SunTec Business Solutions, a provider of revenue management and business assurance solutions, has launched a seed funding initiative, Xelerator, to encourage entrepreneurship among college students in the country.
Through this programme, the company will provide advice, support and funding to young entrepreneurs to help them convert their idea into a viable business.
“We are on the lookout for extraordinary ideas that can be developed into interesting business opportunities, and for this we will provide them with infrastructure, financial and mentoring support,” said Nanda Kumar, chief executive officer of SunTec.
The company plans to visit 30 major engineering campuses across south India, and students can propose their ideas to an expert panel. Shortlisted candidates will be offered to attend an entrepreneur workshop at Thiruvananthapuram in which selected teams will be given an opportunity to present their business ideas in detail.
The winning teams will be funded by SunTec to develop their idea into a functional product in the market. The company will also be making some job offers to the participants.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kochi / TNN / November 10th, 2014
P K Pradeep Kumar in front of his house ‘Woodnil’ | t p sooraj
Kozhikode :
When working with the Centre for Water Resources Development Management (CWRDM), P K Pradeep Kumar took on the role of principal investigator for the project ‘Impact of Deforestation on Hydrological Parameters.’ The project threw light on what happens to the environment when even one tree is cut down. After the project, the team recommended that maximum effort should be put to try not to cut down a tree for any developmental project. Once the recommendation was given, it dawned on Pradeep Kumar to try this out himself.
“It is easier for people to preach. I decided to make a practical move on the recommendation and when I started building my house, I made it a point not to use a single piece of wood anywhere in the house,” says Pradeep Kumar, whose house is aptly named ‘Woodnil.’ Nowhere in the house can you see any piece of wood. Everything, from the window sill and doors, to the tables and cots, nothing is made of wood. The construction of the 2311 sq ft house began in 2002 and was completed in 2006. After a letter detailing the extraordinary woodless house was sent to the Central Government, it was appreciated by the Ministry of Environment. He currently holds the Limca Book of Records for constructing a house without a single piece of timber. Pradeep Kumar, who retired from the CWRDM last month, says that building a house without wood has plenty of positive sides. “When it comes to the financial figures, I had a gain of 30 per cent in building this house. It saved a lot of labour charges and time as well. I only took time to finish the house as I had official duties in Lakhshadweep. Once I entered the Limca Book of Records, plenty of people visited the house and many of them are seen trying to reduce the usage of wood in constructing houses.”
‘Woodnil,’ a book giving the details of the house, the construction techniques with illustration and photographs written by Pradeep Kumar, was released on his retirement day. It was published by Poorna Publications. Residing with his family at ‘Woodnil’ near Pavangad, Pradeep Kumar says, “I am not against the usage of wood, but we should try not to cut down trees as much as possible.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Deepthi Sreenivasan / December 12th, 2014
Pilgrims climbing the holy steps of Lord Ayyappa temple | Shaji Vettipuram
Sabarimala :
A pre-paid taxi service from Chengannur railway station to Pampa and Erumeli for the convenience of the pilgrims has been launched.
The service has been introduced based on the order of the Devaswom Bench of Kerala High Court, comprising Justice T R Ramachandran Nair and Justice P V Asha on a report filed by special commissioner K Babu.
At the pre-paid taxi counter, functioning on the Chengannur railway station premises, pilgrims can rent vehicles of their choice and the fare will be based on the route which they prefer to take. Devaswom Commissioner P Venugopal said the quality of aravana prasadam will be ensured.He said the production of aravana was halted on two occasion due to the supply of low quality ingredients by the contractor. The Commissioner said that adequate stock of aravana and appam have been stored in the Devaswom godowns to ensure availability at all times.
The Devaswom authorities has taken measures for setting up a health clinic on Swami Ayyappan Road at Charalmedu, the Commissioner said. The directive to set up clinic at Charalmedu was given by the Devaswom Bench of Kerala High Court on a report filed by Special Commissioner K Babu. The Devaswom authorities has sought the Forest Department’s help in setting up the health clinic, the he said.
