It will start with two 100-seaters in city, Vijayawada
TemplateMonster, of the U.S., a $15 million company with specialisation in e-solutions, digital marketing and training, will soon launch its operations in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.
“We will start with a 100-seater facility each in both the cities and later scale up the manpower to 500,” TemplateMonster’s India partner Satish Babu told The Hindu .
He said initially the Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu (APNRT) Society promised to provide rented accommodation. In Visakhapatnam, it is likely to get space at Millennium Tower, which is on the verge of completion at Rushikonda.
On future plans, he said they would explore acquiring a site to develop a big development centre in both the cities depending on the response to their operations.
TemplateMonster CEO David Braun, who reached here to attend a two-day international startup workshop, said they were excited to invest in Andhra Pradesh, which was all set to emerge as the Silicon Valley of India.
$1 million startup support
Tech-Mark Training India in partnership with TemplateMonster is hosting the international startup workshop for which over 100 registrations had been received.
The aim of the programme is to identify startups for mentorship, grooming and funding under a programme named YuvBharat, a project of Tech-Mark India, a sister concern of Tech_Mark Pte. Ltd. (Singapore).
In support of Startup India, TemplateMonster, U.S., has partnered with YuvBharat to give $1 million worth of technology products, training and mentoring to enable startups to market their products and services globally.
“We have an ambitious programme to create young entrepreneurs in India. We will give cash awards and certificates of excellence to three best startups, three best at ideation level and mementos and certificates of excellence to best three women startup entrepreneurs,” Mr. Babu, co-founder of Tech-Mark said.
He said each startup registered with YuvBharat would get $1,000 worth of content management system, web, newsletter and business promotion to strengthen startup ecosystem.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Santosh Patnaik / Visakhapatnam – December 21st, 2017
The state government has shortlisted 13 firms in the tourism sector to set up their ventures in Andhra Pradesh.
The tourism projects range in size from Rs 20 crore to Rs 200 crore. Most of the projects are coming up along the city’s coastline.
Firms from the United States and even from neighbouring Nepal find a mention on the list of shortlisted firms.
Some of the projects include theme parks, resorts, go-karting tracks, five-star hotels and amusement parks
The city’s excellent air, rail and road connectivity is one of the main reasons behind the tourism firms’ interest in setting up shop in Vizag.
The AP tourism department in association with the sub-committee of AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (APCCIF) have received nearly 30 proposals from various places in the country during its recent stakeholders meet at various places including Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Hyderabad in October and November.
After scrutinising those proposals, the authorities have finally zeroed in on these 13 firms.
Tourism minister B Akhila Priya is likely to announce the names of the shortlisted firms at a formal meeting next week in Vijayawada on December 22 (Friday). The ministry would also interact with the representatives of the firms and would clarify the doubts and grievances of the representatives over the establishment of the projects in the specified time announced by the department.
As per the new tourism policy rules, the government would allocate land to the firms, which in turn have to pay 5% of the land value as a lease amount to the government per year. For example, if the land value is Rs 1 crore, the firm will have to pay Rs 5 lakh as lease amount to the government.
The government received proposals from nearly 30 firms. Nearly 80% of the 13 firms are showing interest to set up their projects in Visakhapatnam city. Nearly 80% of the tourism projects are located along the Vizag coast. The AP government will give land to the firms on a long term lease basis spanning about 33 years.
APCCIF chairman G Sambasiva Rao told TOI that some of the firms are asking the government to reduce the lease amount to 3-4% of the land value. “The lease issue would be discussed soon in the next meet, mostly by next week. We want to see that all the projects are grounded by the next two years. Nearly 80% of the projects are coming up in Vizag and the remaining projects in neighbouring places like Vizianagaram,” Rao said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Visakhapatnam News / by V. Kamalakara Rao / TNN / December 18th, 2017
Lalita Vaswani, vice-president of World Birdstrike Association (South Asia), and Raman Emani, Director of BirdGard India Pvt Limited, briefing the media in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam
The first regional South Asian conference of the World Birdstrike Association (WBA) will be held in Visakhapatnam from Dec 11 to 13.
The conference, supported by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, will deliberate on the problem of birds and wild animals posing a threat to aircrafts, particularly during landing and take-off of flights, Lalita Vaswani, Vice President of WBA-South Asia and WBA Member Raman Emani told the media here on Wednesday.
They underlined the importance of creating awareness on the issue of bird strike among all stakeholders including farmers, town planners, organisations for the protection of nature and environment, apart from civil aviation authorities, military, aircraft and aerodrome operators at the regional, national and global levels.
The stakeholders or their representatives from various countries would participate in the conference and deliberate on the issue and the measures being taken in their respective countries to tackle the problem. The meeting would provide a platform for exchange of ideas and practices being adopted at various airports across the globe to eliminate or minimise the risks.
