Experts Assess Future of Renewable Energy in Central America

August 31, 2012

Washington, D.C.—-The Worldwatch Institute (www.worldwatch.org) and the INCAE Business School’s Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS) are co-hosting two workshops on “The Way Forward for Renewable Energy in Central America” in Managua, Nicaragua and Alajuela, Costa Rica tomorrow and on September 3, respectively. The participative dialogues aim to promote the exchange of ideas and experiences among a select group of experts from regional institutions, civil society organizations, energy sector companies, and government agencies. The workshops will focus on the role of renewable technologies in broadening access to modern energy services and achieving regional development goals.
The Central American countries of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama rely heavily on large hydropower, imported petroleum and traditional biomass for their energy supply. This dependence on conventional energy sources has had wide-ranging and adverse social, environmental, and economic impacts, hampering sustained and sustainable development in the region. Energy needs, particularly of marginalized and low-income communities, have not been sufficiently met. Although Central American governments have embraced various policies to promote renewable energy—-and recent trends in geothermal, wind and solar energy have been encouraging—-the region still faces many challenges in advancing renewables to their full potential.
With support from the Climate Development Knowledge Network and the Energy and Environment Partnership with Central America, Worldwatch and the INCAE Business School are partnering to design “Sustainable Energy Roadmaps” that help decision makers in the region implement an improved transitional strategy toward an energy system that is socially, environmentally, and economically superior to the one that currently exists. The goal is to help Central America continue to harness its immense potential to utilize renewable energy sources such as wind, geothermal, solar, biomass, and small-scale hydropower.
During the workshops, Worldwatch and INCAE experts will present and discuss initial findings of the roadmap project, enabling completion of Phase 1 of the project. The goals of this first phase are: to scope existing market trends, given investment conditions and implemented policies; to identify renewable energy success stories that can be replicated elsewhere in the region and discuss what is needed for their scale-up; and to analyze the technical, socio-economic, and political/financial “cold spots” where future data gathering and analysis can add to the information needed to make successful policy choices. In Phase 2, the project team will propose concrete steps toward rapidly expanding the adoption of renewable energy technologies in Central America, and communicate these to key decision makers.
Experts from a range of renewable energy and policy professions, including representatives from the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Nicaragua; the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America; and Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications; among others, will present best-practice case studies as well as recommendations on how to replicate such examples. Participants will discuss individual suggestions in break-out groups or ‘action labs’ during the workshops. The involvement of leading thinkers in the project will extend beyond the workshops through ongoing participation in the project’s future activities as well as a moderated online forum, enabling the formation of a community of experts committed to advancing renewable energy in Central America.
“This project is a joint effort aimed at speeding the development of renewables in Central America,” said Alexander Ochs, Director of Worldwatch’s Climate and Energy Program. “Key energy experts will gather in one room to discuss the region’s challenges and opportunities in embracing renewables, discussing state-of-the-art reforms as well as areas of local, national, and regional best practices.”
“It’s not just that all countries will need to contribute to mitigating and adapting to global climate change.” continued Ochs. “Central America can become a real leader on renewables, given the high price it pays for its current energy system—-some countries spend 10 percent or more of their GDP on importing fossil fuels. The region has also had exciting early experiences with adopting new, unconventional renewable technologies, including geothermal, solar, biomass, and wind technologies.”
The first workshop will take place at the INCAE Business School’s Managua campus from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 30, 2012.
The second workshop will take place at the INCAE Business School’s Alajuela campus from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, September 3, 2012.

