Category Archives: Business & Economy

Aavin vouches for purity of its milk

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies

Though the Tamil Nadu Milk Dealers Welfare Association has expressed concern over the health of the citizens in the wake of the Centre’s submission on adulterated milk, the state government owned Aavin has asserted that it is providing 100 per cent hygienic and pure pasteurised milk to consumers.

“The milk and all our products are clean and there is no scope for adulteration at any stage as the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federa­tion Ltd (familiarly known as Aavin) procures milk in a scientific way,” a senior Aavin official said.

Apart from educating the milk producers’ societies on rearing cows, Aavin strictly conducts 19 types of tests to ascertain the quality of the milk.

Milk obtained from the societies, if found substandard, face rejection. “Since we strive to live up to our motto: No profit, no loss, Aavin does not compromise on quality.

Even the pricing is within the reach of common man,” the official maintains.

However, the Tamil Nadu Milk Dealers Welfare Asso­c­iation has called upon the state government to immediately constitute an expert committee at state level and tighten the noose on “ad­u­lterators.”

“Next to me­dicine, milk is considered as life saving food and this precious commodity should be supplied in a wholesome manner,” says S.A. Ponnusamy, state pre­sident of the association, citing the Centre’s submission before the Supreme Court.

Although, the private producers do not permit public to view their dairy activities, Aavin conducts educative trips to its dairies for the benefit of school and college students.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Cities> Chennai / by J. V. Siva Prasanna Kumar, DC, Chennai / October 23rd, 2012

Drip irrigation helps Dindigul farmer reap bumper harvest

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Madurai:

A farmer in Dindigul says he has achieved a bumper harvest by reaping an additional tonne of maize per acre, by adopting the drip irrigation system.

Chinnasamy, of Semmadaipatti in Reddiyarchathiram is a happy man as he has made a profit even after investing a lesser amount. Chinnasamy’s farm lies in a dry and drought-prone region and he feels that drip irrigation is the answer to their problems. “Most of us here have been using drip irrigation for various horticultural crops, like gooseberry and pomegranate, but I was the first to try it on corn in Reddiyarchathiram union,” he says.

Usually, drip irrigation is successful in crops where the plants are spaced apart at a distance of five to 10 feet. In the case of maize, the plants are seen close to one another and Chinnasamy had approached the department of agriculture, seeking subsidy for setting up a drip irrigation system in his farm. His success in reaping a good harvest this year has set an example for others in the region.

Chinnasamy says that he was able to use the water meant for irrigation in one acre in an additional one and a half acres using the drip irrigation system. According to agriculture officials, Chinnasamy has been able to reap four tonnes of maize this year against three tonnes last year. Joint director for agriculture, Dindigul N T Sampathkumar and other officers visited the farm on Friday and inspected it. Farmers in the area were also advised to add specific nutrients as some plants showed signs of needing additional iron supplements.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / October 21st, 2012

Solar plant project takes off

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies

A one megawatt scale grid-connected solar power plant commissioned by Swelect Energy Systems Limited under REC scheme at Kuppaepalayam near Coimbatore. The solar arrays are ground mounted with light sensing tracking systems for increasing output. / Photo: K. Ananthan / The Hindu

The plant has been set up under REC

Coimbatore district, which is known for the large number of wind mills, is getting into solar power plants. The district’s renewable energy initiatives now cover solar energy too. A one MW solar power plant has been set up in Coimbatore and the energy generated is supplied to the grid.

Nearly 25 km away from Coimbatore city, at Kuppepalayam near Annur, rows of solar panels placed on a seven acre site are part of the solar energy plant established by Swelect Energy Systems, which was earlier known as Numeric Power Systems.

The plant has both, fixed and tilting solar panels. Swelect has imported the technology from Spain and the panels tilt to capture maximum solar radiation and thus, have optimum energy generation. The company has also established a High Tension line to the nearest sub-station (3.5 km away) to supply the energy generated to the grid.

It took about six months to install and the plant was commissioned in May this year. The plant has been set up under the REC (Renewable Energy Certificate) scheme and the total investment is about Rs. 10 crore.

