In Chennai, foodies are spoilt for choice. On Wednesday, the city saw the launch of another restaurant called Madras Curry Cup. Spotted among the guests at its launch was actor Karthi, who was delighted about trying out a few delicacies.
During the launch, Sastharam Ravendran, founder of Madras Curry Cup, said, “Here we offer our customers a unique experience, where they can pick and choose their meal combination. The customers are first served a bowl of hot rasam. As they sip on rasam, they can customise their curry cup by choosing from the list of available bases like mini idly, idiyappam, white rice, brown rice, kuli panniyaram, kuduraivali, etc. Then they can add some of our signature curries to it and top it with veggies/proteins to balance their diet. They can also choose add-ons to complete the cup.”
Sastharam along with his friends, Samrat and Aashish run the restaurant. “We are a food start-up to challenge the status-quo of how south-Indian food is served and savoured,” Sastharam added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Chennai News> Events / TNN / October 07th, 2017
As part of the World Space Week celebrations, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is organising a mega ‘Space Expo’ at S.T. Hindu College in Nagercoil from October 5 to 8.
S.R. Vijayamohanakumar, chairman, Publicity Committee, ‘World Space Week 2017’, said the exhibition would showcase ISRO’s space research programmes from its humble beginning through display panels and exhibits. The exhibition would also cover applications of India’s space programmes for the benefit of common man.
The pavilion would have models of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), Reusable Launch Vehicle, GSLV MK III engine, liquid and cryogenic engines and Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE) recovered after the flight in December 2014.
The expo was the first of its kind in Tamil Nadu in terms of size and contents, which would benefit the public, especially students, immensely, the organisers said. The free exhibition, to be inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon. Radhakrishnan in the presence of K. Sivan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, would be open to public from 9.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. on all days.
Mr. Vijayamohanakumar said a range of lectures on space science, ISRO’s feats, careers in ISRO, etc., would be delivered by experts as part of the expo. An open forum would be organised on the last day of the event, in which a panel of experts from various walks of life would participate.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / October 04th, 2017
The state boasts of being one of the major cultivators of jasmine in the country . Yet, with jasmine being a seasonal shrub, its cultivation is limited between March and September, leaving farmers unemployed during the off-season. Not anymore.
Floriculturists at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) are now working on developing a variety of jasmine that grows all year round. Called the improved CO2 variety of `pitchi’ -one that is popular for hair accessorising – it promises to produce flowers throughout the year.
Though the yield of the variety is expected to be around 30% lesser than the older varieties of pitchi jasmine, it will give the farmers extremely high returns during the off season or winter.
The older varieties of pitchi jasmine cultivated during the flowering season (between March and September-end) give farmers an annual yield of around 10 tonnes per hectare.
“However, the price of jasmine during the season is only Rs150 per kg. They almost have no income during the off-season, ” says professor and head of the floriculture department, M Kannai.
“But, there were a few farmers who harvest their flowers during the off season too, because it yields a much better price. That is what gave us the idea to come up with a clone of a variety that grows all year round, ” he adds.
The new variety called `improved CO2′ is expected to produce a uniform yield throughout the year. “The variety will give an overall yield of 7 tonnes per hectare, which is 30% lesser than the yield given by CO1 and CO2,” says Kannan.
“But the advantage is that farmers will be able to rake in at least `700 to `800 per kg for even loose flowers during the off season between October and February. Thus, the returns for farmers will be higher with the new variety than the older CO1 and CO2 varieties, ” he adds.
The variety is also resistant to major diseases and pests that affect the jasmine plant. “The buds of the new variety are an intensive pink, com pared to the usual light pink, but once the flower blooms, it assumes a neat white colour, ” says Kannan.
The only disadvantage of the variety is that, with a shelf life of hardly 24 hours, the pitchi jasmine is unlikely to be chosen for ex ports. The Gundu Malli which stays fresh for around 48 hours when refrigerated is instead preferred for exports.
