Copyright Board to oversee implementation of IP laws for film industry in the offing

Censorship challenges of fringe elements will be overcome through the strength of Constitution and rule of law: I&B Secretary

3-day FICCI FRAMES 2017 gets under way

MUMBAI, 21 March 2017: The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) has initiated discussions with the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, on the  modalities of setting up a Copyright Board which would oversee strict implementation of IP laws for the entertainment industry, particularly the film sector. This was stated here today by Mr. Ajay Mittal, Secretary, Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, while inaugurating the 18^th edition of FICCI FRAMES 2017.

The three-day mega event of the business of Media and Entertainment (M&E) is on the theme, ‘Digital: Divide or Dividend’. The event is partnered by Canada, which has sent a 100-member strong delegation led by the Mayor of Toronto, Mr. John Tory.

Secretary Mittal assured the M&E industry professionals that the censorship challenges posed by fringe elements would be surmounted by the strength of the Constitution and the rule of law. He said that the Government has created a new category of visa called ‘Film Visa’. Shooting of a film in India would be enough ground for issuance of such a visa for the crew, he added.

In order the make the country more attractive for production of films by foreign production houses in India, Mr. Mittal said that an award has been instituted by the Central Government for the most film-friendly State of India. This year an amount of Rs 1 crore has been set apart for such a State.

While the norms for ease of doing business for the industry were being simplified, the government was also looking at the creation of suitable content for kids that brings them closer to their culture and moral values.

Mr. Sudhanshu Pandey, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, in his remarks, spoke about the commercial and economic dimensions of films and the global regimes for the M & E sector.

He said that the Indian film industry accounted for a mere 7 per cent of the global industry’s revenue. This needed to be raised significantly to bring in investments and funding for ploughing back into the industry.

Mr. Pandey said the need of the hour was to create 20,000 more digital screens in the country to create a critical mass which the industry could leverage. It was also important for the M&E sector to make a major contribution in marrying the two flagship programmes of the Government – Make in India and Digital India- for the benefit of industry.

Mr. John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, Canada said that the city of Toronto has signed an MoU with the Indian Consulate to give a fillip to the India-Canada Co-production Agreement. “We want to collaborate with you and extend to you the financial incentives offered by Toronto to filmmakers from India,” he said.

Mr. Nadir Patel, Canadian High Commissioner to India, said that it was time to narrate the Canada story to India in an ambitious and aggressive manner. “We need to talk about what Canada is doing to facilitate industry collaborations with professionals and we see a lot of relevance in coming to FICCI FRAMES as a partner country.

Mr. Pankaj R. Patel, President, FICCI and Chairman and Managing Director, Cadila Healthcare Ltd., said that the need of the hour was to maintain a balance between content and its monetization. The M& E industry witnessed many landmark policies and measures and after the implementation of GST, ratification of taxes and policies on digital media would enable the sector to flourish.

Mr. Uday Shankar, Chairman, FICCI Entertainment Committee& CEO, Star India, said that with the increased incidence of self-appointed street side groups trying to push censorship through, the creative minds were imposing self-censorship and freedom of expression was being undermined. He added that such censorship left no room for civil debates and disagreement.

Mr. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Chairman, FICCI Film Forum, Director and Founder, Romp Pvt Ltd., said that the committee on censorship headed by Mr. Shyam Benegal has strongly recommended the abolition of censorship and advocates the issuance of film certification based on age for preserving freedom of expression in the country. He added that people's theatres and cultural centres must be built across the country which are reasonably priced and provide a clean environment for taking content to people.

Dr. A Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI, said that that the industry was growing almost at the rate of nine per cent and the market was also maturing. This was FICCI FRAMES’ 18^th year and the media and entertainment industry which was growing for strength to strength offered immense business opportunities.

Media and entertainment industry to grow at a faster pace of 14% over the period of 2017-21: FICCI – KPMG report 2017

Mumbai, 21 March 2017: The Indian media and entertainment industry in 2016 was able to sustain a healthy growth on the back of strong economic fundamentals and steady growth in domestic consumption coupled with growing contribution of rural markets across key segments.  These factors aided the industry to grow at 9.1 per cent on the back of advertising growth of 11.2 per cent, despite demonetisation shaving off 150 to 250 basis points in terms of growth across all sub-segments at the end of the year. The ‘FICCI - KPMG Media & Entertainment Industry Report 2017’ launched today at FICCI Frames 2017 held at Mumbai, aims to capture a comprehensive picture of the industry’s growth story, challenges, future projections, and key underlying themes.

