Saturday, February 15, 2014

TOSHIBA PLANS ANNOUNCES SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY

 



  • Toshiba Announces Social Infrastructure Strategy Grounded in Expansion from India to the World

    - Plans to invest over Rupees 3000 crores in India over next 5 years
    - Targets a sales of Rupees 18000 crores from India by 2017
    - Plans to more than double the number of employees in India to 8000 employees
    14 Feb, 2014
    Delhi, India—Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) today announced a comprehensive strategy for expanding its social infrastructure business in Asia and around the world that positions India as a strategic business hub. On his maiden visit to India, Toshiba’s President and CEO, Mr. Hisao Tanaka, along with the top executives of the company, shared the Group’s roadmap for Indian continent.
    Sharing the details on infrastructure technologies and know-how that Toshiba will deploy in India in support of building a better future, Mr. Tanaka explained the range and diversity of the company’s business, particularly its expertise in key areas of social infrastructure.
    A Vision for India and the Future
    Underlining Toshiba’s commitment to India, Toshiba President and CEO, Mr. Hisao Tanaka said, ”For Toshiba, India is important not only as a market, but also as a strategic export and development base with highly talented people. Toshiba will position India as a strategic world business hub in its thermal power, energy transmission and distribution equipment, water and waste-water treatment, and software development businesses. In the five years from FY2013 to 2017, the company will invest over 500 million USD, equivalent to 30 billion rupees in India, and create employment for over 5,000 people.”
    Mr. Tanaka was joined by three top executives, who explained their strategic plans for India and Toshiba’s comprehensive solutions in three areas crucial for building a better tomorrow: ‘Making Energy’, ‘Transmitting and Storing Energy’ and ‘Smart Use of Energy’.
    Making Energy: Power Generation Systems
    Mr. Yasuharu Igarashi, Executive Officer and Corporate Executive Vice President responsible for Toshiba’s Power Systems business explained a regional and global expansion plan centering on Toshiba JSW Power Systems Private Ltd., joint venture corporation with JSW Group, one of India’s leading conglomerates, with a turbine manufacturing plant in Chennai. The company is currently manufacturing five supercritical turbines and generators ordered by NTPC Ltd. and others. The Company’s end-to-end integrated capabilities cover engineering, manufacturing, procurement, construction and services, allowing it to offer EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) system in India and the surrounding areas.
    Looking to the future, particularly in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa, where many major thermal power generation projects are planned, Toshiba will reinforce and expand its thermal power business in India and the wider region in cooperation with Toshiba’s global engineering function in Japan.
    In the field of hydroelectric power generation, Toshiba is also eager to contribute to the development of India by deploying Toshiba Group’s comprehensive capabilities. Through cooperation with plant engineering company TPSC India, Toshiba will offer one-stop solutions covering engineering, manufacturing, procurement, commissioning and services in India.
    Transmitting and Storing Energy: Social Infrastructure Systems
    Mr. Toshio Masaki, Executive Officer and Corporate Executive Vice President responsible for Toshiba’s Social Infrastructure Systems business, shared Toshiba’s Group’s integrated capabilities that allow it to offer one-stop solutions for India’s energy grid. Toshiba Transmission & Distribution Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., a company built around the acquisition of Vijai Electricals Ltd.’s power transmission and distribution businesses in December 2013, and reinforced with Toshiba’s know-how from Japan, provides Toshiba with a platform for a full-scale entry into India’s T&D market. The company will offer Toshiba’s latest design, development and production capabilities in order to supply a wide range of T&D products in India and beyond, in the wider global market. The company will also supply compensators for high voltage networks and railway power supply systems in India.
    Smart Use of Energy: Community Solutions Systems
    Mr. Shinichiro Akiba, Executive Officer and Corporate Senior Vice President responsible for Toshiba’s Community Solutions Business, offered a vision of the global realization of a sustainable next generation society grounded in innovative community solutions. Community solutions systems cover key areas of daily life, including water and environment systems, building and elevator systems, lightning technologies and air conditioning. In this key business area, Toshiba has been promoting business with highly capable and experienced Indian partners. For instance, Toshiba Johnson Elevators (India) Pvt. Ltd was established in October 2012 as a joint venture with Johnson Lifts Private Limited, a company with over 50 years of history and the No.1 share in India. This alliance will strengthen growth and expand operation in the Indian lift market. Most recently, in December 2013, Toshiba agreed to a strategic alliance with UEM India, a provider EPC services for water and wastewater treatment, operation and maintenance in India and the world market.
    “Toshiba targets a sale of US$3billion, approximately 180 billion Rupees in FY2017 from the India region, some seven times the current level. Employment will also grow with this expansion. By FY2017, Toshiba expects to employ about 8,000 people in India, 2.5 times the current figure. Over 70% of the sales growth and employment creation will  come from infrastructure-related businesses”, added Mr. Tanaka.

Global Compact Network India’s 9th National Convention

15022014




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Categories : Business, CSR, culture, Uncategorized

