Monthly Archives: February 2012

Nalgonda district sanctioned 42 model schools

Education

Komatireddy Prateek Reddy Memorial Foundation to finance construction of college buildings

Forty-two model schools have been sanctioned for Nalgonda district to be built at a cost of Rs.125 crore, Secondary Education Minister K. Parthasarathi disclosed here on Saturday.

He was addressing a public meeting at Government Junior College for Boys after laying the foundation for two buildings to locate the institution as also the vocational college to be financed by the Komatireddy Prateek Reddy Memorial Foundation, floated by Nalgonda MLA K.Venkat Reddy in memory of his son.

The Minister stated that the government had set apart Rs.3,000 crore this year for primary education. He denied that efforts were on to stop fee reimbursement and scholarships for students.

He lauded the Prateek Reddy Foundation’s plan to finance to the extent of 25 per cent construction of government college buildings at Yadagirigutta, Nakrekal, Bhoodan Pochampalli and Samsthan Narayanpur.

Mr. Parthasarathi described Prateek Reddy’s death as ‘unfortunate’ and said it was painful for his good friend Mr. Venkat Reddy to lose a son at a time when parents take pride in seeing their wards grow and come up in life.

Breaks down

Mr. Venkat Reddy, who looked depressed at the meeting, broke down while speaking. He said the foundation would introduce three ambulances on February 15 to be launched by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and Union Minister S. Jaipal Reddy and take up road safety awareness.

Bhongir MP K. Rajagopal Reddy, who presided, Nalgonda MP G. Sukender Reddy, Nakrekal MLA Ch. Lingaiah, Collector N. Mukteswara Rao, who were among the speakers, urged Mr. Venkat Reddy to overcome his grief and resume his political activity. They noted with happiness that the foundation would provide assistance to poor students.

  • Prateek Reddy Foundation to finance 25 p.c. of construction costs of college buildings
  • Foundation to introduce three ambulances on Feb. 15 to be launched by N. Kiran Kumar Reddy
  • —————————————————————————————-
  • source: http://www.TheHindu.com / National> Andhra Pradesh / by Correspondent / Nalgonda, February 05th, 2012

    •  

    Dr Reddy’s posts 88% jump in Q3 net profit to Rs 513 cr

    Business & Economy, Science & Technology

    Hyderabad:


    Pharma major Dr Reddy’s Laboratories on Friday reported a whopping 88 percent growth in consolidated net profit to Rs 513 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2011, on the back of robust Olanzapine sales in the USA.

    The company had posted a net profit of Rs 273.14 crore for the third quarter of the previous fiscal.

    The Hyderabad-based firm’s net income from sales and services rose to Rs 2,769 crore in the third quarter ended December 31, 2011, from Rs 1,899 crore in the same period last fiscal, translating into 46 percent growth, said DRL Managing Director and COO K Satish Reddy.

    “It has been one of the best quarters we have ever had, both in terms of sales as well as profits. It is because of the exclusivity we had on the drug Olanzapine 20 mg, which we launched in October last year in the US market,” Reddy told reporters in a press conference.

    He said revenues from the North American market grew by 120 percent to Rs 1,283 crore from Rs 582 crore in the same quarter last fiscal, with Olanzapine contributing USD 99 million to overall North American revenues.

    Reddy said the USA growth story may continue in this quarter and next quarter as well, as the exclusivity of Olanzapine will continue.

    “At least for the next six months, important launches are coming up and this will continue to drive the growth for the USA market. This quarter also has the benefit of Olanzapine exclusivity. With several good new launches, USA is looking like a good story,” Reddy hoped.

    Olanzapine is used to treat psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Annual sales of  Eli Lilly’s Zyprexa (Olanzapine) amount to around USD 3.2 billion in the US, based on IMS sales data.

    According to Reddy, the strong volume growth in North America was supported by key products such as Lansoprazole, Tacrolimus, Omeprazole Mg OTC and products from its Shreveport facility in USA, besides the launch of Fondaparinux and expansion of its antibiotics portfolio.

    Revenues from Russia and India witnessed a growth of 15 and 16 percent, respectively, to Rs 332 crore and Rs 419 crore in the third quarter of FY’12.

    India sales growth was driven by new product launches such as Stamlo, Reditux, Omez-D and Razo.

