Category Archives: Business & Economy

Thorium Found in Bayyaram

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

The accidental discovery of Thorium deposits by the Geological Survey on India in Bayyaram of Khammam district has taken the government by surprise. The Thorium reserves were earlier found only in sea coast area of Andhra Pradesh. This surprise information came to light when the government had commissioned the Geological Survey of India to survey Bayyaram to estimate the quality and quantity of iron ore available there for setting up a steel plant. Thorium is used as fuel in nuclear plants.

The state government is planning to seek the help of Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) to make further studies on the quantity and quality of Thorium available in Bayyaram. It will also ask the AMD to find out whether Thorium reserves are available in any other part of the state, besides Bayyaram.

‘’Thorium is available in the sea coast area in AP from Srikakulam to Nellore district. It will be found in beach sand,” official sources told Express on Saturday. Meanwhile, the official sources said that the GSI survey on iron ore availability was continuing in Bayyaram area. The report of GSI on iron ore is likely to be available in the coming months. Setting up of steel plant by the Central government in Bayyaram will be decided only after the GSI report is out.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / April 03rd, 2016

“Start-ups will capture country’s imagination”

Business & Economy, Education
GITAM University students with the delegates of TEDx in Medak on Thursday.— PHOTO: Mohd Arif
GITAM University students with the delegates of TEDx in Medak on Thursday.— PHOTO: Mohd Arif

Go North Ventures CEO Sanjay Jesrani appeals to students to make use of opportunities that the start-upswill provide

Go North Ventures CEO and founder Sanjay Jesrani, who is also an active member of Indian Angle Network, said start-ups were the next big thing to happen in the country and it was time to make use of the opportunity that they provide. He was, however, quick to add that only five per cent of the start-ups were surviving.

Delivering a lecture at TEDx held at GITAM University Hyderabad campus here on Thursday, Mr. Sanjay said that investing in start-ups was a risky experiment and suggested students that they start their career by dealing with a problem rather than a solution.

“Do something unique, do it better and do it differently. Form a team of two or three members for a start-up. Do not have any illusion that technology is everything. Its role is only 20 per cent and it is only a facilitator,” he said, adding that at least 10 to 15 years of commitment was required to sustain a new start-up.

He said that investors were ready to invest in start-ups if they were convinced about the growth involved in it. He suggested the students to read ‘failure stories’ of start-ups and understand the reasons why they failed.

Mr. Sanjay quoted the success of Flipkart, which rose with an investment of $10 million in 2008 to $16 Billion in 2015 and Uber taxi service that now stands with a market value of $65 billon.

Venky, a famous photographer from Karimnagar who made a mark in his field at the national level, said only hard work and sincere commitment would yield result and one should be patient enough till he/she reaches the goal. He asked the students to always have Plan B – some alternative to bank on if their experiment fails.

“I could have been a priest like my father if I had failed as a photographer,” he said answering a query from a student.

P.B. Sajan, architect and Joint Director of COSTFORD, said a large number of people were still living in slum areas. “About 17.2 per cent of urban families are living in slums. The number was much higher – 35.6 per cent – in the united Andhra Pradesh,” he said, adding that it was only 1.5 per cent in Kerala.

Ankur Thakuria, business development manager, talked about his travel to various countries and Thushar Lall about his passion for music.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by R. Avadhani / Rudraram (Medak District) / April 01st, 2016

IIIT-H Launches ‘Avishkar’ to Encourage Deep Domain Startups

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

With an aim to encourage startups working in deep domain technology, the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) launched one of the first accelerator programme named ‘Avishkar’ here on Friday.

The programme launched in partnership with 50K ventures, T Hub and Co-creation Consulting will be a 6-month programme and will be open for startups working on machine learning and AR/VR (Augmented and Virtual Reality) technologies like image and speech recognition and natural language processing.

Revealing details about the accelerator programme, IIIT dean Prof. Vasudev Varma said that the programme is designed to help entrepreneurs.

Ramesh Loganathan, board member of IIIT-H Foundation said that Deep-tech solutions are the answer to the most complex problems of modern technology. “IIIT Hyderabad as a research institute enables a supportive atmosphere for startups working in areas of deep-tech. These startups would be hand-picked, funded and mentored by the IIIT-H Foundation, he said. Under the programme, the investment committee will select up to 10 startups over a period of one year. Each startup will be given a seed fund of `10 lakh, wherein IIIT-H Foundation and 50K Ventures will co-invest .The investment will be in the form of a convertible note, which is considered more startup friendly. Other partners will be taken on board in case there is a requirement of more seed funding for the startups.

Srinivas Kollipara, one of the founders of T-Hub, said the programme will encourtage startups working on deeper issues. “There are deep problems existing in the society and nobody is ready to tackle these issues. With this program, we would encourage startups working on deeper issues and they will be able to avail the benefit of the large business mentor network of T-Hub,” he explained. The application process will start on April 10 and close on April 30. Those shortlisted will be announced on May 10.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / April 02nd, 2016

This app offers trial before purchase!