Ms. Lalita said that the deliberations made at the conference would be sent to the authorities concerned for implementation. The WBA conference in Mexico in 2014 had decided to strengthen regional cooperation with all stakeholders within a global framework in close cooperation with the national authorities. The Bird Strike Committees of Australia, Central and South America, Europe and North America were already cooperating on a regional level.
Replying to queries, Mr. Raman said that the measures to reduce bird hits include: passive measures like prevention of dumping of wastes in the proximity of airports, not to allow tress close to the airport as they attract birds and keeping the grass low. The active measures include: bird repellents and lasers.
“The water bodies, marshes and trees, close to the airport, provide the perfect setting for birds and other animal species to feed and rest,” he said.
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source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / December 07th, 2017
A file photo of INS Sindhukirti, seventh Sindhughosh-class submarine of Indian Navy, being towed in the channel for undertaking sea trials in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: arranged
On December 8, 1967, when Commander K.S. Subramanian read out the commissioning warrant in freezing -15 degree Celsius at Vladivostok, submarine base in Russia then USSR, little did he know that he was heralding a force that would one day be a nuclear force and will complete the nuclear triad for the country. Cdr Subramanian commanded the first submarine of the Indian Navy INS Kalvari.
The submarine arm or the silent arm of the Indian Navy is celebrating its golden jubilee this year, and in the last five decades it has grown from a couple of Foxtrot class submarines to possess the Arihant class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) to the state-of-the-art Scorpene-class submarines.
The proposal to form a submarine arm was first envisaged in 1959 and a draft plan to acquire four submarines from UK at a cost of ₹16 crore with a recurring annual cost of ₹ 2 crore was moved. But it did not materialise, and it was again moved in 1962 and the government approved the proposal. A nine- member team led by Captain B.K. Dang was sent to UK to undergo training at HMS Dolphin. But the purchase proposal did not again materialise, as India wanted to buy the Porpoise or Oberon class and the British government offered the old ‘T’ class.
It was only in 1964 that the Soviet government agreed for transfer by purchase for four ‘F’ class or Foxtrot-class submarines.
About 16 officers and over 100 sailors received training at Vladivostok and a beginning was made when Cdr. K.S. Subramanian sailed into the Visakhapatnam harbour, braving 16,000 km of rough sea from Riga to Visakhapatnam, on June 6, 1968.
The submarine arm of the Indian Navy came into operation at Visakhapatnam with the then Chief of Naval Staff Admiral A.K. Chatterjee laying the foundation stone for the submarine base.
The silent arm grew with the induction of four more Foxtrot-class submarines such as INS Khanderi, Karanj and Kursura. All the four constituted the 8th Submarine Squadron and have played a key role during the 1970-71 Indo-Pak war. Today, all have been decommissioned and INS Kursura is transformed into a submarine museum and stands on Visakhapatnam beach.
The first full-fledged submarine base had come into existence in the shape of INS Virbahu on May 19, 1971 at Visakhapatnam.
The force grew with the acquisition of four more Foxtrot-class submarines from the then Soviet Union. INS Vela, Vagir, Vagli and Vaghsheer formed the formidable 9th Squadron with the base at Bombay now Mumbai.
From the Foxtrot class, the navy graduated to procure and produce the German-based HDW 1500 class or also called as the SSKs attack submarines, in mid 1980s. Referred to as the Shishumar class, four of them Shishumar, Shankush, Shalki and Shankul formed the 10th Squadron of the arm, based in Mumbai.
Keeping the tempo up, India negotiated with Russia to procure the Kilo-class or the Sindhughosh-class attack submarines. Equipped with the 3M-54 Klub (SS-N-27) anti-ship cruise missiles with a range of 220 km, for the first time India was on the offensive side of submarine warfare.
While Sindhughosh, Sindhudhvaj, Sindhuraj, Sindhuvir , Sindhuratna and Sindhurakshak (exploded and sank in Mumbai harbour on14 August 2013) were based in Mumbai to form the 12th Squadron. Sindhukesari, Sindhukriti, Sindhuvijay and Sindhurashtra were based in Visakhapatnam to form the 11th Squadron.
Nuclear era
The submarine arm entering the nuclear era began with the leasing of INS Chakra an Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) from Russia in 1988 and it was based in Visakhapatnam.
Sources in the navy said Chakra was taken on lease to train officers and men with the futuristic idea to build its own nuclear fleet. After the lease of INS Chakra expired, a second Akula Class nuclear submarine INS Chakra II was taken on lease from Russia in 2012.
India built its first nuclear submarine INS Arihant under the Advanced Technology Vessel project at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam.
INS Arihant the first of the expected five in the Arihant-class is indigenously built with Akula-class technology.
Completing a full 50 years cycle, the Scorpène-class submarine is now being built for the Indian Navy at Mazagon Dock in Mumbai with French design, and they are named after the Kalvari class. The subs will be named after the first batch that served the navy such as Kalvari, Khanderi and Karanj.
