Wednesday, August 21, 2013


A media session on Violence against Children- UNICEF India

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Violence against children cuts across boundaries of geography, race, class, religion and culture. It occurs in homes, schools and streets; in places of work and entertainment, and in care and detention centres. Perpetrators include parents, family members, teachers, caretakers, law enforcement authorities and other children. Some children are particularly vulnerable because of gender, race, ethnic origin, disability or social status. And no country is immune, whether rich or poor. The consequences of violence can be devastating. Above all, it can result in early death. But even children who survive must cope with terrible physical and emotional scars. Violence places at risk not only their health, but also their ability to learn and grow into adults who can create sound families and communities. Violence against children is never justifiable. Nor is it inevitable. If its underlying causes are identified and addressed, violence against children is entirely preventable.

UNICEF in partnership with Press Club of India is organising a panel discussion on the multiple facets of violence against children.  The audience at the session will also witness the screening of a short film on the subject featuring Amitabh Bachhan, UNICEF Goodwill ambassador and Hindi cinema superstar. The film will be screened across Press Club of India network offices in the country. Examples of successful initiatives undertaken by UNICEF with police forces, NGOS and community members in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka will also be screened.

Dora Giusti, Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF India and Caroline Den Dulk, Chief Advocacy and Communication will be present for the media interaction.

When:           Thursday, August 22, 2013  
Where:         Press Club of India, 1, Raisina Road, New Delhi-110001. 
Time:             4:00 PM till 6:00 PM and followed by High Tea.

Look forward to your presence. (invite attached)
Best,
Kusha Pant
Senior Consultant
Tarmac Affairs
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Office: +91-11-4657 2870,
Fax: +91-11-4657 2848,
Cell: +91-8587941150
E-mail: kusha@tarmacaffairs.com


 

The 4G rail revolution

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Dear N.K,
Here’s your copy of Total Rail newsletter, our bulletin on news, views and the latest thinking on the rail world. We hope you find it useful and thought provoking.
Enjoy!
Lorna
    
         
                        
                 
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Featured Posts
       
                   
                        
   
Rail fares to rise by 4.1% in England
Commuters and travellers in England face a rise of 4.1% in rail fares as of next year. Ministers said the rises will pay for investment in the rail network. Tickets include season tickets, anytime single tickets around major cities and off-peak… read more ›
        
     
 
           
     
 
                   
   
Positive News! A new arrival at Penn Station…
A new arrival was born at Penn Station this week after an expectant mother going into labour. While waiting for a Long Island Rail Road train, Ana Aguirre went into labour while quick thinking MTA officers carried her to their office and… read more ›
   
                   
   
Transport for London shortlist ticketing contract bidders
Transport for London has shortlisted three bidders for a ticketing contract in the capital city. The contract, Electra by TfL, is to provide and maintain revenue collection systems including ticket gates, Oyster card readers and back-office activities. The three shortlisted are:… read more ›
   
           
                        
  
Elon Musk Unveils Designs for Hyperloop
Elon Musk, the man behind the Hyperloop speaks to Bloomberg about the details of the design. Unfortunately it’s a conference call and not a full on display of the design but it’s still a taster of what be coming… Let me know what you think! …read more ›
         
 
The 4G rail revolution
Frances Cook from railway-technology.com recently wrote on the 4G rail revolution and how mobile internet improves travel for customers and operations for serving companies. With the rail industry and the number of passengers continually growing, it’s clear we need interoperable systems. Is the answer to… read more ›
     
                        
             
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Airtel Rising Stars 2013 – Delhi Leg

Abhishek, Mahesh’s Braces Lift CRPF Public School to Next Round; Indraprasth Public School, Preet Vihar and Dwarka Advance

New Delhi, 20th August: Abhishek and Mahesh’s braces helped CRPF Public School, Rohini thrash Saha International School, Preet Vihar 4-0 in a knock-out match of the 2nd edition of the Airtel Rising Stars-Delhi Leg, at Ganga International School Ground, Hiran Kudna in Delhi today.

Abhishek opened the account in 7th minute of the match, which was enough to jolt the oppositions in the beginning. In 19th minute, Mahesh’s goal gave 2-0 lead to CRPF Public School. Saha International School tried hard to restrict these two players but both the players dribbled past the defenders and scored two more goals to seal the victory. Mahesh hit his second goal in 23rd minute, followed by Abhishek’s second goal in 27thminute.

In another knock-out match at the same ground, Indraprasth Public School, Preet Vihar outplayed Bosco Public School, Sunder Vihar 1(5) – 1(4) in a penalty shoot-out. Sahil scored the first goal in 11th min and gave an early lead to Bosco Public School (BPS). However, Indraprasth Public School’s (IPS) Akash equalised the score in 27th min. Since then, both the teams tried hard to score the winning goal but all their attempts went in vain.

In the penalty shoot-out, Vivek, Richi, Nikhil and Yash managed to beat opponents’ goal-keeper and scored goals for BPS. In reply, Ayush, Mohit, Viraj, Kultar and Pulkit materialised all five attempts and won the match for IPS, Preet Vihar.

