Category Archives: Leaders

Asian Institute of Gastroenterology celebrates 25 years of service with master blaster

The Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG) celebrated 25 years of service with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday.

Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, chairman, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar at an interactive chat session with doctors and staff during the silver jubilee celebrations of the hospital in Hyderabad on Thursday

Hyderabad : 

The Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG) celebrated 25 years of service with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday. The sports icon interacted and inspired the patients, attendants and the AIG staff before addressing a gathering in the auditorium. 

This was followed by the master blaster participating in an interactive session with Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, chairman, AIG hospital. 

Over the past 25 years, AIG has evolved from an outpatient medical centre to one of the world’s largest hospitals. The hospital’s in-patient services started in 1994 and expanded in 2004 when a 300-bedded hospital was started in Somajiguda. 

Over 25,00,000 patients with gastrointestinal problems have been treated during this period. In addition to this, the hospital is also committed to community services. Over one crore people have been screened for gastrointestinal disorders through their community or rural screening programmes. Free gastrointestinal camps have been held in specialised vans, fitted with all types of equipment so that endoscopy, endoscopic surgery, ultrasound and other specialised procedures can be done even in remote rural areas connected via satellite link to the main hospital.

The hospital is involved in academics and research, and over 500 Indian doctors and 300 international doctors have been trained in the field of gastroenterology during this period. The focus has been on training in cutting-edge research, and also training in cutting-edge techniques and technologies which are in endoscopy and liver areas.

In the field of research, AIG has been a pioneer in new therapies for various diseases, including therapies for TYPE 3 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases, gastrointestinal cancers, new surgical techniques like NOTES (Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery) and treatment of pancreatic diseases.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / September 27th, 2019

P.V. Sindhu becomes first Indian to win Badminton World Championships gold

India’s Pusarla Sindhu in action during her final women’s singles match.   | Photo Credit: Reuters

The Badminton Association of India has announced a cash reward of ₹20 lakh for Sindhu and ₹5 lakh for B. Sai Praneeth who won a bronze in the BWF World Championship,

P.V. Sindhu on Sunday became the first Indian to win a Badminton World Championships gold by beating familiar rival Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in a lop-sided final here on Sunday.

The Indian won 21-7 21-7 in the summit clash that lasted just 38 minutes.

Two years after being robbed off the gold by Okuhara in an epic 110-minute final at Glasgow that went down as one of the greatest battles in badminton history, Sindhu finally exorcised the ghost of that heart-wrenching loss with a completely dominating win over the same opponent.

It was Sindhu’s fifth World Championships medal — joint most for a woman singles player with former Olympics and world champion Zhang Ning of China — to go with the two successive silvers and a couple of bronze medals.

Sindhu has also won an Olympic silver in 2016 Rio Games, a silver at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, an Asian Games silver at Jakarta and the BWF World Tour Finals last year.

The fifth seeded Indian, who enjoyed a 8-7 head-to-head lead over third seeded Okuhara ahead of Sunday’s contest, was simply unstoppable as she dished out an attacking game right from the start to race to 8-1 lead.

The Indian targeted the deep corners and unleashed her big smashes to gather points at will.

A precise net shot helped Okuhara to snap Sindhu’s run of straight eight points but the Sindhu quickly got the control back when Okuhara went wide and then unleashed two good-looking smashes to enter the break with a massive 11-2 lead.

Okuhara tried to step up the pace but an alert Sindhu was up to the task. The Indian targeted Okuhara’s forehand corner to take two more points.

Sindhu used her height to produce those attacking clears which Okuhara could not negotiate. At 16-2, Sindhu committed a couple of unforced errors before again taking control of the match.

Sindhu eventually grabbed as many as 13 game points when Okuhara went long and she sealed the first game with a body blow which her rival sent out.

In the second game, Sindhu continued her rampaging form, grabbing two quick points before Okuhara earned a point with a cross court smash.

Okuhara had no answer to Sindhu’s razor sharp returns. The latter made Okuhara run to the deep corners with her acute angled returns and then swiftly followed them at the net to make life difficult for her opponent.

Okuhara seemed clueless as she ended up hitting the nets or missing the lines to allow Sindhu grab 11-4 lead at the interval.

At 16-4, Sindhu made a couple of rare errors when she hit long but that did not matter as she pounced on a weak return from Okuhara and sent it to the backline and then left her rival stranded with another powerful smash.

Sindhu grabbed the match point when Okuhara went long again and sealed the title when another superb return before throwing her hands in the air in celebration.