    PTI

    source: http://www.ZeeNews.com / Home> News> Companies / Friday, February 03rd, 2012

    IndiaFirst partners with Varun Motors to offer affordable life insurance cover for car buyers

    Business & Economy

    New Delhi:

    Indian private sector life insurer IndiaFirst Life Insurance has launched an easy process of getting a life insurance cover at affordable cost known as AutoLife for car buyers in collaboration with Andhra Pradesh-based state auto dealer Varun Motors.

    Under the agreement between the two parties, the insurance company will first offer bulk insurance to Varun Motors as the master policyholder, IndiaFirst Life Insurance said in a statement.

    The vehicle dealer will then distribute the life cover with every purchase of a vehicle, the statement said.

    This insurance product does not require any documentation, medicals or waiting period and assures speedy settlement of claims within 48 hours, the statement added.

    “Today we are witnessing two quite distinct yet obvious trends — one in the automobile industry and another in life insurance. Both these industries while may seem to be non-related to each other, offer an interesting possibility for synergy,” IndiaFirst Life Insurance Managing Director and CEO P Nandagopal said in the statement.

    IndiaFirst Life Insurance is a joint venture between two Indian public sector banks, Bank of Baroda and Andhra Bank and the United Kingdom-based risk, wealth and investment company Legal & General. While Bank of Baroda and Andhra Bank hold 44% and 30% stake, respectively, in the company, the British firm has 26% holding.

    source: http://www.banking.contify.com/ Monday, January 30th, 2012

    Changing Culture

    Nri's / Pio's, Sports, , , , , , , , , ,

     

    By Glenn Nelson
    HoopGurlz

     

    Sophia Bhasin’s father played cricket, which is to India what soccer is to nearly every other country in the world, save the U.S. Still, he learned to embrace the new game his daughter picked up in America.

    And obviously so has she.

    Sophia Bhasin didn’t move to the U.S. permanently until she was 8. She didn’t start playing basketball until the seventh grade. But she certainly has become conversant in it.

    Born in Punjab, in northern India, Bhasin has become fluent with the term “triple double,” for example. She has produced seven straight of them for Cajon (San Bernardino, Calif.), heading into its game Tuesday night against Rialto (Calif.). During that stretch, she had four straight games with 33, 45, 39 and 38 points.

    Glenn Nelson/ESPN.com

    Shilpa Tummala, whose parents are from India, overcame cultural inhibitions to become the No. 68 prospect in 2012 and a Harvard recruit.

    “I knew I had to step up,” said Bhasin, a Sikh who maintains dual citizenship in the U.S. and India. She did because Angelica Guardado, the team’s 5-foot-10 “post,” good for 10.6 points and 8.3 rebounds for Cajon’s 29-2 team last season, suffered an ACL tear in December.

    Bhasin’s backcourt mate, 5-5 Dejaunee Brooks, also has stepped forward, averaging a triple-double with 12.6 points, 10.9 assists and 10.4 rebounds. And, oh by the way, coach Mark Lehman has collected his 600th career varsity coaching victory during this magical 19-3 season for Cajon.

    Basketball is not completely alien to India. The country, for example, sent a team to the FIBA 3×3 girls’ tournament in Rimini, Italy, last September. However, there are longstanding beliefs in Asian countries such as India that girls are not to participate so publicly in sports. It’s been a slow road from the mentality on display in “Bend It Like Beckham,” the 2002 film in which Punjabi Sikh parents fight their daughter’s interest in soccer.

    If this year represents a cultural transformation to “Shake It Like Shaq,” Bhasin has company in the vanguard. Shilpa Tummala of St. Mary’s (Phoenix, Ariz.), which is No. 1 in the POWERADE FAB 50, was born in Phoenix, but her parents are Hindus from Andhra Pradesh in South India.

    “Honestly, it wasn’t very common for an Indian girl to be so actively involved in sports,” Tummala said via email. “The fact that I played basketball competitively and devoted so much of my time to basketball shocked many people in my community.”

    Tummala’s devotion to basketball was such that she was ranked the No. 68 prospect in 2012 by ESPN HoopGurlz. That led to her signing to play for Harvard, an ultimate prize for a culture that so stresses academics.

