INDIA STARTS VACCINATION FROM JAN 16

3 cr healthcare and frontline workers in the 30 cr priority group to get shots first p.02

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

January 10-16, 2021

Vaccinating A Very
Bharatiya
India Inc How corporate India is gearing up
Story
How Krishna Ella built
Bharat Biotech and why the
to immunise its employees — and company is at a tipping point
waiting to hear from GoI p.06-07

p.04-05

SUNEESH K

Luxury Wheels: Gaur’s

American The Great
Used But Own
Nightmare Hat Trick
p.03 p.10 Good p.16 Country
p.19
 02 what’s news
JANUARY 10-16, 2021

Covid Vaccination to Start China Ready to

Work with WHO

From Jan 16, Says Govt

Covid Team
Beijing: China is ready to receive a
World Health Organization (WHO)
expert team which would conduct
3 cr healthcare and frontline workers to get shots investigations into the origins of
first; the 50+ age bracket and under-50 population Death of Bhopal Drug Trial the novel coronavirus, a senior
health official said here Saturday.
with co-morbidities to come next Participant ‘Not Related’ China and the WHO have reached
to Test: Bharat Biotech a consensus on specific arrange-

I
ndia will begin a coronavirus cine schedule. More than 79 lakh ments of the investigation with
vaccination drive from January beneficiaries have already regis- New Delhi: Hyderabad-based placebo. We are also continu- four video conferences, Zeng Yix-
16, the health ministry said on tered on the platform, which will Bharat Biotech said Saturday ing to cooperate with the inves- in, deputy head of the National
Saturday, after Prime Minister Nar- also provide real-time information the death of a 42-year-old man tigation requirements from the Health Commission, told a press
endra Modi chaired a high-level on vaccine stocks and their storage in Bhopal who took part in the Madhya Pradesh Police in Bho- conference. — IANS
meeting with senior officials to re- temperature. Covaxin clinical trial was “not pal,” it said.
view the Covid-19 situation in the The app is yet to be launched. related” to the vaccine or pla- The participant had died on
country. However, the government had said cebo. December 21. Bharat Biotech KYC Only for
“After the detailed review, it was
decided that in view of the
one of the authentication methods
would be to use Aadhaar.
The man reportedly died
nearly 10 days after he partici-
said he was reported to be
healthy in the follow-up calls 7
Jewellery Cash
forthcoming festivals, Even as preparations are pated in the clinical trial held at days after he got his dosage. Buy of `2 lakh+
including Lohri, Ma- under way for the a private hospital in Bhopal. According to a post-mortem
kar Sankranti, Pon- world’s largest vacci- The case had highlighted the report issued by the Gandhi New Delhi: The Department of
gal, Magh Bihu, nation drive, pur- concerns being raised by indus- Medical College, the probable Revenue, Ministry of Finance, has
etc., the Covid-19 chase agreements try experts and opposition par- cause of death was cardio res- clarified that any purchase of
vaccination will are yet to be signed ties on the emergency approval piratory failure as a result of gold, silver, jewellery or precious
start from Janu- with Serum Insti- granted to Bharat Biotech’s suspected poisoning. gems and stones below `2 lakh
ary 16,” a state- tute of India, which coronavirus vaccine without Bharat Biotech said: “The does not require PAN or Aadhaar
ment said. is likely to be the the publication of efficacy data. volunteer passed away nine of a customer as mandatory
Around 30 crore first vaccine to be Covaxin’s phase-III clinical tri- days after the dosing and pre- know-your-customer document.
are expected to be used though India has als are underway. liminary reviews by the site Sources said this was a require-
vaccinated in the first also approved Bharat Bio- Bharat Biotech said the seri- indicate that the death is unre- ment of the Financial Action Task
phase — of which priority tech’s Covaxin for emergency ous adverse event (SAE) was lated to the study dosing. We Force— the global money launder-
would be given to around three use. “Talks are on and you will hear reported to the Institutional cannot confirm if the volun- ing and terrorist financing over-
crore healthcare workers and about it soon,” said a government Ethics Committee, the Central teer received the study vac- see — which sets international
frontline staff, including commu- official without divulging any fur- Drugs Control Standards Or- cine or a placebo as the study standards to prevent illegal activi-
nity health workers and police per- ther information. ganization (CDSCO) and the is blinded.” ties on terror funding and money
sonnel. This would be followed by Earlier in the day, the PM was Data Safety Monitoring Board The company said it con- laundering. — ANI
those above 50 years of age and the briefed about the preparedness of (DSMB), according to the guide- ducts clinical trials “in compli-
under-50 population groups with the Centre and states. Speaking at lines. “There are several factors ance with the study protocol,
co-morbidities. an event, according to an agency that can cause an adverse event Good Clinical Practices Guide- Bird Flu Scare: 35
Earlier, the health ministry had
said its Co-WIN app would be used
report, Modi said the world was
watching how the nation would
during a clinical trial, including
the patient’s underlying dis-
lines as well as with all applica-
ble statutory provisions and the Birds Found
to manage the vaccination drive. run the globe’s biggest vaccination ease, other preexisting condi- focus at all times is on patient Dead in Delhi
The platform will assist pro- programme. The country has had tions or any other unrelated safety”. It said it has enlisted
gramme managers by doing auto- three phases of dry runs, the latest occurrence, like an accident. the services of an international New Delhi: As many as 17 crows
mated session allocation for regis- was conducted on Friday across This SAE has been thoroughly contract research organisation were found dead at a park in Del-
tered beneficiaries. It will also gen- 615 districts covering 4,895 session investigated and has been to conduct the phase-III trials. hi’s Mayur Vihar Phase 3, two at a
erate digital certificates upon sites in 33 states and Union territo- found not related to vaccine or — Teena Thacker DDA park in Dwarka, and 16 in
successful completion of the vac- ries. —Our Bureau/New Delhi Hastsal village of West district on
Saturday, following which the
Delhi government collected sam-
ples to investigate for avian influ-
enza that has been seen in several
Looking at Creating Boeing 737 With 62 Aboard Goes Missing parts of the country. CM Arvind
Kejriwal has banned the import
Own Platform After After Takeoff From Jakarta of live birds into the city, while as-
Twitter Ban: Trump Jakarta: Indonesian authorities are searching for a 737-500 model that’s much older than the Max 737
suring the citizens that all neces-
sary measures are being taken to
Washington: US President Donald Trump 26-year-old Boeing jet with 62 people aboard that aircraft that was grounded globally for about two tackle the disease. —Agencies
said he will look at building his own platform has been missing for several hours after taking off years in 2019 after two fatal crashes.
after Twitter suspended him on Friday, citing
a risk of further incitement of violence fol-
from the capital Jakarta, pushing the nation’s avia-
tion industry into crisis mode once again.
The Indonesian Navy has determined the coor-
dinates of the plane and ships have been deployed
Test Spectator
lowing the storming of the US The Southeast Asian na- to the location, Navy offi- Racially ‘Abuses’
Capitol on Wednesday by hun- tion’s search agency has cial Abdul Rasyid said.
dreds of his supporters. Trump picked up some debris and Indonesia has had to Bumrah, Siraj
sent the latest tweets on his @ is trying to confirm if it be- deal with a spate of plane Sydney: The BCCI on Saturday
POTUS account after Twitter longs to the Sriwijaya Air crashes in the past decade. lodged a formal complaint with ICC
banned his personal account. Flight SJ182, the organisa- Authorities said they match referee David Boon after In-
Ssome Republicans leaders have con- tion’s deputy for opera- have sent several search dian team players, Jasprit Bumrah
demned Twitter for permanently deactivat- tions, Bambang Suryo Aji, vessels from Jakarta to the and Mohammed Siraj, were alleg-
ing outgoing President Trump’s account, said at a press briefing Sat- plane’s last known loca- edly racially abused by a drunk
saying that the “US is not China”. Twitter on urday evening. The flight tion in the Java Sea, be- spectator here during the third day
Friday permanently suspended Trump’s ac- departed Jakarta for a Family members of passengers on Sriwijaya lieved to be only around 25 of the third Test against Australia.
count due to the “risk of further incitement 90-minute trip to Pontianak Air’s Flight SJ182 wait for updates at Supadio meters deep, and are pre- According to BCCI sources, Siraj
Airport in Pontianak on Saturday
of violence”, days after his supporters on the island of Borneo and paring to search for the was allegedly referred to as a “mon-
stormed the US Capitol and caused the lost radio contact. FlightRadar24, a website that aircraft’s black box. First responders were also key” by a drunk spectator in one of
deaths of four civilians and a police officer. monitors aircraft movements, tracked the plane deployed to the site to aid potential survivors, lo- the stands at the Sydney Cricket
—Agencies plunging from 10,900 feet to 250 feet. The jet is a cal TV reported. —Agencies Ground. —PTI

American Nightmare The legs of American democracy could withstand a coup-like
assault, but it will be on crutches for a while
:: Seema Sirohi | Washington
A
fter sending his violent supporters to
storm the US Capitol, President Donald
Trump is deemed a clear and present
danger to the republic. Calls from Dem-
ocrats are growing for him to resign im-
mediately because he simply should not
have access to America’s nuclear codes.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threat-
ened to impeach Trump for the second
time if he does not “leave office immi-
nently and willingly”. Proceedings
could start Monday with one single ar-
ticle of impeachment — sedition. Pelosi
also took the extraordinary step to
speak to General Mark Milley, chair-
man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about
preventing “an unstable president”
from accessing nuclear weapons
launch codes.
President-elect Joe Biden stayed
above the fray, saying it was up to the
US Congress to take a call on impeach-
ment. He did say he was fine with
Trump not attending his inaugu-
ration and that it was the only
thing they agreed on. It would
only be the second time in US his-
tory that an outgoing president
would be marked absent at the
inauguration. Trump plans to fly
to Florida a day before the Janu-
ary 20 inauguration.
It’s unclear how many Republi-
cans support impeachment be-
cause without their nod, the enter-
prise would be largely symbolic,
like the last time. Unless a signifi-
cant number of House and Senate
A supporter of US President Donald Trump wears a
Republicans go on the record and
gas mask and holds a bust of him after hundreds
vote yes, die-hard Trumpers won’t stormed the Capitol building
get the message and will continue
to believe the great leader is being
wronged.
Events have been moving at break-
neck speed since Wednesday when
thousands of Trump extremists at-
tacked the Capitol, the seat of American
democracy, resulting in five deaths. A
string of shocking videos showed
Trump’s pumped-up supporters vow-
ing to “hang” Vice-President Mike
Pence for not overturning the results,
breaking solid glass windows with rods,
carrying battle gear, chasing a Black po-
liceman inside the Capitol, trashing fur-
niture and posing in Pelosi’s chair.
One of the most appalling clips was of
Trump watching the sacking of the Cap-
itol with cheerful family members on
multiple TV screens that began with
Kimberly Guilfoyle, Don Trump Jr’s girl-
friend, dancing to a pop song and end-
ed with Don Jr doing a countdown to the
perspective
JANUARY 10-16, 2021
Police use tear gas as Trump
supporters attack the Capitol
GETTYIMAGES
storming. No one seemed shocked at
the unfolding events.
As days pass, the huge and terrible
costs of the “darkest day” are slowly be-
coming real to US leaders. Pelosi and
many others seem truly shaken, includ-
ing Trump’s golfing buddy, Senator
Lindsey Graham, who declared,
“enough is enough” after the storming
of the Capitol. Other Republicans are
doing mea culpas in the dying days of
Trump administration after kowtowing
to him for four years and allowing the
party to become the Trump Party.
On Friday, Trump was permanently
banned from Twitter but critics pointed
out that denying him oxygen in the last
10 days hardly matters. Within minutes,
he was apparently giving “hot takes” on
LinkedIn. And then there is Parler, the
“free speech social network” where the
rightwing hangs out. Incidentally, the
“insurrection” was planned and
promoted on sites like Parler that
are loved by conservatives.
In relatively “good” news,
Trump finally kind-of, sort-of ac-
knowledged his defeat a day after
the assault on the Capitol and
promised a “smooth, orderly and
seamless transition of power”.
The walk back was partially an at-
tempt to disown what will forever
be his legacy but it took an insur-
rection, five lives and many resig-
nations in the White House for
him to get here.
The 2.41 -minute video of
Trump condemning the violence
came after the country had been
at the mouth of an abyss of a coup-
03
like event. Whether he acted because he
saw certain political death in the aftermath
or because he finally saw the light will re-
main a mystery.
What’s more important is that the legs of
American democracy could withstand the
assault. But it will be on crutches for a while.
The US Congress continued its work after the
building was secured and Trump’s “Proud
Boys” escorted out. The Congress ratified
Biden’s victory as lawmakers worked late
into the night to officially count the electoral
votes. The tally: Biden 306 and Trump 232.
The news that Democrats won both Senate
seats from Georgia in the tense runoff elec-
tions, bringing the US Senate to a fine bal-
ance of 50-50 was lost in the mayhem. Be-
cause Kamala Harris as vice-president can
cast a vote in case of a tie, the Senate is effec-
tively under Dem control. But the margins
are razor-thin in both the House and the Sen-
ate, making Biden’s job of executing his
agenda much more difficult than the happy
talk currently doing the rounds.
If Biden, who projected himself as the
healer-in-chief, can build bridges and find
bipartisan solutions, America can begin the
long, hard process of reconciliation. But giv-
en the mood of the country, the extreme po-
litical polarisation and the sharpened ten-
dency to denounce the other side, rapid
strides are unlikely. But then America has
shown a capacity to rejuvenate when you
least expect it and pass far-sighted legislation
like the New Deal or Social Security, or even
the Affordable Healthcare Act after being
down in the dumps.
But that’s in the future. In the present, the
damage is enormous. The first order of busi-
ness should be to recognise the events of Jan
6 for what they are instead of floundering in
the jungle of “This-is-not-who-we-are. We-
are-better-than-this.” This happened in
broad daylight and it happened in America.
The mythology of American exceptionalism
should be consigned to the bin. „
04 cover story
JANUARY 10-16, 2021

