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<ul><li>Parle-G registered its best sales figures in over eight decades during the COVID-19 lockdown period. </li><li>We caught up with Mayank Shah, Sr. Category Head, Parle Products to understand how the brand managed to meet the ever-increasing demand, secret behind hike in sales, its shifting focus on digital mediums and overall marketing strategy. </li></ul>We all have grown up munching on Parle-G, dunking it in our chai and savouring the half-tea-soaked cookie everyday before rushing to school. The five-rupees pack came to the rescue yet again, cured the lockdown blues when our migrants trekked hundreds of kilometers back home. As a result, while many businesses struggled to survive, this home-grown glucose biscuit hasn’t seen its sales dip even for a day. In fact, Parle-G broke its own sales record by selling the maximum number of biscuits during lockdown in eight decades. Parle saw its overall market share increasing by nearly 5% in May and 80-90% of this growth came from Parle-G sales. “We have witnessed that during natural calamities and during COVID, there is an urgent need to supply rations to people and Parle-G has always been the go-to product and comfort food in any situation or location. It has a longer shelf life and the packaging keeps the biscuits fresh, thereby making it an ideal storage item,” said Mayank Shah, Sr. Category Head, Parle Products. Various NGOs and welfare organizations included Parle-G in their donation kits when Cyclone Amphan hit West Bengal and Odisha. Many people stocked it at home for emergencies. Another reason why Parle-G saw an uptick in sales is because the whole country was home and needed something healthy to snack on. “Today, most spending is happening on food and given the behavior, we are noticing people buying all sorts of biscuits, not just for snacking but for preparing various dishes. This is one reason why the demand went up. The second reason being staying at home has increased the consumption drastically. Typically, at the workplace the focus remains at work, at school focus is on studying but at home 24x7, consumption of food and snacking goes up. This is the reason why we saw uptick in consumption and we expect that this momentum will continue going forward as long as there are some or the other form of restrictions and also because of the concerns that people have in consuming outside food,” tells Shah. Challenges of meeting the market demand But how did Parle manage to meet this ever-increasing demand with scarcity of labor? “Right from day one, we were on the job in terms of ensuring that we get permissions to operate our plant, to ensure that the people are taking care of supply chains so any issues coming at any local level, there was a team that was functioning and taking care of those things to ensure smooth operation. Right from sourcing to manufacturing and supply chain, there were partners and teams already taking care of it. A big challenge was, a paucity of labor and the government additionally declared that offices will not operate with more than 50 percent capacity, which has changed today, initially it was even less than that,” said Shah. He added, “Depending on how a particular zone is affected, we probably have 20-40% labourers. To inspire and get laborers on board, we had to make them understand that it was not just a commercial activity rather it was food security of the country because of the sheer volume and consumption by people.” Shifting focus on digital mediums The lockdown has pushed even a traditional brand like Parle to embrace digital and explore the options available to reach out to its customers. While its ‘G Maane Genius’ iconic tagline continues to be a part of popular culture, to make it more relevant today and increase its recall value, Parle recently partnered with Amazon Prime Video for Shakuntala Devi. Talking about this partnership, Shah said, “This partnership celebrates what sets us apart, which is the generations of children that go above and beyond exploring possibilities in a way that makes their little world and imagination better.” Shah told us that the brand shifted its lion’s share from TV to digital during the lockdown because there was no fresh content on TV and on the other hand, there was a disproportionately higher rate on digital. “We would be investing a good amount of our budget into digital. Pre-COVID, the investments were typically 10 to 12% of the budget. During the initial part of the COVID, not just ours but many companies invested almost one third of the budget spent on digital. Now within a year or two, we will see almost about 20-25% of the total advertising spend happening on digital. Secondly, associations on OTT or TV only if we see a good synergy with our brand. So unless and until there is no great synergy in between our brand communication or brand proposition and the medium or rather the property with which we are associated, we normally don't associate,” said he. Tweaking marketing strategy to stay relevant This 82-year-old brand has grown to become a feeling in our country, it is not just any a cookie you dip in your chai. There is immense nostalgia associated with it. And to resonate with its consumers in gloomy times, Parle tweaked its overall marketing strategy. “We ensured that Parle remained part of consumers' life. Although we observed advertising by many brands, we opted to stay relevant and sometimes out of it. Rather, we continued talking to consumers about inspiring in these times, making them appreciate the role of the frontline workers and ensuring that they understand how the lockdown is beneficial to everybody. So they were not only public service ads which we executed, but ads of our products which talked about how we are part of their life by sharing their concerns. So, most of our communication was topical in nature.” When asked what keeps Shah motivated and at it, he said, “Today we are seeing many companies in the same category, same sector, who are giving up saying that it's the time of lockdown and nothing can be done. On the other hand and extreme, we can see companies that view this as an opportunity to rise up and go all out and carve out an opportunity out of constraint. We have seen both sides of the spectrum. A positive frame of mind, a positive bent of mind and a motivated team is something that makes all the difference.”

