Business Goa September 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021

RNI No.: GOAENG/2015/59955

VOL 7 ISSUE 9 PANAJI GOA

GOA’S ONLY BUSINESS MAGAZINE

POSTAL LICENSE No.: G-2/RNP/Monthly/Goa-19/2021-23

www.businessgoa.in

INDUSTRY DOSSIER

VERNA INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION

For 25 years, Verna Industries Association has been working for the betterment of industry and society

THE NATURE MASONS GOAN BRAND

DR ANIL MEHNDIRATTA PROFESSIONAL DOSSIER

DR K V SUBRAMANIAN NATIONAL FOCUS

NEWS VIEWS ARTICLES INTERVIEWS PROFILES FOCUS ANALYSIS OPINIONS EVENTS FEATURES

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CONTENTS

Cover Story 14

For 25 years, Verna Industries Association has been working for the betterment of the largest industrial estate in Goa, and continues to do so, contributing to the welfare of the people and the State

National Focus 28

India’s Chief Economic Advisor, Dr K V Subramanian is buoyant about the nation’s economy; and he tells us why

Goan Brand 30

Jennifer Parras and Mrinalini Deshprabhu highlight their brand, The Nature Masons, where products are made with natural ingredients and love

Interview 32

Business Goa interviews Er. Chandrashekar Prabhudessai on his role as Chairman of the Institution of Engineers, Goa State Centre

Lady Power 40

Sheryl de Sa elaborates on her rise in the hospitality industry and her role as President at Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Diversity and Inclusion (WICCI D&I) Goa

14 40

Professional Dossier 42

Dr. Anil Mehndiratta speaks on the challenges of his profession and the dreaded third wave of Covid

Technology 44 28 42

32 60

UMANG Software Technologies celebrates its 12th anniversary with unwavering support from long-standing clients and dedicated team members

Bon Appétit 60

Ping’s Bia Hoi boasts of authentic South East Asian cuisine with a beer garden and a perfect ambience

62

30 COLUMNS

50 Beyond Classroom

56 Cabbages and Queen

52 Invest Right

58 Love for Business

Dr. Pradeep Salgaonkar lists down points to protect privacy from companies gathering customer data Mahesh Pai explains the importance of estate planning and the legal aspects involved in getting it done

54 Corporate Citizen

Daniel Albuquerque deals with the Gram Nyayalayas, or adjudication of disputes at the village panchayat level

Cover pic: Aliston Dias 06 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

Nandini Vaidyanathan highlights the importance of having proper conversations between various teams in an organisation

Swapnil Kamat and Arunima Kamat jot down tips for cultivating a mindset that would help one adjust to being a leader

08 Editorial 10 Corpo Scan 36 Campus 38 BookShelf 46 Biz Bytes 62 Goa Buzz 66 Newsmakers 66 BG Quiz READ GOA’S ONLY BUSINESS MAGAZINE EVERY MONTH

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Shree Mahalakshmi Damodar Prasanna

EDITORIAL Think Way Too Big

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly

The past year and a half has pushed most

entrepreneurs into a corner. Many still run

have grown sizeable businesses within the state

their enterprises in survival mode, while few

and have branched out in one or two other

pivoted to other ventures to bring grist to the

states. Some have even successfully acquired

mill. Absolute desolation or staring at a bleak

ventures abroad.

future can throw up an array of possibilities.

I often hear this phrase: “when you are

is yet to take root and shoots. There have

down, the only way you can go is up!” So,

been flashes of business groups investing and

consider this plea. It is an audacious one, I

setting up industries in far-flung lands in India

admit.

and abroad, but they are neither businesses

Has the Goan entrepreneur considered

that have a noteworthy market capitalisation

Business Head Annalise Gouveia

fashioning an enterprise too big to fail? How

nor are their brands among the top-3 of their

many businesses are headquartered, or made,

global peers.

in Goa that sell goods or services to the nation

Chief Reporter Sybil Rodrigues

or the world?

leap of faith? Are we still overwhelmed by our

Do we know that IKEA was once a

vision? Are we easily pleased with the level of

tiny business in Älmhult, a small village in

success that has come our way?

the Swedish countryside, selling through

Be that as it may. The readers of this

a mail-order catalogue and that its design

publication are perfectly poised to make this

headquarters are still located there?

quantum jump.

Nokia was built – and took the telecom

Not all leading global brands and

world by storm – from a small town called

companies fell from the skies. They had

Espoo in Finland. There are many American

visionary leadership that focused on the scale

corporations headquartered in small towns –

as well as growing their market reach.

MasterCard’s corporate headquarters are in

Purchase, a hamlet upstate from New York

opinion, it translates into being content with

City with a population of 5300. PepsiCo and

what life has offered one. However, susegado

Pernod Ricard are also headquartered in this

could be an obstacle in the path of an idea – a

small town.

product or service – that could dominate the

global space or be a front-runner.

SEPTEMBER 2021 Publisher & Editor Harshvardhan Bhatkuly Group Director Urvija Bhatkuly

Circulation Mayur Santineskar Contributors in this Issue Arunima Kamat Daniel Albuquerque Dr Pradeep Salgaonkar Mahesh Pai Nandini Vaidyanathan Rajan Laad Swapnil Kamat PRESENTED BY

Editorial, Advertising & Administrative Office

Business Goa

409, Citicentre, EDC Patto Plaza, Panaji, 403001 Goa India Tel.: 0832-2437822 Email: businessgoa.media@gmail.com Unsolicited material may not be returned. The opinions in columns and other stories expressed in Business Goa Industry Dossier are not necessarily that of the publishers and the Publisher/Editor shall not be held liable for any inaccuracy or otherwise.

While great care is being taken to ensure accuracy of information, the publishers are not responsible for omissions or incorrect information. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the permission of the publishers.

Goa is a state teeming with entrepreneurs.

Goa is also home to entrepreneurs who

However, the idea of a Goan multinational

Is this because we do not have an audacious

I am fond of the term susegado! In my

We look at the tourism sector and see a

Enough has been said about state support,

spectrum of enterprises that abound. From

infrastructure, policy and the like. This idea

a person who owns and rents 5/10 bikes or

has to grow despite what the government has

has a taxi fleet, to one who operates a shack

in store for you.

or a group of restaurants, to starred hotels or

At second glance, this edit reads like a

hotel supply businesses, to security service

fairy tale, too good to be true. Maybe that is

providers or printing services – you name it,

the kind of business that we could create in

we have adequate proof of enterprise in Goans,

Goa and sell to the world. I believe this is a

living their entrepreneurial dreams through

challenge worth mulling over

the tourism vertical.

Printed, published and owned by Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly and printed at Elegant Offset Printers, D2-31, Tivim Industrial Estate, Karaswada, Mapusa Goa 403526 and published at 409, Citicentre, EDC Patto Plaza, Panaji, Goa 403001. Editor: Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly

08 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

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CORPO SCAN

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GSIA miffed with water tariff hike The Goa State Industries Association (GSIA) has strongly objected to the State Government for providing free water to households while industrial units were burdened with a tariff hike.

Damodar Kochkar, President of GSIA said that industries received a circular of a water tariff hike and the new rates for water is `37 per cubic meter and for industries, which use water as raw material the rate is `78 per cubic meter from `74 per cubic meter.

Further, Kochkar added that the industry, that is the highest contributor to the State’s GDP has been struggling for the last 18 months due to the pandemic.

Kochkar also claimed that with the increase in water tariff, industries would be forced to buy water from tanker suppliers or draw water from bore wells, leading to depletion in groundwater levels and cause environmental damage.

The PWD notification mentioned that water charges for industries would be increased by five per cent at the beginning of each financial year and units would have to pay arrears whenever the charges are revised. From May 12, 2020 till date, the PWD raised the water charges for industries thrice, from `30 per cubic meter to `35 per cubic meter followed by `37 per cubic meter

POSTAL DEPARTMENT RELEASES SPECIAL COVER ON ‘KHOLA CHILI’

Goa’s Industrial Policy to focus on logistics and small units Swetika Sachan, Director, Industries, Trade and Commerce said that the State’s updated Goa Industrial Policy 2021 is expected to place emphasis on logistics, agriproduce, fisheries and small units. Sachan stated that the policy will aid in the growth of industries in the State and fix gaps in production.

Sachan, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board, said that the proposed policy would have logistics as a focus area since it is an industry where no guidelines have been formulated so far.

Sachan also explained that while Goa has several schemes to promote industrial growth, these measures needed to be brought together in order to attract fresh industries and

revitalise existing units.

The Goan industry has been hoping for an industrial policy that will bring in procedural reforms and reduce the compliance burden on units. With manufacturing activity sluggish, local industry bodies expect the proposed policy to propel growth. The 2017 Policy aimed at non-polluting industries for the State while keeping away alcohol, cigarette and ‘red’ industries. It hoped to attract IT, electronics and knowledge-based industries to Goa

CEC probes Goa’s Mineral Welfare Fund Scheme

With an aim to promote Goa’s unique chili at the national and international level, the Indian Postal Service, Goa Division, released the special cover and special cancellation on ‘Khola Chili’.

The special postal cover and special cancellation on ‘Khola Chili’ was released at the hands of the Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant ‘Babu’ Kavlekar at a function held at the Secretariat.

The Postmaster General, Goa Division Col S F H Rizvi, Senior Superintendent of Post Offices Dr Sudhir Jhakere, Director of Agriculture Nevil Alphonso and Vice President of Khola Chilli Producers and Farmers Association Krishna Velip were present at the function.

Kavlekar who is also the agriculture minister stated

that this initiative by the Indian Postal Service would boost the efforts of the State Government to promote the ‘Khola Chili’.

He said that this is an additional boost for ‘Khola Chilli’ after it has bagged geographical indication tag as locally grown chilli in the village of Khola in Canacona taluka. Kavlekar further stated that the farmer producer organisation has been formed in Khola village, and added that the government will set up a chilli processing unit, which will enable further value addition to the locally grown chilli.

Postmaster General Rizvi said that this will help to encourage local chilli growing farmers, and promote the Goa brand at national and international level

10 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the Supreme Court has expressed their resentment over the State Government’s act of notifying the Goa Mineral Ore Permanent Fund Trust Scheme in the official gazette of the government without prior approval from the apex court.

In its report dated September 8, the CEC said, “It is seen that the State of Goa has formally notified the Goa Mineral Ore Permanent Fund Trust Scheme in gazette dated 01.07.2021,” while pointing out that, “This should not have been done without first obtaining the approval of this Honourable Court to the Scheme.”

The particular scheme aims to set aside 10 per cent of the e-auction sale proceeds and 10 per cent of the future sale / export price of iron ore for the welfare of communities and restoration of areas affected by mining.

However, the CEC has suggested that the court may approve the draft of the Goa

Mineral Ore Permanent Fund Trust Scheme, subject to the condition that as and when any changes in the Scheme become necessary, prior approval of the Supreme Court will be obtained.

The State Government had notified the particular scheme in July, earlier this year, thus paving way for setting up of the fund, of which no amount will be utilised for any purpose other than towards the affected people and areas. However, 10 per cent of the balance fund could be used in case of disaster emanating from mining-related activities or any unforeseen disaster such as pandemic, epidemic and any other natural calamity

CORPO SCAN

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Margao, Fatorda and Ponda MLAs to jointly inspect draft ODP At the board meeting of the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA), Chairman and Nuvem MLA Wilfred D’sa informed that a decision to carry out a joint site inspection along with MLAs of Margao, Fatorda and Ponda was taken.

This decision was taken in view of the 65 objections

filed against the draft outline development plan (ODP) of the SGDPA. D’Sa further said that after the inspection the draft ODP would be forwarded to the higher authority and then be kept open for two months for objections and suggestions.

He also stated that the SGPDA’s technical section

Goa SEZ land to be e-auctioned The State Government will be auctioning SEZ land in phases with the first auction for five lakh sq mt of land due shortly.

Dr Suresh Shanbhogue, Director of the Department of Public Private Partnership (PPP) said that the State is ready to allot plots in the SEZ land through the e-auctioning process.

Shanbhogue stated that the Request For Bid (RFB) document, interested in setting up industries as per the GIDC Act, has been finalised and was ready to be floated anytime. The RFB document provides details of the proposed plots, the

allotment process, timeline of allotment including a copy of the lease document.

The PPP department is providing hand-holding support to Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) in executing the auction.

Shanbhogue added that outside investors are interested in purchasing industrial plots in the State.

With industry in the State facing shortage of land for setting up new projects and for expansion, the government is trying to free the SEZ land for the existing companies as well as investors

GOVERNMENT KEEN TO AUCTION ALL IRON ORE LEASES TO RESTART MINING

The State Government is firm on auctioning all iron ore leases to restart the mining industry and even the 88 iron ore leases, which were quashed by the Supreme Court vide its 2018 order, are to be put up for the bidding process.

A source said that issues related to surface rights, lease boundaries and overlapping lease areas have to be sorted for the 88 leases.

On September 7, the Supreme Court rejected mining company Vedanta’s appeal to be granted lease

rights until 2037 with the State Government being party to the appeal.

Two leaseholders, Vedanta and Geetabala Parulekar, had appealed for extension of lease rights for 50 years; of which the apex court dismissed Vedanta’s appeal and allowed the petition of Parulekar to be withdrawn.

As per the Supreme Court order of 2018, mining companies were given one month’s time to leave the lease area.

However, the Government had not acted on the said order because it was awaiting the court’s decision on validity of leases.

The State is planning to appoint a transaction advisory within a month’s time to help in preparing the tendering process and

12 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

had considered these objections and done the necessary correction to the earlier prepared ODP visiting the site. Meanwhile Digambar Kamat said, “We have told the chairperson that there should be no change of zone while preparing the draft ODP, minor mistakes can be rectified and that too would

be decided after the joint inspection.” Vijay Sardesai said that he had demanded that the chairperson follow the consultative process while preparing the ODP. He pointed out that the c o m mu n i d a d e - t e n a nt e d lands have been shown as settlement zone on the draft ODP, which he objected to

Shack owners hail 50% license fee waiver

Although shack owners have welcomed the government’s recent decision to waive off 50 per cent license fees for beach shacks, they were still unhappy about being charged as much as `13000 as Goa Electronics Ltd (GEL) charges.

The cabinet agreed to waive off 50 per cent license fees for beach shack operators for the current tourism season.

Cruz Cardozo, President of Shack Owners Welfare Society said that the shack owners were happy with the government’s decision.

Cardozo stated that they had initially requested for a complete rebate or at least a 75 per cent rebate but this 50 per cent rebate will help considerably given that the

last season was bad in terms of business due to the pandemic.

