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Leading <keyword id="34523" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fmcg" source="Orion">FMCG</keyword> and ayurvedic products maker <keyword id="62997" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dabur" source="Orion">Dabur</keyword> is planning to set up a new <keyword id="6368585" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="factory" source="Orion">factory</keyword> in <keyword id="6355466" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="south-india" source="Orion">South India</keyword> in less than a year's time, as its <keyword id="6355515" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="business" source="Orion">business</keyword> scales in the region, according to company's CEO Mohit Malhotra. Dabur, which now gets 20 per cent of its domestic sales from South India with its business there doubling in the last 5-6 years, is identifying gaps and usages to launch products customised to the markets, he told PTI in an interview. The company, having 13 manufacturing units across the country, is augmenting its capacity further to meet the demand and is diversifying its manufacturing activities by adding new lines, he added. Dabur India, which has an annual capex of around Rs 350-450 crore, also plans to expand its manufacturing activities in the international markets catering to regions such as the Middle East and Europe. Besides, the company is consolidating its manufacturing operations and has shut down some units where tax sunsets are coming in, and opening new units where GST regime is coming in, Malhotra added. On Dabur's business in South India, Malhotra said,"We have made substantial progress in South India... it now contributes 19 to 20 per cent of Dabur's domestic business. This was not even 10 per cent around seven to eight years back and thus contribution from the Southern region has doubled." When asked about the new plant in South India, Malhotra said,"I do not think it's a few years away. Maybe it is a year away .Within a year, we might plan something for South of India as business scales up." Dabur's last investment to open a new unit was at Indore, where it had invested around Rs 350 crore. In the southern market, several FMCG makers, including Wipro have jumped into the food segment with relevant regional offerings. Dabur is identifying gaps there to launch customised products. "We are creating a framework in the company where we can create products which are exclusively meant for the South of India for which we have got this framework called RISE, which is regional insights, speed and execution," said Malhotra. Some brands such as Dabur Red, contribute 40 per cent of its business in South India and Dabur Honey and Odonil are very salient there, he added. "So we are looking at a lot of pollination of products in South of India to increase our saliency," he said. However, Malhotra also added that in comparison with other FMCG makers having a saliency of 30 per cent, Dabur's salience is in the range of 20 per cent. "So there is a huge gap of 10 to 15 per cent to be covered in the South. That is an area that will be our focus for geographical growth," he added. Talking on international markets, he said MENA (Middle East &amp; North Africa) is the largest market and a "growth frontier". It has a manufacturing facility in the UAE and uses the Greater Arab Free Trade Area Agreement (GAFTA) to cater to Saudi Arabia. "If Saudi Arabia opens up and scales up, we might look at a manufacturing unit even in Saudi Arabia. We have another second unit in Egypt, which is the second largest market after Saudi Arabia," he said. Dabur uses Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) while manufacturing in Egypt and supplying to East Africa. Dabur also has a factory in Turkiye, which ships to European markets. It also has a factory in South Africa which caters to SADC (Country / Southern African Development Community) markets of 12 countries. While in the US, it has a contract manufacturer, which also caters to the Canadian market. "Business is doing well in international markets. There is a recovery after Covid but geopolitical issues are always there," said Malhotra while referring to trouble brewing in the Middle East, and the Russia-Ukraine War.

