New Delhi, Jun 20 () With the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic looming large, International Day of Yoga on Sunday will be celebrated on digital media platforms sans mass gatherings and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message would be the highlight of the occasion. Yoga Day will go digital for the first time since June 21, 2015, when it began to be celebrated annually across the world, coinciding with the Summer Solstice each year. This year's theme is 'Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family' and people will be able to join the celebrations virtually at 7 am on June 21. The Indian missions abroad are trying to reach out to the people through digital media as well as through the network of institutions which support yoga, officials said. The Ministry of AYUSH had planned to hold a grand event in Leh, but cancelled it due to the pandemic. On December 11, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 as 'International Day of Yoga', months after Modi had proposed the idea. A message from Prime Minister Modi will be the highlight of the International Day of Yoga which will be observed on electronic and digital platforms on June 21, the AYUSH ministry said on Thursday. "Due to the current global health emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the focus this year is less on such celebrations and more on people performing Yoga at their respective homes with participation of the entire family," the ministry said. The prime minister's remarks will be televised at 6.30 am, a statement by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga &amp; Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) said. As has been the practice in International Day of Yoga (IDY) observation, the PM's message will be followed by a live demonstration of a 45-minute Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) by a team from Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga. The CYP drill has been designed keeping in mind people of different age groups and of varied walks of life, the ministry had said in its statement. "Yoga is found to be especially relevant in the pandemic situation, since its practice leads to both physical and mental wellbeing, and increases the individual's ability to fight diseases," it said. Modi on Thursday had urged people, in a video message, to observe the day from the confines of their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "This year, the event will highlight the utility of yoga for individuals, to develop immunity to combat the global pandemic and strengthen the community in managing some of the significant aspects of this crisis," Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, president, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) had said earlier this month. The ministry and ICCR, through the 'My Life - My Yoga' video blogging competition which was launched by the prime minister on May 31, has sought to raise awareness about yoga and inspire people to prepare for and become active participants in the observation of IDY 2020. The contest has two legs -- the first one consisting of an international video blogging contest wherein the winners will be picked within a country. This will be followed by global prize winners who will be selected from different countries. To enter the contest, participants were required to upload a three-minute video of three yogic practices ('kriya', 'asana', 'pranayama', 'bandha' or 'mudra'), including a short video message/description on how the said yogic practices influenced their lives. The videos could be uploaded on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the contest hashtag #MyLifeMyYogaINDIA and appropriate category hashtag. Entries could be submitted by participants under three categories-- youth (male and female aged under 18), adults (male and female above 18 years) and yoga professionals (male and female), Kotecha said. This made it a total of six categories in all. For India contestants, prizes worth Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 will be given for first, second and third positions within each of the categories. The Indian missions abroad will give away prizes in each country. At the global level, cash prizes worth USD 2,500, USD 1,500 and USD 1,000 along with a trophy and certificate will be given to those ranking first, second and third, respectively. The blogging contest which has started on various digital platforms such as MyGov.gov.in will end on Sunday. The jury will then later collectively decide and announce the names of the winners. Yoga programmes are organaised across the globe by Indian missions every year, but this year will be different. Several missions are organizing digital events to mark the occasion. Thousands of yoga enthusiasts in Texas and adjoining US states are all set to roll out their mats to bend and twist their bodies in complex postures from the safety of their homes with acclaimed yoga guru Baba Ramdev on livestream to mark the International Day of Yoga on Sunday. ASK SMN SMN

