Hyderabad: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) will implement a three-year pigeonpea molecular breeding project.
The Rs 10-crore project, which will be supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was launched on Thursday.
The project is aimed at assisting pigeonpea breeders to develop improved cultivars more efficiently using genomic tools.
The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi; the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Raichur, and Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU), Hyderabad, would also take part in the programme.
Pigeonpea is grown on about 50 lakh hectares in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and South-Central America.
Called ‘poor people’s meat’ because of high protein content, it is a staple food for millions of poor in the semi-arid regions of the world.
“This project has a research component in Phase I and an application component in Phase II,” William Dar, Director-General of Icrisat, said in a press release.
Success in my Habit
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Eastern Mattresses forms joint venture with S. African firm
Kochi: Eastern Mattresses Pvt Ltd, which owns Sunidra brand of mattresses, has announced the formation of a joint venture with Bam Furn Holdings, South Africa (BFH).
The joint venture — International Sleep Solutions Pvt Ltd (ISSPL) — will manufacture and market spring mattresses across the country and abroad.
The exclusive manufacturing facility will be located at Thodupuzha in Kerala and ISSPL will invest Rs 10 crore to produce 6,000 spring mattresses a month.
The target is to do business worth Rs 100 crore in a year, Navas Meeran, Chairman, Eastern Group, said.
BFH, besides making investment in the newly formed venture, will also offer cutting-edge technology and marketing acumen, thus creating a global cushion for the spring mattresses manufactured by ISSPL, he said.
The mattresses will be marketed across the country and abroad under the brand name Sunidra.
To start with, ISSPL will explore West Asia and South Africa for export, S.Rajesh, General Manager (operations) Eastern Group Rubber Division, said.
The production will commence in the first quarter of 2013-14. The setting up of the factory is in the final stage and the new product may roll out by May this year, he said.
According to Navas, ISSPL is also negotiating rights with one of America’s oldest bedding company to manufacture their premium range of bedding products for the niche segment of India.
ISSPL will also have its second plant in place during 2014-15. “We’ve already firmed up our plans on this score. The second plant will come up in Tamil Nadu,” Navas said.
BFH subsidiary, Simmons South Africa Pty Ltd is a licensed partner of Simmons – world’s leading mattress manufacturer with a 64 per cent growth in market share since 1986.
The joint venture — International Sleep Solutions Pvt Ltd (ISSPL) — will manufacture and market spring mattresses across the country and abroad.
The exclusive manufacturing facility will be located at Thodupuzha in Kerala and ISSPL will invest Rs 10 crore to produce 6,000 spring mattresses a month.
The target is to do business worth Rs 100 crore in a year, Navas Meeran, Chairman, Eastern Group, said.
BFH, besides making investment in the newly formed venture, will also offer cutting-edge technology and marketing acumen, thus creating a global cushion for the spring mattresses manufactured by ISSPL, he said.
The mattresses will be marketed across the country and abroad under the brand name Sunidra.
To start with, ISSPL will explore West Asia and South Africa for export, S.Rajesh, General Manager (operations) Eastern Group Rubber Division, said.
The production will commence in the first quarter of 2013-14. The setting up of the factory is in the final stage and the new product may roll out by May this year, he said.
According to Navas, ISSPL is also negotiating rights with one of America’s oldest bedding company to manufacture their premium range of bedding products for the niche segment of India.
ISSPL will also have its second plant in place during 2014-15. “We’ve already firmed up our plans on this score. The second plant will come up in Tamil Nadu,” Navas said.
BFH subsidiary, Simmons South Africa Pty Ltd is a licensed partner of Simmons – world’s leading mattress manufacturer with a 64 per cent growth in market share since 1986.
Rural BPOs on the rise in US; Mahindra Satyam opens 4 centres
Hyderabad: Indian IT firms seem to have devised a method to cut human resource costs in the US and Canada.
They have begun to tap the ‘rural’ areas to man their near-shore centres.
Mahindra Satyam has opened its fourth such centre in the last six months.