In another knock-out match, Indraprasth Public School (IPS), Dwarka defeated Doon Public School, Pashchim Vihar 3-2, played at Ganga International School.  IPS, Dwarka’s Dhruv opened the account in 13th min, but in 22nd min, Doon’s Ram Kumar equalised the score 1-1.

IPS again took lead in 24th min when Vishes scored a beautiful goal. However, Doon managed to equalise the score in the 39th min with the help of Bibhash’s shot. Deepraj scored the winning goal in 43rd min and brought an inspiring victory for IPS, Dwarka.

Results:

CRPF Public School, Rohini bt Saha International School, Preet Vihar (Abhishek 7th, 27th, Mahesh 19th, 23rd4-0;

Indraprasth Public School, Preet Vihar (Akash 27th; Ayush, Mohit, Viraj, Kultar, Pulkit) bt Bosco Public School, Sunder Vihar (Sahil 11th; Vivek, Richi, Nikhil, Yash) 1-1 (5-4);

Indraprasth Public School, Dwarka (Dhruv 13th, Vishesh 24th, Deepraj 43rd) bt Doon Public School, Pashchim Vihar (Ram Kumar 22nd, Bibhash 39th3-2;

GD Goenka Public School, Rohini (Vikram 9th, 27th) bt VSPK International School, Rohini 2-0;

Bal Bharti Public School, Rohini (Rahul 13th) bt Delhi Pubic School, Rohini 1-0;

Sachdeva Public School, Rohini (Rohit Pal 13th, Suresh 28th) bt Maxfort School 2-0

St. Gegoreous School, Dwarka (John C Raju 34th) bt Ramjas School 1-0;

Government School, Rohini (walkover to next round) v/s ITL, Dwarka.


For more information, please contact:

Concept PR

Animesh Biswas - animesh@conceptpr.com – +91 9891789639
Abhay Pratap Singh - abhay@conceptpr.com - +91 9818413169


 

Handset revenue grows 14.7 pc to touch Rs 35,946 Cr in FY13

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Micromax, Karbonn, Apple occupy next 3 slots
New Delhi, August 20, 2013: The Indian mobile handset market posted revenues of Rs 35,946 crore in FY 13 compared to Rs 31,330 crore in FY12 showing a growth of 14.7%. This was mainly due to the increasing uptake in Smartphones by the Indian consumers. 
The 18th annual survey ‘V&D 100′ covered over 30 mobile handset companies doing business in India across categories like feature phones, multimedia phones, enterprise phones and Smartphones. Both multi-national and Indian mobile phone firms were surveyed for this report. 
The biggest surprise of the year was Korean electronics maker Samsung dethroned Nokia from the top position. The Finnish handset maker had been holding the fort for over a decade. 
Samsung’s rise in the Indian market is attributed to its rich product portfolio that was able to cater to customers of all budget categories. Samsung handset prices range from Rs 1,500 to Rs 50,000. Samsung mobile handsets come in varied screen sizes. These two factors helped the company grabbing customer’s attention, besides the product quality and new features. 
Samsung ended the year with revenues of Rs 11,328 crore compared to Rs 7,891 crore in FY12 showing a growth of 43.6%. The company also became the market leader with 31.5% market share. 
The former king of Indian mobile phone market Nokia dropped a rank to be placed at No. 2 in the Voice&Data survey with 27.2% market share with a significant 18% drop in revenue. 
In the 12 months ended March 2013, Nokia revenues from Indian operations were placed at Rs 9,780 crore compared to Rs 11,925 crore in FY12. The revenue loss at Nokia has been staring at Nokia worldwide in view of a few strategic missteps. Nokia’s drop in market share started when the company failed to sense the need of a dual-SIM phone for the Indian consumer, and the same was tapped by the Indian players years ahead of global players like Nokia. 
On a global ground, not embracing the most popular and most accepted operating system – android – for its Smartphones, gives its potential customers very little choice. 
Nokia’s Lumia series phones that witnessed huge growth globally in the initial phases could not draw much attention in India. 
“The rise of smaller local players like Micromax, Karbon, Lava, and Zen is a clear indication that consumers want cheaper feature rich phones. The next phase of mobile penetration in the bottom of the pyramid India will be driven by these companies”, says Ibrahim Ahmad, Group Editor of Voice&Data. 
Homegrown handset company Micromax captured #3 position among V&D100 Top10 mobile handset brands for the year 2013. Though it performed pretty badly in FY12 and the first quarter of FY13, through some smart thinking and innovative products, the Gurgaon headquartered phone maker grew by 58.6%. By the end of the last fiscal, the company posted revenues of Rs 3,138 crore compared to Rs 1,978 crore in FY12. With this Micromax enjoys a market share of 8.7%. 
Closing in next is Karbonn Mobiles, the company among the Indian handset players that grew most consistently. In FY13, Karbonn grew by 73.1% to register revenues of Rs 2,297 crore compared to Rs 1,327 crore in FY12. IN FY 2013 Karbonn grew by 32%. 
With this the Bangalore based UTL Group and Delhi based Jaina Group Joint-Venture Company, Karbonn captured a market share of 6.4% and is placed at #4 position in the table. Last year they were placed at #5. 
The most exciting entry into the Voice&Data Top10 table in the handset space is the iconic Apple that grew a mammoth 417.2% to post revenues of Rs 1,293 crore in FY13 compared to Rs 250 crore a year back. Though India was never a focus market for the Cupertino based smart device maker till Steve Jobs’ era, in the last two years Apple has started making inroads, though slowly. 
In the last fiscal, the company made some disruptive changes in its sales strategy which paid off. Appointing Ingram Micro and Redington as the national distributors for their entire sales, and offering EMI schemes to the consumers to buy the most coveted Apple product changed the game for them. The company now enjoys 3.6% market share in India with the smallest number of handset models in its portfolio. 


