All of 16, Yashwant on the business ladder !

He started his Web-based business when he was 14. But, the groundwork for the beginning was laid way back when he was in seventh standard. Today, two years later, he is a full-time entrepreneur with nearly a 100 completed projects under his belt.

E. Karnika Yashwant, chief executive officer, EnS, owns an online business that offers more than 30 services. Born in Coimbatore, he is at present based in Hyderabad because of his father’s transferable job. After completing standard X, he completed an online course in Associate of Science in Information Technology from the Westbrooke University, the U.S. This would not have been enough to start a business, let alone make it thrive in two years. But, Yashwant was sure he would succeed because he was geared up with all the knowledge he had gleaned from the Internet. And succeed he did.Nevertheless, he has not stopped getting updated. In addition to his projects, he still takes time to go through the Internet everyday to learn the latest in technologies.

Interest

With no role model, he claims it was his interest and initiative that led him into the field of computing. From a one-man company, today he has 12 full-time employees and a whole database of others whom he uses as per requirement.

Yet, neither his employees nor he has an office. His office travels with him wherever he goes in the form of his laptop. He networks with his employees and gives them projects.Though he offers many services, the demand for Web designing and development, online marketing and advertising, and creating a tool bar, is very high among his clients.With the staunch support of his father who is a bank employee, Yashwant is looking ahead to achieve much more.Though age has been a deterrent with some Indian clients, he says that clients abroad are only interested in the delivery of the service and not about the age of the person delivering it.

He himself is not conscious of his age. He feels that everyone should start out early. “If you have decided to do something in life why should you wait for some particular age? When I attain the conventional age when others will begin their work life, I will be way ahead of them in experience,” Yashwant says.He does not seem to be too perturbed about not gaining a professional degree or not spending time with his friends. His way of relaxing is by writing poems and books in English. His themes are mostly on life and nature. Two books of his are getting released soon.The confident teenager has stars in his eyes and believes that he will soon become a global name. His aim is to expand his services around the world. He will soon open representative offices in seven countries and four

GKNM Hospital demonstrates trans-radial angioplasty to Malaysia !!

One technology helped in highlighting another at the G. Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital here on Thursday.

Advanced satellite communication technology enabled cardiologist Rajpal K. Abhaichand demonstrate from the hospital here complex angioplasty procedures to over 3,000 heart specialists assembled at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.The specialists from the Asia-Pacific region had gathered for the Sixth Malaysian Cardiovascular Interventional Symposium. GKNM Hospital was chosen to participate by transmitting live cases to those taking part in the meet that was organised by University of Malaya Medical Centre, Asia Pacific Society of Interventional Cardiology, National Heart Association and the Interventional Cardiovascular Society of Malaysia.

Two to three cases of trans-radial angioplasties were transmitted live to the conference venue. Dean of the hospital Ramkumar Raghupathy and Dr. Abhaichand described this opportunity as recognition for pioneering trans-radial angiography and angioplasty. The hospital had also conducted skill training for cardiologists in this technique.Trans-radial approach involved the accessing the heart for angiogram or angioplasty through an artery in the wrist, instead of the earlier approach of accessing through the one in the thigh, Dr. Abhaichand explained.

Two factors provide this approach a clear edge over the earlier one: patient could be mobile very soon after the procedures and the risks were eliminated.Patients needed to remain in the hospital only for four hours after the angiogram. Those who underwent angioplasty (placing a stent in the blocked artery in the heart) during the day could get discharged in the evening.Trans-radial approach was advised because there was no complication of bleeding. The artery in the wrist sat comfortably on the bone. So, by compressing it after the procedure, the bleeding could be stopped.

But, the distance between the head of the femur (thigh bone) and the artery in the thigh was three to four cm. So, by trying to compress the artery, the doctor would only be pressing into muscle. Thus, the bleeding would continue, Dr. Abhaichand said.Aneurysm (a bulge in the artery) was another risk, he said.

Since the artery and the vein ran close to each other in the thigh, there was the possibility of the surgery causing an arteriovenous fistula (an abnormal connection between the artery and vein). This risk was eliminated through the trans-radial approach as the artery passed through the wrist in isolation, Dr. Abhaichand said.

Brand power draws students at engg counselling

Brand can do wonders not just for business houses but also for self-financing educational institutions. The power of a saleable brand was in ample evidence during the first phase of the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA 2009) single window counselling for filling up government quota BE / B.Tech seats, which ended on Wednesday.A scrutiny of the admission status so far in new self-financing engineering colleges that were established in 2008 and 2009 gives some interesting insight into the possible factors that influenced the choice of aspirants.

Brand and credibility have emerged as primary reasons for students joining some select infant' colleges. Private players who have been around in the field technical education for more than a decade or so with a reasonably good track record have managed to attract students in large numbers to their sister-institutions On the other hand, institutions that have been established by family members of six state ministers have failed to be a runaway hit with the student fraternity.

For instance, the RMK College of Engineering and Technology in Gummidipoondi that was established last year has been successful in filling up all seats in four courses in the Open Competition, Backward Community and Most Backward Community categories. Even in the BE Information Technology branch, which has been hard to sell this season, the students have lapped up all but seven seats in the SC/ST categories. The college is a sister-institution of the hugely in demand RMK Engineering College.

Likewise, in the Vel Tech College near Avadi established this year by the trustees of the Vel Tech group of institutions, seats have been filled up in all four courses except for a few vacancies in the SC/ST categories.A similar trend is seen in new colleges established or acquired over the last two years by the Jeppiaar group, Velammal, Sri Sai Ram, Rajalakshmi and Park group of institutions.

In contrast, student allotment has been rather slow in colleges established by trusts administered by family members of ministers. Only the Kalaignar Karunanidhi Institute of Technology owned by family members and associates of rural industries minister Pongalur Palanichamy and the Kingston Engineering College established by the Duraimurugan and Charitable Trust in Vellore have managed to attract 92 and 61 students respectively.Whereas, colleges established by relatives and associates of ministers in Villupuram, Salem, Trichy and Cuddalore districts (the last three this year) are yet to pick up despite these institutions marketing themselves in an education fair on the Anna University campus.

More than the politicians, the students appear to trust industrialists who have entered the technical education market. Colleges established by builders in Erode and a textile manufacturer in Coimbatore have had a good response from students.

Norms for advertisements

District Collector P. Umanath has said that those interested in putting up advertisement hoarding in the village panchayats should apply for licence with him.They should pay Rs.1,000 for fresh licence or for renewal, Dr. Umanath, who was also the Licensing Authority for advertisements, said in a release on Wednesday.

A rent would have to be paid for advertisements/hoarding put up on lands belonging to the local bodies or the Government. These areas should be within a 30 km radius from the Corporation and 10 sq km from a municipality, the release said.

For details, contact the panchayats wing at the Collector’s office or the Block Development Officer.

Coinex 09 !

Coinex 09, display of currencies and coins, stamps will be held at Kongu Nadu College of Arts and Science auditorium from July 30 to August 1. The numismatic collections include currencies, coins and stamps from more than 180 countries. The students from various schools, colleges and public could visit the exhibition. Secretary of the College, M. Aruchami will inaugurate it.

