After belting out 500 songs, Rohit Chauhan is truly known as the singing sensation. With music flowing in his veins, for both parents having been celebrated singers in Uttarakhand, Rohit has made a name for himself quite at a young age.

Just 25 years of age, Rohit is an inspiration for many, particularly the youth in his home state Uttarakhand. The hilly state, nestled between the snow-capped mighty peaks of Himalaya, has for ages loved the rendition of the Pahari song, truly the identity of Dev Bhoomi. And Rohit is on top of the wish list of the connoisseurs of Pahari songs.   

Rohit’s father Rajendra Chauhan is a music director. His elder brother is a cinematographer in Mumbai. So, Rohit from an early age found music resonating in his heart. He has belted out a number of albums with his mother Kalpana Chauhan, who is another famous Uttarakhandi singer.

In the past 15 years, Rohit has sung over 500 songs, besides hosting more than 5000 stage shows. Rohit gains happiness from the fact that he has been able to contribute to popularizing the culture of Uttrakhand.

Rohit has also opened a music school in Dehradoon in 2019. Kalpana Sangeetalaya is named after his mother. It aims to train the next generation of musicians while helping underprivileged and talented children of the state.

“Proper guidance is necessary to groom talent. There are many kids and parents who cannot afford to join a music institute. So, Kalpana Sangeetalaya helps such talents with training and chance to perform in live concerts,” says Rohit.

Treatment with the antiviral drug remdesivir does not speed recovery from COVID-19 compared with placebo in hospitalised patients who are critically ill, according to the first randomised trial of its kind involving 237 adults (aged 18 and older) from ten hospitals in Wuhan, China, published in The Lancet.

Although their study is the first randomised controlled trial (considered the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions) of remdesivir, the authors caution that interpretation of their findings is limited because the study was stopped early after they were unable to recruit enough patients due to the steep decline in cases in China. They conclude that more evidence from ongoing clinical trials is needed to better understand whether remdesivir can provide meaningful clinical benefit.

In the absence of any known treatment for COVID-19, remdesivir is one of a handful of experimental drugs undergoing clinical trials worldwide. It has only been available to patients with COVID-19 on compassionate grounds (the use of unapproved drugs when no other treatment is available). In the trial, all patients received standard care including lopinavir–ritonavir, interferons, and corticosteroids.

“Unfortunately, our trial found that while safe and adequately tolerated, remdesivir did not provide significant benefits over placebo”, says Professor Bin Cao from China-Japan Friendship Hospital and Capital Medical University in China, who led the research. “This is not the outcome we hoped for, but we are mindful that we were only able to enrol 237 of the target 453 patients because the COVID-19 outbreak was brought under control in Wuhan. What’s more, restrictions on bed availability resulted in most patients being enrolled later in the disease course, so we were unable to adequately assess whether earlier treatment with remdesivir might have provided clinical benefit.” [2]

He continues: “Future studies need to determine whether earlier treatment with remdesivir, higher doses, or combination with other antivirals or SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibodies, might be more effective in those with severe illness.”

Remdesivir was originally developed to treat Ebola, and is designed to interfere with the way a virus reproduces, thereby stopping it from multiplying inside the body. It has been shown to successfully block SARS-CoV-2 from replicating in vitro, and had activity against other coronavirus infections like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and COVID-19 in animal studies. Case studies have also reported benefit in some severely ill patients with COVID-19, but until now, there have been no clinical trials of remdesivir, so its efficacy against COVID-19 in patients is unknown.

In this study, 237 adults hospitalised with severe laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled between February 6 and March 12, 2020. To be eligible, patients had to enter the study within 12 days of symptom onset, have pneumonia confirmed by chest imaging, and oxygen saturation of 94% or lower. Participants were randomly assigned to either daily infusions of remdesivir (158 patients; 200mg on day 1 followed by 100mg on days 2–10) or a placebo infusions (79 patients) for 10 days. One patient in the placebo group withdrew before receiving treatment.

Trained investigators measured time to clinical improvement over 28 days using a six-point scale of clinical status ranging from hospital discharge (score=1) to death (score=6). Clinical improvement was defined as at least a two point improvement compared to a patient’s admission status.

