MAM
Dainik Bhaskar launches edition in Patna
MUMBAI: DB Corp Limited (DBCL), one of India’s leading print media companies and home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar and Divya Marathi today announced the highly successful launch of Dainik Bhaskar’s new edition from Patna, Bihar. With this launch, DB Corp Ltd now publishes 8 newspapers with 67 editions across 14 states across India, strengthening its position as India’s largest print media company. With the launch of Dainik Bhaskar in Bihar, the media conglomerate has stormed Patna city with its awe-inspiring and impressive presence reinforced by a well strategized marketing and sales campaign that has once again proved its exceptional execution strength. Even in the presence of other formidable competitive news dailies, the people of Patna have whole heartedly embraced the publication’s offerings with rave reviews of the product that has made very deep positive first impressions with new readers, all of which have contributed to another landmark launch success story.
Commenting on Dainik Bhaskar’s successful Bihar foray Mr. Sudhir Agarwal, Managing Director, DB Corp Limited, “We are thrilled and excited with a tremendous start to the new year and an overwhelming response to our launch in Bihar. This was truly an exciting challenge in a region with formidable peers. We have been studying the Bihar market for long which has a literacy rate of 64%. In line with our market identification criteria; we sensed and explored the opportunity in Patna that revealed impressive demographic features and high market potential – being the 15th most developed city in India as per GDP, high per capita consumption, and a key agricultural hub with rapid infrastructure growth. It is also the 5th fastest growing city in India and the 21st in the world.
Our intensive on-ground study exposed an exciting prospect where we could establish a leadership position and create a marked impact in terms of readership and circulation. Once again the results have reiterated our execution capabilities, meticulous pre survey planning and thorough pre-launch strategies until seamless final roll-out. We unveiled our marketing campaign with bolder creative outdoor branding and a firm goal of igniting the Bhaskar brand in Bihar. Our product has already achieved wide acceptance and we are delighted that Dainik Bhaskar has emerged as a product with very powerful, unbiased content appealing to diverse readership categories. We are committed to making it the most preferred vehicle to participate in and look forward to actively participating in the region’s socio-economic progress.”
Brands
33 per cent of women believe the salary scale is rigged: Naukri report
Voices @ Work study finds rising calls for equal pay audits and lingering bias
MUMBAI: Progress may be visible in India’s workplaces, but many women still feel the need to tread carefully. A new report by Naukri reveals that one in two women hesitate to disclose marriage or maternity plans during job interviews, worried that such information could influence hiring decisions.
The findings come from the second edition of Naukri’s annual Voices @ Work International Women’s Day report, titled “What Women Professionals Want.” Drawing insights from more than 50,000 women across over 50 industries, the survey sheds light on evolving workplace aspirations alongside the biases that continue to hold women back.
One of the report’s most striking insights is the growing demand for equal pay audits. The share of women calling for regular pay parity checks has climbed to 27 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent a year ago. The demand now stands alongside menstrual leave as the most sought after workplace policy.
Interestingly, the call for pay transparency grows louder higher up the income ladder. Nearly half of women earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually say equal pay audits are a priority, suggesting that pay gaps become more visible as women move up the career ladder.
At the same time, confidence and ambition appear to be rising. About 83 per cent of women say they feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, a significant jump from 66 per cent last year. Cities in southern India appear particularly supportive, with Hyderabad leading the way as 86 per cent of respondents there reported encouragement to step into leadership positions. The education sector recorded the highest sense of encouragement at 87 per cent.
Yet the report also highlights a growing trust deficit around pay equity. Nearly one in three women, or 33 per cent, say they do not believe men and women are paid equally at their workplace. That figure has risen from 25 per cent last year, pointing to widening perceptions of disparity as careers progress.
Bias in hiring and promotions continues to be the biggest hurdle. About 42 per cent of respondents say workplace bias is the main challenge for women from diverse backgrounds. The concern is consistent across major metros, with Chennai and Delhi NCR reporting similar levels.
Reluctance to discuss personal milestones during hiring processes is also widespread. While 34 per cent overall said they hesitate to share marriage or maternity plans in interviews, the anxiety increases with experience. Among professionals with 10 to 15 years of work experience, the figure rises to 40 per cent.
Info Edge group CMO Sumeet Singh, said the data reflects both progress and unfinished work. “Behind every data point in this report is a woman who is ambitious. The fact that 83 per cent feel encouraged to lead is something to celebrate. However, the fact that one in two still hide their marriage or maternity plans in interviews tells us the work is far from done. As India’s leading career platform, it felt not just important but necessary for us to shine a light on these gaps through the second edition of our report,” he said.
The report suggests that while ambition among women professionals is growing, structural changes around pay transparency, fair hiring and supportive policies will be key if workplaces hope to keep pace.
