Goodbye, After the

Good Gaul Tossing Infection, How

p.10 the Will We Eat?
Coin p.18

p.16

www.economictimes.com | New Delhi | 20 pages | `10

March 29-April 4, 2020

'I can hear

you, can you
hear me?‘

Coping with Covid-19 p.04-15

PLUS Worry in the C-Suite Old and Away An Infra Booster Shot Rx: Relieve, Revive, Rebuild
 02 what’s news
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

Toll Plazas to
Govt Swings into Action Distribute
to Help Migrant Labourers Food Packets
New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India
New Delhi/Lucknow: Home Minister Amit (NHAI) has started providing food packages to mi-
Shah Saturday said the government was grant labourers returning back to their rural homes as
committed to supporting all migrant work- the nationwide lockdown deprives them of livelihood.
ers who had lost their jobs due to the lock- In a meeting held on Saturday, NHAI asked toll op-
down and were being forced to walk long erators to make food arrangements for migrant work-
distances to reach their homes. ers. The move will also benefit truck drivers transport-
The Centre has directed states and Un- ing essential commodities who are facing issues as
ion territories to provide food, shelter, food outlets along highways have been shut. The dis-
sanitation and accommodation to these tribution of fruits and packaged food has begun in toll
people. plazas in Delhi-NCR and it would be rolled out across
Shah said the home secretary has asked the country by tomorrow, an official said. “There is a
states to immediately set up relief camps lot of local-level migration happening, apart from
for migrant workers returning to their what we see at Delhi borders.”
domicile states or trying to do so during The authority is working in the district-level au-
this lockdown period. States have been thorities to ensure there is no overcrowding at
advised to give wide publicity and aware- these toll plazas. There are around 530 toll plazas
ness, using public address systems, tech- Migrant workers head home from Delhi on Saturday on the national highways in the country. Contrac-
nology and by utilising the services of vol- tors have been asked to provide food as part of
unteers and NGOs, to precise information ter Response Fund for providing such re- reilly and Kanpur. The buses are being their corporate social responsibility, the official
on the location of the relief camps and the lief measures. In Uttar Pradesh, the trans- sanitised and drivers and conductors are said. “We have infrastructure available across the
facilities being made available and relief port department has made a target of being provided with masks and sanitis- country. Staff at toll plazas couldn’t move out after
package under the Pradhan Mantri Garib sending roughly 3,000 buses to Delhi to ers,” said the official. the lockdown was announced so they are stationed
Kalyan Yojana. The home ministry said bring migrant workers back, a senior offi- “The workers will be thermally there,” the official said.
states have also been advised to set up re- cial in the department said. “Till last night screened at the district borders and their Union minister of road transport and highways Ni-
lief camps along the highways. Such shel- our target was to send 1,000 buses right details will be shared right down to the tin Gadkari said in a tweet on Saturday, “I have advised
ters should follow precautions such as so- away. The target has been scaled up to gram level. They will all have to undergo Chairman NHAI and Highway Concessionaires or Toll
cial distancing and have adequate medical 3,000 on Saturday looking at the large home quarantine and the district adminis- Operators to consider providing food, water or any
check-up drives to identify and separate number of people. These buses will be tration will monitor them for symptoms,” kind of support to migrant workers or citizens who are
coronavirus cases. The ministry has also sent from districts adjoining Delhi like UP health minister Jai Pratap Singh said. trying to reach to their respective native places.”.
authorised all states to use the State Disas- Agra, Meerut, Moradabad, Aligarh, Ba- —Rahul Tripathi and Vatsala Gaur —Our Bureau

Saarc Requests Covid-19 Cases Spike As Firms Shortlisted

India to Lift Export for Rapid Antibody
Ban on Drugs Private Labs Ramp Up Testing Testing Kits
Mumbai: Singapore-based Sensing Self Ltd
New Delhi: Members of Mumbai: The number of Covid-19 patients has suring smooth logistics for home collections of and China’s Wondfo are the only companies
the Saarc bloc and Indo- shot up by 149 since March 26 as private labs samples. But there is a shortage of material re- that have cleared the National Institute of
nesia and the UAE have have also started reporting the results of their quired to conduct the tests. Virology (NIV)’s validation for rapid anti-
requested India to lift the tests. “There is a shortage of body test kit that can help in the fight against
export ban on hydroxy- At 8 pm on Saturday, the reagents. All labs are Covid-19. These companies got the clearance
chloroquine, as they health ministry reported 918 struggling to get them as days after the ICMR decided to start anti-
stare at a shortage of the that the number of active Covid-19 834 we have pending samples. body tests to check whether an individual
drug primarily used for cases in the country was Cases Things are expected to im- has been previously infected with the coro-
rheumatoid arthritis and 819, while 79 had been prove from Monday,” navirus. This is done to understand the epi-
long-term auto immune cured and 19 had died. This
in India 694 Shah says. demiology of the disease.
disease lupus. was up from 775 active cases 606 Private labs in Maha- Keyur Patel, founder of Sensing Self, said the
Hydroxychloroquine at 9 am on Saturday. rashtra, which has the company would offer the kits to the Indian
519
received global attention recently after US Presi- As on March 27, the Indi- maximum number of government at $5. “We have told the ICMR
dent Donald Trump made claims that the drug was an Council of Medical Re- 433 Covid-19 cases in the that India is the highest priority and we will
effective on Covid-19 patients. India is the largest search had tested 27,688 341 country, say they have re- ship the kits in five days,” he added.
exporter of hydroxychloroquine in the world, and samples of 26,798 individu- ceived enquiries from sev- —Divya Rajagopal
companies that ET spoke to also confirmed they als. “As more testing is hap-
283 eral individuals who want-
223
had received requests to airlift the drug from India. pening, the numbers will go ed to get tested. But labs
The Department of Pharmaceuticals in a meeting up. This was expected,” are prioritising the tests
held on Friday asked India’s drug price regulator says Nilesh Shah of Metrop- for those who were most Rail Coaches to be
to examine and see if India has enough stock and
can also fulfil the demand of Saarc countries.
olis Healthcare, a private di-
agnostic chain in Mumbai. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
in need because of a short-
age of testing kits.
Isolation Wards
Other than hydroxychloroquine, the list from Testing at private and gov- MARCH ICMR has approved New Delhi: The Indian Railways has readied
Saarc countries contains paracetamol, vitamins, ernment labs are going on in Note: Includes active, cured, and death cases four companies for pro- a prototype of train coaches that can be used
hormones and some medical equipment. “The tandem. “I don’t think pri- Source: MoHFW viding testing kits but only as isolation units for Covid-19 patients. To
requirement to lift the ban on exports is for spe- vate labs have any special one, MyLab, has been able begin with, each zonal railway will convert
cific consignments,” an official said. These coun- edge in this case. In fact the only help we are to supply the kits. 10 coaches into isolation units every week.
tries are facing an acute shortage of the formula- doing is increasing the capacity of the govern- A Velumani of Thyrocare says his chain was The Indian Railways has 17 zones. “These
tions. ment labs. The methodology is the same for first focussing on training its staff and so the isolation coaches will be used all across the
The Indian Council of Medical Research has rec- everyone.” company has been slow in offering tests. The country and will remain on railway premis-
ommended the drug for front-line workers and Private labs were roped in for testing earlier company is doing 45 tests per day. Metropolis es,” a railway official told ET. Each coach will
high-risk people who were in contact with Cov- this week and since then, 29 private labs have said they had tested 1,100 samples in the past have 10 isolation wards, the official said.
id-19 patients. —Teena Thacker trained their staff and are working towards en- four days. —Divya Rajagopal —Our Bureau
 perspective 03
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

Ensuring Drug Security

Centre has chalked out four schemes to boost production of bulk drugs and
medical devices through common facilities and incentives
:: Mansukh Mandaviya

I
ndia is quite ahead globally in ers of medical devices of four categories
the manufacturing of medi- — cancer care/radiotherapy, aesthetic

AV
cines. However, the country and cardio respiratory, radiology and nu-
still imports key raw materials clear medicine — and all implants like

=
— largely 53 active pharmaceu- cochlear and pacemakers. During these
tical ingredients (APIs) and key years, `3,420 crore will be distributed as
starting materials (KSM) or in- incentives to the manufacturers under
termediaries.
To resolve this issue, a task
the scheme.
We are also looking at additional pro-
-- , Laptop
force on APIs was formed three
years ago, and it has been con-
duction of medical devices worth
`68,437 crore in the first five years and
Tablet, Mobile
sulting all stakeholders. nearly `19,000 crore worth of import
To meet the PM’s vision of en- substitution per annum, which will also
suring national drug security, help us export medical devices. Like-

Ransomware
my ministry has chalked out a wise, we are targeting incremental pro-
`13,760 crore umbrella scheme duction of APIs worth `46,800 crore
to boost production of bulk drugs and
medical devices.
four years, 15% for the fifth year and
5% for the sixth year on incremental
during the next five years and import substitu-
tion worth `19,000 crore per annum. These ef- Protection
The first scheme is helping states manufacturing. We have also identi- forts will promote Make in India, import substi-
establish three bulk drug parks fied 27 chemical-based key raw mate- tution, exports and ensure drug security. 
spread over at least 1,000 acres. The
Centre will provide help through
rials for which 10% rate of incentive
will be provided during the six-year
The writer is minister of state (independent charge) for
shipping & minister of state for chemicals & fertilisers 92.72.70.70.50
grant-in-aid of up to `1,000 crore. period of the scheme. These APIs 98.22.88.25.66
This amount will be for different largely contain anti-cancer drugs,
common facilities like solvent re- antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and
covery plant, power and steam anti-diabetic drugs.
units, distillation plants and efflu-
ent treatment plants. These facili-
The third scheme focuses on pro-
moting domestic manufacturing of ELITE GR OO MS ELITE BRIDES
ties individually are costly, making medical devices. It proposes grant- Chennai based Gurgaon based Kolkata b a s e d M u m b a i based Director,
domestic production unviable. The in-aid to state governments for estab- B u s i n e s s m a n , 29 , M a n a g e m e n t E n t r e p r e n e u r , 3 0 , 31, 162 cms , Christian.
common facilities will thus help In- lishing four medical device parks, at 183 cms , Caste No Bar. P r o f e s s i o n a l , 38 , 162 c r o s , A g a r w a I . Father is an Industrialist.
Masters from a reputed 173 cms , Sikh. MBA from a Graduate from a premier Family is affluent. Looking
dian companies keep the manufac- a cost of `100 crore each. The parks Institute. Parents are premier Institute. Father is Institute. Father is an for an amiable and well
turing cost at par. will have common facilities like test- Entrepreneurs. Family is retired. Family is financially Industrialist and Mother is educated match. Contact:
The second scheme is aimed at giv- ing centre, electro-magnetic interfer- affluent. Looking for a well off. Looking for a an Entrepreneur. Looking 6366448351
suitable well educated l i k e m i n d e d and w e l l for a likeminded and well
ing incentives on incremental pro- ence laboratory, medical grade low-
match. Contact: e d u c a t e d m a t c h in e d u c a t e d m a t c h in Mumbai based Doctor,
duction over base year of critical vacuum moduling, sterilisation and 6366448352 India/Abroad. Contact: India/Abroad. Contact: 31, 162 cms, Nair. MD.
drugs. We have identified 26 fermen- electricity testing centre. 6366448350 6366448351 Father is retired. Family is
tation-based and 27 chemical-based The fourth scheme is to help man- New Z e a l a n d b a s e d financially well off. Looking
B u s i n e s s m a n , 29, for a suitable Doctor match
key raw materials for which India is ufacturers of medical devices. A pro- 180 cms, Rajput. Father is a from the same community.
largely dependent on imports. duction linked incentive scheme has w o r k i n g Professional . Contact: 6366448349
We have formulated a scheme to been formulated to provide incen- Family is financially well off. T
Looking for a suitable well
give an incentive of 20% for the first tive at 5% for six years to manufactur- f D e l h i base d
educated match from the
M a n a g e m e n t
same community. Contact: P r o f es s i ona l , 31 ,
6366448351
165 cm s , D i v o r c e d ,
NEWS Sikh/Caste No Bar. MBA.
D e I hi b a s e d
Father is a Managing
M a n a g e m e n t
Director. Family is affluent.
P r o f e s s i o n al , 32 ,
Looking for a suitable well
FM: Will Speak to Banks Tata Trusts Commits 178 cms , Khatri. MBA.
Parents are D o c t o r s . educated match from the
-
to Facilitate Cash Flow `500 Crore to Fight Looking for a compatible /
same community. Contact:
and well educated match in 6366448350
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sithara- Covid-19 Pandemic India/Abroad. Contact:
6366448350 London base d
man Saturday said she will speak to all banks Mumbai: Tata Trusts has set aside E n t r e p r e n e ur , 29 ,
to facilitate cash flow and enable timely access `500 crore to fight the spread of the Australia base d 170 cros ,Agarwal,Caste No
to all. She also lauded efforts of bankers dur- coronavirus. The cash would be used M a n a g e m e n t ° Bar. Graduate in Fashion
t
ing the lockdown to contain Covid-19. for protective equipment for medi- P r o f e s s i o n a l , 32 , Designing. Parents are
180 cros , Khatri/Caste No Entrepreneurs. Family is

