Farmer awarded, gives Governor a gift that grows
Tuber Man’s ‘seed pen’ germinates into tree after pen is disposed of
Shaji N.M., a farmer who was conferred the Biodiversity Award under special mention category by the National Biodiversity Authority, attracted many eyeballs during the award ceremony on Tuesday.
After receiving the award, he presented seed pens as return gift to the dignitaries, including Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan from whom he received the prize. “It is made of paper. You can use it as a normal disposable pen, and when the ink is exhausted, you can just throw it away. It contains a seed, which will give birth to a tree in future,” he explained.
Making seed pens is more like a hobby for Mr. Shaji, whose major occupation is conserving tuber species.
Started 20 years ago as a response to the drought conditions in Wayanad district where he lives, his passion has taken him places across the country, in search of newer tuber species. “I have a collection of 200 edible tuber species, including the rarest ones, besides herbs and medicinal plants on my four-acre land,” he says proudly.
He has shared the germplasm of the tubers with institutions such as Central Tuber Crop Research Institute and Kerala University.
Recipient of many awards, including National Plant Genome Saviour Award, Mr. Shaji’s conservation efforts are not limited to tubers; they extend to rice. He grows 17 traditional varieties of rice on the meagre plot, besides dabbling in fish farming, bee keeping and horticulture.
There were nine winners and 13 special mentions in total at the biodiversity award ceremony, among whom two were from Telangana.
Sangham Women Farmers Group from Medak won the award for ‘Sustainable use of Biological Resources’ for its efforts in traditional and organic methods of seed processing.
The Biodiversity Management Committee of Modi (Jheri) village of Kerameri mandal in Asifabad district won under special mention category, for conserving 26 native varieties of pulses and cereals. Among them, two varieties ‘Erra Machala Kandulu’ (a variety of pigeon pea) and ‘Vayunowka Jonna’ (a variety of sorghum) have been registered with the Plant Varieties and Farmer’s Rights Authority of India, while the recognition of another variety, ‘Balintha Pesalu’, is under way.
Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve Management Committee from West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh won the award for protecting the community reserve, while Lemsachenlok Organization ( Y.NukuluPhom), Longleng, Nagaland, received it in the Institutions category.
Awards were also given under Special Mention category to corporates such as Godrej & Boyce, Mumbai, and Coromandel International, Kakinada. Coringa BMC of East Godavari too won under this category.
There were five categories of awards — conservation of wild species, conservation of domesticated species, sustainable use of biological resources, replicable mechanisms for access and benefit sharing, and best biodiversity management committees.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Swathi Vadlamudi / Hyderabad – May 24th, 2018
This woman found her calling in servicing auto parts
Vidya Nambirajan is ready to break all gender barriers to pursue the career she enjoys
Paramount Auto Bay Services in Secunderabad, Telengana looks like any other four-wheeler auto service outlet, but for the fact that it is owned and managed by its CEO Vidya Nambirajan. A 30-year-old business that was handed down to her from her father turned into her passion when she took over it in 2001, and became the first woman in the city to own an automobile service outlet.
As someone who was initiated into the business with no knowledge of auto parts servicing (she worked in marketing before), what kept her going? When she had to manage the garage due to her father’s illness, surprisingly, the same friendly staff who worked with her dad didn’t respond well to her because they didn’t want to report to a woman in a male-driven set-up. That was when her resolve to learn the job strengthened. “I wanted to prove that I could do it much better, and that drove me,” says Vidya.
As for the customers, “I found that if my mechanic, a male colleague, said some part needed replacement, the customer would readily agree without a question. But a series of whys and hows would be shot at me if I had to deal with the same customer,” she says, of the earlier years. Even today, almost 18 years later, it’s not always business as usual: “People look at me with either apprehension or in awe,” she says.
Over the years, she has hired both men and women, and finds that the difference is that women are more process-oriented and committed, because they don’t take the job for granted. “It’s easier to train women, but more difficult to retain them, as they lack family support,” she says. She herself is process-oriented, and has ensured that her garage is ISO-certified.
She has also set up a Skill Development and Placement Centre, a service that she extends free of cost to women. Her students are placed in India and abroad as automotive service technicians. In a first, she has tied up with DUALpro, Germany, in conjunction with the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC). A three-month on-the-job German Certification Course equips technicians to work anywhere in the world. She has also ensured the institute is DAkkS-certified, a German certification for quality management.
