayU’s gender diversity by tapping this talent pool. With the increasing participation of women in financial avenues, it’s essential for us to have women at the conceptualization, designing and execution stages of our services. We are very excited to welcome and support women returnees and look forward to the expertise, insights, and unique perspectives they will bring to our culture.”

Women contribute to half the consumer population in India and their perspective is critical towards design, growth and success of products, services and businesses of the future. Company is doing this brick-by-brick, by building a community and partner led ecosystem that engages, enables and employs women across sectors, functions and industries.

“We believe women are unique in the way they approach, build and experience their career journey. We-Ace is a platform created for women to ace in their careers. The support, knowledge and opportunities they need at every life stage to succeed and grow – must also be unique and bespoke. Our collaboration with organisations like PayU to design a program bespoke to returnee women is one of the many initiatives we are rolling out. It’s heartening to see the collective ecosystem coming together to enable and support women at various points in their career,” added Anuranjita Kumar, Founder & CEO, We-Ace.

Through Return. Reset. Reimagine program enabled by We-Ace, PayU plans to engage with returnee women they can mentor, train and employ in their workforce. The next session of this program is scheduled Feb 18th 2022. Interested returnee women can sign up for it here.

About We-Ace

We-Ace is a leading global community platform of over for 100k+ women aspiring to ace their careers. As agents of change for gender-balanced workplaces, the company’s mission is to engage, enable and employ women professionals to be in decision-making roles. Women can connect and network with the best in the industry through hiring drives, career fairs, skilling labs, CXO meets and various other industry led live sessions. Women aspiring to upskill can select from a wide range of life-stage enablement, self enhancement, functional and technical courses that start from as low as Rs. 99/-.

Women can also explore and choose various job opportunities as per their skills and expertise and apply hassle free to 150+ global companies from across sectors including technology, fintech, BFSI that are hiring from them. The platform also provides access to various leadership talks and masterclasses industry sessions with experts regularly to keep them updated about recent developments and industry trends from their area of expertise. It has a lot to offer to those who really want to learn.

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(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NewsVoir India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same)

RapiPay forays into Digital Banking, raises USD 15 million

  • To build India’s largest digital banking and financial ecosystem and scale up existing payments business
  • To launch a first of its kind Super App for Digital Banking and Financial Services

NEW DELHI, Feb. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Consolidating its position as a leader in the Fintech industry, RapiPay has raised $15 million in funding to launch NYE, a new age digital banking super App. Believing in RapiPay’s growth story, the current funding round is led by Varun Jaipuria (RJ Corp), DLF Family Office, Rahul Gautam (Sheela Foam) and Rohan Kumar (DS Group). The investors see a great synergy with NYE (digital banking Super App) in getting their entire retail network of 6 million merchants using the super App for all their requirements like salary & current accounts, payment solutions, retail & business loans, Buy Now Pay Later, investments, insurance or other convenience services.

RapiPay is the only Digital Banking player in the country to have a ready phygital infrastructure of half a million hybrid Direct Business Outlets (DBOs). The company is doing 1 million daily transactions and has served more than 100 million customers, witnessing a robust growth of 25% MOM in basic banking services like Cash withdrawal and deposit, AEPS, Micro ATMs, POS, Utility payments, Loans and Insurance.

The company now targets to open 2 million primary current and salary bank accounts, install 1 million POS machines, a GTV of USD $30 bn, 150 million unique customers, 3.5 million daily transactions and have a phygital infra of 2 million hybrid DBOs by 2025. The hybrid DBOs will provide banking services to customers 24/7 at the doorstep across segments and geographies in the country.

Commenting on the latest round of fund raising, Mr Yogendra Kashyap, Co-founder & MD, RapiPay said, “Our growth story in the B2B segment is unmatched. We became market leaders in assisted payments in just 3 years. Entering B2C market with NYE is a natural business progression and we are confident of repeating our success once again. The fresh capital will be used for building a robust digital financial ecosystem in the country for both consumers and businesses. At RapiPay, our philosophy has been to first research, understand the requirements and then create technology with viable business models. We don’t believe in just burning capital to acquire consumers.”