Yoga Day to be marked on digital platforms amid COVID-19 pandemic

<ul><li>‘<keyword id="13945161" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shadowbanning" source="Orion">Shadowbanning</keyword>’ or ‘ghost banning’ is the act when <keyword id="6354632" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-media" source="Orion">social media</keyword> posts are taken down, muted or hidden from followers without informing the user or creator.</li><li>A user could continue posting, but their posts won’t be visible to the rest of the community.</li><li>While <keyword id="1020663" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-media-platforms" source="Orion">social media platforms</keyword> have denied that shadowbanning exists, many <keyword id="2893283" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="content-creators" source="Orion">content creators</keyword> and internet users believe otherwise.</li><li>In the last few years, many shadowbanning trackers have also cropped up on the internet.</li><li>Here’s all you need to know about shadowbanning.</li></ul>Shortly before Tesla’s CEO <keyword id="6355315" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="elon-musk" source="Orion">Elon Musk</keyword> announced his intentions to buy social media platform Twitter, he made a ‘joke’ about Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gate gaining weight. Immediately after, he tweeted again to say, “<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1517716718382166016?s=20&amp;t=zq4YSc9IXneApnGilXPtHg">Shadow ban council reviewing tweet,” with an image of six hooded people </a>who seem to be discussing something fishy. <div type="twitter" handle="elonmusk" handlename="Elon Musk" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1521957986335297536/itVSA7l0_normal.jpg" favoritecount="645420" retweetcount="45160" status="shadow ban council reviewing tweet … https://t.co/cawjtwc7CW" createdat="1650686838000" id="1517716718382166016"></div> This conversation around <keyword id="13945237" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shadowban" source="Orion">shadowban</keyword> isn’t new. It comes and goes in phases. Now, more Indian content creators are experiencing shadowbanning and it’s becoming a widespread concern among internet users. <div type="image" title="shadowbanning.2" msid="91589972" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;How has &amp;#39;shadowbanning&amp;#39;, as a search term, seen growth in the last five years across the world&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Recently, Indian independent journalist Rana Ayyub claimed to have been shadowbanned on social media platform Instagram for speaking up for Palestinian citizens. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccda_o8ptah/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=c6659d3b-ccbe-4721-9776-8ff25a1a8f3e">Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid</a> also called out Instagram for suppressing her voice, limiting her reach and <a href="https://images.dawn.com/news/1189941/if-you-want-me-to-stop-talking-they-should-stop-killing-bella-hadid-on-instagrams-palestine-censorship">deactivating</a> the 'share' button on her 'Save Palestinian Citizens' post. She termed it a ‘breach of human rights’ and "the biggest form of bias and unjust censorship". <a href="https://time.com/5863350/tiktok-black-creators/">TikTok was also called out</a> by quite a few content creators for shadowbanning their posts on Black Lives Matter. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is shadowbanning and how it has evolved on the internet" text="What is shadowbanning and how it has evolved on the internet">What is shadowbanning and how it has evolved on the internet</cmsannotation> A number of content creators Business Insider India spoke to defined ‘shadowbanning’ or ‘ghost banning’ as social media posts being taken down, muted or hidden from followers without informing the user or creator. It is generally understood to be secret censorship of a person, community or a topic on social media. It quietly silences opinions. As per media reports, the word ‘shadowban’ appeared in the early 2000s. It was a moderation technique, used to keep a check on bots, trolls, shitposters or anyone else they deemed harmful. Shadowbanning isn’t just a social media lingo. It even <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/a3q744/where-did-shadow-banning-come-from-trump-republicans-shadowbanned">existed in the</a> 80s, wherein bulletin board systems (BBS), a computer server-running software used to exchange information, would limit ‘twit bit.’ Someone who would exhibit immature behavior, was flagged as a ‘twit’ and was granted limited access. After they were flagged, only the twit and the admin could see their messages on the board. As the internet became a primary mode of communication, content moderation and social media algorithms became much more complicated and lines started blurring. Today, people use the term shadowbanning quite often. Some content creators blame the streak of their low-performing content pieces or dip in reach on shadowbanning. “No matter how exciting the word shadow banning sounds, the fact is that intricately means banning the voice of somebody completely. The word banned is binary in nature, it's a zero or a one, there is no spectrum here. So that means you will literally get no one else to see your content,” clarifies Preetham Venkky, Chief Digital Officer of advertising agency DDB Mudra Group and President at digital marketing agency 22feet Tribal Worldwide. As per a few media <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/08/01/what-is-shadowbanning">reports</a>, when shadowbanned, users can continue to post messages, add new followers and comment or reply to other posts. But their messages may not appear in the feed, their <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/instagram-shadow-banning-is-real_n_5e555175c5b63b9c9ce434b0">replies may be suppressed </a>and they may not show up in searches under their usernames. An economist report also said that a major and <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/instagram-shadow-banning-is-real_n_5e555175c5b63b9c9ce434b0">sudden drop </a>in likes or retweets is also a form of shadowban, wherein the user is restricted to reach out to new people. Their posts are only visible to them and their followers. Body positivity content creator Prableen Kaur has seen a few creators and users being shadowbanned. She defines it as, “There's a certain topic that you're talking about, and maybe the platform doesn't want anyone to talk more about it, then they will decrease the amount of reach you will get on a particular post and that is shadowbanning for me. So for example, if there's something being spoken around bullying, then Instagram will shadowban that kind of user and try to not make it reach more people so that people are not influenced in the wrong way.” <div type="image" title="Prableen Kaur" msid="91590246" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Digital creator Prableen Kaur shares what is shadowbanning&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Un-webbing shadowban: a timeline" text="Un-webbing shadowban: a timeline">Un-webbing shadowban: a timeline</cmsannotation> In 2019, Instagram had apologised for shadowbanning <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/instagram-apologizes-to-pole-dancers-after-hiding-their-posts-1.4537820">pole dancers</a> and <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/7xg5dd/instagram-apologizes-for-blocking-caribbean-carnival-content">attendees of a Caribbean carnival</a>. Posts with hashtags #PoleFitness and #StLuciaCarnival were removed from the explore tab completely but the platform said it was an error. “We apologise for the mistake,” a spokesperson said in both these cases. “It is never our intention to silence members of our community,” said the platform spokesperson. In India, Facebook and Instagram ‘<a href="https://thewire.in/tech/facebook-and-instagram-mistakenly-blocked-sikh-for-almost-three-months">mistakenly blocked</a>’ #Sikh for almost three months in 2020. A similar apology was released after it caught international attention. An Instagram spokesperson said its ‘processes fell down and it was never their intention to silence members of this community.’ <div type="twitter" handle="InstagramComms" handlename="Instagram Comms" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1305901852190482434/nVjrSoGe_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2052" retweetcount="840" status="We have unblocked the hashtag #sikh on Instagram and are working to unblock #sikh on Facebook. We're investigating… https://t.co/ugrb7PEKtf" createdat="1591206223000" id="1268236937246019589"></div> It did not seem like a coincidence. It was around the anniversary of <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/operation-bluestar-s-37th-anniversary-today-tight-security-in-amritsar-101622936709706.html#:~:text=events%20of%201984.-,Operation%20Bluestar%20was%20a%20military%20action%20ordered%20by%20then%20PM,and%20left%20the%20shrine%20damaged.">Operation Blue Star</a>, which was a military action ordered by former PM Indira Gandhi to flush out Sikh militants holed up in Harmandir Sahib Complex. Posts associated with #Sikh went up as the community raised its voice to mark the injustices of 1984; but were never heard. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Is shadowban real?" text="Is shadowban real?">Is shadowban real?</cmsannotation> It isn’t just Instagram. All <a href="https://twitter.com/jackielerm/status/1231122961379340289">platforms </a><a href="https://www.papermag.com/tiktok-lgbtq-shadow-banning-2647646779.html?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3">deny </a>that shadowbanning is real. However, many users believe it is. There are more than 98.4k hashtags #shadowbanned and 55.7k posts with #shadowban on Instagram as of May 12, 2022. There are over 30 combinations around the hashtag shadowbanned on Instagram, each with at least 100 posts. While it is hard to confirm shadowbanning’s existence, there’s some evidence. In the last few years, many shadowbanning trackers have cropped up on the internet. Websites like HeistSocial.com, Tribber.com, shadowban.eu, <a href="https://shadowban.yuzurisa.com/">shadowban.yuzurisa.com</a>, to mention a few, allow users to determine if they are shadowbanned on different social media platforms. Travel, fashion and lifestyle content creator Avantika Mohan took this test three months ago and confirmed that she was shadowbanned. “A lot of people say that shadowban is just in your head and it is just low-engagement. But when I was shadowbanned, people were unable to see my posts. I even did a poll on Instagram to find out if they could see it. They mentioned that they were unable to see my posts.” <div type="image" title="Avantika Mohan" msid="91590098" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Avantika Mohan talks to Business Insider India about her experience of being shadowbanned&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> While Mohan said she didn’t see a pattern in this ghost ban, body positive content creator Neelakshi Singh, spotted a trend in how it works. “Creators who’ve called out racism or other marginalised communities like the black community or Asian community were refrained from posting about an issue -- I feel that somewhere that is buried in. Any issues or anything that doesn't fulfill the property or satisfy the mainstream, I feel that goes on to a shadowban.” On the other hand, digital content creator Shivani Kapila believes that it is just a perception. “It's very convenient for a creator like me to say that it [content] is shadowbanned rather than coming up with different content ideas and brainstorming further. It is maybe because my crowd is exhausted of seeing what I've been showing for about six months.” When a social media user is banned permanently from the platform, they receive an official email or a notification before, whereas, when a user is shadowbanned, they are kept in the dark. Their hashtags don’t seem to work -- posts fail to appear on the ‘explore’ tab when clicked on the hashtag. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Is there a way to dodge shadowban and play safe?" text="Is there a way to dodge shadowban and play safe?">Is there a way to dodge shadowban and play safe?</cmsannotation> Instagram appears to have shadowbanned hashtags such as #hotweather, #asiangirls, #alone, #brain, #bikinibody, to mention a few. On the other hand, Business Insider India found out that #gunviolence has more than 182k posts as of May 13, 2022. <div type="image" title="Hashtags banned" msid="91590125" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Hashtags that are banned on Instagram&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> A few users and content creators have found a way to dodge this hashtag ban. “To circumvent the issue of certain words or phrases being flagged, ‘Algospeak’ is fast becoming a commonly used practice among the netizens, where alternatives are found in rhyming words, abbreviations, pop-culture references, emojis and more such creative means. When a platform won’t allow using the hashtag sexual assault to discuss the issue, it becomes #SA. A vibrator isn’t an appropriate lingo for social media, so an eggplant emoji is used; the internet is littered with such examples,” Shivani Kamdar, associate creative director at digital agency SoCheers tells Business Insider India. Rashid Ahmed, head of digital at marketing agency Infectious Advertising, also shared a few words that can get you banned on Instagram. "Body shaming terms (like fat and ugly), negative adjectives or phrases (like sad and selfish or spewing crazy) and known to be factually incorrect statements, can be cause for a user’s post to be shadowbanned. Repeated inappropriate content identifications could lead to a user being barred from posting for a specific period. Unwittingly used tags like #Snap, #pushups, #single, #brain or even #alone, could result in suppression or being shadowbanned." Ahmed suggested that creators can avoid being shadowbanned by "being mindful of the type of content they create, by using appropriately ‘safe’ language, and delivering to their audiences’ interests and tastes." <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Lack of transparency around updated algorithm is eroding user trust" text="Lack of transparency around updated algorithm is eroding user trust">Lack of transparency around updated algorithm is eroding user trust</cmsannotation> While we all know that Instagram bans certain hashtags time and again to moderate its content and its algorithm keeps changing, many say that its lack of transparency is the most frustrating part. By not informing users what is deemed appropriate by the platform and how to adjust their content as per Instagram’s liking, user trust is affected and it also comes across as discriminatory. Founder and CEO of influencer marketing platform Wobb, Ishan Jindal, says, “If shadow banning is a thing, then it is a drawback at the end of the social media platforms and their flawed policies that practice censorship of voices. In terms of the content creator industry, such a phenomenon would highly restrict a creator’s individualism and unconventional tendencies.” Telling us how it can affect a creator, he adds, “Any type of censorship of the content with the idea of suppressing voices can severely damage the trust between social media platforms and their users. Such a phenomenon also affects public figures, creators and their relationships with the audience.” With their algorithm, social media platforms have the power to decide what the mainstream audience sees on the explore tab. Telling us how algorithms work, Kamdar says, “If a topic or conversation is deemed “inappropriate” by a platform’s algorithm, no matter how significant it is for the individual or the community, the content around it won’t reach its desired audience, thus affecting the creator’s discoverability to an extent. It won’t matter how painstakingly the content is created, or how significant a role it could play, its reach will be limited.” In case of the shadowban on #sikh before Operation Blue Star anniversary, an entire community was stopped from talking about a painful historic event. Similarly, TikTok had restricted #BlackLivesMatter’s reach. While social media platforms have denied the allegations, they have also released apologies for blocking these hashtags, when there was a social movement rising simultaneously in real life. This could lead to lack of trust among many users and content creators. To turn this around, Neelakshi says that platforms need to be more transparent so that creators can work their way around the algorithm and hashtags that are banned. “As a female user, I would want to have more control in terms of what I'm able to create or what I am able to speak about.” It is important for the platforms now to address the ‘ghost’ in the room and bring it out of the shadows. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="91578141" title="Elon Musk called Twitter newsfeed algorithms 'manipulative,' prompting a reply from founder Jack Dorsey, who disagreed with the claim" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Social media platforms deny but content creators and tracking websites confirm that shadowbanning or silent censorship is real

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51189603.cms" />Arun Jaitley, the finance minister, said a vibrant financial sector was important for the growth of Indian economy. He announced a number of measures to deepen the corporate bond market, resolution mechanism for bankruptcy of banks, etc. 
 
