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Torrent Pharmaceuticals to acquire Curatio Healthcare for ₹2,000 crore

Torrent Pharmaceuticals has entered into definitive agreements to acquire 100% of Curatio Healthcare for ₹2,000 crore, the company said in a regulatory filing

Torrent Pharmaceuticals on September 27 said it will acquire Curatio Healthcare for ₹2,000 crore to strengthen its presence in the dermatology segment.

The company has entered into definitive agreements to acquire 100% of Curatio Healthcare for ₹2,000 crore, Torrent Pharmaceuticals said in a regulatory filing.

“The consideration includes ₹115 crore [on the date of signing] of cash and cash equivalents in the acquired business indicating an enterprise value of ₹1,885 crore,” it added.

The acquisition offers Torrent the opportunity to enhance its presence in dermatology with a differentiated portfolio and is a strong strategic fit, Torrent Pharmaceuticals Director Aman Mehta said.

“Curatio has built a commendable set of high market share brands in cosmetic and pediatric dermatology that we look forward to adding to our product offerings,” he added.

Chennai-headquartered Curatio has a portfolio of over 50 brands, including Tedibar, Atogla, Spoo, B4 Nappi and Permite, in the cosmetic dermatology segment in India. Its top ten brands account for around 75% of total revenue.

It clocked a revenue of ₹224 crore in FY22 and dermatology accounts for 82% of Curatio’s revenue, the filing said.

The acquisition will catapult Torrent Pharma into the league of top 10 players in the dermatology segment and make it a leader in the cosmetic dermatology space, the company said.

“With this acquisition, Torrent Pharma will add a field force of 600 medical representatives and a distribution network of 900 stockists,” the filing added.

Besides the promoters of Curatio, Sequoia and ChrysCapital will be exiting from the company through the transaction.

The transaction is subject to conditions precedent and is expected to close within one month, Torrent Pharma said.

Now apply for Police Clearance Certificate at Post Office Passport Seva Kendras

The increased demand for PCCs is indicative that a large number of Indians are returning to their jobs abroad

As part of the Indian government’s passport-related services, the facility to apply for Police Clearance Certificates (PCC) will be included at all online Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) across the country beginning from September 28, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday.

“This step would significantly add to the availability of PCC appointments slots, and at an earlier date,” the MEA’s notification said. The notification stated that the move would address the “unanticipated surge in demand” for PCCs.

The increased demand for PCCs is indicative of the fact that a large number of Indians are returning to their jobs abroad as post-pandemic economic recovery continues across the world.

The decision is aimed at helping Indian citizens seeking jobs abroad and also for other PCC requirements “such as in the case of education, long term visa, emigration etc.”. According to the Consular, Passport and Visa Division of the MEA, PCCs are “issued to Indian Passport holders in case they have applied for Residential Status, Employment or Long-term visa or for immigration”.

Fearless woman warrior of Telangana Peasants’ Armed Struggle remembered

Rich tributes were paid to Chakali Ilamma, the brave warrior of the historic Telangana Peasants’ Armed Struggle (1946-51) on the occasion of her 127th birth anniversary at various places in the old undivided Karimnagar district on Monday.

Karimnagar Zilla Parishad chairperson K. Vijaya, Collector R. V. Karnan and a host of elected representatives of the local bodies and officials garlanded the statue of Ilamma on the Collectorate Road in Karimnagar.

People from various walks of life paid floral tributes to the fearless warrior, who spearheaded a valiant armed struggle against feudal oppression and exploitation in the erstwhile Hyderabad State during the autocratic Nizam rule.

They praised the inspiring leadership of Ilamma, who led the peasants’ armed struggle against the cruel feudal oppression with remarkable courage and grit.

In Hanamkonda, Panchayat Raj Minister E. Dayakar Rao, Government Chief Whip D. Vinay Bhaskar and others garlanded the statue of Ilamma at Hunter Road in the city.

Similar programmes were held in the old undivided Warangal, Khammam, Adilabad and other districts in honour of the legendary woman warrior.

Five GenNext Winners

Five winners of the INIFD presents GenNext talent discovery programme have been named, and they will display their collections at the upcoming FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week, which will take place in Mumbai from October 12-16.

One of the most well-known and reliable platforms in the market for aspiring designers, GenNext has already established more than 200 designers. Aseem Kapoor and Pooja Haldar (Aseem Kapoor), Ateev Anand (Re-), Somya Goyal (Somya Goyal), Arshna Raj (Stoique), and Ankur Verma have been named the champions for its 34th batch (TIL).

For the GenNext programme, entries were requested as in every season. An experienced panel comprised of Mehernaaz Dhondy (Editor-Grazia), Aparna Badlani (Creative Director-AZA), Sumati Mattu Head of Innovations, Lakme, Sabina Chopra GenNext Mentor, and Jaspreet Chandok Head of RISE Fashion & Lifestyle reviewed the collections of the shortlisted designers.