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Aug 31 Vol 01, Issue 1015 TODAY'S TOP HEADLINES Non-partisan panel or SC must decide fate of Indian Hockey: Gill "We are ready to sit down with HI and sort out the issues. But we demand the committee should be formed under a retired Supreme Court judge and include five eminent sports personalities," Gill says Airbus parent EADS aboard Caterham F1 Team EADS joins not only our F1 team but the whole Caterham Group as we evolve from an F1 team into the wider automotive and specialist consultancy service that the various arms of Caterham Group represent. After cricket and hockey, it could be Indo-Pak football Talks about cricket and hockey bilateral series between India and Pakistan has raised hopes for the football administration to think on similar lines. IAF garners Rs15m sponsorship for Subrato Cup 2012 Indian Air Force explodese myth that there is no corporate funding for grassroots level sports, lapping up Rs15m in sponsorship for 53rd inter-schools Subroto Cup International football tournament Pepsi brings Dhoni, Ranbir Kapoor together on small screen for first time Pepsi, global sponsor of upcoming World Twenty20 2012 Sri Lanka, introduces latest campaign that "aims to celebrate nation’s zeal for the sport and more so the format" Maken announces marks for fitness plan The top 10 percentage of gender wise performers shall be given an additional 3% to the marks obtained by him/her in academic disciplines in a given academic year Corporate Games start from Nov 22 More than 1100 corporate employees from 60 corporate & public sector undertakings as well as members of Siri Fort Sports complex and Vasant Kunj Sports Complex would be competing in these games Perform Group delivers excellent H1 results; on track for strong 2012 performance Perform Group declares for the half year ended 30 June 2012 a highly impressive 49% revenue growth to £67.36m from £45.09m in the corresponding period in 2011. 11.2m watch Channel 4 coverage of Paralympic opening ceremony in UK Peak audience of 11.2 million watched Wednesday night's Channel 4 coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games opening ceremony in the UK - its biggest audience in over 10 years Headliner – False Start? Gender Determination in Sport. Historically, female athletes and sportswomen have been subject to an assortment of discriminatory practises that have affected their ability to participate in sporting events. The very first modern Olympic Games organised in 1896 at Athens prohibited women from competing, which restriction was lifted in the Paris 1900 Olympic Games.
FROM THE HOME PAGE   VIEW POINT Consistent Recognition And Rewards Necessary For Athletes To Bring In The Gold SPORTZPOWER VIEW - One wonders what award Vijay would have received if he had finished fourth in the Olympics, without a medal, though he has been a consistent winner in the international arena. INTERVIEW 'Champions League and WWE not only give us good advertising traction, they also deliver higher sticky revenues' ATUL Pande, CEO of Sports Business,
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Reebok tells partners to exit with 50%(Financial Express ) Franchisees protest at company's doorstep(Business Standard ) Tour operators focus on sporting events(Mint ) Hero gears up for exports target with aggressive brand push(Mint ) Twitter targets ads based on interests(Economic Times ) Govt set to roll out cable TV digitisation from November(Financial Chronicle )
CRICKET
Deccan Chronicle in talks to sell their IPL team: Chairman TV Reddy(Economic Times ) PCB wants a match in Mohali during Indo-Pak series(Deccan Herald ) Dhoni asks BCCI for ‘better turners’ in home Tests(Indian Express ) T&T stars to stay with IPL clubs for CLT20(Indian Express ) South Africa dominate ICC team of the year, awards list(Reuters )
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Adidas-Chelsea FC clinic kicks off in Mumbai (SportzPower ) Shrinivas Dempo: I don’t know what’s in Shah Rukh Khan’s mind(Goal ) Subroto Cup: Two European teams in fray(Times of India ) FIFA System Said to Approve Soccer Trading Cited as Irregular(Bloomberg )
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Nadal Said to Reap $1.5 Million for Two Hours of Tennis at MSG(Bloomberg ) BTA gets sponsors(The Hindu )
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Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's response to a question on malnutrition in an interview with Wall Street Journal

During an interview with Wall Street Journal Chief Minister Narendra Modi gave elaborate answer to a question regarding malnutrition. 

Mr Modi said, “We are the first state in the country to raise the issue of malnutrition. It came to our mind that Gujarat is by and large a vegetarian state. And secondly, Gujarat is also a middle-class state. The middle class is more beauty conscious than health conscious – that is a challenge. If a mother tells her daughter to have milk, they’ll have a fight. She’ll tell her mother, ‘I won’t drink milk. I’ll get fat.’ They have money but she’s beauty conscious, she’s not health conscious. So being a middle-class state is also a problem for me. A large segment of the population in my state is middle-class. Second is vegetarianism.

“So a lot needs to be explained to both the beauty conscious and the health conscious. We have to request to them that there should be a good nutritional situation. We gave a budget of 700 crore rupees ($126 million). But these things are such that you see a sudden change in a child after the age of 13-14 years. They grow up so fast – from zero to 13 you don’t come to know how they got so big. So we are going through that stage.” he said.

“Even after a lot of improvement – we still have to measure (malnutrition), conduct surveys. Until that is done, this perception will remain. But I’m quite confident. We will try to get a drastic change in this. Just as we’ve become a model in the electricity sector, Gujarat is going to come up as a model in this also. I can’t make any big claims, because I don’t have a survey in front of me yet", he added.

It is noteworthy that Gujarat government is taking a range of measures to tackle malnutrition problems, including ramping up spending on rural health workers, modernizing nutrition centers, and trying to better track young pregnant women.

Domino’s Pizza celebrates new milestone
August 31, 2012

Domino’s Pizza celebrates new milestone Opens 500th store in India!

