WhistleTalk Raises $400,000 From Hyderabad Angels

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Whistle Talk , a social recruiting platform, has raised  $400,000 from Hyderabad Angels  in a funding round led by Hyderabad Angels member, Raghu Bathina. The funds will be used to run the operations and market the product. At present, the team size of the startup is 10, however, the company plans to increase the count to 15 in next six months, according to a vcc circle  report.

Based in Bangalore, Whistletalk is a social hiring platform that allows users to share job openings in their team or help friends to find a job and earn a referral bonus. While sharing a job, users can also target other users with whom they want to share the job. The company claims that it has built a matching and virality engine which shares job postings with people who are most likely to benefit from the posting on the user’s social network. For recruiters, Whistletalk enables hiring through the social network of the current employees. In return, Whistletalk also allows recruiters to offer a referral bonus to employees.

Challenges: We believe that the site will work in favor of job seekers with a wide social network. Apart from that, while using the site we felt that discovery of job offers that are not coming from ones own social network was poor. It’s also not clear as to how the company plans to monetize its operations. At the time of writing this article, we found posting a job offer is free of cost.

Earlier this year, Hyderabad Angels invested  about  Rs 2 crore in E-learning startup  Edutor Technologies . It has also invested in Identis, which develops custom RFID chips for the manufacturing industry.

Other offerings in recruiting space

Recently, ThinkFruit.in , a strategy, operations and management consultant company, launched JobFit.in , a skill certification and job recruitment site. The portal provides skill assessment tests for job seekers that intends to highlight their top skills to the recruiters.

Apart from that, WhistleTalk competes with recruitment players including  Naukri , Shine.com , Monster, ClickJobs and TimesJobs, besides job boards, and popular professional network, LinkedIn. Last year, YourNextLeap.com , a web-based career recommendation engine, had pivoted  to a job site, allowing users to build profiles, take aptitude tests and search for jobs. The site also offered an assessment tool, suggesting jobs based on an assessment of the user’s activities, interests and strengths.

source: http://www.medianama.com / Home / by Apurva Chardhary / December 04th, 2012

Visakhapatnam Steel to set up plant in Sri Lanka

Business & Economy

Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, (RINL) an Indian market leader for bar and rod products in the steel market, is looking at entering the Sri Lankan steel market. RINL, which is backed by the Government of India, has a 35% market share in bar and rods amongst the main and major producers of long products in India.

T. K. Chand, Director(Commercial) RINL and H. L. Meena, Director, Ministry of Steel during the event./ Picture by Saliya Rupasinghe

“We will be opening a regional office at the World Trade Centre soon and then would explore the possibility of having manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka with a local partner,” said T. K. Chand, Director (Commercial) RINL and Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Vizag Zone, India who is currently on a fact fining visit to Sri Lanka.

He said that they would look at a new manufacturing either in Hambantota or Trincomalee so that they can use the harbor network. “Our roll out plan for Sri Lanka also include re export to the region which include the Maldives and the Myanmar,” he disclosed.

He said that they are very strong in Tamil Nadu. “We also see a similar demand for our products in both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.”

During the last financial year, the company has recorded around US$28 billion as against the previous year annual turnover. With expansion of its product value, its turnover is likely to go up to US$5.5 billion in a couple of years. The company is also known as a green steel producer with extensive green steel technology adopted in its operational processes.

He also said that they had obtained the green light from the government to launch operations to Sri Lanka. RINL is also considering participation in the intensive growth of Sri Lanka by introducing its intensive Rural Dealership Scheme (RDS) that provides business opportunities to rural entrepreneurs and beneficial employment while making quality steel available to common people in the countryside. RDS is a highly successful scheme in India and RINL has developed this intensive scheme through the Indian Steel Minister, Beni Prasad Verma’s inspirational call to steel producer’s to make steel available in rural India and participate in its growth and progress, he said.

Other team members of the delegation, H. L. Meena, Director, Ministry of Steel, Wilson David, General Manager (Mills), RINL and Desikachar, Deputy General Manager (Marketing)-Exports, RINL echoed the same views and told that they were impressed on the business facilities available in Sri Lanka.

source: http://www.DailyNews.lk / Home / by Sara Pathirana / Wednesday, December 05th, 2012

Another IT hub emerges in Andhra

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

HOT SPOT: Madhurawada, Vizag

Madhurawada, located along the north-east of Vizag or Visakhapatnam, along  National Highway – 5 , is an upcoming residential area, thanks to the major developments driven by the Information Technology (IT) sector. It is located on the Visakhapatnam-Vizianagaram stretch of N-5, around 16 km from Visakhapatnam city.

