Archive: February 1, 2022

Slurrp Farm And Dipika Pallikal Urge Young Kids To Join The ‘Let’s Unjunk India’ Movement

National, 1st Feb: Millet-based children’s food brand Slurrp Farm and squash player Dipika Pallikal hosted over 160 families from across the country for a special quiz this Sunday.

Organized in association with QShala, one of India’s best quizzing platforms, the Food For Thought: Let’s Unjunk India Family Quiz brought alive the brand’s ‘zero junk’ proposition and urged young children from grades 1-6 to unjunk the food they eat.

“Identify this type of millet that is loaded with vitamin B 12 and good carbs, and is named after a body part of a clever animal” and “This sugar is made from the sap of the flowers of the Cocos nucifera tree that gives a big fruit. Can you name this hydrating fruit?” were just some of the intriguing questions asked by Padma Shri and Arjuna awardee Dipika Pallikal to the young children and their families.

The quiz was the culmination of Slurrp Farm’s ‘Let’s Unjunk India’ campaign, which kicked off on Independence Day last year. The campaign aims to educate people about the ingredients that go into most packaged food items, and the effects of some of these additives. Over the last six months, the campaign highlighted how consumers often overlook the ingredients listed on the back of a pack of food and how most of the thickening agents, emulsifiers, flavour enhancers, sweeteners, stabilisers, and preservatives added to packaged food actually do not add any nutritional value to it. ‘Let’s Unjunk India’ brought to fore the fact that many commonly used additives have been linked to a range of cancers, neurological problems, obesity and other weight problems, headaches, insomnia, poor metabolism, and a host of other diseases and lifestyle problems.

As a brand committed to providing healthy, yummy, and natural snack and mealtime options for young children and their parents, all products in the Slurrp Farm portfolio are made using super grains like ragi, jowar, amaranth, foxtail millet, amongst others, and have zero preservatives, maida, white sugar, trans fats, or artificial flavours and colours.

Speaking about the quiz and association with Dipika Pallikal, Shauravi Malik co-founder, Slurrp Farm said, “The saying ‘You are what you eat’ means different things to different people. For us at Slurrp Farm, it means only one thing: eat real food. Through the ‘Let’s Unjunk India’ campaign, we wanted to empower parents and children across India with knowledge – knowledge about what goes into the food they eat, so that they can make more informed choices about what they put on their plates.”

Meghana Narayan, co-founder, Slurrp Farm said, “As a sporting icon, fitness enthusiast, and now a mother, Dipika Pallikal has always been vocal about eating well. She also understands that it doesn’t mean only cutting things out of one’s diet, but understanding what goes into it. She is the perfect partner to help Slurrp Farm bring the unjunk proposition to life and educate and encourage young families to make better food choices.”

Winners of the quiz received a range of exciting prizes including a family vacation at nature resort Wildernest Goa, Lenovo tablets, and Amazon gift cards.

Drishti’s lifesaving force conducted 715 rescues in the year 2021

Panaji February 2022: Drishti’s lifesavers, Goa’s state-appointed lifesaving and rescue agency had a busy year with the rescue force conducting 715 rescues in the year 2021.

2021 witnessed a sharp rise from 249 rescues conducted in the previous year where most people stayed indoors during the start of the pandemic.

With international borders closed on air travel in 2021, the state saw an influx of local tourists who made a beeline to the much sought after tourist destination and particularly the beaches of Goa.

A total of 507 incidents took place in 2021, which included water-based rescues of which several were double and triple rescues, emergency medical services, first aid and related services. Of these 140 were multiple rescue incidents while 367 were incidents where a single person was rescued. A total of 715 individuals were rescued during the incidents, while 09 individuals succumbed to the waters.

Of the 715 rescues, over 600 accounted for Indian individuals including local residents from the state, while 14 foreigners were rescued during the year.

A majority of the victims involved individuals between the ages of 19 and 35 years which accosted for 501 individuals. 93 individuals rescued were below 12 years of age, while 42 were between 14 and 18 years. Over 80 victims rescued were between the ages of 35 years and above.

Incidentally, 2021 recorded 57 incidents of lost and missing children who were successfully reunited with their parents by Drishti’s lifesavers.

The year 2021 witnessed a spike in rescues post-August, the peak being the festive month of October which had 115 incidents in October followed by 81 in November and 45 in December which kept the Drishti lifesaving team on their toes towards the end of the year.

Like previous years, Calangute recorded the maximum number of incidents in 2021 with 196 followed by 121 incidents in Baga and 45 in Candolim. Dudhsagar recorded 41 incidents in the year with most being during the monsoon months. On the south Goa coastal stretch, Palolem recorded 35 incidents followed by 24 in Colva and 23 in Benaulim.

Drishti began operations in Goa in 2008. A total of over 400 drowning cases occurred in 2007, the previous year which prompted the state government to take immediate measures and put together an efficient system. The service has led to a 99% reduction in deaths due to drowning and significantly improved the tourist experience in Goa. Over 6,000 lives have been saved since then, due to intervention rescue operations by Drishti’s lifesaving team.