IT companies use biz uptick to reward staff

IT companies use biz uptick to reward staff

Shilpa.Phadnis@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:12.05.2021 

Many IT companies are giving a second round of salary increases and promotions within months of the previous one. Last year’s salary increment had initially been deferred on account of the pandemic and business downturn. But as business picked up in the second half of the year, increments were given with effect from late last calendar year or early this year. Now, with intense competition for talent, companies are rewarding employees again.

Accenture India, which has over 2 lakh employees, had its annual December increments, bonuses and promotions, and an added round of promotions in February this year. “In April, all our people up through associate director level received a one-time ‘thank you bonus’ equal to one week of base pay for their contributions during this difficult year. Additionally, we have expanded our annual mid-year promotions this coming June to include managing directors — a first in our company’s history — as one more way we continue to create new opportunities for our people,” Accenture India told TOI. In December last year, Accenture globally promoted 605 people to MD, and 63 people to senior MD, including a record percentage of women.

Infosys EVP & HR head Richard Lobo said its second compensation review cycle for the year is under way. It had given increments effective January, after having put them on hold for most of the last fiscal. It is doing another review based on last year’s performance, and the salary hike based on this will be effective July. Both compensation reviews are applicable to employees across levels. The quantum of hike is a factor of role and performance. The two increments together will be 10-14%, in an otherwise languid pay market.

Infosys’s move follows that of TCS, which too gave hikes within a six-month gap. TCS has given increments to all associates across geographies effective April. Sources told TOI that many senior employees received hikes in the range of 6-8%, higher than normal.

Wipro CEO Thierry Delaporte said in the latest earnings call that measures are in place to ensure the supply chain does not slow its pace of growth and it includes the rollout of “much-deserved” salary increases for his senior colleagues in June. The quantum of the hikes is yet to be decided. Salary hikes for employees in band C1 (managers and above) that was due in June last year had been deferred. But the company paid out 100% variable pay to all employees in each of the past three quarters because of business pick-up.

HCL, which normally gives salary increments effective July, had deferred it by one quarter last year. But this year it expects to return to the regular cycle. “On average, we rolled out 7-8% hikes last year, but those were higher at the bottom of the pyramid,” chief HR officer Apparao V V said.

Harshvendra Soin, global chief people officer in Tech Mahindra, said it recently completed the appraisal cycle and has announced salary hikes, in line with the industry, with effect from April 1. “The letters are being rolled out. We have also introduced retention bonus for key talent and have announced skill-based allowances for associates with niche skills and projectbased bonuses,” he said.

With competition for talent increasing, companies are rewarding employees again

From 1.2L a day, Tirumala footfall drops to 2.4k

From 1.2L a day, Tirumala footfall drops to 2.4k

Tirupati:12.05.2021 

Pilgrim footfall at Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala on Monday reported an all-time low of 2,400. This is perhaps the lowest ever in the history of the temple.

With the surging Covid-19 cases leading to full and partial lockdowns in many parts of the country, including in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the flow of devotees to the hill temple has dried up considerably over the last few weeks. While the temple was closed during the lockdown in the first wave of Covid-19 during March-June 2020, soon after its reopening the temple recorded an average footfall of 8,000 pilgrims.

Tirumala temple is famous for its large turnout of pilgrims round the year, the numbers often touching 1.25 lakh on weekends and festivals. Never in its history the temple had witnessed a pilgrim turnout less than 8,000 a day.

Now, though the TTD is allowing devotees with darshan tickets to enter Tirumala even after 12 noon, when the 18-hour partial curfew announced by the state government comes into force, people have been reluctant to visit the temple during these pandemic times.

While just 2,400 devotees visited the temple on Monday, about 1,375 devotees got their heads tonsured as part of fulfilment of their vows. The low pilgrim footfall also saw the temple’s hundi collections dip to an all-time low of 24 lakh. The hundi collection on normal days hovers between Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore daily. Even during the first wave Covid-19 restrictions the hundi collection never dropped below Rs 1 crore a day.

Officials expect a further dip in the pilgrim footfall as Telangana government on Tuesday announced near-lockdown restricting public movement. TNN

Hosp debarred for charging ₹10L from patient who died during treatment

Hosp debarred for charging ₹10L from patient who died during treatment

Agra:12.05.2021 

Arun Kansal, a 62-year-old resident of Agra, died while being treated for Covid at Ravi hospital and his family was charged a bill of Rs 9.6 lakh. This was found to be in violation of the rates fixed by the state government for the treatment of Covid patients, and the hospital has been debarred from further admissions.

