Researchers at IBM have stored and retrieved digital 1s and 0s from an array of just 12 atoms, pushing the boundaries of the magnetic storage of information to the edge of what is possible.
The findings, being reported Thursday in the journal Science, could help lead to a new class of nanomaterials for a generation of memory chips and disk drives that will not only have greater capabilities than the current silicon-based computers but will also consume significantly less power. And it may offer a new direction for research in quantum computing.
"Magnetic materials are extremely useful and strategically important to many major economies, but there aren't that many of them," said Shan X Wang, director of the Center for Magnetic Nanotechnology at Stanford University. "To make a brand new material is very intriguing and scientifically very important."
Until now, the most advanced magnetic storage systems have needed about 1 million atoms to store a digital 1 or 0. The new achievement is the product of a heated international race between two elite physics laboratories to explore the properties of magnetic materials at a far smaller scale.
Last May, a group at the Institute of Applied Physics at the University of Hamburg in Germany reported on the ability to perform computer logic operations on an atomic level.
The group at IBM's Almaden Research Center here, led by Andreas Heinrich, has now created the smallest possible unit of magnetic storage by painstakingly arranging two rows of six iron atoms on a surface of copper nitrite atoms. The cluster of atoms is described as anti-ferromagnetic - a rare quality in which each atom in the array has an opposed magnetic orientation. (In common ferromagnetic materials like iron, nickel and cobalt, the atoms are magnetically aligned.)
Under the laboratory's founder, Don Eigler, IBM has explored the science of nanomaterials far smaller than the silicon chips used in today's semiconductors. Eigler recently retired from the company but is a co-author of the Science paper.
The researchers now use a scanning tunneling microscope, which looks like a giant washing machine festooned with aluminum foil, not only to capture images of atoms but to reposition individual atoms - much the way a billiard ball might be moved by a pool cue with a sticky tip.
Although the research took place at temperatures near absolute zero, the scientists wrote that the same experiment could be done at room temperature with as few as 150 atoms.
As part of its demonstration of the anti-ferromagnetic storage effect, the researchers created a computer byte, or character, out of an individually placed array of 96 atoms. They then used the array to encode the IBM motto "Think" by repeatedly programming the memory block to store representations of its five letters.
Success in my Habit
Monday, January 16, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Vizag Steel board approves Rs 5,000-cr investment
Visakhapatnam: Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (Visakhapatnam Steel Plant) on Thursday announced that Rs 5,000-crore worth of new units would come up in the plant here as a part of its expansion project.
The board gave its approval for the setting up of a seamless tube mill at an estimated cost of Rs 2,300 crore and installation of a new coke oven battery at an estimated cost of Rs 2,620 crore. The expansion project would increase the capacity to 6.3 mtpa (at a total cost of Rs 12,300 crore) from the present 3 million tonnes a year. The expansion project is nearing completion, according to a company release.
To enhance its product mix , the steel plant will set up the seamless tube mill of 4 lakh tonne a year capacity.
The plant will produce seamless tubes of 5.5” to 18” with a provision to produce even less than 5.5” tubes in the existing layout of the plant. The unique feature of the proposed plant is that it has the option to produce above 18” tubes by creating additional facilities in future.
Currently, only up to 14” tubes are being produced in the private sector. Once RINL completes its plan to produce 18” and above seamless tubes, it will become the only steel plant in the country to produce such high diameter tubes, according to Mr A. P. Choudhary, the CMD. The new mill will be completed in 30 months from the date of order placement.
Export opportunity
The proposed mill will cater to the needs of oil exploration & refining, natural gas, petro-chemicals, power sector, fertilisers as well as engineering industries. RINL may export the seamless tubes to Malaysia, Singapore, and S. Korea. The tube mill will be set up either through a joint venture or on its own.