New Delhi, August 30, 2012: Domino’s Pizza, India’s Pizza Delivery Expert and market leader in the organized pizza home delivery segment today inaugurated the 500th store at Rajinder Nagar, Delhi. The landmark store was inaugurated by Mr. Shyam S. Bhartia, Chairman and Mr. Hari S Bhartia, Co-Chairman, Jubilant FoodWorks in presence of Mr. Richard Allison, Executive Vice-President Domino’s Pizza International.

In the last few years Domino’s Pizza has not only aggressively expanded its footprint, but also has been focused on winning more customer hearts across India through its tasty Pizza offerings, unmatched delivery promise and warm customer service approach. Little wonder then that Domino’s India operations is the fastest growing operations in the Domino’s global system. The company also continues to be market leaders in the organized pizza market with a 55% market share (as per Euro monitor 2012 report) and 70%+ share in the Pizza home delivery segment in India. Having reached the 500th store landmark, the company plans to continue with its aggressive growth path.
Mr. Shyam S Bhartia, Chairman and Mr. Hari S Bhartia, Co- Chairman Jubilant FoodWorks Limited commented, “The opening of the 500th store is a matter of great pride for all of us and we are working towards further expanding the Domino’s network of outlets to other parts of the country. In our endeavour to expand, we have focussed not just on merely growing the number of stores but more importantly on our product quality, innovation & customer delight. To achieve this, we have put together efficient processes, talented people and robust machinery which has been able to deliver fantastic growth over last few years. We have been able to set new benchmarks in the food service category by creating many firsts. In the global Domino’s system, we are amongst top 4 countries now in terms of absolute number of stores. Our overall growth has been fuelled by customer’s love for our brand and our products”.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Richard Allison, Executive Vice President, Domino’s Pizza International said, “It is a great honour for me to be present here to witness this remarkable achievement by the Domino’s team in India. Globally, Domino’s is present in over 70 markets but certainly India operations have emerged as one of the largest and fastest growing. Domino’s India is a key market in our scheme of things. The 500th store mark achievement in India is because of dedication and constant brand nurturing efforts of the inspired leadership and team members here. The amazing growth of Domino’s India has set new records for us globally, which will certainly spur other countries to emulate the India story.”

Adding on Mr. Ajay Kaul, CEO, Jubilant FoodWorks Limited – “Every new store launch is an important occasion, as it helps us to reach more customers and offer our range of tasty products. But this 500th store opening marks a significant milestone in our successful journey in India. As a food service company, we believe in innovation; right from our lip smacking products to our exciting consumer campaigns. We are a customer centric brand and our thrust is to delight our customers in every engagement they experience with us. Our relentless focus on winning consumers has helped us to reach this historic landmark today.”

