Latest news with #AjitKumar
Time of India
an hour ago
- Business
- Time of India
Gumla farmers to get high-yield pulses seeds
Gumla: The district agriculture department will high-yield varieties of pulses among the farmers during the kharif season this year. The move, officials said, is aimed at reducing the dependency on the import of pulses, ensuring soil fertility through nitrogen fixation and raising the income of farmers by covering fallow and barren lands. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The department has planned to grow high yield Pant Arhar -6 variety across 500 hectares and Kota Urad- 6 in 760 hectares during this monsoon season. "A total of 2,500 mini kits seeds weighing 4 kg of Arhar are to be distributed along with 3,800 mini kits of Urad," Ajit Kumar, technical advisor to the district agriculture department, said. District agriculture officer (DAO) Vijay Kujur said, "These two new varieties of pulses will not only raise the production but also replace the traditional varieties which are less yielding types. Once the farmer will grow these two varieties of seeds, they can use the harvest as seeds for at least next three years." The district has a total 2.436 lakh hectares of cultivable land. Of the total, pulses are grown in around 30,000 hectares, officials said. The department has also planned to distribute VL 379 variety of finger millet for its cultivation in 1360 hectares, the officials added. Gumla: The district agriculture department will high-yield varieties of pulses among the farmers during the kharif season this year. The move, officials said, is aimed at reducing the dependency on the import of pulses, ensuring soil fertility through nitrogen fixation and raising the income of farmers by covering fallow and barren lands. The department has planned to grow high yield Pant Arhar -6 variety across 500 hectares and Kota Urad- 6 in 760 hectares during this monsoon season. "A total of 2,500 mini kits seeds weighing 4 kg of Arhar are to be distributed along with 3,800 mini kits of Urad," Ajit Kumar, technical advisor to the district agriculture department, said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now District agriculture officer (DAO) Vijay Kujur said, "These two new varieties of pulses will not only raise the production but also replace the traditional varieties which are less yielding types. Once the farmer will grow these two varieties of seeds, they can use the harvest as seeds for at least next three years." The district has a total 2.436 lakh hectares of cultivable land. Of the total, pulses are grown in around 30,000 hectares, officials said. The department has also planned to distribute VL 379 variety of finger millet for its cultivation in 1360 hectares, the officials added.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Outer area growth corridor project in Thiruvananthapuram faces more delay
: The outer area growth corridor (OAGC) project, one of the flagship development initiatives spearheaded by the capital region development programme (CRDP), is facing yet another delay. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The project, planned as part of Vizhinjam port-related industrialisation, remains in limbo as local self-govt department (LSGD) is yet to approve the revised master plan and detailed project report (DPR) submitted by CRDP. OAGC was envisioned to support the structured expansion of the city by developing peripheral zones, easing urban congestion and enhancing infrastructure in emerging suburbs. Economic zones have been proposed at Vizhinjam, Kovalam, Kattakada, Nedumangad, Vembayam, Mangalapuram, Kilimanoor and Kallambalam as part of the project. However, procedural delays stalled its implementation. According to LSGD sources, CRDP's latest submissions are still under review with no significant progress. "The revised master plan and DPR have been with the department for several weeks now, but the file hasn't moved forward," said an official familiar with the developments. State govt's priority is to develop Vizhinjam-Kollam-Punalur industrial corridor project, said sources. Ajit Kumar, CRDP special officer, who pioneered the project's master plan, will be transferred to New Delhi as part of central deputation, sources said . Earlier, LSGD sought modifications to the initial proposals, citing planning inconsistencies and lack of clarity on key infrastructure elements. CRDP revised and resubmitted the documents. Despite this, bureaucratic bottlenecks continue to stall the project. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The intention was to kickstart work by mid-2025 but with the current pace of approvals, that timeline seems increasingly unrealistic," said an official. Meanwhile, APM Mohammed Hanish, principal secretary, industries department, told TOI that state govt has taken up the delay issue and will expedite the proceedings as soon as possible. "The file is in LSGD. This project doesn't come under the industries department. However, govt will take prompt action," Hanish said. However, when contacted, senior LSGD officials were unavailable for comment. Urban planners and local stakeholders expressed concern over the delay, warning that prolonged inaction could affect the city's future growth prospects. "Thiruvananthapuram is expanding rapidly and without a coordinated plan for its outskirts, we risk facing serious urban sprawl and infrastructure stress," said SN Raghuchandran Nair, president, Thiruvananthapuram Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Earlier, CRDP retendered a new project management consultant after finding the previously appointed Kitco Ltd unsuitable for a project of this scale. However, officials remain optimistic about commencing the OAGC project by this year.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Time of India
Shastri Nagar ASI caught accepting bribe from woman
Patna: A vigilance team on Wednesday caught red-handed an assistant sub-inspector (ASI), posted at Shastri Nagar police station in Patna, accepting a bribe from a woman in exchange of helping her in a case. Vigilance Investigation Bureau director general (DG) Jitendra Singh Gangwar said Ajit Kumar had demanded Rs 50,000 from Noorjahan to remove her son's name from a case that was registered in 2022. "The woman reported this to the vigilance bureau on Feb 17. On Wednesday, Ajit came in plain clothes to Mahua Bagh locality in Shastri Nagar police station area to collect the money. But he was caught red-handed by the vigilance team, comprising deputy superintendent of police-I Pawan Kumar, inspector Mohd Nazimuddin, Manikant Singh, Ravishankar, Ashish Kumar and Randhir Singh. He will be produced in the special vigilance court after a thorough interrogation," said the DG. Gangwar added that a total of 30 cases were registered by the vigilance team in 2025 so far, with 23 traps set up to catch the accused red-handed. Besides, the vigilance bureau also recovered around Rs 8 lakh intended for bribes.
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
HC seeks Centre's response on the issue of cases falling under CAT, Allahabad being taken up in Delhi
Prayagraj, Taking serious note of the principal bench at Delhi hearing cases falling within the jurisdiction of the Central Administrative Tribunal at Allahabad, the Allahabad High Court has sought the Centre's response in the matter. Justice Ajit Kumar, in his order, observed that the chairman of principal bench of CAT, New Delhi has misinterpreted the provisions relating to case transfer power given to him under Section 25 of Administrative Tribunal Act, 1985 for entertaining directly fresh petitions, which otherwise fall within the territorial jurisdiction of CAT, Allahabad bench. The chairman is doing so only on the ground that districts falling in western Uttar Pradesh are closer to New Delhi, the judge observed. Hearing a writ petition filed by Rajesh Pratap Singh, the court directed the central government and other respondents to file their reply in this case within four weeks and fixed July 17 for the next hearing. Passing the above directives, the court observed, "Since the petitions have been entertained by the principal bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal, Delhi it has resulted in action of lawyers to abstain from work at Allahabad, as they complain that all the petitions are being entertained directly by Principal Bench at New Delhi only on the ground that districts falling in the western Uttar Pradesh are closer to New Delhi and this is how this petition has been directly preferred before this court". "The orders that have been passed by the chairman of the tribunal placed before this court raise a legal issue whether the chairman sitting at the principal bench of the tribunal could have entertained a fresh matter directly to decide the same merely on the ground of distance qua place of residence of a party. "If that be so, then every such case that may fall in terms of distance closer to Delhi would lie before the Principal Bench at New Delhi completely denuding the exercise of power by the Central Administrative Tribunal, Allahabad Bench in terms of its territorial jurisdiction or any other bench in the country for that matter. "This in my considered view, must not have been the object in incorporating the provision like Section 25 of the Act, 1985, while providing for different Benches in the courts like the one at Allahabad having territorial jurisdiction in matters of the entire western Uttar Pradesh, including Uttarakhand", the court added. This is something like acquiring territorial jurisdiction by merely exercising power under section 25 of the Act, 1985, on a regular basis, which the legislature did not provide for, while assigning territorial jurisdiction to the Central Administrative Tribunal Bench at Allahabad, the court said. This is neither the idea nor the intendment while providing a power under Section 25 of the Central Administrative Tribunal Act, 1985, the court added.
