Over 4,000 Karnataka government doctors to quit Tuesday

meagre" hike in salaries but treatment of patients will not be affected as they have given two weeks' time to authorities to accept their demand.

"We are resigning en masse on Tuesday. We will wait till Oct 14 for the government to either concede our demands for better pay or accept our resignation," HN Ravindra, president of the Karnataka Government Medical Officers Association, told IANS Monday.

The association members are seeking a monthly pay of Rs 35,000 -- nearly double the present pay of Rs 18,500.

The government has offered a Rs 3,000 to Rs 8,000 hike.

Rejecting the offer, Ravindra said it was "meagre".

"If the government does not accept our demand or our resignation, we will relieve ourselves on October 15," he said.

The association has rejected Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa's appeal to accept the offered increase and not to go for any protest action.

Home Minister VS Acharya, himself a doctor, while conceding that the increase was not up to the expectation of the doctors, has said this was the best the government could offer in view of the economic slowdown and its impact on government's financial position.

Ravindra said there was gross disparity in the pay scales of doctors and teaching faculty in medical colleges. "A lecturer gets Rs 44, 000 per month whereas we get only Rs 18,500," he added.

He said because of low pay for government doctors, over 2,000 posts of doctors are lying vacant in the state.

Airfares slashed by 50 per cent for next three days

There is a good news for jet setters as all airlines in India have announced a 50 per cent cut in the airfares for the next three days. The move followed after Jet Airways decided to cut fares by 50 per cent.

In a bid to lure back passengers, Jet Airways and Jet Airways Konnect had announced a 5o per cent discount in fares for five days from Monday.

The airline has announced "50 per cent discount on total fare (economy class)" on all domestic flights across Jet Airways and Jet Konnect for travel valid up to September 18.

Health problems.

Mario Ferruzzi, lead researcher and associate professor of food science a at Purdue University, insists that adding ascorbic acid to green tea would increase the absorbability of catechins found in the tea.

Catechins, a class of polyphenols common in tea, cocoa and grape, are antioxidants thought to fight heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other health problems.

Ascorbic acid, sucrose or both together increase by as much as three times the amount of catechins that can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

According to Ferruzzi, Elsa Janle, a Purdue associate research professor of foods and nutrition, and Catrina Peters, the new study also demonstrates the effectiveness of a model that could reduce the number of animals needed for these types of diabitiestudies.

The model charts how the digestive stability, solubility and absorption of polyphenols changes based on modifications to a beverage's formula.

Ferruzzi said testing with the model could allow researchers to predict how a new product formula might change the product''s properties, reducing the number of animals needed for testing to only products that showed desired characteristics in the model.

The study backed up the model study that showed adding sugar and vitamin C to green tea enhanced the body's ability to absorb polyphenols.

Ferruzzi said that adding lemon juice or other citrus juice to tea would do the trick, or consumers could look for ready-to-drink products that contain 100 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin C or ascorbic acid on the ingredient list.

"Having that vitamin C seems to do it," Ferruzzi said. "And if you don't want to squeeze a lemon into your cup, just have a glass of juice with your green tea."

The American who helped India conquer hunger

The poor rains of 1979, 1987 or 2002 did not result in a food crisis in India like in the 1960s. And this is something for which the country must give credit to American agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug, who died of cancer at his home in Texas, USA, at the age of 95 on Saturday.

The only person to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for contribution in agriculture and food production, Borlaug is considered the brain behind India’s Green Revolution of the 1960s. Before India, experiments with high-yielding varieties (HYV) of seeds took place in Mexico, with some success.

Borlaug’s Mexican HYV wheat varieties and their Indian and Pakistani derivatives had been the principal catalyst in triggering the Green Revolution.

Borlaug first visited India in 1963. His HYV seed Leema Rojo was the most successful variety that increased the yield of wheat in Punjab manifold.

“The high-yielding variety was reddish-brown and did not find favour with a lot of people. Under Borlaug’s guidance, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) professor Kalyan Singh crossbred it with Indian varieties and evolved a new type called Kalyan. This became highly successful,” former PAU Vice-Chancellor K.S. Aulukh told HT.

The Green Revolution, which first took place in Punjab, spread rapidly to other parts of India. As a result, the country achieved self-sufficiency in food production by the early 1990s.

“We all eat at least three times a day in privileged nations, and yet we take food for granted,” Borlaug said recently in an interview posted on Texas A&M (Agricultural and Mechanical) University’s web site.

Borlaug last visited PAU in 2005 and expressed satisfaction after visiting farms there and seeing new varieties of wheat, Aulukh said.

In his address to scientists at PAU, Borlaug exhorted them to fight against hunger. “He always sent new inventions to us for field experiments,” Aulukh said.