Here are the key announcements he made to strengthen the financial sector 
 
Rs 25, 000 crore for recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks 
Comprehensive code of bankruptcy resolution of financial firms will be introduced as a bill 
RBI Act 1934 will be amended to give statuary backing of monetary policy framework 
Financial Data Management Centre for integrated data collection and analysis 
Banking Board Bureau will be operationalised 
Department of Disinvestment to be renamed at Department of Investment and Public Asset Management 
Amount sanctioned under the PM Mudra Yojana has reached Rs 1 lakh crore to cover 2.5 crore borrowers by Feb 26

Here’s Jaitley’s plan for a vibrant financial sector

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50919458.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" />Looking from an entrepreneur’s perspective, though <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Start-ups-MSMEs-get-a-boost-in-Budget-2015/articleshow/46410016.cms">Modi government’s General Budget last year</a> was better than UPA’s 2014 Budget, but it was not as spectacular as one had expected it to be. We thought BJP’s splendid victory and Modi becoming the PM would lead to some great announcements in the Budget, but on comparing it with the one before, we saw it infact lacked the lustre and extravagance that was expected out of it. Let’s say it was a tactical approach substantial enough to give a sense that the Modi government would be pro-business in the coming days. But often every ruling party tries to instill the same confidence, isn’t it? The victory lies in those who deliver on the promises they make. And in a country like India, that happens quite rarely. So who knew whether they meant what they said. 
 Reflecting on some key things they announced back then: Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation Program (at budgetary amount of Rs 1,000 crore to encourage cutting edge tech <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Startups">startups</keyword> to convert ideas into business), Rs 150 crore Atal Innovation Mission (to provide Innovation Promotion Platform involving academicians, and drawing upon national and international experiences to foster a culture of innovation, research and development), MUDRA bank (refinancing all Micro-finance Institutions which are in the business of providing small business loans through a Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana). 
 
They were valuable decisions, but didn’t give a WOW feeling to a sector which already felt underserved by the successive governments in the past. This is not to say that BJP’s schemes didn’t help. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/PM-Modi-launches-Mudra-bank-to-benefit-5-8-cr-small-businesses/articleshow/46846594.cms">Mudra scheme has been reasonably successful and almost 1.73 crore entrepreneurs have availed those loans. </a>But they had still not won the confidence of the industry. 
 
However, if we look at the time span in which Modi-led government presented this Budget last year, we have to agree they did play it very well. For starters, these announcements instilled faith that<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Startup-India-Standup-India-Heres-everything-the-Modi-government-is-already-doing-for-startups-in-India/articleshow/50601819.cms"> the government wanted to push the startup sector towards growth</a>. But the real impact was felt when Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>’s diplomacy and foreign trips across the world and particularly the one to the <keyword id="6357722" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="silicon-valley">Silicon Valley</keyword> became a gamechanger for India’s <keyword id="3239074" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Startup-industry">startup industry</keyword>. He earned respect worldwide. Nobody had expected that he would emerge as a leader who would advocate for the local talent in India in front of top global CEOs and investors. And the best part was, it was all right there for everyone to see! The country watched every move he made to get the Silicon Valley experts, investors, US government and companies to see India as a future startup hub. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/This-startup-which-accompanied-PM-Modi-to-Silicon-Valley-is-making-smart-necklaces-and-a-security-app-for-a-SAFER-India/articleshow/50181160.cms">Several startups got the opportunity to travel with him to the US</a>. 
 
On the 69th Republic Day, he threw another suspense saying <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Countdown-begins-All-youwant-to-know-about-PM-Modis-grand-Start-up-India-launch-on-Jan-16/articleshow/50465519.cms">he would soon unveil the Startup action Plan</a>. It was to keep the vigour of the budding entrepreneurs and startups going. It was to tell them that work was on behind the doors and that something big was on its way! 
 
Come January, and he unveiled one of the best action plan India has got from any government till now. A lot of work went behind it. BJP government secretaries and officials and their US counterparts in consultation with the startups in India and the US sat down to work out schemes and policies in favour of the startup industry in India. And then came this: 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/PMModi-announces-mega-Startup-India-policy-amidst-wild-cheering-from-the-industry/articleshow/50606172.cms">PM Modi announces mega #Startup India policy amidst wild cheering from the industry</a> 
 
A government which was trying to match the UPA 2014 Budget when it announced the General Budget in 2015, had now set newer standards. It was now aiming to match the global norms for startups. Could there be anything better for our young talent waiting to get wings? 
 No <keyword id="6354751" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Income-Tax">Income Tax</keyword> for 3 years, No Capital Gains Tax, Faster Patent registration, clear exit policy, no inspection of startups, self-certification and one-page registration form – all this and more made for a WOW startup action plan, and now expectedly a WOW Budget. <keyword id="42575" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arun-Jaitley">Arun Jaitley</keyword> recently said a friendlier taxation system is on the anvil for entrepreneurs as a part of the <keyword id="3003094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Startup-India">Startup India</keyword> action plan. “We have come up with an entrepreneurial friendly tax system and some steps can be taken through notification, while others can only be tackled through the legislative provisions that will be a part of the next finance bill in the Budget Session,” he said. 
 
As we race towards February 29th, expectations are once again high and hopes are pinned on Mr Jaitley's Budget Speech. We hope <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Mr-Arun-Jaitley-take-cue-from-these-7-Budgets-that-changed-the-Indian-economy/articleshow/50901184.cms">it will go down in history as one of the best budgets</a> and set an example for future governments while they formulate policies for this sector.

How Modi government has come a long way in what it promised to startups in its previous Budget

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51327608.cms" /><a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Narendra+Modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> taunted the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Congress">Congress party</a> in the Rajya Sabha, saying it is above criticism like death. 
 Modi equated the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> with death and said no one criticises Congress as no one blames death. 
 
"Death is a blessing. It's above criticism. No one criticises death. People say someone died of cancer, he died of old age. The cancer and old age is blamed but not the death. Sometimes I feel Congress is also blessed (like death), whenever we criticise Congress, media says opposition is under attack," Modi said. 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		When we criticise the Congress, it is reported as - criticism on Opposition, not criticism on Congress. Congress never gets a bad name: PM
	— PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/707486169525649408">March 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
 
He hit out at Congress saying, “Today you are looking at my work through a microscope. Wish you had used even binoculars on yourself.” 
Meanwhile, Modi listed out the achievements, schemes and initiatives taken up by his <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bjp">BJP-led NDA government</a>. 
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Let us pass those bills passed in the Lok Sabha as soon as possible and give impetus to India's progress: PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi">@narendramodi</a> in Rajya Sabha
	— PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/707488449306054656">March 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
 
Modi said his government focussed on three aspects-Transparency, Accountability and Decentralisation-for good governance. 
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		We have focussed on policy-driven governance and given an importance to transparency: PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi">@narendramodi</a> in the Rajya Sabha
	— PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/707489151260565505">March 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
 
He mentioned about his schemes including, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=sanitation">sanitation</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=education">education</a>, those related to farmers and agriculture, banking, etc and praised his own government. 
 
 
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		Cleanliness is becoming a mass movement. For first time Parliament debated on it. Govt may be criticised but issue is being discussed: PM
	— PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/707497796836790272">March 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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		The biggest beneficiaries of MUDRA bank are SC/ST, OBC communities and women: PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi">@narendramodi</a> in the Rajya Sabha
	— PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/707495131461623809">March 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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		Effective or last mile delivery is what we are working on: PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi">@narendramodi</a> in the Rajya Sabha <a href="https://t.co/Iy8hu3Nre5">https://t.co/Iy8hu3Nre5</a>
	— PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/707491763741544449">March 9, 2016</a> 
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Narendra Modi sneers Congress in Rajya Sabha, goes gaga over his own govt’s schemes and proposals

