Safe Drive@GTECH

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) / World Bank joint report, road traffic injuries were the 11th leading cause of death. Without appropriate action and multi stakeholder participation the report estimates that by 2020 this will outpace AIDS, Malaria and War as the world public health challenge. The private sector in India has been involved in multisector and safety initiatives because of the risks posed by the issue to core business activities and also an understanding that the factors driving the road safety facility require a total systems approach engaging all stakeholders.

Understanding the long-term implications of this, Group of Technopark Companies (GTECH) in association with National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC), Energy Management Centre and Executive Knowledge Lines launched the Safe Drive @ GTECH campaign in Technopark
With over 6,000 vehicles operating on a daily basis, Technopark has the third largest fleet after the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and the VSSC. The companies functioning on the campus also employ over 500 professional drivers for buses, mini buses, utility vehicles and cars transporting employees to the campus and back.
This unique GTECH initiative was aimed at enhancing fuel efficiency, cutting down on road rage, improving road etiquette, avoiding accidents, providing response strategies and ensuring statutory compliance.
The first batch of 30 drivers has undergone the training programme during the last week of December 2007.
Group of Technopark Companies have lined up a series of programmes as a follow up to the first launch as GTECH considers it important to ensure that Technopark drivers, like other professionals on the campus, exhibit the highest standards of professional competence. SafeDrive@GTech is aimed at achieving this objective as well as to enhance the quality of traffic in Thiruvananthapuram

Subhiksha- The Retail Giant

Subhiksha is the country's largest retail outlet running nearly 500 supermarkets in the north and south. subhiksha which was started in the year 1997 is now an household name selling quality products at an affordable rate targeting the Aam admi. Subhiksha was started by an young Entreprenuer named R Subramanian who is an alumunus of the two prestigious institutions in the country- IIT and IIM. In the words of Mr. Subramanian the inner urge of developing a unique business model suitable for the country made him stay in India. He says India is a land of opportunity and should not follow the foot steps of western business practiceses. He was also partly involved in the Financial markets before he started Subhiksha.

Subiksha not only sells food and other FMCG products but also mobile phones under the mobile store concept. Though Subhiksha was started in Chennai , it has largely moved into North India with sizable presence in Noida, Gurgoan, Delhi, Punjab and Hariyana . subhiksha's vision for the next decade. Mr. Subramanian wants to see Subhiksha emerge as the biggest retail supermarket in India bringing the farm produce directly from the fields to the consumer table. Mr. Subramanian wants to re-engineer the entire supply chain Management system.

Best wishes Mr. Subramanian.

EGYPT- The New Destination for Indian IT Companies

The new country that is catching the attention of the world is Eqypt which is fastly emerging as the new IT/ITES Destination. The Government of Egypt has taken a key initiative in promoting the nation as an importnat player in the IT/ITES sphere. It is also noteworthy to observe that many Indian companies are also considering the option of setting up a strategic unit in Egypt to access the African Market. The other advantage of operating in Egypt is the cost advantage and the availaibility of skilled manpower. The Government also has developed an IT park called SMART VILLAGE which houses international companies like HP, Ericcson, Sun Microsystems etc. already Indian IT Majors like I-flex, Aptech and Wipro have started their Egyptian operations. Satyam computers is all set to open a development center in Smart Village.

Egypt has been ranked the thirteenth most attractive destination to set up an offshore service, according to a study by A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm. The study, which looked at 50 countries, was based on the evaluation of three main factors: financial structure, availability of skilled workers and overall business environment. As a result of reforms to Egypt’s business climate — such as lowering the cost of employment, the increased availability of attractive business properties like Smart Village and flexible income tax regulations — in addition to burgeoning language and computer skills on the part of the Egyptian population, Egypt is becoming a prime destination for India’s IT giants, who are coming to boost the industry as well as take advantage of Egypt’s underutilized workforce.

The Government of Egypt has also established an agency called Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) .The aim of this agency is to increase the exports of ICT products and services and increase the inward investments into Egypt.

It should be a strategic insight for Indian companies to look for options in Egypt when the companies are feeling the heat for overdependance on the US Market . The pressure on margins can also be decreased by penetrating into new markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Kerala and Bavaria reinforces Economic and Trade Relations

Kerala and Bavaria today reinforced their economic and trade relations in Trivandrum and reverberated the need to develop stronger and deeper relations especially in the IT front. This was the key highlight of a Session on Europe via Munich, Business and Market opportunities in Germany organised by the Group of Technopark Companies (GTECH) in Trivandrum.