Coke oven battery
In its journey to becoming a 20 mtpa plant by 2020, RINL will build a new coke oven batter (COB-5) along with a by-product plant and its associated facilities to meet its metallurgical coke needs. M.N Dastur & Co, the consultant, has prepared the project report.
The eco-friendly coke oven battery's height would be 7 metres , with 67 ovens each and a top charging battery. For the first time, the steel plant is installing a ‘Claus' plant for recovery of ‘elemental sulphur', which will help in maintaining the sulphur content in the effluents much below the stipulated norms.
The COB-5 is coming up as a standalone battery, comprising a by-product plant, coke dry quenching, coal and coke handling plant, and phenolic effluent treatment plant.
Mr Choudhary said that out of Rs 2,620 crore set aside for the COB 5, around Rs 500 crore would be spent on the environment management system.
The board gave its approval for the setting up of a seamless tube mill at an estimated cost of Rs 2,300 crore and installation of a new coke oven battery at an estimated cost of Rs 2,620 crore. The expansion project would increase the capacity to 6.3 mtpa (at a total cost of Rs 12,300 crore) from the present 3 million tonnes a year. The expansion project is nearing completion, according to a company release.
To enhance its product mix , the steel plant will set up the seamless tube mill of 4 lakh tonne a year capacity.
The plant will produce seamless tubes of 5.5” to 18” with a provision to produce even less than 5.5” tubes in the existing layout of the plant. The unique feature of the proposed plant is that it has the option to produce above 18” tubes by creating additional facilities in future.
Currently, only up to 14” tubes are being produced in the private sector. Once RINL completes its plan to produce 18” and above seamless tubes, it will become the only steel plant in the country to produce such high diameter tubes, according to Mr A. P. Choudhary, the CMD. The new mill will be completed in 30 months from the date of order placement.
Export opportunity
The proposed mill will cater to the needs of oil exploration & refining, natural gas, petro-chemicals, power sector, fertilisers as well as engineering industries. RINL may export the seamless tubes to Malaysia, Singapore, and S. Korea. The tube mill will be set up either through a joint venture or on its own.
Coke oven battery
In its journey to becoming a 20 mtpa plant by 2020, RINL will build a new coke oven batter (COB-5) along with a by-product plant and its associated facilities to meet its metallurgical coke needs. M.N Dastur & Co, the consultant, has prepared the project report.
The eco-friendly coke oven battery's height would be 7 metres , with 67 ovens each and a top charging battery. For the first time, the steel plant is installing a ‘Claus' plant for recovery of ‘elemental sulphur', which will help in maintaining the sulphur content in the effluents much below the stipulated norms.
The COB-5 is coming up as a standalone battery, comprising a by-product plant, coke dry quenching, coal and coke handling plant, and phenolic effluent treatment plant.
Mr Choudhary said that out of Rs 2,620 crore set aside for the COB 5, around Rs 500 crore would be spent on the environment management system.
Infosys, HDFC Bank in HBR's elite growth list
Mumbai: Two Indian companies, Infosys and HDFC Bank, along with the US-based company of Indian-origin Cognizant, figure in an elite group of 10 companies identified by Harvard Business Review (HBR) as the companies that have consistently performed better than others around the world over a ten-year period.
Calling this elite group of 10 companies as the 'Growth Outliers' among nearly 4,800 listed companies with market capitalization of at least $1 billion, HBR said some of the things these corporates do "don't match up well with some conventional ideas about growth". In an article titled 'How the Growth Outliers Do It' in HBR's latest issue, its author Rita Gunther McGrath searched for listed companies that have grown by at least 5% each year over a 10-year period ending 2009. The results showed that only 10 companies - three from US, two each from India and Spain, and one each from Japan, China and Slovenia - grew their net profit by at least 5% during the 10-year period. And only five grew both revenues and net profit every year.
"Data suggest a need to rethink our assumptions about corporate performance. Steady, consistent growth is difficult to achieve even at modest rates, never mind the double digits that corporate leaders are fond of promising," McGrath, a professor at Columbia Business School, wrote in article.
The findings of McGrath's analysis challenge some of the conventional beliefs. It was found that a company's growth rate is not determined by the industry it is in, that the larger a company gets, sustaining growth does not get harder, that consistently higher growth rates need not happen only in fast-growing markets or single geographic regions, or that growth does not necessarily slow down as companies age.
The findings also challenge the hugely popular idea that companies started by entrepreneurs would have an edge. "Although two of our outliers (Infosys and FactSet) were indeed start ups,...others (Indra Sistemas, ACS, Atmos, Krka) were the product of mergers and consolidations, and still others (Cognizant, HDFC Bank, Yahoo Japan) were spun out of or funded by existing organizations," the HBR noted.
Some common traits among these growth outliers were identified by McGrath and her colleagues during their research. According to them, these companies share certain common characteristics and their leadership, strategy and values are very stable. Some of those common characters are these companies are rapid adaptors, they make small bets early and diversify their portfolios, they are active acquirers.
Calling this elite group of 10 companies as the 'Growth Outliers' among nearly 4,800 listed companies with market capitalization of at least $1 billion, HBR said some of the things these corporates do "don't match up well with some conventional ideas about growth". In an article titled 'How the Growth Outliers Do It' in HBR's latest issue, its author Rita Gunther McGrath searched for listed companies that have grown by at least 5% each year over a 10-year period ending 2009. The results showed that only 10 companies - three from US, two each from India and Spain, and one each from Japan, China and Slovenia - grew their net profit by at least 5% during the 10-year period. And only five grew both revenues and net profit every year.
"Data suggest a need to rethink our assumptions about corporate performance. Steady, consistent growth is difficult to achieve even at modest rates, never mind the double digits that corporate leaders are fond of promising," McGrath, a professor at Columbia Business School, wrote in article.
The findings of McGrath's analysis challenge some of the conventional beliefs. It was found that a company's growth rate is not determined by the industry it is in, that the larger a company gets, sustaining growth does not get harder, that consistently higher growth rates need not happen only in fast-growing markets or single geographic regions, or that growth does not necessarily slow down as companies age.
The findings also challenge the hugely popular idea that companies started by entrepreneurs would have an edge. "Although two of our outliers (Infosys and FactSet) were indeed start ups,...others (Indra Sistemas, ACS, Atmos, Krka) were the product of mergers and consolidations, and still others (Cognizant, HDFC Bank, Yahoo Japan) were spun out of or funded by existing organizations," the HBR noted.
Some common traits among these growth outliers were identified by McGrath and her colleagues during their research. According to them, these companies share certain common characteristics and their leadership, strategy and values are very stable. Some of those common characters are these companies are rapid adaptors, they make small bets early and diversify their portfolios, they are active acquirers.
Partnership Summit 2012: AP signs MoUs worth Rs 1 lakh cr
Hyderabad: It was a day of MoUs in Hyderabad on Thursday, involving almost Rs 1,00,000 crore worth proposed investments in Andhra Pradesh over the next five years.
The inaugural day of the three-day CII Partnership Summit 2012 saw a flurry of MoUs being signed across sectors such as power, refinery, gas, mining and education.
With more agreements being lined up for Friday, the State Government expects the summit to end with investment proposals worth over a staggering Rs 5,00,00 crore involving top private and public sector companies.
One of the biggest proposals came from GMR Group, which expressed interest in investing Rs 33,000 crore for setting up a 15 million tonne refinery-cum-petrochemicals complex and a multi-product SEZ in the Vizag-Kakinada region.
This comes in the wake of ONGC withdrawing from the Kakinada greenfield refinery-cum-petrochemicals project, with the GMR Group proposing to pick up the divested stake.
BR Shetty Group has expressed interest to invest another Rs 30,000 crore to put up a refinery project at the PCPIR region in Visakhapatnam.
