MAM
Prega News bats for regional markets with influencer campaign
Mumbai: In a bid to further penetrate into the Hindi-speaking and South markets, Mankind Pharma’s pregnancy detection brand Prega News has launched an influencer campaign. The brand roped in 21 regional mom bloggers and content creators to initiate conversations around the usage and recommendation of Prega News during the pandemic. Prega News claims to have 82 per cent share in the Indian market.
Regional influencers were engaged to break the stigma and lack of awareness around pregnancy which is still prevalent in the smaller cities and rural areas. With the help of content creators and influencers, the brand aims to disseminate customised messages for suiting the dynamics and temperament of the audience, thus helping women to relate to it, said the statement.
Among the influencers roped in are Surbhi Sharma, Nimisha Arora, Rashmi Thakur, and Varsha Balani. In all there 21 micro, macro and celeb influencer reels were put out on Instagram where the campaign clocked a reach of 6.5 lakh and impressions with 7.2 lakh views. The overall engagement was 31,000.
With the fear of the pandemic still looming, the Prega News home testing influencer campaign informed viewers that they don’t need to go out for tests during these precarious times. It recommends mothers to switch to Prega News Pregnancy Detection Kit from the convenience of their home to get rapid and accurate results in just five minutes. The kit will help them in taking the first step towards parenthood, which can be followed by required visits to Gynecologists for further care.
“With the help of Prega News we want to be the first in the womanhood journey to break the news of the pregnancy to the expectant mothers,” said Mankind Pharma GM – sales and marketing Joy Chatterjee. “In this endeavour, we want to take our product deeper into the country for presence across India, for which we resorted to regional influencers to expand our foothold in the Southern and other markets.”
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