Multi-locational trials of the variety have been under progress for the past six months, say department staff. ” We have been conducting trials with the new variety in farmer’s fields, shrubs for which were planted in March.Some of them have started bearing flowers too, ” says Kannan. The department has also distributed plants of the new clone to around 25 jasmine farmers in 10 jasmine growing districts including Madurai, Dindigul, Erode, Krishnagiri, Villupuram, Thiruvannamalai and Coimbatore.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Madurai News / by Pratiksha Ramkumari / TNN / September 26th, 2017
India Yamaha Motor (IYM) Pvt Ltd on Friday achieved a milestone by rolling out the one-millionth two-wheeler to be produced at its Chennai, Tamil Nadu factory in two-and-a-half years of operations. The millionth two-wheeler to be produced at the Yamaha premises is a unit of the Yamaha Fascino. India Yamaha Motor has reached this figure on the back of good sales of its two-wheelers including the Ray Z, Ray ZR and Alpha scooters, and the Saluto and Saluto RX motorcycles. Yamaha had begun operations at the Chennai facility in March 2015 with an initial production capacity of 4.5 lakh units per year, ramping it up to 6 lakh units this year. India Yamaha Motor now aims to produce 9 lakh units per annum by 2019 at the Chennai factory and 7 lakh units at its facility in Surajpur, Chattisgarh, taking total production to 1.6 million units in two years. Yamaha recently launched the Fazer 25 faired version or its FZ25 250cc motorcycle. To boost sales, Yamaha has also been launching scooter boutiques in select cities of the country.
IYM deputy MD Riuji Kawashima said that the company would continue to enhance the production facilities in India to better serve the Indian market. Yamaha has so far invested Rs 1,300 crore in the Chennai Factory and plans to invest more than Rs 200 crore by 2018. Out of one million products manufactured from the Chennai Factory, 8.5 lakh units have been manufactured for the domestic market and remaining 1.5 lacs units for the export market including African market as well as ASEAN and Latin American markets. Yamaha Fascino is the most produced model with 3.7 lakh units. The production percentage ratio of the scooter & motorcycle production at the factory is 7:3 right now. The models with highest export numbers were the FZ series, Ray ZR, and Fascino.
source: http://www.overdrive.in / OverDrive / Home> News / Team OD / September 22nd, 2017
ChooseMyBicycle, a venture by Abbishek Bharadwaj and Rohit Kuttappa along with two others, offers fully fitted bicycles to clients
It is not uncommon to find cyclists whiz past you in traffic on their way to work or for that matter groups of them take over the roads in the wee hours of the morning on the weekends. Catching on fast amongst the fitness and environmentally conscious, cycling is finding more and more takers in the city. And if you seem to be swaying towards the practice as well and are looking to buy a fully fitted bike to meet your needs, help is at hand with ChooseMyBicycle, the latest startup in the city to address the issue.
The online marketplace provides users with fully assembled bicycles, a feature often not found in other portals, according to Abbishek Bharadwaj, co-founder and head sales at ChooseMyBicycle.
Launched in 2012 as a club by RL Ravichandran, Rohit Kuttappa, Akshay Pillay and Bharadwaj to promote cycling in Chennai, ChooseMyBicycle gradually grew to become a platform for reviews. “People wanted accurate information while buying bikes and so we evolved into an information portal,” says Rohit Kuttappa, co-founder and CEO of the company, “One could compare prices and models on our portal back then. There was no commerce involved. I’d say the business evolved based on consumer needs. So by December 2016 we launched the e-commerce aspect of ChooseMyBicycle and became an online portal that not only provides information and reviews, but also is a marketplace for bicycles that are delivered to the users in a fully assembled state.”
The idea to deliver fully assembled bikes, says Bharadwaj, “stemmed from the fact that while many online portals deliver bikes, they are not fitted. It is then up to people to find a good technician to put the bike together; and that is often challenging. To address this, we take the bicycle from the manufacturer, assemble it completely, pack it in a specially created packaging carton and ship it to the customer. We’ve also tied up with Fix My Cycle to provide after sales services, for ease of access.” Fix My Cycle is an online service that sends qualified bike technicians to the client’s home for bike servicing and repairs.
While the company formally launched in December 2016, they made their first sale in March 2017. Since then, they’ve managed over 600 sales across the country. “We’ve shipped as far as Srinagar, Tinsukia and Kutch,” says Bharadwaj.
“While we stock everything from tricycles for toddlers to performance bikes for adults, we find that the average selling price on our website is between ₹12,500 to ₹15,000. These are for entry level performance bikes. Annually, this sector grows at a rate of 22% to 25% in terms of market scenario,” says Kuttappa.
The company which has so far been bootstrapped and has banked on angel funding is now looking to raise funding to expand the business. “In the next six to 12 months we’re looking to set up ‘experience stores’. These will be spaces where people can’t actually buy a bike, but can try different models and get a feel of it before making a purchase online. And as a brand, we plan to ensure speedy delivery of bikes within a period of three to four days. We’ve already identified logistic hubs for these. And along with Fix My Cycle, we plan to expand services to 48 cities over the next year,” says Kuttappa.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society / by Ranjani Ranjendra / September 14th, 2017
The Consulate General of Japan awarded the Foreign Minister’s Commendations to Narayanan Kumar, president of the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IJCCI), on Tuesday.
