Narendra Paruchuri: This year ended on 21 March

What has been the impact of Covid-19 on your business thus far?
In winter everyone feels the chill. We are no different. This year ended on 21 March.

In the short term, how are you assessing the risks and planning for the possible impact?
Our commercial printing division will be hit a lot more. Packaging should pick up and the recovery should be reasonably fast.

Some businesses have acted, asking staff to work from home, doing daily temperature checks, distributing critical tasks across offices, and restricting travel. What steps have you undertaken?
I do not think we have to overdo it. Starting from the PM to everybody is doing it on the media day in and day out. I do not want to push on this.

How is your company staying in touch with your partners/ customers?
As packaging printers, we have a contractual obligation that we supply the necessary cartons/ labels/ outserts to our pharma clients. So we are working with skeleton staff and fulfilling the needs. Like most of us, our staff is available on phone and mail.

Do you invest in health care, and is there a robust system in place?
We have insurance for the workers and also ESI. In case of any major issue, my wife, who is a doctor, helps us out.

Confluence of creativity and technology will be the key to crafting a successful future in print. One creative print project which can make a difference?
We are in mess as far as our calendar goes on time-frame. We have to complete that as soon as we start. Maybe that will make a difference.

One suggestion for the government?
I am happy that our chief minister has said that the government workers will get 50% salary for the period of the lockdown. I would like to pay the full salary for the month of March and follow our CM for April. The lower-end of salary earners might be paid a bit more as we are looking at all having daal and roti.