Apollo Tyres to raise Rs.800 cr via shares selling

Business & Economy

Board approves an increase in the limit of foreign institutional investment

The company’s shares rose as much as 2.5% after the announcement, before closing at Rs 92.15, down 0.32%, in Mumbai trading. /  Photo: Mint

Chennai: 

Apollo Tyres Ltd, India’s top tyre maker, will raise as much as Rs.800 crore by selling shares to institutional investors.

Shares rose as much as 2.5% after the announcement, before closing at Rs.92.15, down 0.32%, in Mumbai trading. The benchmark Sensex gained 0.33% to 18,823.91 points.
The company also got its board’s approval to increase the limit of foreign institutional investment to 40% from the existing 30%, it said in regulatory filings.
Since the firm raised the overseas investment limit, it might sell shares at Rs.90 each, according to Rajen Shah, chief investment officer at brokerage Angel Broking Ltd.
“This will help woo investors,” Shah said. “Also, things are going well for the tyre industry.”
The tyre industry is in a great position now as rubber prices have cooled and the replacement market is firm, Shah said. “We expect Apollo Tyre to clock a 15% increase in its topline (revenue) to Rs.12,000 crore in FY13.”
Other tyre manufacturers such as  JK Tyre and Industries Ltd and Ceat Ltd are also likely to raise money through similar means, he said.
Company officials were not available for comment.
source: http://www.LiveMint.com / Home> Companies / by Arundhati Ramanathan / Monday, October 01st, 2012

Giving, with food and music

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

 A number of the city’s celebrities will be at the forefront of the ‘Joy of Giving’ celebrations / Photo: V. Ganesan / The Hindu

A 100-metre chocolate cake with photographs depicting the musical journey of Ilayaraja will just be one of the highlights of the Joy of Giving week this year.

The celebrations that commence from tomorrow, will start at Express Avenue Mall, where the cake will be unveiled in a gala event.

A series of events have been planned to mark the celebration in the city, actor Suhasini Maniratnam told media persons here on Monday.

To spread the spirit of cheer, volunteers will welcome passengers at the Central railway station on Tuesday, after which other events are scheduled to take place.

Musician Sudha Raghunathan, along with a group of vocalists will perform at corporation schools as an attempt to acquaint children from under privileged backgrounds to classical music. The artists, this year, will also take music to inmates of the Puzhal prison.

As part of the celebrations, Chennai Mission, an NGO along with Banyan will launch ‘Kind People, Happy City,’ a movement to sensitise people to the needs of homeless people.

The best hotels in the city will showcase their culinary talent and skills at ‘Battle of the Buffet’ on 6th October 2012 at Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, to raise funds for over 100 NGOs in Chennai. Musicians Srinivas and Sudha Raghunathan along with other famous singers, will perform live during the event.

The funds raised from the events would be donated to different NGOs.

“We aim to raise Rs. 2 crore this time,” said M. Mahadevan, chairman, Oriental Cuisines, one of those at the forefront of the movement here.

Nina Reddy, executive director, Savera Hotels, has initiated ‘cooking for a cause,’ that will cater to the needs of NGOs.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / October 02nd, 2012

Prime Minister’s daughter in Trichy to explore temple heritage

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

Trichy:

Upinder Singh, the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, and her husband Vijay Tankha came to Trichy on Saturday morning and visited the three famous temples and the Grand Anaicut, Kallanai. They will continue to Thanjavur from Trichy on Sunday morning.

The couple landed in Trichy railway junction around 6.30 am on Saturday by a Madurai Express train. They drove straightaway to Circuit House in Trichy amid security from the Special Protection Group (SPG) and the local police. Following a brief stay at Circuit House, their trip started with a visit at the Rockfort temple around 8.30 am. They climbed the steps and reached atop the hill, capturing scenes all along with their camera. They worshipped Sri Uchipillaiyar and Sri Thayumanaswamy on the hill. After finishing their visit in Rockfort temple, they descended after more than one-and-a-half hours. Then they proceeded to the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple around 11 am.