Vaccinating
India Inc As Covid-19 vaccination begins from January 16, corporate
India is waiting to hear from the government on how and
when it can immunise its employees. Some have even
started exploratory talks with vaccine manufacturers

of a dose of its vaccine in the open market will be about `1,000

— four to five times higher than the price being negotiated for

Vaccine Rollout supplies to the government. One person would need two dos-
es, amounting to `2,000. Clearly, it is the sale of vaccines in the
private market that will fetch profits to the manufacturers,
:: Shantanu Nandan Sharma & Indulekha Aravind
70 million who had gambled early on by producing and stocking millions

A
s India gets ready to roll out Covid-19 vaccination for health of doses even before the efficacy of the vaccines was estab-
Combined stockpile
workers from January 16, the next question is: when will a lished.
worker on the shop floor or an executive at the front desk of a
of Covid vaccines Serum Institute’s Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
hotel get their shots? Neither of them will be in the priority of Serum Institute called Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin are
group identified by the government. Yet, both of them play a of India and the two jabs that have so far received Indian regulators’
critical role in India regaining its economic momentum. Bharat Biotech go-ahead for restricted emergency use.
So far the government has been quiet on this particular as- While the first round of vaccination is likely to be handled
pect. It has only spelt out the modalities of vaccinating about
300 million Indians — of them, about 30 million health and 2 lakh entirely by the public healthcare system, everyone is keenly
awaiting government guidelines on the next phase of rollout,
other frontline workers will get the jab first and free of cost. No. of vaccinators which could see the involvement of the private sector. Large-
The government has not said anything about the sale of vac- trained so far scale vaccination is the only effective way to clamp down on
cines on the open market even as it has clarified that manufac- the spread of the virus, prevent further disruptions to life and
turers are free to export the doses.
Against the backdrop of this confusion, even opacity, `1,000 economy and hasten a return to normalcy. And there are many
who argue that corporate India can play a significant role in
corporate India is gearing up to immunise its employees. Likely cost of one dose speeding up large-scale immunisation.
Some CEOs have said in unequivocal terms that there is no in open market, as Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw says India needs
need for the government to bear the cost of vaccinating their opposed to adopt a flexible approach in its immunisation plan
employees. While most companies are waiting to hear from to about `200 to be to enable a rapid scaling up of the process. Confining
the government on the rules regarding bulk purchase of purchased by the the rollout to a stratified population, she says, would
Covid-19 vaccines, a few have indeed started exploratory talks government slow down the process as has been the case in many
with manufacturers. countries. “There could be a split between the supply
“We have already galvanised ourselves to see how we can
get vaccines from manufacturers. Once the formalities are 30 million for the public sector and the private sector in a par-
ticular ratio, which could be adjusted according to the
clear, we will proceed further,” RPG Group Chairman Harsh No. of doses progress,” she suggests.
Goenka told ET Magazine, adding that the government should Bangladesh An approach like this could enable the private sec-
create a framework for companies to purchase in bulk. He has ordered from India tor to conduct a parallel vaccination drive for its em-
says his company is keen to help its employees and possibly in the first phase ployees, which would help keep the wheels of the
their family members get the jabs. economy turning. “In all the manufacturing fa-
ITC Ltd, another large company with presence in FMCG and Source: Govt releases, cilities where you have large number of
media reports
hotels, has also been in touch with vaccine manufacturers. workers working in close proximity, we
“We have approached vaccine manufactures and are in have suffered, because every time a
exploratory talks,” says Amitav Mukherji, ITC’s head of case was detected, that entire sec-
corporate human resources. “As progressive employers, we tion had to be closed for at least a
would certainly like to extend the vaccination to employees few days,” Mazumdar-Shaw
and we are intending to purchase it once it is commercially adds.
available and as per any government guidelines on the Montek Singh Ahluwalia, for-
matter,” he adds. mer deputy chairman of the erst-
The first movers in India Inc would succeed in procuring while Planning Commission, ex-
stocks as soon as the government allows the sale in the private pressed similar sentiments in a
market. In recent media interactions, Adar Poonawalla, chief column in Mint in December: “Pri-
executive officer of Serum Institute of India, has said the price vate companies may be willing to
vaccinate their workforce at their
own expense, perhaps including
“We should have a parallel vaccination (drive) even their families. If they can procure
the vaccine from the market, they
where the private sector is told to vaccinate
should be allowed to do so, reducing
employees. It is needed to keep the economy going. the burden on the government. They
In all the manufacturing facilities where you have should be allowed to use CSR funds
large numbers working in close proximity, we for this purpose.”
have suffered, because every time a case was detected, that An HUL spokesperson told ET
entire section had to be closed for at least a few days” Magazine that the company will be
working through the guidelines is-
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon
Global Dose (Data as on Jan 6, 2021) cover story 05
JANUARY 10-16, 2021
TOTAL SHOTS GIVEN: 15 million+ in 35 countries
US China Israel UK UAE
SHOTS GIVEN: 5.05 mn SHOTS GIVEN: 4.5 mn SHOTS GIVEN: 1.3 mn SHOTS GIVEN: 1.3 mn SHOTS GIVEN: 826,000

BEGAN ON: Dec 14
The vaccine drive got off to a
slow start, falling way behind its
target of vaccinating 20 million
by the end of 2020. Reuters re-
ports Ford has ordered ultra-
cold freezers for vaccine distri-
bution to employees, to be avail-
able on a voluntary basis.
Lemonade, an insurance compa-
ny, is aiming for 100% vaccina-
tion through a corporate direc-
tive and educational sessions.
BEGAN IN: July*
(*Vaccines in Phase 3 trials were made
available)
China launched its emergency
inoculation programme in
July, using experimental
vaccines on essential workers.
Vaccines are available in some
cities on a first come, first
served basis. Citizens have
been queuing up for the shot,
particularly those who need
to travel abroad.
BEGAN ON: Dec 19
It has covered about 15% of 9.3
million population in over a
fortnight. It plans to give
vaccinated and recovered
citizens a “green passport”, which
will allow easy access to events
and venues and exemption from
quarantine. Though vaccination is
not compulsory, Haaretz reports
that some workplaces have
announced benefits for workers
who have got vaccinated.
BEGAN ON: Dec 8
The initial rollout is
through the National
Health Service. The country
head for Pfizer has stated
that there are no plans to
supply to the private sector
in the foreseeable
future.
BEGAN ON: Dec 14
The Sinopharm vaccine is free for
all UAE residents, who can receive
it after registering to book an
appointment. Companies are
“encouraging” employees and
clients to get vaccinated, with
some arranging transport,
according to reports. FT reports
that staff members in one
government office are expected
to wear differently coloured pins
to denote their vaccination status.

Source: Bloomberg, news reports

sued by the government.

The hotels and hospitality industry, which has been
among the worst hit by the pandemic, knows that an early Govt Should Create a Framework for
Companies to Purchase Vaccine in Bulk
and successful vaccine rollout among its employees and cli-
ents will be key to its recovery. Says National Restaurant As-
sociation of India President Anurag Katriar: “We have dis-
cussed it internally but first we want to see what the govern- Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Group, says government should not fund the vaccination of people who can
ment’s plan is because we have been hearing many things.
afford it. In an email interview with Shantanu Nandan Sharma, he says his company is keen to vaccinate its
If the government is going to control the vaccine adminis-
tration, we will have a limited role to play.” He adds, “We all employees. Edited excerpts:
know the virus is on the wane now but the fear of the virus

is there. Vaccination will rebuild confidence.”
When priority categories were first identified in Novem-
ber, some within the government had in fact argued in fa-
vour of including frontline economic workers, particularly
of severely hit sectors such as tourism and hospitality, ac-
cording to a NITI Aayog official, who requested not to be
named. But then the question arose as to why the govern-
ment should pay to vaccinate a highly paid executive, say, of
a five-star hotel chain? However, another idea is gaining cur-
rency at the moment — to allow private companies to vac-
cinate their employees by using their corporate social re-
sponsibility fund, the official adds.
Even as everyone is waiting for clarity from the
government, some companies have kick-started internal
discussions and preparations. “At IT services companies,
there are plans to repurpose their budget for wellness and
medical checkups for vaccination. It is already being used
for the Covid testing of executives,” says Kamal Karanth,
cofounder of staffing solutions company
Xpheno.
Companies are reaching out to
law firms and consultancies for ad-
vice on the rollout. “Companies are
preparing, doing their own research
and looking at what is feasible. There
are also questions about whether vacci-
nating employees can be considered
under CSR,” says Anshul Prakash,
partner (employment, labour &
benefits practice) at the law firm
Khaitan & Co, which has been advis-
ing companies in manufacturing and
services sectors. Prakash says com-
panies are considering offering em-
ployees free transport facilities to
“We have approached vaccine manufactures
and are in exploratory talks. As progressive
employers, we would certainly like to extend
Covid vaccination to employees
and we are intending to
purchase it once it is
commercially available and as
per any government guidelines
on the matter.”
Amitav Mukherji,
Head of Corporate Human Resources, ITC Ltd
S
houldn’t workers in manufacturing fa-
cilities as well as frontline staff in ser-
vices sector be administered Covid vac-
cine on a priority basis?
The current priority group is estimated to be around
300 million. This is based on protecting those who be-
long to a higher risk profile such as healthcare and es-
sential frontline workers who have been at the forefront
of the fight against pandemic since it began, as well as
those with co-morbidities and people of
older age profile. Hence, in India we
will have to resort to multiple phas-
ing to manage the capacities ade-
quately. The engine of growth is,
of course, manufacturing and ser-
vices sectors and it is essential that
they are also administered in the
next phase.
How should corpo-
rate India ensure
their employees
get vaccinated?
In order to ease the
burden on govern-
vaccination centres and coverage for medical assistance in
case of mild side-effects. If there are vaccination drives on
campus, companies would also like to offer free blood tests
to check if employees have any co-morbidity. “They will
also offer vaccination for family members,” he adds.
Biocon, for example, is planning to offer vaccination to
employees and family members at its own cost, once that
option is available. “We are telling our employees that as
soon as we are allowed to vaccinate, we will vaccinate them
and the family members they are staying with,” says Ma-
zumdar-Shaw. She estimates that for 12,000 employees and
their family members, the company will need about one
lakh doses of vaccine.
HR and management consultants say enlightened em-
ployers would be interested in procuring vaccines. “It’s go-
ing to be the new version of helping employees move their
desktops home — the next big operational challenge,” says
Abhijit Bhaduri, management consultant and executive
coach to corporate leaders. He expects procuring the vac-
cines will be a benefit that many companies would like to
extend to their employees.
ments, it would be the right thing if companies are able
to access the vaccine immediately after the priority vac-
cinations are done. Also, government funding should
not go for people and corporates who can afford it. It
should be the duty of every organisation to have em-
ployees vaccinated to ensure business continuity and
also as an expression of their care. It will very soon be-
come a necessity for more and more companies to join
in the effort. At present there is lack of clarity as to how
companies can go about it. The government should cre-
ate a framework for corporates to purchase in bulk.
Moreover, a big logistical exercise will be required to
monitor and execute it. Hence the question to address
is how it should be dovetailed into the government pro-
gramme — and that should be thought of right away.
What about the plan to vaccinate your own em-
ployees?
We are very keen to help our employees and maybe
their families whereby we can get them vaccinated. We
have already galvanised ourselves to see how we can
get vaccines from manufacturers. Once the formalities
are clear, we will proceed further. I also believe that it
is necessary to empower companies to help with the
vaccination to ease the burden on governments. „
Globally, too, some companies have come forward, en-
couraging their employees to get vaccinated. Although vac-
cination in Israel is not mandatory, Haaretz reports that
some workplaces have announced benefits for workers
who have got themselves vaccinated. In the US, Ford Motor
Co has ordered ultra-cold freezers for vaccine distribution
among its employees, to be available on a voluntary basis.
Unlike in the US, where companies can make vaccination
mandatory for employees, there is no such provision under
Indian law, unless the government issues specific guide-
lines, says Prakash of Khaitan & Co. During the lockdown,
employers were told that if they had to bring in critical sup-
port staff to workplaces, they should download the Aarogya
Setu app on their phones. “Something similar under the
Disaster Management Act may come in, but right now it’s
premature to think along those lines,” he adds.
India Inc seems inclined to pitch in to vaccinate its em-
ployees, from shop floors to front desks. For, that is the first
step towards a business bounceback.
The ball is now in the government’s court.„
shantanu.sharma@timesgroup.com
06 cover story
JANUARY 10-16, 2021

A Very Bharatiya
Story
How Krishna Ella built Bharat Biotech and
requesting anonymity. “He is very passionate about his work.
He is a scientist at heart. You got to give it to that guy because
he engineered that vaccine himself. He was not a contract-
manufacturer for some foreign lab.”
If Covaxin succeeds, it will cement Bharat Biotech as a
formidable drug manufacturer in the world. The Hy-
derabad-based company that Krishna Ella founded
with his wife Suchitra already has an enviable body
why the company is at a tipping point of work. In fact, mass production of the rotavirus
vaccine first by Bharat Biotech and then by SII em-
boldened the government to include the vaccine
in its national immunisation schedule in 2019. It
:: Shailesh Menon had to pay a fraction of the US dollar to bulk pur-

