The Asian Chronicle 16/09/2020

WEDNESDAY 16 September, 2020 Pages 08, Faridabad Delhi (NCR)

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“It is time that men and boys recognize the part they must play in gender equality and join with the voices and actions of the women and girls who are trying to re-shape society in the interests of us all.�

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Two sides of the same

gender discrimination and violence against women Page 2

Two sides of the same coin: gender discrimination and violence against women

16 September, 2020 Faridabad/Delhi NCR THEASIANCHRONICLE.COM

Nishica Choudhary

Despite greater legal and political equality between men and women, gender discrimination in housing continues today. Even though the majority of homeless people are still men, women continue to face more difficulty than men in occupying healthy and comfortable housing. This discrimination is primarily based on inequality in matters of salary and employment opportunity, notably full-time employment. It also stems from enduring traditions and long-standing legal distinctions in which representations of femininity and masculinity have had an impact on housing availability and conditions for women and men.

In 2012, 47% of all women who were victims of homicide were killed by an intimate partner or family member, versus just 6% of men, according to the United Nations’ Global Study on Homicide.

Evidence also shows that family income and resources are not necessarily pooled or shared equally between partners, practices that can entrench domestic gender inequality.

BACKGROUND

Gender inequality in housing persists in the early twenty-first century. For a long time, its causes

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were linked to the inferior legal status of women and are first and foremost of an economic nature: since women quite often still earn less income than men, they experience more difficulties finding housing.

Over the course of the nineteenth century, when housing gradually became a political issue, discourses and national legislation saw housing occupants as families occupying premises rather than as individuals bearing responsibility for those premises.

However, in most countries, the tradition remained to only deal with men, who were referred to as the head of the family. These differences and assigned roles based on sex, also known as the “gender binary”, become unquestioned rationale for many ideas about what boys, girls, men and women can and cannot do.

IMPACT

Gendered norms also result in girls and women experiencing violence, harassment and struggling to receive equal pay and opportunities while boys and men experience higher rates of substance abuse and completed suicide.

In many patriarchal societies there is an idea that boys are preferable to girls. According to research conducted in North America; families are more likely to

25 MPs test positive for Covid-19

Shivani Shukla

As many as 17 Lok Sabha MPs and eight Rajya Sabha MPs tested positive for the Coronavirus before they could get a go-ahead to attend the Monsoon Session of Parliament which began on Monday.

Ruling party BJP had the most number of Covid positive members at 14 – 12 in Lok Sabha and two in Rajya Sabha. The tests were conducted over Sunday and Monday.

As per the protocol set by the ministry of health and family welfare, MPs had to get themselves tested 48 to 72 hours before the session. A negative report was made mandatory for the member to attend Parliament.

Lok Sabha sources said 12 BJP MPs, 2 from YSR Congress and one each from Shiv Sena, DMK and RLP tested positive. In Rajya Sabha, two MPs each from BJP and Congress and one

each from AIADMK, TRS, AAP and Trinamool Congress tested positive.

After they tested positive, some of the MPs, including BJP’s MeenakshiLekhi and SukantaMajumdar, took to social media to share their health status.

"I am currently in good health & spirits. I request everyone who has been recently in contact with me to get tested.

Together We will fight & defeat Corona," Lekhi posted to Twitter There was also some confusion with BJP’s Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal tweeting that tests at two different locations threw up totally different results for him. While he tested positive in the test at the Parliament Complex, he tested negative soon after in the the test done at the SMS Hospital Jaipur.

“Which report should be believed?” Beniwal asked on Twitter, attaching screenshots of both the results.

continue having children if they only have daughters versus if they only have sons – indicating that there is a preference to have male children in the family.Cultural differences in gender socialization may also be reflected in girls’ personal development. From birth, girls are taught to be more submissive, modest, and have lower aspirations than boys.

Critical factors such as marital stability, family size and sibling gender, labor force participation of parents, and parental involvement have been found to differ in both developed and developing countries. These inputs are significant factors in a child’s upbringing. Research indicates that as girls enter adolescence their mobility and free time decrease and their home responsibilities increase.Women and girls face far greater levels of vulnerability, marginalization and resulting violence, especially for those who experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.

“Men of quality respect women’s equality.”

Gender Discrimination in the Indian Society It is a reality that gender disparity still exists in India. It is seen within the households, at workplaces and in the society at large. Women generally have less economic independence and lesser say in family

and societal matters.

The horrifying practice of female foeticide – identifying the sex of the foetus and terming it in case it’s female – still exists in India. This stems from the mindset that the male child will go on to become a source of income from the family and will carry on the family lineage while the girl child will have to be ultimately married off to another family.

TIPS TO OVERCOME

g Encourage and adopt family focused practices that promote equal access for both girls and boys to high quality education g Raise awareness among boys, girls, women, men, parents, and teachers about gender- stereotypical attitudes towards academic performance and the consequences of overall educational choices for future employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, career advancements and earnings. g Share the care work: Set the example by equally dividing all housework and childcare at home g Empower your kids to speak out. g Don’t Just Let “Boys Be Boys”: Take time to consider how to intervene when boys are demeaning to girls, and step in immediately if you observe or hear these behaviours. g Build Girls’ Leadership Skills

and Self-Confidence "A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist: where everyone can be themselves."