IT companies have been allocated land in this area to develop and start their operations. There is a biotech  SEZ  and industrial developments like the steel and power plants in the south. The growth corridor is northwards, along NH-5 towards Vijayanagaram. The area is witnessing many apartments projects along NH-5 and Beach Road, with the foray of IT/Ites industries in the city. Realising the high demand in this sector, the  Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) is developing multiple residential projects through public-private participation mode with reputed local developers. Residential property rates  are around Rs 4,500-5,000 per sq ft. Rates in the less central areas range from Rs 2,000-2,500 sq ft. Bungalows can be picked up from anywhere between Rs 45 lakh to Rs 90 lakh. Plots for residential development are priced between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 1 crore.

Madhurawada is developing as a major destination for sports, education and business establishments. An International Cricket Stadium, the ACA-VDCA Stadium, is located in Madhurawada making the place a major sports destination. A fantasy park called ‘Jatara’ and constructed by the Andhra Pradesh government is a famous tourist attraction. The Durgalamma Ammavaru temple is another added attraction.

The city has an industrial economic base with large-scale industries like Vizag Steel Plant, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, National Thermal Power Corporation, Bharat Heavy Plates and Vessels, among others. Moreover, the eastern command of the navy is located in the city. The presence of these major industries and naval Defence base caused immigrants from all parts of the country to head towards Vizag, giving it a cosmopolitan feature.

Vizag is emerging as the next IT/Ites hub in Andhra Pradesh after Hyderabad because of the availability of required skilled labour, infrastructure and comparatively cost-effective real estate in the city. The government has been very proactive in attracting IT/Ites companies into Vizag. The city’s other prime residential areas are Siripuram, Dwarka Nagar, Rani Bagh and Beach Road. The city is witnessing many apartments projects being developed in these areas.

Relatively affordable property rates, decent appreciation potential, pleasant weather and the fact that it is a coastal region with many sea-facing property options available, make it an attractive investment destination.

source: http://www.Business-Standard.com / Home / by Sandip Patnaik / December 03rd, 2012

Cathay Pacific launches Hyd-Hong Kong direct service

Business & Economy, World Opinion

Hong Kong-headquartered  international carrier Cathay Pacific has launched its direct flight between Hong Kong and Hyderabad.

The first flight of the four-day weekly A-330-300 service landed at the GMR-operated Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad on Sunday.

With the Hyderabad service, Cathay Pacific now has 46 flights departing each week from India to Hong Kong, according to Tom Wright, country manager (South Asia, Wet Asia and Africa). The airline company had recently increased the frequency of its Chennai-Hong Kong-Chennai flights to daily service from the four-days-in-a-week service.

“Introduction of this new destination will play a very important role in promoting tourism, as Hyderabad has always been the favourite holiday destination for residents abroad. Similarly, it will open a direct window for the people of Hyderabad to choose Hong Kong as an exciting holiday destination and enjoy the dynamic city,” said Vikram Jaisinghani, chief executive officer of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL).

In fact, the recent rise in the international traffic has partly offset the steep fall in domestic passenger numbers at the Hyderabad international airport, which saw a 3 per cent dip in the overall passenger traffic in the first half of the current financial year, according to Jaisinghani. The airport operator expects few more international flight services to commence from Hyderabad in the coming months.

GHIAL is aiming at transforming the Hyderabad airport into a gateway of south and central India. The airport has been active with a unique campaign called ‘Fly Via Hyderabad’, launched in 2010, where 18 Indian cities in the catchment area of Hyderabad are being connected seamlessly, according to the company.

RGIA is the first greenfield public-private partnership in the Indian airport infrastructure sector and is eventually designed to handle over 40 million passengers and 1 million tonne of cargo in future.

source: http://www.Business-Standard.com / Home> Companies & Industry/ by BS Reporter / Chennai, Hyderabad / December 03rd, 2012

Urdu university pays tributes to its first chancellor Gujral

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders

Hyderabad:

The Maulana Azad National Urdu University Friday paid rich tributes to former prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral, who was also its first chancellor, saying he had left an “indelible mark” on the institution.

Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Miyan described Gujral, who passed away Friday, as a true representative of Urdu language and culture. “He left indelible mark during the formative stages of this university,” he said in his condolence message.

Gujral was appointed as first chancellor of the university on May 24, 1999. He inaugurated the administrative block of the university campus here on Dec 28, 2002.

“Mr Gujral was an avid lover of Urdu language. He was appointed as the Chairman of Gujral Committee in the 1970s. The committee was envisaged the task of finding means and ways to promote the Urdu language and to provide adequate facilities for Urdu speaking people in educational, cultural and administrative matters.”

Mohammad Miyan recalled that the recommendations of Gujral Committee provided the base to ponder over establishing a national Urdu university.

Gujral will long be remembered as a seasoned diplomat, articulate speaker and a true champion.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Home> National / Friday, November 30th, 2012

Times Hyderabad cultural feast begins today

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Hyderabad :

It is that time of the year again when all roads in the city lead to The Times Hyderabad Festival. After its roaring success last year, the cultural carnival is back this winter with a power-packed week of entertainment, complete with upbeat musical concerts, scintillating stage shows and a mouth-wateringly delicious cooking fiesta. And coming to town to take Hyderabadis on this titillating journey, which kickstarts on Sunday, are some of the finest names from the world of music and performing arts in the country.

Giving a heady start to the festival on December 2 will be the much-popular fusion band ‘Colonial Cousins’ featuring musical geniuses Hariharan and Leslie Lewis who have been creating waves the world over for more than a decade now. The duo will perform with the historic Quli Qutub Shahi Tombs in the backdrop. Day 2 of the event (December 3) will see the cast of Lillete Dubey’s English play August Osage County take centrestage at the Shilpakala Vedika. The Pulitzer Prize  winning act, featuring Kitu Gidwani and Sandhya Mridul among a host of others including Dubey herself, have opened to packed houses at various locations since its inception and has been lauded for its sardonic humour element.

The theatrical experience will continue on December 4 with Shabhana Azmi’s Kaifi Aur Main that will bring together the celebrated artist and her acclaimed lyricist husband  Javed Akhtar  on the same manch, again at the Shilpakala Vedika. The narrative of the play that apart from mapping the poetic expedition of the renowned Urdu writer Kaifi Azmi also encompasses the soulful romance between him and his wife Shaukat Azmi, a noted theatre and film actress, is written by Akhtar and premiered in Mumbai in 2006.

There on, the musical journey will resume with some powerful rock, folk and Bollywood performances. Delhi-based ‘Parikrama’, the band known for its original tracks like Till I’m No-One Again and Tears of the Wizard will open the show at the Quli Qutub Shahi Tombs on December 5 and will be followed by Ghazi Khan and Raghu Dixit the next day (December 6). The two stalwarts, who have kept the flag of folk music flying high, will be seen weaving together a perfect evening for music connoisseurs from the city. At Rock Heights on December 7, the band ‘Euphoria’ will make an appearance to belt out some its catchy and hugely popular numbers like Dhoom Pichak Dhoom, Ab Naa Jaa and Aana Meri Gully among many others. The cultural bonanza will draw to a close on December 8 in perfect Bollywood style with a melodious performance by the Mitwa singer  Shafqat Amanat Ali , at the Quli Qutub Shahi Tombs.

Alongside the concerts, the Times Festival will also play host to an array of cooking events beginning December 3 at ITC Kakatiya’s Kebabs & Kurries. Top chefs here will dish out lessons in North Indian food. This will be followed by a quick tip or two on Hyderabadi cuisine at The Golkonda on December 4. Those willing to try their hands at Italian cooking can walk in to Via Milano on December 5. For lessons on whipping up a scrumptious Indian meal, denizens need to look out for the culinary class scheduled for December 7, set to be held at Aish by The Park.

Readers can collect complimentary passes for these events from the Times of India office, Road No. 3, Banjara Hills on a first-come-first serve basis between 10am and 6pm.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / December 02nd, 2012

Lanco Group to invest Rs 500cr in Hyderabad shopping mall

Business & Economy

Lanco Group plans to construct a shopping mall called ‘The Lanco Hills Mega Mall’ in Hyderabad, expected to be the largest in South India, at an investment of Rs 500 crore, a company release said.