<ul><li>Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2022-23 in Parliament on Tuesday.</li><li>This year's budget is indexed towards startups, MSMEs, infrastructure projects, rural revival, digital payment apps, telecom growth and affordable housing.</li><li>We reached out to digital, media and creative agencies to understand how the increased focus on digitalisation, sustainability, blockchain and push to MSME can impact the ad and marketing industry.</li></ul>Be it the introduction of a Digital University to make education accessible across the country or the proposed launch of a Digital currency by the Reserve Bank of India to the government’s focus on promoting digital payments and fintech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made it is clear that digital is the way forward. The Union Budget 2022-23 aims to boost the country's digital infrastructure and enable a cashless economy. The government also announced that it will set up an Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) promotion task force to give a push to the animation and gaming industry. To facilitate the roll-out of 5G mobile services in India, FM Sitharaman said that Spectrum auctions will be conducted in 2022. This, in turn, will give impetus to Voice, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality and pave the way for the Metaverse. The Digital Rupee using blockchain will help Indians accept virtual currency and accelerate cryptocurrency exchange in India. Overall, the budget also shows a promise for Electric Vehicle brands, digital payment apps, MSMEs, gaming industry and start-ups. We reached out to digital, media and creative agencies to understand how the increased focus on digitalisation, sustainability and blockchain can impact the advertising and marketing industry. Here’s what they said: Anupriya Acharya, South Asia CEO, Publicis Groupe: The Budget is positive, growth-oriented and with reforms in the right direction. The advent of 5G is sure to transform communications – for our industry it will help creation of better AV, voice and AR/VR experiences. It will also fuel digital payments, streaming entertainment, gaming, e-commerce, tele-medicine etc which in turn will aid more Unicorns! It is also heartening to note that a special Task Force is being set up for AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic) as this will help us build the much needed capacity both for domestic as well as global markets. And then there have been no changes in income-tax slabs for people, which many consumer segments were worried about. This in turn boosts consumer sentiment. From e-passports, to battery swapping for electric vehicles, setting up of optic fiber in the remotest of villages, setting up of a digital university and skilling through an e-portal, the big push is for technology, digital infrastructure and empowerment. Narayan Devanathan, Chief Client Officer, dentsu India: Having gone through the 38-page document of the Finance Minister’s budget speech, I decided to do a search for a couple of words that I thought kept repeating throughout her speech. The words “will be” occurred 110 times in the entire speech. When I narrowed my search to the single word “will,” the number rose to 362. To me, those two words sum up the essence of what this year’s budget is and is not. What it is, is a future-focused budget, aiming at the distant vision of India@100, with a 25-year Amrit Kaal lead-up. What it is not, and what I felt was sorely needed this year of all years, is a present-focused budget. A punishing 2021 for the aam aadmi with more-than-usual expenditure on health and sustenance meant the general populace was looking for immediate relief that would place more cash in their household budgets. That did not happen. Nor was there any extraordinary investment in relieving the healthcare expenditure burden. For all the importance of farmers in upcoming poll-bound states, there was neither major sop nor stimulus given to back the importance of agriculture as a spine if not engine of the economy. Even the MSME sectors were only handed a slightly longer lease of life with the extension of the ECLGS, but there was no real move to stimulate consumption by placing more cash at consumers’ disposal, for example, extending LTA claims to restaurants (and not just accommodation). There is perhaps plenty for the industry to cheer about since it can afford to think about the future and a slightly longer term than just the here and now of survival. The stock market did cheer up even before the FM’s speech, but that only served to underscore the dichotomy between the real health of the population and the Minority of Haves. When the general population probably can’t afford to wait for the benefits of trickle-down economics to reach them in yet another trying year, the dreams and wheels of a consumer-driven economy might move slower than the industry might like, despite the many future-facing and progressive policies announced. Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group: The union budget can be termed as consistent with the government's vision to reach the 5 trillion GDP mark by 2025-26. Hence, the strong focus on capex to boost infrastructure that connects and streamlines middle India and provides the engines of entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of the country. It also shows India's commitment to bring a digital first economy with the 5G rollout planned for next financial year, clarity on India's policy for cryptocurrency, data centres, EVs and our very own digital Rupee. Start-up culture will continue to flourish with the right policy framework. These investments and policies will generate jobs and go a long way in inclusive and sustainable growth for Bharat. Anurag Bansal, COO &amp; CFO, DDB Mudra Group: This Union Budget looks neutral, with no major changes in taxation. The launch of digital Rupee based on blockchain technology is a big move to bring in official cryptocurrency in India. New e-passports with embedded chips would definitely ease overseas travel. Managing the Fiscal deficit while pushing for growth and investments is a great balancing act taken on by the government. It will give a boost to capital investments and infrastructure development. Kartik Sharma - Group Chief Executive Officer – India, Omnicom Media Group: With an impetus on holistic growth, developing infrastructure and job creation across sectors, the 2022 union budget shows promise with a focus on the big picture. Reviving economic growth in the post-pandemic environment has been a focus for this government and this progressive, digital-first, and development-oriented budget reflects that. Not only does it provide a boost to the MSME, agriculture and healthcare verticals, but also signals that investing in infrastructure today will connect India better tomorrow. With an increased focus on digitization, some of the standouts for me were that the budget recognized the current gaps and opportunities within the education sector, and is advancing towards uplifting India with the creation of a digital ecosystem - one that is focused on upskilling and creating more employment; aligned with the dynamic needs of today. It also aims to further strengthen communications in the rural sector and build upon the overall financialization of India. Furthermore, while the rollout of a 5G ecosystem will improve the quality of services, the launch of digital money, supported by blockchain, signals an increasing focus on transparency. With consistency in strategic direction and focus on propelling the MSME and start-up ecosystem, this is a welcoming budget for new-age businesses and a hopeful one that will ultimately lead to a boost in the A&amp;M industry as well. We're at the cusp of the next stage of India's digital revolution and although certain factors like data privacy still remain an area to be delved deeper into, as infrastructure and banking penetrate further into rural India, we’re looking hopeful and strong to transform into a forward-leaning digital economy of tomorrow.” Deepak Mittal, CEO and Co-Founder, TO THE NEW: The government's unprecedented commitment to technology innovation and adoption in this union budget is highly encouraging. Breakthrough developments and futuristic technology such as the introduction of digital currency, the rollout of 5G within FY22-23, and e-passports using embedded chips are exciting for the country's future. Among the measures announced, the budget highlights special incentives to startups and the launch of a progressive, new portal encouraging a digital ecosystem for skilling and upskilling. These initiatives will serve as a successful catalyst for the country's economic growth. Atul Shrivastava, Group CEO &amp; Executive Director at Laqshya Media Group: The union Budget underlined the government’s focus on long-term growth. As India’s economic growth is estimated to be 9.2% in the upcoming financial year so it would be good for all the industry and with overall growth, we are sure advertising &amp; media will also show remarkable growth which was low due to the pandemic in the last couple of years. As announced the National Highways to be expanded by 25,000 km under PM Gati Shakti mission. Highways are adding a new dimension to the growth of the OOH Industry as advertising on the Highways is emerging as very strong choice for brand building for many categories. Prasad Shejale, Founder and CEO, Logicserve Digital: The FM has announced a very progressive budget with an intention to widen India's horizons and outlook in the next five years, leveraging emerging technologies. The Government has addressed some urgent priorities underpinning the digital sector, including the launch of digital currency, API-based skill credentials, digital learning channels, digitization of manual processes, etc. On the digital connectivity front, the 5G spectrum auctions will finally make the dream of a tech-savvy India a reality, further boosting the country's digital infrastructure. Additionally, the launch of a design-led manufacturing scheme for the 5G ecosystem as part of the PLI scheme will ensure affordable broadband and mobile communication even in far-flung areas. The availability of high-speed internet connectivity in urban as well as rural areas will encourage marketers to experiment with blockchain, AR, VR. On the skilling front, initiatives like establishing a digital university will provide an opportunity for youth to learn new skills from the comfort of their homes. The creation of a new task force to build domestic capacity in the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) sector is commendable. The overall budget is future tech-enabled and balanced. Ahmed Aftab Naqvi, Global CEO &amp; Co-founder, GOZOOP Group: While there will always be hope for more and better, the continued push towards digital, fintech and the boost for start-up ecosystem with the extension of tax benefits till March 2023 along with capping the surcharge at 15% irrespective of the amount of long term capital gains, will fuel the fire of entrepreneurship in our nation. Varun Duggirala, Entrepreneur, Co-founder of The Glitch, Author, Content Creator and a Podcaster: The twin announcements of the digital rupee and the taxation on ‘virtual digital assets’ is clearly a focused drive from the government to regulate the crypto space. What needs to be seen is how this plays out because regulating a decentralized space is a paradox in itself. Another point that stood out for me was the national mental health program. More than anything else it signifies the normalizing of mental health as a legitimate area of focus for us as a nation. Shrenik Gandhi, CEO and Co-founder, White Rivers Media: In my opinion, it is a fairly balanced budget. There is sufficient emphasis being laid on up-skilling, and making right investments in tech which is the need of the hour. The previous budget was more inclined towards setting up a strong foundation in the digital space, and this one is essentially focused on making further advancements. Besides, Digital Rupee being introduced is indeed, a great news across sectors and it will be exciting to finally watch it become a reality. It can prove to be a game-changer in India's future as transactions will become even more instantaneous. Speaking of the expected benefits, let’s not forget that this is India’s #Budget and not a Big Bazaar scheme announcement. So, the immediate benefit may not be seen right now but considering the long-term narrative, it is a fairly established budget. Sahil Chopra, Founder &amp; CEO- iCubesWire: While the general trend of the <keyword id="12134566" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="union-budget-2022" source="Orion">union budget 2022</keyword> has its emphasis on ease of doing business, I strongly believe, data and digital occupied the centerpiece of the budget. The plans to focus and promote the fintech and digital economy are a very strong positive move. New age technologies, keeping data and digital at heart of it will allow the tech enablers to transform multiple industries. For MSMEs, the government has plans to outlay Rs 2 trillion which is again a welcoming move that will help in enhancing startups as well as entrepreneurial opportunities for all. Besides, extension on tax exemption to startups and promotion of startups to facilitate ‘Drone Shakti’ through varied applications and drones as a service is also encouraging. The ambitious optical fibre to the villages under PPP in 2022-23 shall get the next 100M in the Digital Universe soon. To sum up, it’s a positive budget for the digital sector which has always vouched for a strong digital infrastructure in the country." Chetan Asher, Founder and CEO, Tonic Worldwide: The budget clearly will help the country march towards digital adoption and transformation in many sectors. With 5G rollout on the cards we will see an acceleration across the board. The digital rupee will put India right up on the map of advanced digital economies. Clarity on Digital assets and crypto will give it new impetus. All of these initiatives will help us emerge as leaders in adoption and growth of blockchain technology Ambika Sharma, Founder &amp; MD, Pulp Strategy: The Budget is interesting as the Government has focused on all sectors. The financial support for the digital payments ecosystem is a welcome move and further reaffirms the Government of India's digital banking push. This push on digitization will make way for more inclusion in the ecosystem. The focus on 'Ease of doing business is a great step, as it will further promote entrepreneurship in the economy” . The 2022-23 budget finely balanced fiscal retreat with supporting economic recovery. The budget focused on a familiar strategy of driving capital expenditure to drive growth, to crowd in private investment through higher public spending. Although markets could be disappointed with a higher fiscal deficit of 6.4% of GDP for FY23 than expected, it is perhaps prudent to not undertake aggressive fiscal consolidation at this nascent stage of recovery. While elevated market borrowings are likely to pressurize bond yields, the inclusion of green bonds in the borrowing plan is an interesting innovation. In terms of specific policy announcements, the move towards self-reliance through protection for domestic manufacturers (change in custom and import duties) aligns with the long-term goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The government has extended the startup tax holiday and concessional tax for manufacturing startups by a year. While that was on the cards, it doesn’t address the core need of startups to be given a longer tax holiday of 5 years as required. One of the most encouraging aspects of the budget has been the announcement to set up an AVGC (animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics) promotion task force to plan and build domestic capacity for serving domestic as well as global markets. Loss from the transfer of virtual digital assets cannot be set off against any other income. The creation of a unified logistics platform and the developments of 100 new cargo terminals in the next three years are significant steps in improving the supply chain ecosystem in the country. Infrastructure status given to Data Centers will provide a huge boost to the fast-evolving digital environment of the country. The fiscal outcome is broadly in line with our expectations with the government having continued its focus on infrastructure and rural demand. Himanshu Arya, Founder and CEO, Grapes: The Union Budget for the financial year 2022-23 has set the stage with an invigorated focus on ramping up the process of the digital revolution. The government’s focus on the digital ecosystem is a progressive move to render an inclusive landscape for job openings and entrepreneurial opportunities. The extension of tax incentives for startups for one more year will give a slight relief to the industry. I hope that the cash flow improves in the market. The Union Budget has various encouraging initiatives and is directed towards a more viable and flexible business ecosystem that completely aligns with the ideologies of Make in India. Siddharth Devnani, Co-Founder &amp; Director, SoCheers: Digital and digitization stood out as a strong overall trend in the Union Budget 2022. The budget put a great focus on long-term growth and given how intricately ‘digital’ was integrated into several measures, it can be seen as an integral part of that growth. Implementation of the Central Bank digital currency will definitively aid the growth of digital economy and finance in the country, opening doors for digital acceleration across sectors. The announcement about the new digital university and the renewed focus on digital learning, further presents an opportunity, especially to the fast-evolving Educational Technology sector. However, a definite plan on how this will pan out for all corners of India remains to be seen. Moreover, digital will also be leveraged in the set-up and operation of tele-mental health centres, providing the necessary focus and access to mental health services to the Indian masses. This comes as one of the most welcome move as it’ll contribute infinitely to the nation’s long-term growth.

