Dr. John D. Balian launched ‘Gray Wolves and White Doves’

Mr. Venkatesh Rajagopal, the Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Terrain, will host the launch event of the novel Gray Wolves and White Doves at ITC Windsor Manor on 25th February 2012. The thriller based novel, Gray Wolves and White Doves is based on actual events. Here, in India to launch his first novel among Bangalore’s literati, Dr. Balian in conversation with Vidya Virkar -daughter of Lt T.N Shanbhag and Managing Director of Strand Bookstore. Dr. Balian will interact with the select group of invitees.

Dr. Balian has lived in the locales described in the novel and has first-hand knowledge of the events. While the novel is the epitome of a timeless story and the struggle between the good and the evil and the perseverance of the underdog, it is an unique tale told in an unique manner. The historical/current political and social upheavals in the Middle East make this book eminently relevant.

Synopsis of ‘Gray Wolves and White Doves’

In a rugged and ancient corner of the world shrouded in mystery and myth, five-year-old Hanna can imagine no other home than his small village at the edge of the Turkish Plains of Anatolia.

Suddenly, in one terrible instant an unimaginable tragedy strikes and the boy’s happy life is overturned, sending him into exile and on an odyssey of lurking dangers, dashed hopes and thwarted ambitions.

Torn from his family and uprooted from his homeland, the young boy is dispatched to a seminary in Jerusalem where he is renamed Jonah and embarks on a discovery of his true heritage and new identity. This sanctuary is also snatched away when Jonah, still in his early adolescence, finds himself caught in the crossfire of the Holy City’s “unholy” wars.

Caught in a web of deceit and factional feuds, a persecuted Jonah narrowly escapes the snares of his nemesis and the specter of the hellish Turkish prisons. He resorts to a fugitive subsistence in foreign lands, and is recruited by his former foe to join a clandestine group. Despondent, young Jonah finds himself forced to choose his fate: abandon his principles to carry out a barbaric mission to exact revenge; or find a new path to pursue an improbable dream in a new world.

Based on actual events of the 1960’s and 1970’s in the Middle East, Gray Wolves and White Doves transports the reader to a land steeped in ancient rituals, Middle Eastern traditions and modern intrigue. From this tumultuous background rises a moving, captivating story of a child’s search for identity and belonging amid rekindled feuds and the turmoil of a changing world.

Gray Wolves and White Doves is a real life and action-packed thriller that weaves a timeless tale of man’s perseverance, the endurance of hope, and the winning ways of the human spirit no matter how bleak the circumstances.

Gray Wolves and White Doves by Dr. John D. Balian is available on Amazon.com.

About the Author

John D Balian, MD’s life story personifies the immigrant story and the American Dream. Considering his very humble beginnings in the Middle East and the inconceivable adversity Dr. Balian faced from childhood through adolescence to later become an accomplished physician and a senior executive in a multinational corporation, his life story should be the inspirational and motivational account of these challenging times.

Dr. Balian was born to parents of no education and no means in a remote village in Anatolia near Diyarbekir, a historic Armenian city now in Eastern Turkey. He faced unimaginable tragedy that led to the splintering of his family that launched him into a life of destitution and wandering through several Middle Eastern and European countries.  Despite cruel twists of fate, he eventually reached the land of opportunity because of his own fighting spirit and survival instincts and the help and kindness of strangers.

He attended Columbia University on a full scholarship and received a medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. After a medical residency and fellowship, Dr. Balian worked for the United States Food and Drug Administration prior to moving into the healthcare industry. He currently is a senior executive of a US-based global corporation.  Due to his reputation of a transformational leader in his field with numerous accomplishments and innovations, Dr. Balian was recently elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Armenian Center of Columbia University. He is widely published in varied trade journals.
 

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S.F. sustains ties with Bangalore Andrew S. Ross

San Francisco is turning its eyes toward India.

Next month, a delegation of city officials and corporate executives, led by Mayor Gavin Newsom, will be spending three days in Bangalore, where initial agreements on projects involving sustainable building, health technology, water treatment and solid waste management are expected to be signed. All areas in which Bangalore, India's version of Silicon Valley, have said it could use some help.

The trip also marks a coming-out party of sorts for San Francisco and Bangalore as sister cities. "It's our fanfare," says Jim Herlihy, co-chair of the San Francisco-Bangalore Sister City Initiative. Herlihy, a managing director of Deutsche Bank, and Madhav Misra, who formerly headed a hedge fund and private equity group at Citibank in San Francisco, have been quietly building on the relationship since the two cities officially became siblings, at Newsom's behest, last year.