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technology
Akash Agarwal, Prashant Surana Jain and Sandeep Singh,co-founders of Snapper Technologies. -Photo: by arrangement
Akash Agarwal, Prashant Surana Jain and Sandeep Singh,co-founders of Snapper Technologies. -Photo: by arrangement

Snapper will be launched in April on Android and iOS platforms

If purchased goods can be home-delivered so can the products worth a trial. Now, order any number of items ranging from jewellery to apparel to even electronic gadgets and wait to try it out at a comfortable location for free. That too, within 40 minutes of placing the order, promises the team behind the mobile app, Snapper which is to be launched in April first week on Android and iOS platforms.

The city-based co-founder of the startup, Snapper Technologies, Prashant Surana informed that the ‘Try It Now’ feature on their app will let the users get access to dozens of stores across the city.

“The customers can order items from multiple stores and they don’t have to necessarily buy it after trying them,” said Mr. Surana. “Nowadays, travelling in traffic consumes a lot of time. Instead of physically going to various shops, the users can make their homes in to trial rooms without paying a penny. We have our own logistics team to make sure the products quickly reach the users.”

Not just the shoppers, but the app is blessing in disguise for the vendors too, according to Mr. Surana.

“By tying up with the vendors, we have provided them with the revolutionary customer relationship management tool. They will become more organised and can track down their customers residing nearby and connect with them through push notifications and messages. They can know the purchase habits of the customers too. Since we are taking care of logistics, they do not have to spend on delivery boys,” said Mr. Surana. Through their one-of-its-kind digital payment options, ‘Kwik Pay’, the users also can recharge to shop more and receive discounts.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / Rahul Devalapalli / Hyderabad – March 29th, 2016

This progressive farmer’s effort pays off

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
Timely returns:The water harvesting pit in the farm of S Jayapal Reddy of Kesamudram in Warangal district.–Photo: M. Murali
Timely returns:The water harvesting pit in the farm of S Jayapal Reddy of Kesamudram in Warangal district.–Photo: M. Murali

Farm pond dug up in Jayapal Reddy’s field three years ago begins to yield water

To spend Rs. 10 lakh to dig a farm pond is not possible to every farmer. But S Jayapal Reddy, who with a fond hope of harvesting water, went on and dug up a huge open pit.

“I have about 50 acres land here but as there was no water I embarked upon the task of getting a water harvest pit dug up in my land about three years ago. The pit is 30 feet deep and 100 feet wide.

This effort started yielding some water which is enough to irrigate about 10 acres,” he explained. He draws water with three motors for about five hours daily to wet his paddy fields. He strongly argues in favour of massive plantation and digging up water harvesting structures everywhere to conserve every drop of water.

According to him, the huge trench in his fields also helps recharge bore wells and open wells around his fields belonging to other farmers.

There were no proper rains for the past three years. As a result , he groundwater table also went down and with no irrigation water in these parts of the mandal, the farmers were finding it difficult to continue farming operations with meagre water in extreme weather conditions.

Going by the advice of scientists, many decided to opt for farm ponds, recharge pits and trenches in fields to hold little water when it rained.

“We hope to get good rains this year. But not much is being done to hold as much as possible.

Motivating others

Here we are motivating farmers to opt for farm ponds and rain water harvesting pits wherever possible,” Mr Jayapal Reddy explained.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao / Kesamudram (Warangal Dt) – April 26th, 2016

Aswaraopeta has huge potential for apiculture

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

The enormous potential for promotion of apiculture (beekeeping) as a means to provide alternative income to farmers is waiting to be tapped in Aswaraopeta, the horticultural hub of Telangana.

Aswaraopeta and its surrounding mandals including Dammapeta in Khammam district account for the lion’s share of horticultural crops in the entire Telangana State.

Oil palm plantations are mainly concentrated in Aswaraopeta and Dammapeta mandals. The total area under the oil palm cultivation is 30,000 acres in the district. Coconut plantations are spread in over 2,000 acres in the two mandals.

Aswaraopeta mandal encompasses a sprawling coconut seed garden, horticulture research station, and around 200 private horticulture nurseries. The mandal consisting of nurseries of diverse range of horticulture crops including coconut, oil palm, mango, and cashew is considered most suitable for beekeeping.

Availability of flower bearing plants that bloom almost throughout the year and abundant nectar to support beekeeping activity on a commercial scale make Aswaraopeta mandal the ideal place for taking up the agro-based income generation activity, notes Prabhakar, an oil palm grower of Aswaraopeta.

Beekeeping has lot of financial potential as it helps produce a wide range of bee products including honey, jelly, wax and pollen which are in huge demand in the market.

The drastic decline in honey collection in Bhadrachalam Agency has necessitated the need for promotion of apiculture to meet the burgeoning demand for honey in the open market, he points out.

Apart from honey production, beekeeping activity also aids cross pollination thereby helping in maximising the horticultural crop yield, says R Srinivasa Rao, Deputy Director, Horticulture Department, Khammam.

