On World Diabetes Day - First-ever Diabetic Food Trail to be Launched Across India

The Diabetic Food Trail - Conceptualised and presented by Semora Entertainment Works; the unique initiative has been supported by Britannia NutriChoice, one of India’s top health brands today, along with Biocon,India's largest and fully-integrated, innovation-led biopharmaceutical company and Zomato, a leading local restaurant guide and would promote it among its users.  

The Diabetic Food Trail is all set to offer Diabetics, Pre-Diabetics and Health conscious individuals, a wonderful culinary experience at over 100 restaurants across Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. Beginning on the occasion of World Diabetes Day – November 14, this unique initiative will add a whole new flavour to the term ‘eating out’. Acclaimed and celebrated chefs at some of the most popular dining establishments will showcase their culinary skills to present special ‘Diabetic friendly’ menus that would be complete, with nutritious and delicious choices, thus allowing patrons to indulge without worry.

Eating right is vital if you’re trying to prevent or control diabetes. While exercise is important, what you eat has the biggest impact when it comes to managing diabetes. It may come as a surprise that the nutritional needs are virtually the same as any other person, no special foods or complicated diets are necessary. In conjunction with medication and exercise, DIET plays a critical role in ensuring a diabetic individual’s level of good health. The food trail features 100+ Top Restaurants, who’s Chefs have designed a special diabetic- friendly menu, just for people with diabetes. A menu that is not only diabetic-friendly, but also healthy and delicious enough, that the whole family will appreciate and can partake of. A menu comprising well-balanced, tasty and nutritious meals prepared by the Top Chefs of the city. To provide this burgeoning segment of the urban Indian population a taste of varied, delicious and healthy culinary choices that adhere to the calorific and dietary requirements of diabetics – at some of the best and most popular restaurants across the country.

As Seema Pinto – Director, Semora Entertainment Works and the brain behind this initiative says. “One of the primary objectives of channeling this initiative through restaurants was to dispel the notion of ‘healthy food cannot be tasty food’, and influencing the Food Industry to recognise the need of ‘diabetic friendly’ menus, given that we will be a country of 80 million diabetics by 2030 (World Health Organisation estimates).” The chefs from our restaurant partners have conjured up novel gourmet dishes whilst some recipes and menus were re-engineered from their existing dishes to suit the recommended diet and within the calorific values. Every effort has been made by the Chefs to ensure the food is tasty and suitable to the Indian Palate.

The Menus include sugarfree desserts, appetizers, Entrees and much more. All dishes under the Diabetic Menu during the promotion will provide complete nutritional information, including carbs and calories, to make a diabetics choice easier when selecting a particular dish.

Zomato’s primary focus in partnering in this initiative is to give a healthy food choice to every person visiting their site. "At Zomato, we look to create delightful customer experiences, and partnering with Semora on the Diabetic Food Trail is another step in that direction. We're constantly looking for ways to make every meal, for everyone, a great experience. With this partnership users can now make informed and healthy dining decisions." said Pramod Rao, SVP, Growth, Zomato.

A diabetes diet is simply a healthy eating plan that is high in nutrients, low in fat with little or no sugar, and moderate in calories. It is a healthy diet for anyone! The Diabetic Food Trail is her to make a big difference for not only Diabetics but also people who are health conscious or pre-diabetic.

“Biocon has been making a difference to the life of millions of diabetics for over a decade. As a compassionate, caring and responsible company our efforts are aimed at sensitizing people through a holistic diabetes management and life style modification program. Our association with the Diabetic Food Trail initiative resonates our efforts toward highlighting the importance of a balanced diet in managing diabetes effectively. Our endeavour is to empower many more ‘people with diabetes’ the ability to ‘win with diabetes’ through lifestyle modification, healthy diet and regular exercise.” Dr. Subir K Basak, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Business Excellence, Biocon.

“We are thrilled to showcase healthy meals for diabetic customers through this initiative. This project is very close to my heart since I’m a person with diabetes and know the challenges we face when we are out on work for meetings and need to have a meal, or when going out to dine with family and friends. This initiative is a collaborative effort to spread the word that we CARE for our health and we ACT on it.”, says Seema Pinto, adding that “We are dedicated to provide healthy, delicious, diabetic friendly food options to the food lovers and sincerely appreciate our partners, Britannia NutriChoice and Zomato for supporting us, in this pioneering venture, along with all the participating restaurants”.