No statistically significant difference in time to clinical improvement was noted between the groups (average time to clinical improvement 21 days for remdesivir group vs 23 days placebo group). In a secondary outcome (a planned outcome measure in a trial that is not as important as the primary outcome measure, but is still of interest in evaluating the effect of an intervention [3]), although not statistically significant, in patients treated within 10 days of illness onset, those receiving remdesivir appeared to recover faster than those given placebo (average time to clinical improvement 18 days vs 23 days).

Death within 28 days of randomisation was similar between the groups, with 14% (22/158) patients dying in the remdesivir group compared with 13% (10/78) in the placebo group. However, in secondary outcomes, patients treated with remdesivir within 10 days of illness onset had a lower, but not statistically significant, difference in mortality, with 11% (8/71) patients dying compared with 15% (7/47) receiving placebo.

Similarly, in secondary outcomes, the duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, although not significantly different between the groups, was shorter in remdesivir recipients than placebo recipients (average 7 days vs 15.5 days). No significant differences were noted between the groups in duration of oxygen support, length of hospital stay, or time to discharge or death (table 3).

Furthermore, treatment with remdesivir did not result in significant reductions in viral load (how much SARS-CoV-2 is present in an infected person’s body) or detection of the virus in the upper or lower respiratory tract compared with placebo (figure 3).

There was no difference in adverse events between the groups (65%; 102/155 remdesivir patients included in the safety analysis vs 64%; 50/78 placebo), and the overall proportion of serious adverse events was lower in patients given remdesivir than placebo (18%; 28/155 vs 26%; 20/78). However, more patients in the remdesivir group discontinued treatment because of adverse events including gastrointestinal symptoms (eg, nausea, vomiting) and cardiopulmonary failure (18 remdesivir group; 12% vs 4 placebo; 5%).

“Participants in our trial were less ill, and treated earlier in their disease course, compared with a recent observational study of patients with COVID-19, who received remdesivir on compassionate grounds [4]. Yet, remdesivir did not provide greater benefits in our study population as expected”, says co-author Professor Ronghui Du from Wuhan Lung Hospital, China. “Ongoing clinical trials of remdesivir, will provide important additional information about whether and under what circumstances it may provide benefit.” [2]

The authors note several limitations of the study, including that stopping early gives insufficient power to detect differences in clinical outcomes, and it did not account for the possible emergence of reduced susceptibility to remdesivir (which would contribute to a reduction of remdesivir effectiveness), because of a lack of data at the time. Finally, they point out that the frequent use of corticosteroids in patients in this study might have aided viral production, as observed in SARS and MERS.

Writing in a linked Comment, Professor John Norrie (who was not involved in the study) from the University of Edinburgh, UK, discusses the challenges, and importance, of conducting randomised trials in epidemics, and writes: “Promising signals from observational data must be rigorously confirmed or refuted in high-quality randomised trials—particularly given that for COVID-19 no proven safe and effective treatments yet exist…That is additionally challenging in a pandemic, and the temptation to lower the threshold of convincing evidence must be resisted, because adopting ineffective and potentially unsafe interventions risks only harm without worthwhile benefit, while making it even harder to undertake trials to find truly effective and safe interventions.”

He continues: “The study was well designed—a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre randomised trial—and well conducted, with high protocol adherence and no loss-to-follow up…An absence of statistical significance in an underpowered trial means that the findings are inconclusive. The particular challenges of delivering pandemic trials underline the importance of data sharing, allowing rapid curation of relevant datasets for individual patient data meta-analyses. With each individual study at heightened risk of being incomplete, pooling data across possibly several underpowered but high-quality studies looks like it will be our best way to obtain robust insights into what works, safely, and on whom. We eagerly await the ongoing trials.”

Angelium Kaur although hails from London, England but her aura and sheen seemed popular all across India and Asia. She was brought up in London and despite being British Citizen winning hearts all across the world. Her recognition came in the fashion world when an award-winning photographer Sohail Anjum brought her out in the glamour world with his professional lens. He defined the lady with her new aura and gleam. 

