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Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Science
- Time of India
BU gets Prakriti Mitra award for green campus drive
1 2 Berhampur: State govt has recognised the green campus drive launched by Berhampur University by selecting it for the Prakruti Mitra award for 2024-25. Berhampur is the only university among 185 awardees. The award is presented to organisations, including several schools, colleges, volunteer organizations and individuals for their contribution towards the protection of environment, plantation and conservation, among others. Out of the 185 awardees, Ganjam district has the highest of 21, including Berhampur University, Indian Coast Guard, Chhatrapur and Rushikulya sea turtle protection committee. A cash award of Rs 20,000 and a certificate would be presented to each awardee. "We are happy as the govt recognised our drive for a green campus. The award will encourage students and teachers to participate in the drive," said Geetanjali Dash, vice-chancellor, Berhampur University. "We have planted over 2,000 saplings of 185 species on the campus as part of the drive," said Padmalochan Murmu, assistant professor of botany and coordinator of the drive. He said they have planned to plant all 5,370 species available in the state on the campus in the next two years. "Plantation of all species will not only make the campus green, but also help researchers and students, especially botany, to study the plants," he added. Centre has sanctioned around Rs 32.48 lakh to the university for conservation and multiplication of selected threatened endemic plants of south Odisha. The ministry of environment, forests and climate change has released Rs 11.36 lakh — the first instalment of the three-year project — to the university through Botanical Survey of India (BSI) recently, sources said. "Under the project, the university will develop a botanical garden of rare, endangered and threatened plant species in around 4 acres of land," said Dash.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
LIC secures BSI certification
Hyderabad: LIC of India, the leading public sector Insurer, has been awarded the ISO 22301:2019 Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) certification from the British Standards Institution (BSI) reaffirming that the Insurer's Operational Resilience, Business Continuity Planning and Risk Management capabilities are consistent with global best practices.
Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Commercial Bank gets ISO mark for continuity management system
Tribune News Network Doha Commercial Bank, a leader in innovative digital financial solutions in Qatar, has been awarded the prestigious ISO 22301 certification for Business Continuity Management Systems from BSI (British Standards Institution). This marks a significant milestone in the Bank's ongoing commitment to operational excellence. This international certification affirms the Bank's ability to maintain business continuity and protect customers and operations in the face of unexpected disruptions, such as natural disasters, cyber threats, or other crises. This achievement is a testament to Commercial Bank's strategic investment in preparedness, crisis response, and risk management. It reflects a deeply embedded culture of resilience that prioritizes stability, reliability, and customer confidence at every level within the Bank's structure. By securing this standard, Commercial Bank reinforces its ability to deliver uninterrupted services, safeguard stakeholder interests, and uphold its role as a pioneer of Qatar's financial infrastructure. Commenting on the certification, Joseph Abraham, Group Chief Executive Officer at Commercial Bank, said: 'Receiving the ISO 22301 certification is an important milestone for Commercial Bank as it demonstrates our focus on resilience and business excellence. Being agile and prepared for any situation is key to our corporate strategy, ensuring the Bank is well prepared for any eventuality. This certification confirms our readiness and ability to maintain service for our customers in the face of business disruption events. Commenting on the certification, Matt Page, Senior Vice President, Assurance Services, EMEA, BSI, said: 'Commercial Bank's commitment to business continuity helps ensure it can continue its operations throughout a disruption, minimizing the impact on employees, customers and society. Congratulations to the team on the certification of the international standard for Business Continuity Management (ISO 22301). This achievement helps demonstrate the organization's ability to protect against, reduce the likelihood of, and ensure it can recover from any disruptive incidents.' This milestone underscores the Bank's forward-looking approach and its alignment with global best practices, while also setting the stage for future achievements. Commercial Bank continues to pursue industry-leading standards, maintaining its position as a trusted partner and innovator within Qatar's financial landscape.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
More S'pore businesses expect economy to worsen, doubling from previous quarter: SBF survey
Businesses here are also anticipating rising cost pressures over the next six months, the survey found. PHOTO: ST FILE More S'pore businesses expect economy to worsen, doubling from previous quarter: SBF survey SINGAPORE - The business outlook here has weakened considerably amid growing economic uncertainty, according to a Singapore Business Federation (SBF) survey released on May 28. The proportion of businesses that foresee the economy worsening over the next 12 months nearly doubled on the quarter, from 22 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 40 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, the survey found. 'This bearish sentiment is shared by both small and medium-sized enterprises, with the proportion expecting worsening conditions increasing from 23 per cent to 41 per cent, and large companies, where the figure rose from 18 per cent to 38 per cent over the same period,' the survey indicated. It collated responses from 526 businesses across major sectors. Businesses in the hotels, restaurants and accommodations, health and social services as well as retail trade sectors showed high pessimism about economic prospects for the next 12 months, SBF said. Notably, the hotels, restaurants and accommodation sector had the most cautious outlook. It recorded the lowest score among all sectors for Business Sentiment Index (BSI) – a new indicator that consolidates key measures that capture business confidence. The sector's BSI of 52.2 was below the overall BSI of 56.5. It also reported the lowest levels for revenue expectations, profitability expectations, positive business expansion outlook and level of planned capital investment, and had the least optimistic business growth confidence level. Moreover, businesses are anticipating rising cost pressures over the next six months, NBS found. The real estate and hotels, restaurants and accommodations sectors faced the highest cost expectations, with BSI scores at 78.4 and 71.9, respectively. Some bright spots While overall sentiment is cautious, some sectors showed optimism. The banking and insurance as well as education sectors were the most optimistic, with BSI scores of 61.2 and 60.5, respectively. These two sectors logged the highest revenue expectations. Sectors with the highest