CONCLUSION

The presence of more men sharing more fully in domestic duties for an extended period of time has the potential to create a sea change in gendered norms — at home and at work. Men have a crucial role to play in ensuring progress towards gender equality, including through equal sharing of responsibilities for care of dependants, which is one of the preconditions for women's equal participation in the labour market.Gender discrimination in India is a reality which cannot be conveniently ignored.

Driving a change in the mindset of people is the key to end this discrimination. Our girls deserve equal opportunities as boys. Government’s flagship scheme ‘BetiBachao, BetiPadhao’ will go a long way in ensuring this.

However, with education and progressive thoughts of people, there are also reasons to trust in the future of gender discrimination being stopped. Then, hopefully, people can live in fairness no matter what gender they are.

“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”

BAC meet for deciding on House debate on border row

Rhythima Agrawal

Om Birla, the Lok Sabha speaker, disallowed notices from Congress MP, seeking an adjournment motion to discuss the deepening border row with China. Several opposition MPs had given a notice in the Parliament for a discussion on the India-China standoff.

The opposition leaders will raise this issue during the meeting of floor leaders of both houses of Parliament called by presiding officers. The Parliament is scheduled to begin from Monday and will conclude on October 1. When Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury tried to raise the matter during a zero hour; the LS speaker reminded him that the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) would decide the issues to be taken up in the remaining sittings of this week.Gaurav Gogoi, the Deputy leader of the Congress, said, "The government should give an assurance as to when the Indo-China border issue will be taken up in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and in what form and whether the prime minister will speak on this issue in the House". The Congress and some like-minded opposition parties are

eager to have discussions on the border row, the economic crisis and the escalated cases of Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP attracted flak from the ruling party for his comments. Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy commented on the Finance Minister's appearance, triggering protests from the ruling side. Prahlad Joshi, the Parliamentary Minister, was quick to hit back. He said, "Commenting on the personal attire, being a senior member, what is he talking about?

He should apologise unconditionally.

It is an insult to womenfolk".The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of both Houses of Parliament

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is scheduled to meet on Sunday to take decisions on the allocation of time for businesses that will be taken up during the monsoon session, which is expected to take place from September 14 To October 1. In addition to MPs who are a part of the BAC, representatives from all parties that have more than three members of Parliament (MPs) and all vicechairpersons would be attending the BAC meeting.The government will face questions on the border standoff with China and the handling of the pandemic during the meeting.

A BJP functionary on the condition of anonymity said, “The government will have to make a statement on the Chinese aggression and India's response. PM Modi met all opposition leaders in June to inform them about the developments along the LAC and most of the parties barring the Congress supported the Indian government's response”.The border standoff between India and China and the spiked cases of Covid-19 has crippled the Indian Economy. The suggestions by the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting may revive the Economy to some extent.

NEP Will Do Away With The Mental Stress Of Marksheets : PM

16 September, 2020 Faridabad/Delhi NCR THEASIANCHRONICLE.COM

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Shubh Mathur

Noting that marksheets had become like a mental “pressure sheet” and a “prestige sheet”, the PM said that the NEP would focus on the learning driven education.

At a conclave on “School Education in 21st Century” organized by Department of School Education and literacy, the Prime Minister stated that examinations should not create undue pressure on students.

He added that various aspects of student development like self-assessment and peer-to-peer assessment should be kept as a parameter for evaluation, rather a single examination. In a bid to overhaul the evaluation system, he also announced the establishment of a new National Assessment Center “Parakh”.

Mr Modi also pitched for teaching in the mother tongue- a clause in NEP for students up to class 5 had found considerable opposition from parents of children of English-

medium schools.

The P.M stressed that language is not all of education but a medium.

‘Some people forget this difference.

Therefore, whatever language a child can learn easily, should be the language of learning. Otherwise, when children hear something in

Digital India Corporation observes Engineer’s Day

An Online Interaction of Visvesvaraya PhD Fellows working in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI)& Analytics under Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme for Electronics & IT, with MD & CEO Digital India Corporation (DIC) and team was conducted on Sep 15, 2020.

Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme was initiated by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) with the approval of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in 2014 with an objective to enhance number of PhDs in ESDM & IT/ITES sectors. 908 fulltime, 304 part-time PhD candidates and 158YFRFs are enrolled at 97 institutions including IITs, NITs, Central & State Universities etc. 170 PhD Candidates have submitted their theses through the PhD portal.

35 PhD fellows working in the area of AI were selected to present their research work. 11 PhD fellows presented their research work during the said interaction.Mr. Mayank Sharma and Mr. Pranshu Jain from IIT Delhi, Mr. Harsh Bhasin from JNU Delhi, Mr. Sayan Sikdar from NIT Arunachal Pradesh, Mr. Dharamsotu Bheekya from University of Hyderabad, Mr. K Narayana Rao from Andhra University College of Engineering, Visakhapatnam

and Mr. Kailash Wamanrao kalare from Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur have presented their work in Machines Learning, Deep Learning, parallel computing and wireless sensor network research area.