As with San Francisco's growing relationship with Shanghai, the aim is to develop business and trade ties - sustainably, the organization's mission statement emphasizes - with an Indian metropolis that is exploding, technologically and geographically, with a population estimated to be 10 million by 2012. "Given Bangalore's growth rate, and the role Indians already have in the Bay Area economy, there's enormous untapped potential," Misra said.

The two co-chairs have already rounded up some heavy hitters. Board members include Kumar Malavalli, founder of San Jose's Brocade Communications, Vish Mishra, president of the Indus Entrepreneurs, an Indian-American business group in Silicon Valley, and Regis Kelly, who chairs the Bay Area Scientific Innovation Consortium. (A specific biotech agreement is on the November trip's agenda.)

Corporate sponsors range from Cisco Systems, whose LEED-compliant building - India's first - on its Bangalore campus will be highlighted on the trip, to Taj Hotels, a subsidiary of the giant Tata Group conglomerate, which numbers San Francisco's Campton Place among its U.S. properties.

The latter's involvement, along with Bangalore's UB Group, which owns the Mendocino Brewing Group (Red Tail Ale, Blue Heron) along with India's Kingfisher Beer and Kingfisher Airlines, points to the two-way-street nature of the relationship. "We want Indian investors and businesses to look at the Bay Area as a logical point of entry," Herlihy said.

Misra added: "As this becomes India's as well as China's time, we want to see the Bay Area benefiting from it."

More information on the San Francisco-Bangalore Sister City Initiative at www.sfbangalore.org.

Another passage to India: Coincidentally, the San Francisco delegation arrives one week after the Obama administration wraps up its business trip there.

This one's being led by another Bay Arean, Ro Khanna, a deputy assistant secretary in the Commerce Department. Khanna, formerly an intellectual property lawyer at the San Francisco office of O'Melveny & Myers, is the first Indian American to lead an official trade delegation to India.

He was not available to talk about the five-day trip to New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, but the focus is supposed to be on energy efficiency, "clean" energy, and what U.S. companies could bring to the Indian table in those areas.

Despite India's demurrers on mandated emission reduction targets, it has been investing more in the renewable energy field of late. Last week, it signed an agreement with Scotland "to drive innovation in renewable energy and support both governments' goals to increase supplies of wind energy, solar power and biofuels," according to a Scottish government statement.

Time for the United States to play catch-up.

Blogging at sfgate.com/columns/bottomline. Tweeting at twitter.com/andrewsross. Tips, feedback: E-mail bottomline@sfchronicle.com.

Bangalore & Sanfrisco Bonding gets stronger

Bangalore and San Francisco on Monday signed seven Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) strengthening the ‘sister cities’ arrangement.

The MoUs were signed in the presence of Chief Minister Yedddyurappa and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at Vidhana Soudha. “The sister cities concept is unique - it is a two-way process, which ensures give and take by both the sides,” the Chief Minister told reporters. Healthcare, water and sanitation, education and research, art, museum and culture, trade and commerce and fashion technology were the areas wherein MoUs were signed. Promoting growth The two cities had signed an MoU in October last year to form sister cities arrangement, aimed at promoting cooperation and understanding between the two cities and to partner in the areas of economic growth, cultural exchange, knowledge transfer and fostering clean technology. It has now been extended to seven more areas. Great output Gavin Newsom said San Francisco would take the MoU seriously and provide great results. The main thrust will be on exchanges in infrastructure development, waste disposal, environment initiatives. “Bangalore is a remarkable place which attracts creative people...I am a huge fan of India and Bangalore. Having cordial relations with India is essential,” he stated.

Innovent Engineering Solutions Private Limited

About INNOVENT Engineering Solutions Pvt. Ltd...

INNOVENT Engineering Solutions Pvt. Ltd., headquartered in Bangalore is into training, consultancy and sales in the field of CAE. Their mission is to bridge the gap between academia and Industry through training and Institute Industry interaction and to earn recognition globally for engineering skill development through innovative ideas and methods. INNOVENT’s vision is to create a progressive and rigorous engineering culture for India by building Organic-Wealth (Knowledge) in the areas of Science and Technology through continuous learning, research and interaction with academia and Industry.

INNOVENT is the authorized distributor and support partner for ANSYS academic products in India & other SAARC Countries. The company is also the authorized distributor and support partner for CollabCAD – a CAD software developed by National Informatics Centre, New Delhi. It is also the authorized distributor and support partner for CivilFEM, a product from Ingeciber Inc., Spain. INNOVENT is also one of the first companies in India to become a member of NAFEMS, an international association for the engineering analysis community.