With Sindhu’s gold and Praneeth’s bronze in this edition, Indian shuttlers also continued the six-year streak of winning at least one medal in the prestigious event.

Watch | P.V. Sindhu’s journey to victory

BAI announces cash reward for Sindhu, Praneeth

Badminton Association of India on Sunday announced a cash reward of Rs 20 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for PV Sindhu and Sai Praneeth for their historic feats in the World Championships in Basel, Switzerland.

“BAI President @himantabiswa announces cash award of ₹20 lakh for World Champion @Pvsindhu1 and ₹5 lakh for @saiprneeth92 for their historic performance at the #bwfworldchampionship2019,” tweeted BAI.

While Sindhu became the first Indian to win a World Championships gold, Praneeth ended a 36-year wait after Prakash Padukone’s feat to secure a bronze for the country in men’s singles.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / by PTI / Basel – August 25th, 2019

INCOIS Director elected to UNESCO body

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) Director Satheesh Shenoi has been unanimously elected Vice-Chair (Group IV), of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission for 2019-2021. Group IV encompasses the countries of Australia, China, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea and Thailand.

UNESCO-IOC has around 150 member States and promotes international cooperation and programmes in marine research, services, observation systems, hazard mitigation, and capacity development in order to understand and effectively manage the resources of the ocean and coastal areas. Representatives of the member states are currently meeting at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France for the 30th session of the IOC Assembly (26 June – 4 July 2019).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – July 05th, 2019

Mini Ipe is LIC’s first woman zonal manager

Mini Ipe takes charge of Corporation’s South Central Zone

Mini Ipe took charge as zonal manager of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), South Central Zone, on Wednesday.

She is the first woman zonal manager (in-charge) of the corporation, a press release said. LIC’s South Central Zone comprises the States of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Prior to the present assignment, she was executive director (International Operations) looking after the foreign operations of LIC’s subsidiaries, joint ventures and branches. She has also worked as director and CEO of LICHFL Financial Services Ltd. and was instrumental in taking the company to new heights in business revenue and profits, the release said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – April 25th, 2019

Women’s exhibition: ‘Taruni Fair’ begins at all-women metro station in Hyderabad

A village zone reflecting Telangana Rural life is created with children’s play area with amusement rides, food courts, etc.


HMRL MD NVS Reddy and Shikha Goel, Additional Commissioner of Police, at the inaugural ‘Taruni Fair‘ held at Taruni Madhura Nagar Metro Station in Hyderabad on Saturday | Express

Hyderabad :

An exclusive women’s exhibition called ‘Taruni Fair’ was opened at Taruni Madhura Nagar Metro Station on Saturday. The exhibition, with as many as 150 stalls, will be open for the next two months, everyday between 5.30 pm and 10.30 pm. Entry is free.

HMRL Managing Director, NVS Reddy, Director of Municipal Administration, Telangana, T K Sreedevi, GHMC Zonal Commissioner of Serlingampally zone, D Harichandana, Additional Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad city, Shika Goel, Managing Director of Fernandez Group of Hospitals, Evita Fernandez, Foundation for Futuristic Cities, Karuna Gopal, Granules India, Cofounder, Uma Chigurupati and others were present.     

A village zone reflecting Telangana Rural life is created with children’s play area with amusement rides, food courts, etc. HMRL looks at the Hyderabad Metro project not as a simple transportation engineering project but as an instrument to promote many wider socio-economic goals. As a part of this vision,  Taruni Madhuranagar metro station along with the two-acre open area around the station is being made a hub of activities to promote women empowerment and gender equality, NVS Reddy said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home>Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / April 21st, 2019

Trial by sun


Mango pulp being processed for solar drying at Society for Energy, Environment and Development (SEED); (extreme right) Shyamala Rambhotla   | Photo Credit:  Nagara Gopal

Helmed by 94-year-old Prof Ramakrishna Rao, SEED’s zero carbon emission solar cabinet dryers may have answers to counter post-harvest losses

Professor M Ramakrishna Rao is 94. Yet, the retired scientist from Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, is the tour de force of Society for Energy, Environment and Development (SEED), which he established 32 years ago. Drawing from his expertise in physics and renewable energy, he guided the research and development team to design solar cabinet dryers for food processing. Three hundred of these cabinets ensuring zero carbon emissions are being used in 19 states across India by organisations working in the agriculture sector.