Ms. Chamarty Anusha and Mr. D. Venkata Subbaiah from Andhra University College of Engineering Vishakhapatnam have presented their work on Object Detection and recognition of camera images from Machine Intelligent.

Mr. Narayan Changder from NIT Durgapur has presented his work on Novel Algorithms for Multi-Agents Coalition Structure Generation.

Ms. Kirti Kumar has presented her work on Automated Detection of Cyberbullying on Social Media.

The research work was highly appreciated by the MeitY officials.

India celebrates Engineer's Day every year on September 15 as a tribute to the greatest Indian Engineer Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya on his birthday.

He was the engineering pioneer of India.Considering his outstanding contributions to the society, Government of India conferred 'Bharat Ratna' on this legend in the year 1955.

another language, they first translate it to understand which creates a lot of confusion and stress.’

He also referred to countries like Japan and Finland performing well in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) rankings to stress on the need for the

mother tongue. He added that all Indian languages should be promoted so that the youth can get acquainted with different cultures of the states.

The P.M. also said that NEP would give the students the freedom to choose between multiple disciplines. Stressing on the 5 Es of New

age learning- Engage, Explore, Experience, Express and Excel, the P.M. said that students should start learning coding from an early age, understand Artificial intelligence, and know about Internet of Things, Data Science and Cloud Computing.

The Prime Minister called upon the teachers as the pioneers of the journey to the new curriculum and urged them to learn new things as well as unlearn old things. He demanded the co-operation of all the stakeholders- the teachers, administrators, voluntary organizations and parents in what he called as a “national mission.”

Speaking on the occasion, the P.M. assured that the NEP would herald a new era for the India of 21st century laying the foundation of for the building blocks of the country.

“The New National Policy is means to fulfilling new aspirations and new opportunities of a new India,” He said.

Kerala puts curbs on shifting of women patients at night

Pratyasha Mohanty

Kerala health minister KK Shailaja has directed the Health Secretary to issue the new guidelines on operating ambulance services in the state following COVID-19.

In the wake of the incident that had happened in Aranmula where an ambulance driver, raped a 19year-old COVID-19 patient while taking her to the COVID FirstLine Treatment Centre . On keeping the incident on mind the company is also exploring the ways to strengthen the security of the people who are being transported in the ambulance.

The incident, showed that women patients required special protection while being taken to hospital. And several questions were raised towards the state health ministry. First issue was that why was the girl not accompanied by a health worker, secondly as the accused was having a vriminal record how he was assigned on COVID-19 duty.

Thus the Kerala health minister K K Shailaja has directed the health secretary to issue new guidelines. As per the new guidelines the health minister directed

the director of health services to order all the district medical officers to ensure that no women is being transported at night after 8pm until and unless emergency is there. Secondly the minister has made it clear that women should be transported via ambulance only if accompanied by female assistant. Meanwhile, the GVK-EMRI group, which is operating the ambulance chain in the state, has directed all its employees to produce fresh police clearance certificates within 15 days and those who would fail to submit the PCC will have to be removed from the service. As the 108 ambulance chain is

functioning under the Kerala emergency medical services project (KEMP) of the national health mission . The KEMP is monitoring the trip details and data of the ambulance service on a day-to-day basis from the control room set up under NHM. The 108 ambulance chain is used for shifting the emergency cases to the hospitals. But during the Covid season it is being used to shift the positive people from home to first line treatment centers. And with this new guidelines surely the functioning of yhe ambulance chains would again be safe and smooth.

16 September, 2020 Faridabad/Delhi NCR THEASIANCHRONICLE.COM

Boost the Body’s Immunity Through Nutrition

The 2019 novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has taken the world by surprise with its highly infectious nature and mortality rate. Relatively unknown until the outbreak, the virus has expanded to almost every part of the world.

What’s most concerning is that while we know that COVID-19 is part of a large family of viruses that include Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), there are many traits of this virus that we have yet to uncover, such as the dynamics of transmission. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it could take up to 18 months for the first COVID-19 vaccines to be made publicly available.

Only an approved drug can treat or cure, or prevent the transmission of, COVID-19 and other diseases. In the absence of any vaccine to date, we are left with practical prevention meas-

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ures, such as maintaining proper hygiene, wearing a mask when necessary, or maintaining social distancing. It may also be useful to keep our bodies strong, so that our immune systems function well.

After all, our immune system is one of the most effective forms of defense against viral infections. There are two categories of immune functions in everyone’s body – the innate immunity which prevents diseases from entering the body and adaptive immunity which eliminates or prevent the growth of pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, in our body.

However, increasing the body’s immunity is not as straightforward as it sounds. There remains much about the immune system that researchers are still working to understand, but what we do know is the tangible connection between the immune system and nutrition.

How nutrition impacts the body’s immune system

To understand how nutrition and diet affect an individual’s immune system, we need to delve deeper into the role of epigenetics – the study of biological mechanisms that switch our genes on and off.

While the idea of epigenetics might seem complex, consider the example of honeybees.