Innovent Engineering Solutions is a member of National Small Industries Corporation and is rated by SMERA as a high Performance and financially stable company. IES has the proficiency and the experience in successfully marketing, selling and providing technical support to more than 800 educational institutions all over India including IISc, IIT’s & NIT’s.

BUSINESS PORTFOLIO

Training

Engineering Services

Product Sales

Staffing & recruitment

India has the largest unharnessed potential to be the ESO (Engineering Services Outsourcing) hub of the world (Source : NASSCOM study). Definition of ESO is changing globally and it is no more technically repetitive and non-core engineering activity. To prepare the large engineering talent pool of India for the challenges of the Engineering industry and the top research organizations of India and to get our engineers ready to the challenge of grabbing the largest share of ESO, which would touch an incredible $1 trillion by 2020, INNOVENT is conducting a job assured program called the ANALYST Program to fill the gap.

INNOVENT is into skill assessment and competency mapping followed with remedial measures for academia and corporates, to fill the gap on skill set between academic institutions and industrial practices.

INNOVENT is also conducting regular training programs on various CAE simulation tools with certification and also on engineering subjects with industry flavor for students, faculty and corporates.

URL : www.innoventengg.com

Contact nos. : +91-80-2520 5015 / 16 / 17.

About the Book : Engineering Critical Thinking by Ganesha H.N., our CTO.

A concept was envisaged by INNOVENT Engineering Solutions to develop engineering spontaneity and problem solving skills amongst young engineers aspiring to take up assignments in New Product Introduction. The concept gained wide acceptance with both corporate and academia as a means of improving scientific reasoning and ability to apply the physics fundamentals to real world engineering-situations. INNOVENT decided to bring out the course in the form of a text book. 

Most of the existing text books comprehensively deal with one aspect of design and may not have an integrated approach needed for product development. The book has a completely different style of presentation which makes engineers think laterally and interrelate the varied facets of the situation. A simple component may have to be looked at from different points of view such as stress, dynamics/vibration, life, assembly, manufacture, cost, weight, SFC, NVH, electrical properties, fire resistance and many more. The book has 7 chapters which covers all these aspects systematically through theory and moderately complex situations relevant to the industry.

The faculty also may gain valuable insights into different situations such as industry situations, best practices and rigorous application of subject fundamentals.

The book could be 'Go to material' for young designers and analysts. The OEM’s could use the book to train the young engineers for New product introduction.  Universities could use this book for a 3 credit course for UG and PG students to enhance the competency and employability. This in turn helps to bridge the gap between industry and academia.

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A Knowledge Conclave

Mindlogicx partners Dun & Bradstreet India to host “Universities of India 2008-09” – a Knowledge Conclave

Landmark event to brainstorm relevance of IT in education delivery and creating employment opportunities in higher education segment by fostering industry-academy tie-up

Bangalore, January 16, 2009: Mindlogicx Infotech Ltd, an R & D based technology company pioneering in providing end-to-end solutions in virtual knowledge management and delivery domain, in association with Dun & Bradstreet India, one of world’s leading companies for global business information, will be hosting a Knowledge Conclave - “Universities of India 2008-09” in Bangalore between January 22 and 24, 2009. The conclave will be attended by vice chancellors of leading Universities across India, as well as leading academicians, academic administrators besides senior officials from University Grants Commission, Association of Indian Universities, NASSCOM, State Education Departments, State Service Commissions and top corporate houses in India.

This land mark event is an attempt to bring together intellectuals, academicians and corporate leaders who aspire to shape the future of emerging India as knowledge super power by 2020. Importantly the conclave would deliberate, debate and discuss key issues related to technology enabled education delivery and empowering final year college student to become “Job Ready” using technology as the enabler. Further, the conclave will ponder on increasing the employability quotient of final year students passing out of colleges & universities across various streams. Leveraging IT enabled education delivery for online delivery programmes would be another key issue that would be debated.

On this occasion Dun & Bradstreet & Mindlogicx would release a publication - ‘Universities of India 2008’, which is a repository of information on UGC recognized universities in India and the publication is expected to serve as a reference tool on Indian universities. The publication would be released by Smt. D Purandareswari, Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Government of India, on the concluding day of the event. The online version of this publication will also be made available for universities and corporate houses to connect with each other for purposeful exploration of industry-academic collaboration. Further details are available at www.universitiesofindia.org.

“Universities of India 2008 publication and the conclave are first initiative of this kind which would provide information and insight to all segments and stakeholders interested in nurturing the growth of higher education in India. Further, the publication would enable Indian universities to reach out to the international market and create employment opportunities for their students globally” observed Raj Devireddy, Convenor of the conclave.

