Kenyan delegation visits NDDB for assistance on milk Co-Ops

Ahmedabad/Anand: In a bid to promote dairy business in Kenya, Kenya Dairy Farmer Foundation (KDFF) and East Africa Dairy Development Project of Heifer International sought assistance from the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) on forming cooperatives for milk procurement, processing and marketing.
A high-profile delegation led by Richard Kiprono Tuwei, Chairman, KDFF accompanied by a five member delegation from KDFF and East Africa Dairy Development Project of Heifer International visited NDDB, Anand on May 28. The delegation held discussions with Shri T Nandkumar, Chairman, NDDB.
The delegation requested NDDB to assist in exploring the prospects of organising milk cooperatives for procurement, processing and marketing in Kenya. Also they sought need-based assistance in training and capacity building for milk producers and other stake holders. The Chairman, NDDB agreed to provide support for the same, a statement reads.
The discussions were held on the innovations introduced by NDDB in Animal Breeding, Health and Nutrition which could contribute to increasing productivity. The delegation was also briefed about NDDB's training modules and contributions of the Engineering services to the dairy sector in the country. Initiatives taken by NDDB for balanced Ration and reduction of methane emission, Urea Molasses Block Production, Mineral Mixture and Bypass Protein were explained.

India and Israel to Further Strengthen Cooperation in Education Sector

Mr. Alon Ushpiz, the Ambassador of Israel to India met Mrs Smriti Irani, Hon’ble Minister of Human Resource Development, on 29th May, 2014 to discuss strengthening of educational relations between India and Israel.
Recalling the close ties in different fields like Science and Technology, Education, Culture, Economic, Commercial etc. between India and Israel, the Hon’ble Minister stressed that education is an engine of growth and collaborative knowledge creation is very important for building a better world.
During the discussion the new Joint Research programme between India and Israel was taken up in which both countries have pledged to take up joint research programmes amounting up to USD 5.0 million per year. It was highlighted that in the first round 66 joint research proposals have been received and the evaluation by the experts from both the sides will start today and will be completed by June, 2014.
Ambassador Mr. Ushpiz informed that Israel offers 200 Post Doctoral fellowships of which about 80 percent are availed by the Indian students. Hon’ble Minister was happy to learn that Israel is also launching another scholarship programme of 40 slots for bachelor and 30 scholarships for Masters programmes in Israel.
The Ambassador also highlighted that Nobel Laureate Ms Ada E Yonath, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Dr. V. Ramakrishnan will be visiting India during March, 2015. Hon’ble Minister directed the officials that apart from academic conferences and seminars, we should facilitate meetings with young students who would be inspired and motivated towards research in Basic Sciences due to an interaction with Ms. Ada E Yonath.
The Ambassador also invited the Hon’ble Minister to visit Israel.

Lemon Tree pumps in Rs. 1,000 cr to ramp up room capacity

Bangalore: Mid-scale hotel chain Lemon Tree Hotels is investing Rs. 1,000 crore to ramp up room capacity from 2,800 to 8,000 across the country by the end of 2017.
In the first phase, about 1,200 rooms will be added in a year.Capital infusion
Lemon Tree has recently received Rs. 300 crore from Dutch pension fund APG, increasing APG’s shareholding in the hotel chain from 5.66 per cent to 13 per cent.
This is in addition to the Rs. 650-crore APG invested in Lemon Tree in 2012. The fresh infusion of capital will be used for development of the company’s under-construction assets and also for acquiring land for developing new hotels. The other three investors in Lemon Tree Hotels are global private equity firm Warburg Pincus, Japan’s Shinsei Bank and Kotak Realty Fund.
“We are the country’s third largest hotel chain that owns and operates rooms after Tata’s IHCL (Indian Hotels Company, the No. 1) and ITC Hotels.
Our ramp-up will include rooms in our upscale brand Lemon Tree Premier, mid-scale brand Lemon Tree Hotels and economy brand Red Fox,” said Sumant Jaidka, COO.
He was in Bangalore for the launch of Lemon Tree Hotel in Whitefield, a 130-room hotel that the company re-branded after acquiring the erstwhile Clarion Hotel last year through Fleur Hotels (a joint venture between Lemon Tree and APG).
The company is looking to increase its footprint in the South, where it currently has over 1,000 rooms in three cities — Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. “We have two resort hotels, one each in Goa and Kerala, and are in the process of finalising two more – one in Aurangabad and the other in Jaipur. We are also in the process of finalising hotels in Coimbatore, Coorg, Kovalam, Ooty and Thiruvananthapuram,” said Jaidka.
Founded in September 2002 by Patu Keswani, the New Delhi-based company currently owns and operates 25 hotels in 15 cities, aggregating 2,800 rooms with 3,000 employees.
Its hotels are located in major destinations such as Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Goa, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kerala, Noida and Pune.
Some of the locations where Lemon Tree hotels are currently under development are – Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Udaipur, Hyderabad and Shimla.