Near-Shore Centres
It’s not so much about addressing the issue of resentment against outsourcing, it makes business sense to hire locals in generals and talent from rural areas in particular.
Lakshmanan Chidambaram, Head of North American business of the company, said hiring from the rural areas to man the near-shore centres would reduce wage bill by 30-35 per cent. The attrition rate too would drop.
Opening the near-shore centres is quite advantageous for operations. “You can avoid the intrinsic disadvantages of graveyard shifts (night shifts to attend the calls of customers of its clients) by recruiting locals. Also, certain types of outsourcing work can be better done there,” he said.
The company had about 5,000 employees in the US. It plans to have 1,500 employees in the near-shore centres in the next two years. About 12 per cent of the 100-member sales team were locals.
US Market
On the reduced pie from the US market, he said it was a typical December quarter where large customers decided to keep away (from taking spending decisions). “We have closed three deals in that quarter, including one each from Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 firms. Ramping up is going on. Revenues would flow in this quarter,” he said.
They have begun to tap the ‘rural’ areas to man their near-shore centres.
Mahindra Satyam has opened its fourth such centre in the last six months.
Near-Shore Centres
It’s not so much about addressing the issue of resentment against outsourcing, it makes business sense to hire locals in generals and talent from rural areas in particular.
Lakshmanan Chidambaram, Head of North American business of the company, said hiring from the rural areas to man the near-shore centres would reduce wage bill by 30-35 per cent. The attrition rate too would drop.
Opening the near-shore centres is quite advantageous for operations. “You can avoid the intrinsic disadvantages of graveyard shifts (night shifts to attend the calls of customers of its clients) by recruiting locals. Also, certain types of outsourcing work can be better done there,” he said.
The company had about 5,000 employees in the US. It plans to have 1,500 employees in the near-shore centres in the next two years. About 12 per cent of the 100-member sales team were locals.
US Market
On the reduced pie from the US market, he said it was a typical December quarter where large customers decided to keep away (from taking spending decisions). “We have closed three deals in that quarter, including one each from Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 firms. Ramping up is going on. Revenues would flow in this quarter,” he said.
Approval for ONGC Videsh Limited's acquisition of participating interest in ACG Fields in Caspian sea sector and BTC pipeline in Azerbaijan
New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today gave its approval to authorize ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) to acquire Participating Interest (PI) owned by Hess Corporation's wholly-owned subsidiaries in the upstream and midstream oil and gas assets in Azerbaijan comprising 2.7213 percent PI in the Azeri Chirag Guneshli (ACG) contract area and 2.36 percent PI in Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline for an investment of US$ 1001 million, plus certain adjustments including working capital, interest from the economic date and other defined elements on cash sink basis, and also authorized OVL to incur expenses so as to keep the total exposure up to the approved amount i.e. US $ 1001 million at all times.
The acquisition shall provide OVL, oil production of about 1 Million Ton per year for about a decade. In addition to oil revenue, the investment would enable OVL to enter into Azerbaijan, which is rapidly emerging into a strategically important country in the CIS region. Acquiring a stake in the strategic BTC pipeline would provide OVL the opportunity to enhance its portfolio around the region and transport crude from future assets, which the company may acquire in the Caspian Sea in the future.
The acquisition shall provide OVL, oil production of about 1 Million Ton per year for about a decade. In addition to oil revenue, the investment would enable OVL to enter into Azerbaijan, which is rapidly emerging into a strategically important country in the CIS region. Acquiring a stake in the strategic BTC pipeline would provide OVL the opportunity to enhance its portfolio around the region and transport crude from future assets, which the company may acquire in the Caspian Sea in the future.
India is among top five tourism source markets for South Africa
Bengaluru: India is among the top five tourism source markets for South Africa - it was revealed at a roadshow held in the city on Thursday. The roadshow traveled to Bangalore after having two successful days in Mumbai and Hyderabad earlier this week. The roadshow will commence in Delhi on Friday. Through this four-city roadshow, South African Tourism aims to build Inbound Tourism from India which has grown substantially over the years.