The big story in 2016 has been the evolution of FTA channels post expansion of rural measurement in the television segment coupled with the impact of the 4G rollout and the resulting price wars. Both these factors have resulted in media consumption penetrating deeper into India, resulting in a realignment of strategy by media companies and advertisers alike. 

Compared to 2016, the industry is projected to grow at a faster pace of 14 per cent over the period of 2017-21, with advertising revenues expected to increase at a CAGR of 15.3 per cent. The year 2017 is likely to witness a marginally slower rate of 13.1 per cent as the economy recovers from the lingering effects of demonetisation and initial uncertainties arising from GST implementation.

Commenting on the industry’s performance and way forward, Uday Shankar, Chairman, FICCI M&E Committee and Chairman & CEO of Star India, said, “The industry has gulped down the bitter pill of demonetisation trusting its long-term benefits and yet is set to bounce back to a steady growth, thanks to strong fundamentals. Building solid infrastructure and continued government support will help the industry reach the tremendous potential it holds for employment and creating socio-economic value for the country. A commitment towards a quick transition to digitisation will ensure growth for all stakeholders.”

Girish Menon, Director, Media and Entertainment, KPMG in India, stated, “2016 was a mixed bag for the industry with digital media making its way to the centre stage rapidly from being just an additional medium. It is compelling existing players to rethink their business models. To accelerate growth, M&E organisations must rebuild their strategies to fit and thrive in the changing, digitally-oriented landscape. Nimbleness and flexibility will be at the core of sustainable businesses.”

Girish added, “The long-term factors driving the future growth are expected to remain positive, with growing rural demand, increasing digital access and consumption, and the expected culmination of the digitisation process of television distribution over the next two to three years. “

Growth trajectory in size over the last six years	Projections for the next five years:

Television:

The TV industry clocked a slower growth in 2016 at 8.5 per cent, attributed to tepid growth of 7 per cent in subscription revenues and a lower than estimated 11 per cent growth in advertising revenues. A key theme in 2016 was the emergence of FTA channels as a key focus area following the expansion in rural measurement by BARC and the resultant increased interest by both broadcasters and advertisers. Additionally, strong performance of sports properties and increased spending for the launch of 4G by telecom operators helped alleviate some of the pressure. The industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.7 per cent over the next five years with advertising and subscription revenues projected to grow at 14.4 per cent and 14.8 per cent, respectively. The projections remain robust due to strong economic fundamentals, rising domestic consumption and growing contribution of rural markets coupled with the delayed, but eventual completion of digitisation.

Print:

The revenue growth rates of print continued to witness a slowdown at 7 per cent in 2016, as English newspapers remained under pressure. Regional language papers demonstrated strong growth, but were adversely affected by demonetisation given their high dependence on local advertisers. Print is expected to grow at 7.3 per cent, largely driven by continued growth in readership in vernacular markets and advertisers’ confidence in the medium, especially in the tier II and tier-III cities. Rise in digital content consumption poses a long-term risk to the industry.

Films:

Films grew at a crawling pace of 3 per cent in 2016. The segment was impacted by decline in core revenue streams of domestic theatricals and satellite rights, augmented by poor box office performance of Bollywood and Tamil films. Expansion of overseas markets, increase of depth in regional content and rise in acquisitions of digital content by over-the-top platforms are expected to be the future growth drivers that would help the segment bounce back at a forecasted CAGR of 7.7 per cent. However, factors such as dwindling screen count and inconsistent content quality could prove to be limiting factors.

Digital advertising:

Continuing to ride on a high growth trajectory with a 28 per cent growth in 2016, digital advertising has captured 15 per cent share in the overall advertising revenues, with a minor hiccup due to demonetisation. 4G rollouts and the resultant data price wars are providing further impetus to the growth as digital consumption and habits are becoming more mainstream. It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 31 per cent to reach INR294.5 billion by 2021, contributing 27.3 per cent to the total advertising revenues. Advancement in infrastructure, evolving audience measurement technology leading to better content and lowering data costs will drive user habits towards greater digital consumption, driving tremendous growth for the industry.