I
n the midst of the lockdown in April, as the chase the vaccine from these manufacturers.
world was trying to get a handle on the nature Bharat Biotech’s Rotavac became an obvious
of the novel coronavirus, a vehicle sped along choice for various governments, multilateral
the National Highway 65. Its occupants were agencies, local bodies and private medical health-
aware of the urgency of their special mission that care facilities as it was “prequalified” by the World
had started at the National Institute of Virology, Pune. Health Organization eight months before Serum’s Ro-
However, despite the empty roads, the driver of the four- tasiil. Five drops of the pink rotavirus vaccine delivered
wheeler had to be careful. He could not afford an accident; orally to babies three times in the first 14 weeks help cut
the stakes were sky-high. infant mortality considerably. WHO says 90,000–153,000
In the vehicle was a container children die from rotavirus infection in India each year “but
with a live strain of the coronavi- these numbers are not based on nationally representative
rus in deep freeze. Its destina- Dr Krishna samples”. However, medical experts and doctors say the rota-
tion: the Bharat Biotech labora-
tory in Hyderabad.
M Ella virus vaccine has helped to reduce
infant mortality across India.
Eight months later, the bio- PLACE OF BIRTH: The success of Rotavac posi- “The company is
technolo gy company an- Thiruthani, Tamil Nadu tioned Bharat Biotech as a “small growing at
nounced a vaccine, after researching challenger” to Pune-based SII, the 30–35% CAGR.
on such strains, that promises to pro- EDUCATION: Graduation in world’s largest vaccine manufac-
agricultural sciences, MS from
Ella understands
tect us from Covid-19. turer.
However, this journey has come University of Hawaii, PhD The strategic guidance Bharat
diseases and
with its pitfalls. The latest, and the from Wisconsin University Biotech (BB) gets is also a reason vaccines. Science
most public, was seen after the Drugs for its rise, says the pharma prac- forms the basis of
FIRST JOB: Research faculty at his business. We’ll
Controller General of India (DCGI) tice head of a large consulting
on January 3 approved the Covid-19 the Medical University of firm. “BB is more unique in its continue our
South Carolina
vaccines of Serum Institute of India approach to vaccines. Their journey with him”
(SII) and Bharat Biotech for restrict- ESTABLISHED BHARAT BIOTECH pick of diseases that need vac-
ed use. While SII’s Covishield was cination make them better-
Rakesh Kathotia,
IN: 1996 founder-chairman of
developed in collaboration with the placed — and more agile — Subhkam Ventures
University of Oxford and AstraZene- EMPLOYS: 1,500 people than Serum. BB is purely a and an investor
ca, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is In- science and scientist-led in Bharat Biotech
GLOBAL REACH: Has shipped
dia’s first indigenous coronavirus company.” That shows
over 4 billion doses of
vaccine. Ella is a scientist as well as
The DCGI’s approval of Covaxin,
vaccine to over 120 countries a businessman.
despite it not having phase-3 clinical PATENT OWNERSHIP: Has over Before establishing Bharat
trial efficacy and safety data, 140 global patents Biotech in 1996 with a seed
stunned several vaccine experts. capital of `12 crore, Ella
Many expressed doubts about the taught at The Medical
company’s clinical trial processes. In
a television interview, Serum Institute CEO Adar Poona-
walla said only three vaccines — those engineered by 763.3
Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca — would work. Growth Trend 703.4
“Everything else has been proven to be safe, just like wa- Bharat Biotech’s numbers in ` cr
ter,” he had said. Net sale
A moment of triumph became a defensive one for
Bharat Biotech’s founder-CMD M Krishna Ella. “Some Profit after tax
companies have branded me like ‘water’. I want to deny 511
that. We are scientists,” an apparently upset Ella said at a
press conference the next day. 408.3
According to sources, senior government officials had
to intervene to bring about a truce between the two com- 302.4
panies. 265.1
Source: ETIG Database

Despite repeated attempts, Bharat Biotech did not re-

spond to ET Magazine’s queries. Ella could not be
reached over the phone.
People who know Ella say he is a soft-spoken man. But 97.6 111.6
the “safe like water” comment apparently did not go 49.4 62.7
down well with him. “Am not surprised with Ella’s out- 18.5 17.9
burst,” says a Hyderabad-based pharma entrepreneur,
SUNEESH K FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19
 cover story 07
JANUARY 10-16, 2021

Bharat Vaccine Tracker

University in South Carolina. Two years after Prominent Covid-19 vaccines and their status across the world
starting Bharat Biotech with his wife Suchitra, Ella Biotech’s
rolled out a “safer” (cesium chloride-free) Hepati- Vaccine Pfizer BioNtech Moderna-BARDA Sinovac
tis B vaccine, which Bharat Biotech claims to be Milestones VACCINE NAME: Comirnaty VACCINE NAME: mRNA- VACCINE NAME:
the first in the world. Suchitra is the JMD of the
1273 CoronaVac
company. 1996: Krishna Ella COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Multinational COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China
Over the years, it launched a string of vaccines, and Suchitra Ella
therapeutics and bio-therapeutics. Just before APPROVAL/EMERGENCY-USE APPROVAL/EMERGENCY- APPROVAL/EMERGENCY-
start company AUTHORISATION: UK, USA, USE AUTHORISATION: US, USE AUTHORISATION:
launching Rotavac, Bharat Biotech unveiled the
world’s first typhoid conjugate vaccine, with a Canada, Bahrain, Mexico & Canada, Israel & EU China
1998: Launches its first
claimed efficacy of 87%. The company has a dozen WHO among others
vaccine — world’s first
other vaccines that claim to prevent diseases such cesium chloride-free
as haemophilus influenzae, polio, swine flu, rabies, Hepatitis B vaccine
Japanese encephalitis and hepatitis B. It is working Wuhan Institute of BARDA-OWS Gamaleya Research
on a string of vaccines against chikungunya and Biological Products VACCINE NAME: COVID-19 Institute
Zika infections, human papillomavirus and malar- VACCINE NAME: NA Vaccine AstraZeneca VACCINE NAME: Sputnik V
ia. Research is also on to develop an “intranasal COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Russia
vaccination process”, which may open up a new
APPROVAL/EMERGENCY- APPROVAL/EMERGENCY-USE APPROVAL/EMERGENCY-
mode of vaccine delivery.
USE AUTHORISATION: AUTHORISATION: UK, India, USE AUTHORISATION:
China Argentina & others Russia
Picking Winners
Referring to this bouquet of vaccines, a former
deputy director of the Central Drugs Standard
2002: Receives grant
Control Organisation says: “Vaccine and drug
from Gates
Beijing Institute of State Research Center Bharat Biotech
manufacturers see a lot of failures when they try Biological Products of Virology and VACCINE NAME: Covaxin
to develop new products. This hurtles them to se- Foundation Biotechnology
VACCINE NAME: CorV COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
vere losses as well. But in the case of BB, the num- VACCINE NAME: EpiVacCorona
2006: Comes up with COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China India
ber of failures are far fewer than their peers.
rabies vaccine APPROVAL/EMERGENCY- COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Russia APPROVAL/EMERGENCY-
They’ve managed to come out with a successful
vaccine every three-four years.” USE AUTHORISATION: APPROVAL/EMERGENCY-USE USE AUTHORISATION:
2007: Haemophilus China, UAE & Egypt AUTHORISATION: Russia India
In 2019, the company reported a profit of `112
influenza Type B
crore on a turnover of `763 crore. According to a
private equity player specialising in unlisted phar-
vaccine
Source: Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society
ma companies, Bharat Biotech posted a net sales
2009: Pentavalent
in excess of `1,100 crore last financial year; the
combination vaccine
profit range was estimated at `250-320 crore. logged revenues in the range of never brags about his achievements, which are
Bharat Biotech’s product concentration is high 2010: H1N1 Swine `80–120 crore last financial year. many.”
with nearly 85% of its revenues coming from Rota- “The Chiron acquisition is a well- Though not many know it, the Ellas have
flu vaccine
vac, TCV and the oral polio vaccine. “90% of the planned one. There’s a shortage of branched out to other businesses as well. Ella
company’s revenues come from vaccines,” says a 2013: Conjugate rabies vaccine world over, much like Foods deals with “cryogenically ground cold pas-
person close to the company. “Rotavac, TCV, anti- typhoid vaccine the antidotes for a snake bite,” the teurised spices.” BIOVET works around veteri-
rabies vaccine and oral polio vaccine are the big- pharma business consultant adds. nary drugs and vaccines. This vertical has already
gest revenue-earners. Apart from 2014: Japanese Bharat Biotech’s Japanese encephalitis vaccine, launched vaccines to prevent foot-and-mouth dis-
selling vaccines to central and encephalitis vaccine Jenvac, is another example of a product that serves ease, bluetongue disease and haemorrhagic septi-
state governments, the company a small section of the population but rings in sizable caemia among livestock. But the family’s core
has a robust play in the private 2015: Rotavirus profits. This type of encephalitis is mostly seen in business is making vaccines for humans. And, go-
market, too. The paediatrics/ vaccine North and East India, and countries like China, ing by what paediatricians say, it should.
doctor network alone brings in Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal and Ma- “The rotavirus and typhoid vac-
`100-120 crore worth of sales.” 2016: Files patent for laysia. Jenvac brings in `30–50 crore. cines have helped in reducing the
While Ella gushes about afford- Zika virus vaccine The biotechnology company is a
“Bharat Biotech’s incidence of two deadly diseases
able vaccines, his company has tightly held family business and has rotavirus and that affect children,” says Dr Harish
veered away from the low-margin oral polio vac- 2018: Gets only a handful of investors. Nearly typhoid vaccines Kumar Pemde, a member of Indian
cine business. Instead, Bharat Biotech is lobbying prequalified by WHO 75% of the equity rests with the Ellas. are landmark Academy of Pediatrics. “BB’s rotavi-
hard to sell its rotavirus and typhoid vaccines, for typhoid & According to data from Tracxn, the products. The fact rus and typhoid vaccines are land-
which have better margins. rotavirus vaccines company has a dozen institutional that WHO has mark products. The fact that WHO
“Ella is a man of science, but his business acu-
men is very good,” says a Hyderabad-based phar- 2019: Acquires Chiron
funders and three angel investors.
Among the funders are three “in-
prequalified these has prequalified these vaccines
speaks for their quality.”
ma business consultant. In February 2019, BB ac- Behring Vaccine vestment” grants — from the Depart-
vaccines speaks Just like the Covid vaccine, Bharat
quired Chiron Behring Vaccines, a small unit of Company ment of Biotechnology, Gates Foun- for their quality” Biotech faced serious challenges
GSK that specialises in rabies vaccine. The manu- dation and the Coalition for Epidem- Dr Harish Kumar while developing the rotavirus vac-
facturing facility was refurbished and the vaccine 2020: Starts research ic Preparedness Innovations. ICICI Pemde, member cine, too. The clinical trials had to be
was rebranded and re-launched as Chirorab (ear- on vaccine for Venture, Subhkam Ventures and IFC of Indian Academy conducted on newborn babies. The
lier Rabipur). Chiron Behring is believed to have coronavirus are the only private equity investors of Pediatrics company took nearly 10 years to fin-
in the company. Bharat Biotech has ish the trials and get the necessary
2021: Govt received just over $13.73 million worth approvals.
What Next for Company approves Covid
vaccine for
of funding so far. The hard work has not gone unno-
The investors seem to be happy with ticed. “BB’s rotavirus vaccine was their
emergency use BB’s growth and Ella’s leadership. “The best till date. It has very high efficacy
Get full Release company is growing at 30–35% CAGR,” rates,” says Dr Ashish Bavdekar, associ-
approval for Design Zika
intranasal says Rakesh Kathotia, founder-chair- ate professor & consultant in paediatric
Covaxin vaccine man of Subhkam Ventures and an inves- research at KEM Hospital, Pune. “But it
vaccination/
tor in Bharat Biotech. “Ella understands diseases was a long-drawn process covering thousands of
vaccines
Develop Develop and vaccines. Science forms the basis of his busi- newborn babies.” Bavdekar participated in the
subcutaneous BIOVET - ness. We’ll continue our journey with him.” clinical trials as an investigator.
delivery Come out with veterinary Kathotia, an avid investor, invested in Bharat The road to a Covid vaccine wasn’t easy either.
mechanism for drugs/ Biotech some 15 years ago, convinced by Ella’s vi- But the scientist with a business acumen has
chikunguniya
Covid vaccine vaccines sion to manufacture affordable vaccines. brought it this far. There are many who are betting
vaccine
Manu Punnoose, MD of Subhkam, says: “We’re on him to go much further. It is a journey Ella will
very happy as Bharat Biotech has managed to roll have to helm as carefully as the driver who trans-
Expand food venture Ella Foods out some blockbuster vaccines over the past few ported the virus strain from Pune to Hyderabad.„
Source: Company website
years. Beyond that, Ella is a good human being. He shailesh.menon@timesgroup.com
08 special report
JANUARY 10-16, 2021

Bank
on Foot
Banking correspondents who fan
out to the corners of rural India are
relevant even in this digital age.
Could the interest of ecommerce
players in this massive network
WHO IS A
change their meagre fortunes? BANKING
CORRESPONDENT?
:: Shailesh Menon Banking correspondents (BCs) are

