Business & Economy – Page 10

Udupi: Exemplary – Woman manning SLRM unit at Barkur Hanehalli

An SLRM (Solid and Liquid Resource Management) unit is maintained here in a unique way in Barkur Hanehalli gram panchayat, which has got Gandhi Gram award thrice.

There are 850 houses, 172 commercial establishments, one university college, one PU college, three primary schools and five Anganwadis under this gram panchayat. The total population of the village is 4,206.

After Veena, who married Vindo Kothari, resident of this village, assumed the charge of SLRM unit, awareness about environment and cleanliness was increased among the villagers.

Veena, mother of two children, did not even know how to ride a bicycle. She got vehicle driving training sponsored by Udupi zilla panchayat on the recommendation of gram panchayat.

Now Veena drives the waste collection vehicle herself and collects garbage from every household. She also segregates the garbage along with two helpers. The money which they get from this is their income.

The zilla panchayat here has provided vehicles as well as a pad burning machine. This has turned into a model village because of the efforts of Veena.

Swiss firm Hitachi sets up new facility at Doddaballapur

It has invested ₹100 cr for manufacture of power quality products

Hitachi Energy, a technology player that offers advanced solutions for a sustainable energy future globally, set up a new facility to manufacture power quality products (devices that test and check the quality of power) at Doddaballapur on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The Indian arm of the Switzerland-based Hitachi Energy has invested ₹100 crore to set up this new facility that has a production capacity of 20,000 units of advanced capacitors, banks and power electronics compensators for low, medium and high-voltage systems that are used in power utilities, industries, renewables and transportation segments, as per the company.

“We have a rich heritage and extensive footprint in this country and this new manufacturing unit for power quality solutions reinforces our commitment to facilitate India’s energy transition to net-zero,” said Claudio Facchin, CEO, Hitachi Energy.

“The expansion also strengthens our long-standing presence in Karnataka as we look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders in the ecosystem,’‘ he said in a media round table held at the facility on Tuesday.

Karnataka was fueling its ambitions of industrial growth through a prism of sustainable development goals, said Basavaraj Bommai, Chief Minister, at the facility opening ceremony held separately on the day. “Karnataka is a leading contributor to India’s industrial ambitions. With long-term committed partners such as Hitachi Energy, we continue to invest to make the state a global manufacturing hub,’‘ the Chief Minister further said.

Manufacturing of electrical equipment was an energy-intensive process. Keeping sustainability goals in mind, Hitachi adopted innovative processes at this factory that were capable of reducing electrical energy consumption per process step by almost 40%, said N Venu, Managing Director and CEO, India & South Asia, Hitachi Energy.

According to the International Energy Agency, the energy demand in India is set to double over the next 20 years driven by urbanization and industrialization.

Hitachi Energy employs around 38,000 people in 90 countries and generates annual business to the tune of $10 billion. The company, which forayed into India in 1962, claims it has one of its widest manufacturing bases.

Padma Shri awardee Tulsi Gouda gets bridge after decades

After an outburst over the pathetic condition that Padma Shri awardee Tulsi Gouda was living in, as she and her family were forced to stay indoors during monsoon with the stream in front of their house overflowing, now a temporary bridge has been constructed.

She has been living on an elevated platform at Honnali along the Hubballi-Ankola highway for decades. During the rainy season, it used to be a nightmare as the overflowing stream would cut them off from the main road. She poured out her woes with the authorities, who visited her house and saw her plight first-hand. “Water comes till our house, even if it rains for half-an-hour,” Shekar Gouda, her grandson, said.

Tulasi said, “I don’t step out much as I am old and weak. But my family members have to go out and work for a living.” Responding to her pleas, Karwar-Ankola MLA Rupali Naik ensured that the makeshift bridge was constructed.

“We have completed the temporary bridge now. But we are planning to construct a permanent foot over bridge. Rs 45 lakh has been sanctioned,” Naik said. “But the neighbouring property owner claims that the land on which the bridge is coming up belongs to him. We will resolve the issue once the monsoon gets over,” she informed.

