Soon, a J'khand Bhavan in Puri
guest house in Puri
in Odisha to extend accommodation facilities for visitors from the state. The new facility will come up over a 35-decimal plot at Balukhand, near Konark Wildlife Sanctuary and eight kilometres from Jagannath Temple, officials here said.The state Building Construction Department (BCD) has floated an e-tender to appoint a consultancy firm for the preparing a detailed project report (DPR) and project management consultancy (PMC) firm for the project.
A BCD notice states that bids can submitted online until May 26.A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for May 19, where consultancy firms will present their concept proposals and architectural drawings. "We are expecting reputed firms to showcase their designs and execution plans. One firm will be selected based on their presentation and technical expertise," said Manoj Kumar, executive engineer of the BCD.Kumar said the firm will be required to prepare the DRP within a month as the department aims to begin construction later this year. "Once the DPR is ready, construction will start without delay," he said.However, it has not yet been decided whether the upcoming guesthouse will be reserved for govt dignitaries only or made accessible to the public. "That decision is still under discussion and will be taken at a later stage," Kumar said.Apart from this upcoming project, Jharkhand already has two guesthouses in New Delhi. The one at Vasant Vihar, built nearly a decade ago, is expected to be opened to the public soon. Chief minister Hemant Soren inaugurated a swanky new Jharkhand Bhawan in New Delhi's Bangla Sahib Road in September last year. That apart, plans are afoot to set up another Jharkhand Bhawan in Mumbai.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Cognizant beats TCS & Infosys in revenue growth, profit rises 14% in Q2
Cognizant's net profit in the second quarter of 2026 increased 14 per cent to $645 million, driven by earnings from health sciences and financial services verticals and contributions from last year's acquisitions. The Nasdaq-listed information technology (IT) company's revenue increased 8.1 per cent to $5.25 billion in Q2, beating Bloomberg estimates of $5.19 billion. On a constant-currency basis, it was up 7.2 per cent. Both numbers were better than TCS and Infosys, the company's Indian rivals. TCS's revenue was down 3.1 per cent on constant currency and Infosys's was up 3.8 per cent. Cognizant follows a calendar year for its financial reporting. Cognizant's numbers were buoyed by two mega deals (those worth $500 million each or more) in Q2, taking the total to three in 2025 as it works to once again rank among India's top four IT services companies in three years. The company is headquartered in the US, but has a massive operational presence in India. 'It is a great quarter in a market which still remains uncertain and the macroeconomic (condition) has not changed much,' said Ravi Kumar, Cognizant's chief executive officer (CEO), on Thursday. Bolstered by better-than-expected revenue growth and large deals, the company narrowed the lower end of its guidance for 2026. Cognizant now expects to grow between 4-6 per cent on constant currency, up from 3.5-6 per cent it guided in April. For the third quarter ending September 30, growth is expected to be 3.5 per cent to 5 per cent. Cognizant said Belcan, the engineering research and development company it bought last year, accounted for about half of its quarterly revenue growth, mirroring the contribution in the previous quarter. Cognizant won 29 large deals (worth $100 million each or more) in 2024 and 17 the year before when Kumar took over as CEO. In the first six months of 2026, it has signed 10 such deals. 'All the large deals that we did last year were productivity deals,' said Kumar, referring to cost takeout and efficiency improvement deals which are the bread and butter for IT services companies but come with margins which are increasingly under pressure. 'From this year, innovation and productivity deals and innovation deals have improved. Our total contract value of large deals has doubled and our annual contract value has also grown sequentially and compared to last year. The fourth quarter usually has more renewals and that's where we think the deal ramp ups will happen.' Cognizant is following three strategies for growth: upskilling employees; scaling up innovation through platform-led growth in the artificial intelligence era; and aiming to gain an edge over competitors in GenAI. Revenue from health sciences and banking, financial services and insurance was up 5.3 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively, in Q2. Revenue from products and services, including Belcan, was up about 15 per cent. North America revenue was up 8.1 per cent and Europe 4 per cent, both similar to that of other IT companies. Operating margins increased 100 basis points to 15.6 per cent. "Our increased revenue guidance midpoint and reaffirmed adjusted operating margin outlook reflect strong execution and momentum year-to-date,' said Jatin Dalal, chief financial officer of Cognizant.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Eligibility survey to conclude in Dharavi on Aug 12
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Mumbai, Jul 31 (PTI) The Dharavi Redevelopment Project's massive enumeration and eligibility survey will end on August 12, officials said. While the door-to-door visits will end on August 12, residents who call the DRP helpline with valid documents will be entitled to submit documents needed to decide on the eligibility for resettlement. The survey began in March 2024, with initial targets for completion in one year. Residents settled on or before January 1, 2000, are eligible for a free 350 sq ft flat within Dharavi. Those settled between January 1, 2000, and January 1, 2011, may qualify for 300 sq ft units outside Dharavi, under PMAY, either rental or purchase at nominal cost. DRP officials said the survey teams will stop door-to-door visits after August 12, but if any tenement holder contacts the DRP helpline and visits DRP and NMDPL offices in Dharavi with valid documents, they will still be added to the survey documentation. As per the latest data, more than 87,000 tenements have completed the household survey, and more than one lakh tenements have been mapped across Dharavi. 