Dabur plans to open manufacturing unit in South India; portfolio expansion in the offing

<ul><li>For this <keyword id="188" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Diwali">Diwali</keyword>, <keyword id="2200852" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mondelez-India">Mondelez India</keyword> has launched what they call the most generous ad ever. The brand is reaching out to 1800+ local retailers, across 260+ pin codes, whose businesses are promoted locally through the latest Cadbury Celebrations ad and manifest the message of ‘Iss Diwali Aap #KiseKhushKarenge? </li><li>The ad leverages technology and AI to create India’s first hyper-personalised ad wherein during this ad, these stores will be featured against the product category for specific pin codes in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Indore, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.</li></ul>With an aim to turn this Diwali into the sweetest celebration of all times, Mondelez India, the makers and bakers of some of India’s iconic snacking brands are ready to once again brighten up the festive vibes with Cadbury Celebrations and the launch of the ‘Iss Diwali Aap #KiseKhushKarenge?’ campaign. The company will further add sparkle to the festivities, with eCommerce-exclusive premium pack, Oreo Moments and Cadbury Cocoa’s #TheSweetestDiwali activation. Commenting on the efforts, <keyword id="1825451" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anil-Viswanathan">Anil Viswanathan</keyword>, Senior Director, Marketing (chocolates), Insights and Analytics, Mondelez India, said, “Throughout festivities exchanging gifts and sweets holds a significant emotional value and embarks the beginning of a new era, and it makes us extremely proud about the fact that we humbly found a place in this small, yet important tradition. Moreover, this year, than any other warrants for acts that signify new beginnings and the potential of goodness in an imperfect world, and our recent Cadbury Celebrations campaign infuses this thought at the back of evoking generosity. Banking on the proposition of ‘Iss Diwali Aap #KiseKhushKarenge’, we are putting our best foot forward to inspire people to do what’s right this time by acknowledging people who helped us in difficult times. Whether it is weaving in ‘Mithaas’ into special occasions or adding a shimmer of cheerfulness to the joyous festivities, our much-loved snacking products have become an intrinsic part of every celebration and therefore, this year we’re furthering this effort by expanding our eCommerce premium portfolio to provide more choice to our consumers, along with many exciting initiatives across our brands, beyond just chocolates.” <div type="Youtube" id="So16ZBPK6mo" title="This is not just a Cadbury ad" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/So16ZBPK6mo/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Continuing the legacy of ‘<keyword id="10221664" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="kuch-achha-ho-jaye">Kuch Achha Ho Jaye</keyword>, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye’, Mondelez India is taking a step further and leading by example by creating the most generous ad ever by reaching out to 1800+ local retailers, across 260+ pin codes, whose businesses are promoted locally through the latest Cadbury Celebrations ad and manifest the message of ‘Iss Diwali Aap #KiseKhushKarenge? The ad leverages technology and AI to create India’s first hyper-personalised ad wherein during this ad, these stores will be featured against the product category for specific pin codes in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Indore, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. The ad beautifully captures this by showcasing an Indian family rejoicing the occasion of Diwali wherein the woman of the house gifts something to every member of the family which is bought from the local stores. Ending it on a celebratory note and a thought-provoking message – ‘When all of us support our local stores, all of us can have a Happy Diwali’. Thus, putting the spotlight on the act of generosity. <div type="Youtube" id="3xo02IWsK1w" title="Not Just A Cadbury Ad Campaign Video" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3xo02IWsK1w/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Someone watching in Golf Course Road, Gurgaon will receive and see this ad: <div type="Youtube" id="IINV8D6wyDc" title="DX-TEST- This is not just a Cadbury ad" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IINV8D6wyDc/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Someone watching in Mahalakshmi will see this ad: <div type="Youtube" id="4abjNU9m-f0" title="DX-TEST- This is not just a Cadbury ad" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4abjNU9m-f0/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Someone watching in Powai will see this: <div type="Youtube" id="YLrd_JbMLLw" title="This is not just a Cadbury ad" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YLrd_JbMLLw/mqdefault.jpg"></div> This message is further being seeded through Cadbury Cocoa which is encouraging consumers to return the favour of goodness to their family members, who have always made their festivities more exuberant, with a ‘special mithai’ created using Cadbury Cocoa. Renowned personalities like <keyword id="114453" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arjun-Kapoor">Arjun Kapoor</keyword> and <keyword id="351" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Yuvraj-Singh">Yuvraj Singh</keyword> will be seen depicting the act of home-baking a special recipe for their special someone to encourage people to walk an extra mile, be extra thoughtful and for a change, make the ones around you smile and turning it into #TheSweetestDiwali. With safety becoming a non-negotiable priority for consumers, e-commerce is playing greater role in implementing contactless shopping and therefore, we are creating more digital shopping opportunities to continue redefining the joy of gifting. The seasonal offerings under the Cadbury Gifting portfolio will be available across multiple channels like e-grocers, marketplaces, e-commerce websites, hyper-local and omnichannel retailers and the company’s own direct-to-consumer website – CadburyGifting.in, so that people can partake in celebrations, unhindered.

Mondelez India's heartwarming Diwali ad is also a celebration of local retailers

<ul><li>British cosmetics brand The <keyword id="13496722" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="body-shop" source="Orion">Body Shop</keyword> has had a presence in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> for over 16 years now and it looks at India as a critical market.</li><li>We talk to <keyword id="812268" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vishal-chaturvedi" source="Orion">Vishal Chaturvedi</keyword>, Vice President, The <keyword id="6362988" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="body" source="Orion">Body</keyword> Shop India who walks us through the brand's journey in India so far, its strategies that have helped it grow here and its plans for the future.</li></ul> Over the last few years, and especially in the last 2 years of the pandemic, there has been a change in the beauty industry. Despite the setback due to the pandemic, the beauty industry is going back towards normalcy. Attractive social media marketing, beauty influencers and e-commerce platforms have brought brands closer to consumers. While 2 years back, most of us would not be comfortable buying cosmetics online, the pandemic changed that, and it will help the larger market in the long-run. Another change the pandemic brought about in the minds of consumers is a move towards using brands that use more natural ingredients in their products. Consumers are also choosing to opt for brands that have a larger brand purpose. British-born, ethical cosmetics company The Body Shop has been in India for the past 16 years. It was one of the early brands that attracted consumers due to its range of naturally-inspired cosmetics and toiletry products. For years, the brand has been pioneering the philosophy that business can be a force for good, and has been launching new standards of ethics in business. In the past few years, the brand has seen healthy growth in India. While its presence on ecommerce platforms like Nykaa and now on Myntra and Amazon helped it take its products closer to its consumers, it also adopted strategies like 60 minute door-to-door delivery and WhatsApp shopping to cater to mass customers. To understand the brand’s journey in India more closely, we spoke to Vishal Chaturvedi, Vice President, The Body Shop India. He told us how the brand has fared in India in the last 16 years, its strategies that have helped it grow here and its plans for the future. Excepts: Q) Walk us through The Body Shop's journey in India. It's been 16 years since the brand entered the Indian market. How have things been? Over the years, the beauty industry has changed a lot, especially in last two years. Beauty is now breaking standard norms and redefining it as an approach to self-expression. encouraging more about ‘How you feel’ in your skin and hence breaking standard beauty norms. There is a rapid rise of beauty technology, product innovations &amp; modes of selling. It’s also noteworthy that the millennials &amp; Gen-Z are driving the change. Digital transformation and emergence of technology has driven reach and penetration. Physical retail stores continue to be the heart of consumer experience, sensorial experience, education and trust operated by human connection. Our omni-channel strategy has helped address the new emerging scenarios to address customer queries and reach them at their convenient channel. Further, consumers are actively seeking product knowledge, source of ingredients, packaging details and identifying with the brand’s core purpose. Issues related to sustainability, inclusivity, adaptability, empathy and relevance are evaluated while making purchase decisions. At the Body Shop, we have targeted focus with a robust omni-channel strategy including an overall digital and offline presence. Bringing touch-and-feel of products to digital portals and experiential stores with technology will be the beacons for the future. Further, it’s our quest to advocate for Profit with Principles while being accessible and affordable. In these times of great social and environmental inequity, we believe that our purpose has ability to bring change. Q) What has The Body Shop's marketing strategy in India been? The beauty segment has become very cluttered in the last few years. How has the brand made a place for itself in the clutter? The Body Shop is a disruptive beauty brand with an edge in the Indian market. We have constantly researched &amp; provided for the changing market trends while keeping the customer at the forefront and helping the planet. Community Programs: Our commitment to be a purpose-driven business has kept grounded to our activist roots. There is credible work done around plastics, tackling waste, packaging &amp; sustainability. World’s first community fair trade program is the core of our DNA for over 40 years. Similarly, we have worked on social activism raising the voice of less privileged communities and dealt with environmental impacts of plastic waste effectively. Communication Channels: In current times, the lines are blurring between digital &amp; physical. Beauty shopping is not restricted to one and in fact, the integration of two is a must to cater audience needs. We have focused our energies on servicing our consumers swiftly as well as digitally enabling our site to deliver an experience at par to that of our stores. Other steps include free samples of consumers’ choice on every order; Live Chats with personal skincare experts and AI driven product