This added the confidence in the lady making her contest in top beauty contest like Miss India 2018. She has remained a multi-talented lady who is not only active in the modeling and fashion world but at the same time has remained an Entrepreneur & Artist. She holds a certification in Kundalini Yoga and has mastered Neuro-Linguistic Programming. However, her aura in the fashion world turned the talk of the town only due when she was declared as the official Winner of Glammonn Miss India 2018

She is also a beauty with the brain and was able to bag the title with her attributes like kindness, compassion, entertainment, and knowledge. She even walked on the ramp showcasing leading designers and even got featured in several music videos apart from being showcased in magazines including Femina, Fitglam, Debonair, and was popular as a GlamDiva. She has to go a long way when it comes to fashion and the world of beauty.

Getting married, buying your own home, or even starting a family, your 30s can bring in many life transitions. But have you done everything necessary to make sure these transitions are smooth? Let me simplify the question. Do you have a financial plan in place that would make your 30s wonderful and the coming years peaceful? Not yet? I can help. 

I am sharing with you the five most important money management tips that will help you tremendously in financial planning. Read through each one of them very carefully. 

Set Financial Goals – The first step to formulating a financial plan is to sit down and write your short-term and long-term financial goals. And once you do that, start your research to be able to meet them. For example, if you want to take a trip to Italy within a year or two, find out how much it would cost you so that you can spend and save accordingly every month. This is equally important for long-term goals. For example, if you plan to buy a home within the next 5 to 7 years, you will have to gain a decent understanding of what the down payment, monthly installments, and interest rates will be like. A clear picture of your goals will help you take the next step wisely. 

Start Saving – Once you set the goals, it’s time to adopt better money habits and start saving. And for me, the mantra to saving is – “know your expenses.” Not only should you save a certain percentage of your income every month, but you should also know what and where you’re spending. That’s because you can’t control your expenses if you don’t identify the unnecessary ones. 

Follow these steps to save better:

• Record every expense, no matter how small it is. You can download an expenditure tracking app or use an excel sheet as per your convenience. 
• Make a note of the necessary expenses such as rent, bills, grocery, medical, etc.
• At the end of the month, identify the unnecessary expenses – for example, frequent Starbucks bills – and decide how you’re going to eliminate them or at least replace them with a cheaper alternative. 
• Budget your money in a way that there’s no or just a small window for unnecessary expenses.
• Stick to the budget and save the rest of your monthly income. 

Pay Off Debts – Have a look at your credit card debts and other loans, if any, to see if you’re doing everything possible to minimize the amount you owe. If you’re making just the minimum payments or paying only the interest amount every month, you will never be able to get rid of the debt. And on top of that, your cibil score would take a hit. So, give up on the luxuries and pay off your debts as soon as possible. 

If you have multiple debts, consolidate them into one single debt by taking a personal loan. Keep the repayment period short so that you can pay off the principle amount quickly. The longer you take to repay the loan amount, the more interest you will end up paying. Once you pay off the debt, money from your income will be freed for more savings. 

Invest in Health Insurance – We all know that healthcare has become very expensive. In fact, Indians spend over 62% of their savings to meet health expenses. So it’s best to buy adequate health cover, especially if you’re 30 years or older. That’s because our metabolism slows down in our 30s, making it easier to gain weight. And this may leave you at a higher risk for fatigue, cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, etc. 

If you’re covered under a decent health insurance policy, you can claim basic health expenses without having to spend from your pocket. Moreover, you can get cashless treatment (payment made by insurance agency directly to the hospital) in case of an emergency, which means you won’t have to dig a hole in your savings.  

Save for Your Retirement – Don’t wait for that big promotion to start saving for your retirement because if you want a comfortable retirement, you will have to start now. Try to make at least minimum contributions towards it. Also, many employers match their employees’ contributions towards their retirement up to a certain percentage. So, learn about the matching contribution policy in your company and ask your employer what you must do to become vested. 

You can’t conquer anything overnight. So, don’t give up if you can’t get it right initially; keep trying to improvise your financial plan every day. 

