Latest news with #Sankaran
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
In a lecture at the Science Gallery Bengaluru, ecologist Mahesh Sankaran stressed the importance of grasslands, and why we must conserve them
Professor of Ecology and Evolution at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Dr. Mahesh Sankaran, explained the evolution, diversity and conservation challenges of the grassland ecosystem during his lecture The Untold Story of Grasses held recently at the Science Gallery Bengaluru. Mahesh's research includes studying grasslands in Africa and India and determining how these ecosystems have evolved and contribute to the biosphere. With over two decades of experience working on the subject, Sankaran emphasised on the need to conserve the second most widespread habitat. 'Grasses have influenced our biosphere in so many ways, supporting the evolution of ungulates and herbivores. All of these grazers, eat grass and could have evolved only after grass evolved,' he said. He also explained how savannas and grasslands have played an important role in the evolution of human society. 'As many as 35 grass species have been domesticated over the years as cultivated crops. About 17% of cultivated crops are grasses and they affect our nutrient cycle and diet,' 'There are many other ways we use grasses — for instance bamboos are used for building houses, to thatch roofs, for sweeping, and even to make alcohol.' Conservation challenges However, he mentions that India's grasslands face many conservation challenges. 'I think one of the biggest reasons is that most of them are administratively classified as wastelands; this is a legacy from colonial foresters who looked at vegetation only from the perspective of forestry. Anything that didn't generate revenue was classified as a wasteland. Unfortunately, that is still the case today.' He explains that since wastelands do not get protection status, one can easily convert them for any other land use without a hassle. 'People don't always see grasslands as important. It is something called bio-awareness disparity, where people seem to value trees more than they do grasslands.' 'Most of the time people plant trees in grasslands to reduce the effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere but these invasive plantations often fail to bring the anticipated benefit. What they don't understand is that grasslands are ancient ecosystems which evolved more than 100 million years ago and continue to shape the entire world.' The first evidence for grasslands was observed when scientists spotted traces of grass fossilised between the teeth of dinosaurs. Now there are over 12,000 species of grasses and 10 percent of these species are found in India. But unfortunately, DSankran says that 70 percent of the grassland habitats across the Western Ghats have been lost in the last 100 years. 'I think if people just appreciate grasslands and are aware of their importance, the rest of the actions to conserve them will follow. Grass is more than just a patch of green below your feet,' he concluded the lecture, held as part of the six-day Sci560 programme hosted by the Science Gallery Bengaluru from May 4 to May 17. Sankaran completed his PhD from Syracuse University in the US and carried out postdoctoral research in both the UK and the US before joining NCBS in 2009. His distinction has been recognised at the Fellowship of the Indian Academy of Science (2020) and the Indian National Science Academy (2021).
News18
20-05-2025
- General
- News18
Ration Cards Made Easier In Andhra Pradesh: New Rules For Newlyweds Explained
Last Updated: Andhra Pradesh ration card rules: State government removes marriage certificate requirement for new ration cards, making it easier for newlyweds and families to apply In a notable move benefiting ration card applicants, the Andhra Pradesh (AP) government has announced that new ration cards can now be issued without requiring a marriage certificate. Applications are currently being accepted from eligible individuals. This decision is expected to bring relief to many, as ration cards serve as a standard for numerous welfare programmes. A ration card, much like an Aadhaar card, is essential for availing benefits from government schemes. It also allows families to access subsidised goods, such as free rice and cheaper items like sugar and dal. As a result, obtaining a ration card has always been a priority for many households. In a recent announcement, Chittoor District's Civil Supplies Department Officer, Sankaran, revealed a key update that will ease the application process. Previously, a marriage certificate was required for newly married individuals to apply for a new ration card. However, due to numerous complaints about the difficulties this caused, the state government has decided to remove this requirement. Sankaran explained that there has been a significant influx of applications for new ration cards, with many people facing challenges due to the marriage certificate mandate. In response to requests from various quarters, the government has