Milagrow to Launch Special Edition TabTop PCs and Domestic Robots - An initiative to Honor the Athletes on Winning a Medal in the Upcoming Olympics

New Delhi, India, 26th July, 2012 - Milagrow HumanTech, a leading provider
of TabTop PC's and Domestic Robots today announced a unique encouragement
program for the Indian Olympics Team. The Company will launch special TabTop
PCs and Domestic Robots to honor the medal winners. 5% of the sales proceeds
will be given to the medal winners which will be a life time initiative for
every model that will sell.

Speaking about the launch, Mr Rajeev Karwal, Founder & CEO Milagrow Business
& Knowledge Solutions said, "Every Indian is looking up at the athletes for
the upcoming Olympics and are hoping that end up bagging medals for India.
Keeping this sentiment in mind we thought what better way that to launch a
special edition TabTop PC's and Robots which will revolve around the theme
of the upcoming Olympics.  These special edition products will be launched
within 6 months of the culmination of the Olympics which will be in
consultation with the individual athletes and the team representatives."

In addition a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for each individual Gold medal winner,
Rs 75,000/- for silver medal winner and Rs 50,000/- for bronze medal winner
has also been announced. The awards and the model launches will take place
in special ceremonies to honor these athletes who make India feel proud.

With an 81 member strong team, India is expected to bring back the largest
medal haul in its Olympics history. We expect that India will outperform its
previous best this time in all the games especially Archery, Discus,
Badminton, Boxing, Field Hockey, Shooting, Tennis and Wrestling.

Milagrow is the no 1 domestic robots company in India with Floor Cleaning
and Window Cleaning Robots by winning new admirers every day. It's patented
World's only TabTop PCs are the most innovative in the Indian market and are
considered as the most serious competitors to the Laptops. In June 2012 it
also launched the World's first Window Cleaning Robots in India

Milagrow wishes that the 2012 turns out to be the best Olympics ever!

Mahindra unveils the ‘All New Verito Sedan’

·         Sports 23 new changes and features

·         Customers’ choice ‘All New Verito Sedan’ starts at a price of Rs. 5.23 lacs (Ex Showroom – Kochi, for BS3 Petrol variant)

July 27, 2012, Kochi: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), India’s leading SUV manufacturer, today unveiled the All New Verito Sedan. The stylish Verito Sedan has undergone a major makeover to become more elegant and contemporary. The all new avatar of Mahindra’s sedan now sports 23 new changes and features with improved ergonomics, redesigned interiors and exteriors and uncompromised safety features.

Speaking on the launch of the all new Verito sedan, Pravin Shah, Chief Executive, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said, “The New Look Verito sedan has been created in line with the Mahindra tradition of giving more value to customers. It enhances value by being more stylish and contemporary, feature packed and with convenient ergonomics. I am sure that the New Look Verito will heighten its appeal not only amongst its core customers but also amongst people looking at options for a more stylish sedan. In fact, the best in class mileage, features, space and comfort combined with the attractive price of the new Verito will make it a truly irresistible value proposition. The Verito, which has always been a sensible buy, is now even more attractive with its enhanced style quotient”.

According to Arun Malhotra, Senior Vice President, Sales & Customer Care, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., “Our distinctive ‘Verito Man’ campaign is helping us propagate the concept of responsible motoring - something which is the need of the hour on Indian roads.  Last year, the Verito TVC dealt with the menace of unnecessary honking.  With the launch of the ‘New Look Verito’, we have taken the opportunity to create a new television commercial which deals with another commonly seen problem on Indian roads – that of people blocking the road unnecessarily - and which is dealt with in a very sensible manner by the ‘Verito Man’”.

The New Look Verito sedan now boasts of sophisticated curves, masculine body lines and bold cuts. Its chrome accents and dynamic new lights ensure that the all new Verito stands out in a crowd. The all new Verito’s external and internal features have been chiseled to meet the increasing customer demand and aspiration for a stylish sedan. This has clearly taken the sedan to the next level in terms of style, premiumness, convenience and comfort.