The plant functions from 6.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. and, on an average, 4,000 units of electricity are supplied to the grid every day. “The maximum generation is between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. There is generation even when there are rains,” says U. Arunachalam of Swelect.

N. Ananthakrishnan, Superintending Engineer of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation, says this is the first large-scale solar power plant in Coimbatore region. Larger supply of solar energy to the grid will give voltage stabilisation.

Mr. Arunachalam adds that solar plants can be established anywhere in the State. Smaller capacity plants on rooftops are also becoming popular.

Swelect is in the process of setting up 1.5 kw solar systems for all the branches of a co-operative sector bank in the State, including the branches in Coimbatore and Erode districts.

Managing Director of Swelect, R. Chellappan, told The Hindu the company has established another one MW solar plant in Sivaganga district. It is looking at setting up 10 MW of solar plants every year across the country.

“We are also actively involved in rooftop installations and have completed more than 1,000 such installations in the country,” he says.

These are mostly for educational institutions, industries and commercial establishments. Power cuts are higher in rural areas of the State. Houses in rural areas with Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems have potential for solar installations, he adds.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities / by M. Soundariya Preetha / October 22nd, 2012

Hindustan Motors starts local assembly of Pajero Sport

Business & Economy

New Delhi:

Hindustan Motors on Friday said it has started local assembly of sports utility vehicle Pajero Sport from its Japanese partner Mitsubishi’s stable, making the vehicle cheaper by Rs 1.87 lakh.

The Pajero Sport will now carry a price tag of Rs 22.56 lakh compared to Rs 24.43 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) earlier.

“We are pleased to announce our start of production of the Pajero Sport in our Tiruvallur plant and are happy to extend the price benefit to our customers... Pajero Sport will look at capturing 20 percent of the premium SUV segment in the country,” Hindustan Motors Managing Director Uttam Bose said in a statement.

With the vehicle being locally produced, the company will increase the output to over 400 units. The plant has capacity to scale up operations based on market requirements, he added.

“India has in the recent past seen an increased desire for SUVs. Pajero Sport will further consolidate its position in the Indian market,” Bose said.

At present, about 14 percent of the components of the SUV are localised and the company “will look at improving localisation by upto 30 percent by next fiscal year”.

“Currently, components like tyre, battery, window glass, seat belts, lamps, wiper assembly, alloy wheels and headlining are the major items, which are being localised at its Tiruvallur plant,” the company said.

The CKD Pajero Sport comes with the same 2.5 litre engine, it added.

Talking about dealerships, the company said: “Hindustan Motors also have its Mitsubishi range of dealerships across 40 locations with four service outlets and three show windows. The company will look at fortifying its dealerships to 55 points by end of 2012”.

source: http://www.zeenews.india.com / Home> News / PTI / Friday, October 19th, 2012

NABARD adds more power to solar mission

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies

Subsidy for the scheme increased by 10 per cent

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has enhanced its support to a Central Government scheme to promote solar power.

To promote commercial marketing of solar accessories, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), had launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission with subsidy for solar lighting and small capacity photovoltaic systems, which would be routed through NABARD.

R. Shankar Narayan, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Assistant General Manager, told The Hindu here on Wednesday that the subsidy for the component had been increased to 40 per cent from the hitherto 30 per cent.

Modified guidelines

The NABARD had formulated the modified guidelines in consultation with MNRE and it would be applicable for all applications financed by banks after March 15. As per the guidelines, the units could be located both in urban and rural areas and the models could be home lighting systems or inverter-based systems capable of handling general AC loads. Beneficiaries were eligible for capital subsidy of 40 per cent.

Loan to manufacturers

The loan would be released directly to manufacturers, who have been approved by the Union Ministry. They have to provide Compact Fluorescent lamps (CFLs) of 9 W/11 W and LED (Light Emitting Diode) for home lighting systems as per specifications and modules prescribed by MNRE.

Of the total project cost, he said that 50 per cent would be covered by the bank loan with enhanced subsidy of 40 per cent and 10 per cent is the beneficiaries’ contribution as per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) norms.