AW
She also assured that she would talk to cal personnel, respiratory systems,
Bar. MBA. Parents ar e affluent. Looking for a
states and ensure that there were no restric- testing kits, setting up modular treat- working Professionals. i ' c o m p a t i b l e and w e l l
tions in the movement of cash, bankers, ven- ment facilities for patients, and Looking for an amiable and educated match in UK.
dors or bank mitras. “Will talk to states — re- knowledge management and train- well educated match in USA based Strateg ic B a n g a l o r e b a s e d Contact: 6366448350
India/Abroad. Contact: Pricing Anal yst , 28 , Business Development
quest no restrictions in their movements. Will ing of health workers and the general 6366448350 183 cm s , B r a h m i n . Director , 27, 163 cms, USA based Management
speak to all banks to facilitate cash flow. Let us public, a statement said.
Graduate from a premier Caste No Bar. MS from a P r o f e s s i o n a I , 29 ,
USA based P r o g r a m
ensure timely access to all,” the finance minis- “In this exceptionally difficult pe- Institute . Father is a Chief reputed Institute. Father is 163 cms , Kayastha. MS
ter said in a series of tweets. riod, I believe that urgent emergency Manager , 29, 169 cros , from a premier Institute.
Caste No Bar. Bachelors General Manager. Family is a Manag ing Director and
Parents are Entrepreneurs.
“The entire banking fraternity deserves rec- resources need to be deployed to from a reputed Institute. financially well off. Looking Mother is an Executive Family is affluent. Looking
ognition and thanks for their tireless and cope with the needs of fighting the Father is a Businessman. for an amiable and well Director. Looking for a for an amiable and well
brave efforts to ensure that banking services Covid-19 crisis, which is one of the Looking for a compatible educated match from the c o m p a t i b l e and well educated match from the
and well educated match. same community. Contact: educated match. Contact: same community. Contact:
continue in these adverse times and that every toughest challenges the human race
Contact: 6366448352 6366448351 6366448352 6366448350
customer is reached in a timely and safe man- will face,” Ratan Tata, Tata Trusts
ner,” Sitharaman said. —PTI chairman, said. —Our Bureau
 04 cover story
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

COPING WITH
C VID-19Anxieties, life hacks, takeaways and leadership lessons from India’s
chief executives who are navigating uncharted territory

T
ill last month, the elite club of India’s chief ex- a high-contact business like hotels, how do you ensure can see light at the end of the tunnel. “The world is staring
ecutives had a long list of woes — slowing sales, your employees and guests are not exposed to this highly down the barrel of a recession,” says Biocon’s Kiran Ma-
weak consumer demand, credit crisis, GST infectious virus with up to two weeks of dormancy?” zumdar-Shaw. Covid-19’s scourge has spared none, irre-
rates, digital disruption, policy flip-flops and Today, most of these globetrotters are confined to their spective of sector, size and vintage. “This is not a three-
rising global trade barriers. homes, helplessly watching the Covid-19 horror story un- week, one-month, or six-week phenomenon. This is going
Overnight, the onslaught of Covid-19 has decluttered fold. “My biggest business worry is that I don’t know how to run for quite some time,” says Rajan Anandan, MD, Se-
their vision and given them a devastatingly focused busi- long this will continue,” says Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Shar- quoia Capital India.
ness perspective — one that is centred on survival. ma, who is working from home, like countess others. The viral contagion is ravaging economies, people and
Take, for instance Ajay Bijli, chairman of PVR Ltd, which For some, like Amul’s RS Sodhi and Tata Power’s Praveer livelihoods. Globally, governments — rich and poor — are
saw 800 of its multiplexes shutting overnight. “What busi- Sinha, conference calls are not an option. Steering firms gasping for an effective coping strategy. So, as their busi-
ness worry can I have when everything is in a lockdown that offer critical goods and services, they are like generals ness reels, hard-nosed honchos are enlarging their circle
and there’s nothing you can do about it?” he asks, stoically. in their war rooms, battling multiple enemies simultane- of stakeholders to look beyond their bottom lines to worry
As Covid-19 scare shuts the world down for business, ously. “My biggest concern is making sure my workers about the well-being of all Indians.
corporate honchos are worried about the well-being of reach plants. If we don’t collect milk from our farmers for As the impact of Covid-19 unravels, ET Magazine reached
their employees and their business. Lemon Tree chairman a day, there will be chaos,” says Sodhi. out to chief executives to understand what’s on their mind.
Patu Keswani says about the enormity of the challenge: “In An unprecedented business crisis looms. And no one —Malini Goyal

“My Biggest Concern is Making “This Pandemic Reminds Us that

Sure My Workers are Available We are All Equal and Connected”
for Deliveries” Your Biggest Business Worry Now:
We run India’s largest chain of hospitals, so
The Toughest Challenge in Dealing with this
Situation:
Your Biggest Business Wor- storage to keep milk for more Covid-19 poses a significant challenge. Across Since the virus has a 14-day incubation pe-
ry Now: than a day. So the deliveries our network, we have stepped up our prepar- riod, it makes it very difficult to assess rates
My biggest concern is mak- RS Sodhi need to keep happening. edness to test and treat coronavirus-positive of infection.
ing sure my workers reach MD, Gujarat patients. But to do that with nothing left to
our plants and warehous- One Work-From-Home Hack chance is the challenge One Work-From-Home Hack That Works for
es, and are available for
Co-operative Milk That Works for You: that’s uppermost on our You:
making deliveries. Marketing Working from home is not a minds right now. There Exercise. Even on regular working days, exer-
problem for me. There are no is a remarkable energy cise is what I enjoy the most. However, I must
Federation (Amul)
The Toughest Challenge in distractions. in our workforce, a de- add that being the head of a hospital enter-
Dealing with this Situ- termination and com- prise, it is not possible for me to work from
ation: Your Coping Strategy in These mitment to face and home right now.
If we don’t col- Times of Disruption: conquer this mam-
lect milk from We have sought the support of local gov- moth task. That’s very Your Coping Strategy in These Times of
our farmers for ernments in ensuring that the distribution heartwarming. Disruption:
a day, there will of milk is not disrupted, since it is an essen- Being able to sit and discuss with col-
be chaos. And we tial commodity. leagues and brainstorm on courses
don’t have of action and business decisions,
A Leadership Lesson the Pandemic has
Taught You:
Suneeta and being able to find out best
practices from around the
I have seen curfews in the past, but I have Reddy world.
realised that our teams should also be MD, Apollo
taught how to handle such scenarios and A Leadership Lesson the Pan-
manage with just 25% of the staff, and Hospitals demic has Taught You:
which authorities to talk to when our Enterprise It reminds us that we are
trucks are stopped. equal regardless of our
GETTYIMAGES

(As told to G Seetharaman) religion, culture, occu-

pation or financial situation.
It reminds us that we are all con-
nected and the false borders we
have put up give us no protec-
tion. It reiterates how impor-
tant our health is and how we
should not neglect it and,
most importantly, it teaches
us that our true work is not
just our job, that’s just what
we do.
 cover story 05
“Working from MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

Home, I Have More “For Many Startups, the Only

Time to Think” Focus Will be to Survive the Year”
Patu Keswani Your Biggest Business Worry Now:
My biggest worry is the safety of 7 billion
are in.

Chairman, Lemon Tree Hotels people around the world. Maintaining One Work-From-Home Hack That Works
the health and safety of people, including for You:
1.3 billion Indians, should be the priority I make sure that every morning I get into
Your Biggest Business Worry Now: of every government in the my work clothes and head
I have two worries: in a traditionally high-contact service business like world. Given India’s popu- to my desk. Maintaining a
ours, how do we ensure our employees and guests are not exposed to
this virus and, if it should happen, how can we ensure that we identify/
lation, massive segments
of daily wage earners and Rajan sense of routine in these
times goes a long way in cre-
respond fast without letting others also get infected? The second is
financial — with demand for hotels drying up for an uncertain length
large migrant population
in cities, strict social dis-
Anandan ating a sense of control and
discipline.
of time and in a capital- and labour-intensive business like ours, with tancing will not be an easy MD, Sequoia
mostly high fixed costs, how do we ensure that we can run our busi- task but it is an imperative. Your Coping Strategy in
Capital India
ness with minimum long-term impairment in a scenario where many When it comes to busi- These Times of Disruption:
hotels will have no business? What costs can we eliminate/defer? ness, this is not a three- I spend some meaningful
week, one-month, or six- time every day connecting
The Toughest Challenge in Dealing with this Situation: week phenomenon. This is going to with friends and family. We talk about
The nerve-wracking uncertainty that even our best efforts — with mul- run for quite some time and the non-Covid topics. Regularly checking in
tiple precautions like thermal scanning at all entry points in all our level of severity will vary by on people I care about helps me create
hotels, regular disinfection, hand-washing, maintaining distance etc industry. some personal space during the day — and
— may not be enough. The nature of the virus, with an incubation pe- There will be segments, I find that helps.
riod/dormancy (while being infected) of up to two weeks and very like travel and hospitali-
high infectiousness, is such that we could have multiple cases and not ty, that will be extremely A Leadership Lesson the Pandemic has
know till it is too late. challenged. And I really Taught You:
worry about them. For a For leaders, when the world is extremely
One Work-From-Home Hack That Works for You: lot of startups that are worried and concerned, it’s important to
I get less distracted by meetings and have more time to think. low on runway, the be thoughtful — but it’s equally important
only focus at this to act. If there was ever a time to be deci-
Your Coping Strategy in These Times of Disruption: point in time will be to sive, it’s now. Some of the decisions you
There are two aspects. One, I think it has helped us become much survive the year. They take may not be correct. But in the current
leaner and will in the long term ensure we are more cost-effective need to completely re- scenario, ‘wait and watch’ is not an op-
— any and all potential points of waste have been eliminated and think their business tion. You have to do what you think is best.
fixed costs reduced. Two, that in times of crisis, new streams of plans —and take deci- And communicate constantly. People
revenue arise — in this case the sudden need of IT companies and sive action depending want to hear from leaders during tough
MNCs for rooms to house employees who are required for business on the industry they times — so make sure your voice is heard.
continuity.