How Parle-G continues to exceed its sales record despite a recession

With an aim to create a distinctive identity for its premium products, biscuits and confectionery maker Parle has created a new division <keyword id="4498428" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="parle-platina">Parle Platina</keyword>, and is eyeing a quarter of its revenue from this segment over the next two to three years, according to PTI."Brands like Hide &amp; Seek, Milano, Mexitos and Simply Good are more futuristic and aspirational. These brands are very different from the mother brand, Parle."Hence, we wanted to create a distinct identity for these set of brands, and hence Parle <keyword id="125053" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Platina">Platina</keyword> came about, which will consolidate our premium brands under one division," <keyword id="235733" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Parle-Products">Parle Products</keyword> Category Head <keyword id="120094" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mayank-Shah">Mayank Shah</keyword> told .The new division will also include the company's gourmet snack offering Parle Mexitos.The premium segment is growing at 15-20 per cent for the company and <keyword id="1858" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shah">Shah</keyword> said, "there is a huge growth potential for premium products over the next 2-3 years and we see this segment contributing to about a quarter of our revenue."Parle Products enjoys a market share of 15 per cent in the premium biscuit industry and the city-based company is aiming to increase it to 25 per cent in the next two years.The premium biscuit industry stands at Rs 6,500 crore growing at 14-15 per cent, according to Nielsen.The company's mass brands include flagship product Parle G, Parle Marie, KrackJack and <keyword id="3324" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="monaco">Monaco</keyword>, among others.The biscuit major will invest substantially in Parle Platina and will unveil a new packaging and logo, which will feature prominently for all products under this division. "Going forward, we will be adding new products, new formats and new innovations under the Platina division," Shah said.

Parle is now focussing on premium products

<ul><li><keyword id="6407732" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="inox">INOX</keyword> believes it has sufficient liquidity to fund the business operations throughout 2020. </li><li>The theatre chain has at least 8 movies lined up for the release this year including Sooryavanshi starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. </li><li>INOX posted a loss ₹82 crore in the quarter four of the current fiscal year after coronavirus pandemic forced cinema halls to shut down temporarily for as many as 60 days, leading to zero footfalls. </li></ul>After being shut for more than 60 days, people might finally be able to go to theatres in the next few days. INOX, one of India's largest multinational chains with 636 screens across 68 cities, is confident about bouncing back into business as soon as coronavirus is controlled. The theatre chain has at least 8 movies lined up for the release this year. Expected movie releases this year <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Movie </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Expected release month </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Stars </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tenet </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">July 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sooryavanshi </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">October 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Radhe </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">November 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Salman Khan, Disha Patani </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Black Widow </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">November 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Scarlett Johanson and Robert Downey Jr. </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">No Time To Die </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">November 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Bhuj — The Pride of India </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">December 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Ajay Devgn </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">83 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">December 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh </td></tr></tbody></table>INOX posted a loss of ₹82 crore in the quarter four of the current fiscal year after the coronavirus pandemic forced cinema halls to shut down temporarily for as many as 60 days, leading to zero footfalls. <div type="image" title="XX" msid="76280695" hostid="261"></div> While cinema halls may open, experts are skeptical whether they will be profitable in the near future. INOX is optimistic about growth. “Can operate without revenue for the next six months” Moreover, INOX believes it has sufficient liquidity to fund the business operations throughout 2020. “Our average monthly cash burn during lockdown is ₹15cr to ₹16cr. Based on this average we are comfortably placed for the next 6 months to operate without any revenue. We can liquidate treasury shares ( of ₹125 cr as on 5th Jun’20) at a short notice to infuse additional funds, INOX said. Moreover, the company is exploring a range of other measures to keep up with funds ranging from rights issue, and public issue. It can also raise ₹350 crore through “sale-lease-back’ of 6 cinema properties and its head office. In its latest regulatory filing, INOX said it has cut costs across all functions and departments. It has also increased liquidity by additional lines of funding through short/long term debts. Apart from this, INOX says it has planned out strict measures to ensure social distancing. Some of which involves avoiding use of physical/printed tickets, crossing out the seats in cinema halls, PPE kits for staff among others. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/parle-g-clocked-record-sales-in-may-it-may-be-because-broke-and-starving-migrant-labourers-could-barely-afford-anything-else/articleshow/76280162.cms">Parle G clocked record sales in May⁠— it may be because broke and starving migrant labourers could barely afford anything else</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/alibaba-cloud-to-create-5000-tech-jobs-in-next-10-months/articleshow/76275994.cms">Alibaba Group is set to hire 5,000 technology professionals globally for its cloud business</a>