The INIFD presents GenNext programme has won praise for spotting and giving budding designers a chance to develop their abilities and gain prominence in the fashion business.

Announcing the latest batch of GenNext designers, Sumati Mattu, Head of Innovations, Lakme said, “Discovery of new Talent has been a key pillar of Lakme Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI. The Gen Next program is a testament to the platform’s longstanding commitment towards identifying, nurturing and promoting young designers who will define the face of tomorrow’s fashion. As we come back to Mumbai for the first time in two years & since the pandemic, we can’t wait to bring alive what the young GenNext designers showcase this season. As Lakme celebrates an iconic seven decades of reinventing beauty this year, we look forward to seeing the GenNext winners elevate and reimagine contemporary beauty looks inspired by Lakme’s trend-setting product statements.”

The INIFD presents GenNext programme has won praise for spotting and giving budding designers a chance to develop their abilities and gain prominence in the fashion business.

Film on India’s role in Battle of Haifa in the works, will be shot in real locations across Israel

A feature film on Battle of Haifa, considered to be the “last great cavalry campaign in history”, is being developed by Indian production banners Golden Ratio Films (GRF), Yaelstar Films and Hundred Films.

The project was announced as part of Haifa Day, marked by the Indian Army every year to pay respect to the three Indian Cavalry Regiments – Mysore, Hyderabad and Jodhpur Lancers – that helped liberate the Israeli coastal city Haifa following cavalry action by the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade.

The film, billed as a fast-paced war drama, will be co-produced by GRF, a digital content production of Vistas Media Capital; Yaelstar and Hundred Films. The makers are planning to rope in a global team for the project.

Captain Aman Singh Bahadur and Dafadar Jor Singh were awarded the Indian Order of Merit (IOM) and Captain Anop Singh and 2nd Lt Sagat Singh were awarded the Military Cross (MC) as recognition for their bravery in this battle.

Major Dalpat Singh, widely popular as the Hero of Haifa, was awarded a military cross for his bravery.

Indian cavalry regiments armed with just spears and swords had displayed the highest tradition of valour and cleared the enemy from the rocky slopes of Mt. Carmel.

Addressing the gathering at the Indian cemetery in Haifa, India’s Ambassador to Israel, Sanjeev Singla, described the daring cavalry charge as probably one of the last classical cavalry actions before the battlefields were transformed fully by modern warfare .

Singla also highlighted that the Teen Murti Memorial erected to commemorate this historic deed was renamed the Teen Murti- Haifa Chowk in recognition of this battle and as an affirmation of the historical link between India and Israel .

This cemetery and the Indian soldiers who fell here are one of many historical connections that India has to this land… As time passes it is important that their tales, courage and sacrifice remain a living memory,” he said.

The Mayor of Haifa, Dr Einat Kalisch Rotem, recalled how brave Indian cavalry men stormed with spears and rifles a well fortified Turkish cannon positions and subdued them .

The story of the battle and it’s legacy constitute an important chapter in Haifa’s history. The Heroes of Haifa left us with a historical and heroic legacy and the residents of the city salute them for it , Rotem said.

Haifa municipality, along with the Indian mission in Israel, have been organising an event every year to pay tributes to the Indian soldiers since 2010.

The Indian film producers have been doing preliminary recce for the film in the country. They have met officials at various Israeli ministries who have “encouraged the production and invited them to shoot the film at actual locations in Israel, where the battle went down”.

The team released a poster of the proposed project in Haifa soon after attending a ceremony to pay respects to the Indian soldiers.

” Heroes of Haifa’ is a story about the courageous feat of Indian soldiers that the world needs to know. The heroic deed played a significant role in shaping the history of the region. It somehow has remained suppressed and not yet completely become the part of living memory it so well deserves , Piiyush Singh, the co-founder and group COO of Vistas Media Capital, told PTI.

We are honoured to make a film with such an exceptional storyline. After a lot of research on the minute details and considering the nuances of battle we are able to pin down this incredible narrative which the world should be aware of,” Atul Pandey, co-founder of Hundred Films, added.

Following the meeting with the movie producers, the Israel Foreign Ministry in a tweet said it was a fruitful discussion on Indo-Israel films and media collaborations.

“Joint projects like this will help strengthen the close ties between the 2 countries as we celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations,” the post read.

The Mayor of Haifa assured the filmmakers of full support from the authorities.

“I’m positive that the movie will show proudly our beautiful city and its importance in the history of India. This large-scale production will showcase Haifa to millions of viewers, not only from India but from other countries, and will bring the city thousands of new tourists, she said.

About 900 Indian soldiers are interred in cemeteries across Israel in Jerusalem, Ramle and Haifa.

