Latest news with #Chitale
India Today
27-05-2025
- Climate
- India Today
Shift in rain patterns, weather big concern as climate change hits India
India is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to projected climate change impacts, with heat stress emerging as the single largest concern. The prospect of extreme heat and heat stress arises from the widespread, rapid changes in ocean temperatures combined with steadily rising atmospheric heat India Heat Summit 2025 is deliberating on the issue of rising temperatures and shared solutions. The summit will also advise the government on long-term measures to deal with its deliberation is also focusing on issues related to unseasonal rainfall and the very frequent heavy rainfall occurring in the western parts of India, including the record-breaking rains in Mumbai on Monday—breaching a hundred-year record. Environmentalists are concerned about such frequent incidents of high-intensity rain occurring in a short Swaminathan, environmentalist and Chairperson of MSSRF, told India Today that Urban flooding is rising due to multiple factors—partly climate change, and partly poor planning. While total rainfall hasn't changed much over the decade, it's now falling in fewer hours, making it harder for cities to cope. "Yes, climate change has intensified rainfall — but it's also a planning failure. We need to rethink urban design. We can't keep building the same way in Delhi, the Himalayas, and coastal areas. That approach must change," she Chitale, environmentalist at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, points out that erratic rainfall and early monsoons aren't entirely new phenomena—they've been observed over many years. However, what has changed is the intensity and concentration of rainfall in short show that regions like Rajasthan, Gujarat, central Maharashtra, and Karnataka have seen rainfall increase by up to 30% over the last decade compared to the previous 30-year average. This rise isn't spread evenly across the season; instead, it is marked by short, intense downpours, such as those seen recently in Mumbai—an outcome of increasingly erratic monsoon stresses the need for proactive prevention through robust early warning systems. He highlights India's ongoing efforts, such as the Monsoon Mission weather forecast model, as important steps forward. But he adds that what's crucial now is scaling these systems across urban India with detailed observation networks to provide timely alerts and minimize damage from such extreme agree that these extreme weather patterns are a direct result of climate change, but also point to significant governance gaps. Aarti Khosla from Climate Trends noted that warming oceans are carrying more moisture, leading to more intense and erratic rainfall. She emphasised that cities are ill-prepared for such events, lacking resilient infrastructure for transport, public health, and emergency response. According to her, the early onset of the southwest monsoon, as seen in Mumbai, is a warning sign—and India must urgently integrate weather data with urban planning to protect vulnerable to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN's climate science body, India is projected to be one of the most vulnerable regions to escalating heatwaves, humid heat stress, and other extreme weather events in a 1.5C warmer world—threats that could bring irreversible over 90% of its workforce employed in the informal sector, in the world's most densely populated country, India faces heightened exposure to both the physical dangers and economic risks of rising heat recent years, the country has experienced record-breaking temperatures year after year, with early summer arriving as soon as February or March. Heatwaves have become more frequent, prolonged, and many areas, temperatures have soared close to 50C in recent years—leading to increased illness and loss of life, especially among vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, and outdoor spans five distinct climatic zones—tropical, arid, semi-arid, temperate, and alpine—all of which are now experiencing severe disruptions due to rising the north, accelerated glacial melt and glacial lake formation are intensifying flood risks. Forest fires and water scarcity are putting pressure on hill ecosystems in states like arid and semi-arid regions are seeing erratic rainfall patterns, upending agricultural cycles. Traditional climate zones are flipping: flood-prone areas now face droughts, and vice India's 7,500-km coastline, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea are witnessing increased cyclogenesis—leading to stronger, more frequent storms, saltwater intrusion, humid heatwaves, affected fisheries, and rising sea level studies show a clear spatial-temporal shift in heatwave occurrences across India, with rising trends in three major regions: north-western, central, and south-central to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the most affected states and union territories include Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and economic and social toll of these extreme conditions is enormous. The Reserve Bank of India estimates that extreme heat and humidity could lead to a 4.5% loss in GDP by 