2nd ICSI CORPORATE GOVERNANCE WEEK CULMINATES AT NEW DELHI

by sagarmedia on August 31, 2012

ICSI 2nd CORPORATE GOVERNANCE WEEK PROGRAMME INAUGURATION

ICSI 2nd CORPORATE GOVERNANCE WEEK PROGRAMME INAUGURATION
Dr. M Veerappa Moily, Hon’ble Union Minister for Corporate Affairs & Power, Inaugurated the 2nd ICSI CORPORATE GOVERNANCE WEEK today at New Delhi .
Dr. Veerappa Moily in his inaugural address complimented the Institute of Company Secretaries of India for this initiative and said that ICSI has always demonstrated its commitment to corporate governance and is playing a leaders role in promoting good corporate governance practices amongst corporate India . Dr. Moily said that governance is the character and corporate civilisation will face disaster if there is lack of good governance as “Good Governance is effective leadership, transparency & accountability.”
He further added that reputation of corporates contributes 75% to success of Good Governance . Dr. Moily briefed about the National Policy on Corporate Governance which is being drafted by committee headed by Mr. Adi Godrej and Mr. Nesar Ahmad ,President, The Institute of Company secretaries of India is the convener & member secretary .
Dr. Moily ensured that the New Companies Bill 2011 will be passed soon and will be instrumental in enlightening the regulator environment for better sustainability . He once again stressed on the need for economic stability & progress intertwined with Corporate Social Responsibility .
Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Joint Managing Director ,Hero Motorcorp Ltd, while delivering his key note address complimented ICSI for initiative to observe the ICSI Corporate Governance Week 2012 and observed that there is no single individual who can work without honouring the environment .He said that governance of Countries, Families and Societies is a reflection of accepted norms. He added that a Company Secretary is a conscience keeper not just to the corporate but also to themselves. He expressed that there is need build ability and trust and in this there is need to create simple rules that are easy to understand and simple to follow . He said that people are the best asset of an organisation which appreciates with experience & exposure and the people include not just people within the organisation but also around the company. He concluded that sustainability is the collective responsibility of all of us.
Mr. U Venkataraman ,CEO –Currency Derivatives Segment and Whole Time Director ,MCX Stock Exchange delivered the Special Address and said that the Role of Stock Exchanges and institutional investors is vital in ensuring good governance . Institutional investors can act as whistle-blower, he said. He emphasised that the industry’s best practices should be showcased at the same time deterrents and penalties should be placed for misgovernance. He emphasised on striking a balance of mere compliance and earnest disclosure.”
CS Nesar Ahmad , President ,The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) informed that ICSI has been actively engaged in its commitment to Corporate Governance and has played a pivotal role in bringing about awareness on various issues impinging upon Corporate Governance . He also informed that Good Governance has intensified as an international movement . He expressed that India has Corporate Governance from the Vedic Ages and now what is needed is a hybrid approach where international practices need to be integrated with our vedic heritage. Mr. Ahamd once again emphasised that Good Governance is a Culture and a climate of Consistency, Responsibility, Accountability , Fairness, Transparency and effectiveness that is deployed throughout the business organization . He stressed upon that the essence of Corporate governance lies in promoting and maintaining integrity ,transparency and accountability in the higher echelons of management
CS P K Mittal, Council Member, The ICSI emphasised on the Role of Company Secretary in Good Governance . He reiterated that , Company Secretaries, over a period of time, have developed themselves as professionals having core competence in corporate governance , As a part of 2nd ICSI Corporate Governance Week , the Institute organised Five Mega Programmes at Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata & New Delhi.
CS Rajiv Bajaj , Chairman Northern India Regional Council , while introducing the Theme of the 2nd ICSI Corporate Governance week 2012 said that, Good Governance for Sustainability has assumed considerable significance in domain of Corporate governance. Good Governance is vital for sustainability of nations, corporate and even families . Today the concerns with regard to environment, inclusive growth and the challenges posed by globalisation have brought to fore several emerging issues of corporate governance which need to be addressed.
CS N K Jain, Secretary & CEO, The ICSI, delivered the Vote of thanks and informed about the Institute’s prestigious publications released on the occasion of the 2nd ICSI Corporate Governance at the hands of Hon’ble Union Minister for Corporate Affairs , Dr. M Veerappa Moily which are as follows:
Ø Good Governance for Sustainability
Ø Role of Company Secretaries in Good Governance
Ø Sustainability Reporting for Sustainable Future
Ø Gender Diversity in Board Rooms
Ø Responsibly Managing e-waste
He Informed that ,in addition, a number of other programmes were organized on corporate governance, sustainability & sustainability reporting, integrated reporting, responsible investment, gender diversity, waste management, whistle blowing, risk management & governance, and Good Corporate Citizenship as well as furthering “Go Green” initiatives throughout the length and breadth of the country by the Regional Councils and Chapters of ICSI.

9th JEEVIKA: Asia Livelihood Documentary Festival

As many as 18 documentary (13 professionals and 5 students) films will be screened during the 9th JEEVIKA: Asia Livelihood Documentary Festival to be held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi from 31 August, 1-2 September.
The films touch upon sensitive subjects such as Mumbai’s night rat killers, life of primitive tribes, children of sex workers, seaweed collectors. Apart from screening of the films, there will be discussion with the documentary makers and the viewers.
The festival will also have various discussions by acclaimed filmmakers: Mr Supriyo Sen, Mr Amlan Dutta, Mr Nandan Saxena, Ms. Anasuya Vaidya.
Noted Indian film director, producer and screenwriter, Mr Subhash Ghai will give away the awards to the winners.
Entry : Free (Seating on First-Come First-Served basis)
FRIDAY, 31 August 2012
1.00 pm Inauguration Raj Liberhan
1.20 pm Introduction to the world of Documentaries Supriyo Sen & Amlan Dutta
2.20 pm Who Killed Chea Vichea Bradley Cox
3.20 pm All Rise For Your Honour Sumit Khanna
4.50 pm Bicycle Journey – A Story Unbelievable Ashijit Ganguli
5.20 pm Law, Liberty & Livelihood Panel Discussion
6.20 pm We are foot Soldiers Debolina Dutta & Oishik Sircar
7.00 pm Sacred Space Kaushik Gupta Ray
SATURDAY, 01 September 2012
10.00 am The World’s Most Fashionable Prison Mak C K
11.10 pm The Last Page Unnikrishnan Avala
12.10 pm Cycle of Life Vishal Sharma
12.30 pm Documentary & Public Policy Speakers: Nandan Saxena, Anasuya Vaidya
1.30 pm Lunch
2.15 pm Breakin’ Mumbai Aakriti Kohli, Sandeep Kr. Singh, Shweta Ghosh, Gin Khan Siam & Sumit Singh
2.50 pm Hide Under My Sole Shradha Jain
3.30 pm I was Born in Delhi Bishnu Dev Halder
5.10 pm Dudro Dhanya Pilo
5.20 pm Breaking the Silence Ishani K Dutta
6.00 pm Shifting Undercurrents – Seaweed Collectors of Gulf of Mannar Rita Banerji
SUNDAY, 02 September 2012
3.30 pm Dilli Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh
4.00 pm City’s Edge Sandeep Kumar Singh, Shweta Radhakrishnan, Sharib Ali, Gin Khan Siam and Abhishekh Yadav
4.30 pm Dimond Band Samridhi Dasot
5.00 pm The Rat Race Miriam Chandy Menacherry
6.00 pm In Conversation with Subhash Ghai
6.30 pm Award Ceremony
Chief Guest: Subhash Ghai, Indian film director, producer and screen writer
Introduction: Manoj Mathew, Director, Jeevika Festival
Welcome Remarks: Parth J Shah, President, Centre for Civil Society
Performance: Oorja, Dance Group, Hans Raj College
Keynote Address: Anjan Roy, Economic Advisor, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM)
Performance: Nritya, Dance Group, Sri Venkateshwara College
Message: Amir Ullah Khan, Economist & Deputy Director, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Presentation of Awards: 9th Jeevika: Asia Livelihood Documentary Festival