I
f you thought only senior citizens would be
relieved by the Haryana government’s Old
Age Samman Allowance, you are mistaken.
Some younger people are pleased as well.
Like Acchiram, 44. A banking correspondent
(BC), he is one of the over 20 lakh agents
who fan out into the nooks and corners
of India where bank branches don’t
reach. Engaged by banks, they collect
people’s small-value de-
posits, help them process BC in
application forms and even
Numbers trying
assist in withdrawing
“One-bank-one- money. In Haryana,
BC rule is a when Acchiram helps
regulatory a senior citizen with- Over
underbanked places. From offering a range
individuals or corporate entities
of banking services to offering insurance, engaged by a bank to provide
mutual funds and bill payment services, dili- banking services in unbanked and
gent BC agents have more avenues to earn a under-banked territories. A BC
modest livelihood. Now they could be going works as an agent of the bank and
beyond banking, too. Thanks to their role in substitutes for its brick-and
taking banking and financial services to the mortar branch
last mile, several ecommerce players are in-
terested in tapping them to make inroads Aadhaar-
into the hinterland. Top players
` 3.5 lakh enabled
crore
such as Amazon and Flipkart are
Worth of BC
payments worth
to use the vast BC network
industry What ` 18,000 cr
to widen the reach of goods sold every month
on their respective platforms. Tel- BCs Do
ecom and tourism players are
also exploring ways to use them

bottleneck
draw a full pension of
`2,250, he gets `5. 20 lakh to reach a wider audience pool.
“As neo-banking and branch- Domestic Micro ATM BC-originated
faced by this “There are usually No. of BCs less banking concepts gain remittances cash loans
industry. If BCs 300-400 pensioners in India strength, the role of BCs will be- worth withdrawals (outstanding
are allowed in each village. If a bank- come more critical. While assisted ` 12,000 worth ` 3,000 amount) come to
an open
ing correspondent serves banking would be their core busi- crore every crore per ` 4,500
the senior citizens of ness, they will branch out to non- month month crore
architecture just one village, he banking businesses as well,”
model, they can will be able to make
an additional `2,000
Over says Sunil Kulkarni, CEO of
Business Correspondents Fed-
service their
clients better”
every month,” says 100 eration of India (BCFI).
Acchiram, who Corporate BCs It took almost 15 years for the How Much Do BCs Earn
Sasidhar N works for PayNearby, BC model to gather roots in India.
Thumuluri, a corporate BC operat- While banking correspondents 1% and ` 20-40 1-2% for ` 5,000 BC services
MD & CEO, Sub-K ing across India. were initially appointed by public sec- 0.5% for for new loans and to come
Acchiram has reasons to be tor banks, at the behest of RBI, to promote under
Impact Solutions
chuffed in this digital age when financial inclusion in smaller cities and vil-
remittances bank 10-15% for ` 20,000:
and cash accounts insurance Monthly 27% GST
one imagined banking would be at lages, the rollout of a slew of digital payment slab
everyone’s fingertips rather than facilitated modes such as the Immediate Payment Ser- withdrawals products earnings
by people still travelling to unbanked and vice (IMPS), Unified Payments Interface respectively Source: BCFI, industry sources

PSU Banks
Private Banks
TOTAL NUMBER
OF BRANCHES 87,892 34,794
Foreign Banks
308
NUMBER OF BRANCHES NUMBER OF BRANCHES NUMBER OF BRANCHES
RURAL 28,921 RURAL 7,232 RURAL 15
SEMI-URBAN 24,586 SEMI-URBAN 10,990 SEMI-URBAN 8
URBAN 17,030 URBAN 7,336 URBAN 40
METROS 17,355 METROS 9,236 METROS 245
Source: RBI

(UPI) and Aadhaar Enabled Payment
System (AEPS) and Bharat BillPay has
broadened their scope. Currently, the
BC network handles banking-related only 96,000 are off-site
transactions worth `3.5 lakh crore a
year (see graphics).
“BCs helped decongest the bank
branches in a big way. A large bulk of
the domestic remittances (urban-to-
rural money transfers), amounting to
roughly `1 2,000 crore a month,
moved to BC channels,” says Kulkar-
ni. “Government’s direct benefit
transfer to bank accounts became a
success as there were BC agents to fa-
cilitate cash withdrawals. Even during
Covid-19, people living in the hinter-
land did not face cash shortage as
there were BCs helping them with
withdrawal and transfers,” he adds.
Where Branches Don’t Reach
What makes BCs important in far-
flung Indian villages? To understand
that, one needs to know more about
India’s banking infrastructure. Out of
the 1.2 lakh bank branches in India,
only 36,000-odd are located in rural
areas. There are 2.1 lakh ATMs across
the country, of which only 96,000
are off-site (away from a bank branch)
cash-vending machines. There are
just 25,000-odd ATMs for over 6.5
lakh Indian villages. In its elementary
form, BCs make up for the absence of
branches and ATMs in rural India. They fa-
cilitate cash transfers for which they earn
up to 1% as commission while cash with-
drawal services (via the AEPS platform)
yield them a 0.5% fee.
Says Amit Jain, head of alliances at Fino
Payments Bank: “Cash is the primary medi-
um of transaction in rural India; it is estimat-
ed that the use of cash in smaller towns and
villages is as high as 85%. At the same time,
the number of ATMs maintained by banks
are coming down gradually. So there’s a need
for BCs to facilitate cash transfer and with-
drawal services.”
But ATM services can’t make BC opera-
tions viable. BCs earn between `3,000 and
`20,000 a month. They need to bundle up
other banking products and services to be
profitable or at least stay afloat. However,
there are stringent laws governing BCs. As
per RBI rules, a BC agent (acting as custom-
er service points) can only be attached to
one bank. Barring cash withdrawal servic-
es, he is not allowed to vend products or
services (such as account opening, loans,
deposits and other savings products) of
other banks. So corporate BCs appoint
agents who are mapped to one bank and
provide services and products of just that
bank in a specific area. These agents could
be an individual or a small trader such as a
kirana shop owner.
“The low commercial viability of the BC
model is well-known; They will need multi-
ple revenue channels and more products
and services to make it a profitable busi-
ness,” says Deepti George, head of policy at
Dvara Research.
Progressive laws are the only solution to
this problem, say most corporate BC execu-
tives whom ET Magazine consulted. “BCs
should be allowed to offer products and ser-
vices of more than one or two banks. In fact,
if they are allowed to cross-sell, they will be
able to offer better products and services to
customers,” says Anand Kumar Bajaj, MD &
special report 09
JANUARY 10-16, 2021
CEO of PayNearby, which has over 6 “Ecommerce
NO. OF ATMs On-site* Off-site
lakh agents on its rolls. “The com-
Of the 2.1 lakh ATMs, mission rates for several BC services players are not
(such as cash withdrawal) are too able to expand
low to make it a self-sustaining busi- their services
ness. Even though we serve the to remote
poorest of the poor, we come under
the 27% GST bracket. BCs doing vol-
villages as
78,484 56,379 umes above `20 lakh are also re- people have not
quired to pay TDS. These laws and started using smartphones or
PSU Banks levies make it difficult for BCs to op- digital payment methods. BCs
erate profitably,” he adds.
There are broadly three types of
can help bridge the divide”
BCs operating in Indian villages. Dilip Modi,
The ones who do cash withdrawals Founder, Spice Money
and transfers are called “transac-
tion BCs”. Then there are “asset
BCs” who facilitate micro-loans “Ecommerce players are not able to ex-
32,690 40,362
from banks, NBFCs and MFIs. The pand their services to remote villages as
third category are branch-backed people have not started using smartphones
Private Banks BCs who are exclusively appointed or digital payment methods even now. BCs
by PSU banks. Nearly 70% of agents can help bridge the divide,” says Dilip Modi,
are transaction BCs — and they pre- founder of Spice Money, a corporate BC
fer to remain so, as only cash with- with nearly 5 lakh agents. “We can help
drawals and transfers have been them with order booking, cash collection,
made interoperable across banks. product delivery and even lead genera-
“The BC model may not grow or tion,” he adds.
evolve just by servicing bank ac- Ecommerce players such as Amazon, Flip-
counts and doing payments,” kart, Big Basket and 1MG are running
225 678 says Sasidhar N Thumu- pilot projects to test the model, say
Foreign Banks luri, MD & CEO of Sub-K BC industry leaders. Beyond mod-
Note: *On-site ATM machines are set up on the
Impact Solutions, an as- ern-day ecommerce, several
premises of a bank branch | Source: RBI set BC with an outstand- handicraft cooperatives, agri-in-
ing loan book worth put companies and healthcare
`1 ,200 crore. “One- start-ups are also looking to
bank-one-BC rule is a regula- tap the BC network.
“As neo-banking tory bottleneck faced by this “Commission “We are approaching BCs
and branchless industry. Many a time, BCs are rates for through banks but not direct-
banking gain not able to offer certain prod-
several BC ly,” says the national sales
strength, BCs ucts or services to their cus- head of a prominent ecom-
services are too merce platform. “We do not
tomers because their parent
will be more bank does not have those prod- low to make it a have the wherewithal to check
critical. While ucts or services. If BCs are al- self-sustaining the credentials of BCs our-
assisted banking lowed an open architecture business. selves, so we take the help of
will be their core business, model, they will be able to ser-
Though we
banks for linkages. We have
they will branch out to non- vice their clients better,” says started working with a few
Thumuluri, whose company serve the poor, BCs as a test project. We need
banking businesses as well” sells loan products of over a we come under to streamline our cash-on-de-
Sunil Kulkarni, CEO, BCFI dozen lenders, including 27% GST livery and product-return fea-
banks, NBFCs and MFIs, tures on the BC network,” the
through their 10,000-strong
bracket” official adds.
7,864 agent network. Anand Kumar Fino’s Amit Jain believes
This lack of operational Bajaj, these are early days for assist-
elbow room is now prompt- MD & CEO, PayNearby ed ecommerce in rural India.
ing BCs to include more “But if channelled properly, it
non-banking projects such can be a good complimentary
as assisted ecommerce (where BCs will service, having no conflict with existing
help people buy online), bill payments, banking laws,” he says.
ticketing and phone recharges and EMI col- An ordinary BC’s earnings come in trick-
lection on behalf of other lenders. Among les as they invariably deal with small-ticket
PSU Banks With these services, assisted ecommerce appears transactions. So apart from 1% and 0.5% for
Maximum Rural to be the most promising. remittances and cash withdrawals respec-
Branches tively, they get `20-40 for new bank ac-
counts, 1-2% for loans and 10-15% for insur-
NO. OF RURAL BRANCHES ance products. “But selling insurance is
Private Sector Banks tough in villages because there are social
2,933
With Maximum insurance schemes of state and central gov-
2,585 Rural Branches ernment,” says Sub-K Impact’s Thumuluri.
But agents like Acchiram are hopeful of
NO. OF RURAL BRANCHES better earnings in the years to come. These
1,836 1,824 agents have seen a mark-up in their profits
1,569 after the central and various state govern-
ments started transferring subsidies and
1,099 1,009
pensions directly to beneficiary bank ac-
744 counts. That day may not be far off when
503
rural folks would place the order for a new
smartphone, buy a kilo of potatoes and
CANARA BANK
BANDHAN BANK
ICICI BANK
AXIS BANK
J&K BANK
SBI
BANK OF BARODA
PNB
BANK OF INDIA
HDFC BANK
also put `500 in a bank fixed deposit at a
local kirana store that is doubling up as a
BC agent. „
shailesh.menon@timesgroup.com
Source: RBI
10 centrespread centrespread 11
JANUARY 10-16, 2021 JANUARY 10-16, 2021

BAKER BOY CAPS

I
f there is a hat having a moment, it is the
baker boy cap. Baker boy hats (also
known as the newspaper cap and poor
boy cap) owe its recent popularity to fash- WEAR GUIDE BUCKET HAT

T
Depending on
ion-savvy celebrities like Bella Hadid who he floppy hat works well for sum-
the material, you
is often seen wearing it. It is similar to the can dress it up mer and winter alike. And it’s only
flat cap, but the body of the hat has a or down getting more playful, as designers
more rounded shape and is panelled with are adding prints, textures and new
a top button. fabrics. For winter, get a denim or
shearling bucket.
WEAR GUIDE
Traditionally, a
beret is worn level on WEAR GUIDE
the head, pulled to the It’s casual street
right and about 1-2 cm style. Think of the
above the brow. But HERE’S WHAT TO INVEST IN, THIS WINTER final look with the hat
and not add it on top
there are no rules.
Find your own of everything, as
beret style that looks
BERET overstyled

Y
es, berets do conjure up images of an evening in Paris.
And even as Netflix’s Emily in Paris tried to spoil it for
all of us with her aggressive red beret, it stays the most
timeless, classless and ageless style. In 2012, The Guardian’s
fashion maven Hadley Freeman wrote: “They (berets) fail to It was in 2018, in an article in the Los Angeles Times, that Nordstrom’s then fashion director Gregg
fulfil the most basic function of a hat — namely, to keep one’s
head warm. A beret on a man is ridiculous.” Yet, it stays the Andrews said: “Today, hats are about self-expression. Hats… can turn a pair of shorts and a top into an
most popular style for winter. outfit.” In India, though, wearing a hat is at best tricky. It can appear costumey, overthought or over-
styled. While the standard winter headgear of Indians is a woolly topi or a knit cap, it’s more
utilitarian than fashionable. But if there ever was a time to toss your style card into the hat, it is now,
as the weather is right for some chic chapeaus. So is the year — as many are pegging hats as the
accessory du jour of 2021. So, go ahead and flaunt that proverbial feather in the cap ANUSHE PIRANI