The advertising industry voices its enthusiasm about the government’s steps towards boosting digital ecosystem in Union Budget 2022-23

<ul><li>Over the years, the advertising industry has normalised in-human working hours. Last week, the advertising industry lost a young gem due to cardiac arrest, which was induced by <keyword id="32784" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="work-stress">work stress</keyword>.</li><li>We speak to a few young copywriters to find out how stressful the job is, why does the problem exist and what kind of policies we need to execute to change the situation around. </li><li>We also spoke to a few agencies that have managed to create a healthy workplace and addressed examples of overworked and stressed employees at work. </li></ul>Last week, the advertising industry lost a young professional due to cardiac arrest, which was induced by stress. We were all left aghast to hear that she was only in her 40s. Many CEOs and Creative Directors sent their heart-felt condolences to her family members and to the agency she worked with. But did they make any concrete changes to make sure this is not repeated or did it start a much-needed conversation on how toxic advertising culture can get? This unfortunate incident has taken us back to the same problem/question that keeps popping up every year but it is never addressed. Will the stress level in the advertising industry ever subside and can copywriters ever dream of having a work-life balance? Over the years, the advertising industry has normalised inhuman working hours. In 2017, Tadashi Ishii, CEO, DAN Japan, had to resign after the suicide of an overworked junior employee. It did raise some questions back then but the topic was brushed under the carpet as always. This time, in India, we have lost another life to advertising's work stress. It is time we realise the severity of this problem and start talking about it. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Text"><cdata><![CDATA[<iframe src="https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:share:6705370839526834176" height="1275" width="504" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Embedded post"></iframe>]]></cdata></div> Nikhil Narayanan, Creative Director at Ogilvy, took to LinkedIn to share this angst against people who take their job too seriously. He wrote, “I am no expert on other industries, but advertising is one that has normalised inhuman working hours. People flaunt dark circles caused by a lack of sleep like a badge of honour. When you leave work at 6 in the evening, you are asked whether you are taking half a day off. Jokingly. "If you aren't willing to work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, you aren't cut for this, dude," some say with condescension. Well, sc*w that.” With work from home, the stress levels, tough deadlines, demanding clients and high pressure have all quadrupled. The person who does have the ‘audacity’ to prioritise a personal task over work, is frowned upon. People boast about how many hours they work, depth of dark circles under their eyes and for treating work like their life-time partner. There is a series called Thinkistaan written by N Padmakumar, who has spent 17 years of his life in the ad industry, that aims to talk about the <keyword id="2312133" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Toxic-work-culture">toxic work culture</keyword> that the advertising industry has built over the years. I reached out to a few of the top agencies of our country including DAN, GroupM, OML, The Glitch, Leo Burnett and all of them denied to comment. Agencies that did agree to speak to me told me all is well now. They do offer flexible working hours to their employees. But ground reality is not the same. I spoke to junior copywriters from the same agencies and they painted a different picture altogether. They said that they are overworked, constantly in-between calls and do not have the time for their families even if they sit right next to each other. They eat their meals as they work and even have to keep their personal life aside on the weekends. So why do we still continue to pressurize our employees and deny them their dues? Young copywriters and art directors told me it all boils down to the notion that you cannot say no to your client. Clients are treated like God in our industry. Agencies, on the other hand, are often treated like the client’s extended family, who can be cut out if one thing goes wrong because there are too many fish in the sea who would even agree to do the work at a lesser price. A young copywriter at a digital agency, Yesha Shah, describes the toxicity in the industry saying, “Working in an ad agency is like getting back with your toxic ex-boyfriend. You know that it is so toxic but you just can’t let it go.” She resigned last week due to the ever-increasing workload. Many creative people have resigned over the years and never looked back. They have decided to settle for a 9 to 5 job instead and kept their passion aside for peace of mind. People who do survive in the industry have to accept the fact that they cannot have a life apart from work. Shah has never kept her phone on silent and attended calls even at 3 am due to a false sense of emergency created by her clients about a mundane task. She has nightmares about getting fired by the client, she lives and breathes work. She says that she feels guilty for taking an off when she is unwell. She also tried to discuss it with her HR representatives and Client Managers, who did understand her problem but let it slide by saying, “This is how it is. We cannot say no.” “A colleague of mine once worked from 10 am to 7 am and that is the benchmark they have set for us now. I once left at 11 pm on a Friday night because I was done with my work and the entire team paused and frowned -- like I did something wrong. We are expected to stay until 4 am on a Friday night. Now, I don’t even have the time to eat food. I have roti, kapda, makaan but not the time to enjoy these basic rights I deserve. Eating food is a privilege here. I used to love writing but if I continue working like this, I will be dead when in my 30s,” shared Shah. Shah is 22 and has reached her burn out level already. She is going to leave the advertising industry and is reconsidering her life goals completely now. Another intern with an integrated agency spoke to us on the condition of anonymity. He told us about a pitch he and his team worked on for a month. The client (a digital wallet app) created a false sense of urgency at first and kept postponing the meeting later. When he did set a date to meet with the agency, he sat through the presentation for five minutes and walked off mid-way. Jay Morzaria, Creative Partner, Atom commented on Narayan’s post talking about a similar problem he faced. He said, “It's also a lot to do with boundaries which many ad agencies have failed to set with their clients. In a bid to 'maintain relationships', we have turned ourselves into slaves. Till now, out of all the 'urgent' jobs I have done, most of them eventually got cancelled or delayed.” Where does the buck stop? “How do we change this toxic culture? Need to plan work better, stand up to clients and learn to say NO. When we succumb to survival fear, we open ourselves up to exploitation,” said Hamsini Shivkumar, Leapfrog Strategy Consulting. A lot of agencies have introduced HR policies that allow employees to consult an in-house counselor for free, take an off on Monday once in a month or stamp in on a time-sheet that alerts the HR representative when they overwork. But are these policies religiously followed? A seasoned Creative Director, Nazim Ahmed (name changed to maintain anonymity) who has nearly 15 years of advertising experience and is currently working at one of the top <keyword id="1015861" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertising-agencies">advertising agencies</keyword> of our country, also said that agencies do offer the right HR policies but the ground-reality is quite different. “There are no boundaries at work or fixed timings. In advertising, you walk in at 10:30 am but there's no fixed time to leave. Before COVID, signing off from office meant you’re done for the day. But when at home, you cannot leave for the day. Now, because we are working from home, all hours are working hours. To address stress-related concerns, our HR started an activity called townhall where employees were allowed to raise their concerns but the entire team is on the call. You cannot really discuss your issues in front of the entire agency so people chose to speak about smaller issues. The biggest reason behind all this workload is that agencies can only do so much and clients are very demanding. At the end of the day, if you don’t deliver, the client will tell you they have other options available. During this lockdown, we have done a lot of work under this false sense of urgency created by clients and a lot of that work never saw the light of the day. They call it off, not even having the decency to inform us at times. Work stress has always existed in the industry but the problem has magnified now. The boundaries are completely blurred,” said Ahmed. In case an employee does muster the courage to say no and breaks the chain, he/she is either fired or someone else in the team is assigned the task. The pressure is passed from one person to another but there is no end to it. Learning from a few examples We spoke to a few agencies that have managed to find basic solutions to ease the workload. MediaCom has taken a few measures to reduce burnout and stress amongst its employees. Navin Khemka, CEO, MediaCom South Asia said, “We are encouraging employees to take leaves, emphasizing on the importance to give rest to ourselves, reduce our stress, be resilient and ensure our mental well-being. This is an agenda which is being accentuated in all our leadership calls and town halls. We have, in fact, highlighted