A Leadership Lesson the Pandemic has Taught You:

First, if your culture is great, your biggest support in times of utter
uncertainty will be employees —it’s a wonderful and very comfort-
ing feeling to have. The second is an intuition, actually a conviction,
that in future, such black swan events will occur more frequently “The World is Staring Down
and that one must always have a business continuity plan in place
that factors in perhaps zero revenue for up to 6-12 months in the
worst case.
the Barrel of a Recession”
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Chairperson and MD, Biocon

Your Biggest Business Worry Now: Zoom very good. After this is over,
First and foremost, we will all have maybe we should have a system
to trim our businesses. They are where people can work from
going to take a huge hit. Everyone home one week at a time.
knows the world is staring down
the barrel of a recession. Your Coping Strategy in These
Times of Disruption:
The Toughest Challenge in Dealing You have to be out there, keep giv-
with this Situation: ing messages to your people. Your
There’s a psychological problem, a leadership team has to keep hand-
business problem and a crisis- holding and making sure people
management problem — we are feel safe. Every few days, I’m
dealing with all of them. But life sending out messages and video
after Covid-19 is also going to be clips to my employees, telling
important for all of us — how do we them to reach out to us if they
revive the economy, and our lives, have any concern.
after this major crisis? And we
GETTYIMAGES

need to use these 21 days to estab- A Leadership Lesson the Pandemic

lish the severity of the disease, by has Taught You:
generating enough data through The prime minister has handled it
more testing. well. He has alerted people about
how serious the situation is. Now
One Work-From-Home Hack That he needs to reassure people and
Works for You: give them good news whenever
The important thing is, we have all there is some.
learnt to work from home. I find (As told to Indulekha Aravind)
06 cover story
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

“Since Our Revenue Turned Zero,

We Have Cut Our Expenditure”
Your Biggest Business Worry Now: messages — three-four a week — for our employees, telling them to
What business worry can I have when everything is in a lockdown? keep their chin up. And that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The hit is so hard that you take time to process it and then synthesise
and react. This is so extraordinary. We are not the only one but the Your Coping Strategy in These Times of Disruption:
entire world is reeling from the pandemic. Today everyone is wearing The fundamentals of the business are strong. Our debt-to-equity ratio
multiple hats. As a businessman, I have concerns. But it would be my- is comfortable. Since our revenue turned zero (when
opic of me to just think about my business. The bigger worry is the the theatres shut), the first thing we did was look at
battle between the human race and the virus. our expenditure. We have cut our controllable fixed Ajay Bijli
expenditure by two-thirds. And we have cash to sur-
The Toughest Challenge in Dealing with this Situation: vive and can ride the tide for a few months. Chairman, PVR Ltd
That there isn’t a vaccine to deal with it. Once that gets resolved, eve-
rything will fall in place. Extreme times demand extreme measures. A Leadership Lesson the Pandemic has Taught You:
The strategy of social distancing and lockdown adopted in India is You can do all your SWOT analysis and strategy. But it is hard to pre-
what China and others have done. It will mean a lot of suffering and pare for something like this. Because of SARS, Singapore spent a lot
economic damage in the short and medium term. of funds to beef up its health infrastructure, which has helped it
cope now. For a company, having good reserves, a healthy balance
One Work-From-Home Hack That Works for You: sheet and not a very aggressive structure helps deal with difficult
Some daily routine continues. I am exercising a lot and practising my times. Be healthy, frugal and keep company as risk-free as possible
singing. Gautam (Dutta, CEO of PVR Cinemas) and I are recording — these are big lessons.

“The Outbreak Will Make it “The Initial Impact was on

Even More Challenging for the Supply Side; Now It is on
Auto Industry” the Demand Side”
Your Biggest Business Worry Now: force. For effective monitoring as well as rapid Your Biggest Business Worry Now: ries temporarily. We are monitoring the
The auto industry in India has been going implementation of counter measures, we The immediate one is the well-being and situation closely. In these defining times,
through a rough patch. It has been facing weak have set up an empowered task force that I safety of my colleagues, our stakeholders it is crucial to reflect on our core values
consumer sentiment, switch to BS-VI technol- head. We have frequent virtual meetings while and fellow citizens at large. Specifically on and further strengthen the consumer
ogy and credit crunch. The Covid-19 will make working from our homes. business, the initial impact was on the trust in the after-sales service.
the times ahead even more challenging. The supply side but now it has moved on to the
outbreak will impact customer sentiments A Work-From-Home Hack That Works for You: demand side. A Leadership Lesson the Pandemic has
and business operations. Define rules and boundaries to maintain a Taught You:
During these tough times, safeguarding the peaceful coexistence of work and personal The Toughest Challenge in Dealing with this Practising resilience is the way forward.
health and safety of our employees and stake- life. Factor in scheduled breaks to keep things Situation: Individuals and organisations need to be
holders is our top priority. Our focus currently light and flexible while remaining productive. I am a people’s person and my role de- cautiously optimistic and consciously
is on near-term impactful measures that can Work from home has taught me to cancel un- mands multiple face-to-face interactions prepare for adverse conditions where
help our society, employees, dealers and sup- necessary meetings which were consuming a and a lot of travelling. Not having either is things might not be in their control and
ply partners to safely navigate these turbulent lot of time and to work efficiently. slightly challenging. But I am preparing simultaneously plan to explore the op-
times and subsequently on ways to quickly re- myself for the new normal. They say portunities ahead. I have learnt this from
store operations and near normalcy. I am con- Your Coping Strategy in These Times of Dis- tough times don’t last, but tough people our founder, Konosuke Matsushita, who
fident that once the outbreak is over, the Indi- ruption: and tough organisations do. I am confi- demonstrated resilience in business dur-
an economy will have a speedy recovery. With the country under lockdown, our strate- dent that we will emerge unscathed from ing the 1929 economic depression, as a
gy to go digital is working for us. We have de- this as well. result of which Pa-
The Toughest Challenge in Dealing with this Sit- veloped a 360-degree vehicle display on our nasonic sailed
uation:
The toughest challenge is the fact that Covid-19
website, helping customers take a virtual tour
of each vehicle. Through our digital platform,
O n e Wo r k- F ro m -
Home Hack That
Manish Sharma through a difficult
time, keeping the
is highly contagious. While social distancing we have updated and simplified the car-buy- Works for You: President & CEO, Panasonic employees’ inter-
and personal hygiene protocols are the best ing experience and after-sales services. While we are con- est at heart. We are
approach to counter its nected 24x7 to en- India & SA facing a similar sit-
spread, these are A Lasting Leadership Lesson the Pandemic has sure seamless busi- uation today.
difficult to en- Taught You: ness continuity, the Secondly, I used
In such uncertain times, the silver lining is that we all get to to believe that leadership is
global community should spend some quality time with our about leading from the front.
come together to collabo- families and work from the comfort However, true leadership is test-
Masakazu rate, share knowledge and of our homes. Personally, it has giv- ed in a crisis, where leaders need
Yoshimura counter this outbreak. Stay-
ing calm and focused and
en me time to re-strategise and plan
well in advance for the com-
to accumulate the collective wis-
dom of people around, but
MD, Toyota Kirloskar building resilience and confi- ing times. Practising still have the ability to
dence among key stakehold- mindfulness and yoga take critical decisions
Motor ers also play a crucial role. It and pursuing my oth- themselves even if it
is important for all of us to er interests, i.e., pho- means risking their
show kindness and com- tography and read- own reputation. This
passion towards one an- ing, keep me calm is important to steer
other and extend help and energised. an organi sation
wherever required. through tough
Times like these define a Your Coping Strat- times and be in a
company’s culture and egy in These Times position to provide
demonstrates the val- of Disruption: service to the socie-
ues it stands for. We have suspended ty and livelihood to
production at our facto- people in times to come.
 cover story 07
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020
“It is Important
to Religiously “I Keep a Positive Frame of Mind in
Follow Daily Order to Help My Team”
Stand-ups and
Staff Meetings” Your Biggest Business
Worry Now:
The Toughest Challenge in Dealing with this Situation:
The uncertainty of everything. We have not seen any-

Your Biggest Business Worry Now:

We are facing an unprec-
edented crisis with the
Praveer thing like this before.

Zoomcar is taking all C ov i d - 1 9 p a n d e m i c Sinha One Work-From-Home Hack That Works for You:
necessary precautions to which has left virtually no I have a designated work space at home. I extensively
ensure that you remain nation and society un- MD, Tata Power use Skype or video conferencing to do meetings.
safe and healthy. My big- Greg Moran touched, including our
gest concern for the mo- country. Our hearts go Your Coping Strategy in These Times of Dis-
ment is that broader sen- Cofounder, Zoomcar out to those who have been affected by ruption:
timents recover at some the outbreak. As a utility and essential As the leader of a foremost utility service
point next quarter. service provider, we have to brave it company, I have been through many ups
alongside doctors, law enforcement and downs. That is the way of life and
The Toughest Challenge in Dealing with this Situation: officers and other essential services business and one learns to take the good
It’s probably the most fluid business crisis in record- providers and put duty before self. times and the storms in one’s stride. As a
ed history, given the various twists and turns. The power we produce powers nu- professional manager and business
merous hospitals and laboratories leader, I have to ensure that I keep a
One Work-From-Home Hack That Works for You: that are fighting day in and day out positive frame of mind in order to help
If you are not used to working from home, it can take against the virus. We are also pow- my team.
some time getting used to new challenges that you ering technology that is helping
might not have at the office. It’s important to have a many companies and businesses A Leadership Lesson the Pandemic has
defined schedule and stick to it. One hack that I abide work from home. Hence, we are Taught You:
by is to ensure that you block some time during the directly contributing to the pre- When the going gets tough, the tough gets
day for exercise. vention and cure of Covid-19. All going. I firmly believe that a leader is only
our plants at various locations as good as his or her team. My team is my
Your Coping Strategy in These Times of Disruption: are operating at full capacity. It is strength and by serving the country in a com-
Teams are now getting into the groove of this new a huge challenge for all of us to mitted and selfless way, they have proved their
working reality. It is important to religiously follow ensure that our employees, in- mettle and character. Our employees realise
daily stand-ups and staff meetings to ensure every- cluding contract labour, are that all of them cannot afford the safety of work-
one is on the same page. properly taken care of. ing from home and are taking up the challenge
with full commitment dedication.
A Leadership Lesson the Pandemic has Taught You:
Never waste a crisis. Use it as a teaching moment and
as an opportunity for the team to come closer and
work at an even greater productivity level.

“My Biggest Worry is I Don’t Know

How Long This Will Continue”
Your Biggest Business Worry Now: used to have more meetings, with less time for each meeting.
I don’t know how long this will continue. We started work from Now, at home, I have less meetings but with more time for each.
home in the beginning of March. We have been working more or This has deepened conversations. In office, you give direction
less three weeks from home. I don’t know whether it will be an- and move to the next one. At home, you can go deeper into a
other three weeks or another month, or two months, or more. topic and it is fulfilling for everyone to discuss.
That is the biggest worry. You plan based on what you know. The I always believe that every adversity has a bright side. We now
biggest worry is the uncertainty of when this will open up. know that video conferencing, video calls and meetings over
internet work. Otherwise, we were always tempted to travel.
The Toughest Challenge in Dealing with this Situation: From now on, we will be far more cognisant of somebody’s
I think the conflict between explaining to people travel. In the end, we would have learnt how to
that this is really contagious and their belief that it work more effectively, more efficiently and not go
is not so harmful. We asked people to work from
home but one day when I went to office, I saw 10
Vijay through airports

people there. I said, don’t come to office, this is

just for emergency, and they said, ‘Yeah, but you
Shekhar Your Coping Strategy in These Times of Disruption:
I always try to remember that this will be a long
know it is so great to work from office versus Sharma haul and not panic in the short term. My theory is
home.’ We cannot be casual about this. that things will go worse far faster and far longer
There is a clause called force majeure and things
Founder, Paytm than what we envisage and by doing that you sort
that are beyond your control and this is the time of get yourself accustomed to what is going to
for you to see that. come and then you swing to a more produc-
These are extraordinary times where you tive outcome and you feel happy. Thinking
are supposed to be a business person and a about the worst-case scenario when things
human and not have conflict in that. This is are not that bad — that’s my coping mantra.
also a moment when we have to understand
that not just IQ but EQ also works. You have a A Leadership Lesson the Pandemic
responsibility towards the people around you as has Taught You:
well as the responsibility of a company where When we have shared responsi-
cash flow matters. bilities, things move faster.
Here, everyone is facing the
One Work-From-Home Hack That Works same adversity. We are in
for You: this together. Teams bond
One thing that has worked incredibly when they have a common
well is that you can pick one topic that purpose and this has been re-
requires some dedicated time and inforced again.
you are able to give it that. In office I (As told to Shelley Singh)
 08 cover story
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

BOOSTER
SHOT
India is hurriedly ramping up its medical
infrastructure as more coronavirus cases come
to the fore. How much can we stretch?
India’s
:: Shantanu Nandan Sharma
Medical