Animation and Visual Effects (VFX):

The industry grew at 16.4 per cent, driven majorly by a 31 per cent growth in VFX due to increase in outsourcing work, growing use of VFX in domestic film productions and increase in demand for domestic animated content on television. The industry is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 17.2 per cent over 2017–21.

Out of Home (OOH):

The industry registered a slowdown in growth rate at 7 per cent majorly due to adverse impact of demonetisation. OOH is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.8 per cent primarily driven by development of regional airports, privatisation of railway stations, growth in smart cities, setting up of business and industrial centres, and growing focus on digital OOH.

Radio:

Radio recorded a 14.6 per cent growth led by volume enhancements in smaller cities, partial roll out of Batch 1 stations and a marginal increase in effective advertising rates. However, weak uptake in Batch 2 auctions of Phase 3 and delays in the rollout of majority of Batch 1 stations, coupled with adverse impact of demonetisation dampened the overall sentiment. Nevertheless, it is expected to be the fastest growing amongst the traditional mediums at a CAGR of 16.1 per cent, arising from operationalisation of new stations in both existing and new cities, introduction of new genres and radio transitioning into a reach medium.

Key underlying themes of 2016:

·         The ‘Bharat’ story strengthens with expansion of rural measurement in Television and 4G data price wars deepening digital consumption. Print and Films segments have also been supported by growing demand from the regional markets.

·         Surge in digital consumption has been the central theme led by burgeoning mobile Internet and smartphone penetration, roll out of 4G, government and private initiatives around public Wi-Fi, greater emphasis on broadband rollout by multiple system operators.

·         The impact of government policies and initiatives has been wide-ranging, with some short-to-medium term damage, though long implications are positive for the industry. Demonetisation hampered growth in annual advertising spends by about 1.5-2.5 per cent. The industry is expected to be a net beneficiary of GST primarily due to availability of input credits across the board and inclusion of entertainment tax within the sphere of GST.

·         Consolidation is gaining momentum across the value chain with large players expanding their footprint resulting in an increase in overall deal values compared to the previous year.

 Encl: web Link to FICCI-KPMG Report https://home.kpmg.com/in/en/home/insights/2017/03/kpmgmediaoutlook.html

First of its kind offer for Vodafone customers on Amazon Prime

~ Customers who sign up for a paid Amazon Prime membership via MyVodafone App or website will get₹250 cashback added to their Amazon Pay Balance~

~ Vodafone India’s customers will get access to Amazon Prime’s selection of latest and exclusive movies, TV shows, stand-up comedies, kids’ programming and global Amazon Originals

~ Amazon Prime offers unlimited free fast delivery on India’s largest selection of products, early access to top dealsand unlimited streaming of latest and exclusive movies, TV shows and Amazon Originals~

Mumbai, March 19, 2017: Vodafone India is the first telecom operator to partner with Amazon Prime Video India enabling customers to seamlessly access their large selection of latest and exclusive Bollywood, Hollywood and regional movies, US TV shows, kids’ programming and global Amazon Originals.

Starting March 22nd, Vodafone consumers can enjoy Amazon Prime with a special consumer offer on its data strong Vodafone SuperNetTM4G network.  After subscribing to Amazon Prime via MyVodafone App or Vodafone Website for an annual introductory subscription price of only Rs. 499, Vodafone customers will get Rs. 250 cashback as their Amazon Pay Balance. Currently, the offer is available only for Vodafone customers using Android devices.

Inviting Vodafone customers to enjoy Amazon Prime’s premium entertainment digital video service on their mobile, Sandeep Kataria, Director - Commercial, Vodafone India, said, “The entertainment consumption patterns of customers are rapidly changing. They want more freedom and flexibility in the way they consume content. This partnership with Amazon Prime Video does just that, further strengthening our content propositionand reiterating our commitment to offering the best to our customers along with unique privileges. It makes available a wide range of latest, high-quality movies and TV shows to our millions of customers, giving them exclusive access to adiverse selection of entertainment and rich content with an unparalleled streaming experience on the data strong Vodafone SuperNetTM4G network”.

