Latest news with #OHM
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
90% of Indians Suffer Dental Issues, but Only 9% Visit Dentists: National Survey
New Delhi: India is facing a silent oral health crisis. New national data shows that 90 per cent of the population suffers from dental problems, yet only nine per cent visit a dentist regularly. A staggering 41 per cent are at high risk for cavities, 44 per cent for gum disease, and 14 per cent for tooth staining — with 72 per cent of Indians at risk for at least one major oral health concern. The country's average oral health score stands at just 2.6 out of 5. As India advances its healthcare ambitions, oral health — long overlooked — is finally being recognised as a crucial part of preventive care. A year-long Oral Health Movement (OHM), conducted in partnership with the Indian Dental Association (IDA), screened more than 4.5 million people across 18,000+ pin codes and over 700 districts — offering one of the most comprehensive pictures of the nation's oral health to date. Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Prabha Narasimhan, MD & CEO of Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited, presented these findings at the Oral Health Movement Summit 2025 in New Delhi. On the sidelines of the Summit, Prabha Narasimhan spoke to ETHealthworld's Rashmi Mabiyan Kaur about the company's India-specific strategy in the digital FMCG landscape, the future of oral health, how technology and wellness intersect, and why oral care must be seen as preventive health. She also explained how the company is redefining oral care in India — from AI-powered retail precision and science-led product innovation to its mission of creating healthier generations. Q: Oral health is linked to systemic conditions. What role does your company play in India's broader health ecosystem, and which groups should be more sensitised? Yes, oral health is directly linked to systemic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Our role is to amplify awareness of this connection. While we don't comment on the diseases themselves, we emphasise that better oral hygiene leads to better health outcomes. Groups needing greater focus include: Diabetics, who often suffer from gum issues People over 50, who have a higher incidence of gum disease Young children, whose milk teeth determine the health of their permanent teeth It's critical to start early. Good oral habits formed in childhood can last a lifetime. So, we see our role as not just selling toothpaste, but enabling preventive health across age groups. Q: Based on your company's research, what trends are emerging in India's oral healthcare landscape, especially with snacking on the rise? While we don't yet have long-term data, we are seeing clear shifts. One major change is in snacking habits — Indians now eat 4.5 to 5 times a day on average. It's not five meals — it's constant grazing. Each time you eat, your teeth lose calcium. That makes brushing with a high-quality toothpaste more critical than ever. Lifestyle changes mean health habits must evolve. Just as sedentary lifestyles created a need for gyms, modern eating patterns demand better oral hygiene. The old logic of brushing once a day like our grandparents did doesn't work anymore. Q: Is Colgate aligning its portfolio and innovation pipeline with the demand for natural, Ayurvedic oral care products? Consumers buy benefits, not formats. When people choose a toothpaste, they want freshness, whitening, cavity protection, or pain relief — not just 'herbal' or 'natural.' Those are delivery mechanisms, not the end goals. Our focus is to communicate that science-backed products deliver these benefits effectively. No company invests more in oral care R&D than we do, and we bring that technology to consumers in meaningful, perceivable ways. We're committed to addressing the benefit segments — how we get there, whether herbal or otherwise, depends on what delivers the best outcomes. Q: How are you evolving your company's India strategy to ensure sustained leadership in this digitally driven FMCG landscape? We're evolving in several strategic ways to remain ahead in the Indian FMCG space. First, oral health remains at the core of our mission. Within that, our first pillar is to win with our core brands. Driving volume and growth for these brands is essential. The second pillar is premiumisation. The third pillar is driving toothbrush usage. We're market leaders in toothbrushes, but India's average replacement rate is once every nine months — while dentists recommend replacing them every three. We aim to educate and shift consumer behaviour here. Our fourth pillar is diversification, which includes everything beyond oral care. We're growing in the hand wash and body wash segments. We're also evaluating what we can bring in from our global portfolio to strengthen this arm. Q: How are you integrating AI across operations? On the tech front, AI, ML, and digital tools are embedded end-to-end in our operations. We reach 1.7 million stores daily, and what our reps recommend at each store is AI/ML-powered. Even two stores in the same locality may receive completely different product recommendations based on their unique shopper profiles. In manufacturing, most of our factories operate using digital twins, allowing us to monitor processes in real time and ensure top-notch quality. In marketing, we leverage first-party data and cohort targeting, combined with Google's AI suite, to create and adapt content rapidly for specific audiences. It's an exciting time — and we're only scratching the surface of what tech can do for us.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
First batch of e-buses set to roll out in June
Chennai: After a prolonged wait, Chennai is set to get its first batch of electric buses , with 120 scheduled to be operated in the first week of June. These low-floor buses, to be operated from the revamped Vyasarpadi depot, mark the city's shift towards greener public electric fleet will be run by OHM Global Mobility , a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, under a gross cost contract (GCC) model. The initial rollout will serve routes in and around Vyasarpadi, including 46G (MKB Nagar-Koyambedu), 2A (Anna Square-Kannadasan Nagar), and 37G (Kannadasan Nagar-Iyyappanthangal). The Vyasarpadi fleet will consist of 40 non-air-conditioned second batch, comprising 135 buses from Perumbakkam depot, will include 55 air-conditioned buses, with the rest being non-A/C. The depots at Poonamallee (45 A/C, 80 non-A/C), Central (100 A/C, 45 non-A/C), and Tondiarpet (23 A/C, 75 non-A/C) have also undergone infrastructure upgrades to support electric bus operations. "Each depot now has space allocated for charging stations and maintenance yards," said T Prabhushankar, MTC managing each bus costs between 1.2 crore and 1.5 crore, MTC did not purchase them outright. Instead, under the GCC model, it signed an agreement with OHM Mobility to supply and operate the buses on routes assigned by MTC. The transport corporation will retain fare collection revenue and pay OHM a fixed rate per kilometre. All technical operations, including driving, maintenance, and repairs, will be handled by OHM's commuters in the city's suburbs, particularly along the northern and western stretches, this rollout is expected to replace old, worn-out buses. Shankaran A, a resident-activist from Maangadu, said, "Most of the new blue buses are deployed inside the city where ticket collection is high, while older buses are shifted to the outskirts."