The banks have also been instructed not to charge interest for the subsidy component.

The loans extended by the banks will have a repayment period not exceeding 5 years. The loan repayment period would have a minimum lock in period of 3 years.

He informed that 100 per cent refinance would be provided by NABARD to the implementing banks for the bank loan portion.

All commercial banks and Regional Rural Banks were eligible to cover the financing done on or after 15 March for projects approved by MNRE.

Mr. Shankar Narayan said that effective implementation of the scheme through banks was likely to give a further boost for solar systems in the country. Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA) office located in Madurai could be contacted for further details.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities / by R. Sairam / Madurai, April 12th, 2012

TI Cycles enters into licensing tie-up with Nick

Business & Economy

Mumbai:

Murugappa Group-owned TI Cycles has entered into a licensing deal with kids broadcaster Nickelodeon India to launch new range of  bicycles and tri-cycles for the Indian market.

The products are designed around two of Nickelodeon’s popular characters, Ninja Hattori and Dora the Explorer.

Kids can choose between eight different variants with specialized features priced between Rs 6900 to Rs 8000. The collection will be available across 200 plus BSA Hercules exclusive outlets in the country.

Tricycles tor the 2-4 year old fans will also hit markets soon.

Viacom18 Media Sr. Vice President – Consumer Products & Communications Sandeep Dahiya said, ” Cycling has always been one of kids’ favorite pastimes. We are happy to partner with TI Cycles to create an exciting range of bikes and trikes, which now makes it possible for kids, to ride with their favorite Nickelodeon characters – Dora the Explorer and Ninja Hattori.”

TI Cycles has successfully established a chain of exclusive retail outlets for their brands BSA and Hercules across the country. BSA Champ, from TI cycles of India caters exclusively to kids.

TI Cycles GM marketing and retail Rajesh Mani said, “We are very happy to join hands with Nickelodeon which is an extremely popular kid’s channel. Both the characters, Ninja Hattori and Dora the Explorer enjoy tremendous fan following amongst the kids. So with the exciting toons and our forte in the bicycle segment, we are sure the cycles will sell like hot cakes.”

source: http://www.indiantelevision.com / Home / October 12th, 2012

Bharathiar University launches herbal ointment

Business & Economy, Education, Nature, Science & Technologies

G. James Pitchai, Vice-Chancellor of Bharathiar University (left) releasing the herbal product of the Department of Botany, 'RuBHeal', at the university in Coimbatore on Thursday. P.V.L. Rao, Director, DRDO-BU-CLS, is in the picture.

G. James Pitchai, Vice-Chancellor of Bharathiar University (left) releasing the herbal product of the Department of Botany, ‘RuBHeal’, at the university in Coimbatore on Thursday. P.V.L. Rao, Director, DRDO-BU-CLS, is in the picture. / The Hindu

The Department of Botany of Bharathiar University launched a herbal ointment ‘RuBHeal’ here on Thursday. The research product is said to have resulted from the use of medicinal wealth found in the Western Ghats. A patent has been filed for it.

Launching the ointment at a national conference on “Phytomedicine” at the university, its Vice-Chancellor G. James Pitchai urged scientists not to restrict research to academics, but extend it to the welfare of society.

“Universities are fertile fields of research. Research should be technologically practical, economically feasible and environmentally safe,” he said.

P.V. Rao, Director of the Defence Research and Development Centre-Bharathiar University-CLS, said economic value of traditional knowledge was often identified as a reason of conserving and documenting cultural practices.

“To rationalise the use of natural resources in the modern healthcare system, it is necessary to explore these systems with scientific approaches,” he said.

M.J. Nanjan, director, TIFAC, JSS College of Pharmacy, Udhagamandalam, said there were many challenges in quality control and standardisation of herbal drugs / traditional medicine. Quality criteria for herbal drugs were based on a clear scientific definition of raw materials.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> TamilNadu / by Staff Reporter / Coimbatore, October 06th, 2012

Christian Dior’s magic element: Madurai’s jasmine flower

Business & Economy, World Opinion

Chennai:

The flower market of Tamil Nadu’s Madurai is a crowded, busy place. It is the place the perfumer creator of French fashion house  Christian Dior, Francois Demachy, visits every year to imbibe the fragrances that help him create the floral perfumes that Dior is renowned for.

