Monthly Archives: February 2013

Poland wants Indian businessmen to invest there

Business & Economy

PolandBF28feb2013

Bangalore:

Poland on Wednesday invited Indian investors to explore the emerging business and investment opportunities in the eastern European country.

Polish Deputy Economic Minister Dariusz Bogdan said, “We are the sixth biggest country in the European Union with a working age population of 26.6 million and a strong export performance (135 billion euros in 2011).”

The country has maintained sound policies, financial stability and competitiveness, the minister said.

“We are also well integrated with the EU in terms of trade and foreign direct investments,” Bogdan said at an interactive session with chief executives of Polish and Indian firms here.

The Polish labour market was flexible with educated workforce, which is competitive in wages, Bogdan said.

A recent survey by global services firm Ernst & Young rated Poland as the second most attractive investment destination in Europe for the next three years after Germany and followed by Britain, Russia and France, Bogdan added.

“With sound policies, we have been able to keep our economy stable in terms of inflation, output gap and current account, which is covered by net FDI (foreign direct investment) inflows and EU capital transfers,” the minister told executives at the session, organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

According to Polish information and foreign investment agency’s board member Bozena Czaja, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) ranked Poland as the sixth most attractive foreign direct investment (FDI) destination worldwide.

The ‘Financial Times’ has listed Poland at the third place globally in quality of processing industry.

“Within Poland, the eastern part is one of the fastest developing area, with lowest labour cost and one of the most eco-friendly regions in Europe. There is a huge potential for road infrastructure development,” Czaja said.

Priority sectors in eastern Poland are food sector, furniture production, metal and machinery, aviation, yacht, tourism and back office operations (business process outsourcing).

The interactive session is a part of road shows the eastern European country is holding on ‘doing business in Poland’ with the participation of a visiting 14-member Polish business delegation, representing aviation, machinery and food processing industries.

Welcoming the Polish delegation, FICCI executive member and Axis Aerospace & Technologies Ltd. vice-chairman Sudhakar Gande said India was also a huge business opportunity for investors and exporters in Poland.

“You have the knowledge and expertise and we have markets, not just in India but much beyond our borders,” Gande said on the occasion.

Apart from traditional items of trade, both the countries have to collaborate in developing aviation, renewable energy and healthcare facilities in India.

source: http://www.pardaphash.com / Homepage> Business / by Shubhanshu Sharma / Wednesday- February, 27th, 2013

Low-cost airline pioneer says he’s ready to fly again

Business & Economy

After selling Air Deccan,  India ’s first low-cost airline, to Kingfisher Airlines in 2007, Capt Gopinath is set to get his pan-India  wings again. All that’s needed now is a green signal from civil aviation regulator DGCA.

In Bangalore Captain G R Gopinath, who ushered in the era of no-frills low-cost airlines in India , is getting ready to fly again with a new domestic licence. Speaking to Mirror, he said the empowered committee under the civil aviation ministry had cleared his application to run a domestic airline.

However, this does not mean his second airline can take off immediately. The final nod is yet to come from the Director-General of Civil Aviation(DGCA), the regulator of the Indian aviation industry. “I reapplied for a national airline licence when the government changed the rules allowing foreign airlines to invest up to 49 per cent (in domestic carriers). Both have been cleared,” he said.

While he can technically start running the airline after DGCA’s approval, he will still need the Foreign Investment Promotion Board’s approval to bring in a foreign equity partner to part-fund his venture. After the sale of his first aviation venture Air Deccan to Kingisher Airlines owner Vijay Mallya in 2008, Gopinath was bound by a cooling-off period of five years before he could return to the business. This period comes to a close this April.

However, two days ago, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh told a financial daily that he is not opposed to giving any fresh licence to anyone who comes with a joint venture partner. “I never said anything about JVs. Nobody else has applied so far except Gopinath, so there was nothing we could do, he already has a regional licence. Let him run that first and then we would consider upgrading it.”

Apart from finding a foreign equity partner, Gopinath’s biggest challenge will be in running his new airline profitably at a time when most domestic carriers are finding the going tough. Despite being the first lowcost domestic carrier, Air Deccan did not see profits until the end of 2006. Business conditions have only gotten worse since then, with the price of aviation fuel going through the roof.

The regional licence the minister referred to is Deccan Charters, which focuses on short-haul flights using choppers and small aircraft that can be hired by celebrities, politicians and industrialists. Gopinath also has an air logistics business under the Deccan 360 banner.

