Mumbai, May 24: Travel marketplace ixigo today said it has partnered with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to exclusively power hotel bookings for the latter's users.

Through this partnership, ixigo's wide range of accommodation offerings from its domestic and international hotel partners and over the counters (OTAs) will be available on IRCTC's web and mobile platforms, a release said.

Rusan Pharma gets the license for the trial cultivation of CPS *

Rusan Pharma today said it has received a tender with an exclusive license for the trial cultivation and extraction of concentrated poppy straw (CPS).

After trial phase, the government is expected to give commercial licence for the cultivation of CPC in 5000 hectares land for two years period, Kunal Saxena, managing director, Rusan Pharma, was quoted as saying in a release.

This will also help increase the availability of raw materials for essential pain management drugs in the country, as well as produce surplus that can be exported, he added.

HRAWI urges MCGM to permits temp sheds before monsoons *

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) today said it has written a letter to the Municipal Commissioner to grant permission to food and beverage (F&B) outlets to build temporary sheds before the monsoons sets in.

The temporary permissions for sheds during monsoons have been customarily granted by the MCGM every year during the monsoons. "However, this year many of our members have brought it to our attention that they are facing difficulties in obtaining the required permissions," said Dilip Datwani, president, HRAWI.