The Indian School of Business in Hyderabad has the best faculty picked from all parts of globe to impart the best education. However, when it comes to crucial lessons like Six Sigma Performance and Supply Management Chain or Logistics there can be no better example than the Mumbai dabbawallahs.
Sure the faculty and the students of Indian School of Business, Hyderabad never had such an experience of learning one of the important lessons of business management. For the first time in ISB the Mumbai Dabbawallahs Association was roped in to impart their world renowned Grassroots approach to logistics.
The high profile teachers and the equally high profile students of ISB were recently enlightened by the Mumbai Dabbawallah Association on the theme of Grassroots Approach to Logistics.
Sure the faculty and the students of Indian School of Business, Hyderabad never had such an experience of learning one of the important lessons of business management. For the first time in ISB the Mumbai Dabbawallahs Association was roped in to impart their world renowned Grassroots approach to logistics.
Though the average literacy rate of dabbawallahs is eighth standard while the rest of them are called Thumbs Up (Angootha Chaap), its secretary Gangaram Talekar showed the learned audience through a Power Point Presentation as to how a grassroots approach can also make their example world renowned. The ISB gathering will never forget Gangaram's interpretation of Six Sigma Rating for the best time management.
Laced with humour, the audience appreciated Mumbai Dabbawallahs for their real life examples with thunderous claps. In the two-hour session, the Dabbawallahs Association explained mainly the organisational structure, operations, coding system, war against time among various other aspects.
Prof. Viswanadham N, executive director of ISB explains, "the Dabbawallahs continue to deliver dabbas with amazing precision which they started 114 years back and no wonder they are the best example and study in business management."
Gangaram elaborated "We got this six Sigma thing, which two of our dabbawallahs wanted to know were Sona or Pittal. They were kept in our office cupboard, but later two other gentlemen accompanying us said you were awarded along with Motorola. Motorola, dabbawala, both have la in common so we are bhai bhai".
Johnson said "We have courses in statistics, about three sigma and six sigma. We had learnt in theory but Mumbai Dabbawallas have taught us how to put them into practice."
Viswanadham adds, "When I teach logistics, I teach them about containering, cross stocking, merchant transport, customer satisfaction and delivery. Well, this dabbawallas just do it with fine precision. It is amazing."
Christian groups attacked the Prasads Imax theatre, here, where the controversial film 'The Da Vinci Code' was to be released here on Friday.
President of United Front for Dalit Christian Rights G. Alfred said the incident only reflected the growing resentment against the film.
Angry protestors arrived an hour before the scheduled time of the show raising slogans against the film and broke the windowpanes of the ticket counter in the plush multiplex. Dubbing the film "a devil's code", they forced their way in demanding the management to immediately stop the screening.
However, Public Relations Manager of the multiplex Chris Kishen claimed that they had decided to cancel the screening of the film in the morning itself. "We had even put up notices prominently in the theatre, but the protestors did not appear to have seen them," he maintained.
Asked why the screening was cancelled when the High Court had cleared the decks for its release, he said "it being a sensitive issue we did not want to take any risk. Further, with a couple of blockbusters being released the same day and a large number of people thronging the multiplex, we thought it would affect them as also our property."
The Saifabad police booked a case under Section 147(unlawful assembly) and Section 427(damaging property) based on a complaint lodged by security incharge of the multiplex Adinarayana. Archbishop of Hyderabad diocese Marampudi Joji was unavailable for comment as he was in his 'annual recollection', a practice wherein clerics refrain from any kind of communication with others for three days.
President of United Front for Dalit Christian Rights G. Alfred said the incident only reflected the growing resentment against the film. "Different groups are reacting in different ways. We do not know who directed them to do so," he said.
Meanwhile, the State Government is contemplating filing of a writ appeal against the court verdict quashing the ban on the film. With the High Court giving the green signal for the screening on Wednesday and theatres already engaged for this Friday's releases, the film's distributor Sony Pictures had little time to go for a State-wide release and managed to zero in on the Prasads multiplex alone for a low key release.
With sectors offering better salaries able to attract talent in the current market-driven economy, science and technology (S&T) is not able to compete effectively in India, despite having a large pool of manpower.
In the next five years there would be a demand for at least 1,000 jobs in research and development (R&D) sector.
If this trend continues concerns are that S&T sector may become weak and devoid of talent. Stating this, the new Secretary, Union Department of Science and Technology (DST), Dr T. Ramasami, argued in favour of creating assured opportunities for talented youth for a career with science.
In the next five years there would be a demand for at least 1,000 jobs in research and development (R&D) sector. Current plans of India towards expansion, inclusion and excellence would demand that career opportunities are expanded to the S&T sector as well, he said while delivering the Prof. Y. Nayudamma Memorial Lecture organised by the Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences here today. At present, about 6,500 students in India graduate annually with doctoral degrees. Estimates reveal that 2,000 of them need to seek careers outside S&T. For an inclusive growth of the country in sectors where excellence was critical, expansion of career opportunities was essential. The S&T departments need to champion for such an initiative by gaining public policy support for S&T, Prof. Ramasami said.
The current S&T ecology does not seem to provide either physical income with career opportunities matching other service sectors or psychic income derived from uninhibited pursuits of passion with science, the former Director of the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai said.
The S&T may need to be de-bureaucratised to feasible levels. There may be a need for innovating and other mechanisms to provide flexible pay and perks for S&T groups. The help of private sector is also required for enabling public institutions retain talent in S&T streams.
Prof Ramasami also suggested the setting up of a Foundation, under one of the S&T departments to increase the reach of technologies to benefit villages in the country. The AP Akademi of Sciences also presented the annual Nayudamma Memorial Gold Medal to Dr G. Thyagarajan, Former Director of CLRI. It honoured Padma awardees for 2006, Dr Harsh K. Gupta, former Secretary, Department of Ocean Development, and Dr Seyed E. Hasnain, Vice-Chancellor, University of Hyderabad.
"Krrish will be a path-breaking film as far as the trend of visual effects is concerned," says Rajiv Raghunathan, Senior Line Producer of Prasad EFX, on the eve of the film's release.
A film like Krrish will open a lot of new avenues for visual effects and filmmakers will get bolder in using such technical aid.
The company, Prasad EFX has been making its presence in the films labs, pre and post-production, visual effects, digital video, multimedia and more. It is their team of about 70 technicians from Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad that has put together 90 minutes of visual effects for Krrish.
This is not the first time that the Roshans and the Prasad group have come together. "Rakesh Roshan's father had given music for the films made by our founder L V Prasad," says Rajiv. But he admits that Krrish was a tough act to take up for the Prasad Group. "Rakesh Roshan had the story very clearly drawn. He knew what visual effects he required. When the script was read to us, we realised it was going to be a very challenging task. In fact, we weren't even sure if we would be able to put it together. When we started, we had no clue how to go about it. But I must thank Rakesh Roshan for having so much confidence in us."
The company, Prasad EFX has been making its presence in the films labs, pre and post-production, visual effects, digital video, multimedia and more.
From the promos and the movie stills, it is not very evident that the film has used special effects. Most of the thriller and action scenes appear as though they've been performed by Hrithik without any technical aid. "The idea is to maintain the natural charm of the characters. Special effects are not supposed to look obvious. There are some scenes where you just can't tell whether there's use of special effects or it is simply Hrithik performing," he says, proudly.
The Prasad team is 'extremely happy' with the end result of the eight-month long task of special effects on Krrish. "We didn't compromise anywhere. And that shows. In the film, several reels have visual effects. Partly, because the lead star is a superhero, some of the effects are very much required. But I also believe that Hrithik's personality has a quality which would make people believe that it is all him, no technical interference. And that's the idea," Rajiv explains.
"Most of the visual effects blend into the story very well. The audience will not be able to tell the difference." During the making of the film and the post-production work, Rajiv was impressed with Hrithik's involvement with the technical aspects of the film. "He was very involved with the special effects, and I don't mean just in front of the camera. In Mumbai and Chennai, he has made a great contribution to the post-production work. On the other hand, Rakesh has concentrated on direction. He is a wonderful director to work with. He trusted us completely with the task and gave us the freedom we needed. At every point, we have raised the bar for ourselves and given our very best to every scene. This is only possible when the production house backs you up for your task."
Dressed in a black leather superhero suit, a mask and cape, flying across the city with a mission, Krrish is a delight for kids and adults alike. But it is not just Hrithik and the superhero look that have created the magic.
Carefully, without revealing much, Rajiv says, "We used a combination of software and hardware. We did a body scan of Hrithik to create a model that we have used in a few scenes. When you see the movie, and can't pick the scene where we have used this, is when we'll know we succeeded." For a huge portion of the climax, the team had built a futuristic lab, which took two months to create. "The lab is a part of the climax scene. I can't say much about it, but it is one of the things that will amaze the audience. And it is with the help of Hollywood's Craig Mumma that the special effects look so good."
Rajiv is tight-lipped about the other Bollywood offers that have already started pouring in, but he does mention that the industry has the kind of filmmakers who now know that visual effects are a great investment in making a successful film. "A film like Krrish will open a lot of new avenues for visual effects and filmmakers will get bolder in using such technical aid."
Mergers and Acquisitions are the order of the day for pharmaceutical companies. This financial year has witnessed quite a number of deals, but one name that enjoys top of the mind recall for every one... The astounding feature of the deal is not the money. It is the fact that DRL managed to walk away with the booty even though it was not the highest bidder.
(not just the pharma fraternity) is the Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) acquisition of Betapharm, the fourth-largest generic pharmaceuticals company in Germany.
The news of this buyout stirred the business community. Not just because the company was bought for Euro 480 million, but also because DRL beat opponents like the Israeli Taro Pharma and Indian biggies like Ranbaxy to the deal.
The astounding feature of the deal is not the money. It is the fact that DRL managed to walk away with the booty even though it was not the highest bidder. The booty here was a stronger presence in Europe, a rich pipeline of 146 products which are already registered in Europe, a strong presence in chronic care category, strong existing relationship with key members of the marketing channel (doctors, chemists, medical salesmen and insurance companies), a strong IP regulatory infrastructure and a fast growing generic company.
The Betapharm deal is also expected to take DRL closer towards its goal of being a $1 billion company by 2008. In contrast to this, Betapharm benefits from DRL's pipeline of innovative products, high quality standards and competitive manufacturing costs. The deal was to be financed up to Euro 80 million through DRL's internal accruals and the remaining by Citibank based on the balance sheets of both the companies.
In an interview, G V Prasad, Executive Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, DRL, stated that after Betapharm, the company has three priority areas. The priorities being-scaling up the US generics business and building critical mass in the UK, accelerating the launch of dermatology business in US and lastly, to accelerate the launch of NCEs through their own sales network and various licensing agreements.
M&A is one of the most crucial decisions by a pharma company and its success lies not in investing large amounts and signing the deal but in the manner it is implemented which is a very crucial step. A successful M&A is characterised by its integration and everyone is looking forward to problem free post buyout integration. How well can this Hyderabad based company started by a scientist merges with a German generics major is a story that will soon unfold. All the eyes are still on Dr Reddy's.
The Sensex closed above the psychological 10,000-mark as the markets remained in the positive territory on Wednesday. Even though the day began quiet, for a brief spell it went into the red, but towards the closing hours, the pull-back was very evident. The Sensex moved 218 points up at 10,040 and the Nifty was up 62 points at 2,923.
Top gainers at the closing were Dr Reddy's, Reliance Energy, Reliance, Bharti Airtel and ITC. Top losers were Grasim, BHEL, Tata Power, Tata Motors and HDFC Bank.
The recovery on Wednesday was mainly due to broad-based buying by bull operators. Even though the Asian markets traded flat, in India, the markets held up, emerging from the shadows of Tuesday's fall. Stocks across sectors closed higher.
