BJP supremo Amit Shah to visit Mangaluru on Oct 4

Mumbai, Jul 30: Counterfeiting incidents have increased 24 per cent in the country in 2019 over the previous year, creating an over Rs 1 lakh crore hole in the economy, according to a report.

The report also said counterfeiters are having a free run due to the pandemic-driven disruptions to organised supply chains and the resultant spike in consumer demand.

According to the report by ASPA, a self-regulated industry body of anti-counterfeiting and traceability solutions providers, counterfeiting has risen steadily in the last few years, and exploiting the pandemic as a cover for their activities.

Between February and April 2020, over 150 incidents of counterfeiting cases were reported, mostly about fake PPE kits, sanitisers and masks taking advantage of the high demand for these products, it noted.

"There was a 24 per cent increase in counterfeiting in 2019 over 2018, leading to the loss of more than Rs 1 lakh crore to the overall economy," said Nakul Pasricha, president of Authentication Solution Providers Association.

The association works with global authorities like the International Hologram Manufacturers Association, Counterfeit Intelligence Bureau of the Interpol, and domestic industry lobbies like Ficci, he said.

Counterfeiting is a universal issue and is 3.3 per cent of global trade, according to the OECD data, impacting social and economic development across the world.

The report lists the currency, FMCG, alcohol, pharma, documents, agriculture, infrastructure, automotive, tobacco, lifestyle and apparel, as the 10 sectors impacted most by counterfeiting.

Among these, currency, alcohol and FMCG continue to be the top three sectors with the highest counterfeiting in the last two years. The FMCG sector is most vulnerable, as counterfeit incidents rose 63 per cent between 2018 (79) and 2019 when the reported cases jumped to 129.

Within the states, the fakers have a free run in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Punjab, Jharkhand, Delhi, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand, calling for urgent actions to frame anti-counterfeiting policy measures.

According to the report, UP continues to be on top followed by Bihar, Rajasthan, and together these three states represent almost 45 per cent of all counterfeiting reported in the last two years.

What is more alarming is that counterfeiting is not limited to high-end luxury items today, as common everyday items as fake cumin seeds, mustard cooking oil, ghee, hair oils, soaps, baby care vaccines and medicines are aplenty in the markets.

"There is an urgent need for building and nurturing authentication ecosystems in the country with the active involvement and active participation of all stakeholders," said Pasricha.

Bengaluru, Aug 2: Bengaluru based Centre for Advanced Research and Development (CARD), the research wing of organisation De scalene has come up with a device called "SHYCOCAN" (Scalene Hypercharge Corona Canon) which neutralizes the coronavirus.

Speaking to news agency Dr Rajah Vijay Kumar, Chairman, Organisation De Scalene said that the device will not kill any bacteria or fungus, however, neutralizes the coronavirus particles.

"The device was tested for its safety and efficacy and is soon going to be manufactured and marketed in the US under the Enforcement Discretion policy of USFDA and in Europe as the device is CE compliant and is CE marked," said Kumar.

He also added the device will cover a volume of 10,000 cubic feet.

The device Scalene Hypercharge Corona Canon (SHYCOCAN) is intended to be used in the residential, industrial and commercial environment and is designed for active containment by attenuation of Corona family of viruses. (Laboratories de Especialidades Immunological S.A. de C.V, Virucidal Activity concludes 99.9 per cent virus elimination), Kumar asserted.

"SHYCOCAN operates on regular 110/240V - 50/60 Hz wall socket and is a plug and play device, that delivers the necessary signals to a photon mediated electrons emitters (PMEE), that produces hypercharge high-velocity electrons by photon mediation that interacts with the negative seeking S-protein of Corona family of viruses thus reducing infectivity and prevent air and surface borne transmission of corona family of viruses," said Kumar.

The device does not use any chemicals, or any other consumables and does not produce harmful ozone gas or any other substances and is completely safe for use in any environment, he added.

"The attack mechanism of the Virus starts with the initial attachment of the virion to the host cell, it is initiated by interactions between the S-protein and its receptor on the "negative" cell membrane. The sites of receptor binding domains (RBD) within the S1 region of a coronavirus S-protein vary depending on the virus. 

The S-protein/receptor interaction is the primary determinant for a coronavirus to infect a host species and governs the tissue tropism of the virus. However, the end result is the fusion and release of the viral genome into the cytoplasm," said Kumar.

He continued saying that the counter mechanism by the device SHYCOCAN is that if negative seeking is the guidance mechanism of the S- Protein, attracted by the transmembrane potential of the host cells, then breaking this mechanism would block the Coronavirus infectivity and spread.

"The device has been in use for more than a year at the S-CARD campus, the headquarters of Scalene," said Kumar.