Eco-tourism initiatives at Kovai Coutrallam nearing completion

A good news for entertainment-starved Coimbatoreans. Thanks to the eco-tourism initiatives of the Forest Department, Kovai Coutrallam will soon become a sought-after picnic spot for people to escape from the concrete jungles.This is the first of its kind initiative to tap the immense tourism potential lying untapped in the scenic sketch of the western ghats abutting Coimbatore. Last year, the Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle, R. Kannan, and District Forest Officer I. Anwardeen mooted a proposal for bringing in tourist-friendly facilities at Kovai Coutrallam. The plan implementation began last year and the works are nearing completion.

The authorities propose to the throw the facilities open in the next few months after the finishing touches are over. Works are in full swing under the supervision of Range Officer, Pooluvampatti, G. Rajeshwaran.The outlay for the initiatives is close to Rs. 79.35 lakh over a period of two years. The objective is to tap the tourism potential but at the same time ensure guided, restricted and regulated tourism without causing even an iota of disturbance to the system.

The project envisages to ensure that the tourists had a feel of nature and the revenue generated therein goes to the kitty of the eco-tourism committees. These initiatives would help in employment generation and livelihood sustenance of the tribal communities.Tribals are being appointed as watchers and guides to carry the project forward in addition to appointing tribal women as watchers in the women bathing area at the falls and also for cleaning the area.

The eco-tourism initiatives included an interpretation hall at the Chadivayal check-post wherein there would be display of specimen or samples of flora and fauna present in the Siruvani hills. Tourists on arrival would go through the interpretation hall and learn about the flora and fauna with the help of explanations kept there. There will also be a wildlife film show.For those willing to spend more than a day, the Forest Department is also constructing four rest houses - two ordinary type rest houses and two tree-top rest houses for those wanting to have a feel of nature in its pristine glory.

Similarly, an elevated walkway is also coming for nearly 150 mts wherein adventure-seeking tourists could walk and have a feel of the canopy. Similarly, a ropeway for the adventure-loving tourists is also coming up for providing a feel of river crossing by hanging and gliding through the ropeway.

A watch tower is also coming up for enabling the tourists to have a view of the valley and the upper reaches of the Kovai Coutrallam falls as the silver line cascades from the Western Ghats. The existing forest rest house at Pooluvampatti has also been renovated at a cost of Rs. 4 lakh. At Chadivayal, a canteen hall is coming up for the benefit of tourists staying there and day tourists who bring their own food. The measure is aimed at avoiding the reserve forest area being littered with packing materials such as plastic.

RDO probe ordered into student’s death

Over hundred students of a high school at Vadavalli conducted a demonstration at the institution on Monday morning, alleging that the delay in offering medical treatment to a student who had consumed poison had led to his death.

According to police sources, Sathish, a plustwo student at the school had fainted while writing
the examination on Saturday. The students said that as he was in the school uniform at that time, the headmaster had given instructions to change his dress before admitting him to a hospital. Later, when Sathish was taken to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital, he failed to respond to the treatment. This enraged the students who alleged that the delay due to the lackadaisical attitude of the HM had snuffed out his life.

The protest raised by the students against the school administration created some chaos in the locality. The students demanded that the police, who had arrived at the spot, take stringent action against the HM and the teachers involved.Attempts by the HM and the police to pacify them proved futile. The students then met Collector Umanath and handed over a petition.

The Collector ordered the Revenue Divisional Officer to conduct an investigation into the case.

LMW’s China plant on stream

Lakshmi Machine Works, a manufacturer of textile machinery, has commissioned its unit in China and plans to invest $12.5 million there in two years.R. Rajendran, Chief Financial Officer of the company, told that the plant at Suzhou was commissioned last month and one machine was under erection for trial run at the customer unit. The proposal was to scale up annual production at the plant to one million spindles in five years.

Production would depend on the market demand. The company hoped to sell about 50 machinery (nearly 50,000 spindles) there in the first year and increase it gradually. Initially, components would be sent from here and machinery would be assembled at the plant.

China and India were the main markets for textile spinning machinery. China had about 100 million installed spindles and India, about 40 million spindles.

Training on Milk products !

The Veterinary University Training and Research Centre, Coimbatore, of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, will organise a free on-campus training in preparation of milk products on August 4 and 5.

According to a release, the training will comprise lectures on clean milk production and basic principles in the preservation and processing of milk. It will also include demonstrations on the preparation of value-added milk products like paneer, khoya, flavoured milk, rasagulla, etc.

The number of participants is restricted to 25. Interested dairy farmers and entrepreneurs can contact the centre on 0422-2669965 for registration; or visit the centre at Kalapatti Pirivu, Saravanampatty.

Drive against road rules violation

In a drive against violation of Motor Vehicle Rules conducted by the Transport Department, Coimbatore Circle, at seven places in Coimbatore and the Nilgiris, a total of 1,280 vehicles were checked and 278 check reports were issued for violations in two days.A release from the Deputy Transport Commissioner said that a sum of Rs. 3,12,820 was collected as tax from omni buses while Rs, 7,700 as compounding fee for various violations such as tax evasion, unaccompanied luggage and overloading by persons.

In respect of other vehicles, the officials detected offences such as overload by goods, by persons, plying without tax, uncovered cargo, without tax, without pollution under control certificate, without insurance cover, without fitness certificate, use of dazzling headlights and air horns, the release added.

A sum of Rs. 36,730 was collected as tax while a sum of Rs. 1,45,155 was realised as compounding fee for offences.A sum of Rs. 1,32,100 was proposed as compounding fee to be realised by the respective registering authorities after adhering to procedural formalities such as serving of notices seeking to show cause.

Sanskrit classes !

Total Sanskrit Solutions will conduct Sanskrit classes at two centres. The one at Sri Saradambal Temple, Race Course, will be held every Tuesday and Friday starting July 31. The other centre will be at Sri Sai Baba Temple, Mettupalayam Road, where classes will be held every Wednesday starting July 29. For registration, call 93440-72130.

BSNL broadband from Rs.99 !

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Coimbatore, has announced that high speed broadband is available on demand in the district with a monthly rental plan starting at Rs. 99.

A release from the PGM, Coimbatore, says that 20 per cent discount is allowed to Central/State Government/PSU employees/retired persons, visually impaired customers, educational institutions and corporate customers. A special discount of 40 per cent on usage is also allowed.

On-the-spot appointment of direct selling agents is going on in BSNL customer service centres. Interested persons are requested to bring address proof, PAN card (if available) and three passport size photographs.

Kalam to inaugurate meeting on solid waste management

Former President Abdul Kalam will inaugurate here on August 13 a conference on solid waste management organised by Anna University, Coimbatore and the National Solid Waste Association of India (NSWAI), Mumbai.Union Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh and the State Minister for Environment T.P.M. Mohideen Khan will deliver special address, a press release from the university’s Dean of Academic Campus S. Premchand said on Tuesday.

An exhibition on solid waste management would open on August 12. All models of waste management and equipment used would be on display. The exhibition would be on till August 14.The organisers have invited paper presentations from researchers, practitioners of waste management, students and non-governmental organisations on the following topics: municipal solid waste, bio-medical waste, e-waste, industrial, hazardous and toxic waste. An award would be given to the best paper by a student.