Top gainers at the closing were Dr Reddy's, Reliance Energy, Reliance, Bharti Airtel and ITC. Top losers were Grasim, BHEL, Tata Power, Tata Motors and HDFC Bank. While the mid-cap index was up 3 per cent, the small-cap index was up by 4 per cent. Mid-caps started and finished the day well, but large-caps joined the rally in the last hours of trading. Major stunners in the large-caps were Dr Reddy's and Reliance and even the small-caps did well.
Among mid-caps, tech stocks did well leading with Aftek Info. Other mid-cap stocks that did well were Apollo Tyre, Arvind Mills, IVRCL Infrastructure, JB Chemicals, JK Cements and some of the media stocks such as TV Today Network, NDTV and Mid-Day Multimedia.
Even recent listings such as Gitanjali Gems did very well trading at Rs 158, 4.5 per cent up. Deccan Aviation which has been in the red for the last fortnight, managed to move up 2.5 per cent, trading at Rs 89.
Metal stocks were up 2.5 per cent. Steel stocks traded firm and the key gainers included Sesa Goa Ltd (up 9.1 per cent), SAIL (4.12 per cent) and Tata Steel (2.4 per cent). The bounce-back in the steel stocks was due to the steel ministry giving its approval of the merger of three companies viz., Neelachal Ispat Nigam (NINL), Manganese Ore India (MOIL) and Bharat Refractories (BRL) with steel behemoth SAIL.
With this, SAIL is expected to record revenues of nearly Rs 430 billion as against the current revenue of Rs 328 billion. Besides, its annual production of crude steel is expected to reach 17 m tonnes (MT) from the current 13 MT. NINL, which produces 1.2 MT pig-iron annually, has been promoted jointly by MMTC and the Orissa government. In FY05, NINL had generated profits to the tune of Rs 2 billion and has outlined an investment of Rs 14 bn to expand capacity over the next five years.
Oil and gas stocks were 2.98 per cent up. ONGC traded up at 1.1 per cent, Indraprastha Gas, traded 2 per cent up and IOC was up 1 per cent. But Gujarat Gas remained marginally in the red. Software stocks closed higher, with key gainers including HCL Tech (up by as much as 10 per cent), Infosys, Satyam (both up 3 per cent), TCS (2 per cent) and Wipro (4 per cent). Product lifecycle management (PLM) technologies major, Geometric Software Solutions (GSS) also closed 7 per cent up. This is due to the fact that GSS is all set to acquire an engineering firm for a consideration of $25 million.
The company plans to double its revenues from the engineering division in the current fiscal and the said acquisition would enable it to gain size and compete effectively against larger rivals for outsourcing orders. Also, it will give Geometric a critical toehold in the European and Chinese markets. GSS had earlier stated on numerous occasions that it is looking to acquire a company in the engineering services space that would have revenues in the region of around $10 m. This move was being looked at as being in line with the company's strategy.
Hotel stocks closed higher on Wednesday, and the major gainers here were EIH (up 2 per cent), Indian Hotels (7 per cent) and Taj GVK (1 per cent). Hotel Leelaventure is planning to further increase its room inventory by 40 per cent to 50 per cent in the next 3 years.
The company had earlier announced an expansion of Rs 10 billion for setting up new properties in Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune. This increase in inventory would eventually cost an additional Rs 4 billion. The Chennai property was earlier planned to be a 280-room hotel and the final plan is to make it a 480-room luxury palace hotel.
Brokers are bullish on capital goods, cement stocks and IT. Some brokers are even betting on pharma and a very few on oil stocks. In a survey indicating the kind of stocks they would like to invest in, 16 per cent said they would invest in Index stocks, 53 per cent said on large caps, 29 per cent betted on mid-cap and only 2 per cent said they would punt in small caps.
Megasoft Ltd, which has development centres in both Chennai and Hyderabad, is likely to acquire the Hyderabad-based VisualSoft Technologies.
Post acquisition, Megasoft will merge VisualSoft with itself, Both the cos have a few common shareholders
Though the exact details are not known, sources said that bankers/investors have made a strong proposal for a possible merger between both the entities. It is believed that both the companies have a few common shareholders between themselves.
VisualSoft Technologies, which has called off a three-way merger with Applabs Technologies and eSolutions Pvt Ltd recently, is looking out for suitable partners to become a better entity as the company's performance is way off the mark from its promise.
It is believed that iLabs Venture Capital Ltd of Srini Raju and his associates are holding close to 20% stake in Megasoft and little less than 10% in VisualSoft Technologies and said to have plumbed for the possible acquisition and merger. When contacted, Srini Raju of iLabs group declined to comment on the issue. Senior officials of both the companies were not available for comment.
However, sources pointed out that both the entities have reportedly initiated preliminary level of discussion. "Both sides have started initial round of talks. The finer detail of the deal would be known only after the due diligence and valuations are over", sources said.
It may be recalled that ever since VisualSoft Technologies switched over from product development to pure-play IT services, the company's growth has not been on the expected levels.
Chief Minister Rajashekar Reddy Speaking to Financial Express, Illustrates how Hyderabad is becoming a leader of IT and ITES in India
An enviable 64.5 per cent growth rate in software exports, it is a way ahead of the national average of 35 per cent during 2004-05.
I would start by accepting the fact that our achievements so far, in the IT sector is just the beginning. The inroads made by Andhra Pradesh in the IT sector are spectacular with the global giants making a beeline for its capital Hyderabad. Not only Hyderabad, the wave is spreading to the hinterlands as well.
Companies like Satyam, Wipro, ilabs , Kenexa and Visual Soft are vying for space in Vishakhapatnam even as we keep a keen eye on other areas such as Vijaywada, Warangal and Tirupati in a focussed way.
The industry-friendly atmosphere of the state is coming handy for huge investments in IT sector and there is no doubt that Hyderabad has emerged as a final point for the IT evolution. The state government with its pro-active efforts has shown its will to transform the state into a prime investment destination and the fastest growing economy in the country.
With the growth of 51 per cent during 2005-06 in software exports it is clear that Information Technology could retain its top position for the state for the second year in the row. In terms of absolute figures in IT exports, the state continued to be in the fourth position in the country, next only to Karnataka (Rs.37,500 cr), Maharashtra (Rs.15,500 cr) and Tamil Nadu (Rs.13,960 cr).
One more illustration to our significant growth is an enviable 64.5 per cent growth rate in software exports, which we are glad to announce that it is a way ahead of the national average of 35 per cent during 2004-05. It would be worthwhile to recall that the average growth rate of all IT & IT-enabled services companies in the country during the year was only 36 per cent.
With several top IT giants like Microsoft, TCS, UBS, Connexant, Cognizant, Amazon, Patni, Qualcom, Sonata, Wipro, Infosys and Honeywell to name a few expanding their network in Hyderabad a real boom in IT sector is all set to take place
If you take a look at the recent report on IT exports it shows that Andhra Pradesh could keep the pace of progress in the sector with a high rank by maintaining the standards both in terms of quality and quantity.
Global companies around the world have been lured to invest in Hyderabad by the timely and pro-active steps initiated by the efforts of the state government. It should be mentioned that the steps taken by the state government in promoting software industry through its innovative IT policy has starting bearing rich fruits and the rich dividends reaped by it only reinforce our commitment to do more for this sector.
Our vision has it that with our relentless efforts we soon will overtake Bangalore to become number one IT hub of the country. With several top IT giants like Microsoft, TCS, UBS, Connexant, Cognizant, Amazon, Patni, Qualcom, Sonata, Wipro, Infosys and Honeywell to name a few expanding their network in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, a real boom in IT sector is all set to take place which will place Andhra Pradesh heads and shoulders above anyone else in making it the real IT haunt.
Facts speak for themselves as our state stands among the top 10 industrialized states in the country with an investment of Rs.75,391 cr after Maharashtra (Rs.1,02,432 cr) and Gujarat(Rs. 78,696 cr) as per the recent analysis of Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) as on January 2006.
It could now be said with propriety that Hyderabad has the potential to become a global outsourcing centre with a sustained growth in all sectors and services with regard to the huge available potential in the form of human resources.
If we look at the following records about IT exports one learns that overall exports from India during 2005-06 were to the tune of Rs 1,00,809 crore. However in terms of growth rate of exports, we feel enthusiastic to state that Andhra Pradesh was far ahead of others. For example while Karnataka and Maharashtra registered a growth rate of only 34 per cent, Tamil Nadu recorded only 29 per cent, as against 51 per cent growth rate achieved by Andhra Pradesh.
Let us talk of investments made in the state. If the previous government could attract only Rs. 3,533 cr during its seven-year rule, I am pleased to state that the present government has attracted Rs 4,341 crore in the first year and Rs. 7,363 crore in its second year.
Not only that, look at our feat at the employment front. At present, about 1,60,000 IT professionals are employed in 1,382 companies in the state. We are not sitting still on our achievements attained so far, as the government has set the target of Rs 69,000 crore for IT exports and employment for more than 3.5 lakh IT professionals by 2009, particularly the rural youth.
I am very confident while stating that in the coming years Andhra Pradesh would not only show impressive growth rate in IT exports, both in terms of percentage and absolute figures but will also retain its top position.
The Gitanjali Group-promoted Hyderabad Gems Special Economic Zone Ltd (HGSEZ), has received the final approval from the central government. The SEZ to be set up at a cost of about Rs 500 crore, is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2008.
The 200 acre park in Shamshabad, will feature an international trade centre, a world class convention centre plus an exhibition area.
The gems special economic zone will also provide a diamond trading bourse along with the regular facilities of an SEZ. The dimond bourse will be the second in the country besides the Mumbai-based Bharrat Diamond Bourse.
The Andhra Pradesh government had sanctioned its approval and handed over the land last year, and work on the first phase had commenced in November last. The state government sold the land at Rs 5 lakh an acre.
The project will see an estimated turnover of Rs 5,000 crore when it is fully operational. Commenting on the approval and the status of SEZ project, Mehul Choksi, CEO of the group said, "The first lot of units, numbering over 20, will start manufacturing jewellery here very shortly." The 200 acre Rajiv Gems Park in Shamshabad in the vicinity of Hyderabad, when complete, will function as a full-scale commercial hub with all the essential services such as legal and courier/freight forwarding services.
The SEZ will feature an international trade centre, a world class convention centre plus an exhibition area. Adding immense value to the park will be a presence of a diamond trading bourse. It is possibly the first park across the country, which will have a manufacturing zone as well as a trading zone.
To facilitate a talent pool, the group is also ensuring a technical institute in the park to guarantee trained personnel for the many units that will come up here.HGSEZ is owned and partly funded by the newly listed group company, Gitanjali Gems Ltd. The SEZ, third of its kind in the country after Surat and Kolkota.
Apart from local Indian DTC sight holders and other diamond & jewellery manufacturing companies, the group is aggressively pushing for some of the big brands in the Gulf, to set up their manufacturing plants in this SEZ.
People in Hyderabad can dream of a fourth railway terminal in addition to the existing ones at Secunderabad, Kacheguda and Nampally.
Malkajgiri is nearer to Secunderabad station and was well connected. Once the station transforms into a terminus, trains bound to Delhi from Bangalore and Mumbai could pass through the station without touching Secunderabad.
Both the Secunderabad and Hyderabad railway divisions are likely to submit the proposals this week to the South Central Railway headquarters and a decision is expected in February next along with the Railway Budget.
While the Secunderabad division has proposed the Moulali railway station, the Hyderabad division is projecting the Malkajgiri station for consideration.
Even if the Railway Board does not consider the proposal of the Hyderabad division's bid for Malkajgiri as the fourth terminal, passengers of the division stand to benefit since the existing station at Malkajgiri will soon be transformed into a passenger terminal at an estimated cost of Rs.1 crore.
"Besides proposing the Malkajgiri station for the fourth terminal, we are determined to transform the station into a passenger terminal, which now has only one pit line for goods trains. With the Seetaphalmandi Cord line, the station will be handy to reduce the traffic at Secunderabad," says Hyderabad Divisional Manager Vandana Singhal.
On the advantages of the Malkajgiri station over the Moulali station, she said the former was nearer to Secunderabad station and was well connected. Once the station transforms into a terminus, trains bound to Delhi from Bangalore and Mumbai could pass through the station without touching Secunderabad.
On the other hand, Secunderabad division had already appointed RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Services), a public sector unit, as consultants for surveying the conditions at Moulali station. Availability of vast Railway land and workshops near Moulali station make it accessible in terms of operational measures. "Secunderabad division has registered a growth in passenger traffic by 10 per cent and most trains ply from the Kazipet side," says Secunderabad Divisional Manager Sudhir Mital.
On the occasion of 10 years of Map India series of conferences, GIS Development is announcing a global meet of geospatial leaders known as Map World Forum. To policy to user oriented themes at global level.
Robert M. Samborski, Executive Director, Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA), in his support message says, "We take great pride in joining a very distinguished group of partners and sponsors from around the world to contribute to what will be an extraordinary event in Hyderabad".
Extending his welcome to global geospatial community to participate in Map World Forum, Kapil Sibal, Hon Minister of Science and Technology, Government of India says 'India is now being seen as a hub of economic activity globally. The Indian Government is committed that this economic leadership should also be visible in the area of science. Keeping this in mind, we have planned to create the 'Map World Forum', which will try to bring the global leadership in geospatial sciences at one mega forum. This platform will be a rare opportunity where for the first time the various leading organisations, both public, private and scientific research associations, will come under one roof to discuss the challenges and opportunities for the geospatial science and technology growth and its role for human development in the next decade'.
Associations and representative bodies in Geospatial community have pledged their active support to Map World Forum. Mark Reichardt, President, Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) in message puts across, "The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc., as the world's leading geospatial implementation standards development organization is proud to be part of Map World Forum". Prof. Milan Konecny, President, International Cartographic Association (ICA), says, "ICA welcomes Map World Forum as a platform for fruitful cooperation between various geo disciplines to solve urgent problems of contemporary world". Ian Dowman, President, International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), on Map World Forum says, "This meeting is an excellent opportunity for international organisations involved in the production and use of geospatial data to come together and discuss the challenges and opportunities which face the industry". Peter Holland, President, Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific (PCGIAP), in his message says, "Map World Forum, undoubtedly one of the largest events of its kind, showcases the expertise and cutting-edge technology of this geospatial community". Robert M. Samborski, Executive Director, Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA), in his support message says, "We take great pride in joining a very distinguished group of partners and sponsors from around the world to contribute to what will be an extraordinary event in Hyderabad".
Map World Forum has been receiving overwhelming response since its inception and more than fifty high profile geospatial leaders have agreed to participate in the International Advisory Board various stakeholders from academia, industry, public organisations, and non-governmental professional associations.
The Map World Forum will have four Plenary Sessions, twelve Seminars and four Workshops. It will feature an Editors' Forums, a Students' Forum and a Poster Gallery as well in addition to many industry user meets. It will have about 75 exhibitors displaying their products and services from across the world in over 35,000 Sq. Ft. of covered space. Above two thousand and five hundred delegates are expected to participate in this conference.
The Map World Forum takes pride to announce its Media Partners, Directions Mag (US), Geo World (US), GIM International (The Netherlands), Geo:connexion (UK) and Position (Australia). Editors of the Media Partners would participate in Editors' Forum and contribute in overall design of the Conference agenda.
The industry sponsors for Map World Forum are Leica GeoSystems and Rolta India as Platinum Sponsors, Digital Globe as Gold Sponsor and Speck Systems as Silver Sponsor. Many more companies are likely to join the Map World Forum very soon.
About GIS Development
GIS Development promotes and propagates the usage of Geographic Information Science, Technology and Applications in various areas of development, worldwide and Asia in particular. It assists community and government in developing their productivity, policies and management capabilities by facilitating knowledge transfer in the domain of geographic information. It fosters the growing network of those interested in geo-informatics and encourages the exchange of scientific know-how through its key platforms: Magazines, Portal, Conferences and Training.
Map World Forum
http://www.MapWorldForum.org
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Power minister Shabbir Ali was in town on Monday, but did not come to office. Ask why? There was no power in his office for the best part of the day.
But in the typical system of hierarchy in babudom air-conditioners of some higher officials were kept going using inverters.
Ali was not alone - at least 14 ministers including finance minister K Rosaiah, home minister Jana Reddy and tourism minister Geeta Reddy were affected by the black out.
The power shutdown - caused by a transformer burst - lasted from 12-30 in the noon to 5 pm. Also facing the wrong end of the power cut was the public affairs advisor to the chief minister, K V P Ramachandra Rao. "Work in the Secretariat came to a grinding halt although there are inverters and UPS on which computers can run.
Departments of revenue, municipal administration, panchayati raj, rural development, information technology, industry and commerce, disaster management, minority welfare, irrigation, roads and buildings and backward classes welfare among others were hit by the Monday midday blues.
Information technology and communication department officials were left fuming as they were working on preparations for a review meeting by the chief minister on Tuesday. Many ministers operating from the affected blocks were spared as they are away campaigning for the panchayat polls.
But in the typical system of hierarchy in babudom, air-conditioners of some higher officials were kept going using inverters. But lower rung officials did not have even the comfort of fans.
Further, three lifts in the 'D' block including a VIP lift were not working. Many officials working in different departments left early, citing power failure as the reason. When contacted, information and public relations officials in typical fashion ducked.
"It was only a technical problem that was sorted out by evening," said an official not knowing how to explain the situation. Shabbir Ali could not be contacted. His cell phone was picked by his private secretary B S Rashid who said that his 'saheb' was busy.
"They can't rectify a power failure in the Secretariat for five hours, so you can well imagine the situation in the rural areas," an analyst said. - Times of india
Amid controversies over land acquisition for the proposed Outer Ring Road (ORR), the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda) is toying with the idea of making farmers as partners in development to go ahead with the acquisition.
Under the new scheme, at least 1,000 acres of private land would be acquired for constructing 13 mega junctions and 10 radial junctions along the 162-km-long Outer Ring Road (ORR).
The authorities believe this would enable farmers to fetch the market value for their land and the process will also go smoothly.
At the initial stage, the Huda received positive response from several groups of farmers. Except for objections on one or two issues, the farmers are said to be showing interest in the scheme.
Instead of paying compensation to land owners, the Huda would make them partners in development so that there would be no scope for controversy over the acquisition. The Huda would make three parts of the acquired land.
One part would be used for the proposed project, second would be developed and handed over to the land owners. The Huda will make use of the third and small portion of the land for its own use.
As per the draft plan of the Huda, 50 per cent of the farmers' land would be used for the proposed project, 40 per cent would be developed and returned to them and the urban body would retain the rest, 10 per cent.
The Huda ignored the land acquisition formula proposed by Satish Magar, an expert on land settlements whose formula was successfully implemented by civic authorities in Pune.
The Huda authorities found Magar's formula could click in Pune, but it would not be suitable for Hyderabad and its surrounding places. However, the authorities have not revealed what Magar had proposed to them.
Under the new scheme, at least 1,000 acres of private land would be acquired for constructing 13 mega junctions and 10 radial junctions along the 162-km-long Outer Ring Road (ORR).
As per the draft plan of the Huda, 50 per cent of the farmers' land would be used for the proposed project, 40 per cent would be developed and returned to them and the urban body would retain the rest, 10 per cent.
Meanwhile, negotiations are being held between authorities and the representatives of farmers. "We hope that a suitable scheme would be formulated, which would enable the government to go ahead with their projects as well as protect the interests of the farmers," N Ramachandraiah, a farmers' representative told Times of India.
The total IT budget for majority of small and medium businesses (SMBs) based out of Hyderabad is around Rs 50 lakh per year and is likely to increase marginally by five per cent, according to a study by ACNielsen in association with Computer Society of India.
The focus areas for Indian SMBs in the technology area are IT staff training and data protection and security
The study on technology roadmap for SMBs states that inadequate budget and lack of key technical skills within IT are some of the key hindrances for IT growth. The top technology priorities for city-based SMBs are enabling and enhancing e-commerce, enhancing client relationship management and automating the supply chain, it adds. The study covers SMBs in eight cities, according to which the overall IT spends of SMBs are likely to increase.
The focus areas for Indian SMBs in the technology area are IT staff training and data protection and security. SMBs operating in IT/ITeS sector are likely to increase their IT budget the most in the next two years followed by SMBs operating in the pharma sector.
The spend by Indian SMBs on IT infrastructure was Rs 2,1369.9 crore in 2005, the study states. The most common barriers to IT adoption, according to the SMBs, are inadequate budget and lack of alignment between business goals and IT efforts. The study polled SMBs across sectors like manufacturing, transport and logistics, pharmaceutical, hospitality and travel and IT-ITeS.
Meanwhile, ACNielsen has convened an eight-city conference on the technology roadmap for small and medium businesses in India. The conference has started from Mumbai and is scheduled to be held in Hyderabad on June 20.
Thereafter, it will be held in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. This conference will serve as a platform for SMBs to learn about the latest offerings and innovations in the technology field, a press release said.
The digital mode of cinema, which is popular in places like Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, is now entertaining audiences in Hyderabad with 15 cinema halls in the State Capital screening digitally mastered high quality movies.
After winning accolades of movie-buffs from Nizam area, digital cinema is making its forays into Andhra and ceded (Rayalaseema) areas of the State.
These films will be uploaded to a central server and later distributed online to the cinema halls equipped with the receiving systems. The whole system is encrypted to prevent piracy.
Theatres in rest of the State too are in the pipeline to replace their age-old projectors with new ones enabling cine goers to experience the difference. Fixing film reels to the projector and changing them every half-an-hour will be passe in theatres. Once the digital projection system is installed, movies will be downloaded through satellite.
UFO Moviez, a Mumbai-based digital cinema network, which has plans to create the largest chain of cinema houses across the country, clinched a deal with a couple of local theatres to convert them into digital cinema halls. If everything goes well, people of the city will watch Raviteja-starrer 'Vikramarkudu' in the digital format, followed by Chiranjeevi-starrer 'Stalin.' A couple of theatres in Kurnool and Kakinada will also be digitised soon. Our plan is to introduce digital technology in at least 450 theatres across the State in the next six months, says T. Rama Mohan Rao, dealer for UFO Moviez in Andhra Pradesh.
UFO will obtain a no-objection certificate from film producers to digitise their films in MPEG 4 format. These films will be uploaded to a central server and later distributed online to the cinema halls equipped with the receiving systems. The whole system is encrypted to prevent piracy.
Motorola Inc plans to increase its R&D investment in India by 10-15 per cent year-on-year, Padmasree Warrior, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, said here on 16 June 2006.
Motorola has six R&D centres in Bangalore and Hyderabad employing over 2800 engineers and its investment in technology has grown from $50 million in 2002 to $85 million in 2005
Motorola has six R&D centres in Bangalore and Hyderabad employing over 2800 engineers and its investment in technology has grown from $50 million in 2002 to $85 million in 2005. Almost 40 per cent of the software used in Motorola phones worldwide is designed in India.
According to Mohan Kumar, Vice President and General Manager, Embedded Products and Systems Division, Motorola would raise its headcount in India to 4,000 from the current level of about 3,500 by the end of the year.
Ms. warrior said India needed to move to more advanced technology and skip intermediate steps such as 3G by leapfrogging to 4G or wireless broadband.
After launching the sub-$40 handsets in India in April 2005, Motorola was now planning to introduce $30 handsets as well. She said the Q Phone that was launched by the company in the U.S. on June 1 would be available in India shortly.
Anuradha Acharya, Ocimum Biosolutions' founder, plans to turn it into $100 million company by 2010.
Ocimum Biosolutions bagged the Nasscom IT innovation award 2005, and was ranked 55 in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia-Pacific 2005 list.
