How you can avoid #MeToo at work

At the first instance of unsolicited behaviour, raise your voice. 
Do not confuse work-related discipline with harassment. But yes, if there is verbal or physical abuse, do not shy away from reporting it.
Arvind Singh, CEO, Asian Women Leadership Summit, explains how we can make workplaces safe for men and women.

Photograph*: Anurag Agnihotri/Creative Commons

When I first heard about the #MeToo movement, my heart went out to all the women who have been subjugated to harassment of all forms during their professional journey.

Being a man, I wondered what makes these perpetrators do the unthinkable.

Is it because they are men?

Is it because they feel it’s their birthright to do so?

Or is it their upbringing?

As a society, we have failed to recognise the importance of gender equality. And it starts from the time our children are born.

Very few families welcome the birth of a girl child. Men and women grow up with the mindset that one is superior or inferior to other.

In most cases, sexual harassment begins at home and gets carried into the workspace.

I think it is time for those who have been affected in the corporate world too to come forward and register their #metoo moments.

The work culture in an entertainment firm and corporate world may be different, but that is no excuse for violation of privacy.

#MeToo is not just about professional harassment. It scars the person for life.

It is futile if we worship goddesses and abuse our women at home or work.

It is important to respect the person as an individual and not as an object.

Gender parity at the workplace should be the norm, whatever the workplace is.

In the entertainment field, women do bold roles only because they trust the men around them.

It is time men lived up to that trust. There is definitely an immediate need to set up a robust process to ensure a safe workplace for all involved.

As a professional with over three decades of experience, here are some ways we can provide a safe workplace and home for women.

• Form a trusted group within the organisation and outside of it.
• Share your grievances regularly. Any pattern arising out of such discussions of a particular individual needs immediate reporting to the authorities concerned.
• Do not confuse work-related discipline with harassment. But yes, if there is verbal or physical abuse, do not shy away from standing up to it and reporting it.
• At the first instance of unsolicited behaviour, raise your voice. Keeping silent will only serve as encouragement, leading to unpleasant experiences.
• At an office party, always guard your drinks. Refill personally.
• If you are offered transportation, do not be the last one to get dropped. If you are a woman and you are driving, let a female colleague be the last person you drop.
• Keep your family informed at the slightest revelation of any abuse in your marriage. Don’t wait until it flares up.
• If you are abused or feel victimised, be firm with your spouse. Keeping silent is will not save you or your family's honour.

While we are empowering women and supporting them in the #MeToo movement, we must also understand that there are instances when a man is implicated falsely.

To them, I would give the following advice:

• Steer clear of any emotional relationship outside your marriage.
• Be courteous to all and not with selective people.
• If you are upset with your colleague’s work, please resolve all issues within the precincts of your workplace and never outside.
• Maintain a record of all the points discussed in a meeting.
• Be wary of any false accusations. Mention it in writing.

While a lot is being spoken about women empowerment, very little has been achieved.

We still grapple with professional planning for a woman in an organisation when she gets married or is on maternity leave.

If the responsibility of looking after a child rested with a man, perhaps every organisation may have considered having a play school attached to the organisation.

Sexist remarks and comments are exchanged if a woman is promoted over a male colleague.

It is time to treat women as equals at work and acknowledge their multi-tasking skills and professional contribution.

Let's make our homes and offices safe for our women.

8 dead as Cyclone Titli hits Andhra Pradesh, Odisha

The 'very severe' cyclonic storm, 'Titli', left eight people dead, besides causing widespread damage in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Thursday, the State Disaster Management Authority said.

In Odisha’s Ganjam and Gajapati districts, Titli uprooted trees and electric poles and damaged hutments but no loss of life was reported from any part of the state, officials said.

IMAGE: People make their way as Cyclone Titli hits the city, starting with surface wind effect reaching speeds of 126 kmph at Gopalpur, in Ganjam. Photograph: PTI Photo

The cyclone threw normal life out of gear as heavy to very heavy rains started lashing the two districts since late Wednesday night.

Eight people were killed in different storm-related incidents.

While a 62-year-old woman died at Gudivada Agraharam village after an uprooted tree fell on her, a 55-year-old man died in a house collapse at Rotanasa village in Srikakulam district, the SDMA said.