So if you are diabetic, eating out or going to an event can pose special challenges. But now with 100+ restaurants to choose from, serving all kinds of cuisines, during the Diabetic Food Trail, you can have a delicious meal and feel good too.

The Diabetic Food Trail is all set to offer Diabetics, Pre-Diabetics and Health conscious individuals, a wonderful culinary experience at over 100 restaurants across Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore.

Rajasthan Brings Out eGovernance and IT/ITeS Policy 2015

The Chief Minister and Government of Rajasthan have released the Rajasthan eGovernance and IT/ITeS Policy 2015 on November 5, 2015. The previous IT and ITeS Policy was released in the year 2007, which aimed at leveraging Information Technology for implementing eGovernance initiatives benefitting the residents. Since then, multiple highly successful eGovernance initiatives have been implemented.

The advancements and reshaping of technological domain with changes in economic and regulatory frameworks necessitate a revision in the prevalent IT policy. Understanding the same, and to ensure maximum development and benefits till the last mile, the Chief Minister announced release of new eGovernance and IT/ITeS Policy 2015 with strong emphasis on development of public, government departments and promotion of IT/ITeS/ESDM/Robotics sector.

The eGovernance and IT/ITeS Policy 2015 prepared by Department of Information Technology n Communication in compliance of the Budget Announcement was released on05 November 2015.

The policy has 4 main objectives:

1.  Information Technology for Good Governance

2.  IT/ITeS/ESDM related Human Capital Development

3. Promotion of Economic Development of State by enhanced investment in IT/ITeS/ESDM/Robotics Sector

4.  Establishing Secure and Green IT Environment in Rajasthan

For the first time, ESDM, Manufacturing and Robotics sector have been added to the policy. In addition, for the first time, the state has taken a step to provide complete exemption from Zoning Regulations and Land Conversion to the IT/ITeS Sector.

The policy aims at promoting hassle free access for common man, to the government, service delivery till the last mile, establishing IT Infrastructure till the village level establishing access to everyone and establishing Rajasthan as the frontrunner in promotion of the IT Sector. 

The State Government obtained public opinion and expert support from technical experts, academician, institutions and industry for developing the policy. The details have been finalized after detailed discussion and deliberation with residents, subject matter experts, IT industry, Government Departments and media representatives.

ICL Brasil Use Honeywell’s Experion Orion Console for Faster Effective Response and Less Fatigue

Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) has announced that a large chemical facility in Brazil will be the first in the world to use Honeywell’s state-of-the-art Experion Orion Console, which is designed with plant operating personnel in mind by providing a single visual workplace that allows for more effective responses and less operator fatigue.

ICL Brasil will use the Experion Orion Console as well as Honeywell’s Universal I/O technology to modernize its production facility in Cajati, near Sao Paulo. The upgrades are meant to increase production, improve efficiency and improve the effectiveness of the plant operators.

“This project reflects ICL Brasil’s bold and pioneering vision for its business by better helping its operators perform their jobs, reducing costs and saving time on the overall project,” said Francisco Casulli, HPS business leader for Brazil. “Experion Orion truly changes the concept of ‘plant operations’ by transforming the process operators into profit operators. These operators not only understand how the plant works, but how to make it run more efficiently and profitably.”

Experion Orion Console – built on Honeywell’s flagship Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) control platform – features an improved ergonomic design, better displays, and stronger capabilities to meet the needs of increasingly mobile plant operators. “The Cajati plant has been an important part of our company’s success for almost 30 years,” said Arnaldo Dias Jr., industrial manager of ICL Brasil. “For this upgrade, we needed technology that would help us boost our competitiveness and improve our leading position as the premier manufacturer of phosphoric acid. Honeywell’s technology will enable us to do that.”