employees who have not taken a single leave in the entire year, and reported them to their respective managers, to encourage employees to take breaks and avoid burnouts. Khemka also lets his employees take a week off after a hectic schedule. He said, “This was implemented with the team members being given time off on a rotation basis. This has been very well appreciated by both teams and clients. We have also spoken to our employees to go back to their hometowns and WFH. This also ensures that they get quality time at home and are not staying all alone in a big city. They have been told that they will be given at least 2 weeks’ notice before we reopen offices.” Gozoop was ranked on No. 20 amongst India’s top 50 Great Mid-Size Workplaces in 2019 by a publication. Its Chief Happiness Officer, Bansi Raja, told us a few problems they decided to address to create a healthy workplace. She said, “Life in the advertising industry is as stressful as someone working in the stock market or even the telecom industry. Instead of focusing on reducing the stress, let’s shift our lens to providing a strong work culture and helping build resilience within your team. Enabling constructive feedback conversations, having each other’s back through tough times, leading with compassion and empathy balanced with tough love, pushing back unnecessary deadlines, being real, and extending professional help around mental breakdowns are ways to build a culture that stands strong in the face of adversities and strengthens your team from within. When you truly care for your team as your own, you’ll know exactly what will make them thrive. So focus within and build a culture that you wished you had in your early years. That’s the only way we’ll build a future that we’re proud of.” Sudish Balan, Chief Business Officer, Tonic Worldwide also said dealing with <keyword id="32785" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="work-pressure">work pressure</keyword> is never easy but it’s worse when you don’t get support for dealing with it. Talking about a few policies they introduced to address problems related to work stress, Balan said, “The HR team at Tonic sends out frequent communication to our clients on the working hour policy that we have. Sometimes it’s to express our gratitude to the clients in helping us ensure the work hours are maintained. As soon as lockdown was announced and working from home became the mode of operation, we initiated a Timesheet system. The sole purpose of the timesheet is to track overworking teammates. We have a Red Flag algorithm incorporated in the time sheet to track based on the number of hours. The Team lead is held responsible if the flag is raised. Our HR team monitors this system closely on a real time basis and takes actions on a weekly basis. As a creative person myself, I consider myself as a lamp which can burn brighter if I spend more time switched off than when I am switched On. It’s the same logic we have for our people at Tonic 'Switch OFF so that you can Switch ON and be awesome.'” BBH &amp; Publicis Worldwide India has also introduced mental wellness programs for its employees. Subhash Kamath CEO, BBH &amp; Publicis Worldwide, India said, "Working from home, though it cuts down travel time etc, brings its own stress and problems. A lot of people have felt that the lines between working hours and personal time have started to blur, and they feel they’re putting in more work time at odd hours as well. Plus, people living alone can feel isolated and anxious, having to do everything in the house while coping with work. As a group, we’re acutely aware of this and we’ve always maintained that people safety and health come first. So, a number of initiatives have been introduced for the benefit of our employees. We’ve tied up with a professional organisation, which has many years of experience in this. It gives our employees and their dependents free access to trained, independent counsellors who can help deal with personal or professional issues. The areas of counselling not only include mental wellbeing but also physical wellness and nutrition. And all if it is done in complete privacy. And the Employee Assistance Programme Hotline is available 24x7. In addition, we’re encouraging all team leaders to be in regular touch with their teams. And every now and then we all meet online informally, as well as continuing with cultural activities like music jams, guest speakers etc.” Famous Innovation’s Creative Director, Ketan Sudhir Kadam, says he has been privileged to find an agency that allows him to maintain a balance between personal and professional life. “I accepted an offer letter from Famous Innovations and just a day after the lockdown announcement was made. To be very honest, I was worried about how I would blend in a new agency without even meeting anyone in person before, except Raj Kamble whom I met at a few industry events before joining. Since my joining, I did not find any kind of work pressure and it is just because of the culture we have here. The situation is new to everyone, we all have to work together and make it better for anyone who is affected by the pandemic. I believe, we all should, without hesitating, take a break whenever we feel that the work has reached a point where it isn’t keeping us happy but causing stress. At Famous, we have breakthrough sessions where we play housie, charades, or listen to international award-winning creatives, every Friday to just forget about work, connect with each other, and enjoy a day without worries. I hope agencies find ways like these to keep their employees motivated during this tough phase. Because at the end of the day, our work is a reflection of us. And if we don't feel great, the work won't be as great,” shared Kadam. Nazim Ahmed (name changed) said it isn’t just agencies that need to put their foot down if their client pressurises. The whole industry has to come together to flag off toxic clients. He explained, “We're at gunpoint from the client’s side. The industry should take a collective stand and refuse to be treated this way. They will say they will move on to the next agency but that shouldn’t happen. The next agency should put their foot down and say we heard you treated your previous agency poorly and we don’t want to be on your side. It should be a chain reaction. Just like the credit card industry, we should blacklist clients that exploit agencies for pitches - they call 100 agencies and take the best ideas to the agency that charges the least. No agency should participate in those pitches. We need to stand together, everyone is fighting for survival after all.” Ogilvy’s Narayan reminded in his LinkedIn post that the advertising industry doesn’t save lives. Its job is to sell products, which can wait. He wrote, "The thing is, advertising isn't as important as people in the industry make it out to be. We are not out there curing bloody cancer. At best, we are trying to convince people to choose a fancier hospital through messages that often create false hope. That's about it. We might be needed, but we aren't indispensable. We might be creative, but we are not artists. We might be necessary, but we are not that important. So slow down. It's just a job. Treat it like that.” Update: The DDB Mudra Group reached out to us and spoke to us about the issue and the responsibility that agencies play in addressing it as well as coming up with effective solutions. Aditya Kanthy, CEO &amp; MD, DDB Mudra Group said, “The first step is to acknowledge that stress, burn-out and work-life balance is a problem and has been for some time. It is simply not acceptable to say that this is how things are and we should just live with it. We also have to understand that it is a complex problem and there isn’t a silver bullet to solve it. While, we have put in place policies which help our employees cope better, such as the Employee Assistance Program which provides free mental health counselling for all our people; compulsory leave to help them switch off; and tools like Asana and Sunday Trackers to help manage and safeguard their time; but we know that policies can only do so much. We get the outcomes we want when everyone involved makes a serious effort to change. This includes a push from our side in building a culture of empathy and transparency that empowers our employees to voice their issues, ask tough questions of us and assert their life choices beyond work. It also includes bringing our clients into the conversations, setting boundaries and building partnerships with mutual respect for each other’s time. We’ve got to hold hands on this one and make it better one step at a time - every moment, every day.”

As advertising lost another young life to work stress, are agencies still refusing to acknowledge that burn-out is a real issue in the industry?

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51701651.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 <keyword id="6377963" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Freecharge">FreeCharge</keyword>, India’s leading digital payments platform, today announced its partnership with Bhartiya Micro Credit (BMC), an NGO focused on financial aid for <keyword id="6403560" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="e-rickshaws">E-Rickshaws</keyword>. 
 This partnership will be announced at the launch of Stand up India scheme in Noida which will be graced by the Honourable Prime Minister Shri <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>, UP Governor, Union Finance Minister, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism and Union Minister of State for Finance. At the event, Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will distribute the E-Rickshaws and also support digital payment by using FreeCharge’s <keyword id="3311934" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chat-n-Pay">Chat-n-Pay</keyword> service to pay for his ride on one of the new E-Rickshaws. 
 