T
he robust healthcare infrastruc- That is not all. In an unprece-
ture in Europe is overwhelmed. dented directive issued on Tues-
Facilities
Images from the state-of-the-art day, the railway factories were
hospitals in Italy and Spain — of el- asked to immediately assess the 25,778
derly Covid-19 patients gasping for feasibility of manufacturing items No. of government
air and dying — are triggering such as hospital beds, medical hospitals, including
alarm bells across the world. Italy, trolleys, masks, sanitisers and, 21,403 in rural
which has witnessed over 9,000 most importantly, ventilators. Be- areas and 4,375 in
deaths by Saturday morning, the cause Covid-19 patients often en- towns, cities
highest among nations, went a counter acute respiratory trou-
step further and outlawed funeral bles, authorities have deemed it 7.13 lakh
services to restrict gatherings in critical to have adequate number No. of beds in
an effort to contain the spread of of ventilators. government
the novel coronavirus “We are readying 7,000 beds, or hospitals
infections. half of Indian Railways’ hospital
India, which has a strength, for Covid-19 patients. We 11.5 lakh
population of 1.3 bil- are ordering about 500 ventilators No. of allopathic
lion, wants to preempt and examining the feasibility of doctors
such a situation from manufacturing ventilators in our
developing. Its fragile own factories,” Railway Board 128
healthc are infra- Chairman Vinod Yadav tells ET
No. of railway
“Indian defence structure will not be Magazine. hospitals
hospitals may able to cope with There are only 94 ventilators in
not have a large such an outbreak.
So, the govern-
128 railway hospitals across India.
In fact, India’s ventilator invento-
2,435 200 ventilators being used in gov- cators are below par in any global
contingent of No. of railway
specialised ment decided on a ry is estimated to be a mere ernment hospitals are non-func- parameter.
doctors
doctors, but our two-pronged strate- 40,000, clearly inadequate given tional, says an official, adding that Sample this: Italy has 4.1 doc-
personnel have gy: lock down the en- the scale and reach of the corona- most of those in working condi- tors and 3.4 hospital beds per
the capacity to tire nation to break virus. International experiences 13,748 tion have been deployed for criti- 1,000 persons. Yet its infrastruc-
quickly convert the infection chain have shown that 5-10% patients No. of beds in cal patients. ture appears to be crumbling to-
a barrack into a and quickly ramp up need ventilator support to sur- railway hospitals “We can spare about 50 ventila- day. In comparison, India has only
hospital. Also, its tattered health- vive. As reported in the interna- tors for Covid-19 patients. We have 0.8 doctor and 0.7 hospital bed for
Indian defence care facilities to face tional media, doctors in Italy and 133 requested private hospitals to 1,000 persons, according to a
forces possess a the pandemic. Spain are facing an ethical dilem- Hospitals under spare another 50. We are expect- World Bank report collating glob-
number of 20 to Covid-19 cases in ma of prioritising who should get defence ing the arrival of 150 new ventila- al healthcare indices between
40-bed mobile India rose to 873 access to the limited number of establishments tors in a week,” says Kumar Sanjay 2011 and 2017. South Korea has 11.4
hospitals that (19 fatalities) as on ventilators at their disposal. Krishna, chief secretary, adding hospital beds per thousand, the
can be airlifted” Saturday morning. In India, as in most nations, not 34,520 that the state government is also report indicates. The US, which
PK Barbora, former The measures are all available ventilators can be Beds in defence converting the ophthalmologist saw a dramatic spike in infection
Vice Chief of Air aimed at restricting plugged out from the intensive hospitals department of the Gauhati Medi- last week, has 2.6 doctors and 2.9
Staff this spread as much care units. So, the number of cal College into a Covid-19-only hospital beds per 1,000 persons.
Note: In addition, there
as possible. equipment that can be made avail- are 4,035 AYUSH hospital, in addition to turning the All these indices lead to a simple
hospitals, 150 ESI
Every Indian state able for Covid-19 interventions is hospitals, 39 hospitals Guwahati-based Sarusajai stadi- conclusion: if the situation in In-
under the central police
today has similar priorities: add far too less. forces um into a quarantine facility. dia exacerbates, the defence forc-
new beds, increase capacity of in- In Assam, for example, 36 out of Source: Ministries of In Telangana, there are about es are bound to be deployed. And
tensive care units, requisition por- health, railways,
defence
1,000 ventilators, including 22 the forces could possibly do more
tions of private hospitals, order 11.4 that arrived recently. Already, than just convert a portion of their
lifesaving ventilators, recruit med- three hospitals in Hyderabad, 133 hospitals for Covid-19 patients.
ical practitioners on contract, with a combined capacity of 1,200 PK Barbora, former Vice Chief
weigh in on extending services of
Hit by Covid-19 beds, have been earmarked for of Air Staff, says: “Indian defence
retiring doctors and nurses and Per 1,000 persons Covid-19 patients. “We can treat hospitals may not have a large
earmark select government hospi- HOSPITAL BEDS up to 10,000 Covid-19 patients in contingent of specialised doctors,
tals for Covid-19 patients. PHYSICIANS the state,” says S Narasing Rao, but our personnel have the capac-
The blueprint also encompass- principal secretary to CM. ity to quickly convert a barrack
es converting medical colleges 4.1 4.1 It appears the central and the into a hospital. Also, Indian de-
and railway coaches into isolation 3.4 state agencies have worked in tan- fence forces possess a number of
3 2.9 2.6
wards, stadiums into quarantine 2.4 dem to add new health assets, 20-40-bed mobile hospitals which
facilities, and readying part of hos- something that is indispensable to can be airlifted.”
pitals under defence, central po- 0.7 0.8 minimise the impact of a potential Let us hope for the best, but
lice forces and railways for Cov- ITALY SPAIN US SOUTH INDIA catastrophe. But the key problem prepare for the worst. 
id-19 patients. KOREA is that India’s health facility indi- [email protected]
Source: World Bank, WHO; country data varies from 2011 to 2017
 cover story 09
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

: Relieve, Revive, Rebuild

The pandemic and the accompanying economic crisis need short-term relief
measures to combine with a long-term vision to rebuild

:: TK Arun

A
re the measures announced by provided standards are met.
the government and the Reserve Abbot is reported to have come
Bank of India (RBI) sufficient to out with a SARS-CoV-2 virus test-
complement the three-week lock- ing kit that gives a result in five
down? Thousands of migrant minutes. Issue compulsory li-
workers trudging their way to cences to Indian companies to
faraway homes in sheer despair mass produce this testing kit in
over loss of livelihood provide a India. Distribute them to every
graphic answer. There is much district.
more the government must do by The world’s largest tele-medi-
way of, one, relief; two, scaling up cine operator is an Indian com-
the healthcare system to take care pany called Glocal Hospitals,
of a flood of Covid-19 patients as which has tie-ups with several
India appears to enter the stage of state governments. Its tele-con-
community spread; and three, sulting can be availed of by any
rebuilding the impaired econo- phone or home computer and
my, particularly the informal sec- during the Covid-19 emergency,
tor, after the scourge. the company has waived all
India does not have the capaci- charges save the doctor’s fees.
ty, meaning about a million beds The government could foot the
at intensive care units (ICUs), to bill. Glocal has also designed a
adopt a strategy of letting the vi- testing centre and an ICU ward
rus spread and treating the small that use ultraviolet light to achieve
proportion, say 5%, of those in- 99.9% sterilisation of the facility,
fected who would need ventila- to prevent medical personnel or
tors at ICUs, while the rest of the people coming for tests/treat-
population acquire what epide- ment from contracting the dis-
miologists call herd immunity. ease. Convert closed schools or
Nor does India have the techno- other spaces into sealed test cen-
logical or organisational capacity tres and makeshift ICUs.
to aggressively test every person As a programme of economic
who shows Covid-19-like symp- recovery, after the health emer-
toms, quarantine everyone who gency has passed, build a thou-
tests positive, trace all their con- Migrant workers wait, along a highway on Delhi-UP border, for buses to take them home on Saturday
sand new hospitals each with an
tacts, test every one of them, ICU, in public-private partner-
quarantine those who test posi- ship. Covid-19 will not be the last
tive, trace their contacts, and so pandemic to hit the country. In
on, to imitate Taiwan, Singapore or South Telecom Transfer cal labour was intended as a mechanism of any case, India needs to expand its health-
Korea. That leaves every healthy person Airtel was in the dock some time ago for self-selection by the poor. Since that selec- care infrastructure.
isolating themselves at home as the only opening payment bank accounts for its tion has been done and since work is not Build a thousand court rooms and re-
alternative. customers without their say-so. Utilise this possible during lockdown, simply transfer cruit judges through an all-India judicial
But this lockdown brings large swathes technological capability. Ask every phone the dole to their bank accounts. Double the service. Complete the new towns under
of the economy to a grinding halt, killing operator, whether it already has a banking ex-gratia payments an- construction.
the incomes of the vast majority of India’s licence or not, to open bank accounts for nounced for women Jan Transfer cash Leverage the tele-medi-
workers toiling away in the informal econ- every customer. Identify the poor from Dhan account holders and cine and the distance-
omy. Besides, people who live in slums their average revenue per user. Prioritise pensioners.
immediately to learning experience of this
and refugee camps, such as of the riot vic- the owners of phones that have moved Let every political party all MGNREGS outbreak to scale up
tims in Northeast Delhi, do not have the across state boundaries. Transfer money mobilise its membership to workers. Double healthcare and education.
luxury of social distanc- to these accounts. Be lib- produce volunteers for dis- the ex-gratia Where is the money to
ing. Along with advance Along with eral, say `2,000 to begin tributing food packets and payments come from? Raise large
notice for the lockdown,
the government should
advance notice with, with a message to
share the resources with
spreading the word on
money transfers. Call upon announced for
amounts from abroad:
lending rates are dirt
have announced meas- for the lockdown, their cohorts without a ex-servicemen to form women Jan Dhan cheap. The dollar, as the
ures to provide relief to the govt should phone or with phones that troops and patrols to do the account holders safe haven currency, is
these vulnerable people. have announced have not been recharged. work, wearing masks. For hugely overvalued. This
The least the government measures to Insert ads during the tele- that, masks have to be procured. lowers the currency risk premium consid-
could have done was to cast of the Ramayan serial, Making use of the grace period offered erably, if the money is raised now. Let RBI
run special trains for mi- provide relief to use WhatsApp and radio by the lockdown, we must gear up for the kick-start a vigorous Indian bond market
grants to return home be- vulnerable to spread the word to pass- medical emergency that will arise. by directly purchasing corporate bonds by
fore the lockdown began. people ing migrants. Over 8,000 factories are producing pro- the tonne. Use the bond market to allocate
Now, the Centre has Rush cash to bank mi- tective masks in China. Let Indian garment capital efficiently.
asked state governments to provide the tras (banking correspondents) along the makers reorient their production lines to Print money, use it for large-scale invest-
travelling migrants with food and shelter. migrant routes, identified by geotracking make masks and protective suits. Let the ment, and growth will bring forth the pro-
Some states are acting on the directive and the migrants’ phones. chemical industries produce the materials duce needed to prevent the demand gener-
even offering transport. This is not com- Transfer cash immediately to all Mahat- needed to create fabric for making medical ated from turning into excess demand.
plete without transfer of money to the ac- ma Gandhi National Rural Employment gowns. Let engineering goods makers pro- India’s possibilities are many. What is
counts of migrant workers. How can this Guarantee Scheme workers, without wait- duce ventilators. The government should needed is the will to act.
be done? ing for them to work. Turning up for physi- commit to buy everything that is made, [email protected]
10 centrespread centrespread 11
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020 MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

Asterix fans across the world will immediately recognise the opening lines of their favourite comic
that was co-created and illustrated by Albert Uderzo, who died on March 24. Here is a look at the life
and work of the beloved French illustrator:
:: Shephali Bhatt

Set in 50 BC in Roman-occupied Gaul (modern-day France and Two Frenchmen, writer René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo, created Asterix
parts of Belgium), Asterix is a small-statured but brave Gallic as a “typically French hero” for a series first published in 1959 for the comic maga-
warrior who takes on Roman soldiers with a little help from zine, Pilote, popular with readers in France and Belgium. After Goscinny’s death in The creators of Asterix introduced its first female hero in Adrénaline, the teen- A character in the 37th volume of the comic series,
his best friend Obelix and a dog called Dogmatix. Luckily for 1977, Uderzo took over the writing duties in addition to his illustration work for the age daughter of the Gallic village chief Vercingétorix in this series released in called Asterix and the Chariot Race, was named
Asterix, Obelix fell into a vat of magic potion as a child and series. In 2011, Uderzo retired after drawing the comic hero for 52 years straight. In October 2019. Explaining the absence of female lead characters in the series Coronavirus. In this edition, published in 2017,
is now practically invincible. But he is also rather clumsy and 2012, he handed over the reins of the comic creation to writer Jean-Yves Ferri and until then, cartoonist Conrad said, “In general, there were hardly any female Coronavirus was a masked Roman villain, eerily
unwittingly causes several comic mishaps over the course of artist Didier Conrad. characters – purely for strategic reasons, because there were not many girls similar to the novel coronavirus.
the trio’s many adventures around the world. who read comics. Or in any case we did not know they read them."