History textbooks in Haifa teach about the story of liberation of Haifa by Indian soldiers from class 3 to 5. The Haifa Historical Society has also been going around to schools in the city telling the story of liberation of Haifa to youngsters over the last decade.

In a symbolic gesture of friendship with Israel, India renamed the iconic Teen Murti Chowk, a war memorial, during the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Delhi in January 2018 to Teen Murti Haifa Chowk.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Haifa cemetery during his visit to Israel in July 2017 and unveiled a plaque commemorating Major Dalpat Singh for his critical role in the liberation of the city.

The Israel Post had issued a commemorative stamp in 2018 in appreciation of Indian soldiers’ role in liberating the city.

Shibasish Sarkar to head Producers Guild of India

Delighted to pass the baton on to the able hands of Shibasish: Siddharth Roy Kapur, the incumbent president of the Guild.

Film industry professional Shibasish Sarkar was unanimously elected as the president of the Producers Guild of India.

Sarkar was elected at the first meeting of the Guild’s newly constituted Guild Council of Management.

Siddharth Roy Kapur, the incumbent president of the Guild, said he is delighted to pass the baton to Sarkar.

“It has been a pleasure and an honour serving the production fraternity and I am delighted to pass the baton on to the able hands of Shibasish. I am sure he will do a stellar job and add further lustre to the Guild’s reputation of spearheading the industry’s interests,” Roy Kapur said in a statement.

Sarkar, who has close to three decades of corporate experience in handling multiple verticals across films, television, animation, gaming content and operations of digital & new media platforms, said he looks forward to building on what his predecessor has accomplished.

In his six years as Guild president, Siddharth has been a tireless, passionate and committed champion for our industry at a time of unprecedented challenges. I look forward to building on what he has accomplished and working alongside my colleagues to help address the challenges and build on the opportunities we have before us as an industry,” he said.

Sarkar is the chairman and CEO of International Media Acquisition Corp. He has also served as the Group CEO at Reliance Entertainment, a part of the Reliance ADA group and held senior positions at Viacom18, UTV Disney and Godrej Sara Lee.

Maharashtra village school becomes a finalist at World’s Best School Prizes

PCMC English Medium School, Bopkhel, in Pune, will now progress to the public advisory vote round of the prize in the Community Collaboration category, with the winner to be awarded during World Education Week next month.

A village school in Maharashtra on Thursday was unveiled as one of the three finalists for the inaugural USD 250,000 World’s Best School Prizes, launched in the UK to celebrate schools worldwide for their contribution to society’s progress. The school has created a cultural dynamic centred on close ties within the community.

The school, in a remote village in Pune district, is run as a public private partnership between NGO Akanksha Foundation and local government, with most of its students from low-income families.

“PCMC English Medium School, Bopkhel also works with local doctors, grocers and religious leaders to help create programmes that help parents in financial need,” said T4 Education – the UK-headquartered digital media platform which founded the prize earlier this year.

“The school launched a programme of free medical check-ups in the community and ‘Master Chef’ style classes were launched that taught families about how to have a healthy and balanced diet. Students are also part of a daily fruit eating initiative that keeps them on track for healthy eating and every week they have a set meal plan. The impact has trickled into their home lives as parents have started to follow the same nutrition plan,” it added.

The prizes, founded in collaboration with Accenture, American Express, Yayasan Hasanah, Templeton World Charity Foundation, the Lemann Foundation, D2L, Mellby Gård, and Universidad Camilo José Cela, are aimed at sharing the best practices of schools that are transforming the lives of their students and making a real difference to their communities.

The five World’s Best School Prizes are designed across the categories of Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, and Supporting Healthy Lives and the finalists have been whittled down from thousands of entries by a worldwide Judging Academy of distinguished leaders.

“Teachers everywhere will be inspired by the example of this outstanding Indian school,” said Vikas Pota, Founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes.

“The World’s Best School Prizes surface the expertise of inspirational schools from every corner of the globe. It’s time for governments everywhere to listen to their voices,” he said.

If PCMC English Medium School, Bopkhel were to win the World’s Best School Prize for Community Collaboration, it has plans to donate some of the prize money to the Akanksha Foundation due to their contribution towards the management of the school. The funds would also be distributed towards other schools that work with the foundation.

Author-poet Meena Kandasamy wins the German PEN award

Born in 1984 in Chennai, Kandasamy is a feminist and anti-caste activist who has been vocal about the arrest of fellow writers like Varavara Rao and former Delhi University professor G.N Saibaba.

Indian author and poet Meena Kandasamy has been announced as this year’s recipient of the Hermann Kesten Prize by the PEN Centre in Germany’s Darmstadt. The Hermann Kesten Prize honours personalities who, in the spirit of the charter of the PEN association, stand up for the rights of persecuted authors and journalists.

