MEPMA Mission Director T.K. Sreedevi at a stall at All India Industrial Exhibition at Nampally.
A bazaar exclusively to house the stalls of 55 entrepreneurs of self-help groups was opened on Saturday at the All India Industrial Exhibition by T.K. Sreedevi, Mission Director, Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) which promotes SHGs.
The exhibitors who are drawn from all over the State were given an opportunity free of cost to display and sell their products, a release said.
L. Vandana Kumar, Additional Mission Director-MEPMA, and other officials were present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – January 08th, 2018
Sweet truck Aishwarya and Priyanka at their truck parked in Sainikpuri, some of their adorable looking desserts | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal
W.O.W is the first food cart run and managed by two young girls
Aishwarya Balasubramanian and Priyanka Natesh are cousins in their early 20s. Yet it was not until boredom with their regular jobs and the wish to pursue their individual dreams brought them to a common discussion platform, that they realised they might have something common and concrete on their minds.
Aishwarya wanted to do something that allowed her some time to pursue higher studies and Priyanka wanted to try out her bakes and goodies outside the closed circle she was catering to. Also the fact that one loves to eat and the other loves to bake made the partnership a good one for a food business. Without spending much time on their idea they discussed their ‘business plan’ with their parents.
Food business was fine. But the girls wanted to run a food truck and name it ‘Women on wheels’ (W.O.W) “That was a concern for our parents; mostly about our safety. So when we started, one of our parents would be there with us for safety and to understand the crowd that came to buy our food stuff,” says Aishwarya.
W.O.W’s happy glowsign can be spotted from a distance among the line of food trucks which stand on the popular food spots of Secunderabad. W.O.W is also the first and the only food truck managed and owned by women in the twin cities.
“After we decided on the plan we approached experts who design food trucks in Hyderabad. We knew what we wanted for the exterior look but were unaware of the technicalities so we let the experts deal with that. We also gave him the happy bubble gum colour theme for the colour palette.
Our food truck is based on the Mom&Pop food truck culture in the West. We wanted to do something in the food truck business that would make us stand out from the rest. Since Priyanka bakes and is very popular for her eggless desserts, we were confident of our time-tested products,” says Aishwarya.
W.O.W can be spotted at different stops in Secunderabad on different days from 7.30 pm to 10 pm. They have a new menu everyday; apart from home-made desserts, cakes in a jar, they also sell gelatos and fruit flavoured sorbets. “I used to bake because it was something I enjoyed doing. I started experimenting with eggless bakes and they became popular. Then by word of mouth I started getting orders and within no time, my hobby baking turned me into a home baker,” says Priyanka.
While the girls haven’t faced any trouble from their clients, it was the other food cart businesses that showed them some resistance in the beginning. “We weren’t welcome for sure. They would try to make us lose our spot. We stayed put and without jostling for space, made our way into the business in Habsiguda,” says Aishwarya.
Since W.O.W sells only desserts and cakes, their food truck sometime turns into an impromptu place for birthday celebration for friends. “Sometimes some regular diners come and place orders with us for a surprise birthday treat. That’s an overwhelming feeling. It’s nice to make us feel a part of such a celebration,” adds Priyanka.
Aishwarya who is pursuing her PGDMA in Human resources says she is a people’s person and loves to talk to the crowd to understand their taste, likes and dislikes. “The food cart business has been a learning experience. It is doing good and we are still innovating but the fact that ‘there is a rule, yet there is no rule’ makes it uncertain.”
How would she explain ‘there is a rule, yet there is no rule’? “Sometimes we are asked to move our cart saying it’s against the law and when I seek written permission to park the food cart, I am told I can park it anywhere except in a ‘no parking’ zone and we shouldn’t obstruct traffic.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Prabalika M.Borah / January 08th, 2018
Adilabad SP Vishnu S. Warrier with SI Mesram Chandrabhan (left) in Adilabad on Saturday. | Photo Credit: ByArrangement
He is a survivor of Naxalite ambush
Mesram Chandrabhan, a 53-year-old assistant sub inspector of Police working in Adilabad district, became the first Adivasi Sub Inspector in this district when he was given posting as SI Special Branch. Superintendent of Police Vishnu S. Warrier pinned the stars on his shoulder signifying the elevation to the post.