Seiji Baba, Consul General of Japan, who presented the certificates of commendation, said Mr. Kumar has contributed significantly to the development of Japan-India relations, especially in business cooperation, as well as the dissemination of knowledge, culture and information about Japan.
“He has done this through a number of programmes of the IJCCI, including publishing Gateway Newsletter and establishing the Centre for Japanese Studies. He visited Japan as the head of an IJCCI delegation and met Kiyoshi Odawara, the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs,” he added.
Mr. Baba also noted the contributions made by IJCCI to promote business relations between the two countries.
Mr. Kumar said,“I really hope business cooperation between the two countries will reach great heights,” he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – August 30th, 2017
One of the remotely-operable tanks at an exhibition organised by DRDO in the city
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HIGHLIGHTS
Muntra-S is the country’s first tracked unmanned ground vehicle developed for unmanned surveillance missions
Muntra-M is for detecting mines
Muntra-N is for operation in areas where there is a nuclear radiation or bio weapon risk
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Chennai :
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an unmanned, remotely operated tank which has three variants – surveillance, mine detection and reconnaissance in areas with nuclear and bio threats. It is called Muntra. Though developed and tested for the Army by Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) in Avadi, paramilitary has expressed interest to use them at Naxal-hit areas. That will require a few modifications.
The two remotely operated vehicles designed like an armoured tank were on display at an exhibition – Science for Soldiers – organised by DRDO as a tribute to former President APJ Abdul Kalam at CVRDe in Avadi.
Muntra-S is the country’s first tracked unmanned ground vehicle developed for unmanned surveillance missions while Muntra-M is for detecting mines and Muntra-N is for operation in areas where there is a nuclear radiation or bio weapon risk.
The vehicle has been tested and validated at Mahajan field firing range in Rajasthan under dusty desert conditions where temperatures touched 52 C. Army comfortably tele-operated the vehicle. It has surveillance radar, an integrated camera along with laser range finder which can be used to spy on ground target 15km away – may be a crawling men or heavy vehicles.
The exhibition also showcased CCPT vehicle which is a remote command centre.
From a helmet-mounted night vision to nano-driven thermal and electromagnetic protection and laser weapons, DRDO showcased hundreds of products in an exhibition aimed at boosting the confidence of its employees and to change a negative perception towards the organisation in the government at heavy vehicles factory.
Besides heavy vehicles, DRDO labs also showcased a few inventions like a handheld wall penetration radar which if placed on a wall will project on a screen the presence of people inside a building and also a nano-based electro-magnetic shield which protects combat systems from electromagnetic attack and also a GSM monitoring system which helps to listen in on encrypted calls of mobile phones.
DRDO chairman S Christopher said the products displayed would convey the technical competence of the organisation to the soldiers and the society. He also said DRDO was working on installing AWAC (Airborne Early Warning and Control System) on an A330 aircraft. The system is now perfected for use on a smaller Embraer plane. The exhibition will be open to the public on Sunday.
Chennai: DRDO is looking for exporting version one or two of some weapon systems which become redundant for the Army because they have acquired newer versions, said its chairman S Christopher on Friday.
After inaugurating an exhibition that showcased a wide range of products that they were in talks with countries to export weapons and systems that are phased out by the Army due to acquisition of latest versions, he said, “Older versions are good for some countries which have shown interest. Some of the systems under development too could be exported. It would also create goodwill.” He, however, did not reveal name of any country. He also said DRDO had urged the government to “allow us to test the products which we may not want immediately but can still be developed and exported. Torpedoes, rockets and missiles are a few products that are being considered for export.” He gave the example of Pinaki rocket as latest GPS-driven ones have been developed.
Christopher also said DRDO products were ranked well world over. “We are fourth in the world in AWAC and fighter planes, fifth in missiles. Arjun is not far away from being the best among some countries.”
As the thrust is on roping in private companies, DRDO is looking at capitalising on intellectual property. Private companies are being roped in because they are better placed to market and manufacture DRDO products and the Army seems to be more receptive when products are presented by private companies. Already 1 lakh crore has been generated in two years.
“If we can generate 5 lakh crore in five years we do not have to depend on government for funds,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Chennai News / by V Ayyappan, TNN / July 29th, 2017
The achievement of Tamil Nadu’s power utility, providing connections in a single day, seems to have become a big hit, with may discoms keen on replicating the scheme in their states.