Realty prices set to fall as Govt. willing to reduce cost of funding

CREDAI initiative with Finance Ministry evokes positive response
Banking Sec. Ministry of Finance asks realtors to work on price cut, sets the ball rolling
NEW DELHI, August 30, 2012: The Sec. Banking ,Ministry of Finance has agreed to look into the problems being faced by the real estate industry and work towards reducing the cost of funding through banks and financial institutions.
This follows the meeting that developers apex body CREDAI Chairman Mr Pradeep Jain had with Mr D.K. Mittal, Secretary – Ministry of Finance (Banking & Insurance), Government of India, today.
Expressing happiness at the positive response from the Banking Secretary Ministry of Finance, Mr Pradeep Jain said: “We had a very cordial and fruitful discussion as we raised the various issues being faced by developers across the country in terms of high cost funding and escalating cost of material which adversely affect the cost of housing.”
“Mr Mittal promised that the Government will look into the problems of the Real Estate Developers and work towards reducing the cost of financing through the Banks and Financial Institutions,” he said.
With these positive developments, CREDAI is hopeful that a lasting solution to the vexed issue high cost of realty will be worked out and the common man will be able to own his dream house.
The Banking Secretary assured to have a detailed discussion on these matters in next couple of weeks to work out on detailed roadmap on how the Real Estate Industry can be benefited to provide the affordable housing on an affordable price to Aam Aadmi.
Calling for launching a mission to make India Housing Surplus from the current status of a housing deficit nation by 2020, CREDAI said revival of the real estate industry will rejuvenate the entire economy since realty supports 250 industries, generates employment and contributes 11% to GDP.
CREDAI also has written an open letter to the Prime Minister and set a 10-point agenda of action for taking the nation on an accelerated growth path while solving the housing problem faced by millions of people across the country and suggesting comprehensive reforms in the real estate industry covering land, administration, banking and tax.
CREDAI for long has been campaigning for a single window system of clearances to down the time lost in granting approvals and thus help speed of execution which could ultimately lead to saving money and time.
“We the developer community is always ready to work with the government as a partner in progress and play a meaningful role,” Mr Jain added.

Panasonic India betting big on B2B business this fiscal

Introduces High-Definition 3D Video Conferencing solutions for the first time in India

23 August 2012, New Delhi: Panasonic, the global leader in innovation and technology today unveiled its next generation High-Definition Video Conferencing (HDVC) for enterprises as a step towards strengthening its focus on the B2B business in India. With this launch and aggressive focus on this segment, Panasonic reiterates its commitment towards its customers by understanding and catering to their specific needs through innovation in technology.

Over the years Panasonic has shown excellence in terms of offering best products in the market and the company is banking big on their B2B segment- Panasonic System Sales Division (SSD) which plays a vital role in contributing to the overall growth of the brand in India. With a huge product portfolio including commercial Displays , Projectors, Telephones, Fax machines, EPABX,  Surveillance and Security Cameras, Printers, Panaboards & interactive boards, Scanners, Toughbooks, Point of sale solutions and Broadcast products, SSD will be contributing to 10% of the company’s total revenue. With an increase in demand of this business in India not only is the company expanding its range of products but also launching new products in market this fiscal and this HDVC launch is a step in the same direction.

