Aviation training institute inaugurated in Hubli

Aviation training institute inaugurated in Hubli

Staff Correspondent -The Hindu

Launch: Former Miss World Diana Hayden speaking after inaugurating the Avalon Aviation Academy in Hubli on Saturday. Mayor of Hubli-Dharwad Radhabai Safare is at right.

HUBLI: Former Miss World Diana Hayden inaugurated the 58th branch of Avalon Aviation Academy of Aptech in Hubli on Saturday. The academy will offer courses in association with Sri Chandrala Air Academy.

Addressing a gathering after the inauguration, Ms. Hayden said that training had become important in every field in the wake of competition.

There had been a lot of changes in the job market, she said and added that every organisation or company wanted candidates with specialised skills. Later, Ms. Hayden, who is the brand ambassador of the institute, explained why she chose to be associated with it. M.R. Krishnamurthy, regional manager of Avalon Aviation Academy, briefed about the courses offered by the institute. Hubli-Dharwad Mayor Radhabai Safare hoped that the institute would open up more opportunities for students of north Karnataka. Ramakanth Dixit of Chandrala Academy spoke. Later, Ms. Hayden interacted with the candidates who have enrolled themselves for courses offered by the institute.

Efforts on to convince industrialists to invest in North Karnataka: Nirani

Efforts on to convince industrialists to invest in North Karnataka: Nirani

Staff Correspondent

‘Government is thinking of creating a Bangalore-Mumbai industrial corridor’

---

36 projects worth Rs. 28,000 crore awaiting clearance

Rs. 50 crore released for Malaprabha project

---

Murugesh Nirani

HUBLI: Murugesh Nirani, Large and Medium Industries Minister and in-charge of Dharwad district, has said that the State Government will make efforts to convince industrialists to invest in North Karnataka.

Addressing presspersons here on Sunday, Mr. Nirani said 36 projects involving an investment of Rs. 28,000 crore were before the State Government.

Meeting

“A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa would be held on June 26. Some entrepreneurs have been invited to it. Efforts will be made to convince them to invest in North Karnataka,” he added.

Most of the investment proposals pertained to areas around Bangalore. “We will make efforts to bring them to North Karnataka by offering them some incentives and assistance,” he said.

The Minister said that the Government was thinking of creating a Bangalore-Mumbai industrial corridor to boost industrial growth in the region and officials had been directed to identify land for setting up of industrial estates.

He, however, clarified that while creating the industrial corridor and special economic zones, the interests of farmers would be safeguarded.

Mr. Nirani said that he would hold three meetings in Hubli and Dharwad on June 27 on various issues pertaining to the development of the twin cities.

A sum of Rs. 50 crore had been released for the Malaprabha third stage drinking water project, he said

The cost of the project was Rs. 196 crore. Steps would be taken to release the remaining funds at the earliest. Efforts would be made to supply drinking water in the twin cities daily, he said.

The Minister said that nearly Rs. 500 crore was needed for acquisition of land for the expansion of Hubli airport.

The matter would soon be taken up by the Cabinet, he said.

Report

A report on the arrest of farmers in connection with the recent violent protests over fertilizer shortage in the twin cities had been sought, he said.

Steps would be taken to release innocent farmers, he said.

Karnataka Govt planning industrial corridor

Karnataka Govt planning industrial corridor

PTI News - The Hindu

Hubli (PTI): The newly-elected BJP government in Karnataka plans to establish an industrial corridor along National Highways NH4 and NH218 with the objective of generating employment to people in North Karnataka region, state Minister for Large and Medium industries Murugesh Nirani has said.

Speaking to reporters, the minister, who is in-charge of Dharwad district, said that industries could tap into the raw material resources and basic facilities available along the two highways, connecting Bangalore to Belgaum and Hubli to Bijapur.

He said that iron ore was available in Bellary and instead of exporting iron ore, iron sponge plants could be set up at Bellary, Tumkur and Chitradurga districts. Similarly, steel plants could be set up to provide employment.

Similarly in Bagalkot, Gulbarga and Tumkur district, where limestone is available, cement plants could be set up.

Nirani said that in Bagalkot, Bijapur, Belgaum, Shimoga districts, centres of horticulture, foodprocessing units could be set up using the agricultural products here.

The government would appeal to industrialists to establish industries in Hubli-Dharwad, for which a high level committee would meet at Bangalore on June 27 to consider 36 pending plans and encourage them to move to North Karnataka for establishing industrial units here, he said.

Of the 45 SEZs planned, two for Belgaum and one for Hubli-Dharwad had been sanctioned, he added.

Karnataka to boost IT growth in Rural areas

Bangalore, June 20 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Karnataka will soon come out with a policy to take the benefits of information technology to people in the countryside. “We want IT firms to go beyond Bangalore and tier two cities to towns and villages for replicating their success story in India’s IT hub in rural areas. When investment and technology go to rural areas, development and growth will create local jobs, check migration and improve living standards of rural folks,” state IT and Science and Technology Minister K. Subramanya Naidu said Friday.

As part of its uniform growth strategy, the government plans to set up computer training institutes in all hoblis - village clusters - across the state in partnership with the IT industry.

“We are planning to take up projects such as rural tele-healthcare in primary health centres and school health in primary schools with the support of the IT industry for extensive use of computers, telecom network and broadband connectivity,” Naidu said at the fourth Indian Innovation summit 2008, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

“The proposed rural IT policy will have a special package of incentives and concessions for the IT industry to set up business process outsourcing (BPO) centres in rural areas.

