February 10th will be a stepping-stone for the Kollam District. The Chief Minister of Kerala will lay the foundation stone for setting up a Technopark on a 40-acre land on the outskirts of the city. Truly in a sense the development of the park will herald a new age of inclusive development in the state. Researchers often pointed out that, two industries, which can co-exist in Kerala, are Tourism and the Knowledge Industry. This particular move from the Government can change the economic landscape of the district by providing opportunities for the youth to embark a career in the IT/ITES space. The toughest thing in the entire framework of the development of the park would be to market the park to potential investor. One plausible thing, which could lure potential investors, would be the rentals, which can come as cheap as Rs 10 per square feet. And also clubbing the IT/ITES Industry with the tourism Industry would go a long way in marketing the parks to potential investors. The proposed park can be a hub for Entrepreneurship by creating an enabling mechanism through which young Entrepreneurs are nurtured and supported by the Government with the necessary market linkages being established. And also many companies operating in Technopark can outsource a part of their operations to these new build parks. In the era economic recession and global meltdown companies keen on cutting cost can pursue this option.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Session on Business Response to HIV/AIDS
GTECH in association with the Kerala State AIDS Control Society organised a session on Business Response to HIV/AIDS on 12th December 2008 in Technopark.
The companies in Technopark who attended the session nodded positively to the suggestion from KSACS that a module on HIV/AIDS should be included in the staff induction and training programmes
Inaugurating the meeting, Project Director of KSACS and Secretary Social Welfare Department, Government of Kerala Dr. Usha Titus IAS said that it was important to mainstream HIV through workplace initiatives and public-private partnership could go a long way in spreading the message on HIV. She also sought the active involvement of Technopark companies and its employees in forming Red Ribbon Clubs to promote voluntary blood donation.
Through workplace initiatives, KSACS is looking at forming partnerships to ensure that every organisation has a policy regarding HIV/AIDS. Such partnerships will also address issues of discrimination faced by HIV-positive persons at workplaces.
Satish Kumar Amarnath, Director, Manipal Cure and Care who led a technical session pointed out that HIV was indeed everyone’s business and that no persons or groups were free from risk.
Presentations were made on stigma reduction, challenges in implementing workplace initiatives. Those who led the sessions included Rita Cross, Joint Director (Care and Support), KSACS, K.B. Sudhir, team leader (Mainstreaming), KSACS, Binu Sankar, CEO, Group of Technopark Companies and S. K. Harikumar, consultant (Behaviour and Sexuality).
A programme protocol and work plan for the joint initiative will be discussed at the next meeting of the CEOs of Technopark companies.
The companies in Technopark who attended the session nodded positively to the suggestion from KSACS that a module on HIV/AIDS should be included in the staff induction and training programmes
Inaugurating the meeting, Project Director of KSACS and Secretary Social Welfare Department, Government of Kerala Dr. Usha Titus IAS said that it was important to mainstream HIV through workplace initiatives and public-private partnership could go a long way in spreading the message on HIV. She also sought the active involvement of Technopark companies and its employees in forming Red Ribbon Clubs to promote voluntary blood donation.
Through workplace initiatives, KSACS is looking at forming partnerships to ensure that every organisation has a policy regarding HIV/AIDS. Such partnerships will also address issues of discrimination faced by HIV-positive persons at workplaces.
Satish Kumar Amarnath, Director, Manipal Cure and Care who led a technical session pointed out that HIV was indeed everyone’s business and that no persons or groups were free from risk.
Presentations were made on stigma reduction, challenges in implementing workplace initiatives. Those who led the sessions included Rita Cross, Joint Director (Care and Support), KSACS, K.B. Sudhir, team leader (Mainstreaming), KSACS, Binu Sankar, CEO, Group of Technopark Companies and S. K. Harikumar, consultant (Behaviour and Sexuality).
A programme protocol and work plan for the joint initiative will be discussed at the next meeting of the CEOs of Technopark companies.