Chandrabhan belongs to the 1985 batch of constables and is winner of the Mukhya Mantri Shourya pathakam in 1987 for escaping with his life in an ambush by naxalites in the forest of Allampalli in Kadem mandal., now in Nirmal district, in which 10 policemen had died including two SIs.
The Pardhan Adivasi constable, who was injured in the ambush of a 25 strong police combing party in Allampalli on August 18, 1987, had played dead when the extremists came to ascertain if all the injured were dead. The deadly attack on policemen had jolted even the conscience of the then Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao who initiated certain measures for uplift of the Adivasis and also announced the gallantry award.
Chandrabhan was promoted as ASI in 2011 and had undergone training for SI post last year. The posting of the Adivasi officer gets significant in the face of the ongoing Adivasi-Lambada tiff.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Adilabad – January 06th, 2018
Seed exported to a few OECD countries for the first time this year
The year that is coming to an end has been the most eventful for the seed sector of Telangana since it has seen the State taking the leadership role at the national level and also making a mark at the international level with export of seed under the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) programme.
Setting the house in order first, the State government ensured timely availability of seed before the commencement of every agriculture season for the last three years, although the problem of inferior quality seed raised its head every now and then. As it had little or no powers to deal with the spurious seed issue/offenders, the State government amended an existing law bringing the subject under the purview of Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act.
Admitting that all incidents of farmers suffering losses due to spurious seed may not have been addressed, a senior officer of the Agriculture Department said: “A good beginning has been made this year by making two seed companies pay compensation to chilli farmers in Gadwal, Khammam and Warangal (Rural) districts after they suffered crop loss due to inferior quality seed”.
On the other hand, the Telangana government hosted stakeholders’ conferences on OECD seed certification twice and national meeting of public sector seed entities towards improving the quality of seed to international standards. It was decided to promote inter-State sale of seed by public sector entities to make them affordable to the farming community.
“We have mooted setting up seed export promotion council and a centre of excellence to promote seed exports through single window system to OECD countries in South and South East Asia and Africa and the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare is examining it,” Agriculture Production Commissioner C. Parthasarathi, who has been recently appointed as co-chairman of the national task force on OECD seed schemes, said when contacted.
After becoming the nodal agency for OECD seed certification for four States, Telangana State Seed and Organic Certification Agency (TSSOCA) has achieved the distinction of exporting sorghum and paddy seed for the first time to Sudan, Philippines, Vietnam and Egypt. “About 17,000 qunitals seed raised with international standards in 2,271 acres in Telangana has been exported to those countries and we have plans to increase it to 50,000 quintals this year from over 6,000 acres,” Director of TSSOCA K. Keshavulu explained.
One more recognition that has come to the Telangana State seed sector this year is selection of Mr. Keshavulu as the chairman of the advisory council of the International Seed Testing Association to coordinate the international seed agencies and the seed industry. The Union Agriculture Ministry has already appointed him as the nodal officer for taking up a field-level study for the country’s membership in the Europe Equivalence.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by B. Chandrashekhar / Hyderabad – December 29th, 2017
The tie and dye ikat designs of Kolanupaka Bixapathi were also exhibited at Lakme Fashion Show in Paris which was conducted three weeks back.Kolanupaka Bixapathi with his designs
Yadadri-Bhongir:
A sixty-year-old weaver Kolanupaka Bixapathi, who has created more than 1,000 designs for tie and dye ikat handlooms, is setting an example for other weavers by receiving higher prices for his products than his counterparts’. Innovative designing and dying methods have helped in fetching a good price for his clothes, nearly 30 per cent more than the price other weavers could get in the market.
Tie and dye ikat curtains prepared by Laxmipathi were used as door and window curtains at White House in US for five years. He received the order from Mumbai Export Company that supplied it to the US government.
Receiving inspiration, other weavers at Vellanki village of Ramannapet mandal in Yadadri-Bhongir district are also switching over to innovative methods to get the best price for their produce.
The tie and dye ikat designs of Kolanupaka Bixapathi were also exhibited at Lakme Fashion Show in Paris which was conducted three weeks back.
He also set up an exclusive shop of his designs in New Delhi which gets seven to eight foreign visitors daily.
Speaking to Telangana Today, Bixapathi said that he had set up Surya Textile in New Delhi in 2012 but had incurred a loss of Rs 80 lakh due to a fire accident in 2014. After a gap of four months, he renovated the shop with a lot of hardships. He has been getting orders from export companies as his tie and dye ikat designs have a high demand in foreign countries. He was surprised when a German woman, who visited his shop in New Delhi, told him that a piece of his design, which costs less than Rs 10,000 here, was selling in US at Rs 80,000.
Bixapathi, who has a habit of adopting the latest technology in the textile sector, also learnt to manufacture Jakat, used for weaving high cost saris and successfully complete an order of 200 Jakat boxes from a Chennai-based firm. Laxmipathy is trying to invent a machine for rubber rolling yarn in Ikat methods which is now made manually. He informed that he would use Aso Reactive Dies (Chemicals without Benzene) for preparation of the cloth as foreigners would also prefer it as it would not cause skin related problems.
Moggam weavers
Expressing happiness over the State’s initiatives to promote handloom sector, he felt that the initiatives have started showing results as weavers were reversing to moggams again.
He felt that there would always be demand for handlooms if the weavers ensure good design and quality in clothes. He stated that he migrated to Yallanki from Chandoor in the year 2008 due to problems of availability of workers. When I come to the village, the weavers were selling the bedsheets at Rs 100-150, which would not meet their daily requirements. He found that the weavers were using low-quality yarn. When he explained the local weavers that they can get better price by using quality yarn, the weavers’ works began fetching of Rs 600 per bedsheet, he added.
He suggested the government to conduct awareness programmes on new technologies and market trends for weavers as it would help them receive benefits.
source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home> Telangana> Yadadri Bhongir / by Srinivas P / December 27th, 2017
The IAF has ordered for 83 Tejas fighter jets, taking the total order of indigenous fighters to 123.Hyderabad has a decent contribution in the designing and making of the biggest IAF indigenous fighter aircraft.
Hyderabad:
Indian Air Force has finally moved to purchase its second batch of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, a fighter jet for attack and other operations.
And Hyderabad has a decent contribution in the designing and making of the biggest IAF indigenous fighter aircraft.
Some electronic components of the Made-in-India jet were manufactured in Hyderabad and assembled in Bengaluru’s Hindustan Aeronautical Limited.
The chief designer of the LCA project is former Hyderabad University vice-chancellor Dr Kota Hari Narayana, who spent 10 years on designing the Tejas.
A senior IAF officer, who didn’t want to be identified, said, “Each LCA costs about Rs 400 crore as its electronic components are very expensive, more than even its body. The LCA is equipped with radar, data link, navigation system, weapon aiming sensors and interface and specific radar detector. Components of these electronic parts were manufactured by Defence Electronic Research Laboratories in Hyderabad.
Another city private vendor, VEN Technologies, also chipped in by making some of the aircraft’s body parts.
Talking about the aircraft, defence historian K.S. Nair said, “Earlier, fighter aircraft used to target the enemy with the help of human eye, but the latest ones are equipped with target lock, infrared radars and other wide range of sensors to spot the enemy. However this comes at a cost — most of the electronic components that are manufactured in Hyderabad are extremely precision-oriented and cost more than the aircraft body itself. For example, an airborne early warning and control aircraft with antenna has components costing more than the aircraft body.