LANGUAGES AND
DIALECTS THE COMIC
SERIES IS KNOWN TO HAVE
BEEN TRANSLATED INTO
E THE FIRST
YEARS SINC
THE SERIES SPIRED
EDITION OF HED MEDIA ADA
PTATIONS IN
DING
WAS PUBLIS ERIES, INC LU
RECORD PRICE AT FROM THE S T IO N AND
EN LIVE-AC
WHICH THE ORIGINAL OVER A DOZ 5 B O ARD
OVIES, 1
COVER ILLUSTRA- ANIMATED M O G A MES,
TION OF ASTERIX AND S, A B O U T 40 VIDE
GAM E PARC
THE BANQUET COMIC A T H E M E P ARK CALLED
AND ORTH
BOOK FROM 1965, R IX S IT U A T ED 30 KM N
ASTÉ
SIGNED BY ALBERT OF PARIS
UDERZO AND RENÉ
GOSCINNY, WAS SOLD
AT DROUOT AUCTION
HOUSE IN PARIS

COPIES OF ASTERIX COMIC

BOOKS SOLD WORLDWIDE SINCE
THE SERIES DEBUT IN 1959

VOLUME OF THE SERIES

SET TO PUBLISH SOME-
TIME IN 2021. THE
38TH VOLUME, ALSO
THE LATEST IN THE
SERIES, WAS RELEASED
IN OCTOBER 2019

1927 1940 1952 1953 1957 1980 2009 2011 2014 2020
Born to Italian immigrant parents Parents Starts working with writer Marries Draws the first sketch The Great Divide, Sells the Retires as the Settles a seven-year Dies at 92, in his
in Fismes in northeastern France; discover René Goscinny as a comic Ada Milani of Asterix while sipping first Asterix comic publishing rights illustrator-writer legal battle with sleep at his home
had six fingers on each hand but he is colour- illustrator. Uses stickers and on an aperitif in his written and drawn to the comic to of Asterix daughter Sylvie in Neuilly, after a
the extra fingers were surgically blind labels to identify different Parisian apartment’s by him alone, publishing company over the family heart attack
removed later shades of colours balcony is published Hachette estate
Source: theguardian.com, telegraph.co.uk, nytimes.com, Radio France Internationale, bbc.com
12 cover story
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

AGE OF WORRIES
For senior citizens, social distancing is as big a worry as the high risk they face from Covid-19

:: Indulekha Aravind on the floor by a visitor to his house,” he says,

I
nder Mohan Bhalla can barely contain his agita- highlighting one of the many complications for
tion when he talks about where the nationwide the elderly who live alone.
lockdown leaves the country’s senior citizens. In Kerala, about 12.6% of the population is
The 75-year-old national president of All India aged above 60, higher than the national aver-
Senior Citizens’ Confederation clarifies that age of 8.6%, according to the 2011 Census.
while he is healthy, owns a vehicle and lives with Some elderly people say they can manage on
his son in Hyderabad, similar comforts are not their own for a while. Elaine Ferris Noronha,
common among most of the country’s popula- who stays alone in Whitefield in Bengaluru,
tion above 60 years. As the spokesperson of a says she has enough supplies for now and fam-
2.2 million-strong organisation representing ily and friends call up twice a day to check on
them, Bhalla is outraged that the lockdown has her. The 77-year-old has been doing her own
not made provisions for the elderly who are liv- cooking and cleaning since her help stopped
ing alone. “What happens to those who are over coming, due to the lockdown. But she is more

GETTYIMAGES
80 years of age and cannot step out to buy es- anxious about the days ahead. “If they keep im-
sential goods? Without autos or cabs, how will posing more and more restrictions, I don’t
even those who are able to leave their house be know how we will manage.” As someone who
able to go and get their medicines?” loves socialising, Noronha says the toughest
Bhalla’s agitation is not misplaced. In some part of the curfew is having to be confined to
ways, the whole world is united in the fight her home. It is a concern experts have raised,
against Covid-19. But the reality is that some are “For Covid-19, “Self-isolation “We need too. A research paper in the medical journal
more vulnerable to infection than others. And our current will dispro- measures The Lancet warns that “self-isolation will dis-
senior citizens would easily top that list. The understanding portionately at the proportionately affect elderly individuals
World Health Organization has said that “older is that older age affect elderly community whose only social contact is meeting people
age and underlying conditions increase the risk and underlying individuals level for out of their homes.”
for severe infection”. Experts surmise that one conditions whose only senior In Goa, Diogo M Da Costa, who heads the All-
of the reasons why Italy, which has seen the Goa Senior Citizens Federation, says he is hav-
highest number of deaths due to the virus, was
increase the social contact citizens ing trouble sleeping at night thinking of how the
hit so hard is that almost 23% of its population is risk for severe is out of the living alone” poorest senior citizens will survive the lock-
over the age of 65. infection” home” Mathew Cherian, down. “There are about 1.85 lakh senior citi-
But it is not just the heightened risk of infec- World Health Report in The Lancet CEO, HelpAge India zens in Goa, most of them in villages. How will
tion the elderly are anxious about. The manda- Organization  they manage?” asks Da Costa, 75. While there
tory preventive measure of social distancing are social organisations and volunteers trying
comes with its own challenges for this section of to do their bit to help, Da Costa says the govern-
the population, many of whom are already Older parents are mostly left alone in the villag- ment needs to step in to ensure basic necessi-
struggling with loneliness, restricted mobility
The
es,” says Cherian. In areas where elder self-help ties like food and medicine directly reach the
and lack of financial security. groups are not functional, these people would Demographic houses of the elderly.
Senior citizens make up about 9% of India’s be living at the mercy of their neighbours or the Both Da Costa and Bhalla say the first step to-
population, according to the last Census. community. wards this would be for the local police to be
“About half of them, around 53 million, are very A survey by HelpAge India estimates that 103.9 mn directed to take responsibility for the health
poor,” says Mathew Cherian, CEO of non-profit about 6% of senior citizens in India live alone. Indians aged above 60 and welfare of the senior citizens in their juris-
entity HelpAge India. Loneliness among elders, he adds, is a prob- diction. “All sub-divisional magistrates, SHOs
To help such people, Finance Minister Nir- lem that cuts across classes and is a challenge in and circle inspectors should be given direc-
mala Sitharaman on Thursday announced an 53 mn
cities as well. He estimates that 10-20% of senior 51 mn tions to this effect. There must be home deliv-
ex-gratia amount of `1,000 for the next three citizens in India are suffering from loneliness, a Women Men ery of provisions and medicines to senior citi-
months to three crore widows and senior citi- condition likely to be exacerbated by the cur- zens,” says Bhalla.
zens, as part of a `1.7 lakh crore relief package to rent curbs on movement and contact due to the Senior citizens in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana,
ease the burden of the lockdown. pandemic. Chandigarh and Punjab would get some relief
Welcoming the announcement, which would One of the ways in which 89-year-old John as the state administrations have promised
mean that this money would now flow to Eapen used to stave off loneliness was home delivery of fruits, vegetables and other
cash-strapped states who could then weekly meeting with friends in a park essential items. In Kerala, the government an-
transfer it to the beneficiaries, near his residence in Thiruvanan- nounced community kitchens would prepare
Cherian says the transfer needs thapuram. The retired engineer food and deliver it to the homes of the needy.
to happen urgently. He esti- has been living alone since the These measures would go some way towards
mates that it will help about 19 death of his wife a few years helping the elderly in those states. But the issue
million senior citizens, who ago. “A bunch of us retired folks for state governments is that they are strapped
are among the poorest. “But used to gather in the evening. for cash, says HelpAge India’s Cherian. This is
there are many, particularly in
villages, who will not get this.
But, of course, we can no long-
er do that. I miss that, and so 8.6% Share of
where the Centre can step in by releasing more
funds.
This amount should be universal many other things,” he says. But A more permanent and sustainable policy is
for senior citizens,” he sug- he counts himself to be fortu- the elderly required to take care of the elderly, especially
gests. nate as his daughter stays with- in total during a crisis.
However, money is not the
“A bunch of us in walking distance of his
population
Under the Maintenance and Welfare of Sen-
only concern for India’s elder- retired folks used house and can reach him in ior Citizens Act, every police station is sup-
ly. “Due to the lack of employ- to gather in the case of an emergency. Not eve- posed to have a nodal officer to deal with senior
ment opportunities in villages,
many youth would have mi-
evening. I miss ryone is as lucky, says Eapen,
referring to an acquaintance
71% citizens while every district has to have a spe-
cial police unit for this purpose.
grated to cities. This is espe-
that, and so many who is 87 years old. “He is sepa-
Of elderly
It is time to implement this strictly, says Bhal-
people
cially true of rural areas in Ut- other things” rated from his wife and his son live in la. “Otherwise,” he Bhalla, “senior citizens are
tar Pradesh, Bihar and Mad- John Eapen, 89, is in the US. A few days ago, he rural areas going to suffer.” 
hya Pradesh, among others. Thiruvananthapuram was found lying unconscious [email protected]
Source: Census 2011
 cover story 13
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

CLASS BATTLE As college students and professors adjust to

:: Ishani Duttagupta online classrooms, tech companies are
& Shelley Singh
doing their bit to ease the sudden transition

S
anjana Hira, a graduate student at Asho- says Shantanu Roy, dean academics at
ka University in Sonipat, has been at- IIT-Delhi.
tending online classes from her Gurgaon Trisha Malik, a first-year student at
home ever since educational institutions University of King’s College in Halifax, is
across India closed down campuses to also apprehensive about bandwidth as
contain the spread of coronavirus. well as the time difference between In-
“While many of our lectures are being dia and Canada.
held online through video-conferencing “So far, my college has shared pre-re-
apps like Zoom and Google Hangouts, corded lectures in an audio book format
some professors prefer uploading pre- and is not holding any tests. But I have to
recorded tutorials on YouTube,” says write and submit two essays,” says Ma-
the second-year student. “The tests, lik, who returned to her home in Mum-
meanwhile, are being held in the open- bai earlier this month after her campus
book format and each student is receiv- closed down due to Covid-19.
ing a different set of questions.”
While Hira is happy about the flexible Streaming Classrooms
hours and getting to study in the com- Technology companies, on their part,
fort of her home, she is concerned about are helping institutions smoothen their
the internet network since all other fam- sudden transition to an online-only
ily members are working from home teaching format with hardly any time to
and consuming bandwidth. put in place the infrastructure because
In another room in the same house, of the India-wide lockdown.
her brother Siddhant Hira, a final-year Google has launched Teach from
student at OP Jindal Global University, Home, an information hub to teach edu-
too has been attending online classes for cators on how to conduct online classes
over a week. “Background noise is often amid the virus lockdown. The tech com-
pany is also giving free access to Hang-
outs Meet video-conferencing to all G
Suite and G Suite for Education custom-
Study in Numbers ers till July 1.
“When connecting remotely, it is chal-

993 39,931 37 million lenging to maintain the class’ attention.