While the university wants to highlight its emphasis on waste management through this meet, the Union Government had identified NSWAI as one of the centres for capacity-building projects of World Bank in urban municipal solid waste management.

Pricol vendors’ appeal to State Government

The Pricol Vendors’ Association has appealed to the State Government to hold talks with the Pricol management and workers to find a solution to the labour problem in the company.Association president Ramesh Veeraraghavan told presspersons here on Monday that Pricol had about 1,100 vendors here and 206 of them were ‘single source suppliers’ to it. Their production capacities and shop floor were designed to meet Pricol’s needs.

With the labour problem that started in the company in 2007, affecting production, the vendor units were also hit. The 206 units that had an annual turnover of about Rs. 270 crore were now having just about Rs. 130 crore turnover.Mr. Veeraraghavan said of the 206 units, 170 were located in Perianaickenpalayam area here. The 206 units used to employ nearly 35,000 workers, which had come down to 11,000 now. The units had invested about Rs. 250 crore.

Pricol proposed to shift a substantial portion of production from its Coimbatore plants to those located in other States if the labour problem persisted.This would hit the ‘single source suppliers’ and even force them to close down, he said.

The vendors would not be able to move to other States or continue to supply from here to Pricol plants in other States because of the cost. Hence, these units would have no option but to close down. This would also result in revenue loss to the Government, he added.

LMW net profit down ..

Lakshmi Machine Works (LMW) has reported a 76.69% drop in net profit at Rs 11.13 crore in the first quarter ended June 30, 2009,against Rs 47.74 crore in the same period last year. Net sales declined 59.37% to Rs 186.53 crore (Rs 459.14 crore), the company said in a media release.

"It was a boom period last year and the effects of global meltdown were felt only from October 2008 onwards. Therefore, we cannot compare the results of this quarter with the same period last year," said LMW's CFO R Rajendran.

He said, the company was doing very well in the first half last year but sales dipped in the second half due to economic slowdown. "Compared to the last quarter in 2008-09, we have done nearly the same or little bit more by showing operating margin in the first quarter of this year," he added.

The current capacity utilisation of the company is only around 40% and it is ready to meet the demands of the industry as and when it improves. "Earlier, delivery was a constraint for us. But now we are ready to tackle any demand," Mr Rajendran said.

Regarding inventory, he said, the company has minimised it at all levels by following lean technology.

Expanded air cargo building opened

Civil works relating to parallel taxiway, terminal building expansion and improvements to the parking bays for accommodating bigger aircraft with higher load are on at an outlay of Rs. 110 crore, D. Devaraj, Regional Executive Director, Airport Authority of India (AAI), Southern Region, said on Monday.

Mr. Devaraj along with Coimbatore Airport Director M.R. Vasudva inaugurated the expanded air cargo building with an enhanced handling capacity of 50 tonnes and phase I of the new apron with five parking bays. Improvements are being done for the remaining three parking bays so that the parking bays could accommodate even Boeing 747 variety aircraft. In total, the Coimbatore Airport will have eight parking bays for handling eight bigger aircraft at a time besides one isolation bay for aircraft with security perception.

The parallel taxi way measuring 1,777 metres will help in reducing congestion and runway utilisation time so that more aircraft could be handled during peak hour. The parallel taxi way will be ready for use by October. Already, the extended runway has been commissioned at Coimbatore Airport thus easing the load and fuel restrictions on aircraft. The extended air cargo space inaugurated on Monday takes the total cargo handling space from 50 tonnes to 100 tonnes.

Cargo handling at Coimbatore had of late increased and there was scope for further growth in spite of economic downturn, officials said. Mr.Vasudeva said from the initial tonnage of 1,000 metric tonnes in 2002-03, the current handling at the air cargo complex rose to 3,100 tonnes annually registering an appreciable growth over the years. The expanded cargo complex has an added space of 1,775 square metres which includes 459 square metres of canopy on the city side and 780 square metres on the airside for movement of cargo, equipment and vehicles. A modern integrated terminal building plan is ready with the AAI and will be put in place once the land acquisition is over. The existing terminal building has a capacity for 400 passengers and is being increased for bringing in space to accommodate 300 more passengers, Mr. Devaraj said.

Plea to fill vacancies in Mettupalayam GH

An appeal has been made to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi for immediate measures to fill vacancies to the posts of doctors and office assistants in the Government Hospital at Mettupalayam in Coimbatore District.In a letter to the Chief Minister, the hospital’s advisory committee member, A.P. Varadarajan, has pointed out the need to fill the vacancies in a hospital that should serve the medical needs of nearly three lakh people in and around Mettupalayam.

The letter said the hospital served 340 villages in the Mettupalayam region that included the Mettupalayam Municipality and the Karamadai and Sirumugai Town Panchayats. People from Burliyar in the Nilgiris also took treatment at this hospital that had more than 1,000 out-patients every day.

People injured in road accidents were brought to the hospital from Burliyar and Puliyampatti. Only after being provided with initial treatment or first aid here, the injured were referred to bigger centres in Coimbatore city.As the hospital in Mettupalayam did not have specialists in ENT, dermatology and orthopaedics, the patients had to travel to Coimbatore city. The State Government should appoint these specialists immediately, Mr. Varadarajan said in the letter.

The other posts that needed to be filled were: junior office assistant, assistant and record room clerk, x-ray technician, and dark room assistant

Miraculous escape for bus passengers

Fifty-five passengers travelling in the Tiruchirapalli-bound Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus had a miraculous escape on the Ondipudur flyover on Sunday night.

According to eye-witness account, bus driver Stanley Kennedy was said to have peeped out of the window to see whether any vehicle was attempting to overtake.

At that time, he hit his head against a lamp post on the flyover and fell off his seat and the bus started running out of control. One of the passengers was quick enough to get onto the driver’s seat and applied brake bringing the bus to a halt. The driver succumbed to his injuries.

DDE admission of MKU

ssue of applications and spot-admissions for courses under the Directorate of Distance Education (DDE) of the Madurai Kamaraj University for the academic year 2009-10 is on.

According to a release from the co-ordinator of the admission centre, undergraduate and postgraduate degree and diploma courses, certificate programmes, MBA (semester pattern), and MCA are being offered.

In addition, applications for new courses like diploma in French, Astronomy and Astrophysics are also available. Candidates can collect the study material on admission at C.S.I. Primary School, Variety Hall Road.

For details, contact 0422-2304910.

BSNL plans more Towers

The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is going all out to provide the best possible services to the people even in the remotest part of the Nilgiris district.It has drawn up an ambitious plan to increase the number of Base Transmitter Stations (BTS) and take the benefits of technology to those residing in far-flung areas and in the process improve services within the towns.

Explaining the salient features of the plan, the Divisional Engineer, BSNL Mobile Services, R. Venkataramanan told that work was apace on increasing the number of towers from the existing 64 to 105 at an estimated cost of about Rs. 20 crore.Pointing out that the base transmitter stations of varying sizes would come up in places like Sandhanamalai, Nellakottai, Athipalli, Kokkalada, Sandynullah, Archiden, Jakkanarai and Katteri, he said that they are expected to start functioning before the end of the year.

