A three-day national conference on ‘Comparative Humanities: Re-configuring Humanities across Cultures’ was organised by the Department of Comparative Literature and India Studies, EFLU, that concluded recently.
The keynote address was delivered by Kailash C. Baral, Pro-Vice Chancellor, EFLU.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – April 10th, 2017
25 more stores to be opened in one year
YentraTech Controls Pvt Ltd has opened the first in a chain of stores that will retail vegetables, fruits, meat and pulses purified using a technology developed by the company.
Addressing presspersons at Purin Foods store at Jubilee Hills, Chairman Prasad Yerramsetty said the company planned to open 25 stores in one year in the city. The estimated investment on them would be around ₹10 crore. In the next phase, Purin Foods outlets would be expanded to Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – February 25th, 2017
Hyderabad :
There are more than 50 small and world-class research institutes in Hyderabad and the number of intellectual minds is countless. For all these years, most of these scientists have limited their discoveries and knowledge-base to the labs, said IT minister KT Rama Rao on Friday, adding that things were going to change.
The Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH), KTR’s brainchild aims to create a synergy of research institutions, academic institutions and industries, was inaugurated at – Indian Institute of Chemical Technology Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (IICT: CSIR).
“The objective of RICH is to initiate, innovate and implement where great minds from diverse backgrounds will work together while creating a social impact. While the Telangana government will initially provide funding, stakeholders from various industries will be brought in soon,” said Ajit Rangnekar, former dean of Indian School of Business (ISB), now director general of RICH. A team called ‘RICH associates’ led by Rangenekar will move to Parishram Bhavan, in Bashergbagh and begin with cataloging the research work done across institutions in the city.
“We will then look at ways in which these institutions can work together, including corporates with an agenda to solve societal problems. While institutions like the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology(CCMB), IICT, LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO), the founding members of RICH will provide the knowledge and the minds, institutions like NALSAR University of Law will look at Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and ISB will help with the entrepreneurial development,” explained Rangnekar.
Talking about the operational aspects of RICH, which will begin fully in the next 100 days, BV Papa Rao, advisor to TS government for policy and institutional development said: “There will be one non-profit company and a for-profit one to ensure that scientists also get monetary benefits. We also have the support of the Defence ministry which will be open for ideas, commercialisation and civilian use, with those that can be dealt with openly.” KT Rama Rao also expressed delight over the new project.
Union minister for science and tech optmistic
“We have human intellect but there is a lack of enterprises and RICH is aimed to change that. Funding is the biggest challenge and to meet that we are looking at convergence of industries,” he said. Stating that he has been encouraging state governments to take up such collaborative initiatives, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, YS Chowdary said that he was happy that the Telangana government had launched RICH.
“Now, venture capitalists and lenders will have a major role to play. Once the matrix is fixed, it will be easy to lay the path and I am sure RICH is going to have a nation-wide impact. RICH will help address issues of rural India,” he said.
Representatives of research institutes said that RICH will help them create an industry for innovation and research for scientists.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / February 25th, 2017
Techie sets up farm not just to supply milk, but also to breed the best bovines
Just like his love for IT profession, his passion for organic milk is unadulterated. He doesn’t want to milk profits from his supply, but purely believes in maintaining the purity of nature’s gift to mankind.
No wonder this IT professional with a comfortable job in the United States has set up an organic farm not just for supplying healthy and unadulterated milk but also to breed the best bovine in the country. “To maintain purity we grow fodder on the 9 acres farm on the outskirts of the city for the 150 animals consisting of 70 cows and 80 buffaloes,” says Kotesh Mukkamala, an IT professional in the USA.
On the eight acres of the 9 acres land, he cultivates green fodder recommended by NG Ranga University to feed the animals year round. The remaining acre is used for housing cattle, staff and other infrastructure. As the grass grown in the cities is produced in the drainage segregation area and is infested with synthetics and human waste here only ground and rain water is used. Cultivation is pesticide and chemical fertiliser-free. Diet of the animals is balanced with the right quantities of protein and fodder.
His passion is also driven by the growing craze for organic milk in cities. Kotesh’s Organics Dairy currently services about 300 plus customers supplying 500 plus litres a day. Importantly, milk is delivered within two hours of milking and it never undergoes any processing.
Interestingly, lot of IT and data is used in enhancing the milking capacity of the animals and maintaining quality. “We have established data points and capture mechanisms at various levels like recording milk production patterns during different months, patterns of cattle coming in to heat during different seasons, onset of diseases and they are effectively tackled.
Mr. Kotesh says he has Murrah breed buffaloes procured from several villages in Haryana, the Jaffrabadi breed buffaloes from areas around Bhavnagar in Gujarat. The Holstein cows are from the Kolar area apart from the Ongole cows, Kankrejs, Holsteins, Girs, Ratis, Punganoors, Jerseys, Khillaris and Shahiwals.