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Minnesota CO Report
For the week of May 7 District 5 – Eveleth area CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls) spent time at Camp Ripley for annual in-service training. Sturgeon fishing on the Rainy River has slowed as the Littlefork and Bigfork Rivers have gone out. Enforcement action was taken for failure to attach sturgeon tag, operate watercraft without required navigational lights, and no angling license in possession. A report of a vehicle going through the ice on Rainy Lake was also handled; individual was attempting to remove ice shelter that was left after the deadline. CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports attending training, river activities were monitored very poor fishing, few people, large icebergs, stumps, and trees observed floating in the river making fishing difficult at best. CO Dan Starr (Tower) worked sturgeon season on the Rainy River and attended the annual training session in Ripley. Calls about fishing closures were taken, with concerns about waters that are open for fishing. A neighborhood dispute was also heard, as the feeding of bear has started and not appreciated by all people. Ice is just starting to pull away from some of the shoreline. Opener will not be ice free, unless drastic temperature changes occur. CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) worked anglers (in the limited amount of available open water), ATVs, taught an ATV Safety Class, and dealt with road killed deer and otter. Rivers are free of ice; however, lake ice is keeping hold and may complicate things on the fishing opener. Enforcement action was taken on angling without an angling license, angle with extra lines, and a number of ATV and OHM violations. CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) attended annual training at Camp Ripley and monitored deteriorating ice conditions on Virginia area lakes. Ice is finally pulling away from shore and no anglers have been seen on area lakes. Anglers were checked on area rivers and suckers have started showing up. Walleyes have started to spawn. Ray – vacant. I. Falls # 2 – vacant. District 6 – Two Harbors area CO Marty Stage (Ely) worked on old cases and found ATVs riding on the highway. An unregistered 6-wheeled ATV was traveling with a passenger on state highway 169 at the same speed as the cars for about three miles. When the officer eventually spoke to the operator, who said he had gotten lost and needed to take the highway to get back home, the officer pointed out to the operator that there were several problems with his excuse. In order to get where he had just been observed coming from, the operator would have had to have driven on the same state highway, down a county road, drive on a Grant-in-Aid snowmobile trail, across multiple private properties, (some posted with gates), down another county road, and then the state highway he'd just been observed on. Please stay off the county roads and state highways and read the ATV regulations concerning allowed road usage. CO Sean Williams (Ely) reports that the lakes in Ely are still ice covered, and the rivers have just recently opened up. The snow has recently left the heavily wooded areas and wildlife activity has picked up. Violations included underage possession of alcohol. CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) worked crappie anglers, ATV enforcement, and spring fish run activity. An ATV law class was put on for several local law enforcement agencies. A TIP call was taken in regards to taking closed season fish. Several questions regarding opener and specific closures were answered, as well as ATV related questions. A reminder to all that a valid driver's license is needed for operating an ATV on all public roadways unless part of a designated Grant-in-Aid ATV trail. Enforcement action was taken for various ATV violations and for minor possession of alcohol. CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) reports that Sunday was for the birds. Early in the day, someone called in a Common Loon sitting along a county road. When the CO arrived, the loon was crying and waiving both wings like it was trying to take off. The CO put it in a dog kennel and took it to Lake Superior. The loon went for a quick swim to clean off the road grime, and then it flew away like nothing was wrong. Later in the day the CO was called to an interpretive center along the North Shore for an American Bittern that had gotten into a wire enclosure that protects freshly planted pine trees from deer. The CO lifted up the enclosure and let the bird out. The bird didn't realize it was freed and wanted to show the CO that it was nothing to mess with. The CO watched it hiss for a while, and then point its beak straight up towards the sky, standing still. Eventually the bird flew away. The ice probably won't be out in Cook County for the opener. It definitely won't be a good idea to go ice fishing. The ice will not be safe. Some people are saying that they want to ice fish just to say they did. You can't say you did if you fall through the ice and drown. CO Mary Manning (Hovland) checked steelheads on Lake Superior tributaries. Landowners are reminded that river anglers have legal access to public waterways so long as they have lawful access at some point to that waterway; anglers walking below the ordinary high waterline of a river may be there lawfully regardless of land ownership. Manning also attended annual training at Camp Ripley and tended to vehicle repair issues. CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) worked the Rainy River with CO Fairbanks, checked anglers and instructed firearms training at in-service. Angler success was poor. Enforcement actionwas taken for angling without a license, no license in possession, no type IV lifesaving device on board water craft and failure to display current registration on a watercraft. CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked fish run activity and attended spring training qualifications at Camp Ripley during the week. Deer/car incidents continue to be frequent in the area as deer are trying to find green grass near roadways. Drivers can expect to encounter deer on the roadway this time of year. CO Brad Johnson (Silver Bay) reports that he attended annual in-service training at Camp Ripley. He also completed on-line administrative training. CO Johnson checked anglers along North Shore rivers.