INOX has 8 movies lined up for release — and it has enough cash to go 6 months without revenue

<keyword id="235733" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Parle-Products">Parle Products</keyword> topped the list of food companies in India during 2014-15, with sales exceeding Rs 8,300 crore, according to a Nielsen report. 

	The company, which was established in 1929 and owns Parle G, had a 29% share in the biscuits category during the year with sales of over 5,000 crore, ET reported. 
 The 85-year old company is the <keyword id="139821" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="market-leader">market leader</keyword> in the biscuits category. <keyword id="6359432" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Britannia">Britannia</keyword>, India's second-largest biscuit maker, and chocolate giant <keyword id="6398864" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mondelez">Mondelez</keyword> shared the second rank with revenue of 6,800 crore. In the non-food segment, <keyword id="178761" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Hindustan-Unilever-Limited">Hindustan Unilever Limited</keyword> (HUL) led the pack with sales of Rs 25,400 crore, nearly thrice of its nearest rival, <keyword id="6361491" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Procter-Gamble">Procter &amp; Gamble</keyword> (P&amp;G), which registered sale of 8,600 crore. <keyword id="1622176" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Rohit-Surfactants-Private-Limited">Rohit Surfactants Private Limited</keyword> (RSPL), maker of Ghari detergent, came in third in the home and personal segment, with sales of Rs 4,900 crore. 
	(Image: Indiatimes)

