Amul Introduces Amul PRO, new Whey Protein Malt Beverage

Anand, Gujarat, India, Thursday, April 12, 2012 -- (Business Wire India) -- Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul), India's largest food products marketing organization announced the launch of Amul PRO, its new Whey Protein Malt Beverage brand.

Amul, with annual sales turnover of approx Rs 12,000 crores, is the market leader in all dairy product categories. The launch of Amul PRO would be another big step forward in strengthening its Health and Nutrition portfolio. With this launch Amul plans to improve its presence in the Rs 2500 crore Milk Food Drinks market.

Announcing the launch of Amul PRO, Shri RS Sodhi, Managing Director, GCMMF said that the product development team had worked extensively to bring out a product, which is superior to other key Brown Health Drinks brands, not only in nutritive value but also in taste. Amul PRO is fortified with 27 vital nutrients, whey protein and DHA. It is priced at over 20% discount to competitor brands with similar ingredients, making nutrition more affordable to consumers. The product would be introduced in an attractive glass cube jar, which is a first of its kind pack in the category and is sure to catch the attention of the consumers.

Amul PRO is targeted at children between the age group of 2 years to 15 years, the period which signifies the growth phase of a child. However, given the nutritive value of the product, it expects consumers across all age groups to be users of the product. As compared with the competing brands, Amul PRO ranks higher in key nutrients like Proteins, Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin D and Vitamin B2. It also contains Whey Protein, which is considered as Complete Protein as it contains all the essential amino acids. It is easy to digest and provides quick nourishment to muscles. One of the key USPs of Amul PRO is DHA or Docoashexoenoic Acid which is an essential fatty acid required for optimal development and function of brain. DHA cannot be manufactured in human body and must be obtained daily through our diets. DHA is to the brain as Calcium is to the bones.

Amul, which is synonymous to quality to Indian consumers, lives upto its reputation of providing high quality products at value for money price to consumers. Amul PRO 500g Cube Glass Jar has been priced at Rs 150 per pack and 500g Refill would be available at Rs 140 to consumers.

The product will be launched across the country in April. The launch of the product will be supported by a mega advertising campaign which includes television, print media, outdoor promotions and various on ground activities.

Citi India Appoints Jane Ong as Head of Corporate Affairs

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Monday, April 09, 2012 -- Citi India today announced the appointment of Jane Ong as the Head of Corporate Affairs for Citi South Asia. In this capacity, Jane will be responsible for media relations, managing external and internal communications as well as Citi's Citizenship portfolio. She will report to Pramit Jhaveri, CEO, Citi India. 

Pramit Jhaveri, CEO Citi India said, "We are pleased to appoint Jane as our Corporate Affairs Head for South Asia. Her extensive experience as a strategic advisor on corporate communications as well as her understanding of the print and television media will prove to be an asset to our brand in India." 

Most recently, Jane has been the Head of Communications, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) India and Head of Communications & Marketing for RBS Global Banking & Markets in India. She has more than 20 years of experience in communications, during which she has led a variety of roles across print and television journalism. Earlier in her career, Jane was the Head of Burson-Marsteller's corporate/financial practice in Hong Kong. She also worked as the on-air Business/Markets Correspondent at CNBC Asia, Hong Kong and led roles at Television Broadcasts Ltd., Hong Kong and BBC World TV, Hong Kong. Jane is a graduate of the National University of Singapore.

The Strengthening of India – Israel Academic Relations – Agreed Outcomes

In the context of the twentieth anniversary of full diplomatic relations between Israel and India during which economic relations have flourished and innovation has become a shared value and goal and taking into account the strong desire of both countries to continue cultivating their long term economic, academic and technological ties, both governments have decided to substantially further enhance their academic cooperation by launching a joint program that will facilitate mutually beneficial research and academic activities. 

The Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri. Kapil Sibal, Israel's Minister of Finance, Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Israel's Minister of Education and Chairman of the Council for Higher Education, Mr. Gideon Sa'ar and Israel's Chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee, Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, have agreed in principle to establish a long-term program that will bring together Indian and Israeli researchers to carry forward research in areas of mutual interests. This in principle agreement was arrived at during Shri Kapil Sibal’s visit to Israel from which he returned this morning. 

The total scope of the program will reach US$ Five Million from each side annually in steady state, over a three year period. 

Both sides have agreed that the program will be coordinated by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on the Indian side and the Israel Science Foundation (ISF) on the Israeli side. 

The particulars of the program will be finalized in accordance with the decision taken by the joint working group on April 3rd 2012 and subject to the required approvals in each country. The first call for proposals is expected to be published in December 2012. 