Gracing the occasion Mr. Toru Hasegawa, MD- System Sales Division, Panasonic India said “At Panasonic we are committed to provide best product portfolio to our customers with innovative and finest technology. With a wide product portfolio the year-on-year average growth rate for Panasonic’s System Sales Division has been 40%. We are expecting this growth to cross 100% by this fiscal end and close with a turnover of Rs. 655 crores.”

Further speaking at the occasion Mr. Rizhkant Zha, Director- System Sales Division, Panasonic India said “For the first time in India 3D technology has been infused with HDVC to provide best Video Conferencing solution for our customers. The end to end technology solution by Panasonic from Cameras lens to the display makes it possible to display facial expressions and gestures in clear, full-HD images as part of the visual communication experience. We are largely targeting IT/ITES, Hi-tech Enterprise, Manufacturing and Healthcare industries and will focus on bundling specific solutions to fulfil the requirements of various industries to make it most suitable product for them.”

Panasonic Corporate Vision

Panasonic has a vision to become the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the electronics industry by 2018 (fiscal 2019), when Panasonic will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Panasonic aspires for global excellence as a Green Innovation Company and encompasses two goals: Green Life Innovation to realize green lifestyles to enrich people’s lives and Green Business Innovation to bring forth innovation in our business styles.

The Panasonic ‘eco ideas’ annual report at (http://panasonic.net/eco/) shares data on the group’s initiatives in this direction.

                                  

About Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for three business fields, consumer, components & devices, and solutions. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of 7.85 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2012. It aims to become the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry by the 100th year of its founding in 2018.The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE:PC) stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.net/

About Panasonic India

Panasonic makes available in India its wide range of consumer electronics and home appliances like LCD & Plasma TVs, DVD players, home theatre systems, cameras, camcorders, car audio systems, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, automatic cookers, vacuum cleaners and the like. The Company has a workforce of about 12,650 in India and estimated to do a turnover of Rs 10,000 crore in FY 2012. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand in India, please visit http://panasonic.co.in.

Issued by Panasonic India. For media queries, please contact:

Panasonic India | Richa Sethi | +91 9560498765 | richa.sethi@in.panasonic.com

Genesis Burson Marsteller | Malvika Sinha | +91 987338255 | malvika.sinha@bm.com

Sharmila Nicollet storms into lead in second leg of Hero-WGAI Tour

Bangalore, August 29: Sharmila Nicollet stormed into lead with a very steady two-under 68 that put her one shot ahead of Nalini Singh Siwach (68), who, too, carded a fine 68 in the second round of the second leg of theHero-WGAI Women’s Pro Tour at Clover Greens in Bangalore.

Sharmila, who was in a tie for second overnight, was three-under through 13 holes, before her first and only mishap of the day in the form of a bogey came on 14^th. She then parred the last four holes for a 68, which was the best round thus far in the tournament.

Also giving Sharmila a run for her money was young Nalini Singh Siwach (68) who overtook overnight leader Smriti Mehra (72) to take the second spot. Nalini was at even par 140, one behind Sharmila whose aggregate is 139. Smriti is lying third at 141.

Neha Tripathi (72) was placed fourth at 143 while Ankita Kedalya (72) was fifth at 147 and Shraddhanjali Singh (74) was sixth at 148.

Sharmila opened with five pars before a birdie came her way on the par-4 sixth. Five more pars elapsed before back to back birdies on 12^th and 13^th. Then after a lone bogey on 14^th, she steadied with four pars.

Nalini was two-under through nine, but then dropped bogeys on tenth and 11^th. She birdied the 14^th and 15^thto come back into red numbers and she stayed under par with three more pars.

Smriti’s day started with a birdie o first, but she dropped a double on the second. One more birdie against two bogeys saw her finish the front nine in 38. A double bogey on 10^th meant she was four-over. But three birdies against one bogey retrieved the day and she finished at 72.

Vani Kapoor, who lost the first leg, Hero-KGA tournament, last week, shot a second successive 76 and was placed 11^th, while Meghna Bal, who had a fine 71 on first day went to a 80 on second.

The event carries a purse of Rs. 5 lakhs and is the second in the schedule of the Tour which has 12 events.