While ICL Brasil is the first major facility to install the Experion Orion Console, HPS has similar projects ongoing at chemical plants, refineries, mines and other production sites around the world in countries such as Chile, Mexico, the United States, Korea, Australia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

The console features a large, ultra-high definition display with clear status readings of operations in a single glance for faster and more-informed management. Operators can customize displays to prioritize data that is needed for a given process or operation. The display also can be set to show operating limits and targets. Touchscreen displays help operators quickly and accurately respond to changing conditions. Additionally, the console features adjustable sitting and standing operating positions to reduce fatigue. The console was developed using the Honeywell User Experience, a new approach to the design and development of new products focused on making them easier to use, more intuitive, more efficient, and more productive.

Use of Honeywell’s Universal I/O (input/output) technology will speed project schedules, reduce production downtime, and help plant personnel more efficiently manage operations by reducing the stock of spare parts.

In parallel, the Universal I/O modules play a critical role in helping start operations on time by allowing operators to quickly and remotely configure channels as digital or analog. This allows the system to become operational as soon as the points are set, and eliminates the need to re-open panels to replace cards or adjust wiring even if there are changes later in the project. Finally, using Universal I/O modules allows plants to reduce the number of spares that are needed, which is important for large projects such as the ICL Brasil upgrade, which can have more than 10,000 I/O points. This translates to significant savings on inventory and storage costs.

ICL Brasil is a global manufacturer of products based on special minerals that meet the essential needs of humanity.

Indian Data Center Infrastructure Market to Reach $2 Billion in 2016

The Indian data center infrastructure market will total $2 billion in 2016, a 5.2 percent increase from 2015, according to Gartner, Inc. Analysts are providing the latest trends shaping the future of the data center market, and the impact of emerging technologies on organizations’ mission critical priorities, at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, taking place here through November 5. 

“Within the Indian IT infrastructure market, server revenue is forecast to reach $698 million in 2016, an increase of 5.3 percent over 2015. Enterprise networking will continue to be the biggest segment with revenue expected to touch $963 million in 2016,“ said Aman Munglani, research director at Gartner. “This segment will also be the fastest growing market, as spending is forecast to increase 5.9 percent in 2016. With increased focus on mobility and big data activities in India, software defined networking has the highest adoption rate amongst Indian enterprises.”

The storage market is projected to reach $307 million in 2016, a 3 percent increase from 2015. Storage modernization and consolidation, backup and recovery, and disaster recovery are some of the key drivers to this market, and they are likely to remain relevant drivers over the forecast period through 2019.

The strong push towards cloud based infrastructure as a service (IaaS) from within the SMB segment will negate the increase in storage spend within the enterprise space. While it is the early days, Gartner also expects the emerging hyper converged integrated systems and storage technologies based on software-defined storage to encroach on the traditional ECB storage market.

State PSU Canara Bank Q2, 2015-16 Net Down 16 Percent

State-run Canara Bank has posted Rs.529 crore net profit for the second quarter (July-September) of this fiscal (2015-16), registering a 16 percent decline from Rs.629 crore in the like period a year ago.

In a regulatory filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the city-based bank said, sequentially, however, net profit increased 10 percent from Rs.479 crore in the first quarter (April-June) of this fiscal.

Net interest income, the difference between interest earned and expended, grew 11.7 per cent to ₹2,646 crore (₹2,367 crore in the year-ago quarter). Operating profit rose 19 per cent to ₹1,944.10 crore (₹1,625.54 crore).

The bank made a 49 per cent increase in provisioning at ₹1,212.31 crore (₹813.70 crore). Gross net performing assets (NPAs) for the quarter rose 54 per cent to ₹14,021.34 crore (₹9,164.26 crore). Net NPAs were up 31 per cent at ₹9,382.53 crore (₹7,170.30 crore). Gross NPAs as percentage of advances stood at 4.27 per cent, while net NPAs were higher at 2.90 per cent.

Fresh slippages stood at around ₹2,000 crore during the quarter. “We have been able to control fresh slippages and have strengthened the provision coverage ratio (PCR) to 59.8 per cent,” said Rakesh Sharma, MD and CEO, Canara Bank. The bank has strengthened the recovery process and aims to bring down the GNPAs to less than 4 per cent by March 2016, Sharma adds. 

