Category Archives: Business & Economy

From Turkey to Bengaluru

Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinion

Zuhair Fiyaz, who is in his mid-20s, discovered this ice cream parlour and fell in love with it.

TurkishIceCreamBF10nov2018

Bengaluru :

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Meet your sweettooth cravings here at The Maras, south India’s first Turkish ice cream parlour that opened recently on the busy Jyoti Nivas College Road in Koramangala.

MarasicecreamBF10nov2018

There are a variety of flavours that one can try here. A Turkish flavour, Saada, originated from the Turkish word Saadee, is also available here. Other flavours include the popularly-sold almond honey, chocolate brownie, kiwi (they claim to use the kiwi fruit for its rich flavour), pistachio, caramel and strawberry-banana, that tastes like a bubble gum.

It’s a joint venture by Nikita Agarwal, her husband, Vinay Agarwal and brothers in-law Manish and Nikhil Agarwal. They say they wanted to start something unique and hence, came up with this idea. “Our tagline – Serving cones with happiness – is in par with the way we serve Turkish ice creams to people. Our happiness ‘delivery man’, Mustafa, is from Turkey and the way he plays with the ice cream before handing it over is unique and exciting to watch. People, especially children, queue up in front of the shop and watch him prepare the ice cream for two minutes. It’s fun to watch him serve scoops of ice cream on the cone,” says Nikita.

But, why the name Maras? “Dondurma, the Turkish ice cream, as is originally called, is believed to have been found in the city of Maras in Turkey. Hence, we decided to just name it The Maras (pronounced Marash),” says Manish.

Apart from ice creams, they also sell Turkish sweets such as baklava and bulbul, and their sale shot up during the festive season. “We are open on all days, from 12.30 pm to 12 am. We were a hit during Diwali as people were looking for unique sweets for gifting purposes,” says Nikita. “We recently added the Matcha flavour, originally from Japan, which tastes similar to green tea, for diet-conscious people,” she adds.

Zuhair Fiyaz, who is in his mid-20s, discovered this ice cream parlour and fell in love with it. He says, “I have visited this ice cream parlour thrice and my aim is to try out all their flavours one by one. Mustafa is a delight to watch every time I buy an ice cream from him. They gave me a loyalty card which offers my 10th ice cream for free.” Approx. cost for two: Rs 150
Customers say watching Mustafa make the ice creams is a delight.

source:http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Sudeshna Dutta / Express News Service / November 10th, 2018

Tulsi herbal drinking water creator wins Young Scientist Award

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology
Harishchandra S. Bidnoorkar with his students in the laboratory at Sharnbasva University in Kalaburagi.
Harishchandra S. Bidnoorkar with his students in the laboratory at Sharnbasva University in Kalaburagi.

Harishchandra S. Bidnoorkar received the award in Goa recently

Harishchandra S. Bidnoorkar, a young scientist who works as an associate professor at the Faculty of Business Studies at Sharnbasva University, Kalaburagi, is a man with multiple talents. In recognition of his recent contributions in science and research– developing Tulsi Herbal Drinking Water and a Healthcare App – he has been honoured with Young Scientist Award – 2018 by the International Association of Research and Development Organisation (IARDO).

The award was presented at the International Award Conference on Multidisciplinary Research and Latest Innovation – 2018, at the International Centre, organised in Dona Paula, Panjim, Goa, recently.

Tulsi Herbal Drinking Water, developed in 2017, is a simple and multipurpose drinking water concentrated basil (Tulsi) content. Mr. Bidnoorkar obtained a patent for the process of the preparation of the herbal drinking water.

“This Tulsi water formula comprises an active amount of an extract and/or at least one bioactive fraction from Ocimum Tenuiflorum [basil/Tulsi]. That makes this non-toxic drinking water special as it has rich medicinal qualities. There are absolutely no side-effects. This special water with added Tulsi has been tested in the laboratory and has proved to be active in addressing or treating 15 common diseases,” Dr. Bidnoorkar told The Hindu.