The Tejas LCA which is finally tested and assembled at HAL in Bengaluru is designed to have air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities. This means it can attack an enemy aircraft in flight as well target a site on ground.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by Coreena Suares, Deccan Chronicle / December 23rd, 2017
Arundhati of Escapades Culinary Studio displaying one of the baked items which she prepared as part of the classes in home baking and cooking in Hyderabad. Photo: Nagara Gopal
A studio that believes in working the basics right
The fact that a search for Culinary studio in Hyderabad on the world’s most popular search engine leads to Escapades Culinary Studio is proof enough that it is a sought after culinary studio. After a left and a few rights comes flat no 402 at an apartment complex in Whitefields in Kondapur.
The studio is a two-bedroom apartment which was converted into a baking studio by Arundati, a baker who runs and manages the Escapades Culinary studio. The main door of the apartment opens to a long hall with two tables in the middle of the room. Right at the entrance is a little seating area with an antique revolving rack with books. Two unmatched sofa sets with silk cushions don’t look out of place. The Studio’s interiors appears to be designed with a concept of ‘less is more.’
Reality however is far more grounded. “Everything here is from the people who give me positive vibes. It is an assortment of thoughts and love. Nothing in this corner of the studio has been bought, I just asked my friends and family to give me something of theirs,” she explains as she dusts castor sugar on the a fresh batch of brownies.
The air in the apartment is filled with the mellow smell of butter and sugar. The tantalising aroma of confectioneries baking seems to linger on, days after a baking class.
Arundati Rao conducts baking classes in batches. She wants her students to learn everything from scratch, so the Studio is equipped with basic baking equipment. “The only complicated gadgets here are the ovens,” she smiles.
Every table is equipped with egg beaters, spatulas, forks and spoons. A tin of castor sugar, some bowls and sieves are on the shelves. She avoids all other gadgets. Baking is not about gadgets she opines, “I don’t want my students to think baking is possible only when they buy fancy equipment. The art of baking, like math, is about getting the basics right,” she says.
On one wall of the long hall is a round black board where the topics of the class is written about. The wall opposite to it has a framed piece of art comprising pencil sketches that describe the processes involved in baking. Two persons share a table but everybody works up the batter, everyone gets to do frosting. A small hand written board marks the baking area where the ovens are neatly placed.
Minimal use of colour make the studio feel contemporary and global. A few potted plants lend a welcome touch of green. A faux window makes for a selfie spot and also doubles up as a space to hold glass water bottles that students can help themselves to, when thirsty.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Prabalika M. Borah / December 13th, 2017
Fast forward:Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao trying out one of the consoles on display at the Gaming Connect 2017 in Hyderabad on Saturday.BY ARRANGEMENT
NVIDIA and Dell invited to partner with TS Government
A two-day event for gaming enthusiasts by graphics chipmaker NVIDIA that features scores of demo stations, latest games and premium devices opened in the city on Saturday.
Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao, a gaming enthusiast himself, inaugurated Gamer Connect 2017, admitting he was there to check out a few games. The ‘Mt.Everest thing was pretty cool,’ he said about the experience a VR headset provides of the world’s highest peak.
The Minister, who later tweeted ‘pretty good way to start a Saturday,’ told the gathering, at the event in Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, that the State Government had launched IMAGE (innovation in multimedia, animation, gaming and entertainment technology) policy.
It is also developing a 1.6 million sq. ft. IMAGE Tower, which will focus on gaming industry.
“New opportunities will come in gaming, multimedia, visual effects, VR, AR, cyber security, analytics and deep learning,” he said. Gaming as an industry is more than $100 billion globally. Gaming and animation combined is over $243 billion across the world, with India accounting for hardly $1.5 billion,” he said, pointing to the growth potential.