The shack owners intend to approach the Government again with the issue of payment of GEL fees as all the formalities were being done by the Tourism Department with respect to issuing licenses and maintaining records.

Shack owners usually pay the fees by September 15, following which the process of shack demarcation is taken up by the Tourism Department. Once set up, official permissions are granted so as to allow the shacks to begin operations.

Shack operators, who usually set up their shacks between September to May, have over the last year had to cut short the season or start late. “We think this season will be better than the last.

As of today, there are a lot of Indian tourists visiting Goa and there aren’t enough restaurants on the beach to cater to them. Once the shacks start operating, we hope that it will be better for us and the tourists,” said Cardozo.

Maintaining and adhering to set standard operating procedures, (SOP) will also be crucial for shack owners

advising on the auction price.

The transaction advisory will come on the heels of signing of an MoU with the Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd for conducting mineral exploration in the State.

With the State heading for Assembly Elections, the government wants to handle reopening of the mining

industry sensitively.

The Government’s aim now is the restart the industry under the procedure mandated by the MMDR Act. Mining operations will be restarted through the mining corporation and the auction route for which the MECL will be doing the exploration and consultancy

COVER STORY

www.businessgoa.in

VERNA INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION

Standing (left to right) Blaise Costabir, Damodar Kochkar, Pradip da Costa. Sitting: Nitin Kunkolienker (left) and Cyril Pereira

For 25 years, Verna Industries Association has been working for the betterment of the largest industrial estate in Goa, and continues to contribute to the welfare of the people and the State

V

By SYBIL RODRIGUES

erna Industries Association was established in 1996, as a few stakeholders

wished to create a platform to interact with the various government agencies to bring about an improvement in the operations of the Verna

14 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

Industrial Estate. There were very little or no facilities at the estate at that time, hence it was the need of the hour.

Nitin Kunkolienkar,

the then General Manager of D-Link, took the lead and decided to establish an association that would put forth grievances of

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COVER STORY industries, collectively, to people who were in a position of power and who could bring about a change, in the smooth functioning of Verna Industrial Estate.

Along with a few industry players, including Amol Prabhu from Titan, Anish Bhadouria from Coultards Packaging, Sanjay and Rajiv Sarda of Sparrow, Asit Aggarwal, to name a few, the Association was born and the first meeting was held on 12 July 1996 in Nitin’s cabin.

At that time, the association comprised of twelve members and today it has continued expanding adding more members, thus making it the dynamic body that it is today.

Being one of the first trade associations in the country to have a website to communicate with its members, it was new at that time, today the Association uses messaging apps.

VIA has been consistent in demanding their rights for the betterment of the industry and works cohesively for a common cause.

The Association has dealt with various ministries in Goa and some even at Central level, this includes Chief Ministers, various Union Ministers, Government officials and other dignitaries, over the years.

From the beginning, given that Verna had a lot of multinational corporations as members, the thought process was always on how to improve infrastructure and get better facilities for which the benchmarks were high, be

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it national or global.

Verna Industrial Estate is the biggest industrial estate in Goa till date and it has the potential of doing better things in a better way. Key industry players wanted to make a difference right from day one and so the journey began and continues.

Decisions taken by VIA do not have a personal agenda, which is the hallmark of the Association. VIA is for everybody in the industrial estate. Given the fact that till date there is no secretariat, it means that the office bearers have to necessarily interact and get things done personally.

Dial Goa VIA was instrumental in getting advanced telecom technology for the whole of Goa and was responsible for having a single dial code for the State. This happened when the Central Telecom Minister, Jagmohan (who had also earlier served as Governor of Goa) visited the D-Link unit at Verna IE. Jagmohan was appraised of the situation and thanks to quick action from the Telecom Department, not only Verna, but also Goa benefited.

VIA structured everything in a strategic way and was contributing a lot more, by way of revenue to the Telecom Department than any industrial estate. Till date VIA has the best of telecom exchange in the State.

Power Struggle When it came to electricity,

“Covid has changed the way we work and live” “When I took over as President, it was at the peak of the first lockdown.

Ever ything was uncertain with the paranoia and fear-factor. The biggest issue was the migrants getting affected with regards to food and their stay.

Thanks to a lot of support from Damodar who initiated this, and Blaise, the three of us worked on the ground when it came to arranging food and essentials for the migrant workers. We got a lot of support from all industries who went out of their way to help us. The next issue was restarting of the industry. We all worked together very closely, which is not favourable during covid, but we gave an assurance to the collector that full covid protocols will be followed and Goa became the first State to restart industry while the lockdown was still on at the national level. This was the first part of it. The next part

came to handling the system, which was totally strained, what with having to make sure our workers underwent regular tests.

Thanks to Tulip Diagnostics who gave us a testing machine and we set up our own test centre, which was supported by the Government. We were able to give test results within 24 hours. This helped us to identify and isolate patients. It also ensured that containment happened much faster. We also set up our first Covid care centre, with 130 beds in Verna itself, for industries all over Goa, specially the marginalized ones. Everything was free and we did not charge anyone for any of the facilities provided.

All this helped us get back on our feet and we supported the Government when they were in dire straits.”

the villages around the industrial estate were always having a problem. All substations were located at different places. When VIA came into being, a special sub-station was given only for Verna. However, slowly the Department began using the same to supply power to Vasco, Majorda, Fatorda and other areas around.

The supply from Ponda and Xeldem was through the old line and because the industrial load increased, along with additional load from other surrounding areas, new conductors were required.

VIA struggled for a good two and half years to get the conductors changed. Old conductors were replaced

by Casablanca conductors, thereby increasing the power drawing capacity of Verna sub-station by almost 3 times.

This in turn helped improve power supply to Mormugao taluka, and villages like Majorda and Fatorda, along with Verna Industrial Estate.

Two 40 MVA stations were set up at the request of VIA which fed the entire village of Verna, most of Salcette and the Cuncolim Industrial Estate, as well.

Former Governor of Goa Mohammed Fazal in conversation with VIA leadership, Blaise Costabir and Nitin Kunkolienker

16 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

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COVER STORY

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PAVING THE WAY FOR EXCELLENT TELECOMMUNICATION IN GOA The telecom scenario in Goa was very bad in the 1990s and VIA wanted a few pressing problems to be addressed immediately.

Founder President of VIA, Nitin Kunkolienker had heard about the tenacity of Jagmohan, the then Union Minister for Tourism and Communications; and about his penchant to provide solutions to any problem related to his area of work.

The Goa Telecom Department has always been and still is, a smaller sibling of Maharashtra telecom. With its tele density of just about 0.17 then and internet penetration as low as it could be, Goa was in no position to have its say, lest be heard. As a result, the telecom users in Goa suffered a lot and the industry, the most.

Goa, at that time, was divided into two telecom districts, North and South, each with its own STD code, 0832 for North Goa and 0834 for South Goa. Therefore, anybody calling from Panaji to Margao or vice versa had to have the STD facility opened on his telephone and had to make a STD call. Further, Goa was divided into SDCAs (Short Distance Charging Areas) wherein anybody calling from beyond 50 kms was charged with much higher pulse rate. Numerous requests by several subscribers to get this changed to a more uniform method of charging had fallen on deaf ears. Revenue starved Telecom Department was perhaps looking at this as an opportunity to squeeze more out of the Goan consumers.

Accessing the internet was yet

another story, and in order to connect to the sluggish Dial Up Internet, one had to dial a Mumbai number on STD and remain connected on this Long Distance Call and be charged exorbitantly for the same on a handsome pulse rate. The connectivity was never stable and call drop was a regular feature.

Downloading a mail or two in an hour used to be an achievement.

“Goa as an international tourism destination and as a ‘Corporate Creativity Cradle’ of the country, had immense potential to generate enough telecom demand and earn sufficient revenues.

The need of the hour was for the Department to come out of its slumber and start working constructively. Most of the telephone exchanges in Goa belonged to the older influence and needed immediate replacement. At other locations, upgradation of infrastructure was necessary. For local internet access, the internet server had to be installed in Goa instead of one in Mumbai.

The Exchange Numbering Plan had to be redone for the merger to single STD code for Goa. The local GM was not

empowered enough to carry out any of these tasks and I could only commiserate with him,” says Nitin.

Something akin to an iron fisted deliverance was potently needed to take Goa Telecom out of its inefficiency glut. Nitin as a firm believer in team synergy, immediately constituted a small team of four that included P Sridhar, K D Kulkarni, (both from the then Controlnet) and Sandeep Verenkar from Anant Infotech.

The meeting agenda was drawn and it included the following primary points: The internet access through a local standalone server; uniform pulse rate throughout Goa for voice calling; merging of the STD codes into one, instead of North and South Goa; Upgradation of the local telephone exchanges so that state of the art services could be offered to Goan subscribers; fibre backbone across Goa; more towers for DOT, Ring Network for select important areas and DID facility in major exchanges to suit corporate needs.

Union Minister Jagmohan being on a visit to Goa met Nitin who was a Managing Committee member of GCCI

then. He presented the ‘Goa Agenda’ to him on behalf of the Goan industry.

Jagmohan then opened a floodgate of instructions, for every query, every doubt, every question raised by the officials present there, he had an answer, and every answer was followed by an action plan for execution. He finally asked the GM to depute his top man as an officer on special duty to oversee this execution.

“The optical fibre ring network that Goa boasts of, high speed internet access, international microwave and satellite connectivity backbone, the spread of the mobile network infrastructure throughout the length and breadth of Goa all are and have been possible largely due to the futuristic implementation approach that was adopted by Shri Jagmohanji,” adds Nitin.

“Today, Goa is on the threshold of a new emerging communication technology of 5G, internet of things is cementing its place in the social fabric of the vast majority, Artificial Intelligence is making great inroads in the common person’s life, and digital payment system is commonplace today. Content consumption over the internet, for entertainment and for business is touching Petabytes and digital revolution is here to stay and grow further. Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa has already unveiled the Telecom Tower Policy and implementation of the same will pave the paths for early adoption of these emerging technologies,” opines Nitin

Water Woes There were plenty of disputes regarding water with villages around the Estate. Water was being supplied everywhere by tankers. Pumping water from borewells was not a good idea, given that wells and the water table was falling due to

excessive pumping of water.

In 2012, VIA approached then Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar who assured them of supply of raw water from Selaulim. The Government used the old line from Orlim to Verna and installed a 30 MLD tank. All this happened

by the end of 2013. The Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) then took their own time in installing an internal line. In 2018, they managed to get a water connection but the rate was high, as the Water Resources Department

(WRD) wanted a higher price. VIA had to convince industries that using borewell water was harming the environment and requested them to use raw water on one hand and on the other, they had to push WRD for a rate reduction to make using raw

Nitin Kunkolienkar along with Jagmohan (2nd from left) on a tour of the Verna Industrial Estate

18 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

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COVER STORY water viable.

The WRD did not see the merit for a long time and continued to charge a high rate, which the Association managed to bring down in the interest of the environment.

Finally, the efforts bore fruit and now, raw water is utilised for gardening or after treatment in house as companies already had their own treatment plants.

After this, the water table in Verna and surrounding areas has shown quite a bit of improvement and pressure on treated water has been reduced.

Verna: The Star Industrial Estate Verna Industrial Estate has over 20000 employees working in various industries all over the Estate. VIA has been constantly trying to improve the accessibility of the Estate to nearby villages and towns so that people can stay in their homes and work and do not have to relocate.

At the entrance of the Estate, VIA has a KTC booking counter and a dedicated bus service in operation from 2019.

The Association keeps a watch on all works tendered

by GIDC and for payment to happen, VIA has to issue a completion certificate as per the rules of GIDC. This job is taken very seriously.

Companies and industries that create issues are pulled up

by VIA, which is something

business-goa

that is appreciated by all stakeholders.

Political bodies or rallies have not made any inroads in this Estate thanks to VIA. No politician comes to the estate for any sort of political campaigning donations or holding rallies. This is partially because all funds marked for CSR are poured into projects aimed to benefit local schools in and around the Estate.

There were issues pertaining to customs and excise, sales tax, labour unions etc which are dealt with by VIA. They followed up on the building of a dry port in Verna with CWC set up, CFS for import and export of cargo, which was an exception even though there is a port located barely 20 kms away.

Focus on Education Within a year of being established, VIA decided to conduct a CSR exercise and chose a few schools to work with. St Joseph Convent High School, Nagoa; Marina English High School, Verna; Our Lady of Perpetual Succor Higher Secondary School, Cortalim; St Joseph High School, Sancoale; Our Lady of Succor High School, Nagoa; Shantadurga High School, Sancoale; Shree Mahalsa Narayani Primary School, were some of the educational institutions that VIA has been working with over the years.

The Association hoped

“Always focussed on industry interest”

“I am not in conflict with the Government. I only look at the interest of the industry that I am representing.

Since I have started my own industry, I am in a better position to understand various grievances faced by industries. People at the Government level are not in a position to understand the various challenges that we face or get a first hand impression about the pulse of to improve the school infrastructure, set up computer laboratories, and provide these schools with proper facilities. One of their key services was having a teacher-training course in association with Nirmala Institute of Education.

The advantage of this CSR program was that the financial aid was handed directly to schools to improve their facilities.

Vocal for Local In the case of Union issues, the Association insisted that

VIA meeting attended by then Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro. Standing extreme right is Late Prashant Shinde, President of VIA (2011-2015)

20 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

the industry. I am here just to put forth the reaction of the industry to the Government.

When doing so, if I am clear in my approach or loud for that matter, people consider it as criticism. But I talk about factual scenarios which are existing in the industry and our challenges. Some people do not like to be vocal about such issues and love to talk out such things only socially, something which I don’t appreciate. I will talk what I feel like talking, especially when it comes to the industry.

I don’t have grudges or enemity against anyone. I just put forth issues to the government and more often than not, I get a favourable response from them. If the cause is genuine, they try their best to cooperate with us.”

DAMODAR KOCHKAR

President, VIA (Oct 2015 to Nov 2019)

the rule of law be followed and ensured that there was no violence or other disruption that would mar production at the Estate.

This has guaranteed that the Verna Industrial Estate has seen a very peaceful working environment.

VIA was ‘Vocal for Local’ much before the phrase began trending. The Association did not compromise when it came to customs, sales tax or other Government obligations. They studied matters at hand before putting across their grievances to the Government. VIA believes in results, in actions and in a strong commitment to the development and sustenance of the industries within its enclave and across Goa.

Leadership Pool VIA has been known for producing leaders who went on to excel in different fields. It has seen members of the Association go on to head industry organisations like Goa Chamber Of Commerce & Industry (GCCI), Confederation of

COVER STORY Indian Industry-Goa Council (CII), Goa State Industries Association (GSIA), National Institute of Personnel Management (NIPM), and national-level industry bodies like Manufacturers Association for Information Technology (MAIT). The leadership team at VIA possess the ability to trust people to get the job done, work together as a team for a joint cause, while focusing on the requirements of the industries. This has helped them take up leadership positions both, at the State and national level.