:: Nupur Amaranth
WIDE-BRIM HAT

A
wide-brim hat or rodeo hat is a perfect idea for FEDORA
a fall or winter look. For a winter look, pick a
BEANIES
L
rigid hat in a solid colour with no detailing as it ike the beret, a fedora is a classic. It’s a hat
increases your choice of outfit pairings. It’s a great with a soft brim and indented crown. It is

A
day hat as it limits your sun exposure. beanie was, is and will typically creased lengthwise down the
be the most popular hat crown and pinched near the front on both sides.
for fall and winter as it’s For winter, pick a felt fedora. It is often con-
WEAR GUIDE
comfy, warm and will fit any fused with a trilby (again a good hat to invest
Pair it with haircut and hairstyle. in), but fedora has a fuller, shorter crown,
neutral colours, and wider brim of at least 2 inches. A tril-
monochromes and by is also worn back on the head.
classic cuts
WEAR GUIDE
A beanie should
be fitted, not WEAR GUIDE
oversized, and a Try on different
chunky knit fedoras to find the
looks good right colour and
size for you

WILL INDIA MAKE HEAD WAY? HOW TO PICK A HAT

Indian has always had headgears — from
the Maharastrian topi to the turbans of
Punjab and Rajasthan and the gamchha in
Bengal and Bihar. Image consultant Yatan
Ahluwalia says, “Since headgears in our
country reflect our cultural identity, they
haven’t —and perhaps won’t ever —
become a mainline fashion accessory.”
Designer Hemant Sagar of Lecoanet Start your hat wardrobe with Consider your hat needs. Is it for Design, colour and shape should A hat should be proportional Different face Consider your While wearing, Hat should Store them
Hemant says, “It was the British Raj that two hats, one casual and the everyday? An event? Fashion? complement your features, enhance to your body. Your hat should shapes need hairstyle. Many hats choose an complete, not well — on a
acquainted us with the whole millinery cul-
ul- other formal; one for summer Warmth or sun protection? It will your skin tone and match the balance out your dimensions different hats look best when long angle that suits clash with, hat rack or
ture and fascinators became a fashionable e and the other for winter help you decide dominant look of your wardrobe rather than exaggerate them hair is pulled back your face cut your look head mould
thing amongst us.” He says that the fact
that a straw hat has become a summer
must-have for holidays is a sign that hats Do not wear your hat indoors — remove it Remove hats during If you are sitting down at a table, put Never reveal the inside lining of your hat
are back. HAT ETIQUETTE when you enter a building or an airplane national anthems your hat away — and not on the table "Hat Etiquette" courtesy of Konkana Bakshi, founder, Savor Faire Academy
12 spotlight
JANUARY 10-16, 2021

Bad Blood “Bengal has always had a history of political

violence perpetrated by the ruling party.
Just when there was some semblance

in Bengal
of normalcy, BJP is trying to foment
trouble for political gains”
Abhijit Mazumdar, Darjeeling district president, CPI (ML) Liberation

without CRPF protection when my con- was more one-sided as any voice of dis-
As the fight for political space gets brutal in voy was attacked in Kolkata by TMC,” sent was silenced with brutal force.”
said Amit Shah on May 15, 2019, referring Violent uprising in pre-independent
West Bengal, a look at its violent past to an attack on his road show during the India differs from the recent clashes
Lok Sabha campaign. and bloodshed by political parties, but
Claims and counter-claims fly thick the soil of Bengal has always been
and fast. BJP claims 137 of its party work- soaked in blood.
ers have been killed in the state During the 20-year rule of the Congress
since the 2019 polls in which till 1 967, there were violent
it won 18 of 42 seats. TMC movements and demonstra-
says the loss of lives is tions by both the ruling
greater on its side, calling party and the opposition
BJP’s numbers fabricated. Killing Left. Then the Naxalbari
“137 is an absurd number.
They even include cases
Claims movement, led by Cha-
ru Mazumdar, gripped
of suicide,” alleges TMC the state. Following his call —
MP Saugata Roy. BJP retorts “He who has not dipped his
in the same vein. “Did we kill hands in the blood of the class
BJP SAYS enemy is not worthy of being
our own men? When TMC
goons kill our members mer-
cilessly, should we sit on our
hands?” asks state BJP presi-
137
party workers
called a communist” — clashes,
bombings and killings became
par for the course in Bengal.
dent Dilip Ghosh. killed since 2019 After the tumultuous period
BJP believes it stands to gain LS polls of 1 967-72, which saw three

300+
electorally by calling Didi and elections, four coalition gov-
her party the perpetrators of ernments and three periods of
violence. But violence is as old party workers president’s rule, marred by
as the state itself. Muscle pow- killed since 2018 many incidents of political vio-
er, intimidation and blood- panchayat polls lence, came the “brutal” era of
shed have been the tools of Siddhartha Shankar Ray of the
parties to protect their turf, in- Congress. The 1972 election,
timidate opponents and si- TMC SAYS held under president’s rule,
lence dissent. was allegedly massively

:: Prerna Katiyar
“There is a wrong percep-
tion that violence has hit the 200 rigged. It reinstated the Con-
gress, under the new leader-

I
t did not start in 2019 — as claimed by the
BJP. Nor did it start in 2016 — the year
TMC claims BJP went after its workers.
lowed soon after. While it made national political landscape of Bengal party workers ship of Ray, who was pulled
headlines, Bengalis would have slotted it recently. It has always been the killed since 2019 into the job by Indira Gandhi
LS polls
under routine pre-election skirmish. For, means of establishing political herself. What followed was the

Political violence in Bengal has a long
and welted past.
The Congress started it and the Left
mastered it. The TMC opposed it tooth
and nail to win votes, only to end up per-
petrating it. In its 2021Mission for Bengal,
can the BJP be far behind in following this
gory course?
Last month, BJP president JP Nadda’s
convoy was attacked allegedly by TMC
goons. Stone-pelting and open fight fol-
Bengal’s encounter with violence runs
deep. It has seen worse days.
As the state is in the first flush of cam-
paigning for the 2021 assembly polls, the
fight is getting tense, especially between
the ruling TMC and a charged-up BJP,
which is leaving no stone unturned to
topple Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
BJP has been sharpening its attack on
TMC from the 2019 Lok Sabha polls on-
wards. “I would not have escaped unhurt
350
control. The nature of violence ruthless elimination of Naxals,
may have changed through the with the Left forced to go un-
decades. But violence was and party workers derground. The barbaric kill-
continues to be integral to killed since 2018 ing of pro-Congress Sain broth-
maintaining political control panchayat polls ers in 1970 by CPM supporters
in the state,” says Monobina in front of their mother who
Gupta, author of Left Politics in Bengal was allegedly forced to eat rice soaked in
and Didi: A Political Biography. their blood remains one of the darkest
Agrees Samir Kumar Das, professor of chapters in Bengal’s history.
political science, University of Kolkata: Since the 1970s, political murders, vio-
“There was more violence earlier, but it lence and killing of opponents have

“When They Kill Our Men, Should We Sit on Our Hands?”

Violence has become a party policy for TMC, alleges West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh in an interview with Prerna Katiyar. Edited excerpts:

What do you have to say to TMC’s charges
that violence in Bengal is between old BJP
and new BJP?
We have lost some 137 karyakartas (party workers).
Who killed our party workers? Did we kill our own
men? Since 2016, when the BJP won three seats, we
have been facing violence from TMC. There was no
‘new BJP’ then. All this is
part of a false narrative
that they are trying to
build. Their graph on vio-
lence has been steadily rising
since then. No chargesheets
are filed, no FIRs are written. It
is being done as part of a policy,
at the behest of Mamata Banerjee. Killing people and
terrifying masses are the only job they are doing in the
state. Their goondas are at work. They are after us.
TMC claims your numbers are exaggerated,
that BJP claims even suicides and family dis-
putes as political violence.
All this is false. We have lost our own MLA to political
violence. Is that also a suicide? Even family members
of TMC goons admit political violence exists. But Didi
has decided to look away. Are BJP workers attacking
the cavalcade of Amit Shahji and Naddaji?
But BJP is also responding in the same coin.
Are we left with any choice? When they kill our men
heinously, should we sit on our hands?
TMC also says Asaduddin Owaisi is BJP’s
Team B.
They don’t lose anything by making all these claims.
Our party has been winning elections across the
country. Was it with the support of Owaisi? We did
well in 2019 when there was no Owaisi. His support
base is limited to just Hyderabad and maybe one or
two seats here and there. He can’t win anywhere else
decisively. It has been the tactic of the Left to mix vio-
lence and politics. They did it in Tripura, Kerala and
West Bengal. They only understand the culture of
guns and bombs. There is no culture of justice. Even
the police feel threatened by TMC goons.
 spotlight 13
JANUARY 10-16, 2021
Major Violent Incidents
Naxalbari Sain brothers’ Barasat Baranagar Hemanta Assault on March on Singur and
uprising killing killings, massacre, Basu murder, Mamata, Writers’ Nandigram violence,
1967 1970 1970 1971 1971 1990 Building, 1993 2006-08

A peasant A mob of alleged 11 young Over 100 The Forward Block Members of the A Youth Congress A series of violent
uprising CPM supporters men were Naxalites were leader was Democratic Youth protest led by confrontations occurred
led by Charu hacked to death two gunned down allegedly killed by contesting Federation of India Banerjee caused in quick succession
Mazumdar and pro-Congress in the Kolkata goons associated elections against of CPM attacked one of the most between CPM and TMC.
Kanu Sanyal brothers in Burdwan suburb as with the Congress, the CPM and the Banerjee, then a violent days in The first was over land
was violently as they refused to part of an in connivance with ruling Congress Youth Congress Bengal. To stop the acquisition for Tata
repressed shift allegiance to aggressive the police and the when he was killed. leader, putting her march, the police Motors’ Nano car factory
by the CPM. Their mother government CPM. Bengal was CPM’s Ajit Kumar in hospital for a first used teargas, in Singur. Activists even
government was allegedly forced crackdown on under president’s Biswas was while. The incident then batons and alleged rape. The second
to eat rice soaked in suspected rule then nominated catapulted her finally opened fire. was over land acquisition
their blood. Some of Naxalite in Basu’s to the forefront Thirteen people for an SEZ in Nandigram
the accused later got rebels place but of state politics were killed
ministerial posts he too was
killed

wracked the state, especially in ru-

ral areas. Many political observers
feel the recent rise in political murders since the 2018
panchayat polls mirrors the violence that gripped
the state in the 1970s.
The Left, led by the CPM, came to power in 1977
and ruled for 34 years. The Left brought hope and
some relief. The initial years saw welfare measures
such as Operation Barga that gave legal protection to
sharecroppers against eviction by landlords and en-
titled them to a due share of the produce. Simultane-
ously, there emerged a section who did not benefit
from government dole. The society was strongly di-
vided along party lines. Those who were affiliated to
the ruling party got priority. Then in 1 979, the
Marichjhapi crackdown took place. The eviction of
Namasudra refugees from Dandakaranya brought to
the fore the aggressive ways of CPM. The party soon
had unquestionable sway over the masses.
“What was most unfortunate about the Left rule
was that after the 1991 reforms, it was either criticis-
ing reforms or doing lip service. They could not ef-
fectively engage with these reforms for the larger
benefit of the masses,” says Das.
“Even if regimes changed
and new ideologies
came up, political
violence was either
justified or opposed
through new, more
violent ways. After five
decades of political violence, there was
a lot of hope on Mamata. But rather
than focussing on cadre-building, she
decided to depend on local strongmen
who resort to violence”
Samir Kumar Das, professor of political science,
University of Kolkata
A period of uneasy silence was truncated by the
formation of the TMC in 1998 which, in alliance
Parties in
with the BJP, questioned the ways and means of Power
the Left. TMC’s rise saw a spurt in political vio- 1947-67:
lence in many parts of Bengal. CPM would start los- Congress at the
ing its unquestionable dominance in many rural helm
areas to TMC. Soon entire CPM networks would
shift to TMC, lending it the cadre and muscle pow- 1967-72:
er it lacked in many areas. Transition years.
It was the violent confrontations at Singur and State saw 3
Nandigram in 2006-08 that catapulted Banerjee to elections, 4 Amit Shah launched BJP’s Aar Noi Annay (No More
power. The Left paid dearly for the police firing in coalition Injustice) campaign in West Bengal to make this an
Singur. Didi stormed to power with a massive man- governments and electoral issue.
date in 2011. 3 periods of TMC counters this narrative. Roy says BJP is amplify-
“When the TMC came to power, initially there president’s rule ing stray incidents to paint a picture of large-scale vio-
were some skirmishes, but Didi was soon able to 1972-77: lence in the state for political gains. “Why do such (vio-
control the situation,” says Roy of TMC. Political Congress comes lent) incidents happen when Shah and Nadda are in
observers think otherwise. “Initially she talked back to power Bengal? It’s because they instigate such incidents for
about badlaav (change) not badla (revenge), but with Siddhartha political mileage,” says Kalyan Banerjee, TMC MP from
she could not keep her words,” says Das. Didi who Shankar Ray as CM Serampore. Describing TMC’s acts in terms of “every
came with the promise of ‘poriborton’ had a action has an equal and opposite reaction,” Banerjee
change of heart herself. “As regimes changed and 1977-2000: says the party is only being “defensive”. “To top it all,
new ideologies came up, political violence was ei- Left Front the governor has become servile to BJP,” he adds. Many
ther justified or opposed through new and more government led by in the party dismiss TMC’s role in the recent incidents
violent ways. After five decades of political vio- Jyoti Basu of violence. “The entire fight is between new BJP and
lence, there was a lot of hope about Mamata. Sad- old BJP. We have no time to fight, especially when elec-
2000-11:
ly, instead of focussing on cadre-building, she de-
Left’s Buddhadeb
tions are so close,” says party MP from Arambagh Afrin
pended on local strongmen — mostly CPM turn- Ali aka Aparupa Poddar.
Bhattacharjee
coats — who again resorted to violence,” adds Das. Many experts think the BJP is not just anticipating
The culture of violence continued uninterrupted.
becomes chief
violence in the 2021 assembly polls, but also stoking it.
In a way, TMC has now come full circle. Formed as a
minister
“Bengal has had a violent history of political vio-
breakaway faction of the Congress in 1998, it had 2011-16: lence that has been perpetrated by the ruling party.
joined hands with the BJP to challenge the Left. It is TMC decimates Just when there was some semblance of normalcy,
now under threat from its former NDA partner itself. Left Front in BJP is trying to foment trouble for political gains. I see
The BJP wants to focus on the here and the now of assembly polls and a lot of bloodshed as we inch closer to elections. It’s
Bengal’s history of violence for immediate gains. forms government our duty to expose the violent ways of Didi but BJP is a
“TMC is trying to psychologically harm our workers greater menace,” says CPI (ML) Liberation Darjeeling
with their brutal ways. Bodies are being hanged
2016:
district president Abhijit Mazumdar, son of Naxal
from trees and left there for an entire day. The body
TMC comes back
movement leader Charu Majumdar.
of our MLA from Hemtabad, Debendra Nath Roy,
to power,
The continuation of violence is the brutal truth of
winning 211
was found hanging in the middle of a bazaar,” says Bengal politics. BJP’s entry has only raised the pitch. „
of 294 seats
party spokesperson Kabir Shankar Bose. prerna.katiyar@timesgroup.com

