Cognizant heads to Hyderabad, to set up ₹500 crore facility

Source: The Hindu Business Line  March 9, 2016

After Amazon, Google and Apple, it is the turn of Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTS) to announce plans for building a large development centre in Hyderabad.

Cognizant, the biggest IT firm in India by revenue, will invest ₹500 crore to develop a built-up area of 1.5 million square feet. It will house 8,000 employees when the facility is fully operational.

“We are building the campus in an extent of 11 acres in Gachibowli,” a company spokesperson said after signing a deal with the Telangana government.

Existing facility

The firm, which already runs a 2.25 lakh sq ft facility on the campus, has decided to expand the facility in order to make it “an important part of its global delivery capability”, the executive said.

“We look forward to bringing the benefits of our global experience and industry-leading growth to the region by way of high-value career and learning opportunities,” he said.

A State government official, however, pegged the Cognizant investments at ₹655 crore, and the employment potential at 8,500.

The firm got the clearances from the State government under its flagship industrial promotion scheme TS-iPASS (Telangana State Industrial Project Approval and Self Certification System).

SEZ persmission

Meanwhile, the Special Economic Zone approval committee, which works under the Union Ministry of Commerce, has accorded SEZ status to the firm.

At a meeting held on February 23, the Board of Approvals considered the company’s application to develop a sector (IT/ITES) specific SEZ in Hyderabad in about five acres.

“The SEZ panel has given the go-ahead to the company after acknowledging permissions from the State government,” a government official said.

Cognizant was among 18 firms that got clearance from the government. The list includes Sify Technologies that is going to set up a development facility in the city with an investment of ₹250 crore. “It will provide about 2,000 jobs when the facility is completed,” a State Government official said.

Lava plans to set up Research and Development facility in Hyderabad

Domestic handset maker Lava plans to set up a research and development centre in Hyderabad and the talks with Telangana government are in advanced stage, a senior company official said on Thursday.

"We have already submitted an application to Telangana government for setting up a Research and Development centre and discussions are at an advanced level. Once it gets okayed from the state, we will start a Research and Development centre in Hyderabad. The plan is to have 200 people at the proposed centre," Sandeep Dongre, Vice President and Business Unit Head South, told reporters.

The company already has a Research and Development facility in Bengaluru with more than 400 employees. "We have decided to invest Rs 200 crore in R&D over the next three years," he said.

Lava has a manufacturing unit in Noida. The company has earmarked Rs 500 crore for its second manufacturing plant in Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) which will be set up over 20 acres of land allotted by the government and will be operational in 2017 and will target production capacity of 5 million phones per month once fully functional, Dongre said.

Earlier, the company had said it will invest Rs 2,615 crore over the next seven years (over three phases) to set up two manufacturing plants in the country.

"In phase-I, we have invested Rs 56 crore and in phase-II, we will be investing 1,052 crore. In phase-III, we will be completing an investment of Rs 2,615 crore," he said.

Dongre said in phase-I, the company will be able to produce 2.5 million handsets per month, 5 million a month in phase-II and 18 million handsets per month, he said.

World Trade Centre towers to come up in Hyderabad

Source: Deccan Chronicle

It will be the third city in the country to have a WTC after Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Hyderabad will soon join the global network of World Trade Centres with the establishment of its own WTC, a global hub for international businesses. It will be the third city in the country to have a WTC after Mumbai and Bengaluru. WTCs are currently located in 100 countries.

The Telangana state government plans to set up the WTC in a public-private-partnership mode on the city’s outskirts. It will seek a licence from the World Trade Centres Association (WTCA) for the purpose.

The WTCA, headquartered in New York City, was established in 1970 as a non-profit organisation to promote growth of international trade.

WTC: Telangana to tie-up with private firm

Industries minister Jupally Krishna Rao said the WTC was part of the TRS government’s plan to transform Hyderabad into a global city.

The government is planning to tie-up with Bengaluru-based real estate major Brigade Group, which has already secured a licence from WTCA for setting up a WTC in Hyderabad, along with Kochi, Thiruvanantha-puram and Chennai.

The government will allot the land to build the WTC towers. “We are planning to propose the WTC project in the Budget to be presented in March. Around Rs 300 crore would be required for this. The government will work out modalities for executing the project in PPP mode,” Mr Rao added. Each tower of WTC-Hyderabad will have about 30 to 35 floors and state-of-the-art infrastructure. to promote international business. It will also have networking with the WTCs spread over 100 countries across the world.