recommendations. Collaborations: Evidently, influencer collaborations enhance the content engagement. It also gives a window to reach audiences in varied demographics&amp; geographies. Our Chief Brand Advocate, Sanya Malhotra is self-made, independent, outspoken personality with very strong cinematic choices truly inspiring the young women of the country. She also leads The Body Shop’s SWAD (Squad with a difference) with faces from different backgrounds who come together and fuel our fight for fairer, beautiful world. Third Party Channels: Our collaboration with Nykaa for the past 8 years has proved to work wonders. And now with Amazon and Myntra we’ve made our way to even the remotest corners of the country. After the pandemic, to cater to mass customers, we started door-to-door delivery in 60 minutes and launched WhatsApp shopping. All these initiatives are working in our favor to place ourselves in the cluttered market. Q) The pandemic has thrown a lot of challenges to retail brands across the globe. How did you navigate these challenging times? The pandemic has been a period of learning for the brand. It gave us the time and chance to carefully evaluate consumer behaviour and outlook in order to plan strategically for the future. We were able to understand our customer’s needs better. We have learned to be agile and nimble. Despite the economic magnitude of the lockdown, the beauty industry may have proven to be reasonably resilient with the new emerging normal. In the past two years of the new-normal, the consumers adapted to new channels and wellness routines. Personal hygiene and beauty trends had an uptick because people spent more time on themselves. The increased awareness around beauty and self-care presented the brand with a great niche and campaigns like 'Self Care Sunday' or 'Spa at Home' were very well received by the audience. We also revamped our digital presence by building a consumer-friendly digital store that is complete with cutting-edge technology and a user-first interface. In an attempt to reach customers, we expanded our social media presence with tools to assist hands-on product experience. Digital and social channels have been at the forefront of consumer engagement Anytime, Anywhere shopping service for customers, via Social commerce, WhatsApp Shopping, Assisted Sales, Home delivery, going beyond Express Delivery to 2 hours’ delivery, Expert Chats, Live video consultations and so on. Technology played a vital role in navigating through these times by helping our customers make the right decision in absence of product touch &amp; feel experience. As a result, we are now catering an addition of 5000+ pin codes, we’re now serving over 30,000 pin codes across the country. Q) How are you expanding your retail presence? What are your plans for this year? Post pandemic the dynamics have changed. Large parts of our customers have moved towards online shopping but retail stores are the heart and soul of our brand. With things now opening up again, we are geared up to provide an even better shopping experience to our customers. The need for human connection is now stronger than before and the consumers will look for sensorial experience, physical interaction, engagement, touch &amp; feel of the products and seek personalized consultation at the stores. With this vision, we are moving ahead to open 25 new stores in 2022 in various locations. Our future plans include bringing the activism in the very heart of the brand, that is retail stores. We are excited to launch the new Activist Workshop stores where customers c<a name="_GoBack"></a>an explore and discover how they ‘can fight for a fairer and more beautiful world’. On the product front, we aim to turn completely Vegan by 2023. Additionally, we are constantly focused on making our product packaging 100% recyclable thus reducing our environmental impact. Q) How are you going deeper into the country? What kind of sales are you witnessing from smaller cities? Are you also focusing more on increasing your offline presence in Tier II and Tier III cities? Rising awareness amongst consumers, increased incomes coupled with explosion in the presence of digital platforms the demand from Tier II &amp; III cities has increased manifolds. Customers believe in buying less but buying quality. The appetite to spend in these smaller cities is increasing and customers are becoming more conscious about what to use for their skin and body. Additionally, post pandemic, a great chunk of people have shifted back to their hometowns from metro areas. However, they are still looking for their favourites for personal use. Keeping up with the need of our customers we have a robust plan of opening 25 new stores in FY 2022. 70% of these stores will be opened in other Tier II cities like Indore, Bhopal, Patna and Shimla. Q)Over the past few years, there has been a movement towards cruelty-free products. How has this helped you build your brand narrative? Since its inception in 1976, The Body Shop is a cruelty free brand. We believe and fought the cause that animals should not be used for cosmetic testing. Therefore, all the ingredients are ethically sourced and have never been tested on any animal. The Body Shop passionately believes that no animal should be harmed in the name of cosmetics and that animal testing on products and ingredients is outdated, cruel and unnecessary. This is why The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International partnered to deliver the largest and most ambitious campaign ever to seek a global ban on the use of animals