●       Plan to enroll 100 million by 2030 and offsetting 1 giga ton by year 2030

●       To help people understand the importance of reducing carbon emissions

●       Average Indian emits 2.4 tons of CO2e per year, with urban Indians emitting as high as 7x times more than rural areas

●       32% of total carbon emissions in India occurred due to individual actions

Myplan8 is a free, easy-to-use carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e) tracker that provides insight into the carbon footprint caused by our day-to-day lifestyle, regular travel and food consumption habits etc.

An individual can know about their carbon foot-print through Myplan8, by answering few simple questions on the application. The app will help people move towards a more sustainable way of living, through a carbon-conscious lifestyle and increased knowledge of climate change. The application also offers offsetting through hand-picked and verified offset partners.

Nidhi Mehra, Co-founder, Myplan8, Green Fintech Start-up said, “Every nation stress on carbon footprint reduction. India is one of the three biggest emitters, along with China and the US. We aim to eliminate roughly 1 Giga tons of carbon emissions by 2030 by enrolling 100 million people in Myplan8. India has yet to take concrete steps to reduce its carbon footprint, but with its G20 presidency in 2023, we must show the change. Every person now has the potential to lessen their influence, giving us the chance to become a developed nation with net zero emissions, which the west never achieved.”

 “We will help millions of individuals create a sustainable future by tracking, reducing and offsetting their carbon footprint. It will create a harmonized environment to preserve present world and give it as a gift to future generations” she further added.

Yogesh Bagle, “Co-founder, Myplan8, Green Fintech Start-up elaborated on the app, “The biggest contributors includes -Water usage, Electricity usage, Food Habits, Waste Management, Mode of Transportation, Pets, Shopping & Lifestyle, and Digital Usage.  The app will help individuals evaluate these aspects, basis the input provided in the app and it will also evaluate the CO2 emissions.”

“The footprint calculation process is unique and patented. The emission data is proprietary. The calculator is based on the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Standard Framework, which has been verified by industry experts and a closed beta user group. We are the first to offer a digital carbon calculator in addition to the standard paper versions,” he further added.

Globally, the average carbon footprint stands at 7.2 tons and India’s average urban individual CO2 footprint can vary from 2.5 tons to 10 tons. The urban population emission rate is as high as 7x times more than the rural population. One ton of carbon can be offset by planting ~73 trees. India’s overall CO2 emissions stand at 2.88 Giga tons. One interesting fact is that you get to earn Myplan8 In-app credit with no investment for free, which amounts to almost USD 2.5 to help you kickstart your offsetting journey.

The app is giving an opportunity to earn upto 100 points on registration and on every activity completion. The gratification model has been built to create a positive habit of neutralizing one’s carbon emission and its impact on nature. The app also provides an electronic carbon balance sheet, which will be sent to one’s inbox every month, to keep track. 

The company will also launch Bharat’s First Green Money Card™ by the month of March in partnership with an Indian bank. An individual’s carbon footprint will be automatically tracked linked to your transaction by Myplan8's green money card.

Product to be manufactured in accordance with FSSAI guidelines for rice fortification

TECNIS Synergy™ Toric II OptiBlue® PC-IOL (Intraocular Lens), is intended to provide high-quality, continuous vision over a full range of distances, including far, intermediate and near, to increase spectacle independence. These toric IOLs compensate for corneal spherical aberration and corneal astigmatism.¹

Johnson & Johnson Vision*, a global leader in eye health and part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies**, today announced the availability of TECNIS Synergy™ Toric II OptiBlue® PC-IOL for patients with astigmatism in India. TECNIS Synergy™ Toric II IOL, is a continuous-range-of-vision lens engineered for rotational stability, which locks in visual performance and provides high-quality vision¹.

Cataracts are the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide, impacting more than 100 million eyes, with more than 90% of people developing cataracts by the age of 65.^2,3 Most people will develop cataracts at some point in their life, and modern cataract surgery is a safe and effective treatment that has a success rate of nearly 98%.⁴ In India, nearly 73% of adults 60 years and older have cataracts⁵ and if left untreated, cause vision to deteriorate over time. Astigmatism reduces distance and near visual acuity, vision quality, and depth perception.^6,7

All cataracts will eventually need to be surgically removed and replaced with an artificial lens, called an IOL (Intraocular lens).

