Governance Today November 2014

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November 2014, Vol.01, Issue 02

SCIENCE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

INDIA’S GIANT LEAPS

Our Young Scientists Need to Develop a Vision

e-Governance India’s EffortS Laudable

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Editor-in-Chief | Ajit Sinha Managing Editor | Ajay Kumar Vice President | Manjushree Reddy Consulting Editor | Anand Mishra Senior Copy Editor | Ramesh K Raja Reporting Team | Ekta Srivastava | Rahul Trivedi Art Director | Vivek Ojha Web Architect | Farhan Khan

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MUCH GROUND WORK REQUIRED TO PUSH MODI’S DREAM OF DEVELOPMENT Even as India created history by becoming the only country in the world to successfully enter the Mars orbit in its first attempt itself, it in no way shows that we are the leaders in scientific development or technological innovation. At best it is just a start.

ADVISORY BOARD G VERNANCE editorial does not endorse TODAY the content of advertisements printed in the magazine

| Pratap Mohanty Former Deputy Educational Advisor, MHRD, GOI

| Amod Kanth Retd. IPS, Director, Prayas

| Vinit Goenka National Co-Convener, Information Technology Cell, Bharatiya Janata Party, India

| Terry Culver Associate Dean for Development, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, New York

WE HAVE A NUMBER OF MOMLIKE PROGRAMMES

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SWACHH BHARAT, IS IT? 2ND OCTOBER, 2014, the launch of Modi’s dream of Clean India Campaign, ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ with such a big fanfare – ministers, bureaucrats and others holding ‘Jhadoos’ – has evoked interesting reactions from the rag pickers.

“Why cleaning has suddenly become such a big deal, we use to do it every morning, they quip.

Mother Earth Has A Lot To Offer, it requires science to understand her. Government of India felt its importance and formed Ministry of Earth Sciences in 2006 from the merger of India Meteorological Department (IMD)....

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MUCH GROUND WORK REQUIRED TO PUSH MODI’S DREAM OF DEVELOPMENT EARTH SCIENCES: HOW FAR IS INDIA? WE HAVE A NUMBER OF MOM- LIKE PROGRAMMES: SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCE

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OUR YOUNG SCIENTISTS NEED TO DEVELOP A VISION: DR MURARI LAL

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DRDO: BUILDING SELF RELIANCE IN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGIES Having worked as Scientist for almost 35 years in Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation, Ravi Kumar Gupta is now heading the Directorate of Public Interface, of the defence research behemoth.

BUILDING SELF RELIANCE IN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGIES: G-SCIENTIST, DRDO 30

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INDIA HOLDS POTENTIAL TO GROW IN HEALTHCARE 34

NEW ASSET RESTRUCTURING COMPANIES ON ANVIL: BANKING SECRETARY

INDIA HOLDS POTENTIAL TO GROW PRICE REDUCTION NEED OF THE HOUR Despite its growth at the rate of 20 per cent per annum, the real estate sector has been on a roller coaster ride since 2005. The sector has been under a cold wave for the last couple of years. It is not getting the buyers; the number of unsold inventories is continuously increasing, especially in NCR region. The sector was very hopeful from the festive season but this also couldn’t provide the required boost.

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India is one OF THE FASTEST GROWING ECONOMIES of the world and with its consistent and eminent scientific contributions, it is now well recognized as one of the clinical hubs for the global health sector.

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PRICE REDUCTION, NEED OF THE HOUR IN REAL ESTATE

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LAND COST SHOULD BE REDUCED

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E-GOVERNANCE : INDIA’S EFFORTS LAUDABLE SIXTH SENSE TECHNOLOGY: FUTURE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS PPP IN HEALTHCARE SWACHH BHARAT, IS IT? A ROLE MODEL FOR DIFFERENTLY ABLED

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MORE GOVERNMENT SUPPORT NEEDED FOR CLASSICAL DANCE

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JUMP OF THE LIFE

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Editorial

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TIME TO THINK BEYOND LINES & LIMITATIONS Such a proud moment has come for India, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize! The whole world is celebrating this win. Our heartiest congratulation to both Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their commendable work and achievement.