 

Medtronic and Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital launch ‘Shruti’ program in India

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Description: Description: http://footandanklefixation.com/files/Medtronic-Logo.jpg
Medtronic and Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital launch ‘Shruti’ program in India
‘Shruti’ Program Provides Innovative Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Model for Underserved Populations

New Delhi, 19 August, 2013:  Medtronic in collaboration with Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital launched ‘Shruti’, the first of its kind program to detect and treat ear infections in India. The initiative aims to address the key barriers of affordability, lack of proper diagnosis and timely treatment to prevent partial or complete deafness.
“There is a huge unmet need especially among children in Southeast Asia and Africa, where a lack of awareness about the seriousness of otitis media and access to care results in delayed diagnosis and treatment,” explained Mark Fletcher, Medtronic Senior Vice President and President of Medtronic Surgical Technologies. “Working with local partners like Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in Delhi, Medtronic has the goal of creating a sustainable program that can be implemented in other areas of India and other developing countries in order to help alleviate the human cost of letting this condition go untreated.”
The Shruti program engages community health workers from Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital (SCEH) to travel door-to-door and through street plays to inform the community about the free screenings.  Residents are screened at convenient community locations by trained health workers using the Shruti screening and diagnosis kit developed by Medtronic and their partners.  A telemedicine application transmits images of the patient’s middle ear via smart phone to the Shruti Program staff and an ENT surgeon. Any complex infections and hearing losses diagnosed are referred to an ENT surgeon for treatment and potential surgery.

Milind Shah, Vice-President, South Asia and Managing Director India Medtronic said “The devices for diagnosing this problem are a prototype and have been tailor made to assist in easy and quick diagnosis and determined follow-up thereafter. This type of cooperative approach leveraging innovative healthcare technologies enables us to tackle global chronic diseases in underserved populations.”

Mr. Arun Arora, CEO of Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital said “I would be most concerned about ear infection in babies and children. They can get it frequently and if not treated this can do immense harm, even permanent loss of hearing. We at Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital are pleased to be a part of ‘Shruti’ as it seeks to reach out to people and help in the efficient diagnosis and treatment of patients.”

Dr. Nishi Gupta, Head ENT Department, Shroff Charity Eye Hospital who tested and counseled the patients said, “Under this program, in the last two month we have screened over 400 patients at the camps and outreach programs organized so far, in underserved population of Delhi. Ear infections should never be neglected. They can be detected quickly and easily, treated effectively and can be prevented from developing into hearing loss thus avoid disability. In certain cases these could lead to life threatening complications.”
Medtronic Shruti Program partners include:
  • Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, which provides the community health workers, the Shruti project coordinator, and ENT surgeons
·         Icarus, a Bangalore based Design and Innovation firm that developed and assembled the Shruti Program kits which includes Entraview, the mobile Otoendoscope.
  • ClickMedix, the mobile telemedicine company that developed the Shruti patient diagnosis and management software application for the mobile phone.

About Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital
Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye hospital is a non-commercial, non-profit trust setup to enable people from all walks of life and all sections of society to receive quality eye care. Since its inception in
1914, SCEH has a strong tradition of eye care, and since 48 years has a well running ear, nose and throat care department.  While remaining committed to eradicating avoidable blindness and deafness, in the last few years the organization has been following a parallel charter to evolve into Tertiary Eye and ENT care Institute.
About Medtronic
Medtronic, Inc. (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology – alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. India Medtronic Pvt. Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Medtronic, Inc. that markets, services and distributes Medtronic products in India. India Medtronic is headquartered in Mumbai, and has regional offices in Delhi, Baroda, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Kochi, Bangalore, Chennai and Pune.
The Surgical Technologies business develops products and procedural solutions for surgical applications that include: neuro spine, cranial and orthopedics; ear, nose and throat; and surgical oncology.
Media Contacts:
India Medtronic Private Limited – Anuradha D. Bohidar
+91 9811998962
Edelman India – Ambereen Shah/ Shilpy Roy / Suvina Rai

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