MAM
Godrej Group urges people to take precautionary measures on world malaria day
MUMBAI: On World Malaria Day, Godrej Group has urged people to take precautionary measures against vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The conglomerate has released a digital film to highlight EMBED (Elimination of Mosquito Borne Endemic Diseases), a project commissioned by Godrej Consumer Products to support a malaria-free India by 2030 and reduce morbidity and mortality caused by vector-borne diseases such as malaria. In the current lockdown context, the film highlights EMBED’s volunteers, ASHA workers and rural health care provider’s role in reaching out to households of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to spread messaging on COVID-19 prevention and ensure people are prepared for malaria.
As per the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, India witnessed 3,34,693 malaria cases in 2019. This year, 19,980 malaria cases were already reported upto February. As a trend, malaria and dengue spikes up during May running upto August. Preparation for the malaria season starts from April. With coronavirus cases rising over 23,000, the government and healthcare infrastructure are heavily invested to deal with it. However, with the ongoing pandemic, India cannot be unprepared for malaria and even dengue. In March, World Health Organisation (WHO) also issued an advisory urging countries to ensure the continuity of malaria services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Godrej Group urged authorities to empower people at the household level, to put precautionary measures to use and to safeguard themselves from a potential onslaught of any mosquito-borne disease. Due to the current lockdown, only essential products are sold which does not include solutions offering protection against mosquitoes. Thus, solutions like mosquito repellents, personal repellents, liquid vapourisers, must be brought under the purview of ‘essential goods’. This will ensure an uninterrupted supply of household insecticide products and will be easily accessible for families till the lockdown is lifted completely.
Godrej Consumer Products Limited India and SAARC CEO Sunil Kataria said, “COVID-19 has caused high levels of panic. While we do our best to deal with this pandemic, we should not forget the looming threat of malaria and dengue. Indian households primarily depend on mosquito repellents, vapourisers, coils to safeguard themselves. These household insecticides should be included in the items that fall under the essentials category.”
“As an industry, we are committed in appreciating and supporting the government’s or local bodies initiative in tackling the malaria and COVID-19. Some of the local bodies have commenced work on monsoon and is acting on preventive solutions which may not be foolproof for vector-borne diseases. Listing household insecticides goods such as mosquito repellents, mats, coils, liquid vaporiser as essentials goods like groceries items of everyday use and their availability during COVID-19 through kirana stores, medicals-chemists and e-commerce platforms should help consumers in protection. Needless to say that smooth supply- chain, manufacturing and raw materials from trade partners will help industry in proper delivery of goods on time. Request from HICA in this respect is pending with government for consideration,” Home Insect Control Association secretary and director Jayant Deshpande commented on how the industry can support the malaria prevention efforts of the government.
Stressing the need for sustained mosquito-prevention efforts at state level, PATH country director India Neeraj Jain added, “The coronavirus pandemic has taught us about the importance of investing in infectious disease management and surveillance. While government bodies in several places in India such as Kerala and Kolkata have been adopting measures to control the spread of vector-borne diseases, this is something that needs to be replicated throughout the country. April and May is when vector control measures are normally implemented in India because starting June vectors tend to spread aggressively. As the country is currently under a lockdown and people are at home, we need to ensure that they are safe from mosquitoes while they are inside too.”
Digital Film Link: https://youtu.be/yR9qAsw54PA
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