(Dior uses extracts of jasmine sambac and tuberose sourced from Tamil Nadu, along with other raw materials, for J’adore, one of the top selling fragrances in the world.)

Dior uses extracts of jasmine sambac and tuberose sourced from Tamil Nadu, along with other raw materials, for J’adore, one of the top selling fragrances in the world. “Jasmine sambac is used in all J’adore fragrances due to its olfactory qualities,” says Demachy, who was in Madurai recently. “For me, it is a very strong and unique ingredient, and I link its uniqueness to Indian soils.”

That is why he has been making a yearly trip to Tamil Ndu for the last eight years. For him, it is essential to see the flower grow. “It is important to feel the flower and see it in the ground, see the people who grow it and keep it in your mind like a bank,” says Demachy, who is usually off to the fields by the crack of dawn.

When Demachy joined Dior after 28 years with Chanel, J’adore was already their best selling perfume. “But I used jasmine sambac as a key ingredient for different versions, like J’adore L’Absolu, J’adore L’Or and J’adore Eau de Toilette,” says the perfumer, who is from Grasse, which is also known for its jasmine. Dior has been sourcing jasmine sambac for J’adore from the beginning. “It is one of the main ingredients along with other key raw materials like rose damascena and ylang ylang,” says Demachy.

The fragrance of many flowers that bloom in the soil of Tamil Nadu also permeate the House of Dior. “We use jasmine sambac and jasmine grandiflorum from Tamil Nadu and tuberose for J’adore Eau De Parfum, Poison, New Look from La Collection Privee CD and Escale a Pondichery,” says Demachy.

Jasmine CE Pvt Ltd has been supplying Dior with jasmine grandiflorum, sambac and tuberose extracts since 2007. “We are completely aware of their quality specifications, and products are supplied accordingly. We also hold stocks for them and supplies are made just in time for their production,” says Raja Palaniswamy, director of Jasmine CE Pvt Ltd. His company owns small fields close to Coimbatore, where the flowers are grown organically.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Chennai / TNN, October 07th, 2012

Awe your guests with jute-made gifts

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

Wondering what to gift your guests this Navarathri season? You could then drop in at the exhibition organised by the South India Jute Association (SIJA) in Adyar to pick up products that are “attractive, durable, ethnic, eco-friendly and versatile,” which are made of jute. Well, if you thought jute was only for  movers and packers, think again. The colourful exhibits ranging from office bags, stationery, shopping bags, wallets, wall hangings, durries, jewellery, footwear and garments are sure to surprise you.

The exhibition is making its fourth annual foray in the city with around 21 stalls. Prices of the products range between ` 20 and ` 1,000. “The exhibition has been partly sponsored by the National Jute Board and partly by the entrepreneurs,” R P Srinivasan, coordinator, SIJA, told City Express.

SIJA took off four years ago, after entrepreneurs in the South realised the potential of the “beautiful, golden fibre,” Srinivasan said. “After getting the raw material from West Bengal, we started manufacturing contemporary, value-added jute products.”

Realising the need for support in procuring raw materials, manufacturing and marketing, entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala came together and formed SIJA. Today, the association has around 52 members. Workshops are held under  schemes sponsored by the Union Ministry of Textiles, where the entrepreneurs are given training in design development and skills augmentation. A leading player in the field, Srinivasan runs his own unit at Kilpauk.

Women too are making a big impact in the industry. SIJA president and entrepreneur Janaki Ananth has been crafting jute bags since 1985. One of her customers is Poompuhar, run by the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation. Last month, she won the Priyadarshini Award for ‘outstanding entrepreneur’ from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Welfare.

“We want to motivate self-help groups from rural and urban areas to manufacture jute products by promoting awareness and giving them training,” she said.

