Category Archives: Business & Economy

MakeMyTrip signs as principal sponsor for Sunrisers Hyderabad

Business & Economy, Sports

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Deep Kalra, Founder and CEO, MakeMyTrip.com (file photo) / The Hindu Business Line

New Delhi :

Online travel firm MakeMyTrip today said it has been signed up as the principal sponsor for IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad and will also launch a marketing campaign targeted at travellers and IPL fans in April 2013.

“We are delighted to partner with Sunrisers Hyderabad and reach out to millions of IPL fans through this association,” MakeMyTrip.com CEO & Founder Deep Kalra said in a statement.

Commenting on the duration of the contract, the company said the partnership as principal sponsor for the team is for a year with recurring clause.

“The IPL demonstrates the synergies of the twin passions of cricket and travel, with fans following their teams to match-venues across different parts of the country,” he added.

As part of the association MakeMyTrip will showcase the Sunrisers association through a TVC featuring the team’s players — Dale Steyn, Cameron White and Ishant Sharma.

The new campaign will be aired to coincide with the launch of the IPL 2013 that will be played between April 3 and May 26.

Commenting on the partnership, Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO K Shanmugam said: “We are confident that they (MakeMyTrip) will ably partner us in our journey of reinvention and quest for success.

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Home> News> Sports / by PTI / New Delhi, March 28th, 2013

Ezeego1 opens franchise office in Hyderabad

Business & Economy

Online travel search site, Ezeego1.com has opened a franchise office in Hyderabad, its third in South India, according to a company release. The other two franchises were opened in Munnar and Chennai in January this year. The franchise is in the name of Mahathe Sai Associates and will be managed by Pranathi and  Suman Tadakamadla.

The store will provide travel services like flight tickets, hotel accommodation, car rentals, holiday packages, rail, cruise, bus, sightseeing, visa and insurance that are offered on the website. Speaking on the launch, Neelu Singh, COO, Ezeego1.com, said, “We are proud to mark our entry in a market like Hyderabad which has gained major impetus especially in outbound travel and has seen a lot of demand for unique destinations. Our franchise will be an extension of our website for those customers who still prefer the traditional way of booking tickets and holiday packages at a retail outlet and for those who are not net savvy.”

Ezeego1.com will provide the franchisee with an on-going marketing, technical and store development support.

source: http://www.travelbizmonitor.com / Home / by TBM staff – Mumbai / Thursday, March 28th, 2013

Hyderabad’s pink lake to be colourless soon

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology, World Opinion

The Noor Mohammed Kunta (NMK) near Kattedan Industrial Estate (KIE) in Rajendranagar, which earned its sobriquet of the pink lake of Hyderabad due to its pinkish hue caused by industrial pollution, will have clear water by the end of 2015.

NMK is the first and only lake in the country to have been identified for cleanup by the World Bank-assisted project on ‘Capacity Building and Industrial Pollution Management Project’ by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in 2010. The consortium of Witteveen+Bos, Tauw, COWI A/S and Kadam Environmental Consultants under the name of Pollution Control Board Consultants (PCBC) will implement the 32-month pilot project.

The NMK has been dead since years due to heavy inflow of industrial wastes. Representing the consortium of consultants, M Van der Wijk Marten from Nederlands on Tuesday expressed his confidence in the speedy completion of the project.

Speaking to reporters about the remediation process, he said, “First, all highly toxic sediments would be dredged out, dewatered and contained within tubes of geo-textile. According to tests, the tubes a containment efficiency which is well above 99.5 per cent and a life-span of minimum 100 years.”

Adding more, he said these tubes would be made into a bund-like fencing around the lake over which greenery could be developed. The bottom of the lake will be covered with a clean layer of sand. To prevent further inflow of pollutants, the existing Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP), which was started in 2009, would be upgraded to deal with industrial waste treatment.

In Katedan Industrial Estate (KIE), about 3,500 m3 of temporarily stored waste will be collected and disposed to an off-site landfill for Municipal Solid Waste. As a remediation measure, construction of a sediment trap was also recommended at the inlet of drains from KIE to the NMK.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / March 27th, 2013

Mahesh Babu To Endorse Electric Car

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Leaders

maheshbabuHF23mar2013Mahesh is not only the prince of Tollywood but he is also the prince of brand endorsements. It is heard that he has nearly a dozen products under his kitty for which he is the brand ambassador. And now it is heard that Mahesh might likely endorse another interesting product which has just hit the market.

This is an electric car which has been indigenously manufactured by Mahindra group. According to sources, talks are on with Mahesh and if all goes well then might endorse this in south India. The car is called ‘e20’ and it runs totally on battery charge. The stat says it can run for 100 kilometers after 5 hours of full charging.