Germination of SEED


Prof Ramakrishna Rao   | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

Ramakrishna Rao spends his days at the SEED office and incubation centre in Hyderabad , overseeing the operations. He ascends the stairs, one step at a time, to inspect dryers on the terrace. Age may have slowed him down but he’s always enthusiastic to discuss how solar dehydration can help minimise post-harvest losses and develop food products that can fetch farmers additional revenue.

Rao founded the organisation in 1987, after retiring from IISc, eager to use his scientific knowledge to help the farming sector. He did his Masters in physics and PhD from Osmania University, followed by post-doctoral studies in Columbus University, Ohio. SEED is a non-governmental organisation with a governing council headed by Padma Vibhushan awardee Prof Palle Ramarao; several food scientists work in honorary positions. The organisation receives partial funding from Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and has 20 employees.

Helping Rao at SEED is his niece Shyamala Rambhotla, a computer science quality engineer. She returned to India in 2011, after working in a credit bureau in the US for 20 years, to help Rao with his work, and a long-term focus on strengthening the organisation.

In its first decade, SEED developed and tested dryers that used biomass and alternative fuels before zeroing in on solar cabinet dryers. Their solar cabinet dryer design was patented in 1997. The organisation reached out to those working in the agriculture sector to raise awareness about using solar power. It was a slow process. “Not many people knew about using solar power back then. We’ve seen a spurt in the last four years,” says Shyamala.

Branching Out

  • SEED has worked on 100 fruits, vegetables and other produce. Solar dehydrated mango, pineapple, chikoo, guava, fig, mango and mixed fruit are sold as rolls or fruit bars. An environmental chamber checks the shelf life of food products. Some of the products are sold at Karachi Bakery outlets. However, SEED primarily remains a non-profit, research and development outfit.
  • The centre’s library and lab is frequented by food science students for their projects. The organisation’s think tank comprises like-minded researchers and scientists. SEED also has an extension centre at Tholkata village near Moinabad.
  • Six commercial solar cabinet dryers were exported to Australia, Indonesia, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, Zanzibar and Kigoma.

Outreach initiatives

SEED has so far conducted 70 training sessions for more than 2,000 farmers, teaching them techniques of solar-drying fruits, vegetables, millets and other produce. A dedicated team develops products. On the day we visit the centre, ripe mangoes have been pulped, transferred as thin layers to trays and placed in the cabinets. A temperature gauge indicates 65° Celsius in the cabinet; another gauge monitors the weight reduction due to dehydration. It typically takes a day for the pulp to dry into a thin film; another layer of pulp is then added and left to dry. The dried pulp is then cooled, cut into segments and packaged as bars or rolls. “Traditional ‘mamidi thandra’ (aam papad) is made by drying mango pulp in open air, prone to dust. Solar cabinet drying ensures hygiene and retains nutritional value,” says Shyamala.


Fruit rolls developed by SEED   | Photo Credit:  Nagara Gopal

Other solar dryers are stocked with finely diced carrots, amla, spinach, rings of onions and tomatoes. An in-built fan removes moisture and ensures uniform dehydration. For leafy vegetables, the solar dryer is fitted with a blue filter to create greenhouse effect that helps retain chlorophyll and hence, the colour. “Dehydrated vegetables can be stored for later use. Soak it in water for 30 minutes and use for cooking just like fresh vegetables,” she says.

SEED designs dryers with loading capacities of eight, 50, 100, 200 and 500 kilograms and is working towards designing a one tonne capacity dryer for use in large firms. Elaborating on the applications, Shyamala explains, “Farmers incur losses when there’s a sudden drop in price, transportation issues or excess seasonal produce. At the mandal level, if community solar dryers are set up with government or corporate help, it will help farmers dehydrate their produce for later use and develop food products. India is big on agriculture production, but we aren’t processing enough.”

A dryer of eight kilograms capacity is priced at ₹40,000 and it goes up to ₹4,50,000 for 200 kilograms. SEED allows entrepreneurs to try the solar dryers at the incubation centre, develop their recipes and test market before purchasing. The pricing remains an issue, admit Rao and Shyamala. “If banks or the government can give subsidies, more farmers will be willing to buy,” says Shyamala. Rao points out that unlike electric dryers, solar dryers don’t have recurring costs.

Solar cabinets are efficient all through the year, barring occasional rainy days. “On such days, we use electric backup (powered by rooftop solar panels). We are working towards developing dryers that can use biogas for power backup,” sums up Shyamala.