Nitesh Kripalani, Director and Country Head, Amazon Prime Video India said, “We are delighted to partner with Vodafone Indiato bring this unique offer first to Vodafone customers.  At Amazon Prime Video, our focus is on offeringlatest and exclusive movies and TV shows to customers on a reliable service, with great playback quality and low data usage. This offer further extends our promise of delivering convenient, on-demand access to our large content selection to our customers.”   

Amazon Prime already offers unlimited free One-day and Two-day delivery to over 100 cities on eligible items from India’s largest selection of products, 30 minutes early access for members on top deals and more benefits for an unparalleled shopping experience. Customers who are not already Prime members can learn more about the program at www.amazon.in/prime

About Vodafone India

Vodafone India is a 100% fully owned subsidiary of the Vodafone Group Plc. with operations across the country serving over 204 million customers (over 106 million in rural areas). Commencing operations in 2007, Vodafone is today a robust, award-winning business and committed for the long term. Vodafone Business Services serves the needs of enterprises and government by providing total telecommunications (Voice and Data) solutions across mobility and wireline platforms. Our mobile wallet, M-Pesa is a unique and innovative money transfer service from Vodafone that fosters financial inclusion.

Committed to optimizing the near-ubiquitous reach of mobile telephony to address national developmental priorities, the Vodafone Foundation partners is actively engaged in community development initiatives especially in the domains of m-Women, m-Agriculture, m-Education and Disaster Relief. Building on its global experience and expertise, an outreach across India and offering a comprehensive portfolio of technologies- 2G, 3G & 4G, Vodafone is uniquely positioned to actualize the vision of Digital India.

Globally, Vodafone is one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies and provides a range of services including voice, messaging, data and fixed communications. Vodafone has mobile operations in 26 countries, partners with mobile networks in 49 more, and fixed broadband operations in 17 markets. As of 31 December 2016, Vodafone had 470 million mobile customers and 14.3 million fixed broadband customers.

For more information, please visitwww.vodafone.com | Follow us on twitter @Vodafone IN_News and visit www.vodafone.in

AssetWise Completes Bentley’s CONNECT Edition

Connected Data Environment Spans both Comprehensive Project Delivery and Comprehensive Asset Performance: TOTEX!

India: Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading global provider of software solutions for advancing infrastructure, today announced AssetWise CONNECT Edition. The CONNECT Editions of AssetWise and ProjectWise provide and share a connected data environment, upgrading a common data environment to fully realize the BIM potential of digital engineering models, created during CAPEX, for continuous benefits throughout the OPEX lifecycle. A connected data environment is vital to infrastructure advancement because CAPEX projects are repeatedly necessitated throughout the TOTEX service life of infrastructure assets to sustain their fitness for purpose—and the continuity of digital engineering models, as their “digital DNA” can be a key enabler. Such a connected data environment therefore advances the convergence of engineering technologies (ET) with information technologies (IT) and operational technologies (OT).

During the Conference keynote by CEO Greg Bentley, the full span of the completed CONNECT Edition was underscored by invited presenters. Ray O’Connor, CEO of Topcon Positioning Group, demonstrated constructioneering, connecting engineers with surveyors and constructors through joint cloud services offerings. Jacques Lubetzki, executive vice president, Europe Zone, Bureau Veritas, then introduced inspectioneering, for engineers to contribute virtually to operations safety and asset integrity. Finally, David Epp, director Global ISV Alliances of Microsoft, described ongoing initiatives within its enabling Azure stack, including “cognitive services” which could be applied dynamically for infrastructure operational intelligence. Such unprecedented BIM advancements have become possible because Bentley’s connected data environment can make the information within digital engineering models secure, open, and live.

AssetWise CONNECT Edition

To uniquely enable comprehensive asset performance, AssetWise CONNECT Edition’s asset lifecycle information management services robustly support the capabilities previously offered separately through:

 eB;

 Exor;

 Optram;

 InspectTech;

 SUPERLOAD;

 APM (formerly Ivara); and

 Amulet.

AssetWise offerings are already utilized by 25 of the 50 largest Bentley Infrastructure 500 Top Owners, ranked globally by their net infrastructure value (see BI 500).

AssetWise CONNECT Edition’s connected data environment is made possible by the technologies now in common between design, construction, and operations work: intrinsic 3D geocoordination, accelerated by advances such as Bentley’s reality modeling; engineering precision; self-describing data; information mobility; and work process automation. Accordingly, information maintained through AssetWise CONNECT Edition inherently understands and can act upon its:

 Geospatial context;

 Reality context;

 Network and linear context;

 Digital engineering model context

 change integrity context;

 Reliability context;

 Enterprise IT context; and

 Lifecycle context.