It is heard that the Mahindra group is planning to market this electric car among the masses in a big way. As it is, the public is unable to bear the burden of petrol. This is the right time for an economy car which is pollution free. And who better than Mahesh to propagate it…

source: http://www.greatandhra.com / Home> Movies> Movie News / March 18th, 2013

Progress Software signs MoU with IIT-Hyderabad

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Under the MoU, Progress supports academic incubation centres, internship programmes and tech talks

Progress Software, a Nasdaq-listed software company, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, to promote innovation and product entrepreneurial skills amongst the students.

Under the MoU, Progress supports academic incubation centres, internship programmes and tech talks, which helps in growing a pool of skilled professionals. The objective is to engage fresh talent and make them industry ready.

“With this relationship with IIT-H, we aim to further promote relevant research projects, research oriented startups in the institute and enhance the innovation ecosystem through talks, lectures on product architectures and Progress technologies and if required, we shall also engage the institute’s faculty on a commissioned project,” Ramesh Loganathan, Progress Software vice president – products and Hyderabad centre head, stated in a release.

As part of the MoU, Progress will also provide students with a collaborative environment that offers a hands-on experience to develop real-world business solutions with their technology.

source: http://www.Business-Standard.com / Home> Companies> News> News / by BS Reporter / Chennai/Hyderabad / March 20th, 2013

India’s e-commerce flourishes in Guntur

Business & Economy

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Hyderabad: 

The next time you find a classy bluetooth headset with your friend from Guntur, do not be surprised as the district in Andhra Pradesh has highest number of e-commerce hubs in rural India.

That also makes AP the most tech-savvy state followed by Tamil Nadu, reveals ebay India Census 2012 that was released here on Wednesday. “Andhra Pradesh has seen a growth of about 80 per cent compared to last year,” said Vidmay Naini, head, retention marketing and global EasyBuy, ebay India.

The fifth edition of the Census 2012 on online shopping trends found that Delhi made maximum transactions in terms of value followed by Mumbai, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Chennai.

The survey revealed that on an average, every one minute a mobile accessory or a health or beauty product is bought while every two minutes a mobile handset, a kitchen product or a portable storage is shopped for online.

Mobile is growth driver for eBay

Mobile has been the growth driver for online shopping portal eBay, says a study. While online sales stood at $67 billion, mobile shopping accounted for $13 billion.

“Mobile is primarily driving our growth,” Naini said, adding that the “massification of e-commerce is happening.” The website has five million registered users and has witnessed 30 per cent growth compared to last year.

In terms of buying and selling, West Zone dominates e-commerce (38 per cent) followed by North Zone at 30 per cent and South zone at 26 per cent.

“Interestingly, South zone’s transactions mostly come from buying,” he said.

The Indian e-commerce market currently stands at $800 million and is set to go up to $2.5 billion by 2015.

The surge in women shoppers has pushed up sales in the lifestyle category whose contribution has gone up by 7 per cent over the last year.

While the online shopping trend is growing rapidly, Indian shoppers are also importing and exporting transforming into global shoppers.

Among the online brands, Samsung and Apple have managed to climb to the top slots relegating Sony and Nokia to the third and fourth position

followed by Sandisk, BlackBerry, Canon, Transcend and Micromax (the only Indian brand).tec

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> News> Business/Tech / DC  / by Tejaswini Pagadala /   March 21st, 2013

Bangladesh naval ship at Visakhapatnam on a three-day visit

Business & Economy, World Opinion

Visakhapatnam, Mar 18 (PTI) :

Bangladeshi naval ship ‘BNS Gomati’ arrived here on a three-day visit to the Eastern Naval Command. Commanded by Commander M Moinul Hassan, ‘BNS Gomati’ is a 1260-tonne ex-Royal Navy ‘Island’ class patrol vessel with a crew of about 100 personnel.

The ship, which arrived yesterday, was received here by officers and sailors of the Eastern Naval Command here. Commander Moinul Hassan called on Rear Admiral Ajit Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, earlier in the day.

During their stay here, the Bangladesh Navy personnel played a friendly volleyball match with the Eastern Fleet Team. Officers and crew of the ship are also scheduled to visit various places of interest in and around Visakhapatnam before departure on Wednesday, according to a Navy release here today.

PTI COR BA PAL SRE

source: http://www.moneycontrol.com / Home> News> Wire News / March 18th, 2013

500 acres for AP’s ‘Brindavan Gardens’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment

The Guntur district administration has decided to allocate 500 acres of land for the mega tourism project proposed by the AP Tourism Development Corporation  proposed a Rs 650-crore Mega Tourism project at Nagulavaram in Macherla mandal on the lines of the Brindavan Gardens of Mysore.

The APTDC sought 640 acres but the district administration has decided to allot 500 acres. Collector S Suresh Kumar sent the land allocation papers to APTDC on Tuesday.

The APTDC expects that the proposed project, in addition to the existing Nagarjunakonda, Nagarjunasagar Dam and Buddhavanam,  will boost tourism in the region.

The APTDC proposes to develop the Ettipotala Waterfalls, lay a ropeway at Ettipotala between two hills, build a five-star hotel, resorts, motels, develop water falls, water fountains, etc as part of the Mega Tourism Project, TGV Krishna Reddy, MLC, told Express.