I hope these tips were helpful. 

The author Shiv Nanda is a financial analyst who currently lives in Bangalore (refusing to acknowledge the name change) and works with MoneyTap, India’s first app-based credit-line. Shiv is a true finance geek, and his friends love that. They always rely on him for advice on their investment choices, budgeting skills, personal financial matters and when they want to get a loan. He has made it his life’s mission to help and educate people on various financial topics, so email him your questions at shiv@moneytap.com.

“There is no virus bigger than hunger and if you save a single person or a single family, you are a true carer of humanity. So, it is the time to step up and this is the time when we are meant to help each other survive through the agony of this phase, the lockdown. Only if we save the needy from their misery of hunger, we would be able to save them from this deadly coronavirus”, said Vijay Sharma spreading his message around. His words are true and so is his helping notion. He knows and has seen the desire, the hunger, and the love in the eyes of people while he with his other team members of Vishwa Shanti Mission organization was out there helping the people in need. As per one of the team members, Kamal Sharma the Vishwa Shanti Mission organization’s accounted number of reached out families with the daily essential deliveries is more than 1500 and increasing. Their goals are clear and all they wish for is reach out these deprived families and help.

The increasing havoc of COVID-19 pandemic and the situation of lockdown has left people destitute making the lives of poor, a complete misery. There are many families out there unable to have even their 2 times meal. Vijay said, “the government has been trying to help but their reach has not been made to many families which still exist “in the dark side of no help received yet.” But what we see is, even after facing so much, they still hold the positivity, even when they are living their lives on the roadside without any help, they are trying to survive. Their hopes exist only on the social workers and the organizations like Vishwa Shanti Mission organization and this is why we as a team are out there to help them believe that, humanity exists are we are making every possible attempt to deliver the essentials and food as much as we can.”

“It isn’t a misery unless we willingly let them suffer alone” and in no way, Vijay Sharma and the Vishwa Shanti Mission organization other team members are willing to step back. The team has reached to help during this lockdown, many families in the lanes of Mathura-Vrindavan, who are in need and require essential help. They have also been trying to arrange food for the needy since last 25 days of the lockdown. 

Recently when they reached out with food and essentials to the Transport Nagar empty fields where more than 40 families are living in huts they made for their survival, their eyes shined bright and their heartfelt love was visible in the way they invited the team members. The head of these families also thanked them, showered their blessings and wished them good. Listening to their concerns it did gave a sense of satisfaction and the help provided did seem worth. One member amidst those families named Malti said that “they were all from varied placed and came here to find a job and have a living. Someone does the job of making mats while others make the brooms but now amidst this lockdown, every work is on halt. They do not have any other income sources and even the savings they had got used in the starting days of the lockdown. So, all they do is, sit and wait around with the hope that any of the passer-by’s eyes would fall on them and due to little of sympathy they have within, will give these families 2-time meal for their survival.

Vijay said, “this is the time to stand up for humanity and help them. We should be willingly taking the steps to not just help the people from this deadly virus but also ensure that they do receive their meal to survive. Our team is ensuring with all the help they can provide. Masks are even distributed amidst the people together with food for the needy as this is our moral duty.” Truly, this is how we will survive the pandemic and the virus and what would come after the end of it all will be happiness and blessings around.

In today’s time, we come across many stories that inspire each one of us to multiple levels. One such story is about a Pune based guy named Harsh Gawali who is a model and an ardent fitness personality. 

Harsh started his career as a model back in 2015 and is currently working as a senior marketing operation analyst at one of the leading Edtech companies in India.

Last year, In 2019 August, Harsh received a call from MCF team head to go on a rescue operation in Bhilawadi, a small town in Maharashtra, India which was flooded due to heavy rainfall and people in the area were stuck and had no means to get out of the situation. Harsh along with others had to drive for 6 hours until he reached the destination and immediately started the rescue operation with the help of MCF Head Jaypal Dagade Patil and Team NDRF.