FreeCharge’s recently launched Chat-n-Pay service enables customers to connect and pay via chat with E-Rickshaw drivers in less than 5 seconds. The drivers can register themselves as a merchant at zero investment, on the Chat-n-Pay platform by simply adding their banking details. For consumers and drivers, Chat-n-Pay will help eliminate the hassle of managing and arranging change and will further offer convenience to pay on-the-go in a seamless and secure manner. 
 
Talking about the partnership, Govind Rajan, Chief Operating Officer, FreeCharge said “We are excited to be part of this initiative and enable E-Rickshaw drivers to be part of the digital payments ecosystem. It is great to witness Honourable Prime Minister himself educating people on the importance of digital payment and will act as a testimony for a company like us. This partnership will strengthen our goal of creating a less cash society and further give a boost to our endeavour to make digital payments accessible to all in the swiftest and secure manner. Our Chat-n-Pay service has opened opportunities for small merchants from unorganised sectors to accept payments digitally with no investment.” 
 
“Bhartiya Micro Credit (BMC) aims to spread awareness of this 13 financial inclusion and social security schemes and proposes to take the benefits to poor and destitute people in the country. The idea is to facilitate the up gradation of pedal rickshaw pullers into E Rickshaw owners and help create threefold increment in their income. Credit for all these facilities is being provided under Mudra Scheme. The progression to E Rickshaw from pedal rickshaw will also help contribute towards achieving the goals of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Sach hua Sapna, Rickshaw hua apna!” shared Vijay Pandey, Managing Director, Bhartiya Micro Credit. 
 
“In addition, the customers will also be able to book E Rickshaw through Ola mobile apps and make digital payment via FreeCharge, which will be integrated under PM Modi's Digital India initiative”, said Shantanu Gupta, Advisor to BMC. 
 
As part of their on-going initiative BMC will distribute 5,100 E-Rickshaws at the event. FreeCharge will be setting up training for all these drivers via BMC to help them understand how to use FreeCharge app and accept payments. FreeCharge will also create an exclusive incentive plan for all the E-Rickshaw drivers to encourage them to use digital payments to pay for services like mobile recharges, electricity bill payments etc.

Freecharge partners with NGO to enable digital payment for E-rickshaw drivers

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51194488.cms" />Arun Jaitley, the finance minister, said nine pillars were needed to transform India. During his Budget 2016 speech, Jaitley said rural and key social areas needed special impetus for India’s growth story. 
 
Here are 15 key reforms that Jaitley mentioned in his budget to turn his vision into a reality. 
 
1. The government is firm on its course towards fiscal consolidation without compromising on its development agenda. 3.5% fiscal deficit is targeted for FY 2017. 
 
2. Total allocation for Agriculture, Farmers’ welfare and Irrigation set at Rs. 47,912 cr, which is nearly twice the allocation of the previous year. 
 
3. New Health Protection scheme will provide health cover up to Rs. 1 lakh per family and additional Rs. 30,000 for senior citizens. 
 
4. Free LPG connections will be provided in the name of woman member of a family to 1.5 cr BPL households in 2016-17 and to continue for two more years to cover 5 cr households in total. 
 
5. Massive increase in public spending on infrastructure to Rs. 2.21 lakh cr, an increase of 22.5% over the previous year. 
 
6. Higher Education Financing Authority set up, with an initial capital base of Rs. 1,000 cr to promote higher education. In addition, 10 public and 10 private institutions to emerge as world-class Teaching and Research Institutions. 
 
7. Promoting a tax-friendly regime and minimizing hassles due to litigation through a New Dispute Resolution Scheme with low or zero penalties. Ongoing tax cases can be settled with ease. 
 
8. Increased relief for middle-class tax-payers by raising the ceiling of tax rebate under Section 87A to Rs. 5,000 for individuals with income less than Rs. 5 lakhs and by raising the limit of deduction of rent paid under section 80GG to Rs. 60,000. 
 
9. Directly providing financial and other subsidies benefits to people who deserve them by enacting a new law and developing a social security platform using Aadhar. 
 
10. Boosting formal sector employment by provisioning Rs. 1,000 cr towards contributing 8.33% on behalf of all new employees enrolling in EPFO for the first three years of their employment. 
 
11. Simplified and pro-market tax measures such as laying out the roadmap of phasing out of exemptions under Corporate Taxes, abolishing small cesses, providing complete pass through of income-tax to securitization trusts and reducing period of obtaining long-term capital gains treatment for unlisted companies to three years. 
 
12. Promoting entrepreneurship by increasing the turnover limit under Presumptive taxation scheme to Rs. 2 cr, targeting to disburse loans worth Rs. 1.8 lakh cr under PM Mudra Yojana and providing 100% deduction of profits for 3 out of 5 years for start-ups. 
 
13. Facilitating Affordable Housing by 100% tax exemption for profits from small projects, not subjecting distribution REITs and INVITs to Dividend Distribution Tax and encouraging small first-time home buyers by deducting ¬additional interest of Rs. 50,000. 
 
14. Reducing black money through a scheme to declare undisclosed income by paying 45% tax in a given compliance window. 
 
15. Strengthening the financial sector by allocating Rs. 25,000 cr towards recapitalising Public Sector Banks (PSBs), listing Government-owned General Insurance companies, and spelling out a roadmap for consolidating PSBs.