Srirangam temple executive officer (EO) S Kalyani and other officials welcomed the guests of honour and arranged for a special darshan. “Both of them were inquisitive about the sculptures and structures of the temple, which dates back many eras. They enjoyed visiting the ‘Thousand Pillar hall’. We arranged for a translator to explain the features of the temple in Hindi. They had already done research on this subject before coming here,” Kalyani told TOI.

Their next trip was to Thiruvanaikaval Sri Jambukeshwarar temple. They had darshan in the temple and left for Circuit House around 12.30 pm. After a short stay there, they visited Grand Anaicut in Kallanai around 5 pm.

They will visit Thanjavur on Sunday morning and reach Chennai by October 5 after visiting Chidambaram, Cuddalore and Kancheepuram, said the police.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.com / Home> City> Madurai / TNN, September 30th, 2012

Plea to make salt industry a part of agriculture sector

Business & Economy

Madurai, SEPT. 30:

A.R.A.S. Dhanabalan, President, Tuticorin Small-Scale Salt Manufacturers Association, has made a plea re-vitalise the salt industry and to include it as part of the agriculture sector.

Speaking in Tuticorin, he urged initiatives in this regard, so that the industry could enjoy the benefits of subsidy schemes on par with the agriculture.

Both agriculture and salt industry are dependent on water and it is high time that salt manufacturing is included in agriculture.

In the US , salt production is part of agriculture sector, he pointed out. Salt is manufactured on 30,000 acres in Tuticorin and 60 per cent is meant for edible purpose and the rest for industrial uses.

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Home> Industry & Economy/ our Correspondent / Madurai, September 30th, 2012

Chettinad’s fiery flavours

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Have a yearning for rice or dishes prepared from rice? The ongoing Chettinad Food Festival at The Gateway Hotel is the right place for you.

One can have spicy rasam as a starter, move on to coriander rice, boiled rice, idiappam (string hoppers) and rice pancakes. The meal can be ended with another sweet rice preparation (boiled dried rice) and yoghurt.

“A complete Chettinad meal would have some sweetness, spiciness and sourness. Chettinad food uses coconut oil sparingly and is comparatively less spicy compared to typical south Indian food. The cuisine also uses sun-dried and salted vegetables, seeds and fruits to enhance their flavour,” according to executive chef Saratchandra Banerji.

Although the Chettiars are well-known for their delicious vegetarian preparations, their recipes also include fish and meats. Rice, more specifically par boiled rice, is the basic accompaniment to most Chettinad dishes. Apart from being cooked, it is also ground and made into idlis and dosa, small bits of fermented rice ‘panniyarams’ and appam (rice pancakes).

Another Chettiar speciality is the iddiappam (string hoppers) which is made from extruded from ground rice like noodles to make a nest shape. Authentic Chettinad food includes ingredients from South East Asia that the Chettiar men brought home to India with them such as star anise, a typical Chinese spice and red rice from Burma. Other fragrant spices include: coriander, turmeric, cumin, pepper, fenugreek and cinnamon.

Eating off a banana leaf adds to the authenticity of Chettinad food. Rice is served with dal and a bit of ghee, then come the condiments like sambar, puli kulambu, rasam, thairu and lastly the sweet payasam.

The hotel has roped in the services of Saraswathi and Kali Muthu from Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu for the festival. The festival, which is on at GAD restaurant, is available for buffet dinner from 7.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. till October 7.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam, September 29th, 2012

Rochelle Maria Rao spreads smiles !

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders

PFMI International 2012 Rochelle Maria Rao visited an NGO to talk about the evils of child labour

Beauty queen titles and social work go hand in hand, and PFMI International 2012 Rochelle Maria Rao is one of those who takes her societal commitments very seriously. As the goodwill ambassador of Smile Foundation’s vow against child labour, Rao visited one of the NGO’s project centres in Mumbai recently. There, she met the teachers and social workers and spoke to them about why no child should be left out of school.

To welcome her, children from the centre performed a special dance and she joined them in the performance. Later, she said, “I am motivated by their dedication towards empowering children with the help of education. The work they do to bring hope and happiness in the lives of these underprivileged children is commendable. This has inspired me immensely to do good work and spread more smiles.”