Tee times for third and final round:

9:00 AM: Nalini Singh (159)/ Mita Gowande (159)

9:10 AM: Nikki Ponappa (158)/ Trisha Sunil (A)(157)

9:20 AM: Priya Puri (156)/ Pallavi Jain (156)/ Rani Sonti (155)

9:30 AM: Preetinder Kaur (154)/ Vani Kapoor (152)/ Meghna Bal (151)

9:40 AM: Ankita Tiwana (151)/ Suchitra Ramesh (A)(150)/ Saaniya Sharma (148)

9:50 AM: Shraddhanjali Singh (148)/ Ankita Kedlaya (A)(147)/ Neha Tripathi (143)

10:00 AM: Smriti Mehra (141)/ Nalini Singh Siwach (140)/ Sharmila Nicollet (139)

AJAY MAKEN-SPORTS MINISTER AGREES TO BE PATRON OF CORPORATE GAMES INDIA

AJAY MAKEN-SPORTS MINISTER AGREES TO BE PATRON OF CORPORATE GAMES INDIA

SECOND EDITION  OF CORPORATE GAMES – TO BE BETTER & BIGGER 

A press conference was held at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on 30^th August 2012  on Corporate Games .

After having successful introductory Delhi Corporate Games   in February 2012 at Sirifort Sports complex.

Participants  from ONGC,NTPC , Punj Lloyd , TCS ,DUPONT, ARI,BISLERI,HDFC BANK ( TOTAL of 27 Corporates )competed in 12 disciplines . Delhi Corporate Games is ready for its Second Edition from 22^nd to 25^th November 2012.

Corporate Games: The Corporate Games has been created to provide employees at all levels of businesses and organizations in all industry sectors, to experience the thrill and excitement of participating in a multi –disciplinary sports festival. Corporate Games have been staged annually in 53 cities of 25 countries .

Second Edition of the corporate games the multi-sports festival for businesses and organizations would be held in November 22nd-25th ,2012 at Siri Fort Sports Complex  (Badminton, Basketball, Billiards, Chess, Cricket (8a-side), Hockey, Soccer , Golf, Squash, Table Tennis and Tennis  and at  Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Running, Soccer , Cycling)This time there would be 14 sports disciplines. More than 1100 corporate employees from 60 Corporates & public sector undertakings as well as members of SIRIFORT Sports complex and Vasant Kunj Sports Complex would be competing in these games.

Mr. OP Bhatia informed the press that Shri Ajay Maken ,Minister of Youth affairs and Sports has consented to be  Games Patron ( India) of the Corporate Games.The minister has agreed to inaugurate the games on 22^nd November 2012 evening at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Corporate Games CEO INDIA  Mr. OP Bhatia ,said in addition to first games participants we have got interests from organizations like ONGC ,HDFC Mumbai , HDFC Delhi , HCL Technologies ,SERCO ,Tata Power, GE (Energy) ,Barclays Bank , Barista Limited  , Tata Sky, Silver skills, PWC,ARI ,Arcelor Mittal, Genpact ,Apollo Munich ,SPML ,Jet Airways , ,HUGHES SYSTIQUE INDIA PVT. LTD, Firefox, NTPC, Sirifort Sports Complex to participate in the games. Plus Dialogue is on with another 30 organizations for participation .He added that biggest advantage of Corporate Games-- that it organizes competitions in different age-groups 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50 and above. Corporate Games follow rules of International Sports federations with some modifications to make the games more interesting and to finish the games in 3-4 days .He further added that Cricket is 8 member team with 3 on the bench for rolling substitution and each inning is of 10 overs.Similarly Soccer is game of 2 halves of 30 minutes each and all age-groups are mixed in the team games. In the Corporate Games medals are awarded to winners whereas points are given from first to eighth position and these points are then added to give a special trophy known as medalist award to the Corporate getting maximum points. This encourages Senior management of Corporates to train their players to win maximum medals .Another trophy known a Sports for Life Trophy is given to the company fielding  maximum number of sports persons.

Number of Newspapers has been reporting that doctors are saying that youth is falling prey to heart diseases, due to erratic food habit and lack of exercise. Please see latest INDIA TODAY , in which Dr Naresh Trehan a famous cardiologist, says that most of CEOs of Corporates ,are under stress and more than 15 to 20 % executives miss offices for 20 to 25 days in an year due to life style diseases   .More than 8 hours of sedentary jobs and lack of physical exercise and improper diet increases the risk of life style diseases ,in the age-group of 30-40 years. Corporate Games is an opportunity to come out and play and regularly keep yourself fit by regular exercise. Under our subsidiary scheme we are introducing, Do you play-- where youngsters can book online and they are provided opportunities to play on weekends, team games like basket ball and football and later we will also organize Badminton and Table Tennis.

