In a first of its kind initiative and available only in Kolkata, mobile services provider Vodafone Essar, has launched the 'Sambhav' prepaid card, targeted at customers with hearing and speech disability.Available at Rs 151, the prepaid Sambhav card will enable the hearing impaired to communicate effectively using a cellphone. The card enables customers with hearing and speech disability to use mobile phones primarily for sending SMSes.
It's clear why Nayachara is the place now being favoured by the West Bengal government. Besides being sparsely populated (700-odd according to the highest government estimates), this is a community that is not "supposed to be here" and, therefore, presumably easy to shift out.
Lack of uniform parameters while ranking them is what irks B-schools. At last count, there were at least seven different rankings in print.
Saswat Chakraborti, head of G S Sanyal School of Telecommunications at IIT-KGP says: "We offered three short-term courses so far in 2007, and would introduce one more this December. We are planning several new courses targeted at B-tech graduates, industry professionals, as well as teachers from engineering institutes."
Information technology giant IBM is taking computer education to students from weaker sections of society in Kolkata. Five NGOs, CiniAsha, Divya Chaya, Calcutta Rescue, SPAN, and Pratyush identify and bring in students from various parts of Kolkata for training at the IBM centre.
The Nandigram fracas is taking a toll on placements at the oldest Indian Institute of Management (IIM), in Kolkata, with top-notch recruiters like Goldman Sachs deciding not to visit the campus this year for summer placements.
Although exports of gold jewellery have increased from Rs 5,220 crore (Rs 52.20 billion) during FY 2001 to Rs 23,516 crore (Rs 235.16 billion) during FY 2007 (source: Icra industry monitor), the export business has been constrained by an inability to compete in global markets on basis of price and superior design capabilities.
In an attempt to combat competition from local beauty and wellness salons, companies like Lakme, Habibs and VLCC are gearing up to offer specialised and upgraded services. According to market data, the beauty and wellness industry, which stands at Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) right now, was only Rs 400 crore (Rs 4 billion-)-strong in 2004.
It was the first company to launch sub-10,000 PCs five years ago forcing major PC makers to offer ultra-low cost entry-level models. Then it launched India's first laptop to be priced under Rs 20,000. And now, it has launched a 100cc motorcycle for under Rs 20,000. Xenitis has launched the mobike for Rs 19,990, with equated monthly instalments (EMIs) fixed at Rs 490.
Corporate sponsorships for B-school festivals are set to double and almost touch the Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) figure in 2008. While established annual festivals of B-schools in eastern India are likely to see a 20-30 per cent increase in sponsors and sponsorships, the newer B-school fests are likely to receive double the sponsorship amounts they received last year.
XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business and Human Resources, has drawn up a number of courses this financial year for companies to help combat attrition rate across industries. These are expected to help managers and senior-level executives, especially HR personnel and team-leaders, to understand ways to retain employees and manage teams effectively.
According to the latest report by AdEx India, a division of TAM Media Research, the growth in Internet portals' overall ad volume on TV during the period was dominated by 'Shopping Portals 'which recorded a maximum rise in advertisements per day. According to the report, average advertisements per day saw a rise of 240 per cent in January-August 2007 over the January-August 2006 figures.
The Indian SMEs have spent over $5 billion on telecom equipment and services last year. Further growth is expected from the cellular market which is set to grow at over 13 per cent.
The Sweden-based cosmetics company Oriflame is set to introduce 150 more products in India by next year, as competition among direct-selling companies in India rises with the entry of more multi-national players.
In one of the biggest such programmes, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta is investing Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) over three years in remodelling its campus to make room for 25 per cent more students and give it an international look.
While starting salaries range between Rs 8,000 and Rs 15,000, one can also start one's own business after gaining a few years of experience.
With growth in mobility and mobile penetration levels in tier II and III towns and cities, Microsoft India is looking at a larger chunk of its mobility business from these regions.
Kolkata-based Webel Mediatronics Ltd - a subsidiary of West Bengal Electronic Industry Development Corporation Limited, is planning to start manufacturing and designing motorised wheelchair and digital hearing aid
Kolkata Port Trust, the second largest port authority in the country, would be going in for a complete revamp of its operations in its drive to raise productivity.
DocuShare makes it easy for corporates to share ad hoc information more efficiently and allows organisations to do away with the time, labour, and cost of maintaining paper files.
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