He invited NVIDIA and Dell to partner with the State Government to create an annual event like the Gamer Connect in Hyderabad.
“I am told you already had 12,000 registrations for Gamer Connect today. I hope that number will grow manifold and we will make Hyderabad, with your support, an annual fixture for this event,” he said.
A release from NVIDIA said Gamer Connect was conducted earlier this year in Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kochi and Lucknow. It is a platform for the Indian gaming community to bond, interact and explore new avenues in gaming. Gamer Connect also gives audiences an opportunity to experience the latest in PC gaming technology.
Some of the latest games showcased include Call of Duty WW II, Destiny 2, Middle Earth: Shadow of War, NFS Payback, and Assassin’s Creed Origins.
On display are some premium range gaming monitors. The NVIDIA also showcased GeForce GTX graphic cards featuring the latest Pascal architecture.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – December 10th, 2017
City selected after evaluating multiple cities, says company
GE Appliances-backed co-creation community FirstBuild has decided to set up its India hub at T-Works, the makerspace coming up in Hyderabad.
On Saturday, an agreement to this effect was signed by Director-Electronics in the IT, Electronics and Communications Department Sujai Karampuri and chief information officer of GE Appliances India Chandramouli Vijjhala, in the presence of IT Minister K.T.Rama Rao.
FirstBuild India (1B India) intends to focus on IoT and business processes in appliances and manufacturing. It seeks to engage with T-Works and the maker community in knowledge sharing, skills development and community driven open-platform innovation, a release from the Minister’s office said.
Synergy in vision
Stating that FirstBuild has decided to set up its India operations in Hyderabad after evaluating multiple cities, the release said GE Appliances COO Melanie Cook had in September led a high-level delegation to the city and discussed the collaboration. She had highlighted the importance of the maker culture and synergy in the visions and values of FirstBuild and T-Works.
Based out of Louisville, Kentucky, FirstBuild is a global co-creation community that harnesses the brainpower of the maker movement to change the way major home appliances are conceived, designed and manufactured. It speeds products from mind to market and enables customisation through small batch production, without the costs and risks of traditional mass manufacturing.
Game-changer
An invitation was extended to Mr. Taraka Rama Rao and his team to experience first-hand the capabilities and maker culture at GE Appliance’s FirstBuild facility in the US, the release said.
Earlier this week the Minister, addressing a CII Summit, said at 250,000 sq ft T-Works will be India’s largest makerspace. Work has begun and facility would be ready by December 2018.
“I believe it is going to change the way we do business with respect to design in hardware space in India,” he had said, pointing out that it has been conceived on a collaborative platform comprising the State government and private sector partner institutions. The tools, software and equipment are to be provided by the latter. The facility will house $20 million worth equipment.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – December 09th, 2017
File photo of the Kacheguda railway station in Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: P.V.SIVAKUMAR
Kacheguda Railway Station under the South Central Railway (SCR) has earned the unique distinction of being the first Energy Efficient ‘A1 Category’ Railway Station on Indian Railways.
The station has achieved 100% energy efficiency by replacing 1,312 conventional lights with light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, among other steps. About 370 ceiling fans, too, were replaced with energy efficient Brushless DC Electrical (BLDC) motors fans, and 12 air conditioners with energy efficient inverter-type air conditioners. All these measures would save about 1.76 lakh units and ₹14.08 lakh per annum with reduction of the connected load by 46.18 kW for Railways, said General Manager Vinod Kumar Yadav.
Complimenting Divisional Railway Manager Arun Kumar Jain and his colleagues V. Venkata Ramana and P. Prem Kumar for the feat, Mr. Yadav said they had put in extensive efforts to achieve this distinction.
Kacheguda Railway station is a historic building and had completed 100 years. Situated in the heart of Hyderabad, it was built in 1916 by the Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway during the reign of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V. Geetanath / Hyderabad – December 08th, 2017
