HRAWI BACKS HEALTH MINISTRY'S PROPOSAL, ADVISES MEMBERS TO BE FSSAI COMPLIANT

FBOs In Favour Of Health Ministry’s Proposal To Revamp The Food Regulatory Structure

Mumbai: The Hotel and Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI) has backed the Health Ministry’s proposal to the Union Cabinet for revamping the food regulatory structure in the country. In a recent communication, the association has asked its members to be fully co-operative with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and expedite completing the process of seeking conversions and renewals for existing license or registration.

The health Ministry has sent a Rs 1,700-crore proposal to the Union Cabinet for a major overhaul of the food regulatory structure. The objectives of the proposal are to strengthen the states’ inspection apparatus, bolster the FSSAI’s manpower, give the FSSAI more powers and ensure that the authority has access to state-of-the-art technology.

Bharat Malkani, President, HRAWI

“The HRAWI has always been a proactive institution when it comes to adopting safety and hygiene standards in the industry. We have always worked as a partner with the government in the interest of hospitality and tourism in the country. There is a big need to reform the regulatory structure because inconsistencies in food safety and standards are serious issues and if not addressed, will negatively affect the image of tourism in the long run. We fully back the Health Ministries’ proposal and wish to assert its importance to the Union Cabinet,” says Mr.  Bharat Malkani, President, HRAWI.

The FSSAI has assigned August 4^th, 2015 as the deadline for obtaining Food Business Operator (FBO)’s license for all food businesses, from roadside eateries to restaurants. The deadline is applicable for FBOs seeking conversions and renewals for existing license or registration under a repealed order.

“We are grateful to the FSSAI to have given FBOs time to comply with the required standards in order to obtain the licenses. It is a herculean task to incorporate the changes in procedures and protocols but we understand the need for it and are doing everything it takes to meet the deadline,” adds Mr. Malkani.

“In fact to carry out due diligence at the primary level, we have set up a non-commercial food testing laboratory in Vadodara that follows global standards of food safety and hygiene. This benefits thousands of FBOs including bakery federations, catering associations, food retail traders and mithaiwala associations, among others in testing their products. This arrangement provides the kind of service that also helps hoteliers maintain standardised practices and helps keep up with the standards required to be maintained by the food authorities. The end objective is to ensure that there is no negligence with regards to food safety and hygiene. We hope to achieve this standard across the country and will support the food authority in this endeavour,” concludes Mr. Malkani.

About Hotel & Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI)

The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) is a 65 years old Association of Hotels and Restaurants, representing majority of Hotels and Restaurants across Western India, which covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Silvassa and is more or less considered to be the voice of the Hotel Industry / Fraternity. The four Regional Associations form a part of the “Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India” (FHRAI) at the centre in New Delhi, which is our parent body. The Association is part of the national body of the “Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India”, which was originally founded in Mumbai in 1950, by the late Mr. J.R. D. Tata.

CARE WORLD TV’S NEW SERIES ‘F – FACTOR’ TO ERADICATE THE FACTOR OF FEAR IN FOOD

Test Everyday Consumables For Adulteration, At Home

Mumbai: The first and largest healthcare satellite channel in Asia, Care World TV will host a new series, ‘F – Factor’ to help people deal with the nuisance of food adulteration. The fifty-two episode series will have well-known microbiologists on the show, who will demonstrate simple Do-It-Yourself (DIY) tricks and tips of testing food products at home. The series will be aired from July 1^st and is aimed at informing viewers about different types of adulteration in various food items. The emphasis of the show will be to educate viewers about adulteration and its harmful health effects and will also inform them about different types of packaging done for different food items.

“Food adulteration has become so common that almost everyone is suffering from its consequences. Being a health and wellness channel it is our prime concern to alert and educate our viewers about the existing malpractices and identify ways to counter it,” says Mr. Ajit Gupta, Managing Director, Care World TV. “We have set out on a mission to fight this malpractice that is rampant in the market and which is affecting people’s health. Each show will demonstrate different everyday food items like fruits, sugar, ghee, ice-cream, sweets, milk among others and the experts will guide viewers with simple DIY experiments on how to trace possible adultery. By doing this at home one can at least become self-reliant and determine if what is being consumed is indeed safe,” he adds.

The series comes at a time when there apprehension in the minds of consumers over the toxic composition of chemicals in packaged food products. The series will also address certain aspects of labelled food products and educate buyers on identifying the elements that may be harmful for consumption.