Mr. Nipun Jain, CEO, RapiPay “The pandemic has seen a huge shift in consumer preferences for phygital banking, even in the remotest areas of the country. Through NYE, we aim to leverage technology to create ease, convenience, and innovative solutions to provide banking and financial services in a seamless and secure manner. NYE is the first of its kind banking super App to manage multiple bank accounts, transactions and all kinds of financial requirements through a single login and one view of all transactions summary.”

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1747072/NYE_Logo.jpg

(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

Boss Gifts Mercedes-Benz SUV for his Trusted Employee in Kerala

Kochi, Kerala, India
It is usually with a gold coin – that’s typically how honesty and hard work of employees are rewarded down south. But the owner of a retail chain in Kerala has recently called his trusted staff and handed over to him the key to a brand-new Benz GLA Class 220D, an SUV worth about INR 45 lakhs.

Boss Gifts Mercedes-Benz SUV for his Trusted Employee in Kerala

The boss in the news is Mr. A.K. Shaji, who owns myG, a premier retailer of Consumer Electronics & Home Appliances in Kerala. His ‘gifted’ staff is Mr. C.R. Anish, who has been “a pillar of support” for him for over 22 years. Anish has been associated with Shaji long before the latter founded myG. He has worked in various capacities in myG, including in the marketing, maintenance and business development units of the company, and is currently its Chief Business Development Officer. Started in 2006, myG has grown to become the largest consumer electronics retail chain in Kerala with 100 stores across the state.

In an Instagram video that Shaji shared, he was all praise for his trusted lieutenant and was seen thanking him profusely. “Ani has been with me for the last 22 years even before I started myG. He is a strong pillar and a mainstay for me. He has never disappointed me. His brotherly affection and immense focus and dedication towards work supported me a lot. I consider Anish as a partner and not an employee,” Shaji’s Instagram post reads.

This is not the first time that Shaji has gifted a car to his employee. Two years ago, he gifted cars to 6 of his employees. Among his larger-than-life gifts are foreign trips to employees. Gifting in God’s own country sometimes can go truly out of the world.

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(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NewsVoir India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same)

‘Bharat’ users are as affluent and digitally savvy as ‘India’ users: says ShareChat and Group M’s Bharat – The Neo India Report

  • 56% of Bharat use UPI and 49% use mobile wallets multiple times a week
  • 27% of Bharat use paid video streaming services v/s 29% India
  • 1 in 5 Bharat users invests in cryptocurrency
  • 39% of Bharat uses social media as their primary news consumption platform and prefers it over both print and TV combined

 

ShareChat, India’s leading social media platform, today, released a report titled ‘Bharat – The Neo India’ in association with Group M that studies the social media behavior, content preferences, spending choices of Bharat1 and India2 users. The report classifies users that prefer Indic language on social media as Bharat users and India users as the ones that prefer using English, across all the regions of India. Bharat users are spread across the country with nearly 40% present in metros and 53% in non-metros. The findings in the report are based on a primary survey by YouGov,           conducted among 3,432 social media users across 17 Indian states and with inputs from Kantar on Indic language urban active internet users.

The survey finds that Bharat users are as affluent and digitally savvy as India users. Bharat users are at par with India users when it comes to participating in online financial activities. In terms of choice of payment mode, Bharat users are adept at using UPI for online transactions and have a lead over India users in terms of net-banking and debit cards transactions online. Among Bharat users, 56% use UPI and 49% use mobile wallets multiple times a week. Breaking away from traditional means, Bharat users are investing in stocks, mutual funds, e-gold and even cryptocurrency.

Bharat users are more engaged on social media as compared to India users. 29% of Bharat users post content daily at least once as compared to 22% of India users. Bharat chooses to stay updated via social media as 39% of Bharat uses it as their primary source of news consumption. Like India, the majority of Bharat users prefer streaming free videos over watching TV. Daily, 50% of Bharat users stream free video online and about 47% watch TV. Social media also emerged as one of the primary influences for making buying decisions for Bharat users. Bharat is increasingly shopping online with 46% buying gadgets online in 2021, followed by other categories like travel bookings, food, clothing and accessories, beauty and skincare are also popular.