AssetWise CONNECT Edition helps owner-operators manage their infrastructure assets for engineering integrity, compliance, and performance modeling, through these new subscription offerings, sized based on the scope of assets covered:

 Asset Lifecycle Information Management: providing structured control of asset information and managed change throughout the asset lifecycle;

 Asset Reliability: reducing risk associated with asset failure through proactive inspection and maintenance programs and smarter decisions for improved asset reliability, integrity, and performance;

 Operational Analytics: automating better operational decisions with data mining, aggregation, and calculation tools for right-time predictions and actions; and

 Enterprise Interoperability: facilitating the interoperation of multiple data sources for visibility of mission-critical asset information.

CONNECT Edition’s Comprehensive Modeling Environment: Applications

At The Year in Infrastructure 2015 Conference, MicroStation CONNECT Edition and Navigator CONNECT Edition applications were introduced. CONNECT Edition applications advance schema consistency and incorporate MicroStation CONNECT Edition innovations such as functional components and cross-discipline Documentation Center, for unprecedented intraoperability.

During 2016, a stream of CONNECT Editions of design, analytical, construction, and reality modeling applications have been released including AutoPipe, Descartes, Pointools, gINT, RM, LARS, SACS, MOSES, MAXSURF, SITEOPS, STAAD, and RAM. OpenRoads ConceptStation was introduced earlier this year, and OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition was announced at

The Conference. CONNECT Editions of AECOsim Building Designer, MineCycle, Promis.e, OpenUtilities, and OpenPlant, during the first half of 2017, will complete the cycle.

CONNECT Edition applications and services will be accessed by each user through Bentley’s new Connection Center, with personalized project profiles, “playbooks,” and dashboards. Significantly, Connection Center takes full advantage of Azure cloud services to enable a spectrum of new “just-in-time” personalized services from Bentley software and engineering experts and to assure that CONNECT Edition applications are always up to date.

ProjectWise CONNECT Edition and Commercial Innovations

ProjectWise for worksharing is already used by 44 of the 50 largest, and by 355 of the 641 Engineering News-Record Top Design Firms globally. ProjectWise CONNECT Edition, introduced at The Year in Infrastructure 2015 Conference, leverages Azure cloud services to extend its BIM-enabling Collaboration Center capabilities for comprehensive project delivery beyond organizations and users of on-premises servers. To date in 2017, Azure-provisioned ProjectWise and AssetWise services have achieved availability service levels above 99.8 percent.

CONNECT Edition servers are “UNLIMITED,” with no licensing charges for those either Azure-provisioned, deployed on-premises, or in any hybrid combination. ProjectWise services are instead charged for the value generated through their “consumption,” based on actual usage determined after every calendar quarter. Each unique user is charged for a Passport, which “universally” entitles access to, and usage of, connected environment data, including through “apps” for issue resolution, submittal and/or transmittal of deliverables, dashboard visibility, and more. Users may also be charged in a quarter for Visas to the extent of their actual usage of additional functionality. Accordingly, ProjectWise user organizations no longer bear fixed costs and charges are aligned with realized BIM outcomes.

At the Conference, Bentley introduced new ProjectWise CONNECT Edition cloud services for organizations seeking to institutionalize BIM advancements, purposefully propagating best practices in “going digital” through shared resources:

 Automation Center for standardizing repeatable workflows and deliverables;

 Components Center to share catalogs and to accumulate intelligence across design, fabrication, asset registry, and reliability experience; and

 Optioneering Center for leveraging parallel computing resources, including for cross-discipline design and analytical scenarios and insights.

ProjectWise CONNECT Edition Visas include:

 Design Integration Visa (work-sharing and integration workflows, to include Automation and Components);

 BIM Review Visa (including Navigator Clash Resolution, Schedule Simulation);

 BIM Standards Management Visa (to define standard workflow templates, Automation, Components, Forms);

 Optioneering Visa;

 Construction Management Visa (EADOC);

 Advanced Work Packaging Visa (ConstructSim); and

 Completions Visa (asset commissioning and handover).

