MxMIndia

Tag: Covid-19

  • Indrani Sen writes on BARC-Nielsen insights on the Covid-19 impact

    Forced confinement leading to increase in TV consumption, but…

     

    By Indrani Sen

     

    On March 27, 2020 Nielsen and BARC India shared the first edition of their report “Covid-19 Impact- What’s happening in the TV and smartphone landscape” with the industry at large analysing how the lockdown has increased TV viewership in India. In the first week of the partial lockdown from March 14 to March 20 (BARC Week 11), the all-India TV viewership in minutes/week went up by 8% and TV reach went up y 6%. Overall time spent on TV went up by 2%.

     

    BARC conducts television audience measurement in India while Nielsen passively captures smartphone behaviour through a 12,000 strong smartphone panel. The time spent on smartphones per user also went up by 6.2%. The time spent/user/week on VOD apps saw an increase of 3%. News apps saw 8% more users per week with an increase of 17% in time spent/user/week stimulated by use of non-English News apps (+87%). Gaming apps saw an increase of 2% in users/week supported by 11% increase in time spent/user/week.

     

    We will look more closely at changes in TV audience behaviour. In Week 11, average daily viewers grew by 32Mn supported by kids, younger age groups and NCCS A. Viewing time for Television increased by over 70 billion minutes in India with each of 592Mn viewers watching TV daily for 3hr 51 minutes. Strangely, there was hardly any growth in the primetime viewership as the growth in viewership was driven by non-prime time. GECs also grew by 32% in non-primetime slots, but saw a 15% dip in the primetime slots which was higher (23%) in the Hindi Speaking Market (HSM) than the south Indian market (5%). An analysis by genres given below show that news, kids and movies gained the most in terms of daily ATS followed by infotainment, lifestyle and youth.

     

    Last week, Nielsen and BARC released the second edition of the ‘Crisis Consumption: An Insight Series into TV, Smartphone and Audiences’ report of Week 12 (starting March 21) where four days  coincided with the first week of country wide lockdown, showing an unprecedented growth of  298%  in TV news viewership. The increase in the viewership of news channels was accompanied by a 15% growth of average daily free commercial time (FCT) to 6 lakh seconds in between March 21-27 (Week 12) compared to January 11-31, 2020 or the pre-Covid-19 period reflecting last-minute changes in the allocation of TV budgets.

     

    All the parameters reported by BARC showed increases during Week 12 with the weekly viewing minutes (total number of minutes spent watching TV) touching 1.2 trillion. The number of people watching TV all seven days a week jumped from 32% to 44%, the average time spent per viewer increased 23% from 3 hours 46 minutes to 4 hours 39 minutes. As a result, the total number of channels consumed per viewer in the week also increased from 16 to 22. This surge is TV viewership is expected to continue during the next few days of the nation wise lock down and the spread of Covid- 19 in India will decide its future course.

     

    It is heartening to see that the news genre has been able to get additional advertising during this lock down period. Kids’ genre, with 20%+ share of total TV viewership and only 3% share of the overall advertising space, has not been so lucky. However, on the whole the prognosis is not good when we look at ad revenue of TV channels in immediate future. Going by the current trends, TV channels will hardly be able to convert this increase in viewership to increased ad revenue. Financial Express reported on March 21, 2020 (https://www.financialexpress.com/brandwagon/coronavirus-impact-ad-expenditure-to-decline-by-50-55-on-tv-between-april-june-2020/1914445/) “As the novel Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc around the world, television is one such industry which is currently under its grip, besides other sectors. According to industry estimates, advertising expenditure on television is expected to decline 50%- 55% to anywhere between Rs 3,750 crore – Rs 4,125 crore between April-June, that is Q1 FY2021 – if the lockdown continues.”