Every leader who has graduated from VIA has shown fearlessness, transparency and has been bold enough to get into uncharted territory. VIA is constantly on the lookout for people who can assume leadership roles and can shine at different levels in industry bodies.

VIA did not have a physical office until recent times. The first meeting of the Association was held at D-Link and the second at Titan. Later meetings continued to be held at D-Link until the Association managed to get an office for themselves. VIA did not wait for any special premises or formal structure to come up and went on with their commitment to work.

At VIA, they just needed an intent and will to make this

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“VIA is a game-changing organisation”

“We started Verna Industries Association in 1996, as an outcome of the frustration of most of the industrial bodies, as there were no facilities to meet the requirements of the industry. I decided to take a lead by pulling together a few company representatives. The response was overwhelming.

I must mention the contribution of Amol Prabhu from Titan, Anish Bhadouria from Coultards Packaging, Sanjay and Rajiv Sarda, Asit Aggarwal along with a few others who contributed to the formation of this Association.

The first meeting was held on 12th July 1996 in my cabin.

We were twelve of us at the first meeting; and since then this Association has expanded to become the vibrant body that it is today. We were the first trade associations in the country to have a website.

We dealt with the ministry, Government officials, the Chief Minister, various Union Ministers and various other dignitaries. VIA works for a

common cause. We are united and work together for the betterment of the industry.

We have not allowed any political units to come here.

We have pulled up errant units if they are in the wrong and conveyed our dissent to them. I am very happy that the Association that I had started in 1996 has emerged to be one of the top institutions in Goa. I must thank my successors, for the job that they have done, especially during the last year and a half. When covid struck, we supported the Collectorate in a big way and contributed immensely to the Government kitty. We were not only giving money, we were also working on the ground. Blaise, Pradip and Damodar were looking after the labourers and supporting them by way of providing them with essentials. We created a covid care facility, had vaccination drives and I have seen these three men, coming at 7 in the morning and leaving at 9 in the evening every day – to pack essentials, with their own hands, to help the needy. I am very proud to be a part of this Association, which is celebrating its silver jubilee, and am happy that I was an enabler of this institution.”

NITIN KUNKOLIENKER Founder President, VIA (July 1996 to July 2001)

Verna Industries Association received the HDFC presents Business Goa Award for Corporate Excellence 2021 as ‘Business Organisation of the Year’ for handling the covid crisis by being proactive and giving back to society in trying times Pradip da Costa receives the Business Goa Award from industrialist Atul Pai Kane, former President GSIA and former Chairman of CII Goa State Council

22 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

organisation a success. VIA has proved that everything can be achieved if one just has the will to do it. It is an integrated corporate social responsibility that they have provided to everyone who falls under the umbrella of this Association.

It was only in 2020 that VIA got its own office in the GIDC Administrative Building.

The Covid Challenge The game changer for VIA came during covid. VIA had some members from their leadership team (Blaise Costabir, Damodar Kochkar and Pradip da Costa) who went out of their way to help the Government, District Collectorate, district hospitals and stranded labourers.

Everyone’s needs were looked after, be it in terms of raising funds for the government and providing essentials to the workers. RT-PCR testing facility for quick results, along with a 130-bed step-up covid care centre and later a vaccination centre was set up

by VIA. VIA has now tied up with Schneider Electric for the step-up Covid care centre; which houses 45 beds along with oxygen concentrators, ready for use.

VIA spent their funds judiciously during the covid crisis. The system was thrown off track completely.

People from the industry responded overnight and contributed. With the request and coordination of the VIA, the industries from Verna raised around `6.5 crores and donated it to the government.

District hospitals and the Collectorate would call VIA members regularly requesting for help with basic facilities, like fans, water (around 40,000 litres), linen, groceries; some of which was packed by the members of the Association themselves.

VIA modestly says that it was more of a humanitarian approach rather than lobbying together for profits.

VIA has also helped set up the neo-natal NICU at the

COVER STORY South Goa District Hospital as a preparatory measure for the dreaded third wave.

VIA also pulled up units that were not doing their bit when it came to looking after their workers, by pushing member industries to get involved in the process.

VIA jointly with GSIA designed covid SOPs for the industry which ensured that it was first in India to reopen during the first national lockdown of 2020. VIA along with GSIA also worked very closely with the Government to bring in stranded workforce from across the border without much glitch, so that industry did not struggle much for want of labour.”

In the Service of People Post covid, a plea for help

@businessgoamagazine

“VIA has strived to focus and support the local ecosystem” “VIA has played a vital role in sorting out various issues like water and electricity.

It is not about asking for water only for one unit and not for the other. When we found there was a water problem, because of the treated water shortage, we pushed for getting raw water facility. This facility helps us conserve ground water, which is available. When it comes

to the GIDC, we make sure, when they give a contract, the job is done.

We also strive to working with schools, so that children around us would get the best facilities. Children were our priority, so with the six schools that we chose, we started with providing them desks, built toilets, made sure that there was availability of drinking water.

We set up computer labs and audio-visual systems. There also was a program for the training of teachers, who were hesistant at the beginning, but when they realised we were reaching out to them, they got on board. VIA looks at everything through a futuristic prism; this way we have been performing our duties and continue to do so, albeit now the scope has enlarged manifold.”

came from Quelossim village, where they did not have water supply.

One of the companies, Colorcon, took up the entire

project and installed tanks on top of the slope of this village wherein water could be pumped up, solving the woes of the villagers.

VIA has also done social work to add to its portfolio of achievements. They provided Chikitsa Hospital with an ambulance, provided senior

BLAISE COSTABIR

President, VIA (July 2001 to July 2008 and November 2019 to May 2020)

Battling Covid: Supporting Government, Workforce and Industry Support to the Police Station VIA has been provided crucial assistance in strengthening the base of Verna Police Station outpost by supporting them in multiple projects.

VIA has supported the police with the road barricades, PPE kits, face masks, face shields, sanitisers etc for all the Police personnel at Verna Police Station along with Vitamin C tablets for the South Goa district personnel.

VIA helped set-up a gym at Verna Police Station and very recently upgraded the same, with a motorised treadmill and elliptical. In addition, VIA has donated 3 of E-motor cycles for patrolling Verna Industrial Estate as a green initiative.

Beds were provided to Maina-Curtorim Police Station.

Besides this, beverages to Vasco, Maina-Curtorim, Verna and Margao Police Stations were also provided.

Covid-19 Pandemic Situation This has been a critical phase for everyone around, but VIA has handled this situation excellently thanks to its proactive measures and that of

Industries to help bring the situation under normalcy.

Free Ration for Contract Workforce Free ration was distributed to the contract workforce during the scarcity period of the lockdown phase.

Vegetables, grocery items and necessities were provided for the workforce for a period of 15 days continuously. Tons of rations were sourced and supplied in form of parcels to the workforce. This was done in partnership with GSIA. Instant Support for District Collector’s Office VIA has provided endless support to the office of the Collector in providing the basic requirements such as face masks, hand sanitizers, soaps, hand gloves, biscuits, fans, tea kettles and more. The Collector’s office has played vital role in distributing and reaching out to the larger pool of people in various remote villages of Goa. Support for the ESIC Hospital and PHCs at Cortalim and Cansaulim VIA has provided a floor

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cleaning machine for the ESIC Hospital, oxygen concentrators for ESIC and Cansaulim PHC, PPE equipments, face-shields, face-masks, sanitisers etc to all, as well as beverages.

Support for the South Goa District Hospital VIA had provided 100 beds at the start of the second wave of Covid, besides PPE kits, face shields, face masks and sanitisers. Then again, at that critical time, VIA provided 4 Philips ventilators, plenty of essential critical medicines etc. Now in preparation of the third wave, VIA has helped set up a state-of-the-art neonatal paediatric SNCU at the South Goa District Hospital.

Covid Testing Centre and Swab Collection Centre At the start of the pandemic, in probably an all-India industry first, VIA set up their own RT-PCR testing centre through South Goa District Hospital, so that industry personnel could get their results within 24 hours, thus enabling immediate containment actions, and also in reducing the load on

the strained Government infrastructure. When Phase-2 broke out, VIA enhanced this capacity by adding another machine. This facility is free for industry personnel.

Full-fledged Covid Care Centre During Phase-1, in probably another all-India industry first, VIA had set-up fullfledged 130-bedded Covid Centre in Verna Industrial Estate, as an immediate support for the industry workforce. A 130-bedded centre was established by providing all the necessary facilities at the centre with a team of doctors, nurses and other support staff. This has been a big milestone for VIA and big support for the State Government during the crisis.

This service, again, was free for all industry personnel.

Currently in preparedness for the third wave, VIA already has a 40 bed step-up facility ready, with 20 oxygen concentrators and 5 oxygen cylinders, with a medical team on stand-by, ready to kick start if required. This capacity can be increased to 100 beds, and both, beds and space are available

COVER STORY citizens around Verna with a sum of `1200 per month by coordinating with the Village Panchayat.

The traffic signals at various junctions around Verna Industrial Estate were paid for and are maintained

by VIA to avoid accidents.

Goa’s first four-lane road, from Keserval to the Estate was done up in 1996 by VIA again, through funds from the IDC. The first survey of Goa was done at the insistence of VIA. Former Chief Ministers Luizinho Faleiro, Pratapsingh Rane and Manohar Parrikar,

“It has been a long but fruitful struggle”

“I am one of the founding presidents and in the early days, we had limited resources. We had to fight to get our way for every small thing. There were issues with the Factories and Boilers Department, who used to harass us a lot. For about the first five years we had to sort out these various problems and with little monetary

resources, it was difficult.

Slowly and steadily, we began building up from the ground level and this is what you see today.

Now, I have retired but I still keep coming here as I like to stay abreast of the happenings of VIA. Today, Nitin Kuncolienker, Blaise Costabir, Damodar Kochkar and Pradip da Costa are doing an excellent job, ensuring the smooth functioning of the association as well as the industrial estate. I am very proud of how far the Association has come today.”

CYRIL PEREIRA

President, VIA (July 2008 to October 2011)

@businessgoa

former local MLA and former Power Minister Alex Sequeira, are some of the politicians who are credited with supporting VIA in their endeavours.

Looking at the Future VIA has plenty of plans in the pipeline. Improving the condition of internal roads, scrapping of the IDC, putting up street-lights, solving the problem of transportation especially when it comes to connectivity between different cities. All this as the organisation marches on to bat for the industry

VIA: TOUCHING LIVES BEYOND BUSINESS & INDUSTRY

VIA has constantly interacted with Government department heads, GIDC, PWD, WRD, FI, GSPCB etc and ensured that the environment of VIA is always hassle-free for the entrepreneur. Verna Industrial Estate has a fire station; a raw water storage tank so that there is no need to draw bore well water, thus being more environmental friendly; a hospital; decent canteens; truck parking; along with a KTC counter, and a motorcycle pilot stand.

Industry Initiatives 1.

The most prestigious and flagmark project of VIA ‘Kaun Banega Udyogpati’ was held in January 2014.

2. Assistance was provided to Verna industries for acquiring Aadhar cards.

3. VIA has assisted ITI job fair conducted by State Directorate of Craftsmen Training.

4. Medical Camp held in Verna Panchayat in October 2013.

5. Representation on the Regional Advisory Committee for customs, Central Excise and Service Tax. 6.

Email network for information precipitations.

7. Assistance for placement of candidates (referred and others) and also requirement of candidates by industry.

L to R: Pradip da Costa, former cricket star Mohinder Amarnath, Rear Admiral Philpose (Flag Officer Commanding Goa Naval Area), Nitin Kunkolienker and Samir Nadkarni of Xaxti Riders

8. Working closely with GSIA, GCCI, CII and other state and national associations for issues of common interest 9. To pool resources and work for development of common facilities for industries, VIA invited National Small Industries Corporation Ltd. (NSIC).

10. Setting up of a Police Outpost in October 2019 to cater to the needs of Verna Industrial Estate.

Beautification: VIA has undertaken a step-up approach in the beautification drive of entire Verna Industrial Estate. The main entrance of the Estate has been given a face-lift, by renovating the entrance structure as well as the subway by spreading greenery. The main divider of Verna Industrial Estate i.e. from the main gate to the end point of the Industrial Estate has been taken up for greenery project, wherein

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companies have been given an opportunity to partner in this drive and maintain the environment. A state-of-theart unique motorcycle taxi stand also has been made with drinking water facility, and all this is solar powered, which is another green initiative by the VIA. Fit India: As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a Fit India, in VIA’s Silver Jubilee Year, and India’s Platinum Jubilee Year of Independence, VIA partnered with Xaxti Riders to have a 30 kms and 75 kms commemorative cycle rides on 15th August 2021, wherein nearly 500 cyclists participated.

This also included the former Chief of the Indian Navy, 79 year old Admiral Arun Prakash.

And to make this, in the true spirit of India of national integration and one of unity in diversity, VIA had roped

in Headquarters of the Goa Naval Area to also partner this event, thus signalling an unique civilian / industry / defence synergy.

Further, in a similar context, VIA again partnered with Xaxti Riders, and roped in 3 MTR, the Army Training Regiment at Margao to celebrate the Swarnim Vijay Varsh that is the Golden Jubilee of the 1971 War Victory over Pakistan; wherein a 25 kms and 50 kms commemorative cycle rides were held on 12 September 2021 with over 250 cyclists participating. These races included 1971 War Veteran Wing Commander Ajit Guglani, 2 STC – Goa Commandant Brigadier Arvinder Singh Swahney, 3 MTR – Goa Commanding Officer Colonel Rahul Gohad, South Goa District Collector Ruchika Katyal IAS, South Goa District Hospital Superintendent Dr Deepa Correia Afonso, among many others.

Traffic Signals: VIA installed and commissioned the traffic signals on NH-17 at the Titan Junction and Birla-Cross Junction; and very recently on the new NH-17B at the IFB Junction and Coca-Cola Junction. Besides installing the traffic signals, the AMC is also managed by VIA

Redefining customer experience since 2009

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NATIONAL FOCUS

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Why motivated critics of India’s Economic Chief Economic Advisor, Dr K V Subramanian is buoyant about the nation’s economy; and he tells us why Recovery are wrong? India’s E xactly a year back, we had predicted an imminent V-shaped recovery in GDP growth after its sharp decline.

At that time, most doubted the prediction. A former Finance Minister wrote “In a barren desert without any sign of water, the Finance Minister and the Chief Economic Adviser saw green shoots!” His lack of nuanced understanding was of course clear from the statement “about one quarter of the gross domestic output as on June 30, 2019, has been wiped out in the last 12 months.”