Through Success Plans, Bentley Systems’ expert professionals can be virtually dedicated, through Azure cloud services, to ensure service levels:

 Enterprise Success Plans assign to Bentley responsibility for ProjectWise and/or AssetWise system administration and project provisioning;

 Project (or Business Unit) Success Plans virtually embed Bentley BIM and application experts, engineering-credentialed, to introduce and propagate BIM advancements, which can include leveraging Automation Center, Components Center, and Optioneering Center.

Uniquely, Success Plan services are also charged at the end of each quarter, per actual user covered.

Bentley’s Cloud Service Subscription program, a supplement to Bentley’s SELECT Subscription or Enterprise License Subscription, which are for desktop applications, uniquely enables “consumption-based” charges to work within predictable budgeting—without any “use-it-or-lose-it” risk. An annual Cloud Service Subscription contract value payment can be flexibly applied after each quarter to cover Passport, Visa, Term License, and/or Success Plan charges incurred, with any balance carried forward indefinitely.

About Bentley Systems

Bentley Systems is a global leader in providing architects, engineers, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. Bentley users leverage information mobility across disciplines and throughout the infrastructure lifecycle to deliver better-performing projects and assets. Bentley solutions encompass MicroStation applications for information modeling, ProjectWise collaboration services to deliver integrated projects, and AssetWise operations services to achieve intelligent infrastructure – complemented by worldwide professional services and comprehensive managed services.

Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 3,000 colleagues in over 50 countries, more than $600 million in annual revenues, and since 2009 has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions

‘MammoAlert’ – A disruptive pre-screening test for early ‘Breast Cancer Detection’

POC Medical Systems Inc. unveils ‘MammoAlert’ – A disruptive pre-screening test for early ‘Breast Cancer Detection’

• Revolutionary technology utilizing blood sample for testing Breast Cancer – Affordable, Rapid, Efficient & Accurate Results  
• In attendance of Smt Amruta Fadnavis & Maharashtra Health Minister Dr Deepak Sawant and other prominent dignitaries

Shri Prakash Mehta (Housing Department Minister), Mr Ramana Tadepalli (Board Director - POC Medical Systems), Smt Amruta Fadnavis, Mr Sanjeev Saxena (Chairman & CEO - POC Medical Systems, USA)

Ms Aparna Venkatesh (Partner Alliances, POC Medical Systems, USA), Dr Deepak Sawant (Public Health and Family Welfare Minister), Mr Ramana Tadepalli (Board Director - POC Medical Systems),  Mr Sanjeev Saxena (Chairman & CEO - POC Medical Systems, USA)

Mumbai – 15th March 2017: POC Medical Systems Inc. today unveiled a rapid, portable breast cancer screening test, MammoAlert™ based on its Pandora CDx™ microfluidics-based platform. Smt Amruta Fadnavis, Hon. Dr Deepak Sawant - Health Minister, Hon. Minister Shri Prakash Mehta - Housing Department, Hon Minister Smt. Vidya Thakur - Women and Child Development and Shri Sunil Oza, Sahaprabhari, Uttar Pradesh were present for the global unveiling.

The blood-based test will be launched initially in India where established screening methods are not widely accessible to large populations of women. The test is the first application of the company’s platform.

The Pandora CDx developed by POC Medical Systems is a microfluidic platform for rapid, point-of-care serum screening. It is based on a unique, low cost disposable microfluidic disk. The platform is a very simple and easy-to-use system. This portable breast cancer screening test, which runs on Pandora CDx technology, uses a simple drop of blood to generate results in 15 minutes. It uses multiple cancer markers for high accuracy. The Pandora CDx has a sensitivity of 0.97 and specificity of 1 which implies an accuracy of over 95% and a false positive rate of zero.  This will have a huge social impact enabling thousands of women in India to detect breast cancer in its early stage due to the products efficient, simple, accurate and significant affordability.

Commenting on the launch of MammoAlert, Honourable Smt Amruta Fadnavis said: “I am extremely proud and feel honored to be part of a movement to promote early screening of breast cancer. I would like to congratulate POC Medical Systems for its commitment towards making cancer screening accessible and affordable”. She especially stressed on the ‘Shame’ aspect. In her words, “Till now women had to go through the humiliation of exposing her self to get tested for ‘Breast Cancer’, which was one of the biggest deterrents in India apart from high cost. With ‘MammoAlert’, women can now get screened with the help of a simple blood test.”