A graduate in technology with a Master of Science in physics - with a wide range of degrees to her credit, this young entrepreneur from Hyderabad may seem like someone who has checked out different things before finding her calling.
But that has not stopped Anuradha Acharya of Ocimum Bio-solutions from experimenting. Acharya, the chief executive officer of Ocimum, a $3 million life sciences R&D enabling company, has plans to add an MBA to her already impressive credentials. "Later, probably from Harvard..," she muses.
Acharya was born in a Marwadi family in Rajasthan. "But my family was totally into academics, though I always had an entrepreneurial streak. My father used to pay us for small chores around the house and I used to do a lot them, from painting chairs to ironing clothes, just to earn that extra rupee," she says.
Not that academics was not her cup of tea. Acharya did her graduation from IIT-Kharagpur, and had decided right then to set up her own business. So she joined companies like Mantiss Information and SEI Information Technology to learn the tricks of running an organisation.
Later, P Sujata, a friend and a co-founder of Ocimum with over 15 years of experience in molecular biology and biotechnology, helped her zero in on the bioinformatics sector.
Using their personal funds, Acharya and her husband set up Ocimum in 2000. "But the going was tough as we could find very few people with a background in life sciences and IT," reminisces Acharya.
Having trained its sights on Bio-IT, micro-arrays and research services, Ocimum today has more than 200 clients including Ranbaxy and Dow AgroSciences.
It bagged the Nasscom IT innovation award 2005, and was ranked 55 in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia-Pacific 2005 list.
Ocimum is now trying to raise $5.5 million to acquire other promising start-ups in the sector. "By 2010, I want Ocimum to be a $100 million company," says Acharya. "And a billion dollar company sometime later."
Satyam Computer has sharply increased its employee payout this year with an average salary increase of 19%, against 11% last year. And this Hyderabad-based IT company is no exception.
The increases appear to be particularly high at mid levels, where talent scarcity is becoming pronounced, and in smaller companies, for whom retaining talent has become extremely challenging.
Many infotech companies in India have offered higher salary increases during the increment season of April-May this year, compared to what they did the year before. The increases appear to be particularly high at mid levels, where talent scarcity is becoming pronounced, and in smaller companies, for whom retaining talent has become extremely challenging.
iGate has announced an average increment of 16% this year against 13% last year. TCS has increased it by 15% this year, four percentage points higher than a year ago; HCL has hiked it by 15% as against 12% last year. Mid-sized companies like Subex Systems have been giving 20% hikes across the board for the last two years, while its top performers have got a 30-35 % increment.
According to Ajit Issac, country manager (India and Middle East), Adecco Peopleone Consulting, companies are facing a shortage of talent, a situation that is being aggravated by the aggressive hiring by MNCs. "But despite the high pay packet structure in MNC companies, India still offers a low cost arbitrage which in turn has forced Indian biggies to push up their salary levels," he says.
"The issue now is how long will we be able to maintain these levels of increases. The general cost factor is becoming a concern"
Infosys' average hike this year is said to be roughly the same as last year, at 12-15 %, but the hikes for the top performers is a whopping 30%, against about 8% at lower levels. T V Mohandas Pai, HR head of Infosys, explains this difference on the grounds that "supply at the entry level remains good, but the supply of mid-level people is challenging" Wipro, which will announce its increments only later this year (it had given an average hike of 12% during Q3 of last fiscal), is expected to follow a similar strategy. Pratik Kumar, HR head at Wipro, says when there are constraints on the budget, it's important to differentiate top performers from the average.
While most employees are likely to rejoice at such salary increases, companies are far from enthusiastic. "The issue now is how long will we be able to maintain these levels of increases. The general cost factor is becoming a concern ," says Sudhakar Balakrishnan, director and COO of Adecco India. Gautam Sinha, CEO of TVA Infotech, says in the salary game, everybody is a loser, considering particularly that billing rates have not gone up dramatically.
pple Computer quit India recently, apparently on account of cost concerns. SAP chief executive officer Henning Kagermann was quoted earlier this year as saying that India was getting expensive and the company was therefore beginning to look elsewhere for expansion.
These are not happy signs, and the message is: India needs desperately to increase its talent pool.
IBM CEO Sam Palmisano says his multi-billion dollar investments in offshore production facilities are part of a campaign to transform the company from classic multinational (read: evil, exploitive, outdated, bad for world peace) into "a new actor" known as "the globally integrated enterprise."
The GIE, says Palmisano, is a benevolent form of industrial organization that creates lasting wealth and meaningful jobs around the world. It can even disarm terrorists - figuratively, at least. Sounds like a corporation your mother could love, even if she's a raving anarchist. But is this really why IBM is spending $6 billion in India?
Sticking with the old MNC model, he says, inspires protectionism against the West or, in the worst case, nightmarish acts of terrorism.
Not entirely. IBM is facing stiff competition from foreign tech services rivals like TCS, Wipro and Infosys. These Indian vendors are able to pay workers pennies on the dollar compared to what they would earn in the U.S. Despite their low wages, these guys could build you an SOA architecture or Web services interface faster than you can say Hyderabad. If IBM is to remain competitive, it's got to get in on this action. And that's exactly what it's doing by hiring thousands upon thousands of Indian techies.
Still, while Palmisano will never be confused with Karl Marx or Frantz Fanon, his recognition that the organization of a typical multinational mirrors colonialist political structures - and thus needs to change lest it suffer the same fate--is both enlightened and refreshing, coming as it does from a company whose previous CEO famously said "The last thing we need is a vision."
In Palmisano's view, the chief difference between the classic MNC and the new, globally integrated enterprise is that the former sets up shop in new markets mostly just to sell stuff and send money back to the home office. Local personnel are limited to low level production and sales functions. The GIE, on the other hand, invites and encourages locals to fully participate at all levels, depending on their skills and talents. Hence, IBM's India operations carry out advanced R&D that's crucial to its future. Indian managers have opportunities throughout the company--and not just within India.
Proving that CEOs love their children too, Palmisano says he wants to make IBM a GIE not solely because it's an efficient way to organize a company that does business around the world. Sticking with the old MNC model, he says, inspires protectionism against the West or, in the worst case, nightmarish acts of terrorism. "Left unaddressed, the issues surrounding globalization will only grow. People may ultimately elect governments that impose strict regulations on trade or labour," writes Palmisano. "Worse, they might gravitate toward more extreme forms of nationalism, xenophobia and anti-modernism."
To be sure, IBM's push into India (and China and South America) is chiefly about taking costs out of its operations. It's what efficient corporations are supposed to do. But shouldn't we also applaud Palmisano's recognition of the fact that a company with the size and scope of IBM has responsibilities that go well beyond pleasing Wall Street?
INDIA'S leading software industry association will put the country's graduates through a special test in a bid to unearth top talent for the lucrative outsourcing sector.
About 1.3 million people are employed in India's outsourcing industry, which clocked revenues of $US6.3 billion ($8.4 billion) in the past financial year to March 2006.
The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) says it will begin its Assessment of Competence tests in November after completing a pilot phase involving 6000 students last month.
"The critical area of concern is talent," NASSCOM president Kiran Karnik told reporters in the southern hi-tech city of Bangalore, home to more than 1500 foreign and domestic technology companies.
"There's no shortage in absolute numbers. There are more than three million graduates passing out of colleges every year and 400,000 engineers," Karnik says. "Of these only a very small percentage are employable. "In the next four years we expect a shortage of 500,000 people in the outsourcing sector," he says. "The test will improve the quality of the people we get."
Students will be able to take the test on the internet. The tests, developed jointly by consultancy Hewitt Associates and NASSCOM, will assess the analytical, logical and English skills of potential employees. "The key issue we're looking at is how to make people employable. This test is a benchmark and it is the first of its kind in the outsourcing sector anywhere in the world," says Sunil Mehta, vice-president of the software body.
"It integrates industry requirements with university and college courses. "About 100,000 people are expected to take the test in the first year," he says. About 1.3 million people are employed in India's outsourcing industry, which clocked revenues of $US6.3 billion ($8.4 billion) in the past financial year to March 2006. "It is expected to grow between 27 and 30 per cent this year," Karnik says.
The Hyderabad-based Lanco Group has restructured its operations and hopes to complete the process by month-end with Lanco Infratech Limited becoming its flagship holding company.
The new company - Lanco Infratech Limited - will have 14 Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV), according to the Rs. 2,200-crore Lanco Group Chairman, L. Madhusudhan Rao. Lanco hills is one of the largest mixed developments in India, An exclusive feature will be its 90-level residential tower, the tallest in India.
Speaking to journalists from Hyderabad on Saturday after a visit to the 368 MW gas-based Lanco Kondapalli power plant near here, Mr. Rao said, PricewaterhouseCooper, Morgan Stanley and a leading legal firm were assisting the Lanco Group in restructuring its activities.
The different SPV's were now taking care of the ongoing projects in power, construction, manufacturing and information technology sectors. He said the Lanco Group had so far promoted seven independent power projects, of which five - Lanco Kondapalli, Rithwik Energy Systems Limited, Clarion Power Corporation Limited, Lanco Infratech Limited, ABAN Power Company Limited - with 509 MW capacity were operational.
Two more projects - Lanco Amarkantak and Hydro Power companies - with a capacity of 2,000 MW were in the process of being established. It has acquired 74 per cent stake in Nagarjuna Power, based at Mangalore, Karnataka. He exuded confidence that by 2010, the company would have 4,500 MW capacity.
Lanco has bagged a power project at Anpara in Uttar Pradesh and was bidding for two more mega power projects of 4,000 MW capacity each at Sasan in Madhya Pradesh and Mundhra in Gujarat. "We will rope in strategic partners to bid for the ultra-mega projects," Mr. Rao said. While the Lanco Kondapalli project was now facing shortage of gas supply, the company is in talks with Reliance, British Gas Company and Gujarat Petroleum Corporation, which have reserves in the Krishna Godavari basin, to provide dedicated supply. Lanco Kondapalli has capacity to add another 740 MW. A decision on the expansion would be taken once gas supplies get firmed up.
Referring to diversification into the construction sector, Mr. Rao said an integrated township, Lanco Hills, spread across 100 acres providing space for offices, residential, retail and commercial activities was coming up in Hyderabad. "It is one of the largest mixed developments in India at over 18 million sq. ft. Another feature at Lanco Hills will be its 90-level residential tower, the tallest in India".
The Lanco Group entered the information technology business through Lanco Global Systems Limited to provide complete IT solutions.
The Lanco Group has sewn up plans for a mega techno-residential township of 18 million sq ft that would come up in a 100-acre site near here with an investment outlay of about Rs 3,600 crore.
The company is planning a 90-storey building, which could potentially be the tallest such structure in the country. Since this comes in a special zone, clearances would be formality, the company said....... Apart from developing 16 residential towers each of about 30 levels, this project will host a mega mall complex and two hotels - a five-star and a four-star one.
The Lanco group Chairman, Mr L. Madhusudhan Rao, told that the magnitude of the project was such that this will effectively create a larger capacity than the existing Hitec City area near here, where a majority of the IT companies have set up shop. The project, to be taken up through a strategic partner, would be completed within three years.
"We plan to unveil the project in August, and a leading Mumbai-based designer has been roped in for its design. The company expects to tap into other metros following up on their capability to handle infrastructure projects," Mr Rao said. Giving an overview of the mega office-cum-township project named Lanco Hills, Mr Rao said that this would be a mixed development project that will have a built-up space of about 18 million sq ft, featuring top-notch office space, residential facilities and large recreation zones.
The company is planning a 90-storey building, which could potentially be the tallest such structure in the country. Since this comes in a special zone, clearances would be formality, the company said.
With regards to the office space, the company is planning 12 towers each of up to 20 levels that would be custom designed for IT and IT-enabled services (ITES) companies and this would form part of the Knowledge Corridor that the State Government is in the process of developing, he said. Apart from developing 16 residential towers each of about 30 levels, this project will host a mega mall complex and two hotels - a five-star and a four-star one. The mall will have a built up space of about two million sq ft, with multi-level parking space.