Unlike the level of water in a tank, GDP is not a measure that captures the level of stock.

Instead, like the amount of water flowing over a period of time, GDP measures the flow of economic activities in a period of time. Only if GDP were a stock measure could one say that the stock depleted by a certain percentage.

Politics as the art of pushing convenient narratives and witnessing an obsequious audience applaud can be too compelling to incentivise the hard job of acquiring a nuanced understanding of the economy.

Let us examine the evidence. After declining by 24.4% in the first quarter last year, the economy has registered growth rates of -7.5%, 0.4%, 1.6% and 20.1% in subsequent quarters. If these numbers are plotted, the graph looks like a “V” and no other letter. Incidentally, this commentary on a K-shaped recovery is focused on sectoral patterns, not the macro-economy. Like the five fingers in a hand, sectoral patterns are never identical.

As shown carefully in the Economic Survey 2019-20, the pre-pandemic slowdown was only due to the problems in the financial sector, which originated from the crony

Dr K V Subramanian

lending and gross mismanagement of the banking sector before 2014. After all, bank loans given to cronies come up for repayment 5-6 years post such dubious lending. Combined with bankers’ incentives to evergreen loans by lending to zombies, messing around with the financial sector eventually spills over to other sectors thereby creating long-lasting damage. Some commentators attribute the pre-pandemic slowdown to demonetisation and GST implementation.

However, research on the economic impact during the time of demonetisation, which included the GST implementation, finds no effect on GDP growth, thereby questioning such commentary and emphasizing the strong fundamentals of the economy.

Even during the pandemic, quarterly growth patterns have only reflected the presence or absence of economic restrictions, thereby reflecting strong fundamentals again. While the Q1 decline last year followed the national lockdown, the recovery till Q4 reflected the easing of restrictions. In Q1 this year, malls, shops and other

28 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

establishments were closed in most states in May and June during the devastating second wave. Google’s daily indicator of retail activity was down from its 31-March level all through Q1 till mid-July.

At its peak, retail activity was down 70% from the 31-March level. Despite such supply-side restrictions on consumption, from its low base last year, consumption has grown 20%. Since mid-July, easing of restrictions has enabled significant recovery in the high frequency indicators.

Following path-breaking reforms, the economy now is poised for strong growth. The corporate sector has become leaner by cutting costs and paring down its debt, thereby ready to invest. The banking sector has become profitable and has created cushion to withstand imminent bad loans in retail and SME lending. About 88% of every rupee of expected bad loans has been provisioned by the public sector banks. Further, the capital adequacy ratios are the highest in recent times as banks have raised capital from the markets. These successive lines of defence equip the banking sector to lend for corporate investment.

In stark contrast to

the double-digit inflation following the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), inflation has averaged 6.1% over the last year because of the several supply-side measures taken by the Government now. Such lower inflation in a crisis is despite the severe supply-side frictions caused by lockdowns and night curfews, which did not manifest following GFC. Also, carefully targeted and calibrated fiscal spending has ensured that India’s fiscal deficit is comparable to its peers. Because of profligate revenue expenditure, it became significantly higher compared to peers following the GFC. The supply-side measures have ensured a comfortable current account as opposed to the drastic deterioration following GFC. While $10 billion of FPI flowed out of the country following GFC, over $36 billion came in last year. FDI inflows have been about 10 times higher at $80 billion when compared to $8 billion following GFC. While the currency depreciated by close to 60% following GFC, it has held steady now.

These macrofundamentals are supported by the startup ecosystem, which was in shambles in 2014. Not only is the number of unicorns highest ever in Indian history, the number of IPOs in August is the highest in 17 years. The unicorns have grown on the quality of their idea and not due to dynastic money or connections. This meritocracy is a wonderful sign for the economy.

In sum, unlike the economic disarray following the Global Financial Crisis, nuanced understanding and clarity in thinking have enabled India to judge and implement salutary economic policy amidst this once-in-acentury crisis

GOAN BRAND

www.businessgoa.in

THE NATURE MASONS

Inspired by Nature

Jennifer Parras and Mrinalini Deshprabhu highlight their brand, The Nature Masons, where products are made with natural ingredients and love

3 shampoo bars

J

Aromatherapy body moisturising cream

By SYBIL RODRIGUES

ennifer Parras and Mrinalini Deshprabhu cofounded The Nature Masons with a belief and realisation that business could be a force for good.

Jennifer is a certified formulator in organic skincare science and is responsible for making and formulating their products, while researching on the latest developments and papers in the skin care line. Jennifer handles the marketing, customer service and sales at The Nature Masons.

Mrinalini is in-charge of developing their line of artisanal soaps, thanks to her keen sense of smell and artistic talents, which helps in creating visually and sensually invigorating soaps.

She oversees the administrative side of the business and makes sure that any ingredient Jennifer envisions is magically acquired.

Being animal lovers and eco-conscious, Jennifer and Mrinalini realised that people are not aware about the ingredients that go in products that are used daily and how these ingredients affect the skin and the environment.

The duo wanted to offer products that were effective, wholesome and which are delivered the sustainable way.

The best selling products

All products

of The Nature Masons are their hair care and body care range. They hope to get as many people as possible to start using shampoo and conditioner bars as they are more sustainable and are long lasting compared to the liquid ones available off the shelves. The Body Care section has all their artisanal soaps, body lotions and natural deodorants. They also have an aromatherapy line and a dental line, which they plan to expand shortly.

All of the products are plant based, which have their origins in nature. Some of the ingredients are natural while some are derived from nature but which have been scientifically processed.

Jennifer and Mrinalini not only believe in the power of a good formulation for one’s skin and hair but also feel that one needs to follow a good diet while drinking tons of water and getting enough sleep for the body to easily accept and work with a skin care regime.

While some of the ingredients used in their products can be easily sourced in India, the specialised ones have to be imported. Jennifer and Mrinalini go through a tedious process of checking their vendors’ credentials to ensure that they source ethically and stock only

30 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

Mrinalini Deshprabhu and Jennifer Parras

organic products. Once they have identified a few suppliers for their raw ingredients, they test them with their products to ensure that they are delivering quality products to their customers. They take pride in knowing exactly what their ingredient is supposed to smell and look like, which is a specialisation in itself.

Thanks to this business, both of them have undertaken a few courses on formulation and organic chemistry and in the process have learned a lot on the job. Many of the courses undertaken by them were designed for an environment that was very different from India and they had to take up their knowledge and apply it within the Indian context. As big believers of traditional Indian medicine and remedies, it was exciting for them to learn more about ayurveda and integrate it into their products.

Formulating a new product involves a lot of patience, love and time. For each successful product, there have been plenty of failures.

Once all the ingredients are aligned, they send out samples to their test group and depending on the feedback received, there are times when they have to start over from scratch. It is time consuming but the most intriguing part of the process.

Jennifer and Mrinalini believe in organic growth and that is exactly how it has been for them, since they started out their little venture. They have a growing customer base and with their support and belief, The Nature Masons have steadily grown over the years and they are grateful to their customers for their continued support especially during the pandemic.

The Nature Masons is a queer owned business in Goa and like running any other business; it has its own challenges. The big challenge that they faced is being women, they are not taken seriously, but this is slowly changing.

With more women and queer people in the work force along with the younger generations taking over, they consider it a shift in the right direction and hope that future generations do not face the same hurdles that they did.

Regarding future plans, Jennifer and Mrinalini would like to go international while keeping the business ecofriendly and sustainable.

They want to ensure that they have all kind of skin and hair products, while ensuring that their products are suitable for all kinds of people from various walks of life. They are all about inclusivity and that they say is the future

INTERVIEW

@businessgoamagazine

ER. CHANDRASHEKAR PRABHUDESSAI

“IEI will play a lead role in building up the skill of Goa interviews Er. Chandrashekar Prabhudessai on his role as our engineers” Business Chairman of the Institution of Engineers - Goa State Centre

By SYBIL RODRIGUES

Tell us about Institution of Engineers (IEI) Goa State Centre.

Institution of Engineer (India) or IEI is the largest multi-disciplinary premier professional body that encompasses 15 engineering disciplines and gives engineers a global platform to share professional interest. IEI has membership strength of more than 2 lakh professional engineers, which is the largest in the world. Established in 1920, with its headquarters at Kolkata, IEI has served the engineering fraternity and the nation for the last 100 years.

In 1935, IEI was incorporated by Royal Charter and remains the only professional body in India to be accorded this honour.

IEI operates from more than 125 centres located across the country and six chapters abroad.

IEI, Goa State Centre of the institution has been functioning for the last 47 years and has more than 1,375 corporate members. It was established as a sub-centre in 1974 and was elevated to a State centre in 2008. It is governed by an elected Managing Committee headed by the Chairman.

At the Goa State Centre, our Managing Committee comprises of 17 members.

There are different branches of engineering and most of the members of the Managing Committee are engineers with significant expertise and experience in their respective fields.

To help the engineering fraternity with the latest in the profession, lectures, seminars, conventions are organised.

IEI has representation in many bodies of the government.

By being, part of the various bodies, the institution gives their opinions on various issues

Er. Chandrashekar Prabhudessai

sought by the government.

Your experience in the field of engineering over the years...

I graduated in 1989 from Mumbai University with First Class Honours and later joined a design firm as structural engineer.

After 3 years of practical experience, I started my own firm of RCC consultancy; and at the same time I was doing free-lance work of design for more than 9 years for the same office in which I started as Design Engineer. I registered myself as Government Approved Valuer under Wealth Tax Act. Later, I answered the IBBI exam and cleared the same. I made a presentation at the International Summit conducted by the Construction Industry Arbitration Council.

Today, I am a structural consultant registered in Engineering Council of India.

I am a Government approved valuer, both under Wealth Tax Act and Companies Act and empanelled Arbitrator in various Institutions like CIAC, IEI, IITArb.

Chairman in the year 2018 for a period of two years term.

However, due to Covid, the council extended my term by one extra year.

IEI Goa is headed by the Chairman and we have a Honorary Secretary, Joint Secretary and about 15 members from different divisions.

Members representing each division, take care of the corporate members of the division that they represent as well as join together and support each other to conduct training programmes, national seminars, conventions etc.

As council members, we take care of not only the engineering fraternity of Goa but all engineers from the country. As a representative of Goa, I help the council during our flagship programme, the ‘Indian Engineering Congress’ which is held every year. All issues faced by engineers across the country are discussed, debated in the council while recommendations and suggestions are sent to Government of India.

Who are part of your team at IEI- Goa and what strengths do they bring to the table?

At IEI Goa, I was elected unanimously as the

What are the various activities undertaken by IEI during you term as Chairman and what are the upcoming activities planned by you for the year?

32 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

The various activities conducted by the committee were: training session conducted for staff of Pig Iron Plant, Vedanta; training session conducted for staff of Sahayat Nursing School, Bambolim; visit to Atal Setu bridge; formation of students’ chapter at Government Polytechnic, Panaji; RERA for transparent real estate at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao; two-day all India seminar on New and Innovative Technologies in Civil Engineering at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao; Training session at Swastik Vidyalay, Priol Mardol; Lecture on World Telecommunication Day at ICG, Dona Paula; twoday all India seminar on safety aspects at construction site at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao; Conferment of Honorary Fellowship for Late Smt. Mridula Sinha, ex-Governor of Goa; Engineers Day 2019; lecture at WRD, Porvorim; 31st National Convention of Mining Engineers, Goa at Panaji; partnered Vibrant Goa with Government of Goa in October 2019; organised World students’ day celebration at Panaji; training session at Teva Electricals, Verna Goa; conducted the AMIE examinations for aspiring students at Panaji; organised Hackathon at BITS Pilani, Goa campus; organised World Engineering Day for sustainable development at Panaji; organised felicitation of Prof. B. K. Mishra, Director, IIT, Goa, associated with National Design and Research Forum to organise an invited talk by Dr. Latha Christie, Scientist G, DRDO, Ministry of Defence; and Engineers Day 2021. Due to the pandemic, some planned activities could not be held, which may be organised in the near future. The term of this committee is scheduled to be completed next month

INTERVIEW after having been given an extension of one year due to the pandemic. There are activities that are planned which the new committee will be organising in the future.

@businessgoa

What is your focus on engineering education in Goa? As far as Engineering education in the state is concerned, the role of IEI is to help students to gain practical knowledge, skill development required for absorbing them in the industry.

We have a national skill development forum based in Shimla and an Engineering Staff College of India based in Hyderabad. With their help, as well as with the help of Goa State Centre, we conduct various events for engineers. We have student chapters in the engineering colleges through which we do activities for the students.

We are open for discussion with the Government of Goa for taking a lead role in building up the skill of our engineers.

AMIE examinations are conducted by the Institution and was recognised as an equal to Degree Engineering till 2013; and after 2013 this was not recognised by the Government, which needs to be looked into in order to help students who complete their diploma courses. The IEI is open on this issue for discussion with the Government.

people jobless, leaving them financially vulnerable.

We, as professional engineers, need to think of technical interventions to design and implement sound labour market information systems, including accurate market assessment and need anticipation, and putting in place processes for skills recognition to prevent attrition, poor labour market integration and deterioration of working conditions for all workers.

There is a dire need to scale up the skill development ecosystem, while strengthening our cloud based infrastructure.

Access to skills recognition processes, especially for lowand medium-skilled migrant workers, will be crucial and would assist us in formulating policy recommendations for improvement of the relevant legislative and operational mechanisms. The pandemic has provided us with an opportunity to come up with a well-crafted strategy to deal with this crisis. As uncertainty persists, it is imperative that our workforce is empowered with the right skills through timely and relevant skilling, upskilling and reskilling efforts.

This will make our people more agile and resilient, and help to cope with the challenges posed by the pandemic and what lies beyond.

Recently, Engineer’s Day was celebrated. What was the theme for this year?

This year, the theme for Engineers Day was ‘Engineers for Skill Development and Employment in Combating Covid’. The heralding of a new decade in 2020 was marred with plummeting of the global economy pushing millions into penury as the covid-19 pandemic took centre stage. The shutting of commercial establishments due to the second wave of covid-19 has rendered several

What is your vision for IEIGoa in your term as Chairman?

When I took over as chairman, I wanted to promote advanced technology in the engineering field to all our members including students, to create awareness amongst engineers about the role of IEI, objectives of IEI, awareness on IEI incorporated by Royal Charter.

This institution would tap the huge potential of industries by joining hands with them and getting tieups done with various state

34 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

There is a dire need to scale up the skill development ecosystem for engineers, while strengthening our cloud based infrastructure

centres to share technology with engineers from various States. My vision is that the resources and expertise of the various engineers available in different States should be shared effectively with the other States, so that each and every one benefits in this process.