While the new look Verito sedan, with 23 changes and new features, is a lot more aesthetically appealing and ergonomic to use, its core strengths, such as the efficient Renault 1.5 LDCi diesel engine and Renault 1.4 L MPFi petrol engine, best in category body width and 510 litres of boot space, still remain intact.  The  all new Verito, available in 2 variants in petrol (G2 and G4) and 3 variants in Diesel (D2, D4 and D6) starts at an attractive price of Rs 5.23 lacs (ex-showroom Kochi for Petrol, BS3) & Rs. 6.07 lacs (ex showroom Kochi, for Diesel, BS3). It is also available in a wide range of 8 attractive colour options – Diamond White, Fiery Black, Toreador Red, Java Brown, Mist Silver, Rocky Beige, Twilight Blue and the all new Dolphin Grey.

About the New Look Verito

Verito which is derived from the Latin word ‘Veritas’ means truth and goes with the overall image of an honest, sensible and dependable car. Packed with class leading space, comfort, style, proven technology, safety features and a low running and maintenance cost, the Verito scores highly over its nearest competitors. The redesigned New Verito has undergone a complete makeover.

New Style and Design

Continuing with the Mahindra tradition, the New Look Verito has been created based on customer insights & feedback. New styling changes span across all its variants. Key exterior styling changes include:

o   Completely new front fascia

o   Striking new front grill with chrome plating

o   Sculpted new boot lid & clear lens tail lamps

o   New eyebrow headlights & stylish new fog lamps

o   New front & rear bumper

o   Classy new alloy wheels

o   Stylish roof rails and blackened pillars

o   Stylish side claddings

o   Chrome rear applique

v  The smart new exterior of the New Look Verito is complemented by the stylish, comfortable and ergonomically redesigned interiors. The New Look Verito also boasts of premium new interiors featuring:

o   New dashboard lending a contemporary refined 2 tone theme to the entire cabin

o   2 DIN music system with CD / MP3 / USB / Aux-in / Tuner

o   Convenient door mounted power window switches

o   Redesigned Grab handles

o   Electric ORVM control

o   Variometric AC with ergonomic controls

o   Elegant new upholstery

o   Widest rear seat with three head restraints

o   Spacious 510 litres of boot space- one of the largest

o   Broadest car in its segment, offering unmatched cabin space.

o   Spacious seating capacity

Engine Efficiency & Driving Convenience

The practicality of the Verito holds true for its on road performance too. Be it the responsive power steering, high ground clearance and modern suspension, all these keep the drive quality high. The New Verito is powered by the same renowned Renault drive train with the option of a 1.5 DCi CRDi diesel engine or 1.4 MPFI petrol engine. Equipped with this, the Verito offers an amazing 21.03 KMPL fuel efficiency (diesel mileage as per ARAI). These engine options add distinct dimensions to the drivability, efficiency and performance of the Verito. In addition, for more convenience, the wiper movement has been corrected and the bonnet opening lever has been provided on the driver’s side.

Advanced Technology & safety features

Packed with advanced technology, uncompromised safety features and class leading space & comfort, the New Look Verito scores highly over its nearest competitors. The list of features & technologies used in stylish New Look Verito across different variants is an impressive one –

• The convenient Driver Information System which gives live information about the car’s performance.
• Anti lock braking system with EBD
• Anti –theft engine immobiliser
• Driver Airbags
• Side impact beams

SALMAN, THE TIGER, RIDES ON SUZUKI HAYATE

New Delhi, July 25, 2012: Riding high on the success of campaign featuring Salman Khan for the new mass segment motorcycle - Hayate, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd (SMIPL) has gone a step further to strengthen the association between the brand and the superstar. SMIPL has joined hands with Yash Raj Films for their upcoming Salman Khan starrer, Ek Tha Tiger to launch a special promotional campaign - ‘Ek Tha Tiger Ek Hai Hayate’.

‘Ek Tha Tiger Ek Hai Hayate’ campaign provides Suzuki Hayate buyers a chance to meet the superstar Salman Khan in person. The six winners whose names will be selected through an automated, random computer-generated process will get to meet Salman Khan in Mumbai and out of these, one lucky winner will get a free Suzuki Hayate Motorcycle.