In all, the township will have 7.5-million sq ft. of office space and 8 million sq ft of housing facility in addition to the mall and hotel complexes.
Airlines seeking to schedule new flights in and out of Hyderabad during peak hours are unlikely to get slots: the Begumpet airport is already operating the maximum number of flights during peak time. In what should be music to the ears of the votaries of Hyderabad's development, the Begumpet airport witnessed a stunning growth of 45 per cent in domestic traffic during the last six months.
At present, Begumpet handles nearly 200 flights in a day. About 16 to 18 flights take off and land in an hour on the runway during peak hours. The maximum flights the airport can handle in a day is 300.
While this has meant 50 per cent increase in revenue for the AAI, if the same growth continues, the airport will be choking soon. The new Shamshabad airport is slated to be operational only in April 2008. Peak hours in airlines parlance extend from 7 am to 9 am and 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm. In this scenario, airlines seeking to introduce additional flights will have to settle for off peak hours, which mean afternoons or even late in the night.
Spice Jet which started with three flights a week in November now operates two flights daily. Hyderabad is leading the race leaving behind Pune, Bangalore and Chennai and has emerged as the favourite destination for airliners. Air Deccan has plans to operate new flights to Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Pune from the city soon. According to Captain G R Gopinath, managing director of Deccan Airways, Hyderabad airport is already facing congestion.
At present, Begumpet handles nearly 200 flights in a day. About 16 to 18 flights take off and land in an hour on the runway during peak hours. The maximum flights the airport can handle in a day is 300.
Every time you travel on the proposed Outer Ring Road (ORR), you may have to shell out a fee for using the roadway. Toll gates will be in place on nearly 45 per cent of the 162 km ORR stretch.
However, there would be no toll gates on the ORR stretch to be completed in phase-I, connecting Gachibowli and Shamshabad. Huda will be constructing the phase-I with its own money.
Moreover, the ORR might be stretched to three phases instead of two decided earlier. The Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda) is planning to split the existing phase-II works into two parts and the final portion of the road would be completed on the basis of build-operate-transfer (BoT) model, sources said.
The works relating to the latest proposal of ORR phase-III would be handed over to successful bidders, who will have to set up toll gates on a stretch of ORR whose length would be decided once the Huda gets the nod to the latest proposal. However, the authorities are proposing that the toll gates be set up on at least 70-km stretch.
The authorities would decide the number of toll gates or toll booths to be permitted on the ORR based on the length of works and estimated cost of the project. However, there would be no toll gates on the ORR stretch to be completed in phase-I, connecting Gachibowli and Shamshabad. Huda will be constructing the phase-I with its own money.
Of the 162-km ORR, 24 km will be covered during phase-I. Consultants have reportedly suggested to Huda to divide the 132-km length of phase-II into two portions, splitting the ORR works into three phases.
Further, the officials suggested that the works of at least half portion of 132 km be handed over to private companies on the BoT model. The private agencies will take up the works, collect toll and later transfer the road to Huda after the completion of the BoT period.
Huda is planning to finalise the tenders for phase-II works by October this year so that works could start in January next.
India has become the fifth country in the world to have more than 100 million mobile subscribers. While China has the highest number of mobile users with 404 million subscribers, India crossed the 100-million milestone at the end of May when operators added close to 4.2 million new mobile users.
The Government has now set a target of reaching 500 million telephone subscribers by 2010. Announcing the achievement, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister for Communication and IT, said that Government policies have resulted in declining tariffs and improving affordability of service and handsets.
The US with 185 million subscribers, Japan with 150 million and Russia with 140 million mobile users are the other countries ahead of India. Germany, Italy, the UK and Brazil are the countries behind India in the top-10 list. In terms of percentage growth rate, India is the fastest growing market, and in terms of absolute numbers, India is the second fastest with 4 million new users being added every month on an average. While China added close to 24 million new mobile users since January 2006, Indian operators have added close to 20 million during the first six months of this year.
The Government has now set a target of reaching 500 million telephone subscribers by 2010. Announcing the achievement, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister for Communication and IT, said that Government policies have resulted in declining tariffs and improving affordability of service and handsets.
Asked about claims from industry quarters of the growth numbers being exaggerated, Mr Maran said that the Government has asked the operators to verify each and every subscriber. He also said that the operators have been asked to report subscribers' numbers based on a new system called Visitor Location Record, which will count only those connections that are being actively used. At present, mobile operators are using the Home Location Record system, whereby the numbers are based on the SIM cards sold in the market.
On the occasion, private cellular operators announced setting up of an ombudsman to address the problems faced by the subscribers. The modalities of setting up the ombudsman will be worked out by the operators in the next two to three months. Mr Maran said that the ombudsman should be set up in different parts of the country so that consumers need not come to Delhi or other metros to lodge their complaints.
Wipro Technologies, the global IT Services arm of Wipro Limited announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire the Finland based Saraware Oy in an all cash deal.The consideration of Euro 25 Million includes upfront cash payment and debt takeover. In addition there are earn-outs on achieving targeted financial conditions over an 18 month period.
This acquisition gives us much needed local presence in Finland and puts us in the heart of the Nordic region. - Ramesh Emani
Saraware, a 21 year old company, is a leading provider of Design and Engineering services to Telecom companies. This acquisition adds expert domain competencies in the areas of Radio Networks and Secure Mobile platforms. Saraware has nearly 200 specialists in these domains based out of Finland.
Close to 50% of global market share in Wireless Infrastructure domain is dominated by major players in the Nordic belt. Ramesh Emani, President, Product Engineering Services of Wipro Technologies said "This acquisition gives us much needed local presence in Finland and puts us in the heart of the Nordic region. We need near-shore development centers, as we take up more complex and end to end engagements with our customers. In addition, this acquisition brings niche skills in development of Base Station Controllers and mobile communication platforms. Combined with Wipro's existing competencies, it helps us penetrate into high growth segments like secure communications and gives us the capability to handle complete outsourcing deals in the evolving GSM, 3G and Tetra markets."
"This is a win-win partnership. Wipro adds scale and global reach to Saraware's domain competencies and strong Nordic presence. Together, we will be able to establish ourselves as leaders in the Wireless Networks and Secure Mobile platforms globally" said Risto Niva, CEO of Saraware.
Sudip Nandy, Chief Strategy Officer, Wipro Technologies commented "Over the past few months through acquisitions in Europe we have added local work force in Portugal , Austria, France, and Germany. Saraware gives us a local work-force in the Nordics through a presence in Finland. This is in line with our drive to transform ourselves into a truly global company with global workforce."
The entire transaction is expected to be closed during the next one month. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
The foundation stone for the $3-billion SemIndia project was laid here on Wednesday and the company announced that the first phase of the project, a test and assembly line, would be ready within 12 months.
With the demand for domestic electronics industry set to touch about $35-40 billion by 2015 as per Frost & Sullivan report, the project will play a vital role.
Alongside, SemIndia signed up with $4.6-billion BOC (Base Oxygen Corporation) Gases, a supplier of specialised industrial gases, as a partner for the Fab project. As a part of this arrangement, BOC would invest Rs 120 crore for the supply of industrial and electronic gases and chemicals to SemIndia.
Laying the foundation stone, the State Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, said the Fab City, which would be spread across a 1,200-acre site would be able to host about six fab units and thereby create an ideal base for the semiconductor industry.
The Chairman of SemIndia, Dr Vinod K. Agarwal, said the company would invest $100 million in the test and assembly unit that would be ready within 12 months and the Fab manufacturing unit would be in place within 24 months.
The Fab project will have an investment of about $1 billion in the Phase I and by 2010, will have an overall outlay of about $3 billion. With the demand for domestic electronics industry set to touch about $35-40 billion by 2015 as per Frost & Sullivan report, the project will play a vital role.
It was on June 7, 2005, during the Union Minister for Communications & Information Technology, Mr Dayanidhi Maran's visit to the Silicon Valley, that first discussion on the Fab project was initiated. "Funding is not an issue and will come by as the project takes shape backed by necessary infrastructure. When we complete the first phase, we may even look at tapping the market," he said.
Surbana International, a Singapore-based Temasek group holding company, which has been roped in as a Master Planner for the Fab City project, showcased the project concept.
The Vice-President of Surbana, Mr Christopher Shrugg, said the Fab City would be an all inclusive facility for semiconductor and electronic design companies.
The Managing Director of $4.6 billion BOC, for South and South East Asia, Mr Sanjiv Lamba, said the company would invest about Rs 120 crore (approximately $27 million) for a manufacturing centre in Hyderabad. This will take care of supply of specialised gases for a project of this nature.
Works for phase - II of Outer Ring Road (ORR) will start on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The first stretch will cover 37 km.
The Huda borrowed money for phase - I works at an interest rate of 9.5 per annum and handed over the works to two foreign companies.
The Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda) on Wednesday decided not to constitute any fund for the 37km work work. The urban body instead decided to go for the annuity model for building the 37 km road , 13km stretch from Shamshabad to Tukkuguda and 24 km from Narsingi to Patancheru.
The Huda borrowed money for phase - I works at an interest rate of 9.5 per annum and handed over the works to two foreign companies. But under the annuity model for phase II, the companies themselves will have to invest the money and take up the works by their own.
The Huda will pay the companies in the form of regular annual instalments, Huda vice chairman Jayesh Ranjan said at a press conference after a board meeting. The Huda has also decided to change its policy on acquisition of land. Instead of paying compensation to the landowner, the Huda will make sure that the landowner also gets benefits under the project.
The mode of benefits will be decided soon with the help of Satish Magar, an expert on land settlements, whose formula was successfully implemented by the Pune administration.
Russian and Taiwanese infrastructure majors have begun work on the eight-lane 162-km Outer Ring Road (ORR) project, a first in the country, encircling the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
Russian construction major, Corporation Transstroy OJSC has begun work on the 11-km stretch (0-11 km) connecting Gachibowli and Shamshabad. The stretch would cost Rs 219.7 crore.
The phase I of the much-awaited Rs 4,000-crore project is likely to be completed when the Hyderabad International Airport becomes operational in mid-2008. The ORR would pass through 78 villages. The Hyderabad Growth Corridor, an exclusive entity established by the State, has taken up the massive road project.
Russian construction major, Corporation Transstroy OJSC has begun work on the 11-km stretch (0-11 km) connecting Gachibowli and Shamshabad. The stretch would cost Rs 219.7 crore.
Addressing a meeting after the groundbreaking ceremony, Mr Vyacheslav I Irubnikov, Ambassador of Russian Federation in India, said the ORR would prove to be of tremendous help in the development of Indian infrastructure.
The Russian company, which constructed a similar ring road around Moscow, was confident of completing the stretch in 30 months. On the same day, Continental Engineering Corporation of Taiwan started work on the 13.3-km (11 to 24.3 km) stretch between Police Academy and Shamshabad.
This package would cost Rs 295 crore. Both the packages were expected to be completed in 30 months. These two packages formed phase I of the ORR. Works on phase II are expected to begin by the yearend. As these companies began works, the officials have started disbursing alternative plots to those who lost property.
Even as the Corridor authorities are busy completing the ORR, HUDA (Hyderabad Urban Development Authority) is planning to develop a host of integrated townships, keeping in mind the future habitation needs of the city.
International Business Machines Corp. will triple its investment in India to almost $6 billion in the next three years, highlighting a rush among multinational companies to scoop up young talent as they seek to cut costs, develop technologies and create more efficient ways of doing business for global customers.
With 43,000 employees in India - more than anywhere outside the United States - IBM is the biggest multinational company here. The fresh investments will build on the $2 billion IBM has pumped into India in the past three years, propelling the subcontinent to the fore of its global operations.