    “I do have family back in India,” Tummala said. “And yes, most of them know that I am going to play basketball in college. They seem to enjoy the fact that I am going to Harvard next year to play basketball. But, I believe, the ‘Harvard’ part is what really excites them as they don’t know much about my basketball career in America.”

    Both Tummala and Bhasin have fathers who became active supporters of their basketball pursuits. Bhasin’s twin brother, Ranjit, was who dragged her into the sport. She became a quick study, mastering for example the advanced skill of creating jump shots off the dribble, an attribute that is the foundation of her 25.2-point scoring average this season.

    Like Tummala, Bhasin has earned a Division I scholarship, also on the East Coast, to Long Island University in Brooklyn, N.Y.

    “I’m trying a new adventure,” she said of her looming career at LIU.

    Or continuing one.

    Bhasin said she is occasionally asked about her background and frequently is confused for being Mexican, which is not far-fetched for a region that is some 60 percent Latino. But she and Tummala are not as much curiosities to outsiders as much as they are to their own ethnic communities.

    They both even were fascinated by the existence of each other.

    “I think it is awesome that there is another Indian girl playing basketball out there,” Tummala said. “Sports is such a great way to stay active, develop lifelong friendships and learn valuable life lessons. It makes me very proud to know that people of my culture are allowing their children to participate at a high level of competitive athletics. It is not very common, like I said, so the fact that they are opening their minds to the positive aspects of sports makes me very happy. To be honest, outside of my older brother, I don’t know of any other Indians who play competitive basketball.”

    Follow us on Twitter, where you can ask questions and get instant updates.

    Become a fan of the site on Facebook and get updates in your news stream.

    Discuss this on our Message Board

    Glenn Nelson is a senior writer at ESPN.com and the founder of HoopGurlz.com. A graduate of Seattle University and Columbia University, he formerly coached girls’ club basketball, was a co-founder and editor-in-chief of an online sports network, authored a basketball book for kids, has had his photography displayed at the Smithsonian Institute, and was a longtime, national-award-winning newspaper columnist and writer. He can be reached at glenn@hoopgurlz.com.

    source: http://www.espn.go.com / Basketball / by Glenn Nelson, HoopGurlz / originally published, February 01st, 2012

    Kalam asks experts in medicine to develop new technology

    Science & Technology, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

    A. P. J. Abdul Kalam , the former President of India inagurating the VICTUS Femtosecond Laser Cataract Surgery Machine installed at the Maxivision in Hyderabad on Tuesday.Photo: K. Ramesh Babu

    Former President inaugurates laser surgery machine at Maxivision Eye Care

    Former President of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam said here on Tuesday that the country’s best talent in the field of medicine should strive to develop innovative technology so that the needy could afford the fruits of modern medicine. On Tuesday, Dr. Kalam inaugurated VICTUS Femtosecond Laser Cataract Surgery machine at Maxivision Eye Care, Somajiguda.

    “I call upon the Maxivision eye surgeons to form a team of experts who can explore the multidimensional uses of Femtosecond laser in treating various eye ailments. We need to utilise the technology and help people who can’t afford modern medical care,” Dr. Kalam said.

    The former President said that the multiple applications of the Femtosecond laser would help doctors treat a host of eye ailments.

    Immediately after the inauguration, the renowned nuclear scientist also interacted with the eye surgeons of Maxivision and enquired about the newly acquired laser surgery machine.

    The officials of Maxivision said that the new machine had been under test from November 2010.

    Already, the eye surgeons had completed close to 450 eye surgeries by using the new laser machine. The surgeons pointed out that not a single case had reported complications after the surgery.

    The VICTUS platform, essentially, helped doctors conduct cataract, refractive and therapeutic procedures of the eye on a single platform. The laser machine would help surgeons perform computer controlled precise, accurate and reproducible incisions compared to current manual procedures. The success rate for such surgery was 100 per cent, doctors added.

    “This is the first such laser machine in the World and I would like to congratulate Maxivision for this accomplishment,” founder and chairman of GVK, G. V. K. Reddy said.

    Chairman of L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Dr. G. N. Rao, Founder of Maxivision Eye Hospitals, Dr. Kasu Prasad Reddy, Film Producer D. Ramanaidu and several other doctors were present.

    source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Staff  Reporter / Hyderabad, February 01st, 2012