to test cosmetic products and ingredients. In June 2017, The Body shop India launched itsForever Against Animal Testingcampaign with Cruelty Free International and became the first international beauty brand to campaign against animal testing in cosmetics globally. Additionally, all our products are 100% Vegetarian and over 60% of our products are 100% Vegan. This includes best-selling ranges such as the Tea Tree skincare range, Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask, Body Yogurts and now the iconic Body Butters launched in November 2021. All our new launches are 100% Vegan. Our new haircare range is certified by The VEGAN society and packaged with fully recycled plastics The Vegan Society takes an extremely thorough approach to certification and contact is made with every supplier and manufacturer of raw materials within the product catalogue. For The Body Shop, that’s over 3,700 raw materials. Once each raw material has been meticulously investigated, each product is reviewed in totality to make sure it is fully compliant. Only then does a product receive Vegan Trademark certification. We are working toward 100% of all Products becoming Vegan by 2023 keeping in line with our commitment to reduce impact on planet. The Body Shop is one the first cosmetics brands to prohibit testing on animals, and also the first company to introduce Fair Trade to the beauty industry. Our customers appreciate the environmental friendliness &amp; social stand of the company and identify with The Body Shop in consequence. Q) What gives you an edge over other brands in the segment? We are not just a brand but a legacy. Years before The Body Shop opened its 1st store in India, The Body Shop International has had a long commitment to India and its communities. <keyword id="2755263" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="anita-roddick" source="Orion">Anita Roddick</keyword> had a connection to and faith in India. We were way ahead of many of our competitors today, to enter and make a mark in the market. With our constant efforts, we are able to sustain that relationship with our customers. We believe in assisting them in the best possible ways by understanding their needs and providing them with products that are economical and can be used guilt-free. Q) You say the brand remains staunchly feminist, one that advocates for the right of women and girls everywhere. Can you give me a few examples of the things you have done in this regard in India? In sync with the vision of our founder, The Body Shop champions equality and serves as a voice for young girls and women across the globe. We’re committed to advocate for equal rights, self-love and body acceptance as few of many social causes we fight for. Through our activism, we campaign to make the world a fair and safe place for women and girls. ●In March 2021, we started a mission to end period shame in collaboration with CRY. #DropthePword aimed at raising awareness about Periods, Period Shame, and the impact of Period Shame on India's girls &amp; women. Through this partnership, we aimed to normalize the conversation around periods and raise funds towards menstrual health and education efforts for communicating deeply affected by the pandemic. We aimed to provide menstrual health awareness, education, and free menstrual products to 10,000+ people across 4500 households. ●In October 2020, The Body Shop India partnered with Plastics for Change (PFC) India Foundation to launch project N.A.R.I (Nutrition, Ability, Retraining, Inclusion).The objective of this project was to support female empowerment and sustainability with our focus on female waste pickers, who were the invisible frontline Covid19 warriors. We have raised funds to support these women by voluntary customer donations and an equal amount was donated by us. ●With Stop Sex Trafficking of Women and Young Children, we engaged with our customers, friends, and family across the globe, we have raised awareness and funds. We were elated when India ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime including Prevention and Punishment of Trafficking, particularly Women and Children. Q) Going ahead, what will your areas of focus be to capture a bigger market share in India? How important is the Indian market for the brand in the global scheme of things? India is a country of diverse people and that is its biggest strength. We have a great diversity of faces, skin tones, beauty regimes, rituals, preferences, and regional beauty traditions, which is a unique opportunity for us. They are also well aware about the ingredients, heavily relying on digital and social media platforms and growing consumption of do-it-yourself (DIY) content. Affordability is key for the customers while demanding high levels of product innovations. As a result, we are investing in video content and reinforce it with a good-quality website. Also, we plan to leverage technology to mimic offline experiences. We use more plant-based and recycled plastic which encourages people to reuse, recycle and repurpose. Our long-term goal is to create a circular packaging strategy, which involves recycling or repurposing all of our product packaging. The customers are being transparently educated about ingredients, packaging and sustainability efforts via Omni channel strategy. Our competitive pricing strategy for India is part of an ambitious plan to expand its reach to more people and smaller cities in quick time. This makes us more affordable and more accessible amongst the millennials across the Tier II and III cities.