     

    The economictimes.indiatimes.com reported on April 2, 2020 in similar lines, though their estimate of the loss was pegged at 30-40% than 50-55% reported by Financial Times – “Top broadcasters, media buyers and advertisers ET spoke with, feel that if the situation doesn’t improve by end of April, the TV industry will end up with a 30-40% drop in ad revenues in April and May.” (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/media/broadcasters-stare-at-drop-in-ad-revenues/articleshow/74937708.cms?from=mdr)

     

    While we wait for FICCI-EY to release an update of their report on M&E industry, FICCI’s recent report on the impact of Covid-19 on the Indian economy has predicted that the pandemic will potentially derail India’s growth story by affecting both the demand and the supply side. We are going through unprecedented times when it is extremely difficult to predict even the immediate future.

     

  • The second edition of the Crisis Consumption insights series by research majors BARC and Nielsen throws up some vital statistics

    Television, Smartphone consumption leapfrogs

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The disruption caused by Covid-19 continues to result in television viewership, smartphone usage and video-on-demand (OTT) consumption. Week 12 of the BARC ratings saw Total TV consumption skyrocket. This was determined in the insights provided by TV audience measurement body BARC and research major Nielsen on Thursday. The second edition of the ‘Crisis Consumption – An Insights Series into TV, Smartphone and Audiences’ was presented by the research bodies.

     

    According to the report, there has been growth in TV and Smartphone consumption across geographies, socio-economic classes and age groups. Television viewing in Week 12 stood at a record 1.2 trillion minutes and the average daily viewers grew by 62 million ad 622 million viewers watched television daily for four hours, forty minutes.

     

    The lockdown period registered many ‘firsts’ in television viewing history. News and Movies recorded an all-time high growth in viewership, in fact Hindi movies surpassed Hindi GECs The all-India consumption increase was 37 percent over the previous week. Viewership grew significantly post-lockdown on March 25, 26 and 27.

     

    Being the first week of lockdown there was a sizeable growth in all demographics, thought particularly amongst males. Non-primetime viewership surged by more than 70 per cent, and growth in Hindi-speaking markets was higher than the south.

     

    While movie channels along with News and Kids grew higher than GECs, the general entertainment channels grew in non-primetime by 32%. News saw a growth of more than 200 per cent. In fact the share of news to Total TV leapfrogged from 7% to 21% at an all-India level in both primetime and non-primetime.

     

    As for advertising, the average FCT in Week 11-12 grew 15 per cent – by 6 lakh seconds. Week 11-12 saw a growth across genres except for sports and youth.

     

    On the digital front, consumption of news continues to show a huge increase, and Chatting and Social networking show a significant increase in timespent. E=commerce though has suffer due to difficulties in logistics management in the lockdown

     

    According to the report, The re-telecast of epicserial Ramayan garnered the highest ever rating for a Hindi GEC show since 2015.

     

     

  • The current phase of social distancing affects us all and it is seemingly for our collective good, writes Avik Chattopadhyay

    Social Embracing & the Socially Embarrassing

     

    By Avik Chattopadhyay

     

    ‘Social distancing’ is not a new phenomenon. We humans have been practising it for centuries. As religions. As castes. As ethnicities. As colours. As genders. Just that in all previous occasions, there were only some of us who were inflicted with this while a larger population continued life unfettered and unabated.

     

    The current phase of social distancing affects us all and it is seemingly for our collective good. Positives are being drawn from ‘living in one’s own cocoon’ by the sections of society that have the means and the diversions to afford one. For the larger population it is a huge disruption in life, not just physically but also emotionally. And it is the latter type of disruption that does things to the mind. Fear. Anxiety. Vacuum. Solitude. Recognition.