The number of foreign tourists visiting the district has been growing in the last few years. About 6,400 tourists visited the district in 2008, 8,250 in 2009, more than  12,000 in 2010, 13,450 in 2011 and 15,540 in 2012. The number of domestic tourists was 9.9 lakh in 2008, 15.23 lakh in 2009, 17.6 lakh in 2010, 19.33 lakh in 2011 and 20.45 lakh in 2012, according to tourism officials.

source: http://www. newindianexpress.com / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Ch. Rama Gopala Sastry / ENS – Nagarjunasagar (Guntur) / March 14th, 2013

Fisherfolk witness unexpectedly large catch of prawn in Machilipatnam

Business & Economy, Nature

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As the breeding season of prawn is likely to start by mid April, fishermen venturing into sea along the Machilipatnam coast of Bay of Bengal have been getting unexpectedly large catch of prawns, mostly Tiger prawn, for the past one week. Tiger prawns were caught in the nets of a few boats just 15-25 km. away from the Manginapudi beach in Krishna district on Tuesday.

The fisherfolk fishing on engine boats or trawlers are receiving good catch of prawn varieties, locally known as ‘Narn’ and ‘Pavulla’ prawn. “The catch of the Tiger prawn and other varieties of shrimp has been increasing day-by-day between Machilipatnam and Kakinada coast due to changes in climate. Huge catch of the prawn is expected in coming weeks before the fishing ban comes into force,” said Ch. Chinni.

He accompanied by his four colleagues went 15 km. off Manginapudi beach on Monday and returned on Tuesday with a lot of prawns largely Tiger prawn. “Middlemen offering us Rs. 400 to Rs. 500 for 20 Tiger prawns while price for other varieties is being offered around Rs. 400 per Kg,” added fisherfolk of Manginapudi that the profit of the whole catch of a trip now depended on the catch of prawn.

Though the present catch was not much to export to other parts of the State, Tiger prawn was fetching above Rs. 600 per kg in the open market in Vijayawada city and surrounding areas. The catch of prawn depends on the climatic conditions, wind direction and mercury levels.

The fisheries authorities all set to impose and implement scheduled ban on fishing on the sea from mid April in order to promise safe breeding season for many fish species including prawn.

The post-ban period is normally an idle time to experience the handsome fish catch for engine boats and trawlers those can go a long distance for fishing. However, barely few weeks are ahead to catch the highly demanding varieties of prawn in the market.

  • The huge catch is because of the changes in climate, says a fisherman
  • Middlemen are offering us Rs. 400 to Rs. 500 for 20 Tiger prawns, he says
  • ______________________________________________
  • source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Machilipatnam, March 13th, 2013

Flurys to serve tea, pastries beyond Bengal

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Kolkata :

Flurys, the city’s iconic tea room that has been serving exotic cakes, creamy pastries and rich puddings for nearly 90 years, is now ready to spread the platter across the country. After launching its first restaurant outside Bengal at a mall in Hyderabad earlier this month, the Apeejay group company is now ready to put up its unmistakable pink signboard in other major cities.

The response to the store at Hyderabad’s GVK One Mall has been overwhelming, both from expatriates from Kolkata as well as local residents, a Flurys official told TOI.

“Since a culture of baking and pastry consumption exists in the city, we had expected to do well but the way in which Hyderabadis have taken to the brand as their own is a pleasant surprise. Those who hail from Kolkata and now reside in Hyderabad have become sentimental about Flurys coming to town. It just goes to show the enormous opportunity for the brand across the country,” the official said.

In the next two years, the Apeejay group is eyeing at least 20 stores outside Bengal, 13 of them outside the state. Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai are next on the list, followed by Pune, Jaipur and Goa. “Initially, we will expand in cities with ‘The Park’ hotels  because these locations will offer logistics support in terms of bakery. Later, the brand can expand to nearby towns and cities,” he explained. In Bengal, Durgapur and Howrah are among the chosen cities.

While 70% of the products will be the same as the ones available in the flagship store on Park Street – including rum ball, baba cake , chicken patty and horse shoe – they will be subtly tweaked to suit local palate. In addition, more contemporary pastries will be added to the menu.

“City centric menu optimization will happen. Since Hyderabad has a large IT and ITeS population, there is huge potential for quick sandwiches and rolls. We will introduce them in the days ahead,” the official said, adding that home and office delivery services are also in the pipeline. “Now that Flurys is in a business expansion mode, we will do whatever it takes to grow.” A franchisee model may also be adopted to supplement the company-owned, company-operated outlets, he added. Flurys has identified three formats for growth outside Kolkata – flagship stores (1,500-2,000 sq ft), quick service restaurant (250-500 sq ft) and kiosks (150-200 sq ft). Incubics Consultants has designed the stores that will have a uniform look and feel across the country.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Kolkata / by Subhro Niyogi, TNN / March 13th 2013