Computer training and skill development will be imparted to the rural youth under public-private initiative with the IT industry and academia,” he added.

In a bid to decongest a choked Bangalore and develop tertiary cities on a hub-and-spoke model, the state-run Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (Keonics) will build IT parks and electronic hubs in tier-two cities such as Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Shimoga, Hassan and Davangere.

Keonics will also provide support facilities to IT firms in software/hardware sectors and auxiliary units, while other state departments will build infrastructure such as roads, power, water and connectivity in the IT parks/electronic hubs, spread over 300 acres each.

“These cities will be the new investment regions in the state to facilitate expansion of existing IT firms in Bangalore and attract new firms/investors for ensuring uniform development across the state in partnership with the central government,” Naidu told the captains of India Inc.

He extolled the IT industry, especially software giants such as Infosys and Wipro, for putting Bangalore on the world map and creating a global brand; as India’s tech capital, the city had become a innovation hub with over 100 research and development (R&D) institutes in every technology field.

“Bangalore has made Karnataka a knowledge region. Sectors of the new economy such as IT and BT (biotechnology) have capitalised on the knowledge skills of the tech city. Innovations in information and communication technologies (ICT), space, aerospace, bio-sciences and nanotechnology have benefited the country,” Naidu added.

Bangalore in leading position: Nasscom

Bangalore in leading position: Nasscom
Hindu Business Line - PTI

BANGALORE: In the list of 50 leading cities on the IT-BPO growth path, Bangalore has been classified in a "leader position"' by Nasscom-A T Kearney study released here on Monday.

Following Bangalore is Mangalore as a "challenger location" and Hubli-Dharwad as "aspirant locations" according to the report.

Presenting the findings at the Nasscom's BPO Strategy Summit 2008, NASSCOM president Mr Som Mittal said the findings are indicative of the potential that the industry sees in these regions beyond Bangalore and the investments that companies can make here .

He said though Bangalore would continue to grow and deliver, what can make investment in tier II and III cities attractive was the cost of operations which were less by 15-20 per cent in terms of real estate value and wages.

He said cities like Mysore, Hubli, Dharwad needed support on these fronts to grow and develop into leading IT hubs. Nasscom is adopting a three-pronged approach to develop the industry. The short-term was in terms of providing finishing schools, mid-term included developing faculties and long term was building capacity, he said.

The BPO industry, he said, had moved from the realm of just being cost-efficient in India and was being perceived as being service-efficient and high on delivery and productivity. On the occasion, Mr Ganesh Natarajan, Chairman Nasscom and Deputy Chairman and MD, Zenzar said: "Nasscom has defined six agenda points for the year and the BPO firms with their huge employment contribution and potential are well positioned to take the lead in building collaboration and community and demonstrating their prowess in area development". - PTI

Organized retail comes to Hubli in a big way

Organized retail comes to Hubli in a big way
TOI

Organized retail chains are targeting Hubli, the commercial hub of north Karnataka, in a big way. With the Kishore Bayani group having launched its Big Bazar outlet in the city recently, the stage is set for the Reliance group’s fruits and vegetable outlets.

Reliance Retail’s fruits and vegetable arm, Reliance Fresh, is slated to simultaneously open a dozen outlets in Hubli-Dharwad to cater to the green groceries requirements of this second largest urban centre in the state with huge potential for growth in the future.


Work on the interiors of its first store on station Road here is complete and is expected to open sometime soon while bigger outlets are planned in Deshpande Nagar, Vidyanagar and the residential hotspot on Gokul Road leading to the local airport.

Though Reliance Retail officials are tightlipped about their future plans for the twin cities, the market is abuzz with reports that they will have nine outlets in Hubli and three in Dharwad. Considering the vegetable and fruit growing potential of north Karnataka region, these sound credible.

The city has recently witnessed a metamorphosis in the retail, food and entertainment scenario, with arrival Pizza Hut and café Coffee day, Food Court and branded retail chain store Girias before Big Bazaar, and the prospects of at least two malls and one multiplex taking shape in the near future.

A leading film distributor and exhibitor of the region, Raiker Entertainments, may be the first to come up with mall-cum-multiplex on P B Road in Vidyanagar, the educational hub of Hubli. He has already got a cinema license from the authorities to go ahead with the building plan.

Designed by Kembhavi Architecture Foundation, it will have two underground levels plus five upper floors; with a total built-up area of 2.5 lakh sq.ft. It will be the first centrally air-conditioned mall-cum-multiplex with full power back-up outside of Bangalore and Mangalore in Karnataka.

Ramesh Raiker of Raiker Entertainments told The Times of India: “The mall multiplex will have five theaters with capacities ranging from 150 to 350 seats. It will be first such facility in north Karnataka to have escalators from the ground level atrium to the top two floors housing the theatres.”

The underground levels will have parking space and hyper market for groceries and green groceries. The parking area will have elevators up to the upper floors.

The mall will accommodate anchor stores, retail stores for branded products, and food outlets of various sizes and formats to suit varying budgets.

Another mall-cum-multiplex is likely to come up on Gokul Road, which is fast emerging as the future residential and commercial hub of the city. A Bangalore-based real estate developer has plans to develop a shop ping mall near Court Circle in the heart of Hubli.