profitability expectations included the education sector with a 60.8 score, the real estate sector with 60.4, and the banking and insurance sector with 59.1. Business expansion outlook remained moderate at 61.6, indicating some optimism for growth – particularly for the sectors of education with a BSI of 66.6, and banking and insurance with a BSI of 65.6. Hiring outlook had a 57.7 score, suggesting that businesses intend to maintain their current workforce size. The hotels, restaurants and accommodations, IT and related services and education sectors had the most optimistic hiring outlooks with BSI scores of 67.4, 61.8 and 60.1, respectively. Businesses also identified the five most useful measures that emerged from Budget 2025. These were the 50 per cent Corporate Income Tax Rebate; the enhancement of the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme; the Central Provident Fund transition offset; the extension of Senior Employment Credit; and the new SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant. Strong transformation momentum, liquidity concerns Transformation momentum remains strong as businesses are continuing to pursue long-term competitiveness through enterprise and workforce transformation, the survey found. SBF chief executive Kok Ping Soon said: 'It is important that businesses stay the course in enterprise and workforce transformation by leveraging on the slew of government support.' Despite this, challenges of high costs of adopting new technologies and manpower crunches when staff attend training persist. Internationalisation and artificial intelligence development schemes emerged as top priorities for enterprise transformation, NBS said. The redesigned SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit and SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant were the most preferred initiatives for workforce transformation. Liquidity was a key concern for businesses as around a quarter face a moderate to severe credit crunch – with 35 per cent of these reporting insufficient cash to operate for three to six months, NBS found. Businesses also wanted greater government support on financing related programmes, more flexible repayment terms and access to alternative financing solutions. Noting that accessibility and cost of financing were areas of concern, Mr Kok said SBF hopes to work with the government and financial institutions to better support businesses. This comes as some businesses may now require larger financing lines and longer financing terms amid the impact of US tariff measures, he added. THE BUSINESS TIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Two in five businesses expect economy to worsen in the year ahead: SBF survey
[SINGAPORE] Business outlook has weakened considerably amid growing uncertainty, based on a Singapore Business Federation (SBF) survey released on Wednesday (May 28). The proportion of businesses that foresee the economy worsening over the next 12 months nearly doubled on the quarter, from 22 per cent in Q4 2024 to 40 per cent in Q1 2025, the National Business Survey (NBS) 2025 - Singapore Budget Edition found. 'This bearish sentiment is shared by both small and medium-sized enterprises, with the proportion expecting worsening conditions increasing from 23 per cent to 41 per cent, and large companies, where the figure rose from 18 per cent to 38 per cent over the same period,' the survey indicated. It collated responses from 526 businesses across major sectors. Businesses in the hotels, restaurants and accommodations, health and social services as well as retail trade sectors showed high pessimism about economic prospects for the next 12 months, SBF said. Notably, the hotels, restaurants and accommodation sector had the most cautious outlook. It recorded the lowest score among all sectors for Business Sentiment Index (BSI) – a new indicator that consolidates key measures that capture business confidence. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The sector's BSI of 52.2 was below the overall BSI of 56.5. It also reported the lowest levels for revenue expectations, profitability expectations, positive business expansion outlook and level of planned capital investment, and had the least optimistic business growth confidence level. Moreover, businesses are anticipating rising cost pressures over the next six months, NBS found. The real estate and hotels, restaurants and accommodations sectors faced the highest cost expectations with BSI scores at 78.4 and 71.9, respectively. Bright spots despite cautious overall sentiment While overall sentiment is cautious, some sectors showed optimism. The banking and insurance as well as education sectors were the most optimistic, with BSI scores of 61.2 and 60.5, respectively. These two sectors logged the highest revenue expectations. Sectors with the highest profitability expectations included the education sector with a 60.8 score, the real estate sector with 60.4, and the banking and insurance sector with 59.1. Business expansion outlook remained moderate at 61.6, indicating some optimism for growth – particularly for the sectors of education with a BSI of 66.6, and banking and insurance with a BSI of 65.6. Hiring outlook had a 57.7 score, suggesting that businesses intend to maintain their current workforce size. The hotels, restaurants and accommodations, IT and related services and education sectors had the most optimistic hiring outlooks with BSI scores of 67.4, 61.8 and 60.1, respectively. Most useful Singapore Budget 2025 measures, according to businesses Businesses also identified the five most useful measures that emerged from Budget 2025. These were the 50 per cent Corporate Income Tax Rebate; the enhancement of the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme; the Central Provident Fund transition offset; the extension of Senior Employment Credit; and the new SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant. Strong transformation momentum, liquidity concerns Transformation momentum remains strong as businesses are continuing to pursue long-term competitiveness through enterprise and workforce transformation, the survey found. Kok Ping Soon, chief executive of SBF, said: 'It is important that businesses stay the course in enterprise and workforce transformation by leveraging on the slew of government support.' Despite this, challenges of high costs of adopting new technologies and manpower crunches when staff attend training persist. Internationalisation and artificial intelligence development schemes emerged as top priorities for enterprise transformation, NBS said. The redesigned SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit and SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant were the most preferred initiatives for workforce transformation. Liquidity was a key concern for businesses as around one-quarter face a moderate to severe credit crunch – with 35 per cent of these reporting insufficient cash to operate for three to six months, NBS found. Businesses also wanted greater government support on financing related programmes, more flexible repayment terms and access to alternative financing solutions. Noting that accessibility and cost of financing were areas of concern, Kok said SBF hopes to work with the government and financial institutions to better support businesses. This comes as some businesses may now require larger financing lines and longer financing terms amid the impact of US tariff measures, he added. .