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ut look at the irony; since 1947, not a single resident Indian has been awarded the Nobel in the stream of scientific discovery, despite India’s successes in space, astronomy, pharmaceuticals and the worldwide reputation of its USD100-billion IT industry. Three India-born scientists who have won Nobel Prize are recognized for their works done entirely outside India. No mathematician from India has yet been able to create the magic.

Scientific research and development is almost nonexistent in the private sector of the country. Indian researchers get better recognition and work opportunities outside the country. Ph.D. is the word to give recognition to research capability. People like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs who are college drop outs, would probably have had no opportunities in India.

Research and Development (R&D) is yet to find a place in Indian system and its economic thought process. If we look at the R&D expenditure by public and private sectors as percentage of the GDP of leading research oriented countries, Israel contributes with 4.86% to R&D whereas Sweden contributes 3.75%, Finland and the US spend 3.46% and 2.82% of its GDP to research respectively, whereas in India, contribution towards R&D stands at a paltry 0.9% of the GDP, which is amongst the lowest in leading emerging economies.

However, many industries, including the pharmaceutical and automotive industries, have been investing heavily in R&D of late. Large multinationals and other foreign companies have set up research facilities in India. Inflow of foreign exchange for R&D has increased from USD 221 million in 200405 to USD 878 million in 2010-11. But, India’s research funding as a proportion of the country’s total R&D expenditure has been falling continuously.

The problem is that science in India has for too long been restricted by a bureaucratic mentality that accords higher priority to administrative attentions than it does to scientific achievement.

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What will it take now to reinvigorate India’s dilapidated scientific research behemoths, trapped for decades in a sclerosis like rigid bureaucracy?

We need to think beyond the lines and limitations of bureaucracy or any other administrative rigidity. Scientific research, unlike academic research, requires something more; more capital investment and more team effort. In order to have its rightful place in the scientific and research community, the scientific planning of the country must shake off sedentary and rigid bureaucratic influences.

India’s long-term economic and industrial competitiveness requires heavy investment in scientific research, along with the proper recognition of the role that government needs to play in order to foster indigenous capabilities. This requires making sure that the various arms of the government work together, something China appears to have mastered. This will not only improve business efficiency but will also prompt our younger generation to think beyond salary structure and relate their interest with career in scientific research.

Hope you will enjoy this edition which has a special focus on Scientific Research & Development.

As my team is gearing up to spear at yet another theme on Green Energy, I am happy to invite you all to the forthcoming National Energy Summit on Renewable Energy (http://energysummit.governance today.co.in/) on December 11, 2014 in New Delhi, as presented by Governance Today. Mark your calendar!

Ajit Sinha Editor in chief

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Governance Watch

PM-led body for nuclear safety soon Taking a leap forward towards setting up stronger safety standards for nuclear reactors, India will soon constitute a new Council on Nuclear Safety to be headed by the Prime Minister. The Union Cabinet is expected to approve a pending legislation in the coming weeks to set up a Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority (NSRA) for consideration in the coming winter session of Parliament. The new body will be liable for regulating radiation and nuclear safety. The NSRA will be the successor body to the present Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) which will be dissolved. This body, however, will not have the powers to inspect and regulate the strategic sector including facilities involved in India’s nuclear weapons programme. Two recent radiation incidents – the Mayapuri radiological accident of April 2010 and the Fukushima disaster of March 2011 – have influenced the contents of the proposed Bill.