Ms. Anu Anamika, National Head - Marketing says, “This campaign is an outcome of the huge response to the brand’s association with Salman Khan. Tiger Salman Khan offers his fans the opportunity to associate with his style and flair. The contest provides Suzuki two wheelers with an opportunity to offer its customers many more reasons to celebrate”.

A 360-degree Advertising campaign has been launched to promote the contest. The campaign will spread across all mediums including Television, Cinema, Radio, and Print. The TVC will also be aired during Indian Idol Season 6 on Sony (among several other channels and programmes). The advertising campaign will be supported by special consumer engagement programs.

Ek Tha Tiger is seen as this year’s most anticipated movie and is expected to break box office records. With the buzz around the movie building up, SMIPL is confident that the brand association will get strengthened with this campaign.

 

SUZUKI TWO-WHEELERS AND INDUSIND BANK TIE UP FOR RETAIL FINANCE

Kochi, July 25, 2012: Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. (SMIPL), a subsidiary of one of the world’s leading two-wheeler manufacturers Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, entered into a preferred tie-up with IndusInd Bank to extend retail finance to Suzuki two-wheeler customers across all 250 SMIPL dealerships. The preferred tie up will provide Suzuki customers an easy retail finance option.  The MOU was signed on July 18, 2012 by SMIPL representative Mr. Rakesh Kumar, National Head -Sales Planning and Dealer Development and IndusInd Bank representative Mr. S.V. Parthasarathy, Executive Vice President - Consumer Finance. Mr. C Ramesh Babu, VP and Head – two-wheeler finance, IndusInd was also present. Mr. Rakesh Kumar, National head – Sales Planning and Dealer Development, SMIPL says, “Suzuki two-wheelers is delighted to be associated with IndusInd Bank. This tie-up gives us an opportunity to serve our customers better by providing easy retail finance for SMIPL products.”  The venture will also enable Suzuki two-wheelers to leverage the reach, expertise and support of IndusInd Bank in order to finance a larger set of customers and help Suzuki’s future plans. 

Sobha Restoplus launches a comfy combo series of bonded foam mattresses

Bangalore, July 25, 2012: Sobha Restoplus, the mattress division of realty major Sobha Developers Ltd., today unveiled a new series of combo mattresses in Bangalore.

Sobha Restoplus is the first retail product of Sobha Developers, which is one of the fastest growing and only backward integrated real estate players in the country. It brings to you world-class spring mattresses that redefine the art and science of sleep.

The assorted new line of bonded foam mattresses includes the following four variants with a price range of      Rs. 9,500 to Rs. 53,000. They provide ultimate support and ensure a good night’s sleep, leaving one well rested and relived:

(i)                  Star Light: Bonded foam and flexible PUF combination

Stay fresh and active with this select offering of mattresses that are replete with flexible PUF (Poly Urethane Foam). They relax you by providing a firm back support.

(ii)                Rejuvenation: Bonded foam and memory foam combination

Rejuvenate everyday with this classy collection of mattresses which combine the goodness of bonded foam with high-quality memory foam that increases the viscosity and density of the mattress. As a result, the foam softens in reaction to body heat, allowing it to adjust to a warm body within minutes.

(iii)               Natural Support: Bonded foam with one side latex

Bounce back to life with this unique range of mattresses, which provide luxurious comfort and optimum support. The latex layer gives the bouncy feel while the bonded foam provides the necessary firmness.

(iv)              Resilience: Bonded foam with one side latex and memory foam

This all new variety of mattresses is synonymous with comfort. They ensure flexibility and buoyancy. The superior natural latex helps reduce pressure points and enhances the quality of sleep.

Talking about the distinctive new range of mattresses, Mr. Raghav Menon, Executive Vice President, Sobha Mattress Division, said, “Sobha Restoplus strives to create a one-stop shopping location for all your mattress needs. Crafted expertly in a state-of-the-art facility in Bangalore, the mattresses imbibe the most advanced sleeping technology in India. This new product line not only has a plush international appeal but also is durable and comfortable.”

If you're looking to get that good night's rest you have been craving all along, this new collection of Sobha Restoplus is for you. Supporting every contour of your body, these unmatched mattresses respond with care and have a luxurious feel, thanks to the premium fabrics used.