decided that proof of marriage will no longer be a mandatory requirement. Applicants can now submit any valid proof of marriage when applying for a new ration card. This decision is expected to make the application process much smoother, especially for newly married couples who were previously hindered by the need for additional documentation. Over the last 10 days alone, Chittoor District has received 13,550 applications, with a large number of requests for new cards, adding new members' names to existing ration cards, and dividing cards for individual family members. This update is expected to significantly improve access to government benefits for many, making the process of obtaining a ration card more accessible for all eligible individuals. As the number of applications continues to rise, the government is keen to ensure that the issuance of new ration cards proceeds smoothly, providing much-needed relief to families across the state of Andhra Pradesh. First Published:
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Albertsons takes a hit on outlook, but outgoing CEO says ‘Our mojo is back'
You can find original article here Supermarketnews. Subscribe to our free daily Supermarketnews newsletter. Strong digital and pharmacy growth helped to boost identical sales for Albertsons in the fourth quarter, but the grocery retailer's stock dipped on Tuesday, following a reduction in its earnings estimate for the rest of 2025. The Boise, Idaho-based retailer kicked off its earnings call with a message from outgoing CEO Vivek Sankaran, who gave a rosy outlook for the grocery chain. 'Within a few months since the termination of the merger, our mojo is back. We are executing once again like we used to …' Sankaran said. Stock still dropped by more than 7% by mid-morning, though, due largely to the projections that Albertsons anticipates earnings per share to hover between $2.03 to $2.16 per share for the year ending Feb. 28. That's lower than analyst consensus earnings estimates of $2.21 per share, according to Despite the reduced long-term estimate, Albertsons reported earnings of $0.43 per share on $18.8 billion in revenue. That bested the consensus estimate of $0.38 per share on revenue of $18.62 billion. The grocery chain opened 11 new stores and remodeled 127 in fiscal year 2024, according to Albertsons Chief Financial Officer Sharon McCollom. Following his opening statement, Sankaran handed the earnings call over to Susan Morris, who will take the helm as CEO on May 1. Morris touted Albertsons' strong ecommerce growth, up 24% both year over year and in the fourth quarter. She said ecommerce growth now represents over 8% of grocery revenue for the chain with some markets eclipsing 10% growth in online sales. 'Ecommerce is still below our industry peers, and is one of our biggest growth, customer acquisition, and customer retention opportunities for 2025 and beyond,' she said. Albertsons is accelerating investments in its ecommerce efforts; although, digital sales has diluted the grocer's margin due to 'picking costs and delivery costs,' Morris said. 'But it's only because of the volume, and so we are actually making progress in productivity in our ecommerce operations within our stores, so that business is getting more profitable as it goes,' Morris said, adding that 'when you combine our first-party and our third-party businesses, we are getting close to contributing to the EBITDA margin. We expect that to continue to grow over time.' Morris and McCollom emphasized that Albertsons is accelerating its investments in digital growth and pharmacy, while looking for greater efficiencies. Earlier this year, Albertsons announced it plans to cut $1.5 billion in spending and is consolidating its Intermountain Division, which covers most of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, with its Denver Division, which covers Colorado and surrounding areas. Albertsons is also investing in data analytics within its supply chain, rolling out a new warehouse management system over the course of the year. 'By the end of 2025, we expect 30% of our distribution volume to be automated, and we're piloting innovative new technology to extend our menu of options for future warehouse automation,' according to Morris, who added that Albertsons aims to 'lower our cost of service and improve our end-to-end data analytic capabilities, resulting in better in-stock conditions and a differentiated level of quality and fresh.' Pharmacy sales were a bright spot for Albertsons in the fourth quarter, serving as the primary driver of a 2.3% increase in identical sales, Morris said. Albertsons' pharmacy business got a boost from growth in prescriptions and immunizations, a trend driven largely by the closure of competitors like Walgreens and Rite Aid. 