Despite having the same DNA sequence, honeybees produce three different organisms – workers, drones and queens – and this is dependent on the diet that the larvae are fed. This demonstrates that while all worker bees are born with the genetic ability to become queens, the workers’ diet ultimately affects how their genes are expressed and manifest physically.

In the same vein, while all h u -

mans are 99.9% genetically identical, epigenetics make us unique by the different combinations of genes that turn on and off – which explains why some of us have red hair and others black, or why some of us have darker or lighter skin, for instance.

What we eat, where we live, how much we sleep, how we exercise, and even who we live with, all causes chemical reactions that can alter our health status. Added to the mix is our microbiome, which are the microorganisms we depend on to protect us against germs, break down food

for energy, produce vital vitamins and bolster our immune system.

The largest part of the immune system - approximately 70% of it – is located near the intestines, which monitors the intake of food and how the body uses it. This makes it critical for us to consume a balanced diet with the right vitamins, minerals and nutrients while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This requires more than just changing the intake of one or two nutrients but involves balancing the entire diet to ensure that there is optimal nutrition intake at a cellular level.

Four essential groups of nutrients to help individuals strengthen their immune system Protein Also known as the basic building blocks of the body, protein allows the body to manufacture antibodies that it requires to defend against invading viruses and bacteria. To ensure that we have sufficient levels of protein in our diet, we can eat more healthy protein foods such as fish, poultry, lean meats, soy foods and low-fat dairy products.

Vitamins and phytonutrients

Vitamins A and C, as well as phytonutrients are key players in immune system health. As one of the biggest immune system boosters, Vitamin C encourages our body to produce antibodies that fight diseases. It is essential to maintain a daily intake of vitamin C as the body does not produce or store it.

Vitamin A supports the health of our skin, tissues of our digestive tract

and respiratory system.

Phytonutrients, which are found in vegetables and fruits, reduces our body’s oxidative stress, which may weaken its ability to fight off illnesses. A number of phytonutrients have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, fight inflammation, lowering blood pressure, and boost the overall

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health of our immunity system.

Probiotics and prebiotics The digestive system plays a central role in supporting immune function. The intestinal tract is the main route of contact with the external environment and is a pathway that contains microbiomes that aids digestion as well as the absorption of nutrients. Having the right gut bacteria has been associated with benefits such as weight loss, improved digestion, healthier skin, and most importantly enhanced immune function, although research in these areas is not conclusive or universally applicable.

Studies have shown that probiotics, which are ‘good bacteria’, are useful in maintaining the digestive system, and prebiotics, types of fiber that the human body cannot digest, serve as food for these probiotics.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids, such as DHA and EPA, are healthy and essential types of fat which can be found in food such as chia seed and supplements such as fish oil. Omega3 fatty acids may enhance the functions of immune cells, which plays a large role in both the innate and adaptive system that responds to infections.

Nutrition is no substitute for an effective drug, and it won’t prevent you from contracting COVID-19 or other diseases.

Maintaining a strong immune system, though, is something all healthy people can do.

Dr. David Heber

M.D., PhD, FACP, FASN – Chairman, Herbalife Nutrition Institute talks about the importance of nutrition in boosting the body's immunity.

Yoga as a Significant Part of Our Lives

16 September, 2020 Faridabad/Delhi NCR THEASIANCHRONICLE.COM

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TAC Feature Desk

blood cells g Less Oxygen Consumption

Scientific findings has suggested that a person may experience positive effects in all spheres of life after Yoga. Numerous health, emotional, physical benefits can be experienced only through a simple practice.

Several successful entities claim to do Yoga for at least 25-30 minutes in the morning. Yoga also help people recover from underlying issues. Doctors, therapists, scientists advocate Yoga and expound on its benefits over and over again.

Uncontrollable emotions often lead to uncontrollable consequences. One of the distinct benefits of Yoga is that it helps people in decision-making. People separates their emotional viewpoints and rational viewpoints and take crucial decisions with ease.

Yoga is not age-specific. People belonging to any age-group can practice it with ease and reap the same benefits. Practicing Yoga early in life is relatively more beneficial, because it will enable individuals to harness their emotions from an early age.

Modern world still holds low opinion of Yoga— but those who

do it regularly experience multiple sensations both in their mind and body. Understanding the signifi-

cance of Yoga is important and can prove beneficial to you.

NEWS

It has been over 3000 years now since Yoga was discovered. The forefathers of our forefathers used to do Yoga habitually. Time has changed, and much has happened since then— but Yoga is still practiced all across the world.

Yoga serves the purpose of therapy in human lives. It sorts the functioning of the mind into different classes, making it relax and calm.

People who are habitual of Yoga and practice it without skipping a day, claim to have experienced significant changes in their lives.

Earlier, younger generation was not as aware of Yoga as it is now.

However, as the awareness spread, people started placing attention on Yoga. Several Yoga campaigns all across the world are organised periodically, so as to impress the importance of Yoga upon Younger generations.

Over years, people have dignified their opinions about Yoga and adopted it significantly. The incorporation of Yoga in people's lifestyle will, sooner or later, will result in positivity and joy, provided they do it regularly.