While talking about the technology, Maharashtra Health Minister, Hon. Dr Deepak Sawant said, “In India, as per the current statistics, over 1.5 lakh women are diagnosed with breast cancer and almost half i.e. 70,000 deaths are reported every year, a woman succumbs to breast cancer every seven minutes in this country. With this innovation, we can aspire to save so many precious lives. This technology makes cancer screening within the reach of common man across geographies, which already is a big goal for the Government”.

Mr Sanjeev Saxena, Founder President and CEO, POC Medical Systems Inc. says, “Healthcare is still low on priority and in major cities, screening is still an ‘alien' word. POC has developed this technology to strengthen the healthcare system and enhance the disease fighting capabilities. MammoAlert is a screening tool which detects if a particular woman is affected by breast cancer and the intensity of it in real time. Being an Indian American and after dedicating 2 decades of my life to cancer prevention, it is a moment of pride and nostalgia for me to bring a life saving technology to India.”

Breast cancer is a nonexistent entity for a majority of population till a near and dear one suffers from it. POC’s disruptive technology will allow medical diagnostics to be brought to common people, especially in villages and tier 3 and 4 cities through a distributed but connected Point of Care model using a lab in a Box in the form of a microfluidics CD. This new field is called 'Digital Healthcare’ which is working with meaningful samples i.e. blood, where all the body information is stored. This brings us to the intersection of medtech and digital health with a big data component. 

Mr Saxena further added that, “The Pandora CDx Point-of-Care System, over the period will enable the patient screening for life threatening illnesses including different types of cancers (e.g. Prostate, Oral, and Cervical), Malaria, Tuberculosis and Cardiac Disorders. POC’s ultimate goal with the technology platform is to help save millions of lives through early stage screening and detection, and in turn, significantly reduce medical treatment costs.”

POC Medical Systems plans to launch MammoAlert in India by July 2017.

About POC MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC.:

POC Medical Systems™ Inc. is a California based company founded in May 2013 by Mr. Sanjeev Saxena and his team of well experienced technology and biomedical professionals, with a patent-protected, path breaking Point of Care testing product for Breast Cancer. POC Medical Systems was set up with a larger goal 'To save lives’, by addressing the dire need for creating medical diagnostics technology platform for screening cancer, cardiac and infectious diseases, that is reliable, portable and accessible to every person living, even in the remotest corners of the world at a very low cost.

For further details, please visit http://www.pocmedicalsystems.com/

NORWEGIAN DEBUTS POPULAR “ESCAPE ROOM” EXPERIENCE

Norwegian Cruise Line further enhances entertainment offerings onboard with all-new “Escape the Big Top” adventure game on four ships

India – March 2017– Continuing their history of providing guests with exciting, innovative and cutting edge entertainment, Norwegian Cruise Line has debuted an all-new entertainment experience onboard several of the line’s ships that will surprise and challenge guests:  Escape The Big Top. Guests can experience the magic of an escape room with a twist, as they put their critical thinking skills to the test in a physical adventure game to solve challenges and beat the clock.  

An onboard carnival takes an unusual turn when an act goes wrong. It’s then up to the guests to solve the clues and escape the spell before the time runs out.  This complimentary event, which can run up to one hour, is the ultimate combination of intellect and urgency. Escape the Big Top gives guests of all ages the chance to not only compete against the clock, but their fellow guests as well for added fun.

The new entertainment concept is available several times per cruise onboard the line’s four newest ships, including Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Escape. Guests interested in testing their skills and knowledge can make their reservations through the box office once they are onboard and sign up information can be found in the ship’s Freestyle Daily.

Escape the Big Top is one of many engaging and award-winning entertainment offerings available to guests on Norwegian Cruise Line.  Voted Best Entertainment by Cruise Critic, Norwegian features entertainment beyond anything at sea, including Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals, amazing dinner theatre experiences from Cirque Dreams, headline comedians, sing-along fun from Howl At The Moon, live music, over-the-top theme parties, spectacular shows and much more.  

For more information on Norwegian’s entertainment experiences or to book a cruise, contact a travel professional, call Norwegian at 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784), or visit www.ncl.com.