'Although the pharmacy business is financially dilutive, cross shoppers between grocery and pharmacy are exceptionally valuable, contributing outside customer lifetime value to the total store. For this reason, in fiscal 2025 we will continue to invest in our pharmacy and health platforms to drive increased customer engagement and loyalty,' Morris said. Albertsons experienced 15% year-over-year growth in loyalty memberships in the fourth quarter, eclipsing 45 million, and actively engaged customers increased 12%. Morris attributed this in part to the success of Albertsons' 'for U' loyalty program, which is free to customers and enables them to earn loyalty points and use them to reduce their overall grocery bill. 'Since launching the simplified program, 20% of engaged households are now electing the new cash-off option, reinforcing the customer desire for immediate value,' Morris said. She added that since 'for U' launched in April 2024, over 9 million customers have engaged with the feature. Morris said the company has deployed a task force to monitor volatility in the market, particularly associated with tariffs on imports from the Trump administration. Albertsons procures 90% of its products domestically, she said, 'so that's a very different position than some of our competitors out there. 'We also recognize, though, that even in those domestic purchases, there are impacts from ingredients that are sourced from tariff-impacted areas,' she said. 'The situation, as you know, is very fluid. We're staying very close to it.' Albertsons is also keeping a close eye on the rise of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Morris said they are contributing to the company's growth. '[A]s we engage those customers into our entire ecosystem, recognizing clearly their eating habits change, but their eating habits change with regard to wanting more protein, for supplements, more fruits and vegetables, we have all of those things, so it's actually an opportunity for us to even more deeply engage those customers,' Morris said. McCollom said Albertsons believes customers will choose the store 'for the role that we play in their health care.' Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
8 notable grocery executive changes from March
This story was originally published on Grocery Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Grocery Dive newsletter. No other grocery executive moves last month shocked the industry as much as the rapid-fire CEO changes at Kroger and Albertsons. On the morning of March 3, Kroger announced Rodney McMullen's sudden exit, ending his 11-year run at the helm of the grocer after an investigation found that his personal conduct violated company policy. Just hours later, Albertsons announced Vivek Sankaran will retire on May 1. Sankaran joined Albertsons as president and CEO in April 2019. Both Sankaran and McMullen helmed their companies as they attempted to merge — an ultimately unsuccessful two-year effort — and are leaving at a time when both grocers face legal battles over who is at fault for the failed transaction. Here's a roundup of notable executive shifts that took place in March. Albertsons appointed Susan Morris, currently its executive vice president and chief operations officer, to take over as CEO and join the company's board following Sankaean's departure. Morris has worked for nearly four decades at Albertsons and has served as COO since 2018. In a statement, Morris said she has worked with Sankaran to develop plans to boost the grocer's growth. Albertsons said in a regulatory filing in early March that Sankaran's decision to leave the company was 'not the result of any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company's operations, policies or practices.' As the grocery company searches for a permanent CEO, Kroger appointed Ronald Sargent as interim CEO and chairman of the board of directors in the wake of McMullen's departure. Kroger also announced it formed a new e-commerce business unit with Yael Cosset at the helm. Cosset, who now holds the role of chief digital officer, will direct technology and data operations for Kroger in addition to overseeing the new division. He previously served as Kroger's chief information officer. At the end of March, Rudy DiPietro stepped into the role of president of Kroger's Dallas Division. DiPietro, a longtime Ahold Delhaize USA executive, replaced Keith Shoemaker, who retired after nearly 48 years with Kroger. The discounter named Stewart Glendinning as its chief financial officer on March 5, replacing Jeff Davis, who announced in December his plans to leave the company. Glendinning joined the discounter in January in a senior role focused on transformation initiatives, including a review of strategic alternatives for the Family Dollar business. He previously served as the CEO of Express Inc. and CFO at Tyson Foods. At the end of March, Dollar Tree unveiled its plans to sell Family Dollar for just over $1 billion to private equity firms Brigade Capital Management and Macellum Capital Management. The Ahold Delhaize-owned banner announced Friday it promoted Steve Allison to vice president of center store merchandising, effective immediately. Allison has held several merchandising and commercial roles since joining The Giant Company in 2018, including director of commercial planning and, most recently, director of category