2030 due to reduced labour in monsoon patterns and rising temperatures could further reduce GDP by 2.8% by 2030, potentially lowering living standards for nearly half the population by effective mitigation policies, India could face annual GDP losses of 3-10% by climate-induced extremes intensify, it's critical to assess temperature-related risks across key sectors like energy, industry, agriculture, and urban May 2024, India's power consumption surged by 15%, reaching a record peak demand of 250.07 GW, driven by extreme heat and surpassing all previous temperatures have increased the demand for residential cooling, industrial operations, and irrigation, making India more reliant on thermal power to meet its growing energy project a 9-10% increase in energy demand in 2025, driven in part by a sharp rise in air conditioner sales—highlighting both the rising energy demand and the growing disparity in generation to transmission to distribution, high temperatures strain energy systems. Experts note that as a conductor heats up, its molecules vibrate more, increasing resistance and reducing became evident in 2022, when India experienced its worst electricity shortage in over six years, leading to power cuts in homes and industries. For the manufacturing sector, such supply disruptions can severely impact production timelines and raise impact of heat stress extends far beyond the power grid. According to the World Bank, over 34 million jobs in India could be at risk due to heat exposure. Between 2001 and 2020, India lost around 259 billion hours of labour—worth US$ 624 billion (INR 46 lakh crore) annually—due to extreme heat and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs)—the backbone of the economy—are especially vulnerable to productivity declines, infrastructure damage, supply chain disruptions, and job 2022, heatwaves forced India to ban wheat exports after extreme temperatures slashed yields—highlighting the vulnerability of both the agriculture sector and global food supply scientists say heat stress has reduced rice yields by 15–20% across different to NDMA, broader impacts of heat stress on agriculture include declining soil moisture, water insecurity, increasing pest varieties, crop wilting, reduced food quality and nutrition, lower milk production, and impacts on animal growing threat of heat stress calls for urgent mid- and long-term strategies—both structural and non-structural—to limit economic and social fallout. Heat Action Plans remain India's main policy tool but require stronger coordination, greater investment, and cross-sector build resilience, India will need investment in cooling infrastructure, better urban design, early warning systems, and adaptive social protection. The real challenge lies in not just recognising heat as an economic threat, but also in mobilising targeted finance to tackle it and protect challenge is unique: it must build heat resilience while sustaining economic growth to create jobs and lift millions out of poverty. This calls for coordinated solutions from national, state, and local governments, industries, and Heat Conference being organised by Climate Trends aims to bring together these stakeholders to address what may be India's single greatest climate Watch
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Business Standard
Delhi logs wettest May ever as more rain, thunderstorms expected: IMD
Delhi is set to experience cloudy skies, thunderstorms, and rain for the remainder of May, which has already become the wettest on record, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday (May 26). In its weekly forecast, the IMD said the national capital is likely to see overcast conditions with chances of thunder, lightning, and showers. Winds are expected to blow at speeds of 30–50 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 60 kmph. Minimum temperatures will range between 25°C and 27°C, while maximum temperatures may vary from 33°C to 37°C. Wettest May since records began A sudden change in the weather on Saturday (May 24) brought 81.4 mm of rain in a few hours, making this May the wettest since 1901, the IMD said. Total rainfall so far this month has reached 186.4 mm, surpassing the previous record of 165 mm set in May 2008. Sunday's rain, classified as "heavy" by the IMD, was also the second-highest 24-hour rainfall recorded in May in Delhi. The highest remains 119.3 mm on May 20, 2021. Storm caused by multiple weather systems The intense downpour was triggered by the convergence of moist southeasterly winds and dry westerlies. This was further intensified by three weather systems: a western disturbance over north Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir, and two upper-air cyclonic circulations — one over northwest Uttar Pradesh and north Haryana, and the other over west Rajasthan. Earlier this month, on May 2, Delhi had already received 77 mm of rain, according to IMD data. Experts say the unseasonal and heavy rainfall in May is a sign of evolving weather patterns. 