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KSR Bengaluru railway station to have first Aadhaar unit in SWR

A much-needed Aadhaar centre is set to be launched at KSR Bengaluru railway station in due course, which will become the first station in the South Western Railway Zone to have the facility.

Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will be taking care of its operations. The equipment to take pictures, capture biometrics and other devices have been provided by UIDAI.”

The issue of new Aadhaar cards as well as changes to be made to existing card will be done here. The DRM said that based on the response it would receive, the facility would be extended to other stations in the Division. The initiative was being undertaken in line with the guidelines issued by the Railway Board, he added. “The Railways wants to increase its public outreach and connect more with its passengers and this is a step in that direction,” he said.

A UIDAI source said that they are ready to provide kits to 10 railway stations within Karnataka.

Singh said that under the Centre’s ‘One Station One Product’ scheme, many stalls have opened up at smaller stations in the Division. Products from millets and honey sourced by tribals are sold at Bengaluru Cantonment; silk and cotton sarees from Krishnarajapuram, Yelahanka and Doddaballapur station at KR Puram station; and Muddireddipalya sarees at Hindupur, are among outlets that have opened up recently.

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CPSI launched to boost mental healthcare

More investment should come into the crucial clinical psychology segment, said Capt. P Manivannan, secretary to the government, Social Welfare Department.

At the launch of the Clinical Psychology Society of India (CPSI), he said 75 per cent of employees face mental health issues because of an unstable work environment and initiatives like CPSI will help in educating professionals to provide the right care.

NIMHANS Director Dr Pratima Murty said the number of clinical psychologists at 2,900 is meagre in the country. Efforts are required to bring a drastic change in resolving mental health issues. CSPI will help in providing quality healthcare to people and training and education to medical graduates, she said.

CPSI president Dr Jamuna Rajeshwaran said the organisation will establish evidence-based care for psychological disorders. CPSI was formed as a regulating and monitoring body was lacking, she added.

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Pink Samosa to help women entrepreneurs launched

Pink Samosa, an initiative to help women entrepreneurs with finance and mentoring, was launched in Belagavi on Saturday. The first meeting pledged ₹50 lakh for entrepreneurs.

The meeting focused on providing technical, financial, legal and marketing support to women working from home. As many as 150 women participated in the meeting and 15 of them pitched their ideas. They were assured of ₹50 lakh funding.

Leela Kamath and Shraddha Khatwate chaired the sessions.

Mani Pavitra spoke to the attendees. Lakshmi Khilari promised to continue the support for budding entrepreneurs. Divya Mehta and Tejal Khoda, organisers, said that it will be a regular event. They said that a common online platform will be built for the participants. NGOs such as Education India are supporting the initiative.

ATREE celebrates its silver jubilee this year

The two-day event is open to the public that will include discussion on state of conservation science, sustainable development debates and other activities

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) is celebrating its silver jubilee on August 18 and 19 at the JN Tata Auditorium in IISc campus with several panel discussions, guest talks, film screenings and other events taking place.

Started in January 1996 as a research organisation to address environmental challenges of biodiversity loss and conservation for sustainable livelihoods, ATREE has worked in the areas of conservation of biological diversity and sustainable development, improvisation of institutional and policy framework for conservation of biodiversity and has helped several government and Non Government Organisations to make best use of the scientific knowledge to solve the problems of conservation.

After its initial days, a PhD in Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies programme was started in 2008 and in 2009, another interdisciplinary research institution, CISED was also established by ATREE with donor support. Further, the Centre for Environment and Development, the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and 20 research faculty members including environmentalists, geographers, sociologists and hydrologists also emerged. In 2019, ATREE launched two new centres, the Centre for Social and Environmental Innovation (CSEI) and the Centre for Policy design (CPD) for scaling up its environmental knowledge to the society and for engaging more with the government towards effective policy design and implementation.