RIL & GSPC – Rs.600,000 Cr/Yr Interest Hoarding Oil & Gas

15022014
February15, 2014
Dear All Political Parties, Activists & Voters,
Here we can see RIL JV partner and Technical collaborator claims 37
Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas in D-6 alone.
This is more than 1 Trillion Cubic Meter at $1 average per cubic cost
to consumers is $Trillion Oil & Gas Reserves in just about 100 Square
kilometer out of 8100 square kilometer block. GSPC also reported
similar Oil & Gas fields called Deen Dyal Oil & Gas Fields in 2005.
There are more discoveries reported around KG Basin itself – that’s
how I arrived at $4 Trillion Discoveries by RIL & GSPC.
Just interest on Hoarded Oil & Gas at 5% on direct claims of RIL &
GSPC of $1 Trillion each and or 2.5% on $4 Trillion indicated value is
$100b Interest or Penalty is Rs.600,000 crores per year. [RIL & GSPC
are operating in KG Basin since 1999]
Here GOI Claims on Hoarding On To over 75 Oil & Gas blocks by RIL &
GSPC are not accounted. Hoarding Penalty of $1 billion per block shall
be $75b annually.
Down stream Production Plants Factories Transport Homes etc are
DEPRIVED of Indigenous & Clean Energy Source.
1250 million people & Consumers can’t be made to suffer due to Delays,
Criminal Misconduct of RIL & GSPC.
Additionally RIL & GSPC should also Compensate India for ROYLTY LOSS.
Ravinder Singh,
Convener, Mentor & CEO
SABKA BHARAT PARTY
Ph: 9650421857, 9718280435
Progressindia008@yahoo.com
ONGC told to pay 2.4k cr a year royalty to Gujarat
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Ahmedabad: The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India Ltd (ONGC)
will have to pay about Rs 200 crore every month – Rs 2,400 crore per
annum – starting this month to Gujarat government towards crude
royalty, as the Supreme Court has asked the oil company to pay royalty
as per pre-discounted rates. While staying a Gujarat high court’s
order of asking ONGC to pay over Rs 9,000 crore to Gujarat towards
crude royalty since 2008, the apex court has not stayed the HC’s order
to ONGC to pay royalty on crude at the pre-discounted rate.
State energy minister Saurabh Patel said that relief from the apex
court is a setback for the Centre and has exposed its tendency to
create roadblocks in Gujarat’s development.
On November 30, the high court asked the Centre to shell out a
huge amount to the state government which was due to it towards
differences in royalty of crude it had extracted since 2008 from the
state’s soil.
As per the Schedule of the Oilfields (Regulation and Development)
Act, 1948, ONGC is bound to pay to state government 20% royalty of the
market value of crude oil it extracts from oil blocks – there are 66
blocks located in Gujarat. ONGC used to pay such royalty to the
Gujarat government but the situation changed from 2004, when the
Centre asked ONGC to provide crude to IOC and other lossmaking PSUs at
a discounted rate.
Since 2004, ONGC started paying royalty on the post-discount rate
instead of the market value of the crude resulting in a big fall
royalty to Gujarat, which often complained before the Centre. Finally,
it moved the Gujarat high court in 2011. Special counsel Aspi Kapadia
contended that ONGC sometimes supplied crude to other PSUs at a
discount that went up to 96%.
KG D6 World Record Loot – Complete Disclosure.
Can you believe following EPC sub-sea network of connecting all
production wells around 20 cost just $400m? How can On Land structures
add up to $9000m?
http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/bayofbengal/bayofbengal1.html
1. It is most shocking Niko the technology collaborator exploiting KG
D6 has claimed 37 tmc of gas reserves discovered while RIL admits to
only 11 tmc of gas and GOI about 14 tmc.
> Here itself you can see the capital cost comes down to a third in per cubic meter due 5 times more gas reserves than reported around 2003.
2. But most shockingly EPC contract for sub-sea work connected over 18
production wells is just $400m. As I have already reported earlier
P-52 cost just $753m. There is no justification for $9b
capitalization.
3. You can also see 70% of gas was discovered in 2002 itself but
Bechtel management contract and Aker Kvaerner Subsea was awarded
contracts in 2006 and J. Ray MacDormott in 2007 for Control and Riser
Platform. This was largely avoidable since KG D6 D1 and D3 wells are
just 25-30 kilometers from processing station. Management contract to
Bechtel could have awarded in 2001 since RIL or NIKO lacked the
skills.
4. Surely it would require $10b over 20 years to exploit all the gas
and oil recoverable from over 200 wells to be developed, but it was
scandalous to capitalize $9b for 18 wells before delivering first gas
and delaying award of work by five years.
5. Bangladesh pay only a third of Exploration Income than allowed by
India for HUGE reserves when expectedly India was supposed to pay much
less than Bangladesh.
6. Five to six years delay has cost India $200b in equivalent
Petroleum Imports.
7. Even more shockingly Mahanadi and Krishana basins too have reported
equally Significant discoveries therefore SUDDENLY India will have
large gas flows.
8. RIL deliberately delayed KG Basin projects and executed $7b
Reliance Petroleum Refinery from concept to commissioning in three
years that will surely remain shut down forever.
More important disclosures shall follow
Ravinder Singh
August31, 2009
KG-DWN-98/1 (KG-D6), Bay of Bengal, India
http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/bayofbengal/
Location Bay of Bengal
Area 8,100km²
Block KG-DWN-98/l (KG-D6)
Basin Krishna-Godivari basin
Water Depth 700m (2,297ft) to 1,700m (5,577ft)
Total reserves About 14,000bn cubic feet of gas and about 140m barrels of oil
Total investment About $10bn
The 8,100km² block KG-DWN-98/l (KG-D6) lies in the Krishna-Godivari
basin, Bay of Bengal, on India’s east coast. The seabed slopes sharply
causing water depths to vary between 700m (2,297ft) and 1,700m
(5,577ft). The field is operated by Reliance Industries (90%) on
behalf of Niko Resources (10%). Block reserves have been put at about
14,000bn cubic feet of gas and about 140m barrels of oil.
The first three discoveries (Dhirubhai-1, Dhirubhai-2 and Dhirubhai-3)
have estimated gas reserves of 7-8trn cubic feet. In March 2003, the
deepwater rig Discover 534 discovered Dhirubhai-4, with in-place gas
volumes of 1,700bn standard cubic feet (bcf). And in February 2006,
Reliance announced that it had encountered the thickest hydrocarbon
column to date, the MA-2 well (about 2km from the MA-1 discovery well)
reaching a depth of about 3.6km and penetrating a gross hydrocarbon
column of 194m consisting of 170m of gas/condensate (53° API) and 24m
of oil (42° API).
The project is expected eventually to cost more than $10bn. Production
of crude oil started in September 2008 from the block’s MA field,
while production of gas from the Dhirubhai-1 and Dhirubhai-3 fields is
scheduled to start by late 2008/early 2009. Initial rate of production
from the MA field is about 5,000bpd and is expected to reach its peak
rate of 40,000bpd by about mid-2010, while D1 and D3 are forecast to
reach 2.8bcfd within the first year of operation, although there is
flexibility to raise this to 4.2bcfd.
Development
The work has included development of at least 18 production wells,
with subsea equipment, pipelines, a riser platform and an onshore
terminal. In January 2006, Reliance awarded US-based Bechtel the
overall EPCM contract for the project.
Subsea equipment
This fast-track development has involved one of the biggest and most
complex underwater installation campaigns ever. Aker Kvaerner Subsea
was responsible for the complete subsea production system in a $400m
Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract.
Because of the high flowrate potential, the 55t trees have a 127mm and
178mm bore. The subsea contract was based on 19 subsea trees tied into
six six-slot production manifolds weighing 225t each. The longest
tieback is 6.4km. From these manifolds, production flows through
in-field pipelines to the 370t Pipeline End Manifold (PLEM). The
longest manifold tieback is 6.8km. The PLEM has been designed to
accept additional pipeline tie-ins.
The umbilical distribution hub weighs 170t and there are three 110t
(each) subsea distribution assemblies. The 32 lengths of steel-tube
umbilical total 101km and there is also 57km of electric power cable.
Finally, there is a comprehensive subsea control system.
A pair of 10km 24in production lines link the PLEM to a Control and
Riser Platform (CRP) located in 100m of water. Compression facilities
will ease the anticipated reservoir pressures drop two to three years
after start-up. Gas export will use three 24in lines running 25km from
the CRP platform to shore where gas will be routed to the offshore
terminal at Kakinada. The MEG used to prevent hydrates will be
reprocessed in a closed loop in a system provided by Aker Kvaerner.
KG-DWN-98/L (KG-D4) platform jacket
The platform jacket was manufactured as part of an engineering,
procurement, construction, and installation contract by J Ray
McDermott. The 9,015t jacket was built at J Ray’s Morgan City,