While the South African partners get to learn about the latest travel trends in India and traveler interests, Indian trade use this platform to learn more about the latest offerings of South Africa which can be customized as per the preference of the Indian traveler.
"Over the years we have witnessed a continuous increase in Indian tourist arrivals, making india one of the key markets for us. Therefore, it has been our constant endeavour to enhance our engagement with our key stakeholders in India to further boost tourist arrivals to South Africa," said Hanneli Slabber, country head of SA Tourism, India.
According to the Board's latest arrival figures of September 2012, they got 79,306 Indian tourists to South Africa from January 2012 to September 2012, an increase of 18.3% in comparison to the corresponding time period in 2011.
The roadshow was well attended by 69 South African suppliers and Indian tour operators.
While the South African partners get to learn about the latest travel trends in India and traveler interests, Indian trade use this platform to learn more about the latest offerings of South Africa which can be customized as per the preference of the Indian traveler.
"Over the years we have witnessed a continuous increase in Indian tourist arrivals, making india one of the key markets for us. Therefore, it has been our constant endeavour to enhance our engagement with our key stakeholders in India to further boost tourist arrivals to South Africa," said Hanneli Slabber, country head of SA Tourism, India.
According to the Board's latest arrival figures of September 2012, they got 79,306 Indian tourists to South Africa from January 2012 to September 2012, an increase of 18.3% in comparison to the corresponding time period in 2011.
The roadshow was well attended by 69 South African suppliers and Indian tour operators.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Brookings set to open its centre in India
New Delhi: Brookings Institution, a non-profit public policy organisation based in Washington DC, announced it would open Brookings India as a platform for public policy research and analysis.
The Brookings’ India centre will analyse the opportunities and challenges facing India. The operational activities and the funding of Brookings India will be primarily by Indians.
Brookings decided to open a centre here because India is the largest democracy and one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Brookings Institution is one of the oldest independent think-tanks, and has been consistently ranked among the most influential ones for many decades. In the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go-To Think Tank Rankings in 2012, Brookings was ranked the world’s best.
Urjit Patel, who was appointed a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India earlier this month, has been a non-resident senior fellow of the Brookings Institution since 2009.
Vikram Singh Mehta, former chairman of the Shell group of companies, will be the chairman of Brookings India. Mehta began his career with the IAS in 1978 and had earlier worked with Philips Petroleum and Oil India Limited.
“The India centre will look into Indian issues, drawing on Indian talent. The model of independent policy-relevant research that Brookings has developed over nearly 100 years will contribute to an informed Indian citizenry and provide useful analysis and recommendations to Indian policymakers as they deal with these challenges. The connection to Brookings in Washington will help increase the reach of Indian scholars to the US and elsewhere,” said Mehta.
Brookings India’s research will focus on domestic and global economics, foreign policy, and energy and infrastructure policy.
Nita and Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, Rahul Bajaj of Bajaj Auto, S Gopalakrishnan of Infosys, and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon are among the persons who support the Brookings’ India initiative.
Earlier, Aspen Institute had set up an Indian chapter. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is also expected to start an Indian centre.
Although the Chinese had a larger representation in global think-tanks, Indian scholars and businessmen are increasingly being affiliated with them.
The Brookings’ India centre will analyse the opportunities and challenges facing India. The operational activities and the funding of Brookings India will be primarily by Indians.
Brookings decided to open a centre here because India is the largest democracy and one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Brookings Institution is one of the oldest independent think-tanks, and has been consistently ranked among the most influential ones for many decades. In the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go-To Think Tank Rankings in 2012, Brookings was ranked the world’s best.
Urjit Patel, who was appointed a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India earlier this month, has been a non-resident senior fellow of the Brookings Institution since 2009.
Vikram Singh Mehta, former chairman of the Shell group of companies, will be the chairman of Brookings India. Mehta began his career with the IAS in 1978 and had earlier worked with Philips Petroleum and Oil India Limited.