Acknowledging the help being extended by the district administration in acquiring sites for erecting the towers, he said that since many parts of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve were now out of range, efforts are on to get a suitable place at Theppakadu.He said that towers would not be pressed into service without a structural soundness certificate from the civil wing of the BSNL. They should withstand wind speeds up to 180 km. per hour.

Disclosing that high priority was being accorded to the provision of 3G services in the Nilgiris, Mr. Venkataramanan said that initially they would be available in Ooty and Coonoor.To enable subscribers to benefit from the 3G services 13 towers would be upgraded and five erected with the required facilities.He said that the services are likely to be available by October. A gateway linking the Coimbatore server would also be installed here.

At present, there are about one lakh pre-paid subscribers and around 20,000 post-paid subscribers in the Nilgiris.

22 new industrial estates in TN soon !!

The Tamil Nadu Small Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO) is keen to help the enterprising entrepreneurs by offering them land on a reasonable lease or rent for starting any industrial facility of their choice in the State, said its Chairman and Managing Director D Rajendran.Speaking at a seminar on ‘UNIDO’s Industrial Development Report 2009’ in the city on Saturday, Rajendran said that under the State Government’s entrepreneurial development programme, schemes were formulated to help BE degree holders and diploma holders in engineering with a tailormade training programme so that they could be suitably employed by the industry.

“Every year one lakh BE graduates pass out of various engineering colleges in the State. Many of them are not employable. Only very few get jobs based on their merit. With proper skill training, most of them could be made employable,” he said.Rajendran said that Tamil Nadu would have 22 new industrial estates at a total cost of Rs 78 crore and lands for 20 estates had already been identified.

He also said that five industrial clusters — auto (Chennai), pump and foundries (Coimbatore), hosiery (Tirupur), leather (Ambur and Vaniyambadi) and cereals and pulses (Madurai) — had been functioning well in the State.

R Ramamurthy, convenor, CSR Panel, FICCI, TNSC, said that the country should become globally competitive to face all types of economic challenges and move forward with the help of the knowledge resource available along with human and natural resources.V A George, chairman, Knowledge Xchange, dwelt at length on how the UNIDO report had addressed the problems faced by the developing countries in the wake of economic meltdown and recession and how quality education could bring about the desirable changes in society.

K Venkataraman, former MD, UNIDO and chairman, PERT, wanted the policy-makers to study the Industrial Development Report properly and devise programmes to tackle the emerging global situation after the slowdown with the help of the Skill Development Corporation already in place. Jebamalai Vinanchiarachi, Special Adviser, UNIDO, said that the Industrial Development Report released by UNIDO on February 23 in London acted as a pointer to the economists to find ways and means to put the economy on the track and make it moving, really.

Medi Science Health Exhibition

A model high-tech operation theatre was the major attraction at the three-day 'Medi Science Health Exhibition,' which began here on Thursday.Organised by the private Ganga Medical Centre and Hospitals, the exhibition was inaugurated by District Collector P Umanath.

The exhibition was aimed at creating awareness among the people, particularly students and youth, about health care, by which India could be made a healthier place to live in, Dr S Raja Sabapathy, Director of the hospital told reporters, on the sidelines of the inaugural function.

Besides awareness on nutrition and obesity, the expo is showcasing the latest technology on health care system.Over 1,000 school children have already visited the expo 'being held for a social cause, he said.Corporation commissioner Ansul Mishra was among the early visitors to the exhibition.

Efforts to abolish child labour in Coimbatore

District Collector P. Umanath has urged all stakeholders to take steps to help abolish child labour in the district.A meeting was held here recently with representatives of industrial bodies, hotel owners and trade union members, according to an official release.

Speaking at the meeting, the Collector said industries and commercial establishments should have a notice board at the entrance of the establishment mentioning the minimum age requirement for employment in their units. Those outsourcing work to smaller units (vendors and sub-contractors) should take an undertaking that the smaller units did not employ child workers.

In the textile units, where a large number of women from other districts were employed, the employers should have the age certificate of the workers.Child labour was almost abolished in hazardous and large-scale units in the district. Efforts were on the abolish child labour in other sectors too. By adopting these measures, industries could help the district become child labour-free. In the case of specific complaints of employment of children in any unit the public should inform the district administration.

AJSS offers employment courses

Avinashilingam Jan Shikshan Sansthan invites applications from men and women who have not completed school education to give training in employment-oriented courses.According to a release, there are separate courses for them. Men who have either passed or failed in standard V can apply for auto electrician, motor winding, plumber or tailoring courses.

Those who have passed or failed in standard VIII can apply for turner, fitter, machinist, welder, refrigeration and air conditioning repairing, and radio and television repairing courses.Those who have passed or failed in Std X can apply for the electrician, cell phone repairing, CNC lathe operator (two years’ experience in turner / machinist) and took and die making (DME / Plus-Two / two years’ experience in turner / fitter / machinist).

Women who have passed standard X or any class above that can apply for courses in maternity and child health nursing assistant, operation theatre assistant, intensive critical care unit nursing assistant and laboratory technician.Placement will be given to trainees. Applicants should send in details along with two self-addressed envelopes bearing Rs. 5 stamp each. Applications should be addressed to the Director, Avinashilingam Jan Shikshan Sansthan, Alagesan Road, Coimbatore – 641043 before July 31.

Candidates can also contact on 0422-2448858 or e-mail to mail@avinashilingamjss.com

4 arrested for assaulting SI

Four persons were arrested by the Thudiyalur Police past midnight on Saturday near the city on charges of assaulting a woman traffic Sub-Inspector attached to the police station.

The police said Sivakumar, Hariprasad, Pradeep Kumar and Kannan of Kavundampalayam had parked their motorcycles at a bakery and were involved in a conversation along the road around midnight. Sub-Inspector Deivamani, who was patrolling that area, had asked them to disperse.

A quarrel followed when the four resisted the police official’s alleged attempt to take away the keys of their vehicles. Policemen arrived from the Thudialur Police Station and arrested the four.

Campus Interview for Chemistry Students !

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company, will conduct a campus interview at Karpagam University on July 27 for candidates of the 2009 batch.According to a university release, candidates should be chemistry graduates or any graduate with chemistry as an ancillary subject or a B.Tech. in chemical engineering.

They should have passed without any arrear in Std. X, Plus-Two and graduation and should have an aggregate of more than 60 per cent.Candidates will have to undergo a written test that will assess the technical skills and aptitude and also a personal interview. Those interested can contact Karpagam University, Pollachi Main Road, Eachanari Post, Coimbatore – 641021; or call 0422-2611082 / 2611828. They can also visit the

website: www.karpagamuniversity.ac.in.

Competitions at Bharathiar University

As part of the birth centenary celebrations of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai, Bharathiar University has been conducting elocution and essay writing competitions for college students. The final round will be held on July 29 and 30.According to a release, the competitions are in English and Tamil and are on the works of Annadurai.