Cornelia Zetzsche, Vice President of the German PEN Center, described Kandasamy as “a fearless fighter for democracy and human rights, for the free word and against the oppression of landless, minorities and Dalit in India; not a ‘Ms. Pleasant’, rather a ‘Ms. Militancy’,” referring to Kandasamy’s 2011 book of poems titled Ms Militancy.

Born in 1984 in Chennai, Kandasamy is a feminist and anti-caste activist whose work revolves around the issue of gender, caste, sexuality, patriarchy, and oppression by the Brahmanical system. Her novels have been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the International Dylan Thomas Prize, the Jhalak Prize and the Hindu Lit Prize.

Kandasamy has been a vocal critic of the arrest of fellow writers like Varavara Rao and former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba.

Two Diving Support Vessels for Navy launched in Vizag

Aimed at adding niche deep sea capabilities to the Indian Navy, two Diving Support Vessels being built by Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL), Visakhapatnam, were launched on Thursday.

Upbeat about the launch, the Indian Navy in a statement said, “The Diving Support Vessels (DSVs) are first of the kind ships indigenously designed and built at HSL for the Indian Navy. The vessels are 118.4 metres long, 22.8 metres at the broadest point and will have a displacement of 9,350 tons.”

As per the maritime tradition, the vessels were launched by Kala Hari Kumar, President Navy Welfare and Wellness Association (NWWA), who performed the traditional honour and naming them. Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, was the Chief Guest at the launching ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Admiral Kumar said, “It is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that approximately 80% of the DSV project’s equipment are indigenously sourced from more than 120 MSMEs across India. The launch of these sophisticated and first-of-its-kind platforms also cements India’s status in an elite group of nations having the capability to design and build niche platforms. This is another step towards the Navy becoming 100% AatmaNirbhar by 2047 an aim we have set for ourselves.”
Once commissioned, these indigenous Diving Support Vessels or DSVs will serve as Indian Naval Ships Nipun and Nistar.

As per the Navy, “These ships would be deployed for deep sea diving operations. Additionally, with the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) embarked, the DSVs are designed to undertake submarine rescue operations, in case a requirement exists. Furthermore, these ships will be capable of sustained patrolling, conducting Search & Rescue operations and carrying out Helicopter Operations at high seas.”

Defence ministry signs deal to buy 35 BrahMos missiles for Navy
New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) signed a contract on Thursday to acquire 35 combat and three practice BrahMos supersonic surface-to-surface cruise missiles from the M/s BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. (BAPL). These missiles costing Rs 1,700 crore are to be deployed on the two P-15B class of stealth guided missile destroyers and “is going to significantly enhance the operational capability of Indian Navy (IN) fleet assets” , said the MoD. The MoD said, “BAPL is a Joint Venture (JV) between India and Russia making a crucial contribution to augment the new generation Surface-to-Surface Missiles with enhanced range and dual role capability for land as well as anti-ship attacks.”

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From building SS Jala Usha in 1941 to launching two Diving Support Vessels, Hindustan Shipyard Limited has come a long way

Constructing INS Dhruv in 2013 was the turning point, says CMD

With the launch of the two Diving Support Vessels INS Nistar and Nipun at the Hindustan Shipyard Limited on Thursday, the shipbuilder has reached a unique milestone of building 200 ships and completing 2,000 repairs since its inception in 1941.

HSL’s foray into shipbuilding began with its first project called SS Jala Usha — a 8,000-tonne steam ship that was launched on March 14, 1948 by Jawaharlal Nehru.

Originally founded as Scindia Shipyard, it was built by visionary industrialist Walchand Hirachand and was then part of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company.

After navigating several ups and downs, the shipyard was nationalised in 1961 and was renamed as Hindustan Shipyard Limited and brought under the Ministry of Shipping. However, in 2010, it was transferred to the Ministry of Defence and since then has been a part of the MoD.

At the launch of the two DSVs on Thursday, Chairman and Managing Director of HSL Commodore Hemant Khatri said that the shipyard was primarily built to construct merchant ships and built two warships for the Indian Navy for the first time in 1959.

“Thereafter, there was a gap of three decades, and in the 1990s we built four offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Navy — INS Savitri, Sharada, Sujata and Sayura. Again, there was a gap of over two decades after which we got an order to build INS Dhruv in 2013,” said Cmde Khatri.

“Constructing INS Dhruv was the turning point for HSL. It was a different class of ship that needed state-of-the-art technology, as it was a research vessel and missile range instrumentation ship,” he said.

INS Dhruv was commissioned in October 2020 and is jointly operated by the Indian Navy, National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO).

“Since then, we haven’t looked back and the building of two DSVs concurrently is a feather in our cap,” Cmde Khatri said.

HSL achieved a turnover of ₹750 crore in the last financial year, the highest so far, and also recorded a profit of ₹51 crore.