“The tests on our shows will be simple and effective in identifying adulteration in food. For example sugar, an ingredient that is used in every household can be easily tested for adulteration with water. All one needs to do is add a little water to sugar and check if it leaves a chalky residue. If yes, it could mean that the sugar has been mixed with Calcium Carbonate which is extremely risky to the health, if consumed. Ideally sugar when diluted with water should be clear once dissolved. Most tests on the show will be as simple as this and we are sure that these simple experiments will help viewers tremendously,” says Mr. Gupta.

“Our objective is to help people safeguard their interests and take precautionary measures against health hazards. In today’s competitive market, some unethical companies may resort to misleading the consumer by misrepresenting facts in their communications or in extreme cases cut corners to capture market share. It is upto to consumer to carry out due diligences and protect their own and family’s health. We hope our viewers will benefit from F – Factor,” concludes Mr. Gupta.

About Care World TV: CARE WORLD TV, Asia's only Satellite healthcare TV Channel, emerged as the need of the hour by fulfilling a vacant niche, has successfully completed 7 years of disseminating health related information to the masses thus bridging the gap between the functionary and the beneficiary. Keeping in tune with the boom in the healthcare Industry with constant changes, in trends, development, research, the channel has introduced various innovative shows with exclusive content. The content is produced in its Mumbai involving experts from the industry has generated viewers in India, Bangkok, Pakistan, Nepal and many more Asian countries. Care World is available on all major Cable Networks across the country and also can be accessed on Videocon DTH.

INDIA’S 1ST INSTITUTE FOR ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS ANNOUNCED

India’s 1st Institute For Astronomy & Astrophysics Announced 

·         World Renowned Astrophysicists & Astronomers Part Of Teaching Faculty

·         Students To Have Access To Solar & Stellar Observatories

·         Nobel Laureates & Scientists Of International Repute To Mentor Students

·         Scholarships For Meritorious & Financially Backward Students

·        India’s Most Prestigious International Science Conference To Commemorate Centenary Years of Einstein’s Theory Of Relativity & The Birth Centenary Of Renowned Astrophysicist Professor Sir Fred Hoyle

 

(L-R) Rajubhai Raval (Vice Chairman - IPS), Dr. Mohanbhai I Patel (Former Mumbai Sheriff), Dr. J J Rawal (President - IPS)

Mumbai: The Indian Planetary Society (IPS), the nation’s leading science research organisation at a press conference announced the launch of India’s first world-class institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The institute has been set up in collaboration with Charotar University of Science and Technology (CHARUSAT) in Anand, Gujarat. The institute will be a first-of-its-kind with observatories for solar and stellar studies and will commence from August, 2015.

The institute is built within the campus of CHARUSAT and is named Dr. Mohanbhai I. Patel (D. Sc.) Institute of Excellence in Astronomy and Astrophysics. A group of world renowned astrophysicists and scientists will be on board as visiting faculties in addition to a brilliant core group of in-house teaching faculty. Also, each year the institute will invite Nobel Laureates and scientists of international repute to interact and share knowledge and experiences with students, for a week.

“This will be India’s first Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics with state-of-the-art facilities and observatories. The centre will offer courses for M. Phil, Ph. D. and M. Sc., physics with specialization in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The education imparted to students here will also incorporate courses in Science of ancient India and its relevance with modern science. We also plan to educate students in Sanskrit and music. The aim of the management is to make this institute a centre of excellence in higher learning and strive to become the Taxasheela or Nalanda or Vikramasheela of modern India,” says Dr. J J Rawal, President, IPS.

The campus houses a world-class library, laboratories, audio-visual unit, photographic unit, conference hall and an auditorium. The campus will also have its own hostel and recreation facilities for students as well as the faculty. Most importantly, the institute will offer scholarship to students securing merit as they progress each year and also will provide financially disadvantaged but deserving students full scholarships for their entire academic career at the institute.

Albert Einstein

“The year 2015 is the centenary year of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and the birth centenary year of Professor Sir Fred Hoyle. Both their works have been found to be the foundation of modern physics and cosmology. To commemorate and to felicitate their contribution to science, the IPS in collaboration with CHARUTAR will organize an International conference to pay tribute to their life’s works,” adds Dr. Rawal.

Prof Sir Fred Hoyle

“The conference will cover topics on various aspects and applications of Einstein’s Theories, Life and Work of Einstein and Life and work of Professor Sir Fred Hoyle. It will also discuss the contribution of Indian Scientists in all these fields including recent developments on Black Hole, Worm Holes, Quasars, Pulsar and so on. Eminent astrophysicists and cosmologists from across the world have been invited to enlighten the young generation, students, teachers and researchers. There will also be an exhibition and a half-an-hour documentary film on recent developments in science,” concludes Dr. Rawal.