India @ Risk 2008
A report published by the World Economic Forum highlighted the risks that the Indian Economy is facing the near future. The report was prepared by the Global Risk Network, an arm of the World Economic Forum which is composed of an unparalleled network of Industry, risk and country experts who work with Business leaders and policy makers to create a framework for assessing and prioritising existing and emerging risks to Global business over the short and long term.
The four areas of focus of the report are
* Energy Security* Agriculture and Food Security* Economic Security* National Security
Under the Energy Security the report finds that the gap between demand and supply has worsened in the last years. Energy demand increases as the population grows and the country develops; energy supply has increased at a slower pace. Over one-third of the power generated fails to reach consumers. Energy subsidy schemes discourage efficient use of energy and diminish the incentives to increase the use of clean energy sources. The report further adds that the production of crude oil has been stagnant and has boosted the dependency on crude oil imports. India imports more than 70% of its oil. The government has initiated several policies to cover the increasing demand and has intensified foreign relations with world energy suppliers in South and Central Asia, Russia and the Middle East. Energy supply is vulnerable to geopolitical tensions with energy suppliers and energy transit countries. Increasing consumption and increases in oil price would add more pressure to the current account deficit. Corporations and society at large are willing to increase their energy bill to benefit from a reliable energy supply, but generation and distribution infrastructures need to be in place and extraordinary investment is required. According to the World Bank, transmission and distribution losses account for 27% of the generated power and are the highest in the world. Various government agencies report losses between 30% and 40%. Those losses are associated with technical inefficiencies and mismanagement.
Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies in India are widespread; US$ 1.7 billion was spent in the first half of the current financial year on supplying fuel to poorer households. Nearly 40% of the subsidy expenses benefit only 7% of the population. Energy subsidies encourage consumption and waste, which generate harmful effects on the environment and represent an important liability to the government budget.
Under the Agriculture and Food Security concerns, the report dwells on how rural populations are highly dependent on agriculture and pressures are increasing to transform agricultural activity into a sustainable economic sector. Almost 65% of India's population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture, although it only accounts for approximately 16% of GDP. Despite current self-sufficiency in food production, approximately 25% of India's population is malnourished and lives below the poverty line. Child malnutrition is responsible not only for 22% of India's disease burden, but also for 50% of the 2.3 million child deaths in India each year. Agricultural output and rural communities face risks of changing weather patterns linked to climate change and threats from water scarcity and quality. Water for agricultural use currently represents 92% of renewable water resources, compared with 3% for industry and 5% for domestic use. The report identifies the major risk involved in the Indian Agriculture which is the biggest shift in the agricultural sector has been the move to more horticultural products. Rising demand for fruit and vegetables and shorter growing cycles, which allow several harvests a year, enable farmers to spread their risk over several crops. Horticultural produce is highly perishable and requires better storage, distribution and retail conditions. These crops also place pressure on water resources.
Under the economic security the report adds that the deterioration of the global financial Environment has affected the national economy and spillover effects on the real economy are still unfolding. India remains vulnerable to the vagaries of the world currency, commodity and financial markets. The report says that the India's dependence on capital inflows to finance its current account deficit is a Macroeconomic risk and the global crisis could generate a sharp increase in capital outflows and a reduction in the availability of finance. It could also weaken the balance sheet of the financial institutions, cause a further fall in share and asset prices, and challenge the macroeconomic situation due to shrinking Global growth. India has accumulated reserves of US$ 295 billion over the last years of economic expansion,providing a cushion to overcome a potentially pessimistic economic outlook. The level of reserves has decreased recently due to imports paid in US dollars, Reserve Bank intervention and equity portfolio adjustments abroad. The recent fall in commodity prices might help decelerate inflation and could thus benefit the imports bill, while also having a positive impact on reserves.
Under the National Security risks facing the nation, the report identifies the External and Internal sources of insecurity: India's security policies must address potential threats coming from outside its borders. India's security policies will need to combine economic, diplomatic and military aspects to protect Indian society and also secure energy supply and trade routes. Radical groups organized along ethnic, far left or religious lines are gaining ground, especially in disadvantaged districts. These need to be closely monitored to prevent the spread of unrest in certain regions and deter extremist attacks.