Kerala IT entrepreneurs can tap the lucrative European Union (EU) market by setting up base in Bavaria, the largest and most industrialised state in Germany, German Deputy Consul General Horst Pfeifer said .

Making a presentation at the session on Europe Via Munich, Business and Market Opportunities for Indian Companies in Bavaria / Germany' Mr Pfeifer said some 60 Indian companies had already set up their offices or manufacturing units in Bavaria with an investment of more than USD 900 million. These included Dr Reddy's Pharmaceuticals, TCS, Satyam, HCL, iGate and Wipro, he added.
''Bavaria, the largest German state, is virtually at the centre of Europe and provides a gateway for Indian businessmen to explore the EU market,'' he added.
''Home to respected brands like BMW, Audi, Siemens, Puma, Adidas and Allianz, Bavaria is the heart of the hi-tech industry in Germany in the areas such as IT, electronics, aerospace, automobiles, mechanical Engineering and telecommunications,'' he said.
With India also taking a lead in hi-tech areas such as IT and telecommunication, the entrepreneurs from the two countries had a natural synergy, Mr Pfeifer added.

Delivering the special address during the occasion, Dr. Ajay Kumar, Secretary IT, Government of Kerala said that the Kerala with its core strength in the Information Technology sector is better positioned to partner Bavaria and called for enhanced cooperation and dialogue between both the states to further strengthen the bilateral economic cooperation. Stating that the fundamentals of the Indian economy were strong, Dr. Kumar said Indian firms were becoming globally competitive and the country was emerging as an export hub for a range of products from agricultural goods to automobilie components and IT enabled services.

Mr John Kottayil, Executive Director, State of Bavaria India Office, Bangalore said export from Bavaria was 150 billion Euros last year. Inviting investors in the 19 manufacturing clusters in the state, he said all assistances were provided to potential investors. Mr Quintus Bartscherer, Partner, KoBa-Treuhand GmbH, said Germany was in the process of enacting a new law to bring down the share capital from 25,000 to 10,000 Euros.

Ms Britta Peterson-Barhnusen, Head of Passport and Visa Section, German Consulate in Chennai, said the consulate had issued 38,000 visas last year, 80 per cent of which were the Shengen business visas. There was a 17 per cent growth in the number of visas issued by the consulate last year, she said, adding that the target for this year was 42,000 visas. The German consulate in Chennai receives 350 applications every day and schedules nearly 120 visa interviews daily. The Shengen business visa enabled entry to more than 20 European countries, she said.

Mr. Satish Babu, Hon. Secretary GTECH and President InApp Information Technologies welcomed the members to the session

The session was organised by Group of Technopark companies in Association with the Bavarian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Transport and Technology.

Chandrajit Banerjee of CII

I had the good fortune to work with Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee who has been currenly appointed as the new Director General of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Mr Banerjee has served CII in various locations as the Head of State and regional offices of CII such as Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Chandigarh, Mumbai and Bangalore. Banerjee has been associated with CII for 20 years since 1987. CB as he is called in the Industry circles is also affiliated to several industry associations, including the Indian Earthmoving Construction Association and the Tractor Manufacturers' Association among others. He was also the CEO of Bangalore International Exhibition Center. A strategist and a think tank , CB was one of the pioneers in kickstarting the Corporate Governance movement in India.He was also the executive Director of National Foundation for Corporate Governance. CB is a post graduate in Economics with a specialisation in Econometrics.

Back to my roots

I am settling down in Technopark and an amazing park with so much of scenic beauty. I have finally got the chance to be called as a CEO. The companies here in the park are enterprising. From product development to offshore services they cover the entire gamut of the IT spectrum. So back to my roots and catching up with old buddies. A morning travel by train through the backwaters to my office and an evening stroll across the technopark has now become a part of my life. Away from the mad traffic of Chennai and Bangalore and finally at ease and also at peace.

CII to Technopark

I have decided to mouve out of CII. Having worked for 3 years in CII , I have made up my mind to move back to my state . I will be now be placed at Technopark in Trivandrum. The road ahead in Technopark is challenging. I think its time for me to take up challenges. I will be working for the growth of the IT Industry in Kerala, formulating strategies, working on policy issues and addressing the concerns of the stakeholders.

Working in CII have been fabulous. I had the opportunity to interact with the best bussiness minds, thought leaders, strategists and Policy makers.

I will be missing CII a lot especially those thought sessions and brainstorming events.