The joint working group has identified broad areas for cooperation, such as Renewable & sustainable energies, Bio-medical sciences, Cyber-security, Humanities and Social sciences, etc. 

Sale of Government Stocks Announced

Government of India have announced the sale (re-issue) of (i) “8.24 percent Government Stock 2018” for a notified amount of Rs.4,000 crore (nominal), (ii) “8.79 percent Government Stock 2021” for a notified amount of Rs.7,000 crore (nominal), (ii) “8.28 percent Government Stock 2027” for a notified amount of Rs.2,000 crore (nominal), and (iii) “8.33 percent Government Stock 2036” for a notified amount of Rs.2,000 crore (nominal) through price based auctions. The auctions will be conducted using uniform price method. The auctions will be conducted by the Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai Office, Fort, Mumbai on April 13, 2012 (Friday). 

Up to 5% of the notified amount of the sale of the stocks will be allotted to eligible individuals and Institutions as per the Scheme for Non-Competitive Bidding Facility in the Auction of Government Securities. 

Both competitive and non-competitive bids for the auction should be submitted in electronic format on the Negotiated Dealing System (NDS) on April 13, 2012. The non- competitive bids should be submitted between 10.30 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. and the competitive bids should be submitted between 10.30 a.m. and 12.00 p.m. 

The result of the auctions will be announced on April 13, 2012 and payment by successful bidders will be on April 16, 2012 (Monday). 

The Stocks will be eligible for “When Issued” trading in accordance with the guidelines on ‘When Issued transactions in Central Government Securities’ /b> issued by the Reserve Bank of India vide circular No. RBI /2006-07/178 dated November 16, 2006 as amended from time to time. 

Exhibition by REBECCA Horn: Passage through Light

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi, Ministry of Culture, Government of India in collaboration with “Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities” jointly with the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, ifa) have organised  an exhibition of art installations titled “Passage through Light” by one of Germany’s most versatile and creative artists, Rebecca Horn. It is on for public viewing till 20^th May 2012 at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. This is the third exhibition that has been organized by the NGMA as part of the Permanent Cultural Committee of the Republic of India and the Federal Republic of Germany including Günter Uecker, Fluxus and now Rebecca Horn. The exhibition was inaugurated on 7^th April, 2012 by Minister of Culture and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja, in the presence of Secretary, Ministry of Culture Ms. Sangita Gairola, and Acting Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to India Mr. Cord Meier-Klodt. The artist Rebecca Horn was the Guest of Honour on the occasion.

The celebrated German artist presents her work that has been known to challenge perceptions on contemporary art. The exhibition is an interlacing of sculpture and film which have been the chief constituents of Rebecca Horn’s work. Emotionally charged text sequences that are verbalized on film, accompany the objects of the exhibition as a poetic text. The objects of her invention reflect and interpret the story as it runs in the film scenes.

To reflect her understanding and engagement with India, Rebecca Horn has created a special installation that derives from Indian traditions. Materials such as sarees, clay, bamboo, mirrors and lights have been embedded into the work with precision. The opening was accompanied by a musical performance by Hayden Chisholm in response to the special installation that has been prepared for India.

Drawings, sculptures, installation, kinetics, photography, performance, action, video, film, and text have found their way in the works of the German artist Rebecca Horn. As early as immediately after her studies in Hamburg, she began with performances which took her own body and the sensorial as their theme. Film and video, serving at first only to document the performance, are developed by the artist into independent carriers of communication, which integrate action and object in a new unit of artworks.

What is unique and continuously new about the work of this artist is that each single installation is a step towards breaking down completely the boundaries of space and time, opening up crevices to a universe, the existence of which we can only sense.

About Rebecca Horn

Rebecca Horn is regarded as one of the most versatile and creative artists that Germany has at present. From 1989 to 2009, she has been a professor at the Hochschule der Künste (Academy of Fine Arts) in Berlin. A regular participant in the Kassel art exhibition ‘documenta’ – her first showing of works took place in 1972 – she has long since gained international recognition and acclaim. The high point of her career up to now is marked by the 1994 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum of New York, which was then shown at the New National Gallery in Berlin, The TATE Gallery, London and the Kunsthalle, of Vienna.

About “Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities”

On the occasion of completing 60 years of Indo-German diplomatic relations, a collaborative celebration titled “Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities” is being held in India. The programme started in September 2011 and is scheduled to continue until early 2013.

With a thematic focus on “StadtRäume – CitySpaces”, this programme series across India broaches the implications of rapid urbanisation and challenges posed by the pace of change in German and Indian cities today. Issues like mobility, energy, sustainable urban development, architecture, cultural space, education and urban art are prominently featured, touching genres such as the performing and visual arts, science, education, technology and business.

