MAM
Practo names Rahul Dravid as brand ambassador
Mumbai: Integrated healthcare company Practo has named Rahul Dravid as its first brand ambassador with a campaign marking its foray into secondary care services.
Conceptualised by Spring Marketing Capital and directed by Shlok Sharma of Absolute Productions, the ad film demonstrates that Dravid’s values as a dependable sportsperson with a great command over his craft align with the brand’s vision of building access to quality healthcare.
In the first phase of the ‘You Are in Safe Hands’ campaign, the celebrated cricketer talks about the secondary care procedures under Practo Care Surgeries (PCS) in the hands of its team of experts. It covers key aspects of the new service, including the PCS experience centers, expert surgeons, use of the latest surgical technology, and financial support.
Seamless delivery of secondary care can be challenging given the lack of adequate support patients may get in terms of access to expert surgeons, right information, financial help and post-surgical support. Practo has attempted to find a solution to these with PCS, said the brand.
“Dravid embodies Practo’s spirit of always being dependable and trustworthy. Built on this understanding, our association with him is a step towards improving awareness – and thereby access – to quality secondary healthcare,” said Practo executive vice president of marketing Srikanth Pinninti. “Given the superior surgical support that sportspeople routinely need, this endorsement conveys that the same is available to anyone today with PCS.”
The ad film will air on digital media platforms – including Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5, SonyLiv, Voot, MX Player, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram – across six key cities (Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad), where the ace cricketer will be seen promoting quality, convenient, and end-to-end delivery experience in secondary care with the help of expert surgeons on Practo.
“Practo has reimagined modern healthcare in India with its comprehensive digital services and integrated offline experience with Practo Care, helping us with our secondary healthcare needs,” Dravid said. “The company has earned a name for itself as a leader in delivering patient-focused care – anytime, anywhere – and I’m glad to be associated with them.”
“Surgeries are considered a stressor for most patients, even though they can offer a lot of relief,” said Spring Marketing Capital founder and creative partner Arun Iyer. “PCS combines easy access with medical expertise and state-of-the-art technology to offer patients an end-to-end experience.”
Brands
Trump announces $300bn Texas oil refinery with Reliance, calls it the biggest in US history
First new US refinery in 50 years planned at Brownsville port with Reliance
WASHINGTON: The United States may soon see the first brand-new oil refinery built on its soil in half a century.
Donald Trump announced a proposed $300 billion refinery project in Texas, calling it a landmark moment for American energy production and jobs.
Posting on Truth Social on 10 March, Trump said the facility would be built at the Port of Brownsville and developed by a company called America First Refining, with major investment from India’s Reliance Industries.
The announcement frames the project as a centrepiece of the administration’s push for “energy dominance”, with Trump claiming it would deliver thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity to South Texas.
If realised, the plant would mark the first all-new major refinery constructed in the United States since the 1970s. In recent decades, oil companies have largely chosen to expand existing facilities rather than build new ones, citing high costs, regulatory hurdles and environmental scrutiny.
Trump described the proposed investment as the “biggest in US history”, positioning it as proof that policy changes such as streamlined permits and lower taxes are drawing large-scale energy investments back into the country.
The refinery is planned for the Port of Brownsville, a strategic Gulf Coast location that provides easy access to shipping routes and export markets.
A key partner in the project is Reliance Industries, controlled by billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani. The company already runs the world’s largest refining complex in Jamnagar, India, making it one of the most experienced operators in large-scale petroleum processing.
The Texas venture would mark a significant step for the group into America’s domestic refining sector, potentially strengthening industrial ties between the US and India.
The proposed refinery is being promoted as a next-generation facility capable of processing American shale oil while maintaining high environmental standards. Trump said it would be “the cleanest refinery in the world”, although the specific technologies behind that claim have not yet been detailed.
Industry observers also note that the $300 billion figure is unusually large for a refinery project, and analysts are waiting for more clarity on whether the number reflects total construction costs, long-term infrastructure investment, or broader economic impact estimates.
As of 11 March, Reliance Industries had not publicly confirmed the investment size or the structure of its involvement.
For now, the announcement has sparked equal parts excitement and curiosity in energy markets. If the plan moves from promise to pouring concrete, the refinery could reshape the Gulf Coast energy landscape, and reopen a chapter in American refining that has been quiet for nearly fifty years.