New names for Bangalore, 11 other cities In a festival gift for Karnataka, the Centre permitted renaming 12 cities, including Bangalore and Belgaum. Bangalore’s new name will be Bengaluru. Mangalore will be renamed Mangaluru, and Mysore will become Mysuru. Bellary will be called Ballari in official records, while Belgaum will be renamed Belagavi. Hubli will become Hubballi. The new names of other cities are Tumakuru (Tumkur), Vijapura (Bijapur), Chikkamagaluru (Chikmagalur), Kalaburagi (Gulbarga), Hosapete (Hospet) and Shivamogga (Shimoga). According to reports, the Karnataka government, Survey of India, railway ministry, department of posts, ministry of science and technology and Intelligence Bureau gave their clearance to the proposal. Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju, too, gave his approval, which will now be followed by a final clearance from home minister Rajnath Singh. The NDA government waited for the Maharashtra assembly elections to conclude because the decision to rename Belgaum could have cost the BJP votes in villages bordering Karnataka.

Key labour reforms to end ‘inspector raj’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched a host of schemes that seeks to create an environment conducive to industrial development while also ensuring transparency in the labour sector. The initiatives include a Unified Labour Portal or ‘Shram Suvidha’, a transparent and accountable Labour Inspection Scheme, portability through Universal Account Number (UAN) for Employees’ Provident Fund members and an Apprentice Protsahan Yojana, to name a few. The PM unveiled these key labour reforms on the occasion of inaugurating ‘Pt Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Karyakram’ organised by the labour ministry. Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Modi said “we needed to change our attitude towards labour as well as work very hard to change the perception we had of the poor.” Among all, the UAN will allow collation of accounts and viewing of updated PF accounts. The UAN would be portable throughout the working careers of members and can be used anywhere in India.

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Govt’s harsh reminder to polluting units along Ganga Sending a tough message to all polluting industries along the river Ganga, the government recently asked them to adhere to deadline of setting up sensor-based real-time online sewage monitoring system by March 31 next year. The government also said that its long-term goal was to implement "zero liquid discharge" where all the water used by industries could be recycled and re-used. Issuing a veiled threat to polluting units, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said if she had to choose between the Ganga and industry, she would choose the river unless polluting industries adhere to all environment norms and the deadline. Bharti stressed the fact that whatever the government was doing to rejuvenate the Ganga, would serve as a pattern for all rivers across the country. Her remarks came after several rounds of consultation with representatives of polluting industries. Environment minister Prakash Javadekar and many experts attended the consultations and pitched for quick action to save the river.

Good days ahead for ‘Zombie factories’ The Centre is preparing to invest more taxpayer money in ailing stateowned factories, in a bid to turn them around. While the government has announced the closure of six publicly owned companies, Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Anand Geete said recently that about twothirds of 64 loss-making firms can be revived with more money. The government has set up a committee to examine ways zombie public companies can be saved, including using cash reserves from profit-earning state firms to provide lifelines to the loss-making ones, according to reports. The panel will report its findings in two months. The initiative has disappointed those who want PM Modi to force through economic reforms, however painful. He might reply that past success in reviving sick public enterprises as chief minister of Gujarat state gives him the right to try on a national level.

‘Clean India’ mobile app soon, courtesy Facebook Prime Minister’s ‘Clean India’ campaign has found a helping hand in Facebook that will help the government develop a mobile application and lend its expertise in areas of health and sanitation. Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of the social networking site, made this announcement after meeting Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Communication and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad. "Mr Zuckerberg is excited about Digital India initiative. I requested him to identify certain areas where Facebook can help us in that. I also requested Mr Zuckerberg to identify how Facebook can help promote India’s rich tourist potential across the world," Modi wrote on his Facebook page. Modi had brought up the subject of Facebook helping with promotion of tourism earlier this year as well when Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg met him on her India visit. Zuckerberg was in India to promote the Facebook-backed ‘internet dot org’ campaign to expand internet reach. Modi has relied on social media to spread the message and used the tool for improving governance in several sectors.