“The India centre will look into Indian issues, drawing on Indian talent. The model of independent policy-relevant research that Brookings has developed over nearly 100 years will contribute to an informed Indian citizenry and provide useful analysis and recommendations to Indian policymakers as they deal with these challenges. The connection to Brookings in Washington will help increase the reach of Indian scholars to the US and elsewhere,” said Mehta.
Brookings India’s research will focus on domestic and global economics, foreign policy, and energy and infrastructure policy.
Nita and Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, Rahul Bajaj of Bajaj Auto, S Gopalakrishnan of Infosys, and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon are among the persons who support the Brookings’ India initiative.
Earlier, Aspen Institute had set up an Indian chapter. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is also expected to start an Indian centre.
Although the Chinese had a larger representation in global think-tanks, Indian scholars and businessmen are increasingly being affiliated with them.
HCL Tech in multi-million dollar deal with Cobham
New Delhi: HCL Technologies on Tuesday said it has entered into a multi-year, multi-million dollar engineering services agreement with UK-based Cobham, a technology company serving the aerospace and defence industry.
As part of the engagement, HCL will support multiple Cobham sites across the globe with a range of services — hardware, software, embedded, mechanical and testing.
“HCL will be a key partner in helping to invest in strategic programmes which allow us to stay ahead of the competition,” Tom Garvey, Vice-President, Operations, at Cobham’s Avionics and Surveillance Division, said.
The engagement will allow Cobham’s dedicated team of engineers to develop cutting edge solutions to help meet customer needs in a number of fields, he said.
As part of the engagement, HCL will support multiple Cobham sites across the globe with a range of services — hardware, software, embedded, mechanical and testing.
“HCL will be a key partner in helping to invest in strategic programmes which allow us to stay ahead of the competition,” Tom Garvey, Vice-President, Operations, at Cobham’s Avionics and Surveillance Division, said.
The engagement will allow Cobham’s dedicated team of engineers to develop cutting edge solutions to help meet customer needs in a number of fields, he said.
Farida Group sets up tannery in Ethiopia
Chennai: The Chennai-based Farida Group has established a tannery in Ethiopia to cater to export market and, if needed, for imports into India. The group is among the largest exporters of footwear and makes leather footwear for leading international brands.
The tannery about 70 km from Addis Ababa was commissioned towards the end of last year with a capacity to produce about 800,000 sq. ft of leather, according to Rafeeque Ahmed, Chairman, Farida Group.
The unit has been set up through Farida’s overseas subsidiary in Singapore. It is an independent unit that will cater to the markets for finished leather. It will export leather to the overseas markets and if needed supply to Farida Group’s requirements here, he said.
The African country is a rich source of quality raw material and setting up a tannery is a good value addition, he said. The Group has multiple leather footwear production units and tanneries in Tamil Nadu. The total footwear production capacity is over 22,000 pairs a day.
The tannery about 70 km from Addis Ababa was commissioned towards the end of last year with a capacity to produce about 800,000 sq. ft of leather, according to Rafeeque Ahmed, Chairman, Farida Group.
The unit has been set up through Farida’s overseas subsidiary in Singapore. It is an independent unit that will cater to the markets for finished leather. It will export leather to the overseas markets and if needed supply to Farida Group’s requirements here, he said.
The African country is a rich source of quality raw material and setting up a tannery is a good value addition, he said. The Group has multiple leather footwear production units and tanneries in Tamil Nadu. The total footwear production capacity is over 22,000 pairs a day.
Teva Pharma, P&G sets up world's largest OTC plant in Gujarat
Ahmedabad: Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals, an $18 billion generic drug maker will set up world's largest OTC medicine facility in Gujarat in collaboration with Procter & Gamble. On Tuesday, the company had ground-breaking ceremony for its multi-product facility at Sanand, near Ahmedabad.
