Category Archives: Business & Economy

Tale of a wedding planner from Hyderabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Founder and director of wedding planning company Levitate Events, Anujna Ravikumar may come across as a regular 20-plusser who loves selfies, junk food and loud music.


Anujna Ravikumar

Hyderabad :

 Founder and director of wedding planning company Levitate Events, Anujna Ravikumar may come across as a regular 20-plusser who loves selfies, junk food and loud music. This unassuming youngster founded a full-fledged wedding planning company way back in 2011. “What started as a small dream has now become a full-grown business. A small birthday party that I had taken up as a hobby project had soon become a full-time activity as I stated receiving more projects,” she says. 

After facing a lot of challenges as an entrepreneur at a young age, Anujna believes that working hard towards reaching one’s goals is the only way one can fend off obstacles that might come across the way. 

She says “Don’t be scared to chase your dreams. It sure seems scary to take the leap at first but if you keep at it and believe in yourself, anything is possible. All dreams can come true if you believe in them. Belief works wonders and propels us to take action towards our goals”. 

Anujna and co are a ten-member team of experts in various fields like art design and decor, flower decor, photography, etc. They move forward with the aim of making every wedding extra special and constantly keep innovating themselves in order to satisfy their clients and make the biggest day of their clients’ lives a memorable one. 

“So far, I have worked for nearly 15 events in Hyderabad which also includes the birthday party of the daughter of Vedala Hemachandra, a reputed playback singer and music director in the Telugu film industry,” she says as she wraps her work when she was in the city recently. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Alson Micheal / March 02nd, 2019

HMRL MD bags Best CEO Award

Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All

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

Mahua savouries from tribal kitchens to hit markets

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

D. Divya

Move to help indigenous people protect their culture

A revival of pristine Adivasi customs and traditions cannot be envisaged without including the irp marra or mahua tree (Madhuca indica) in the scheme of things.

Therefore, the new plan of the Adilabad district administration, perhaps the first of its kind in the country, to help indigenous people protect their culture hinges on plantation of mahua and introduction of the lesser known tasty savouries and eatables made out of the flowers of the sacred tree in the headquarter town, in near future.

“The food items coming out of the kitchens of aboriginal people have good shelf life and will be packaged and sold at the Prakruti store for organic vegetables in Collectorate Chowk,” Adilabad Collector D. Divya revealed.

There will also be an attempt towards getting the ethnic people to manufacture the famous heady brew from mahua flowers, the ippa sara or irp kal, aimed at weaning them away from the more dangerous Indian Made Foreign Liquor and marketing it sometime in the future, on the lines of the experiment in Bastar of Chhattisgarh.

“There certainly is more to mahua tree than the heady brew distilled from its flowers. It is the source of nutritious supplementary food and some potential economic activity for tribal people besides yielding fodder to the animals,” opined tribal teacher Kanaka Rao Ambaji from Marlavai in Jainoor mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.

Mahua trees come into bloom between latter half of March and April. Each tree sheds its flowers in the morning every day, over a period of 15 to 20 days and yields about 1.5 quintals to 2 quintals.

The customary puja is performed under the tree after the festival of holi, called duradi in Gondi, following which women and children collect the flowers. The collection is done at dawn and the flowers are subsequently put out to dry.

“The dried up flowers are roasted, made into balls or laddus called eruk gola, and used as a snack or stuffed into a roti. Other eatables are also made by roasting the dried up flowers with sesame and sunflower seed, besides the rarely found khade and churchal seeds,” Durva Nagubai, a Raj Gond elder, listed out some names of traditional supplementary food items.

“We will also sell the edible oil extracted from the kernel of mahua seed,’ the Collector disclosed. The practice of using mahua oil, called eruk niy, in preparation of food is almost lost,” she pointed out.

“Among other eatables which are made of the mahua flowers is the eruk jawa or gruel which is served when receiving the barat. Also, the gum of the tree, eruk chikada, is used to trap birds and small animals while the wood from a dead tree is used to make traditional musical instruments like a dhol,” Mr. Ambaji stated.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by S. Harpal Singh / Adilabad – February 26th, 2019

5 start-ups clinch top honours

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Social Innovation Award being presented to Adero Labs as part of Start-Up Stage event at BioAsia.