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Governance Watch

Registration in a day to make India friendlier investment destination The government is working to cut down the time for registering a business from 27 days to a single day, in order to make India a better place to do business. The Centre has prepared a host of measures, such as, single registration for all labour laws, overhaul of tax systems, reduction in the number of permits required, easing up property registration, quick electricity connection and property registration. The measures are expected to make the country a friendlier investment destination. Currently, India has the reputation of being a notoriously difficult place to do business. According to The World Bank’s "Ease of doing business" index, India ranked 134 out of 189 countries in 2014, behind China (ranked 96) and behind neighbours Pakistani (110) and Bangladesh (130). The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has been made the nodal agency for pushing these procedural reforms. In turn, DIPP has set a time frame of 3-6 months for implementing the changes. States are also being encouraged to join the Centre’s efforts to improve the regulatory structure and cut down delays.

Govt to repeal colonial-era laws The Law Ministry is preparing an obsolete laws bill to be tabled in the winter session of Parliament seeking their repeal. The bill contains more than a thousand archaic laws. Some of these had lost relevance immediately after Independence and many appropriation and repeal acts became redundant after notification of provisions in the principal acts. The Law Commission has been of the opinion that at least 350 laws need to be immediately revoked.

It has already identified at least 200 such obsolete acts so far. While the law ministry is preparing a comprehensive bill, a Prime Minister-appointed panel is looking into all such recommendations, even those made during the previous governments, to put them together and incorporate them in the bill. All these recommendations will be vetted by a two-member committee appointed by the PM in August which is to submit its final report within three months.

Delhi cops get lesson from HC judges In a first of its kind, two judges of Delhi High Court held a tutorial for Delhi Police teaching them to do away with botching up routine investigations due to unscientific probe methods and silly mistakes that result in miscarriage of justice. Justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Mukta Gupta reportedly gave several instances from cases heard by their bench of how police filed random charge sheets with no proper sequence of memo and post mortem reports. The judges apparently also faulted the police for chaotic manner of presenting witnesses in court. The discussion also veered towards importance of strengthening police’s mobile team since the PCR team often ends up becoming the most important witness to dying declaration of victims. They also showed how in quite a few cases "Call details are proved but there are no details of tower location." The day-long workshop was attended by the entire brass of Delhi Police, including commissioner B S Bassi.

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Governance Watch

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Govt to formalise code for MPs to ensure House discipline Seeking to avoid the kind of problems that had stalled the functioning of Parliament during the last months of the UPA II regime, the Narendra Modi government proposes to evolve a code of conduct for Members of Parliament and state legislators. The idea is to enhance the public perception and credibility of the lawmaking institutions, an official statement said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu recently called a meeting of chief whips of all parties to discuss the issue and decide whether the code of conduct and some other parliamentary functions should be put down in writing. Apart from codifying the privileges of MPs and MLAs, the eight-point agenda of the two-day conference included a proposal to allocate one full day every week for private members’ bills. Private members’ bills and resolutions are means to invite the government’s attention to issues of larger socio-economic concern that may have not been the priority for the government. Such bills can facilitate free discussion without any political party requiring to issue a directive.

26% drop in number of out-of-school kids, thanks to RTE The Right to Education Act is finally showing some results. The latest HRD ministry-mandated survey shows a 26 per cent drop in out-of-school children in the country since 2009. As per the survey conducted by Indian Market Research Bureau for the ministry, out-of-school (OoS) children have declined to 60.6 lakh — 2.97 per cent of all children in the 6-14 age group — from 81.5 lakh in 2009. In the first survey of 2005, 1.34 crore children were out of school. Interestingly, there were less girls (28.9 lakh) out of school than boys (31.6 lakh). In fact, girls have consistently done better than boys in all three surveys. A survey of OoS slum children was done for the first time and their number was found to be 4.73 lakh. The survey found a continuing drop in the number of OoS children among scheduled castes and Muslims. Among tribal OoS children, the drop was marginal — from 10.69 lakh in 2009 to 10.07 lakh in 2014.

