Sania Mirza is brand ambassador for Tata Indicom
Hyderabad: Tata Indicom has signed teenage tennis sensation Sania Mirza as its brand ambassador, and will launch limited edition Signature Series handsets called Sania Fone.

The Signature Series, which includes Saurav Fone, are limited edition handsets, which will be available to both post-paid as well as pre-paid customers across 20 circles.

While the Sania Fone has been priced at Rs4,999, the Saurav Fone is available for Rs2,999. The signature handsets are supported by cricket and tennis contests and have other features such as wallpapers, favourite ringtones, live cricket scores and interactive cricket services.
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Ford launches new version of Mondeo
Chennai: Ford India has announced the launch of the latest European version of the Ford Mondeo at a reduced price of Rs14.20 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), while the earlier version had been available at about Rs16.12 lakh.

This time Ford India is offering only the high-end Ghia petrol version of the Mondeo as against the petrol and diesel versions that were on sale last year.

Company officials said that the decision on the price of the new Mondeo was a strategic one as the company wanted to retain the popularity of the Mondeo and position it aggressively against other luxury cars in that segment.

The new Mondeo is available at dealerships in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Chandigarh, Karnal and Jaipur. It will also be offered to customers who are eligible to purchase it under the Export Promotion Capital Goods scheme, according to a Ford India press release.

The Mondeo will be available in three colours - Panther Black, Platinum and Steel Mist. The release quoted David E. Friedman, Managing Director and President, Ford India Ltd, as saying that the new Mondeo had refined styling and enhanced luxurious interiors.
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FDA: Notices to three more companies producing baby oil
Mumbai: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) department in Maharashtra will issue notices to three more companies, other than Johnson and Johnson, which are producing baby oil. Maharashtra's FDA chief A Ramkrishnan said tests have been conducted on four more baby oil brands - Wipro baby oil, Himalaya baby oil, Himani baby oil and Dabur baby oil.

Except for Dabur baby oil, all contain liquid paraffin which can cause rashes in babies. The products made in India are manufactured and sold under licence and approval from the FDA.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson has said that the company wishes to reassure its consumers that all its baby care products in India, including Johnson's Baby Oil, met stringent global quality standards of Johnson & Johnson worldwide and that its baby product formulations were mild, gentle and safe for use on a baby's sensitive skin.
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Ray Ban launches Sun Optics for the summer
New Delhi: Ray Ban has launched its Sun Optics range with over 150 models in the capital. The company has also introduced a sporty brand of sunglasses called Arnette for the first time in India.

The Ray Ban collection offers rimless and semi rimmed styles with fine crystal and polycarbonate lenses in multiple colours and has something for all age groups.
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Essar Power may owe Rs1,200 crore to Gujarat Electricity Board
Ahmedabad: An internal committee of the Gujarat Government has assessed that Essar Power may owe the Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) Rs1,200 crore. In the committee's view, the sum is owed to the GEB towards electricity charges and interest due thereon for delayed payment.

The GEB had earlier represented to the Government that Essar Power had diverted power meant for it to Essar Steel, thereby depriving the board of its entitlement to power generated by Essar Power under the power purchase agreement (PPA) between the two.

Essar Power claims that under the terms of the PPA, the GEB has to file a claim for any outstanding amount rather than take the matter to the State Government. In case the dispute is not resolved, the PPA provides for arbitration to settle the issue. The company, in the meanwhile, has said that it will contest the claim, as it had already settled the matter by paying Rs64 crore last year.

As per the PPA between the two companies, 300 MW is to be supplied to the GEB and the rest to Essar Steel. On a weekly basis, the GEB is required to inform Essar Power about the amount of power it would lift.

Essar Power runs a 515 MW combined cycle power plant at Surat.
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IQ Infotech bags DSM order from Indian Navy
Bangalore: IQ Infotech Ltd, a Defence projects design and manufacturing company, has bagged a Rs50-lakh order for making thirty sets of Digital Sequential Machines (DSM) to be used in drill torpedoes by the Indian Navy.

The company also expects Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to order advanced versions of torpedo pre-setters worth a few crore shortly, according to a company press release. IQ Infotech also has other orders from the Indian Navy and from the country's missile program, the release stated.

The DSM is an all-digital system, which simulates the function of an actual torpedo, according to the release. The signals received from a torpedo pre-setter are fed into the DSM and the unit will react as commanded, thereby letting the drill torpedo take an appropriate course. The capability will be useful in training and familiarisation for standard practices, the release stated.

IQ Infotech has delivered a number of pre-setters for launching torpedoes from both ships as well as helicopters. The company's advanced versions of torpedo pre-setters are qualified by the Navy for Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) being manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
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Adlabs Films to invest Rs.45 crore towards expansion
Pune: Adlabs Films Ltd plans to invest over Rs45 crore this year to expand its network of multiplexes in metro cities.

The company is also simultaneously pushing forward with its plans to digitise theatres in B and C class towns and is in the process of installing latest technology equipment to kick start the project in 70 theatres before tackling fresh markets in Gujarat and Delhi.

Adlabs Films is also in the process of launching its first international movie, a bilingual film, Marigold, (Hindi, English) starring Salman Khan among others, in collaboration with Hyperion Pictures. Marigold, incidentally, will also be processed at the company's film processing lab.

Adlabs Films, which is a dominant player in film production, distribution and exhibition segments is on the verge of an ambitious growth plan for its multiplex business where it plans to add an additional five multiplexes this year to the existing four (three in Mumbai and one in Nashik). The five new multiplexes are scheduled to open in Mangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune this year taking the company's total tally of screens to 36 at the end of the year.

Company officials said that they hope to end the current fiscal with revenues of Rs101 crore and expect to touch Rs154 crore by end 2006.
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Glenmark acquires another brand in Brazil
Mumbai: The Brazilian subsidiary of the Indian drug company Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd, has acquired the hormonal brand, Uno-Ciclo, from Instituto Biochimico Indústria Farmacêutica Ltda for $4.6 million (about Rs20 crore).

The brand generated sales of $3.1 million in Brazil in the twelve months prior to the acquisition, Glenmark said in a communiqué issued here.

Glenmark Farmaceutica Ltda (GFL), a wholly-owned Brazilian subsidiary of Glenmark Pharma, has acquired the trademark along with exclusive manufacturing and marketing rights globally, the note said.

As part of the agreement, Biochimico will contract manufacture the product for GFL. GFL will initially market the brand in Brazil and probably extend coverage to other Latin American markets, it added.

GFL had introduced three new brands to its portfolio in the last quarter of financial year 2005 and plans to add about seven more next year. Operations have been integrated with the Indian parent to provide support on product development, and selective bulk drug formulation supplies.

The overall Brazilian market, a semi-regulated market, has sales of about $7 billion. It is the largest pharmaceutical market in South America, besides being the world's eleventh largest pharmaceutical market.

Glenmark's Brazilian operation is expected to generate revenues of $7 million and a net profit of $1 million in financial year 2005.
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