The four areas of focus of the report are
* Energy Security* Agriculture and Food Security* Economic Security* National Security
Under the Energy Security the report finds that the gap between demand and supply has worsened in the last years. Energy demand increases as the population grows and the country develops; energy supply has increased at a slower pace. Over one-third of the power generated fails to reach consumers. Energy subsidy schemes discourage efficient use of energy and diminish the incentives to increase the use of clean energy sources. The report further adds that the production of crude oil has been stagnant and has boosted the dependency on crude oil imports. India imports more than 70% of its oil. The government has initiated several policies to cover the increasing demand and has intensified foreign relations with world energy suppliers in South and Central Asia, Russia and the Middle East. Energy supply is vulnerable to geopolitical tensions with energy suppliers and energy transit countries. Increasing consumption and increases in oil price would add more pressure to the current account deficit. Corporations and society at large are willing to increase their energy bill to benefit from a reliable energy supply, but generation and distribution infrastructures need to be in place and extraordinary investment is required. According to the World Bank, transmission and distribution losses account for 27% of the generated power and are the highest in the world. Various government agencies report losses between 30% and 40%. Those losses are associated with technical inefficiencies and mismanagement.
Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies in India are widespread; US$ 1.7 billion was spent in the first half of the current financial year on supplying fuel to poorer households. Nearly 40% of the subsidy expenses benefit only 7% of the population. Energy subsidies encourage consumption and waste, which generate harmful effects on the environment and represent an important liability to the government budget.
Under the Agriculture and Food Security concerns, the report dwells on how rural populations are highly dependent on agriculture and pressures are increasing to transform agricultural activity into a sustainable economic sector. Almost 65% of India's population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture, although it only accounts for approximately 16% of GDP. Despite current self-sufficiency in food production, approximately 25% of India's population is malnourished and lives below the poverty line. Child malnutrition is responsible not only for 22% of India's disease burden, but also for 50% of the 2.3 million child deaths in India each year. Agricultural output and rural communities face risks of changing weather patterns linked to climate change and threats from water scarcity and quality. Water for agricultural use currently represents 92% of renewable water resources, compared with 3% for industry and 5% for domestic use. The report identifies the major risk involved in the Indian Agriculture which is the biggest shift in the agricultural sector has been the move to more horticultural products. Rising demand for fruit and vegetables and shorter growing cycles, which allow several harvests a year, enable farmers to spread their risk over several crops. Horticultural produce is highly perishable and requires better storage, distribution and retail conditions. These crops also place pressure on water resources.
Under the economic security the report adds that the deterioration of the global financial Environment has affected the national economy and spillover effects on the real economy are still unfolding. India remains vulnerable to the vagaries of the world currency, commodity and financial markets. The report says that the India's dependence on capital inflows to finance its current account deficit is a Macroeconomic risk and the global crisis could generate a sharp increase in capital outflows and a reduction in the availability of finance. It could also weaken the balance sheet of the financial institutions, cause a further fall in share and asset prices, and challenge the macroeconomic situation due to shrinking Global growth. India has accumulated reserves of US$ 295 billion over the last years of economic expansion,providing a cushion to overcome a potentially pessimistic economic outlook. The level of reserves has decreased recently due to imports paid in US dollars, Reserve Bank intervention and equity portfolio adjustments abroad. The recent fall in commodity prices might help decelerate inflation and could thus benefit the imports bill, while also having a positive impact on reserves.
Under the National Security risks facing the nation, the report identifies the External and Internal sources of insecurity: India's security policies must address potential threats coming from outside its borders. India's security policies will need to combine economic, diplomatic and military aspects to protect Indian society and also secure energy supply and trade routes. Radical groups organized along ethnic, far left or religious lines are gaining ground, especially in disadvantaged districts. These need to be closely monitored to prevent the spread of unrest in certain regions and deter extremist attacks.
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