Hindupur in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh will now house the prestigious National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics (NACEN) where the probationary Indian Revenue Service (IRS) will be imparted training.
It will be the second NACEN in the country and the first in South India. At present, NACEN is located at Faridabad in Haryana, which is also the regional training centre of the the World Customs Organisation for the South-Asia region.
According to officials at NACEN, a proposal was mooted some time back for establishing another NACEN as extension of the existing one keeping in view the future requirements. Given the area constraints for such a premier academy of national importance, the officers of the Ministry of Finance were scouting for the right place.
They had zeroed in on Hindupur in Anantapur districts of AP, where large tracts of land of some 200 acres at a stretch were available. Further, the area is also in close proximity to one of the metros – Benguluru.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / July 11th, 2014
Nearly 20,000 delegates from India and abroad are expected to participate in the three-day exhibition to be organised by Mpeda
The third edition of ‘Aqua Aquaria India ‘, the biennial aquaculture exhibition organised by Marine Products Export Development Authority (Mpeda ) will be held from February 20-22 next year at the Andhra Loyola College Campus in Vijayawada.
The event was proposed to have 300 stalls to showcase various production and harvest technologies, machinery and accessories in export oriented aquaculture as well as ornamental fisheries sectors. Nearly 20,000 delegates from India and abroad are expected to participate in the exhibition. The early bird scheme for exhibitors for registering at concessional rates closes on November 30, 2014.
It is befitting to organise the show in Andhra Pradesh considering its reputation as the largest producer of shrimp by aquaculture. Besides, the region also produces large quantities of fish from its fresh water resources, and is emerging as a potential area of development for ornamental fishes, said Mpeda.
Aquaculture farmers and ornamental fish breeders, feed manufacturers, hatchery owners, machinery suppliers, exporters/importers, officials from fisheries institutions and state/central government departments, researchers, students and aquarium hobbyists in India and abroad are expected to participate in the fair as well as in the technical sessions.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Current Affairs> News> Et cetera / BS Reporter / Kochi – July 03rd, 2014
Picture for representational purpose only (Photo: DC online)
Hyderabad:
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is planning an investor-friendly policy to woo information technology and other industries to invest in Andhra Pradesh.
IT minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy will lead a high-level delegation to the United States of America and United Kingdom to invite NRIs, IT and other companies to set up companies in AP.
The delegation will explain the benefits, tax concessions and other incentives the Centre and the state will offer to investors.
“Every day, nearly 15 to 20 NRIs have been showing interest in investing here. They are requesting us to post details of incentives and special category status that will be offered to investors on the Website. After finalising the new policy, we will upload all the details on our Website,” said minister Mr Reddy.
Stating that he is likely to visit the US and UK shortly, the minister said he has already conducted meetings with nearly 250 national and international companies eager to invest in residuary AP.
“As many as 17 companies have confirmed to invest. IT firms like Wipro, Tech Mahindra and Infosys are also interest,” he said.
The state government has plans to develop an ITIR in Visakhapatnam, mega IT hubs in Vijayawada, Tirupati and Anantapur.
As decided so far, AP government will provide a single-window facility for investors where in they can get all relevant permissions for setting up industries, environmental clearances, building permissions, power and water connectivity and others.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / by M. Roushan Ali / July 09th, 2014
Garuda Pattabhiramayya / Photo: CV. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
‘India is in need of more very large crude carriers’
Veteran stevedore from the city G. Pattabhi Ramayya has sought intervention from the Centre to unveil an action plan to increase the number of various types of ships carrying Indian flags.
Stating that almost 90 per cent of Indian trade is handled by vessels carrying foreign flags, he said “we are still primitive in carriage of containers.” Asking the Narendra Modi Government to draw a cue from the United States and Japan on how they were encouraging their national flag both financially and by providing cargo, he said the people of India had pinned a lot of hopes on the new government.
“We hope we can become self-reliant if right patronage is given by encouraging construction of own vessels as well as extending desired support to our national carrier Shipping Corporation of India,” Mr. Ramayya told The Hindu on Monday.
He also wanted relaxation of cabotage law for transportation of domestic cargo and funding and other incentives to SCI to augment its fleet. He said SCI fleet, which comprised 125, had now come down to around 75 as acquisition had slowed down.
Mr. Ramayya, who is the director of Federation of Steamer Agents of India and chairman emeritus of Visakhapatnam Steamer Agents’ Association, said still 80 per cent of bulk raw material and finished products like coal, iron ore and fertilizers were carried by foreign flag vessels for want of government support and required tonnage to be acquired.