The Devaswom has already allotted around `40 lakh to the Forest Department for the setting up of bio-toilets and other amenities for the pilgrims on the Swami Ayyappan Road.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / November 30th, 2014
Economic thinker and social scientist Pulapre Balakrishnan has been handed the 2014 Malcolm Adiseshaiah award for contribution to development studies. The award was instituted by the Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshaiah Trust, which runs the Madras Institute of Development Studies in Adyar.
An alumnus of Madras Christian College, Balakrishnan also studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Oxford and Cambridge. With a formidable academic training followed by research at prestigious institutions across the world, he is now professor at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.
Delivering the Malcolm Adiseshaiah memorial lecture on the topic ‘Macroeconomic reversal in India,’ Balakrishnan said that macroeconomics was in riotous disarray.
“Some of the triumph that had accompanied the rise of the New Classical Economics has dissipated after the global financial crisis,” he pointed out.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / November 22nd, 2014
What does it take for a startup to be successful? Two spunky 14-year-olds with deep passion for movies, enough marketing chutzpah and skills to tinker with social media, was all that Parippu Vada Media (PVM) had.
But, the five-month-old firm, launched by Shane Mathews and Jai Kishan K Sudhi, Class IX students of Toc-H Public School at Vyttila here, has already created a niche, being the youngest player in the business of movie promotions via social media.
PVM, which has a tie-up with designing company Designment, has handled social media marketing for over 20 short films and five movies including the blockbuster Vellimoonga, John Paul Vathil Thurakkumpol, Double Barrel, Rosappookkalam and Chirakodinja Kinavukal.
The service of PVM includes online promotion, reviews, cinema news, location updates, film gossip, teasers and first-look posters.
“I was a diehard movie buff. During the summer vacation I thought of starting my own company. Both Jai Kishan and I were crazy over movies and this brought us together,” said Shane. The duo started the Facebook page for PVM in May this year.
Shane says Designment has played a huge role in shaping PVM. The promotion of a movie will take three weeks to one month and the team of two makes Rs 6000 to Rs 10,000 per film. PVM is now planning to launch own website to mark their first anniversary. “A mobile app and a mascot will also be launched soon,” said Shane.
Jai Kishan said promotion of movies through social media is now an integral part of marketing Malayalam cinema. PVM was also lucky to have a veteran actor like Prathap Pothan as their patron. “When I came across the style of promotion carried out by Parippu Vada Media and knew that two 14-year-olds are behind it, I extended full support to them,” said Prathap Pothan, who will launch the mascot of the company.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Pramod Thomas / November 12th, 2014
File photo shows view of the Ashtamudi lake at sunset from Dalawapuram in Kollam. / The Hindu
Ashtamudi lake, a Ramsar wetland of international importance, is the second largest estuarine system in Kerala and the clam fishery began in 1981.
Union Minister of State for Environment Prakash Javadekar on Friday announced that the Clam Governing Council of Ashtamudi lake in Kerala was the first Marine Stewardship Council-certified fishery in India.
Speaking at a press conference, he said that the fisherfolk decided to go in for sustainable activities after they extracted over 10,000 tonne clams from the lake, reducing its capacity over the years. This was the first such certification for India, he pointed out.
The Ashtamudi Estuary showcases to the world that development and environment protection go hand in hand and participatory approach at the local level in managing biodiversity is an important aspect of it, an official statement said. This achievement also opens up the scope for other fisheries in India to work towards MSC certification, which would enhance conservation and sustainability of the resource, while providing greater economic returns. The MSC is an international non-profit organisation set up to help transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis. The MSC runs the only certification and eco-labeling programme for wild-capture fisheries. Ashtamudi short neck clam fishery is only the third fishery in Asia to have received the recognition, the statement added.
Ashtamudi lake, a Ramsar wetland of international importance, is the second largest estuarine system in Kerala and the clam fishery began in 1981. It supports the livelihoods of around 3000 fisherfolk involved in collection, cleaning processing and trading clams. The growth of Ashtamudi’s commercial fishery was driven by demand from Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia in the 1980s and the 1990s. By 1991, the catch peaked at 10,000 tonne a year, but declined by 50 per cent in 1993 due to overfishing.
