Tag: Hyderabad

Stamping of boarding cards at airports may soon become history, says report

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Soon domestic flyers from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru may not need their boarding cards stamped after clearing pre-embarkation frisking, reported The Times of India.

According to the report, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has approached Delhi and Bengaluru airports to carry out the pilot project that will end the practice of frisking.

“Hyderabad has already done a pilot for this. We are asking Delhi and Bengaluru to do the same. Boarding card stamping need not end only when the bigger diga-yatra (paperless biometric boarding for domestic flyers) project kicks off and it can happen earlier at some airports,” a senior CISF official was quoted saying in the report.

Earlier, the report said, CISF and aviation authorities had also stopped stamping hand bag tags at several airports.

The development comes after CISF’s new Director General Rajesh Ranjan recently told The Times of India that he ‘wanted to enhance passenger experience at airports by taking steps like stopping boarding card stamping.’

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

IKEA to open its first store in India on July 10 in Hyderabad

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Swedish furniture major IKEA is likely to inaugurate its first Indian store here on July 10, a senior official of the Telangana government said.

“They (Ikea)are likely to open their first store in India in Hyderabad on July 10. Their CEO is expected to inaugurate the outlet. They earmarked Rs 800 crore for the store. This will create many direct and indirect jobs in the state,” Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, IT and Industries, told PTI.

When contacted, a company spokesperson, without mentioning a date, said the outlet would be opened next month. “The first Ikea India store is opening in Hi tec city, Hyderabad in July 2018. We will be able to confirm the exact date very soon,” the official said in an email reply.

The investment in store is more than Rs 800 crore, including land, construction and capital goods, among others. The store will be 400,000 square foot of built up area on 13 acres, the IKEA official further said. The Swedish company had earlier said it was going to recruit about 800 people for the store, including 120 for the 1,000-seater restaurant coming up along with the outlet here. “(as on) Today we have recruited 400 workers, of which 50 per cent are women. The store will have range of 7,500 products,” the official said.

After the Hyderabad store, the second store will open in Mumbai in 2019, followed by Bengaluru and Delhi NCR,an IKEA official had earlier said. The company has also opened a distribution point in Pune. Initially, the company had earmarked Rs 10,500 crore to open about 25 stores in the country by 2025.

“We’re opening our first store in Hyderabad this July. See you there!,” Ikeasaid in its official Facebook page. In November last year, Ikea launched ‘IKEA Hej HOME’ to familiarise customers with IKEA home furnishing solutions and offer a first-hand experience of an IKEA store.

The company plans to bring Hej HOME to the other cities where it will open stores. IKEA India Sales Manager Christian Kampe had earlier said almost 1,000 products (at the upcoming store in Hyderabad) would be priced below Rs 200. “In India, IKEA currently has 50 suppliers with 45,000 direct employees and going forward we are looking at expanding this supply chain,” he had said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Telangana pushes the pedal on IT growth

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

India’s youngest state is all set to oust Bengaluru as the Silicon Valley of India, and if it’s FY18 annual report for the information technology sector were  any indicator, then Hyderabad and the state of Telangana are on the right track.

The IT sector in Telangana grew by 9.32% in FY18, thanks to robust investment by the industry. Exports reached a record Rs 94,322 crore for the year, while over 43,000 jobs were added directly by IT firms at a time when pink slips have been the industry norm.

Telangana’s government has set itself a target of crossing Rs 1,20,000 crore in IT exports by 2020, and also ensuring direct employment opportunities for at least four hundred thousand people within the same time frame.

Industry and IT minister for Telangana, KT Rama Rao, seems to be fairly confident of achieving this ambitious target, despite the state entering an election year.

“I thank all global and local IT companies for believing in Telangana. You have helped us in a big way by providing a positive buzz and participatory model where we, the government, could come in and reach out to your partners and your vendors to clock record growth,” he said.

Indian giants like Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Cyient, HCL Tech are not just looking at Hyderabad for its campuses.

Tech Mahindra and Cyient have already begun setting up of facilities in Warangal, while Infosys is currently evaluating prospects for the same and has also committed to double the head count in its Pocharam campus in Hyderabad to 40,000 employees soon.

The state will be setting up Tech Parks in smaller cities of Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Khammam in coming years.

It’s not just Indian companies that have bet big on Hyderabad, players like Adobe, Apple, Amazon, Uber and Microsoft are looking to expand their operations here.

After successfully hosting GES (Global Entrepreneurship Summit) and the World IT Congress in Hyderabad last year, KT Rama Rao is convinced this has been made possible by a strong and stable policy environment.

“TS-iPass, T-hub, T-wallet, T-fibre and other innovative reforms by the department to ensure ease of doing business is bearing fruit in the state,” Rao added.

Hyderabad will also host the first edition of the International Blockchain Congress in August this year, in partnership with the NITI Aayog.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

SpiceJet to launch 10 new flights with focus on the south

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet on Wednesday announced the launch of ten new flights on domestic routes using Bombardier Q-400 aircraft.

Gurugram-based SpiceJet is aggressively expanding its south Indian market by adding new routes and destinations.

The airline is all set to introduce daily direct flights on the Chennai-Mangaluru-Chennai sector starting June 16, 2018.

SpiceJet will enhance its operations on the Hyderabad-Rajahmundry, Chennai-Kozhikode, Bengaluru-Kozhikode with an additional evening flight on each of these sectors and introduce its third flight on the Chennai-Hyderabad route.

“SpiceJet is on the path of a major fleet expansion, which means new routes and destinations for our customers,” said Shilpa Bhatia, Chief Sales and Revenue Officer, SpiceJet.

Starting June 16, the new flights introduced on the Chennai-Hyderabad and Chennai-Mangaluru sectors will be operational daily.

Whereas the frequencies introduced on the Chennai-Kozhikode and Bengaluru-Kozhikode routes will be operational on all days except Tuesdays.

Also, the second frequency introduced on the Hyderabad-Rajahmundry route, commencing operations on May 25, 2018 will be operational on all days except Saturdays.

South India has the maximum number of metro airports – Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad – apart from several other airports such as Kozhikode, Mangaluru and Rajahmundry.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

ITC eyes Hyderabad’s iconic Charminar

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Consumer goods giant ITC has submitted an Expression of Interest (EoI) for adoption of Hyderabad’s landmark monument, the Charminar.

Senior officials in the Union Tourism Ministry tell CNBC-TV18 that they are “in the process of evaluating the vision statement for Charminar submitted by ITC and will discuss this proposal with the state government, if approved.”

ITC is keen on maintaining the upkeep and boosting tourism at Charminar, under the Indian government’s “Adopt A Heritage” scheme.

This scheme has identified over 93 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) certified monuments and bids have been invited from private and public sector companies, as well as individuals for ‘adoption’ of these sites.

The Charminar was originally built in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb of the Qutub Shahi dynasty and is located in the heart of ‘old city’.

It epitomises Persian architecture and is also the site of the world famous “Churi/Laad Bazaar and Pather Gatti” – Hyderabad’s bangle and pearl markets.

ITC’s interest in adopting the Charminar is not surprising, as the company has a long association with the state of Telangana.

In 2015, ITC even announced Rs 8000 crore of investment into its paperboard manufacturing and food processing facilities here.

Hyderabad is also home to ITC’s Kakatiya and Kohenur hotels, with the latter expected to open by June this year.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow