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Gaja Capital Business Book Prize 2022: ‘How TTK Prestige Became a Billion Dollar Company’ among 10 nominees

Author Gita Piramal’s “Rahul Bajaj: An Extraordinary Life”, Mircea Raianu’s “Tata – The Global Corporation That Built Indian Capitalism” and Narotam Sekhsaria’s “The Ambuja Story” are among the 10 longlisted books for the fourth ‘Gaja Capital Business Book Prize’.

The longlist announced on Wednesday comprises books on “entrepreneurship, Indian family businesses, India’s digital tech revolution, important events in the Indian business landscape, economics and stories of personal success and failure covering the entire gamut of Indian business from independence to more recent, contemporary stories”, informed the organisers.

Other titles that made the cut include “Broke to Breakthrough: The Rise of India’s Largest Private Dairy Company” by Harish Damodaran, “Disrupt and Conquer: How TTK Prestige Became a Billion Dollar Company” by TT Jagannathan and Sandhya Mendonca, and “Harsh Realities: The Making of Marico” by Harsh Mariwala and Ram Charan.

“I’m confident the jury will curate an excellent reading list that should be on the bookshelves and desks of entrepreneurs, business owners and anyone interested in India’s growth potential.

I am especially hopeful that these interesting stories encourage young entrepreneurs to read and learn from the experience of others,” said Gopal Jain, co-founder and managing partner of Gaja Capital in a statement.

“As for writers, journalists, and entrepreneurs, this will continue to serve as a platform to share their stories and create a body of knowledge that others can leverage and build upon,” he added.

“The Struggle And The Promise: Restoring India’s Potential” by Naushad Forbes, “Xiaomi: How a Startup Disrupted the Market and Created a Cult Following” by Jayadevan PK, “Indomitable: A Working Woman’s Notes on Work, Life and Leadership” by Arundhati Bhattacharya, and “Maverick Effect: The Inside Story of India’s IT Revolution” by Harish Mehta are also in the contention for the coveted award.

The jury for the prize this year comprises stalwarts from the worlds of industry, investments, academia, public policy, and governance.

They will announce the shortlist in November 2022, and the winner in January 2023.

Instituted in 2019 to encourage Indian entrepreneurs, writers, and journalists to tell their stories for the world, the award offers prize money of Rs 15 lakh — making it the “biggest book prize” in the country to honour authors transforming the business ecosystem with their creativity.

Amrit Raj’s book “Indian Icon: A Cult Called Royal Enfield,” a gripping account of how a strong Indian brand became global, was the winner of the 2021 ‘Gaja Capital Business Book Prize’.

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Punjabi singing sensation AP Dhillon throws official ceremonial first pitch for baseball team Toronto Blue Jays

Former US Presidents including Obama & Bush as well as Hollywood elite like Tom Hanks have been part of Major League Baseball’s celebrity ritual of throwing the first pitch. The Canada-based crooner from Gurdaspur, was the chosen one at Robers Centre stadium, playing to the beats of his hit number Brown Munde.

In a first, Punjabi singer and artist AP Dhillon, who shot to fame with his chart-topping numbers like Brown Munde, Summer High and Fate, threw the official ceremonial first pitch for Canadian Major League Baseball team Toronto Blue Jays in their American League baseball match against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Roberts Centre stadium in Toronto on Tuesday night.

The Gurdaspur-born 29-year-old Dhillon, who is now based in Canada and does shows across the world, was donning a blue and white two-time Major League Baseball champions Toronto Blue Jays jersey, and accompanied the team’s mascot Ace on the pitch before making the official ceremonial first throw of the match.

Nxtra to be the first data center company in India to install Fuel cell technology

Fuel cell technology converts chemical energy from hydrogen and other fuels into electricity through an electrochemical reaction, not combustion, thereby reducing carbon footprint

Bharti Airtel’s subsidiary Nxtra Data Limited to deploy low environmental impact fuel cell technology at its data center in Karnataka.

It will be the first data center company in India to deploy this technology.

The hydrogen-ready fuel cell unit will supply much cleaner energy to Nxtra’s data center in the state of Karnataka and is said to reduce emissions.

The company plans to start the unit on non-combusted natural gas and then switch to 50% hydrogen. The natural gas-powered cells will be used for primary generation with utility electrical grid and generators as backup sources.

Fuel cell technology converts chemical energy from hydrogen and other fuels into electricity through an electrochemical reaction, not combustion, thereby reducing carbon footprint.

Nxtra has already invested in developing renewable energy power plants across India and aims to achieve 50% of its power requirements through renewable energy sources in the next 12 months.

The Carlyle Group-backed company offers data centres in India to leading enterprises, hyperscalers, start-ups, SMEs and governments.

India gets its first High Throughput Satellite Broadband Service

The new HTS service will extend broadband connectivity to the most remote locations

Hughes Communications India (HCI), a satellite internet service provider launched India’s first high throughput satellite (HTS) broadband service powered by ISRO satellites on Monday

HTS is a communication satellite that provides more throughput than conventional communication satellites or Fixed Satellite Service. Higher-throughput refers to higher data processing and transfer capacity than conventional satellites, when using the same amount of orbital spectrum.