Apple plans a tech development centre in Hyderabad

Source: tech.economictimes

Apple is in talks with real estate firm Tishman Speyer for long term lease of around 2.5 lakh square feet of office space which could accommodate around 2,500 employees


After applying for single-brand retail licence in India, Apple is now looking at setting up its first large technology development centre and back-office operations in Hyderabad. 

The US-based company is in talks with real estate firm Tishman Speyer for long term lease of around 2.5 lakh square feet of office space on the city outskirts, which could accommodate around 2,500 employees, multiple sources with knowledge of the matter said. 

"Apple has evinced interest to lease the space at Tishman Speyer's WaveRock facility for ten years to begin with, involving a total expenditure of around Rs 150 crore," said a property consultant privy to the development. 

"Apple may at a later date consider asking the Telangana government to allot space for it to build its own campus," the consultant added. 

"Too early to comment," said Telangana's IT & Panchayat Raj Minister K Taraka Rama Rao. Emails to Apple, which opened Europe's first iOS App Development Centre in Italy, were unanswered. 

India has of late emerged a crucial market for the world's largest tech firm by market cap, which saw its sales crossing the $1 billion (Rs 6,800 crore) mark in India for the first time last fiscal year. 

The move by the iconic maker of iPhones to set up its technology development centre in India assumes significance at a time when the Indian market is at an inflexion point for Apple's product offering, which includes smartphones, laptops, smart watches and music players. 

A senior Telangana bureaucrat confirmed the interest of Apple to locate its IT operations in Hyderabad, but downplayed the matter saying the talks were at an early stage. "Representatives of Apple have met the officials of the industry and commerce ministry recently, evincing interest to lease nearly 2.5 lakh square feet of office space in the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation promoted IT ITes SEZ with Tishman Speyer," the bureaucrat told ET, requesting anonymity given the sensitivities involved. 

Sources at the development commissioner for the SEZ also confirmed the talks with Apple. "The Apple team made a presentation on January 12 on their proposed investment plans. They are slated to meet the SEZ officials during the second week of February to take the matter forward," said a person in know of the development. 

"Tishman Speyer's WaveRock IT-ITeS special economic zone, which is located near the financial district in Hyderabad's' Gachibouli, has a built-up area of around 25 lakh square feet and can accommodate over 20,000 professionals in all," said the property consultant. 

Tishman Speyer has around 65 lakh square feet of office facility in Hyderabad. Pointing out to the millions of jobs that Apple's ecosystem created across the globe, the Telangana bureaucrat said: "We hope the entry of Apple into Hyderabad would help attract dozens of technology companies into the ecosystem, creating thousands of jobs and sizeable investments."

NOW GET INTO A CHOPPER AND ENJOY HYDERABAD'S AERIAL VIEW

Source: Sakshipost

Hyderabad: After the joyous ride of hot air balloons in December, Hyderabadis will now be able to enjoy helicopter rides to have a bird's eye view of the historic city. The ride which will be formally launched on Tuesday. Minister for IT, Municipal Administration and Panchayat Raj K T Rama Rao will inaugurate the chopper rides at 10 AM at Necklace Road.

Hyderabad Aerial trip is an initiative by ‘Heli Tourism in Hyderabad’ in collaboration with Indwell Aviation Private Limited. The 10-15 minutes joy ride will cost Rs 3,500 per person. If this initiative receives a good response, the government is planning to start similar services in various places like Nagarjuna Sagar, Warangal, Karimnagar, Nallamalla forest and along Godavari river.

Want a US visa? Head to Hyderabad's Chilkur Balaji temple to make it happen!

Source: Zee news India 

Amazing! The famed Chilkur Balaji temple in Hyderabad can help fulfill all your wishes, including granting of US and other visas, devotees claim.

According to a media report, scores of devotees, planning to visit the US, make it a point to visit this ancient temple to help grant American visas.

The Chilkur Balaji temple, built as a shrine to Lord Balaji, is said to be about 500 years old.

A wish-making ceremony at the shrine involves making 11 laps around the temple. Worshippers offer their passports and make offerings of coconuts.

If the wish comes true, they must return and make a further 108 laps.

The temple has gained a reputation for helping to get overseas visas smoothly -- so much so that it's now known as the "visa temple," CNN reported.

The trend began decades ago, mostly among students heading to the US. They would make the rounds and seemingly get luckier with visa lotteries.

"My own sister is in Belgium, in Brussels right now, so yes, it does work," CNN quoted Manjunath Singh as saying.

Over the years the temple's reputation has grown by word of mouth.