About Sobha Restoplus

Launched in August 2007 in Bangalore, Sobha Restoplus has redefined the art of sleeping with its best-in-class products. Beneath the super-fine finishing, multi-layered cushioning and the imported springs, is a wealth of technology, design and engineering.

The high-quality Sobha Restoplus mattresses are produced on state-of-the-art machinery of American and European pedigree. These machines are housed in a special unit, which is located at Jigini Link Road, Bommasandra, Bangalore. Spread over 1,71,000 sq. ft., by far it is the largest plant of spring mattresses in the country today. More than 27 variants of mattresses are produced by the division, which has a sustainable run rate of 150 mattresses per day.

All spring mattresses of Sobha Restoplus are tested under a special Cornell Type Mattress Tester, which has been imported from Leggett & Platt, USA. It is touted to be the best and only testing machine in the subcontinent.

All machines are manned by highly skilled operators trained in all aspects of mattress manufacturing. Sobha provides prompt delivery of four hours from the time of order for Bangalore region and a within eight-hour dispatch commitment for outstation orders. To learn more, visit http://www.sobharestoplus.com.

Essar Oil secures loan facility to repay deferred sales tax liability

Mumbai, July 23, 2012: Essar Oil Limited today announced that it has tied up a new credit facility from domestic banks to provide a credit line of up to Rs 5,000 crore to meet its Sales Tax liability of Rs 6,169 crore.The company continues to pursue the matter of repayment schedule of its sales tax liability both legally and with the Gujarat government. Essar Oil is confident that with this facility tied up it will be in a position to meet its entire payment obligations.

Lalit Gupta, MD & CEO, Essar Oil, said: “The new loan facility will enable EOL to meet its sales tax liability. Our lenders have continued to be very supportive of the business, which remains well placed given the demand for high value fuels both in India and internationally.”

As previously announced, the completion of the Vadinar refinery phase 1 expansion and the early completion of the additional optimisation project at Vadinar complete the scheduled capexprogramme for the refinery. With its benchmark low operating costs and enhanced scale and complexity, Vadinar is expected to deliver significantly enhanced margins and cash flow generation in future.

Taking Islamic Finance Education to the Masses

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – July 23, 2012



Once the reserve of expensive training events, Islamic finance education is now about to become accessible to the common man.



Ethica announced today that it is making the study notes for its award-winning Certified Islamic Finance Executive (CIFE) program freely available to the public as an e-book. Voted “Best Islamic Finance Qualification” at the Global Islamic Finance Awards, Ethica is the only globally-recognized certification institute in the world to fully comply with AAOIFI’s Shariah standards. AAOIFI is the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions and the de facto standard in 90% of the world’s Islamic finance jurisdictions.



The CIFE Study Notes e-book covers major Islamic finance topics including Sukuk, Risk Management, Liquidity Management, Takaful, Musharakah, Mudarabah, Murabaha, Ijarah, Salam, and Istisna. The end of the e-book includes an expansive glossary covering commonly used industry terminology. Ethica’s spokesperson said, “The CIFE Study Notes are designed as an accompaniment to the online training modules and provide Ethica students with a handy reference manual, but anyone can benefit from the examples and concepts explained in the e-book.” The CIFE Study Notes can be downloaded here.



Islamic finance currently suffers an acute shortage of trained and certified professionals. And despite the global financial crisis, Islamic finance continues to spread across the globe. The Dubai-based institute’s clients include large banks like Mashreq Bank which trains 1,000 employees using Ethica, universities like La Trobe, and Dow Jones affiliate Zawya, which offers Ethica to its 750,000 users.

CII President Condemns Violence at Maruti’s Manesar Plant

CII President, Mr Adi Godrej strongly condemned the recent violence that erupted at the Maruti Plant at Manesar resulting in the death of a senior company official and injuring more than ninety employees including some foreigners. According to the CII President, an incident of this nature was most unexpected especially since a dialogue was on between the management and the workers on unresolved issues.

Mr Adi Godrej, President, CII said “CII strongly believes that any disputes between the management and the workers must be settled through a discussion and a dialogue in a peaceful environment within the rubric of law. CII fears that this unfortunate event would dent the country’s image which might impact investors’ impressions of India in terms of safety of investments. On Industrial relations issues, it is imperative that an environment of trust is fostered. The management, workers and state government have responsibilities, which need to be discharged with sincerity.”