     

    If I were to study the current pandemic socially, those regions of the world that thrive on “social embracing” are most affected. This embracing manifests in the form of tourism. Italy. Spain. France. Singapore. Hong Kong. East and West coasts of the US. The pattern is very clear. Thousands of Chinese, not knowing they are affected, went for their annual vacations on the occasion of their new year. Hundreds of Chinese firms arrange these vacations as part of their annual incentives. Every year they are welcomed with open arms as they bring in livelihood and GDP. I have heard that in Paris, the numbers are so huge that the Chinese embassy is allowed to bring in their own security personnel to ward off muggings and snatchings! Such is the power of the Chinese tourist! It was the same for the Japanese and Koreans a few decades ago.

     

    The equation has changed, and how, in the matter of a couple of months. Today, the rest of the world looks at a Chinese with huge levels of suspicion. Conspiracy theories go around about how their government has actually orchestrated this for world economic domination. And the social media is awash with how we should isolate the country and ban its people and products.

     

    Going by that logic, Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, US and Japan should have been banned already! For each of them, in the due course of their economic progress has wantonly and repeatedly killed millions of people, either at war or in colonies or, just like that [applies most to the US]!

     

    Social distancing is a medical practice. It is temporary, imposed by a government and is not at all to be stretched beyond its medical health benefits on to any other socio-economic aspect of life.

     

    This disruption actually needs Social Embracing. And it need not be physical at all, but emotional and sociological.

     

    It needs the government to think of all consequences before passing an executive order. Even a single death of a migrant on a highway deprived of food and water is due to the Prime Minister’s obsession with grandstanding and hyperbolic announcements. The responsibility of lakhs of people getting displaced due to chaos and confusion created by his executive order lies squarely on his shoulder. We have meekly lived through Demonetisation, GST and CAA. Expecting us to endure one more example of shoddy planning and execution is sheer social elitism!

     

    It needs all the privileged segments of society to come together and support the others. We are a 200 million middle class boasting of a smartphone, loyalty programmes and online shopping. Each of us need to take up the cause of just 5-6 underprivileged around us in these trying times for them through food, basic medicines, some money and the mental comfort of societal support.

     

    It needs industry bodies and corporates to forget their differences and plunging revenue charts to collaborate for large-scale interventions. Lakhs of truck drivers were stranded on the borders, soon to be joined by lakhs of migrant workers the next day, on the highways. It has taken the relevant industry and trade bodies more than 6 days to come up with a plan to reach out food and water to them! Just because the bodies have long-standing internal differences, an insider told me.

     

    It needs each of us not to consider suffering from Covid-19 as a stigma and go about socially ostracising people who have been inflicted or have family members suffering so. Patients need support and lots of encouragement. They have been part of the social ecosystem for so long and suddenly how can they be wished away? Authorities have been putting up notices in front of the houses having Covid-19 patients / quarantined. It is easy for us to identify the homes and decide what to do…either we leave “Get well soon!” cards and flowers at the gates every morning or we point fingers at the gates and avoid them like the plague. The former is what I mean by Social Embracing” and the latter is what I call “Socially Embarrassing”.

     

    Living in tiny apartments, playing the same music on some app and uploading that video is socially embarrassing.

     

    Sharing and forwarding insensitive posts on one particular country, region and people is socially embarrassing.

     

    Beating up fellow citizens labelling them as so-and-so is socially embarrassing.

     

    Sharing pics on social groups of which triple-cask single malt would you be enjoying this evening is socially embarrassing.

     

    Holding religious sermons and gatherings wilfully endangering thousands of lives in the name of a “god” is socially embarrassing.

     

    And, apologising on a national radio address for the trauma that millions of migrant working citizens have to go through is most definitely socially embarrassing!

     

     

  • The campaign showcases the benefits of living in a senior living community

    Columbia Pacific initiates digital campaign to help seniors

    By A Correspondent

     

    With the nation observing a lockdown of 21 days to curb the spread of Covid-19, Columbia Pacific Communities has launched a two-week-long digital campaign titled #PositiveLockdown to help seniors make the most of their time indoors by engaging in enriching experiences and thus steering clear of the sense of paranoia that is currently prevailing in the country.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Piali Dasgupta, Vice President – Marketing, Columbia Pacific Communities: “We understand that these are extraordinarily anxious times particularly for the senior members of our society who live alone. We believe that positive affirmations of any kind will help them get through this period.”