The investment, pledged here Tuesday by chairman and chief executive Samuel J. Palmisano, will expand the company's already large footprint in Bangalore. IBM executives said the company will invest in new software labs and centers that develop products and services, as well as test and deliver them to customers. With 43,000 employees in India - more than anywhere outside the United States - IBM is the biggest multinational company here. The fresh investments will build on the $2 billion IBM has pumped into India in the past three years, propelling the subcontinent to the fore of its global operations.
IBM's commitment demonstrates how India has moved beyond being a site for inexpensive back-office operations to become a business hub. Employees in Bangalore collaborate with those in Beijing, Moscow and Sao Paulo to streamline operations for customers working in dozens of different countries. "India and other emerging economies are an increasingly important part of IBM's global success," Palmisano said.
Unlike other parts of the economy, India's software industry has been relatively free of investment restrictions, spurring competition and growth. IBM isn't the only U.S. technology company trying to catch the India wave. In October, Cisco Systems Inc. said it will invest $1.1 billion in research and training in India. In December, Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. made investment commitments exceeding $1 billion each, with the funds earmarked for research and the hiring of thousands of employees.
After a decades-long break, IBM returned to India in 1992 and has grown rapidly since the mid-1990s. In 2005, IBM's revenue in India rose 55 percent, following 45 percent growth the year before, the company said. IBM did not break down revenue figures or provide other earnings details for India.
The shift of business to India has become a sensitive issue for IBM, as it has coincided with the trimming of thousands of jobs in the United States. IBM executives have sought to change perceptions that the company is simply tapping cheap Indian labor at the expense of workers in other countries.
Executives say that while inexpensive Indian engineers may have been an initial allure, IBM is expanding aggressively now because of the quality of their work and their ability to come up with fresh products and services.
"The cost is a temporary thing that works in our favor now," said Harish Grama, vice president in Bangalore for the IBM software group.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd's (BHEL) corporate R&D division plans to set up a Centre for Intelligence Machines and Robotics (CIMAR) to focus on automation and utilisation of robots in the industrial environment.
CIMAR would take up implementation of computer-integrated manufacturing, advanced radio frequency identification technology for material identification and tracking as well as paperless manufacturing
The CIMAR would be the fifth Centre of Excellence that BHEL would be setting up. It would have an investment of Rs 4.77 crore, according to Mr S.K. Goyal, the division's Group General Manager. CIMAR would take up implementation of computer-integrated manufacturing, advanced radio frequency identification technology for material identification and tracking as well as paperless manufacturing, he said.
The centre also aims to develop remote-operated vehicles with the support of the Union Department of Information Technology. Pilot projects have been initiated to integrate computer-aided design, manufacture, numerical controls, and inspection.
Further, parcel and vehicle tracking using Global Positioning System and global system for mobile communications technologies would be utilised. With the setting up of these centres, and also consolidating its strengths in its core power sector, the turnover from the in-house developed products and services from the corporate R&D division was put at Rs 1,064 crore during the financial year 2005-06.
It was Rs 527 crore during 2002-03. Encouraged by these successes, the R&D budget for 2006-07 has been hiked to Rs 200 crore from about Rs 150 crore in the previous year, Mr Goyal said.
The foundation stone for the multi-million Fab City would be laid here on Wednesday. The multi-stage project to be set up at Tukkuguda, near the Hyderabad International airport project, is proposed to be taken up on a fast-track approach and would seek to attract more companies to the project and serve as a hub.
Andhra Pradesh could emerge as a hub for semiconductor and manufacturing base for electronics industries.
The State Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, will lay the foundation stone for the project, in the presence of the Union Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Mr Dayanidhi Maran.
The Fab City project will also host the Sem India project, which proposes to locate a semiconductor fabrication complex that will have an investment of about $3 billion when completed, with the phase one having about $1 billion in investment.
Sem India has signed up with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Promoted by Dr Vinod K. Agarwal, Sem India has announced its decision to locate its unit in Andhra Pradesh, which could potentially emerge as a hub for semiconductor and manufacturing base for electronics industries.
Thereafter, Sem India signed up with Flextronics for offering manufacturing services. As per the initial arrangement with AMD, the test and assembly unit could churn out 25 million chips a year and the Fab facility could possibly handle about 2,40,000 wafers a year with each wafer potentially holding hundred of chips. AP Invest, as a nodal agency, would provide necessary infrastructure support for the project.
The markets opened weak, taking cues from markets across the globe. The Sensex has slipped below the 10,000 mark and the Nifty slipped below the 3,000 level. At 10:05 on the 06/06/06 the Sensex was trading at 9953 down 260 points. The Nifty was trading at 2938 with a loss of 78 points.
Heavy selling is seen in scrips across sectors. Among the major losers on the indices are Zee, L&T, Nalco, Maruti, Grasim, Hindalco, ONGC and Jet Airways.
The markets have fallen in line with weak global markets. The Dow ended nearly 200 points low on inflation concern, high oil prices and Fed signals of further hike in the interest rates. The market breadth is in favour of declines, about 69 shares have advanced, 810 shares declined, and 6 shares are unchanged. Heavy selling is seen in scrips across sectors. Among the major losers on the indices are Zee, L&T, Nalco, Maruti, Grasim, Hindalco, ONGC and Jet Airways.
Reasons summary:
1.Markets end down amid lack of buying interest
2.BSE Metal Index down 3.68%; Hind Zinc down 6.8%, Sterlite down 6%
3.BSE Oil & Gas, FMCG Indices down over 2.5% each
4.ZEE, L&T hog the limelight, up 6.27% & 4% respectively
5.Bombay Dyeing down 7.68%, Century Textlie down 5.7%
The 'green building' concept is gradually gaining momentum in India. Already, there are five green buildings certified as per the rating system of LEED (Leadership in energy and environmental design), developed by the US Green Building Council. Around 25 other buildings in the country are now registered for such certification.
A green building typically applies practices like harvesting energy and water and using environment-friendly materials in its design, construction, operation and maintenance so as to maintain and sustain the environment.
Prominent among them is the IT park - Technopolis in Kolkata that is likely to be certified by LEED shortly. Also on the list are Hyderabad International Airport and Microsoft India Development Centre's third building in its Hyderabad campus that are being built as per green building requirements.
A green building typically applies practices like harvesting energy and water and using environment-friendly materials in its design, construction, operation and maintenance so as to maintain and sustain the environment.
Speaking on the sidelines of 'Save the environment' seminar organised by the Taj Group of Hotels, Hyderabad, S C Kumar, senior advisor, Confederation of Indian Industry and a LEED accredited professional, said, "In countries like the US, tax and insurance incentives are given to promote the concept of green buildings. We need to provide such incentives in India as well." The seminar was organised on the occasion of World Environment Day today.
However, Kumar added, that the awareness level with regard to the green building revolution was catching pace in the country. "For instance, in Chennai, the government has made it mandatory for every building to indulge in rainwater-harvesting. The central government also has recommended the use of fly-ash in construction of future buildings," he said. Fly-ash is a waste product generated by thermal power stations.
The Hyderabad International Airport is also eyeing a green building certification.
The Hyderabad International Airport is also eyeing a green building certification from LEED. According to Vishwanath, lead-safety, health and environment, Hyderabad International Airport Ltd said, "We will have a sewage treatment plant to recycle waste water and are also proposing a reverse osmosis plant in the passenger terminal building. We are trying to ensure maximum utilisation of sunlight in the building as well."
Keith Dias, senior manager, corporate affairs, Microsoft Corporation (India), said at the seminar, "The third building at our Hyderabad campus is slated to be ready in 2008. This will take our total built-up area to 1.3 million sft in Hyderabad. We will be going for a gold rating for the third building. Our initiatives for environment protection and sustenance include rain-water harvesting, waste paper recycling, power saving techniques and the likes."
Biomaxx Systems a Canadian company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Morita Biotek Pvt Limited (Morita Biotek) of Hyderabad. This MOU represents a significant opportunity for Biomaxx Systems Inc. to introduce our proprietary biofuels and ethanol technologies and consulting expertise to the Indian and Asian markets.
Bio-ethanol is a renewable fuel derived from plants or biomass, the primary environmental benefit is the reduction of CO2 emissions.
Morita Biotek Pvt Limited has engaged Biomaxx Systems Inc. for the strategic development of a bio-ethanol project in the region of Andhra Pradesh to compliment Morita's extensive marketing and logistical knowledge of the petroleum and biofuels markets in India and South East Asia. Under the terms of this MOU, Biomaxx Systems Inc. and Morita Biotek Pvt Limited will collaborate and cooperate on the development of a biofuels feasibility study with specific interest in the areas of ethanol using biomass and raw material that is in abundance in the area of Andhra Pradesh in India. Both parties agree this strategic alliance as defined by the MOU will create a significant business opportunity where in Biomaxx Systems will provide proven technologies and the equipment requirements for a processing plant and with proprietary Biomaxx processes, Morita Biotek will build a state of the art facility to produce bio-ethanol from feedstock or biomass and market and distribute bio-ethanol, using Biomaxx technologies in South East Asia.
What is bio-ethanol?
As bio-ethanol is a renewable fuel derived from plants (such as sweet sorghum, cassava, cereals, sugar beet etc.) or biomass (such as wood waste), the primary environmental benefit is the reduction of CO2 emissions. The use of bio-ethanol can lead to up to a significant reduction in overall CO2 emissions compared to a traditional petrol only engine. Bio-ethanol used as part of the fuel, by blending with petrol, for a motor vehicle is called fuel-ethanol. Bio-ethanol can be blended in various proportions in petrol.
A State Legislative Assembly Committee on the Imax theatre complex, a multiplex located adjacent the picturesque Hussainsagar lake, has recommended a CBI probe into irregularities in its construction and suggested that the complex be made a museum for children.
According to the report, a major violation was in the construction of the building on shikam (lake) land.
The committee has also favoured a probe into the role of the former Chief Minister, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, and bureaucrats, in offering exemptions for the project. They found about 34 lapses and recommended that the complex be turned into a children's museum. A report has been submitted by the committee to the Speaker, Mr K.R. Suresh Reddy. According to the report, a major violation was in the construction of the building on shikam (lake) land.
In the 38-page report, the committee recommended that all the dues from the management be recovered and stringent action be taken against those who flouted rules and allowed the construction of the complex.
The Chairman of the Committee, Mr C. Narsi Reddy, said that the Telugu Desam Government had handpicked two bidders when 15 others responded to an advertisement. Against the rules, the project was awarded to Prasad's to construct the complex. The land earmarked for Yatri Nivas was allotted for this project.
While the lease term was extended from 25 years to 33, the management was asked to pay only five per cent against the usual 10 per cent of the total revenues to the State. They were also given entertainment tax exemption.
Familiar scenes of serpentine queues, petrol dispenser units, meter reading screens ticking away and 'No Stock' boards at petrol bunks were witnessed in the city as news of a steep petrol price hike trickled in late on Monday evening. There was a mad rush for fuel even as utter confusion prevailed over the new rates till midnight.
The hike in diesel prices would also have a cascading effect on the prices of essential commodities and hit people belonging to lower and middle-income groups.
The move, the biggest hike in recent times, came in for sharp criticism from vehicle users, who were stung by the quantum of hike. Adding insult to injury, levy of excise duty on fuel in the State only jacked up the fuel prices that much steeper. Andhra Pradesh is said to have the highest fuel prices in the entire country.
The hike in diesel prices would also have a cascading effect on the prices of essential commodities and hit people belonging to lower and middle-income groups.
Vehicle owners said they were already bearing the burnt of the frequent hikes in fuel prices effected over the last one year. "The Government should think of alternative plans like tax reduction," said M. Venkateswara Rao, Assistant Manager, Finance, Nagarjuna Constructions.
"We have to face additional financial problems after re-opening of schools and colleges and the Government decision will leave us with no option except borrowing money at higher interest rate," E. Mohan Rao, a retired bank employee and resident of Rezimental Bazaar said.
