The BCG project, which is supported by the United Nations' World Food Programme, the government of India and the government of Orissa, involves scanning finger prints and the iris for preparing biometric cards for a population of around 1 million. Srijan Pal Singh, an IIM-A student, who is part of the project, says the biometric cards will be filtered through a super computer to avoid duplications.
While the exact investment for the project, which is likely to come up in Jamnagar is not known, senior government officials say the company is looking to ink an agreement during the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit, to be held in January next year.
This will enable the firm, a wholly-owned subsidiary called CIIE Initiatives, to buy stakes in the companies that it incubates by investing its time and resources.
Tata Motors, which suspended work at the Nano plant in West Bengal's Singur in view of continued confrontation at the site early this month, has held talks with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over relocating the facility to the state.
ONGC Chairman R S Sharma, who was in Kutch in Gujarat recently to inaugurate the group's maiden foray into wind energy, said, "We are in talks with three to four players for our solar energy project." He said that various pilot projects were going on at the Energy Centre, which included geo-thermal energy. The Energy Centre was set up last year for carrying out research in alternate energy sources beyond oil and coal.
"A small hardware placed at the location will ensure that 100 metres around the area becomes the bluetooth hotspot, where people get an alert about promotional offers in the surrounding retail environment. The applications could be audio or video images, which can be downloaded and shown at the counter to avail of the discounts claimed by the message," says Gautam Jayaraman, head of sales at Value First.
The Certificate Programme in Business Administration offered by the Institutes of Management has not found favour with information technology companies.
In May 1992, ONGC handed over gas pipelines and marketing functions connected with natural gas to GAIL. However, it continues to be the marketing agency in certain isolated pockets.
ONGC currently supplies gas directly in isolated pockets of India, mainly in Gujarat and Assam, which contributes around Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) to ONGC's total marketing revenues. In May 1992, gas pipelines and marketing functions related to natural gas were transferred by ONGC to GAIL. However, there are certain isolated pockets where ONGC continues to be the marketing agency.
While some have announced setting up of a PE club for aspiring entrepreneurs, others plan courses, special lectures and seminars to create awareness about the booming sector. Students of the Post Graduate Programme for Executives at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, will go through a course on PE in their last term between December and February.
US-based foundation to set up Rs 20,000-crore Integrated SolarCity.
In a unique initiative, students from IIM-Ahmedabad will work with Communist Party of India - Marxist politburo member Sitaram Yechury and help in planning for the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme this year. They will be involved in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Provisions of the Right to Information Act will be analysed. Students will assess funds spent by the constituency and create a monitoring system.
ADAG slots Rs 1,200 cr for wind power plants
With around 50 students interested in being members, the club will be a forum for students interested in all aspects of private equity and venture capital. As part of formalising the club, the students are holding the first intra-institute event called the 'Zen of Investing', where the club plans to invite alumni working in the area of private equity, besides involving the faculty and students for the activity.
After supplying Micro Electrical Mechanical System-based (MEMS-based) Inertial Navigation System to the Navy and the Airforce, Whirlybird Electronics, the co-incubated company of Indian Institute Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), is looking for markets in the automation and automobile industry.
With oil flowing past $145 a barrel, leading companies in the country have lined up plans to explore opportunities in jatropha cultivation and prospects of biofuel. The companies are flocking to Gujarat, which has earmarked 1,900,000 acres in the Narmada region for the crop cultivation.
Two ex-IIT Kharagpur students have decided to come out of their comfortable professional zones to create a venture called 'Demazi', which would enable SMEs to create their own IT solution online at a minimal cost. SMEs owners can log on to the website and key in the requirments they need from the software.
Institutes are encouraging students to work hands-on with the underprivileged of society.
Nothing seems to dampen the spirit of Gujarat's textile industry when it comes to investments. Inspite of the issues arising due to rising input costs, the state government is expecting to witness MoUs worth Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) in textile sector at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor's Summit 2009. During the summit, the state government will be luring several textile machinery manufacturers from overseas to set up base in the state.
As corporate line up CSR activities backed by a huge cash flow, a small group of people lying below the poverty line are treading the road untravelled. As many as 27 marginalised salt pan workers, who earn their living in Kutch by producing salt from the area, are now proud owners of a private limited company called Sabras, formed a year ago.