“BJP is Trying to Win Space by Hook or by Crook”

TMC MP Saugata Roy tells Prerna Katiyar that BJP is trying to amplify stray incidents to paint a picture of large-scale political violence in the state. Edited excerpts:

What is the reason for the recent spurt in
violence in Bengal?
I do not think there is a spurt in violence. BJP
is simply trying to amplify the stray inci-
dents across the state. For example, there
has been no death due to police firing. There
has been no mass killing. BJP is trying to use
every tactic possible — pumping money, using
muscle power. And TMC is trying to resist it.
But there hasn’t been large-scale violence.
As for TMC, we lost one of our mem-
bers just yesterday (Tuesday).
But violence in Bengal is making headlines eve-
ryday.
I can tell you with certainty that there was more vio-
lence earlier but it was more one-sided. Congress
used to organise violent movements and demonstra-
tions. Then the Naxalite movement gripped the state.
Later, the Left came to power in 1976 and stayed for
more than three decades. There was again large-scale
violence. People were scared. When TMC came to
power in 2011, initially there were some skirmish-
es but Didi was able to control the situa-
tion.
Some claim she has no control over her party men.
See, this phase of rising cases of violence started again in 2019
when the BJP did well in the Lok Sabha polls. They are trying
to create a political space for themselves by hook or by crook.
So we are again seeing a rise in political violence. But it is not
large-scale.
BJP claims 136 of their members have been killed by
TMC.
This is an absurd figure. They include cases of suicides and
familial troubles to inflate the numbers. The real figure could
be around 70, I feel..
 14 in focus
JANUARY 10-16, 2021

The Great Auto Grab

Global auto OEMs looking to cut dependence on China are looking at alternative sourcing
hubs. India is well placed to capitalise on the opportunity if it can move fast

:: Lijee Philip

T
here is a “plus-one” trend that India can
ride to become an A-lister in the global auto
component industry.
It started when several original equip-
ment manufacturers (OEMs) in the auto
space started considering moving their component
sourcing operations — or at least a part of it — out of
China, long considered the world’s factory. The deci-
sion comes as the US and other countries have ac-
cused China of manipulating its currency and mak-
ing it uncompetitive for them. In 2018, the US im-
posed tariff and trade barriers on goods from the
East Asian giant. Anti-China sentiment reached
a peak when the novel coronavirus was
traced to a market there. These and other
simmering geopolitical issues have en-
couraged OEMs — which have been com-
plaining of the rising cost of doing busi-
ness in the country — to look at other op-
tions.
This drive to de-risk the global supply
chain from events like the coronavirus
gives India an opportunity to become a
major manufacturing hub. While several south-
east Asian countries are looking to attract
these companies, India provides an unpar-
alleled opportunity to auto OEMs, given that
it already has an established auto sector. We
should grab the chance during this global rea-
lignment, experts say.
China’s auto-parts industry is still gargantuan
at $550 billion, against India’s $50 billion. But
two recent trends suggest India can narrow this
gap if the right initiatives are taken quickly. First,
global automotive players and tier-1suppliers are increasingly
talking about the “China Plus One” model — a
strategy to diversify geographically. Second,
and more significantly, at least 30 interna-
tional purchasing offices — offshore outfits
that procure parts — have now become active
in India, from 8-10 earlier.
The international purchasing offices (IPO)
are witnessing a significant increase in in-
quiries, says Praveen Katte, director-
“There has been global purchasing, India BCC & Aus-
a 20% increase tralia, Meritor. Some analysts say
in exports in the there is a 40-50% increase in inquir-
ies. As part of their de-risking strate-
last few months gy, these IPOs have set larger targets
from customers for sourcing from India. This indi-
in Europe and cates they expect a geographical di-
the US” versification in the global supply
chain hub, and India is seen as a fa-
Srivats Ram,
MD, Wheels India vourable destination.
Several companies ET Magazine spoke to confirmed they
were moving their critical and aftermarket components busi-
nesses from China to India. At least two major US-based tier-1
suppliers said they have moved 35-40% of their sourcing to
India in the past six months. These companies requested ano-
nymity as they feared a backlash in China if their strategy be-
came public.
Analysts say more firms want to move. Kavan Mukhtyar,
partner and leader-automotive at PwC, says the IPOs of BMW,
Ford, Daimler, Cummins, Bosch, TRW, Meritor and others are
keen to de-risk their supplies, especially of electronic compo-
nents, from China. The offices of Cummins or Daimler could
source `1,500-2,000 crore worth of parts from India, experts
estimate. They reiterate India must convert this short-term
opportunity into a long-term one. The government will have
to move aggressively, they add.
The government has been encouraging. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has asked Indian companies to be self-reliant
and not depend on imports. Recently, MSME Minister Nitin
Gadkari asked the domestic industry to end its dependence
on electric vehicle components from China. The government
also introduced a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme
to encourage manufacturing. Automobiles and auto com-
ponents received a lion’s share of about `57,000 crore.
Vinay Raghunath, partner and automotive sector
leader, EY India, says, “Indian auto component sup-
pliers have a great opportunity to leverage
the PLI scheme and complement it with
their proven competency of automotive
parts manufacturing.”
Government sources say they will an-
nounce PLI’s details soon. This has made
people like Anurang Jain, MD of auto
component maker Endurance Tech-
nologies — a large exporter of alumini-
um castings, transmission and shock
absorbers — wait for the fineprint to get
clarity on incentives. “But we are in talks to in-
crease our exports to tier-1 companies,” Jain adds.
Cummins says India-based companies are see-
ing a pick up in orders. Sowmya Chaturvedi, head
of supply chain at the engine manufacturer, says
the company will gain 1-2% more revenue due to a
supply chain arbitrage and lower inventory carrying
cost. “While there is a major demand
for cylinder heads and blocks, we are still
dependent on China for niche products
like aluminium pressure die casting
parts,” she says.
India has to cover a lot of ground to
be competitive, especially as some basic is-
sues still have not been sorted out,
say stakeholders. Rising commodi-
ty prices and other input costs are “International
areas of concern, they say, also purchasing offices
pointing to the recent challenges on of OEMs such as
managing the global supply chain BMW, Ford,
driven by ocean freight constraints. Daimler and tier-1
Most industrialists also fret about IPOs of Cummins,
the high cost of logistics and capital.
Ashok Taneja, MD of Shriram Pis-
Bosch, TRW, Meri-
tons and Rings, says multiple statu- tor and others are
tory compliances make India less keen to derisk
competitive. Only the government supply of compo-
can address this, he says. nents such as elec-
In a bid to address specific issues tronics, which
and accelerate component manu- India majorly
facturing, the government had in
July formalised a Steering Commit-
imports from
tee for Advancing Local Value-Add China”
and Exports (SCALE). The commit- Kavan Mukhtyar,
partner and leader, PwC

$50 bn The Auto OEM Show

$550 bn
India’s auto parts
30
China’s auto-parts
manufacturing
market
In 10 years, 2
major firms
international
purchasing
manufacturing market Indian firms are have already offices active
expected to benefit moved most of in India now
from global supply their sourcing to from a handful
chain realignment India from China earlier
 Manufacturing Share in focus 15
Global auto component industry is worth $1.9 trn (CY2019) JANUARY 10-16, 2021

China 35% 12% “We need to move beyond labour arbitrage if India is to
Western Europe become globally competitive. The industry has to make
(16 nations) a long-term commitment and take a bit of risk in
investment decisions. The industry is not investing
USA 16% enough on R&D and intellectual property rights. We
5%
Eastern Europe have a window of opportunity right now.”
(9 nations) Pawan Goenka, M&M’s MD and CEO, and head of SCALE panel
India 4.5%
11.5%
Japan 16% Rest of the world tee — conceptualised immediately after the can take on a country like China, says Sunil
lockdown started in March, and headed by Ma- Arora, MD of Abilities India Pistons & Rings. Re-
Source: ACMA
hindra & Mahindra’s MD and CEO Pawan Goen- member, cautions Taneja of Shriram Pistons
ka — is discussing with stakeholders ways to and Rings, India is not the only option for OEMs
ease overregulation, remove embedded taxes and aftermarket buyers in Europe and the US.
3,95,902 and reduce logistic cost by 30%. Other focus Vietnam has offered competitive terms to com-
Industry Snapshot CAGR
2015-20 areas are reducing power tariff, having foreign panies implementing the China Plus One strat-

Segments in Indian auto 8% trade agreements, encouraging the industry to

build scale and invest in technology and re-
egy. “The government needs to reduce the cost
burden in many areas. For instance, logistics
component manufacturing (`cr) 3,46,051 Turnover search and development, and skill develop- and power. The cost of power is higher here
3,49,637 ment, Goenka says. “We need to move beyond than in competing nations. On top of that, com-
labour arbitrage if India is to become globally panies also have to invest in backup facilities.
competitive. The industry has to make a long- We will win only if we are competitive in cost
Sales to
OEMs term commitment and take a bit of risk in in- and quality,” adds Taneja.
2,87,234 vestment decisions. The industry is not invest- Even a partial win would help the automo-
2,34,869 CAGR tive component industry, which has had a par-
ing enough on R&D and intellectual property
2015-20 rights,” he says. ticularly bad year in FY2020 because of a slug-
7% Global aftermarket requirements provide gish economy. It posted its worst numbers —
enough opportunity but the revenues fell 11.7%. Then came
2,09,403 product range from India is not the crippling pandemic woes.
CAGR
2015-20
wide enough, say analysts. Katte Cheering for But it is still optimistic of growth.

1,06,048 8%
of Meritor, a US-based supplier
for the commercial vehi-
Champion Vinnie Mehta, director-general
of Automotive Component Man-
1,02,623 cle and industrial mar- ufacturers Association (ACMA),
Export CAGR Govt has identified
68,522 2015-20 kets, agrees. “The R&D says they are aiming at $80 bil-
1,23,688 1,09,601 Import auto component
Aftermarket
6 %
and engineering capa-
bility of Indian auto sector as a Champion
lion component exports in about
six years, from $15 billion now.
82,931 parts components manufactur- Export Sector, which Europe and North America ac-
67,491 69,381 gets special focus
CAGR ers needs focus and requires im- count for the maximum exports
39,875 2015-20 provement on innovation and at 31% and 30%, respectively.
12% technology adoption,” he says.
While SCALE is examining
The optimistic sentiment
seems to be spread across the
2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
ways to incentivise production, sector. “We hope to see double-
Note: A sluggish global economy in 2019-20 led to a dip in exports create scale and export more, digit export growth,” says Arathi
Goenka emphasises the need to Krishna, MD, Sundram Fasten-
from India
capture the window of opportu- ers, part of TVS Group. “We are
Source: ACMA nity right now. “We can’t afford investing actively to expand our
for that to close. We must be able capacities to cater to export mar-

Export Share to make some significant chang- kets in various segments.”