The centrepiece of the year of Germany in India is the Indo-German Urban Mela, a set of modern multi-purpose pavilions, designed by renowned German artist Markus Heinsdorff. The pavilions combine state of the art steel and textile technologies from both countries. The Indo-German Urban Mela will tour Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Pune and will be set up for ten days in the heart of each city and will host interactive presentations by various German corporations and organisations on topics and solutions related to “StadtRäume – CitySpaces”. A wide-ranging programme, which includes cultural performances and conferences, will also be held at the venue. Visitors will also have the opportunity to savour some delicious German cuisine in the Beergarden.

The project is being initiated by the following partners: The German Federal Foreign Office, the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Goethe-Institut. The project is managed by the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi. The corporate partners of the project include companies such as Bajaj Allianz, BASF, Bosch, Deutsche Bank and Siemens.

About Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa)

The Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, ifa) is an organization operating worldwide to promote artistic exchange and dialogue between civil societies and to provide information about foreign cultural policy. ifa is the oldest German institution for international cultural exchange and education policy and it is funded by the German Foreign Office, the State of Baden-Württemberg and the City of Stuttgart. ifa organises some 50 touring exhibitions worldwide, making it Germany’s leading institution in the field of international artistic exchange.

India Water Week to be celebrated as Annual International Event

The Ministry of Water Resources since this year has endeavoured to celebrate India Water Week annually as an international event to focus on water issues. It would provide a global platform for water related issues that will bring policy makers, industry leaders, experts, professionals and practitioners together to address the challenges, showcase technologies, discover opportunities, recognizing the excellence of professionals/organizations and celebrate their achievements. As a part of the event, besides the technical and special sessions, there would also be an exhibition to focus on the various aspects of the main theme. 

The first international event in the series of India Water Week on “Water, Energy and Food Security: Call for Solutions” will be organized during April 10-14, 2012 at New Delhi. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the event at Vigyan Bhawan. A book on award winning children’ paintings on Water Conservation will also be released by the Prime Minister besides presentation of National Water Award. 

In all there shall be 15 parallel technical sessions during the three day event from 10th to 12th April, 2012 which will cover various issues/challenges faced in the water sector. On April 13th there shall be special sessions on Water Policy, water treatment as well as National Ground Water Congress. Technical visits are also proposed on 13th and 14th April to IRI and IIT at Roorkee and Central Soil Salinity Research Institute at Karnal and Hathnikund Barrage. 

An exhibition ‘Water Expo 2012’ is also planned during the India Water Week as a technology show case to meet future challenges for the overall development of water, food and energy sector. A significant exposition of WARIS (Water Resources Information System) – a fully web based information system for India will also be showcased. There will be a number of exhibitors showcasing their capabilities in sophisticated technology areas like automated hydrological instrumentation, irrigation, project planning and execution, modern water efficient methods of irrigation etc. The Exhibition which is being held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi will be inaugurated by Minister of Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal, on 10th April, 2012. 

The event is patronized by all concerned Ministries such as Ministry of Agriculture and Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Planning Commission and others. State Governments and their units handling major water resources projects are also participating in this event. 

About 1000 participants including 43 from abroad are likely to participate in the event where about 200 experts including 30 invited speakers drawn from across the world will make presentations on various issues. High level delegations from Tanzania, Oman, Nepal and other countries are also participating. Two important publications, ‘Water Resources Development Scenario in India’ and ‘History of Irrigation Development and Management in India’ have been prepared for the occasion. The outcome of the event is expected to pave way for generating new implementation strategies for the ongoing programmes and also provide an insight into the approaches for framing future programmes. 

Central Government Releases Fund for Karnataka to Award Post Matric Scholarship

Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment released an amount of Rs.38,54,99,000 /-(Rupees-Thirty eight crore fifty four lakh ninety nine thousand only) to the State Government of Karnataka , towards central assistance for the current financial year 2011-2012,under the centrally sponsored scheme of Post-Matric Scholarships to student belonging to Scheduled Castes. 

The Post Matric Scholarship for SC Students Scheme is a single largest intervention by Government of India for educational development of scheduled caste students. It is a flagship Scheme of the Ministry, in operation since 1944, which provides financial assistance to Scheduled Caste students studying at post matriculation level in the country. The financial assistance includes maintenance allowance, reimbursement of non-refundable compulsory fee, Book Bank facility and other allowances. There is no upper limit on the number of scholarships and all the SC students fulfilling the eligibility criteria are covered under the Scheme. About 48 lakh students are anticipated to be covered during 2011-12.During X FY Plan, an amount of Rs. 1826.91 Crore was released to cover 113.82 lakh beneficiaries. It has increased sharply in XI FY Plan and Rs.6780.52 crore has been released so far to cover 196.16 lakh beneficiaries. 

