Kochi: Google Developers Group (GDG), the non-profit community initiative supported by Google Inc, is set to be launched at the Startup Village here soon.

The group, once activated, would be catering to the software developers community with events such as tech talks, code sprints, and hackathons, a press release said.

Workshops are also planned for students and professionals with speakers and participants expected to be coming from across the country.

Google Developers Group, is a part of Google’s Developer Relations programme, to support developers who are interested in Google technologies like Android and other open source technologies.

The activities of GDG Kochi is supported by Uttam Tripathi, Programme Manager for Developer Relations at Google India and Bhumika Kaushik, Developer Community Coordinator at Google India.

This would be the second GDG in Kerala after the GDG Thiruvananthapuram, the 40th in the country and 380th globally. The previous 379 GDGs across the world have already conducted 1750 events in the past six months alone.

GDG kochi is being led by a group of entrepreneurs headed by Sanjay Nediyara, CEO of Heuristics Technosol, with Rahul Ramesh of Codeyssus, Zacharias Manuel, Knowledge Architech at the Startup Village, and Nikhil Kilivayil of Schoolspeak.

‘We have been trying for some time to get a GDG here. We are really excited to finally be able to start it. I hope this can contribute to the developer community in and around Kochi. With the GDG here, we will be soon conducting events and workshops with speakers from GDGs across India as well as speakers from Google,’ said Sanjay Nediyara, Head Manager, GDG Kochi said.

The event set to be held immediately is the Android Bootcamp, which would be conducted by GDG kochi in collaboration with GDG Ahmedabad. It will be a complete Android workshop which covers the Basic to the Intermediate levels of Android development. At the end of the workshop, keen participants are expected to be able to create and upload basic applications on play store.

Abu Dhabi: Union minister for commerce Anand Sharma said UAE has shown interest for investment worth Rs 10,000 crore in India. The investment would be in sectors like transportation, energy, communication, Mumbai- Delhi industrial corridor etc. The decision was taken at the India- UAE meet in Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi. The step would be taken by Abu Dhabi investment authority and minister held discussion with Authority president Sheik Hamad Bin Sayid Al Nehyan .

NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel, India’s top mobile phone carrier, said it has raised voice call prices to account for rising costs, sending telecommunications shares higher in Mumbai as investors bet that rivals will follow the market leader.

Media reports say that Bharti Airtel has doubled the call rates from Re 1 per minute to Rs 2 per minute. A source familiar with the matter separately told Reuters that the company is reducing free minutes by up to a quarter and has increased prices of some call vouchers for prepaid customers by 5-15 rupees (10 to 30 cents).

A spokeswoman for Idea said on Wednesday that her company has raised call prices in some zones by withdrawing what she said were promotional offers but there was no across-the-board increase. According to media reports, Idea has also gone for a steep hike from 1.2 paise per second to 2 paise per second.

Voice calls account for about 85 percent of the sector’s revenues, with mobile data still at a nascent stage. But call rates in India are some of the lowest in the world, often less than 1 cent per minute, squeezing profits at operators.

India’s mobile phone market, the world’s biggest by customers after China, has not seen a sustained increase in call prices in the last three years after a vicious price war sent call rates tumbling in late 2009.

‘We have been reiterating that increase in prices is inevitable, which is reflected from the fact that despite rising costs, tariffs have been falling over the past 12 quarters,’ Bharti Airtel said in a statement on Wednesday.

‘This revision in prices is in line with these increasing costs,’ it said, but gave no details of the increase.

The call price increase will be extended to all of India’s 22 telecommunications zones in phases, the source said, declining to be identified because the information was confidential.

Shares in Bharti rose more than 4 percent after the news, while rivals Idea Cellular was up 3.6 percent and Reliance Communications gained 2.9 percent.

Bharti, Idea and Vodafone Group’s Indian unit had raised voice call prices in the middle of 2011 but then had to pare them back after losing market share to competitors.

A spokeswoman for Idea said on Wednesday that her company has raised call prices in some zones by withdrawing what she said were promotional offers but there was no across-the-board increase.

A spokesman for Vodafone India declined to comment.

Competition is easing after several smaller operators either folded or cut back operations, following a Supreme Court order to revoke their permits. Bigger operators have long been expected to increase call prices.

New Delhi: The government today hiked the import duty on gold and platinum to 6 percent from 4 percent with immediate effect – a move aimed at curbing imports of the precious metals to check the widening current account deficit.