In addition, engineers could derive benefits in various fields such as valuation, arbitration, etc.

I wish to have representation for IEI in almost all government bodies where contribution by engineers is required for the development of the State. We need to have dialogue with the Government of Goa and are looking forward to come with some solutions and help the government in building up the economy.

How is IEI - Goa’s association and relation with other government bodies and how would you like to build bridges with them in and outside Goa? IEI Goa State Centre has an excellent rapport with the Government of Goa and is working closely with a few government bodies.

IEI assits the government formulate laws such as land and building regulations along with formulating heritage or conservation zone

policies, approvals etc.

IEI GSC helps the engineering fraternity to have a dialogue with the government and discuss, debate and resolve issues faced by them. We hope that the Government of Goa gives representation to all our divisions and engages representatives on various other boards which requires inputs from the respective division engineers.

How are you building a connect with the industry to further the aims and objectives of IEI- Goa? IEI GSC worked to connect with the industry to further the aims and objectives of IEI. At the national level, we have signed a MoU with ICMAI, CII and various other institutions for sharing knowledge with our members. GCCI invited me to join their Real Estate Committee and we joined our hands in supporting the real estate industry. IEI signed a MoU with Vibrant Goa team and we interacted with the industry and developed relations with the team. We also invited CREDAI to partner in our seminar on RERA. We organised different seminars, events and invited the industry to support, participate and during these interaction, we developed a relationship with them which helps us in the growth of engineering fraternity. We organised an all India Mining Convention in which we invited mining industrialists, which helped engineers from the mining division. We invited the director of BIS and other BIS members for our seminars on National Building Code.

We are approaching technical institutions so that the gap in teaching-learning process can be analysed and successfully addressed.

I have developed a network with fellow engineers across the country and through them knowledge sharing is being facilitated

CAMPUS

business-goa

VMSIIHE bags coveted ‘Eat Right Campus’ certification by FSSAI

Chef Sujatha Madhavan, Chef Sebastian Breitinger, Jyoti Sardessai, Ajit Roy and Ruchika Katyal, handing over the ‘Eat Right Campus’ certification by FSSAI

V. M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE), a leading hospitality institute, was awarded the ‘Eat Right Campus’ certification, which requires passing a thorough audit of institutional practices.

The FSSAI ‘Eat Right Campus’ felicitation was hosted by the Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Bambolim.

Prof.

Irfan Mirza, Director/Principal of VMSIIHE received the honour at the hands of the team at FDA. VMSIIHE is the first hospitality institute in India and also in Goa to obtain the certification with a 5 star rating. The prestigious certification has been obtained under the central government’s ‘Eat Right Campus’ initiative of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which aims to promote safe, healthy and sustainable food practices in educational campuses, workplaces, hospitals, tea estates, etc. across the country. The overall objective of the certification is to improve the health of people and the planet and at the same time promote social and economic development of the nation. “The certification is a formal endorsement of the cutting edge institutional systems and practices already in place at VMSIIHE. The extensive certification process was carried out by the Institute in assistance with Indianeers Food Safety Management, an empanelled agency and training programme partner

of Food Safety Training and Certification (FOSTAC) authorised by the FSSAI,” said Chef Sebastian Breitinger, Professor of Culinary Arts at VMSIIHE. VMSIIHE has already put in place safety precautions against Covid-19 to safeguard its campus. They have also started a dynamic poster campaign to highlight the perils of food wastage and how to control the phenomenon.

To further create awareness about food wastage, VMSIIHE has initiated the idea of weighing leftovers and putting the statistics on display on the institute’s notice boards, which makes everyone conscious of food wastage and motivates them to take steps to eliminate wasteful trends. A team of 21 food handlers from various departments of the institute were trained as part of the certification programme, to improve the processes related to documentation of food, as well as to build up a collaboration with food suppliers in order to ensure efficient traceability of sourced goods.

The evaluation process by the team of auditors was a thorough, elaborate procedure with the team minutely assessing staff members of VMSIIHE, as well as examining all documentation processes.

“VMSIIHE takes pride in having gone through a strict appraisal and meeting high standards,” said Prof. Irfan Mirza, Director/Principal at VMSIIHE

36 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

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BOOKSHELF

www.businessgoa.in

AUTHOR: HARSH MARIWALA & PROF. RAM CHARAN

Harsh Realities The Making of Marico Harsh Realities by Harsh Mariwala and Ram Charan is business book based on the making of the world renowned company, Marico.

We all know the names Saffola and Parachute, but do we really know the company behind the brands?

Co-authored by leading management guru Ram Charan, Harsh Realities is a business book by an innovative and clear-headed leader who built a highly professional, competitive business from the ground up.

Starting from a small village in Kutch, Gujarat to bulding a consumer brand, Ram Charan reflects upon Harsh Mariwala’s steps to building a company as well as shares with us his business insights.

Today, the homegrown Marico is a leading

Prof. Ram Charan

Harsh Mariwala

international FMCG giant which recorded an annual turnover of over `8000 crore last year. Their products, like Parachute, Nihar Naturals, Saffola, Set Wet, Livon and Mediker are market leaders in their categories.

This is the story of grit, gumption and growth, and of the core values of trust, transparency and innovation which have brought the company to its current stature.

The story of Harsh Mariwala is a fascinating tale of a man born in a traditional joint family, finding place and meaning in the family

journey, using his instincts and natural intelligence to grasp opportunity, in passionate pursuit to understand the customer, and navigating his way to create a unique and ethical FMCG company, Marico.

Harsh Realities is an exceptional read. It gives us a glimpse into the professional life of Harsh Mariwala and the inner intricacies of Marico Limited. As much as this story is about Harsh’s struggles through the toughest of situations and learning from

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them, Marico is as equal of a hero of this book. You see the birth of a young and beautiful dream and its growth into a mature Indian multinational company that it is now.

It is an illustration of the challenges one had to face in pre-globalised India while breaking free from the traditional structure of a typical Indian family-run business to make products part of the popular parlance in the country.

Prof. Ram Charan has authored and co-authored more than 30 books that have sold over 4 million copies in more than a dozen languages.

Charan was among Business Week’s top ten resources for in-house executive development programs. Four of his books were Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including Execution, which made it to the New York Times bestseller list PUBLISHER: PORTFOLIO

LADY POWER

@businessgoamagazine

SHERYL DE SA

Serving inspiration and promoting growth

Sheryl de Sa elaborates on her rise in the hospitality industry and her role as President at Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Diversity and Inclusion (WICCI D&I) Goa

S

By SYBIL RODRIGUES

heryl de Sa was born in Goa, is the oldest amongst four sisters and comes from a loud and fun-loving family.

She grew up in Oman and came back to Goa to complete her education. She did her schooling from Our Lady of the Rosary High School in Dona Paula, higher secondary from Dhempe College of Arts and Science and completed her education with a degree in Dietetics from Goa College of Home Science.

Sheryl loves to read especially comics, like Archies, Garfield, TinTin, which keeps the child in her alive. Occasionally she picks up a good mystery story and one of her favourite authors is Mary Higgins Clark. She stays true to her Goan roots with her love for music, genre notwithstanding.

Sheryl speaks on getting into the hospitality sector.

“After I completed my education, I actually looked for jobs at various hospitals in their dietetics department.

At the time, there were hardly any opportunities available, so a family friend said that there was a vacancy at a reputed hotel and suggested I should apply.”

Sheryl began her career in hospitality with Goa Marriott Resort and went on to become General Manager of ibis, Pune Hinjewadi, a hotel that is a part of the Accor Group. “I had an incredible tenure of over 11 years with the Marriott. I started in front office where they believed all employees should be multi skilled – the American way of doing things. Hence, my first task was being made to stand at the concierge desk. It was a complete shock for me but 20 years hence it is part of who I am and makes for some of my best memories.”

Marriott as an organisation

Sheryl de Sa

puts its faith in the idea that taking care of employees would motivate employees to take care of customers, and that commitment has stuck with Sheryl over the years.

“I also had the good fortune of working with inspirational General Managers like HansGeorg Roehrbein, Phillip Spencer, Neeraj Chaddha and Pavithran Nambiar.

They played a pivotal role in making the workplace a safe place and ensured that we always felt valued. So treating people the way you would want to be treated and making sure you take care of your teams to help them grow is part of my DNA. Later, she moved from the Front Office into Sales and went on to hold various positions over the years.

“A decade later, when my children were older, I decided it was time to move. It is very important for me to have an open mind and continue to learn or experience something different.

Moving to Accor was truly one of the best decisions that I made personally and

40 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

professionally. My journey with Accor began in 2015, as Associate Director of Sales for the 270-room complex of Novotel Goa Hotel and the Novotel Goa Resort & Spa. In 2016, I moved as Director of Sales & Marketing to the first ever ibis Styles brand in the Country. In this role, I was responsible for driving Sales and Marketing strategies, optimizing revenues, promoting brand strategies and diversifying business opportunities and was instrumental in setting up the property.”

Sheryl graduated from Accor India’s Executive Leadership Program in 2017 and with a successful launch and positioning of the Hotel, she then moved into Operations as Director of Rooms in 2019.

“In 2019 I was selected to be part of Accor International’s prestigious ‘International Hotel Managers Programme’ – a fast track development for General Managers in 2019.”

With a career spanning over 17 years in hospitality management and business

leadership; Sheryl is now the General Manager for ibis Pune Hinjewadi, a beautiful hotel with a panoramic view of lush green hills.

Along with a career in hospitality, Sheryl is the President at WICCI D&I Goa. She highlights her role on the same.

“As part of RiiSE Accor International’s network in support of gender equality and diversity, I am the fourth female General Manager in our region. I also represent the ‘Gender’ Pillar for the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Accor India. I believe that organisations with a significant representation of women on board regularly out-perform those with a more homogenous leadership.”

Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI) is a premier National Business Chamber for Women envisioning global impact for women entrepreneurs, businesswomen and professionals from all walks of life. “This voluntary assignment is for their diversity and inclusion chapter under the leadership of a very vibrant and versatile national president, Lakshmy Shankar. It is imperative for women to support other women, to come together from various fields to pay it forward and give back to our community. To have reforms and policies in place that support basic rights for children’s education, safety, mental health, well-being, and all pillars of D&I in general.

This is a new role so we are in process of forming teams.

Goa has so many wonderful, interesting and hard working women who can make valuable contributions and create an impact for Goa” she adds. Sheryl considers herself lucky to not have faced many

challenges over the last 17 years in the industry. “With how Marriott and now with Accor, I have never been made to feel any less valued than my male counterparts. The only challenge or roadblock is when it comes to being able to take a transfer and you have to move your family. My career did slow down but that is a conscious decision I took to say no to mobility and my companies always respected and supported that decision.”

Speaking on motherhood she says, “Becoming a mother changes everything, but I believe that most women are built genetically to have their worlds rocked and then pick ourselves up, put on our business attire, go back to work and continue to manage work and home.”

“However, the fact remains that this is a male dominated industry. Sometimes the same reaction from a female comes

across as aggressive while from a man it is construed as assertive. We need to make our place at the table and work hard to hold our place at that table!”

Her parents, sisters and husband, Dominic, have always supported Sheryl. Her sons are extremely proud of her and she considers herself lucky to have friends and neighbours who she describes as angels, watching out for her boys in her absence.

Sheryl’s greatest strength lies in her commitment to her teams. “I also have a very hands-on approach to work.

It is equally important to ‘learn to unlearn’, to keep up with ever changing trends and technology, so you are not left behind. Vision, clarity, innovation and agility is key!”

Regarding her future plans, she says, “I want to continue to have a long and Continued on Page 42 >

SEPTEMBER 2021 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | 41

PROFESSIONAL DOSSIER

@businessgoa

DR. ANIL MEHNDIRATTA

“Every life is precious. This calls for a huge responsibility”

Dr. Anil Mehndiratta speaks on the challenges of his profession and the dreaded third wave of Covid

D

By SYBIL RODRIGUES

r Anil Mehndiratta was born in Delhi, and has been living in Goa since 1977. He completed his MBBS and MD from Goa Medical College. The zeal to do something for humanity is what inspired Dr Mehndiratta to get into medicine and become a doctor.

Dr Mehndiratta is a senior pulmonologist and has made an exceptional name for himself, in the State. Although he practices in Vasco, Dr Mehndiratta has managed to draw patients from all over Goa. Known to possess an impressive amount of knowledge, Dr Mehndiratta constantly keeps updated with advancements made in the field.

In the early years in the profession, Dr Mehndiratta faced many struggles but being a person who does well when the going gets tough, he persevered. He had a strong support system of his teachers, family and friends who helped him achieve his life’s ambition of serving the public; and shaped him into the kind of person that he is today. Dr Mehndiratta says the most challenging part of his profession is when patients come to meet him armed with information that they have received over the internet and contest the treatment advised by him.

“As any doctor, I too lay my decisions based on my knowledge and experience.

However, if any patient errs in following the advised course of action, it’s a challenge to rectify it. Ultimately, every life is precious and if the life and well being of a patient is in < Continued from Page 41

healthy career in the industry but more importantly to transform the workplace, help people grow, pay it forward,

Dr. Anil Mehndiratta

your hands, it calls for a huge responsibility. Nevertheless, that is a part of this profession.

We cannot afford to make mistakes. There is too much at stake,” he adds.

Dr Mehndiratta is the former President of the Indian Medical Association (Goa Branch) and spent his tenure restoring Doctor to Doctor relationships. “Doctor jousting is the unfortunate practice wherein one health professional makes critical comments about another provider’s standard of care, directly or indirectly, either to the patient or in the medical record. Doctor jousting is becoming an increasingly complicated issue because it corrupts a patient’s trust in the profession as well as his or her healthcare experience.

Keeping the deteriorating atmosphere in the inter personal relationships among

“As any doctor, I too lay my decisions based on my knowledge and experience. However, if any patient errs in following the advised course of action, it’s a challenge to rectify the same”

continue to be inspired and inspire others.”

Sheryl concludes with a message to aspiring women leaders. “As a female leader,

coaching and mentoring to develop and promote growth is imperative. It is essential to help women become powerful contributors at any

42 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

DR. ANIL MEHNDIRATTA

the doctors in mind, we selected the theme for the IMA Goa State for the year 2019 as ‘Restoring Doctor to Doctor Relationships’. With the theme in mind, we had multiple workshops and skits by our local doctors on the same topic”. Dr Mehndiratta was applauded for his idea of coming with a unique theme for his term as President which helped many doctors in their interpersonal relationships with one another as well as their patients.

