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Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week (see the previous edition here). This special series of compilations focuses on India’s COVID-19 struggle. Share these quotes and excerpts with your networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.

See also our pick of Top Quotes of 2022 on Entrepreneurship, Motivation, Investments, Women Changemakers, Social Entrepreneurs, Environmental Change, Pandemic Resilience, Digital Transformation, India Opportunities, Design, Art, Failure Lessons, and Storytelling.

The Coronavirus crisis has brought healthcare to the forefront of people’s and policymakers’ minds. – Sameer Merchant, Illusion Aligners

In 2020, amidst the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, about 6 lakh ASHA workers protested against their low compensation and demanded personal protective measures, given the risky conditions they were working in. – Sanghamitra Singh, Population Foundation of India

Women’s health, education, and employment took a back seat as the world geared up to deal with the pandemic. – Munira Loliwala, TeamLease Digital

The pandemic provided the opportunity for fintech companies to reach the underserved and provide cost-effective financial services to those at the bottom of the pyramid. – Economic Survey, 2022-23

The singular upside of this upheaval was the acceleration of tech adoption across industries. – Prerna Kalra, Daalchini Technologies

This significant growth [of internet subscribers] in rural India was the major shock absorber during the COVID-19 pandemic when both businesses and consumer demand were impacted. – Economic Survey, 2022-23

[ASHAs] also bore the brunt of prevalent myths and misconceptions around the COVID-19 virus, as well as vaccine hesitancy among communities, leading to resistance and backlash from community members. – Sanghamitra Singh, Population Foundation of India

Consumer-facing industries were the most effected by the pandemic, with the F&B segment bearing a significant brunt. – Prerna Kalra, Daalchini Technologies

The pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for all but it has been especially difficult for women. – Munira Loliwala, TeamLease Digital

The increased [health] consciousness led to a surge in the demand for athleisure and activewear. – Jeevika Tyagi, aastey

The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to support the National Diagnostics Catapult, which builds on the impactful work of C-CAMP-InDx 1.0 that catalysed the growth of affordable and high quality diagnostics for COVID-19 in India. – Naveen Rao, Rockefeller Foundation

The post-COVID era has presented new challenges to businesses in the F&B space—in the form of changing consumer preferences. Contactless, hygiene-focused, quick, and convenient services in demand more than ever before. – Prerna Kalra, Daalchini Technologies

The ill-planned prioritisation of resources during the pandemic has taken a toll on the physical and mental well-being of women. – Munira Loliwala, TeamLease Digital

While the world shut down and confinement within a space now sounds absurd and difficult to imagine in a post-Covid era, it was a time of reflection and deep introspection for the artist community. – Urvi Kothari, Tao Art Gallery

[T]he pandemic accelerated the whole ecommerce adoption by almost three to five years. – Vikram Saxena, BetterCommerce

YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).