Kasmin Fernandes

The police killing of George Floyd on suspicion of counterfeiting a $20 note has led to civil unrest across America, and parts of Europe and Australia. The incident was an unfortunate one but it breathed new life into the Black Lives Matter movement against systemic racism towards black people. A host of top brands...

India had begun taking big steps to leverage technology in the healthcare sector much before the pandemic hit. In the segment of health-tech in India, polices can focus either on devices or technology or both. We take you through the public policy on this subject that has become more crucial since the spectre of...

As India gradually unlocks and the private sector gets accustomed to the 'new normal', where does corporate social responsibility (CSR) stand? Let's take stock of CSR funding in post-lockdown India. The economic recession we are experiencing due to the pandemic has already seen company stocks performing poorly across the board, from the SME startups to...

Tech giants Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter have asked employees to continue working from home for the remainder of the year, setting the standard for what could be the new normal in the corporate world. Search engine (and multi-hyphenate) Google has extended its work-from-home (WFH) policy at least until next year, as CEO Sundar...

Following close on the heels of World Environment Day last Friday is World Oceans Day 2020. Observed officially on 8th June every year since 2008―and unofficially by many countries since 1992―it's an opportunity. One to remember our Citizen and Corporate Social Responsibility towards our Blue Planet. It is a time for aquariums, fisheries and...

The unpredictable arrival of Cyclone Nisarga, the locust invasion in Northwest India, the devastating Cyclone Amphan in Orissa and West Bengal, the earthquake in New Delhi and the ongoing global pandemic. If recent events have taught us anything, it's the interdependence of all human beings and the living world in which we exist. In...

The worst is over with regard to Cyclone Nisarga. There will be other cyclones after Nisarga, though. With the advent of climate change, tropical cyclones are not going anywhere, rather they are poised to become more frequent and accompanied by increased intensity. In this regard, it is inevitable that we find ways to live...

World Bicycle Day 2020 is being observed today at a time when lockdowns are being eased out here, and lifted in other parts of the globe, lending the annual day renewed importance. Cycling is being viewed with fresh eyes as “green recovery” becomes a buzzword in the “new normal” of the post-COVID-19 world. Eco-friendly,...

PSU companies get a bad rap for starving NGO partners for funds, underspending from their corporate social responsibility budgets and burying projects in red tape. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has been coming down hard on cases of underspending in CSR as was the case with BPCL and Bharat Electronics. However, not only has...

The horrifying death of an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, at the hands of cops in Minneapolis on May 25 sparked protests for justice that developed into violent riots across the United States of America. You see, the cops involved in the murder were let off with a slap on the wrist, and no...

The whole of June has the honour of being Pride Month 2020, a time of equal rights and celebration of sexual diversity and gender variance. More so, it's a time for straight allies who support LGBT+ inclusion at work and society. How did Pride Month begin? The month of June was chosen for LGBT Pride (a...

He plays the baddie in Bollywood potboilers, but Sonu Sood has proved to be a hero figure in the global pandemic. He launched a toll-free helpline for stranded workers, airlifted 177 Odia girls stuck in Kerala and arranged buses for thousands of migrants in Mumbai to travel to their hometowns in other States. Sood's ‘Ghar...