Kirusa buys Bangalore-based start-up Cooltok

Bangalore: New Jersey-headquartered voice messaging and social media solutions firm Kirusa announced the acquisition of start-up Cooltok for an undisclosed sum.
Cooltok specialises in developing technologies for mobile messaging apps for smartphones.
The six-member Cooltok team, including the founder CEO Sreenivas Karanam and co-founders Prakash Kaja and Thomas Mathew, have already joined Kirusa’s office in HSR Layout, Bangalore. Besides the team, Kirusa has acquired all the technology and intellectual property of Cooltok.
“The IP-based technologies that we developed for mobile apps, when combined with the product portfolio of Kirusa and the reach of its partner base across continents, will enable us to address a huge opportunity, going forward,” said Karanam.
Kirusa is associated with over 35 mobile carriers across the globe and its InstVoice app offers seamless telecom messaging.

Cipla invests $1.5 million in Chase Pharma

Mumbai: Drug-maker Cipla has invested $1.5 million ( Rs. 8.9 crore) in Washington-based Chase Pharmaceuticals Corporation Inc, an early stage drug development company.
Chase, which has a patented approach to improve the efficacy, safety and tolerability of existing Alzheimer’s medications, is now focused on developing new approaches to treat the disease.
The investment, done through Cipla’s UK-based subsidiary, Cipla (EU) Ltd, translates into a 14.6 per cent stake in Chase on a fully-diluted basis. Cipla will invest another $4.5 million in Chase on the achievement of certain milestones. In addition to financing Chase, Cipla will collaborate with it to develop the drug. If successful, Cipla may provide low-cost access to Chase’s lead drug in India and South Africa, it added.
New ventures Cipla was in the news last week for reportedly rebuffing predatory overtures from Israeli drug-maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, a development Cipla denied in a note to stock exchanges. The funding by Cipla is part of a $21-million investment through a syndicate, said Chandru Chawla, head of Cipla New Ventures. The venture charts an innovation-led course for the company around areas including biologicals and revitalising of existing safe drugs, besides leveraging Cipla’s delivery technologies.
The venture looks at areas that play to Cipla’s strengths and fit into the company’s values of addressing affordability and access to the drug, Chawla told Business Line . Consumer healthcare is another area of interest, he added, without getting into the details.
Funding syndicate Cipla will look at growth opportunities, he said, adding that they are already invested in regenerative medicine and stem-cell therapies through Bangalore-based Stempeutics Research. The investment syndicate consists of Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners and New Rhein Healthcare LLC.
The $21-million two-phase financing will support Phase 2a and Phase 2b clinical trials where Chase’s lead drug CPC 201 will be tested on humans. The original venture funding for Chase was provided by the Brain Trust Accelerator Fund in 2010.
Alzheimer’s on the rise Cipla Global Managing Director and Chief Executive Subhanu Saxena said the investment was consistent with Cipla New Ventures’ mission to build more innovation-led business streams for Cipla in the future. Chase’s work on Alzheimer’s assumes importance against the backdrop of its global prevalence. Over five million patients are estimated to suffer from dementia in India, most of who are afflicted with Alzheimer’s, says Cipla. And these numbers are expected to double by 2030.
Unlike other developed nations, in India, the caregiver is the family and the economic and social impact of the illness is far-reaching, the company added.
In North America, Alzheimer’s disease affects over seven million patients, and growing, as the population ages.
The disease costs the US $203 billion annually with projections to reach $1.2 trillion by 2050, Cipla pointed out.