Commenting on the association, Santanu Mishra, Co-Founder and Executive Trustee of Smile Foundation, said, “Rochelle Rao is a worthy winner of this title and we are extremely glad that she is supporting one of our core areas — of sending every child to school.”

source: http://www.feminamissindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Miss India> News / TNN, September 29th, 2012

‘Western Ghats: Hidden Treasures’ photo expo from October 1

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

To mark the World Wildlife Week celebrations, a month-long photo exhibition and series of events titled ‘The Western Ghats: Hidden Treasures’ will be held at Siruthuli’s Noyyal Life Centre on the Valankulam – Sungam Bypass Road from October 1.

According to Siruthuli, an NGO involved in conservation of water bodies and ecology, the Green NGOs of Coimbatore are taking steps to create awareness about the rich bio-diversity of Western Ghats as part of World Wildlife Week celebrations.

Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) from Valparai, a non-profit organisation involved in science-based and socially responsible conservation of India’s wildlife and natural eco-systems, is joining hands with the Green NGOs of Coimbatore to celebrate the green wealth of Western Ghats through the exhibition.

The objective of the expo is to make people realise that they are on a green terrain with around 5,000 species of lowers, 500 species of birds, 130 species of mammals and 170 species of amphibians. It unveils the best vista of a life-time and is a sure soul-soothe, Siruthuli said in a release. The majestic Western Ghats that abuts Coimbatore is a home to this rich bio-diversity, which contains more than 30 per cent of all species found in India. But, urbanisation and human influence is putting a check on this treasure.

The expo will be open at the Noyyal Life Centre from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on all working days and more than 5,000 people are expected to visit the expo.

It will be inaugurated by S. Balaji, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Director of Tamil Nadu Forest Academy, in the presence of wildlife photographer and film maker Kalyan Varma. District Forest Officer V. Thirunavukkarasu will honour the forest heroes who had done exemplary service in protecting bio-diversity.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Special Correspondent / September 29th, 2012

New tea clone released for commercial production

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies

Coonoor (Tamil Nadu):

The Tea Research Foundation (TRF) Saturday released for commercial production a new tea clone, which is superior in quality, has more leaves and can be harvested mechanically.

“The new clone, termed TRF-5, has high yield potential, can survive a dry spell and is suitable for mechanised harvesting,” TRF director P. Mohan Kumar told IANS here.

Developed after extensive trials and field testing in select estates, the TRF-5 is a hybrid product of biclonal progenies.

“TRF-5 is suited to replace the aged or diseased seeding populations and for the re-plantation scheme of the Tea Board under the special purpose tea fund (SPTF),” Kumar said after releasing the variety at the planters’ annual conference here.

As the research arm of the United Planters’ Association of South India (Upasi), the foundation has identified six compatible graft partners to develop new bushes from the TRF-5 clones.

“Of the five clones we have developed in the past two decades, the TRF-5 has the second highest average yield – 6,126 kg per hectare as against 7,797 kg by TRF-1, which was released in 2000 for commercial production,” Kumar asserted.

The foundation has started distributing the new clone cuttings to estates in Tamil Nadu and Kerala to raise the plants for plucking as Orthodox or CTC (crush, tear and curl) leaves.

“We are registering TRF-5 with the Tea Board as an accepted clone for new planting or re-planting by small growers as well as large estates,” Kumar pointed out.

The foundation plans to first sell about 500-1,000 cuttings of TRF-5 to each tea garden in the three southern states and ship them to north-east estates after a couple of years.

According to the Tea Board estimates, about 50 percent of the 120,181 hectares across south India will be undergoing re-plantation during the next 5-10 years once the old plants (bushes) cross 50 years.

“TRF-5 will be one of the many clones we have developed over the years for re-plantation and rejuvenation of old gardens. In the first cycle of three years, the new clone will yield 2,455 kg per hectare (ha), 4,535 kg/ha in fourth year and 7,225 kg/ha in fifth year,” TRF assistant director R. Victor Ilango said.