Teachers can use approaches like de-
Universities colleges Students enrolled in signing interactive quizzes, planning
in India higher studies smaller sessions and introducing pro-
Source: All India Survey on Higher Education 2018-19, MHRD ject-based learning that can support the
individual learning needs of different
students,” says Bani Dhawan, head of
Online Classes on: education, South Asia at Google.
use of high-resolution videos so that Khan Academy, which provides free
everyone can stream them,” says Sarit
Zoom tutorials on maths, science, program-
Das, director, IIT-Ropar. ming and several other subjects, has in-
Youtube
The cost of moving to an online teach- creased its offerings amid the coronavi-
(recorded lectures)
ing system has not been very high, with rus lockdown.
the institute spending an additional Rs 8 Moodle (online tests) “Over the last week, we have created
IIT-Delhi students leave the campus after vacating hostels lakh so far, says Das. several resources for teachers and par-
due to coronavirus scare on March 14 Meanwhile, classrooms at IIT-Delhi MS Teams ents to facilitate remote learning. In In-
are not yet being live-streamed since dia, we see evidence that in the last
becoming a problem for students as well many of the students might not have ac- Google Hangouts week, users are ramping up the use of
as teachers. Also, I am in my final semes- cess to high-speed internet in their Khan Academy. Time spent learning has
ter and we have to write a long thesis for homes. been on the rise and parent registra-
which we need a lot of face-to-face time “We have more than 7,000 students Challenges: tions have hit record numbers,” says
with our supervisor. That will be a chal- enrolled for course-based programmes. Low internet bandwidth at homes of Sandeep Bapna, managing director,
lenge,” he says. We are sending the students pre-record- students across India Khan Academy India.
The Indian Institutes of Technology ed lectures and assignments. The Some professors not yet comfortable Even online learning provider Cour-
too have started online classes for professors will go through these with online lectures sera is giving free access to its services to
their students as all the campuses assignments when the stu- universities across India.
are shut. dents return to the campus,” Helping Out: “Last year, we launched Coursera for
“Tech infrastructure is not a Campus to help higher education insti-
GOOGLE
problem for us. Plus, our students tutions supplement what is being taught
are tech-savvy. But the challenge Teach from Home as primer to get in classes. We have now made this free
“Online lectures are started with remote education
we are facing is that some of our for institutions in India till July end.
professors, though brilliant re- not as interactive as Free access to Hangouts Meet Nearly 500 institutions have already
searchers, are uncomfortable actual classrooms video-conferencing to all G Suite signed up. Several Indian universities do
in virtual classrooms. So we
where you can and G Suite for Education customers not have digital competency to make a
raise your hand till July 1
are asking them to upload quick transition to e-learning and our
and ask a
their lectures on our inter- resources are now supporting them,”
question” COURSERA
nal website where stu- says Raghav Gupta, managing director,
dents can access them. Sanjana Hira, Impacted Indian universities to get India & APAC, Coursera. 
student, Ashoka free access to over 3,800 courses and
We are also avoiding the 400 specialisations till July 31 [email protected]
University
14 cover story
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

GOVERNING IN THE Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal,

who attended the meeting, says safety is of

TIME OF COVID-19
How ministers and bureaucrats are keeping the wheels of governance
utmost importance now. “Apart from pro-
moting the use of hand sanitisers, we asked
our staff to take utmost care once they reach
home also.”
Union Shipping Minister Mansukh Man-
daviya, who is part of a group of ministers
turning amidst social distancing and a nationwide lockdown reviewing the actions to fight Covid-19, was
going to his office at Transport Bhawan till
Thursday. “We are working on minimising
physical interaction. My family members
keep calling from Gujarat asking me not to
go to office. But some meetings were una-
voidable,” he says. His office has declared
flexible timings and only asks those living
closer to the office to come to Transport
Bhawan, that too only when it is unavoida-
ble. The rest work from home.
All the ministers this reporter spoke to
said they were meeting only one or two per-
sons at a time and that too when it cannot be
avoided.
Minorities Affairs Minister Mukhtar Ab-
bas Naqvi says till a few weeks ago, they used
to have hundreds of people visiting his of-
fice and residence to get paperwork done
for travel or medical treatment. “But we
started discouraging people from coming in
the last few weeks. Instead, we started col-
lecting their requests first at the gate and
then over the phone,” Naqvi says. The idea
was to ensure people did not congregate at
a point.
After the lockdown, most ministries have
implemented work from home. The health
Social distancing was practised at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday
ministry, for one, is working almost 24/7.
Yet only about 10% staff is still working from
their office in Nirman Bhawan. Health Min-
:: Prerna Katiyar ister Harsha Vardhan is conducting most

S
hastri Bhawan in Delhi is a hive of activity on Several government departments had meetings through video conferences and
any working day. Ministers, bureaucrats, of- taken similar decisions by the first week of “We are calling officials over phone to get updates,
ficials and citizens visit the building com- March. After all, government staff has to running on to avoid face-to-face meetings. “We have
plex that houses at least 11 ministries. continue working to ensure relief measures skeletal streamlined our work in such a way that
Around two weeks ago, a delegation of 20 are implemented smoothly. At the same face-to-face interaction is minimal,” Vard-
people from Punjab wanted to meet Union time, the government also wanted to con-
staff. Many han says.
Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and tain the spread of the virus. “We have told of our staff The finance ministry -- another ministry
Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan at his everyone that safety comes first,” Union members crucial to keep the country and economy
office in Shastri Bhawan to discuss some Labour and Employment Minister Santosh are working functioning – has also implemented similar
payment issues. But, as a precautionary Gangwar told ET Magazine on Monday. “We measures. Chairman of the Central Board of
move, his ministry allowed only four from are running on skeletal staff. Many of our
from home. Indirect Taxes and Customs Pramod Chan-
the delegation into the complex. Paswan staff members are working from home.” We have told everyone dra Mody says: “We have restricted our
wanted to minimise, if possible even avoid, Three weeks ago, when this reporter had that safety comes first ” movement to office. It is entirely need-
face-to-face interactions. The coronavirus visited the ministry, efforts to install hand Santosh Gangwar, Union Labour based. I go only when some work can’t be
pandemic had reached India and the gov- sanitisers were in full swing. Within days, all done otherwise. I have also restricted one-
and Employment Minister
ernment wanted to minimise the spread. A the ministries had installed dispensers with to-one meetings to a bare minimum. Thanks
week later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alcohol-based sanitisers at the entrance. A to technology, most of the meetings and
announced a nationwide lockdown for 21 note near the dispenser said: “Please use 3-4 follow-ups are happening over video-con-
days. drops to sanitise hands”. In the Parliament complex, thermal scan- ferencing and telephonically. I get the door-
Paswan’s ministry – which has been in- ners that check body temperature have knobs cleaned from time to time to avoid
strumental in capping the prices of masks, been installed at every metal detector point. the spread via surfaces.”
hand sanitisers and its raw material and also Hand sanitisers were placed at several plac- In Uttar Pradesh, the health minister has
placing them under essential commodities “Any work es in the building. The Lok Sabha and the quarantined himself in his home for 14 days
– had started discouraging unnecessary vis- that can be Rajya Sabha were adjourned on Monday in after he attended a party in Lucknow where
its to the ministry since 25 days. The meas- done over the wake of the pandemic. “But when the singer Kanika Kapoor, who tested positive
ures were taken to check the huge surge in Houses were functioning, we told our staff for Covid-19, was also present. Health Minis-
prices of these items in the country. “Any
video to always carry some object, like a file, in ter Jai Pratap Singh said on Wednesday he
work that could be done over video confer- conference their hands so that they can overcome the was awaiting the results of the second test
ence or over the phone should be done that or over the natural tendency to shake hands,” says a after the first one tested negative. “I am in
way,” the minister tells ET Magazine. phone senior official of Rajya Sabha, adding that it self-isolation at home and will resume full-
The eight-time MP, who is often called was just a precautionary measure. time work after my second test results. If
“the greatest weather vane” of Indian poli-
should be Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting even dem- any file is very important, it reaches my
tics, has also distributed 500 masks to his done that way ” onstrated social distancing. Photos of the home so that I can clear it. But I take all pos-
office staff. Even before the government Ram Vilas Paswan, Union meeting showed ministers sitting at least a sible precautions,” he added.
stopped trains and flights, he had decided Minister for Consumer Affairs, meter apart. Sources said everyone is greet- Till it is all clear, it is work from home for
to cut down on “unnecessary travel in ing others with a namskar, instead of a hand- ministers and bureaucrats. 
Food and Public Distribution
these times”. shake. [email protected]
 cover story 15
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

CCTVs
When a family of three in Kerala’s

TECH PROTECT
Pathanamthitta district tested posi-
tive for Covid-19 after returning
from Italy, local authorities realised
the family had visited several places
and met many people for a week
Countries battling Covid-19, especially in Asia, are before they were quaran-
tined. Reviewing CCTV
turning to technology to effectively contain the footage from the areas they
had been to was one of the
disease and treat patients methods the local administra-
tion used to track down 900 people
the family could have potentially in-
:: G Seetharaman fected. South Korea and Singapore,

T
he rapid spread of Covid-19 has forced too, have used CCTVs extensively in
countries to use every trick in the book to contact-tracing.
contain the disease. Some countries, like
South Korea and Singapore, have done a
better job than, say, Italy and Spain.
Asian countries have used a range of
technologies in their fight against the pan-
demic, raising questions about excessive
surveillance and the violation of citizens’
privacy. Here is a snapshot of some of the
tech tools being deployed in different
countries.

Mobile Apps
A startup in the UK recently launched Robots & Drones
an app for people to self-report their In early March, a new isolation
symptoms. C-19 Covid Symptom ward was opened in Wuhan,
Tracker, which was downloaded 7.5 the Chinese city where the cor-
lakh times in three days, helps identi- onavirus outbreak started.
fy high-risk areas, among other things. What’s interesting about this
South Korea has an app called Corona ward is that it is entirely
100m that has mapped the locations manned by robots that take pa-
of Covid-19 patients and alerts users if tients’ temperature, give them
they come within 100 metres of an in- food and drugs, and disinfect
Location Tracking fected person. the ward. China has also used
Possibly the most commonly used tech- India is also set to launch an app robots in quarantine facilities,
nology by governments, tracking peo- that will tell users if they came in con- and so has Singapore to clean
ple’s whereabouts through the location tact with someone who later tested hospitals. The use of robots
information provided by their phones positive for Covid-19, as reported by spares healthcare workers the
has been crucial to identifying where an ET on March 26. The app will be based risk of contracting the virus. In
infected person went before being on location data obtained from the in- Smart Imaging some parts of China, the police
quarantined and how many people fected person’s smartphone. It will In an effort to enable contactless and rapid have used drones fitted with
were in close proximity to the patient. also use short-distance Bluetooth sig- temperature detection, China is using AI- cameras and loudspeakers to
Israel has allowed its internal securi- nals between phones, like Singapore’s powered thermal cameras to identify those disperse crowds and direct in-
ty agency the use of its citizens’ location TraceTogether app, which helps au- in a crowd who have a fever. The country is dividuals in the streets to re-
data for 30 days. South Korea, China thorities trace contacts of a patient. also deploying facial-recognition systems turn home. 
and Taiwan have also used location- In China, apps developed by Aliba- to identify those not wearing masks.
tracking widely to limit the transmis- ba and Tencent give people a colour
sion of the virus. However, in Europe, code based on their health condition
which has stricter laws on data protec- and travel history. This code, decided
tion, Germany and Italy are using an- by a big data-driven algorithm, will
onymised location data to identify pub- determine whether a person gains en-
lic spaces where people are gathering in try into a mall or a subway station, or
groups by defying lockdowns. can travel between cities.

Methods in the Madness

Using location Using apps to help AI-powered Robots
data to track people avoid Covid thermal manning
infected persons: patients: cameras to quarantine
South Korea, UK, South spot people centres:
with fever: China,
Israel, Korea, India China
Taiwan, Italy (app in the works) Singapore

[email protected]
16 biz watch
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

Crypto:

Coin Toss
Rise, Fall
& Rise

2009
After years of stagnation, the Bitcoins launched
following the 2008
cryptocurrency space in India financial crisis

is whirring back into action, with the

2013-14
Supreme Court lifting a regulatory ban Exchanges Unocoin,
Zebpay, CoinSecure
start in India
:: Shelley Singh
arly in March, the Supreme Court over-
turned an April 2018 ban on cryptocur- 2017
rencies imposed by the country’s cen-
tral bank. 1.5 million
Immediately, moribund cryptocur- customers trade in
rency exchanges came alive — WazirX, cryptocurrencies
Unocoin, CoinDCX, Zebpay and others, in India
rearing to do business. Even as Coronavi- No. of exchanges
rus spread, with sectors such as retail, rises to 10
travel, aviation, realty and others hunkering
down to face prolonged economic pain, the small club of cryp- Bitcoin’s price jumps
tocurrency players stood out. They are hiring and are witness- to $20,000, settles at
ing customers, particularly millennials, flocking in to buy vir- to $15,000
tual money.
Nischal Shetty, founder & CEO, WazirX says, “Cryptocurren-
cies will work as an asset (like gold, but virtual) and as security. 2018
It’s an alternative store of value — in the last 10 years, Bitcoin Govt says
has been the best asset class.” cryptocurrencies
In November 2019, WazirX was acquired by Binance, a Mal-
not legal tender
ta-based cryptocurrency exchange. WazirX is now doubling its RBI bars banks, NBFCs
staff to 30 and shifting to Bengaluru from Mumbai for easier and wallets from
access to software talent. Startups, global investors, venture serving to firms
funds and even digital payments companies such as MobiKwik dealing in virtual
are eyeing a slice of the action in India. currencies
Unocoin exchange
Virtual Currencies cofounders set up
Cryptocurrencies are digital assets designed to work as inter- cryptocurrency
net-based medium of exchange. They depend predominant- ATM, arrested
ly on cryptography and distributed ledger technology (DLT)
such as the Blockchain. Post the Supreme Court verdict,
Binance has launched a $50 million Blockchain for India 2019
fund. Mumbai-based exchange CoinDCX has pledged $3.1 Binance, a global
million towards an education campaign to promote crypto- exchange, buys Indian
currency adoption in India. startup WazirX
Sure, virtual money has been a great asset class, particularly
for the early movers. Amitabh Bachchan reportedly invested
$250,000 in 2015 in cryptocurrency, which swelled to $17 mil- 2020
lion in 2017. The wild fluctuations in value has been coming in SC lifts ban on
the way of such currencies becoming widespread medium of cryptocurrencies
exchange. Bitcoin, which has a two-thirds share of the crypto-
currency business, crashed from its peak of $20,000 to settle Exchanges get
at $15000 in early 2018 and is now valued below $6,000. fresh lease of life
Not long back, cryptocurrencies were all the rage, drawing Binance launches
investor interest and a huge amount of curiosity around poten-
tial real-world applications of blockchain, the underlying tech- $50 mn
Blockchain for
nology powering such currencies. As prices of Bitcoins sky- wound up. Ajeet Khurana, then head of BACC, says: “It nev-
India fund
rocketed in 2017, the number of cryptocurrency exchanges er really took off. There was an assumption that cryptocur-
increased to a dozen from just three earlier. The number of rencies are fraud. Now the Supreme Court verdict is a land- CoinDCX pledges
people buying Bitcoins scaled to over 3 million. And then it all
suddenly came crashing down.
mark.” Industry body IAMAI was among those who fought
the ban in court.
$3.1 mn
to promote
In his 2018 budget speech, the then FM Arun Jaitley said the The exchanges continued by offering services to global
country does not recognise cryptocurrencies as legal tender.
“There is an customers, but in October 2018, cops in Bengaluru arrested
cryptocurrency
opportunity to get adoption
This was followed in April by a Reserve Bank of India note Harish BV and Sathvik Vishwanath, co-founders of the ex-
which prohibited regulated entities (banks, NBFCs, wallets, ahead now. I see at least change Unocoin, for setting up a cryptocurrency ATM kiosk Cryptocurrencies
etc.) from offering services to companies dealing in cryptocur- 100 cryptocurrency without permission. The RBI ban and arrest of two founders lose $50 bn in value
rencies or virtual currencies. Customers could not link their startups coming up in pretty much ended cryptocurrency in India, even as it be- as Covid-19 spreads
bank accounts to cryptocurrency exchanges anymore. next 12 months” came the base of a lot of innovation around the world. Gain- Bitcoins priced at
Even the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Committee ing mainstream acceptance in several countries. around $6,000 today
Nischal Shetty,
(BACC), an association representing the fledgling industry, founder, WazirX Recalling the episode, Bengaluru-based Harish says: “We
Source: industry
 biz watch 17
Virtual Value Value (in `)
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

Bitcoin (BTC)
4,99,480
Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
16,858
Bitcoin SV (BSV)
12,869 Source: Coinbase; Prices as on March 27
Ethereum (ETH)
10,223 Note: List not exhaustive 

Monero (XMR)
3,807
Litecoin (LTC)
2,965 “Most people
are using
Binance Coin (BNB)
970 countries and an expanding line-up
cryptocurrencies
as assets to park cus should be on managing and
EOS (EOS)
173 of retail oitlets around the world. JP
Morgan launched JPM Coin in Feb-
spare money. regulating cryptocurrencies.”
In a note, RBI stated that crypto-
Tezos (XTZ)
128 ruary 2019 to facilitate inter-bank
Prices are not
stable and there currency typically has some mone-

13
money transfer. tary characteristics, but is not a lia-
XRP (XRP) However, industry players don’t
is a lot of trading” bility of any entity and is not backed
see it as replacing cash, but see it Bipin Preet by any authority. Its value is driven
more as an asset like gold. Shetty Singh, by users’ confidence in it. This

Decrypting
says: “Cryptocurrencies won’t re- cofounder, MobiKwik makes the currency unpredictable
were too early. The authorities did not under- place cash, but will work as assets. (like in a two-hour window, price of
stand what it was. The Supreme Court verdict has Gold is valuable today because of Bitcoin on March 19 changed
been a great relief and now we are planning to
scale up.” Unocoin offers 25 cryptocurrencies,
claims around 1.5 million users and is now adding
Crypto demand and it has scarcity. Before
Bitcoin there was no digital scarci-
ty.” Bitcoin can be bought up to
around `10,000).

Risky Assets
more software developers to its team of 30. Har- What is a virtual currency? eight decimals — you can buy Not surprisingly, Khurana sees
ish sees more Blockchain projects also springing A digital asset or software 0.00000001 Bitcoins and sell three risks: technology, regulatory
up across India. designed to work as when the value appreciates. and criminal. The technology be-
internet-based medium of Bipin Preet Singh, co-founder, hind cryptocurrencies could be-
A Boost for Startups exchange. It depends upon MobiKwik, says that the volatility of come obsolete with the emergence of
In the happening startups ecosystem in India that cryptography cryptocurrencies makes it difficult to become a a more advanced technology. Regulatory risk
attracted $10 billion of venture investment in medium of exchange like currency notes today. emanates from the fact that it is not backed by
How is it different?
2019, cryptocurrency ventures were conspicuous “Acceptance as a form of payment has not picked central banks or sovereign nations. Though this
by their absence. Though this year could be differ- Not controlled by any up. Reason being its price is measured against fiat could change over time as now some countries
ent. Most of the startups in India will focus on be- authority like RBI or US currency (Dollar, Rupee, Euro, Pound, etc.) and have plans to launch their own virtual curren-
ing currency exchanges and payment gateways to Federal Reserve. It is it has been volatile. People will use cryptocurren- cies. These include Sweden, Japan and China.
begin with, before offering more services. Just as decentralised, anonymous, cies to park spare money.” Finally, criminal risks arise because of the possi-
there as a multiplicity of players in fintech, we irreversible and in limited The Gurgaon-based digital payments compa- bility of fraud—the scamster could be in a differ-
could see a boom in crypto-related startups. supply ny’s plan is to offer gateway services for custom- ent country and be difficult to trace.
Shetty of WazirX believes it is “an opportunity It is trustworthy? ers to buy the currency. Though as the market Shravan Charya, founder & CEO, SocioLadder,
for India to move ahead. I see at least 100 crypto- Nobody has to trust develops, Singh does not rule out products ucts says “With the lack of a well laid out regula-
says:
currency startups come up in the next 12 anybody for the network like loans against cryptocurrency. to
tory framework, cryptocurrencies in In-
months.” to function. Each part of Khurana sees cryptocurrencies reduc-- dia may sound like unregulated money-
WazirX offers 80 currencies, including Bitcoin, the ecosystem validates ing the cost of money transfer around lending businesses of the 80s.” Also,
Ethereum, Ripple and Litecoin. what other parts are the world. At present, traditional sys- while transactions like transferring
Exchanges enable customers to buy and sell saying. Everyone on the tems via banks or global money transfer money may cost less, the currencies are
cryptocurrencies. They earn money by charging network has a copy of the agencies require customers pay to both h s volatile that it leads to “unprecedented
so
commission —WazirX levies a 0.2% commission ledger send and receive money and also a cur- r- sp
speculative risks in the value of exchange
on buying or selling and 0.1% if WRX Token is rency conversion fee. “Commission can be for what’s supposedly a simple transfer.” So-
used to transact. Unocoin charges a commission How does it work? up to 8%, while for P2P cryptocurrency transfer cioLadder is a digital platform for development
ranging from 0.3% to 0.5%. To attract customers, Through a distributed it will be far less — just the network charge,” says aid agencies that raises and channelises dona-
new exchanges may waive fee for some time. ledger technology, Khurana. Ethereum calls it ‘gas’ and Bitcoin tions.
Any of the 2,000 odd cryptocurrencies can be typically a blockchain that terms the charge as ‘fee’. Before the ban, there was speculation about
traded, with live prices available 24x7 at the ex- serves as public financial But for much of those things to happen, even telcos offering cryptocurrencies. Post the
changes. Binance, Coinsbit, P2PB2B and Coineal transaction database awareness has to go up. Naveen Surya, chair- Supreme Court order lifting the ban, much of the
are among the world’s largest exchanges. Crypto- man, Fintech Convergence Council (part of In- excitement has been from startups and entrepre-
currencies are limited in quantity, and popularity Why does its value change? ternet & Mobile Association of India), says: neurs such as Shetty and Harish who foresee
(or demand) determines their price. On March 17, Due to demand and “Cryptocurrencies today are rapid development in the space.
each Bitcoin was trading at `392,439; Ethereum, supply, like gold. There where internet was 20 years Rajan Mathews, director gener-
the second most popular cryptocurrency, was are nearly 6,000 back. That time net was a com- “With the lack of a al, Cellular Operators Association
selling at `8,661, while Cardano sold for just `1.92 cryptocurrencies of which munication protocol and later well-laid out of India says: “I don’t see telcos
(the price at which Bitcoin was about 10 years around 1,000 are traded. developed into platform for regulatory rushing into cryptocurrency. For
back). Bitcoin accounts for 2/3rd news, entertainment and every- framework, telcos, the scope and scale that
of transactions.
On March 20, Bitcoin had appreciated to thing else. Who owns the inter- cryptocurrencies their products can get is impor-
`416,195. New currencies are issued in Initial Coin Who are the key players? net? Much like internet democra- may sound like tant. They would rather go for a
Offers (ICO). ICO for Bitcoin this was in 2009 and Consumers, merchants, tised information, cryptocurren- unregulated money Maruti than a Rolls-Royce.”
Cardano in 2015. tech developers, investors, cies will democratise money.” that was used to While mass market adoption
These are digital assets but not cash. These can financial institutions & So just like anyone can today will take time, the 180-page Su-
be used for say making donations to support Wiki- set up content websites or social
lend to businesses preme Court judgment in favour
exchanges in the 1980s”
pedia, to buy certain products at Microsoft online media platforms, only those that of the currency could pave the
Xbox store, at AT&T stores, Starbucks in some What are its uses? attract large number of users are Shravan Charya, way for the development of the
The digital asset enables in a position to monetise. So is it founder & CEO, ecosystem. Harish says: “Block-
P2P transactions; helps with currencies. Anyone can SocioLadder chain projects will come up even
“People can create transfer money around launch a currency, but its value as people will be more aware and
wealth, but the risk the world at lower cost; will depend on demand. educated about cryptocurren-
is that they might accepted by many retailers Surya sees virtual currency be- cies.” Its value has been appreci-
get stuck with the coming a secure asset class over ated by the court. It’s up to the de-
time. He adds: “According to in- velopers and regulators to create
wrong currency”
dustry estimates, government mechanisms that help masses
Naveen Surya, collected `100 crore tax when it gain from the currency. 
chairman, Payments was allowed (prior to the ban). Fo- [email protected]
Council of India
18 food & drink
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

Food After
Covid

ANIRBAN BORA
How the pandemic
could affect
restaurants and the
culture of eating
out in India — yes to
slow food, no to
social dining