After his success with milk, Kotesh wants to get into the breeding domain and supply the best quality semen from the top bulls breed with proper data collection and proven records. “The goal is to supply quality semen doses at optimal pricing to the farmers and help improve the average yield of animals across the country by at least 20% in the next 5 years. This would help make quality milk affordable and available to the poorest of the poor. The plan would encompass training the farmers on the best practices.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by R Ravikanth Reddy / Hyderabad – February 23rd, 2017
Popular cake maker and one of the country’s oldest bakery brands Monginis opened on Monday a manufacturing facility in Hyderabad and with it, announced a foray into south India.
Up next and as part of an expansion plan, Monginis Food Pvt Ltd, the company behind the well known bakery flavours from Mumbai, plans to set up a bakery each in Delhi and Patna by April. It had opened bakeries recently in Bhubaneswar and Raipur. In the southern region, other locations under consideration to establish a factory are Bengaluru and Andhra Pradesh.
Spread over 34,000 sq ft, the bakery opened at Bollarum here is the 16th factory of the company, Joint Managing Director Kumhail Khorakiwala said, adding there are plans to have 100 franchises shops in Telangana over the next five years.
Apart from a range of cakes, the company also made customised cakes, something it would continue to do in the State too. Other Monginis products such as pastries, puffs, burgers, pizza, breads, chocolates and cookies would also be marketed in Hyderabad and rest of Telangana, Mr. Khorakiwala said.
The company markets its products through over 1,500 distributors in 23 States. It also has 650 cake shops across the country.
The facility in the city was inaugurated by Member of Parliament M. Mallareddy. Speaking on the occasion, MLA G.Sayanna and Secunderabad Cantonment Board Ward Member Loknath urged the company to give preference to locals in jobs.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – February 21st, 2017
Hyderabad :
Startupedia’17 is set to celebrate its fourth anniversary on February 16-17 at the IPE Shamirpet Campus. Startupedia’17 is hosted in association with SIDIBI, SECL, IDBI, Orient Cement, SBH, Hacco, HSES, INK& PAPER, TiE Hyderabad, Hyderabad Angels , 50K Ventures, CLOwork, Yourstory, The New Indian Express and Fever 94.3 FM. Over 250 teams from all over India have registered for this season.
This is a dedicated fully-mentored 37-hour programme where the participants are groomed to define, refine and execute their ideas into viable business, by startup gurus and industry experts. The day one of the programme is dedicated to mentoring and grooming; the second day participants will pitch their B-Plans in front of a jury comprising industry experts and prospective investors. The event is where mentors, investors and venture capitalists connect with each other. It will provide insights into entrepreneurial concerns by industry stalwarts and help in converting business ideas into a viable business plan. There will events to win cash prizes too.
Prof. R K Mishra, Director, IPE, conceptualised an Entrepreneurship Development Program, marking the silver jubilee of IPE in 2014 and launched Startupedia – A National Level Business Plan Pitch. This is a forum that provides an opportunity to startup enthusiasts, working professionals and students from across India to showcase their innovative ideas and launch their business plans.
The guest list includes Ramesh Loganathan, Professor IIITH and Innovation Outreach Head, Srini Chandupatla, Co-founder Manjeera Digital, Sanju Pillai, Founder and CEO, Movingdneedle, Tejaswini Yarlagadda, ED and Management Trustee, Mahalaxmi group and Sreedivya, Managing Director, Girls in Tech India.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / February 14th, 2017
The next time you feel a juggernaut whiz past with nary a ‘whish’, you will feel a tingle of excitement running down your spine. That will be the sleek and silent, low-slung beauty, an ebus made by BYD Auto Industry of China.
On Wednesday, Goldstone Infratech, which is said to be the Indian distributor for the Chinese ebus-maker, offered the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) one of these, the BYD K series, a battery-operated bus with 324 KW of power.
When contacted, Executive Director for TSRTC’s Greater Hyderabad Zone A. Purushotham said they planned to run this environmental-friendly, pollution-free bus on the Jubilee Bus Station-Shamshabad airport route as a pilot project for a few days to check its efficacy.
The service is to be launched within a day or two, most likely by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
The 12-metre-long bus is a 31-seater and is low-slung with a ground clearance of 360 mm. It can run for slightly more than 180 km on a single charge over a seven-hour duration and has a charging time ranging between two and a half to three hours for the next shift. It can accelerate from 0 to 50 KMPH in about 20 seconds, powered silently by electric motors in the wheel hubs and can achieve top speed of over 96 km an hour. Enquiries about the details like power and the like with engineers revealed that the 324 KW of output was almost equivalent to the 295 horsepower that the luxury buses like the Volvo produce. “From what I have seen, it is almost like our Garuda (Volvo) buses,” said a senior engineer.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Suresh Krishnamoorthy / Hyderabad – February 10th, 2017
T-Hub CEO Jay Krishnan gave a picture of a true life of a motivated entrepreneur, and also some self-tests that would analyse individuals’ abilities to become either a venture capitalist, a manager, or an entrepreneur.