The new HTS service will extend broadband connectivity to the remotest locations, difficult to reach otherwise, and create economic opportunities to boost the local economy, said Dr. S. Somnath, Secretary, Department of Space, and Chairman, Indian Space Research Organization.

The service will support applications like Wi-Fi hotspots for community internet access, managed SD-WAN solutions, backhaul to extend mobile network reach, and satellite internet for small businesses.

It will also support the high bandwidth requirements of government organisations, financial companies, cellular operators, mining and energy companies, among other businesses, HCI said in a release.

The HTS broadband service from Hughes combines Ku-band capacity from ISRO GSAT-11 and GSAT-29 satellites with Hughes JUPITER Platform ground technology to deliver high-speed broadband.

Apple while launching the iPhone 14 series revealed that their phones will come with satellite connectivity but the feature will be limited to the U.S. and Canada only.

To provide this feature in India, the Cupertino company can partner with satellite internet providers like Hughes.

India’s milk output to jump 3-fold to 628 mn tn in 25 years: Amul MD R S Sodhi

India’s milk production is expected to jump three-fold to 628 million tonnes in the next 25 years with an average annual growth of 4.5 per cent, said R S Sodhi, Managing Director of Amul on Monday.

The country’s milk production was 210 million tonnes in 2021, according to the MD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets dairy products under the Amul brand.

“Milk production in India is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5 per cent to reach 628 million tonnes in the next 25 years,” he said while giving a presentation on the outlook of the Indian dairy sector over the next 25 years.

Sodhi was speaking at the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit (IDF WDS) 2022, organised at India Expo Centre & Mart here on September 12.

India’s share in global production is estimated to nearly double from 23 per cent to 45 per cent now in the next 25 years.

Sodhi also mentioned that the demand is also set to increase because of the rising population.

“The demand for milk is expected to rise to 517 million tonnes in the next 25 years, leaving an export surplus of 111 million tonnes,” he added.

The GCMMF MD said that the per capita availability of milk in India will increase to 852 grams per day in the next 25 years from 428 grams per day in 2021.

Sodhi highlighted that India’s dairy sector has the most efficient supply chain in the world.

The packaging and transportation costs for supplying milk to consumers are very less compared to the global average.

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Indian Navy launches stealth frigate ‘Taragiri’ in Mumbai

‘Taragiri’, the third stealth frigate of the Indian Navy’s Project 17A, was launched in Mumbai on Sunday, the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) said.

This ship has been built using an integrated construction methodology which involves hull block construction in different geographical locations and integration and erection on the slipway at the MDL, it said in a statement.

“In compliance with the notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government of India declaring a state mourning on September 11 (due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II), the event was limited to a technical launch.

As the event is tide dependent, any change in the schedule was not possible,” the MDL said.

Indian Army’s engineering marvel! A bridge over Indus river in Ladakh

In another highlight of the Indian Defence Forces, the Indian Army’s impressive engineering skills came to the fore on Sunday after a video depicted the troops constructing a bridge across the Indus river.

The video was titled ‘Bridging Challenges – No Terrain nor Altitude Insurmoutable’ and was shared on Twitter by the South Western Command of the Indian Army.

The drill was carried out by the Sapta Shakti Engineers in Eastern Ladakh.

The building of the bridge included carrying out mobility tasks and training.

“Bridging Challenges – No Terrain nor Altitude Insurmoutable’. SaptaShaktiEngineers in EasternLadakh carrying out mobility tasks and training. Bridging the mighty #Indus River, enabling movement of both combat and logistic echelons,” tweeted South Western Command of the Indian Army.

The video depicts the mechanical launch of heavy metal parts into the waterbody as the bridge is shown to be completed at the end of the video.

Army personnel engrossed in teamwork can be seen in the exercise while heavy trucks cross the terrain after the bridge has been completed.

Earlier on Sunday, the Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande, who is on a two-day visit to the Ladakh sector, flew in an Indian Air Force Apache attack helicopter.

The request for a sortie from the Ladakh air base was received yesterday and today, the Army chief flew in the chopper over the area, IAF officials said.

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‘Adopt a TB patient’ drive finds mitras

There was an enrollment of more than a lakh patients since the announcement on Sep 9

The Health Ministry’s unique “adopt a TB-patient” (Ni-kshay Mitras) initiative — probably the only one-of-its-kind in the world — announced on September 9 saw the enrollment of 1,78,443 TB patients and 1667 Ni-kshay Mitras (donor) till Sunday evening.

The programme was brought in to fill the critical “community’’ elements into India’s fight towards the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan aimed at eliminating TB by 2025.

“Although the efforts of the government are yielding significant results, the community and the institutions in the society could play a critical role in filling the gaps and addressing the social determinants, thereby contributing to the national goal,’’ said a Health Ministry official.

He added that for the effective engagement of the community in the path towards ending TB in India, the Health Ministry was implementing the community support to TB patients – the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.

