Australian makes important changes to the skilled migration policies

”
Bangalore, May 17, 2010: Australian government today announced a new Skilled Occupation List (SOL) proposed to come into effect from 1 July 2010. The current SOL has more than 400 occupations. The new list of occupations, which was announced by the Australian Government, includes only 181 occupations.

The proposed SOL has excluded occupations such as Cookery, Hairdressing and community welfare; these were the courses that have been very popular amongst the Indian students because it offered an easy pathway to permanent residence in Australia upon completion of 2 years of studies in these fields.

Commenting on the change of list Mr Naresh Gulati, CEO, Oceanic Consultants says, “The increased demand of these courses had earlier led many new education providers to set up the shops purely because of the ever increasing demand of these courses. A large number of private colleges had mushroomed in Australia to cash on growing demand of these courses. Such institutions are likely to feel the heat of this change as they would not be in demand anymore. The decline in demand of courses offered by such institutions would pose serious cash flow crunch to such institutions and a large number of them would be forced to go out of business.

The new SOL will effect all students who have been granted student visas on or after February 9, 2010 and were aiming at obtaining Australian permanent residence upon completion of popular courses such as Cookery, Hairdressing and Community Welfare would no more be able to get the permanent residence if they wish to obtain permanent residence using such qualifications.

All the students who were holding the student visa before February 8, 2010 have been given a big relief as these students would have time till 31 December 2012 to complete their studies and apply for the permanent residence or Skilled – Graduation [Temporary] [subclass 485] provisional visa. Any student who fails to apply for these visas before the stipulated deadline would lose the chance for obtaining the permanent residence as there are no further extensions possible in any case.

Advising the students, says Mr Gulati, “The students must choose the courses that are in line with their career objectives as the SOL can change anytime. By opting for the courses that are only in sync with the migration policies the students risk their future as the list is subject to change anytime. By opting to undertake professional courses that are in sync with their individual career aspirations, the students can be sure of obtaining world class education and building a truly international career.”

Mr. Gulati further said “Skilled professionals seeking migration to Australia without using the education pathway can apply under the current SOL before 1 July 2010 as it does not come in effect until such time.”

About Oceanic Consultants:

Established in 1996, Oceanic Consultants Private Limited has over a decade of impeccable record of providing consultancy to aspirations of overseas education. The head office of the company is in Melbourne and Network Offices are located in various parts of the Southern Hemisphere, UK and India. Oceanic provides consultancy for Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom. Oceanic has an extensive network spread over 20 cities, to provide world class service near you. Moreover a fine blend of centralized and decentralized operations help the clients save on both time and costs. Oceanic provides consultancy on all aspects of overseas education. A highly dedicated team of seasoned professionals provide customized solutions to every client.

With a very high visa success rate in the Industry, Oceanic has gained a place of significance in the overseas education industry. Oceanic is also the recipient of the Australian Business Award for two consecutive years in 2008 and 2009 and is listed as the 32nd fastest growing company in Australia by Business Review Weekly (BRW) in the year 2008.

For further information pls contact

Vivek Kangath
Sr. PR Executive
Blue Lotus Communications Pvt. Ltd
No 117, 2nd Floor, 18th Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore -560008,
Mob: 9986548890 (Blr) ,Mob: 9961171331 (Kerala)
Direct: +91-80-41254166, Board: +91-80-41263035, Fax: +91-80-41254166
Email: vivek@bluelotuspr.com / kangath@gmail.com
Web: www.bluelotuspr.com
Blog: www.bangalorepressreleases.blogspot.com

DHL Express sees 19 per cent improvement in carbon efficiency

• Industry leader reduces CO2 emissions by 13 million kilograms and saves €10 million in Asia Pacific
• DHL Express India and Blue Dart operations register some of the best scores for CO2 reduction

Bangalore, 13 May 2010 – DHL, the world’s leading express company, today revealed that its Express division in Asia Pacific has improved overall CO2 efficiency by 19 per cent year-on-year. Overall, the company reduced CO2 emissions by 13 million kilograms for FY2009 – representing a 9 per cent reduction of CO2 emissions and yielding a €10 million savings in overall energy and ground vehicular fuel costs – with its region-wide carbon footprint assessment and abatement program.