'While localised systems like western disturbances have contributed, the larger trend points to a warming atmosphere that holds more moisture and disrupts established seasonal rhythms,' said Vishwas Chitale, Senior Programme Lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), to PTI. In 2024, Delhi saw heavy rainfall in late June following an extreme heatwave. Chitale added that although the monsoon arrived in Kerala earlier than usual this year, it is expected to reach Delhi around its normal schedule. However, he cautioned: 'Such extremes — in both heat and rainfall — serve as a reminder that monsoon arrival alone no longer defines climate preparedness.' Monsoon arrives early in Mumbai Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon reached Mumbai on Monday, marking its earliest arrival in more than 70 years, according to the IMD. The city experienced heavy rain, flooding, and disruptions to transport and flights. 'Southwest monsoon made its onset over Mumbai on May 26. This is the earliest onset in the last 75 years,' IMD scientist Sushma Nair told PTI. Normally, the monsoon reaches Mumbai around June 11. Nair added that the previous earliest onset was May 29 — recorded in 1956, 1962, and 1971 — making this year's onset three days earlier. The monsoon also advanced into Pune on Monday, IMD officials confirmed. Bharat Forecast System launched In a related development, the Ministry of Earth Sciences on Monday launched a home-grown weather prediction platform called the Bharat Forecast System. Union Minister Jitendra Singh, speaking at the launch, said the new forecasting model will boost IMD's capability in providing precise and timely weather updates. "The time has come to see what our contribution to our target of 2047 will be in the context of IMD... Our focus should be on how much role the IMD plays in bringing the Indian economy to the top, both in terms of preventing potential loss and increasing potential gains," Singh said. He added that IMD's forecasting infrastructure is becoming increasingly state-of-the-art, with advancements already made in cities like Chennai and Mumbai and similar improvements planned for Delhi.
The Print
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Print
Ghorpade-Chitale advance to pre-quarters, Sutirtha-Ayhika ousted from TT World C'ships
However, the 14th-seeded Indian pair of Sutirtha and Ayhika suffered a straight-game defeat to the lower-ranked German duo of Annett Kaufmann and Xiaona Shan, losing 1-11, 11-13, 7-11 in just 23 minutes. Chitale and Ghorpade rallied from a game down to beat the Singaporean duo of Zeng Jian and Ser Lin Qian 6-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9 in their round-of-32 clash. Doha, May 19 (PTI) Indian women's doubles pair of Yashaswini Ghorpade and Diya Chitale advanced to pre-quarterfinals but their compatriots Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee were knocked out of the World Table Tennis Championships, here on Monday. India's mixed doubles campaign also came to an end with Chitale and Manush Shah losing 0-3 (8-11, 9-11, 2-11) to the Korean pair of Oh Junsung and Kim Nayeong. It turned out to be a disappointing day for Shah, who endured a hat-trick of defeats. After the mixed doubles loss, he was ousted from the men's singles event by sixth seed Felix Lebrun of France, going down 0-4 (5-11, 6-11, 6-11, 9-11) in the second round. Later, Shah also exited the men's doubles competition. Partnering Manav Thakkar, the eighth-seeded Indian duo lost tamely 5-11, 9-11, 11-8, 5-11 to the unseeded German pair of Benedikt Duda and Dang Qiu. PTI APA DDV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Mint
15-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
From milk delivery to modern FMCG - Chitale Bandhu now aspires for a bigger slice of the snack market
MUMBAI: For a company that started out transporting milk to Mumbai before independence, Chitale Bandhu now speaks a very different language—inventory optimisation, omnichannel strategy, and clean-label snacking. With a ₹265 crore capacity expansion complete and Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador, the fourth-generation family business is reengineering itself into a modern FMCG challenger. From building bhujia machines in the 1990s to baking ₹10 namkeen bars in 2025, the Pune-based company is betting on automation, quality and scale to capture a bigger slice of India's ₹1 trillion salty snack market. 'We've added enough capacity to take us from a 1% to a 10% market share, but we're not trying to compete in the ₹5 space – we can't maintain quality at that price," said Indraneel Chitale, managing partner at Chitale Bandhu. While the company operates 90 franchise-run stores, many of them in Pune and Mumbai, with plans to reach 125 such stores this financial year. The focus is squarely on distribution. Today, 60% of the company's top line comes from its retail network of over 250,000 outlets across 11 states and two Union Territories. Franchise store sales contribute 30%, with exports and digital channels accounting for 7% and 3% respectively. 'We look at stores as real estate and brand presence. They help with visibility and enable quick commerce, but volumetric growth is coming from general and modern trade," Chitale said. Also Read | Temasek's pricey bite of Haldiram is a risky bet on India's consumer market To support this, the company has invested ₹330 crore since 2016 in expanding manufacturing and logistics. Of this, ₹265 crore was spent recently to add capacity that can support revenue of up to ₹1,500 crore. 