:: Anoothi Vishal

L
ife will hardly remain the same when we
get to the other side of the Covid-19 pan-
demic. Economists and social scientists
are predicting lasting changes in the way
we live, work and eat. Some of these
were already in the making but are ex-
pected to be fast-tracked as people
change their habits to contend with the
epidemic. It is likely that “some of these
habits will stick”, says Susan Athey, a
professor of economics of technology at
the Stanford Graduate School of Busi- End of Social Dining: One of the nicest emergence of chef-led delivery brands event where the chef is more glamorous
ness, in The Washington Post. trends that was emerging in India was so- in Mumbai and Delhi, where top chefs than the dessert should be a good thing.
What changes will we see in India? cial dining, where shared tables in res- and restaurateurs promised to provide
How will the pandemic affect restau- taurants and bars attempted to create higher quality food cooked in cloud Cooking at Home: Every disaster carries
rants and the culture of eating out that bonds between strangers over food and kitchens and delivered to the comfort of with it the seeds of opportunity. There
had been steadily evolving in the last drink. After quarantine and quarantinis homes. This trend is likely to pick up may be renewed interest in slow food, as
decade and a half, but was impacted by (if you are privileged and when the novel coronavirus something to be savoured and created in
the economic slowdown for several lucky), this experiment is retreats. This entails lower personalised ways. People are already
months now? One of the sectors worst likely to be nipped in the bud. In India, costs and more business per showing huge interest in sharing reci-
affected by Covid-19 will be food servic- The world, politically and deep-seated square foot, and chefs and pes, cooking tips and pictures of home-
es, estimated at `4,23,865 crore in India economically, may lean to- cultural restaurateurs will be looking cooked meals on social media. This can
and employing more than 700,000 peo- wards more barriers or mu- prejudices to capitalise on it. be harnessed to create businesses.
ple, according to the National Restau- tual cooperation, but when it about dining
rant Association of India.
As brick-and-mortar businesses shut
comes to food in India, deep-
seated cultural prejudices
with “others” Foreign Charms Wear Off:
Pop-ups by various
Cleaner, Not Cheaper Food: The noto-
riously price-sensitive consumers may
down, restaurants are struggling, but about dining with “others” are likely to “Michelin-starred” chefs finally become more mindful of quality
small efforts are afoot to salvage what- are likely to become exacer- become (restaurants get stars, not ingredients grown in safe and sustaina-
ever they can. A restaurant in Gurgaon, bated. exacerbated chefs), as they were being ble ways, cooked by well-trained staff
for instance, is offering tickets against a laud
lauded in India, could lose and served in hygienic conditions. This
future five-course meal paired with Rise of Premium Deliveries:ries: the sheen.
s Glamour events means the cost of food in a restaurant
cocktails, in line with efforts interna- While brick-and-mortarr res- funde
funded by liquor companies may go up, and restaurants may find it
tionally to keep businesses afloat. taurant business was hurt-urt- an
and others will be hit not harder to compete on price alone. Many
Others have taken to limited deliver- ing even before the epi-- jjust by the economic restaurants may in fact shut as people
ies for people. However, with the grow- demic hit, delivery downturn but the pos- tighten their belts, reduce discretionary
ing fear of exposing the staff to infection, services were on an sible reluctance of spend and cut down on the frequency of
many are shutting these down, too. The upswing. The millen- consumers to go in a eating out. However, when they do eat
human tragedy all this entails is almost nial and Gen Z con- crowd to any event. out, they may eat at quality restaurants
unbearable. Will there be light at the end sumers were show- As JOMO trumps rather than at cheap Chinese outlets.
of the tunnel? What kind of eating-out ing preferences not FOMO, this is a fallout Restaurants may be forced to shut shop
experiences will diners go back to, and just for value-for- many who value qual- or clean up. In fact, this may be the
what trends will flourish as others die money meals but also ity over buzz may not shake-up waiting to happen in the Indi-
out? Here’s a look at some ways in which enhanced “experiences” s” b too upset about. More
be an restaurant business. A silver lining in
dining as a business is likely to change in even in delivered food. The most substance, less style and less mon- these dark days. 
the post-Covid-19 world: recent phenomenon was the ey spen
spent on booking seats to an The writer looks at food and culinary traditions
 tech talk 19
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

Samsung Galaxy S20+

POCKET ROCKET
With top-end hardware and software, the phone has
all the firepower to disrupt the premium segment
:: Debashis Sarkar

G
alaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra — these three flagship phones
from Samsung showcase the raw power of hardware backed by
good software. All three phones run Exynos 990 without 5G
support.
The major differences between them are in display sizes, GET IT FOR:
cameras and battery power. While the 6.9-inch S20 Ultra,
`73,999
with its up to 16GB RAM, may sound like an overkill, the
S20+ strikes the right balance of good hardware and good HIGHLIGHT:
cameras. 8K camera,
The S20+ looks neat and premium. The build is sturdy,
powerful
the device slim but the overall design is not something you
have already not seen. processor
Samsung has opted for a rectangular rear camera module
with a quad-camera setup. Because of this, there is a noticeable bump in
Lenovo HT20 the camera module which you need to protect. The quad-camera setup
in the S20+ consists of a 64MP primary sensor with 12MP secondary sen-
sors. There is a 3X hybrid optical zoom and digital zoom of up to 30X. The

BEYOND LOOKS rear camera quality is apt for day-to-day usage. Lowlight photography is
decent too. When zooming in, the images are stable up to 10X. The 10MP
there selfie camera with F2.2 aperture is decent for social media usage.
The wireless earbuds may
Running on the latest Exynos 990 processor with 8GB of RAM and
not look premium, but offer 128GB of internal storage, the device is a workhorse. Be it multi-tasking,
surprisingly good sound streaming or gaming, the S20+ is a smooth performer. It also has the
output and call quality support of up to 1TB microSD cards.
There are no major glitches but the device does heat up a bit on
:: Aabhas Sharma regular usage. The phone is backed by a 4500mAh battery with 25W
fast charging. But you will need to charge the phone daily.

A
nother week, another set of wire- The S20+ comes with a 6.7-inch Quad HD+ AMOLED display with up
less earbuds. But with HT20, Le- 120Hz refresh rate support (for full HD resolution only). The display
novo is looking to offer an “afford- quality is rich and offers good sunlight legibility. The 120Hz refresh
able” alternative. The cost-cut- rate comes handy while playing games but you will mostly be in-
ting efforts show. Lenovo has made no clined to switch to higher resolution at 60Hz.
attempt to make these ear- The phone can shoot videos in 8K continuously. However, the files
buds look stylish or premi- GET IT FOR: get saved in batches of 4GB while maintaining continuity. These videos
um. The buds have a polycar- `3,799 can be uploaded to YouTube. Screenshots of 8K videos generate 33MP
bonate body charging case HIGHLIGHT: photos. While this sounds cool, 8K video recording is not for everyone.
and it is bulky as well. Its case With top-end hardware and software features the S20+ have all the fire-
won’t fit comfortably into Value for power to disrupt the premium segment. But the price of `73,999 can
your jeans’ pockets. money only attract Samsung loyalists. 
The earbuds have unusu- The writer is with gadgetsnow.com
ally long stems but they do fit in snugly into
the ears and you need not worry about
them falling off. Logitech Pebble M350
The device comes with a micro-USB port,
which means you will have to carry a sepa-
rate charging cable for these wireless ear-
buds. RIGHT CLICK Also, the M350 just needs a single AA battery and has a
claimed battery life of about 18 months. Both the battery socket
However, you may not need to carry This wireless mouse can be used via Bluetooth and the USB dongle can be accessed after removing the top
around the cable as HT20 comes with a flap or panel.
long battery life. Lenovo claims they can as well as a USB connection To use the mouse with a USB dongle, plug in the dongle,
last up to 25 hours with the wireless charg- switch on the mouse and press the Bluetooth/USB button once.
ing case and 5 hours on a single charge. In :: Utkarsh Saurbh You can use it once the indicator close to it starts glow-

L
our experience, these claims hold true and ogitech’s new wireless mouse is shaped just ing green steadily. To switch to Bluetooth, switch on
we had no complaints with the battery life like a large and smooth pebble. The M350 is GET IT FOR: the Bluetooth on your laptop, long-press the USB/
of the HT20. half the size of an average palm, weighs about `1,999 Bluetooth button till a blue light begins blinking rap-
The sound output from these wireless 100 gm and can easily slip p into pockets. The p
idly. It is a simple process to use the dual-connectivity
HIGHLIGHT:
earbuds is surprisingly good. We were not body is made of sweat-resistant plasticlastic with matte fin- feature on this m mouse. What makes it impressive is
expecting it as the design disappointed us. icker at the end. The
ish. It is almost flat and slightly thicker Ease of use that you do not need to remove the USB dongle
There is sufficient level of bass and the bump at the back is not too elevated ed and you can easily to use th
the mouse in Bluetooth mode.
highs and lows are spot on. Vocals sound ittle getting used to.
grip it in your palm. But it takes a little Log
Logitech claims this is a "silent" mouse
clear and the instrument separation also The top panel of the mouse is thin hin and removable and to a certain extent, it is. But you do
stands out. There is no noise cancellation and can be attached again with the help of the exp
expect that in a mouse that sells for
tech in these earbuds. three small magnetic pins that are present on arou
around `2,000.
Call quality on the HT20 is reasonably the inside of the top panel. At the he back, Si
Since the top panel is removable, it is
good and overall. These headphones live there is the power button and the e Blue- t clean the inside of the mouse and
easy to
up to the expectations. tooth/USB button. be able to dry it easily in case you sill liquid
If you are looking for a true wireless expe- The M350 can be used both via How
on it. However, the small size can be a deter-
rience but your budget is low, the HT20 is a Bluetooth and a USB connection. The rent for som
some users as the mouse doesn’t sit well
reliable option as long as you can look past USB dongle (the Nano receiver) se- pal The build quality is a bit fragile
withing the palm.
its design.  curely comes affixed inside the mouse ouse t damage the body. 
and a fall is likely to
The writer is with gadgetsnow.com so that it is not misplaced. The writer is with gadgetsnow.com
 20 feel smart
MARCH 29-APRIL 04, 2020

Volatiles THIS WEEK,

PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS BEYOND HEADLINES
THAT YEAR
MARCH 29-APRIL 4

GETTY
March 30, 2001
Michael Phelps
becomes the
youngest male
to set a world
record in
swimming when,
aged15 years and 9 months, he
breaks a 200m butterfly world
record at the US World
Is that a noun, or
Championship trials in Austin.
an adjective?
They are a group of chemicals,
actually. March 31, 2001
Michael and Ralf
Ah! Chemistry today, is it? Schumacher
A bit of astronomy actually. become first
siblings to secure
Not again. Not Mars, I hope
the top two grids
at least.
– first and
Mercury, this time. You see
volatiles are the gases needed
second
to create life. respectively – in a Formula 1
Artist's illustration of planet Mercury World Championship event, in
Mercury? The planet closest Sao Paulo.
to the Sun? Surely there is
no life there. The heat on And what are the volatiles doing under its surface and may still have April 1, 2001
that planet can melt lead. there? them. These seem to burst open at The Netherlands becomes the
Yes. But the volatiles have done Basically they are cracking up the places, creating the cracks.
first country to make
something else. planet. same-sex marriages legal.
All these gases?
Wait, what are volatiles again? Really? Not sure all, but there is conjecture
The stuff that can make life. Oxygen, You see the surface of Mercury looks that even water may have been there.
water, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon like it has been cracked open at many
dioxide and a few more compounds places. There were many theories that So what happens once they come April 2, 2011
like sulphur dioxide. these were caused by an asteroid hit out in Mercury's atmosphere? India wins the World
or earthquake-like movements below Of course, they are pulled away by the Cup for the second
So we have plenty of them on Earth. the surface. sun’s gravitational force. time after defeating
Yes. And latest findings are that they Sri Lanka. Captain
may have been present in Mercury, or And what does the new theory say? So no chance of life in Mercury. Let MS Dhoni had
are still there. That the planet had these volatiles us stick to Earth for now. moved up the
Text: Suman Layak batting order to
blunt the
opposition’s attack.
Teaching Machines Public-key Cryptography
This helped secure communication
The latest Turing Award or the “Nobel between individuals who have not
met (without a key distribution April 3, 1975
Prize of Computing” has gone to
center) and authenticate the The International
Patrick Hanrahan and Edwin Catmull message sender (digital signatures) Chess Federation
for their pioneering work on 3-D Winners: Whitfield Diffie and strips Bobby
computer graphics and animated Martin E.Hellman (2015) Fischer of his world
films at Pixar. Here are some other chess title, leading
tech breakthroughs in the last 20 to the challenger
years that have won the award: Anatoly Karpov
being crowned the new world
chess champ.

April 4, 1968
Internet Martin Luther King Jr. is
Communications fatally shot while
Protocols
standing on the balcony
Design and
implementation of outside his second-
transmission control Deep Neural story room at the
protocol (TCP) and Networks Lorraine Motel in
internet protocol (IP) that These networks have Memphis. Tennessee.
helps run today’s become a critical Source: history.com, onthisday.com

internet component of computing

Write to us with feedback
Winners: Vinton G Cerf & and enabled the rise of self-learning AI systems
Robert E Khan (2004)
[email protected]
Winners: Yoshua Bengio, Geoffrey E Hinton & Yann LeCun (2018)
Source: amturing.acm.org

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