These are the first results of the carbon footprint assessment and abatement program which was started by DHL Express in 2008 covering over 1,000 facilities in 27 markets across Asia Pacific. The purpose of the assessment was to measure and reduce DHL Express’ carbon footprint from energy consumption in real estate and its transport fleet.

Within Asia Pacific, India registered one of the best scores for the reduction of CO2 emissions. DHL Express India saw a reduction of 1.7 million kilograms of CO2 emissions across close to 150 sites of operations. It reduced its per unit CO2 emissions by 40 per cent year-on-year in ground transport and registered a 24 per cent reduction per unit CO2 emissions in its real estate energy consumption.

Having reduced its per unit Ground Transport Fuel consumption by 6 per cent and improved its per unit CO2 emissions from real estate by 32 per cent, Blue Dart, part of the DHL Group, saw an improvement on CO2 efficiency by 10 per cent year-on-year.

“As the world’s leading express company, we are committed to sustainability and have a responsibility to address environmental challenges. Across Asia Pacific, we took steps to reduce our carbon footprint and improve energy efficiency, optimizing delivery routes, switching to clear fuels and consolidating facilities in the region. The results of our assessment are a great encouragement – clearly with our commitment to sustainable solutions, we can make a difference,” said John Pearson, CEO, DHL Express, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (APEM).

In India, DHL Express’s internal initiatives included optimizing delivery routes, switching to clean fuels and consolidating facilities in the country. Simple measures went a long way – encouraging staff to switch off the lights in areas which are not in use, adjusting the air conditioning to an optimal setting, phasing out excess printers and photocopiers, auto hibernation of PC monitors, prudent use of Material Handling Equipment (MHE) to optimize the energy consumption and utilization.

For Blue Dart, the leading domestic air express company, measures undertaken included raising awareness and close monitoring of energy expenditures, route optimization for its vehicles, introducing fuel-efficient vehicles, initiating lights-off initiatives, reduction in air conditioning usage, re-lamping using energy-efficient light bulbs and re-use of plastic bags for load transfer.

“Fleet optimization was one of key areas for emission improvement in India. DHL Express reviewed areas where we predominantly delivered documents and replaced over 60 vehicles with 75 motorbikes thereby increasing fuel efficiency. Blue Dart, which operates over 5,000 vehicles, worked on substituting air routes with intercity road line haul. At the same time, we have implemented pick up and delivery optimization measures to further enhance our operational efficiency and service levels for customers,” said Malcolm Monteiro, Senior Vice President and Area Director, South Asia for DHL Express.

As the world’s leading express company, DHL was the first in the logistics sector to set specific and quantifiable CO2 targets. Globally, as part of its GoGreen Climate Protection Program, DP DHL has announced plans to improve its carbon efficiency by 2020 compared to 2007 levels. The group has set stringent targets to reduce emissions per package, per square meter of real estate used and tons transported.

Globally, DHL was among the first companies to offer customers products to off-set the carbon footprint generated from transporting their shipments. With DHL Express GOGREEN shipping, we calculate the carbon emissions generated by transporting each customer shipment from the country of origin to destination. DHL offsets these emissions by reinvesting in certified carbon management programs such as alternative fuel vehicle technology, solar panels and wind energy.

As part of its focus on sustainability and green solutions, DHL has also partnered the Urban Planet pavilion at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai. At the central Chinese pavilion presenting the Expo’s overall theme “Better City, Better Life”, DHL’s exhibits shows examples from the Group’s climate protection program and DHL’s GOGREEN products, environmentally friendly transport technologies and new concepts for effective City Logistics.