es quickly in the way we do busi- Sona Comstar, a starter motor
Global auto component ness,” he adds. Govt-industry panel manufacturer that mainly caters
industry exports goods 10.5% USA On their part, auto compo- looking at pushing to the US market, has been in-
nent companies such as Wheels up sector’s growth creasing capacity for 15 months
worth $1.2 trn (CY2019)
India, Lucas TVS, Sundram Fas- because of increased activity.
7.1 % Japan teners, Rico Auto, Shriram Pis- Bid to ease “Our two plants will cater more
Germany 14.7% tons, Sona Comcast, Endurance overregulation, towards the export market,”
Technologies and others have remove embedded says Sunjay Kapur, its chairman,
1.4% India confirmed they were able to in- taxes, cut logistic and vice-president of ACMA.
China 11.3% crease their exports in the past cost & power tariff “We are well-positioned to sup-
several months. The leading ply globally and leverage the op-
component players by revenue To boost exports, portunity.”
50.1% include Motherson Sumi, Endur- panel wants govt to Wheels India, another TVS
Mexico 6.3% Rest of the world
ance, Varroc, Bosch India, MAH- sign foreign trade company, has seen an increase
Source: ACMA LE Group and Lumax. pacts and encourage in orders from Europe and the
Even the smaller MSMEs are investments in US. Srivats Ram, MD, says there
seeing a distinct movement of technology and R&D has been a 20% spike in orders.
India Exports To Industry’s Export orders from OEMs and tier-1 “We are also developing prod-
PLI scheme
Book ($ bn) companies to India, says JS Ran-
gar, MD of Stork Rubber. The expected to help the
ucts for a lot of new customers.”
The increased focus on deep
CAGR: 8% rubber parts and engine maker, sector become net localisation and manufacturing
31% which exports more than 60% of exporters schemes will definitely make the
Europe 2016-17 11.2
its output, is now looking at ex- sector self-reliant, says Deepak
2017-18 10.9 panding capacity in Chennai as Jain, president of ACMA and MD
30% 29% OEM orders are rising. But exe- of Lumax. He expects exports to
North Asia
2016-17 10.9 cuting these smoothly can be a soon form a larger part of the
America problem, says Rangar, pointing turnover of companies.
2017-18 13.5 out that sudden shortages in But the question is will India
2018-19 15.2 steel, carbon black and contain- Industry wants be able to capitalise on the op-
6% ers are troublesome. subsidy to invest in portunity before the window
Africa 2019-20 14.5 A lot of operational issues electric vehicle parts closes.„
Australasia 1% 4% South America Source: ACMA
have to be sorted out before we and battery tech lijee.philip@timesgroup.com
 16 in focus Ferrari F12 `4.5-5 crore

ls
JANUARY 10-16, 2021
`2.5-3 crore

d Dea
l u xury

n
s e d
dia’s u

a
Why In et is growing

ls
rk

e
car ma d emic

e
the p a n

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despite

W pric
al
Origin e*

-hand
second price*
`7 cror

`3.5-4
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e

Ghost
:: Shailesh Menon rket
ma
oyce
Rolls R

I
don’t gamble at the casinos, nor do I keep horses.
The only vice I have is my love for cars. It’s my guilty
pleasure,” says Priyank Sukhija, the promoter of
First Fiddle Restaurants. `5-6 crore Lamborghini
Sukhija, 41, bought his first car — a second-hand Aventador
Maruti Esteem — 24 years ago. Two years later, when `2-2.5 crore
he opened his first restaurant, Lazeez Affaire, at Malcha
Marg in 1999, he upgraded to a second-hand Daewoo Cielo.
As his restaurants sprouted across Indian metros, Sukhija
kept upgrading his wheels. He has owned top-end BMWs,
Audis, Lamborghinis and Porsches at various points in time.
Some of these cars were new, while a few were second-hand
purchases.
“Luxury cars depreciate very quickly,” says Sukhija, who
now runs 30 restaurants across 10 brands such as Lord of the
Drinks, Plum by Bent Chair, Café JLWA, Dragonfly, Tamasha,
Teddy Boy and The Flying Saucer. “There’s a crazy amount of
depreciation in the first and second year itself. It’s very difficult ing models in the pre-owned range
to take that kind of depreciation when you buy a car worth `4 `2.5-2.7 crore “There has been a rise in the young and first-time buyers
crore. So I go in as the second buyer. I get them for half the Mercedes Maybach `1.5 crore opting for a certified pre-owned Mercedes. These young cus-
price. But I only buy cars that have run ,5000-15,000 km, and tomers usually opt for the certified pre-owned cars to experi-
have been with the first owner for 12 to 18 months.” ence the product before moving on to a new one,” says San-
India’s used-luxury-car market is growing 15-20% annually, Bentley Continental GT `3.3 crore tosh Iyer, vice-president (sales), Mercedes-Benz.
with sales volume averaging over 60,000 units a year. The av- Players like Mercedes and Big Boy Toyz relied on their digital
erage price of used luxury cars such as those from Audi, BMW, `1.7 crore platforms to mark up sales this year. Mercedes has sold more
Mercedes and Jaguar Land Rover are priced between `25 lakh than 350 pre-owned cars through their online store. For Big
and `40 lakh. Used Lamborghinis, Bentleys, Porsches and Fer- Boy Toyz, the majority of the buyers in the used-luxury-car
raris cost in excess of `1 crore. There are a handful of used segment are mid-sized business owners and entrepreneurs.
Rolls-Royces, too, that sell for over `3 crore. There are a few sports & film celebrities and MNC profession-
Surprisingly, the Covid pandemic has not impacted the als who have bought used cars from them recently. “This seg-
bingeing spirits of luxury-car aficionados this year. In fact, ment is growing rapidly in India. Stronger players are getting
sales have doubled for many prominent second-hard luxury into this segment now,” says Ahuja of Big Boy Toyz, adding
car dealers. with a chuckle, “There’ll be more used cars than new cars on
“My sales are up nearly 140%,” says Jatin Ahuja, MD of Big our roads soon.”
Boy Toyz, a Delhi-based luxury car dealer. “I may close this But Ahuja’s dream of selling more used luxury cars may
year with a turnover of `350 crore.” come true only when people from smaller cities and towns
Porsche Panamera Turbo `2.2 crore
Ahuja says the market is evergreen. “People who buy used start buying. And that may take a long while, auto enthusiasts
luxury cars paying over a crore of rupees are enthusiasts. They `1.1 crore say. Truth be told, not many owners take their luxury cars out
change their wheels every year. It makes more sense for them for a spin in smaller towns and villages.
to buy a used car that has been used less.” “Luxury cars are mostly driven in top cities and metros be-
The bump is sales during the pandemic is more of revenge cause the roads are rarely good in smaller cities and villages,”
buying, say several dealers. “Somewhere people started real- says Honey Katiyal, founder of Investors Clinic, a real estate
ising that they should spend some money on themselves, as advisory firm.
life can get quite uncertain,” says the national sales head of a Katiyal recently purchased a used Rolls-Royce Ghost (long-
premium car brand, not wishing to be quoted. wheel edition) for about `3.6 crore. The same model, if new,
Mercedes-Benz, one of the most popular brands in the used- would have cost him roughly `7 crore. “Shaukh ka keemat
car market, is logging impressive numbers this year. The com- nahi hota,” says Katiyal, who’s first wheels was a second-hand
pany’s pre-owned car sales vertical logs about 200 cars a Fiat bought in 1995 for `22,000. “I don’t take out the Rolls
month, with an average price of Rs 30 lakh. The C-Class, E- `1.4-1.6 crore for daily use. For that I’ve other cars. Rolls is driven only
Class, the GLC and the GLE models are some of the fast-mov- `1.3-1.5 crore `2 crore once or twice a week.”
`1 crore
`95 lakh `1.29 crore Delhi-based restaurateur Sukhija also prefers to use his
`1.4 crore Maserati Ghibli BMW 7 Series Innova, or even the metro, for his daily commute. On out-
Volvo XC90 Lexus LS station trips, he prefers to book an Uber cab. But Sukhija
`50-60 lakh prefers his Bentley — which he bought last year,
from a renowned
renown cricketer who now lives in
Mumbai
Mumb — when he visits the club or
takes
tak his wife out for dinner on
Saturday
S night.
Now that’s what they mean
when
w they say “do it right, do it
with style and live life king-
w
size”.„
Nore: Prices are indicative and may change depending on shailesh.menon@timesgroup.com
variants; only models between 2014 and 2019 considered