'We plan to utilise that capacity fully over the next three years," he added. However, scaling up in India's price-sensitive and brand-cluttered snacking market is far from easy. Legacy companies Haldiram's, Bikanervala and Balaji dominate shelf space in both traditional and modern retail. Mass-market play Chitale's growth bet is rooted in smaller product stocks at mass price points. It recently launched mini bhujia rolls at ₹20 and is now scaling up Binge Bars, baked ₹10 namkeen bars aimed at what Chitale called the 'C and D category buyer." There are over a dozen variants in the pipeline, each designed to appeal to local palates. What Chitale won't do is dilute quality to hit the lowest price points. 'We realised that at ₹5, we can't deliver the kind of ingredients we use – groundnut oil, dairy fats, and no trans fats. So we dropped that plan entirely," he said. Instead, the focus is on value-added snacking and clean-label offerings. 'Nutrition per gram is the lens we're applying. Every product we launch must deliver better health without losing taste or affordability," he said. Experts said that mass consumption may be the opportunity, but it's also where the slowdown pinches first. And unlike the metros, where brand recall can drive premium purchases, the mass-market game is unforgiving on margins. Also Read | Private equity eyes fresh bite of regional food brands, repeat of Haldiram When rural demand weakens, sub- ₹20 snacks are the first to see drop-offs. Chitale's decision to stay out of the ₹5 price point, while deliberate, also limits its play in a market that's still extremely value driven. Chitale Bandhu is using quick commerce platforms not just as a sales channel, but as a demand predictor. The company watches city-level demand closely. If Q-commerce sales in a market like Kolkata or Jammu hits a certain threshold, it starts deploying on-ground sales teams and building out distribution in that region. This approach has helped Chitale open up new territories, especially where traditional distributors were hesitant to stock perishables. 'Q-commerce is giving us digital visibility and data. If we can sell 120 packs a day in a market we've never entered, that's proof of concept," Chitale said. Q-commerce is a double-edged sword. Logistics costs remain high, and brand discoverability can be inconsistent. It's also unclear whether consumers will continue to pay a premium for speed in smaller towns and tier-2 cities. Beyond the diaspora Overseas expansion is another growth lever. The company exports its products to over 60 countries and runs 12 stores in the US, two in the UAE, and two in Australia. That number is set to grow: the US store count is expected to double to 25 this year. The strategy is shifting from selling to Indian-run grocery stores abroad to cracking mainstream retail. The company is already supplying to Coles in Australia and is in advanced talks with a leading US supermarket chain. To enable this, Chitale has set up subsidiaries in both countries. 'We want to go beyond the diaspora. That means adapting to global retail standards not just in compliance, but in packaging, positioning, and category innovation," Chitale explained. While overseas manufacturing isn't on the table just yet, the company is open to technology partnerships. 'We're interested in tech transfers that let us manufacture in India, but sell products tailored for global markets," he said. Consultants are of the view that mainstreaming Indian snacking will take more than good distribution, including brand familiarity, smart packaging, and marketing muscle. Also Read | Can an early summer thaw India's consumption slowdown? One of the brand's strongest moats is its perception of quality and transparency. During the pandemic, when a rumour circulated that factory workers were infected with covid-19, Chitale went live on Instagram from the plant to address concerns head-on. That moment cemented the brand's belief in showing – not just telling – its commitment to safety and hygiene, said Chitale. Its upcoming integrated plant in Ranjangaon will feature visitor galleries and consumer-facing education zones. 'We want people to see how our products are made. Once they trust the process, repeat purchase becomes easier," says Chitale. That trust is also what drove the company to onboard Tendulkar as brand ambassador in 2023. 'He brings authenticity and pan-India recognition, especially in regions where our brand recall is low," he added. No funding pressure Unlike peers such as Haldiram's, which is exploring private equity partnerships, Chitale Bandhu remains fully family owned. There are no plans to raise external capital. 'Unless we plan a big bang global manufacturing play, we are comfortable funding our own growth," Chitale said. For now, the playbook is clear: scale through distribution, innovate for mass appeal, and preserve trust through transparency and quality. In an industry crowded with regional titans and new-age D2C brands, Chitale Bandhu is trying to carve out a rare space, one that blends tradition with technology, nostalgia with next-gen snacking.