The Yash Birla group concluded a MoU involving an investment of Rs 13,000 crore to set up a sports city (Rs 2,000 crore) and an Ayurveda complex (Rs 750 crore), Rs 10,000 crore poly silicon plant, within the next 18 months.
Power sector
The power sector will form the bulk of the MoUs that are to be signed during the summit. While GVK Power has committed an investment of Rs 10,000 crore to set up up a 2,400 MW thermal power unit fired by coal from Australia, State-owned NTPC and AP Genco have expressed interest to set up a 400 mw and 9,760 mw stations respectively. Similarly, AP Power Development, a subsidiary of AP Genco, will set up another 2,200 mw plant and Singareni Colleries Co Ltd is planning a 1,200 mw coal-based unit in Adilabad district.
The Chief Minister, Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy, who signed the MoUs on behalf of the government, said committed improved infrastructure and a “hassle-free environment is conducive to attracting investments.”
The inaugural day of the three-day CII Partnership Summit 2012 saw a flurry of MoUs being signed across sectors such as power, refinery, gas, mining and education.
With more agreements being lined up for Friday, the State Government expects the summit to end with investment proposals worth over a staggering Rs 5,00,00 crore involving top private and public sector companies.
One of the biggest proposals came from GMR Group, which expressed interest in investing Rs 33,000 crore for setting up a 15 million tonne refinery-cum-petrochemicals complex and a multi-product SEZ in the Vizag-Kakinada region.
This comes in the wake of ONGC withdrawing from the Kakinada greenfield refinery-cum-petrochemicals project, with the GMR Group proposing to pick up the divested stake.
BR Shetty Group has expressed interest to invest another Rs 30,000 crore to put up a refinery project at the PCPIR region in Visakhapatnam.
The Yash Birla group concluded a MoU involving an investment of Rs 13,000 crore to set up a sports city (Rs 2,000 crore) and an Ayurveda complex (Rs 750 crore), Rs 10,000 crore poly silicon plant, within the next 18 months.
Power sector
The power sector will form the bulk of the MoUs that are to be signed during the summit. While GVK Power has committed an investment of Rs 10,000 crore to set up up a 2,400 MW thermal power unit fired by coal from Australia, State-owned NTPC and AP Genco have expressed interest to set up a 400 mw and 9,760 mw stations respectively. Similarly, AP Power Development, a subsidiary of AP Genco, will set up another 2,200 mw plant and Singareni Colleries Co Ltd is planning a 1,200 mw coal-based unit in Adilabad district.
The Chief Minister, Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy, who signed the MoUs on behalf of the government, said committed improved infrastructure and a “hassle-free environment is conducive to attracting investments.”
Japan keen to invest in road transport, maritime sectors
New Delhi: After investing in the railways and metro rail transportation in India, Japan is looking to step up its investments in the roads and maritime sectors.
A Japanese delegation led by Mr Takeshi Maeda, Japanese Minister for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, today met its Indian counterparts in highways and shipping.
Japan has part-funded the dedicated rail freight corridor and the Delhi Metro Rail system. It is also keen on funding the proposed high-speed train projects.
The Japanese team was particularly keen on port connectivity, draft, new berths, terminals and other facilities at the Ennore and Chennai ports. Japanese firm Nissan has an interest in exporting cars from Ennore port.
“In a meeting with the Shipping Minister, Mr G.K. Vasan, bilateral issues concerning the port and shipping sectors and other issues of mutual interest such as ship-breaking, ship-building, connectivity projects to ports and exchange programmes were taken up,” an official release said. In the highways sector, Japan wants to invest in road transport management systems and intelligent transport systems. This would include offering services in the area of electronic toll management, amongst others.
Dr C.P. Joshi, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, said the Ministry is in the process of finalising a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC). “The proposed MOC will enable the Ministry of Road Transport to exchange technical knowledge and expertise in the road transportation sector, including capacity building and advanced technology for roads, road transport management systems and intelligent transport systems,” an official release said.