Louisiana, fabrication facility, with the piles and topsides being
fabricated at the company’s Jebel Ali facility in the United Arab
Emirates.
At Pascagoula, Mississippi, the jacket and cargo barge were loaded
onto a Fast Transport Vessel (FTV) for a 46-day journey through the
Suez Canal to the marine and fabrication base on Batam Island,
Indonesia.
The jacket and cargo barge were then towed for approximately 12 days to India.
DeepOcean won a $166m contract three-year contract to provide a
multi-purpose subsea support vessel and related services. The REM
Etive has been deployed under a commercial agreement between DeepOcean
and TS Marine to support development.
The Etive is being used for installation, commissioning, and
inspection / maintenance / repair, having two work-class ROVs, crane
capacity, and an active heave compensated winch system.
As of June 2008, Reliance was carrying out conceptual studies for the
development of another eight natural gas discoveries near the D1 and
D3 gas fields. The satellite discoveries are likely to be tied to the
production facilities for D1 and D3, it said.
http://www.dnaindia.com/dnaprint.asp?newsid=1282543
Saturday, August 15, 2009 2:33:00 AM
Niko says D6 reserves up after 2 new finds
Sreejiraj Eluvangal / DNA
Niko Resources, the Canadian partner of Reliance Industries (RIL) in
the prolific D6 gas block in the Krishna-Godavari basin, has reported
an extension of gas finds in the block.
Estimate of gas reserves in the D6 block has varied from the 11
trillion cubic feet (tcf) claimed by Reliance Industries to 14-15 tcf
claimed by government officials, to around 37 tcf of ‘probable’
reserves put out by Niko in 2007.
In its quarterly result statement, Niko said two new wells (AR2 and
AS1) drilled close to the initial well, R1, have raised the size of
the total find in D6. It did not specify the new quantum though.
“The company is currently drilling the BA2 well,” the Canadian company
said in its operational update on the D6 block.
An external spokesperson for RIL did not give any detail, stating that
all such announcements should come from the government.
Reliance and Niko have been waiting for years for clearance of their
development plans for other gas discoveries in the KG and Mahanadi
basins.
In KG D6 block, for example, development plans for nine discoveries
have been lying in the office of Directorate General of Hydrocarbons
for more than a year. Similarly, in the RIL-Niko combine’s other big
find in the Bay of Bengal, the NEC 25 block in Mahanadi basin, the
development plan has been pending clearance for almost two years.
Gas reserves in the Mahanadi NEC 25 block is estimated to be 8.2 tcf
and going by the development plan, the company can produce 40 million
standard cubic metres per day (mmscmd), around half the peak
production rate from KG D6.
Niko said further exploration is on in both KG D6 and Mahanadi blocks.
The statement reaffirmed that the peak target of producing 80 mmscmd
from the two commercialised discoveries in D6 was progressing as per
schedule.
According to it, capacity has already reached 55 mmscmd and contracts
have been signed for selling 43 mmscmd of gas, though only around 36
mmscmd is being taken by customers at present.
The third block, D4 in the Mahanadi basin, has also thrown up several
prospects on which drilling will start in the second half of next
year, the Toronto Stock Exchange listed Niko said. RIL owns 85% of the
block.
http://www.akersolutions.com/Internet/MediaCentre/PressReleases/All/AKPressRelease_1302972.htm
http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/bayofbengal/
Aker Solutions has delivered a complete subsea production system,
including umbilicals, to the deepwater gas field.
The KG-D6 project was one of the world’s largest subsea contracts ever
awarded, valued at USD 400 million, when it was signed in May 2006.
Scope of supply for the project was a complete 18-well subsea
production system, including 160 kilometres of steel tube umbilicals.
The KG-D6 field is located in the Bay of Bengal, offshore the east
coast of India. The subsea production system is installed in water
depths from 600 to 1200 metres.
http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/bayofbengal/
KG-DWN-98 /1 (KG-D6), Bay of Bengal, India
The 8,100km² KG-DWN-98 / l (KG-D6) block lies in the Krishna-Godavari
basin of the Bay of Bengal on India’s east coast. The seabed slopes
sharply causing water depths to vary between 700m (2,297ft) and 1,700m
(5,577ft).
The field is operated by Reliance Industries (90%) on behalf of Niko
Resources (10%). Block reserves have been put at 14,000bn cubic feet
of gas and 140m barrels of oil.
The first three discoveries (Dhirubhai-1, Dhirubhai-2 and Dhirubhai-3)
have estimated gas reserves of approximately eight trillion cubic
feet. In March 2003 the deepwater rig Discover 534 discovered
Dhirubhai-4, which has in-place gas volumes of 1,700 billion standard
cubic feet (bcf).
In February 2006 Reliance announced that it had encountered the
thickest hydrocarbon column to date, the MA-2 well (2km from the MA-1
discovery well) reaching a depth of about 3.6km and penetrating a
gross hydrocarbon column of 194m, which consisted of 170m of gas /
condensate (53°API) and 24m of oil (42°API).
The project is expected to eventually cost over $10bn. Production of
crude oil  from the block’s MA field started in September 2008 while
gas production from the Dhirubhai-1 (D1) and Dhirubhai-3 (D3) fields
began in April 2009.
The initial rate of production from the MA field is 5,000bpd and
reached 33,000bpd by May 2010. In July 2010 54 million cubic metres
per day of natural gas was produced from the D1 and D3 fields. By 2011
the oil and gas peak production from KD-D6 is expected to reach
140,000bopd and 2.82 billion cubic feet per day.
KG-D6 contracts
“The 8,100km² block KG-DWN-98/l (KG-D6) lies in the Krishna-Godivari
basin, Bay of Bengal.”
Work at the KG-D6 field included the development of at least 18
production wells, with subsea equipment, pipelines, a riser platform
and an onshore terminal. In January 2006 Reliance awarded the overall
EPCM contract for the project to US-based Bechtel.
This fast-track development involved one of the biggest and most
complex underwater installation campaigns ever. Aker Kvaerner Subsea
was responsible for the complete subsea production system in a $400m
engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract.
Because of the high flowrate potential the 55t trees have a 127mm and
178mm bore. The subsea contract was based on 19 subsea trees tied into
six six-slot production manifolds each weighing 225t. The longest
tieback is 6.4km. From these manifolds, production flows through
in-field pipelines to the 370t pipeline end manifold (PLEM). The
longest manifold tieback is 6.8km. The PLEM was designed to accept
additional pipeline tie-ins.
The umbilical distribution hub weighs 170t and there are three 110t
subsea distribution assemblies. The 32 lengths of steel-tube umbilical
total 101km, there is 57km of electric power cable and a comprehensive
subsea control system.
A pair of 10km 24in production lines link the PLEM to a control and
riser platform (CRP) located in 100m of water. Compression facilities
will ease the anticipated reservoir pressures drop up to three years
after start-up. Gas exports will use three 24in lines running 25km
from the CRP platform to shore where the gas will be routed to the
offshore terminal at Kakinada. The MEG used to prevent hydrates will
be reprocessed in a closed loop system provided by Aker Kvaerner.
KG-D4 platform jacket
The platform jacket was manufactured as part of an engineering,
procurement, construction, and installation contract by J Ray
McDermott. The 9,015t jacket was built at J Ray’s fabrication facility
in Morgan City, Louisiana, with the piles and topsides fabricated at
the company’s Jebel Ali facility in the United Arab Emirates.
The jacket and cargo barge were loaded onto a fast transport vessel
(FTV) at Pascagoula, Mississippi, for a 46-day journey through the
Suez Canal to the marine and fabrication base on Batam Island,
Indonesia. The jacket and cargo barge were then towed for
approximately 12 days to India.
“By 2011 KD-D6′s oil and gas peak production is expected to reach
140,000bopd and 2.82 billion cubic feet per day.”
DeepOcean won a $166m three-year contract to provide a multipurpose
subsea support vessel and related services. REM Etive was deployed
under a commercial agreement between DeepOcean and TS Marine to
support development.
The vessel is being used for installation, commissioning and
inspection / maintenance / repairs and is equipped with two work-class
ROVs, crane capacity and an active heave compensated winch system.
In June 2008 Reliance began conceptual studies for the development of
another nine natural gas discoveries near the D1 and D3 gas fields.
The satellite discoveries are likely to be tied to the production
facilities for D1 and D3.
In December 2009 a development plan for four satellite discoveries was
submitted to the government. A development plan for all the
discoveries made in the block is being conceptualised.