Faced with the prospect of dwindling catch, the community decided to restrict fishing and impose mesh size restrictions for nets, along with a minimum export size and a prohibition on mechanical clam fishing, the official statement added. These measures showed immediate effects, and clam fishery has sustained landings of around 10,000 tonne a year for the past decade.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> S&T> Environment / by Special Correspondent / New Delhi – November 07th, 2014
Kerala-based Welbound, a manufacturer of bookbinding machines, also played a role in the success of Mangalyaan mission.
Welbound had manufactured the PS4 fluid system components for the small motor aboard the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft which helped in placing it in the orbit around the red planet. Welbound, in fact, is one of the many small and medium enterprises, which builds components for ISRO and its units.
After the mission, Welbound managing director K C Sanjeev received a letter from K Sivan, director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), thanking the firm and adding that the fluid system components had performed as expected throughout the mission.
Welbound had supplied the fluid system components which went into the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) developed by the LPSC which raised the orbit of MOM around the earth, thrust it on its journey towars Mars and stopped it to be placed in the orbit around Mars.
“Welbound had also manufactured the components for the PSLV C-25 rocket which was used to launch MOM,” Sanjeev said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / November 04th, 2014
Development of water transport network will improve the traffic scenario of the city and adjoining areas, says Mayor Tony Chammany. File photo
Detailed discussions on the interest rates, tenure of the loan and repayment conditions had to be held, said Tony Chammany, Kochi Mayor.
KFW Development Bank, Germany, has offered a loan of Rs. 624 crore for developing a water transport network in the city and related works.
The terms and conditions of the financial aid have not been discussed yet. However, it is expected to be a soft loan. Detailed discussions on the interest rates, tenure of the loan and repayment conditions had to be held, said Tony Chammany, Kochi Mayor.
Usha Rao, the urban transport specialist of the bank, expressed the willingness of the agency to fund the project in a discussion with Elias Joseph, Managing Director of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) in New Delhi. Kochi Corporation and KMRL had earlier held discussions with the agency seeking support for the water transport project and development of the Unified Metro Transport Authority, Mr. Chammany said.
The loans from external agencies have to be routed through the State and the Central governments. The State government has to write to the authorities for availing the financial aid. If the formalities for the loan could be completed, the bank would extend the loan before March next, he said.
Incidentally, Cities Development Initiative Asia (CDIA), an international agency, had conducted a detailed study for developing a water transport network in the city.The task of preparing a pre-feasibility study on the project was assigned to a Manila-based agency. The Initiative had also proposed a Rs. 400-crore project for identifying new ferry routes, modernisation of boat jetties and for launching modern boats.
Special Purpose Vehicle
The local body had earlier decided to form a Special Purpose Vehicle for managing the water transport system after the Kochi Corporation council approves the pre-feasibility study.
The local body had also sought financial aid from the CDIA for the formation of the Special Purpose Vehicle. Kochi Corporation had also written to the CDIA in this regard, said Mr. Chammany.
Since the development of the water transport network would go a long way in improving the traffic scenario of Kochi city and adjoining areas, the governments should take the initiative for obtaining the loan for Kochi Corporation, Mr. Chammany said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by K. S. Sudhi / Kochi – October 30th, 2014
Deepa, producer of the ‘Sthree Dimension’. / The Hindu
Deepa, a veteran of the visual media, was baptised in the medium at a time when the communication space was opened up for private channels. Since joining Asianet in 1998, Deepa has worked before and behind the camera as reporter, producer and anchor. After leaving Asianet, this award-winning media person worked as an independent producer covering environmental and ecological issues and agriculture. Last year, she returned to take up an assignment with Asianet News. Producer of the recently launched ‘Sthree Dimension’, she has joined hands with her batch mate and friend, Vandana, to conceptualise a talk show for women and of women; a panel discussion that discusses mainstream issues and not gender-related issues alone. Deepa explains what it is all about…
The need for such a show
Women are so poorly represented in most discussions in the visual media. The mandatory women in such discussions are usually politicians. Moreover, women are generally invited to speak when the topic is related to gender or gender issues. Even then the women we see are the same talking heads in almost every channel. It is as if women, the ordinary women that we encounter every day, have no opinions at all on any mainstream issues. There are group discussions. However, the sheer number of participants prevent any serious discussion or analysis. It becomes a venue for arguments and counter arguments and there is hardly any in-depth analysis. We wanted to create a space where women could discuss events that were hogging the headlines. That is how the show was conceptualised. And there are just four guests on the show.