Affiliation to the Automotive Skills Development Council, another first in Telangana, qualifies her trainees as Automotive Service Technicians, assisting them to advance in their career. Vidya has also tied up with major on-road assistance services like MyTVS, India Assistance, and Allianz. She has plans to expand her business all over South India.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Motoring / by Girija K / May 22nd, 2018
Excellence awards given to 43 civil servants
Focus needed on result-oriented administration: CS
Telangana Excellence Awards for 2017 and 2018, instituted by the State government, were presented to 43 civil servants for innovation, general and flagship schemes under individual, group and organisation categories here on Monday.
Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari said civil servants would be doing complete justice to their coveted positions only when they were proactive in understanding problems of the people and put their best foot forward in finding enduring solutions. He complimented their contribution towards outstanding success of such innovative interventions such as reorganisation of districts, purification of land records, welfare of farmers, nutritious food for poor students and development of all sections of society. Mr. Srihari said swift decision making was the need of the hour in order to measure up to the rising expectations of people. Minister for Industries K. Taraka Rama Rao underlined the importance of 3D mantra to enrich the quality of governance – decentralisation of administration, extensive use of information and communication technology in service delivery and democratic style of functioning.
“TS-iPASS has resulted in a number of beneficial outcomes including issuance of about 66,000 permissions to industries in an expeditious manner resulting in inflow of investment to the tune of over US$20 billion besides creation of about 3 lakh jobs”, he said.
He stated that similar initiatives were in the pipeline for issuing time-bound permission for building plans. He suggested that the pursuit of excellence by civil servants should continue unabated but cautioned them receiving the Awards should not lead to a sense of complacency.
Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi said while process-oriented administration was important in its own right, equal focus should be laid on result-oriented administration. He underlined the need for overhauling all manuals and re-engineering of all processes in order to improve the quality of governance.
Director General of Dr. Marri Channa Reddy HRD Institute B.P. Acharya said there were multiple avenues of recognition in the uniformed services but similar opportunities in the civil services leave much to be desired. “In this scenario, presenting these Awards, is a step in the right direction”, he noted.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – May 22nd, 2018
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Award for hospital founder
Continental Hospitals founder and Director Guru N. Reddy was conferred the ‘UK & Asia Inspirational Business Leaders award 2018’ in London by Ambassador and Deputy High Commissioner of UK Dinesh K. Patnaik, Lord Swaraj Paul and Lord Karan Billimoria on May 17.
Dr. Reddy was chosen from among 200 leaders by a distinguished jury of ibrands 360 and editorial team of Leaders Asia Magazine.
Other recipients of this award in the past include Apollo Hospitals chairman Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Biocon chairperson and MD Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata, a release said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – May 19th, 2018
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CSR award for NMDC
Its initiatives support education, health and skill development
Public sector iron ore miner NMDC Ltd has bagged S&P Global Platts Global Metals Award 2018 in the corporate social responsibility category.
Chairman-cum-Managing Director N. Baijendra Kumar and Director (Personnel) Sandeep Tula received the award at a function held on Thursday in London on Thursday. The honour S&P Global Platts Global Metals Award recognises top performers – industry leaders and innovators. It corporate social responsibility (CSR) award recognises the organisation that best demonstrates leadership, commitment to action and real-world social impact on social responsibility of corporate business entity, a release from NMDC said.
The public sector firm is the largest iron ore mining company in India. With iron ore production of around 35 million tonnes per annum, it has a domestic market share of about 25% (non-captive category). NMDC also extracts diamonds through its mine in Panna, which is the only mechanised diamond mine in Asia.
Mr. Kumar said the company’s CSR initiatives adopt a “flexible, inclusive, non-perspective, process-oriented approach to enable the stakeholders to determine the scope of our programmes and activities. NMDC has shown that it is possible to be profitable, while being socially and environmentally responsible”.
NMDC’s CSR spend has increased from ₹86 crore ($13.25 million) in 2011-12 to an average of ₹190 crore ($30 million) during the last three years. The company has been supporting initiatives on education, health, skill development, infrastructure creation, drinking water with a view to enhance the quality of life and empower the local population, the release said.
source:http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / May 18th, 2018