As a chest physician, Dr Mehndiratta speaks on the covid situation, the dreaded third wave, which has hit a number of countries, herd immunity and precautions needeed to be taken by society. “Experts have warned that during India’s third wave, youngsters may face a higher risk of acquiring covid-19. This is assumed largely because youngsters were not included in the vaccine campaign, which would have provided them with antibodies to combat the viral illness. Herd immunity is not feasible for covid-19 as even one unprotected individual allows virus mutation and a potential surge. Hence, adherence to covid appropriate behaviour and vaccination is needed to reduce transmission of infection. Covid appropriate behaviour should be inculcated in our day-to-day routine in such a way that it becomes a habit. It should come to us as naturally as brushing teeth does.”

Further, he says that the vaccines protect against the severity of the virus and fatality. “Covid is not over as yet, and is likely to be around us for some more time”. Dr Mehndiratta keeps himself updated regularly on medical advancements and focuses on education while creating awareness programs for the public on the latest medical developments. He takes each day as it comes and maintains a balance between his professional and family life.

Dr Mehndiratta concludes by saying, “My aim is always to keep giving the best health care to the society” levels of any organization. It is important to continue to learn, inspire and be true to self and your team” www.businessgoa.in

TECHNOLOGY

business-goa

UMANG turns Twelve!

UMANG Software Technologies celebrates its 12th anniversary with unwavering support from long-standing clients and dedicated team members

Uma Talaulikar, Mangirish Salelkar along with team UMANG

T

By RAJAN LAAD

he word Umang (उमंग) has its roots in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit.

Umang has myriad meanings such as triumph, jubilation, exultation, energy, verve, and zeal. At the core of these connotations are enthusiasm and passion, the very sentiments that made Uma Talaulikar and Mangirish Salelkar to establish UMANG. Reflecting on 12 years in business Mangirish Salelkar, CEO of UMANG said, “Our focus has always been on meeting and surpassing every conceivable expectation that our clients have envisioned.

We are relentlessly innovating to deliver the extraordinary for our clients. I am privileged to work with talented colleagues. This milestone is an endorsement of trust from our clients, vendors, current and ex-employees.”

On accomplishing this milestone, Uma Talaulikar, COO of UMANG said “UMANG serves clients located across the world.

They converse in various languages and are based in diverse cultures. They have varied business practices, technologies, and work hours.

Our teams have overcome all these impediments to deliver quality products and services.”

Uma Talaulikar and Mangirish Salelkar

Since its launch in 2009 in Goa, UMANG has grown exponentially and has offices in San Jose in the USA, and San León in Mexico.

UMANG has cultivated long-term relationships with numerous clients globally.

The tech company has clients in Norway, Canada, United States, Netherlands, Ireland, Australia, Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand, Netherland Antilles, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Austria, and India.

UMANG has domain expertise in fields such as marine engineering, travel and tourism, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, banking, finance, logistics, retail, defence, among others.

This enhances their ability to grasp client requirements and deliver comprehensive solutions.

44 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

Reflecting on the advances on the technological front, Poonam Narvekar, CTO said “The only constant in technology is its unceasing evolution. We continually evaluate newly available technologies to best serve our clients. We are proud to have delivered tele-medicine solutions to our healthcare clients globally.”

UMANG ranks its people among its primary assets.

“Our people tell us that our workplace presents a unique balance of challenges, learning, growth, and excitement. We are delighted to learn that the inspiration and guidance from our leadership has caused our people to exceed the estimation of their potential,” says Poonam.

The covid-19 pandemic has created a global climate of

uncertainty and has changed the manner in which business is conducted.

Speaking about the impact of the pandemic, Uma says, “UMANG has always focused on maintaining a robust ‘Business Continuity’ strategy. Our clients have been highly appreciative that there was no interruption in services during the pandemic.

Consequently, there have been no lay-offs, cost-cutting and no pay cuts for our employees”.

Recently, UMANG delivered Telemedicine application that facilitates easy online medical consultations for patients from the safety of their homes. This has been invaluable for those in need of medical attention during lockdowns.

As UMANG completes twelve years there is deep humility and much gratitude towards all those who have made this remarkable journey possible.Looking towards the future, Mangirish says, “UMANG looks to the future with high hopes. We intend to build stronger ties with our existing clients while also serving newer clients.

Our journey continues as it did since our inception, with considerable enthusiasm and boundless passion”

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Mukta Drishti Foundation gives Goa its first sanitary pad bank

CAM Industrial Services contributes towards ‘Clean Goa, Green Goa’

Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes, Kishor Sarsolkar of Mukta Drishti Foundation, and others

Goa got its first sanitary pad bank on the occasion of Independence Day. A team has been formed at the work yard to guide the women of the village on menstruation and distribute sanitary pads to them free of cost.

Apart from addressing the difficulties faced by rural women, this initiative will also offer the rural women skills in yoga apart from organizing talks on menstrual hygiene.

“Empowerment and upliftment of women in rural areas is a very important aspect towards the progress of the country,” said Deputy Speaker and Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes while inaugurating the sanitary pad bank.

Thanking Mukta Drishti Foundation for taking up the noble initiative in a remote area of Canacona, Fernandes

urged the villagers to make the best use of the opportunities provided to them by the Foundation to bring about positive changes in their lives.

Mukta Drishti Foundation president Kishor Sarsolkar said the aim of the Foundation is to create a model village in Cotigao by providing the necessities to women and villagers in the field of education and awareness on different issues like health and hygiene.

Doctors from the area would also be involved in the project. Damodar Chari, the person behind bringing the project to Cotigao, writer and media person Devidas Gaonkar and Dr Shaba Gaonkar under whose guidance the project will be carried out, were felicitated during the inaugural programme

Abigail Fernandes (CAM Industrial Services), Roseline Fernandes (Lions Club Anjuna) and others

CAM Industrial Services recently donated dustbins to Lions Club of Anjuna as a part of their corporate social responsibility.

CAM has supported Lions Club of Anjuna by providing dustbins that will be placed in the required places at Anjuna, as their contribution towards ‘Clean Goa, Green Goa’.

Among present at the venue were Patrick Savio Almeida (Sarpanch, Anjuna Panchayat), Subash (Ward Member), Julian DSouza (Secretary, Lions Club Anjuna), Romeo De Souza (Treasurer, Lions Club Anjuna), Dr. Fenton De Souza (Vice President, Lions Club Anjuna), Abigail Fernandes, (COO, CAM Industrial Services), Roseline

Fernandes (President, Lions Club Anjuna).

CAM has been providing portable toilets on hire and associated services across Goa at various music festivals, construction projects, film shootings, beaches, prestigious events including international expos and summits.

The Goa Government of Goa has also applauded CAM Industrial Services in the field of sanitation and waste management services. “I have always been committed to the beauty and greenery of Goa and we should have safe, clean and accessible sanitation system,” says Dr. Caitano Jose Fernandes, (PhD), Managing Partner, CAM Industrial Services

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Mail this form along with payment to BUSINESS GOA 409, Citicentre, EDC Patto Plaza, Panaji 403001 Goa INDIA Tel.: 91-832-2437822 Email: businessgoa.media@gmail.com 46 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

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MEET THE COUNCIL by GCCI Women’s Wing

MEET THE COUNCIL by GCCI’s Women’s Wing shares business assistance and advice to women entrepreneurs

Women’s Felicitation Council (Help Desk) is an initiative of GCCI Women’s Wing, which was started two years back.

The Council comprises of Deepali Naik (Women & Child Development Director), Inseyeh Ali (Forum for Innovation, Incubation, Research & Entrepreneurship), Advocate Priyanka Kamat Shetiye, CA/ CS Swatee Rane and Pallavi

Salgaocar (Chairperson, GCCI Women’s Wing).

The Help desk is a free service and gives all business related assistance and advice to women entrepreneurs and SHGs. The council holds meetings at regular intervals with women entrepreneurs and Self Help Groups to apprise them of the schemes available for them and resolve their queries. The meeting

48 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

was held at Hotel Neelam Grand, Calangute with Self Help Groups from Calangute.

The program was hosted and coordinated by Sonali Walke Nagvenkar, a GCCI Women’s Wing member, in association with ex-Sarpanch and social worker Sudesh Mayekar, and community resource persons Nita Kerkar and Nivedita Mathkar. Resource persons from DITC Geremina Araujo;

industry inspector from EDC, Muriel Braganza; Dy. Manager from FDA Rajaram Patil, (Senior Food Safety Officer) and Madhav Kavlekar (Food Safety Officer); Women and Child Department, Reema Parseker (Mukhya Sevika, Bardez Block); and Rohit Meshram, Branch Manager SBI, Calangute were present at the meeting to explain various schemes and programs

BEYOND CLASSROOM / DR. PRADEEP SALGAONKAR

Customer’s Personal Data Safety

The writer speaks about companies collecting personal data of customers and lists down points and ideas to protect their privacy

I

t is a fact that the personal data of customers is the new fuel for businesses and that more and more companies are involved in gathering customer data through various platforms such as social media, websites, mobile and laptops/ desktops, and the Internet of Things (IoT). In addition, the types of data may include user’s IP address, a user’s location, past search queries, the ads that someone clicks on online, email id, phone number etc.Customer data is good for businesses, helping them make sound marketing decisions, targeted promotions, introduce better and improvised products that fulfil newer needs of customers etc. Few companies do disclose to the customer what data they are collecting and how it will be used. To cite an example here is an extract of notification that pops up when the web page of this company is visited.

“We value your privacy - We and our partners store and/or access information on a device, such as cookies and process personal data, such as unique identifiers and standard information sent by a device for personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, and audience insights, as well as to develop and improve products.”(https://www. information-age.com). This accounts for data collected with customers’ knowledge and consent and there should be no issue if it is used for the purpose for which it is being collected.

On the flipside, many companies collect personal data without consent or knowledge and is not without ethical issues and negative connotations attached to it from the customer’s point of view.

Most customers are ignorant about the type of data that is collected and how it is used. Many times companies involve in invading and violating customer’s privacy by virtue of collecting very personal data, that a customer otherwise would not like to share. This data, at times, gets sold or circulated among interested parties unethically and most times is used for illegal activities, or spam marketing. At times, there are hackers who hack into companies databases and get access to personal data of millions of customers, which in turn is sold to third parties who target the innocent customers or use the data for other illegal activities including politicians to influence voters’

preferences, or for phishing attacks.

Around 130 accounts of high-profile personalities and celebrities were targeted when Twitter was hacked through a phone spear-phishing campaign. More than 5,00,000 Zoom passwords were stolen and the details were put up for sale on the dark web.

One of the much-discussed cases is of Facebook, where data got leaked more than once. Personal information of over 533 million Facebook users from 106 countries was leaked online.

A Telegram bot was used that exploited a vulnerability in a Facebook feature which allowed phone numbers linked to every account to be accessed for free.

This included around 6 million Facebook accounts from India; Delhi being the worst hit with over 1.5 lakh accounts affected. Interestingly, it was reported that this leaked data included phone numbers and personal details of a number of high-profile individuals including the founder and CEO of Facebook itself. The Cambridge Analytica scandal is not to be forgotten, where personal information of around 87 million people was collected through a personality quiz app that many had accessed through Facebook, and is believed to be used to influence voters’ preferences by political parties.

The Big Question So the big question that arises is whose responsibility is it to ensure customers’ personal data safety? Is it the customers themselves who should be cautious and not disclose personal data and take every possible care to protect their data, is it the companies which collect the customers data that should safeguard the data, or is it the Government’s responsibility?

Now that the bigger beneficiaries are the companies that are collecting this data, it becomes the principle responsibility of these companies to protect and safeguard their customers’ data that is willingly provided by them. Of course, not to forget the primary responsibility of customers themselves to be careful and vigilant about their personal data as to whom are they sharing this data and what data is being shared.

Once the data is shared, customers look up to the companies for a deeper level of trust. They trust the companies

to protect every bit of their personal information that they share. They do not expect any sort of misuse of this data nor are they expecting a third party to get access to this data, through unscrupulous means. That means it becomes even more essential for companies to adopt such mechanisms and protective methods that will keep hackers and cybercriminals at bay. Trust is an essential element of customer relationships and companies should ensure that this trust is not breached at any cost. This calls for a greater responsibility on part of companies across all industries to ensure their customers’ personal data safety.

A review of research on customers’ expectations on data safety shows that about 79% of customers are concerned about data security and privacy issues.

Moreover, about 72% customers believe that the data collecting companies are the best to protect their data and not the Government.

Companies Duty Bound There is a dual challenge before the companies: (a) collecting required customer data and collecting it ethically with consent of customers; and (b) ensuring safety of this collected data, securely protecting it from hackers and cyber-criminals. This is very essential to gain and maintain customers’ trust in the business and thus healthy relationships.

Companies, especially involved in small and medium size businesses, could take the following actions in this direction; i. Invest in cyber security and update regularly: Do not be complacent or ignorant about cyber security, thinking that the business is small and it may not be a big concern. ii. Strong passwords: Use very strong passwords and change them at regular intervals. Similarly use encryption to convert text to some other characters while storing data. iii. Regular checks and tests: Cyber security systems functioning to be checked regularly just the way mock drills and checks are carried out to ensure system’s soundness. iv. Monitor data regularly: For potential threats or potential loss of data, one

Continued On Page 52

The writer is Founder Director, Saldots Academy; corporate trainer and facilitator; past chairman of Goa Management Association. Email: pradeepsalgaonkar@gmail.com 50 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

INVEST RIGHT / MAHESH PAI

Estate Planning The writer explains the importance of estate planning and the legal aspects involved in getting it done

M

ost of the time people believe that creating a will or having a trust to take care of one’s assets and family is estate planning. The answer is not wrong but it is not entirely right either. Estate Planning is not only about the next generation, it is about you, your beneficiary, and your society. People spend all their life in asset accumulation, asset preservation, and asset distribution. A major part of their life goes away in paying EMIs and creating assets, which they will not be using but rather distributing to their children later.

It seems like many people devote more time to planning a vacation or even selecting a restaurant to have dinner than they do to estate planning. It may not be as difficult to think about but without an estate plan, one cannot choose who gets everything that they have worked so hard for.

There are seven aspects to estate planning: Legal: If one does not decide, who receives their money, then they do not have any control over what happens with it next.

There are various legal aspects that one needs to take care of, while preparing a will as it is a legal declaration that involves the distribution of assets.

Taxation: A huge amount of tax needs to be paid in a few countries after one inherits assets and money from their parents or company, In India, we do not have inheritance tax yet but if someday the rule gets implied then a provision for the tax money should be made in advance.

Inheritance: It is always better if one decides who inherits what or else it may take years if the court gets into these

matters. The court does not know which sibling has been responsible and which one should not have access to free cash.

An estate plan eliminates a family mess.