NOTED WRITER SANGEETA BAJPAI’S 'CHOO LEIN AASMAN' LAUNCHED IN MUMBAI BY AASHIRWAD

Mumbai: Sangeeta Bajpai’s second book, a collection of short stories was launched on Thursday, 28^th May by the legendary actress and esteemed member of Parliament Smt. Hema Malini at Juhu. The launch was preceded by a seminar on women empowerment by eminent speakers in the presence of leading personalities from the field of cinema, literature and art.

Legendary actress Hema Malini with
Author Sangeeta Bajpai

The book is a collection of short stories with rich emotional bonding and sentimental values; and promotes woman empowerment.

Sangeeta Bajpai, a multifaceted creative personality, has been associated with Zee TV as a creative producer of programmes such as Amanat, Aashirwad, Rishtey, Antakshari, and SaReGaMa. She also has been associated with Balaji Telefilms and has worked on projects with Star Plus, Discovery and Disney. She also has been an active writer for several publications based in the United States and Australia. Her previous book, also a collection of short stories titled ‘Halki Si Dhoop’ was a success and the author credits her panache for writing skills to her literary and artistic background.

“Choo Lein Aasman is a cause and reason for celebration, to pause and evaluate, inspire and honor women in all its dignity, esteem and courage. A woman is a complete circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform. Women’s empowerment should never be reduced to individual success stories. It should be about collective well-being. Stories in this book aim at this empowerment, giving a positive message not only about womanhood but reflects human values and bonding in general,” says Sangeeta Bajpai.

Her books have been released under the aegis of Maharashtra Hindi Sahitya Academy (a government body) and has been supported by Aashirward.

About AASHIRWAD: AASHIRWAD, a registered literary-social-cultural organization since its inception in 1969, has been proactively working for the promotion of literary and social activities catering to the needs of the society covering intellectuals, poets, writers, Journalists & Dramatists. Aashirwad has promoted Indian heritage and culture by successfully organizing various events like Film & TV Awards & Rajbhasha Awards with other events to promote national integrity.

J P SINGHAL FOUNDATION INSTITUTED TO MARK THE LEGEND’S 1ST DEATH ANNIVERSARY

Foundation To Keep The Legacy Of The Artist Alive & Promote Art

Mumbai: To commemorate legendary artist J P Singhal’s first death anniversary and to celebrate his life’s work, a Foundation has been instituted by his wife, Maya and sons, Dinesh, Rajeev and Sanjeev. The Foundation has been launched by his family with the dual objective of keeping his legacy alive as well as promoting Art.

“My father made his mark as a Calendar artist. This genre of art was very different from the

contemporary style adopted by painters of that era. With images that were realistic, distinct and clear, an overall look that was well-finished with soft, smooth and gentle controlled brush strokes, were his signature style paintings. Be it mythological themes, Indian beauties, filmstars or rural women, he evolved a style that was acclaimed by both the popular and critical audiences. But with printed calendars going obsolete, this form of art has become rare. J P Singhal Foundation will try to keep this legacy alive,” says Dinesh Singhal, Director, J P Singhal Foundation.

Born on 24^th October 1934 at Meerut, he became a legendary name in the domain of Calendar Art in India and ruled the world of this art for more than thirty-five years. During this period J P Singhal painted over 2700 works, mostly in gauche, that were reproduced over 800 million times, making him the highest selling painter in India in any form. At a time, when fine art was the norm for calendars, Singhal singularly broke creative barriers and gave the genre much needed respectability and admiration among the critics. He drew inspiration initially from Masters like Chugtai, Raja Ravi Verma and Old Masters of Europe.

“After making his mark in Indian art, Singhal expanded on fine art with realistic mythologicals and bathing beauties and embraced the subject of rural folk of India which soon began to create a special interest within him. He realized that soon due to urban influences, the culture and dressing of the rural folk was bound to get corrupted and future generations would not even know of the past existence of this rich, age old culture. With camera in hand he travelled to the interiors of rural India to meet tribes where he observed their lifestyle, captured their images and later recreated them into paintings in a style unique to him; and thereby archived Real India on his canvas. Considering that he is the sole artist to have captured realistic images of the dying rural culture of India and which unfortunately has almost disappeared due to urban influence, the collection can be termed as a ‘National Treasure’. One can see the simplicity and the purity in his Art. The beauty of the Ajanta Caves, the Frescoes and the weather beaten textures on the walls of the Caves and the work done by artists of that genre later influenced him. Out of his passion for Ajanta he created beautiful paintings of Buddha,” says Pradeep Chandra, photographer and friend of J P Singhal for many years.