A Japanese delegation led by Mr Takeshi Maeda, Japanese Minister for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, today met its Indian counterparts in highways and shipping.
Japan has part-funded the dedicated rail freight corridor and the Delhi Metro Rail system. It is also keen on funding the proposed high-speed train projects.
The Japanese team was particularly keen on port connectivity, draft, new berths, terminals and other facilities at the Ennore and Chennai ports. Japanese firm Nissan has an interest in exporting cars from Ennore port.
“In a meeting with the Shipping Minister, Mr G.K. Vasan, bilateral issues concerning the port and shipping sectors and other issues of mutual interest such as ship-breaking, ship-building, connectivity projects to ports and exchange programmes were taken up,” an official release said. In the highways sector, Japan wants to invest in road transport management systems and intelligent transport systems. This would include offering services in the area of electronic toll management, amongst others.
Dr C.P. Joshi, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, said the Ministry is in the process of finalising a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC). “The proposed MOC will enable the Ministry of Road Transport to exchange technical knowledge and expertise in the road transportation sector, including capacity building and advanced technology for roads, road transport management systems and intelligent transport systems,” an official release said.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Indian mobile ad network Vserv expanding into emerging markets
Bangalore: Mobile ad network, Vserv is planning to follow the InMobi path by targeting emerging markets for growth. The two-year-old start-up is set to establish an office in Singapore next month. With this, the Mumbai-based venture hopes to expand its reach in South East Asia.
"Developers from other countries use our product but that has been a result of online marketing. With offices in other markets we would like to expand our marketing reach," says Dippak Khurana, co-founder and CEO of Vserv. The venture's product, AppWrapper, adds advertisements to a developer's mobile application or apps and can be used on basic feature phones that have mobile internet browsing and on smartphones.
InMobi, which claims to have delivered mobile advertisements in 165 countries, had focused on countries like Indonesia, South Africa and Malaysia before entering the more developed US and Europe markets. InMobi, which is counted among the largest mobile ad networks in the world, raised $200 million from Japan's Softbank in September last year.
The rise in mobile penetration and mobile internet usage has spurred the growth of mobile advertising. Industry estimates put the total number of mobile phone subscriptions at over 5 billion and a Cisco study has estimated that 788 million people across the world will access internet solely through the mobile phone by 2015.
The surging numbers have a direct impact on mobile advertising and according to industry research firm Informa Telecoms & Media, mobile advertising revenue will cross $24 billion in 2015 and the largest contributor will be the Asia Pacific region.
Vserv's Khurana claims that over 10,000 apps run AppWrapper. "Only 30% of our product downloads happen in India. The rest comes from South East Asian countries like Indonesia and Vietnam, followed by Middle East and Africa," says Khurana, who hopes to have a physical presence in these markets by year-end.
Khurana hopes to replicate the learnings in India across emerging markets. "The Indian market is representative of the emerging markets, in terms of devices and usage, so what succeeds here can be replicated elsewhere," says Khurana, who is targeting to reach $100 million in revenues in three years.
"Developers from other countries use our product but that has been a result of online marketing. With offices in other markets we would like to expand our marketing reach," says Dippak Khurana, co-founder and CEO of Vserv. The venture's product, AppWrapper, adds advertisements to a developer's mobile application or apps and can be used on basic feature phones that have mobile internet browsing and on smartphones.
InMobi, which claims to have delivered mobile advertisements in 165 countries, had focused on countries like Indonesia, South Africa and Malaysia before entering the more developed US and Europe markets. InMobi, which is counted among the largest mobile ad networks in the world, raised $200 million from Japan's Softbank in September last year.
The rise in mobile penetration and mobile internet usage has spurred the growth of mobile advertising. Industry estimates put the total number of mobile phone subscriptions at over 5 billion and a Cisco study has estimated that 788 million people across the world will access internet solely through the mobile phone by 2015.