BENEFITS OF YOGA

Yoga gives strength to harness both destructive and constructive emotions, eventually leading to a healthy lifestyle. The physical sensation one feels while doing Yoga is immensely pain-relieving.

Here are some benefits of Yoga that majority experiences: g Decreases Stress g Relieves Anxiety g Reduces Inflammation g Improves Heart Health g Improves Quality of Life g Fights Depression g Reduces Chronic Pain g Promotes Sleep Quality g Improves Flexibility and Balance g Improves Breathing g Relieves Migraines g Promotes Healthy Eating Habits g Increases Strength g Improves Gastrointestinal g Balances Metabolism g Induces Deep Sleep g Improves Sexuality g Increases Self-acceptance g Forms a Positive Outlook on Life g Improves Social skills g Induces Calmness g Boosts Lymphatic System g Increase the Levels of Red

Gems and Jewellery traders expect business to recover in the last two-quarters FY21

Manikya Dheeren In 2019-20, the country had exported gems and jewellery worth $29.01 billion. According to data provided by the Gem & Jewellery Export Council (GJEPC), exports in this segment touched $1.7 billion in August. It was higher than the $36 million registered in April but down 41.55% from that in August 2019.

Gems and jewellery traders expect a recovery in business in the last two quarters of this fiscal on the back of increasing output from Surat’s diamond factories and an uptick in demand from US, China and Europe.

They have accordingly revised their export estimate, saying overall shipment of gems and jewellery in 2020-21 will be 2025% less than that in the previous year. Earlier, they had forecast exports would be down by more than 50%.

"Considering the crisis situation, the domestic gem & jewellery sector seeks immediate

relief measures to enable the trade to function smoothly," chairman of the council Anantha Padmanabhan said in a statement.

The indigenous gem and jewellery sector in the country has come to a "standstill" amid the coronavirus pandemic and is in

immediate need of relief measures from the government, an industry body said. With virtually no footfalls, many jewellers might have to even shut down their shops, the All India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council said.

"Considering the crisis situa-

tion, the domestic gem & jewellery sector seeks immediate relief measures to enable the trade to function smoothly," chairman of the council Anantha Padmanabhan said in a statement. March being the last month of the financial year,there are also many due dates of payments for businesses in the sector, it said.

Colin Shah, chairman of GJEPC, said, “We are optimistic of the near and long term, as several countries are now open for trade. We have witnessed initial signs of recovery from markets like the US, China, Europe and the export orders have seen a steady rise month-on-month over the last 4-5 months.”

According to Shah, all gems and jewellery export units are working in full swing and the trade is getting back to normalcy. “We are optimistic that we will be able to have a decent recovery of gems and jewellery exports from the current levels and the overall decline gap will be minimized,” Shah said. “And the way the markets are opening and the trade is recovering, we are hopeful that

we will be able to restrict the downside of exports to just over 20-25% at the closure of the fiscal year, as compared with previous year exports."

"We have sent a recommendation to the prime minister stating our concern... and we have received a prompt and favourable response from the PMO," Padmanabhan said.

For the April to August 2020 period, overall gross exports of gems and jewellery stood at $6 billion (Rs 45189.76 crore)--a decline of 47.65% (-43.59% in rupee terms)--compared with to $11.4 billion (Rs 80,116.55 crore) in the same period of the previous year.

In the first five months of FY21, India’s top exporting destinations for gem and jewellery were Hong Kong ($2716.29 million), USA ($1,739.49 million), UAE ($398.49 million), Belgium ($258.82 million), Israel ($167.12 million), Turkey ($146.50 million), Thailand ($110.72 million), UK (72.94 million), Japan ($64.17 million) and Switzerland ($48.90 million).

SaaS – Technology to Boost Real Estate Uptake

15 September, 2020 Faridabad/Delhi NCR THEASIANCHRONICLE.COM

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With COVID-19, real estate developers in India are suddenly faced with the need to rapidly adopt technology to get property sales going. ANAROCK research indicates that while homebuyer enquiries have increased by more than 50% post the nationwide lockdowns, a large part of these enquiries are generated online.

This is unlikely to change soon - though homebuyers are back on the market, social distancing and overall safety concerns are still very much in place. A lot of the property discovery journey has now gone online, and developers who do not use technology to harness and convert online enquiries are at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, like many other functions these days, the technology and professional support they need can be outsourced to specialists. Enter Software as a Service, or SaaS.

SaaS and Real Estate

Customer Relationship Management SaaS is the key for real estate companies who want to leverage advanced software technology to drive their business. Previously, Indian real estate developers seeking a tech advantage in their business had to rely on mainstream software giants who don’t understand completely the specific requirements of the Indian real estate business.

Today, they have the option of an integrated Customer Relationship Management delivered through Software as a Service solution – or SaaS, as it is now commonly referred to - created and managed by tech-driven real estate consultancies.

In contrast to multi-modal, multinational system management services which handle a diverse number of business types, Indian real estate SaaS providers deliver integrated software solutions customized not only to Indian real estate environment but also to individual players.

Though quite complicated at the coding and delivery end, a SaaS approach does not involve any single software platform which has to be adapted to a certain business type. Instead, it integrates several smaller software solutions into one platform.