Following a complaint made by the patient’s family, and an initial investigation, district magistrate Prabhu N Singh has debarred the hospital from admitting Covid-19 patients. A showcause notice has also been issued to the hospital, which is owned by the former district president of Indian Medical Association, Dr Ravi Mohan Pachori. Action will be taken against the hospital if it fails to reply, said officials. TNN

Kumbh returnee, 67, infects 33 in B’luru

Kumbh returnee, 67, infects 33 in B’luru

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:12.05.2021 

A 67-year-old woman who returned from Kumbh Mela tested positive for Covid in the first week of April and ended up infecting 33 persons, including 13 psychiatric patients at Spandana Healthcare and Rehabilitation Centre, near Nandini Layout, in west Bengaluru.

The Mahalakshmi Layout resident’s 40-year-old daughter-in-law, a psychiatrist with Spandana, had no symptoms and was treating 13 patients. A couple of days after her mother-in-law tested positive, the doctor got herself tested only to find she, too, was Covid positive.

The hospital tested all her contacts, and 13 patients and two staffers were found positive. BBMP officers from Nandini Layout came rushing to the hospital for inspection as it was a cluster case. In all, 18 family members of the Kumbh returnee were found to be infected.

Patients didn’t have severe symptoms, recovered now

The woman was admitted to a private hospital. She has since recovered as she had moderate infection.

A BBMP medical officer from Nandini Layout primary health centre said the index case was the psychiatrist. “None of the infected had severe symptoms and they were treated in their facility itself. As we traced further, we found the source was a Kumbh returnee from the psychiatrist’s family,” the doctor told TOI.

Dr Mahesh R Gowda, who heads Spandana, said with three employees and 13 patients testing positive, they had to close a floor and become more of a Covid hospital. The hospital now has 31 patients from outside.

All the patients of Spandana have recovered and they did not end up spreading the virus as they were isolated well in time. “However, we don’t know if the 18 family members further spread the virus to others,” said Dr Gowda.

The psychiatrist was asymptomatic and developed symptoms of Covid later, requiring hospitalisation. “Our colleague stopped coming to the hospital after her mother-in-law tested positive,” Dr Gowda said.

There are no details on how many from the state attended Kumbh and if they took a test on their return. Experts had advised the government to track the Kumbh returnees .

A third or fourth wave is natural for new viruses, says professor R M Pitchappan, a pioneer in human immunogenetics, but preparation for them is key. In an interview with Padmini Sivarajah, the visiting professor at Madurai Kamaraj University dispels fears about the vaccine and mutations.

A third or fourth wave is natural for new viruses, says professor R M Pitchappan, a pioneer in human immunogenetics, but preparation for them is key. In an interview with Padmini Sivarajah, the visiting professor at Madurai Kamaraj University dispels fears about the vaccine and mutations.

12.05.2021 

The principal scientific adviser to the Government of India has warned of a third wave. What is your opinion?

Yes, it is possible that there may be a third wave. In any new viral or vectorborne disease it is always seasonal and episodic, it takes a few cycles for the infection to die out. We cannot wait for herd immunity and all precautions have to be taken. We must also keep in mind that the pandemic will die down like the spread of hepatitis 20 years ago.

It is feared that the third wave will affect children. Can it be overcome?

There is no evidence yet that the third wave will affect children alone. Children, except newborns till a few months, have a robust immune response capable of responding to most infections. There is no need to panic it can be overcome with care and vaccination. Children might require a low volume of vaccine due to their size and immune system. Pharma industries should think of systematically procuring and marketing it, but it is a laborious process. Passive therapy from convalescent plasma is another option.

Can the present Indian vaccines be administered to children?

Theoretically the same vaccine should work in children, maybe with some dosage adjustments, but adverse reaction trials have to be done before implementing it. The government agencies should give the nod for trials and make the vaccine available for children. In a country where polio has been eradicated, it is possible to tackle Covid. Proper planning to vaccinate children and opening schools need to be made. The immune system of children may be less experienced, but it is not less competent than that of an adult.

There is a shortage of antiviral drugs. There are also conflicting reports on the usefulness of these drugs.

A recent literature shows none of the drugs used as on date including these antivirals provide 100% efficacy in saving a life. The Indian vaccine manufacturers have scaled up their production. Yesterday, DCGI approved anti-Covid drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose developed by DRDO for emergency use in moderate to severe Covid patients as an adjunct therapy. The new drug reduces oxygen dependence and faster recovery.

What about alternate medicines?

Researchers from Germany and India have identified Thymoquinone from Nigella Sativa (“Karunseeragam” in Tamil) having antiviral properties. It is also antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory. The drug can be synthesised in the laboratory. India with its vast scientific community and pharma should aim at such innovative, native medicines. This can become an affordable alternative, preventive and therapeutic like the siddha ‘kabasura kuidineer’ being attempted in various parts of the country.

People contracting Covid-19 after both doses is raising concern.

The severity is less in people who contract the disease after vaccination. But if they succumb to the disease then these cases should be studied for demographic profile, medical history, nutritional status and co-morbidities. Linking the cases and data to the Aadhaar number, proper follow-up and introspection will help in policy making.