He also wrote a letter to Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin J. Gadkari asking him to enable SCI to acquire tonnage especially for carriage of larger volume of cargoes like oil, containerised cargo and bulk cargoes like coal, iron ore and fertilizers.
Mr. Ramayya said India was in need of more very large crude carriers (VLCC), cape size and Panamax vessels for faster handling of cargo in mechanised environment at various ports in the country.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by Santosh Patnaik / Visakhapatnam – July 07th, 2014
The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has appointed Nagpur consultancy firm — aXYKno Consultancy — to prepare a vision document for Visakhapatnam, GVMC commissioner MV Satyanarayana said here on Tuesday.
Earlier, during an in-camera meeting with the consultancy firm late on Monday evening, the civic chief asked the firm to prepare the document considering the recently finalized Vizag city development plan, as part of which projects worth Rs 8,000 crore have been proposed.
He told them to prepare a long-term and short-term vision document taking into account the available land use pattern in the city. “The short term vision plan should be prepared for a period of five years for the core area of the city, extended to around 150-200 sq km, considering the important immediate developmental projects post division,in the fields of education, health, sanitation, traffic and transportation” Satyanarayana told them.
The consultants were told that in the long-run, a 10-year vision plan should include development projects in an extended area of 630 sq km and comprise housing, environment, industry and tourism sectors considering the proposed PCPIR and Vizag-Kakinada Transit Corridor.
The state municipal administration minister is scheduled to visit the city in the next one week, he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / July 02nd, 2014
Andhra University, in association with Society of Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineers, is hosting the 13th international conference on electromagnetic interference and compatibility (INCEMIC 2015) on February 27 and 28, Vice-Chancellor and conference chair G.S.N. Raju and Vice-Chancellor of BITS, Ranchi, and technical chair Ajoy Chakrabarthy announced here on Monday.
The conference, to be attended by international experts in the field of electromagnetic studies, would cover the entire scope of electromagnetic compatibility like design, circuits, chip level, power systems, signal integrity and high frequency, high power electromagnetics, antennas, radiation hazards, environment, satellite communications, biomedical systems, and other advances, Prof. Raju said. It was designed to give a new dimension so as to implement electromagnetic compatibility techniques in military and civilian radar and communications right from the design, development and production states.
A two-day workshop-cum-tutorials on the latest trends in the field of electromagnetic interference and compatibility would be conducted by experts on February 25 and 26. Last date for submission of abstracts was August 30 and the deadline for submission of full papers was October 30, Prof. Chakrabarthy said.
Rector E.A. Narayana, Principal in-charge of AU College of Engineering P.S. Avadhanri, HoD of Electronics and Communication Engineering and convenor of the conference P. Rajesh Kumar, technical co-chair V. Vallikumari, treasurer P.V. Sridevi and Registrar K. Rama Mohana Rao were also present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – July 01st, 2014
Organisers of a stall explaining the working of a laptop during an IT expo at a private function hall in Vijayawada on Friday | express photo
Vijayawada :
A three-day mega expo organised by Vijayawada Information Technology Association (VJITA) was inaugurated by Vijayawada East MLA Gadde Ramamohan Rao here Friday at Sesha Sai Kalyanamandapam.
Speaking at the occasion, he said that the expo, where laptops, tabs, iPads and computers are on display, would help the students and other customers to know all about all the technological details at one platform. “Earlier, we used to go Hyderabad to purchase the latest and high-end equipment, but now it is available at this expo,” he said.
VJITA president I Murali Venkat Krishna said, “We are organising this expo for the second time with more than 54 stalls of various vendors and distributors than the earlier one.”
Secretary of VJITA P Ramesh Babu says, “We are expecting around 25,000 people as against the 20,000 last time to avail this opportunity.”
Corporator Chennapati Gandhi, Treasurer S Srinivas and other members attended the inaugural programme.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / June 28th, 2014
JM Baxi Group Executive Director Capt. Sriram Ravi Chander in an interview with The Hindu in Visakhapatnam recently. / Photo: CV. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
There is a need to draft zone-wise development plans for port-based industrial activity, says J.M. Baxi Group executive director. With a vast hinterland of 700 km covering eight States, including newly-carved out Telangana and extending up to North and North East India, had the scope to become a major investment destination.
The proposed tax holiday for 10 years, a slew of incentives under special category State status and development of an industrial corridor from Visakhapatnam to Chennai on the lines of Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project will make the city a transhipment hub, according to J.M. Baxi Group executive director Capt. Sriram Ravi Chander.
In an exclusive interview to The Hindu, he said the city with a vast hinterland of 700 km covering eight States, including newly-carved out Telangana and extending up to North and North East India, had the scope to become a major investment destination.