(Planet Healers celebrates eco-conscious initiatives. If you know an eco warrior, writer in to hydmetroplus@thehindu.co.in)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad – Planet Healers / by Sangeetha Devi Dundoo / April 22nd, 2019

Mission Shakti: Dedication of Hyderabad scientists helped pull off remarkable feat

The A-SAT interceptor missile hit its target at an altitude of 300 km in a span of 3 minutes.


G Satheesh Reddy, DRDO chief |Express

Hyderabad :

‘Mission Shakti’, as it is rightly being hailed, is a remarkable achievement for the country, and a matter of pride for Hyderabad, as the project was conceived in the city.

Speaking to TNIE, chairman, DRDO and secretary to the Department of Defence R&D G Satheesh Reddy said scientists of Research Centre Imarat (RCI), along with those from Defence Research Development Labs (DRDL) and Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) — three premier DRDO labs in city — had been working on the project for the last two years. “But in the last six months, our scientists have worked day and night to achieve this on a mission mode,” the distinguished scientist added.

The A-SAT interceptor missile hit its target at an altitude of 300 km in a span of 3 minutes. “With an extremely high degree of accuracy, it can hit targets in the low earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of up to 1,000 km,” Reddy pointed out.

On the obstacles faced, Reddy said, “It was a technological challenge because, primarily, the relative velocity between the missile and target satellite was 10 km per second. It is a hit-to-kill weapon and we have worked very hard to achieve an accuracy of centimetres.” Though the accuracy in centimetres is yet to be calculated, he said it could be around five-to-six cm.

The interceptor missile was a three-stage missile with two solid rocket boosters. Tracking data from range sensors, according to DRDO has confirmed that the mission met all its objectives.“There are no warheads. Accuracy has to be very high. You need to develop a lot of mechanism like ‘divert thrusters’ which gives the manoeuvrability to the vehicle.

The algorithms have to be very precise and accurate for various environments. You need to hit with high accuracy. The BMD(ballistic missile defence) programme technology has been used,” said Reddy.


While India now has joined the elite club of USA, Russia and China, what is next for DRDO? “We have mastered the technology which can give an accuracy of centimetres. We have to plan (future course of action) and work it out,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Rahul V. Pisharody / by Express News Service / March 28th, 2019

Decades of dedication

In 1996, Holy Mary Group established the first MCA college in South India at Jubilee Hills which was later moved to SR Nagar.

Hyderabad :

Holy Mary Group of Institutions Secretary Dr Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy speaks on her journey thus far in the field of education, the laurels won, and her message for youthIt takes a long hard road to make it to the top. Through ups and downs, Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy, the Secretary of Holy Mary Group of Institutions, shines bright. “Along with my husband Arimanda Vara Prasad Reddy, I had set up Nalanda Vidyalaya High School way back in 1985, after a lot of struggle,” she says. The school went on to achieve successive state ranks, Pratibha Awards and many other recognitions.

Her interest in teaching began from her schooling days. Her educational qualifications look impressive – PhD in management studies from JNTU Hyderabad, BA, MA from Osmania University, BEd from Andhra University, MEd from Sri Venkateswara University (SVU), MS (Psychology) from University of Madras, MS (Counselling and Psychotherapy) from Kuvempu University, MPhil (Psychology) from SVU, MBA from IIM Bangalore, certifications from Dale Carnegie.

Training – the list goes on. 
What was the reason behind her obtaining so many degrees? “I am passionate about teaching and learning. And I am a hands-on person who believes in mingling with students to know them better. In order to know what is being taught to MBA students, I enrolled for the course. Similarly, to interact with students and understand their feelings, I did Psychology courses,” she says matter-of-factly. She also adds, “I always update myself  with new ideas and technology.  The basic nature of mine is continuous learning and as a result I am updated.  I try to introduce the same to my students.”

In 1996, Holy Mary Group established the first MCA college in South India at Jubilee Hills which was later moved to SR Nagar. They now offering MBA courses too. The group established engineering colleges in Hyderabad and Guntur in the year 2000. In 2011, Dr Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy took part in a ‘Women in Leadership’ in-house programme at IIM Bangalore. She was one among 26 aspirants across the country and the only one from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

“It was a wonderful experience interacting with industry leaders like ICICI MD Chanda Kochhar, politicians such as former Delhi CM Sheila Dixit, MP Daggubati Purandeswari, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and others. The course focussed on the nitty-gritty of politics. As part of the coursework, we went to Singapore to study how their leaders function, how Parliament proceedings happen, etc. It was a hectic but rewarding experience, during which I had learned a lot,” she reminisces. 