Now, Bidnoorkar is getting offers from businessmen and establishments who want to use his patented formula to produce packed drinking water for commercial purposes.

He has, however, turned down the offers to establish his own packed drinking water production plant and sell the product to the people of Hyderabad Karnataka region.

“If I sell my patented formula to any business firm, it will produce packed drinking water bottles in a big scale using my formula and sell it at not less than ₹100 a litre. My invention will then serve only the rich and remain inaccessible to large sections of the poor. My plan is to establish my own plant with financial assistance from the government and to sell this water at the cheapest possible price, even cheaper than normally packed drinking water presently available in the market so that large sections of the poor can benefit,” he said.

He is now planning to cultivate Tulsi plants on a massive scale in Kalaburagi and Bidar districts and produce the packed water in plants he will establish in the same region.

The problem is the capital. He had approached the Union government for funds under Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme scheme. It sanctioned ₹25 lakh as the non-refundable amount. “But, I am yet to receive the money that is in Corporation Bank’s zonal branch in Belagavi. I hope the bank authorities fasten the process and release the money soon. I can start producing Tulsi drinking water on a small scale with this amount,” he said.

A writer

Mr. Bidnoorkar had published as many as 78 articles on management studies, business development and the modern education system. He has presented as many as 32 papers in various international conferences held in the country.

He is also the author of four books, including The Massive Successful Modern Education System, an ISBN certified book that caught the attention of former President of India Pranab Mukherjee who wrote to him in appreciation of his concerns on modern education.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Kumar Buradikatti / Kalaburagi – November 06th, 2018

Mphasis ties up with IIMB’s incubation centre

Business & Economy, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

Mphasis, an IT services and solutions provider, has partnered with NSRCEL, the start-up incubation centre at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore to support early-stage social venture.

The programme aims to incubate and support ‘for profit’ social ventures and startups that have been in operation for one to three years, said a press release.

Over 550 applications were received for this programme and 16 of them were shortlisted for the three-month pre-incubation. They were then given an opportunity to pitch before an advisory council for selection to the programme which will be for 12-18 months, the release said.

TAXSHE Services Pvt. Ltd., ECONUT Coconut Producer Company Ltd., Blink Research and Services Pvt. Ltd., ThinkZone, and Rural Caravan Pvt. Ltd. are the selected ventures. They will receive an entrepreneurial grant and will be supported through a series of events and workshops aimed at addressing specific challenges.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – November 01st, 2018

Osmo-dried products from fruits, vegetables

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

The Mysuru-based CSIR-CFTRI has a technology for producing osmo-dried products from fruits and vegetables.

At a cost of ₹80-180 per kg, such products come with a production capacity of 500 kgs a day. Mango, papaya, jackfruit, pineapple, carrot and amla can be osmo-dried with the technology.

“Osmo dried products are a good source of nutrients and energy as they have high calorific value. They are microbiologically safe and stable products with longer shelf lives. The technology helps retain the colour and flavour of the fruits or veggies,” said A.S. Chauhan, senior principal scientist, FVT, CFTRI.

The process involves slicing the fruits or vegetables, subjecting them to osmotic treatment and drying them at optimum temperature to avail an osmo-dried product.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – October 29th, 2018

Woman auto driver fights odds to steer her dream

Business & Economy

A revolutionary path for women laid by former chief secretary of Karnataka K Ratna Prabha has made this Raichur woman battle against all odds.

Life is looking up for Mudhol hound breeders

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Venkappa Navalagi with his favourite Mudhol hound Raju in Lokapur village of Bagalkot district. Special Arrangement
Venkappa Navalagi with his favourite Mudhol hound Raju in Lokapur village of Bagalkot district. Special Arrangement

Most of them are Dalits, who now see a spike in the brand value of their dogs

The Indian Army’s growing interest in Mudhol hounds has pushed up their brand value among animal lovers, and in turn, helped the families of breeders escape the cycle of poverty.

The Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) of the Army in Meerut has been training Mudhol pups for battle duty and this has increased the demand for the hunting breed from Mudhol and nearby areas of Bagalkot district.

Most of the families of breeders are landless Dalits or tribal families and they have been breeding the hound for generations. The new found interest in the indigenous breed seems to be turning around their fortunes.

Venkappa Navalagi, for instance, has turned prosperous. He earns between ₹5 to ₹7 lakh a year and has built a house for his dogs. His two children are in good schools. “But it was not so always,” he recalls. His father used to hunt rabbits and foxes to feed his children. Neither Venkappa nor his three siblings went to school.

When we were children, I remember bartering a pup for a cup of jowar. After a few years, we sold a couple for ₹10. By the 1990s, we were selling them for ₹800 a pair. Now my pups fetch me ₹10,000 to ₹1 lakh, depending on the bloodline, he said.

The Navalgis have eight dogs and Venkappa’s wife Lakshmi Bai calls them her “children”. A month-old pup sells for ₹10,000 while the adult dog earns up to ₹5,000 for each breeding attempt. A few years ago, Venkappa met with an accident and needed ₹1.5 lakh for a surgery. “Two dogs had 16 pups and helped their father get treatment,’’ says Laksmi Bai.

However, there has been significant government effort behind the spike in prices of the breed. Bidar-based Karnataka Veterinary Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU) started the Canine Research and Information Centre (CRIC) dedicated to the Mudhol hound in Thimmapur village near Mudhol in 2009. survey indicated that there were over 600 families, 90% of them from SC/ST families, that were making a living out of Mudhol breeding in Bagalkot district.

The university used Rs 3 crore of state government funds to set up the centre under the Special Component Plan and Tribal Sub Plan scheme. Of that, Rs 1 crore was used for infrastructure and the rest was set aside as an endowment to pay the salaries of scientists and staff.

The centre trains farmers in intelligent breeding and to avoid crossing between blood relatives or with nondescript breeds. “This ensures that the litter is purebred and fetches the best prices,” says Mahesh Dodmani, director of the centre. The bloodline certificates issued by the centre have ensured good prices for the pups, he said.

The centre’s scientists take breeders to dog shows in many States and help them build a network with kennel clubs, dog enthusiasts, and pet keepers. The CRIC keeps a database of lineage of dogs. It issues purebred certificates to pups bred by farmers and fixes prices for the dogs that can be sold. CRIC’s website and social media handles create awareness about the hound and create a platform for buyers to meet breeders.

“Setting up of CRIC using SCP /TSP funds has been a fruitful exercise. I can confidently say that the centre’s activities have ensured the welfare of Dalit and tribal families and fulfilled the objective of the funds,” said Suresh Honnappagol, Commissioner, Ministry of Animal Husbandry. Dr. Honnappagol started pushing for recognition to the Mudhol hound when he was the KVAFSU Vice-Chancellor. He added that the signals from the Army were positive about possible induction of the Mudhols into the forces. A final decision is yet to be announced, he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Rishikesh Bahadur Desai / Mudhol – October 20th, 2018

How Kulgod wrested the best village tag

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All

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It beat all gram panchayats in the country on development of the Ministry of Rural Development

How did obscure Kulgod, in Belagavi district, beat 3.5 lakh gram panchayats across the country to emerge as the best rural local body under the Antyodaya scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development? The answer is simple: Kulgod was not built in a day. It took the concerted effort of officials, panchayat members and enlightened villagers many years to bring it to this pinnacle of development.

“Thankfully, our village has had good officers, who implemented schemes in earnest,” says Govindappa Koppad, former GP member from Kulgod, who is now a zilla panchayat member. “They are serious about their work and realise that they are answerable to the people. That helped us,’’ adds Basavaraj Hegganayak, Taluk Panchayat executive officer.

Back in 2005, officials conducted the first survey of health and hygiene in the village as party of the total sanitation campaign. The results were surprisingly good. Irrigation facilities had reached 97% of the 3,550 hectares of land reducing poverty levels significantly. Over 70% of the dwellings were pucca houses and there were amenities like banks and health centres. Toilet coverage was at 60% above the district average.