Here’s how The Body Shop navigated the pandemic and is growing its business in India

(Eds: Combining related stories) New Delhi, May 4 () As India's COVID-19 fight entered its third phase on Monday with considerable relaxations to the lockdown curbs, the government said a record high number of 1,074 patients recovered from the deadly virus infection in the last 24 hours but cautioned that the restrictions can be reimposed if there is any complacency in following the containment and social distancing norms. While the nationwide tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases was seen nearing 44,000 with close to 1,400 having lost their lives so far, the number of recoveries also neared the 12,000-mark. Kerala did not report a single new case for the second consecutive day, but neighbouring Tamil Nadu saw its tally rising by a record number of 527 new cases. Gujarat and Maharashtra also reported significant rise in their numbers. While several big urban centres across the country continued to report rise in the number of cases, several smaller states and union territories -- including Goa, Puducherry, Andaman &amp; Nicobar Islands, Meghalaya, Assam, Aruranchal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Manipur, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Tripura -- have witnessed nil or very few cases getting detected in the last few days. The Union Health Ministry said around 27.5 per cent people have recovered so far from the disease, but cautioned that there was no place for complacency and what was required was a collective effort to keep the spread under check. At a press briefing on the COVID-19 situation, Health Ministry's Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said there is a need for rigorous implementation of the containment strategy while people also need to strictly adhere to hygiene as well as social distancing habits. He said it has been observed that when social mobility is allowed during the fight against spread of infectious diseases, the transmission risk again arises and therefore it was important for everyone to follow the containment and social distancing norms. Agarwal cautioned that if the virus spread is detected in areas that do not have any active cases for now, restrictions can be reimposed there. "We are transitioning into a new normal and we need to be aware and vigilant... Everyone must strictly follow social distancing practices even outside the containment zones," he said. In its 5 PM update, the Ministry said the COVID-19 death toll has risen to 1,389 and the total number of cases has climbed to 42,836, registering an increase of 83 deaths and a record jump of 2,573 cases in the last 24 hours. The number of active cases stood at 29,685, while 11,761 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said. However, a tally of numbers announced by different states and union territories till 6.30 PM put the total number of confirmed cases at 43,685 with at least 1,413 deaths. To contain the coronavirus pandemic, which has cost more than 2.5 lives worldwide ever since its emergence in China last December, India had imposed a nationwide lockdown beginning March 25. The first phase of the lockdown was for 21 days, but got extended by another 14 days till April 3, while the third phase has begun now for another two weeks but with considerable relaxations especially in relatively safer areas identified as 'green' and 'oranze zones'. The higher-risk areas have been identified as 'red' zones. The government officials said the relaxations have been given in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve for fighting COVID-19 while focussing on 'jaan bhi, jahaan bhi' (lives as well as livelihood). At a video-conference of NAM leaders on Monday, Modi called for a new template of globalisation post COVID-19, saying humanity is facing a major crisis. Several exerts and independent organisations have said the pandemic and the lockdown will have a huge economic cost. Rating agency ICRA on Monday estimated that the country's GDP might contract by as much as 20 per cent in the June quarter and is expected to overcome some lost ground in the remainder of the year but still close the fiscal year 2020-21 down by up to 2 per cent. In the third phase, more categories of stores including of apparel and electrical goods, as also various kinds of repair centres, and even barber shops in some places, reopened in several parts of the country, liquor shops saw the biggest of the crowds and had to be closed at many places, including in the national capital, after social distancing norms appeared totally missing. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said whatever happened on Monday was not right and all have to follow the social distancing norms. "It is sad that people were not following social distancing norms at some shops today. I request everyone to not take any risk," he said. On the other hand, confusion prevailed in large industrial and business clusters across the country, including in Noida and Gurgaon on the outskirts of Delhi, on reopening of offices and industrial establishments due to lack of clarity on daily commute of their staff given continuing restrictions on major modes of the public transport. Among big cities, Mumbai has reported the largest number of cases while several other major urban centres including Delhi, Ahmedabad, Indore and Chennai have also reported large numbers of cases. From Mumbai's Dharavi slum, 42 more tested positive during the day to take its total tally to 632. Mumbai's overall tally crossed 9,100 with 510 more people testing positive on