Commenting on the knowledge conclave, Suresh Elangovan, Managing Director & CEO, Mindlogicx Infotech Limited said, “The objective of this event is to foster industry-academic collaboration that would usher in a meaningful partnership between them in the long run. This event would be an ideal launch pad for students of participating universities as they would gain immediate access to world class employment opportunities”. Also he added this event would enable show-case the knowledge base of Indian universities to the world and more specifically to the corporate and industry partners.

About Dun & Bradstreet:

Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE:DNB), the world's leading source of global business information, knowledge and insight has been enabling companies to decide with confidence® for 165 years. D&B's global commercial database contains more than 131 million business records. The database is enhanced by D&B's proprietary DUNSRight® Quality Process, which transforms the enormous amount of data collected daily into decision-ready insight. Through the D&B Worldwide Network - an unrivaled alliance of D&B and leading business information providers around the world - customers gain access to the world's largest and highest quality global commercial business information database. D&B features on FORTUNE Magazine's Most Admired Companies Industry List, ranking first in the Financial Data Services category. D&B ranked first in the areas of employee talent, financial soundness, long-term investment, quality of management and use of corporate assets. D&B has achieved this distinction for the second consecutive year.

About Mindlogicx Infotech:

Mindlogicx Infotech Ltd, an R & D based technology development company, straddles products and services verticals in knowledge management space. The company operates with two key portfolio differentiators catering to education and business space respectively with the common objective of powering competency. The company undertakes large turnkey projects of setting up virtual education framework for universities and offers services in digital content management, learning management, digital library and other allied services. It also handles e-business integration, Research & Analysis, contract R & D and IT consulting.

The company has developed and successfully deployed world’s first integrated technology platform known as “VEDAS” that powers the major solutions and services of the company.VEDAS (Virtual Education Delivery and Assessment System) provides technology platform for the flagship services of Mindlogicx including MindSpace, the virtual education solution for universities; Knowledge Assessment Platform (KAP) for corporate skills assessments and Knowledge Network (K.Net) services for its Online Finishing School.

The company has been identified as one among the “Top 15 Exciting & Emerging Companies to work for” by NASSCOM. The company is “Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific 2008” winner and Red Herring 100 Asia winner in 2008 for disruptive technology development.

South India’s largest mall to open in Feb 2010 in Bangalore

South India’s largest mall is 97 pc leased, to open in February

04 Jan 2010

With 215-plus retail units, 30 escalators, 18 lifts and a built-up area of a whopping 1.3 million square feet, the much-awaited Mantri Mall (now formally named Mantri Square) in Bangalore is getting ready to open next month.

One of the many key features of Mantri Square is its portfolio of 14 anchors and mini-anchors. These include a 70,400 sq.ft Spar hypermarket, a 6-screen Inox (including Inox’s first ever Aura 70-seater VIP auditorium), a 44,000 square feet Lifestyle, a 43,000 square feet Shoppers Stop, a 33,100 square feet Pantaloons, a 23,000 square feet Amoeba FEC (with a 12-lane bowling alley), a 22,000 square feet Home Centre, an 18,000 square feet Reliance Trends, a 15,800 square feet Reliance Living, a 15,600 square feet Marks & Spencer, a 13,000 square feet Reliance Digital, a 12,800 square feet international retailer (name not disclosed), a 11,000 square feet Reliance Timeout, and a 9,800 square feet Showoff store.

The retail trading area of this mall is 60 per cent larger than Spencer Plaza Chennai (currently the largest mall in South India), more than two and a half times that of Forum Mall at Koramangala (currently Bangalore’s largest mall) and about 12 per cent more than Ambience Mall in Gurgaon.

Apart from the 14 anchors and mini-anchors, Mantri Mall also has as many as 10 superstores (outlets with a carpet area of 4,000 to 8,000 square feet), including Prestige – The Man Store, Mom & Me, Crazy Concepts, Oviesse, Office Depot, Reliance Footprint, Kalanjali Sarees, Reliance Jewels, Neeru’s Elite and Reebok Performance Store.

For food lovers, there will be 34 F&B outlets in this mall, including India’s first Taco Bell from Yum Brands Inc. and Bangalore’s first The Great Kabab Factory, the award-winning North Indian restaurant from Carlson Restaurants Worldwide.

The shopping centre's planning consultant and sole leasing agents Asipac has got new leases for more than 6,00,000 square feet in the last 8-9 months. The property is currently 97 per cent leased.

Apart from tenants such as Metro, Mochi, Adidas, Nike, William Penn, Archies among others, Asipac has strategically targeted strong local retailers, including several well established high street names from Bangalore, including Showoff, Prestige – The Man Store, Favourite Shop, Vijaylakshmi Silks & Sarees, Davanam Jewellers, Shiv Sagar, Lal’s, Fazal’s, Kushal’s Fashion Jewellery, Sanskruti and Gangotree, as well as strong ethnicwear retailers from Hyderabad, including Kalanjali and Neerus.