They have been conducted at five zonal levels, namely Kovai North, Kovai South, Erode, Pollachi and Udhagamandalam. Students from nearly 100 colleges took part. The final round will be covered by Vijay TV.

Job fair by Solvers India !

Solvers India, a Human Resources service provider and event manager are organising thefourth edition of Job Quest 09 on Saturday and Sunday at Suguna Kalyana Mandapam, Coimbatore. Entry to the event will be free of cost.One such fair was held at Madurai in June 2008. So far 750 students have been provided with the placement opportunities.

Leading firms are participating in the event to select candidates. There will be a seminar and quiz programme to keep the participants occupied. Prospective job seekers have been reached through SMS and e-mails using a database. For details contact 98942-17311, 98947-28491 and 97902-00113.

TexFair 2009 Inaugurated ..

Textile Commissioner A.B. Joshi has urged the Indian textile industry to invest continuously in technology to be competitive.Inaugurating “TexFair 2009”, textile machinery and spares exhibition organised by the Southern India Mills’ Association, here on Friday, he said the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme had given a fresh lease of life to the textile industry.

However, compared to the size and technology in competing countries, it was essential for the Indian industry to invest continuously.“Innovation is vital for the industry to grow and prosper,” he said. The textile sector had invested on a large-scale in plant and machinery. It should go in for the latest machinery, he said.The post-budget reactions of the industry had been presented to the Government. “We expect more consideration for the sector,” he said.

Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Southern Region, C.R. Swaminathan, said that maintenance of machinery was important for the units to be competitive. The power scenario in the State was affecting the competitiveness of the industry.The Government should help the industry in areas such as availability of skilled man power and infrastructure.

Chairman of the Southern India Mills’ Association K.V. Srinivasan said the industry expected a special package from the Government.“The industry needs Government support to recover.” The margin money should be brought down for working capital and interest rates should be reduced, he said.Sridhar Varadaraj, chairman of the Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association (India), said the association would consider having an exhibition of textile machinery here. The textile engineering sector was investing in research and development continuously.

N. Subramaniam, committee member of the Indian Textile Accessories and Machinery Manufacturers’ Association, said the Government’s assistance was important to the industry.Umesh J Shah, president of Textile Machinery and Mill Stores Merchants’ Association, also spoke.J. Thulasidharan, chairman of the event, said the last two editions of the fair had over 200 exhibitors.

This year the fair had 104 exhibitors and 135 stalls.S. Dinakaran, vice-chairman of SIMA delivered the vote of thanks.

Kutty’s Kalakkal 2009 today !!

Inner Wheel Club of Coimbatore North is organising Kutty’s Kalakkal 2009 on Saturday and Sunday at Nani Auditorium, Mani Higher Secondary School in Pappanaickenpalayam.The timing will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.The entry fee collected will go towards charitable initiatives.

The events to unfold in the two-day programme include Kalakkal Vanam (rangoli kolam), Kalakkal Ruchi (cookery), fancy dress (Kalakkal Kutty for children from pre-KG to Std. III) and Kalakkad Sangeetham from 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Painting contest

The events will include devotional and movie songs and key board open to students from Std. III to Std. X. There will be painting contest as well.On Sunday, there will be Kalakkal Aattam (both folk and western music). For registration, interested persons can contact 94430-55819 or 98422-21757.

Walkie - Talkie for Constables !

Seventy-five Very High Frequency (VHF) walkie-talkie sets have been given to policemen on cycle patrol in all the 15 police station limits here on Thursday.Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City, P. Sivanandi handed over the sets to the policemen. Deputy Commissioners of Police N. Kamini (Crime and Traffic) and P. Nagarajan (Headquarters) were present.

Mr. Sivanandi told reporters that for the first time in the State beat constables were being provided with the equipment to facilitate swift reaction in the event of an accident or crime.Communication gap between constables on patrol duty and police stations/control room had been a problem for long. Till date, the constables had to reach out to a public call office or request people in the area for a phone to call the control room or police station.

With the walkie-talkie sets being given at an outlay of Rs. 10 lakh, it would be easier for the police force to prevent and detect crimes and also prevent law and order problems. The Commissioner asked the officers to impart training to enable the constables to effectively communicate through the sets.

Monsanto organises ‘Aruvadai Thiruvizha’

Monsanto India Limited organised Dekalb 900 M Gold ‘Aruvadai Thiruvizha’ in Udumalpet and Tirupur to celebrate higher productivity from the Dekalb 900 M Gold high-yielding corn hybrid seeds and also to educate farmers on best agronomic practices.According to a release, farmers who had benefited from the seeds shared their experience. P. Jayabal, a farmer, said his three-acre farm produced a yield of 44 quintals an acre vis-À-vis 30 quintals when other seeds were used.

Gnana Pugalenthi, Head, Sales (Tamil Nadu), said superior quality seeds combined with timely inputs and best farming practices could impact the yield and make a difference to farmers’ lives.Christopher Samuel, Senior Manager, Public Affairs, said research-led innovation, superior breeding technologies and increased hybridisation were the key to increasing corn productivity and meeting the rising needs of corn consumers and user industries. Nearly 300 farmers from 15 villages attended.

Coimbatore software exports up

Coimbatore’s annual software exports have gone up to Rs. 360 crore from about Rs. 50 crore in 2004, according to Minister for Information Technology, Poongothai Aladi Aruna.

Inaugurating an Information Technology Learning and Research Centre at AJK College of Arts and Science here on Thursday, she said that India, especially Tamil Nadu, had managed to ride-over the recession.The country registered nearly 12 per cent growth in software exports last year and Tamil Nadu, about 29 per cent.

The Information Technology revolution in the country had put India on the global map. It showed the world that the country was capable of quality business. And, the strength of the country was human resource. “We have cost effective human talent,” she said.The country had a large number of English speaking students. However, as an industry, the information technology sector was yet to reach full potential.

Areas

There were several areas such as Business Process Outsourcing and E-governance, apart from software development. Technology advancements should be applied to Indian conditions. Thus, “there is still more to be accomplished,” she said.

Inaugurating the academic year 2009-2010 at the college, B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, chairman of the Coimbatore unit of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, said that the biggest strength of the country was the youth. Education would help harness this strength. What was important was the quality and content of education. Education was development of the human resource. He asked the students to realise that each one had the potential to achieve. One needed a shift in education that focused on human resource development than on just knowledge gathering.

R.S. Lal Mohan, trustee of the college, said India required skilled manpower in green technology.The youth had more responsibility and the IT centre opened at the college would equip them with the required exposure.Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan, Secretary and Managing Trustee of the college, welcomed the gathering.

Power shutdwn !

The following areas will not have power supply from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 25: Irugur, Ondipudur, Odderpalayam and a part of Kalapatti, Vellanaipalatti, Kannampalayam, Pallapalayam and Mylampatti.

Complaints box at colleges, common places

City Police have planned to install complaint boxes at colleges and at common places in order to provide an easy way to lodge complaints or pass on information regarding incidents of ragging in colleges and incidents of harassment of women, said P. Sivanandi, Inspector-General of Police and Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City on Wednesday.Mr. Sivanandi was addressing a meeting of principals, correspondents of 52 colleges in city police limits and students’ representatives.