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LAUNCH OF “MOBILE APPLICATION OF IHGF” BY FIRST LADY OF REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA

15022014
LAUNCH OF “MOBILE APPLICATION OF IHGF”  BY FIRST LADY OF REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA DURING IHGF(SPRING) 2014
New Delhi – February 14, 2014 — The 37th edition of Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair  (Spring) 2014  scheduled to be held from February 17 to 20, 2014 at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida.  The work of setting up of stands in the exhibition halls and temporary structure is in full swing now.
More than 2600 exhibitors including 900 permanents showrooms shall be displaying Houseware, Home textiles, Furniture, Cane and Bamboo, X-Mas decorations, Fashion Jewellery and Lamp & Lighting.  Lace craft, Wooden artware, hand printed textiles and Embroidery goods products during the fair.  Buyers from the all across the globe shall be visiting the fair to source their requirement of exclusive handcrafted products produced by Indian exporters from the fair.
For the first time, Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) shall be launching “Mobile Application of IHGF” for the ease of the visiting buyers to find out products and companies of their interest.  This facility can be accessed on smart phones  through Google Play and App Store on http://epch.in/mobile  Information on Companywise exhibitors, productwise exhibitors, fair facilities, free shuttle, hotels, helplines about International airlines, Indian Railways, National Bus Transportation etc. can be viewed and accessed by the buyers holding smart phones.
The facility of  “Mobile Application of IHGF” will be launched by H.E. Mrs. Maria Clemencia Rodriguez De Santos, First Lady of Republic of Colombia on February 17, 2014 during Inauguration Ceremony of the Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair (Spring) 2014.
For More information, please contact :
Mr. Rakesh Kumar, Executive Director – EPCH – +91-9818272171

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FY2014 (2nd Advance Estimates) food grain production at 263 million tonnes

15022014
FY2014 (2nd Advance Estimates) food grain production at 263 million tonnes 
India is estimated to produce 263.2 million tonnes of food grains during 2013-14 as compared to 257.13 million tonnes during 2012-13. Rice production is expected at record 106.19 million tonne and wheat production is expected to reach 95.60 million tonnes. Maize production is estimated at 23.29 million tonnes while production of pulses is estimated at 19.77 million tonnes. The production of nine major oilseeds put together is estimated at 32.98 million tonne and cotton production is estimated at 35.60 million bales.
The production estimates for major crops                                                             (mn tonnes)
Crop
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
(2nd advance estimates)
Rice
99.18
89.09
95.98
105.31
105.24
106.19
Wheat
80.68
80.8
86.87
94.88
93.51
95.6
Jowar
7.25
6.7
7
6.01
5.28
5.53
Bajra
8.89
6.51
10.37
10.28
8.74
8.8
Maize
19.73
16.72
21.73
21.76
22.26
23.29
Coarse Cereals
40.04
33.55
43.4
42.04
40.04
41.64
Tur
2.27
2.46
2.86
2.65
3.02
3.34
Gram
7.06
7.48
8.22
7.7
8.83
9.79
Urad
1.17
1.24
1.76
1.77
1.9
1.59
Moong
1.03
0.69
1.8
1.63
1.19
1.28
Total Pulses
14.57
14.66
18.24
17.09
18.34
19.77
Total Foodgrains
234.47
218.11
244.49
259.32
257.13
263.2
Groundnut
7.17
5.43
8.26
6.96
4.69
9.14
Rapeseed & Mustard
7.2
6.61
8.18
6.6
8.03
8.25
Soyabean
9.91
9.96
12.74
12.21
14.66
12.45
Total Nine Oilseeds
27.72
24.88
32.48
29.8
30.94
32.98
Cotton #
22.28
24.02
33
35.2
34.22
35.6
Jute, Mesta # #
10.37
11.82
10.62
11.4
10.93
11.3
Sugarcane
285.03
292.3
342.38
361.04
341.2
345.92
Source: PHD Research Bureau, compiled from Ministry of Agriculture
Note: # million bales of 170 kgs each
## million bales of 180 kgs each


Regards,

Dr. S P Sharma
Chief Economist

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UKTI event in Delhi

15022014
BDO

DOING BUSINESS IN THE UK -
UK AUTOMOTIVE MISSION

FEBRUARY 2014


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Dear Naresh

Thank you for attending the UKTI event last week in Hotel Taj Mansingh, Delhi, where BDO presented on key aspects of UK taxation.As mentioned during the evening, we attach a copy of the slides that were presented by both myself and Praveen Gupta - Doing Business in the UK – Presentation pack.

I lead the India Advisory team – which is a dedicated team that focuses on supporting both UK to India and India to UK business opportunities.  Myself and Praveen are both based in the UK and if you would like to contact us please follow the links below:
Arbinder Chatwal - BDO UK, Leader Indian Advisory Services
Praveen Gupta - BDO UK, Director Indian Advisory Services

In addition, please allow us to introduce you to our colleague Zulfi Shivji, who is based in India. He would be delighted to connect with you locally.Zulfi Shivji - International Liaison Partner Head – Transaction Advisory Services
Direct: +91 22 2439 3602
Mobile: +91 98 2113 5608

BDO international is the world’s fifth largest accountancy network, which has more than 1,250 offices in 146 countries. We offer the full range of service offerings in Audit, Tax and Advisory.  BDO Member Firms across the world are committed to provide a seamless, integrated service and to deliver the highest quality advice to all our clients.

If you have any comments or queries, please do not hesitate to contact me, Praveen or Zulfi.


Kind regards,

Arbinder Chatwal
BDO UK
Leader Indian Advisory Services
+44 (0)2380 881940
+44 (0)7880794021
Email Arbinder		Praveen Gupta
BDO UK
Director Indian Advisory Services
+44(0)1213526253
+44(0)7881 852429
Email Praveen




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BDO LLP, 55 Baker Street, London, W1U 7EU | T: 020 7486 5888 | F: 020 7487 3686 | www.bdo.co.uk

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Perera shows steely resolve to lift second straight title