Charity: Many families take care of a lot of underprivileged families and charity homes. These charity homes rely on the money that they receive for their daily needs. An estate plan helps to continue charity work even after the demise of the person so that other people who rely on them do not get affected.

Retirement: All the estate that one has should not only be for their children but should be for them, too. When one spends so much of his time building these assets he might as well use it for his retirement when he stops working. Using a part of his estate is an important aspect of retirement planning.

Income Protection: if one falls sick due to any major illness or disability, his income will stop or gradually reduce. Taking care of one’s income with an effective plan now will help them later when they are unable to work and need income for their daily expense.

Asset transfer: One of the parts of estate planning simply means transferring or passing on the personal and business

assets, financial instruments, properties to the next generation after the demise of the person.

Too many people do not plan - put off estate planning because they think they do not own enough, they are not old enough, it will be costly or confusing and they will have plenty of time to do it later.

They do not know where to begin or who can help them or they just do not want to think about it and when something happens to them, their family has to suffer, in fact 80% of the cases are due to family property disputes. Estate planning is not something that one does when they are old, it can be done when they are young as well to protect their family and children. You do not have to be super rich for this. In fact, these days estate planning is done by the middle-class family even if they have only one home, they do not want disputes within the children on who acquire what.

None of us really likes to think about our own mortality or the possibility of being unable to make decisions for ourselves but one needs to be prepared for the unthinkable. Stopping fights even before they start is yet another reason why estate planning is necessary.

The bottom line If you want your assets and your loved ones protected when you are no longer able to do it, you will need an estate plan. It is also an ongoing process and not a one-time event. You should review and update the plan as your family and financial circumstances change over a lifetime. The best time to plan your estate is now. Do not wait, you can put something in place now and change it later, which is exactly the way estate planning should be done

The writer is an investment consultant and business coach. Email: mahesh@maheshpai.in

Continued from page 52 should know what data is collected and where it is stored. Collect only the required data and do not keep data that is not required. It makes better sense if all data is stored securely at one place. v. Limit access to data: Allow only a select number of people to access data with proper authorisation and authentication.

At the same time, continuously train these people in the latest developments in cyber security.

vi. Transparency and truthfulness with customers: This will help develop trustworthy relationships. vii. Safety as top priority: Make customer privacy and data safety the top priority in the company’s journey of customer focus and experience. viii. Be prepared for the worst: Being prepared for cyber-attacks at all times will definitely help companies to face the crises, if any, in a much better manner.

Of course, there is a cost element involved in ensuring a cyber secured

52 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

organisation, but it is worthwhile especially in the end ensuring customer loyalty and companies’ sustainability.

Every company today, especially the e-com players, need the new fuel – ‘customer data’, for running its business.

Thus, it is mandatory for companies that they collect the required data most ethically and manage it to ensure total security of customers’ personal details and simultaneously build trusting relationships with customers by practicing transparency and sincerity

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CORPORATE CITIZEN / DANIEL ALBUQUERQUE

Nyaya Panchayat: India’s Village Level ADR Mechanism

The author deals with the Gram Nyayalayas, or adjudication of disputes at the village panchayat level. He demonstrates that irrespective of the size of the jurisdiction, whether national or village panchayat, as long as it emulates the same system the disadvantages of the system will not go away but rather exacerbate the situation. Facts on the ground prove that panchayat courts has not been popular with the people

T

he Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008, in its preamble, aspires to be an Act to provide for the establishment of Gram Nyayalayas at the grass roots level for the purposes of providing access to justice to citizens at their doorsteps and to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of social, economic or other disabilities and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

The Act has its basis in Article 39A of the Constitution of India which directs to provide free legal aid to the poor and marginalised. In other words, it unequivocally calls for social responsibility. It advocates justice with equity. The enacted law of 2008 is merely an elaboration of it.

The Case This case cries out for the spirit of Article 39 of the Constitution of India, and for the implementation of Nyaya Panchayat Act in the same spirit and call for the social responsibility in adjudication at the grassroots level, the Panchayat. The case under study: Bombay High Court, Village Panchayat of Collem versus Industrial Tribunal, Government, on 19 July 1994. (See: https://indiankanoon. org/doc/1046109).

We will consider it in two stages: Industrial Labour Tribunal: Petitioner, an employer versus Respondent, a peon: The peon was in the service of his employer from 1966 to 1983; whereupon with due formalities of a month’s notice his services were terminated. The unhappy peon approached the Government of Goa to refer him to the Labour Tribunal alleging that he was retrenched. His request was granted and the matter was referred to the Tribunal in 1986 under Section 10 of the Industrial Disputes Act 1947. The Tribunal had upheld the peon’s plea and ascribed the obligatory benefits.

Bombay High Court: Village Panchayat of Collem versus Industrial Tribunal, Government, 19 July, 1994: Note: Since verdict of the Tribunal dealt with the Industrial Disputes Act the then sarpanch of the village reasoned that it is not under

his juridical powers as the panchayat was not an industrial entity. However, the counsel of the peon argued that it was a case of neglect. The sarpanch was, however, ousted in 1992, and the new sarpanch represented the peon. This may sound peculiar but the petitioner actually fighting the case for the peon and the Tribunal and the Government to whom the peon had appealed in the first place were in the dock. The reason being the case was first under Section 10 of Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, and then the second under Section 2 of the same Act. Hence the following order of the Bombay High Court at Goa: Having applied its mind the Court came to the conclusion that the Order of 6 September 1983 has created a situation whereby the respondents could deal sufficiently as per law, because it has been confirmed that the petitioner has already taken action in this matter. So the petition succeeds and, naturally it leads to quash and set aside the award dated 3 March 1988. Consequently, the Court held that the Tribunal must now dispose of the matter at its earliest. The Court granted a maximum period of six months to do so.

Analysis: First: The natural query to be dealt with is as to what has been achieved after such a lengthy legal battle and the impasse at the climax. ‘Back to square one,’ you would say. The much acclaimed and romanticised ‘free justice at the grassroots level’, is dashed.

Second: If the self-same national legal system is adopted at the basic level, the village panchayat, irrespective of its small size, it does not make it any different. On the other hand, if the lawmakers have to innovate and initiate a different form of justice delivery then suddenly the monster of two legal systems will emerge.

Such a dilemma is unthinkable if equity and justice are to be served.

Third: The object of social responsibility may hold the key. But such a hope is only ideal, an idyllic fantasy. This is so due

The columnist is a writer with Oxford University Press and a published author. Email: albuquerque.daniel@gmail.com 54 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

to two main reasons: a) the panchayat system is a democratic political system and functions under a ruling banner and the other dons the role of the opposition.

The aggrieved is torn apart seeking justice from within such a system; b) the close knowledge and relationships that exist in a village community hinder people from fighting for their rights without creating quarrels and enmities.

Further, the adherence to caste, creed and community can play havoc and tear apart the social fabric of a village. Thus causing more harm than good.

Statistics: Some bare statistics will prove why this Gram Nyayalaya Act, or any other statutory and legislative methods will not serve the purpose of rendering socially responsible justice. Enacted in 2008 and it was notified on 2 October 2009, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the advocate of Panchayati Raj, who dreamed of Village Swaraj or the village republic. To date, that is 2021, it has been claimed that there are 395 Gram Nyayalayas across 12 states of India, a far cry from the set target of 5,000. Even those which are said to be functional are under financial stress. The main reason for this state of affairs being the administrative machinery under a Nyayadhikari, the judge, is quite elaborate. The scope of the Gram Nyayalayas is limited to civil disputes where the Evidence Act does not apply. Since there are a plethora of Taluka courts, very few cases get referred to the Gram Nyayalayas. The best example is the case which we discussed above which ultimately lands in the usual courts and their multi-level ascendency.

Conclusion: There is a guiding principle regarding the law itself: Aequum et bonum est lex legum. ‘That, which is equal and good, is the law of laws.’ Gram Nyayalayas law is too late and probably redundant; if it was to be enacted in the immediate aftermath of the declaration of the Constitution of India in 1950 its benefits would have been reaped admirably, but since it came as late as six decades down the period, it has lost its relevance

CABBAGES AND QUEEN / NANDINI VAIDYANATHAN

Have conversations, not monologues!

The writer highlights the importance of having proper conversations between various teams in an organisation

F

or years, I have argued that a successful startup is one where cofounders have complementary skill-sets.

Increasingly startups themselves have realised the merit in this. However, of late, I have noticed that not defining boundaries of accountability has led to complementarity becoming a detriment to customer experience.

In organisations, two to three decades ago, communication had irrevocably broken down between sales and finance teams. The sales team dissed the finance guys as fuddy-duddys who had never met a customer in their life. The finance team dismissed the sales guys as powder-puff boys who only knew to lie and exaggerate to make a sale.

In the last decade or so, may be thanks to the IT MNCs, processes and protocols have, to a significant extent, ensured that no one team operates in a silo and interdependencies have been acknowledged and written in blood. But the one grey area that I am referring to is the gap between sales and product development teams.

Let us take a hypothetical case where there are three co-founders, one in the technology space, the second in sales and marketing and the third in product development. Each of these roles is very distinct and correctly speaking, there should be neither any ambiguity in their respective roles nor any conflict-inducing overlap.

However, I have sat through Zoom call after Zoom call, in the last one year, where each of the co-founders hurl the choicest abuse at the other after either losing the customer or nearly losing the customer. In addition, from what I can suss out, it seems that sales over promised in terms of performance capability of the product. Product development team were caught on the wrong foot but did their best to customise on the fly and the tech guys threw their hands up saying their current technology does not support this level of customisation and switching technologies at this juncture would be expensive, and time-consuming.

Outcome: a very irate customer and a brand that is taking a beating.

Why does this gap occur at all? Is it that the sales team is not aware of the product performance capability, of what is involved in customisation in

terms of costs and time, and the extent of customisation possible? I remember interviewing a guy for sales a few years ago who was Mr Jaunty all the way. He wore a jaunty bamboo hat, he walked as if on air, and he breezed into my office announcing why he was god’s gift to my company. He said, madam I can sell double-door ‘fridge to Eskimo, I am that good. So I asked him, how will you do that? He said, I will tell them, if you close door, ‘fridge is cold, if you open door it will heat your igloo! My next logical question was, what happens when the Eskimo finds out that the ‘fridge does not heat the igloo? His answer was simple. By then sale is done no? ‘Fridge production guys can deal with the music!

That is why sales is associated with faff. With lies. But when these lies are perpetrated by co-founders, it is a journey down the wormhole. Whether it is defending the truth or a bunch of lies, it is important that the entire organisation be on the same page. It is even more important that right from the time of starting conversation of intent with customer, all the teams are in full participation mode so that nothing escapes anyone’s notice. Not performance capability. Not cost. Not time frame.

To be able to do this effectively, it is necessary that along with roles and responsibilities, boundary lines of accountability are clearly drawn and

respected between co-founding teams.

Each of them can discuss with the customer only their piece. Not a word about the others’.

There is absolutely no harm in saying, that is a matter for my colleague who handles product development, not my area of expertise at all, I will ask him to discuss this with you. And when it is time to send out the proposal to the customer, it is not just the pretty sales boys who will draw up pretty graphs and stories. They have to be substantiated and corroborated by all the stakeholders that nothing is lost in translation. And when it is time to seal the deal with the customer, it is not just the sales guy bringing home the trophy.

It has to be a symphony of various threads of conversation, possibilities, cost and timelines and most important the impact this product would have on the customer’s bottom-line. There is no question of any one of the stakeholders saying at any point, I was not aware of this commitment to customer!

I do think the reason why this gap is becoming a chasm is because typically tech companies care a tuppence for branding. Somehow branding seems to be an obsession only for FMCG companies. Or so the techies think.

Which is why despite being a huge employer generating significant foreign exchange, the IT sector in India still remains a commodity

The columnist has commenced her fourth professional avatar with her bakery and restaurant business in Jaipur (www.concoctions.fr) with her French Michelin-star chef life partner. Email: nandini@carmaconnect.in 56 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

LOVE FOR BUSINESS / SWAPNIL KAMAT AND ARUNIMA KAMAT

What No One Tells You About Being a Leader

The writers jot down tips for cultivating a mindset that would help one adjust to being a leader

T

he challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humour, but without folly, said Jim Rohn.

That is a lot to ask of a leader, especially one who has recently transitioned into the role.

While most first-time leaders experience excitement and pride about their promotion, stepping into a leadership role can also invoke feelings of fear and overwhelm. The transition to be a leader can often be a bit rocky – many managers never receive formal training before making the shift, you are dealing with a completely new set of responsibilities, you are accountable for a team, answerable to so many more stakeholders and you start to wonder if you have the skillset to succeed in the role.

Even for top performing professionals, becoming a leader is an arduous, albeit rewarding, journey of continuous learning and self-development.

While you work on developing leadership skills needed for the job, you also need to cultivate the right mindset.

Here is what you should keep in mind as you adjust to become a leader.

Life is not perfect, nor are leaders “True leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed…. Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection,” said Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook.

Do not go into this thinking that you’re not going to make mistakes; its part of being human. There is no such thing as flawlessness. Not every decision is going to be the right one, because more often than not, it does not exist. You are not always going to have answers, and that is okay too. The sooner you accept this, the better. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for failure.

This is not to suggest that making mistakes is a desirable outcome. Continue to strive for excellence and trust yourself to make decisions that will lead towards it. However, know that mistakes will happen and the way to deal with themis to admit the problem, learn from it and move on.

“Leadership is defined by results ,not attributes,” said management guru, Peter Drucker

Managing people is time-consuming Your first thought as a leader might be that your to-do list will get shorter and you can get work done through others.

This is partially true – your direct reports will definitely help with your workload, but at the end of the day, you are still accountable for those tasks. Now you cannot just do them and check them off your list; you have to take the time to explain them to someone, and ensure that it is done well.

Additionally, in your new role, you will have more work on your plate – administrative and operational duties, reviews, quality control, systemic strategising and other tasks that require your attention. Budget more time into your week and be prepared for a lot more work. Late nights and early mornings do not end when you become the boss – it is best to come to terms with it earlier.

You may not be a natural leader – and that’s OK We are all born with innate qualities, but that does not mean that we cannot learn what we think we lack. If you believe you are not a natural leader, do not let that get in the way. Remember, your own manager thinks that you have what it takes. Look at this new responsibility as a chance to push yourself and develop your capabilities. Work on upskilling yourself – take courses, read books and play to your strengths. Most importantly, ask for advice – your boss, as well as other experienced leaders in your company and/or network are likely to have insightful wisdom that they’d be more than willing to share with you.