The Scheme has been revised by the Government on 31-12-2010 w.e.f. 1.7.2010 and the revision includes increase in 

(i) Parental income ceiling from Rs. 1.00 lakh p.a. to Rs. 2.00 lakh p.a.; 

(ii) regrouping of courses; and 

(iii) rates of maintenance and other allowances. 

Rates of maintenance and other allowances have been increased by 60% with respect to pre-revised rates. Presently, 23 State Governments have already implemented revised Scheme. Others are under process to implement the revised Scheme. 

Distribution of Pre-Matric Scholarships to Minority Students Crosses Half Crore Mark in a Single Year Ministry of Minority Affairs Distributes over 55.28 Lakh Pre-Matric Scholarships during 2011-12

The Ministry of Minority Affairs has achieved a big success in the implementation of its Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme for students belonging to Minority communities from class I to class X. The Ministry distributed a total of 55,28,557 scholarships during the last Financial Year 2011-12 that ended on 31.3.2012 - as against a target of 34 lakh scholarships. For distributing these scholarships, the Ministry released an amount of Rs. 615.47 crore during 2011-12. Another milestone in the implementation of this Scheme was that 51.01 % scholarships went to girl students – which means more girl students benefitted from this Scheme than the boys! 

Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme was started in 2008-09 and a cumulative total of over 1.22 crore scholarships have been awarded till 31.3.2012. Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme is one of the three scholarship schemes of the Ministry of Minority Affairs included under the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities. 

Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital Nadiad Awarded the IMC RBNQA Trophy 2011

Nadiad, Gujarat, India, Monday, April 09, 2012 -- (Business Wire India) -- Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital (MPUH) Nadiad was on Friday presented with the Indian Merchants' Chamber (IMC) Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award (RBNQA) 2011 for excellence in the healthcare category. The Award consists of a brilliant Trophy and a Citation. It is one of the most prestigious Quality Awards in the country. The IMC-RBNQ Awards are modeled along the lines of the Malcolm Baldrige criteria of the USA and follow a rigorous process of training and evaluation. The unstated mission of the IMC RBNQA Trust is to catalyze India into a global power. MPUH is the first hospital in Gujarat to win this coveted Quality Trophy. The trophy was presented by the Member of Parliament and former Union Minister of State for External Affairs Dr. Shashi Tharoor, at a glittering function at the YB Chavan Auditorium on Friday evening, following the culmination of the two-day 'Making Quality Happen Conference' at IMC Mumbai. During the conference, a 30-minutes' presentation was made by Dr Mahesh Desai, Medical Director & Managing Trustee of the hospital, highlighting the quality initiatives and best practices followed at MPUH and the results thereof. The idea behind the conference is to encourage similar organizations in various sectors of the Indian economy to undertake their own quality and performance improvement efforts, and evolve core values from 'managing for improvement' to 'managing for innovation'. 

The citation states that "MPUH is a not-for-profit super specialty hospital providing leading-edge treatment in Nephrology and Urology through patient services and medical camps. It is world renowned for its minimal invasive surgery including robotic assisted surgeries, LESS surgery, endo-urology, uro-oncology, stone treatment, prostate, bladder and renal transplants. As a pioneer in the field of npehro-urology, the hospital enjoys a preeminent position as a centre for excellence for treatment, teaching, training, original research and evidence based clinical practices under one roof. To keep pace with the latest and appropriate technological and medical advances, MPUH has arrangements with foreign institutions for sharing of data and expertise. 

The Award winners were selected by a distinguished panel of judges, chaired by Mr. Anand Mahindra. Earlier, a team of specially trained Examiners designated by the IMC RBNQA had evaluated MPUH on seven criteria spanning leadership; strategic planning; focus on patients, other customers and markets; measurement analysis and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management; and results. The Award Criteria emphasize on openness and transparency in governance and ethics, the need to create value for customers, and the challenges of rapid innovation and capitalizing on knowledge assets. 

In his response address, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Shri Rohit Patel recalled the humble beginning of the hospital in 1978 and the great roles played by the founding Trustees including his late father Shri Jayaramdas Patel who was the Founding Chairman. He said that the growth of the hospital to its present position was possible thanks to the effective team work of the Board of Trustees, doctors, and the entire hospital staff.