Speaking to The Hindu on the occassion, Kamal Bawa — Founder, President & Chair, ATREE, said, “Our country has rich biodiversity and when we established ATREE, there was no institute that was looking at biodiversity in a holistic manner, that is all life in our forests, wetlands, rivers, oceans. Furthermore, we all know that biodiversity is declining all over the world and India was no exception, but this decline had ecological, social, political and economic dimensions. Thus, an institution was needed that had an interdisciplinary approach to conserving biodiversity and thus ATREE was born. ATREE is one of the few institutions that deals with the three major environmental challenges of declining biodiversity, water, and mitigation of climate change.”

The two-day event which is open to the public, will have discussion on state of conservation science and sustainable development, debates, book launches, film screenings and traditional performances.

Karnataka student’s Braille printer wins best social impact idea at startup fest

A portable and inexpensive Braille printer, an invention by a Karnataka student, won the Best Social Impact Business Idea at the SmartIDEAthon 2022, a nationwide pitch fest organised by Startup India in collaboration with several universities.

Prithvi Systems and Innovations founder and chief invertor Kaviraj Prithvi’s team was one of the 1,200 shortlisted for the fest and has been working towards inventing assistive technolog

The Tactall, a mouse-sized portable printer, allows for easy printing in Braille and is relatively inexpensive, according to Kaviraj.

“Braille printers print in standard dimensions and they are often very large, expensive and standalone, averaging to about $2000 to $3000. We wanted to make it more accessible for people to print in Braille, especially as this was a common problem which I found out when I had visited a school for the blind,” Kaviraj told TNIE. While the printer is in its prototype stage, Kaviraj, who is also pursuing engineering physics at II T Guwahati, and his team of 15 members, are also working towards inventing other types of assistive tech.

“All of our inventions have assistive angle to them. When I was younger, I wanted to start a startup and I felt that everything that I invented should have a social angle and must help people,” he said.

Apart from the printer, Kaviraj is also working towards building a non-invasive way to monitor blood pressure, as well as a patented rotor control system and a suspension system for bumps. “The suspension system is being designed specifically for wheelchairs and other support vehicles, but it can also be used generally. The rotor system is specifically for helicopters, to allow for easier rescue operations and to lessen turbulence while transporting patients,” he said.

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HAL opens office in Kuala Lumpur to explore business operations in Southeast Asia

HAL’s new office in Kuala Lumpur would take up the market promotion of the company’s range of products and services not only in Malaysia but also all of Southeast Asia

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will set up an office in Kuala Lumpur to tap business opportunities in Malaysia and the entire Southeast Asian region, the PSU said in a statement on Thursday.

The new office is expected to help the public sector firm to explore business around Fighter Lead-in Trainer (FLIT) LCA and other requirements of Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) like Su-30 MKM and Hawk upgrades, as per HAL.

“It will reinforce the commitment of India in supporting the Malaysian Defence Forces and industry for sustainable aerospace and defence landscape in Malaysia,’‘ said a company communique.

According to HAL, the company had submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), Malaysia in October 2021 for the supply of 18 FLIT LCAs against a global tender issued by RMAF.

The final winner of the tender is expected to be declared soon by Malaysian authorities and LCA Tejas stands a fair chance of selection in the bid as it meets all the parameters sought by RMAF, as per the release.

SBI opens first branch for startups in Bengaluru

State Bank of India, while inaugurating the ‘SBI Start-Up Branch’ at Koramangala, said the facility comes under a pact between the Karnataka government and SBI to further boost the state’s startup ecosystem

India’s largest lender SBI on Tuesday opened its first-ever startup branch in Bengaluru, which will be dedicated to fund and support early-stage entrepreneurs in setting up new companies till their listing on stock exchanges.

Karnataka has been ranked the best state in the country in terms of startup ecosystem and creating new avenues for them to access credit and funding, SBI said in a release.

“It is the first in the country to provide financing to support startup growth, facilitating entrepreneurs all the way to realise their dreams,” Ashwath Narayan C. N., Minister for Higher Education; IT & BT, Science & Technology; Skill Development, Entrepreneurship & Livelihood, government of Karnataka, said on Twitter, the release said.

Exclusively for startups

The exclusive branch for startups will provide services such as loans, deposits, transaction banking, outward and inward remittances, payments, cash management, forex, insurance, custodial services, capital market and legal advisory, structuring, demat and trading.