 Flying high 

1997: Starts a chartered chopper service, Deccan Charters

2003: Starts Air Deccan,  India’s first low-cost airline

2007: Sells Air Deccan to Kingfisher

2009: Starts Deccan 360, also known as Deccan Cargo & Express Logistics

2013: Gets civil aviation ministry approval to re-enter domestic airspace

source: http://www.mumbaimirror.com / Home> News> Nation> Story / by Kalyan Subramani / Thursday, February 28th, 2013

Bangalore to Host “Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction 2013”

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

Bangalore :

Works of S.H. Raza, F.N. Souza Among Others Slotted to go Under the Hammer Along With a Private Viewing of the Bentley Cars

Catering to the growing number of art patrons aspiring for International quality art has prompted Bangalore to feature the ‘ Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction ‘ . The rare event will host a blend of top notch Indian artists and their works. The event will be attended by a mix of art patrons and connoisseurs representing diverse backgrounds but unified by their love for art.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130227/599791)

The auction is being held in aid of Christel House India, a charity that works to break the cycle of poverty for some of the world’s poorest children. The creativity filled event will be held on 1st of March, 2013 at the ITC Windsor, Bangalore,7pm onwards.

Close on the heels of the recent success of the annual art event ‘ Art Bengalur ‘  held at UB City  each year, the first edition of the ‘Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction’ is organized by Sublime Gallery and  ArtChutney.com in association with the UB City and Prestige Group. The event is also supported by Forbes India and partnered by Four Seasons and Black Dog. ITC Windsor is the hospitality partner.

Christel DeHaan, Founder, Christel House International and Co-Founder, Resort Condominiums International, philanthropist and respected art lover will be gracing the event with her presence. She adds, “On behalf of the children of Christel House India, I express my heartfelt gratitude to Prestige Group and Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction 2013 for selecting Christel House to be the beneficiary of Bangalore’s largest charity art auction.” This year the objective of the auction is to bring about a unique platform inspired by international art events. Adds Uzma Irfan, Co-Founder of ‘Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction’, “This Spring Edition of the ‘Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction’ aims to present an exclusive event which will bring together renowned work from across the country, in an effort to introduce a higher level of art appreciation. The platform will play host to some of the most revered names in modern art, all in support of a single cause and their love for true art.”

‘Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction’ is being organized in association with well-known art patrons including Sanjiv Shanmugham, Jeeva Bhat, Sumeeta Chopra, Shaista Baljee, Vijay Rekhi, H.S. Rattha, Akash Khanna, Yash Saboo, Andrew Hendrian, Jawahar Gopal, M. Mohan, Vinita Chaitanya and Dr. Utpal Ray.

Artworks which are slotted to feature in the auction include works of Francis Newton Souza, Manu Parekh, Arpana Caur, S.H. Raza, Shuvaprasanna, Chitrovanu Mazumdar,Anupam Sud, S.G. Vasudev, Yusuf Arakkal, Paritosh Sen, Jogen Chowdhury, Pradip Maitra, M. Senathipathi, Bimal Kundu, S. Nandagopal, Vijender Sharma, Shipra Bhattacharya, Prabhakar M. Kolte, Paramjit Singh, Arunanshu Chowdhury, Jayashree Chakravarty and Thota Vaikuntam.

The auction catalogue shows the vastness and quality of the artworks. The event will have as many as 122 lots being auctioned on the 1st of March. The artworks are a blend of carefully selected contemporary artists, in addition to many established artists whose works are not easily available in the city. Sublime and ArtChutney were the first to introduce a serious art festival ‘Art Bengaluru’ to Bangalore following which they have started the trend of formal luxury art auctions in the city to help increase art appreciation.

The auction will be followed by a lavish poolside dinner and a private viewing of the Bentley Mulsanne and Continental GT.

The exclusive website with complete details of the event is live on http://www.modernandcontemporaryartauction.com. The website is equipped with the auction catalogue, absentee bid forms along with all other details.

source: http://www.itnewsonline.com / PR Newswire / February 27th, 2013

Fashion from the amateurs

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Budding Designers

Wills Lifestyle hosted the seventh edition of ‘The Debut’, an initiative for young fashion students, the future designers of the country, to promote their creativity and showcase their skills.

The event, held recently at Orion Mall, saw 13 students presenting their works to a panel of judges comprising eminent designers Manoviraj Khosla, Raj Shroff and Cora Goteman, head of department, fashion design, Pearl Academy.