Courion Delivers Record Profitability and Sales in 2011

Pune, Maharashtra, India, Monday, April 09, 2012 -- (Business Wire India) -- -- Continued demand for access risk management solutions outpaces industry growth, drives double-digit revenue gains and significant staff growth

-- Courion achieved significant industry recognition when positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the "Leaders" quadrant of two Security Magic Quadrant Reports

-- Courion has also been actively involved in social responsibility initiatives like the 'Joy of Giving' initiative to help the less fortunate.

Courion Corporation, the leader in identity and access management for access risk, closed out 2011 by outpacing the industry in sales growth; exceeding its profitability targets; and expanding its staff worldwide to support increasing demand for its access risk management solutions. 

Courion's global sales exceeded the market growth rates predicted by industry analysts IDC, RNCOS and Gartner by more than double thanks to the addition of new customers in healthcare, financial services, retail, government, manufacturing and business services, among other industries. It also grew within its existing customer base as companies sought comprehensive access risk management solutions that expanded the breadth and depth of their Courion deployments. Both new and existing customers selected Courion to address identity and access governance challenges such as policy and regulatory compliance, access certification and access request management.

"Businesses are increasing their focus on access risk management, whether they're managing access risk against external threats, internal breaches, or to demonstrate compliance with policy and regulatory requirements," said Courion CEO Chris Zannetos. "Those needs drove demand for Courion solutions through 2011, and we expect demand to continue in 2012 as companies seek efficiency in identity and access management along with the necessary governance and access intelligence to minimize potential risks to their business."

In order to support industry demand and sales growth, the company increased its staff across all departments by 39 percent, with major expansion of its EMEA and Asia Pacific operations.

Courion made a number of significant announcements on the business and product development fronts in 2011. In September the company announced the Access Risk Management Suite, a comprehensive identity and access management (IAM) solution automated and pre-configured for rapid implementation based on the best practices of more than 500 successful customer deployments. The Access Risk Management Suite is a single platform for managing user access to vital information by automating and integrating key IAM functions such as identity and access governance, user provisioning, and password management. The Access Risk Management Suite is available as an on-premise solution or as a cloud-based solution called CourionLiveT. 

CourionLive is designed to address the growing adoption of software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions in the enterprise. With CourionLive, customers will achieve low start-up, operational and maintenance costs, resulting in faster time to value and lower total cost of ownership than with premise-based IAM solutions. Cintas Corporation, a $3.8 billion international supplier of business services, chose CourionLive as its primary IAM solution because it aligns with the company's IT strategy of outsourcing non-business specific applications so they can focus on implementing competitive advantage solutions for their expanding business lines. 

To achieve similar benefits of cloud computing, the American Red Cross purchased the Courion Suite in 2011 to provision cloud-based Microsoft® Office 365 email for full-time employees, contract workers and volunteers. Office 365 is just one of many cloud-applications for which Courion offers out of the box connectors. 

Courion's other significant product announcement in 2011 was Access InsightT, the industry's first access intelligence solution which constantly analyzes IAM and other security data from applications and external sources to identify, quantify and manage risks to vital information such as intellectual property, medical records, personally identifiable information and customer data. Unlike traditional reporting solutions, Access Insight allows organizations to identify associations and patterns that might violate compliance guidelines and company policies, or indicate hidden risks, with near-real-time graphical profiles of the most critical business, people, policy and security risks to information, replacing manual data sorting and static risk scoring that lacks context and a connection to business priorities. 

In addition to the major product announcements, Courion achieved significant industry recognition when positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the "Leaders" quadrant of two Security Magic Quadrant Reports: the 2011 "Magic Quadrant for User Administration/Provisioning" report (formerly known as Magic Quadrant for User Provisioning) and the inaugural 2011 "Magic Quadrant for Identity and Access Governance" report. 

"The accomplishments we made in 2011 give us strong momentum as we move confidently into 2012. As the demand for access risk management solutions increases, we're positioned with the right products and the right team to support them," Zannetos said. 

Apart from that, Courion has been actively involved in social responsibility initiatives. While keeping in mind the celebration, Courion thinks of taking a little extra effort and organised Donation camp "Joy of Giving." The Employees pitched in whole heartedly and donated clothes, books and so on. Three carton full of this material and sent it to DeepGriha, an NGO trust which works with the less fortunate.

Spice Board of India to Establish 10 Spice Parks by End of 2012

Spice Board of India to Establish 10 Spice Parks by End of 2012

Spice Board of India, the nodal organization of Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India, in an effort to promote exports of spices from India will establish 10 spice parks across the most strategic locations in the country by end of 2012. A total of Rs. 167 cores are earmarked to invest in the spices parks. Out of which Rs. 75 crores are already invested in three completed spices parks in Chhihdwara in MP, Puttady in Kerela and in Jodhpur. The other parks will be completed during the year in states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Kota in Rajasthan. 