President to present colours
As part of the celebrations, President Ram Nath Kovind will be awarding Presidential Colours to the Submarine Arm of the Indian Navy at a Colour Presentation ceremony to be held in Visakhapatnam on December 8.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Visakhapatnam / by Sumit Bhattacharjee / Visakhapatnam – December 07th, 2017
Boost to tourism: President Ram Nath Kovind and other dignitaries after the inauguration of TU-142 Aircraft Museum in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam
The attraction in Vizag is the first of its kind with a walk-through for visitors
President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday inaugurated the TU 142 Aircraft Museum, the first such museum in the country, on the Beach Road here in the presence of Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He later went through the cockpit, machinery, bombs and gunner compartments of the aircraft.
Mr. Naidu presented TU 142 souvenirs and Pedana “kalamkari kanduva” to the President.
Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of ENC Karambir Singh, Lok Sabha members K. Haribabu and Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, Ministers Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu and N. Chinarajappa, ZP chairperson Lalam Bhavani, Port Trust Chairman M.T. Krishna Babu, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Mukesh Kumar Meena and VUDA Vice-Chairman P. Basanth Kumar, MLAs and MLCs participated.
The museum is the first of its kind with a walk-through for visitors. The Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) oversaw the execution of the ₹14-crore project comprising the museum complex, TU flight simulator, an audio-visual room and souvenir shop. The project, seen as a major tourist attraction with the Submarine Museum across the road, is funded by the AP Tourism. The VUDA will run the museum, set up on one acre of the Andhra University, in coordination with the Navy and the A.P. Tourism. The decommissioned TU 142 was flown in from the Arakkonam base of the Navy, dismantled, transported and reassembled into the museum.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – December 08th, 2017
This is first major recurve medal for Volga Archery Academy
There is a significance attached to the silver medal won by Vijayawada archer Bommadevara Dhiraj at the Asian Continental tournament in Dhaka (Bangladesh) last week to select Asian archers for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in 2018.
The teenager, honing his skills at the city-based Volga Archery Academy, lost to his fellow Indian Akash 4-6 in the cadet boys’ final in recurve segment and helped India bag both the eligible slots for the World Youth Olympics Games.
In fact this is first major recurve medal for Volga Archery Academy after the management decided to concentrate more on recurve segment.
Dhiraj, who is pursuing Intermediate at SRR & CVR College, flew to Ahmedabad from Dhaka to be part of the State team at the School Games Federation under-19 National archery championship and went on to win five gold medals to emerge as the best archer and overall champion of the event.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by J.P Shridharan / Vijayawada – December 06th, 2017
A new species of gecko belonging to the genus Hemidactylus has been discovered in the Eastern Ghats in northern Andhra Pradesh.
Locally named ‘Mahendragiri Gecko’ it is endemic only to the rocky areas of Eastern Ghats namely Araku, Tyda, Simhachalam Hills, Mahendragiri Hills in Andhra-Odisha border.
The reptile has been confirmed as a new species by scientists who conducted research in the Eastern Ghats for almost a decade after discovering it in Tyda near Araku in 2009.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Visakhapatnam News / TNN / November 26th, 2017
Proud moment:Students displaying the medals they won in the Pencak Silat event heldin Singapore, at Ongole.Kommuri SrinivasKommuriSrinivas
Win six golds in Pencak Silat Singapore Open
Students from the Nextgen International School here have brought laurels winning gold in six events and one bronze in Pencak Silat for pre-teens under different weight categories in the Singapore Open championship held earlier this month.
The students — K. Abhishek, D. Girish, S.P. Sandeep, G. Yashwantraj, B. Puneet Chakravarthy Rathod, K. Harshavardhan and A. Varshith — are not the ones to rest on past laurels. The young sportspersons, all below 13 years of age, are determined to prove their mettle in the World Championship to be held in Thailand in March, 2018
“We will prove to the world that our win in the Singapore Open is not a flash in the pan,” they said after a tiring practice session under the watchful eyes of team India captain P. Manoj Sai who has honed their skills.
The training for the students includes three hours of practice in the morning and evening sessions. “They are provided with a special diet which is less in sugar and oil contents,” the coach said.
It will be a golden opportunity for Pencak Silat practitioners as the event is a medal event in the next Asian games.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National > Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Ongole – November 26th, 2017
Microsoft Founder Bill Gates on Friday said he was really excited at meeting Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu for the first time over 20 years ago.
Addressing the valedictory of the three-day AP AgTech Summit 2017, the Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recalled his meeting with Naidu who was then chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
“I was told that there is someone who believes in digital technology even more than you do. It was hard to believe but when we met, he had his digital equipment — computer — and he had the vision to make government better by using advanced tools,” said Gates.