The surging numbers have a direct impact on mobile advertising and according to industry research firm Informa Telecoms & Media, mobile advertising revenue will cross $24 billion in 2015 and the largest contributor will be the Asia Pacific region.
Vserv's Khurana claims that over 10,000 apps run AppWrapper. "Only 30% of our product downloads happen in India. The rest comes from South East Asian countries like Indonesia and Vietnam, followed by Middle East and Africa," says Khurana, who hopes to have a physical presence in these markets by year-end.
Khurana hopes to replicate the learnings in India across emerging markets. "The Indian market is representative of the emerging markets, in terms of devices and usage, so what succeeds here can be replicated elsewhere," says Khurana, who is targeting to reach $100 million in revenues in three years.
US-based financial planning major enters India
ew Delhi: With rapid increase of high net worth individuals (HNWI), India has emerged as an attractive market for wealth management. The latest entrant is Ameriprise , the largest financial planning company of the US. The 117-year old company has a client base of over 2 million in US.
At present, the company manages assets of over $600 billion through its mutual funds and life insurance companies in US and Europe. However , in India, it will start operation with financial planning for individuals having annual income of over Rs 20 lakh.
Most of the large companies that are operating in the financial planning space are either banks, life insurance companies or mutual funds. Ameriprise will be the first multi-billion dollar company which will operate only in financial planning space in the country. "This shows our commitment and seriousness to financial planning space,'' said Kim M. Sharan, president - financial planning and wealth strategies.
"With its trilliondollar economy, India is not only an important market from a business perspective, but also one where our unique approach to planning could truly transform the way consumers manages their finances," said James M Cracchiolo, chairman and CEO of Ameriprise Financial.
Sharan said, "As a financial planner we give complete solution to our clients so that they can meet their requirements when they arise.'' On the issue of slowing down of the economy and poor returns of the investments from the various class of assets, Sharan said when the market is not performing , investors need advises to maximize their returns. When the market is going up, anybody can make money and advisors are not required.
Chairman of Ameriprise India Bimal I Gandhi said to begin with, the company would start its operations from Mumbai and Delhi. Later it will expand its operation in the other parts of the country. Gandhi said before starting its operation, it has customized various models of investments . It would not copy the American model for Indian market, he said.
At present, the company manages assets of over $600 billion through its mutual funds and life insurance companies in US and Europe. However , in India, it will start operation with financial planning for individuals having annual income of over Rs 20 lakh.
Most of the large companies that are operating in the financial planning space are either banks, life insurance companies or mutual funds. Ameriprise will be the first multi-billion dollar company which will operate only in financial planning space in the country. "This shows our commitment and seriousness to financial planning space,'' said Kim M. Sharan, president - financial planning and wealth strategies.
"With its trilliondollar economy, India is not only an important market from a business perspective, but also one where our unique approach to planning could truly transform the way consumers manages their finances," said James M Cracchiolo, chairman and CEO of Ameriprise Financial.
Sharan said, "As a financial planner we give complete solution to our clients so that they can meet their requirements when they arise.'' On the issue of slowing down of the economy and poor returns of the investments from the various class of assets, Sharan said when the market is not performing , investors need advises to maximize their returns. When the market is going up, anybody can make money and advisors are not required.
Chairman of Ameriprise India Bimal I Gandhi said to begin with, the company would start its operations from Mumbai and Delhi. Later it will expand its operation in the other parts of the country. Gandhi said before starting its operation, it has customized various models of investments . It would not copy the American model for Indian market, he said.
Gamesa commissions blade unit in Gujarat
Mumbai: Global wind energy major Gamesa has commissioned a Rs 175-crore blade making factory at Vadodara, Gujarat.
The plant, scheduled to produce 390 blades in 2013, will make components for its 850-kW and 2-MW turbine systems.