SaaS – Focused Results

Vastly superior leads from both online and site visits, and automatically routes them to the pertinent sales manager Elimination of the call centre approach to servicing customers. Instead, a SaaS system analyses the

enquiry as well as the buyer profile and automatically determines how and when the customer prefers to be reached. At the appropriate time, the buyer is contacted by a fully-empowered and trained sales representative who will carry out all levels of interaction from enquiry to home purchase Relevant and exhaustive information on the project or property in question is instantly shared online on-demand. This results in zero-gap communication which leads to faster deal closure The senior sales people at the developer retain complete online oversight of every event from enquiry to processing and can be instantly involved in a discussion if required Likewise, the developer has perpetual online access to channel partners involved in the project, their performance and work in progress by each operative Time-consuming data entry is eliminated with the help of intuitive artificial intelligence (AI) which automatically records all relevant data in the appropriate systems. This information can be quickly retrieved at the click of a mouse.

The system not only maintains a detailed track-record of ongoing marketing activities along with expenses and results but also suggests more effective marketing interventions based on location, majority buyer profiles and market conditions The SaaS model eliminates the

need to spend large amounts of capital on enterprise-level services. It combines the efficiency of advanced software appropriate human involvement and provides a results-oriented approach to achieving and monitoring specific business goals for the business.

How SaaS Helps Homebuyers

Though highly technical at the DNA level, the purpose of software-based services is to deliver a more streamlined, satisfying experience to end-users. At its core, SaaS is a Customer Relationship Management software which makes all communication relevant - customers get only the information which makes sense to them.

Superfluous information is eliminated. Further, the system pushes multiple alerts and reminders to sales managers for meetings and site visits, who then connect with the home-buyers on-time. every time, as per the stage of homebuying process.

Finally, the SaaS system also escalates discussions to senior sales managers if the ball gets dropped by their teams. For customers, this ensures access to the senior management if and when required.

Why Current Tech Solutions for Real Estate Fail

For the Indian real estate industry, the time for a SaaS approach had come long before the COVID19 pandemic. While many real estate developers had adopted technology at some level, they

were spending disproportionately on enterprise-level software services.

To make things worse, these services are usually provided by sector-agnostic software companies who apply a generic approach to all their clients within the purview of annual contracts Also, the 'monolith' level of technology solutions that most software giants offer lacks scalability. Their inherent unwieldiness makes them unsuitable for adaptation to different sizes of businesses. What a real estate developer will usually wind up with is a massive software overkill requiring large in-house or off-site teams - usually of the software provider himself - to manage them.

SaaS, on the other hand, takes the onus from developers and puts it on the contracted tech firm.

They get the flexibility and freedom to use high-end and customizable bespoke technology at a fixed annual fee.

COVID-19 Kick-starts Indian Real Estate's Tech Revolution

For the Indian real estate industry, the time for adopting a SaaS approach to their business is now at hand. The COVID-19 pandemic and its unique compulsions have rendered the traditional marketing approach obsolete. What developers need now is a dynamic technology-based approach geared to their businesses.

Indian real estate players are

currently grappling with unprecedented unsold inventory levels in a completely transformed marketplace. ANAROCK’s latest data indicates that there are as many as 6.33 lakh unsold homes in various stages of completion across the country’s major cities. Developers need to speed up sales and need solutions that be deployed rapidly and cost-effectively.

In the current market conditions, Indian real estate players are not only stretched for time and bandwidth - but they can also not afford massive capital outlays for services whose results they cannot effectively monitor or confirm.

By adopting SaaS, real estate developers can immediately stop over-spending and being diverted from their core area of business.

They benefit from a technology platform that efficiently boosts project sales and simultaneously monitors all sales activity in realtime. When SaaS is 'done right' in terms of scalability and adaptability, it becomes a major enabler for developers regardless of their size and market bandwidth, and irrespective of whether or not they possess the ability, knowledge or skill to develop their own tech-driven sales tools.

Sunil Mishra

Head – Strategy, ANAROCK Group & CEO – TRESPECT Property Consultants

Mission 'Skill India' in Maharashtra

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Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri R. K. Singh today informed about the details of the works done so far in the districts of Maharashtra under “Skill India“ scheme during the last three years.

Under Skill India Mission, the Ministry is implementing Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to impart Short Term Training (STT) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) on panIndia basis including all districts of Maharashtra.

The scheme has two components: 1) Centrally Spons o r e d Centrally Managed (CSCM) 2) Centrally Sponsored State Managed (CSSM) Under CSCM there is no provision to allocate resources state-wise. However, under Centrally Sponsored State Managed (CSSM) component Rs. 85.77 Crore has been released to Maharashtra during FY 2017-18. However, till date, no utilization certificate has been submitted by Government of Maharashtra to the Ministry. Further, Union Minister said

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that, till 17th March 2020, 1.82 lakh and 1.26 lakh candidates have been trained and certified, respectively, under Short Term Training (STT) courses in Maharashtra. Out of these certified candidates, 0.52 lakh candidates have been provided with placement. Also, 7.7 lakh candidates have been oriented under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) component of the scheme in Maharashtra.