With the virus mutating fast, will these vaccines help?

Antibodies generated due to vaccines may neutralise the virus to some extent if they have not mutated further in the host. The immune system also has other antibodies such as cytotoxic lympohocytes that tackle infection and help in long term immunity.

Re-exam will set wrong precedent, say academics

Re-exam will set wrong precedent, say academics

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:12.05.2021 

Conducting a re-exam for four lakh engineering students and changing the proctored online test to an unsupervised online test like in other universities will set a wrong precedent, say academicians.

The government directed the university to conduct a reexam following complaints that only 1.1 lakh of the 2.3 lakh students whose results were declared cleared it. Results of nearly two lakh students were withheld for suspected malpractices.

Higher education minister K Ponmudi on Monday said withholding so many results was itself an irregularity, but professors who were part of the inquiry committee said many students resorted to malpractices. “Around 80% took online test from mobile phones. Without knowing their screen was recorded, they frequently changed screen and shared answers. They formed WhatsApp groups, Telegram groups to share answers. Some even took help of friends and siblings. Some pasted a mobile phone to their laptops to cheat,” said one.

An Anna University professor said the previous government wanted to give allpass to students with arrears without exams. “The new government wants to give all pass to students by allowing them to write an unsupervised exam.”

Former vice-chancellor of Anna University E Balagurusamy said the online system cannot be termed wrong because many failed. “The proctored online test was an example for all state universities. Results of students suspected to have been involved in malpractices were withheld.”

The online test conducted by other universities is not at all an exam, he said. “Students receive question papers on WhatsApp, write exams from home and post the answer scripts. The examination is not monitored.”

G Shanmugam, former registrar of University of Madras, said conducting a nonproctored online exam led to mass copying and other malpractices. “Asking Anna University to conduct re-exam following methods of other universities is not good.”

Students and colleges, however, welcomed the move.

M Sangeetha, a third-year engineering student from Trichy with a CGPA of 8.2 in past three years, failed in 5 of 6 papers in the fifth semester. “I was comfortable with descriptive mode, but I could not suddenly adapt to the multiple choice online test,” she said.

(With inputs from Sambath Kumar )

298 deaths, 29,272 cases in TN; 7,466 in Chennai

298 deaths, 29,272 cases in TN; 7,466 in Chennai

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.05.2021 

Tamil Nadu reported 298 deaths and 29,272 cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, when 1.6 lakh people were under treatment for the viral infection. The cumulative toll touched 16,178 and the case tally reached 14.3 lakh on a day 19,182 people were discharged from the registry.

Hotspot Chennai

Nearly one in every four persons tested positive on Tuesday were from hotspot Chennai. The city added 7,466 new cases of Covid-19. Together, with Chengalpet (2419), Tiruvallur (1204) and Kancheepuram (664), Chennai region reported 11,753 new cases. After Chennai, the highest number of new cases were from Coimbatore (2650). In the South, Madurai and Kanyakumari reported 1024 and 995 cases respectively. While all districts in the state had more than 100 cases, five districts reported more than 1,000 cases, at least 15 reported less than 500 cases each. At the end of the day, Chennai had 37713 active cases, followed by Coimbatore (14324) and Chengalpet (12038).

Spike in deaths

The number of deaths have been increasing rapidly in the state. The state has added 1,000 deaths to the registry in the last four days. It took the state 115 days to add 1,000 deaths from around 12,000 deaths on December 22. Two weeks later, on April 30 the toll increased to 14,000 and a week later, on May 7 it crossed the 15,000 mark. "The doubling period for deaths too has been dropping drastically," said senior public health officials.

Lack of beds

Through the day many people made frantic calls to the state helpline 104, dialed emergency rooms of hospitals and called friends and family seeking admissions in various hospitals. While just 17% of the beds in the state were vacant, according to data from DPH, there were less than 10% oxygen beds and 6% ICU beds available. Almost all oxygen and ICU beds in Chengalpet, Dharmapuri and Ranipet were taken for most parts of the day. Getting an ICU bed was a struggle in districts such as Chennai, Coimbatore, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Vellore.

Needed, more shots

Even as cases continue to spike, health care providers and frontline workers in the state continue to remain vulnerable to the infection. Less than 60% of healthcare providers and 42% of frontline workers in Tamil Nadu who took their first dose are now fully vaccinated.

Overall 73% of healthcare providers and 88% of frontline workers have taken their first dose, but they could still be vulnerable as they have not completed the course. The number of people in the 60+ age group and those above 44(with comorbidity) who have taken the second doses is between 35-40%. On Tuesday, 79,929 people took the vaccine in Tamil Nadu.

This included 26,264 senior citizens, 40,534 people above the age of 45, 4,326 healthcare providers and 8,805 frontline workers.