For further information pls contact

Vivek Kangath
Sr. PR Executive
Blue Lotus Communications Pvt. Ltd
No 117, 2nd Floor, 18th Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore -560008,
Mob: 9986548890 (Blr) ,Mob: 9961171331 (Kerala)
Direct: +91-80-41254166, Board: +91-80-41263035, Fax: +91-80-41254166
Email: vivek@bluelotuspr.com / kangath@gmail.com
Web: www.bluelotuspr.com
Blog: www.bangalorepressreleases.blogspot.com

Dena Bank ties up with Bajaj Allianz

Bangalore, 12th May 2010: Dena Bank today entered into a tie up with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co. Ltd., one of India’s leading private life insurers, for distribution of their group life insurance product ‘Sarva Shakti Suraksha’ through the Bank’s branches. The Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] was signed by Mr. M.K. Sharma, General Manager, Dena Bank and Mr. A.S. Narayanan, Head – Bancassurance, Group & NRI Business, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co. Ltd.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sharma said, "We are proud to be associating with Bajaj Allianz as this tie up will enable us to offer a low cost financial product, suitable to a large segment of the population which can’t afford insurance. It is a part of the measures being taken by the Bank towards the process of financial inclusion.”

Mr. Narayanan said, “It is a matter of great privilege to be associated with Dena Bank, which is a well known name in the banking sector in the country. This association will enable us to strengthen our commitment to reaching out to all strata of the population.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For further information pls contact

Vivek Kangath
Sr.PR Executive
Blue Lotus Communications Pvt. Ltd
No 117, 2nd Floor, 18th Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore -560008,
Mob: 9986548890 (Blr) ,Mob: 9961171331 (Kerala)
Direct: +91-80-41254166, Board: +91-80-41263035, Fax: +91-80-41254166
Email: vivek@bluelotuspr.com / kangath@gmail.com
Web: www.bluelotuspr.com
Blog: www.bangalorepressreleases.blogspot.com

DHL opens new ocean freight terminal in Kochi

Kochi, May 5, 2010 – DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, announced today the opening of its new ocean freight terminal in Cochin and the launch of its weekly direct Less than Container Load [2] (LCL) Consol services connecting Cochin, India to Europe, North America and emerging markets via DHL’s multinational gateway in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Operated by Danmar Lines. DHL’s in-house carrier, the new service from Cochin via Colombo offer customers reliable and superior services with reduced transit times of up to three days.

Cochin is a major port on the west coast of India and is gaining prominence as an important gateway for India’s trade. Cochin serves not just the state of Kerala, but also the neighboring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, all of which are witnessing high growth rates in foreign trade. With nearly all key infrastructure projects linked to the setting up of its trans-shipment terminal being close to completion, Cochin is expected to become a major hub of maritime export and import trade. Port authorities expect to handle 600,000 TEUs in the first year and an impressive 3 million TEUs by 2014.

Said Amadou Diallo, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Global Forwarding, South Asia Pacific, “With the timely introduction of this new LCL service, we can offer opportunities to our customers to increase their footprint in global commerce as the world’s economy picks up.

“This fixed direct LCL Consol service connecting Cochin to the rest of the world, has further strengthened our ocean freight product to support customers especially in the spices, palm oil and coir business sectors,” he added.

DHL recognizes LCL as being a crucial part of the total Ocean Freight product and the company is strengthening its market leading position through dedicated resources to system development and maintenance. DHL Global Forwarding is one of the leading LCL Freight Forwarders in the world with annual volumes close to 2,000,000 cbms.

Speaking on the occasion, Christoph Remund, Chief Executive Officer DHL Lemuir Logistics India, said, “The launch of this vital service is part of DHL’s on-going plans to expand its own operated, weekly guaranteed, LCL services globally. This is in line with our commitment to the Indian logistics Industry to provide value-add solutions to customers through constant product innovation and increased efficiency.”

Sanjay Tejwani, Director, Oceanfreight, DHL Global Forwarding India, added, “The launch of the new service will boost trading activities between Cochin and the rest of the world. In particular, small and medium enterprises will benefit from our service flexibility and reliability.”