Mantri Square also has a number of firsts to its credit. Apart from Taco Bell, Great Kabab Factory and Aura, it will also boast of Bangalore’s first OVS, Hush Puppies, Howards Storage World, Crocs, Celio, Marvel, Manyavar, Early Learning Centre, Esbeda, Alcott, Presto, Sunglass Hut, Addons, Holii, Boggi Milano, Toyopia, Bagzone, The Eyewear Store, Tie Rack London, Tissot, Rado, Editions, Addons, Hi Chai, Men & Boys and Ayesha stores. Also, 26 of the tenants will be doing business for the first time in a mall.

In addition to clothes, footwear and lifestyle accessories, Mantri Square will offer a wide range of ETIT (electronics, telecommunications and information technology) products under one roof in India with 11 ETIT stores, the widest range of sarees under one roof with eight stores, furniture & home accessories, bicycles, toys, prescription eyewear, maternity & newborn products, Indian sweets, real and fashion jewellery, luggage, wines & liquors, haircuts, pharmaceuticals, health & nutrition products, handicrafts, foreign exchange, photo processing, men’s tailoring, ladies tailoring, air and bus ticketing, financial services, personalised awards & trophies, express printing and even a multi-brand car gallery.

Asipac is projecting footfalls of 44,000 average daily visitors in 2010, going up to 72,000 average daily visitors when the Swastik Metro Station opens adjoining the mall in 2012

Shriram Properties launches new projects

Shriram Properties, property development arm of Shriram Group, on Wednesday, announced the launch of it’s housing project consisting of over 7,000 homes across Bangalore, Chennai, Vizag and Kolkata.

Priced in the range of Rs 9 lakh to Rs 30 lakh, the houses will have amenities like swimming pools, jogging tracks, multipurpose community hall, children’s play area, shopping complexes, club houses and proximity to transportation hubs. In addition to this, the company also tied up with a school chain, which will provide educational opportunities to the residents. Shriram Properties Managing Director M Murali said “in India, there is a huge need for affordable housing and we are privileged to have all the approvals in place and to commence construction.” The Bangalore project ‘Shriram Surabhi’ and ‘Shriram Smrithi’ are being developed off Kanakpura Road and Athibele Sarjapur Road respectively. ‘Shriram Sankari’ is coming up in Chennai. In Vizag, it is coming up in Madurawada, and in Kolkata, in Uttarpara. The project, which involves an investment of Rs 850 crore, is being funded largely by private equity and will be completed within next 24 to 30 months. Bought to you by : Ravina Media Media &PR Division of Ravina Consulting No.429 Mahavir Tuscan Near Hoodi Circle, Whitefield Mahadevapura Post BANGALORE 560048 Mobile : +91.98800.80321 raghav@ravinaconsulting.com www.twitter.com/bangalorenews

Tatas, L&T in race for Bangalore high-speed rail project

The Karnataka government will soon select a consortium bidder for the 35-km high-speed rail transport between Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli and the city centre, a top official said here today.

The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 5,767 crore.

"We have short-listed five consortia for the project and one of them will be selected in the next 15 days to execute the project under the public private partnership (PPP) model," V Madhu, principal secretary, infrastructure development department, government of Karnataka told reporters on the margins of a trade fair.

The five consortia are led by ADAG, Tata, L&T, ICM and Lanco. Out of the total project cost, Rs 1,040 crore will be the share of the Central government as viability gap fund and Rs 532 crore by the state government as the cost of the land.

"The state government will acquire the land for the project. The balance funds will be invested by the selected consortium," Madhu said at a special session on Karnataka: infrastructure development agenda and investment opportunities at Excon 2009, an international exhibition on construction equipment and construction technology fair.

Madhu said though the Central government had cleared the project in principle after it was vetted by the empowered committee, it needs to be cleared by the finance ministry. The financial tenders will be issued after that and 75 days time will be given for them to respond. Financial closure will be achieved by May next year, he said.

A special purpose vehicle (SPV) will be set up to execute the project and decide on the required equity.

During the 30-year term of the project, he said the state government will explore the possibility of taking a stake in the SPV in the form a golden share.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation managing director E Sreedharan had prepared the detailed project report (DPR) for the rail link in 2007.

Karnataka on a fast to complete Infra Projects

Karnataka has stepped up its efforts to take up 48 of the 148 projects worth about Rs 1 lakh crore under Public Private Partnership by actively pursuing the Centre's clearance, while sorting out local bottlenecks of land acquisition, reports Business Line.