Ni-kshay Mitra (Donor) for this programme includes co-operative societies, corporates, elected representatives, individuals, institutions, non-governmental organisations, political parties and partners who can support by adopting the health facilities (for individual donor), blocks/urban wards/districts/States for accelerating the response against TB to complement the government efforts, as per the district-specific requirements in coordination with the district administration.

According to the Health Ministry the State and the district administration would support Ni-kshay Mitras in prioritising the districts and in providing guidance on the critical gap analysis and district-specific needs.

The support provided to the patient under this initiative is in addition to the free diagnostics, free drugs and Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana provided by the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) to all the TB patients notified from both the public and the private sector.

The Health Ministry said that Ni-kshay Mitra would provide additional support to all the on-treatment The TB patients who had given consent for support, in the selected health facilities /blocks/urban wards/districts/States.

“Only individual Ni-kshay Mitra can choose the patients from a given health facility. The other Ni-kshay Mitras have to choose the entire geographical unit (blocks/urban wards/districts/States),’’ noted a Health Ministry official.

He added that the type of additional assistance that may be provided by the Ni-kshay Mitra to on-treatment TB patients who had given consent for support shall include — nutritional support, additional investigations for the diagnosed TB patients, vocational support and additional nutritional supplements. The minimum period of commitment for providing the additional support to the TB patient would be one year.

The Ministry said that the initiative would increase the active involvement of society in the fight against tuberculosis.

“This activity aims at increasing awareness among the public regarding tuberculosis and the involvement of the community in supporting the treatment cascade shall also help in the reduction of the stigma. The provision of additional support to the TB patient shall also result in the reduction of the out-of-pocket expenditure for the family of the TB patient. Ultimately improved nutrition for the TB patient shall result in better treatment outcomes,’’ the Ministry explained in its guidance document.

India has the world’s highest tuberculosis (TB) burden, with an estimated 26 lakh people contracting the disease and approximately 4 lakh people dying from it every year. The economic burden of TB in terms of the loss of lives, income and workdays is also substantial. TB usually affects the most economically productive age group of society resulting in a significant loss of working days thereby pushing the TB patients further into the vortex of poverty.

Dravidian language family is 4,500 years old: study

The Dravidian language family’s four largest languages — Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu — have literary traditions spanning centuries, of which Tamil reaches back the furthest, researchers said.

The Dravidian language family, consisting of 80 varieties spoken by nearly 220 million people across southern and central India, originated about 4,500 years ago, a study has found.

This estimate is based on new linguistic analyses by an international team, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany, and the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun.

The researchers used data collected first-hand from native speakers representing all previously reported Dravidian subgroups. The findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science , match with earlier linguistic and archaeological studies.

South Asia, reaching from Afghanistan in the west and Bangladesh in the east, is home to at least six hundred languages belonging to six large language families, including Dravidian, Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan.

The Dravidian language family, consisting of about 80 language varieties (both languages and dialects) is today spoken by about 220 million people, mostly in southern and central India, and surrounding countries.

Along with Sanskrit, Tamil is one of the world’s classical languages, but unlike Sanskrit, there is continuity between its classical and modern forms documented in inscriptions, poems, and secular and religious texts and songs, they said.

“The study of the Dravidian languages is crucial for understanding prehistory in Eurasia, as they played a significant role in influencing other language groups,” said Annemarie Verkerk of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

Neither the geographical origin of the Dravidian language nor its exact dispersal through time is known with certainty.

The consensus of the research community is that the Dravidians are natives of the Indian subcontinent and were present prior to the arrival of the Indo-Aryans (Indo-European speakers) in India around 3,500 years ago.

Researchers said that it is likely that the Dravidian languages were much more widespread to the west in the past than they are today.

In order to examine questions about when and where the Dravidian languages developed, they made a detailed investigation of the historical relationships of 20 Dravidian varieties.

Study author Vishnupriya Kolipakam of the Wildlife Institute of India collected contemporary first-hand data from native speakers of a diverse sample of Dravidian languages, representing all the previously reported subgroups of Dravidian.

The researchers used advanced statistical methods to infer the age and sub-grouping of the Dravidian language family at about 4,000-4,500 years old.

This estimate, while in line with suggestions from previous linguistic studies, is a more robust result because it was found consistently in the majority of the different statistical models of evolution tested in this study.

This age also matches well with inferences from archaeology, which have previously placed the diversification of Dravidian into North, Central, and South branches at exactly this age, coinciding with the beginnings of cultural developments evident in the archaeological record.

India successfully test-fires Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile

The system is now ready for induction into the Army, the DRDO said in a statement

India has successfully completed six flight-tests of the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) system from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur off the Odisha coast, as part of evaluation trials by the Army, the DRDO said on Thursday.

The flight-tests were carried out against high-speed aerial targets mimicking various types of threats to evaluate the capability of the weapon systems under different scenarios, it said.

“During these tests, all the mission objectives were met establishing pin-point accuracy of the weapon system with state-of-the-art guidance and control algorithms, including warhead chain,” the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said in a statement.