Besides this, the Ministry promotes establishment of model and aspirational skill centres known as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) in every district for imparting skill training throughout the country.

As on date, 50 PMKKs have been allocated in 36 districts of Maharashtra covering all districts. Out of allocated PMKKs, 43 PMKKs have been established.

Loan amount of Rs. 17.85 Cr. has been disbursed so far for establishment of PMKKs in Maharashtra.

This information was by the Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri R.K. Singh in awritten reply in the Loksabha today.

16 September, 2020 Faridabad/Delhi NCR THEASIANCHRONICLE.COM

Congress a pack of leaders but BJP is a party with workers: Kashyap

The party president of BJP Himachal Pradesh and member of parliament Suresh Kashyap MLA pachhad in a Press statement that BJP is a party with ground workers and Congress is just back of leaders.

He said that today the e vistarak scheme launched by BJP 15 days ago has come to an end in the Hamirpur parliament the scheme is a total success with 100% target achieved by all the workers of the party who invested their valuable time for the success of the scheme.

Today Hamirpur parliament is known for its stature in National politics as the president of the world's largest political wing BJP Jagat Prakash nadda health from which constituency followed by the state Union Minis-

ter Anurag Thakur. Pro Prem Kumar Dhumal who is an ideal for BJP also Hails from this parliament. Today the party workers have to prove their worth by achieving hundred percent target in all constituencies.

He said BJP is heading for a new era. The era of digitalization the error of paperless party , today Himachal wing has taken a leap in this area of Technology.

He said Congress party can never match the capability of BJP and the dedication of its workers . Congress Party is left Behind in today's age and work done by the workers today in Hamirpur parliament Congress has no scope of come back to power in state or in centre.

Today in Hamirpur parliament BJP has has conducted more than 81257 workers in the constituency this is the backbone of Bhartiya Janata Party.

He said BJP is a party with a metal . Thanking all the district presidents district incharges constituency residents one month vistarak MLA ministers people who fought election in 2017 and the gram vistarak for making this scheme a great success.

He also told that the kangra chamba parliament e vistarak scheme will be starting from 15th September there is a great enthusiasm in the workers of Kangra parliament initial meetings for the success of the scheme has been initialised on on the 13th of this month.

We are sure that the Kangra parliament will be performing in a great manner for the success of the scheme.

girls about their rights as provided under various laws.NALSAconstituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, to provide free legal services to weaker sections of society.The aim is to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reasons of economic or other disabilities.Nyaya Deep is the official newsletter of NALSA.NCWstatutory body of the Government of India, concerned with advising the government on all policy matters affecting women. established in 31 January 1992defined in the 1990 National Commission for Women ActThe objective of the NCW is to represent the rights of women in

India and to provide a voice for their issues and concerns. It has been 73 years since India gained independence from British rule. However, women in the country continue to struggle with issues such as safety, discrimination, and economic independence. NCW said, Women across the world have fought two battles simultaneously, freedom for their country and for themselves. We have come a long way in claiming our rightful place in society and there is still more to go.'Women have fought two battles simultaneously'KEY HIGHLIGHTSNCW has launched the campaign in eight states- Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said that there can be no women empowerment if women are not aware of their legal rightsApart from the launch of the campaign, Justice Ramana also released NALSAs 'Handbook on laws relating to Women'. The NALSA Handbook covers laws relating to women in a simplified language.Earlier, the commission had initiated a Countrywide Legal Awareness Programme for Women and Girls with an aim to achieve equality and justice by increasing womens knowledge about their legal rights. NGOs and reputed institutions were tasked with the programmes implementation.

NALSA, NCW launch project to empower women

Nishica Choudhary

National Commission for Women, in collaboration with the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) launched a campaign on empowering women through legal services on the occasion of 74th Independence Day. The campaign aims to make women aware of the channels available for grievance redressal.The campaign is a joint initiative of NALSA and the National Commission for Women (NCW). Under the project, legal literacy programmes for women will be carried out in 285 districts in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.Further, 570 legal awareness programmes will be held with the overarching objective to make women aware of the rights and protections available to them under various laws."Lack of information and awareness are two aspects that are preventing women from making use of several progressive laws made for them. The role of women has been increasing in the legal aid movement,"Campaign launched in 8 statesNCW has launched the campaign in eight statesAndhra Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The women rights body said, NCW has been regularly conduct-

ing legal awareness programmes but this time in collaboration with NALSA we aim to reach out to women in every district creating legal awareness among women from remote areasHighlighting the importance of imparting legal awareness to women and girls, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said that there can be no women empowerment if women are not aware of their legal rights.The campaign broadly has three objectives:To make women aware of various organs of the justice delivery system available for grievance redressal.To make women aware of the procedure of approaching and utilizing channels available for grievance redressal.To sensitise women and

16 September, 2020 Faridabad/Delhi NCR THEASIANCHRONICLE.COM

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RIL’s market valuation crosses $200bn; investors queue up for business

Rhythima Agrawal

On Thursday, the shares of Reliance Industries Limited crossed the $200 billion mark and became the first Indian Company to achieve the milestone. The stock has jumped to 167% from Rs 867.82 in March. The surged shares of RIL have become the cynosure of large investors who are flocking to buy a stake in the Jio Business initially, and the analysts are expecting a similar pattern to be followed in the retail business too.