The State, which had to struggle for a long time to executive its new green international airport, is now confident of overcoming the hurdles and set in motion the process of implementation, the report added.

The Infrastructure Department plans to take up 48 projects for early implementation and it has already prepared preliminary project reports for 20 projects, it said.

According to government officials, the State had proposed 110 projects in the transport sector alone, which relates to roads, railways and smaller airports.

Though private sector companies and investors have shown interest to invest in the projects, delay caused by clearances from the Central Government and departments, land acquisition and litigation had put paid to the hopes of the projects taking off early. Some of the projects were proposed three to four years ago, the officials were quoted as saying.

The projects, proposed to be offered to investors on design, build, operate and transfer modes, could not be taken up earlier because of enormous time taken in preparing the feasibility reports, it added.

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Grohe launches tech centre in City

Grohe AG, one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of sanitary fittings, on Saturday, announced the launch of Grohe Technology Centre in the City.

Inaugurated by Water Resources Minister Basavraj Bommai, the centre is primarily designed to provide visitors with a first-hand experience of the Grohe product range. The range offers water saving solutions comprising faucets, showers and kitchen mixtures, highlighting the brand’s commitment towards water conservation. Briefing reporters, Grohe Vice President & Managing Director Mathew Job said “we see a lot of potential here as Bangalore is one of the fastest growing markets in the country and the consumer is exposed to international trends.” He said the estimated market size for sanitary fittings in the country is Rs 2,000 crore, and the company targeted a Rs 400 crore business here by 2012. The company plans to investment Rs 15 crore annually, and launch three more technology centres in the country by the year 2010. It recently launched an academy in collaboration with Don Bosco school in Mumbai called ‘Don Bosco Grohe Jal Academy’ to train the underprivileged with skills to become plumbers. The showers are priced in the range of Rs 800 to Rs 5 lakh.

Metro Reach-1 will be ready by December next year

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Friday said it was on track to complete the 8-km stretch (Reach-1) from Baiyappanahalli to Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium by December 2010.

Addressing members of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) here, Managing director of BMRCL, N Sivasailam, said: “The opening of the first line is a very feasible option. It is most likely to happen. We are on track.” Admitting that the award of underground (UG) tenders has suffered a delay, Sivasailam said the UG tender package would be rebid and awarded in three-month time. “However, we will open the line on the Northern stretch anytime between June and September 2011 and the Southern stretch between September 2011 and January 2012” Contract The BMRCL also announced that a contract has been signed with Johnson to supply 176 lifts to stations of Bangalore Metro at a cost of Rs 120 crore. Sivasailam further added that elevated stations will only have passenger space and there will be no room for merchandising. “Five per cent of our revenue is expected from sources other than fares, such as advertising. At the moment, our priority is to get the Metro running. It is better to test the market after the trains run” he said. Afforestation On a query from FKCCI members, Sivasailam said the BMRCL has begun an afforestation drive on 300 acres of land in the Tippagondanahalli catchment area. “Despite trees being cut, 90 per cent of them will be back, after project construction is done” he assured. The BMRCL also announced that it was working with BBMP to offer option of Transfer of Development Rights in lieu of a rehabilitation package for land losers. Source : deccanherald Bought to you by : Ravina Media Media &PR Division of Ravina Consulting No.429 Mahavir Tuscan Near Hoodi Circle, Whitefield Mahadevapura Post BANGALORE 560048 raghav@ravinaconsulting.com www.twitter.com/bangalorenews

Centre’s aid for 8 projects in Karnataka

The Union water resources ministry has approved a Rs 2,019-crore assistance for eight major irrigation projects in Karnataka, involving construction of new canals and faster completion of pending works.


Karnataka Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who met Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal here on Friday, told reporters that the Centre had approved financial assistance for the projects under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and the Prime Minister’s Special Package for farmer suicide-prone districts.

The projects are: phase III in stage I of Upper Krishna Project, Bhima Lift Irrigation Scheme, Guddadamallapur Lift Irrigation Scheme, UKP stage II, Ghataprabha Project stage III, Karanja Project and Malaprabha Project.

Bommai said the minister informed him that his ministry had written to the Planning Commission to enhance the financial allocation under the AIBP project from the existing Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore.

He also disclosed that the Union ministry of environment had cleared the Upper Bhadra Project, conceived to utilise 23 tmc feet of water from the Tunga and Bhadra reservoirs for irrigation and drinking water requirement of drought-prone areas of Chitradurga, Tumkur and Kolar districts.

As the total project cost is over Rs 5,900 crore, the State government has requested the Central government to consider this as a national project and allocate more funds, the minister said.