Burzin Shahana, Country Manager at Johnson & Johnson Vision, Surgical Vision India, said, “At Johnson & Johnson Vision, we are deeply engaged with Indian health care professionals to reduce cataract burden through innovative, quality-based technologies and products.  TECNIS Synergy™ Toric II OptiBlue® PC-IOL is an advanced IOL solution for cataract patients with astigmatism and gives patients the visual clarity and increased spectacle independence to improve their current lifestyles.” He also added, “The launch will also expand available options physicians have to provide value to their patients with astigmatism.”

New TECNIS Synergy™ Toric II OptiBlue® PC-IOL (Intraocular Lens) offers an opportunity to address both presbyopia and astigmatism at the time of cataract surgery.⁸  It’s designed to:

•      Provide high-quality, continuous vision over a full range of distances, including far, intermediate and near, to increase spectacle independence. These toric IOLs compensate for corneal spherical aberration and corneal astigmatism.¹

•      The posterior optic of the lens has a proprietary diffractive surface designed to correct chromatic aberration for enhanced contrast sensitivity and provide high-quality vision over a full range of distances. The diffractive design of this lens leads to high visual acuities across all distances and a continuous range of vision from far through near, resulting in increased spectacle independence. ¹

•      New frosted haptic design increases the amount of friction between the lens haptic surface and the capsular bag to lock in the Intraocular Lens for rotational stability and visual performance.

In India, TECNIS Synergy™ Toric II OptiBlue® PC-IOL has been approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).   

To close the FY with 400K Lives Under Care

Kenko, a healthcare financing startup, is ending 2022 with overwhelming success. The startup has recorded 10X growth in subscribers since January of this year. The company's mission is to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for middle-income groups.

 

Mr. Dhiraj Goel and Mr. Aniruddha Sen, Co-founders of Kenko Health

 

In 2022, Kenko has clocked INR 5 crore ($680,000) in monthly revenue and a 10% month-on-month growth. It currently cares for almost 200,000 lives and aims to cover 400,000 by the end of the current financial year, with a target revenue of INR 150 crore ($20.4 million). It also aims to expand its network of hospitals, pharmacies, doctors and other healthcare services.

 

In addition to traditional categories, the company's Outpatient Department (OPD) benefits include dental, mental health, at-home care, and sexual health, among others. Kenko has also settled INR 3.5 crore ($475,000) in OPD benefits, with a large portion of these being sought by subscribers in tier 2 and tier 3 cities like Asansol, Meerut, Ludhiana and more. This translates to Kenko subscribers saving INR 3.5 crore ($475,000) on OPD expenses.

 

Kenko plans start at INR 299 ($4) per month and offer 20-50% discounts on medicines, lab tests, doctor fees, and other OPD bills. It is estimated that we spend 65% of our healthcare costs out-of-pocket.

 

Aniruddha Sen, Co-founder of Kenko, says, “Financial assistance should be an integral part of our healthcare systems so that patients can receive the care they need in the most affordable manner. Additionally, if we provide financial assistance to people, they will be encouraged to seek early medical attention without being concerned about any implications. Also, when diapers, anti-dandruff shampoo, first-aid kits etc. are all a part of your healthcare needs, why shouldn't you get benefits on them? That's the problem we are solving at Kenko. 2023 is the year where we step up and work on providing holistic services to our subscribers – cashless treatments, interoperability, and extremely enhanced customer experience are the pillars we want to strengthen.”

 

The company has also seen significant growth due to partnerships with over 200 corporates from various industries, including Shaadi.com, ABP News, Porter, Rebel Foods, Kokilaben Hospital, and more. All these companies have trusted Kenko for their employee wellness benefits.

 

Earlier this year, Kenko raised $12 million in a Series A round led by Sequoia, with participation from Beenext, Orios, 9Unicorns, and Waveform as existing investors. Their affordable, flexible, and easy-to-use plans make them a popular choice for companies of all sizes, from teams of two to 20,000.