Mr. K.P Singh Deo ,Former Cabinet minister and patron of Corporate Games in India emphasised ,” It is good that finally Corporate Games have been introduced in India .These games are prevalent world over for last two and half decades .In countries like Australia ,they conduct these games in three cities namely Sydney , Brisbane ,Melbourne .Purpose of these games is to encourage Corporate employees to practice regularly, game of their choice and come to compete with other Corporate employees with a view to retain life-long fitness and also inculcate good qualities of sports i.e. spirit-de-corps, will to win , Magnanimity in victory and defiance in defeat. Needless to say that sports helps to integrate organizations and create feeling of friendship and fraternity, accruing in general happiness of their employees which in turn improves productivity of the Corporates resulting in improvement in the bottom line. It will not be out of place to say that countries become stronger who have widespread sports culture among all age-groups. It is heartening that India has started improving its medal tally in Olympics ,by Winning six medals including 2 silvers though we had the potential to win few more medals. As senior Vice President of IOA, he added that we should now be striving to win about 15 medals in Rio games and more than 25 medals in 2020 Olympics.

Mr. A K Pandya, former Secretary Ministry of youth affairs and sports and Chairman of Organizing committee of Corporate Games, mentioned that Corporate Games at the world level also hold World Corporate Games once in 2 years and medal winners of each country are eligible to participate in World Corporate Games. While thanking friends from Media for their continuous support to promote concept of Corporate Games in India, he mentioned it would help to create sports culture as participants of Corporate Games, who may be young parents would certainly encourage their children to play for fun and play to win.

While concluding Mr. Bhatia thanked the sponsors Li Ning ,leading sports apparel company and Firefox-famous biking company.He further thanked press both print and electronic media for helping us to promote concept of Corporate Games which would cultivate culture of good health among the employees of the corporates and public sector undertakings.

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Domino’s Pizza celebrates new milestone
August 30, 2012

Domino’s Pizza celebrates new milestone Opens 500th store in India!

New Delhi, August 30, 2012: Domino’s Pizza, India’s Pizza Delivery Expert and market leader in the organized pizza home delivery segment today inaugurated the 500th store at Rajinder Nagar, Delhi. The landmark store was inaugurated by Mr. Shyam S. Bhartia, Chairman and Mr. Hari S Bhartia, Co-Chairman, Jubilant FoodWorks in presence of Mr. Richard Allison, Executive Vice-President Domino’s Pizza International.

In the last few years Domino’s Pizza has not only aggressively expanded its footprint, but also has been focused on winning more customer hearts across India through its tasty Pizza offerings, unmatched delivery promise and warm customer service approach. Little wonder then that Domino’s India operations is the fastest growing operations in the Domino’s global system. The company also continues to be market leaders in the organized pizza market with a 55% market share (as per Euro monitor 2012 report) and 70%+ share in the Pizza home delivery segment in India. Having reached the 500th store landmark, the company plans to continue with its aggressive growth path.
Mr. Shyam S Bhartia, Chairman and Mr. Hari S Bhartia, Co- Chairman Jubilant FoodWorks Limited commented, “The opening of the 500th store is a matter of great pride for all of us and we are working towards further expanding the Domino’s network of outlets to other parts of the country. In our endeavour to expand, we have focussed not just on merely growing the number of stores but more importantly on our product quality, innovation & customer delight. To achieve this, we have put together efficient processes, talented people and robust machinery which has been able to deliver fantastic growth over last few years. We have been able to set new benchmarks in the food service category by creating many firsts. In the global Domino’s system, we are amongst top 4 countries now in terms of absolute number of stores. Our overall growth has been fuelled by customer’s love for our brand and our products”.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Richard Allison, Executive Vice President, Domino’s Pizza International said, “It is a great honour for me to be present here to witness this remarkable achievement by the Domino’s team in India. Globally, Domino’s is present in over 70 markets but certainly India operations have emerged as one of the largest and fastest growing. Domino’s India is a key market in our scheme of things. The 500th store mark achievement in India is because of dedication and constant brand nurturing efforts of the inspired leadership and team members here. The amazing growth of Domino’s India has set new records for us globally, which will certainly spur other countries to emulate the India story.”

Adding on Mr. Ajay Kaul, CEO, Jubilant FoodWorks Limited – “Every new store launch is an important occasion, as it helps us to reach more customers and offer our range of tasty products. But this 500th store opening marks a significant milestone in our successful journey in India. As a food service company, we believe in innovation; right from our lip smacking products to our exciting consumer campaigns. We are a customer centric brand and our thrust is to delight our customers in every engagement they experience with us. Our relentless focus on winning consumers has helped us to reach this historic landmark today.”