The daily has replaced the group's earlier English newspaper, The Maharashtra Herald.
The group has tied up with Delhi-based Asia-Pacific Communication Associates (APCA) and a number of agencies for editorial content. International newspaper designer Mario Garcia has done the designing work for the paper. The paper comes out with two pull-outs.
The main section contains national, international, business and sports sections along with editorial and opinion pages. The first pull-out, Cityscape, contains stories from Pune and Maharashtra, while another pullout deals with entertainment and lifestyle issues.
Speaking to Business Standard, its Delhi-based Editor-in-Chief Anikendra Nath Sen said, "While some newspaper across the world are going more and more local, a number of newspapers are going international in terms of contents. India is such a huge country and the number of Indian migrants is increasing. An individual in Pune may find a place like California close to him than a state like Assam. We are trying to address this kind of reader."
He added, the paper would come with daily magazines and a separate section of business news in near future.
The paper will be circulated in Pune city and district through a strong network of group's flagship Marathi daily Sakal, which sells almost 3 lakh copies in Pune district and more than 10 lakh copies across Maharashtra.
The paper has made an entry into a nearly saturated market with The Times of India (circulation 2.20 lakh), The Indian Express (65,000 copies) and new entrants such as Daily News and Analysis and Pune Mirror (circulated free with The Times of India) for company. After Pune, the second edition is expected to come in Goa, where it will replace group's present publication Gomantak Times.
Apart from Sakal and Sakaal Times, the Rs 350-crore group also runs a newspaper "Agro1" catering to the agri sector, an English daily Gomantak Times, a Marathi daily Gomantak, both in Goa, and two magazines