To protect the new clone’s intellectual property (IP), the foundation will soon file for patenting it with the regulatory authorities.

“We are waiting for the government to extend the Protection of Plant Varieties Act and Farmers Right Act to plantation crops so that we can file for registering the new clone,” Kumar observed.

The protection will also enable the foundation and nurseries to earn royalty on each cutting of TRF-5 clone.

source: http://www.twocircles.net / Home> India News / September 29th, 2012

CM’s trophy athletics: Praveen emerges fastest

Sports

The second and final day of the CM’s trophy state level athletic meet belonged to established stars.

The gulf in class between experienced performers and newcomers from districts was clear, as the likes of Surendhar, Suresh, Prem Kumar, Gayathry, Saradha Narayanan, Saraswathy, Pappathi and Surya faced little competition. There were no surprises in the 15 finals conducted at the Nehru Stadium on Saturday.

V. Praveen Muthu Kumaran claimed the 100m gold comfortably. The Madurai boy, who is doing his graduation at Coimbatore’s PSG College, marked his first senior meet with a storming run.

Never once did he appear to be overawed by the presence of experienced campaigners in other lanes.

He had built up enough lead that the result was a foregone conclusion by the 80m mark. It was even easier for Saradha in the women’s short sprint. The Southern Railway runner strolled to the finish line as there was no one to push her.

Praveen said his confidence was sky high before and during the race. “I had a fine start. Then I found my rhythm to finish the job.

This title is special because it is my first at the senior level,” said Praveen, who had won gold in last week’s national junior inter-zone meet at Pune.

Saradha said there was no competition for her. “I knew it would be easy for me because most of the competitors were my juniors. I hope there would be stiffer challenges next year,” the articulate athlete said.

Suresh of Madurai made it two-in-a-row at the Nehru Stadium by winning the 110m hurdles in 14 seconds flat. Earlier this month, he had won the national open athletic championship.

G. Gayathri, on a comeback trail, nailed the women’s hurdles in 14.2 seconds.

J. Surendhar is a National Games gold medallist in the 110m but he proved his mettle in the triple jump. The versatile Chennai star, coached by M.V. Rajasekhar, finished on top with an effort of 16.01m.

“Even though I had trained for the triple jump only for a couple of days, I was able to cross 16 metres,” Surendhar, a Loyola student, said.

L. Suriya, a gold medallist in the 5,000m and the 10,000m at the open nationals, cantered to the 3,000m title. A. Pappathi, another national level achiever, scooped the 400m crown. Ace long jumper K. Prem Kumar, who had set a new national junior mark (7.96m) last Saturday, was in a class of his own as he added the CM’s trophy to his kitty with an effort of 7.61m.

Results

Men: 100m: 1. V. Praveen Muthu Kumaran (Madurai) 10.5s, 2. N. Vijayakumar (Chennai) 10.7, 3. M. Al Ameen (Ramanathapuram) 10.9. Long jump: 1. K. Prem Kumar (Thanjavur) 7.61m, 2. Wayne Peppin (Chennai) 7.34, 3. A. Rositto Sax (Tirunelveli) 7.17. 800m: 1. P. Francis Sahayaraj (Namakkal) 1:52.5s, 2. P. Karthik (Coimbatore) 1:54, 3. N. Padmanabhan (Kancheepuram) 1:56.6. Javelin: 1. G. Sathish (Kancheepuram) 60.47m, 2. H. Michael Justin (Tirunelveli) 60.05, 3. T. Suthish (Theni) 58.56. 110m hurdles: 1. A. Suresh (Madurai) 14s, 2. T. Balamurugan (Chennai) 14.1, 3. K. Premkumar (Cuddalore) 14.3. Shot put: 1. N. Shankar (Kancheepuram) 14.79m, 2. Santhosh Kumar (Tiruchy) 14.67, 3. Chidambaram (Thoothukudi) 13.76. Triple jump: 1. J. Surendhar (Chennai) 16.01m, 2. S. Mohammed Salahuddin (Coimbatore) 15.57, 3. D. Arivuselvan (Theni) 15.32.