The CII release went on to say that it is also unfortunate that such an incident took place in Haryana which is considered to be an investor-friendly State. CII would urge the Government of Haryana to quickly investigate the matter and punish all those who are responsible for the unfortunate turn of events at the Manesar plant of Maruti. Swift and decisive action would help improve investors’ confidence. It would also help create an impression that the law and order situation in the state would not allow recurrence of such events in the future.

The CII release said that the development of an auto and auto component hub in the state of Haryana has created employment opportunities for a large number of workers. Foreign direct investment has flowed into a variety of sectors creating a virtuous environment of growth and livelihood creation. Industry will work hard to ensure that the positive environment is not affected by one incident of industrial unrest.

CBS for Cooperatives and Aadhar Enabled KCC Launched by NABARD

The RBI Governor, Dr. D Subbarao launched two of NABARD’s initiatives

in rural banking, as a part of the celebrations on the 30th Foundation Day of

NABARD. The first initiative was the launch of core banking solution (CBS) for

cooperative banks facilitated by NABARD, and the second was the launch of

Aadhar enabled Kisan Credit Cards to farmers from RRBs.

Introducing the initiatives, Chairman, Dr Prakash Bakshi stated that NABARD

has moved from being just a refinancing institution to an institution which ‘thinks’

about development; researches, designs and creates new products and

programs; grooms varied partners; and through all this, influences the thought

process and actions of all those engaged in rural development. He stated

that activities of NABARD today range from formation of financial capital to

building social capital, from infrastructure finance to micro-finance and many

development initiatives focussed on inclusive growth.

A total of 163 State and Central Co-operative Banks have joined the initiative

of core banking solution for cooperative banks. These are from 10 states of the

country namely Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP, Chattisgarh, MP,

Bihar, TN and Karnataka Once completed, expectedly by 31 December 2012

5543 branches of these Banks will be on CBS platform. Two vendors TCS and

Wipro are implementing the ambitious project across the country. 25 Branches

from Chattisgarh, Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka have gone live

on the occasion of 30th Foundation day of NABARD.

State

of

Kerala,

Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Idukki, Kasargod, Kozhikode and

Wayanad

have joined the NABARD CBS Project Phase II. The Service

(Kerala RO also covers Lakshadweep)
‚ããä£ã‡ãŠããä£ã‡ãŠ ¹ã¨ããÞããÀ ‡ãŠÀò )

Provider for CBS solutions would be Wipro Ltd. The Project is being launched

on 1 August 2012 and is expected to be completed in 344 branches of these

banks by 31 March 2013.

Under the Aadhar enabled Kisan Credit Card initative, the farmers will be able to

obtain KCC with ease and access their accounts with added security features.

Governor, RBI inaugurated this initiative by issuing the Aadhar enabled KCC to

nine farmers from Wainganga Krishna Gramin Bank, Jharkhand Gramin Bank

and Narmada Malwa Gramin Bank. All these RRBs are sponsored by Bank of

A coffee table book delineating the 30 years of NABARD was released by

Governor, RBI, on the occasion.

Photo : Dr. Prakash Bakshi, Chairman , NABARD and Dr. D. Subbarao, Governor, RBI
releasing the Coffee Table Book

AGRIMART INTRODUCES ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY BATTERY OPERATED SPRAYERS

ü  A revolutionary equipment in spraying on vegetables and cotton
ü  Ideally suited for  spraying pesticides on paddy,  gardens and farms
ü  Battery sprayer available at 8 Agrimart outlets and dealers in Kerala

Kochi: Agrimart, a part of Ratnagiri Impex Pvt Ltd., India’s first one stop retail chain format for farm and garden care equipments, has introduced ‘Agrimate BCM installed battery sprayers’ into the market, keeping in mind the small and medium farmers. The sprayers are available in Agrimart outlets in  Kottayam, Wayanad, Palakkad, Kasaragod, Idukki, Kannur, Malappuram and Ernakulam and dealers across Kerala.
Agrimate battery sprayers are light weight and with one charge, one can spray 2-3 acres of farm. Battery Control Management (B. C. M) installed in sprayer and battery charger will be completed on its own. Approximately 350 to 375 liters of pesticides can be sprayed with a single charge.