Five start-ups with innovative offerings for the healthcare sector, including a device that reminds patients to take a correct dose of medicine at the right time and another that monitors a patient’s health while he/she is asleep, walked away with top honours at the BioAsia-2019.

They made it to the top five, and received a cash prize of ₹25,000 each at the Start-Up Stage event, one the highlight segments of this year’s BioAsia. A total of 76 start-ups had showcased their wares at the three-day event, the curtain on which came down on Wednesday.

Making a brief pitch at the valedictory, Caredose co-founder and CEO Kinshuk Kocher said the start-up has devised a solution – a dispenser in which medicines are filled using a robot – for patients, especially senior citizens, to ensure that they are taken on time and in the correct dose. The entire process is completely automated, he said.

Interestingly, Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, during the inauguration of BioAsia on Monday evening, had highlighted the need to address the issues that senior citizens faceamong other aspects.

Another solution that caught the eye of the jury was the contactless health monitor developed by Dozee. COO of the start-up Pritish Gupta said the monitor, placed below the mattress, tracks the sleep patterns, heart, respiration and stress levels helping the user address the conditions.

Spectral Insights for its compact scanner; Ekistics Solutions that offers replacement and reconstruction of damaged and diseased valves avoiding artificial prostheses; and fluorescent dye company Azooka Life Sciences for its nucleic acid stains that facilitates DNA-based diagnostics were the other three prize winning start-ups.

A special Social Innovation Award was presented to Adero Labs that works in the field of citizen safety and women empowerment.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – February 27th, 2019

Boy’s invention to be adopted by Civil Supplies Dept.

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

Paddy filling machines, if successful, to be installed at all procurement centres

A class VIII boy’s ingenious invention is set to be adopted by the Civil Supplies Department at its Paddy Procurement Centres (PPCs) on a pilot basis.

A prototype of a paddy filling machine, used to fill paddy into bags, would be adopted with minor tweaks and installed at select PPCs. If successful, they would be installed at all the centres across the State, Civil Supplies Commissioner Akun Sabharwal said in a statement here on Saturday.

Abhishek, studying in Zilla Parishad High School at Hanumajipet village in Vemulawada mandal of Rajanna-Sircilla district, has already received accolades and prizes for his invention at Inspire Science Exhibition at regional and national levels.

On Saturday, he met Mr. Sabharwal along with his parents Rajavva and Lakshmi Rajyam, and his school principal, and received a gift of ₹10,000 and a robot doll from the Commissioner.

Mr. Sabharwal said the machine, with a few changes, would be very useful for farmers. The machine’s capacity could be increased from 20 kilograms to 40-45 kg by increasing its width, he said. If successful, the machine would replace four workers.

Naming it Vari Abhishekam, Mr. Sabharwal directed the officials concerned to initiate the process of obtaining patent for the machine on behalf of the Telangana government. In another major initiative, the Civil Supplies Department would introduce e-weighing machines at warehouses with the capacity of five tonnes, starting from the coming rabi season. The department is aiming to implement the same State-wide starting from the next khariff.

The e-weighing machines would be installed at 170 warehouses across the State, to ensure that the commodities are supplied to fair price shop dealers with correct weight. Inspecting the performance of the machines at Met Weigh India Factory at Cherlapalli on Saturday, Mr. Sabharwal said the machines would be available at all the godowns by March 31.

The machines would be linked to the Command Control Centre at Civil Supplies Bhavan and also to the Mini Command Control Centres in the districts, where live weighing can be viewed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – February 23rd, 2019

FICCI’s global R&D summit commences in Hyderabad

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Following the success of the India Rwanda Innovation Growth program started in 2017, the FICCI Association launched a similar programme with the Ethiopian Government this summit.

Hyderabad :

Launching the  India-Ethiopia Innovation, Technology Transfer & Commercialization Programme along with the Ethiopian government, the Global Research and Development Summit 2019 commenced in Hyderabad on Thursday.

The two-day conclave inaugurated by Professor Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DS & T, Government of India, focussed upon strengthening technology and development ties between India and Africa. 