These candidates were shortlisted after qualifying in a previous round, wherein their illustration-based design portfolios were evaluated. In this round, they were judged on parameters like creativity, technicality and commercial viability.

“‘The Debut’ is a unique platform that nurtures and recognises young talent in the field of fashion design. We are delighted at the response received and are sure that the initiative will only become stronger in the years to come,” says Atul Chand of ITC’s lifestyle retailing business division.

Stunning hand-tailored outfits by the students were displayed by the City’s models and the regional round saw some really good designs and themes explored. From ‘Retro Circus’, using clown collars and circus tents as inspiration to ‘Op Art’, using 3D structures and lines to ‘Indomania’, which concerned the country’s past — it was evident that a lot of time, thought and effort had gone into each collection.
Even the judges were quite impressed by the craftsmanship. “I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. At the end of the day, clothes need to be commercially viable because someone will wear it. Some of these students have understood that and have a lot of potential to make a difference in the industry,” expresses designer Manoviraj Khosla.

It was quite interesting to hear the designers speak about the look they chose and describe the inspiration behind it. “It took me three weeks to make my collection. I focussed on the hippie culture and recreated the ‘Summer of Love’ in 1967,” shares an excited Sanjana Jain of Pearl Academy, Chennai, one of the winners of this round for her turquoise gypsy dress and hipster shorts. She informs that she is already planning her third outfit for the finals.

The other short-listed participants to go the finals in New Delhi are Anubha Jain (Pearl Academy, Delhi), Mridul Jacob (Pearl Academy, Chennai), Raunaq Arora (NIFT, Hyderabad) and Padmaraj (NIFT, Bangalore).

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> Supplements>MetroLife / by DHNS / February 26th, 2013

Fellowship for CFRI scientist

Leaders, Science & Technology

Mysore, Feb.20 :

Dr. K.S.M.S. Raghavarao, Chief Scientist, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), has been elected a Fellow of the prestigious Indian National Academy of Engineering by its Council, effective from 1st January 2013.

The Indian National Academy of Engineering is the premier association of academic engineers and recognises outstanding personal contribution by engineers through Fellowships.

Dr. Raghavarao has received the honour for his research contribution in the area of Chemical engineering.

A scientist-engineer for the past 25 years, Dr. Raghavarao has published more than 155 research publications in national and international journals.

He has 25 International patents and 50 Indian patents, 20 processes to his credit and has guided 18 students for Ph.D. degree.

He was Fellow of Institution of Engineers (2010) and recipient of National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI)-Reliance Industries Award (2008), National Award, Ministry of Agriculture (2006) and Institution of Engineers Platinum Jubilee Award (2010), according to A.S.K.V.S. Sharma, Head, Information & Publicity, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysore.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 20th, 2013

NMA gives nod to shift Tipu armoury

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Hurdle cleared for Mysore-B’lore track doubling work?

Mysore, Feb. 20 :

With National Monument Authority (NMA) of the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI) giving clearance to shift the 18th century Armoury of Tipu Sultan in Srirangapatna, the major hurdle for the much hyped and long delayed railway track doubling work between Mysore and Bangalore crossed a major hurdle.

R. Gopal, Director, Department of Archaeology, Government of Karnataka, speaking to SOM said that that the NMA had finally given its clearance to move the monument and the file has been referred to the Secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture, who heads the NMA (South) overseeing monuments in Mysore and Bangalore division to get the approval from the Ministry of Kannada and Culture and added that this is expected to happen soon.

Gopal said that three proposals (a) To move the monument as it is slowly which is a two months process, (b) to cut eight blocks, shift & plaster and (c) To shift brick by brick and reconstruct it was laid before the NMA. Of the three proposals, the first one was chosen as it would retain the heritage look better than the two other proposals which required plastering and reconstruction.

He further stated that as the monument would be moved 100 mts. beyond the temple, the clearance was given and said that the work on moving the monument would be completed in two months from the date of commencement and added that this method of moving of monument inch by inch using the skidding method was the first of its kind in the country.

Gopal said rocks and stones had been used in the foundations of the armoury which is 10 ft deep and added that a new foundation would be laid before moving the armoury. Regarding the work, he said that it is yet to be decided wether the experts would called in or tenders would be called.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 20th, 2013

South India’s first double-decker train goes on trial run in Bangalore

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Chugging on: The Chennai-Bangalore Double-Decker AC train on a trial run in Bangalore on Sunday | Express Photo

The new Linke Holfmann Busch (LHB) double-decker train, which is the first of its kind to be introduced in South India between Chennai and Bangalore, made its trial run on Sunday.