Helpline

In the event of any incident of ragging, the students without any fear and on conditions of anonymity could call up the helpline established at the City Police office at phone number 0422-3220250 or send SMS to the other helpline number 98431-00101.

Strikes add to Coimbatore Inc's slowdown ?

The slowdown has cast its shadow in almost all industries with dipping orders and sinking profits. These circumstances are a perfect recipe for labour unrest and companies down south are facing strong opposition for various reasons.At a time when India Inc is struggling hard to counter an economic slowdown, the last thing any management wants is a all-tools-down strike. But that’s the reality, which is staring in the face of some south India based corporates.

Production at top tyre maker MRF's two major production units has been stalled since May 9 after its workers struck work, demanding recognition by the company management as the majority union. The matter has reached the courts as well...

The industrial town of Coimbatore is witnessing labour unrest with Pricol, a leading engineering products maker, fighting workers protests for more than two-and-a-half years.Besides, industrial gears maker Shanthi Gears announced a lockdown of its units after protests by CITU backed workers on Tuesday morning. The company had laid off 1,200 workers because of a drop in orders. Shanthi Gears said it had resumed operations on Wednesday. However, the unrest continues.

Ilango, president of Coimbatore District Small Industries Association, said, “Many big companies and corporates like Suzlon, L&T want to set up their units in Coimbatore. Now if these labour protests continue, many companies will shy away. Besides losing hundreds of jobs, the thousands of vendors who are dependent upon them will also be affected.”Now, with leading auto and manufacturing companies looking at a recovery in the next six months, continuing labour protests may wreak havoc to the industry that's looking at a growth.

Special counters for IT returns !!

The Income Tax Department is setting up special counters from July 27 to July 31 to receive the IT returns.The last date for filing of IT returns for the salaried and other non-corporate assessees (without the liability of Tax audit) is July 31.According to a release from Arvind Pinto, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Coimbatore, the department is making elaborate arrangements for receiving the returns of income not only in Coimbatore but also at all the income tax offices including Erode, Tirupur, Udhagamandalam and Pollachi.

In addition, help desks will be set up on the IT office premises to assist the tax payers in filling up and filing of returns. Both the special counters and the help desks will function on all the five days in all the IT offices in Coimbatore region.Besides, officers will be present to offer any clarification that may be sought by the assessees and also in filling up of the new return forms.These forms will be available in the special counters. Besides, the forms can be downloaded from the department’s official website www.incometaxindia.gov.in.

Tax payers are not required to file any annexures with their returns.But they are required to quote correct address, PAN, Bank A\C number, MICR Code, etc in their returns to facilitate speedy processing. IT returns will not be accepted without these mandatory details.They are also advised to bring their PAN cards or PAN allotment letters to facilitate easy filling up of their returns.

For any other clarification in this regard, the Assistant Commissioner of Income (HQ) (Admn), office of the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Coimbatore, can be contacted on 0422-2225002.

Conference on interventional pulmonology

Kovai Medical Center and Hospital will hold a conference on interventional pulmonology here on July 25 and 26.Chairman of the hospital Nalla G. Palaniswami said on Tuesday that the meet would discuss the latest trends in interventional pulmonology. There would be demonstration of interventional procedures like endo bronchial ultrasound and thoracoscopy would be performed during the conference.

Dr. Palaniswami said V.R. Pattabhiraman and S. Mahadevan, who headed the Department of Interventional Pulmonology, had organised the meet to mark the first anniversary of the department.As interventional pulmonology was a new and fast emerging area in the field of healthcare, the conference aimed at creating awareness among the medical fraternity on the advances in the field, Dr. Palaniswami said. Around 300 delegates from various parts of the country were expected to participate, he said.

Hyundai i-20 Launched !

Three diesel variants of the Hyundai i20 were launched at Chandra Hyundai showroom, Avanashi Road here on Thursday.

Ravi Sam, Chairperson, Confederation of Indian Industry- Coimbatore, launched the first car. Placed in the D-plus segment, the variants range from approximately Rs. 7 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh on road. According to C. Karthikeyan, Sales Manager of Chandra Hyundai, The i20 diesel has all the features of a Hyundai Sonata, which include six airbags, automatic climate control air conditioning and music controls on the steering wheel.

The car comes with anti-locking brake system and electronic brake distribution . The Asta variant comes with an optional sunroof.

View Solar Eclispe !!

The Coimbatore Astronomy Club has announced that the solar eclipse on July 22 will be partial for Coimbatore and during the maximum eclipse about 60 per cent of the sun will be hidden behind the moon.

The eclipse will start at 5.30 a.m. when the sun is below the horizon. The sun rise will be at 06.08 a.m. Maximum eclipse will be at 6.20 a.m. when the sun is just two degrees above the horizon and the eclipse will be over at 7.15 a.m. when the sun is only about 15 degrees above the horizon.

Viewing the sun directly should be avoided. For observing the eclipse safely specially made solar filters or welder class #14 could be used. As the end of the eclipse occurs around 7.15 a.m. to view the eclipse one should position themselves in a place hidden either by trees or buildings. For details K. Sakthivel could be contacted at 98434-25945 and S. Anand at 97904 57568.

Qlik Tech eyeying for partners !

To address the demands evolving in the BFSI, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, BPO, IT and ITeS sectors, QlikTech is looking to sign up resellers and SI partners across these industry verticals. QlikTech has 10 partners in India at present, and has plans to spread this network further across the targeted verticals.

"Besides expanding vertical-wise, we're planning geographic expansion in the tier-two cities like Coimbatore, Cochin, Pune, Ahmedabad, Indore and Jamshedpur. We are scouting for distribution partners and system integrators who have domain knowledge to understand the users' pain points, and have the required skill set to address these problems," said R Raghunathan, Regional Manager, India & South Asia.

The vendor has an aggressive OEM programme running side by side which helps it to deal with specific industry requirements and gives it an enhanced visibility across the targeted verticals as well. QlikTech has OEM alliances with financial, pharma, ERP solution providers, and is looking to expand this OEM alliance to address new verticals. "Currently, we have got three OEM partners and have been scaling up our OEM programme to align more OEM partners into it," said Raghunathan.

QlikTech is currently in talks with one of the largest retail software solutions providers to bring in an integrated POS solution for the retailers, which will help them make an informed business decision regarding procurement, inventory management, and marketing. "Financial sector is another important segment for us. We are trying to partner with niche financial consulting firms as well as the niche players focusing on corporate performance management. We are also in talks with the ERP vendors to provide a business intelligence layer to their applications," said Paul Rajesh, Senior Solutions Consultant.

The company has direct sales team to help partners leading the sales into large enterprise. "Besides sharing product information with the partners, we are trying to roll out vertical specific QlikTalks program to reach out to users across different industry verticals. We will invite one of our existing customers to address a small gathering of 10-15 prospects, and share their experience with them," said Raghunathan.

Competition for school students

Divyodaya will organise a stamp-coin exhibition and competition for students of Standard VI to Plus-Two on July 26.According to a release, students should exhibit their collection of stamps and coins.