Unveiling the report, Ajit Varghese, Chief Commercial Officer of ShareChat, said, “Bharat users are taking social media by storm. It is interesting to note that the Language first users are at par with English language first users when it comes to digital presence, use of online transaction methods, and shopping habits. Bharat users also outrank when it comes to consuming news, food and beverages, health and fitness, and travel related categories online. Observing similar trends on our platforms, we at ShareChat are excited to be at the forefront of engaging with this audience that is spread across the country.”

 

Commenting on the report, Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia said, “From the media planning aspect, Bharat is unique in many ways. This is mostly because all the cities that make Bharat are Indic language-heavy, fragmented and display their own sets of consumer behaviour traits. This diversity in our country brings in its own challenges and opportunities. Brands and media planners looking to reach target audiences across the country should focus on a customized approach for this segment. With this report, we have put together planning guidelines that will give marketers a direction and a starting framework on how to plan and reach the Bharat user effectively.”

Bharat v/s India – Other key findings:

  • Bharat users are showing a propensity to pay for online content with 27% already using paid video streaming services daily
  • 37% of Bharat users are listening to music, 36% are shopping, and 24% are ordering food online
  • In certain categories, Bharat users in specific regions drive higher engagement
    • South: Gaming (39%), Food & Drinks (32%) and Travel (22%)
    • West: Travel (22%)
    • North: Health and Fitness (29%)
  • In terms of voice search, Bharat users are leading with 26%, as compared to 15% of Indian users.
  • 21% of Bharat posts content 4-5 times a week compared to 17% of India
  • As per Kantar, there are over 341 million overall urban active internet users and 167 million urban active Indic internet users. The study suggests that urban active Indic internet users over-indexed on NCCS A (New Consumer Classification System) and higher education compared to overall urban active internet users
  • 33% of the urban active Indic internet users are from NCCS A as compared to 30% among overall urban active internet users
  • 39% of urban active Indic internet users consists of graduates/postgraduates as compared to 35% among overall urban active internet users

Link to the full report: https://bit.ly/33Q6Z9B

Ayana Renewable Power partners with Greenko Group to create 6000MWhr storage capacity to deliver flexible energy to industry and utility markets

HYDERABAD and BANGALORE, India, Feb. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Greenko Group, India’s foremost energy transition company, and NIIF-backed Ayana Renewable Power (Ayana), have entered into an arrangement to provide standalone storage capacity in a template that sets a standard for such transactions in India. Under the partnership, the companies will develop firm and dispatchable renewable energy solutions including round-the-clock power supply of up to 1 GW to industry and distribution companies in India.

Greenko Group has offered in total 6,000 MWhr of storage capacity including 1500 MWhr of storage capacity in the first tranche from its proprietary ‘Off Stream Closed Loop Pumped Storage Project’ being developed at Pinnapuram, Andhra Pradesh.

Commenting on the cooperation, Mahesh Kolli, Founder, President and Joint Managing Director of Greenko said: “This partnership between Ayana and Greenko is in line with the Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy mission to create a standalone storage market in India. Such integrated renewable energy and storage projects, offering solutions superior to conventional energy sources in terms of dispatchability and round-the-clock supply, reflect the growing maturity of the renewable sector in India.”

Mr Shivanand Nimbargi, Managing Director and CEO of Ayana Renewable Power added: “This transaction marks the first time two Independent power producers have joined hands to facilitate the decarbonization goals of industrial clients in India by developing storage infrastructure that will support India’s commitment to create 500 GW of RE capacity by 2030 and reducing emissions intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030.”

About Greenko Group:

Greenko Group has an installed capacity base of 7.3 GW across solar, wind and hydro generation technologies spread over ~100+ projects across 15 states and delivering 20+ Bn units of renewable energy annually across the country constituting ~1.5-2% of total India electricity needs.

Greenko Group is World’s largest energy storage company and one of the largest clean energy companies globally. The Group is focused on enabling carbon neutral solutions to achieve net zero goals of corporates and global economies at scale through its intelligent energy platform and green hydrogen production systems. Company has under construction 30 Giga Watt Hours of lowest cost storage capacity as part of its plan in developing energy storage cloud platform of 100 Giga Watt Hours.

About Ayana Renewable Power:

Ayana Renewable Power (“Ayana”), founded in 2018 and headquartered in Bangalore, is one of the largest renewable energy companies in India. It is majority owned by the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund. CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution that will shortly be renamed British International Investment, and EverSource Capital-managed Green Growth Equity Fund are other shareholders in the platform.