Twin Cities Local Lorry Owners Association General Secretary K. Rajeswar Rao said the prices of essential commodities could increase from 5 to 10 per cent with the new fuel prices. "We will discuss the issue with our State leaders for future course of action," Mr. Rao said.
Dealing a severe blow to H-1B aspirants who were planning to apply for the hi-tech visas in the coming days, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced that it has received sufficient number of H-1B applications to meet the congressionally mandated cap for fiscal 2007, which begins on October 1, 2006.
It is estimated that close to 50% of the visas issued to India are taken by the top five IT companies, and in absolute numbers this figure could stand at about 12,000.
It is estimated that close to 50% of the visas issued to India are taken by the top five IT companies, and in absolute numbers this figure could stand at about 12,000. The existing situation may add more weight to the IT industry's long-standing demand to increase the H-1B visa ceiling. There may be a pressure to marginally increase the ceiling during the conference committee meeting of the Senate and the House on the issue of immigration legislation. Even if the cap remains at the level it is currently, India would gain as the outsourcing to the country may increase, given the visa crunch in the US.
The USCIS has said that the 'final receipt date' for H-1B petitions subject to the FY 2007 annual cap was May 26, 2006. Affected H-1B petitions received on that date would be subject to a computer-generated random selection process, while those received by USCIS after the 'final receipt date' would be rejected.
The US Congress has established an annual fiscal year limitation of 65,000 on the number of available H-1B visas. Under the terms of the legislation implementing the United States-Chile and United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreements, 6,800 of the 65,000 available H-1B visas are annually set aside for the Chile/Singapore H-1B1 programme. As a result of reserving 6,800 H-1B1 visas for FY 2007, the H-1B cap for that fiscal year was 58,200. However, USCIS added back to the H-1B cap 6,100 unused FY 2006 H-1B1 visas, for a total of 64,300.
Work on the Rs 7,000-crore Hyderabad Metro Rail Project is set to commence by the end of this year even as the detailed project report (DPR) and financial returns are likely to be finalised before June-end.
While the preparation of all Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and firming up costs and financial returns for MRTS would be completed by June 10
Span Consultants and Semaly consortium have been chosen as owner's consultants. The project would be taken up as build, operate and transfer model. With the State Government and the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, keen to expedite the project, the first section of the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project would become a reality by December 2008, according to Government sources.
Dr Reddy, who recently reviewed the status of Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) and Hyderabad MRTS (Metro Rail) project with officials of Municipal Administration, Railways, Road Transport Corporation and the Finance Department, was keen that the project be completed at the earliest. While the preparation of all Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and firming up costs and financial returns for MRTS would be completed by June 10, the Cabinet could potentially take this up for approval by the month end.
The investors' meet (pre-qualified consortia) would be on June 15. Once the preparation of technical and financial bid documents is completed, this would be sent to the Central Government for approval. As per the plan, the Hyderabad Metro Rail Corporation (HMRC) will be formed by August. Simultaneously, the identification of Government lands for stations, depots and workshops would be completed by July-end. The financial bids of the project are likely to be evaluated by October 20.
In an effort to expedite the metro project, the pre-construction activities will be taken up in parallel processing mode. Since the existing MMTS has the potential to handle about 2 lakh passengers as against 70 lakh passenger-trips per day in the city, the Government has embarked upon the metro rail project as a long-term solution for easing traffic problems.
The US Department of Agriculture and Tuskegee University have agreed in principle to extend financial and technical assistance to the Biotechnology Centre for Research and Education being set up by Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU).
The Biotechnology Centre for Research and Education being set up by Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU)
S. Raghuvardhan Reddy, Vice-Chancellor, ANGRAU told that the centre was scheduled to be established and functional by year 2009 on the Rajenderanagar campus. Proposals to this effect were discussed during the April 13-28 visit to USA by the varsity's Board of Management and an MoU was also signed, he said.
He said ANGRAU would send a detailed project report on the centre to Tuskegee varsity authorities to enable them to decide the quantum and type of assistance. Ratio of assistance would be 25:75 with ANGRAU showing the faculty and infrastructure as its 25 per cent share and the U.S. varsity including technical, manpower and financial aid as its 75 per cent contribution.
The universiry had allotted Rs. 5 crores to the centre to be utilised in a phased manner. In the current year Rs. 1.5 crores was sanctioned for construction of laboratories and creation of research and educational infrastructure. The centre proposed to take up research on biotechnology aspects of rice, sesamum and horticultural crops.
Dr. Reddy said Rs. 50 lakhs was allotted this year for the proposed water technology centre which has been posed to the Food and Agricultural Organisation for funding. To be located on the campus of College of Agriculture, it would take off later this year and undertake research, extension and educational activities.
The Vice-Chancellor said the university had initiated steps to strengthen its seed research centre which was visited by President George Bush in March. Besides funds provided by the university, the centre was receiving funds from Indian Council of Agricultural Research for infrastructure development and towards revolving fund.
Secunderabad, the gracious and fashionable twin of hoary Hyderabad, celebrated its 200th birthday on Saturday. Hundreds of people cheered the 'grand old lady' and celebrated the big day as a lively carnival swept through the streets of Secunderabad.
However, the glaring absence of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and city MLAs at the function was the only sore point on an otherwise lively carnival. Tourism Minister J. Geeta Reddy declared the nine-day celebrations open and released tricolour balloons. The weather was calm enough for the three Chetak helicopters to fly past the grandly unveiled pylon showering petals to kick off the celebrations here.
The multi-ethnic, multi-lingual composition of the sister city of Hyderabad was also reflected in the tableaux of different regions showcasing their traditional art forms, like the Mohiniyattam of Malayalees, 'Bharatanatyam of Tamilians and, of course, the 'Balle balle' of Punjabis.
The colourful carnival amidst the beat of the drums as 1,000-odd artistes in all their finery and costumes reflecting the eclectic mix of communities that made Secunderabad their home over the years took the gathering and curious onlookers to the days gone by.
Mounted policemen were followed by horse chariots carrying marriage parties, including brides and bridegrooms from different religions and cultures, be it the prim and propah Anglo Indians, robust Punjabis and coy Parsis. As the procession proceeded towards the sprawling Parade Grounds, the main venue of the celebrations, it was cheered and waved by all.
Traditional folk dances of the region, 'Potharajus', 'Pullirajus', Lambadas and others danced their way on. The multi-ethnic, multi-lingual composition of the sister city of Hyderabad was also reflected in the tableaux of different regions showcasing their traditional art forms, like the Mohiniyattam of Malayalees, 'Bharatanatyam of Tamilians and, of course, the 'Balle balle' of Punjabis.
"Two thousand kilometres from Ludhiana... yet at home... " was the message of the Punjabis and it sure did attract the eye. The 'Little England' residents (Anglo-Indians) too had their own musical band tableau with young people and cute kids in suits and ties. 'Bathkamma... Bonalu' and other facets too were showcased.
Tableaux of the South Central Railway, Lepakshi and Army Sports & Adventure Club formed the party. Another army tableau reminded people of the Military Games to be held in the twin cities in October this year. Cultural artistes on bullock carts and camels strolled along as firecrackers were burst. The action then shifted to the Parade Grounds where Remo Fernandes rocked the night away even as the skies threatened to open up. Minister Mohd. Ali Shabbir, Mayor T. Krishna Reddy and others were present along with hundreds of Secunderabadis bowing to the genial old lady!
The Andhra Pradesh government said many groups, including Christian organizations, had opposed the film which had been scheduled for release on Friday.
It might lead to unrest among the semi-literate and illiterate rural folk following the faith, they had further warned
"The exhibition of the film is likely to cause breach of peace and hurt religious sentiments of Muslim and Christian community which may lead to demonstrations, disturb peace and tranquility in the state," an official release said.
After a high-level meeting at the Secretariat here on Thursday, Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy gave his consent for banning the State-wide release of the film on June 2. An order issued by the Home Department later said that the State Government was banning the film's release in English, Telugu or any other language throughout the State from Friday onwards.
Dr. Reddy, sources said, was initially reluctant to support the ban. He argued that the original novel had already sold more than 60.5 million copies throughout the world and no Christian country had preferred the ban. He, however, relented when the officials cautioned him about possible law and order problems if the film was screened.
Later in a press release, Mr. Paul Bhuyan justified the stand arguing that the minority organisations had pointed out that the film's story line attacked the very heart of the Holy Gospel destroying the divinity of Lord Jesus Christ. It might lead to unrest among the semi-literate and illiterate rural folk following the faith, they had further warned .
My opinions at : http://www.sumith.com/2006/05/what-code.asp
The state government has hired the services of a consultant for Rs 1.45 crore for its Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) project in the city.
The consultant will assist in the selection of developers through a competitive bidding process and evaluate the technologies proposed by the developers.
New Delhi-based Span teamed up with Semaly of France to clinch the deal. Three more consultants were in the fray. While Span and Semaly consortia quoted Rs 1.45 crore, other bidders - P B and Wilbur Smith and Crisil quoted Rs 2.99 crore, RITES and Systro and E&Y quoted Rs 3.31 crore and PCCE quoted Rs 11.94 crore. As the state government cannot hire many experts, it hires consultants, said officials. It is the latter that hires experts or forms a consortia with a panel of experts to provide technical advice during a major project.
The government requires the services of various technical hands including experts in the field of Build, Operate and Transfer works, financial analysts, legal, signalling, real estate, social and environmental specialists, structural engineers and others at various stages. The consultant will assist in the selection of developers through a competitive bidding process and evaluate the technologies proposed by the developers.
It will also prepare a suitable financial model and ascertain the real estate potential of the land being offered and help the government in preparing an implementation plan.
The consultant will give their reports by the end of June MCH additional commissioner N V S Reddy quoted.
The Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad is planning to scout for a boat to clear garbage from the Hussainsagar after the Government asked it to take up the basic cleaning work of the lake and the foreshore area.
Maximum garbage comes from Kukatpally feeder channel. Yet, they insist the lake is cleaner after diversion of domestic sewer lines and treatment of 20 million litres daily.
MCH officials say they might buy an 8x20 feet motorboat to collect floating debris. The boat could be procured either from Visakhapatnam or Kakinada after modalities are finalised with the HUDA and the Buddha Purnima Project Authority. The civic body now plans to put in place at least two and half units for sweeping and lifting garbage for the 12 kilometre-circumference around the lake and near Minister's Road. Around 40 workers will be involved in the exercise once contracts for fresh units are given.
Sanitation contracts are usually for seven months and monthly costs could be about Rs.3 lakh. MCH generally takes care of cleanliness around the lake only during special occasions. If the contracts are through, the process will be round the year. MCH and BPPA officials say that maximum garbage comes from Kukatpally feeder channel. Yet, they insist the lake is cleaner after diversion of domestic sewer lines and treatment of 20 million litres daily.
The Nagarjuna Group has given up control of the Rs 4,300 crore power plant in Mangalore to the Hyderabad-based Lanco Group.
Lanco group is also present in other infrastructure development and is currently in the process of setting up an information technology Park in Hyderabad.
Lanco has picked up 74% equity in the 1,015 mw coal-fired thermal power project that has been hanging fire for a decade now.L Madhusudhan Rao, chairman, Lanco and Nagarjuna Group chairman K S Raju signed an agreement in Hyderabad formalising the strategic relationship. The power project will be jointly established by both the companies, with Nagarjuna, which had promoted the project in 1996, as a minority partner with a 26% equity.
The financial closure is slated to be achieved by September 2006 and will go commercial by by 2009, the Lanco group said on Tuesday. The project is the first independent power project in the country to operate on imported coal but had to go through a lot of initial difficulties on account of environmental objections from the locals and other reasons.
The Nagarjuna Power Corporation Ltd, as the Mangalore project firm is called, has a power purchase agreement with the five electricity supply companies in Karnataka for the off-take of 90% of power from the project, while it has obtained various approvals with a "mega power project" status from the Government of India. The Lanco Group is currently implementing power project with a total capacity of over 2,000 mw in thermal and hydropower sectors.