 

The Chief Minister’s Office informed that six fishermen, who had put out to sea, were killed.

IMAGE: Pedestrians make their way as Cyclone Titli hits the city, starting with surface wind effect reaching speeds of 126 kmph at Gopalpur, in Ganjam. Photograph: PTI Photo

Of the 67 fishing boats that had ventured into the sea over the last few days from Kakinada in East Godavari district, 65 had returned to the shore safely, the CMO said.

Efforts were on to bring back the remaining two boats safely, it added in a release.

The road network suffered extensive damage in Srikakulam district, while the power distribution network was also vastly affected.

IMAGE: Fishermen prepare to dock their boats as Cyclone Titli makes a landfall. Photograph: PTI Photo

More than 2,000 electric poles were uprooted by strong winds.

The Eastern Power Distribution Company that caters to the electricity needs of the north coastal districts reported that the power distribution system for 4,319 villages and six towns was affected in Srikakulam district.

Traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway was also hit at places like Tekkali due to uprooted trees.

The telecommunication network in the district has also been hit.

IMAGE: Fishermen have been asked to stay away from the choppy waters on account of the storm. Photograph: PTI Photo

The South Central Railway as well as the East Coast Railway cancelled several trains while some were terminated midway.

A few express trains were diverted via other regions.

Horticulture crops suffered extensive damage in Srikakulam district while paddy suffered damage in Vizianagaram.

Coconut plantations, banana and mango trees were the worst hit in the “very severe” cyclonic storm, according to a preliminary report prepared by the SDMA.

IMAGE: Coast Guard rescue teams of at Gopalpur assist a fishing boat amidst strong winds and heavy rains to safety. Photograph: @IndiaCoastGuard/Twitter

In all, eight districts of Odisha -- Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore -- have been affected by ‘very severe cyclone Titli’, Special Relief Commissioner B P Sethi said.

The cyclone also triggered heavy to very heavy rainfall in Ganjam, Gajapati and Puri districts of Odisha, causing minor damage to power and communication.

"There has been no major damage or report of casualty received from any part of the state so far. Some destruction was reported from Ganjam and Gajapati districts," he said.

WATCH: Titli making a landfall in Srikakulam's Vajrapu Kotturu

Power supply and telephone links got disrupted and road communication snapped due to uprooted trees at many places of Gajapati district, the SRC said.

Efforts are on to clear roads blocked by uprooted trees and restore power supply in affected areas at the earliest, he said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has instructed officials to expedite restoration efforts once the situation improves.

He asked officials to provide relief materials to cyclone-affected people.

"The chief minister gave instruction to send two more teams of NDRF to Gajapati where extensive damage has been caused to roads, hutments, electric and telephone poles," Chief Secretary A P Padhi said.

13 teams of National Disaster Response Force and Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force have been deployed in affected areas along with fire brigade personnel.

"The damage is less than what we had feared," the chief secretary said.

IMAGE: A view of deserted Gopalpur beach, in Ganjam. Photograph: PTI Photo

He said communication to all block headquarters in Gajapati district was hit as roads were blocked by uprooted trees and broken branches.

Padhi said the state government moved over three lakh people Wednesday to safe places which helped avoid loss of life in the natural calamity. The evacuees are housed in 1,112 shelters where food and sanitation facilities are available.

Altogether, 105 pregnant women in Ganjam district and 18 in Jagatsinghpur have been shifted to hospitals, Sethi said.

Train services between Khurda Road in Odisha and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh remained suspended since 10 pm Wednesday, East Coast Railway sources said.

"We are optimistic about restoration of train services on the route by (this) evening," said East Coast Railway Chief PRO, J P Mishra.

Damage was caused to railway station buildings at a few places, including Palasa, while signal poles and overhead electric masts were damaged at some places between Palasa and Kottabomali stations, he said adding that steps were being taken to clear the railway tracks.

In Ganjam, reports of damage to hutments and other structures and uprooting of trees were received from some areas, the special relief commissioner said.

Road communication between Paralakhemundi and Mohana and some other block headquarters in Gajapati had been disrupted under the impact of the cyclone, he said.

IMAGE: Locals walk near their houses as Cyclone Titli hits the coast, in Ganjam. Photograph: PTI Photo

In Ganjam, reports of damage to hutments and other structures and uprooting of trees were received from some areas, the SRC said.