Mint
12-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Evolvence India courts domestic LPs for its largest fund yet, eyes $300 million
Mumbai: Evolvence India is gearing up to raise its fifth fund, targeting a corpus of $300 million, including $100 million from Indian investors, according to managing partner Ajit Kumar. The firm also has the option to expand the fund size through a green shoe provision, marking a strategic shift as Evolvence actively courts domestic investors amid evolving global funding dynamics, Kumar said in an interview with Mint. 'In the past, we raised capital from investors in the US, Europe and the Middle East and now we are also considering a domestic tranche," Kumar said, adding that the firm plans to raise about $100 million from Indian investors, with the remaining coming from international limited partners (LPs). More by Priyamvada C | India's mid-market gets a boost as Trident Growth launches ₹2,000 cr maiden fund Evolvence expects to complete the first close within the next few months, according to Kumar. The shift comes amid challenges faced by US investors, who are grappling with historically low distributions due to reduced public market valuations. High interest rates have also hampered dividend recapitalizations, NAV loans, and subscription credit, leading to limited cash returns. Compounding this, tepid M&A activity and fewer initial public offerings (IPOs) have constrained liquidity. Consequently, first-time capital raisers and smaller funds in the US are finding it difficult to attract investments, as roughly 80% of available capital goes to larger funds, Kumar explained. India, however, presents a more promising outlook, Kumar noted, with 'pockets of interest" in the early growth stage where Evolvence operates. Evolvence typically writes cheque sizes of $10-20 million, primarily targeting early-stage growth companies. This aligns with the firm's focus on bridging the gap in mid-market funding in India, especially during critical expansion phases. Sectors include consumer, financial services, healthcare, SaaS, specialty manufacturing, and precision engineering–industries that have demonstrated resilience despite the broader funding slowdown. Read this | Private equity eyes fresh bite of regional food brands, repeat of Haldiram Evolvence, which has raised over $700 million across four funds, has invested in more than 25 startups through direct and co-investment opportunities. Notable investments include Captain Fresh, Veritas Finance, Renee, HomeLane, and Capillary. While the bulk of Evolvence's investments target Series A and follow-on rounds, around 30% of its capital is allocated to other Indian private equity and venture capital funds, including through secondaries, a strategy Kumar said helps diversify exposure while maintaining focus on mid-market companies. Barring the second fund, which closed at about $70 million during the financial crisis, Evolvence has largely capped its previous fund sizes between $200-250 million. The fifth fund would be its largest to date. Despite the larger corpus for its fifth fund, Kumar emphasized that Evolvence remains focused on the early growth stage in India, where it sees a gap in mid-market funding. Kumar prefers fund managers with consistent strategies so that do not drift away from their original style and focus on investments. 'We currently see fewer managers in growth capital area where they can write cheque sizes of $15-30 million in India," he added. The new fund launch aligns with a broader revival in fundraising activity among Indian private equity and venture capital players. Over the past six to eight months, several firms, including Kedaara, ChrysCapital, Stellaris Ventures, Prime Ventures, Accel, A91 Partners, Cornerstone VC, and Bessemer Venture Partners, have announced new funds. Others, such as Blume Ventures and India Quotient, plan to retain their current fund sizes, while Peak XV recently cut its $2.85 billion India and Southeast Asia fund by $465 million to reduce costs. Also read | Are Indian venture capitalists investing in moonshot ideas? While India recorded a banner year in domestic fundraising in 2024, caution remains. Bain & Company recently noted that despite increased commitments from global and government-linked investors, funds will need to demonstrate robust operational value creation to secure backing. Heightened scrutiny around performance and track records will continue to shape investment dynamics in the region.