Harsh Gawali started the rescue operation at 7 am in the morning and was successful in rescuing 244 people who were stuck in the floods. It was a 12 hours long rescue operation and Harsh who was leading the team had to conduct the entire operation barefoot with stones and other kinds of stuff hurting his leg. Till date, Harsh feels proud of it and the opportunity he received. 

Harsh is a huge fitness enthusiast and athlete. He is a former 55 kgs wrestler too and has achieved milestones in climbing some of the hardest pinnacles of Maharashtra. In addition, Harsh is also a trained cadet of Maharashtra Civil force.

Healthcare workers at hospitals are risking COVID-19 infection by taking care of those infected by it 24/7. Perhaps the level of risk may get reduced hereafter with the help of a new friend, HCARD. The robotic device HCARD, in short for Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device, can help frontline healthcare workers in maintaining physical distance from those infected by coronavirus. 

HCARD is developed by the Durgapur-based CSIR lab, Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute. The device is equipped with various state-of-the-art technologies and works both in automatic as well as manual modes of navigation. 

This robot can be controlled and monitored by a nursing booth with a control station having such features as navigation, drawer activation for providing medicines and food to patients, sample collection and audio-visual communication. 

Prof. (Dr.) Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI stated that “This Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device could be effective for frontline healthcare officials dealing with COVID-19 patients in delivering services while maintaining mandatory physical distancing”. The cost of this device is less than Rs 5 lakh and the weight is less than 80 kilograms, added Prof. Hirani. 

CSIR-CMERI is working on war footing to minimize the impact of COVID-19 through technological interventions. As spelled out by WHO, personal protective equipment (PPE) is very important in preventing transmission of coronavirus in the society, thus the Institute has channelized its resources optimally to develop PPE and community-level safety equipment for helping the public at large and healthcare institutions.

Scientists at CMERI have also developed a few other customized technologies, including Disinfection Walkway, Road Sanitizer Unit, Face Mask, Mechanical Ventilator and Hospital Waste Management Facility. 

The rising cases of coronavirus in India and other parts of the world have created a major hurdle for everyone. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has surpassed 1 million globally. While in India, the number of positive cases has crossed the mark of 2,550 in total. To prevent the deadly virus, India is currently on a 21-day lockdown until April 14, 2020. As reported, the confirmed cases in Gujarat have reached 95. Many people are practicing social distancing and are taking all the precautions against the virus. The notable politician, social activist, and land developer of Gujarat, Pinakin Shukla is time and again hitting the headlines for his noble deeds.

He recently made a huge contribution by donating ration and other essential groceries in large numbers in Virpur, Mahisagar district. Trying his best to fulfill all the fundamental needs of the people in his area, Pinakin is leaving no stone unturned to help them out in any capacity. Adding to that, he just wants people to remain safe and not step out. “We have testing times ahead. Do not create history by doing the same mistake which Italy did. Be home. This is the time you need to be with your near and dear ones. I am spending much needed time with my family and my children. Let’s all unite together and destroy the coronavirus.” For the underprivileged people in Mahisagar district, the politician even stated that he would help them financially and also distribute essential commodities if required again. 

A few days back, Pinakin donated a total of 10,000 kg wheat, 6,000 kg rice, 500 kg dal, 1000 liter refined oil, 1000 kg salt, 100 kg red chili powder, and 100 kg turmeric powder. The kits were distributed among 2,000 people in and across Mahisagar. Well, it is not just during this pandemic, Pinakin Shukla has come forward to do charities. He earlier constructed various temples including Mukeshwar Mahadev Temple, Bhatiji Mandir, and Ramji Mandir in his locality. Besides this, every year Pinakin Donates waters, blankets, etc. in his locality, he donated his land &constructed a bus stand in Mahisagar which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pinakin Shukla has won a kheda district panchayat election with the highest margin in Gujarat in the year of 2013, he also was the youngest chairman of APMC virpur, In the year of 2015 he also won mahisagar district panchayat election with the highest margin in whole Gujarat, He was the youngest chairman of the standing committee of mahisagar district panchayat. Pinakin is truly living his life to uplift other people and in return, all he wants is to cooperate at this moment and stay safe by being at home.