The theme for the exhibition of stamps is “Nature and Wild Life” and for the coins it is “Era, Variety and Nationality”. The last date for registration is July 24.

The competition will be held in two groups: students of Standards VI to IX (Group I) and students of Standards X to Plus-Two (Group II). For details, contact Divyodaya at 0422-2300966, 2301269.

Super Congress - 2500 children participate !

Super Congress 2009, a once in a five year event, will be held in Coimbatore from August 7 to 12. The event, with the motto of ‘Young for a United World,’ will bring together 700 children in the age group of 13 to 18 from 23 countries.

According to Vinu Aram, Director, Shanti Ashram, one of the hosts, the week-long congress will see the conglomeration of 2,500 children taking part in the various events. Students from 80 schools in Coimbatore will be part of the congress.

“The congress will serve as a platform for children to come together and meet to see what they can do for peace and unity of the world. A peace festival, marathon, visit to rural areas in addition to lectures and meetings will form part of the congress,” Ms. Aram said.It was the first time the congress was being held outside Europe. The committee of hosts comprises Namathu Pangu Initiative of Kumaraguru College of Technology, Shanti Ashram and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

While the groundwork was being done by 150 youth from schools, colleges and other organisations, the industry, health sector and Government Departments were providing other support.

Revival efforts start paying off, NTC Mills on hiring mode ..

Not long ago, a bleak future starred at a group of National textile corporation operated spinning mills in the texcity Coimbatore.The sick mills encountered problems like surplus workforce, vintage machinery and lower output. Now, they are on a come back trail thanks to the modernisation programme.What is more, the four NTC run mills are on a hiring mode. The mills revived by the textiles ministry through a modernisation scheme at a cost of Rs 64.35 crore in the last twelve months, are looking to hire an additonal 1000 workers to increase production.

The mills- Cambodia Mills, Coimbatore Murugan Mills, Pankaja Mills and Rangavilas Ginning, Spinning & Weaving Mills are seeing the benefits of the modernisation scheme.While the Cambodia Mills weaving unit was upgraded with imported machinery, the other three mills had also equipped themselves with latest technology. Apart from importing machines from China, NTC also procured latest machines from LMW, the Indian textile machinery major.While the formal inauguration of the mills ( after modernisation) is scheduled to take place later this month, they have already kick started production. "After the modernisation, the four mills are working at 80% capacity and they have also reached breakeven in the last two months," NTC southern region chief GM (technical) M M Chockalingam told ET.

"We need additional 1000 workers to reach 95% utilisation level ," he added. Currently there are 2337 permanent workers and around 2000 causal workers employed in the four mills."We have already received more than 1000 applications for the vacant spots and it is in the process of scrutiny. We will soon call them for interview and hire them on our rolls as casual workers. Later, we will shift them to fill the permanent vacancies and pay occupational salary," said a senior executive in NTC.Currently, NTC pays around Rs 125 to Rs 135 per day for casual workers and up to Rs 6000 per month for permanent employees.Apart from aiming to make profits, the four mills are also ready to compete with private mills by producing value added products. Following upgradation of machines, the spindles speed has gone up to 21000 RPM from the earlier 13000 RPM. "We are expecting a increase in production from earlier 60 to 65 gram per spindle to up to 100 grams per spindle," said Mr Chockalingam.

He said, among the four, Coimbatore Murugan Mills and Rangavilas Mills are the top performers and they are specialised in producing round form hand yarn, which would be useful for handlooms. "These two mills would mainly produce cotton yarn and new value-added products like slub yarn, high twist yarn and cotton 2/1 gassed mercerized yarn," he added.The other two mills would concentrate on 100% polyester yarn and also polyester mixed with cotton and viscose yarns respectively. The mills are also planning to produce hosiery yarn as a value-added product. Mr Chockalingam said the yarn from the four mills would go to all the important markets in India apart from supplying to local markets in Tirupur, Somanur and Erode.

In the last 30 to 35 years, ten mills had come under the purview of NTC in the texcity. When four mills were shutdown (two sold and two under litigation), surplus workers were relieved through VRS scheme or accommodated in other running mills. Two more mills namely, Sharadha Mills and Coimbatore Spinning & Weaving Mills are to be operated under JV and the remaining four revived through modernization scheme.Figures available from NTC show that nearly 2352 people opted for VRS scheme following closure of mills or on medical grounds. Also more than 2000 people had retired from these mills and NTC hasn’t filled up the vacancy following ban on recruitment.

Recently as one of the highlights in the Textile Ministry Agenda for 100 days, Union Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran said, the seven modernised mills under NTC in the country would be made operational. Among the seven mills, four are in Coimbatore.

Industries in south districts owe Rs 50k cr to banks

Companies that are operating in the two major industrial towns of Coimbatore and Tirupur in south Tamil Nadu owe a whopping Rs 50,000 crore to various banks and financial institutions. While admitting that the loan outstanding is huge, various industry associations and representatives said it was not only the financial turmoil, but power cuts and inadequate incentives from the government that had hit the bottom of the pyramid.

The Southern India Engineering Manufacturers’ Association (SIEMA) in Coimbatore, considered to be the largest base for the engineering industry, has estimated that the engineering industry alone has to pay bank loans worth Rs 20,000 crore. Similarly, the textile industry in Coimbatore owes around Rs 15,000 crore and the garment industry in Tirupur Rs 6,000 crore. Major public sector and private sector banks and financial institutions have confirmed that the industry owes as much as over Rs 40,000 crore.

The debtors in the engineering industry include foundries, auto component, pump set, textile machinery and industrial valve makers, who together employ 40 per cent of the industrial working population in this district. It has reported a 50 per cent drop in production and capacity utilisation. Already over 100,000 people had lost their jobs in Coimbatore district, said SIEMA president Jayakumar Ramdass.

“We could not keep up our delivery promise to the customers, which has resulted in the industry losing job orders to Ludhiana and Gujarat. Despite these problems, we were getting inquiries. However, we could not deliver goods on time and offer competitive prices,” he added.

The Tirupur garment industry, which is the country’s largest knitwear export hub, has also confirmed that the position is very bad all over. The industry has to repay as much as Rs 6,000 crore to banks and other financial institutions.“Customers are still willing to place orders on us, if we can match the Chinese and Bangladesh prices,” said A Sakthivel, president, Tirupur Exports Association (TEA). Chinese and Bangladeshis are quoting 20 per cent and 30 per cent less as compared to the Tirupur exporters. Extra power, raw material and interest costs are making Tirupur garments costlier and uncompetitive, he added.

In this backdrop, the industry needs support from the banks. A letter was already sent to the finance ministry seeking moratorium for two years for repayment of the term loans and interest rates for the garment units in Tirupur, Sakthivel said. Similar demand was also made by the industries in Coimbatore.

According to TEA’s data, exports from Tirupur dipped around Rs 9,500 crore in 2008-09 from Rs 11,000 crore in 2006-07, a first-time decline (14 per cent) witnessed by Tirupur exporters.
Micro units in engineering in Coimbatore district have to repay loan to the tune of Rs 7,000 crore (of the Rs 20,000 crore), added J James, president of the Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Micro Enterprise (TACT).