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad ranks 4th in Economist good value MBAs

Mumbai: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has been globally ranked fourth-best overall among 20 leading B-schools globally in terms of return on investment for its students by The Economist good value MBA, the institute said in a release citing an article in the publication.
"The Economist calculations are one measure of how economically rewarding our students find the IIMA experience to be," said Prof Ashish Nanda, director, IIMA."But returns from education at IIMA go beyond purely pecuniary returns to self. Our alumni consistently report that they find the IIMA learning experience life-changing," he said in the press release. Many of them go on to contribute meaningfully to the enterprises they join and the society in which they live, Nanda added.

IT infra market will touch $1.9 b this year: Gartner

Mumbai: The Indian IT infrastructure market — comprising server, storage and networking equipment — is set to grow by four per cent this year to touch $1.9 billion, research firm Gartner has indicated.
“In the global landscape, India is a promising IT infrastructure market through 2017…The global IT infrastructure investment is expected to be almost flat in 2014 and will be primarily driven by hyper scale and data centre modernisation initiatives,” said Mike Harris, research group vice-president at Gartner.
Naveen Mishra, research director at Gartner, said that India’s IT infrastructure market will touch $2.35 billion by 2017. “After sluggish market conditions in 2013, the Indian infrastructure market will witness investments primarily fuelled by key IT initiatives that include mobility, cloud and big data,” said Mishra.
The research firm indicates that Indian enterprises will be focusing on building intelligent data centres that focus on optimising existing hardware assets by using additional software capabilities. Separately, Gartner said that competition for talent would determine the success of digital business.
“Bring in people from outside with the required knowledge, skills and competencies — some as external experts, not necessarily as permanent employees. Chief Information Officers who learn to orchestrate talent can take advantage of global ecosystems of expertise to build digital expertise quickly,” said Partha Iyengar, vice-president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.

M&M opens US factory

Mumbai: Utility and tractor vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra has inaugurated a factory and a research centre for electric two-wheelers in Ann Arbor, Michigan, US.
With an initial capacity to produce 9,000 vehicles annually, the plant will assemble its first electric two-wheeler later this year; the capacity can be increased to 20,000 a year later. The company did not disclose the investment for setting up the two units.
Christened Genze, it is the first electric vehicle from the company after it entered the two-wheeler segment in 2008.
In a few months, M&M will launch the scooter in the US. The company says it will give a top speed of 48 kilometres an hour and a range of 48 km on a full charge.
M&M has not said how much the Genze would cost, though certain reports expect it to be around $3,000 (Rs 1.8 lakh), about six times the price for the e-bike sold in India, with higher top speed and greater range.
Genze will be the first its kind in the US. Owning or using the vehicle will not require a licence in most states there, the Mumbai-based company said.
Anand Mahindra, chairman, said, "The North American Technical Center and Genze represent important disruptive product incubators for the Mahindra group."
A single-seater and powered by a lithium-ion battery, the Genze comes with a seven-inch weatherproof touchscreen instrument panel. It also has an under-seat cellphone and laptop charger. The Genze was conceived in the Silicon Valley and tested & assembled in the US.