     

     

  • Introduces all new episodes of iconic shows and digital engagement for kids to stay safe and stay entertained

    Nick announces new programming line-up for kids to stay home & engaged

    By A Correspondent

     

    Nickelodeon has launched fresh new content to its programming catalogue. All content across Nick and Sonic channels will be available in eight languages – Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi and Malayalam along with existing languages Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.

     

    Said Vacom18 Hindi Mass Entertainment & Kids TV Network Head, Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “Kids are at the centre of our universe and their wellbeing is of utmost importance to us. In the wake of COVID-19, we request all to stay safe indoors and have an enjoyable time at home. During this time when families must stay inside, we are offering our young viewers fresh episodes of their favorite shows so they can bond with their families while enjoying the company of their beloved Nicktoons. We at Nickelodeon believe this is a time to be positive, remain safe and we commit to do all that we can to make our viewers smile and feel upbeat.”

     

  • It pays a tribute to the medical fraternity

    Ashiana Housing makes medical frat part of its logo

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ashiana Housing has tweaked its logo to showcase the company’s solidarity and pay a tribute to the medical fraternity who have been persistent in their efforts to treat the Covid-19 affected patients.

     

    Talking about this initiative, Ankur Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Ashiana Housing Ltd. said: “While the world is reeling under the Covid-19 attack, the doctors and nurses at the frontline are leaving no stone unturned to ensure all of us are triumphant against this battle with the deadly virus. It is commendable how they put their own lives at risk to save the nation and we at Ashiana Housing Ltd. are proud of them beyond words. We also express our gratitude to the families of the medical fraternity and all the frontline workers, in our case our maintenance staff, who support them through this challenging phase. Since we cannot encapsulate our appreciation and gratefulness in words, Ashiana Housing Ltd. has decided to alter the brand’s logo for the next 21 days as a tribute to the medical fraternity.”

     

     

  • We are on Day 7 of the national lockdown, and the response we’ve received to our ‘Stay@Home’ series has been overwhelming. On Day 7, we have Sulajja Firodia Motwani, Founder and CEO of Kinetic Green. In this article, the leading lady of Indian electric vehicles industry writes on: 5 Things to Ask Yourself.

    Lockdown Day 7: Stay@Home with Sulajja Firodia Motwani: 5 Things to Ask Yourself

    We are on Day 7 of the national lockdown, and the response we’ve received to our ‘Stay@Home’ series has been overwhelming. On Day 7, we have Sulajja Firodia Motwani, Founder and CEO of Kinetic Green. In this article, the leading lady of Indian electric vehicles industry writes on: 5 Things to Ask Yourself.

     

    By Sulajja Firodia Motwani

     

    1. First, can you keep a positive mindset?

    In this lockdown, all we have been asked to do is stay at home. I see so many negative Whatsapps about how it’s a painful thing to do and how bored people are at home… To all of them, I want to ask: “Can you please keep a positive mindset?”

     

    There are health workers, police, and so many others who are risking their lives and working tirelessly to help all of us overcome this menace. In comparison to that, isn’t staying at home with your family much easier? So I say, we have to ask ourselves if we can start with a positive mindset and make the most of the situation. Certainly, this time can be used to enjoy many things we never get time to do! There are  certainly going to be some repercussions of this lockdown, but we all are in the same boat and if you are healthy at this time, that’s more important than anything else. So I think its most important to stay positive and then, I am sure this “extra” time we are getting due to homestay can, in fact, be enjoyable and memorable!

     

    2. isn’t time with your loved ones a boon?