More funds

Meanwhile, the State government has requested the Centre to allocate more funds to repair canals in flood-hit districts. It was estimated that due to the recent floods, a total Rs 233.80 crore worth of irrigation infrastructure were damaged, including breach of several canals. As the existing Calamity Relief Fund does not have a provision to provide funds to repair damaged canals, the State government requested the Centre to allocate separate funds for the work.

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Rainwater Harvesting by BBMP

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which has completed installing rainwater harvesting system in 16 of its buildings in the first phase, has called for tenders for rainwater harvesting structures in another 16 of its offices in the city.

The Rs 65 lakh project is expected to save nearly 1.2 crore litres of water every day in the future.

The Palike intends to complete the projects by April 2010. “We are targeting all the BBMP buildings in the city including hospitals, schools and ward offices for rain water harvesting for our internal use,” informed a Palike official.

In all, over 300 BBMP buildings are currently being targeted by the officials for rainwater harvesting. Palike officials said that the 16 buildings that already have RWH mechanism will save 1.2 crore litres of rainwaterper day.

“In the second phase Palike head office, the Council building and the IPP centre will be taken up for rain water harvesting,” said the official.

The Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology, consultants to the project, has provided the feasibility report. Officials state that the third phase of rainwater harvesting, as in the previous phases, will have the same number of buildings and cost around Rs 65 lakh.

Solar power

On the other hand, the BBMP still awaits for the Government to approve two projects of installing solar panel systems to generate electricity for their internal use.
The projects were to establish the Grid connect Solar PV Systems at the BBMP Main Building and the Council Building in the same vicinity. The project was to cost Rs 2.25 crore in total to install the system.

“While solar energy will be eco-friendly and cut down on our electricity consumption in conventional terms, the capital cost is on the higher side,” opined the official.
According to the officials, the project has been approved in-principle but is yet to be approved on paper.

The Horticulture Department in the meantime has decided to create at least a 1,000 recharge pits for water percolation in the parks under its
jurisdiction.

Source : deccanherald.com

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Twitter users meet Shashi Tharoor

This was the moment tweeple (people who use twitter) were waiting for - a meeting with poster boy Shashi Tharoor.


There was no proverbial ice to be broken during the tweetup (meeting of tweeple) at the Bangalore International Centre. No sooner had the minister of state for external affairs finished his introduction on how he got tweeting than questions gushed in torrents -- from whether he had become a Twitter addict to problems of dealing with the Left Front government in his constitutency.

He had the audience in splits as he described his adventures on the social networking platform. Stating that the cattle-class row did a lot of damage, he said, "I was called to defend Twitter on TV and explain what Twitter was to the Prime Minister. Some even advised me to give it up for the sake of my political career."

Why did he persist? "I am not revealing any state secrets. I see this is as a tool to demystify the process of governance. It brings in an element of transparency and accountability." One overzealous suggestion was that tweeting be made compulsory for all ministers. Tharoor quipped: "I shouldn't be the one to do that."

On the transition from diplomacy to politics: "I am here for the long haul. We are all here with a mission, to serve the society. When we leave, it should be a better place."

At one point, it seemed the roles had reversed: Tharoor was the listener. The audience, comprising mostly computer professionals generously offered suggestions on how his ministry could be made more transparent and interactive by using technology. But it's evident there is a long way to go, as Tharoor said, "Twitter is banned in the MEA."

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SKF unveils its Global Testing Centre in Bangalore

SKF, a leading global supplier in areas of bearings, seals, mechatronics, services and lubrication systems, today inaugurated its India Global Testing Centre here.


Unveiling the new Testing Centre, Tom Johnstone- Group President and CEO, SKF told reporters "we are putting in place in India a knowledge infrastructure that will significantly reduce lead time for our customers and ensure we are able to respond speedily to the requirements for new products".

The main objective, Johnstone said, will be to conduct testing at close proximity to its customers for design process and supplier validation. This shall entail greater support for SKF's processes in a faster and cost effective manner by applying global test standards that adapt to local customer specific requirements.

The Global Testing Centre at the onset will cater to the two wheeler, automotive and sealing solutions businesses of SKF and will subsequently expanded to to encompass the industrial segment as well. The Centre will also cater to teting value added solutions that integrate SKF's five technology platforms.

"The Rs 10 crore Testing Centre is the first phase of the Global Technical Centre comprising the Testing Centre, Laboratory and Development Centre involving a total investment of Rs 30 crore and an overall employee strength of 100-130", he said.