The analysts expect the stock to touch a new record high of Rs 2,500 in the next few weeks and cross the Rs 3,000 milestone in the next few months. Economic Times quoted an analyst from Motilal Oswal to know the position of RIL's shares.

Chandan Taparia, a technical analyst at the Motilal Oswal said, "The overall trend is positive. It has the potential to move towards Rs 2,450-2,500 zones in the next few weeks. In the next few months, it can go to Rs 2,650-2,700.

From one year point of view, it can go to Rs 3,000 in six months to one year".

Notably, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) had offered 13 investors of Jio Platforms to invest in its unit of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL). The investors include Facebook, Google, KKR, Silver Lake and TPG. They helped RIL by accumulating 1.52 trillion in the past few months by picking up a combined 33% stake in its digital unit, Jio Platforms.

The foreign direct investment in

multi-brand retailing is barred in India; the strategic and financial investors can help RIL raise funds to grow its retail business and also support efforts to reduce its debt.

A senior consultant who was aware of the talks said, "Reliance Retail may follow the Jio Platforms model, on boarding multiple investors by selling stakes in the firm".

As per the RIL's annual report, the company's gross debt at the end of the last fiscal stood at 3.36 trillion, which included 4,618 crores of Reliance Retail.The Financial Times reported that private equity firm Silver Lake is in talks to invest $1 billion in Reliance Retail Ltd (RRL) for a 10% stake at an enterprise valuation of $57 billion.

Silver Lake had earlier picked up a 2.08% stake for $1.34 billion in Jio Platforms.RIL operates its retail business through unit Reliance Retail Ventures, the holding company for Reliance Retail Ltd and Reliance Brands. The latter operates joint ventures with international brands.

8 Ashok Leyland doubles its volume- a new truck platform

On Monday, Ashok Leyland broaden its vehicle production line by introducing new generation Phoenix platform.

The truck maker hailing from Chennai expects Phoenix to make a gateway for the company to capture a huge share in the market within 3-5 years. Also, the maker has stated that they expect Phoenix to add new market in comics years.

Ashok Leyland has to expand its volume by double, meaning that it will have to expand the LCV sales 4 times. However, its core M&HCV space remained around 1.5 lakh units.

Nitin Seth lead a team of 150 engineers who carried out the Phoenix project in the period of 24 months. Besides LCVs, Seth also leads international and defence business. After the introduction of Phoenix platform, the LCV market for Ashok Leyland

rose from 34% to 65% sans sub-2 tonne segment.

The company has spent 350 Crore on the architecture. The spendings include a fully robotic manufacturing line.

In the course of coming 3 to 4 years, 6-7 dozen models on the Phoenix platform are reported to be available. An exclusive network of 113 dealership all over the country will offer it to sell.

The share of LCV in the overall CV market has also had noticeable variations— earlier, the share was 30% and today it has surged to 70% of the overall market.

The boom in e-commerce has proved conducive to the development of this sector in post-pandemic economy.

Travel And Tourism Sector On The Verge Of Hefty Losses

Basim Sheikh

The dire consequences of Covid-19 began to manifest only when the world was halfway through the pandemic. Numerous businesses sustained adverse effects of consecutive lockdowns announced by governments as safeguards against the virus.

Enforcement of lockdowns might have saved lives, yet it has menaced the functioning of the economies at large. As a result, small as well as large sectors experienced the similar impacts. Travel and Tourism sector sits on the same page as every other sector currently. The industry is on the verge of losing around 5 Lakh crore or $65.5 billion.

The organised sector is likely to lose USD 25 billion. The figure is dreadfully disappointed, and the economic issues need to be dealt through drastic measures. Experts had anticipated that backwash of lockdown will affect revenue streams until October, but as it turns out, consequences are different from what was expected.

Current figures suggest that only hotels will record only 30% occupancy until later 2020, and revenue streams will decline by 80% to 85%.

As per the study, occupancy was at the highest at 80% in January this year; then at 70% in February; at 45% in March,

and finally at 7% in April, which was the lowest. Recorded 10%, 12%, 15%, 22% in May, June, July, August respectively.

The CII-Hotelivate study estimates that in September will record at 25%; Octo-

ber, 28%; November, 30%, December, 35%.

The loss of $4.77 billion, or around Rs 35,070 crore, may befall travel agents and tour operators, at the worst.

However, the most favourable condition is of improvement by 10-15% happens.

An online travel services MakeMyTrip also have a contribution in this figure.

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Editor Karamvir Kamal* (responsible for selection of news under PRB Act 1867), Sub Editor Bhoomika Mohan. RNI No. HARENG/2016/67803. Executive Office: 431, Saraswati Vihar, Gurugram-122004, Haryana. Contact +91 9212 46 0446, 9899 73 1532, Email: asianchronicleindia@gmail.com, WWW.THEASIANCHRONICLE.COM | WWW.THEASIANCHRONICLE.IN