    In today’s world of stress and of nuclear families, time with your loved ones is a precious commodity. Especially for me, as a working mother, this time with my son, Sidhant, is a special treat. I mean how often is your teenage son stays at home all day, too? Sidhant is studying in the US and I consider that I am lucky that he could come home well in time, and that he is safe and in good health. I am making the most of this lockdown by spending time with him and its most precious! Most people’s regret in life is not spending enough time with their children or their loved ones: Well, here is a chance to do exactly that!

     

    3. “Staycations” can be better than vacations, sometimes?

     

    For working professionals and businessmen/women like me, work involves long hours at the office or a lot of travel. Sometimes going away on a vacation: catching another flight, staying in hotels, eating outside food, is so tiring that I feel like I need a vacation from the vacation! So I am trying to make the most of this staycation… staying put in one place, waking up late, working at my pace, listening to music I like, watching movies, reading books, trying my hand at cooking Sidhant’s favorite dishes, attempting to keep fit with Yoga and Nike Training APP at home and using the time to do some thinking, too! This staycation is quite relaxing, in fact!

     

    4. Can you try to lend a helping hand? It’s much more gratifying.

    There are many who are less fortunate than us, who need help and are struggling to make ends meet in this difficult time. Can you try to help whoever you can in your own way? As Chairperson of FICCI Maharashtra, I am doing my best to reach out to the policymakers at the State and Centre and conveying feedback from various people about their difficulties and issues. We are trying to help with movement of essential goods, policies to help workers who lost their wages, to help MSMEs who are unable to meet their obligations, and many such issues. There are many ways you can help, too. May be provide essentials to the elderly in your society or send them home made meals, provide money and ration to needy around you etc. etc. I am sure all of us can make a difference and help those who could use a helping hand.

     

    5. Have you used this time to introspect?

    We all lead busy lives and our lives are getting busier and more stressful by the day. We are just running from one task or commitment to another. Can we use this time to just take a pause, just slow down a bit and think? Listen to the sound of the birds from your balcony, sip a cup of tea, enjoy some solitude and introspection? It can be meditative, I think. Of course, if you like to meditate, there is no better opportunity than this!

     

    So just use this time to slow down a bit, the days seem longer and time is passing more slowly. Use that precious time to connect with yourself, your loved ones, with nature and with your hobbies!

     

    Sulajja Firodia Motwani is Founder and CEO of Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions Limited, a pioneer in electric vehicles in India. She is also Vice Chairperson, Kinetic Engineering. She is associated with several industry associations and is currently Chairperson for FICCI – Maharashtra.

     

  • It will help the daily wage workers combat the economic hardship

    Dainik Bhaskar Group launches ‘Seva Parmo Dharma’ donation drive

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Group joins the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic by starting a major donation drive ‘Seva Parmo Dharma’, to help the daily wage workers combat the economic hardship arising due to the declaration of 21-days lockdown across India.

     

    Notes a communique: “Dainik Bhaskar Group has pledged to distribute one week worth of food supplies to 1 lakh families in 40 cities across 12 states in India and has also partnered with local NGOs in each of the cities to ensure responsible distribution. To kickstart this initiative, the Bhaskar Group and its family of employees are donating Rs 1 crore and targeting to collect Rs 7 crore from others. It has also appealed to the common public for their whole-hearted contributions to this just cause.”

     

     

  • Extends financial aid to daily wage-earners associated with all its shows

    Viacom18 pitches in support to help India fight Covid-19

    By A Correspondent

     

    In light of the fast spreading Coronavirus, Viacom18 has announced a slew of measures to ensure that audiences continue to remain entertained while being socially responsible. The company will be financially supporting all daily-wage earners engaged with the production of all its original content across India. Additionally, Viacom18 has partnered with GiveIndia to roll out a nationwide fundraising campaign to support daily wage earners across industries. Frontlined by contribution from its own employees, the company will be launching a social media campaign to encourage Indians to contribute, and will match the corpus collected.