The logistics industry in India is growing rapidly with a rebounding economy. The launch of the new direct LCL service demonstrates DHL’s commitment to stay a step ahead by delivering innovative logistics solutions for customers. DHL’s LCL business has been seeing positive growth and the company is confident that this will remain a priority service for customers.

For further information pls contact

Vivek Kangath
Sr. PR Executive
Blue Lotus Communications Pvt. Ltd
No 117, 2nd Floor, 18th Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore -560008,
Mob: 9986548890 (Blr) ,Mob: 9961171331 (Kerala)
Direct: +91-80-41254166, Board: +91-80-41263035, Fax: +91-80-41254166
Email: vivek@bluelotuspr.com / kangath@gmail.com
Web: www.bluelotuspr.com
Blog: www.bangalorepressreleases.blogspot.com

Australia acknowledges Indian biz expertise

BRW fast starters 2009 lists BPO intelligence among top 100 for the third time in the row

Bangalore, May 5, 2010: The sobering effects of the global financial crisis have created a new, tougher, dynamic breed of entrepreneur. While many companies scaled back their growth expectations in 2009, 100 of the Australia’s fastest growing start up businesses only got stronger, increasing their turnover in preparation for the economy recovery.

BRW fast starters 2009 have listed OCA group’s BPO intelligence among their top 100 high achievers for the third year in a row. BPO intelligence is named at twelfth out of 100 in BRW’s prestigious list. This honour comes as the company’s revenue hit an all time high at $9.48 million in 2009, indicating a growth of 50.98 per cent throughout the financial year.”

This classification is a clear indication of the group’s leading position in Australia and international education industry as such. OCA Group is a holding company of BPO Intelligence Pty. Ltd along with Oceanic Consultants and Object Next Software Pty. Ltd. Mr Naresh Gulati, CEO, OCA Group says, “We feel proud to be listed amongst the fastest growing companies in Australia. The sheer determination and dedication of the team is the force behind the growth that BPO intelligence has achieved in the last year in spite of the economy slowdown. We saw an opportunity and tapped it at the right time. We are in top 15 because we love what we do and so do our clients. We strive to deliver value to our clients on ongoing basis.

BRW is the leading business magazine examining the trends and opportunities shaping Australian business; ‘Fast starters’ is an annual list compiled and published by BRW magazine. This year’s list has experienced an influx of Non-Australian business owners. Sixty nine of the 190 founders of Fast starters were born out of Australia.
Mr Naresh Gulati being an entrepreneur started his career in 1996 in Melbourne with an investment of approximately A$3,500, that has turned into OCA Group based in Melbourne, Australia comprising of Oceanic Consultants Pty Ltd, BPO Intelligence Pty Ltd and Object Next Software Pvt Ltd.

Commenting about Oceanic Consultants Mr Gulati says, “With premium consulting service to the students interested in pursuing their higher education overseas, we are poised to be the global leader in the international student recruitment business.”

OCA Group has also bagged the Australian Business Awards for two consecutive years 2008 and 2009 for its group companies for the categories “product excellence”, “best value” and “enterprise”. Besides, Oceanic Consultants was listed as # 32 fastest growing company of Australia by BRW in 2008.

About OCA Group:

Oceanic Consultants Australia (OCA Group) Pty Ltd is an Australia based company that offers a range of services to the international education industry. Leading educational institutions and students with an interest in international education are increasingly opting for customised solutions provided by OCA Group. The company is headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in various parts of India.

OCA Group is a holding company of the following 3 businesses: Oceanic Consultants, BPO Intelligence Pty. Ltd and Object Next Software Pty. Ltd

BPO intelligence offers outsourcing solutions that helps educational institutions involved in the recruitment of the international students to significantly cut their costs and become more efficient through innovative business processes and technology. Outsourcing solutions offered include promotional material printing and distribution, admission outsourcing and offer letter or mail out management. Leading universities and educational institutes in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States of America continuously ask for services of BPO Intelligence Pty. Ltd.