A proposal to provide training to some field level functionaries and horticulture farmers of the mandal on scientific methods of beekeeping at a reputed institute in the neighbouring State is under consideration, he says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by P. Sridhar / Khammam – March 23rd, 2016

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport bags award

Business & Economy, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

RGIA has been winning Skytrax Awards for the last seven years in various categories.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) managed and operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) has bagged the Skytrax ‘Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia Award’.

RGIA has been winning Skytrax Awards for the last seven years in various categories.

SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL, said:

It is a moment of great honour and pride that Hyderabad Airport has again been crowned with Skytrax Award, this time as ‘Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia’.

We have been consistently endeavouring to make our airport a place of delight for our passengers. Hence, aligning our vision with our honourable Prime Minister’s Digital India programme, we became the first airport in India to implement end-to-end seamless e-boarding process for our passengers.

On environment front also, we are harnessing solar power to meet our airport’s energy requirement during peak day hour with our 5MW solar power plant at the airport. We have robust passenger feedback mechanism and we ensure that our passenger’s comfort is kept at on our top priority.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – March 23rd, 2016

L&TMRH Coffee Table book gets award

Business & Economy, Records, All

L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited – Coffee Table Book has bagged the prestigious ABCI Silver Award under the Prestige Publications category, at the 55th Annual Awards Contest, organized by the Association of Business Communicators of India (ABCI) at an awards night in Mumbai last week.

L&TMRH Coffee Table Book bagged the honours for the clarity of its communication, design, vibrancy of expression and for demonstrating that the strength of an organisation is its people.

The book is a grand compilation of the major achievements of the company with a theme of “One Team One Dream” since its inception, aesthetically designed, highlighting the importance of PPP, various events, people, vendors and project related information with project photographs, a press release said.

The ABCI is the oldest and largest of communication body in India.

This year, over 120 organizations representing private sector companies, PSUs and communication agencies had submitted a total of 1425 entries.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 22nd, 2016

T-Hub Charters Global Waters, Signs Pact With Tat Capital

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

In order to facilitate trade and investment between Australia, New Zealand and the Indian subcontinent, the country’s largest start-up incubator T Hub here on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tat Capital, a corporate advisory firm.

The MoU facilitates T-Hub’s start-ups access with Tat Capital’s global family office and investor network, connects T-Hub’s start-ups with globally recognised Australian growth companies with next generation innovations to explore acquisition, partnerships and strategic investment ideas, and connects T-Hub’s start-up and VC community with Australian VC, private equity and family office investors to cross-pollinate ideas, technology and capital between the regions.

Speaking on the ocassion, Jay Krishnan, CEO, T-Hub said, “Entrepreneurs are always breaking boundaries and this is another geographical barrier that we hope entrepreneurs in India, especially T-Hub, will cross and help us establish a long standing relationship with Australia and New Zealand.”

“ This also provides them with an opportunity to sail in uncharted waters. We look forward to this association with Tat Capital.”

Tat Capital co-founder Ram Gorlamandala said the new agreement was testament to the growing interest in cross-border opportunities between the three countries.

“India is a natural fit in many ways for Australian business, and vice versa,” he said.

“In recent times we haven’t seen the level of interest in India that it warrants, but this is changing rapidly,” he added.

The MoU will allow Tat Capital to offer Australian businesses access to Indian expertise from the Indian School of Business, Indian Institute of Information Technology, and the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research.

Australian companies will be able to utilize resources in Indian business, technology, intellectual property and legal frameworks to start or improve their businesses in India.

Tat Capital, along with number of prominent and listed Australian, New Zealand and Indian businesses, will host a business insights tour to Hyderabad next month.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / March 08th, 2016

Hyderabad-based plastic recycling start-up Banyan Nation bags $800K funding

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology

Hyderabad:

City-based waste management startup Banyan Nation announced that it has bagged $800,000 in its first fund raise from Jaideep Khanna, co-founder, president and managing partner of Artha Capital Management Inc and these funds will be used to scale up its business.

According to the company, Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), Shujog and global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts have assisted in raising funds and mentoring the startup.

Banyan Nation claims to be one of the first firms in India to use technology, both at the back-end and front-end, to ensure that plastic waste is not just recycled but also ‘upcycled’.

Banyan Nation founder and chief executive officer Mani Vajipey pointed out that the startup tries to address challenges of the unorganised plastic recycling sector by offering solutions for three stages of plastic recycling business — collection, recycling and selling recycled plastic to companies.

At the front-end, it has used technology to map the network of kabadiwalas, who supply plastic waste to the company and at the back-end, it deploys technology to ensure that the waste plastic is graded, which results in recycled plastic being of superior quality.

The startup has a plastic recycling plant on the outskirts of the city that has a capacity to recycle 300 tonnes of waste plastic per month. Currently, it is processing 100 tonnes of plastic waste per month.

“We are operating in an unorganised sector and it is a low margin and high volume business. We have over 20 small and medium sized local firms that procure recycled plastic from us. Now, we are targeting players from pharma, auto and FMCG sector,” Vajipey added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Hyderabad / by Swati Rathor / TNN / March 03rd, 2016