“Already, over 1,000 micro units were closed and 50,000 people had lost their jobs since their owners were not in a position to repay loans. A major portion of these loans was borrowed from private banks. It is estimated that there are over 35,000 micro units in this district, which largely depend on job orders from other majors,” he said.The association has estimated that the textile industry, including spinning, cotton, yarn and other mills, has to repay loans worth Rs 15,000 crore.

3 day international conference (ATNT)

The sixth edition of three-day international conference on 'Advances in Textiles machinery, Nonwoven and Technical textiles' (ATNT-2009) would commence at Bannari Amman Institute of Technology in Sathyamangalam near Erode on December seven.The conference would focus on finding solutions to the difficulties faced by Indian Textile Industry and provide information on new market opportunities for global players, an institute release said here today.

Key topics include technology and marketing of technical textiles, eco-friendly textiles, functional finishes, nanotechnology in textiles, defence textiles and new development in spinning, weaving and processing, it said.

The conference would enhance textile sector's core competency and discussions related to international tie-up opportunities in both technology and marketing, it said.The conference, being jointly organised by Texas Tech University and the institute, would bring industrial and academic experts from many parts of the world to deliberate on latest topics in the field of value-added textiles, it added

K.G Naidu - Postal cover released

Minister for Rural Industries and Animal Husbandry Pongalur N. Palanisamy urged the Postal Department to release a stamp in memory of K. Govindaswamy Naidu, founder of K.G. Group of Institutions.The Department of Posts released a special postal cover of Naidu at Annur, about 35 km from here, on Saturday.

Speaking at the function, which was part of the centenary celebrations of Naidu, the Minister said he had known him since the days he used to sell cotton in Tirupur and Naidu had been coming to Tirupur to buy cotton.Chief Minister K. Karunanidhi had stayed at Naidu’s house in 1975. The family’s contribution now for development of the Information Technology sector was tremendous, he said.Releasing the postal cover, V. Rajarajan, Postmaster General, Western Region, said Naidu had achieved success by adopting the right path.

Social welfare

He had also contributed towards social welfare.The special cover would be available for sale with the Coimbatore Philately Association for a month, he said. R. Kaliannan, Inspector of Matriculation Schools, urged the students to emulate Naidu. Family members who spoke at the function said that according to Naidu, who had created a number of educational institutions, hospitals, charitable trusts and temples, business was not just for profit but for providing livelihood to others. In his personal life too, he was a man of discipline, they said.

Salzer Electronics and Salzer Cables merger !

The shareholders of Salzer Electronics and Salzer Cables have approved the merger of Salzer Cables with Salzer Electronics.Managing Director of Salzer Electronics R. Doraiswamy told presspersons here on Saturday, after an EGM, that Salzer Cables was initiated as a separate venture with 49 per cent holding of Larsen & Toubro and 51 per cent by the Salzer promoters.

With the merger, Larsen & Toubro’s holding in Salzer Electronics would be 26 per cent and the promoters, with associates, would have 51 per cent share.The share swap ratio would be 1:4.2.

A media release from the company said, Salzer Cables was merged with Salzer Electronics subject to the sanction of the Chennai High Court.

City Police Sponsor education !!

As part of the exercise to foster good police-public relationship, the Coimbatore City Police began a drive to sponsor education of poor children on Wednesday.With the help of charitable trusts, the 15 police stations in the city will extend financial aid to two children each to carry on with their education.

“An educated society can ensure a crime-free atmosphere,” said P. Sivanandi, Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City, on Wednesday while distributing Rs. 2.06 lakh collected so far.

Fear factor

People need not look at police with fear, he said adding that this exercise was aimed at bringing out the humane face of the police force by displaying compassion and concern.It would help people repose confidence in the police. Police stations should not any longer look like interrogation centres. The police force should get the image of a social institution.

A total of 32 poor children studying in Standard V to college were being adopted. He said that the City Police on consultation with the Government will evolve a policy/programme for creating a corpus fund for continuing this gesture.

More students

He wanted the sponsors and donors to make sure that the number of children adopted increased in the years to come.A sum of Rs. 20,000 was given to P. Umamaheswari of Ramanathapuram police station limits to pursue B.Sc Biotech course.

Abdul Rahim (10) and Abdul Rashid (6), whose family was killed in a road accident at Palladam recently, were given Rs. 7,000 to pursue school education. Of the 32 students adopted, 18 were girls.Deputy Commissioners of Police K. Shanmugavel (Law and Order), P. Nagarajan (Headquarters), N. Kamini (Crime and Traffic) and all Assistant Commissioners of Police attended the function.

BSNL announce Account less Internet !

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced the availability of account less Internet Access – postpaid Internet to landline and wireless in local loop customers.

A release from the BSNL said that Internet charges would be only 10 paise per minute..

It will be free online registration and for details interested subscribers could contact 0422-2437600 and 2454545.

Rain brings Hope !!

Heavy downpour in the hilly terrain in Western Ghats has helped improve storage in catchments of the various reservoirs under the Parambikulam – Aliyar Project (PAP).With the rain setting in, the storage in the PAP reservoirs have started improving, reviving hopes of the PWD officials as well as the farmers living in Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and even in Karur districts.

The water level in Sholayar stood at 121.75 ft as against the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 160 ft. The dam witnessed an inflow of 5,342 cusecs while the discharge from the reservoir stood at 1098 cusecs and the rainfall in the reservoir stood at 80 mm (for 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday).

Parambikulam reservoir with an FRL of 72 ft had a storage of 27.17 ft and the inflow into the reservoir stood at 736 cusecs and the rainfall was 62 mm.

Aliyar

The Aliyar reservoir had a storage of 90 ft as against the FRL of 120 ft and the inflow stood at 1004 cusecs while the discharge stood at 114 cusecs and the rainfall was 7 mm.

Thirumurthy reservoir stood at 19.33 ft as against the FRL of 60 ft. Inflow remained at two cusecs while outflow was 16 cusecs. Amaravathy reservoir had storage of 54.15 ft as against the FRL of 90 ft. The inflow into the reservoir stood at 2338 cusecs and discharge stood at 312 cusecs.

Officials said that once Sholayar gets filled up, the surplus water through the saddle sluice would reach Parambikulam and on filling up that reservoir it would reach Thirumurthy reservoir.

With the inflow from the tributaries and rainfall in the catchments continuing, the authorities expect the storage position to improve further in the next 15 to 20 days.

The rainfall figures at 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday are as follows: Upper Nirar 100 mm, Lower Nirar 48 mm, Valparai 75 mm, Pollachi 14 mm, Manacadavu 10 mm, Thoonakadavu 82 mm, Peruvaripallam 99 mm, Upper Aliyar 4 mm, Kadamparai 12 mm and Sircarpathy 27 mm. With reports of monsoon getting intensified and rainfall turning vigorous, the farmers are confident of further improvement in storage over the next fortnight.

In Coimbatore, Siruvani reservoir that caters to the drinking water needs of a part of the city and a number of wayside local bodies, the storage as on Wednesday stood at 872.90 as against the FRL of 878.5 ft. Rainfall at 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday was reported at 120 mm in catchments and 70 mm at the foothills.