Event to be held at Hotel Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru from 12th to 13th February 2010 Karnataka CM to Inaugurate the Event

Seed being the foundation of successful agriculture, the demand for quality seeds of improved varieties is growing fast and adoption of new technologies around the world by the farmers is happening at a fast pace. Production and supply of high quality seed of improved varieties to the grower is a high priority in agricultural growth and development. Highlighting the need for quality seeds for ensuring global food security, the National Seed Association of India is organizing the first ever Indian Seed Congress in India. The two day event will be held at Bangaluru from 12th to 13th of February 2010 at Hotel Lalit Ashok, Bangaluru. The theme of the Congress is “Seeds for Global Food Security” and it will be focused closely on the issues that threaten the food security in India and the rest of the world.

Indian Seed Congress 2010 will be inaugurated by Dr B S Yediyurappa, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka on 12th February 2010.

With India’s population estimated to reach 1.3 billion by 2017, the Govt. of India estimates that we may be short of 14 million metric tons of food grains. Abiotic stresses like drought, salinity, high or low temperature and flood are serious problems in India. A growing population and climate change have emphasized the need to meet rising food needs by improving India’s crop productivity through the use of technology and innovations in agriculture.

The Indian seed industry has undergone wide range of transformation over the years which include an increasing role of private sector seed companies, rising presence of multinational seed companies with focus on biotechnology, and wide ranging changes in regulatory frameworks, which would affect seed research, marketing, distribution and trade in coming years.

Announcing the event, Mr. Uday Singh, President, National Seed Association of India and Chairman National Organizing Committee Indian Seed Congress 2010, said “It gives me an immense pleasure to announce that the National Seed Association of India is hosting the first ever Indian Seed Congress. This event, being an international event, will also provide a platform for the seeds men of the world to congregate and interact with members of the Indian Seed Industry, and deliberate on various issues concerning the seed industry in Indian and abroad. More than 600 delegates are expected to participate at the event from all over the world. This event will provide opportunity for the delegates to come together and have serious interactions with eminent policy makers, scientists, researchers, breeders and all those involved in the business of seed development and distribution.”

The two day event will have technical sessions on issues concerning the seed industry and would like to evolve answers to the issues raised and project them in a forceful manner to the policy makers and decision makers, across the globe. Sufficient space has been allocated for the exhibition of products embodying new technologies and superior genetics and a favourable ambience for carrying out trade negotiations in seeds.

Indian seed market, estimated at US$1.1 billion, and is the 6th largest in the world. Over the years, the Indian seed market has grown at a rate of 12 % compared to less than 5 % growth of the global seed market. Having the largest arable area, India ranks second only to USA in sheer size of agriculture. By virtue of its large arable land area, sizeable irrigated area, rich agri-biodiversity, diverse agro climate and well developed research system, India has all the potential to emerge as a global power in agriculture.

Farmers in India retain seed of major food crops and commercial crops for many years, and the largest volume of seed trade involves local exchanges of established self-pollinating varieties. The seed replacement rate in most crops is very low, with the exception of cotton and some vegetables. The use of hybrid seeds is mostly confined to cotton, and to some extent to corn, millet, sunflower, and few vegetables. However, awareness about the high yield and quality of produce from hybrid seeds, attracting farmers to switch over to hybrids, is growing at a fast pace. Agri-innovations have been successful in India. Bt cotton, the only biotech crop technology approved for cultivation, helped India become the world’s second largest producer and second largest exporter of cotton by doubling the nation’s cotton productivity within seven years of the launch of the technology in 2002.

Following the easing of government regulations and the implementation of a new seed policy in 1988, the private sector seed companies have started playing a major role in seed development; marketing and distribution. More recently, the government’s decision to embrace biotechnology as a means of achieving food security has attracted several leading biotechnology focused multinational seed companies to India. The composition of the seed industry, by volume of turnover, has reportedly reached a ratio of 60:40 between the private and public sectors.

Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the seed sector between private sector seed companies and public research institutes under ICAR, SAUs, and the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), is growing. Public sector breeder seeds are available free of charge to private seed companies with no strings attached.

The Indian seed industry needs policy support to make even bigger contributions in the future with regard to encouragement for investment in research and Infrastructure; minimal regulation and compliance; freedom to operate based on free market principles; and streamlining of regulatory processes to accelerate the development and introduction of new genetically modified technology.

About National Seed Association of India (NSAI):

The NSAI recently came into being with the amalgamation of four seed Association, namely Seed Association of India (SAI), Association of the Seed Industry (ASI), India Seed Industry Association (INSIA), and All India Crop Biotechnology Association. Presently about 200 companies are members. The vision of NSAI is to create a dynamic, innovative, and internationally competitive, research based industry producing high performance, high quality seeds and planting materials which benefit farmers and significantly contribute to the sustainable growth of Indian Agriculture. And the mission of NSAI is to encourage investment in state of the art R&D to bring to the Indian farmers superior genetics and technologies, which are high performing and adapted to a wide range of agro-climatic zones. It will actively contribute to the seed industry policy development, with the concerned governments, to ensure that policies and regulations create an enabling environment including public acceptance so that the industry is globally competitive. NSAI advocates (a) equitable consideration of all matters affecting the seed industry, (b) the interest of sustainable agriculture globally, (c) enhanced exchange of the superior genetics within the country and form across the borders, (d) increased global trade in seeds (e) the welfare and economic prosperity of the Indian farmer. NSAI will also promote harmonization and adoption of best commercial practices in production, processing, quality control and distribution of seeds. NSAI provides a forum for consultation between the Members and the concerned Ministries of Government of India, ICAR, Certification Agencies, State Government and with different international agencies.

Media contact details

Laxmi Narayan,
Mutual Public Relations, Bengaluru,
+91 9845144299,
narayan@mutualpr.com

Shashank Shekhar,
Mutual Public Relations, Bengaluru,
+91 9538228966,
shashank@mutualpr.com

iVdopia (www.ivdopia.com), the advanced mobile advertising solution, today announced the appointment of a trio of accomplished marketing and sales leaders to build on iVdopia’s industry-leading reputation. Joining iVdopia are Owen Weed, the company’s first senior director, and most recently Vice President–Digital for TMP Directional Marketing; Ilise Welter, iVdopia’s Director of Sales for the West Coast, and previously the Director, Western Region, for WebMD; and Lauren Kinder, iVdopia’s Director of Sales for the Midwest, and most recently the Midwest Manager for Playboy Enterprises Inc.

With a combined work experience of 53 years in sales and marketing for such varied companies as NBC Universal, Conde Nast and Yahoo! Inc., the three new hires arrive at iVdopia as the company blazes trails with its mobile network and platform.

Owen’s credits include the launch of the interactive division brand 15miles for TMP Directional and increasing client retention by 330 percent for the agency’s mobile and digital ad sales. Ilise led WebMD’s western U.S. sales territory from start-up stage into a multi-million dollar sales region and sold customer advertising and marketing programs to major advertisers, resulting in 200 percent increases year over year. Lauren, named the 2008 salesperson of the year for Playboy, solely managed $4 million net territory for the magazine and $1 million net territory for its website.

“We are delighted to welcome Owen, Ilise and Lauren to the iVdopia team,” said iVdopia co-founder Srikanth Kakani. “Together, they have a track record of driving growth while scaling world-class sales and business development – a huge asset as iVdopia continues to unveil new advancements in mobile advertising. They will be a great addition to iVdopia, helping us continue to grow at an exceptional rate.”

Their arrival comes on the heels of the iVdopia’s launch of Talk2Me, which enables mobile advertisers to customize interactive actions in video ads that include customized social features, which allows for the sharing of ads with friends on Facebook or Twitter. Talk2Me is the most recent addition to the company’s portfolio of rich and engaging iPhone ad tools, including Pre-App and In-App videos, banner ads and sponsorship ads.

The three new marketing and sales leaders bring with them an impressive background at a wide range of emerging and established companies. Owen worked as the executive director of sales and strategy for AT&T Interactive and as a director of sales at NBC Universal. While at Yahoo! Inc, Ilise Created advertising marketing solutions for Yahoo! Entertainment assets including Yahoo! Entertainment, Yahoo! TV, and branded content offerings. Lauren held the Midwest manager position at several companies, including Conde Nast Publications, where she worked with Glamour magazine, and Miller Dixon Media, where she works with STUFF Magazine.

Mike Coppola joined the company in January 2009 as its first U.S. sales executive and as part of iVdopia’s founding sales team. Mike played a strategic role in successfully establishing the company’s presence through the acquisition of key clients such as Coca-Cola, Warner Brothers and MillerCoors. Mike is a seasoned marketing and advertising executive, having developed strong relationships with many Fortune 100 brands in the new media world. Mike will continue to play an integral role, focusing on key opportunities and working closely with management to structure its sales and marketing goals.

About iVdopia

iVdopia is the advanced mobile advertising solution, pioneering rich media and video advertising on smartphones, including Pre-App video and social networking options on the iPhone. iVdopia’s brand-focused iPhone advertising network and platform is used by major brands and top iPhone developers to deliver premium advertising campaigns.

The holding company Vdopia Inc. is the fastest growing, venture-funded advertising technology company focused exclusively on premium audiences in the world. The privately held, venture-backed company is headquartered in Silicon Valley and has offices in San Jose, CA, New York, NY, Gurgaon and Mumbai, India.

Media contact details

Manleen Kaur,
Value360India,
+91 9810920020,
manleen@precisionpr.org; manleen@value360india.com

Introduces custom interactivity features that makes online video ads

hyper-interactive

New version also allows users to embed interactive ads on

40 social networking sites for viral distribution

Bangalore based Jivox, India’s number one online video advertising company, has introduced custom interactivity features that make online video ads hyper-interactive.

Using the Jivox platform, creative agencies and advertisers can now add their own custom Flash or HTML applets to video ads so that users can interact with the ad without ever leaving the video player. All they have to do is provide a 300×250 sized SWF or HTML applet at the time of campaign creation.

Jivox has also extended the interactivity available in Jivox’ in-banner video ads to in-stream video ads. Publishers will now be able to embed Jivox’s “in-stream ad plug-in” into a content player to easily serve a video ad in-stream, with full interactive and analytic capabilities.

Ads created using the Jivox platform, whether for in-stream or in-banner placement, go far beyond the initial concept of “TV commercials online.” They directly engage and instantly measure viewers’ response by tracking their interactions.

With the new version of Jivox, there’s virtually no limit to the kinds of interactions advertisers can design to engage with customers. For example, after seeing a video ad for a product or service, users could now launch interactions such as:

* See companion banner ad;

* Watch other video ads of the same brand via a playlist;

* Download software or product brochure;

* Participating in a trivia contest or quiz to win a discount;

* Requesting a quote or a test drive.

Jivox also announced today that it has added new social media sharing capabilities to the platform. Jivox makes social network distribution of video ads easy by enabling users to embed interactive ads on 40 social networking sites. This extends their trend-setting ‘Upload to Facebook’ interaction.

“With our latest release, digital agencies are not limited to a small set of vendor provided interactions, but have an unlimited capability to build custom interactions that are tailored to the requirements of the campaign objective. Digital agencies can also leverage custom applets that were built for landing pages supporting display ads, and embed them in the Video Player, enabling seamless, complete interactions from within the player. With the new Jivox video player, the industry is poised for a leap forward, where rich interactivity becomes the norm for video ads, and engagement rates dramatically rise, as early adopters of this technology have proven“, said Naren Nachiappan, Managing Director India at Jivox.

“Our new capabilities make it possible for publishers to play complete interactive ads from their player as pre/mid/post-roll. This capability can be implemented without any major change to their player code or design. For those publishers who wish to enter the video world, and unlock the revenue potential of their video assets, we also provide a content player and a complete monetization platform”, said Dinker Charak, Director Application Engineering and Partnership at Jivox.

About Jivox

Jivox is an online video advertising platform that enables high impact, memorable conversations between brands and online viewers. The Jivox platform combines a powerful online video ad creation tool, proprietary targeting technology, and a growing network of premium Indian publishers to offer advertisers a complete service for online video advertising. Unique interactive features built into the Jivox video player foster higher engagement from viewers and allow for repurposing of television commercials (TVCs) for online consumption. Jivox advertising analytics tools provide accurate measurement of online video advertising campaigns using metrics such as the Interaction CTR that are substantially more evolved than just click-through rates.

Jivox is a privately held company headquartered in San Mateo, California with a development office in Bangalore and sales offices in Delhi and Mumbai. For more information about Jivox, please visit www.jivox.co.in.

India’s First Online “Freelance” Opportunity for “Young Minds” to Drive “Editorial Content and Publish Articles, Web/Mobile Videos and E-books.”

In an endeavour to shape the destiny of young minds in a small and wired world, VCherish Media Private Limited today launched www.vcherish.com an “online media and electronic publishing” website that provides young minds (age 15-45) a paid freelance opportunity to “Express, Delight, Differentiate, Engage, Enlighten or Inspire” via contribution of their “Articles, Web/Mobile Videos and E-books, and thereby drive editorial content on the site.” Irrespective of a young mind’s location, academic or professional status, he or she can contribute to vcherish.com.

The launch edition of vcherish.com includes a variety of articles and videos encompassing big city and small town India, interesting facets of London and Italy, and articles received from Philippines and Silicon Valley, US. In addition, www.vcherish.com has kept its commitment to provide an opportunity to select “Young” writers to author their first electronic book (E-book) that includes “Vibrant Palette” and “Fragrant Bouquet” for customers reading pleasure. An E-book is an electronic book that you download from the internet and then read on your computer, laptop, smart phone or on devices as E-book readers. For E-book purchases, vcherish.com offers secure payments options via debit cards, net banking, mobile payments, cash card, and PayPal (for international payments).

Pushpendra Mehta, alumni of Northwestern University (USA) and CEO, VCherish Media Pvt. Ltd., said, “Providing an opportunity to young minds within India and overseas to capture their ‘experiences, opinions, analysis, thoughts, conversations and ideas’ through a virtual media and e-publishing initiative will lead to a more fun, holistic, collaborative, vibrant and equitable small young world.” Pushpendra’s second book (expected shortly) dedicated to young minds is a testimony to his belief that it is this legion that can tomorrow create a truly ‘developed’ world.

For the benefit of domestic and international “non-English” readers, the text (articles) and web pages on vcherish.com can be automatically semi-translated into the language of a reader’s choice (Hindi, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch, among others) by clicking the respective country’s national flag on the site.

About VCherish Media.

VCherish.com (website of VCherish Media Pvt. Ltd.) is the brainchild of Pushpendra Mehta, Country Principal, VCherish Consultancy (www.vcherishconsultancy.com), and author of “Win the Battles of Life & Relationships.” VCherish Media is headquartered in Mumbai.

For more information please visit www.vcherish.com or www.vcherishconsultancy.com

To view the photograph, click the link below:

Pushpendra Mehta, CEO, VCherish Media Pvt. Ltd.

Media contact details

Pushpendra Mehta, CEO,
VCherish Media Private Limited,
+91 9920411727,
pushpendramehta@vcherishmedia.com

In compliance with the NASDAQ Rule 5250(c)(2), which requires that each foreign private issuer with securities listed on the NASDAQ distribute interim financial information within six months following the end of such foreign private issuer’s second fiscal quarter, Rediff.com India Limited hereby publishes its unaudited consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2009 and its unaudited consolidated statement of income for the six months ended September 30, 2009. It should be noted that the financial statements set forth in this press release are subject to audit and while no significant changes are anticipated, an audit could result in adjustments which would result in the audited numbers varying from the financial statements set forth below.

Press Release with Tables

About Rediff.com India Limited (“Rediff.com”):

Rediff.com (NASDAQ: REDF) is one of the premier worldwide online providers of news, information, communication, entertainment and shopping services to Indians worldwide. Rediff.com provides a platform for Indians worldwide to connect with one another online. Founded in 1996, Rediff.com is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York, USA.

Safe Harbor:

Except for historical information and discussions contained herein, statements included in this release may constitute “forward-looking statements.” These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those that may be projected by these forward looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to the slowdown in the U.S. and Indian economies and in the sectors in which our clients are based, the slowdown in the Internet and IT sectors world-wide, competition, success of our past and future acquisitions, attracting, recruiting and retaining highly skilled employees, technology, legal and regulatory policy, managing risks associated with customer products, the wide spread acceptance of the Internet as well as other risks detailed in the reports filed by Rediff.com India Limited with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Rediff.com India Limited and its subsidiaries may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and its reports to shareholders. Rediff.com India Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by it or on its behalf.

Media contact details

Mandar Narvekar, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs Contact,
Rediff.com India Limited,
+91 (22) 2444-9144 Extn: 138,
investor@rediff.co.in

PlaySpan, the global leader in monetization solutions for online games, virtual worlds, and social networks, today announced its second annual Monetization 2.0 Forum to be held June 3, 2010 in San Francisco. The PlaySpan Forum will join some of the most respected industry thought leaders together to discuss the present and future monetization opportunities utilizing Micro-transactions, Digital Goods, and Virtual Economies business models.

The Forum follows PlaySpan’s highly successful Monetization 2.0 Forum held last year at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), Austin, which drew a standing-room only crowd of more than 225 senior executives from the interactive entertainment industry, and executive-level speakers from companies such as Adobe, EA, IMVU, K2 Network/GamersFirst, Linden lab/ Second Life, MySpace, PayPal, Playdom, Playfish, Turbine, and Zynga.

“The move toward a microtransactions-based or hybrid business model is not an easy process, and there are many considerations before deciding on an option that works best for a specific game or genre. PlaySpan’s first Monetization Forum showcased the challenges and opportunities within this rapidly evolving industry and proved valuable for companies facing the complexity of these issues,” said Craig Alexander, VP of Product Development at Turbine, Inc.

“The Monetization 2.0 forum organized by PlaySpan was an excellent example of how to inform an audience about key industry information delivered by an impressive set of speakers,” said Lars Koschin, CEO, Frogster America “Runes of Magic.”

“This Forum will build upon last year’s success and tackle some of the toughest questions surrounding online game and digital media monetization,” said Karl Mehta, Founder & CEO of PlaySpan Inc. “Based on the popularity of last year’s show and the positive feedback we received from its attendees, we expect another great turnout and look forward to working with an exceptional roster of industry luminaries who are willing to share their knowledge in order to help other developers and publishers take their games and online media to the next level.”

“The Monetization 2.0 Forum brought into the open a lot of great topics that everyone was thinking about, but not sure how to get started actually talking about it. Having the forum fostered a sense of cooperation that will definitely yield some amazing results in the coming months and years. I definitely look forward to future events and furthering the dialogue as an industry on monetization,” said Daniel Chang, NHN USA.

PlaySpan’s second annual Forum is an industry-focused event designed to tackle the most pressing issues surrounding social and online game monetization. The format will cover some of the most successful strategies from leading companies in the industry, with a focus on emerging trends, what’s new to the landscape and best practices from real-world implementations. The Forum will also feature insightful panel discussions, case studies, and lively demos, so attendees can take away critical insights needed to achieve success in the marketplace.

Save the date, June 3, 2010, and for more information contact Eric Hartness, eric.hartness@playspan.com

About PlaySpan Inc.

PlaySpan™ is the global leader in monetization solutions for over 1,000 online games, virtual worlds, and social networks. PlaySpan’s patent-pending in-game digital goods commerce and micropayment platform enables game publishers and developers to generate new revenues, acquire new users, and extend the loyalty of existing users.

PlaySpan also offers global payment solutions through its subsidiary PayByCash® with 85 payment methods in 180 countries. The ULTIMATE GAME CARD® is used by consumers to pay for 300 multiplayer games and around 700 games on popular social networking sites. It is available in about 45,000 retail locations across North America and growing rapidly worldwide.

Social network payment solutions are available through Spare Change©. Acquired by PlaySpan in April 2009, Spare Change is the first and leading payments platform designed specifically for social networks. Featured on over 700 applications, across Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo, Spare Change empowers developers to successfully monetize their applications through micro payments. The Spare Change platform enables users to make safe, convenient, and friendly 1-click purchases through a variety of funding sources.

PlaySpan is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Charlottesville, Virginia, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Mumbai. Investors include Easton Capital, Menlo Ventures, STIC and Novel TMT Ventures. The company won the 2009 OnHollywood Category Award for Best Gaming Company.

For more information about PlaySpan, visit: http://corp.playspan.com
For more information about Spare Change, visit: www.sparechangepayments.com

Media contact details

Vinayak Rao,
PlaySpan India Pvt Ltd,
+91 9820045958,
Vinayak.rao@playspan.com

Gulf Oil and CarWale have flagged off the Gulf CarWale Endurance Run – a 16 day drive around the country along the Golden Quadrilateral.

The drive began at Mumbai, and will see a 3 member team from CarWale, consisting of Kartik Ganesh (Editor), Rachit Hirani (Reporter) and Pawan Dagia (Photographer) cover 7,000+ kms along the Golden Quadrilateral route. Literally reaching out to all 4 corners of India, they will pass through Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kanpur, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore over the next 2 weeks before returning back to Mumbai on 19 February 2010.

There are 2 key facets to this drive –

1. The CarWale team is attempting this drive on a vehicle with just a 600cc engine – and this is the first time that such a long drive has been attempted on a car with an engine so small

2. Gulf Oil’s globally proven new generation lubricants specially designed for such small vehicles will be used in the car to combat the harsh Indian conditions. The CarWale team will also meet several Gulf Oil merchants along the route to showcase the benefits of these new lubricants.

Speaking at the flag off of the Gulf CarWale Endurance run, Mr. Ravi Chawla, President - Lubes Business, Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd. said “This is the first Nano car in the world that has been branded in Gulf Colours. The Endurance run epitomizes the core values of the Gulf Brand – ENDURANCE, CARE, COURAGE, INSPIRATION and YOUTH. The car has been charged with the latest generation Gulf Lubricants to enable it to endure the arduous run through treacherous roads and extreme climatic conditions.”

Kartik Ganesh, Editor for CarWale and also the lead driver of the team, said, “The Endurance Drive, in a true sense, tests the spunk of a little car in the changing geographies of India. And we will constantly be posting updates, photos and videos on carwale.com as well as through social networking sites like twitter and facebook etc. We are quite excited about the whole thing – 5th gear action as we call it.”

The progress of the team can be tracked live at www.carwale.comalong with latest photographs, videos, blog posts, and tweets being posted regularly by the Drive Team even as they are on the road.

About CarWale

CarWale is India’s No.1 auto portal which empowers and handholds the car buyers to research and make a car buying decision. Owned by Automotive Exchange Pvt. Ltd., CarWale is backed by India’s leading early stage venture capital firm Seedfund and top tier US venture fund Sierra Ventures. In last one year they have served more than 10 million Indian car consumers and have influenced approximately US$ 3bn of car transactions in India. Since its inception, CarWale has been honoured with many prestigious awards including the Red Herring Asia Top 100 (twice in 3 years), and PCWorld Web Award for best automotive website. Recently CarWale was showcased as one of the 3 Innovative Enterprising Indian Companies in the ‘Serving the Indian Consumer’ category at TIE summit, Mumbai

About Gulf Oil

Gulf Oil Corporation Limited (GOCL), part of the Hinduja Group of companies, is an established player in the lubricants market in India and markets a wide range of products/services for the automotive business including lubricants, car care, filters and lubrication systems. Today, the Gulf brand is present in more than 80 countries with operations in five continents. The Gulf Oil International Group’s core business is manufacturing and marketing an extensive range consisting over 400 performance lubricants and associated products for all market segments.

Disclaimer:

“Gulf Oil Corporation Limited” is proposing, subject to market conditions and other considerations, a rights issue of its equity shares and the Company has filed a Draft Letter of Offer with SEBI. The Draft Letter of Offer is available on the website of SEBI at www.sebi.gov.in and the website of the Lead Manager, Edelweiss Capital Limited at www.edelcap.com. Any potential investor should note that investment in equity shares involves a high degree of risk. For details, please refer to the Draft Letter of Offer including the section titled “Risk Factors” of the Draft Letter of Offer.

To view the photographs, click the links below:

Mr. Ravi Chawla, President - Lubes Business, Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd., flags off the Gulf CarWale Endurance Run

Kartik Ganesh, Editor of CarWale.com, seen here in the Gulf-branded Tata Nano

Media contact details

Kavita Jain,
CarWale.com,
+91 (22) 6739 8888 / +91 9819390947,
kavita.jain@carwale.com

Introduces e–policies and Interactive Customer Interface

Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd. (Chola MS), a joint venture of the Murugappa Group and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, Japan, today announced the launch of CLICK EASY Car Insurance on their new website, www.cholainsurance.com. With this launch customers can now buy and renew Chola motor policies online. The new site offers the right ambience, simplicity and convenience to buy and renew chola products. The key advantage of this new initiative is that the customers can now enjoy simple, transparent, paperless transactions and instantaneous policy issuance, regardless of proximity and time. The company will soon offer other retail products like Travel, Health, Home and Personal Accident policies on the web. The company aims to sell 5% of its retail policies online in 2010-11 and ramp up to 20% in 3 years timeframe.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. S.S. Gopalarathnam, Managing Director - Chola MS said, “Web is a powerful medium as it enables the new age customer in his Insurance purchase process. Our market research establishes that policy online not only aids buying at ease but also helps create association and bonding with the customer through interactive communication and virtual service which is very crucial for us. For the tech savvy and time constrained customers Click Easy Insurance promises the Simplicity, Convenience and Interactivity in buying insurance at the click of a mouse.”

The Chola MS team has done extensive user interface study while designing the new website and Click Easy Insurance initiative. This new site offers unique customer friendly features like live chat interface, branch / agent / garage locator with “sms me” option, e.t.c. In the health section, the individual customers can log in to print their Health e-Cards, locate hospital of their preference and also view their claim status. The Corporate login utility on the site offers the corporate to see the status at an aggregate or individual level. The company will offer online claim intimation utility for the customers as an ongoing effort.

Chola MS would embark on a multimedia campaign to generate traffic for the new site in the coming months. The company also plans to use social media to generate the buzz for this important initiative. A dedicated front and back end customer support team has been formed for instant service and fulfillment of the web traffic.

Chola MS has made consistent investments to upgrade its IT infrastructure over the last couple of years. Click Easy Insurance is the culmination of the phase 2 of Project Lakshya launched in 2008 to help speed up delivery of customer interaction, minimize waiting period for any transaction and improve customer service. Chola MS has partnered with TCS – CMC for this important tech initiative.

Chola MS also intends to offer its policies through Mobile Commerce in near future to be in stride with the changing technological preference of the customer.

About Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company (Chola MS)

Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd. is a Joint Venture between the USD 3.14 billion Murugappa Group, and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group of Japan. Chola MS is headquartered in Chennai and has 113 offices spread across India. Chola MS offers a wide range of products that include Accident, Engineering, Health, Liability, Marine, Motor, Property, Travel and Rural insurance for individuals and corporate.

About the Murugappa Group

Headquartered in Chennai, the Rs. 15,907 crores (USD 3.14 billion) Murugappa Group is one of India’s leading business conglomerates. Market leaders in diverse areas of business including Engineering, Abrasives, Finance, General Insurance, Cycles, Sugar, Farm Inputs, Fertilizers, Plantations, Bio-products and Nutraceuticals, its 29 companies have manufacturing facilities spread across 13 states in India. The organization fosters an environment of professionalism and has a workforce of over 32,000 employees. The Group has forged strong joint venture alliances with leading international companies like DBS Bank, Mitsui Sumitomo, Foskor, Cargill and Groupe Chimique Tunisien has consolidated its status as one of the fastest growing diversified business houses in India.

About Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company (MSI)

Mitsui Sumitomo is the second largest Insurance Group in Japan, with a Net Written Premium (NWP) of 12.39 billion USD in 2008. The Company has 729 sales bases, 257 claims handling offices and about 59000 agents throughout Japan. MS also offers its services globally with 63 sales bases in 38 countries and regions overseas. Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. Ltd. was awarded the “General Insurance Company of the Year” Award in 2005 at the 9th Asia Insurance Industry Award ceremony held in Singapore. This has been awarded to MSI for being the most active non-life insurance company and for reaching the top of the foreign non-life insurers in the region.

Media contact details

Neeraj Moorjani, AVP- Marketing and Corporate Communications,
Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company,
+91 9382809420,
neerajM@cholams.murugappa.com

Anu Lakshman, Associate Vice President,
IPAN Hill and Knowlton,
+91 9841039574,
alakshman@ipanhillandknowlton.com

CBaySystems Holdings Ltd. (AIM: CBAY), a leading provider of technology-enabled medical transcription and related healthcare revenue cycle solutions, announces that two of its subsidiaries have agreed to purchase Spheris, a global provider of clinical documentation technology and services that recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The proposed transaction will take place pursuant to Section 363 of the United States Bankruptcy Code and will be governed by a court-directed bidding process, subject to applicable regulatory, company, and court approvals. CBay’s subsidiaries MedQuist Inc. and CBay Inc., have entered into a “stalking horse” purchase agreement with Spheris Inc., whereby, subject to court approval, MedQuist Inc. will acquire the company’s North American business, and CBay Inc., will acquire the stock of Spheris India Private Limited (“Spheris India”), a subsidiary of Spheris.

Spheris is based in Franklin, Tennessee, and has operations in North America and India. The transaction is expected to allow Spheris’ customers to benefit both from an industry-leading technology platform offered by CBay’s group company MedQuist and the integration of Spheris India with CBay’s Indian subsidiary, CBay Systems (India) Pvt Ltd (“CBay India”), one of India’s largest healthcare business processing outsourcing (BPO) companies.

“Spheris India will be a great addition to our India operations and will enhance our delivery capability in providing additional processing capacity, superior coverage and quality documentation to our customers,” commented Raman Kumar, CBay’s Vice Chairman and CEO. “CBay India is ranked as a leading employer of high quality medical language specialists and with this acquisition CBay will further solidify its leadership position and enhance our ability to provide best-in-class service to our clients.”

If the CBay purchase agreement is approved and the conditions therein satisfied, it is expected that the transaction will be completed in the first half of 2010.

About CBay Holdings

CBay Holdings, together with its subsidiaries and equity investees, is a leading provider of technology-enabled medical transcription services and related revenue cycle solutions. CBay Holdings partners with healthcare providers to deliver outsourced transcription solutions designed to improve the quality and timeliness of clinical data and information, reduce operational costs, increase physician satisfaction, and enhance revenue cycle performance. The Company serves more than 2,400 health systems, hospitals, and physician groups in the U.S. CBaySystems Holdings Ltd is composed of a portfolio of businesses, including CBay Systems & Services Inc, CBay Systems (India) Private Ltd, Mirrus Systems Inc. and a majority shareholding of approximately 69.5% per cent. in MedQuist Inc. CBaySystems Holdings Ltd trades under the CBAY symbol on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.