Bennie

I was grieved at the loss of my school mate Bennie. He was a wonderful person and a great friend. I pray for his soul. You have left behind insurmountable memmories of Freindship , affection and care
Bennie I will miss you a lot.
Your friend,
Binu

Suggested talking points for Mr. P K Mohapatra, Chairman, CII (SR) and President and CEO, Technology Business Sector, RPG Enterprises

With the liberalization of the economy, India has become one of the fastest growing nations in the world. With positive indicators such as a stable 8-9 per cent annual growth, rising foreign exchange reserves, a booming capital market and a rapidly expanding FDI inflows, India has emerged as epicenter of Growth, Innovation and Knowledge.
The rapid economic growth has also had a significant impact on the social front. Social indicators have improved. Literacy levels have risen, while morbidity and mortality rates have declined. However, it is widely felt that the rate of social development needs to escalate and economic growth needs to be backed by an environment conducive for Inclusive, Sustainable and Equitable growth.

In India the measure of development process should not simply be a measure of aggregate of economic activity but should be an assessment of the inclusiveness of economic growth with emphasis not only on the distribution of economic gains but also on the security, vulnerability, empowerment, and sense of full participation of people in all facets of Economic Activity. The real challenge the nation faces is in fact empowering and creating opportunities for each person when the economy is growing rapidly on a higher growth trajectory.

To create an Environment of Inclusive growth, CII is working on a long term strategy for implementing projects that can facilitate Economic and Social Inclusiveness by creating opportunities for the economically and socially disadvantaged sections of the Society. CII has brought in the idea of Affirmative Action to work out solutions for the upliftment of that section of the Society left out of the economic growth.

CII has been actively working in the area of Affirmative Action from 2006. The four areas under which CII has been working
· Work place
· Entrepreneurship development
· Employability and
· Education

The member companies of CII have already engaged in providing training facilities and employment to those on the fringes of economic development and provided a platform to effectively compete in the market place. Many of the companies have also partnered with educational institutions to support and aid students from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Many of the member companies are actively undertaking activities to promote the well being of these deprived sections of the society which involves Entrepreneurial training , Skill Development training, Scholarships for students , job oriented training programme for aspirants for IT/ITES jobs and other allied activities. CII (SR) is committed to the economic upliftment of the disadvantaged group. CII is running programmes throughout south India on developing the Skills for these deprived sections and also to nurture their entrepreneurial skills and make them more competitive in the free market. CII has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Ahemdabad to train the budding entrepreneurs within these deprived sections of the society.

CII members have partnered with NGO’s to improve the level of Primary Education in the Government Schools. In addition to these initiatives, CII members have developed schemes to finance exceptional SC/ST students through Scholarships, counseling and career guidance programmes in the Government schools in South India. CII members have also partnered with NGO’s to implement mid day meal scheme programme in Government Schools.

Realizing the importance of Skills in improving the livelihood options of the excluded groups, CII in Southern Region has formed a Taskforce on Skills, Employability and Affirmative Action. This task force is mandated with the mission to facilitate a multi-partnership approach for the development of skills in the southern Region. This approach envisages cooperation among Government, Policy makers, Industry, Researchers, Skill training providers and educators and development specialists.
Under this platform CII has evolved two major initiatives one with respect to the Soft Skill Training programme and the other a large Scale skill Development initiative called Grassroot Level Skill Development Initiative (GLSDI). The soft skill training programme intends to reach out to more than 5,000 students under the Madras and Andhra University. This programme is being supported by an Industry Consortium which has formulated the syllabi for the training programme.

CII members are also involved in the upgradation of Industrial Training Institute in the Southern Region. The members are partnering with the Government to upgrade the institutes through the Public Private Partnership (PPP).

GLSDI propounded by CII represents a key instrument in facilitating the social and economic integration of excluded groups and disadvantaged segments of the population like the rural unemployed youth and School drop outs.

Affirmative Action is a key strategy for the overall economic and social development of the country. It also gives an opportunity for both the Public and the private sector in India to join hands and to ensure that there in an inclusive economic development in the country and the development is sustainable and equitable. It is also important to note that the catalytic role played by CII for been an active facilitator in this process and thereby creating a platform for the stakeholders for sharing of information and expertise in the area of Affirmative Action. The road ahead for CII in the area of Affirmative Action is challenging but CII with its inherent strength of a vision and leadership will be able to make a huge impact in improving the lives of Indians left untouched by the economic growth that the country is currently witnessing.

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The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.