For further information pls contact

Vivek Kangath
Sr. PR Executive
Blue Lotus Communications Pvt. Ltd
No 117, 2nd Floor, 18th Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore -560008,
Mob: 9986548890 (Blr) ,Mob: 9961171331 (Kerala)
Direct: +91-80-41254166, Board: +91-80-41263035, Fax: +91-80-41254166
Email: vivek@bluelotuspr.com / kangath@gmail.com
Web: www.bluelotuspr.com
Blog: www.bangalorepressreleases.blogspot.com

Metropolis appoints Ameera Patel as its new CEO

Bangalore: Metropolis Healthcare Ltd., India’s only multi-national chain of diagnostics center, announced the appointment of its Executive director Ms Ameera Patel as the company’s new CEO, effective April 1st, 2010. She will be holding both positions concurrently at Metropolis healthcare Ltd.

A Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin, Ms Ameera Patel was instrumental in the company’s exponential growth from just one diagnostic center in Mumbai in 2002 to a chain of 55 state-of-art laboratories across South Asia, Mauritius, South Africa, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Middle East. With her business acumen & strategic mergers and acquisitions expertise, she played a key role in Metropolis’ foray into Sri Lanka, UAE, and South Africa. Under her stewardship, Metropolis today caters to more than 10,000 small labs, nursing homes and hospitals, over 20,000 consultants and processes more than 10 million test annually. She is also the secretary of the coveted Indian Association of Pathology Labs.

Commenting on Ms Ameera Patel’s appointment as the new CEO of the company, Dr.Sushil Shah, the Founder and Chairman of Metropolis Healthcare Ltd quoted, “Ms Ameera Patel has a flair to identify and troubleshoot critical issues impacting marketing, sales, financial operations and distribution. She constantly brought in fresh ideas to table, rejuvenated the service list through innovations and built strong brand equity amongst the key stakeholders.

Dr. Velu, MD Metropolis Healthcare Ltd Quoted “We are delighted to have Ms Ameera Patel as the CEO and Executive Director. The board is confident that under her leadership, the company will achieve even greater heights. Ms Patel will continue to accelerate the growth of our business, while building on the foundation of quality service and customer focus."

Says Ms Ameera Patel, Executive Director and CEO Metropolis, “The past 8 years have been an interesting experience, growing with the company. With the diagnostic testing business in India poised for rapid expansion, the new role will be challenging to tap into new markets and expand our business through high quality and innovative diagnostic testing and technology. I see significant opportunities for Metropolis to strengthen the delivery of healthcare services in India utilizing our quality diagnostics and technology expertise.”


ABOUT METROPOLIS HEALTHCARE LTD.:

Metropolis Healthcare (I) Ltd. was founded by Dr. Sushil Shah in 1981. Metropolis Healthcare is India’s only multinational chain of diagnostic centers across India, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, South Africa, Bangladesh, Nepal and Mauritius. It provides around 4000 specialized tests under a single roof ranging from oncology to genetics, molecular biology and immunoassays using best-of-breed and latest diagnostic equipment.
Metropolis is a preferred referral center for more than 10000 laboratories, clinicians, hospitals and research institutions across 125 cities India. The CAP, US FDA for the SMO

services, NABL accredited and ISO 15189 certified Metropolis chain of laboratories has over 350 centers and is a preferred laboratory for providing quality testing to over 50, 000 Doctors across the country. Services include Clinical Referral Laboratory (Over 4000 Tests)Hospital Laboratory Management, Preventive Health Checkups, Site Management Services, Clinical Trials.

For further information pls contact

Vivek Kangath
Sr. PR Executive
Blue Lotus Communications Pvt. Ltd
No 117, 2nd Floor, 18th Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore -560008,
Mob: 9986548890 (Blr) ,Mob: 9961171331 (Kerala)
Direct: +91-80-41254166, Board: +91-80-41263035, Fax: +91-80-41254166
Email: vivek@bluelotuspr.com / kangath@gmail.com
Web: www.bluelotuspr.com
Blog: www.bangalorepressreleases.blogspot.com