She is the only woman from India to take part in a UN conference on ‘Global Problems and Local Solutions’ organised by Geneva Institute for Leadership and Public Policy in 2013. And she represented India at the ‘WEConnect International Day’, a business-oriented meet held in Philadelphia, US in 2014.


“I joined Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs (COWE) as a member, and was elected unanimously as its Chairperson in 2014. I helped organise various empowerment sessions to women and contributed to their growth,” she adds.

How about the support given by her family? “My husband supported me a lot. In the late 90s, he left his Central government job at MIDHANI to assist me. He gave constructive criticism, which helped me grow. Without his feedback, I would not be here today,” she says humbly.

A Dale Carnegie certified Train the Trainer, Dr Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy takes sessions on soft skills such as goal setting, time management, positive attitude, among others. Over her decades-long career, she has  helped thousands of students achieve their potential. As part of official engagements, she has toured many countries in Asia, Europe, Middle East, etc.

Within the country, she organised skill development and entrepreneurship programmes for women, distributed uniforms and notebooks to schoolchildren, held stress management workshops for Police personnel and many other sessionsAny words of wisdom for youth? “Keep a goal for each year and try to achieve it in the same year. If I face problems in this process I will try to sort things out but will never turn back. So I say only two things – be goal-oriented and try to be a continuous learner,” she says with a smile.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / March 08th, 2019

IICT scientist to head CSIR’s only north east lab


G. Narahari Sastry 

‘The institute has made a big difference to the area through its research and by introducing about 100 tecnologies’

“It is the only lab of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in north east at Jorhat in Assam that is involved in multifarious scientific activities. I feel proud to be heading an institute that is soon to celebrate its diamond jubilee,” said G. Narahari Sastry, the newly appointed director of North East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST).

Dr. Sastry, 53, who was with CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) since 2002 heading the Centre for molecular modelling, has just taken over and was here for a conference when he told The Hindu about his new ‘institute of eminence’ and the direction he intends to take it forward.

North East is blessed with abundance of natural resources like varied flora and fauna, minerals, natural gas, petroleum, aromatic and medicinal plants and hence, NEIST is targeted to undertake research in those areas. “The institute has been dealing with chemicals, agro-technology, geotechnical and other studies spread on a sprawling campus of 400 acres. It already has an excellent record and has made a big difference to the area through its research and by introducing about 100 technologies,” he said.

Dr. Sastry said emphasis will be on fundamental and translational research of applying basic biology and clinical trials to address critical societal health needs through drug discovery, environment care and sustainable development.

With a PG degree in chemistry from Osmania University and Ph.D from University of Hyderabad, he moved to ‘bio-informatics’ during his teaching stint with Puducherry university. His research is on employing artificial intelligence and machine learning to integrate with bioinformatics in developing disease-specific web portals and delineating disease biology in the area of healthcare.

“Seventy per cent of my research work deals with biology combining computational mathematics and AI. The government’s directive now is while excellence is good, science should be relevant to the people and improve their quality of living,” says Dr. Sastry.

A Shanthi Swarup Bhatnagar Award winner in chemical sciences in 2011, he has been a visiting professor for universities in Japan, Germany and United States.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by V. Geetanath / Hyderabad – March 04th, 2019

HMRL MD bags Best CEO Award


HMRL MD N.V.S. Reddy receiving the award from TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao in the city. 

The CEO Clubs of India presented ‘Professional CEO of the year-2019’ award to N.V.S. Reddy, managing director, HMRL, during their annual retreat in the city on Saturday.

Selected by a jury of top management experts and industrialists, he was presented the award by TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao. The award was given in recognition of Mr. Reddy’s extraordinary management skills and the passion, perseverance and courage of conviction with which he helmed the world’s largest metro project in PPP mode. Addressing a large gathering of industrialists and CEOs from different parts of the country, Mr. Rama Rao highlighted the competitive advantages of Telangana and the government’s proactive policies, and urged them to invest heavily in Telangana and Hyderabad.

The other awardees include chairman, Shanta Biotech, K. Varaprasad Reddy (Lifetime Achievement Award), Phoenix Group MD Suresh Chukkapalli (Social Impact Creator of the year award) and Greenco Founder and Joint MD, Mahesh Kolli (CEO of the year award).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> States> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – February 25th, 2019