The 16,000 connections, including domestic, provided by the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company Ltd (Tangedco) so far figured prominently at the recent conference of chairmen of discoms in New Delhi.
Under the scheme, consumers seeking a connection can apply and pay the required charges online and receive the new connection within 24 hours. Residents of Chennai region, which includes parts of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, have benefited the most, receiving 8,036 connections.
Only those consumers who are not part of any special or multi-storey buildings falling under the ‘mere service connection category’ are allowed to apply under the scheme. “The applicants of the LT domestic and commercial service connections can apply either through Tangedco’s web portal (www.tangedco.gov.in) or in person at the section office concerned. In online mode, the applicant has to fill all the details in the application and upload the scanned copies of the supporting documents,” a senior official told TOI.
The applicants have to ensure that valid documents being uploaded are in complete shape before making online payments. They can pay the charges at the time of registering the application either online or in person at the office concerned.
“We briefed the chairmen [of various discoms] about the scheme and immediately the Centre wanted states to implement it depending on their resources and availabilty of power,” said the official.
At the meeting held on Saturday last in New Delhi, the financial turnaround that Tangedco had acheieved came up for discussion, with almost all the participating delegates expressing awe at the acheievement. The steps the discom had put in place to make itself financially viable even before it joined the Ujwal Discom Rejuvenation Yojana (Uday) scheme of the central government came in for praise.
“A new domestic connection before the introduction of the scheme used to take 30 days and 60 days for new low tension industrial connection as it involved extension of the transformers or setting up new ones.
But the delay has now been avoided with the introduction of new schemes in both the sectors,” said the official.
All chief engineers of Tangedco have been asked to take necessary action to ensure that meters and other service connection material are available in the stores for effecting service connections without any delay.
“Once an application for a new LT connection is received, the officials are expected to monitor the progress in providing the connection. Superintending engineers will be taken to task if there is any delay in providing the connection,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Chennai News> Civic News / by Sivakumar / July 28th, 2017
The spices shop at the State Secretariat. | Photo Credit: B_JOTHI RAMALINGAM
New retail outlet sells forest produce sourced from Doddabetta
The Secretariat complex is more than just a cluster of government offices. The nearly 6,000 salaried staff who work there as well as the thousands who visit the offices make the complex a bazaar where a range of products — from vegetables through junk jewellery to snacks — can be bought.
Jostling for space at the Secretariat is a shop whose products are a heady mix — spices and medicinal oils. On a day when the demand for grants of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department was being debated at the Assembly, the department had opened a retail outlet selling produce sourced from the Medicinal Plant Development Area (MPDA) at Doddabetta.
The star attraction at the shop was a set of eleven varieties of spices, such as cloves, black pepper and star anise, packaged in sachets and priced at ₹ 160. “You can also buy them separately,” said S. Ashok, who runs the shop.
Variety of products
The shop also sells eucalyptus oil, lemon grass oil, camphor oil, citriodora oil, teatree oil and many others. The price of these concentrated oils is between ₹ 90 and ₹140 per 50 ml. “You can apply them directly or mix them with other oils,” added Mr. Ashok.
Making a strong pitch for the products, Mr. Ashok said the wintergreen oil that is sold in the shop can relieve arthritis. “If you cannot get relief from this oil, there is nothing else in the world that can cure your arthritis,” said Mr. Ashok. The Forest Department runs a similar outlet at Vandalur too.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – June 15th, 2017
More than 120 seed conserving farmers from 15 states across the country have congregated on the Anna University campus here to showcase a variety of quality seeds of different crops such as paddy, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables besides cotton as part a three-day National Seed Diversity Festival.
The festival began on Friday.
Stalls in the festival display rare varieties of seeds with exceptional qualities such as drought tolerance, submergence tolerance and nutritional superiority across different types of crops.
In all, more than 3,000 varieties of seeds are on exhibition at the venue.
The festival is organised by Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), and this is the fourth edition of the festival. The first three editions of the festival were held in New Delhi, Chandigarh and Hyderabad during the last three years.
Highlighting the importance of crop diversity and traditional seed varieties, both for farmer’s livelihood and consumer health, are the two main objectives with which the festival is being organized.
Experts will talk about agriculture and health during the festival. It also has traditional food, stalls, terrace gardening session, pottery training and sales, natural dyeing, hand spinning, seed ball making, drinking water purification, composting techniques, traditional games and activity spaces for children.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Chennai News / by P. Oppili / June 09th, 2017