For budding craftswomen, help is at hand in the form of Marketing Organisation of Women Entrepreneurs (MOOWES), a voluntary non-profit organisation, set up in 1990.

“There are about 40-50 active members in MOOWES. Most of them are home-makers,” Janaki Ananth said. “Many of them have diversified into manufacturing jute products after realising its potential and we conduct periodic exhibitions to showcase their products.”

For instance, A Mahalakshmi’s unit at Ekkatuthangal employs six persons and her unit specialises in making wall hangings, mirrors, table tops and letter and magazine holders. With turn-over of around ` 12 lakh per year, she also exports her products to Mauritius.

Running a larger unit in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, is D Nagendran, a member of the National Jute Board. His unit specialises in manufacture of yoga mats and kalamkari-printed durries, which are sold in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and Varanasi.

Sujatha Jaishanker, a former teacher and story-teller, who was among the first visitors to the exhibition, claimed she was “pretty stunned” at the collection this year. Her son was soon getting married and she was scouting for gifts for the wedding guests.

Pointing at her bag, Sujatha Jaishanker said she started buying jute products after she decided to turn eco-friendly two years ago. And the jute items suited her ethnic tastes too. “Compared to last year, there is a lot of variety. I am overwhelmed by the finish, finesse and the vibrant colours of the products.”

Promise of support and assistance for the entrepreneurs came from the State Minister for Handlooms and Textiles Dr S Sundararaj, State Textiles Secretary G Santhanam and Market Promotion Officer of National Jute Board T Ayyappan.

The exhibition is open from October 4 to 11 at Vijayaraja Thirumana Mandapam, First Avenue Road, Shastri Nagar, Adyar.

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / Home> Latest News / The New Indian Express, Express News Service / Chennai, October 06th, 2012

‘N.Ram’ Delivers the James Cameron Memorial Lecture

Business & Economy, World Opinion

Influential Indian journalist Narasimhan ‘N.Ram’ Ram delivers this year’s lecture entitled ‘Sharing the Best and the Worst: The Indian news media in a global context’

Narasimhan Ram, known to his readers simply as ‘N.Ram’, delivered the James Cameron Memorial Lecture at City University London last night, and gave journalists in India a call to arms saying they needed to ensure that “transparency, accountability and social responsibility are more than just slogans.”

His speech entitled ‘Sharing the Best and the Worst: The Indian news media in a global context’ began with a glowing tribute to James Cameron who he described as “writing like and angel when in flow, with deceptive richness and shiningly honest value judgements.”

Turning his attention to his home country N.Ram described his frustration with the mix of “joys and sorrows” that are hallmarks of Indian media. On the one hand he described “a real vibrancy” within the industry in stark contrast with the depressive atmosphere here in the West. However the poor quality of journalism and reliance on young, inexperienced talent who aren’t properly nurtured greatly subdued his sense of optimism.

Next on his hit list was the over confidence of the media industry in India. He warned that the “uplifting” narrative of Indian media, especially print, must not be “romanticised” and that “the social reach of the Indian press is not impressive.”

At the heart of Ram’s lecture was the tension between freedom of the press and the corrupt, controlling government. He urged the press to champion the poor and underrepresented and recognise that the government’s record for corruption actually presents India’s independent media with “limitless opportunities” and enables them to “win strong public support for what they do”.

He closed by suggesting that the media industry in Indian could benefit from the forensic-level of scrutiny that the British media have been under during Lord Leveson’s investigation “The Indian situation cried out for such an independent, comprehensive, hard look into the culture, practices and ethics on the news media.”

The James Cameron Memorial Lecture has been delivered by a distinguished group of speakers including Ben Bradlee, Michael Grade, Alan Rusbridger, Tony Benn, Greg Dyke and Sir Max Hastings.

Professor Hugh Stephenson organised the lectures and chaired the judging panel from the inaugural lecture in 1987 to 2010. From 2011 this was taken over jointly by Professor Howard Tumber and Professor George Brock.

Read the full text of N.Ram’s speech here and hear a  from City’s student radio station ”City OnAir”

source: http://www.city.ac.uk / City University London / Home> News / October 04th, 2012