Indian IT companies to tap big business in Europe; up hiring plans

Banglore/ Mumbai: With European corporations emulating their American counterparts to make outsourcing mainstream , Indian software companies are tapping into a rich new vein of opportunity and are hiring and looking for acquisitions to grow in the continent.
As Europe rebounds from the lows of the economic crisis, firms on the continent are beginning to raise their IT spending as they look to cut costs and focus on a digital future. They are also open to working with Indian players, something that was not common a few years ago.
"Large European accounts are now ready to work with Indian IT players. Pressure to save costs is one of the reasons, but more importantly Indian IT companies have been selling more consulting work and delivering high-value services," Christophe Chalons, partner and chief analyst at Europe-focused IT advisory firm Pierre Audoin Consultants, told ET.
ET reported last month that Schneider Electric, whose $1 billion IT services contract with French provider Capgemini is due to be renewed, is looking at Indian outsourcers for the first time. At least three European deals with annual value of $100 million are being negotiated with Indian IT companies currently, industry players said.
Part of the reason Europe is warming to Indian IT players is the building of local talent, either through organic on-site hiring or through acquisitions. Tata Consultancy Services BSE -1.44 %, India's largest IT provider, invested in on-site hiring in Europe and then doubled down with a $75 million acquisition of French IT services player Alti last year.
Infosys BSE 0.40 % spent $349 million to buy Zurich-based consultancy firm Lodestone in 2012, and more acquisitions are on the cards. "We have invested in different European markets, built nearshore centres in Budapest, Poland etc. We may look at acquisition targets. We may look at something like a Lodestone in Nordics," said BG Srinivas, one of two presidents at Infosys who used to oversee Europe for the Bangalore-based company.
Indian IT players are focused on the European market both for acquisitions of companies and captive units. "In terms of acquisitions, Indian IT companies are looking actively at continental Europe and also eastern Europe for deals. Small consulting firms in stronger markets in northern Europe are very much on the radar," an investment banker, who declined to be identified, told ET.
The deal pipeline and conversion rate in Europe is also increasing. TCS BSE -1.44 % reported strong growth from the continent in its fourth-quarter results, higher growth than the US - the longtime dominant market. Continental Europe accounted for 11.4% of TCS' revenue for FY2014, up from 9.6% for FY2013. Other IT players also see a major scope to do well in that market . "Europe is a hunting ground for new opportunities. We see a strong demand pipeline from European customers and many first-time outsourcers." Ashish Gupta, head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, at HCL Technologies BSE -1.43 % said. Indian firms have also started bulking up their senior management on the continent. Late last year, Tech Mahindra BSE 0.38 % appointed managers for countries like Denmark, Sweden, lurin talent away from France's Capgemini. Even smaller player Hexaware BSE -1.87 % appointed a new head for Europe - HCL Tech's Amrinder Singh - last October.

CSIR-IHBT licenses unique, thermo-stable SOD enzyme to create global niche

New Delhi: CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur, has signed a MoU with its industrial partner, Phyto Biotech, Kolkata, to formalize Transfer of Technology for production of unique autoclavable Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD) enzyme, used in cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical industries for end applications, like developing anti-ageing creams, extending shelf life of fruits and vegetables and during cryo-surgery and preservation of organelles, respectively. The licensing has brought together the CSIR and the industry to enable commercial production of desired standard SOD so as to create a global niche for the country.
The enzyme was discovered by CSIR-IHBT during a survey at an altitude of over 10, 000 ftin the Western Himalayan region from Potentilaastrosanguniaplant growing under snow cover. Persistent hard work over the years has resulted in the isolation of the SOD gene. Thereafter,a protocol was developed for cloning of the gene in E.coli. The enzyme thus produced,retained the same unique feature as that of the native plant. Applying the knowledge of bioinformatics, the enzyme has been further engineeredby mutation of a single amino acid to increase its consistency and thermo-stability.
The characteristic features of this SOD lies in its stability and functionality ranging from sub-zero to high temperature of>40oc with varying specific activity. Owing to its high antioxidant properties and multiple uses, SOD enjoys high demand and price in the global market.