The train, announced in the 2012-13 budget, is the third double-decker train in the country. The other two are running on the Jaipur-Delhi Sarai Rohilla and Howrah-Dhanbad routes.

Senior divisional commercial manager N Ramesh, who came to see the new rake (train) at the Bangalore City Railway Station, said, “Research Design and Standards Organisation will conduct trials by running the train for a week. This is to see if the new rake is compatible on the route before handing it over to the operations department. The operations department of the South Western Railways and Southern Railway will conduct trials for one week before introducing it as a regular train.”

The new train will have a composition of 11 coaches, each with a seating capacity of 120. Initially, the train is expected to run with eight coaches. Each coach will have a middle deck at the entry points and the middle deck will branch out to upper and lower decks.

At 4.366 metres, the new rake is marginally higher than the other LHB rakes, including the Shatabdi rake, which stands at 4.025 metres.

Ramesh said a tentative schedule had already been worked out and according to it, the train would leave Chennai at 7.25 am and arrive at Bangalore City Railway Station by 1.20 pm. On the return journey, the train would leave Bangalore city at 2.40 pm and reach Chennai at 8.45 pm.

As the train will take less than six hours for a one-way travel, this will be the fastest train between Bangalore and Chennai. The train will briefly stop at Bangalore Cantonment, Krishnarajapuram, Bangarpet, Jolarpettai, Ambur, Katpadi, Arakonam and Perumbur railway stations.

According to RDSO officials, who are conducting the trail run, the train did not have any problems while reaching Bangalore.

The present railway fare from Bangalore to Chennai in express trains is `440 for adults and `290 for male senior citizens and `250 for female senior citizens and children.

It has to be seen if the existing fares will be revised for the new train.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Express News Service – Bangalore / February 25th, 2013

Indo-Canadian symposium on Nano science and technology

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Mysore, Feb.19 :

The two-day ‘Indo-Canadian Symposium on Nano-Science and Technology,’ jointly organised by the National Institute of Engineering (NIE), Mysore and McMaster University, Canada, will be inaugurated by Prof. Robert Pelton, Canada Research Chair in Interfacial Technologies and Scientific Director, SENTINEL, McMaster University at Prof. CNR Rao Rostrum, Diamond Jubilee Sports Complex, NIE here on Feb. 20 at 9.30 am.

The primary objective of this International symposium is to provide a platform for the participants from academia, research organisations and industry, who are actively involved in research on Nano-science and Technology, to present results from their ongoing work. This Symposium provides opportunities for the delegates to directly exchange new ideas and applications of Nano-science and Technology to foster business or research initiatives and to find global partners for future collaboration through their poster presentations, abstracts or full papers.

S.R.Subba Rao, Hon. President, NIE, will preside.

The proceedings of the Symposium will be released by Prof. G. U. Kulkarni, Dean – Academic, Chemistry & Physics of Materials Unit on Nano-science at JNCASR, Bangalore.

Prof. John S. Preston, Professor, Department of Engineering Physics, McMaster University, will be the guest of honour.

The Symposium features plenary talks by leading academic experts in Nano-science and Technology from McMaster University, JNCASR, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and other premier organisations. This is followed by oral presentations by research scholars working in the frontier areas like functional nanocomposites, nano-photonics and nano-electronics, advanced nano materials, synthesis of nanomaterials, nano-fluids, nano-materials for renewable energy applications and commercialisation of nanotechnology.

The Symposium has been organised in association with Ministry of Human Resources Development-World Bank’s Technical Education Quality Improvement Project (TEQIP) and Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.

The Karnataka Science and Technology Academy, Government of Karnataka, has sponsored 35 faculty members of science colleges, science teachers of engineering colleges and faculty members of medical and pharmacy colleges for the Symposium. The mega event, which is of inter-disciplinary nature, is being organised by the Centre for Nanotechnology at NIE headed by Dr. G. L. Shekar, Principal, NIE.

It may be recalled here that NIE has signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with McMaster University, Canada, to jointly work in areas of Nano-science, Energy and Water. In this regard, a few faculty members from NIE paid a visit to McMaster University and some of the well-known academicians from McMaster University have visited NIE.

One of the research students of NIE is pursuing Master’s at McMaster University and working on bio-active paper sensors developed by the SENTINEL Solutions under Prof. Robert Pelton. In fact, NIE has taken the responsibility of conducting a pilot study to test the water quality in nearby villages using these bioactive paper sensors.