 

Apart from the outpatient department benefits, Kenko also operates a marketplace called Shoho – The Kenko Store. This app-based store offers discounts on daily healthcare essentials to its subscribers. From diapers to dental care, everything is at your fingertips on Kenko. The app also allows its subscribers to get home delivery of medicines, home sample collection for lab tests, and online doctor consultations. The company aims to promote preventive healthcare and not only provide assistance when customers fall ill but also to help them maintain good health throughout.

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• L&T Finance Holdings Limited has received a CDP score of ‘B’ in 2022, a significant improvement from its previous score of ‘D'

• The score signifies that the company is taking coordinated action on climate issues

L&T Finance Holdings (LTFH), one of the leading, retail finance oriented Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC), has scored a ‘B’ in the recently released CDP score report – climate change 2022. The rating indicates that the company is taking coordinated action on climate issues. LTFH’s score improved from ‘D’ in 2021, highlighting the growing focus on climate issues and steps taken by the company towards sustainable processes and systems.

The significant improvement in the score can be attributed to the fact that the company has made Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) an important pillar in its strategic growth. The company has also adopted specific targets for carbon neutrality by 2035 and water positivity by 2023. Additionally, the company has aligned its internal policies, processes, and activities, keeping in mind the environmental impacts and opportunities.

Speaking on the development, Mr. Dinanath Dubhashi, Managing Director and CEO, L&T Finance Holdings said, “ESG is an important driver for our growth. Our ESG roadmap is aligned to the five-year strategic plan- 'Lakshya 2026' with a commitment to climate leadership, water stewardship, circular economy, green supply chain, biodiversity, green offerings and risk management. We have been focusing on decarbonising our business footprint by using green power and creating carbon sinks to offset our residual emissions in order to ensure that everything is on track to meet the carbon neutrality targets by FY 2035. The significant improvement in the CDP score is a validation of our commitment and efforts to build an ESG-conscious organisation and it also shows that we are well on track to achieve the goals.”

Ms. Prarthana Borah, Director, CDP India said, “In 2022, CDP India has seen a 40% increase in Indian companies disclosing to us their environmental data. L&T Finance Holdings is one of them. COP27 has reminded us of the urgent system-wide action to ensure that we limit global warming to 1.5°C to avoid the worst effects of climate change. L&T Finance Holdings has demonstrated its commitment to transparency around its environmental impacts and strategies. We congratulate L&T Finance Holdings for engaging in the climate action journey through disclosures. CDP looks forward to supporting companies who are taking action to identify and address climate risks. It is heartening to see companies stepping up on their climate action commitments.”

L&T Finance Holdings has been reporting to CDP India since 2020 on Climate Change. CDP, a global rating agency, is a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states, and regions to manage their environmental impacts. The agency’s ratings are looked up to as the gold standard of environmental reporting with the richest and most comprehensive dataset on corporate action.

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ICICI Bank today announced that it has organised more than 100 ‘Kisan Sampark Melas’ across Haryana to provide financial literacy to the people of unbanked areas.

The Bank has showcased a slew of tailor-made products and services including farmer finance, jewel loan, tractor loan, working capital and overdraft facility. Additionally, financial education, awareness on inculcating savings habit and advantages of banking facilities such as the savings and term deposit accounts were imparted at the melas. Use of digital banking and awareness towards cyber frauds along with safe banking practices were also discussed in these melas.

‘Kisan Sampark Melas’ were conducted at various locations including Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Charkhi Dadri and Mahendragarh. Key officials and leaders like Sarpanchs, Lambardars, Gram Sachivs and Mandi Secretaries, and senior officials from Zilla Parishads attended these melas.

ICICI Bank provides farmer financing through Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and Agri-term Loan (ATL) for the cultivation and development of agricultural land and for people engaged in animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries. Under Rural Business Credit (RBC), the Bank offers working capital and term loan to business entities in rural and semi- urban areas. The rural customers can also get overdraft (OD) against fixed deposits (FD) under the Bank’s Kisan Kalpavriksha scheme.

ICICI Bank has 241 branches, half of which are in semi-urban and rural areas, and 517 ATMs in Haryana.

ICICI Bank services its large customer base through a multi-channel delivery network of branches, ATMs, call centre, internet banking (www.icicibank.com) and mobile banking.