The group is also present in other infrastructure development and is currently in the process of setting up an information technology Park in Hyderabad.
Music Broadcast Pvt. Ltd. (MBPL) has launched its fifth Radio station in the country - Radio City 106.4 FM in Hyderabad, today. The station was launched by South's megastar Nagarjuna who unveiled the Radio City logo & frequency at a glittering function at Hotel ITC Kakatiya Sheraton. Radio City 106.4 FM will go on-air on May 30, 2006.
The City of Hyderabad can therefore look forward to a bevy of young and enthusiastic RJ's - all of whom are pakka Hyderabadis in the true sense. These RJ's will brighten you all day long with some exciting programs.
The baritone voice of Nagarjuna will reverberate through the drawing rooms of Hyderabad as they can look forward to a refreshing start to their day by listening to a 1-hour exclusive rendezvous with the star and RJ Vamsee on his early morning show 'Kusalama...Hyderabad'.
Radio City 106.4 FM programming is an outcome of an extensive and in-depth research undertaken by the industry experts. This has resulted in a host of customized Hindi & Telugu programs reflecting the 'true Sound of Hyderabad'. Radio City 106.4 FM will cater to the tastes of discerning music lovers cutting across students, housewives, working men which will ultimately give advertisers a great value for their money spent.
The findings of the research have helped Radio City to provide listeners with intelligent, collective and family entertainment. With innovative shows like Re-charge Hyderabad, Chalo Chalte Raho and Life ho to Aiseech, Filmcity Express, specially developed for Hyderabad, the programming mix of Radio City 106.4 FM includes shades of romance, comedy, josh, fantasy, novelty, unpredictability & masti - something to please everyone, in every mood.
As a prelude to the launch, Radio City had organized a RJ Hunt in the city of Hyderabad, which received an overwhelming response. The selected RJs were provided rigorous training to hone their skills to develop them into all-round professionals. The City of Hyderabad can therefore look forward to a bevy of young and enthusiastic RJ's - all of whom are pakka Hyderabadis in the true sense. These RJ's will brighten you all day long with some exciting programs. RJ Anuj with 'Re-charge Hyderabad' will energize listeners and keep them in a jovial mood; Get your college lingo right in 'Life Ho To Aiseech' with RJ Apoorva as she jockey's in her trademark 'hatke' ishtyle; Cuddle with your loved ones as RJ Kamesh takes you on a love journey and RJ Vamsee will be a dependable friend through 'Hello Hyderabad'.
And there are host of other exciting shows to keep you glued to your headsets. The station is also backed by an enthusiastic & highly experienced team of technicians & other professionals. The launch of Radio City 106.4 FM is supported by an exciting 360* marketing campaign. Some of the off-air initiatives to connect with the listener include road shows, human inflates at high density areas, Radio City booths at malls & multiplexes, on-ground contests & events, Radio City branded buses, cavalcade around the city etc. Radio City with its young and fresh appeal is all set to make the listeners 'hum' and groove to foot-tapping music, and through interactive programming content will mesmerize and connect with the people of 'Cyberabad' offering a unique listening experience.
Leading videogame development and production company FXLabs Studios Pvt. Ltd. announced today that it has secured $3 million in new funds to facilitate the company's plans for expansion. Already recognized for it's expertise in the creation of best in class game products, FXLabs is now positioned to achieve it's next milestone of being recognized as the number one game development company in India.
Suresh Productions and its associated companies comprising the famous Ramanaidu Studios and Spirit Media bring a wealth of experience, strategic alliances, and valuable intellectual property to the table.
Suresh Productions and its associated companies comprising the famous Ramanaidu Studios and Spirit Media bring a wealth of experience, strategic alliances, and valuable intellectual property to the table. Mr. Suresh Daggubati, Managing Director, Suresh Productions and Director, Spirit Media said "We are excited to be joining forces with FXLabs in helping it realize it's full potential in the global video-gaming market. We look forward to bringing a wide array of industry contacts and compelling properties to the table and helping the company grow!"
"FXLabs Studios is thrilled to be partnering with Suresh Productions, Ramanaidu Studios, and Spirit Media. We are anxious to fully utilize the broad range of assets and talents that they bring to the table!"; said Tony Garcia, CEO for FXLabs Studios Pvt. Ltd. "By combining our strengths and talent in the field of game development, with those of Suresh Productions, FXLabs is set to deliver some of the best and most compelling game products yet seen on the PC and videogame platforms"
"Tying up with one of the top film production houses in India gives FXLabs the backing it needs to become the leader in games for the Indian market" said Sashi Reddi, founder and Chairman of FXLabs Studios Pvt. Ltd. "While there are many mobile game providers, FXLabs will be the first serious developer of PC and console games for the worldwide videogame market"
According to PricewaterhouseCoopers report on the global outlook for entertainment and media the video game market in the United States, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), Asia/Pacific, Latin America, and Canada is expected to see an increase in revenue of $54.6 billion in 2009, growing at a 16.5 percent compound annual rate. Asia/Pacific, the largest market, at $10.1 billion in 2004, is projected to maintain its leadership, growing by 18.0 percent on a compound annual rate through 2009, reaching $23.1 billion.
FXLabs is already well into production of two world-class videogame products Inferno and Archie's Riverdale Run. Inferno, an action/horror game pits players against the denizens of the underworld as they make their way through an incredible array of visually stunning environments! Players fight a series of strange and other-worldly creatures, control up to four distinct characters, and are immersed in a compelling storyline and eerie soundtrack. Inferno is being developed at FXLabs production facility in Hyderabad and is scheduled for completion on the PC platform at the end of the year. Archie's Riverdale Run brings the world of Archie comics to life in full 3D for the very first time. Players can select from any number of their favorite Archie characters and explore the town of Riverdale, using a variety of vehicles and solving numerous puzzles and challenges. It's madcap Arcade-Action that is sure to please Archie fans all over the world. The game will be available for both the PC and Xbox and is scheduled for completion in early 2007.
At a time when barely five per cent of engineering graduates are found to be employable, an innovative public-private-participatory initiative that serves as a finishing school, has managed to make a world of difference to engineering graduates, mostly women from semi-urban and rural background. Their transformation at this finishing school called Jawahar Knowledge Centres (JKC), where they get trained and work for few months, is such that it has turned a happy hunting ground for IBM, Satyam, Infosys and Computer Associates to name a few.
Thus far, IBM has recruited 151 students, Satyam (483), Infosys (154), Wipro (406) and other MNCs (49) and the recruitment process continues.
Over 6,000 students from 164 engineering colleges were trained in 2005-06 at JKCs this year and 1,258 students have already been recruited. Over the next couple of months, all of them are likely to land jobs. In comparison, even some of those who are among toppers in their respective engineering colleges, often do not find jobs with these companies. Of the 1,066 girls chosen by these JKC centres in 2004-05, and trained in 32 centres, 235 students were inducted by multinational companies, and 831 were inducted by IT companies. During 2005-2006, about 6,058 students were trained in 43 centres. The success stories of JKC abound. It has begun to spread and the Government plans to expand the scope of these centres. Several States are now looking to replicate this model.
AJKC serves as hub where students from nearby engineering colleges converge to both learn and work on live projects. Run by the Institute for Electronic Governance (IEG), a society under the IT&C Department and is supported by free grants and software inputs from Oracle, IBM, Microsoft. Enthused by the progress made by these JKCs, Infosys Technologies has offered to provide training to mentors, who would be provided two week intensive training. They, in turn, will have the capability to train over 12,900 students. These students learn in groups. Thus far, IBM has recruited 151 students, Satyam (483), Infosys (154), Wipro (406) and other MNCs (49) and the recruitment process continues. As a part of the ongoing programme, efforts are on to broaden the scope of this initiative, according to Prof. Ghanta Subbarao, State Chief Information Officer.
A Russian and a Taiwanese company have been chosen as developers for the ambitious first phase of the Rs 3,500-crore Outer Ring Road (ORR) project that would connect the high-density corridor from Gachibowli to Shamshabad.
The Rs 3500-crore 162-km ORR project will be developed around the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and pave the way for specialised developmental zones and satellite townships.
The new international airport is coming up at Shamshabad and would be ready by 2008 March. These two companies are learnt to have been chosen by a Committee headed by the Chief Secretary. Of the 10 companies that took part in the bidding, the Russian Company - Corporation Transitory Open Joint Stock Company, and a Taiwanese firm - Continental Engineering Corporation, were chosen, for their lower bids.
The mandate is to develop a stretch of 24 km, in the phase one. While the Russian company project is valued at Rs 219 crore, the Taiwanese company would take up project worth Rs 250 crore. The Government today formally finalised plans for the phase one of the ORR project, which aims to decongest the dense traffic zones around the city and thereby help create satellite townships along these corridors.
The Rs 3500-crore 162-km ORR project will be developed around the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and pave the way for specialised developmental zones and satellite townships. Once these developers submit the necessary bank guarantees, work is likely to commence by June 1.
India 'discovered' its latest sporting icon on Sunday when Saina Nehwal became the first woman ever to win a four-star badminton event by clinching the prestigious Philippines Open.Incidentally, just like tennis ace Sania Mirza, Saina too hails from Hyderabad. Ranked 86th in the world, Saina has set sights on an entry into the top 30 by the end of the year.
Ranked 86th in the world, Saina has set sights on an entry into the top 30 by the end of the year. She is also not perturbed by the fact that the road from here on would get tougher.No wonder coach Gopichand feels Saina's biggest rub-off effect will be the self-belief factor. Saina has been training at his academy since the past few months now. Sania has not been consistent. Beating a good player occasionally is one thing and winning tournaments is another. Saina, on the other hand, has won an event equal to the magnitude of a Monte Carlo of tennis. She can now even break into the top 10 very soon said the national coach Vimal Kumar The former India international also feels that Saina has grabbed all the opportunities that have come her way and for that she is far ahead of her peers. The win in Manila against much-higher opponents underlines that. The lass has also worked on her fitness under Dilnaz V, her personal trainer. Her last success came during the Commonwealth Games at Melbourne where she returned with a bronze. Incidentally she has dropped plans to go abroad for training. "The boys at Gopi Sir's Academy are equally good to train with. Besides we got to train at places like Indonesia before events like CWG and a Chinese coach is expected soon at the Academy," Saina reasons.
In a bid to meet increased expenditure targets, the Andhra Pradesh government is looking for some novel ways to tax people. For this, it is zeroing in on urban areas to raise revenues. Amusement parks,resorts and theme parks may be brought under entertainment tax net
According to officials, the government is contemplating imposition of fresh taxes on entertainment, especially on theme parks, amusement parks and resorts, which have mushroomed in the state in the last few years. At present cinema hall-owners and cable operators are in the entertainment tax net. But now entertainment super houses, like the Ramoji Film City, the biggest studio in Asia, also known as Universal Studios of India (associate of Eenadu, the Telugu daily and Eenadu Television) may also have to cough up entertainment taxes.
Similarly, the government is proposing to make registering all documents of agreement for providing loan to buy movable or immovable property mandatory. Though there is a procedure for registering these documents - at the moment it is voluntary - even commercial banks are entering into agreements without registering the documents.
The registration fee on documents will be 0.5% on the loan value with an upper limit of Rs 50,000 on movable property and Rs 2,00,000 on immovable property.
As per the proposal, the registration fee on documents will be 0.5% on the loan value with an upper limit of Rs 50,000 on movable property and Rs 2,00,000 on immovable property. A government order to this effect is expected to be issued shortly. The officials said this measure would increase revenue from stamp duty and registrations as real estate activity has increased across the state.
Further, the government is also looking for more revenue from regularisation of land under the Urban Land Ceiling Act. The government has, so far, collected about Rs 200 crore on regularisation, sources said. Also, there is a proposal to increase the municipal value of landed property to increase revenue from land registration charges.