Teva Global Operations, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Operation, Eran Katz, said "The multipurpose plant in India will support the growing demand for our non-prescription health care products across Asia. The Sanand facility will be a critical component of PGT Healthcare, Teva's international partnership and joint venture with Procter & Gamble." Teva Pharm India Pvt. Ltd expects completion of construction of the plant in two years.
The facility would be focused on Over-the-counter (OTC) product manufacturing and will initially cater domestic and Asia Pacific markets, according to the company. This will include liquid, oral solid dosage and inhaler production including P&G's current Vicks range of cough & cold medicines and throat drops in India, along with potentially other over-the-counter products for India and other markets.
The new plant will complement the existing network of Vicks contract manufacturers in India as the company plans to continue working with their current contract manufacturers even after this plant is operational, said the company.
The modular design of the plant will enable Teva to further expand the plant as demand for consumer health care products continues to grow across the region and the globle.
In November 2011, P&G and Teva Pharma entered into a joint venture in consumer healthcare by setting up PGT Healthcare headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. This business model brings together each company's complementary capabilities and existing OTC portfolios. While Teva Pharma is world's largest generic drug maker, P&G is one of the largest players in FMCG globally.
Teva Global Operations, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Operation, Eran Katz, said "The multipurpose plant in India will support the growing demand for our non-prescription health care products across Asia. The Sanand facility will be a critical component of PGT Healthcare, Teva's international partnership and joint venture with Procter & Gamble." Teva Pharm India Pvt. Ltd expects completion of construction of the plant in two years.
The facility would be focused on Over-the-counter (OTC) product manufacturing and will initially cater domestic and Asia Pacific markets, according to the company. This will include liquid, oral solid dosage and inhaler production including P&G's current Vicks range of cough & cold medicines and throat drops in India, along with potentially other over-the-counter products for India and other markets.
The new plant will complement the existing network of Vicks contract manufacturers in India as the company plans to continue working with their current contract manufacturers even after this plant is operational, said the company.
The modular design of the plant will enable Teva to further expand the plant as demand for consumer health care products continues to grow across the region and the globle.
In November 2011, P&G and Teva Pharma entered into a joint venture in consumer healthcare by setting up PGT Healthcare headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. This business model brings together each company's complementary capabilities and existing OTC portfolios. While Teva Pharma is world's largest generic drug maker, P&G is one of the largest players in FMCG globally.
India, EU sign pact to recycle waste water
Patancheru (Medak dist): India and the European Union have signed a Rs 80-crore (about €12-million) agreement to recycle industrial and domestic waste water to provide water for irrigation purposes.
Besides, the two sides would work on other products that come out of waste water and also on the efficient use of water under the Water4Crops-India project.
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will lead one of the two consortia with 34 member companies, universities and research organisations.
The Union Department of Bio Technology and six EU countries contributed Rs 40 crore each for the four-year project.
The Indian consortia include The Energy Research Institute (TERI), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Euro India Research Centre, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, SABMiller and Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.
“The consortium will be working on three types of industrial waste water mainly from the Charminar Breweries of SABMiller in India in Andhra Pradesh; Onion and Fruit Processing Plant at JISL, Jalgaon in Maharashtra; and the sugar factory from Ugar Sugar in Karnataka,” Suhas P. Wani of ICRISAT, who is leading the Indian consortium, told reporters here on Tuesday.
Besides, the two sides would work on other products that come out of waste water and also on the efficient use of water under the Water4Crops-India project.
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will lead one of the two consortia with 34 member companies, universities and research organisations.
The Union Department of Bio Technology and six EU countries contributed Rs 40 crore each for the four-year project.
The Indian consortia include The Energy Research Institute (TERI), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Euro India Research Centre, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, SABMiller and Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.
“The consortium will be working on three types of industrial waste water mainly from the Charminar Breweries of SABMiller in India in Andhra Pradesh; Onion and Fruit Processing Plant at JISL, Jalgaon in Maharashtra; and the sugar factory from Ugar Sugar in Karnataka,” Suhas P. Wani of ICRISAT, who is leading the Indian consortium, told reporters here on Tuesday.
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