Unlike most other malls in the country that are skewed towards only one format, the Lanco Hills Mega Mall will be a destination mall serving all demographics and tastes with the widest range of options in every sphere like shopping, movies, gaming, entertainment and dining.

“The mall which will be the largest in South India in terms of built up space, as well as largest number of shopping outlets and entertainment options under one roof, is expected to be completed in the next 30 months at an investment of Rs 500 crore,” it said.

It will have a 12-screen multiplex, premium shopping options, right-out-of-a-fantasyland type gaming zones, roof gardens, fine dining options, hypermarkets and multi-level parking space for 5,000 cars. With a walking length of over 2 kms, the mall aims to provide a one-stop destination to customers with everything from necessities to leisure and celebration, Lanco Hills’ CEO Pochendar Shenigarapu said.

One of the main attractions of the mall would be its the gaming zone with a 14-lane bowling alley, extravagant indoor rides for kids, besides table top and electronic games. A specially designed Go-karting rink shall be a highlight of the gaming and entertainment zone.

An exclusive exhibition and a grand convention centre along with well-lit interiors, cascades, delicate fountains and gurgling water bodies will host premium events, it added.

source: http://www.MoneyControl.com / Home> News> Business> Business News / Friday, November 30th, 2012

Gemini Edibles plans Rs 50 cr expansion plan

Business & Economy
Augmenting capacity: (from left) Sumant Kumar Razdan, Director-Operations; Pradeep Chowdhry, Managing Director, and P. Chandrasekhara Reddy, Vice-President-Sales and Marketing, Gemini Edibles and Fats displaying the HACCP and FSSC 22000 certification for their Krishnapatnam plant. / P.V. Sivakumar / The Hindu
Hyderabad , NOV. 29:

Gemini Edibles and Fats India Private Limited, a vegetable oil refiners and trading company, is planning to spend Rs 50 crore on capacity expansion and modernisation of its refineries at Kakinada and Krishnapatnam ports.

Post-expansion, the refinery capacity of the company would grow to 1,300 tonnes a day from 1,100 tonnes a day. This is expected to contribute an additional Rs 300 crore to the turnover.

“We are planning to double the capacity at Kakinada refinery to 400 tonnes a day by middle of next calendar year. This will require an expenditure of Rs 25 crore. At Krishnapatnam, we are planning to automate the processes and install some power capacity,” Pradeep Chowdhry, Managing Director, told Business Line.

The company would meet one-third of the capex budget through internal accruals, with rest coming from banks as term loans. The company, which registered a turnover of Rs 1,350 crore in 2011-12, is hoping to cross the Rs 1,500-crore in the next financial year.

“We have prepared a plan for the expansion plan. We will be sending it to the board for approval. We are planning to complete the expansion plan in the next 6-8 months,” he said.

The three-year-old firm invested Rs 135 crore to build the Krishnapatnam plant with a capacity of 800 tonnes a day and acquired the 200-tonne capacity plant at Kakinada.

COMMODITY BIZ

“We are running on full capacity now. Seventy per cent of turnover comes from brands and speciality products, with the resting coming from loose and bulk oil. Our immediate target is to reduce the low-margin commodity business. This will help us shore up our margins,” he said.

He said the company received HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) and FSSC 22000 certifications for its Krishnapatnam plant. These certificates conform to global safety standards.

kurmanath.kanchi@thehindu.co.in

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Home> Industry> Agri-Biz / Hyderabad, November 29th, 2012

Researcher stumbles on anti-cancer molecule in marine sediment

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Science & Technology

Visakhapatnam :

When Dasari Venkata Ravi Kumar set out with the objective of discovering a compound with a broad spectrum of activity, he accidentally stumbled upon a novel compound belonging to the Actinomycate family that has the potential to make a huge impact in the fields of cancer and microbial research.

Strangely though, Ravi Kumar found this unique molecule in some marine sediment  barely a stone’s throw away from the place where he conducted his research-the Department of Chemical Engineering at Andhra University. Actinomycates are filamentous or rod shaped pathogenic microorganisms resembling bacteria and fungi that are found in soil. These nitrogen deleted compounds have anti-cancer and anti-microbial tendencies.