The Board has completed the construction of Spice Park in Rampura Bhatia Village of Ozian Tehsil near Jodhpur in an area of 60- acres provided by the Rajasthan Government. The park in Jodhpur was inaugurated by Mr. Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Mr. Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan. The park has common infrastructure and processing facilities for the seed spices especially cumin and coriander. A public private partnership is ensured with 17 exporters to set up state of the art processing lines and also cold storage facilities and also facilities to produce oils and oleoresins from seed spices. The machineries in the Park are capable for the processing of other seed spices like fennel and fenugreek, which are quite ample in this region. 

A full line processing facility with a capacity to turn out two tones per hour has inbuilt facilities for pre-cleaning, grading, colour sorting, grinding and packing. The Spice processing facilities available at Spice Park are at par with the international standards. The higher end processing plants installed is a full processing line which includes pre cleaning, grading, colour sorting, grinding and both bulk and consumer packing ranging from 100 g to 50 Kg. 

The Board is establishing a sterilization facility within the plant building with a capacity of 250 Kg per hour in batch process. The Board will also be allotting individual slots for exporters on lease basis for developing their own processing plants in the Parks. There was tremendous response from the exporters who wanted to set up their own facilities in the Park. 

The Spices Board has set up other common infrastructures like Compound wall, Road, Drains, Water Distribution system, Power Station, Weighing Bridge, Common parking area, Truck yard, Warehouses, preliminary Quality Testing facility, Bank counter, Training center, Conference Hall, Canteen facilities etc within the Parks. 

To ensure storing of raw materials for processing and to take care of the processed materials, the Parks will have warehouses exclusively devoted for various seed spices separately. Two Raw Material Warehouses with a storing capacity of 800 sq mtr each are devoted for Coriander while two other warehouses for other seed spices have a storing capacity of 800 sq mtrs each. 

The Parks are being provided with a 33 KVA substation with transformer and 250 KVA D.G. sets for ensuring an uninterrupted power supply for the working besides a full fire fighting system. 

The Board’s regional and zonal offices will start functioning from the Spices Parks with more orientation towards the spices growing villages. The other facilities provided include conference hall, training hall, and space for establishing mini QC lab, Bank and for Customs. 

Anand Sharma to Inaugurate First Spice Park in Rajesthan

The inauguration of the first Spices Park in Rajasthan for processing of seed spices like cumin, coriander and fennel will be commissioned on Saturday, April 7, 2012 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The Park will be inaugurated by the Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Anand Sharma in the presence of the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Mr Ashok Gehlot. 

The Park is set up in an area of 60.07 acres of land provided by the Rajasthan Government free of cost in the Rampura Bhatia Village of Ozian Tehsil, near Jodhpur. The Spice Park has common infrastructure and processing facilities for Seed Spices, especially for Cumin and Coriander which are widely grown in the State. The machinery in the Park is capable for processing of seed spices like fennel and fenugreek, which are quite ample in this region. 

A full line processing facility with a capacity to turn out two tonnes per hour has in-built facilities for pre-cleaning, grading, colour sorting, grinding and packing of spices. The Spice processing facilities available at Spice Park are at par with the international standards. 

PM greets the Nation on Easter

he Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has greeted the people on the occasion of Easter. 

The Prime Minister in his message said the universal significance of Christ's resurrection is that truth triumphs over evil and love is stronger than hatred. Easter is the celebration of compassion and fellowship and the hope of a better tomorrow. 

May the festivities strengthen the bonds of unity and brotherhood among our people, the Prime Minister added. 

Council and Executive Committee of National Sports Development Fund Re-Constituted

he Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has reconstituted the Council of the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF). The Members of the Council are as follows:-

S.No	Name	Member
1.	Union Minister In-charge for Youth Affairs and Sports	Chairperson(ex-officio)
2.	Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports	Member (ex-officio)
3.	Director General, Sports Authority of India	Member (ex-officio)
4.	Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Public Enterprises or his representative not below the rank of Joint Secretary	Member (ex-officio)
5.	Financial Advisor, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports	Member (ex-officio)
6	Representative from the FICCI	Member
7	Representative from the CII	Member
8	Representative from the ASSOCHAM	Member
9-10	Two representatives, by rotation, from Services Sports Control Board, Petroleum Sports Control Board, Railway Sports Promotion Board, All India Police Sports Control Board and SAIL Sports Control Board (2)	Member
11	Joint Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports	Member Secy.(ex-officio)