As part of the academic cooperation, the first Indo-Canadian international Symposium on Nanoscience and Technology is being organised by the Centre for Nanotechnology (CNT) at NIE. The valedictory programme will be held on Feb. 21at 5.30 pm.

Prof. Peter Mascher, Professor and William Sinclair Chair in Optoelectronics, Associate Dean (Research and External Relations), Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University, will deliver the valedictory address.

Prof. Rajasekara Murthy, Emeritus Scientist, National Water Research Institute, Canada, will be the guest of honour. H.N.Ramathirtha, Past President and Director, NIE, will preside over the function.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 19th, 2013

This 73-year-old man is a green warrior

Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature

Mallikarjun Shetty , a 73-year-old retired superintendent  engineer , is known as Anna Hazare  of Belgaum for his activism in protecting the environment. He was instrumental in getting the construction of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha shifted from Vaccine Depot to the present location at Halaga Bastwad.

Shetty, who worked with Maharashtra Electricity Supply Board, threatened to go on a hunger strike if Suvarna Vidhana Soudha was constructed at Vaccine Depot. The 200-acre land is full of trees and houses lot of animals and birds. He wrote many letters to the chief minister urging that Vaccine Depot be protected and came down heavily on the government for the proposed indoor stadium at the spot. He has also planted thousands of trees in Belgaum and also in Maharashtra. Shetty also creates awareness among people, especially the student community, about the importance of ecological balance. He has distributed nearly 200 eco-friendly bags to students and public. He is also credited with introducing door-to-door garbage collection in his area, which was the first in Belgaum city. The system was later followed across the city.

He also creates awareness on the judicious use of water and rainwater harvesting.

Every morning, armed with a broom, Shetty sweeps his locality and bus stand in Hanumanagar. Incidentally, Shetty joined hands with a philanthropist and helped construct the bus stand in Hanumanagar in 2003.

Sunil Basavaraj Nimbal, a businessperson, who was inspired by Shetty’s work, says: “He is a role model. Even at this age, he is very active. Inspired by his concern for the environment, I started using the bicycle instead of my bike or car.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hubli / by R. Uday Kumar, TNN / February 24th, 2013

Natl. seminar on cultural tourism held at Mahajana Institute

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

The book ‘Pravasodyama Abhivruddhi – Hosa Aayama’ (New perspectives of tourism development), authored by Prof. K.S. Nagapathi (extreme right), Director of Mahajana Toursim Development Institute, was released at the national seminar held at the Institute premises in city on Friday.

Others seen are (from left) L.N. Swamy of the Institute, Samskruthi Subramanya, Mahajana Education Society President R. Vasudeva Murthy, Director of Epigraphy Branch-ASI, Mysore, T.S. Ravishankar and former Director of Kerala State Archaeology, Chennai, T. Satyamurthy.

Mysore, Feb. 18 :

Former Director of Kerala State Archaeology, Chennai, T. Satyamurthy inaugurated the two-day national seminar on ‘Archaeological, Historical and Cultural Tourism in South India’ organised by Mahajana Tourism Development Institute on KRS Road in city on Friday.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that development of tourism in the country is largely dependent on culture and added that the culture of the nation should be portrayed in a fitting man- ner to make tourism an effective medium to attract the masses.

Every village in India has its own essence of tourism, with unique culture, practices and historical values. When all these aspects are depicted in an effective manner tourism will witness development, he opined.

Pointing out that the god’s own country Kerala is ranked first in tourism sectors in the Nation, Sathyamurthy said that the State does not have much of historical, monuments and places of attractions, but still has excellent scope for health and environment tourism. Though Odisha has a rich combination of history and heritage, it does not stand on par with Kerala when it comes to tourist footfall, he stated.

Indian tourism is perhaps one among the oldest tourism countries on account of religious, historical, heritage and cultural reasons, he added.

The Director of Epigraphy branch, Archaelogical Survey of India, Mysore, T.S. Ravishankar said that numerous historical manuscripts available in India contain information about the country’s heritage and culture. He said, appropriate measures should be taken to make foreign tourists know about such antiques.

‘Pravasodyama Abhivruddhi- Hosa Aayama’ (New perspectives of tourism development), a book authored by Prof. K. S. Nagapathi, Director of the Mahajana Tourism Institute was released on the occasion.

Mahajana Education Society President R. Vasudeva Murthy, Samskruti Subbanna and L. N. Swamy of the institute were present on the occasion.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 18th, 2013