Borlaug had been criticised by environmentalists for his innovation of genetically modified food (food developed by altering gene structures) and advocating the use of fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides. “It is better to die eating genetically modified food instead of dying of hunger,” he remarked at PAU.

Being a good manager is like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. The first time you try to fit the pieces together, it takes a while to get everything to fit smoothly. The second time you attempt to make the pieces fit, you are a little more familiar with the pattern. Each time after that, it becomes more and more natural to easily match everything together and have it all turn out right.

The pieces of the puzzle a manager has to put together are:
1. advertising
2. recruiting
3. holding productive meetings
4. motivating a person who is in an emotional or financial slump
5. handling types of personalities they don’t relate to
6. recruiting people that are happy on other jobs, but are ready for change.

All of these techniques combined together make a great manager. In fact, great managers have ten characteristics, and if each of these ten characteristics is developed, you will become a great leader and a great manager.

Let’s start off with quality number one. The very first thing we find in a great manager is a total commitment to building a team that functions in unison to reach their goals. Great managers realize they are a team. Their team is made up of individuals that have different beliefs, values, and ideals, but they all have to function in unison to reach the goals of the company.

The second characteristic we find in a great manager is they live what they teach and they command respect by their example. You can’t be one thing and say another because you’ll lose respect. It’s not that important that your salespeople just like and admire you. It is important that they respect you first ?the other things will follow.

Quality number three is very important. Great managers don't become buddies. They practice business detachment with subordinates off the job.

Number four is also very important. Don’t play favorites. What do I mean by this? Make a mental note of the words ‘justice?and ‘fairness.? These two words are critical in leadership ?that you are totally just and totally fair through everything. You’re going to have to realize that if you play favorites in the office, the group will know it, and you will lose respect. Not only that, they start saying to themselves, “The reason I’m not doing good is not my skills, not my ability. I’ve got a manger that gives the best business to other people. I can’t make it.?And by the way, the person you’re playing favorites with over the years can be the one that will cause you the biggest challenge when you go through change in policy or leadership, or when you really need something done. So remember, just be fair and don’t play favorites!

Number five is so critical. Great managers develop future vision. They see their company position, their market share, and their competitive edge in the future. But great managers also have to start seeing themselves in the future, the office in the future, the number of salespeople they’ll have, and how they are going to delegate. How do you develop future vision? It comes back to having a plan and a goal. You must learn how to delegate authority and eventually replace yourself. What do you delegate? Anything you can train anyone else to do which keeps you from doing three things: recruiting, managing, and training.

Number six. They attack pending problems and rapidly make tough decisions. Average managers don’t make decisions. In fact, they make decisions so slowly, that eventually there is no need for a decision. What they had to decide upon has already taken place, so there is no need to do anything, you see? Now, as far as making decisions about managing your office, there’s one thing I want to warn you about. Until you totally learn your skill of managing, rely on the people above you and run decisions past them. Rely on others for your knowledge and growth until, of course, you have all the answers.

Don’t forget number seven if you really want to build a great sales force: promote risk-taking. You want to promote risk-taking with your salespeople. What do I mean by risk-taking? I’m talking about your salespeople going out a little bit on the edge as to the things they own, the things they buy, and the way they live. In essence, they must gradually ‘up? their overhead as you teach them to ‘up?their income. As a good manager, we help people increase their overhead with balance, so that as they grow income-wise, they also grow emotionally and enjoy their income. Promote risk-taking. Teach your salespeople they have to take a little risk in order to grow.

And don’t forget number eight. Great managers are specialized at recruiting, training, and retaining top people. That is a great manager’s main specialty. Becoming a great trainer or teacher is necessary, because if you can't duplicate yourself and the concepts you used as a super salesperson, you won't be able to complete the entire puzzle.

Now number nine is interesting. Good managers look at change as healthy. Change excites an office. It keeps people on their toes. It motivates people to go far beyond what they normally would, and not only that, it keeps people out of a rut. That’s why great managers don’t do the same thing every day. They don’t come in at the same time every day. They don’t eat lunch at the same time every day. They keep everyone on their toes. I’ll tell you a basic truth about salespeople: if you have a set schedule, they will develop their schedule right around yours.

The last characteristic great managers must learn is to help people change their self-images by using their individual needs to be comfortable. Salespeople lack confidence because they are afraid and don't know what is going to happen to them. A manager’s job is not only to instill confidence, but also to increase the way salespeople look at themselves. You see, self-image is a mirror reflection of who you think you are. It may not be who you are. Your goal is to develop your salespeople and to get them to grow far beyond their wildest dreams. It starts with how they see themselves

So, how do you develop the characteristics of a great manager? Well, first of all, you must work harder on yourself than you do on your job because you are totally in the people business, aren’t you? Copyright 1996 Tom Hopkins International

