Wipro chairman Rishad Premji took to X, formerly Twitter and urged people to break the barriers surrounding mental health. Mr Premji also said that it’s okay to not feel okay at times.

Rishad Premji on X wrote, “We should relentlessly break barriers so that we talk about mental health with the same comfort we talk about our physical health. It’s ok to not be ok at times.”

See the post here:

We should relentlessly break barriers so that we talk about mental health with the same comfort we talk about our physical health. It’s ok to not be ok at times. pic.twitter.com/7zNpPU91U2

— Rishad Premji (@RishadPremji) October 30, 2023

Mr Premji’s post has amassed over 5,000 views on X and an array of comments. 

A user wrote, “Makes sense.”

Another user commented, “Very true Sir.”

Well, this is not the first time he has spoken about the importance of mental health. Earlier, Mr Premji wrote, “Mental health and depression is a disease like any other disease. It is incredibly important that we be there for our friends, family and colleagues especially in these difficult, isolating times.”

Mental health and depression is a disease like any other disease. It is incredibly important that we be there for our friends, family and colleagues especially in these difficult, isolating times. pic.twitter.com/ir78cMOwgo

— Rishad Premji (@RishadPremji) October 26, 2020

Mr Premji made headlines after he took a voluntary cut in his salary for the fiscal year 2023. He has made $951,353 in total annual compensation this year, which is almost 50% ($8,67,669) less than his previous year’s earnings. In 2022, Mr. Premji’s compensation as Executive Chairman of the Board was $1,819,022.

Rishad joined Wipro in 2007 and worked in several roles before becoming Executive Chairman in 2019. He started as a general manager in Wipro’s Banking and Financial Services business, went on to head Investor Relations, and then led Wipro’s Strategy and M&A.

The number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana since September 15 has reduced by around 56 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, compared to the corresponding period last year.

In the period between September 15 and October 29, the cumulative number of farm fires in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and NCR areas of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh has reduced from 13,964 in 2022 to 6,391 in 2023, the Centre’s Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said.

There were 11,461 stubble-burning cases in the corresponding period in 2021, it said.

In Punjab, there were 5,254 stubble burning incidents during this 45-day period this year, compared to 12,112 in 2022 and 9,001 in 2021. This represents a reduction of 56.6 per cent and 41.6 per cent, respectively.

Haryana reported 1,094 stubble burning cases during this 45-day period this year and it is significantly lower than the 1,813 in 2022 and 2,413 in 2021. This reflects a reduction of 39.7 per cent and 54.7 per cent, respectively.

The Central government has allocated approximately Rs. 3,333 crore under the Crop Residue Management Scheme to the state governments of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

These funds support the subsidised procurement of machines by individual farmers, custom hiring centres and cooperatives for in-situ management of paddy straw and for baling/raking machines and equipment for ex-situ applications.

The total number of crop residue management (CRM) machines available is 1,17,672 in Punjab, 80,071 in Haryana, and 7,986 in UP-NCR. Additional procurement is underway to acquire 23,000 CRM machines in Punjab, 7,572 in Haryana, and 595 in Uttar Pradesh to augment their availability during the current harvesting season.

While the reduction in paddy stubble burning incidents is evident, the recent days have seen a sudden surge in Punjab. It is expected that harvesting activities will peak in the coming weeks. On October 29 alone, Punjab reported 1,068 stubble burning cases, the CAQM said. 

Fans of Shah Rukh Khan are gearing up for a four-day celebration to mark the superstar’s 58th birthday on November 2. The celebration will combine charitable initiatives with festivities, including health check-ups, food distribution, blanket distribution, movie screenings, and visits to cancer patients and an old-age home. Fans from more than 100 cities in India and over 25 countries are expected to participate in the celebration.