The Hindu
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Celebrating 100 years of the Art Deco style in Madras
It was on April 29, 1925, that the Paris Exposition formally introduced the Art Deco style to the world. It took 10 years for the form to come to Madras. In between, Bombay took to it, the Syndicate Bank building in that city being the country's first, completed in 1932. And it was a man from the Bombay Presidency who brought Art Deco to this city. Laxman Mahadeo Chitale (1892-1960) was noticed for his skills in drawing by Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III of Baroda and took up a draughtsman course and then apprenticed under H.V. Lanchester, who was, in the early 1900s, one of the architects consulted for the city of New Delhi. In the event he did not get that contract but went on to design Umaid Bhavan Palace in Jodhpur, one of India's largest residences in the Art Deco style. Corner entrance Returning after a few years in England working with Lanchester, Chitale moved to Madras, joined the PWD, and then quit in 1932 to set up practice as an independent architect. And thus began Madras' journey in Art Deco. His first major structure in that style in the city was the Oriental Insurance Building, on Armenian Street. Making full use of a corner plot, Chitale, in the style popularised by Sir Edwin Lutyens in Delhi, designed a building with a corner entrance, thereby maximising the sides along two streets. Oriental Insurance Building, still standing, was also the city's first multi-storey, for it had six floors, counting two in the basement. Bombay had already set the trend for banks and insurance companies floated by Indians building their headquarters in the Art Deco style. It was almost as though they wanted to defy British business interests by breaking free of Neo-classical, Indo-Saracenic, and Bombay Gothic. And so Madras followed suit. Chitale built many such as the National Insurance Building (1938) on China Bazaar Road and almost certainly the Andhra Insurance Building (1939). Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar took a great liking to Chitale and got him to design the Annamalai University building. He therefore designed the Annamalai Manram on the Esplanade in 1952 as well. It is a happy amalgam of Chettinad and Art Deco. Theatres followed suit The rest of the city was not idle. Cinema theatres, which had till then adhered to the strictly classical, and mostly with a street front box office, took to Art Deco, probably with Casino (1941). Cinema studios — Gemini, AVM, and Vijaya-Vauhini — all had even their preview theatres in Art Deco! Businesshouses found the style attractive, with Parry demolishing its old buildings and constructing a new one in 1938, the present Dare House. Even P Orr & Sons, archives reveal, toyed with an Art Deco structure to replace its Chisholm-designed building, but never got around to it. All along NSC Bose Road, the old Madras Christian College campus was sold in lots, and Art Deco edifices came up, most still standing. Even Connemara underwent a facelift in the new style. Hotels such as Oceanic and Dasaprakash were jewels of Art Deco. In housing too, Art Deco became a trend for residences in T. Nagar, Mylapore, Alwarpet, and Adyar. Silverware and furniture took to Art Deco and print used its fonts. It was all the rage. By the 1950s though, the style was giving way to the Modernist/Brutalist made fashionable by Socialist thought. Today, Mumbai has managed to get UNESCO protection for its Art Deco, at least for Marine Drive. We, on the other hand, have watched most of our buildings vanish. We need to protect what is left. (V. Sriram is a writer and historian.)