He was sharing his views at the International Conference on Management Challenge and Trends in the Digital Era, organised by Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Hyderabad. Sekar S.N.S.R., Chairman of Sekar and Associates, discussed the significance of keeping one’s mind open and being able to acknowledge what is not known, and keep learning more and more at any point in time.
Awadh Dubey, founder of R.K. Devi Eye Research Institute, shared his views on bliss and happiness being an ultimate goal in every individual’s life while Jack Reardon, professor at Hamaline University at Minnesota, USA, gave suitable examples to share his insights into the remarkable revolution in the field of technology.
Papers were also presented on finance, management and marketing and discussed in the presence of Loknath Reddy and Sita Vankara, associate professors, University of Hyderabad and Vidyasagar Reddy, director of NALSAR Business School. Prithvi Yadav, Director of NMIMS, set the theme of the conference and Radha Krishna from NMIMS briefed the conference details.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by R. Ravikanth Reddy / February 05th, 2017
Announcing an investment of `3,382 crore, and MoUs in government and private sectors with an aim to strengthen city’s positioning as a hub for biotech and life sciences, the 14th edition of the Telangana government’s yearly flagship event, BioAsia 2017, kick-started at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) on Monday. The event was inaugurated by Governor ESL Narasimhan, in the presence of IT minister KT Rama Rao and Health minister C Laxma Reddy.
“A number of new initiatives have been launched today with an investment of about `1,700 crore including the new SEZ facility of Biological E for their manufacturing and research facility, and the 3D model of the country’s largest animal resource facility developed in partnership with the state government was unveiled.
With a cumulative investment of about `3,000 crore, these initiatives mark the beginning of the next wave of development, which I will term as Genome Valley 2.0. As one of the many steps forward, I am delighted to announce IALA for Genome Valley today which would be implemented in the cluster very soon,” said Rao.
Lauding the IT minister’s efforts towards a TB-free Telangana, the Governor said: “At this stage, when healthcare is about criticality, BioAsia becomes a very useful forum for exchange of thoughts and experiences. Not being able to afford proper healthcare, lack of funds in health sector, fighting infection are major challenges for us.
I thank KT Rama Rao for the initiative of aiming to make Telangana a TB-free state. It is high time we move pilot projects to battle diseases and I request corporate hospitals to support the initiative. There is a request to someone like Soumya Swaminathan to ensure that the labelling on medicine is readable. One last request is that drug controlling authorities take care of preventing side effects while examining medicines.”
At the programme, Genome Valley Excellence Award 2017 was awarded to Nobel Laureate Professor Kurt Wuthrichand and Worldwide Chairman Pharmaceuticals and CSO of Johnson & Johnson Dr Paul Stoffels.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / February 07th, 2017
Hyderabad :
Social networking major Facebook has invested $40,000 in an Indian start-up that aggregates home services. Facebook has deployed its investments in FIXU through its arm FbStart, which helps developers grow their start-ups by giving them access to tools and services and global events.
The investments will be in the form of credits that are translated into various opportunities, which include interactions with Facebook and global exposure.
Promoted by Vamshi Krishna and Nikhil, FIXU has technology that on-boards home service vendors such as plumbers and electricians. “We have roped in 170 vendors so far and currently serve Hyderabad city. We can track the entire process using automated tools,” Vamshi Krishna told BusinessLine.
Expansion
Elated over Facebook’s recognition, FIXU is looking at expansion to Bengaluru and Mumbai towards the end of 2017. “We have raised no funds so far. We are looking at raising $2,50,000 in the angel round in the middle of 2017 to fund our expansion,” Vamshi Krishna says.
Facebook is going to give them free access to Dropbox services worth $5,000 and tool kits and other services worth about the same amount for a period of 6-12 months. Besides, the team will have interactions with experts at Facebook headquarters in the US.
A mass communications graduate, Vamshi Krishna met his co-founder Nikhil, who is a JNTU graduate, at a start-up event in the city and built the product. The six-month-old start-up is currently doing an average of 25 orders a day, with an average revenue of Rs. 500 per order.
There is already a crowd of start-ups out there offering similar services. “We are very fast and economical,” he claims, when asked how their service was different from others.
Besides the two founders, the start-up has two other employees as it has outsourced software development and marketing to third-party services.
Under the programme, FIXU would also receive mentoring from the Menlo Park-headquartered tech giant’s engineering teams.
The FbStart’s programme provides free access to more than 25 services including open source tools such as React Native, FB Login and Account Kit and App Analytics.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Info-Tech / by K.V.Kurmanath / Hyderabad – December 20th, 2016