Here are 15 key reforms announced by FM to transform India

<ul><li>With Mother’s Day around the corner, we reached out to the <keyword id="53257" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="working-mothers">working mothers</keyword> from the advertising industry to find out how they are dealing with quarantine blues and their kids being at home 24 hours. </li><li>They also shared with us some policy ideas that they wish the industry could take into consideration and help them juggle smoothly between work and household chores. </li></ul>In wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting lockdown, juggling between both work and home life has taken an even bigger toll on working moms. They have always been swamped but now that the entire family is under one roof, we can only imagine what a storm that must look like. Working parents have lost the privileges of ‘me time’ as there is no external help from grandparents, nannies or schools to share their load. They are also home-schooling while working as the CEO of their houses. And to top that up, they are dealing with work pressure, anxiety and waves of guilt for not being able to spend quality time with their kids despite being house arrested. While husbands have started shouldering the parenting responsibilities in India, the task of planning, organizing and supervising if everything is in place, comes with a mental load on women. With Mother’s Day around the corner, we reached out to some working mothers of the advertising industry to find out how they are multitasking during this quarantine period, a few policies they wish companies could introduce to help them juggle smoothly between household chores and work, and how is it they wished companies would help them cope up with anxiety and stress. Here is what these superwomen had to say: Rachana Lokhande, Co-CEO of Kinetic India and mother of a son: <div type="image" title="Rachana Lokhande, Mother and CEO" msid="75609058" hostid="261"></div> We are almost seven weeks into the lockdown and we will be into the lockdown for a few more weeks. And I'm sure most of them are working mothers multitasking -- juggling between household chores, traveling between office work managing kids, managing their studies, cooking, baking, cleaning, mopping, and everything. In the first few days, all the family members came together and said that "oh now that we are in the household together, we are going to help each other and we are going to distribute work and all" but all the euphoria, believe me, has died down and the ownership is back on us, to take care of many of the things if not all. While everybody is talking about how ‘managers need to be empathizing with their situation by being more sensitive.’ But I think more than all, what we require is having a mature conversation. Transparency and trust is what we need more than anything else. Having those transparent mature conversations with your managers or with your family, explaining them, what is the situation you are in? You need to listen to them and understand what their demands are. And what are the basics that need to be fulfilled. And then sitting together and prioritizing is the most important thing. I mean, that will build trust in all the relationships that we have. That is more important right now. If we have this conversation, and if we set our expectations right, between all the stakeholders currently in our life, our family and organizations or our managers, we will be able to prioritize our work and we will be able to better at everything. Multitasking is definitely not a solution for anything, because it will only end us up in stress and guilt. But prioritizing, setting timelines for all the work, everybody being on the same page, will help you deliver your hundred percent to each of the tasks that you do. And of course, organization should continue with Flexible Working Policy, work from home as a policy should continue. Organizations should also look at evaluating the matrix to ensure that it is more objective and more delivery-oriented. Rest, Happy <keyword id="6408068" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mothers-Day">Mother's Day</keyword> to all stay safe, stay healthy. Priya Balan, Executive Director, Mullen Lintas and mother of two kids: <div type="image" title="Priya Balan" msid="75609182" hostid="261"></div> Well, truth be told, I'm actually managing quite well. I have begun to enjoy this new way of working. And I seem to have found something, a rhythm that works quite efficiently for me, for my family and for work. It was all very overwhelming in the beginning when it just felt like your whole world order had collapsed and you're sitting in the middle of it all trying to be in different places at the same time. Multitasking, you have work, you have the children to be taken care of. There is the kitchen and there are various other domestic chores that need to be tied up. But I guess, a week into this new way of life I found my groove and that seems to be working very well. I think for me, one of the big positives of this lockdown is the fact that I'm able to be a more active weekday, ma'am. Which otherwise is not something that I end up doing. Because of the nature of my work. The fact that I'm home today when the kids finished their online school is lovely. No longer is it just a phone call to ask them how their day was, but the fact that we can actually hug and cuddle when they come back from school. It's a nice, sweet thing. Of course, there are lots of challenges; some days are great. There are some days that are not so good and there are some days that you just can't wait for them to get over. But I think given the circumstances we are in, given the need to opt for this kind of Working system. I think I am quite happy and I could actually do this for a little while more happily. If this is going to be a new way of life and living and working, I'm sure those policies will come into place. But once the policies do come into place, I think the onus of making the system work lies equally with the employee as much as it lies with the employer. I think there has to be a certain sanctity to working hours, as much as sanctity to family time is going to be expected. So otherwise, I see productivity could get marred in the long run. Also, the other thing I find funny is that you have all lost track of days, and there are lots of public holidays and bank holidays which otherwise would be holidays for us. Today, one doesn't even think twice before picking up a phone call or setting up a meeting. I think some discipline in what is going to qualify for working hours and working days will have to come in for this overall thing to work. Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide and mother of a daughter: <div type="image" title="Anjali, Tonic" msid="75609292" hostid="261"></div> Honestly, this quarantine period has been a seesaw. Some days are really high, some days are difficult. First 10 days were chaotic -- nobody knew what to expect from each other. My daughter, Tara, thought I was on a vacation and wanted my 100% attention. And, you know, when her homeschooling started, her timings used to clash with my morning meeting timings, and how much ever I would try to kind of set her up, she would invariably video bomb into my meetings, and it was getting very difficult. And I think that's where this whole flexibility aspect kind of comes into play. Tonic has always been very supportive and always been flexible. When it comes to these things, so soon enough, I realize how to kind of manage that. I think flexibility is the only policy that really can help mothers. So when we work in the office, when we say flexibility we mean work from home as an option. And when it comes to work from home, I think flexibility means maybe shifting a few meeting timings or being tolerant with the video bombing. And I think the rest, mothers can manage. I haven’t experienced anxiety related to work. But as a mother, I worry about my child's future and how their learning is going to be, and when she will get to meet her friends, when she will get to step out and experience things -- the way it should be. And some days, when you feel low and you want to kind of talk to someone, when the work culture is supportive, it really helps. You need to give that space to kind of speak your mind and feel vulnerable, that it's okay to feel low some days. I think that kind of support is always something that can help. Mitushi Verma, VP, FCB Interface and mother of daughter: <div type="image" title="Mitushi fcb" msid="75609252" hostid="261"></div> These are times like we have never experienced earlier. So it certainly is going to be an effort every day to adapt to the new normal. For the child it is a dream come true to have mom at home, at their disposal. But that also means that they want their undivided attention. They are not being able to understand why is mom at home and yet she is not. What helps, is to explain to them how it works and make them a part of the schedule. We are now not only working from home but also working for home, non -stop 24*7. I think companies are doing their best to make it as smooth for their employees as possible. However, being able to discuss work on calls has meant that sometimes work flows way beyond working hours or that calls get scheduled at a time a when there are other household duties waiting to be done. It would really help if at an individual level we are all a bit more empathetic towards the rather hectic schedules of working moms. It was really heartening to receive communication from the agency that simply said that they understand how it is to work from home. That it is ok if kids popped up in video calls to say hello! That it is okay if you stepped out to attend to a wailing baby! It is OK!!! Feels good to be understood! At work, a colleague introduced me to the concept of “mental load or emotional labor”,that women carry worldwide. Simply put what it means is that women always have lot more things on their mind, to do. So it’s not just about the physical load of doing the things, but also the mental load—the task of orchestration and project management which still falls disproportionately on women, mostly. So effectively, their mind is never ever free. This has only increased during the current times as there is a lot more to do and to get done. One is always on tenterhooks about someone in the family especially the kid, falling sick during these times. To be given access to doctors through Doctor 24*7 app, by the agency, is reassuring and much appreciated, to say the least. Rituparna Dasgupta, Vice President - Strategy and Analytics, Mindshare India and mother of two sons: <div type="image" title="Ritu, Mindshare" msid="75609321" hostid="261"></div> As a mother of two young energetic boys and the chief operating officer at home and the strategist at work, it’s surely a quick juggle between roles during a typical day. This is perhaps for the first time it has happened that both partners are at home along with children with reduced help for such a long duration. This is the opportune time for gender equality to be truly lived. And employers are a critical part of this behaviour change. Flexible work hours and mandatory breakfast and lunch breaks could make this juggle a smooth ride, especially for reducing the breakfast and lunchtime workload when the family is generally having meals together. There could be a no meetings policy in the 8-9:30 am or 1-2 pm time bands. Most schools are running e-learning sessions for children and probably not all families have personal laptops/computers. Companies could allow employees to use their official laptops to enable continuity of learning for their children. With always-on unsettling news blaring, disheartening projections of the economic impact of COVID-19 and to top it up, kids fussing about food and getting cranky due to this long lockdown, it’s only natural to experience anxiety and frustration at times. However, not giving vent and letting this build-up within oneself can have serious consequences on both mental and physical health. Companies could support employees through virtual counselling sessions with professionals, laughter yoga sessions, breathing exercises or something like a date with an anonymous agony aunt for simply venting out and shedding the load! A pep-talk with one’s manager, senior leadership or someone from the company’s talent team could also have a positive and comforting impact on the employee. Chanda Sarma, Regional Head-Operations(North), WATConsult and mother of two kids: <div type="image" title="Watconsult - Mother" msid="75609336" hostid="261"></div> Quarantine has not been easy for anyone and perhaps is slightly more difficult for mothers with young kids. Household chores and professional responsibilities clubbed with a time when kids are completely homebound is a struggle. However, based on my personal experience, co-workers and clients both have been an extension to our families and extremely understanding. Not even once has taking a feeding or diaper break been a challenge and nobody seems to mind a baby gurgling in the background either. I have always been in the camp for flexible timings but for once I feel what we really need are fixed timings. With coordination efforts being on the rise and personal efficiencies being at an all time high, the boundaries of work hours and post-work hours have been blurred significantly. The week is largely divided into work hours, screen time and sleep hours and an official cut off from work should be defined. For anyone who has an extremely active lifestyle, anxiety is not unnatural. I have been extremely lucky to have found coworkers who constantly check on each other and at WATConsult, our days have been filled with a lot of training sessions which go beyond the trade and are focused on our well-being and holistic living. Having attended quite a few of these, I actually feel this should be a norm, quarantine or not. Pragati Chavan, Director- Corporate Communications, DDB Mudra Group and mother of a daughter: <div type="image" title="Pragati, DDB" msid="75609365" hostid="261"></div> The hardest thing about this pandemic is the uncertainty it has brought with it. Having a support system is important at the best of times, and crucial in these testing times. At the cost of sounding like an acceptance speech, my husband, in-laws and colleagues have supported me fully to manage work, childcare, and running a household as best as possible. We share all the household duties, childcare responsibilities and everything else in between. As a parent to a toddler who’s entered terrible twos in full gusto, and as a busy working professional, routine is my best friend. There are days when everything’s going according to plan and on some days it's complete chaos. But for someone who’s a stickler for planning, being comfortable with the unstructured parts of my day is a huge learning experience for me. Guess there’s some silver lining after all. Currently, people are not working from home, they are working from home during a crisis. It’s an important distinction for companies to recognise. Luckily for me, my company has been extremely flexible and quick in framing policies that really look after working moms like me. Simple policies like no calls during 1-3 p.m. and following clear boundaries between work and home on weekends is a life-saver. During this lockdown, my parents are in a different location than me. So in addition to the stress of maintaining a work routine and looking after our own health, I am constantly anxious about my parents. During such times, more than policies, it is genuine empathy that helps. This, in turn, is driven by corporate culture. I’ve had colleagues offer to check in on my parents and to help with emergencies, which is really touching. Our HR team has also been proactively reaching out to everyone on a weekly basis.

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Yoga Day to be marked on digital platforms amid COVID-19 pandemic

PTI

Social media platforms deny but content creators and tracking websites confirm that shadowbanning or silent censorship is real

Karuna Sharma

Here’s Jaitley’s plan for a vibrant financial sector

BI India Bureau

How Modi government has come a long way in what it promised to startups in its previous Budget

Anushree Singh

Narendra Modi sneers Congress in Rajya Sabha, goes gaga over his own govt’s schemes and proposals

BI India Bureau

The advertising industry voices its enthusiasm about the government’s steps towards boosting digital ecosystem in Union Budget 2022-23

BI India Partner

As advertising lost another young life to work stress, are agencies still refusing to acknowledge that burn-out is a real issue in the industry?

Karuna Sharma

Freecharge partners with NGO to enable digital payment for E-rickshaw drivers

BI India Bureau

Here are 15 key reforms announced by FM to transform India

BI India Bureau

Mother’s Day Special: What working mothers want their companies to take a note of

Karuna Sharma