            Further, the Government has also constituted Executive Committee of the NSDF to manage day-to-day working of the Fund as follows:-

S.No	Name	Member
1.	Joint Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports	President (ex-officio)
2.	Secretary, Sports Authority of India (SAI)	Member (ex-officio)
3	Director/Deputy Secretary (Finance), Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports	Member (ex-officio)
4.	Director/Deputy Secretary,Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports	Member Secy. (ex-officio)

Centre Alerts Assam and Adjoining States in the Run-up to the ULFA Raising Day

Ministry of Home Affairs has issued an advisory to the Assam Government and Neighbouring States to be on alert in the run-up to the ULFA Raising Day on April 7. The Centre has inputs that anti-talk factions of ULFA may try to create blockades/law and order situations in the area as their leaders have directed their cadres to execute plans to create disturbances and disrupt normal life in the region. 

As a precaution, security forces in the area have also been kept on alert to thwart any plans by ULFA. 

Tourism Sector to Generate 2.5 Crore Jobs During 12th Five Year Plan Says Subodh Kant National Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Education Presented

With the Ministry of tourism  targeting over 12 % growth rate in in-bound as well as domestic tourists, it has been projected that tourism sector will generate additional jobs of about 2.5 crore, both direct and indirect, during the 12th Fiver year Plan. This was stated by Union Minister for Tourism Shri Subodh Kant Sahai while presenting National Awards for excellence in hospitality education for the year 2010-11, here today. He said the direct employment in hospitality sector will also be substantial. Shri Sahai said Employment related to hospitality trades alone would be around 36 lakhs. The Minister informed the gathering that hospitality industry needs about 2 lakhtrained persons every year but the supply is just about 18000 persons, which gets further reduced to about 12000 persons after adjusting an attrition of about 30 to 35 %.  Shri Sahai said, “As per our estimate, by the close of the Eleventh Plan, our efforts to expand the institutional infrastructure and broad-basing of hospitality education through Universities, Colleges, ITIs, Polytechnics and Schools is expected to increase the supply of trained persons in a major way.”

            The Tourism Minister said  Central Government, on its part, has been actively trying to bridge the skilled manpower shortage by setting up more govt. sponsored IHMs and FCIs, broad-basing training & education through the aegis of   Universities, ITIs, Colleges, Polytechnics, PSUs, Schools etc., establishing short-term hospitality courses, upgrading the skills of existing as well as aspiring service providers through “Hunar Se Rozgaar” programme, skills testing & certification of the existing service providers. Shri Sahai said, “This will be a significant improvement but would still not be enough.  In any case, given the fact that the Industry engages about 5 million persons generating huge revenues, much of the efforts and resources for creating world class hospitality service will have to come from within the Industry.”

            The Union Tourim Minister said the efforts of the Central Govt., though important, have to be necessarily supplementary and catalytic  and here, our IHMs and FCIs have to raise themselves to the level of Institutes of excellence to spur and stimulate similar efforts in the Private Sector. He said, “ I therefore urge the Institutes to make earnest effort to raise their standards so as to be acceptable internationally, to become model institutes.  The Ministry will always be there for you in its supportive role.”

            Referring to the  encouraging trends in International and Domestic tourism Shri Subodh Kant Sahai said tourism is now being recognized as one of the key drivers of growth and employment generation in the country. He said the contribution of tourism to the GDP is estimated to be more than 9%.

            The Minister referred to an independent study carried out by his Ministry  to identify major gaps that existed in terms of infrastructure and service delivery at major tourist destinations. He said this study concluded that, for both the foreign and domestic tourist, the lack of Hygiene and Sanitary conditions in and around monuments/ destinations, poor Solid Waste Management around the monuments/destinations and absence of hygienically maintained public amenities like Toilets were the key factors that were impeding our efforts to catapult India as a leading tourist destination. Shri Subodh Kant said,“Campaign Clean India” is aimed to undertake both sensitization and action at field level on bringing our tourism destinations and their surroundings to an acceptable level of cleanliness and hygiene. He said the objective is also to ensure that these levels are sustained through ownership and involvement of private and public sector stakeholders. Shri Sahai said, “The IHMs and FCIs are expected to play a leading role in setting standards of cleanliness in and around monuments for all other educational institutions to follow.”

            Shri Subodh Kant said in order to preserve, propagate, research, document and patent the numerous hues of the Indian cuisines through an institutional mechanism, the Ministry of Tourism has already initiated steps for the setting up of the Indian Culinary Institute with six of its centres across the country.

            The National Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Education (2010-11) were presented in three categories i.e. awards to the students, awards to  the teaching faculty and awards to the Institutes.