Monday. Gujarat reported 376 new cases and 29 more deaths -- the highest for a day -- to take its total tally of confirmed cases to more than 5,800 and fatalities to 319. Ahmedabad alone reported 259 new cases and a record number of 26 deaths on Monday, taking its tally of confirmed cases to above 4,000 and the death toll to 234. Several other states including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha also reported a rising number of cases. Amid reports that the peak of COVID-19 in India may happen in May-June period, the Health Ministry officials said the COVID-19 curve is relatively flat as of now and a collective effort may ensure that the peak does not come ever, but any failure in collectively containing the virus spread may result in spike in cases. Officials also said the process of transporting stranded migrant labourers was being coordinated by states, though the central government guidelines have clearly stated that the infectious disease management requires everyone to stay where he or she is. "Based on the request given from states for particular cases, permission was given to run special trains. Be it the government of India or the Railways, we have not talked about charging from workers. Eighty-five per cent of the transportation cost is borne by the Railways, while states have to bear 15 per cent of the cost," Agarwal told reporters. Separately, the Union Home Ministry said the government will facilitate the return of Indians stranded abroad and the process will begin from May 7 in a phased manner. Only asymptomatic people would be allowed to travel and it would be arranged by aircraft and naval ships, and the facility will be available on a payment basis. After their arrival in India, medical examinations will be conducted on everyone and they will be subsequently put under quarantine for 14 days, either in a hospital or in an institutional facility, the ministry said. UZM ASK AA VIT GVS PR NIT AMP BUN KA PD KK BJBJ

COVID-19: Govt says daily recoveries up at record high, warns against complacency

Across Indian states, citizens are being picked up by the police for unguarded comments on social media, and the arbitrariness of these arrests has created a climate of anxiety. In most cases to hit the news, those charged have been ordinary people, without the clout to incite mass violence. On November 2 2017, Meerut-based journalist <keyword id="5998011" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="afghan-soni">Afghan Soni</keyword> was charged with defamation and "computer-related offences" (Section 66 of the IT Act) for posting a "derogatory" video of <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> asking a rally about " achhe din ", and getting his response not from a crowd of people, but a herd of goats. Social media arrests are not new, and nor are they a uniquely Indian form of repression. The UPA-era Section 66A of the IT Act, scrapped by the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> in 2015, was broadly worded enough to book you if you caused annoyance, inconvenience, insult or injury online. In 2012 and 2013, a girl from Palghar, Maharashtra was arrested for criticising <keyword id="6371377" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bal-Thackeray">Bal Thackeray</keyword>'s state funeral on <keyword id="6354576" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword>, another girl for merely "liking" that comment; a professor from <keyword id="6354925" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata">Kolkata</keyword> was arrested for forwarding a cartoon about Mamata Banerjee; as was a man who tweeted about <keyword id="497730" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karthi-Chidambaram">Karthi Chidambaram</keyword>'s disproportionate wealth. But now, even though Section 66A is gone, the muzzling of speech continues unabated. India, like every other country in the world, places reasonable fetters on free expression. These include a threat to public order, dangerously stirring up religious sensitivities, caste slurs, defamation, child pornography, and so on. Other sections of the IT Act, including clauses on obscenity and morphing, are being used to arrest people like in the case of morphing of images, which may be a concern when women are misrepresented, but by itself, a morphed image in a political caricature or piece of satire is not an illegal or criminal act. Similarly, lying and cussing are human activities that also exist online; they do not inherently deserve criminal sanction. Even rumours are not illegal by themselves, the CrPC should kick in only in instances where they might incite violence or have other criminal implications. WhatsApp is where these tensions are strongest. Given that the technology can be used to make trouble on a wide scale, the police has good reason to keep an eye on the platform. But increasingly, WhatsApp administrators have been booked even for harmless remarks. There's a trend of using Section 144 of the CrPC, which applies to unlawful assemblies, to WhatsApp discussions. Curious are the cases of Indore collector who invoked it to deter any conversation about demonetisation, or the Varanasi DM who said that any false content on a WhatsApp group which were treated grounds for arrest. These arrests create a chilling effect on speech and the likelihood of someone, somewhere, taking legal action constrains you to watch your words more than necessary. Rather than a lively, democratic public sphere, we could end up with the hushed, wary conversations of a police state.

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