He also revealed that they agreed and today they have reached a milestone as they can use dashboards for agriculture and health. He also referred to the use of Microsoft app Kaizala by the state government for its activity.
“It’s been a real journey over these 20 years, making that vision a reality. I expect it to accelerate and in the years ahead will move very quickly,” said Gates.
Earlier, Naidu in his speech revealed how he managed to get an appointment with Gates for 10 minutes but the latter spent 40 minutes with him. “I made a presentation through a laptop and I was the first Indian politician to do so,” the chief minister claimed.
Naidu explained how he convinced Gates to set up Microsoft’s development centre in Hyderabad. “Not only Microsoft opened its development centre in Hyderabad but Satya Nadella who is from our place became Microsoft CEO.”
Terming Gates as a great personality, the chief minister said he was spending the money he earned to help people around the world.
source: http://www.firstpost.com / First Post / Home> Tech> News Analysis / IANS / November 20th, 2017
How did a Vizag boy end up making his acting debut with a Hollywood film starring Oscar winner Brie Larson, really? “It’s a mix of a lot of things. I dreamt of becoming be an actor. And over time, after numerous struggles, auditions, acting schools and more, it happened,” says SaahilSehgal , who is making his debut with Basmati Blues.
It seems like Saahil was destined to bag the role. “I auditioned for the film and the casting director loved me. She wanted me to fly down to the US, but my visa had just expired and there was no way I could get it renewed in a week. The casting director was as disappointed as I was when that happened. I was shooting for an ad in Kolkata when I got a call and was told that the director and producer are coming to Mumbai and wanted me to re-audition for the role. I auditioned again and the role was mine. I began shooting for the film just two weeks after,” he explains.
The film that was shot in Kerala, Mumbai, New York and Los Angeles will see Saahil play the role of William Patel. “He is basically an Indian, born and brought up abroad. But he comes back to India to take over his family business. The film is a romantic musical, and Brie Larson, an Indian-American actor called Utkarsh Ambudkar and I play the lead roles. The story revolves around the three of us,” explains Saahil .
Directed by Dan Baron, the film revolves around a multinational company called Mogil. “The CEO sends a scientist, played by Brie, to India to sell a genetically modified variety of rice to the farmers in India. And I play the guy who helps Brie get the farmers on board. But we discover that the seeds are sterile. Which means, the farmers will have to keep going back to the company to buy seeds. What happens next forms the crux of the story,” he adds.
The film, which has been in the making since 2013 is finally set to hit the screens soon. Explaining why it took so long, Sahil says, “We shot a major chunk of it in 2013 and then there was a lot of patchwork left that was shot in 2015. It’s an independent film and the director is a debutant too. He wanted things to be a certain way and kept making changes. He wanted the film to be as perfect as possible, so that took a while.”
Ask him what it was like to work with Brie Larson who won an Academy award for her role in the 2015 film, Room, and Saahil says, “Brie wasn’t the Academy-award-winner-Brie back then. She was just another co-star on the sets who was fun and easy to work with. We were both just playing our parts.”
Admittedly Saahil was more excited when he found out that he will be sharing the screen with Don Sutherland. “I walked in for the costume trials and saw Donlad Sutherland’s name on the cast sheet put up on a wall. I got excited as I had no idea that he was going to be a part of the film. I love his work in everything from Italian Job to Hunger Games. I even have a song with Donald in the film and it’ll be the first that he has sung in his whole career. It was a really great experience,” adds Saahil .
The film’s trailer, which released recently, ran into trouble with many criticising Brie Larson, of playing the ‘white saviour’ in the film. While the makers have clarified that the film is not about ‘an American going abroad to solve India’s problems’, social media is rife with Indians calling out the makers for ‘cultural appropriation’ and yet again, projecting India as a country with bad English, spicy food, song and dance, and nothing more. Saahil however, says, “People jumped the gun really fast on this one. Reacting this way has kind of become a part of the dysfunction right now. And I’m not saying that just because it’s my film. People need to be able to take a step back and give something a real chance. Because whatever they’ve been claiming, that’s not what the film is about at all.”
He goes on to add, “Director Dan Baron and his wife had spent time in India and fallen in love with the country. That’s why they wanted to make a film about India. They even watched a lot of Bollywood musicals before making this one. Yes, the film has a white person coming to India and eating spicy food. But then again, cliches are cliches. I feel the reactions to the trailer have got more to do with one’s personal convictions than any real issue at hand.”
For now though, Saahil is just excited about finally getting to see himself on the big screen. “From my childhood, ever since I decided I wanted to be an actor, this is the moment that I was waiting for.”
When asked what’s next, he says, “I shoot for a lot of commercials, but I auditioned for a few roles in LA and New York. Nothing is finalised yet, really.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Visakhapatnam News / by Neshita Nyayapati / TNN / November 25th, 2017