15022014
 Perera shows steely resolve to lift second straight title

Lahiri falls short despite spirited challenge

Eagleton – The Golf Resort, Bangalore, February 15, 2014: Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka came up with a resolute one-under-71 in the final round of the PGTI Eagleburg Open to bag his second title in two weeks. Perera signed off with a tournament total of 22-under-266 to register a three-shot win despite defending champion Anirban Lahiri’s spirited challenge on the final day at Eagleton – The Golf Resort near Bangalore. Local favourite Lahiri secured runner-up position after a four-under-68 in round four that saw him end up with a total of 19-under-269.
Mithun Perera (65-66-64-71) and Anirban Lahiri (68-65-68-68) were involved in a very keen contest on Saturday with a few twists and turns. Anirban made all the moves on the first 11 holes with five birdies against a lone bogey to overcome a huge six-shot deficit and draw level with Mithun who had only two bogeys to show on that stretch. Lahiri landed it within five feet on the second and sixth and converted 10 to 12 feet putts on the fifth and 11th. Mithun on the other hand struggled with bogeys on the ninth and 11th where he had a poor approach shot and a bad bounce respectively.
It was then a see-saw battle over the next three holes as Lahiri made bogey-birdie-bogey. The match swung decisively in Perera’s favour when he made an eagle on the 15th that gave him a three-shot advantage with three holes to play. Mithun played his shot of the tournament when he holed his third from 110 yards for eagle on the 15th.
Lahiri did manage a birdie on the 17th but it was too little too late as Perera sealed it with a magnificent approach for birdie on the final hole. Mithun thus bagged his fifth professional title and ended Anirban’s golden run of four wins from four starts on the PGTI on the latter’s home course. Perera has now shot a total score of 22-under in two successive events.
Perera, who has now climbed from third to second on the Rolex Rankings, said, “I was struggling for momentum till the 15th. The eagle came just at the right time for me. My putting wasn’t good today. Fortunately for me, Anirban gave me chance when he bogeyed the 14th that put me back in the sole lead. This is my second title on the trot and I’m very pleased about that. Competing on the PGTI in the last few years has really helped my game as I have grown in confidence playing in different conditions in India and against some of India’s top players. I hope I can carry this form on to the Asian Tour as well.”
Anirban Lahiri continues to be the Rolex Rankings leader having achieved a win and a runner-up finish from his two starts on the PGTI this season. His earnings for the season stand at Rs. 11,43,200. Perera is in second place at Rs. 9,69,900.
Lahiri said, “My judgment of the speed on the greens was poor today and that resulted in two three-putts for bogeys on the first and the 14th. I was also not at my best on the par-5s in the last two rounds. I was unable to capitalize on the par-5s despite my length. Mithun’s eagle on the 15th was the game-changer. Nonetheless, it’s been a good week of golf for me and I’ll take a lot of positives from here.”
Sri Lankan K Prabagran finished third at 14-under-274 while Mukesh Kumar of Mhow was fourth at 13-under-275.
C Muniyappa of Bangalore shot the day’s best score of 65 to claim tied fifth position along with Sri Lankans N Thangaraja and Anura Rohana at 12-under-276.

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Idea Jalsa ‘Music for the Soul’ presents Wadali brothers, Jaipur Kawa

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Image

The Capital City welcomes an evening filled with tranquility of Soulful Music on Saturday, February 15th, 2014

Idea Jalsa ‘Music for the Soul’ presents Wadali brothers, Jaipur Kawa (Brass band), Pandit Ratan Mohan Sharma and Ankita Joshi in an evening which promises to be Soulful and exciting for Delhi, on 15thFebruary, 2014.

Delhi, 14th February 2014: Idea Jalsa – Music for the Soul is back with a new season offering a wide variety of Indian music featuring over 88 genres and more than 150 musicians. This year 14 cities will witness enthralling performances by a galaxy of Musicians. Idea Jalsa has never failed to enrapture its audience with soulful classical music. With two cities remaining, the capital city, Delhi will witness a tranquility of soulful music by Wadali brothers, Jaipur Kawa (Brass band), Pandit Ratan Mohan Sharma and Ankita Joshi.
Idea Jalsa is a unique project which brings together legends, maestros, stars, young maestros, and risingstars of Indian Music, to present a rich & diverse showcase of Indian Culture and all of it through purely Live Music Performances. It has already given a platform to 7,000 musicians. It redesigns the aspects of Performing Art, i.e. presentation on stage, styling of clothes, conversing with audiences and getting informal with them, etc. which has become the X factor of the Idea Jalsa experience. The use of technology, i.e. large LED walls, to enhance the overall appeal of the show which gives a visual treat to its audience is yet another aspect in which it is a trend setter.  

Idea Cellular has partnered with this unique project since inception in 2006. With seven years of a successful journey, Idea Jalsa has grown from strength to strength across all mass mediums. From television programming on DD and Zee TV, Idea Jalsa now reaches to over 165 countries worldwide through Zee TV International, FM Radio programming, In-flight Entertainment programming, CDs, Live Concerts in more than 60 cities, and others.

The brand Idea Jalsa has reduced the gap between masses and classes – for the discerning audience as well as the masses who get introduced to the rich diversity of Indian Music. This USP and the use of different relevant mass mediums, has ensured a reach of more than 21 crore people in India alone, till date – setting records. The last Concert Tour which ended in March 2013, reached out to ~7 crore audiences with the extensive use of Media platforms like Print, Outdoor, FM Radio, Social media, etc.

Idea Jalsa’s 14 city concert tour which will culminate in February 2014, promises to enthrall with performances across a large variety of Indian Music genres with more than 150 Musicians participating. For details of the special Concert in Delhi and the following cities log onto www.facebook.com/artandartistes and catch the performances at www.youtube.com/artandartistes

Mr. Sanjeev Govil – Chief Operating Officer, Delhi & Haryana, Idea Cellular, said, “Idea has always believed in the power of Music to connect with our audiences. Idea Jalsa has been one of our flagship music properties, along with Art and Artistes, and has enabled us to enrich Music lovers across the country with live performances and rich musical content in other formats. We are happy to bring these legendary musicians and singers to the capital city of Delhi and are hopeful that our customers will experience a memorable evening with Idea Jalsa.”

Durga Jasraj (Founder and Director, Art and Artistes) and Neeraj Jaitly (Director, Art And Artistes) said, “We are proud of the fact that we have started this project which offers a platform to so many distinguished maestros from different parts of the country to highlight their musical talent. To mesmerize the evening with the richness of solful music Delhi will witness the tranquility of soulful music by Wadali brothers, Jaipur Kawa (Brass band), Pandit Ratan Mohan Sharma and Ankita Joshi. With such talented musicians we are looking forward to making this evening evergreen. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Idea Cellular,Aditya Birla Group for supporting and partnering this musical journey since inception.It is only this continued support that has enabled Idea Jalsa to become an iconic brand. It is rewarding to experience the overwhelming response from the audience from all over the World. Needless to say the contribution of all Musicians and their enthusiasmto participate inmaking this project, Idea Jalsa, larger, makes us feel more responsible.”