Forward-looking statements

Statements made in this press release that are forward-looking in nature may involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the effects or benefits of the transaction, and any other statements that are not historical facts. These risks and uncertainties include the ability of CBay Holdings and its subsidiaries to achieve the benefits currently expected from the proposed transaction and the timing, receipt of approvals and satisfaction of conditions for the transaction. Other risks and uncertainties, which are more fully described in publicly filed documents of CBay Holdings, including its annual reports, could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.

Media contact details

Dinesh Kumar, Director - India Operations,
CBaySystems,
+91 (22) 6641 7575,
dinesh@cbayindia.com

Deepak Nair, Corporate Communications,
CBaySystems,
+91 (22) 6641 7575,
deepak.nair@cbayindia.com

Disha Hoskote – Account Manager,
TEXT 100,
+ 91 (22) 6659 5519,
dishah@text100.co.in

– Collaborates with 6 Accredited Vocational Institutes including one in North East

– Minimum 100 students to be trained by each AV Institute

Cisco® today announced its collaboration with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to introduce the ICT curriculum in 6 selected Accredited Vocational Institutes (AVIs). These institutes as a Cisco Local Academy will provide IT Essentials: PC hardware and networking information technology course to around 100 students each year as a part of their offerings. The course prepares students for networking and IT-related careers in the public and private sectors, as well as for higher education in engineering, computer science and related fields. The selected AVIs are located at Ambala, Bhopal, Balangir (Orissa), Delhi, Mumbai and Shillong and several more NIOS AVI’s are envisaged to start this course.

Cisco has imparted training to nine instructors from the above AVIs on IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software at the Centre for Electronic Governance, Jaipur from January 18-23, 2010. As a part of this initiative, Cisco will provide its free web based curriculum, online course material of the Networking Academy and 24×7 technical support to the institutes.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Lokesh Mehra, Regional Manager, Corporate Responsibility, Cisco - South Asia said, ‘At Cisco, we aim to enhance the employability of the youth at the grassroot level so as to enable them to harness the enormous opportunities in the ICT domain. Forging strong industry-academia partnerships is the cornerstone of our strategy aimed at bridging the existing skills gap in IT networking. We are proud to collaborate with NIOS in its efforts to bring world-class networking education to students at various centres across the country.’

Dr. S.S. Jena, Chairman of NIOS said, “Through the Networking Academy program, students of accredited vocational institutions across India will receive the benefit of Internet and networking education. This will not only help students tap opportunities in the IT world but also help meet the Prime Minister’s vision of a knowledge-based economy by 2020.”

Commenting on the training Dr. Anita Priyadarshini, Director, Vocational Education, NIOS said “Jobs of the future will go where there is an educated workforce, an infrastructure and a supportive government. We strongly believe that by working with industry leaders such as Cisco, we can provide the appropriate training to students to provide talent needed to support the IT industry in the region.”

NIOS will introduce the IT Essentials course intended for students in upper secondary schools, technical and vocational schools, who want to pursue careers in IT and gain working knowledge of how computers work, how to assemble computers, and how to troubleshoot hardware and software issues. In addition to networking and IT skills, the curricula also reinforces 21st century skills, IT literacy, problem-solving, communication and working with others from different backgrounds. Students receive the same quality of education through e-learning curricula, labs and online assessments, as well as consistency of certifications. The Networking Academy’s blended learning model integrates face-to-face teaching with a challenging web-based curriculum, hands-on lab exercises, and Internet-based assessment. Worldwide, there are 10,000 Networking Academy institutions and more than 1.6 million students in over 150 countries.

More information about programs, event and activities at NIOS is available at www.nios.ac.in and on the Cisco Networking Academy program at http://cisco.netacad.net.

About NIOS

The National Institute of Open Schooling is an organization under the Government of India, Ministry of HRD. It has been vested with the authority to enroll, examine and certify students upto pre-degree level, in academic, technical/vocational, through open and distance learning mode.

About Cisco

Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate, this year celebrates 25 years of technology innovation, operational excellence and corporate social responsibility. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in India is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

Cisco, the Cisco logo, and Cisco Systems are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.

Media contact details

Manka Mishra,
Text 100 India, New Delhi,
+91 9910465989,
manka.mishra@text100.co.in