P PCORN KING
Vikas Suri’s popcorn business was well entrenched until the lockdown closed cinemas.
He intends to pop back up by going retail with gourmet popcorn
:: Varuni Khosla
V
ikas Suri sheepishly admits there are
hardly any movie nights at their
house. Yet, the inviting aroma of
freshly prepared buttery popcorn
flows freely at his home, like in a cin-
ema. But unlike in a theatre, Suri’s residence has
over 50 popcorn flavours. It is a perk of being an
entrepreneur who supplies all things related to
popcorn across the country.
After tasting sessions that last for eight to nine
hours at his office in Delhi’s Naraina, Suri loves to
take his work home. So the flavours and aroma
come too. It is this passion that has helped him
build a `30 crore empire around popcorn.
Suri’s company, Popcorn & Co, has a ki-
osk-popcorn franchise business at malls
and stores across the country. He caters to
over 200 cinemas and has contracts with
the top 10 organised cinema exhibi-
tionists in the country through an-
other company called Kitchenrama.
He imports and sells popcorn ma-
chines — Suri claims he is behind
nearly every popcorn machine sold
to cinema halls — as well as supplies
corn, kernels and flavours across the country.
Now, the pandemic has made him expand his
business.
Kitchenrama, a B2B entity, saw almost two-
thirds of its business evaporate when the lock-
down closed cinemas. So Suri expanded and went
retail. That business is under the banner Popcorn
& Company, set up in 2017.
His company gets over 200 orders a day on its
website alone. Additionally, ecommerce website
orders account for over 500 a day. “Ours are arti-
sanal popcorn purely because they’re popped
fresh and are not stored for days and then shipped
out,” explains Suri.
Popcorn & Company wants to tap the gourmet
popcorn segment — a mega-billion dollar busi-
ness in the West but yet to reach that size in India.
Modern food retail and gifting are growth chan-
nels for gourmet popcorn, says Samir Kuckreja,
CEO of Tasanaya Hospitality says modern
food retail and gifting are growth channels
for gourmet popcorn makers. “While tra-
ditionally we are a popcorn eating country,
the new flavoured popcorn have been an
evolution. This segment would have grown
during the pandemic as did many other
FMCG products,” he says.
Like many businesses did in the pan-
demic, gourmet popcorn companies, too,
pivoted by going straight to the customer as
their main source of revenue, cinemas, was
closed.
Suri is a late entrant in the direct-to-consumer
popcorn business. Many like 4700 BC, The
Crunch Box and Batcaves Gourmet Popcorn have
been in the game for some time now. But he
doesn’t consider them competition. “They’re all
food & drink 17
JANUARY 10-16, 2021
our friends because we supply equipment,
“Most corn kernels and flavours to most popcorn
competitors are businesses in the country.”
He may well be the front runner to be the
friends because popcorn king of the country.
we supply Through Kitchenrama, Suri supplies pop-
equipment, corn equipment from American company
corn kernels Gold Medal Products. Kitchenrama also im-
and flavours to ports machinery for commercial kitchens
and restaurants. Quick service restaurants
most popcorn like Nando’s and convenience stores like
businesses in 24Seven are among his clients.
the country” In FY19, Kitchenrama had a turnover of
VIKAS SURI, `23 crore, of which `17 crore came from sell-
founder-CEO, ing only popcorn-related equipment. Pop-
Popcorn & Company corn & Company, which sells gourmet pop-
corn, already has a turnover of around `2
crore. The company received brand enquiries
from hotels, bakers and even kirana stores during
the pandemic, Suri says.
Suri’s entrepreneurial journey took shape
around 35 years ago when he started working with
a German company in the commercial kitchen
equipment space. He was involved in setting up
meat processing units for Venkateshwara Hatch-
eries (Venky’s) and Komarla Hatcheries. “I would
sell this line of products once and buyers won’t
come back for 12-13 years because the life of the
product would be that long. I had to look for some-
thing more recurring,” he says, explaining how he
got into Kitchenrama and popcorn in the 1990s.
ASHWANI NAGPAL
Soon after Ajay Bijli started PVR Cinemas,
which redefined the movie watching business in
India. It became all about the experience with
plush seats, superior audio and video and
snacking.
Suri spent many days preparing presentations
trying to convince Bijli to shell out `5 lakh for an
SURI’S POPCORN imported popcorn machine. Those days, the lo-
VENTURE cally made popcorn machine that was called a
popper cost `1 0,000-15,000. “At the time, it
STARTED IN: 2017 seemed like too high an amount for a product that
BEGAN AS: Commercial was so simple to make,” Suri recalls. Bijli agreed
franchising concession after a lot of discussion, Suri says. “You really need
stand model a lot of passion to sell food.” But he also points out
that the business is a money spinner.
EVOLVED TO: Selling popcorn A concession stand selling candied popcorn
to customers directly online can break even in a year. The margins in this busi-
and through ecommerce ness, if a franchisee runs it, is 30-35%. “Popcorn is
platforms; has subscription an impulse buy. The aroma is often inviting and it
plans for popcorn
draws people. So the monetary payback is pretty
TURNOVER: `23 cr from good,” he explains.
Kitchenrama (`17 cr from That is interesting for a business which imports
popcorn machine sales); `2 its flavourings, powders and kernels.
cr from Popcorn & Company It is evident to anyone who meets Suri that he is
passionate about his corn. He has even donated
MAIN COMPETITORS: 4700
BC, The CrunchBox, bags full of imported corn to the Indian Agricul-
Batcaves Gourmet Popcorn tural Research Institute at Pusa in Delhi so that
they can study it and try to grow it here. But it
INDUSTRY POTENTIAL: would be hard to do it, he admits, because of the
Expected to grow at a CAGR climatic conditions.
of 15% in In the meantime, he is focussed on growing his
2018-2022, says RNCOS retail chain from four to 20 in the next two years.
GLOBAL MARKET SIZE: He has tied up with retail chain 24Seven to sell
$9 bn (2016) popcorn through dispensers.
He has meticulously worked out an expan-
GLOBAL POTENTIAL:
sion plan, banking on others’ impulses to make
$15 bn by 2023, at a CAGR
it pop.„
of 7.6% in 2017-2023, says
varuni.khosla@timesgroup.com
Allied Market Research
 18
JANUARY 10-16, 2021
LG Tone Free HBS-FN7
CLEAN SOUND
The sanitisation feature may help
to put your mind at ease
:: Aabhas Sharma
T
here are so many true wireless ear-
buds in the market that finding a dif-
ferentiating factor is getting difficult
by the day. And this is where LG’s lat-
est true wireless earbuds scores.
The LG Tone Free HBS-FN7 comes with a
UV sanitisation feature. You read that right,
these earbuds can be sanitised inside the
charging case. No wonder, LG is charging a
premium — the earbuds cost `29,990 and are
among the most expensive ones you can buy
today.
What do you get for
GET IT FOR:
`29,990, apart from UV san-
itisation? The charging case `29,990
is compact and really light at HIGHLIGHT:
just 56 grams. Available in
UV
black and white colour vari-
ants, the case comes with a sanitisation
LED charging light on the
side and a USB-C port. Despite being petite, it
is quite sturdy and has a UV sanitisation fea-
ture which lights up in blue when earbuds are
kept inside and the case is open. Does it work
and is it effective? Frankly, there is actually no
way of quantifying or proving it.
Also, if you’re thinking that the sanitisation
system will be effective against potent virus
strains like Covid-19, be aware that these ear-
buds aren’t rated to handle that.
The earbuds fit really well in the ear canals
so there is no fear of them dropping off while
working out. The earbuds have three mics
and capacitive controls which can be used to
perform functions like receiving calls or
switching tracks while listening to music.
LG has partnered with high-end UK brand
Meridian for sound output. And the output is
really good. We tried a lot of genres and some-
how found the signature sound a bit muffled,
so to speak. The vocal separation from instru-
ments is nicely done with the bass and treble
levels are also impressive. Overall, LG Tone
Free FN7 works and sounds really great. But
the price tag of `29,990 should offer stellar
performance. The active noise cancellation
tech works quite well.
The LG Tone Free FN7 earbuds can easily
last up to 7 hours on a single charge and give
another 14 hours with the charging case.„
The writer is with gadgetsnow.com
tech talk
Asus ZenBook Flip S
THE SHAPE SHIFTER
The 2-in-1 design allows the laptop to become
a tablet without affecting performance
:: Neha Saini
T
he Asus ZenBook Flip S is a slim and port-
able laptop that comes at a hefty
`1,49,990. It is powered by the latest
11th Generation Intel Core Tiger
Lake processor, which ensures the device
works well on a day-to-day basis. The lap-
top packs 16GB LPDDR4X RAM and has
an internal storage capacity of 1TB.
It features a 1 3-inch OLED 4K
UHD screen with a 3840x21 60 features a matte black body with
pixel resolution. The device of- golden hues on the hinge, edges
fers a 2-in-1 design with a around the screen and the chassis.
360-degree rotating hinge. The lid of the laptop has concentric
This means you can easily ring patterns with the company’s logo
switch to a laptop screen on the left. The laptop, de-
from a tablet and back. spite its sleek and
There is also the pen sup- small design, feels
port — an Asus Stylus that comes sturdy. This is true
with the laptop. for the hinge as
Talking about the screen performance, the device well, which does not
has DCI-P3 colour gamut support, which ensures that cause wobbling. Asus says the
colour reproduction is close to the real colours. View- laptop offers military-grade durability.
ing angles are fine and the screen is bright enough to be Sound output levels are loud enough. The laptop de-
used even in daylight. livers a battery life of up to 8 hours depending on the
Asus ZenBook Flip S runs on Windows 10 and has a usage. The Flip S has AI-noise cancelling mic, which will
GET IT FOR:
backlit keyboard. The keys are well spaced and do not come in handy during video calls and meetings. There is
feel squeezed at all despite the laptop’s small size. `1,49,990 also an in-built fan to dissipate excess heating.
Touchpad functions smoothly and is glass-covered for HIGHLIGHT: The laptop’s price falls in the territory of Apple Mac-
added protection. Smart controls on the touchpad are Book. Great looks with slim form factor and an impres-
brightness control, LED touch-based number pad, and
Good sive performance with a decent battery life makes Asus
a calculator that pops up with a simple touch. performance, ZenBook Flip S a good package. „
The laptop has a premium look. Asus ZenBook Flip S sleek design The writer is with gadgetsnow.com
Vivo V20 SE
STYLE AND which essentially means the display is tall
and narrow.
turn out to be well-detailed and with ac-
curate colour reproduction. Pictures cap-
SUBSTANCE
Another strength of the Vivo V20 SE is tured in low-light conditions appear to be
the camera set-up. It houses a triple-cam- visibly processed.
era set-up with a 48MP primary camera. Powering the Vivo V20 SE is the Qual-
The cheaper sibling of the Besides that, you get an 8MP ultra-wide- comm Snapdragon 665 SoC. Here is
V20 has a remarkable display angle lens, a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP where you feel the brand has compro-
and cameras bokeh lens. The camera app is quite snap- mised a bit. This is not the fastest chip that
py and the images captured by the device you can get in this price range as it is com-
monly found in handsets that are priced
:: Komal Mohan
L
much lower than this. That said, you will
aunching a powerful and a well- not have any major complaints with the
rounded smartphone first, fol- day-to-day usage if you are a moderate to
lowed by a slightly toned-down slightly heavy user. You get 128GB of inter-
version at a cheaper price to ex- nal storage, microSD card support and
pand market share is a common trend 8GB RAM — enough to take care of your
now in the Indian smartphone market. needs.
One such classic example of this situation In terms of software, the Vivo
is the Vivo V20 SE. V20 SE runs on FunTouch OS 11,
This device is a stripped-down version which is based on Android 10.
of the Vivo V20 and just as that smart- The UI offers major custom-
phone, comes with a focus on design isation and comes with
and cameras. The handset has a GET IT FOR: tons of bloatware with
sleek body that is also lightweight `20,990 pre-installed third-
and ensures comfortable usage. party apps.
HIGHLIGHT:
The glossy back is a little prone B a c ke d b y a
to smudges. Good looks 41 00mAh battery,
It offers the same display with 33W FlashCharge
spec as the Vivo V20, so charger in the box, the de-
there is no compromise on vice promises to deliver a
the display; it is bright and longer screen time.
offers good viewing angles. The Vivo V20 SE is a reasonably
You get a big 6.44-inch good device with a good camera and dis-
AMOLED display that offers FHD+ play experience. „
in resolution with 20:9 aspect ratio, The writer is with gadgetsnow.com
 tail lights 19
JANUARY 10-16, 2021

GAUR’S OWN COUNTRY

While gaurs wander into residential areas, the carcass of a woolly rhino from Ice Age
throws the spotlight on the great and small rhinos that are threatened by us
Text & Illustration: Anirban Bora
An irreplaceable loss, consid- Everyone wants
After Kothrud and Pashan, ering the species is listed as a house with a
gaur was spotted at Maan by vulnerable on the IUCN (Inter- mountain view.
My old friend In reality, in a span of a few weeks, national Union for
Diniar from Pune citizens. People in Where will
three Indian bisons (gaurs) were Conservation of Nature) Red the poor
Pune called up Hinzawadi and forest
spotted in Pune’s residential areas List of endangered creatures go if
frantically department are on high alert
species since 1986 their home is
Maan invaded?
Nature’s revenge!
The gaurs! There’s news of
One of the
They are coming gaur herds
gaurs died after
entering farms
back to the city
in Coonoor and
Pashan being rescued. It had
strayed into a hous-
Karnataka too
PUNE ing colony and ran
for hours. A crowd
gathered around it
Kothrud after the rescue.
Stressed and
exhausted, it
died on Dec 9

Gaur (Bos gaurus) A distant relative of wild oxen, gaur’s estimated In the meantime, 20,000-50,000 years The huge hairy
population is over 21,000 in the world, most of which are old, surprisingly well-preserved beasts used to
present in India woolly rhino (Coelodonta antiquitatis) be 2 m tall,
from the Ice Age was found in Siberia weighing
on the banks of the Tirekhtyakh river. about 1,800-
Up to 1,000 kg A remarkable 2,700 kg
Size of adult They are find, considering they and 10-12.5 ft
already extinct became extinct a good in length
female 15,000
in Sri Lanka!
How far we years
ago
170- Up to 1,500 kg want to push
them depends
220 cm Size of adult entirely on us
male
The largest in 61 cm
bovidae family, gaur
is known as
seladang in
Malaysia, and gayal
in Myanmar
250-360 cm

There were TYPES OF RHINOS Over 20,000 Black rhinos There are The almost-
500,000 rhinos in Only two female northern southern with hooked roughly The smaller- extinct
the beginning of white rhinos are alive in white rhinos lips are found 3,600 Indian sized Sumatran
20th century; Kenya — under the strict exist in in South and rhinos or Javan rhino two-horn
today roughly watch of guards Africa East Africa greater is critically rhino is the
27,000 remain one-horned endangered smallest in
30,000-year-old rhino rhinos the family
drawings in Chauvet
Cave in southern
France prove the
presence of the beast
even in early Europe

The habitat of the Indian rhino
The horns are sold illegally in
includes grasslands of the Terai and
the markets of China and
Brahmaputra river basins. They are
Vietnam where some believe
hunted for their horns
that it can work as a cure or be
used as an aphrodisiac
Rhino horns are made of keratin
protein. Our hair and nails are
made of it. So instead of
killing a species, these people can
just go ahead and bite their nails
or hair
Recently, Assam government
said the forest cover has gone
up by 222 sq km and that it has
put a stop to rhino poaching,
which is welcome news
The sad news is that
pangolins are the new target
and are being hunted for
their scales in the name
of Chinese medicine. While
the Maharashtra forest
department is trying their
best, much more is needed
 20 feel smart
JANUARY 10-16, 2021

Booze Fairies THIS WEEK,

PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS BEYOND HEADLINES
THAT YEAR
JAN 10-16

IMAGE CREDIT: ALAMY

Jan 10, 2008
The Tata group unveils the
Nano, billed the
cheapest car
in the world
Ah ha. What if I accept the goodies, at Rs 1 lakh.
and then don’t deliver?
You’ll have your wings clipped pretty
fast! Freeloaders are not tolerated in
these groups. Jan 11, 2002
The first
I’m kidding. But it all sounds prisoners arrive
quite heart-warming. A bit like
at the US
Secret Santa.
Have things been so dire that military prison in
even fairies have taken to Yes, exactly. Also, the baskets
are not just about alcohol – Guantanamo
drink? Bay, set up to
sometimes they have
Ha ha. We can’t blame them if they customised, inexpensive gifts for hold “dangerous”
have but I was talking about the the recipient. If they have children, prisoners in the "war on terror."
real-life, tooth fairy equivalent. for instance.
I’m intrigued. Ah. How do the “booze fairies” Jan 12, 1904
It’s a pandemic-inspired trend in know that, though?
the US, where some folks are From social media, particularly the
anonymously dropping off care groups they are part of! Recipients
packages, usually with alcohol, at also post pictures of their goodies,
doorsteps. so that news about the good deed is
shared.
Wow! Spirits to lift your spirits. Henry Ford sets a land speed
How does it work? This sounds like a welcome record of 91.37 mph (140.05

Source: NYT
It works on a pay-it-forward pandemic innovation. km/h) on the frozen surface of
basis, among groups. Those True. Apart from fostering a sense Michigan’s Lake St Clair in the
who would like to take part of community and kindness, some 999, a four-wheel vehicle
share their address and choice of the “fairies” say they also enjoy with a wooden chassis, no
of alcohol with group leaders, it for the thrill of sneaking around
who then assign them to other body or hood.
and quietly dropping off the
“fairies” who will deliver the goodies. By the way, can you
goodies. Each goody bag or
basket will have an address
guess what else these booze Jan 14, 1954
fairies are called? Baseball player
for the recipient to deliver to,
so that they can don their own Joe DiMaggio
Do tell.
fairy wings. marries actress
Drinkerbells!
Marilyn Monroe
Text: Indulekha Aravind
in a quiet
ceremony in San
Francisco. But

Electrifying Find
Nylon, which is
Source: Science News for Students

the wedding
used to make
lasts only nine
everything from
months.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could charge your mobile swimsuits to
phone by just dropping it into your jeans pockets while sportswear, can be

going out? Such a thing might be possible soon, thanks to

used to generate Jan 15, 2001
electricity, reckons Jimmy Wales and
new findings in piezoelectric, which deals with materials Kamal Asadi, a
Larry Sanger set
that can generate an electric charge. physicist at the
up Wikipedia as a
University of Bath
in England. Some free internet-based
types of nylon can encyclopaedia
be made operating under an open-source
piezoelectric. His management style.
team demonstrated it by using the closing and opening of a palm to
generate electricity in the material. Of course, it wasn’t enough to
charge a phone. Not yet. Jan 16, 1991
US President George HW Bush
announces the start of
Scientists are using piezoelectric effect to
Operation Desert Storm, a
power a device that can beam signals
below the water. Engineers Fadel Adib
military operation to expel
and Reza Ghaffarivardavagh at the occupying Iraqi forces from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Kuwait, which Iraq had invaded
Cambridge made sensors that can be and annexed months earlier.
powered using the vibrations of sound Source: history.com, britannica.com
waves hitting them. Piezoelectric
ceramics turn those vibrations into Write to us with feedback
electricity. etmagazine@timesgroup.com
Compiled by: Ram Mohan

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