Singhal also had a long and successful stint in Bollywood, where, through his camera and styling, he conceived the creative feel of several blockbuster movies like Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Shaan, Border, Dil, Gadar-Ek Prem Katha, Hero, Henna, Betaab and over 150 other films. While working with his friend MF Husain on Gajgamini and Meenaxi, he was drawn towards contemporary art. His curiosity about this new style made him reinvent himself as a contemporary artist. He nurtured his feeling by creating a series of paintings in modern art. In his own words, to satisfy and pamper the child (Shishu) inside him, he made an attempt to create this art and enjoyed at the fullest while doing so.

He has received several National Awards for his Calendars and also for a Coffee Table Book on photographs of Bollywood Beauties.

“J P Singhal passed away last year on May 7, 2014 and with him a form of art that was strongly tied to his personality. Two years before his death he had held his first and last exhibition of his paintings at Jehangir. While death stole him from us, he was planning an exhibition of his iconic Bollywood photographs. He was amused by the fact that patrons felt his paintings looked like photographs and his photographs looked like paintings. Even though 800 million reproductions adorned the walls of Indian homes, most of the Originals were never made available to the public for viewing. The J P Singhal Foundation will seek to amend this by holding a series of exhibitions across the globe,” concludes Dinesh Singhal.

About J P Singhal: Born on 24th October 1934 in Meerut (U.P.), J P Singhal began painting at the age of ten. At around the age of twenty, his work got noticed in Dharmayug (a popular TOI publication of the time) leading to his first Calendar getting published, which also brought him to the city of Mumbai. Thereafter, he became a household name and no one could better him in fine art realistic paintings. His work included more than 2700 paintings and over 80 crore reproductions of the same on subjects varying from mythology to beauties, to day-to-day life scenes, children, street musicians, tribals, exotic botanical specimens, wildlife, famous temple  sculptures, Ajanta and many others. He also played a pivotal role in the world of Hindi cinema as a prolific Portfolio Specialist, Concept Shoots pioneer and publicity designer and went on to design creatives for over 150 films. He also has published two Coffee Table books dedicated to some of his niche work that include photographs and paintings of Ajanta Ellora and Actresses of Hindi cinema.

CARE WORLD TV’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL POSTS RECORD BREAKING NUMBERS

Trend Story

Mumbai: Care World TV, the largest healthcare satellite channel in Asia is now also the leading healthcare network on YouTube. With five online channels and more in the pipeline, Care World has touched the two lakh subscriber base and has crossed a stunning twelve crore views on YouTube. The healthcare channel plans to digitize its content and has already partnered with some of the top content leaders in the digital sphere to expand its presence in this space.

The new move is in sync with the channel’s effort in reinventing itself to be widely accessible to anyone and everyone across the healthcare spectrum. Care World TV has partnered with Shemaroo Films, Rajshri Films and Culture Machine for digitizing its content. The network will continue to focus its efforts on the digital platform to remain competitive and provide accessibility to its audience.

Mr. Ajit Gupta, Managing Director, Care World TV

“Our aim is to revolutionize the healthcare sector and as a channel, a medium we understand that we can play a pivotal role in doing so. For seven years, as a satellite channel we’ve successfully connected the medical community with the masses. Now we want to walk with the times and explore the digital medium to be further effective in accomplishing the task. If it is any indication, the huge subscription base we have garnered on YouTube and which is increasing each day, taking steps to digitalize the platform seems only logical,” says Mr. Ajit Gupta, Managing Director, Care World TV.

Care World’s YouTube network presently has five channels that are online and their URL extensions can be searched for as Beauty Mantra, My Food Court; Love, Sex and Drama (LSD), The Daily Doctor and Care World Events. The channel is due to add the latest channel FitVit – your personal trainer, in the near future.

“All our YouTube channels are unique and address various subjects. Care World helps you become a better you with Do-It-Yourself videos covering everything from exercise, diet; and healthy living to style, makeup and fashion tips. All these programmes are meant to appeal as personalised content to the viewer and so we’ve maintained the highest quality of recording and streaming the shows. We are sure, this will not only enrich the audiences’ experience but also will set a new audio-visual benchmark in the field of healthcare,” says Mr. Ashok Singh, Creative Head, Care World TV.