Following the success of the India Rwanda Innovation Growth program started in 2017, the FICCI Association launched a similar programme with the Ethiopian Government this summit. Dr.-Ing. Getahun Mekuria, Minister of Science & Technology, Govt. of the Republic of Ethiopia talked about the several benefits of the scheme including more job opportunities for the people and help Ethiopia move from an agriculture-based to a knowledge-based ecosystem.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / February 22nd, 2019

French aerospace major to set up plant in city

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Safran to make parts for LEAP turbofan engine with €36 million investment

French aerospace major Safran on Tuesday said it will set up a plant in Hyderabad to make parts for CFM International’s LEAP turbofan engine with an investment of €36 million.

Construction on the facility will begin in June. The target is to produce the first batch of parts by early 2020. By end of this year, operations at the plant will be launched with about 50 employees while over time, the headcount will be 300.

Near airport

The 13,000-square metre plant, to be built at the Special Economic Zone of GMR near the airport, will include 8,000 square metres of workshops. When the plant hits cruise speed in 2023, it will be able to deliver 15,000 parts per year. CFM International is set to deliver 1,800 engines this year, a number expected to increase to 2,000 next year.

With more than 17,000 orders and commitments till date, LEAP is the fastest selling engine. The new-generation LEAP entered service in 2016 and has passed the mark of three million flight-hours. It powers over 700 Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX commercial airliners, including 54 operated by Indian airlines, said an official release.

Expressing happiness at Safran selecting Hyderabad to establish the plant, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said the company joins the league of other global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) which are already manufacturing and exporting from Telangana.

Aerospace, he added, is a focus industrial sector for Telangana and the State government is providing maximum support to encourage the industry.

In the release, Safran CEO Philippe Petitcolin, who is on a visit to India for the Aero India Show, said, “Aerospace continues to be a significant driver of India’s growth and we want to fully support this dynamic by bolstering our investments and training programmes in the country.”

Safran, which has been in India for around 65 years, has, at present, over 600 employees at seven companies that provide design, production and support services for aerospace and defense, plus a maintenance training centre in Hyderabad for CFM engines. The centre, which was established in 2010, can train more than 500 technicians a year.

‘Very excited’

Former Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao tweeted: “Very excited to welcome Safran’s new investment in Telangana.”

The French multinational had, in 2018, announced the setting up of a Safran Electrical and Power factory to produce LEAP engines harnesses and Rafale fighter electrical wiring interconnections systems in Hyderabad. The 4,000-square metre facility, also at the SEZ, will be ready by mid-2019 and employ 250 people. The operations have begun in a temporary building with 33 employees.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – February 20th, 2019

GHMC bags cleanliness award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All

First in engaging community-based organisations

GHMC Commissioner M. Dana Kishore on Friday received ‘Swachhata Excellence Award’ at a special function held in New Delhi as the civic body stood first under cities with over one million in engaging community-based organisations and information on waste pickers in sanitation and solid waste management.

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) Swachhata Excellence Awards have been instituted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to recognise the Area Level Federations (ALFs), City Level Federations (CLFs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) working towards achieving sanitation outcomes with their communities and promoting dignified livelihoods in the sanitation sector.

Main objectives

The main objectives of Swachhata Excellence Awards are to bring cleanliness, sanitation and livelihoods to the forefront of social discourse.

It is also to encourage ULBs, ALFs and CLFs for their initiatives related to elimination of open defecation, eradication of manual scavenging, behavioural change towards healthy sanitation practices, creating awareness about its impact on public health and modern and scientific solid waste management.

Through this initiative, the urban local bodies (ULBs) are supposed to mainstream informal sanitation workers, improve their income-earning capacity and engage community organisations to achieve sanitation and cleanliness outcomes, a press release said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – February 16th, 2019

Robots welcome guests at this new eatery in Hyderabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel, World Opinion

This is not the first such restaurant in the country to have a robot on its staff. The first eatery namely ‘Robot’ was opened in Chennai during November 2017 and started with a team of four ‘AI waiter


‘ROBO KITCHEN’ – The Robot Themed Restaurant first time in Hyderabad, Which Robots serves food to the costumers table from Kitchen what they ordered has been opened at jubliee hills in Hyderabad. (Express|S Senbagapandiyan)

Hyderabad :

The newly-launched Robo Kitchen in Hyderabad is the first-of-its-kind restaurant where customers are greeted by robots. 