You will be the bad guy “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is

defined by results not attributes,” said management guru, Peter Drucker You will find yourself in situations where you will need to make difficult and unpopular decisions. While it is important to gather your teams input, in the end, it is your responsibility to decide what is best, even if that means disappointing or angering some team members. Be prepared to be the bad person and explain the reasoning behind unfavourable decisions.

Remember, your primary job is not to please others. It has to get results.

You will ride an emotional rollercoaster Leading is stressful, emotional and exhausting. Your day-to-day will involve supporting team members in various emotional states, you will be pulled in all directions and putting out fires constantly. People will quit and you will freak out. At some point, you may need to fire someone; this will take an emotional toll on you.

As a leader, it is important to stay even-keeled for your team. However, that does not mean that you do not allow yourself time to work through your feelings once the day is over. Find yourself a cheerleader or confidant with whom you can share the ups and downs.

You have likely been promoted because of your top performance and ability to get the work done. Now, it is not just about you. Earlier, your job was to accomplish tasks. Now you need to help other people accomplish tasks in an outstanding way.

Through it all, enjoy becoming a leader – it is a big career milestone. Being promoted to management is a great acknowledgment of the work that you have done so far, and a reflection of your own manager’s belief in you as a leader

Arunima Kamat heads Learning Research at Work Better; Swapnil Kamat is Founder-CEO of Work Better Email: swapnil@workbetterindia.com 58 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

BON APPÉTIT

@businessgoa

PING’S BIA HOI

South East Asian fare in the bylanes of Goa

Ping’s Bia Hoi boasts of authentic South East Asian cuisine with a beer garden and a perfect ambience

Butter Garlic Prawn dim sum

L

Pork Char Sui Bao

By SYBIL RODRIGUES

ocated in Sangolda in a sleepy little lane, Ping’s Bia Hoi is a Vietnamese beer garden meets Southeast Asian street food haunt, which sits perfectly in Chef Rahul (Picu) Gomes Pereira’s mother’s family home.

The idea was to serve food from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, which is healthy and yet tasty, and keep people craving for more.

The atmosphere is rustic with music from the 80s and 90s playing in the background, adding a nostalgic touch to the setting and yet is peppy and kitschy at the same time.

Ping’s has an extensive bar menu featuring their signature cocktails with exotic names like Walking Street Pattaya, Sunset at Nusa, Cameron Lavender Gardens, Rau Hung and more. The Sunset at Nusa is a mix of rum, falernum, limejuice, ginger syrup and angostura bitters which is refreshing and smooth at the same time. The Rau Hung is a concoction of cognac, kahlua, fernet, maraschino liqueur and orange bitters, which is dark and strong.

Betel Leaf Wrapped Beef

Their food menu has different kinds of soups, salads, noodles, dim sums, baos, and rice dishes. We were served two varieties of dim sums, the Philadelphia Cream Cheese dim sum which is one of their signature dishes, a small dumpling filled with Philadelphia cream cheese, water chestnuts and wild mushrooms and topped with chilli oil and scallions.

The Butter Garlic Prawn dim sum had hand pounded spiced prawns with chives and brown garlic with heaps of butter, encased in a dumpling and topped with bird eye chilli. A bite into both these dim sums resulted in an explosion of flavours in the mouth.

The Betel Leaf Wrapped Beef had ground beef with Thai red chilli, garlic and kaffir lime all wrapped in a betel leaf and served with an Asian sauce, this one tickled the palate with its different flavours.

The best amongst the starters was the Pork Char Sui Bao. Bao or Baozi is a type of yeast – leavened filled bun in various Asian cuisines. With crispy pieces of pork, the bao was filled with lettuce, bell pepper, spring onion and pickled NasiGoreng

Thai Style Chicken Krapow

60 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

Philadelphia Cream Cheese dim sum

cucumber and topped with peanuts. This is an authentic recipe with no variations done to it. Every bite was scrumptious and hit all the right notes on the tongue.

For the mains, we were served the Thai Style Chicken Krapow, which had minced chicken with fresh red chili and thai herbs on skewer, served with sticky rice, prawn wafers and topped with a fried egg. This was a meal in itself and filling, with all the flavours of an authentic Thai dish in a bowl.

The NasiGoreng, a famous Indonesian specialty, has a Goan twist, with the fired rice containing Goan chorizo sausage and bacon, topped with a fried egg and served with prawn wafers.

This fusion dish makes for a filing meal and has just the right amount of spice to satisfy the taste buds.

For dessert, we had the Coffee Caramel Custard, a specialty prepared by one of Chef ’s Rahul’s siblings as a way of giving back to their Goan heritage.

A soft egg custard flavoured with coffee beans and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream drizzled with caramel. This was a rich and smooth dessert and light enough to be eaten after a heavy meal.

The menu also boasts of a variety of small plates like Wok tossed water spinach, Korean tossed chicken wings, Squid miso butter garlic, amongst other South Asian dishes. The curries include the signature Thai Yellow Curry, Red curry, and Thai Green curry.

The food here is complex as it is simple and will transport one down the streets of South East Asia. If one wants to experience a South East Asian fare, with amazing beers, classy cocktails and bask in a great ambience, then this is your go to place

GOA BUZZ

GTA Awards Night 2021

Goa Technology Association (GTA) , an association of IT companies in Goa, organized their fourth anniversary with a Tech Meet and Awards Night.

Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant was the Chief Guest and Minister for Information Technology, Jeniffer Monserrate was the Guest of Honour.

The event was attended by the IT, ITES and tech startups from Goa and began with a session from Flipkart on the future of e-commerce payments, followed by reflections on how to value your IT Company, managing cross border transactions, myths around the IT industry in Goa and Hyper Automation.

GTA President, Milind Anvekar said, “We decided to have the event this year as we believe such events provide the much needed motivation and encouragement to the IT industry to bounce back strongly from the challenges faced over the last two years. This edition is special as the event is curated with the thought of ‘Made in Goa’ for the world.”

Jeniffer Monserrate said, “GTA acts as the representative body of tech companies in Goa. The Department of IT is working continuously towards boosting the IT industry in Goa and I appreciate GTA for their assistance in supporting the State’s tech companies.”

Pramod Sawant congratulated all award winners and said, “GTA plays a major role in highlighting startups and the IT sector in Goa, which is truly an ideal place for growth of this IT ecosystem.” In this edition, recognition was given to the research and innovation work happening in Goa in the field of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Founder President of GTA, Mangirish Salelkar was presented with the Service recognition award at the event. GTA also exchanged a MoU with NASSCOM Future Skills Prime – an initiative from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India and NASSCOM in the presence of the Chief Minister. Future Skills Prime platform will provide opportunity to skill and upscale bright talent

Sujeet Shetty

Dr Pramod Sawant

Milind Anvekar

Mangirish Salelkar

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly

Ankita Anand

Santosh Kenkre

Rajkumar Kamat

Raghu Shetiye

Abhijit Surlakar

D S Prashant

Rohan Warty

Rohin Parker

Judah Fernandez

Caleb Fernandez

R S Kamat

Chinmay Kamat

Nitish Raikar

Vivek Kamat

Keval Jambudia

Parashar Pai Khot

Sohal Anvekar

62 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

GTA exchanged a MoU with NASSCOM Future Skills Prime, an initiative from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India and NASSCOM in the presence of Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and Information Technology Minister, Jeniffer Monserrate

Sridevi Sira

Arjun Khanna

Dinesh Kumar Panigrahi

Manoj Patil

Dr Niyan Marchon

Rohir Naik

Gajanan Kerkar

Venugopal TR

Ramakrishna Adisetty

Gaurang Patkar

Roshan D’Silva

Prasad Sawant

Royce Pereira

Royan Carvalho

Rohit Messais

Rohan Naik

Ramrao Wagh

Vaishali Amonker

Ashwini Hegde

Ashutosh Kharangate

Amit Tamba

Gaurav Kenkre

Kunal Kerkar

Nestinka Rebelo

Michelle Fernandes

Jeniffer Monserrate

SEPTEMBER 2021 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | 63

GOA BUZZ

www.businessgoa.in

Shlok Pai Kane releases his maiden book ‘Untrapped’

Shlok Pai Kane

What started as a young boy’s hobby of writing grew into an author publishing his first book. Shlok Pai Kane, the author of, Untrapped just launched his debut book, an anthology of stories and poetry about different topics and incidents that has inspired him. His book came together during the lockdown, with an aim to publish it and inspire more people to read and write about anything that stood out to them. The name Untrapped, as Shlok explained is due to two reasons, firstly, most of the pieces follow the theme of freedom, setting free, or feeling untrapped. Through his stories, Shlok tries to explain how everyone, much like every character in his pieces feel trapped at some point in life, but eventually set themselves free, despite the challenge. Secondly, writing these stories and poems was Shloks way of untrapping his mind of his thoughts and ideas by jotting them onto paper. Untrapped was launched at Surya Kiran Heritage Home, Panjim. The launch party had an unveiling of the book cover, a speech by the author, guest speakers, readings as well as an interview round. Guest speakers included Sandeep Doifode, Atul Pai Kane, Ashwini Ragha, Swati Bhise and Kiran Thakur. Each of them read their favourite piece from the book and spoke about why they chose that piece

Gaurpriya Pai Kane

Atul Pai Kane

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly Capt Nitin Dhond

Kiran Thakur

Sheetal Pai Kane

Sunil Pai Kane

Saachi Pai Kane

Archana Bhobe

Sumeet Bhobe

Vini Quenim

Sai Thakur Bijlani

Pritam Bijlani

Suraj Morajkar

Sonali Amonker

Nilesh Amonker

Vaishali Joshi

Swati Bhise

Leena Prabhu

Rahul Naik

Anisha Hassan

Aniruddh Dempo

Sanjana Dempo

Lisa Menezes

Saeesh Dhond

Vaikunth Dempo

Sandeep Doifode

Ashwini Ragha

Gauri Kalokhe

Premal Javeri

Sameera Seth

Gautam Amonkar

Seema Amonkar

Trupti Pai Kane

Sushant Pai Kane

64 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

NEWSMAKERS

@businessgoamagazine

Harilal Menon appointed Vice Chancellor of Goa University

Raul Rebello appointed COO of Mahindra Finance

Gautami Raiker’s startup wins TIE Hubli’s Global Women Pitch Competition 2021

Chef Patrick Albert appointed Head Chef of Kamaxi College of Culinary Arts, Verna

The Dean of the Department of Marine Science of Goa University, Harilal Menon has been appointed the new Vice Chancellor of the university, by Governor of Goa and Chancellor of Goa University, P S Sreedharan Pillai.

Menon has a doctorate from the Cochin University of Science and Technology. He has handled a number of projects in his department as either an investigator or co-investigator, including ‘Impact of Mining on the Mandovi-Zuari Estuarine System’, and has presented many research papers on his subject.

The appointment of the Vice Chancellor would be for a period of five years or until completion of 65 years of age, whichever is earlier. A three-member selection committee had recently shortlisted five candidates including Menon for the coveted post and forwarded the same to the Governor

The Legal Capsule has won the TIE Hubli Chapter Finale of Global Women Pitch Competition 2021.

The startup will now represent the Chapter internationally, in Dubai, this October.

Gautami Raiker is the founder and CEO of The Legal Capsule.

She pursued Masters of Law in Intellectual Property Rights and is an Accredited Mediator at the Indian Institute of Arbitration and Mediation. The Legal Capsule is a Contract Lifecycle Management platform that makes it easier to create, collaborate, negotiate, e-sign, store, and manage contracts and forms on the go. The startup allows enterprises to create a documents, collaborate and review e-sign, retrieve documents, conduct KYC and various other services

Digital marketing courses by Parvish Andani Kamat’s eTechSkill Academy

eTechSkill Academy led by certified marketing trainer Parvish Andani Kamat has introduced Digital Marketing HandsOn, management and productivity courses, online for now, to over 200 participants from London, USA, Dubai and many different parts of India, all belonging to different industries and age groups.

Aimed at the self-employed, women, entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals, students and freelancers, eTechSkill Academy is a training institute for digital marketing, training online as well as offline. Digital Marketing HandsOn conducts academic tours abroad, management and productivity courses.

Parvish has trained for topics like LinkedIn Tips & Tricks, Facebook for Business, Instagram for Business with Hands On sessions with personal doubt solving and live classes

Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited, part of the Mahindra Group, has announced Raul Rebello as its Chief Operating Officer.

Raul is a career banker with nearly two decades of extensive work in the domain of rural banking and financial inclusion.

Prior to joining Mahindra Finance, he was associated with Axis Bank Limited as EVP & Head- Rural Lending & Financial Inclusion. In nearly two decades with Axis Bank, Raul led key businesses and played a pivotal role to increase the Bank’s distribution in rural and semi-urban areas through light format banking outlets, micro-ATMs and rural ecosystem partnerships.

Raul is a former student of Loyola High School, Margao, a Post Graduate in Management from Goa Institute of Management and is an active member of various industry and trade association bodies

Chef Patrick Albert has been appointed as Head Chef of Kamaxi College of Culinary Arts (KCCA), Verna and will be on the faculty team for the academic year 2021-22.

Chef Albert is a member of the illustrious Académie Culinaire de France and has vast experience in on-shore and offshore hospitality avenues.

In 2014, he was the recipient of Maître Cusinier de France. Chef Albert has been working with the Disney Cruise Line of the Walt Disney Company for the last twenty years and has spent a decade as an executive chef on the cruise ship Disney Wonder and Magic

147 1. Which company’s mascot is also known as ‘Bibendum’?

2. The Right Choice: Resolving 10 Career Dilemmas for Extraordinary Success is a book by 3. Under what brand name has Parle Agro launched a new flavoured milk?

4. In 2015, in a deal valued at `150 billion, which bank was acquired by Kotak Bank?

5. Which regulatory body for licensing and regulation of micro, small and medium enterprise finance companies in Indiawas established on 2 April 1990?

6. Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society retails its handloom products under what brand?

7. JK Laxmi Cement is the principal sponsor of which IPL 2021 team?

8. Who is Government of India’s Minister of State for Tourism; Ports, Shipping and Waterways?

9. Identify this French billionaire Answers to BG Quiz 146: 1.Tata Steel 2.Satya Nadella 3.Intel 4.The New Shepard 5.Byju’s 6.Ray Kroc 7.UltraTech 8.Marico 9.Ram Shriram Email your answers to businessgoa.media@gmail.com First all correct entry will get 1 year’s subscription to Business Goa

66 | BUSINESS GOA INDUSTRY DOSSIER | SEPTEMBER 2021

Registered with Registrar of Newspapers of India under RNI No.: GOAENG/2015/59955 Date of Publication: 10th day of every month. Posted on or before 30th day of the month. POSTAL LICENSE No.: G-2/RNP/Monthly/Goa-19/2021-23