Still, the officials focussed on sanitation, drainage, and piped water supply. Construction of low-cost houses and other infrastructure was taken up in phases.

“Now we have three borewells, a pipeline from the Ghataprabha river, a mini-purification unit and an overhead tank with a capacity of 3 lakh litres,” says Mr. Koppad. Self-Help Groups and their bank linkage was promoted, number of students in anganwadis and schools increased and there were doctors in the village hospitaland veterinary treatment centre.

“What works for us is that this GP has just one village,” says Parashuram S.K, Panchayat Development Officer (PDO), who lives in the village and is available to the people at all times.

Two and a half years ago, when ZP CEO R. Ramachandran took charge, he had a lot on his hands. He had to run a district with over 550 GPs and nearly 2,000 villages and hamlets. He used funds as an incentive for better-performing GPs and implemented new projects in villages that welcomed them. This helped officers achieve nearly 100 per cent LPG utilization and 100 per cent toilet construction. The GP also built two community toilet complexes in areas with houses with not enough space for individual toilets. He organised training for GP secretaries and PDOs in computer usage and office maintenance. “These sessions, along with regular follow up with officers ” “This ensured that our documentation was ahead of other districts,” the CEO says.

Shakuntala Chippalakatti, GP president, says, “Nature has been kind to us. The Ghataprabha flows close by. She supplies our drinking water needs and irrigates our fields. What more can we ask for,” she asks.

Kulgod got 94 out of 100 in an assessment based on 47 parameters, including infrastructure, social, economic and other sectors. In the last few years, the local body in Belagavi district has been included among the panchayats that have won the Gandhi Gram award at the State level.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Rishikesh Bahadur Desai / October 20th, 2018

Now, dine in the sky 180 feet above Bengaluru

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So you have tried costumed dining, blind dining and blood-and-guts dining. Next, you can book a table for sky dining.

Bengaluru  :

So you have tried costumed dining, blind dining and blood-and-guts dining. Next, you can book a table for sky dining. Bengaluru-based ‘Sky Lounge’ offers to lift you, your table and your dinner companions up in the air for an hour-long meal. A crane will lift you 180 ft above Nagawara Lake, and the meal will begin. Serving staff will also be with you.

The concept, which is present in more than 45 countries, is operational in India for the first time. The sky dining experience is located at Nagawara next to Manyata Tech Park in Hebbal and has been operational from the last two days. Fly-dining, according to the owners, has been experienced by more than 150 people in just three days.

On Saturday, the first weekend after the launch, a Bengaluru-based youngster got lucky when he proposed to his girlfriend 180 ft above the ground. “He was extremely happy and said the couple had the best experience of their life. The girl was thrilled about the very idea of being proposed at such a height with a beautiful view,” said Avinash J, managing partner of Sky Lounge.

Kishan Kalavadia, director, Sky Lounge, said, “We chose Bengaluru to be our destination as we know people here are ready for an adventure with good food. It is more of an adventurous experience.”Fly-dining is a structure supported by a crane, which can accommodate 22 people around the table and four staff at the centre. “As of now, we have only started the mocktail and dinner options. The mocktail session, which is for half-an-hour, starts from 5 pm while dinner commences at 7 pm and will be for one hour. Limited supply of alcohol, only foreign brands, will be provided for extra charge,” said Kalavadia.

Explaining that there are strict guidelines which need to be followed, Avinash said the primary rule is that the visitor should not weigh more than 150 kg. While children below the age of 13 will not be allowed, the minimum height required is 145 cm. Customers are not allowed to take bags on board, but phones are permitted. If something does get dropped, there’s a “safety” area below.

“Not only is the table supported by 16 huge metal ropes (and just one of them can hold it up on its own), but it is designed and tested by the global provider of technical, safety and certification services TÜV Rheinland. It boasts of a 100% safety record, and you are harnessed and strapped in,” he said.