            The awardees in the first category were the students who had excelled in academic performance during the year 2010-11. In all, 23 students were awarded.  Each winner received a medal, a certificate of academic excellence and a cash prize. The list of students who received the awards is given below:-

Sl. No	Position	Program	Name	Institute
1	First	M.Sc. Hospitality Administration 2009-11	MS. FARIDA ANJUM	Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi
2	First	M.Sc. Dietetics & Food Service Management 2009-11	MS. NIHARIKA SHUKLA	Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi
3	First	B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2008-11	ARJUN MUKUND	SRM Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai
4	Second	B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2008-11	NARESH KUMAR H	SRM Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai
5	Third	B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2008-11	SUBRAMANIAN SRIKANTH	Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi
6	First	3rd Year of B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2010-11	ARJUN MUKUND	SRM Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai
7	First	2nd Year of B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2010-11	RAMANDEEP SINGH	Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi
8	First	1st Year of B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2010-11	MS. SANA KHAN	Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi
9	Second	3rd Year of B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2010-11	MITHUN PAUL	Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai
10	Second	2nd Year of B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2010-11	MS. YAMINI SINGH	Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi
11	Second	1st  Year of B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2010-11	MS. DEBOLINA GHOSH	Institute of Hotel Management, Kolkata
12	Third	3rd Year of B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2010-11	NARESH KUMAR H	SRM Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai
13	Third	2nd Year of B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2010-11	MS. ADITI SABHARWAL	Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi

14	Third	1st  Year of B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration 2010-11	MS. ZAINAB SHABBIR KHERALUWALA	Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai
15	First	PG Diploma in Accommodation Operations & Management 2010-11	PATITAPABAN BEHERA	Institute of Hotel Management, Bhubaneswar
16	First	Diploma in Food  Production 2010-11	PRIYARANJAN MALIK	Food Craft Institute, Balangir
17	First	Diploma in Food & Beverage 2010-11	BIN JIA	Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi
18	First	Diploma in House Keeping Operation 2010-11	CHANDRA SEKHAR	State Institute of Hotel Management, Puducherry
19	First	Diploma in Front Office Operation 2010-11	SHRIKANT TRIVEDI	Food Craft Institute, Udaipur
20	First	Diploma in Bakery & Confectionery 2010-11	KANIKA CHANDNA	Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi
21	First	Craftsmanship Certificate Course in Food Production 2010-11	MOUSUMI PAUL	Institute of Hotel Management, Kolkata
22	First	Craftsmanship Certificate Course in Food & Beverage 2010-11Service	SAMBIT K. TRIPATHY	Institute of Hotel Management, Bhubaneswar
23	First	Craftsmanship Certificate Course in Food & Beverage Service 2010-11	RAJU RUPSINGH CHAVAN	Institute of Hotel Management, Goa

           

In the Teachers category 10 awards were given. The Teachers were selected for the award on the basis of pre-determined objective evaluation parameters. The list of awardees is as follows:-

   

A.P.S. Jolly, Lecturer	IHM, Srinagar
R.K. Gupta, Sr. Lecturer	IHM, Pusa, Delhi
Nimisha Seth, Lecturer	IHM, Pusa, Delhi
Anita Sharma, Sr. Lecturer	IHM, Pusa, Delhi
A.K. Goyal, Lecturer	IHM, Pusa, Delhi
Ms.Balabynta Kharshing, Sr. Lecturer	IHM, Shillong
Tarun K. Bansal, Lecturer	IHM, Lucknow
Rajesh K. Singh, Lecturer	IHM, Lucknow
Ms. Ishrat Ara, Lecturer	IHM, Srinagar
Meenakshi Sumbly, Lecturer	IHM, Pusa, Delhi

Awards to the Institutes were given under the following categories:-

	CATEGORY	BEST	SPECIAL AWARD
1	IHM - All Round Performance	IHM, Pusa, Delhi	IHM, Hyderabad
2	IHM - All Round Performance in North-East & J&K	IHM, Srinagar	-
3	FCI - All Round Performance	FCI, Balangir	-
4	Academic Performance	IHM, Pusa, Delhi	IHM, Chennai
5	Placement Performance	DIHM, Lajpat Nagar	IHM, Hyderabad
6	Operational Performance	IHM, Hyderabad	IHM, Shillong
7	Administrative Performance	IHM, Mumbai	CIHM, Chandigarh
8	Performance in Capacity Building of Service Providers	IHM, Srinagar	IHM, Hyderabad

The Minister of State for Tourism Shri Sultan Ahmed, Senior officials of the Tourism Minister and eminent personalities of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry were also present during the ceremony.