“The discovery of this bio-microorganism has opened the doors for cancer and microbial research. The potential is huge and Ravi Kumar would be remembered as the man who made it all possible,” observed Professor D Rami Reddy, Ravi Kumar’s mentor, guide and inspiration. Talking about his discovery, an elated Ravi Kumar said that the past one year had been one hell of a ride with three international publications-Journal on Microbial Research, Journal of Microbial and Bio-Chemical Research and Journal of Bio-Technology publishing his research paper on the discovery.

“It was a fascinating experience. I basically set out to discover greater potential in compounds and by accident discovered a novel compound that is as of now unheard of,” says Ravi Kumar, pointing out that the support of his department and guide enabled him to complete his PhD in just two and a half years.

Though upbeat about his success at such a young age, the 30-year-old Dr Ravi Kumar, who was pursued by several pharma companies, is currently employed with a Hyderabad-based pharma player and is now worried about getting his discovery patented.

“Getting the patent is on top of my list of priorities. Things have been good so far and we have already applied for a patent, the compound has to be put through more tests till it can be finally patented. Once that is done, I plan to do more research in anti-cancer and microbial fields,” said the scientist, who jokingly said that sometimes picking up sea shells on the sea shore does help.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Science /  TNN / Visakhapatnam, November 29th, 2012

Leading from the home front

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Visakhapatnam :

Contrary to the belief that brunches, kitty parties and high tea keep them occupied while their husbands are out at sea for months together guarding the coastline, wives of Navy officers  are busy juggling their own careers with hectic personal and social lives. These group of over 10,000 women also do take out time for their ilk in order to uphold the tradition of Naval Wives’ Welfare Association (NWWA).

There are doctors, lecturers, journalists and IT professionals among wives of several Navy officers in the city. The president of NWWA and wife of Eastern Naval Command chief, Ragini Chopra , herself works with Jet Airways. Then there are daring women like commanding officer Captain Mahesh Singh’s wife Manita Singh, who runs Balwari School, an institution for the underprivileged, and also takes part in daredevil acts like jackstay during combat demos of war ships. “I enjoy moving from one Naval base to another as it’s exciting and offers new experiences. I would like my two children to also join the defence forces,” says Manita Singh.

Kaushalya Suresh, vice-president of NWWA, Kalinga Naval Station, Vizag, adds, “Once married to a Navy officer or sailor, one automatically becomes a member. Here, around 300 wives are active NWWA members and participate in all activities. The hierarchy depends on the husband’s corresponding position.”

NWWA members are used to a hectic life with their husbands usually getting transferred every two-three years. “Accommodation becomes a problem during transfers, and each time we have to start afresh,” says Kaushalya.

And in this on-going Navy Week celebrations, NWWA members have their hands full. At the Kalinga Naval Station, they are involved in over a dozen group activities. These include environment awareness activities through Prakriti group, while Ashirwad caters to the needs of senior citizens and Jagriti deals with educational needs of the underprivileged children. Sparsh or Outreach group reaches out to destitute women, orphans and the underprivileged among civilians in villages around the base.

Sakhi is a counselling group for NWWA members, Sahara on the other hand deals with empowerment and rehabilitation of Navy widows and Arogya addresses health issues, including health cards for all women and compulsory medical check-ups.

There’s also Sankalp, a centre for the spastic and differently-abled children and Pragati Udyogika to help set up cottage industries and empower women with skills, even as Tarangini showcases cultural talents of NWWA women and Shilpika looks after artistic endeavours that eventually find a place in the NWWA shop.

Lachmi Deb Roy, a lecturer and freelancer, feels NWWA offers the right platform for deep bonding and personal growth. “Though frequent transfers can be disturbing, it makes one more adaptable and the community spirit widens ones perspective, social network and boosts confidence. When my husband was away for two years in a foreign country, I single-handedly brought up my little son while managing my job. In such difficult times, bonding with NWWA members through picnics, parties, community service keeps us fully engaged,” she said.

Talking about upcoming activities such as medical camps in nearby villages and opening of NWWA store, NWWA president Ragini Chopra, concludes, “Life is hectic for the wives as well but it’s good to see so many Navy wives coming forward to actively participate in the works of NWWA. There’s a lot of talent that needs to be given the right exposure.”

source:  http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / November 29th, 2012