“The main attraction of our newly-opened restaurant is that robots will serve food to customers,” Robo Kitchen’s owner Manikanth told ANI.

“We have named the robots as Beauty Serving Robots. So far, we have been receiving great response from the customers, especially from old aged people as they are enjoying a whole new experience as robots are serving food to them.”Robo Kitchen provides a tab on every table for the customer’s comfort. “Guests can easily place an order from their table, which will be received by the chefs working in the kitchen. The food ordering process will complete in the span of two to five minutes,” said Manikanth. The aim is to provide a holistic and pleasing experience to the customers, especially families. The robots need three hours charging to work throughout the day.

“At present, we have four robots. We are in the process of updating their programming so that they can interact with the customers,” stated Manikanth.

This is not the first such restaurant in the country to have a robot on its staff. The first eatery namely ‘Robot’ was opened in Chennai during November 2017 and started with a team of four ‘AI waiters.’ 

A few days ago, Chennai’s Porur also got a smart restaurant where robots not only serve as waiters but also interact with customers in English and Tamil.The eatery located at Mugilivakkam Porur has a team of seven robots designed in blue and white. They welcome customers and serve meals with exotic drinks on tables.A female robot at the reception gives a response to customers’ queries and guides them about their table numbers. The restaurant serves Indo-Asian cuisines. Each robot in the eatery costs about Rs 5 lakh. The hotel staff has been trained and is in touch with manufacturers to tackle any emergency.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by ANI / February 09th, 2019

Powering through challenges to reach a unique half-century

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology

TS-Transco chairman and managing director completes 50 years of service in power utilities today

Putting in 50 years of service in a public sector organisation with an unblemished record all along is no mean task, more so when 27 years out of that are spent in holding key executive positions in power utilities that are directly linked to almost every household.

However, for Devulapalli Prabhakar Rao, the chairman and managing director of TS-Genco and TS-Transco since the formation of Telangana State, it has been a smooth journey except for some “occupational hazards” linked to every responsibility.

He has been the Man Friday to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in tackling severe power shortage, one of the major fallouts of the bifurcation of combined Andhra Pradesh.

Efficiency in functioning of the power utilities of Telangana was under scrutiny of general public and also those in power from the day of State formation as it was one of the first challenges faced by the State government with farmers taking to the streets demanding supply of power to save the standing crops.

“We could overcome the problem and reached a position of supplying seven-hour power to the farm sector within six months with support of the government, particularly the Chief Minister,” says Mr. Prabhakar Rao recollecting the challenges he faced in the initial days of State formation what with 2,700 MW shortage of power compared to the demand.

“Industrialists taking to the streets, demanding adequate quality power supply was the position we inherited from combined AP,” he points out.

With a three-pronged strategy for overcoming the immediate power shortage with spot, short-term and medium-term power purchase linkages, improving the efficiency of power generation units of State utilities, and going for long-term power purchase agreements and capacity addition in power generation, the State overcame the problem of power shortage before the turn of one year.

“Power cuts were lifted for domestic, commercial and industrial sectors and nine-year supply was given to farm sector from November 20, 2014, itself. From January 1, 2018, Telangana became the first State in the country to provide uninterrupted free power supply to even the farm sector having over 23 lakh pump-sets,” Mr. Prabhakar Rao says, describing it one of the proud moments of his career.

Starting his career as a junior accounts officer on February 10, 1969, Mr. Prabhakar Rao became the financial adviser and chief controller of accounts in 1992 in the then AP State Electricity Board. He was elevated as board member (Accounts) in 1998 and it was, in fact, the first time when a non-IAS and non-engineering background official was given such an opportunity.

“My successful career of 50 years in the power utilities has been a possibility only with the support of all employees,” he says, adding that there were some minor aberrations when he had to quit first in 1991 and later in 2002 due to professional differences with his peers but it was thanks to the support the organisation as a team offered that helped him power ahead.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by B. Chandrasekhar / Hyderabad – February 09th, 2019