     

    Speaking on the numerous efforts being made at an organizational level, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO and Managing Director, Viacom18 said: “Unprecedented times like these demand for measures that are special, generous and speedy. The Covid-19 outbreak has created tremendous disruption across the nation. Even during such times, constant efforts are being made to ensure that our viewers are being entertained while being educated about the situation. Despite the risks, a few of our employees have stayed back at our offices thus ensuring that viewers get their daily dose of entertainment. We have been ensuring they are safe and are following safety measures.  We have always believed that the onus rests upon us in giving back to society in times of need.  We have extended support to all those daily wage workers that have been supporting us round the clock during production schedules. As a media company, we will continue to play a responsible role in echoing the larger message and extend support in all possible manners to help curtail the pandemic.”

     

     

  • Buffalo Soldiers has spaced out its logo alphabets to send out the important message of social distancing

    Buffalo Soldiers revamps logo to create social distancing awareness

    By A Correspondent

     

     

     

    Digital marketing agency Buffalo Soldiers has revamped its logo to send out a social message. As India fights Covid19, Buffalo Soldiers has spaced out its logo alphabets to send out the important message of social distancing.

     

    Said Sumon K Chakrabarti, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Buffalo Soldiers: “We are a small and growing start-up which literally started from the garage. Despite that, we were one of the first in India to move our whole team to work from home six days before the government announced the lockdown. In these challenging times, the most important thing is to stay healthy. Because the future will not wait for us or be kind to us if as entrepreneurs we don’t stand together to become responsible and pass on the message of social distancing. Our logo and tagline reflects a simple messaging – We Design Stories From Home. Our shared trust in tomorrow is maintained in our speed and agility, for our customers and teammates, even in these difficult times.”

     

     

  • Radio City across all its 39 cities, applauds the efforts of doctors, nurses, police, soldiers etc with this campaign

    Radio City salutes frontline warriors during Covid-19 fight

    By A Correspondent

     

    In the wake of Covid-19 outbreak, Radio City has launched its initiative called ‘Radio City ka Salaam, Corona fighters ke Naam’ across 39 cities to laud the frontline warriors like doctors, nurses, soldiers, etc. who are ensuring our safety by putting themselves at risk. The campaign has been leveraged across Radio City’s social media platforms for listeners to stay updated.

     

    Speaking about the initiative, Kartik Kalla, Chief Creative Officer, Radio City, said: “Today the whole world is talking about the need for social distancing and self-quarantine, but there are many people who can’t do that because their jobs demand them to go to work. We are referring to fighters like doctors, nurses, policemen, airport authorities and many more who are fighting the deadly Covid-19 from the frontlines for the health and safety of the nation. ‘Radio City ka Salaam, Corona fighter’s ke Naam’ a campaign executed across all our 39 stations, is our humble endeavour to salute the efforts of these heroes. We hope the threat of COVID-19 settles soon; until then, let’s all give a hats off and say a quite prayer for our Corona fighters. We can’t thank them enough for their dedication and spirit!”

     

     

  • When a senior TV personality uses the same example given by the head of the BJP's IT cell to defend the government, eyebrows if not questions, are raised, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Journalists as publicity agents?

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    It has taken six years but am I correct in thinking that greater numbers in the Indian media are now seeing the incompetent callous heartlessness of the Narendra Modi government for what is? Or is it just wishful thinking? This is from an editorial in the Deccan Herald, which does not mince its words about the massive nationwide migration caused by the shoddily implemented lockdown and the resultant pain, suffering and death. It is only official incompetence on a monumental scale which has caused this, as the edit says clearly:

    “The sheer scale of this mass migration has not been seen in decades. This is a man-made disaster. It could have been avoided had governments at the Centre and the states thought through the implications of imposing a nation-wide lockdown without preparation. They should have made arrangements for food and shelter for migrant populations in our cities, and provided public transport to those who wished to return to their villages. Such arrangements could have been made when a lockdown seemed inevitable or even in the interim period between the ‘janata curfew’ and the announcement of the 21-day lockdown…