Ravisankaran, Manoj Kumar take Charge as New GMs at BEL Ltd

Two new General Managers (GMs) have assumed charge at Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL). They are A Ravisankaran, GM (Central DnE)/BEL-Bengaluru, and Manoj Kumar, GM (BEL-Kotdwara).

A Ravi Sankaran, GM Central (DnE)/BEL-Bengaluru, completed his BE degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirapalli, in 1981. He joined BEL’s Bengaluru Complex after completing post graduation (M.Tech) from IIT-Kanpur in 1983.

Ravi Sankaran has worked extensively in Radar development projects including RAWS-03 and Flycatcher Upgrade, for which he received the BEL R&D Award. As Head of the Development & Engineering Department at the Military Radar SBU of BEL-Bengaluru, he was engaged in the joint development of Air Defence Fire Control Radar with LRDE for the Army, till his elevation as GM.

Manoj Kumar, the new GM of BEL’s Kotdwara Unit, graduated in Electronics & Communication Engineering (BE) from Karnataka Regional Engineering College, Surathkal (now NITK), and joined BEL’s Ghaziabad Unit in February 1985 as Probationary Engineer.

He started his career in the Sales Communication Department of BEL-Ghaziabad and was involved in the trials and introduction of Digital Mobile Troposcatter equipment into the Services. He moved into Quality Assurance and served in the Inward Goods Inspection and Test Equipment Support departments. He later worked in the Marketing (Radar) Division, where he was involved in the induction of INDRA Mk II and Reporter Radars.

In the year 2002, Manoj Kumar was transferred to Systems Department, where he played a pivotal role in the implementation of POLNET and Mobile Cellular Communication System projects. He then moved to the National Marketing Division at BEL’s Delhi Regional Office to take care of BEL’s Naval business. He was Additional General Manager (Navy/National Marketing)/BEL Regional Office-Delhi, before his elevation as GM. 

JDA & Tata Consultancy Partner for Fast, Reliable and Cost Effective Manufacturing Planning 9.0

JDA Software Group, Inc. has announced it has partnered with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to launch an offering to help facilitate solution upgrades to the latest release of JDA Manufacturing Planning, version 9.0.  Together, JDA and TCS will provide customers with a pre-packaged upgrade program for customers so they can leverage the new capabilities in JDA Manufacturing Planning 9.0. JDA Manufacturing Planning enables companies to create a seamless, highly adaptive supply chain that spans upstream suppliers and downstream distributors, enabling an agile and profitable response as demand and supply conditions change.

“TCS’ global presence and its large JDA consulting practice will help offer JDA customers an opportunity to upgrade in a timely manner, reliably and cost-effectively,” said David Johnston,  senior vice president of supply chain, JDA. “JDA’s long-standing alliance with TCS, combined with their extensive experience with JDA supply chain solutions, makes them the ideal partner as we migrate our customers to the JDA Manufacturing 9.0, helping our customers create a more agile, risk-aware supply chain.”

With the release of JDA Manufacturing Planning 9.0, JDA customers can now take their supply chain solution to the next level of business performance, enabling seamless and profitable supply chains. Customers can derive significant business value, leveraging the very best of supply chain in-memory technology, faster speed, next generation forecasting algorithms, rapid what-if simulations with guided resolution levers, and a dramatically improved user experience. JDA customers with up-to-date maintenance and support agreements can access the latest version of their solution components from JDA without any additional charge.

“This joint offering embodies TCS’ deep commitment to client centricity and co-innovation in solutions through proactive investments in technology said Krishnan Ramanujam, vice president and global head, Consulting & Enterprise Solutions of TCS. “JDA’s technology product range is a key enabler of TCS’ service and solution offerings and we look forward to providing our customers with best-in-class services.”

TCS is speaking at JDA FocusConnect 2015 this week, on Thursday, November 4 at 2 p.m. with JDA in the session entitled “JDA Manufacturing Planning Upgrades: JDA Supply Chain Planner to JDA Enterprise Supply Planning in 90 days!” JDA FocusConnect is being held at the Hotel Arts Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, and brings together more than 500 retail and supply chain professionals to share best practices in supply chain, manufacturing and retail planning, store operations and category management.