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India’s Godrej Brings World’s Most Affordable Liquid Repellent And Spray To Eradicate Mosquito-Borne Disease
India, 14 Feb 2023 2:21 PM GMT | Updated 15 Feb 2023 11:24 AM GMT
The innovations to bring down the cost of liquid repellents and sprays by 50% in the country.
It is common to have mosquitoes due to poor waste management, congested lanes, and rainwater storage, among other factors. In the absence of affordable mosquito repellents, they burn things like repellent incense sticks, plastic, cow-dung cakes, dry leaves, and rubber, which can be dangerous to their health. The purpose is to repel mosquitoes through smoke and other toxic fumes.
Godrej has come to the rescue of millions of people. Two homegrown innovations, the world’s lowest-cost liquid mosquito repellent device and a no-gas instant mosquito kill spray developed by Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL), have been launched recently. The Goodknight Mini Liquid and HIT No-Gas Spray are made specifically for lower-income consumers and make safe & smoke-free mosquito protection accessible to them. Incense sticks and similar methods are often unsafe and unregulated today. Health experts warn against using these hazardous ways since they may lead to asthma, bronchitis, reactive airway disease, and other serious health issues.
The consumer market needed regulated and safe non-smoke solutions, but these products were limited in availability due to their higher prices and features that didn't fit these consumers' needs. GCPL stepped up and recognized the importance of providing long-lasting mosquito repellent effects specifically designed for lower-income households most affected by this issue. Through extensive research & development, they have created innovative products to satisfy those needs. This led to Goodknight Mini as a single-mode machine giving high all-night efficacy. Priced at just INR 50 (Repellent Machine + Refill) and refills for INR 35/-, this solution only costs INR 2.5 for a night’s use. This device is expected to gain wide adoption as India crosses a 95%+ electrification milestone (as per National Family Health Survey - 5 released in March 2022).
The second reason is that lower-income households usually have small rooms, and expensive LPG-based aerosol sprays designed for larger rooms were unsuitable for such smaller rooms. GCPL was inspired by no-gas deodorants and came up with HIT No-Gas Spray, an instant mosquito-kill, water-based spray for as low as INR 1.5 per use occasion. According to the tests, smoke-free HIT No-Gas Spray kills mosquitoes faster than spurious incense sticks.
Commenting on the affordable innovations, Sudhir Sitapati, MD & CEO of Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL), said, “We have made great progress so far to lessen the impact of mosquito-borne diseases. The way forward, however, calls for empowering people, especially in small cities, towns, and rural areas. Liquid repellents & aerosols are the most effective solution against mosquitoes, but they remained largely inaccessible to lower-income households due to high pricing. We at GCPL are proud to introduce the Goodknight Mini and HIT No-Gas Spray. These innovations bring down the cost of liquid repellent and spray categories in India by up to 50% and thus make them accessible to everyone. With these innovations, we are democratising safe mosquito repellents for lower-income consumers.
Supporting the government's vision of easing the nation's health burden is our greater commitment.” As part of a panel discussion at the launch event, Pratik Kumar, Country Director, Malaria No More India, opined, “Mosquito-borne diseases, particularly Malaria, has been a public health issue, and our goal should be its complete eradication. If we are to enable our Prime Minister's vision of Malaria free by 2030, we need a different strategy that goes beyond prevention and ensures elimination. New-age tools and technologies will play a vital role. Private health providers have a major role to play. Malaria elimination needs all sections to join hands to focus on a disease that needs more attention. We must develop new solutions and high-end technology to accelerate access and timely last-mile intervention. More importantly, enabling lower income groups with low-cost solutions in high endemic zones should be a key focus area amongst the next steps.”
“Factors such as climate change have led to increased occurrence of malaria and dengue, leading to a significant rise in the disease burden on the country. While the medical fraternity researches and develops advanced treatments to aid quick recovery, it also becomes important for people to adopt prevention strategies to safeguard themselves, in this case, from mosquito-borne diseases. Although the general public is aware of the need for mosquito protection, they frequently turn to dangerous and unregulated alternatives like repellent incense sticks/ agarbattis, which can lead to more diseases and respiratory illnesses. Although these repellent incense sticks are less expensive, few people are aware of their detrimental effects on health. Thus, Innovation and democratisation of practical, cost-efficient solutions that guarantee everyone's protection are urgently needed”, added Dr.Rahul Sharma, Additional Director – Pulmonology & Critical Care at Fortis Hospital, Noida.
GCPL remains committed to reducing the impact of vector-borne diseases in the country. The company has had many successes with its flagship brands like Goodknight and HIT Through innovative formats, they've revolutionized the industry and created many possibilities.
The Logical Indian applauds Godrej Consumer Products Ltd for these innovations, which were a long time due. This will make life easier for millions of people and improve their quality of life.
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