“Government has decided to increase import duty on gold and platinum from 4 percent to 6 percent with immediate effect,” Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram told reporters.

He further said the government will link Gold Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) with gold deposit scheme, which will enable mutual funds to unlock their physical gold and invest in gold- linked schemes offered by banks.

“The changes proposed to the Gold deposit scheme will make it attractive for individuals to deposit their idle gold with the banks under the Gold deposit scheme,” Mayaram said.

He said the changes would help moderate import of gold and help in bridging the current account deficit (CAD).

Gold imports in 2011-12 amounted to USD 56.5 billion and in the current financial year, till December, they are estimated at USD 38 billion.

Mayaram further said that the government will effect consequential changes in the additional customs duty and excise duty on gold dore bars, gold ores and refined gold.

“The duties will be reviewed after sometime if there is a moderation in the quantity of gold that is imported into the country,” he said. Gold was trading at Rs 30,935 per 10 grams Monday.

The move to link Gold ETF with deposit schemes will help increase physical availability of gold in the market, as a part of the gold lying in stock will be brought into circulation meeting the demand of gems and jewellery trade.

“Consequently, there will be a moderation in the quantity of gold that is imported into the country,” Mayaram said. He said the minimum quantity of gold that may be deposited into the Gold deposit scheme would be reduced and the minimum tenure would be brought down to six months, from the present three years.

Market regulator Sebi and the Reserve Bank will come out with notifications on Gold ETF and gold deposit schemes in two to three weeks. Gold ETF is provided by Mutual Funds (MF), in which the units are backed by physical gold held by the MFs.

Gold deposit schemes are offered by a number of banks, in which gold deposited by client is lent by the banks to the gems and jewellery trade.
The announcement, which follows concerns expressed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram over rising imports of gold, comes nearly a month before the Union Budget on February 28.

Traditionally, India has been the world’s largest consumer and importer of gold. Outflow of the foreign exchange on gold imports is impacting country’s CAD, which has widened to USD 38.7 billion or 4.6 per cent of the GDP in the first half of the current fiscal.

Bangalore: Wipro Ltd has projected a higher revenue guidance of $1.6 billion from its flagship global IT services business for fourth quarter (Jan-March) of this fiscal (2012-13) as per the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS).

In a regulatory filing Friday, the IT bellwether said revenue from its IT services business would be in the range of $1,585-1,625 million ($1.6 billion) as against $1,577 million ($1.57 billion) posted in third quarter (Oct-Dec) of this fiscal (FY 2013).

Unlike its rival Infosys Ltd, Wipro does not give revenue guidance for the entire fiscal.

Thiruvananthapuram: The third edition of Coir Kerala, to be held at Alappuzha Feb 1-5, is expected to have representatives from 60 countries, a minister said Friday.

Revenue and Coir Development Minister Adoor Prakash told the media here that the event will be the biggest platform in the sector for international collaborations, buyer-seller meetings, exchange of ideas and technology, and displays of innovative products.

‘The number of quality visitors confirmed so far has swelled manifold compared to the previous editions and the government is expecting a direct sale of over Rs.200 crore this time,’ he said.

Coir Kerala, which has now become the biggest-ever expo of coir and natural products in the world, is being organised by Kerala’s coir development department with a view to regain the glory of coir, regarded as the golden yarn of the state.

‘Our government has taken several welfare measures to better the plight of workers in the field and support the cooperative societies. This event is also another attempt to help them find opportunities in the domestic and international markets,’ added Prakash.

The mega expo will capitalise on the ‘Go Green’ movement and the growing preference for eco-friendly, natural fibre products around the world as awareness of natural products and their ecological advantages are gaining strength.

It will also enable major trading and retail chains to choose latest designs, exchange ideas on current fashion trends and preferences of customers for coming seasons.

New Delhi: The Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) can boost the government’s flagship programme ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY)’, union Minister for Housing and Poverty Alleviation Ajay Maken said here Wednesday.

‘HUDCO can be catalyst in the flagship ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana’ programme for providing consultancy support, viability gap funding and capacity building,’ Maken said at the launch of the public issue of HUDCOS tax-free bonds.

RAY has a vision of creating a slum-free India under which assistance would be provided by the central government to states that are willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers, for slum redevelopment and creation of affordable housing with a condition of reserving 35 percent of the number of dwelling units for EWS or LIG housing.

The funds proposed to be raised by HUDCO through the issue will be utilised towards lending purposes, working capital requirements and augmenting the resource base of the company, he said.