Godrej Properties IPO in three months

Godrej Properties will hit the capital market with an initial public offer (IPO) in the next three months, Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej said today.
"We have got clearance for our Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) from SEBI. We will come out with an IPO in three months time," Godrej told reporters.
The real estate company will offload 10 per cent equity shares to the public, while 3.5 per cent shares will be available as pre-IPO placement, he said.
The company has mandated ICICI Securities and Kotak Mahindra to manage the issue.
Godrej Industries currently holds a little over 80 per cent in Godrej Properties.
The company, which is present in residential, commercial and retail spaces of real estate, may set up affordable housing projects in three cities.
"We are mulling affordable housing projects in Ahmedabad, Kolkata and suburban Mumbai," Godrej said.
GPL already has a presence in Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore.
On consumer products, Godrej said rising sugar prices have made producers consider hiking prices of food products.
The Godrej Group manufactures chocolates and confectionery through subsidiaries Godrej Hershey Foods & Beverages Ltd and Godrej Beverages & Foods Ltd.

Mumbai flat fetches record Rs 28 crore

In the second highest deal in India for a residential apartment, a sprawling Cuffe Parade flat has been sold for about Rs 93,000 per square foot.
The highest price stands at Rs 97,842 per sq ft for a flat at NCPA Apartments, also in the city. Property market sources said the transaction took place about a fortnight ago in the Maker Tower B building located close to the World Trade Centre at Cuffe Parade.

People who keep tabs on such high value transactions and some residents revealed that the apartment on the 19th floor of the tower fetched its owner, Gold FlagTrading Company, a whopping Rs 28 crore. The flat is about 3,000 sq ft in size. However, the identity of the buyer is not known.

In November 2007, the country's largest-ever residential transaction on record was completed when a four-bedroom flat at NCPA Apartments at the Nariman Point end of Marine Drive fetched a price of Rs 97,842 per square foot or Rs 34 crore.

The plush pad located on the 7th floor (No 74) was put up on sale by its owner, Citibank, and the buyer was a UK-based NRI. However, the NCPA transaction took place at a time when the property market was at its peak two years ago. The recent sale comes at a time when the market is still trying to get back on its feet.

"This is a freak sale and a rare transaction in south Mumbai. Unfortunately, every time such a high value deal goes through there are a slew of builders and flat owners, who take advantage of this and jack up price of their own properties to ridiculous limits," said a real estate source.

The 19th floor flat has a panoramic view of Marine Drive and Malabar Hill. Maker Tower B commands extraordinary prices because it offers a beautiful view of the shoreline right up to Raj Bhavan, said a resident. The higher you go the bigger the premium.

India to grow by 7-7.5% in FY10: Kamath

Mumbai: With greenshoots of economic recovery becoming visible, a top banker was optimistic that India will record a growth of 7-7.5 per cent in this fiscal.

"Manufacturing sector has come back to the stream...Infrastructure, mainly power, is coming back in a big way...my belief is that we will see a growth of 7-7.5 per cent (in the current fiscal)," ICICI Bank, Chairman, K V Kamath said.

In July this year, Reserve Bank projected at least six per cent growth in the current fiscal on the back of an expected recovery in the world markets.

Kamath said if the weak monsoon pose hurdles to the agriculture output, the growth can moderate upto seven per cent, while it could be high at 7.5 per cent if the monsoon is favourable.

In the last three months, Kamath said, ICICI Bank seen its coprorate clients resuming their projects, which were shelved previously, on account of a sharp slowdown in the financial markets.

Key-sectors like oil, cement, auto and services sectors have started recovering from the slowdown, Kamath said.

Pakistani players are involved in match fixing, claims Umar KARACHI: In another sensational claim, former Pakistan batsman Qasim Umar has accused two senior cricketers of the national team of being involved in match fixing and using drugs. Umar, who has now turned to religion for solace, told the daily 'Jang' newspaper, on Sunday, that he would disclose the names of the players at an appropriate time. "Right now I don't want to take any names because both these players are influential persons and they can have me killed. I fear for my life," Umar claimed. "I am silent now for some reasons but when the time comes I will unmask their faces," he said. Incidentally, Umar was banned for life in the late 80s for accusing former captain Imran Khan and some other players of smuggling drugs in their kit bags to England. "I know one of these players has been involved in fixing matches while the other has used drugs," Umar added. Umar had recently, on a television show, alleged that former West Indian great Sir Vivian Richards used recreational drugs on regular basis for relaxation and stamina enhancement. "I appeal to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to call me and hear me out because I know that when I'll speak the truth and reveal the names what will happen to me," he said. "In the past also my career was destroyed because I dared to speak the truth. The Pakistan Cricket Board just to appease Imran destroyed my career and banned me without hearing my story," he added. Umar had also appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to help him get his job with a bank, which had sacked him after the PCB imposed life ban on him. "I feel cricketers who do things that are against the nation should be brought to justice and when the time comes I will play my role in this," he said.