‘Secular alliance a must to defeat fascism in India’

Bengaluru, Apr 4: As calamity struck the nation in the form of coronavirus, many philanthropists have generously opened their wallets to sustain the urban poor, especially the migrant labourers in the city and elsewhere in Karnataka.

These individuals either directly or through organisations opened up their kitchens to ensure that no one goes to bed hungry in this distressing time.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the nodal agency to feed urban poor, responded positively to requests by these organisations and individuals to supply food to the needy on their behalf.

"We had been serving food through our Indira canteens, which we continue to do even now. However, many philanthropists and corporates have come forward to feed the needy," the BBMP joint commissioner Sarfaraz Khan told reporters.

According to BBMP, Indira canteens used to provide two lakh meals a day on normal occasions.

However, since the lockdown has been clamped, the number swelled by almost 50 per cent.

"On Thursday alone, we served 2.85 lakh food, which comprises breakfast, lunch and breakfast," a Palike officer said.

The major aid came from Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO) and Azim Premji Foundation.

While JITO is feeding around 22,000 people, Azim Premji Foundation is taking care of 20,000 people.

Sajjanraj Mehta, an office bearer of JITO, told reporters that his organisation has been providing packaged cooked food since March 27.

"We got in touch with Bengaluru Mayor M Gautham Kumar, Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao and the BBMP commissioner B H Anil Kumar. According to their list, 27,000 food packets were required daily," Mehta told.

The JITO members have arranged vehicles of their respective businesses to transport food packets to different locations as part of the campaign named as 'COVID-19 manav seva'.

The organisation has also decided to utilise the kitchen of Princess Golf, a marriage hall on Palace Grounds here to prepare food.

Palike officials said on Thursday alone JITO supplied 53,000 meals.

"We asked them to cover migrant labourers in those areas where Indira Canteen could not reach. We mapped the cluster and provided them info. Now, they are distributing it there," they said.

Another organisation engaged in charitable work is ISKCON Bengaluru.

Ever since the lockdown, it has been working in various parts of India providing food to various people.

"We are providing materials such as rice, wheat flour, Daal, oil, vegetables with long shelf life, salt, sugar and spices. Each packet can sustain for at least 21 days," Madhu Pandit Dasa, president of ISKCON Bengaluru.

The organisation has set a target to cover at least two lakh people but so far it has reached out to 30,000 people including 25,000 in Bengaluru alone.

"We are feeding about 50,000 people in Delhi, with the Telangana government we are feeding about 40,000 people in Hyderabad, about 10,000 people in Ahmedabad in association with the Gujarat government," Dasa told.

According to BBMP, other organisations providing food to the needy are KMFY, TVS Group, Vimal Bhandari, Radisson Blue Atria Hotel, Hitech Ecowood, Mohammed Shajid, Prestige Group.

Wipro Ltd also pitched in to feed the poor by opening up its industrial kitchen infrastructure.

In a statement, Global Head- Operations of the company Hariprasad Hegde said the humanitarian crisis we are faced with as part of the Covid-19 crisis has multiple dimensions to it, of which the need to deliver cooked meals to the stranded migrant workers and other vulnerable communities is probably the most critical and immediate one.

Recognising this, Wipro has decided to use the industrial kitchen infrastructure in our facilities to provide cooked meals, he said.

This kicked off on April 2 with the delivery of 43,000 meals from our Bangalore facility in Kodathi to the government.

"We have made use of our own procurement logistics to source the food provisions. This is a collaborative process, with the government taking responsibility for the logistics of last mile delivery to the communities that need it the most,” he said.

In the case of Bangalore, the Karnataka government has come forward to provide this kind of complementary delivery support. We are reaching out to other state governments and local administrations for similar efforts." he said.

Udupi, Jul 15: Two doctors and four staff members of the Udupi District Hospital have been tested positive for coronavirus.

While one doctor is undergoing treatment at the designated covid hospital, the other one, who is said to be asymptomatic, is being treated at his residence.

After four staff members of the hospital tested covid positive, the throat swabs of their contacts including other staff of the hospital and family members were also sent for testing. 

Meanwhile, a person who was undergoing treatment in the district hospital for some other ailment also tested covid positive triggering panic among other non-covid patients.

Bengaluru, Apr 28: Ayurveda company, TotalAyurvedaCare.com recently launched a novel telemedicine platform that blends traditional Ayurvedic practices with modern technology, giving patients face-to-face interactions with Ayurvedic doctors.

Through the website, patients can book an appointment with a doctor and receive a consultation. Following this consultation, the doctor will prescribe Ayurvedic medicines and provide nutritional advice.

"COVID-19 has brought many unexpected changes to our lives, especially in the healthcare sectors where patients are now asked not to visit hospitals or doctors clinics unless it is a dire emergency. While social distancing and hand washing are some of the keys to containing the spread of the virus, we realized that boosting one's immunity plays a very vital role in keeping healthy. Our Telemedicine portal is ideal as patients can have access to Ayurvedic doctors at the comfort of their homes while minimizing risk to both patient and doctor", said Ed Lateef, Founder and CEO of TotalAyurvedaCare.com.

"The holistic care and treatment is completely personalized for every individual. With highly qualified and experienced doctors, we are on a mission to make the global community a healthy and happy place with Ayurveda. The online platform of TotalAyurvedaCare.com is for everyone to transform their lives. Ayurveda is the science of life and longevity and teaches us about the power of nature, its cycles, and its elements. We understand that Ayurveda is aimed at not only treating the condition but also helps to maintain the balance of soul and mind", he added.

TotalAyurvedaCare's objective is to increase accessibility of Ayurvedic treatments, with the streamlined website allowing patients to register for online consultation easily.

During the registration process, the patient will have to select their condition, doctor of choice and schedule the appointment. Payments occur online through a secured payment gateway.

Currently, the platform supports payment methods including netbanking, debit card, credit card, and PayTM. The platform also allows patients to review their doctors.

TotalAyurvedaCare.com is a division of Total Herbal Care, a company with strategic interests in herbal brands. Founded by Ed Lateef in 2001, for the retail and distribution of Ayurvedic products in the US, it also began operations in Europe in 2003 and then was merged with The Himalaya Drug Company LTD Europe (SIA The Himalaya Drug Company), which was co-founded by Ed Lateef.

As a part of their launch, TotalAyurvedaCare.com is offering free appointments of 30 minutes each for the first 200 participants. The online Ayurvedic Doctor consultation from Total Ayurveda Care is suitable for all the age groups including children.

The highly qualified and experienced Ayurvedic physicians offer personalized consultation for multiple health issues like diabetes, obesity, skin conditions, hair issues, hypertension, stress, anxiety, gastrointestinal problems, etc.

Total Ayurveda Care also offers specialized nutritional consulting, which is based on your current state of health, dietary habits and health issues.