“After creating these channels on YouTube we also plan to launch one more off line content channel on Daily Motion. Yupp TV and Roku TV are already running HD version of Care World TV. Care World’s future plan is to integrate all YouTube channels to one mobile application for easy accessibility to all our viewers around the globe,” concludes Mr. Gupta.

About Care World TV: CARE WORLD TV, Asia's only Satellite healthcare TV Channel, emerged as the need of the hour by fulfilling a vacant niche, has successfully completed 7 years of disseminating health related information to the masses thus bridging the gap between the functionary and the beneficiary. Keeping in tune with the boom in the healthcare Industry with constant changes, in trends, development, research, the channel has introduced various innovative shows with exclusive content. The content is produced in its Mumbai involving experts from the industry has generated viewers in India, Bangkok, Pakistan, Nepal and many more Asian countries. Care World is available on all major Cable Networks across the country and also can be accessed on Videocon DTH.

HRAWI APPEALS TO THE PMO TO CONSIDER THE INDUSTRY AS INCLUSIVE OF TOURISM

National Tourism Policy 2015 Draft Neglects The Hospitality Industry

Mumbai: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) in reference to the latest draft on National Tourism Policy for 2015 although has appreciated the efforts to promote tourism, has also alleged that the policy has completely neglected the hospitality sector. The new policy that gives direct access to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in deciding the course of the tourism sector does not spell out any developmental recommendations for the hotel industry. The draft aims at promoting India as ‘Must Experience’ and ‘Must Revisit’ destination and includes many aspects of Prime Minister Modi’s vision like Make in India, Swachh Bharat, Smart Cities, International Yoga Day and Skill Development.

HRAWI has appealed to the PMO for the sector to be given the deserved attention and to be considered an inclusive part of tourism. The letter suggests that hospitality and tourism are interdependent industries and to better tourists’ experience it is necessary that the government gives hospitality industry an equally deserving boost.

“There is very little doubt that under the leadership of Narendra Modi tourism will achieve new heights. The tourism sector is projected to contribute 6.7 per cent to the country’s GDP and hospitality which is one of its strongest pillars generates revenues that are estimated to be nearly 40 per cent of that figure. It goes without saying that a foreign tourist who visits India will need accommodation and is their basecamp for all explorations they do during their visit here. If hospitality as a sector is ignored then the service levels will definitely take a plunge leading to a bad experience for the tourist. So, irrespective of whether they had a good time visiting India, they will be left with a bad taste in the mouth. Hence we appeal to the PMO to revisit their draft on the policy and make provisions that will ascertain that the hospitality industry too gets the deserved attention,” says Mr. Bharat Malkani.

At present India’s share in world tourist arrivals is a mere 0.68 per cent. The new policy aims at taking this figure up to 1 per cent by the year 2020 and then up it another per cent by the year 2025.

“With each passing year, maintaining and operating a hotel business is becoming cumbersome. The policies, regulations, fees, taxes, licencing requirements and other laws that were put in place for better administration by the government are today mostly hindrances in smooth functioning of the business. Our stance, with all that is administrative in nature, is necessary and may continue but there are better and much more efficient ways in which it can be carried out. Multiplicity and recurring licencing policies can be easily eradicated from the system without affecting the core mandates as set by the government. We have even identified and shared ‘Single Window Clearance’ system with the authorities and this system is a key solution to making things simplified for both the parties involved. What more, it can be made applicable to all the states in the country where there is need to bring in ease of doing business and not just for the state of Maharashtra,” says Mr. Malkani.

An online single window clearance shopping cart will increase room inventory for the State and reduce room tariffs besides reducing waste of time and increase efficiency. A foreigner staying one extra night will increase forex revenue to Maharashtra Government at INR 599 crores per night.

“There is much that India can achieve in tourism, as has been rightly projected in the new tourism draft policy. However if its allied industries, specifically hospitality, is not given appropriate impetus, then I fail to see tourism gaining the desired traction. Hopefully, our appeal will be seen in positive light and hospitality as an industry will be given a voice too,” concludes Mr. Malkani.

About Hotel & Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI)

The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) is a 65 years old Association of Hotels and Restaurants, representing majority of Hotels and Restaurants across Western India, which covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Silvassa and is more or less considered to be the voice of the Hotel Industry / Fraternity. The four Regional Associations form a part of the “Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India” (FHRAI) at the centre in New Delhi, which is our parent body. The Association is part of the national body of the “Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India”, which was originally founded in Mumbai in 1950, by the late Mr. J.R. D. Tata.