IFC to help India’s rural poor access clean drinking water

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is helping expand the availability of affordable, clean drinking water to about three million people in India by supporting WaterHealth India Private Limited, which provides water services to Indian villages.

IFC’s $15 million loan to WaterHealth India, a subsidiary of WaterHealth International, will help install more than 600 systems in villages in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The implementation of WaterHealth’s systems will help minimize toxic by-products from alternative water-purification methods like chlorination.

More than 25 percent of India’s population does not have access to clean drinking water. Unsafe water is often the cause for waterborne diseases such as cholera and diarrhea. As more villages are included, the WaterHealth project will have important health benefits as well as help generate local employment and provide training, which could significantly improve earnings for people in rural areas.

“This project, IFC’s first in India’s distributed water services sector, will provide access to clean drinking water for rural households,” said Paolo M. Martelli,
IFC Director for South Asia. “Increasing access to affordable, safe water will have positive impacts on health and education.”

“To be able to provide clean water at affordable prices for households that earn less than $2 a day, we turned to IFC for long-term financing,” said Vikas Shah, Chief Operating Officer for WaterHealth India.

WaterHealth India has already installed systems in nearly 200 villages in Andhra Pradesh. Through its water centres, the company employs service operators, maintenance engineers, and other staff who engage with people from the village for services and trains them on operating machines and collecting revenue.

To learn more about IFC’s activities in India, visit www.ifc.org/southasia

Deccan – India’s First Budget IVF and Keyhole Surgery Centre

India’s first state-of-the-art Budget IVF Clinic and Keyhole Surgery Centre ” Deccan” is an initiative of renowned IVF Specialist Dr Gautam Allahbadia, who has developed the centre in the memory of his late mother in order to offer subsidized IVF services to the poor and the needy. Conveniently located at Shivaji Park, in the heart of Mumbai, the clinic has been developed at par with any other centre with due commitment to technology, techniques and quality and provides all the facilities required to deliver a full range of services to couples requiring assistance conceiving.

The centre offers a comprehensive range of infertility services under one roof, so patients don’t need to shuttle from clinic to lab to the scan center. The practice is restricted to treating infertile patients exclusively, and the clinic offers patients the very best medical care – at affordable prices. Some of the services offered by the clinic are basic work up of the infertile couple, one stop fertility diagnostic services, semen processing, ovulation induction and monitoring, in vitro fertilization, donor egg IVF, embryo freezing, treatment of recurrent pregnancy loss, Diagnostic and operative laparoscopy and hysteroscopy and minimally invasive ultrasound guided procedures.

The Deccan team is led by the Medical Director, Dr Gautam N Allahbadia who coordinates the Infertility & Assisted Conception services along with Dr Prajakta Pawar, the Clinical Associate. The Laboratory Director, Mrs Anjali Awasthi looks after the ART laboratory along with the Biologist, Ms Anuja Tamhane. The Keyhole Surgery Center clinical faculty includes Dr Swati Allahbadia, Dr Pritesh Naik, Dr Rajendra Sankpaland Dr Vivek Salunkhe, who perform Minimally Invasive Fertility Alleviation Surgery for our patients.

Says Dr Gautam Allahbadia,”The opening of Deccan IVF Clinic is special to me. Apart from being India’s first budget IVF Clinic, it is one of our first steps in taking the miracle of life to the masses. We know that facing infertility can be one of the most stressful situations a person can encounter emotionally, physically and financially. We are working towards making the dream of Assisted Reproduction a reality for the common man”.

For further details please visit : http://www.testtubebabyclinic.com/new/default.asp

Ozonegroup launches “Ozone Evergreens”, India’s 1st affordable city housing project, in Bengaluru

Ozonegroup, announced the launch of ‘Ozone Evergreens’, India’s first affordable city housing project. The 912 unit development is located within Bangalore (off Sarjapur road) and is being developed on a 10 acre prime property comprising of two-bed and three-bed units. Ozone Evergreens is exclusively marketed by ICICI Property Services, a division of ICICI Home Finance Company Ltd.

‘Ozone Evergreens’ will offer high-quality amenities and facilities for its residents. The project has a uniquely designed large club house with an exclusive swimming pool for women, a state-of-art gymnasium, Jacuzzi, kids play room with crèche, indoor games room – table tennis, pool, carom, chess, multipurpose hall with dry kitchen, meeting rooms with conference and business centre and convenience stores for fresh fruits, daily needs, pharmacy, ATMs and Kiosks.

The development has ample amenities. An ambulance for emergency for exclusive use of its residents, swimming pool for men with Jacuzzi, children’s pool with activity zone, an amphitheatre, visitor’s surface parking area, children’s play area with skating
ring, jogging tracks, are just some of the amenities provided at Ozone Evergreens.

Speaking on the occasion, Vasudevan. S, Managing Director, Ozonegroup, said, “Ozonegroup has been working on lowering the bar for home buyers and will now have the unique distinction of being the first real estate development company to develop and offer a ‘city based affordable housing project’. We are sure ‘Ozone Evergreens’ will set a new benchmark in affordable housing projects.” “Ozonegroup through ‘Ozone Evergreens’ project will be fulfilling the aspiring need for quality, affordable housing for the customer”, he added.

Headquartered in Bangalore with offices in Chennai and Goa, the group currently has projects in Bangalore, Chennai and Goa. All projects of Ozonegroup are aesthetically designed with world class architectural capabilities. The projects offer a variety of amenities for customers which enable them to lead a better quality of life. In addition, the projects are designed with an emphasis on being very environmentally responsible. The development will have unique water management and conservation systems. Rainwater Harvesting systems and primary and tertiary water treatment will recycle and reuse black as well as grey water, thus conserving both ground water sources as well as municipal water.

Added Sudarshan K.S, Chief Operating Officer, Ozonegroup, “We have been working on making homes affordable to a larger segment of the population and Ozone Evergreens is the first small step to make homes affordable for a large section of the city’s population. We have worked diligently in optimizing the designs resulting in Ozone Evergreens having high quality, safety and finish. Ozone Evergreens has fully loaded amenities that would re-define the meaning of affordable housing in India. This project will set the benchmark for value-for-money real estate products.” Adding further, he said, “The units are uniquely designed so that units do not face each other, utilize natural lighting in the best possible way, face either the background greenery or the landscape and the structures are Seismic Zone II compliant.”

Evergreens will be ready for occupation by February 2011.

You can visit www.ozonegroup.com for further information.