Women: 100m: 1. Saradha Narayanan (Chennai) 11.8s, 2. S. Archana (TV Malai) 12.1, 3. R. Kowsalya (Coimbatore) 12.4. Javelin: 1. S. Saraswathy (Coimbatore) 46.92m, 2. R. Jothimani (Kancheepuram) 39.48, 3. P. Madhupriya (Karur) 39.20. 3,000m: 1. L. Suriya (Pudukottai) 9:48.3s, 2. S. Padmavathy (Coimbatore) 10:34.3, 3. A. Kaleeshwari (Namakkal) 11:01.2. 400m: 1. A. Pappathi (Tiruchy) 55.8s, 2. T. Renuka (Karur) 56.7, 3. T.S. Kavitha (Kancheepuram) 57.9. Long jump: 1. Delphin Rani (Thanjavur) 6.13m, 2. G. Karthika (Nagapattinam) 5.83, 3. Surekha Renjith (Chennai) 5.50. 100m hurdles: 1. G. Gayathry (Kancheepuram) 14.2s, 2. V. Hani (Chennai) 14.6, 3. Hema Sree (Coimbatore) 14.7. High jump: 1. G. Mary Shalini (Kancheepuram) 1.60m, 2. S. Shibani (Coimbatore) 1.55m, 3. M. Arockia Elizabeth Rose (TV Malai) 1.55. Discus: 1. U. Vasumathy (Kanyakumari) 41.72m, 2. E. Hema Priya (Thanjavur) 37.38, 3. V. Chitra (Tirunelveli) 36.32.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Sports> Others / by T.N. Raghu, DC, Chennai / September 30th, 2012

Exnora’s green drive in T. Nagar

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment

The ‘Green Dream T.Nagar’ project launched by Exnora to reduce pollution in the area. / The Hindu / by Special Arrangement

T. Nagar Exnora Women’s Club (TEXWOC), Sharma Park Walkers’ Exnora and Sarathy Street Padmanaba Street Civic Exnora jointly launched ‘Green Dream T. Nagar’ project for reducing pollution in the area through a mega tree planting.

The campaign, which is supported by the State Forest department and Chennai Corporation, was inaugurated by S. Sakthi, Zone Chairman, Zone 9, Chennai Corporation, and Shanthi, Councillor, Division 113.

The project aims at planting at least 1,000 trees in T. Nagar and the neighbouring areas.

As part of this project, Exnora launched a mega tree planting event at Padmanaba Street, T.Nagar. More than 50 trees were planted at Sivasailam Street, Sarathy Street, Sharma Park, Habibullah Road, Padmanaba Street (East) and Periyar Road.

The unique part of this programme is the ‘One tree one family’ motto, in which each tree will be adopted by a family. The objective is to ensure that the trees are well maintained and protected. Exnora will follow up the initiative after a year and the growth and health of the trees will be evaluated. Children of the family, whose trees are the best maintained, will get a certificate of appreciation and a ‘Tree Guardian’ citation from Exnora International.

Radhika Anand, president TEXWOC, shared her experience in successfully implementing a roof-top garden campaign in T. Nagar. “Pollution level in the city is increasing day-by-day, resulting in respiratory diseases. The only permanent solution to this problem is to substantially increase greenery. Along with tree planting, roof-top gardens should be promoted to achieve the necessary green cover.”

Mr. Anand Laxman, Senator, Exnora International, said, “In T. Nagar, the particulate matter and dust particle levels are the highest, making it the most polluted area in the city. The problem is exacerbated during festival seasons. Added to this, T. Nagar has lost more than 60 per cent of its green cover due to various construction projects, including the three flyovers.” The only solution to the pollution problem is to substantially increase greenery, he added.

R. Govindaraj, joint general secretary, Exnora International, said that global warming has become an imminent danger to our environment. In order to increase the rate of tree planting, people must go in for tree adoption.

Appreciating the efforts of TEXWOC, Sakthi said, “We have planned to initiate several such mega tree planting projects in T. Nagar and Teynampet along with Exnora.” Office-bearers of Civic Exnora units and members of resident welfare associations participated in the event.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / September 29th, 2012