About Art and Artistes (I) Pvt. Ltd.:
Durga Jasraj founded Art And Artistes’ in 1999. Since the last 5 years, along with NeerajJaitly, the company has expanded its operational scope. It uses contemporary entertainment formats across diverse Mediums to produce world class IP. Notable IPs created by the company include – Jalsa, Tiranga, Panchtatva, Indian Music Academy, IMA Annual Excellence Awards, Golden Voice Golden Years, Jai Hind, and others. Over 300 Concerts across 30 countries, more than 70 CD/DVDs, 30 Television productions across 165 countries, a million mobile VAS content, In-Flight programming across 15 International Airlines, FM Radio programming, and a vibrant Social Media platform on Facebook and YouTube growing exponentially – all combined reached more than 500 million audiences… and growing…

About Idea Jalsa:
Idea Cellular, an Aditya Birla Group Company, has partnered with this unique Indian Music Project, right from its inception in 2006.  IDEA Cellular is India’s 3rd largest national mobile operator, with more than 128 million subscribers. With traffic in excess of 1.5 billion minutes a day, Idea ranks among the Top 10 country operators in the world. Using the latest in technology, Idea provides world-class service delivery through the most extensive network of customer touch points. Idea is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India. IDEA Cellular is an Aditya Birla Group Company, India’;s first truly multinational corporation. The Group ranks Number 4 globally and Number 1 in the Asia Pacific in the 2011 Top Companies for Leaders (TCFL) study conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune (the Global Business Magazine) and the RBL Group. It operates in 36 countries, and is anchored by more than 136,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities. More information on Idea Cellular is available atwww.ideacellular.com and on the Aditya Birla Group at www.adityabirla.com

RSVP:
Deepika - +919811788350, deepika@moes-art.com

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Poo to Loo song launched today:UNICEF

15022014
Take Poo to the Loo – the New Youth Mantra against open defecation has people marching to the tune of India’s First Poo Song
14 February 2014, New Delhi – UNICEF’s campaign Take Poo to the Loo has brought out the fight against open defecation – onto the streets and online; to industry, government bodies, academia and citizen groups, by roping in the strongest voices in the nation – the Youth. And this youth army now has a rousing mantra – India’s First Poo Song titled “Poo Party”. 
Composed by famous Indo-Jazz music composer, songwriter and producer Shrikanth Sriram (a Dewarist’s artist who holds stunning compositions like the theme for the movie Life of Pi to his credit ), the song captures the brazenness and audacity of the Poo Man that irks and annoys his listeners. One feels a strong urge to put him in his rightful place by flushing him down the toilet. 
Speaking about the inspiration behind the music, Shri says “Ah Shit! The smell that brings me home very quickly with a thud! I would rather have the smell of Pav Baji bring me home. Anyone trying to do anything about public defecation needs to be supported fully. And the best I can do is to write some music to help.”
Composed to shake-up and make one take action, the funky and animated song uses ‘toilet sounds’ to show that if left to grow at its current pace, the disgusting reality of open defecation might multiply to a level where it starts invading your personal space. It might become a truth you wake up to every morning – bombarding your life during the day, and becoming a constant nightmare. 
“With this first poo song in the history of India, we have pushed the boundaries. Never before has open defecation been so visible through new media. This song demonstrates that you can talk about a very serious issue and challenge a deep rooted social norm in an accessible, fun way, and using everyday words common to young people,” states Caroline den Dulk, Chief Advocacy and Communication, UNICEF India. 
Bands like Indian Ocean and Raghu Dixit have come out in support of the campaign. In addition, academic institutions like IIT Delhi are working with colleges across Delhi – through rallies, seminars, poster-making, mobile app development and film and animation competitions– to get more youth involved in bringing about change. IIT Delhi is also supporting the campaign and has organized a dance and music event today at 5:30pm in PVR Priya in Vasant Vihar to unveil the anthem. 
“Students of various clubs from IIT Delhi have been involved in taking the poo2loo messages to the young student population of Delhi. They have been very active in organizing awareness raising activities about open defecation and the need for a concerted campaign to enable people squat with dignity. In order to contribute to the anthem dissemination, the dance club surprised passers-by with a flash mob followed by an interaction with the protagonist of the campaign, Mr Poo, who did not want to miss the Poo party song,” IIT Delhi Professor Vijayaraghavan M Chariar explains. 
Also PVR Nest, the CSR arm of PVR Cinemas is supporting the campaign. “We will be raising awareness amongst cinema-goers and ticket -purchasers over the week-end of 14th. The animated Poo to Loo song will be later used to raise awareness among street children groups with whom PVR Nest works closely,” says Deepa Menon, Vice President CSR & Corporate Communication, PVR Ltd.
Crafted in the language of the youth – quirky, fun and informative, every element of the campaign directs young people to a microsite that engages and educates around the issue of Open Defecation. Through social media activities (Facebook posts, posters, videos, Twitter activities, an online game and a mobile application), and letting the character of Poo Man wreak havoc on the streets of New Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and Hyderabad, greater youth-engagement is targeted. With over 1, 09, 000 pledges already signed, an army of youth advocates is shaping up to support the cause and spread the message of fighting open defecation.
The final target is to get the signed pledge to the President of India and demand for an open defecation-free India. 
India has made important progress in the provision and use of toilets in the last 20 years, reducing the practise of open defecation from 75% of the population in 1990 to 51% in 2010. However it is still home to the world’s largest population of people who defecate in the open. 620 million people, half the population don’t use toilets, and the other half have become blind to the practice. 
Watch the song here: 

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Jan 2014 WPI inflation eases to 5%

15022014


Jan 2014 WPI inflation eases to 5%

Driven by the decline in the prices of cereals, rice, wheat, vegetables, potato, onion, fruits, and egg, meat & fish, fuel & power the WPI inflation decreased to 5.05% (Y-O-Y) for the month of January 2014 as compared to 6.16% (Y-O-Y) for the month of December 2013. The Index for Wholesale Prices for the month of January 2014 declines by 0.2% to 178.9 from 179.2 for the previous month.

  Trend in WPI inflation since April 2011                                                                             (Y-O-Y %)
Source: PHD Research Bureau, compiled from the office of the economic advisor to the Govt. of India

    WPI inflation in select commodities
Commodity
WPI Inflation Y-o-Y % growth
Nov’13
Dec’13
Jan’14
1
All Commodities
7.52
6.16
5.05
2
Primary Articles
15.29
10.78
6.84
3
Food Articles
19.69
13.68
8.80
4
Cereals
11.27
10.19
9.27
5
Vegetables
97.72
57.33
16.60
6
Non-food Articles
7.45
6.04
4.40
7
Fuel & Power
11.08
10.98
10.03
8
Petrol
4.42
5.44
7.18
9
Manufactured Products
2.91
2.64
2.76
10
Sugar
(-)7.73
(-)5.99
(‐)5.22
11
Edible oils
0.20
(-)1.20
(‐)2.0
12
Cement & Lime
(-)2.50
(-)0.85
(‐)2.61
  Source: PHD Research Bureau, compiled from the office of the Economic Advisor to the Govt. of India

The build up in inflation in the financial year so far (January 2014) stands at 5.17% as compared to a build up of 5.78% in the corresponding period of the previous year. Buildup in WPI inflation has decreased due to decline in the prices of cereals, rice, wheat, pulses, onion, fruits, liquefied petroleum gas, sugar etc.

   Build up in inflation from March in select food commodities                          (%)

 Source: PHD Research Bureau, compiled from the office of the Economic Advisor, Govt. of India

Manufacturing inflation stands at 2.76% (weight 64.97%)

The WPI inflation for manufactured products stands at 2.76% for January 2014 as against 2.64% for December 2013. The index for this major group rose by 0.5% to 152.6 from 151.9 for the previous month.

