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Eco/Invest/Demography

Study suggests ways to support kids’ mental health during pandemic

The authors said , “Mental health problems increased dramatically among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among those who experienced high levels of pandemic-related stressors including serious illness or death of a family member, significant financial loss, and social isolation.”

They concluded, “A number of simple strategies families engaged in appeared to promote better mental health during the pandemic including having a structured daily routine, limiting passive screen time use, limiting exposure to news media about the pandemic, and to a lesser extent spending more time in nature, and getting the recommended amount of sleep.” 

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Asia Pacific sovereign ratings can withstand Covid-19 waves: S&P

“Covid-19 does limited damage to the economic growth trend and structural fiscal performance of most sovereigns in the region,” said S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Kim Eng Tan. “Consequently, most sovereign ratings in the region are likely to remain unchanged over the next one to two years,” he said.

However, sovereigns’ fiscal resilience to future shocks can weaken as government debt levels rise further in the continued struggle with the pandemic. “The impact of further waves of Covid-19 infections could lower sovereign ratings that already have negative outlooks, especially if revenue growth disappoints and interest rates rebound by more than we expect,” said Tan.

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 QubeHealth partners with OboPay to launch 0% pre-approved medical credit for corporate employees

The product has been rolled out to a select group of 150 large companies employing over 1,50,000 people in India, as part of their Employee Health Benefits program and activated across 735 towns/cities.

Chris George, CEO & Co-Founder of QubeHealth, says, “Employee-Healthcare is now center-stage conversation for companies across India and HR teams have wanted to provide a comprehensive solution to their team’s families as they navigate their way through the pandemic. By facilitating emergency healthcare funds on tap, at no cost of capital, Employees will now have the flexibility to make better healthcare choices and augment any company-paid health insurance.”

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Passenger trains, stadiums, railway stations, airports in Rs 6 lakh cr monetisation plan

Under the plan, private companies can invest in projects for a fixed return using the InvIT route as well as operate and develop the assets for a certain period before transferring it back to the government agency. Some assets such as warehouses and stadiums can also be given on a long-term lease for operations.

”The asset monetisation pipeline takes the NIP (National Infrastructure Pipeline) to the next phase where you are looking at public-private partnership,” Sitharaman told a press conference.

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AXA Hong Kong and HSBC jointly launch Overseas StudySurance

Kenneth Lai, P&C Distribution Director, AXA Hong Kong and Macau, said, “Education is the key to success. Many parents would provide their children with the best education by letting them study abroad. However, the best protection is also essential to ensure a holistic support and care during their overseas study journeys. As the largest general insurer in Hong Kong, we are delighted to partner with HSBC to offer the comprehensive student protection ‘Overseas StudySurance’ – a plan with market-leading medical expenses and personal accident coverage, to provide peace of mind for students and their parents when they pursue their overseas studies.”

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Pandemic threatens Asia-Pacific’s progress on global development goals, says ADB

Developing Asia’s extreme poverty rate – or the proportion of its people living on less than $1.90 a day – would have fallen to 2.6% in 2020 from 5.2% in 2017 without COVID-19, but the crisis likely pushed last year’s projected rate higher by about 2 percentage points, ADB simulations showed.
The figure could even be higher considering the inequalities in areas like health, education and work disruptions that have deepened as the COVID-19 crisis disrupted mobility and stalled economic activity, the ADB said in a flagship report on the region.

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