Parle Products ranked No.1 food company in India

<ul><li>Indian staffing <keyword id="9374166" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="company-teamlease-services">company TeamLease Services</keyword> clocked a loss of ₹29.4 crore between January and March 2020, compared to a profit of ₹26 crore the same time last year. </li><li>This was largely due to a ₹49.6 crore one-time charge taken by the company to move to the new tax regime. </li><li>While the revenue has dipped 1% to ₹1,345 crore. </li><li>The announcement was made after market hours. Teamlease’ share price was up by 3.7% before the earnings were out. </li></ul>India's leading staffing company <keyword id="6381892" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="TeamLease-Services">TeamLease Services</keyword> clocked a loss of ₹29.4 crore between January and March 2020, compared to a profit of ₹26 crore the same time last year. This was largely due to a ₹49.6 crore one-time charge taken by the company to move to the new tax regime. Without that, the profit for the quarter would have been ₹20.2 crore. While the revenue has dipped 1% to ₹1,345 crore. <div type="image" title="Teamlease" msid="76287958" hostid="261"></div> “We are currently going through unprecedented times and have thus far managed the situation reasonably well, whether it be in terms of connecting with our clients, employees and other stakeholders. We are optimistic at the prospects of growth reviving and do believe that the formal staffing industry would stand to gain from the economy opening up and simplification of labour laws,” said Ashok Reddy, MD at TeamLease Services. The announcement was made after market hours. Teamlease’ share price was up by 3.7% before the earnings were out. The lockdown impact On March 22, the Indian government announced a nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus and the businesses were required to shift to remote working setup overnight. Its business operations were impacted significantly, as India went into a complete lockdown mode. “The lockdowns and restrictions imposed on various activities due to COVID — 19 pandemic have posed significant challenges to all the businesses of TeamLeese and its Subsidiaries. The Company's operations were impacted substantially from 17" March 2020 till the third week of May 2020, when lockdown was gradually lifted. All offices were shut down during the period,” the company said in a statement earlier. <div type="image" title="Teamlease shares" msid="76287983" hostid="261"></div> The company acquired elearning platform SchoolGuru and regulatory technology solutions company Avantis to capitalise on the possibilities of growth spurred by the global pandemic. “We have utilized the lockdown period to be more efficient, the results of which should flow into the future,” Reddy added. Going forward, the company is connecting with its stakeholders to gauge the impact of the COVID situation. On June 4, TeamLease said that it is in talks with the policy makers so as to recommend mitigation policies. However, “these are very early days but the company expects normalcy to be achieved only after a quarter” or in fact, a couple of quarters. TeamLease added nearly 4,000 employees this financial year, taking the total employee count to 220,000 as on March 31, 2020. Its digital arm for hiring the staffing business contributed to 20% of the total hiring for the quarter, the company announced, adding that the hirings are expected to grow by 40% in the next three quarters. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/hiring-activity-dips-61-in-may-in-india-naukri-com/articleshow/76275012.cms">Hiring activity dips 61% in May in India: Naukri job survey</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/parle-g-clocked-record-sales-in-may-it-may-be-because-broke-and-starving-migrant-labourers-could-barely-afford-anything-else/articleshow/76280162.cms">Parle G clocked record sales in May⁠— it may be because broke and starving migrant labourers could barely afford anything else</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/the-top-equity-growth-mutual-funds-with-the-best-returns-in-the-last-3-years/slidelist/76278800.cms">The top equity growth mutual funds with the best returns in the last 3 years</a>

TeamLease, one of India’s top recruiting firms, swings to a loss as it moves to a new tax regime