Ayana develops utility-scale renewable power solar, wind and RE hybrid projects across India to build cost-effective capacity. Ayana is currently involved in the development and management of more than 3.59 GW ac of solar, wind and hybrid power projects across several Indian states and has an operational capacity of 1.19 GW ac of renewable energy projects in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

KISNA Launches Special Diamond Jewellery for Valentine’s Day Celebrations

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

KISNA, the domestic retail jewellery arm of HK Jewels, announced today the launch of exquisite diamond jewellery collection, “Celebration” as part of the Valentine’s Day celebrations. With minimalistic modern designs, Celebration will be available across 450+ stores.

KISNA – Valentine’s Collection

Capturing the spirit of love, the new collection offers vibrant rings and pendants in dazzling diamonds set in yellow, white and rose gold. Each piece is carefully curated to capture the spirit of a modern love story.
Speaking on the new collection, Mr. Parag Shah, Director, KISNA Diamond & Gold Jewelry, said, ”To celebrate the season of love, we have launched a range of delightful jewellery pieces under our and Celebration collection. These graciously designed pieces are a perfect balance of classic yet contemporary approach and are specially crafted for gifting loved ones.”
Commenting on the consumer readiness to buy branded diamond jewellery to celebrate special occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Mr. Shah said, “With increasing purchasing power and disposable income in India, branded jewellery has become the new mantra. Industry growth is being fuelled by trustworthy brands like us. KISNA has always believed in fulfilling consumers’ expectations for generations with its superior quality jewellery. It aims to collaborate with enthusiastic franchise entrepreneurs to reach out to more customers and fulfil their needs.’’

For more information, please visit www.kisna.com.

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(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NewsVoir India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same)

Bharti AXA Life Insurance receives Great Place to Work® certification

Bharti AXA Life Insurance, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s leading business groups, and AXA, one of the world’s largest insurance companies, has been Great Place to Work-Certified™ in India (from January 2022 to January 2023) for its sustained efforts in living up to its mission of “#DoTheSmartThing”.

Driving innovative people-centric practices across inclusion and diversity, prioritising employee learning, growth, and well-being, as well as being consistent in delivering the brand promise to their customers, Bharti AXA Life Insurance has diligently invested in its people and workplace culture. Thus, building a strong network of over 33,266 advisers across 254 branch offices pan-India, committed to the core purpose of simplifying insurance in a complicated world.

Measuring, assessing and understanding sentiments of its teams through the pandemic, the organisation has exhibited a positive impact in simplifying customer management and feedback through award winning digital innovations like its M-Smart app. Right from emphasising the importance of prioritising employee safety and well-being to continuously offering development opportunities to its workforce, Bharti AXA Life Insurance has rolled out various programs through its in-house Bharti AXAcademy to upskill and accelerate the potential of its people, thereby enabling the organisation to achieve a 99.08% claim ratio backed by a relentless commitment to its people-first culture.

 

Commenting on the company’s achievement, Jai Balan, Head-Human Resources, Bharti AXA Life Insurance, said “We are honoured with this certification. It ascertains our faith that we are creating an organisation which cares for its people, maintains transparency in communications, invests in their holistic development, has leadership that is empathetic and ensures that each individual is given the opportunity to maximize their true potential and accelerating their growth and career with us.”

 

Over the years, Bharti AXA Life Insurance has registered steady growth and performance, while expanding on its suite of customer-centric products and facilitating seamless services. The company plans to expand its strategic partnerships and by increasing its distribution footprint across the country, it also aims to meet the rising bar of higher service standards for all its stakeholders, internal as well as eternal by providing a sustainable and impactful brand experience.

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture and The Great Place to Work® Certification is considered the gold standard in identifying and recognizing Great Workplace Cultures. Since the last three decades, the institute has surveyed over 100 million employees worldwide and has served businesses, non-profits and government agencies in more than 60 countries.

The Institute’s research shows that great workplaces are characterized by great leadership, consistent employee experience, and sustainable financial performance. In India, the institute partners with more than 1100 organizations annually across over 22 industries to help build High-Trust, High-Performance Cultures™ designed to deliver sustained business results.