The anchor
Vandana is an experienced media person who thinks on her feet and has a way with words. She has a sense of humour and is able to get the panellists to open up and express their opinion. We work as a team, choosing the topics and guests who appear on the programme. She does the research on the subject and, like any good anchor, ensures that each person gets the opportunity to talk and that the discussions do not deviate from the topic.
Talking heads
When we began, there were doubts if we could get enough women to speak on topics related to politics, economics, health and so on. In addition, we wanted to avoid the faces that we have always seen on various panels. To our pleasant surprise, we were able to get plenty of articulate women from different walks of life. For instance, there was a research scholar who was able to give a very different perspective on the Jayalalithaa issue. She argued persuasively that the former Chief Minister was a symbol of empowerment for many women and that she should not be relegated to the margins of politics because she has been found guilty of corruption. Similarly, there were many instances when the women panellists impressed us with their clarity of thought and interesting takes on different issues. Instead of assuming that women could only talk about certain subjects, we were giving them the opportunity to air their views on current events and they were making the most of the opportunity.
Issues taken up for discussion
The programme is just four weeks old. During the period we covered topics ranging from education, politics, health and lifestyle. While one of the episodes discussed the stand taken by V.M. Sudheeran, president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, another analysed the Congress decision on Sashi Tharoor. Then there was an episode on the Jayalalithaa phenomenon, and also on the state of our schools. One feature that stood out was the language that was used by the panellists. It never went beyond the realms of decorum and even tricky issues were handled with sensitivity and sensibility.
The response
I feel it is too early to evaluate the programme. But the feedback from those who have seen it has been positive. Nowadays TRP ratings are important and I am optimistic that this show will make the mark.
‘Sthree Dinmension’ airs on Saturdays at 9.30 p.m. on Asianet News.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / by Saraswathy Nagarajan / Thiruvananthapuram – October 23rd, 2014
Six student entrepreneurs at the Startup Village earned global acclaim for their smartphone app designed to improve the skills of skateboarders. File photo
Kochi:
Six student entrepreneurs at the Startup Village here have earned global acclaim for their smartphone app designed to improve the skills of skateboarders. They have now been invited to Canada next month to interact with innovation experts, investors and mentors.
The startup Flip Technologies team’s product, “The Smart Riser” (Skateboard tracker), was ranked among the top five in the Next Big Idea Contest 2014 organised jointly by the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute, the Government of Ontario, Canada, IBM Global and Ryerson Futures Inc.
The Smart Riser is designed for skateboarders to enhance their ability to perform and analyse tricks whether one is an amateur or professional.
The device is connected to the truck of the skateboard and it tracks the dynamics of the board and the data is sent to a smart phone app via bluetooth. The app can determine the trick performed and help the skateboarders to improve their skills and acts like a personalized trainer.
The Smart Riser has also been rated as one of the most interesting products by Intel, which will provide its latest Edison board to the students for prototyping and for development support.
Jibin Jose, Abimanyu Nair, Jishnu Vijayan, Balagovind Girish, Rohith Samuel and Abraham Alexander of Flip Technologies will attend a two-week programme in Toronto’s Discovery District – a hotbed of innovation responsible for more than $1 billion of R&D annually.
“We are really excited about our visit to Canada, where we will have an opportunity to interact with the top people in the industry. We are focused on developing cutting edge IOT (Internet of things) devices and tracking devices for adventure sports,” said Jose, co-founder of Flip.
Startup Village chairman Sanjay Vijayakumar said the student entrepreneurs were “proof that if you have the idea, the enthusiasm and the drive, there is a world of opportunity awaiting you.”
While Jose and Nair had passed out from the Toc-H Institute of Science and Technology (TIST) near here, the other four students are pursuing different courses at the same college.
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / On Manorama / Home> Sci-Tech / by Agencies / Wednesday – October 29th, 2014