The manufacturing facility, which has produced its first blade for the 850-kW turbine, will primarily route supplies to the northern States, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
This is part of the €60-million investments Gamesa had announced in March, 2011 to strengthen its manufacturing base in India to tap rising demand in the wind energy market. The company intends to complete its investment plans by building a factory to produce nacelles (cover that houses all generating components in a wind turbine) in Tamil Nadu.
“This marks another step towards cementing our manufacturing base in India, where we are also implementing our best technology and practices in wind turbine production,” said Mr Ramesh Kymal, Chairman, Gamesa India.
Gamesa also operates as a wind farm developer in India, where it has a portfolio of wind farms exceeding 2,100 MW of combined capacity at varying stages of development.
In May 2011, Gamesa Wind Turbines, the Indian subsidiary of Gamesa Corporacion, signed a $2-billion agreement with Caparo Energy India for supply and commissioning 2,000 MW of turbine capacity in India. The deal was said to be the biggest in India and among the largest in the world.
The plant, scheduled to produce 390 blades in 2013, will make components for its 850-kW and 2-MW turbine systems.
The manufacturing facility, which has produced its first blade for the 850-kW turbine, will primarily route supplies to the northern States, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
This is part of the €60-million investments Gamesa had announced in March, 2011 to strengthen its manufacturing base in India to tap rising demand in the wind energy market. The company intends to complete its investment plans by building a factory to produce nacelles (cover that houses all generating components in a wind turbine) in Tamil Nadu.
“This marks another step towards cementing our manufacturing base in India, where we are also implementing our best technology and practices in wind turbine production,” said Mr Ramesh Kymal, Chairman, Gamesa India.
Gamesa also operates as a wind farm developer in India, where it has a portfolio of wind farms exceeding 2,100 MW of combined capacity at varying stages of development.
In May 2011, Gamesa Wind Turbines, the Indian subsidiary of Gamesa Corporacion, signed a $2-billion agreement with Caparo Energy India for supply and commissioning 2,000 MW of turbine capacity in India. The deal was said to be the biggest in India and among the largest in the world.
Trinidad may offer India access to more LNG
Kolkata: The Prime Minister of the Trinidad and Tobago, Ms Kamla Persad-Bissessar, on Tuesday said that her country is keen to attract Indian fashion, entertainment, education, agriculture-technology and maritime industries. Though she did not make any direct commitment, she indicated Trinidad and Tobago may “offer” India access to the much needed LNG (liquefied natural gas).
Talking to select journalists over dinner in Kolkata, Ms Bissessar, the Indian origin, first woman Prime Minister of the republic of 13 million people, said that the Caribbean nation has policies in place, to offer India (or any other nation of its choice) more LNG.
The meeting was organised by the Global Organisation for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) in collaboration with Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Trinidad and Tobago owns majority stake in the oil and gas fields. India's LNG imports from the country have come down in the recent years. Though Ms Bissessar did not confirm if Indian imports from the Caribbean should witness an improvement, she was clear that she would explore possibilities.
Reiterating her interest in strengthening economic social bonding with world's largest democracy, the Prime Minister said that her country is keen to project itself as a “location” for Bollywood films. “We are looking at Bollywood to come to Trinidad and Tobago in a big way.”
Also high on the priority list is attracting high profile Indian fashion designers to Trinidad. “I have met some reputed fashion designers from India and they promised to participate in the fashion week in October 2012,” she said.
Ms Bissessar was in the city to pay tribute to “The Kolkata Memorial” — created on January 11 last year at Kidderpore dock in the city, in memory of the Indian labourers taken to far away lands by the Britishers from 1834 through the 1920s. She also visited her ancestral village in Buxur district in Bihar.
Talking to select journalists over dinner in Kolkata, Ms Bissessar, the Indian origin, first woman Prime Minister of the republic of 13 million people, said that the Caribbean nation has policies in place, to offer India (or any other nation of its choice) more LNG.