management of DSD and beer & wine. In the new role, Allison will oversee the grocer's non-food categories such as health, pet, baby and seasonal; frozen; dairy; alcohol; snacks; and global flavors. He will report to Rebecca Lupfer, the grocer's senior vice president and chief merchant. Masiar Tayebi, chief strategy and information officer and executive vice president at SpartanNash, will exit the company in mid-April, the grocery retailer and wholesaler disclosed in a March 13 regulatory filing. The Michigan-based company did not say why Tayebi is leaving, but indicated that he will receive benefits 'consistent with a qualifying termination of employment other than for death, disability or cause.' Tayebi joined SpartanNash in April 2021. The grocery technology company named Lisa Blackwood-Kapral as its chief accounting officer and principal accounting officer. Blackwood-Kapral takes the reins from Alan Ramsay, who left on March 10 after more than five years with the company. Blackwood-Kapral most recently worked at Lyft, where she served as chief accounting officer and as interim CFO. Before Lyft, she was Shutterfly's chief accounting officer. Recommended Reading Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen resigns after ethics review
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Albertsons names chief operations officer as next CEO
This story was originally published on Grocery Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Grocery Dive newsletter. Albertsons announced Monday CEO Vivek Sankaran will retire on May 1 after six years in the top role. The grocery company appointed Susan Morris, currently its executive vice president and chief operations officer, to take over as CEO following Sankaran's departure. She will also assume Sankaran's position on the company's board. Morris, who has worked nearly 40 years at Albertsons and has served as COO since 2018, will lead the supermarket chain as it tries to regain its footing following its failed acquisition by Kroger. Sankaran's impending departure from Albertsons marks the latest high-profile change as the retailer regroups after abandoning its quest to combine with Kroger — a transaction both companies had once cast as essential to their future prosperity. In a statement the day after the merger collapsed under regulatory pressure, Sankaran said Albertsons was in a strong position to move ahead on its own. But when Albertsons reported its results for the third quarter in early January, he announced that the company was embarking on a plan to shave $1.5 billion in costs over the next three years as it looked to 'accelerate our growth rates to compete with the very, very best in the industry.' Albertsons has laid off corporate workers, restructured parts of its operations and closed stores over the past few weeks. Sankaran joined Albertsons as president and CEO in April 2019 after serving as chief executive of PepsiCo Foods North America and earlier as a partner at McKinsey & Company. He replaced Jim Donald, who became co-chairman of Albertsons and continues to lead the board. Sankaran ceded the president's role to Sharon McCollam in 2021 when she joined Albertsons as its CFO. Jim Donald, chair of Albertsons' board, noted in a statement that Sankaran led the company as it weathered the tumult caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and put it 'on strong financial footing for its next chapter of growth.' Albertsons said in a regulatory filing Monday that Sankaran's decision to leave the company was 'not the result of any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company's operations, policies or practices.' Morris is preparing to take over the CEO's role at a pivotal time for the company. Analysts have said that Albertsons needs to move quickly to strengthen its operations and improve its image with shoppers to demonstrate to investors that it has the wherewithal to succeed in a grocery market that has evolved significantly in recent years. In her current role, Morris is responsible for retail operations at the chain's more than 2,200 supermarkets. She was formerly executive vice president of regional operations and earlier served as division president in two markets. Morris began her career in retail at an Albertsons store in Denver. In a statement, Morris said she has worked with Sankaran to develop plans to boost growth at Albertsons. 'Albertsons Cos. has an incredibly bright future and the best team in the business — I am energized about the many opportunities that lie ahead,' she said in a statement. Albertsons said Monday that its board of directors worked over the past several years to vet potential internal and external candidates to succeed Sankaran. 'Susan brings unmatched expertise and deep knowledge of the business,' Donald said. 'She is highly respected across the organization and industry, with a strong track record of operational success and passion for serving our customers and communities.' Recommended Reading Albertsons needs to move fast as it looks to regroup, experts say Sign in to access your portfolio