 Trend in WPI inflation in manufactured products   (in %)
Source: PHD Research Bureau, compiled from the office of the Economic Advisor

Food inflation declines to 8.80% (Weight 14.34%)

Food inflation for the month of January 2014 has declined to 8.80% as against 13.68% for the month of December 2013, on account of decrease in the prices of cereals, rice, wheat, vegetables, potato, onion, fruits, and egg, meat & fish.

  Pattern of food inflation                                   (Y-o-Y %)                                             Food articles Index since Apr 2011  
     
Source: PHD Research Bureau, compiled from the office of the Economic Advisor, Govt. of India

The index for food articles group declined by 2.7% to 233.6 from 240.1 for the previous month due to lower price of fruits & vegetables (11%), maize (3%), ragi (2%) and gram, coffee, arhar and tea (1% each). However, the price of poultry chicken (5%), pork (3%), urad and egg (2% each) and moong, bajra, condiments & spices, masur, fish-inland, beef & buffalo meat and fish-marine (1% each) moved up.

Non-food articles inflation declines to 4.40% (weight 4.26%)

The rate of inflation for non-food articles for the month of January 2014 stands at 4.40% as compared to 6.04% for the previous month. The index for non-food articles group rose by 0.1% to 216 from 215.8 for the previous month due to higher price of guar seed (8%), raw cotton (6%), copra (coconut) (4%), mesta (3%), castor seed (2%) and fodder, linseed and raw jute (1% each). However, the price of logs & timber (13%), flowers (11%), raw silk (9%), safflower (kardi seed) (4%), gingelly seed (3%), soyabean (2%) and tobacco, cotton seed and raw rubber (1% each) declined.

Fuel & power inflation declines to 10.03% (weight 14.91%)

The rate of inflation for fuel and power for the month of January 2014 stands at 10.03% as compared to 10.98% for the previous month. The index for this major group rose by 0.7% to 212.8 (provisional) from 211.3 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of lpg (5%), aviation turbine fuel and petrol (2% each) and furnace oil, kerosene, high speed diesel and bitumen (1% each).


Warm regards,

Dr. S P Sharma
Chief Economist

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Li Ning Store Launch with ace Badminton star P V SINDHU

15022014

Li Ning Store Launch with ace Badminton star P V SINDHU


Li Ning Store Launch
with ace Badminton star
P V SINDHU
along with Mr. Mahendra Kapoor, Li Ning Director
Time: 12:30 pm
Date: Sunday, 16th February 2014
Venue: Li Ning Store, F -142,

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Asia’s Largest 37th Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair

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INAUGURATION AT 0900 AM
INVITATION
 Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH)
 Cordially invites you
on the
Inauguration
Of
Asia’s Largest
37th Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair (IHGF-Spring) 2014
(February 17-20, 2014)
Dr. Kavuru Sambasiva Rao
Hon’ble Union Minister of Textiles, Ministry of Textiles
Will be the Chief Guest
Smt. Panabaaka Lakshmi
Union Minister of State for Textiles
Will Preside over the Function
Ms. Zohra Chatterji, Secretary, (Textiles), Ministry of Textiles
&
Mrs. Maria Clemencia Rodriguez De Santos
First Lady of the Republic of Colombia
Will be the Guests of Honour
Mr. S.S. Gupta, Development Commissioner (Handicrafts)
Will Grace the Occasion
On
Monday, February 17, 2014
At
09.00 AM
At
  India Expo Centre & Mart, 23 – 24, Knowledge Park-II, Greater Noida,
Expressway, Greater Noida, Delhi, NCR
==========================================================
For further information and logistic needs, please contact:
Mr. Brij Bhushan Sharma, Media Co-ordinator-EPCH, at 91-09810945839  

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10th Annual Conference on Electoral and Political Reforms

15022014

·         Election Commissioner Mr. H.S. Brahma announces:
o    E-Filing of election nominations: Candidates contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha 2014 elections will now be able to e-file (in a web-based form) their nominations as well as affidavits, in addition to filing the same in paper form. The Election Commission of India (ECI) will soon ask the government to modify the current rules regarding the same so that e-filing is made mandatory. This move of the ECI holds the potential to accelerate the process of dissemination of information regarding the criminal, financial, educational and other background details of candidates contesting elections.
o   Launch of Citizen Reporting tool (EWR): The Election Commissioner launched a citizen reporting tool- “Election Watch Reporter” (EWR-an android based application developed by the National Election Watchhttp://goo.gl/ZcZCph). He also recommended that the same be used by the Election Commission in the upcoming elections to keep a check on electoral malpractices like bribing of voters (by liquor distribution, cash etc); and excessive spending by candidates. This tool will enable citizens to capture photographic evidence (with precise GPS location and time) of any wrongdoing in and around elections and report it instantaneously to the nearest Election Commission observers.
o   Investigation of non-contesting Political Parties: There are around 1600 registered political parties in the country, but only a few have contested elections regularly. ADR should study why political parties feel the need to get registered but are not interested in contesting elections.
·         Mr. Brahma states “if we choose good candidates, the benefits will flow back to us in the society”. Further he says the following:-
o   Quality of Politics and quality of leadership are the most important determinants for the governance of a country.
o   Along with quantity of voting i.e. high voting turnouts we also need quality in voting i.e. individuals with honesty and integrity entering legislature.
o   In pronouncing the 10th July, 2013 judgment that banned convicted MPs and MLAs from continuing in office, the Supreme Court of India along with persistent perseverance of civil society organizations achieved in one day what the Election Commission of India had not been able to achieve for decades.  
 Ranchi, 15th Feb 2014: The first day of the 10th Annual Conference on Electoral and Political Reforms, being organised by National Election Watch (NEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), sees the Election Commissioner Mr. H.S Brahma gracing the occasion with an extended speech covering issues concerning the current electoral and political system in the country. He speaks on the following issues while also providing his valuable views –
·         Not much has been done with respect to political reforms. Issues of financial transparency and internal democracy with regard to political parties are of paramount importance for accountable and strong delivery based governance in the country.
·          Civil society organizations can play an important role in elections by disseminating background information on candidates contesting elections and by popularizing the NOTA (None of the above) button in EVMs.
·         NOTA is a strong instrument that has been made available to voters. In the Chhattisgarh 2013 Assembly elections, NOTA was used in large numbers. In the coming years NOTA will assume greater criticality.
·         Current rules do not allow the Election Commission to investigate election affidavits and also the commission does not have the power to monitor expenses made by parties and candidates before the nomination process begins.
·         India needs a larger number of strong think tanks working in the area of electoral and political reforms, much like those in developed nations; Very few think-tanks in India currently are of world class standard.