Rosy picture
Painting a rosy picture about its future, Capt. Ravi Chander, who is also the CEO of Visakha Container Terminal which launched its operations on June 26, 2003, said Visakhapatnam had all the prerequisites to be developed like Shanghai, Rotterdam, Singapore and Jebel Ali (near Dubai).
Mooting time-bound short-term and long-term zone-wise development plans post-bifurcation for development of port-based industrial activity with the support infrastructure like warehousing, connectivity and ancillary units, he said the governments at Centre and in the State should finalise policy initiatives in consultation with stakeholders.
“I am confident of Visakhapatnam emerging as a hub port on the East Coast making it the gateway for South East and South-East Asia. We have the right combination in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is known for his success for port-centric development in Gujarat, and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, a good learner, who is credited with developing Cyberabad in Hyderabad,” he said.
The days of policy paralysis syndrome were over. “Freight and industrial corridors should be developed with a proactive land acquisition and rehabilitation policy by making land-losers equity-holders in the new projects,” he stated.
Capt. Ravi Chander wanted task forces set up to execute action plans to achieve the desired objectives and mentioned how CII was in talks with Boston Consulting Group to prepare a vision for developing Visakhapatnam.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Santosh Patnaik / June 29th, 2014
At least 700 small and medium businesses owned by people with roots in Rayalseema and coastal Andhra Pradesh have shifted their registered offices from Hyderabad to truncated Andhra Pradesh state over the last few months.
The move is seen as indicating uneasiness among businesses about their prospects in Hyderabad, which will become the sole capital of Telangana in 10 years, and may hurt revenue collection in India’s newest state.
A senior official at the ministry of corporate affairs said that some of those who have shifted have all their manufacturing and production facilities located in Andhra Pradesh and find no reason to continue their registered offices in a place that no longer belongs to their state.
“They also cite administrative advantages in shifting registered offices to a location close to their manufacturing facility,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
Telangana, which was carved out from Andhra Pradesh on June 2, enjoyed revenue surplus thanks mostly to large tax revenue from businesses with registered offices in Hyderabad, the economic growth engine of what used to be India’s fourth-largest state.
From June 2, 118 new companies have registered in Andhra Pradesh compared to only 12 companies in Telangana state. As there is no clarity yet on the exact tax benefits Andhra Pradesh will get in lieu of losing Hyderabad, the companies shifting their registered offices may not gain much immediately.
source: http://www.articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / Home> News> Emerging Business> SME Sector> Andhra Pradesh / CR Sukumar, ET Bureau / June 24th, 2014
BuffaloGrid managing director Daniel Becerra, along with GBI India Head Srinivas Gogineni explaining about the device, in Vijayawada on Friday. /. Photo. Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar / The Hindu
Global Business Incubator (GBI) in association with BuffaloGrid, a UK-based Solar Power Systems manufacturer, is planning to introduce off-grid electrical solutions across India.
GBI, based at Koneru Lakshmaiah University (KLU), will soon launch renewable solar power chargers in rural areas for sustainable economic growth, particularly in villages. The project will begin by August this year, said GBI India Head Srinivas Gogineni.
BuffaloGrid founder and managing director Daniel Becerra who was in the city, gave a power point presentation to students on the solar powered recharging device titled ‘BuffaloGrid’ at KLU on Friday. “BuffaloGrid is a device which can recharge 100 mobile phones, solar power lamps and other devices a day. The equipment, which will be supplied to agents free of cost, is safe and reliable for charging. Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited CEO Richard Branson is mentoring our product,” said Mr. Daniel.
Mr. Srinivas said off-grid devices enable social inclusion, e-government and help in poverty eradication. United Nations recognised that mobile phones are one of the biggest contributors to economic growth in the rural areas.
K.L. University vice-president Koneru Raja Hareen said the solar power device (BuffaloGrid) would focus on cellphone recharging, which means access to all critical services such as mobile banking, water point mapping, health care and even access to broadband services.
“The company will conduct a trial run with 40 devices. After the trial is completed, BuffaloGrid will start operations in India in the next two months,” said Mr. Hareen.
According to Mr. Srinivas, BuffaloGrid embarked upon expansion of its operations in Uganda, Ghana and India. Already, 12,000 agents had been identified in India.
The mobile phone would be recharged only if the port is unlocked in the device with an SMS. The details of the mobile phone recharged would be recorded by BuffaloGrid, and the company would collect charges from the service providers or mobile companies. “Deliberations in this regard are under way,” said Mr. Srinivas.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Rajulapudi Srinivas / Vijayawada – June 27th, 2014