    “It has ordered state governments to ‘contain migrants’ within cities. While this may be aimed at preventing them from carrying coronavirus infections back to their villages, this decision is ill-conceived. Migrants attempting to cross state borders to return home are now being beaten and pushed back by police. In what’s clearly an afterthought, the government has promised to provide the migrants with food and shelter in the cities. But the use of coercive force to hold them back against their will. could trigger protests and riots. And for this, the government will have only itself to blame.”

    https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/first-edit/a-man-made-disaster-is-unfolding-819474.html

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/30/india-wracked-by-greatest-exodus-since-partition-due-to-coronavirus

    Added to the trauma of having to leave their place of work for their homes, with no food or money or method of transportation, was the police brutality inflicted on these travellers. What government makes no arrangements at all and expects to get away with it? The Narendra Modi government of course, enabled and assisted as it has been, in every disaster it has caused, by sections of the media for over six years now.
    As videos emerged on March 30, of people returned to Bareilly being sprayed down with chemicals, the true horror of the actions of the Indian government came to light. People were sprayed with Sodium Hypochlorite, which is a surface disinfectant, a form of bleach, not to be used on living beings.

    Now, one could react with outrage, as most people did. One could find out why what happened did happen, as some journalists did. Or one could find ways to defend the government, as a few did. Sadly, very senior and influential journalist Shekhar Gupta was one. And Rahul Kanwal, in an elliptical manner, pointed out that the Kerala government had done something similar. Now, why do this? Which part of being a journalist makes you a publicity agent of the government? Ha ha ha ha ha, why am I asking.

    But consider this. The Kerala example was provided first by Amit Malviya of the BJP IT Cell. Therefore, when a senior TV personality uses the same example to defend the government, eyebrows if not questions, are raised. According to other journalists, the Kerala government did not use bleach but soap and water. Whatever it may be, why not, with the resources you have at your disposal, check first before tweeting? Instead of resorting to childish whataboutery?

    https://indianexpress.com/article/india/coronavirus-bareilly-migrant-workers-sprayed-disinfectant-uttar-pradesh-6338664/?fbclid=IwAR1M8YKbWKxIzuBQWRlIef2r4sh8Hy9kBuAwuXyj-cJ-1tr0xcqkrhLqE3E

    https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-coronavirus-news-after-up-bleach-wash-for-migrants-kerala-slammed-for-soap-water-spray-2203205

    Meanwhile, health reporters across India are stymied by the authorities which will not provide adequate information or figures. The Modi government does not believe in press conferences. Scroll has put together this list of 10 questions, which India needs urgent answers to.

    https://scroll.in/pulse/957613/health-reporters-have-10-questions-for-the-government-as-indias-coronavirus-crisis-deepens

     

    As news channels, especially language ones, continue with a campaign against the Chinese people, rather than the Chinese government, for “spreading” this coronavirus, the effect on people of the North East has been terrible.

    https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/people-from-northeast-face-racist-slurs-coronavirus-lockdown/article31212978.ece

    And, even as India dealt with all these crises, caused by the virus and by the government’s lack of coordination, anticipation and planning, the Prime Minister released an “exercise video”. Twitter at least, took him to task.

    https://www.freepressjournal.in/viral/so-obsessed-with-self-pr-twitter-trolls-pm-modi-for-animated-videos-of-him-practising-yoga-amidst-mass-migration-while-coronavirus-lockdown

     

    I leave the most important for last. The Prime Minister set up a public charitable trust for donations towards Covid-19 relief. Trustees include himself, the defence minister, home minister and finance minister. Companies can use CSR funds as donations here. Many celebrities and industries have donated. There is no explanation as to why this fund was set up when the PM relief fund and similar CM relief funds already exist. There is no proper examination in the media either, except to say “the opposition” has questioned it.

    Some journalists also proudly tweeted that they had contributed to it. I leave you to guess who.