The meeting was organised by the Global Organisation for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) in collaboration with Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Trinidad and Tobago owns majority stake in the oil and gas fields. India's LNG imports from the country have come down in the recent years. Though Ms Bissessar did not confirm if Indian imports from the Caribbean should witness an improvement, she was clear that she would explore possibilities.
Reiterating her interest in strengthening economic social bonding with world's largest democracy, the Prime Minister said that her country is keen to project itself as a “location” for Bollywood films. “We are looking at Bollywood to come to Trinidad and Tobago in a big way.”
Also high on the priority list is attracting high profile Indian fashion designers to Trinidad. “I have met some reputed fashion designers from India and they promised to participate in the fashion week in October 2012,” she said.
Ms Bissessar was in the city to pay tribute to “The Kolkata Memorial” — created on January 11 last year at Kidderpore dock in the city, in memory of the Indian labourers taken to far away lands by the Britishers from 1834 through the 1920s. She also visited her ancestral village in Buxur district in Bihar.
Hungary invites Indian investments in auto sector
Chennai: Hungary is keen on investments from India in the automobile sector, particularly auto components.
Addressing the members of the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Wednesday, Mr Janos Terenyi, Ambassador of Hungary in India, said there are huge capacities in his country that were supplying components to bus and truck manufacturing companies in the erstwhile Soviet bloc. The country now needs investments to revive those units, he said.
Bilateral trade
Hungary is an important member of the European Common Market and the European Union, and with its strategic location in the heart of Europe it can provide an important gateway to Europe. Currently, bilateral trade between India and Hungary is estimated at $30 million.
Pointing this out, Mr Terenyi said, the trade between the two countries is on the upswing, and collaboration, co-operation and joint promotion between the two countries in the fields of automobile and auto components sectors will further this.
Besides, he said his country is interested not only in improving the business and trade relationship with India but also the political, economic and cultural relationship. “We want to maintain the whole spectrum of relationship with India,” he said.
Talking about Chennai, he said the city, which is described as the Detroit of Asia, is likely to become the manufacturing hub of the world. “And, we would like to explore investment opportunities here in other sectors too.”
Road-shows planned
According to him, Hungary is planning road-shows in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai in the second half of the year. These shows, to be jointly organised by the Hungary Chamber of Commerce and Industry and association of industry bodies, will be specific to the business needs of each city.
Earlier, Mr Jawahar Vadivelu, President, SICCI, said in his welcome address that India's exports to Hungary have touched $270 million. And about 58 per cent of India's imports from Hungary comprise mobile phones and chemicals.
Addressing the members of the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Wednesday, Mr Janos Terenyi, Ambassador of Hungary in India, said there are huge capacities in his country that were supplying components to bus and truck manufacturing companies in the erstwhile Soviet bloc. The country now needs investments to revive those units, he said.
Bilateral trade
Hungary is an important member of the European Common Market and the European Union, and with its strategic location in the heart of Europe it can provide an important gateway to Europe. Currently, bilateral trade between India and Hungary is estimated at $30 million.
Pointing this out, Mr Terenyi said, the trade between the two countries is on the upswing, and collaboration, co-operation and joint promotion between the two countries in the fields of automobile and auto components sectors will further this.
Besides, he said his country is interested not only in improving the business and trade relationship with India but also the political, economic and cultural relationship. “We want to maintain the whole spectrum of relationship with India,” he said.
Talking about Chennai, he said the city, which is described as the Detroit of Asia, is likely to become the manufacturing hub of the world. “And, we would like to explore investment opportunities here in other sectors too.”
Road-shows planned
According to him, Hungary is planning road-shows in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai in the second half of the year. These shows, to be jointly organised by the Hungary Chamber of Commerce and Industry and association of industry bodies, will be specific to the business needs of each city.
Earlier, Mr Jawahar Vadivelu, President, SICCI, said in his welcome address that India's exports to Hungary have touched $270 million. And about 58 per cent of India's imports from Hungary comprise mobile phones and chemicals.
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