Source : PTI

Bullet Train to link Bangalore - Chennai

Japanese investors have shown a keen interest in introducing a bullet train connecting Chennai and Mysore via Bangalore under a public private partnership model, besides setting up a Japanese industrial park on a 1,000-acre land in Tumkur.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has given the approval in principle to the proposal put forth by the representatives of the Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO). JETRO representatives held a meeting with the chief minister in this regard on Wednesday.

However, it is not clear which Japanese companies were interested in taking up the train project, its estimated cost, the State Government’s role in it and other details. Official sources said the plan was still in its preliminary stage. JETRO, sources said, has already conducted a survey and found the Chennai-Mysore route very viable for investment.

The Union government is seriously considering developing the Chennai-Mumbai industrial corridor on the lines of the Mumbai-Delhi industrial corridor.
Moreover, Japanese car manufacturing companies Hyundai and Toyota already have their units in Chennai and Bidadi near Bangalore. Toyota has plans to set up another unit in Mysore. This will throw up lucrative business propositions as far as freight service is concerned, sources said.

55 more underpasses, flyovers on cards

Many of the projects are bound to resemble the flyover at Windsor Manor and the underpass a few yards away at the Cauvery theatre junction. The only difference would be that the BBMP is likely to reduce the usage of the controversial magic box or the pre-cast element technology to almost zero.
According to BBMP sources, the Palike has proposed to build at least 55 more underpasses and fly overs at many bottleneck areas of the City including Minerva Circle, Shoole Circle, Kasturba Road, Shivananda Circle and near Commercial street. “Already we have planned to have a steel bridge from Minerva Circle to Hudson Circle. Work would start soon at Vidyapeetha Circle where an underpass is coming up. At Shoolay Circle we may require one project.

As the Metro Rail project is underway, we do not want to add more to the chaotic traffic in the City by starting new infrastructure projects. First we would like to have a clear picture of Metro Rail to take further steps in this regard,” said a top BBMP official.

Rediff picks minority stake in Imere Tech

Imere Technologies, a Bangalore-based company has got backing from India's leading online portal, Rediff.com, both in terms of capital and as a platform.Imere brings location-awareness to applications and provides a host of comprehensive geospatial features for cutting-edge mobile and Internet location-based services. Imere's technologies work without the need for GPS on mobile phones.

On the Internet, Imere endeavors to bring high levels of user location accuracy without entirely being dependant on IP addresses.

Ajit Balakrishnan [ Images ], chairman and CEO, Rediff.com said, "Location-awareness in applications is critical for hyper-local search and local advertising besides many evolving social networking and enterprise applications. Imere's technology is very cost effective in delivering location awareness."

"The investment from Rediff will not only help us achieve our goals, but also is strategically very important for the company" said Anil Mathews, founder of Imere.

Imere uses Cell-ID, Wi-Fi, GPS, IP Addresses and proprietary algorithms in its technologies, bringing best in class location accuracy for both mobile and Internet applications.

CM thanks donors

It’s thanksgiving time for chief minister B S Yeddyurappa. In the wake of an overwhelming response from the public that resulted in
the state government mopping up over Rs 1,000 crore for flood relief works, Yeddyurappa has thanked the people of Karnataka, Bangaloreans in particular, for their support in contributing to flood relief.

Besides the Rs 1,000 crore from the public, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has promised to give Rs 1,000 crore. State government employees have given Rs 195 crore from their dearness allowance and Rs 30 crore from a day’s salary. Pensioners have contributed Rs 80 crore.

People who wish to contribute can draw their cheque/DD in favour of ‘Calamity Relief Fund of Karnataka’ account No. 823500111002.

Source : timesofindia.com

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‘Breast Cancer Handbook’ released

A “Breast Cancer Handbook”, a guide for women in dealing with breast cancer was released by Health Care Global Enterprises Ltd, here on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion Dr BS Ajaikumar, Chairman & CEO, HCG said, “Our attempt is to spread the core message that breast cancer is not a single disease; truly it is multiple diseases behaving differently in each individual.”

According to Dr Niti Raizada, Consultant, Medical Oncology and Consultant-in-charge, Center of Breast Health & Genetic Counselling Clinic, HCG, “The challenge today is to create awareness about growing incidence of breast cancer not only in urban centres but also rural areas. With breast cancer increasingly afflicting women even in their early 40’s and in some cases even 30’s, we should strive to encourage women to visit doctors for early detection as it is the best possible remedy.”

Sharing her thoughts, Sashi Venkat, key member of the Pink Hope Breast Cancer Support Group, said “Awareness about breast cancer is minimal in India. Efforts should be made by all concerned to reach this handbook to as many women as possible and persuade them to follow it in letter and spirit.”

P B Srinivas
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