When a wedding photography studio receives laurels from a prestigious institution like the Australian Bridal Industry Academy (ABIA), it means something more than just the award. For the past many years now, Shootime Alsaboory has remained firmly placed among the top 10 wedding photography studios in Sydney, as per the ABIA. No wonder then that the brides and grooms, not just in Australia, but around the world, agree wholeheartedly!

In addition, in the year 2018, Shootime Alsaboory also stood 6^th among 97 other wedding photography studios after garnering 90.87% votes. 

Past brides, who have had an experience with a bridal supplier and have, subsequently, rated him on the basis of his products, service, value and staff, are called in to determine the AIBA awards. Each year, the best wedding supplies from different regions of Australia compete for these awards.

The brides determine the nominees and finalists by assigning scores out of 100. These scores are awarded for the quality of the product, service, and value for money as well as staff behavior of the suppliers.

It is the unique style of working adopted by Shootime Alsaboory that makes them stand apart in the crowd. The wedding photography service is not just attuned to the things that matter the most to the couple, they also know how to become a part of their wedding story.

After gaining the trust of their subjects, the service offers creative ideas to capture wedding portraits. Some of these ideas are quite unorthodox but equally loved by the bride and the groom. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t accept out-of-the-box ideas of the couple as well as the members of the bridal party. The studio starts with listening to the reasons behind the venue choice, style of the ceremony, etc. 

At Shootime Alsaboory, they believe that “the more you break down that barrier, the easier it becomes to get inspired and creative.”

Not everyone can travel abroad for that perfect wedding. Therefore, Shootime Alsaboory manages to provide an out-of-this-world wedding photography experience to their clients, right where they are!

Many tax officers have voluntarily joined the frontline force to help the needy and poor during Covid-19 crisis. A group of them in Mumbai has pooled resources to provide free ration and other essential items to the poor

What might be a regular day in a tax officer’s life? Most of the times, their focus is on bolstering tax collection. Tasked by the government to mop up more, they keep looking for possible evasion by taxpayers. They issue notice for payment and pursue them vehemently to cough up tax.

This is perhaps the reason they are sometimes accused of misusing power and being harsh to the general public. Over the years, the perception has only got stronger. But some of the officers are set to change this, and tide of public opinion could be headed to turn sooner than later.

As Coronavirus takes the country in its grip, many tax officers have voluntarily joined the frontline force to help the needy and poor. A group of them in the financial capital Mumbai has pooled resources to provide free ration and other essential items to help migrant workers and daily-wagers during this difficult time.

The Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers Megha Bhargava and Suresh Kataria have taken the lead and tied up with NGO Samparpan to ease the pain and hardship being faced by thousands of workers who are stuck in Mumbai and around during the nationwide lockdown.

Soon after the lockdown was announced, the two officers along with some of their colleagues quickly devised a plan to organize relief efforts through Samarpan for daily wagers.

As the officers swiftly came into action many more joined along. Now, almost 40 officers are shouldering the responsibility in giving back to the society.

While most of them are from IRS fraternity based in Mumbai and Bangalore, the team consists of officers posted all over the country.  Many more like-minded people have also joined the team and contributing in cash and kind.

Samarpan has been at the forefront of mitigating the harshest effects of the outbreak, and has launched a comprehensive relief programme. But the enormity of work needs more support in donations.

The most critical factor for all the above initiatives is access to funds. An amount of merely Rs 1,000 can help one person survive at least one entire month (or a family of 4 for around 8-10 days).

Samarpan has appealed for donations by all well-wishers, which is also eligible for tax benefits u/s 80G of the Income Tax Act. The donations can be made through Samarpan’s website or by crowd funding website Ketto through net banking or credit/debit cards/Paytm etc.

Samarpan is trying hard to help a minimum of 15,000 daily wage earners/migrant workers whose needs are extreme. Apart from this, Samarpan is trying to provide around 100,000 cooked meals in Mumbai.

Story link: https://topleadindia.com/2020/04/26/tax-officers-join-frontline-workers-pool-funds-from-salaries-to-help-needy-fight-covid-crisis/