Himanshu Sikka exclusively features in Firstprint newspaper

The year 2022 has been a testament to some harsher and grimmer climate extremes. A once-in-a-500-year drought in Europe, flooding across South Asia ravaging lives and livelihoods, Pakistan and Philippines being the most hit, and extreme heat waves across many parts of the globe are breaching all thresholds. As the world witnesses the throes of […]

Caspian Debt and SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Finance Facility have joined hands to offer loans to impact-led healthcare enterprises using an outcome-based payment model called “Social Success Note.” Through this financing initiative, over USD 4 million will be mobilised towards scaling up 15+ high impact health solutions, targeting to improve healthcare services for vulnerable communities in […]

One of the most promising approaches to averting teenage pregnancies is investment in girls’ progression from primary to secondary school. In India, decisions about schooling, marriage and childbearing are made jointly and often poorly in the case of girls belonging to marginalised families. Marrying a daughter—‘paraya dhan’—is a generally considered household strategy to cope with […]

Dipu Sharma could barely contain his excitement about the soon-to-open Mahakal corridor in his hometown. He travels to an old overbridge near his house nearly every night to catch a glimpse of the “dazzling new project” and take selfies, he says. And Sharma isn’t the only local admiring this drastic change of landscape from the […]

As India celebrates its fifth ‘Rashtriya Poshan Maah,’ or National Nutrition Month, this September, the coming together of public and private partners along with local stakeholders on participative and innovative digital campaigns offers new-age solutions to busting myths, counselling families, and driving home the message of a healthy and energetic India.   Seventy-five years into independence […]

Following the success of a pilot project to reduce neonatal mortality with a special equipment ‘SAANS’, the Assam government has decided to use the air pressure machine developed by a Bangalore-based start-up across its hospitals, officials said on Thursday. ‘SAANS’ is a portable neonatal Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) system that can provide lifesaving breathing […]

As India celebrates 75 years of independence and the beginnings of Amrutkaal its healthcare system, enriched by a 5000-year legacy has much to offer to the world. From eradicating diseases to pioneering healthcare initiatives, the country has witnessed big advancements in healthcare. Known today as pharmacy of the world, India has earned a global respect in the sector by […]

The Office of Global Partnerships at the U.S. Department of State, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business Institute for Business in Society, and Concordia announced Sustainable Access to Market and Resources for Innovative Delivery of Healthcare (SAMRIDH) Blended Finance Facility as the winner of the P3 Impact Award at the 2022 Concordia Summit.  The annual P3 Impact Award recognises exemplary […]

Overall cost of homecare is 30% to 40% less than expenses at an institutional setup.By 2050, India’s 60 plus population would have grown from 100 million today, to over 300 million, with the overall population having grown from 1.2 billion to 1.6 billion. Noncommunicable dise­ases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmo­nary disease and cancer […]

An experimental trial to utilise drones to provide superior healthcare services to tribal and rural communities in Seppa, a town in East...

“Dungarpur seems hotter and more barren than I can remember”, sighed Usha as she looked at the distant landscape. Of course, she was not talking about the impact of climate change but her new outlook post returning to her home after 5 months of working in Bangalore, which enjoys a more moderate climate.  It took […]

As the world realises the inherent seriousness of climate change, the use of plastic has been recognised as one of the greatest environmental and health hazards of the 21st century. Now, exceeding the biomass of all land and marine animals combined, plastic waste has long-term implications on all aspects of the ecosystem, be it land, oceans or the atmosphere. Plastics also account for over 3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions...

What was only a matter of suspicion until a few months ago has been officially confirmed as an unfortunate reality. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report 2022 has finally revealed the severity of the social, economic and environmental setbacks endured by the world during the two-years spanning the Covid-19 pandemic. The numbers are said to […]

India recently achieved the landmark of administering 200 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses. It appears to have effectively adopted a public private partnership (PPP) model in reaching out to the remotest parts of the country...

Economic growth is a prerequisite though not the only factor for increasing productive employment. It is the combined result of an increase in employment and increases in labour productivity and, in the run-up to becoming a 5 trillion economy, India must strive to create an enabling environment for efficient and employment-rich economic growth. Read More

India has been trying to reform its labour laws for the past 18–20 years, to bring them in line with the present workplace ecosystems and allow for more uniformity across both the organised or unorganised sectors. In a historical move, it is finally all set to replace 29 existing labour laws with the four new […]

The state cabinet minister for women and child development Mamta Bhupesh on Wednesday said that the Indira Gandhi Maternity Nutrition Scheme will now be implemented across the state...

Be it big enterprises or middle and small business firms, permanent employees in the formal sector or gig workers, all seek to benefit greatly from these new codes with its liberalising approach introducing a complete overhaul in industrial relations and ensuring employee well-being and the achievement of long-term business outputs. The new labour code is, […]

India has reported a 25 per cent rise in fresh Covid-19 cases and a 53 per cent rise in coronavirus related deaths in last one week, showed the epidemiological update on COVID-19 issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). The apex global public health agency noted that in the South East Asia region, the highest […]

With the incorporation of the entire gamut of environmental, social and governance-based (ESG) decision-making into organisational behaviour, a holistic new way of thinking has emerged after the pandemic, seeking to decrease the distance between the state, the market and the civil society in ways never before. Read More