<ul><li>The use of technology has hit the roof as most people turn to digital services to meet their day-to-day requirements amid the coronavirus pandemic.</li><li>NASSCOM President Debjani Ghosh believes that the lockdown has people — consumers and business owners alike — saying, “technology bacha le (save us)”.</li><li>However, the uptake of technology has also highlighted the digital divide that exists in our society. </li><li>Most of the services available online can only be accessed using smartphones, and people need to speak English or be literate in order to use them effectively.</li></ul>Digital technology has been a saviour for many during the coronavirus pandemic and its accompanying lockdown in India. “They’re saying technology bacha le (save us),” NASSCOM President Debjani Ghosh said during the Big Reset panel with Business Insider India in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). Technology may certainly have been a boon for the 4.35 million people employed in the IT industry, it’s not the same story across the board. Nearly 67.8 million migrant workers — 83.5% of whom are employed in blue-collar jobs, the informal sector — had to “<a href="https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/what-indias-digital-divide-means-for-migrant-workers-in-a-covid19-world-and-beyond-65900/">be allowed to move</a>” back home once the lockdown hit amid the coronavirus pandemic. “India needs a completely different playbook from the west when it comes to technology,” said Ghosh. Technology adoption has become faster — but cutting costs can’t be the only priority The coronavirus pandemic has eroded business opportunities and along the way, it’s been eating away at revenue as well. Needless to say, entrepreneurs and business owners are more cost-conscious as they focus on ensuring that their business survives to thrive in the post-COVID world. <div type="image" title="tech_work_edited" msid="76317033" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Women who were returning home after the work wait for bus maintaining social distancing at a waiting shed near Infopark, in Kochi on May 29&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> One of the aspects of being cost-conscious is focusing on how technology can be a way for them to reduce costs. In the west, technology has, and threatens to, reduced cost by replacing workers via automation so far — in part, due to the ageing population. But that is not something that India can afford given that the median age lies between 23 to 25 years, and around 90 million young people will be flooding in, looking for jobs in another five years. “It’s not a machine versus man story, it’s a machine and human story,” said Ghosh. Essentially, businesses have to find new revenue sources by leveraging technology to increase productivity — not just cut costs. <div type="image" title="tech_work2_edited" msid="76317138" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;After reaching at Kalyan the migrants wait to board the train from Kalyan to Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. With no work and their savings depleting fast, the workers who either lived or worked in Dongri were provided meals by the police and BMC during the lockdown period. &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Other countries may need technology to replace the loss that they’re facing, but India needs a way to increase productivity and ensure that employment opportunities don’t shrink any faster than they already are. As of May, more than one-fifth of India’s demographic dividend — 23.48% — was unemployed, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (<a href="https://unemploymentinindia.cmie.com/">CMIE</a>). The massive young population of job seekers is not the only problem “I have always said that Indians take to technology like fish take to water,” said Ghosh during the panel discussion. A lot of middle-class people who did not order groceries online have learnt how to. The same goes for renting houses, booking airline and railway tickets, and even acquiring liquor tokens. But even having access to these facilities is limited to less than half of the Indian population. According to market research firm techARC, India had 502.2 million smartphone users as of December 2019 — which is less than half of the 1.3 billion population of the country. <div type="image" title="tech_rickshaw_edited" msid="76316900" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Ritlal Sahani speaks over cell phone from his rickshaw stand at Padmapukur to his family in Muzzafarpur Bihar on 10 June&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Among them are 22% of people who are below the poverty line (BPL) grappling against the average wage of around ₹247 per day, according to the International Labour Organisation. “This is a great time for digital thinking, this great time for pulling into digital manufacturing, work from home is a great idea. But COVID-19 also shows us that there are problems in the way our societies have been organized,” said Sunjoy Joshi, chairman of ORF. <div type="image" title="tech_rickshaw2_edited" msid="76316936" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A passenger sits back side of a share auto rickshaw along with huge luggage and using the mobile phone unmindful of risk in Vijayawada on May 28&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Despite the government’s attempts to bring in digitisation measures to overcome the challenges of physical access to public goods — many were seen starving, squabbling over a packet of Parle G biscuits, the cheapest among biscuit brands, and struggling to survive as most of India was shut down. <div type="twitter" handle="Benarasiyaa" handlename="Piyush Rai" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1219264195021029377/fC6-ctxh_normal.jpg" favoritecount="997" retweetcount="625" status="Passengers of a Shramik train loot water bottles kept at platforms at Mughalsarai railway station in UP's Chandauli… https://t.co/NmtFqs5U70" createdat="1590223944000" id="1264116960503246848"></div> Most of the services are in English Even though global conglomerates like Google and Microsoft have been working on localising the web, most of these online services are available in English. It’s the first language for only 256,000 people and a second language for 83 million. That doesn’t even scratch the surface of India's 1.3 billion large demographic. Even without the English language becoming a barrier, India’s literacy rate is 74.04% — leaving one-fourth of the population out of its fold. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76133893" title="BevQ, Kerala’s liquor home delivery app, is ‘on the rocks’ with a 2.1 rating on the Google Play Store" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> For them, digital innovation is far from adequate. “This is not going to something just gonna happen in the next two, three years, four years of ideas and there are going to be conflicts — managing those conflicts is going to be key for that reset,” said Joshi, citing the example of how the Black Lives Matter movement is currently happening in the US. “COVID has struck different sections of society differently no matter where it came from, no matter the origins,” he added. “But the fact is that the marginalized have been struck the hardest and they are the ones who are going to be most feeling the impact,” he added. Technology may be a short-cut to cutting costs, but for the long haul — it may do more harm than good for Indian society at large without a ‘people-centric’ approach. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/bcci-wants-indian-premier-league-to-happen-even-if-that-means-playing-in-empty-stadiums/articleshow/76313974.cms">BCCI wants Indian Premier League to happen — even if that means playing in empty stadiums</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/what-is-capitalism-without-capital-and-why-is-the-ceo-of-bombay-stock-exchange-recommending-it-for-india/articleshow/76315962.cms">What is ‘Capitalism without Capital’ and why is the CEO of Bombay Stock Exchange recommending it for India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/six-indian-ceos-list-out-the-policy-changes-that-should-be-prioritised/slidelist/76313181.cms">Six Indian CEOs list out the policy changes that should be prioritised</a>

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