According to a latest report by the India Meteorological Department, cyclone Titli made the landfall between 4.30 and 5.30 am in southwest coast of Gopalpur near Palasa in Andhra Pradesh with an estimated maximum sustained surface wind speed of 140-150 kmph gusting to 165 kmph.

The landfall process was complete and 'the centre of eye of cyclone Titli lies over the land,' the IMD said.

The system is now moving northeastwards towards Gangetic West Bengal across Odisha and it will weaken gradually, it said.

An hour after the landfall, Gopalpur in Odisha reported surface wind at 126 kmph, Kalingapatanam in Andhra Pradesh recorded wind speed of 56 kmph.

Director of Meteorological Centre Bhubaneswar H R Biswas said the “very severe cyclonic storm” is being monitored by the coastal Doppler Weather Radars at Visakhapatnam, Gopalpur and Paradip.

As part of its pre-cyclone preparedness, the Odisha government evacuated over three lakh people living in low-lying areas of the five coastal districts ahead of the landfall.

They were accommodated in 1,112 cyclone shelters. 

DRI Bangalore, seized 1600 kgs of shark bones destined for Hong Kong. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow confirmed the bones were of 3 species (Thresher Shark, Short fin Mako Shark & Silky Shark), listed in Appendix-II of CITES and restricted for exports

DRI, India seized exotic birds & animals smuggled through Indo-Myanmar border, in an operation in Kolkata, Pune & Chennai. Lemurs, callithrix & squirrel monkeys, Iguana, Bengal Cat, cockatoos, eclectus, macaw, hornbill etc. were handed over to Zoo, 3 persons arrested

 

Problem in GST

From a commercial standpoint, reducing the price of each SKU, particularly with a small MRP (Rs 5 or below) is often a challenge, including availability of legal tender below Re 1

Companies or dealers may have to cut prices of each stock keeping unit (SKU) of their products to pass on the benefits of any lower goods and services tax (GST) rate.

 

This comes from an order of the national anti-profiteering authority (NAA) in a case related to a Maggi noodles (Nestle’s) dealer.

A retailer of Maggi had alleged that despite reduction in the GST rate from 18 per cent to 12 per cent in November 2017, the base price of a 35g pack, also known as the Rs 5 (MRP) pack, was increased to bring it at par with the pre-rate change price, including taxes.

The (wholesale) dealer argued the benefit which had accrued in respect of the Rs 5 MRP pack had been passed on by reducing the price of the other pack of Maggi, the Rs 12 MRP one.

Further, that price of the latter pack was reduced by Re 1, more than the total benefit arising on both types of packs, of 92p.

Such a reduction, added the dealer, was made in light of the shortage of small-value currency notes and non-availability of coins less than a Re 1 value.

The complainant subsequently sought to withdraw the grouse in question but this request was rejected, stating investigation had already been undertaken by the authorities.

The NAA has since held that the dealer had no liberty to arbitrarily decide in respect of which products he should pass on the benefit.

A 35g Maggi pack was distinct from a 70g one; they could be bought by different customers. Hence, the benefit accruing to one customer cannot be given to another.

The NAA has, therefore, told the dealer to deposit Rs 90,778, the amount considered ‘profiteered’ in sum, with annual interest of 18 per cent, into the Consumer Welfare Fund, after refunding the retailer the ‘profiteered’ amount of Rs 2,253 (with interest).

A similar ruling was given by it recently in a case involving Lifestyle International, on cosmetic products.

Pratik Jain, partner at consultancy PwC India, noted the authority has rejected the plea on fractional pricing due to the difficulty in legal tender.

Instead, directing that it is for a customer to furnish the required legal tender and a supplier could not make a profit on this account.

This ruling could be a problem for the fast moving consumer goods sector, for one.

"From a commercial standpoint, reducing the price of each SKU, particularly with a small MRP (Rs 5 or below) is often a challenge, including availability of legal tender below Re 1,” Jain said.

Harpreet Singh, partner at consultancy KPMG, said it would be very difficult to pass on the rate reduction profit on each item, particularly products such as sachets of sauce, shampoo and the like.

The impact would be in paise, he noted.

Exemption from the routine exercise of transfer / rotational transfer...

Exemption from the routine exercise of transfer / rotational transfer...