The diners are expected to pre-book and reach the venue 15 minutes before the dinner as they will be shown a pre-recorded video about the experience and also explained about the brief history of the company. “Just a quick word to a crew member about any kind of emergency will bring you down in five minutes. A health professional is also part of the crew,” Avinash added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Chetana Belagere, Express News Service / October 14th, 2018

‘Holy compost’ is the buzz word in Bengaluru

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy
The leaf composter at the Venugopalaswamy temple in Malleswaram. | Photo Credit: By Special Arrangement
The leaf composter at the Venugopalaswamy temple in Malleswaram. | Photo Credit: By Special Arrangement

An increasing number of temples are adopting eco-friendly measures

The idea of ‘holy compost’ is fast gaining ground after one temple in Bengaluru made compost out of its waste, branded it and sold it at a premium. Now, nearly 40 temples have installed leaf composters to process flower waste. They are yet to market the compost, but the trend shows that an increasing number of temples are adopting eco-friendly measures.

A leaf composter was installed at the Venugopalaswamy temple in Malleswaram on Tuesday while two will be installed in the Kadu Malleswara temple complex next week.

According to Vasuki Iyengar, who helped install these composters, most temples use flowers, such as marigolds, chrysanthemum and tulsi. “Some temples are also keen on composting vegetable peels, coffee and tea grounds, apart from the leaf bowls (donne in Kannada) that are used to distribute prasad,” he said. “A lot more temple managements are now open to discussing in situ processing solutions, as there is better awareness. That apart, such solutions require little investment and are not dependent on heavy machinery.”

At the Venugopalaswamy temple, Mr. Iyengar has trained three people to manage the leaf composter. “The temple has two desi cows. Their dung will be used as slurry, along with coco peat to aid composting,” he said.

One of the first temples to compost flower and kitchen waste was the Shakthi Mahaganapathy temple in Kalyan Nagar. The ‘zero waste’ temple has also invested in drum digesters for kitchen waste, said Ashok Betraj, temple trustee.

After installing these in June 2016, the temple management harvested over three tonnes of ‘holy compost’ in October last year and sold it at a premium. The temple’s success story seems to have captured the attention of the managements of many other temples in the city.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / October 04th, 2018

Infosys gets $80.3 million contract from Canadian firm

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
The logo of Infosys is pictured inside the company's headquarters in Bengaluru. File | Photo Credit: Reuters
The logo of Infosys is pictured inside the company’s headquarters in Bengaluru. File | Photo Credit: Reuters

The new platform will enable PSPC to purchase various goods and services through a single portal.

Infosys Public Services on Monday announced that it has been awarded a computer-aided design contract worth $80.3 million by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to modernise and automate their procurement processes.

IPS is working with Ernst & Young and SAP Canada to digitise PSPC procurement system through the implementation and management of a cloud-based electronic procurement solution. The new solution will provide an intuitive, web-based portal for PSPC and its suppliers to access procurement information and services in both English and French, according to a company statement.

The new platform will enable PSPC to purchase various goods and services through a single portal, easily configure specific requirements, and access data, reporting, and analytics information in real-time to support more effective decision-making.

Based on the experience within PSPC, the government will determine whether to expand the solution to other federal departments and agencies. Provincial and municipal organizations will later be offered an option to use this new platform to streamline their procurement processes and reduce the administrative burden while engaging with more than 183,000 government suppliers.

As the prime system integrator, Infosys will implement the SAP-based solution and set up a network that provides tier 1, 2 and 3 support services. EY Canada will facilitate the design and deployment of future state processes and enabling technology to support the PSPC procurement modernization agenda. EY Canada will also provide change management and training support as the program gets rolled out.

“Navigating their programs and services to a digital future requires organizations to not only identify the right technologies to implement but also to enable them quickly and at scale,” said Eric Paternoster, Chief Executive Officer, Infosys Public Services.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Business> Industry / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – September 24th, 2018