The battery sprayers have a tank capacity of 12 to 15 liters and are being introduced in four models. The farmers can use these for spraying on all types of farms, poultry, gardens and fruits-vegetables. By using Agrimate battery sprayers, the spraying is more effective and unlike manual spraying many labourers are not needed and these sprayers are single man operated.

‘Agrimart have been at the forefront of recognizing needs of the Indian farmers and introducing technologically superior and relevant products that meet specific needs of the farmers across the country to help them improve their productivity. In addition to sprayer division, the battery operated sprayers keeping in mind the small and medium farmers. It is difficult for the farmers to store fuel during the spraying season, so this battery operated sprayers which can be charged easily. Even women can carry these sprayers, which weigh only 6.0 Kgs, on their backs for spraying’, said S. A. Vasudevamurthy, Chairman and Managing Director of Ratnagiri Impex. Pvt Ltd. To know about Agrimate Battery Sprayers and its use, visit www.agrimart.in or call: farmer’s friendly toll free number: 1800-425-7475.

About Rathnagiri impex Pvt Ltd.:
Ratnagiri Impex Pvt. Ltd., a leading agriculture, plantation and farming technology marketing and distribution Company, has been in the forefront in introducing agricultural technologies to the Indian farming community for a decade. The company has joined hands with major global agriculture technology manufacturing companies like Oleo-mac, Agrimate, Coima, etc. in order to provide quality products to the farmers. Ratnagiri Impex Pvt. Ltd is also accredited with ISO 9001:2000 certification.

Amway India refurbishes brand for home care segment Unveils new ‘Amway Home’ look

Becomes the first company in India to manufacture products certified globally by USEPA and DfE  
Amway India Enterprises, the largest direct selling FMCG company in India and a wholly owned subsidiary of Amway Corporation(USA) today announced a new brand identity logo for “Amway Home”, representing the Home Care segment in line with its long term global marketing and business strategy. Amway Home forms a substantial part of the India and global portfolio, contributing nearly 7% of the India revenues. It expects a substantial growth of this untapped and high potential segment, for which the company shall continue make investments in building the brand, growing the market and expanding the ABO base.
The new Amway Home brand personifies and represents the company’s continuing vision to be an environmentally sensitive & responsible organization manifested clearly in the tagline “Powerfully Green for a Safer Clean”.  The logo design incorporating the use the light green color epitomizes the biodegradable attribute of the products and the young green leaves signifying nurturing and care.  
This brand ‘refresh & reposition exercise’ is intended to educate consumers and make them aware of the highly superior assessment benchmarks and stringent quality standards ensured by the Amway’s Global R&D and Manufacturing Divisions.
Under this initiative, Amway has introduced new formulations for some its Home Care products for laundry, surfaces & dishwashing, making them completely biodegradable. The new range is powered by the Bioquest formula and contains high active, bio-based ingredients from natural resources like coconut, citrus fruits and minerals.  The company’s marketing collateral, products and other packaging will sport the new brand look Amway Home and the global certification marks of USEPA & Dfe. Four products including Amway Home LOC & Dish Drops have been certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency while also conforming to the European AISE standards
Speaking on the development, Mr. William S. Pinckney, MD & CEO, Amway India, said, “As a global and responsible organization, we continue to make every possible effort to augment the quality and environmental sustainability of our products. We have had an unmatched legacy of developing high performing products that are safe for use to people, the planet and the environment which gives us sense of great accomplishment.”
He further added, “The new brand identity for Amway Home reinforces our commitment to provide the highest product quality standards without compromising our planet’s resources – whether in terms of carbon or water footprint. I commend the Amway R&D and Product teams from across the world for this contribution.”
Amway Home is now a globally present brand with the company already having launched this strategic business initiative across markets in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Oceania and Asia.  
In the year 2011, Amway clocked a turnover of Rs 2130 crores, registering 19% growth YoYover the previous fiscal when it recorded a turnover of Rs 1790 crores. Amway India ranks among the top FMCG Companies in India - a feat achieved in a span of thirteen years.