Mera Vote Mera Desh (MVMD) Campaign: At the conference, the coordinators of various state chapters of National Election Watch shared their plans for ADR’s nationwide campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha 2014 elections. The campaign will be carried out on all possible means of communication be it digital (social media, web based), electronic (TV, FM radio) and other outdoor avenues of advertising. The objectives of the campaign are

·         To disseminate the findings of the ADR survey (largest survey ever conducted in India in about 530 Lok Sabha constituencies)
1)      to ascertain the real issues of voters around the country
2)     to assess the real performance of MPs as assessed by voters in their constituencies (based on a set of parameters)
·         To disseminate background information of candidates who will be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections
·         To make voters aware of the link between electoral evils such as bribing by candidates and bad governance.  
·         To popularize among voters provisions such as NOTA in EVM etc
 Please find attached copies of following ADR reports, released at the annual conference-

  1. Sources of Funding of Major Parties of Jharkhand
  2. Election Expenditure of Jharkhand parties during Jharkhand Assembly Elections, 2009

National Election Watch
Media and Journalist Helpline

+91 80103 94248
Mr Anil Verma
Head

National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms
+91 8826479910

Prof Jagdeep Chhokar
IIM Ahmedabad (Retd)
Founder Member National Election Watch, Association for Democratic Reforms
+919999620944

Prof Trilochan Sastry
IIM Bangalore
Founder Member,
National Election Watch,
Association for Democratic Reforms
+919448353285,

Dr Ajit Ranade,
Founder Member,
National Election Watch,
Association for Democratic Reforms
+9702215312

– 
Association for Democratic Reforms
“Kiwanis Centre”, 4th Floor,
B-35, Qutub Institutional Area
(Near Rockland Hospital)
New Delhi-110 016
M: +91 8010394248 
T: +91 11 41654200/01/02/03
F: 011 4609 424

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Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2013 helps raise over Rs 4.15 crore for charity

15022014
Inline images 1
Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2013 helps raise
over Rs 4.15 crore for charity
                                                   FEBRUARY 14, 2014
It was another record-breaking edition of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. The 6th edition of the world’s most prestigious half marathon not only witnessed a record number of participants on December 15, 2013, but also saw the charity platform associated with the event garner the highest amount of funds.
The selfless efforts put in by the citizens of Delhi and other parts of the country to raise charity for causes of their choice, is ample evidence that their heart not only beats for sport, health and fitness, but also cares for the less fortunate.
The charity drive associated with the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, spearheaded by official Charity Partner, Concern India Foundation, helped cross the Rs 4-crore mark again, raising Rs. 4.15 crore towards charity, the highest figure in the history of the event.
The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon is developing into the capital city’s most awaited sporting and social event and like previous editions, the event has helped bring Delhi together like never before. People from all strata of society shared a common platform in a celebration of the human spirit. Each Participant who finished on time and even the ones who did not, on the race day, were winners in their own way.
Every single person associated with the event gave their best to ensure that the Race Day was an operational success. Title sponsors Airtel showed the way with their vision and belief and left no stone unturned in their efforts to spread the message of friendship to every part of Delhi and its surroundings. The concerted, selfless efforts from the officials of departments that coordinate the governance of Delhi, provided the base for promoters Procam International and its volunteers to ensure that the mammoth operation of putting together the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon went off well.
The event also proved to be a great platform for the country to give towards causes. Money raised showed a Rs 11 lakh growth from last year’s figure of Rs 4.04 crore, grossing above Rs. 4.15 crore and counting. This was announced by Kavita Shah of Concern Indian Foundation the official Charity Partner at a Press Meet and Greet session at the Hotel Le Meridien, the official hosts, on Friday.
In the six years of the event, since 2008, the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon has helped raise a total of Rs. 18.42 crore for charity.
Sharing the stage with Concern India Foundation was Shri Ajit M. Sharan, Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, who officially released the Charity Docket. Also present on the occasion was Meena Bhatia, Vice President, Marketing & Operations, Le Meridien and Vivek B Singh of Procam International, the promoters of the event.
Shri Ajit M. Sharan said on the occasion: “I appreciate all the fund raisers here who contributed in the various causes. I also complement Mr. Vivek B Singh, Jt. MD of Procam International who initiated this platform to raise funds for the causes. I believe that this is just a beginning, this country has immense potential to work together for various issues and causes.”
Concern India Foundation, as the official charity partner will start distributing the funds among the participating NGOs as per the specific contributions pledged by the corporates and individual donors.
The Season of Giving: The Corporate Challenge was completely sold out, with 79 companies fielding 102 teams. Together these teams raised more than Rs 2.70 crore (Rs. 2,70,71,647).
Fluor Daniel won the “Company with Highest Employee Contribution” tag, raising Rs 1.75 lakhs in support of Khushboo Welfare Society.
Four Dream Challengers (Ajay Bakaya, Dhruv Bhagat, M. P. Deepu, and Richard Rekhy) and 19 Dream Makers together raised over Rs. 96.92 lakh this year.
Richard Rekhy and PVV Srinivasa Rao were the highest pledge raisers in the Dream Team this year, raising a stunning Rs 16.54 lakhs and Rs 5.14 lakhs in favour of Concern India Foundation and Bharti Foundation respectively. Madhur Dhupar, at 14 years of age, emerged the Youngest Dream Teamer and raised Rs 2.03 lakh in support of Concern India Foundation.
The I Pledge category chipped in with their bit, and the single largest pledge raiser was Priyanain Sawhney, who raised Rs 2.46 lakhs in support of Aarth Astha, followed by Ian McBride, who raised 2.16 lakh in support of Etasha Society.
Bharti Foundation emerged the highest pledge raising corporate foundation once again with Rs 1.26 crore, while Khushboo Welfare Society was the highest pledge raising NGO with Rs 16.35 lakhs.

Following are the Dream Challengers (Individuals who made a commitment to raise a minimum of Rs 4 lakhs for their given cause): Richard Rekhy,  raised Rs 16,54,502 in support of the Concern India Foundation; Ajay Bakaya, raised Rs.10,36,240 in support of the Pragati; M. P. Deepu raised Rs.5,35,941 in support of the Bharti Foundation.

Following is the list of Dream Makers (Individuals who made a commitment to raise a minimum of Rs 1.5 lakh for their given cause):
PVV Srinivasa Rao; Ajay Chitkara; Madhur Dhupar.
As the official charity partner, Concern India Foundation will ensure that the funds are disbursed to 70 NGO’s as earmarked by each individual runner or company. The funds raised through the marathon will help reach out to thousands of needy people all over India helping a wide range of causes.
“I would, wholeheartedly, like to thank the participants of Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, who come together year after year and spend so much time and energy to make a difference in the lives of the less privileged. We hope you continue to help those working for the development of our country by supporting their commitment to raising funds, awareness and hope for a brighter tomorrow.” said Kavita Shah, CEO, Concern India Foundation.

Concern India Foundation is a registered, non-profit charitable trust working towards its objective of ‘Helping People Help Themselves’ by making the disadvantaged self-reliant. Set up in 1991, its supports over 270 programmes across India, working in the areas of education, health and community development Through various forms of financial and non financial support, Concern India Foundation helps bring about a positive change in the lives of cover 2,75,000 destitute children, youth, differently abled people, women and the aged each year, thereby enabling them to lead a life of dignity.

The tremendous response from the people of India to the charity drive associated with the event has proved that they share the belief and vision of the people behind the event. Though eight years is an apt yardstick by any standards to gauge that the event has stood the test of time, it is the support and backing of the people at large that secures its future for years to come.

Title Sponsor: Bharti Airtel

Supported by the Government of Delhi & Sports Authority of India

Under the aegis of the Athletic Federation of India (AFI)

Promoted by Procam International


For further information, please contact:

Concern Indian Foundation
Gunjan Lal – 011-41622511
Procam International - Bruno Goveas – +91 98201 85612
Concept PR – Animesh Biswas +91 9891789639;
    Abhay Pratap Singh +91 9818413169
at

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