'So far, over 87,000 tenements have completed the household (door-to-door) survey, and more than one lakh tenements have been mapped. Similarly, all tenements of the included parcels eligible for redevelopment have been included. 'In total, around 1.20 lakh tenements have been mapped and are expected to be built in Dharavi, Kurla, Mulund, Kanjurmarg, Bhandup and Mukteshwar. No new door-to-door survey visits will be carried out after Aug 12, 2025, for areas covered already. It will be considered that those who did not take part chose to opt out of the Government scheme. They can, however, submit their requests later once Draft Annexure-II is announced," a DRP official said. The redevelopment team has already shared multiple times that the survey is in its final phase. 'Those who haven't participated so far for any reason should do so immediately. Since most of Dharavi has been covered, we don't see the need for further door-to-door visits," the official added. The DRP has covered the entire Dharavi, and only a few pockets are remaining. 'Only those few pockets are remaining where there is still some dilemma/to extort more like private landowners, and some areas like Kumbharwada and Compound 13. Whenever any resident calls the helpline with valid documents, teams will immediately include them in the survey list," the official said. The state cabinet recently gave its approval to a policy of accommodating even lessees and other commercial units, not having ownership and who have been operating in Dharavi, to be tenants at the 10 per cent space reserved for commercial use in the rehabilitation buildings. This move largely ensures that both eligible and ineligible commercial units will operate out of Dharavi, thereby keeping their business and commercial ecosystem intact. The Dharavi Redevelopment Project is the Maharashtra government's pioneering move towards integrated township and commercial spaces and distributed public amenities. The masterplan envisages a human-centric redevelopment plan with co-location of residential and commercial activity, which is fundamental to Dharavi's 'work-life' model. It lays tremendous emphasis on infrastructure development, which would benefit millions of Mumbaikars. 'The Dharavi Redevelopment Project is planned as a self-contained ecosystem, a city within a city. The government doesn't want anyone to be left out in this housing-for-all, largest urban rejuvenation project in the country's history," the DRP official said. PTI ANZ ANZ SHW view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
4 hours ago
- Business Standard
Cognizant Q2 net profit rises 14% to $645 mn on BFSI, healthcare gains
Cognizant's net profit for its second quarter rose 14 per cent to $645 million as it earned more from its core business verticals—healthcare and banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI)—and last year's acquisitions contributed handsomely to the topline. The Nasdaq-listed company's revenue was up 8.1 per cent to $5.25 billion for the quarter ended 30 June, beating Bloomberg estimates of $5.19 billion. On a constant currency basis, revenue rose 7.2 per cent. Both figures were considerably better than TCS and Infosys, its Indian rivals. While TCS' revenue was down 3.1 per cent on a constant currency basis, Infosys' was up 3.8 per cent. Cognizant's numbers were also buoyed by the company signing two mega deals—each worth $500 million and above—during the quarter, taking the total to three in 2025, as it works to re-enter India's top four IT services firms within three years. 'It is a great quarter in a market which still remains uncertain and the macroeconomic [environment] has not changed much,' Chief Executive Officer Ravi Kumar said on Thursday. Bolstered by better-than-expected revenue growth and large deals, the company narrowed the lower end of its guidance for the full year. Cognizant now expects to grow between 4–6 per cent on a constant currency basis, up from the 3.5–6 per cent it had guided in April. For the third quarter ending 30 September, growth is expected between 3.5–5 per cent. Cognizant added that Belcan, the engineering research and development (ER&D) company it bought last year, accounted for about half of its quarterly revenue growth, mirroring its contribution in the previous quarter. Cognizant won 29 large deals (worth $100 million and more) in 2024 and 17 in the year before, when Ravi Kumar took over as CEO. In the first six months of this fiscal year, it has signed 10 such deals. 'All the large deals that we did last year were productivity deals,' said Kumar, referring to cost take-out and efficiency improvement contracts, which are the bread and butter for all IT services companies but come with margins increasingly under pressure. 'From this year, it is innovation and productivity deals, and innovation deals have improved. Our total contract value (TCV) of large deals has doubled and our annual contract value (ACV) has also grown sequentially and compared to last year. The fourth quarter usually has more renewals and that's where we think the deal ramp-ups will happen,' he added. Cognizant is now pivoting on three strategic moves to regain momentum: amplifying talent by upskilling employees for future readiness; scaling innovation through platform-led growth in the AI era; and aiming to gain an edge over competitors in generative AI. Within AI, the company is banking on higher productivity as more code is written by machines, industrialising AI, and using AI agents to improve client efficiency. Revenue from health sciences and BFSI, the two growth engines, were up 5.3 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively, during the quarter. Revenue from product and services, which includes Belcan, was up about 15 per cent. North America grew 8.1 per cent and Europe, mirroring other IT companies, grew 4 per cent. Operating margins increased 100 basis points to 15.6 per cent. 'Our increased revenue guidance midpoint and reaffirmed adjusted operating margin outlook reflect strong execution and momentum year-to-date,' said Chief Financial Officer Jatin Dalal.