Nobel Peace Prize for India’s Kailash Satyarthi,Pakistan’s MalalaYousafzai Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 for advocating girls’ right to education, won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014. Yousafzai, 17, becomes the youngest ever Nobel Prize winner. Satyarthi, 60, and Yousafzai were picked for their struggle against the oppression of children and young people, and for the right of all children to education. The award was made at a time when hostilities have broken out between India and Pakistan along the border of the disputed, mainly Muslim region of Kashmir - the worst fighting between the nuclear-armed rivals in more than a decade. Satyarthi, who gave up a career as an electrical engineer in 1980 to campaign against child labour, has headed various forms of peaceful protests and demonstrations, focusing on the exploitation of children for financial gain. Unable to return to Pakistan after her recovery, Yousafzai moved to Britain, setting up the Malala Fund and supporting local education advocacy groups with a focus on Pakistan, Nigeria, Jordan, Syria and Kenya.

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Lead Story

MUCH GROUND WORK REQUIRED TO PUSH

MODI’S DREAM OF DEVELOPMENT

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| By GT Bureau

Even as India created history by becoming the only country in the world to successfully enter the Mars orbit in its first attempt itself, it in no way shows that we are the leaders in scientific development or technological innovation. At best it is just a start.

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HE SUCCESS OF MOM HAS GIVEN SOME TOOTH TO THE CAPABILITIES OF INDIA’S SKILL AND GIVEN AN IMPETUS TO PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI’S AMBITIOUS “MAKE IN INDIA” CAMPAIGN .

However, our manufacturing industry has been languishing for years and has shown negative or single digit growth. To become a manufacturing hub of the world, India needs to invest aggressively in Research and Development for science and technology.

India spends about 0.8 per cent of its $1.87 trillion economy in scientific R&D, while China, the world’s biggest manufacturer spends 1.98 per cent of its $9.182 trillion economy in the same. Meanwhile, other manufacturing powerhouses such as Germany and United States of America spend nearly 3 per cent of their GDP, which is much larger than our, in R&D.

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Lead Story

Expanses on R&D in science and development

0.8 %

According to a paper published by the ministry of science and technology in 2013, access to science-based innovations, technologies and engineering would determine the global competitiveness of nations. Currently the global investments into Research and Development are estimated at $1.2 trillion, of these, the private sector is the major investor. In developed and emerging economies, the private: public investments into R&D are generally in the range of 2:1. On the other hand, in India private investments into R&D are estimated at only half of that of the public sector.

1.98 %

of its economy

of its economy

ECONOMY OF WORLD’S BIGGEST MANUFACTURER

INDIA

$1.87 trillion

$9.182 trillion

economy

economy

Meanwhile, other manufacturing powerhouses such as Germany and United States of America spend nearly 3 per cent of their GDP, which is much larger than ours, in R&D.

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Stimulus needed In countries where private sector engagement into R&D is large, time to commercialisation of technologies is shorter. The extent of commercialisation of outputs from public funded research is generally lower. Hence, it is in the national interest of India to stimulate the private sector engagement into R&D and aim at Public : Private sector investments into R&D at levels of 1:1 by 2017.

The government is concerned that the private sector investment into R&D is less than optimum levels in comparison to the current trends in global best practices. A 400 per cent increase in investment by private players is required to reach government’s aim of equal investment by private players by 2017. Currently this does not look achievable as the economy has turned to sub-5 per cent growth in the last two fiscals from its heady days of 8 per cent plus rate of growth, forcing companies to lower their investments in R&D activities.

However, Narendra Modi’s call is for foreign investors to put in investment and take advantage of one of the youngest populations in the world

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and a market which holds nearly a sixth of the world’s population.

But the country lacks skilled labour and research and development classrooms. We have to start by investing in the process of education and only then foreign biggies such as GE and Toyota would start considering India seriously as their manufacturing hub.

Right now, India’s services contribute most to the nation’s GDP against about 17 per cent contribution from manufacturing which is dismal when compared with China’s where manufacturing contributes over 50 per cent to it economy.

We need a host of reformation even before we start competing in manufacturing against leading nations. Reform special economic zone policy, labour laws, taxation policy, and land acquisition policy are the basic places Narendra Modi can at least make top executives’ heads turn towards India.

Second is developing a market that has the power to buy. We might be the world’s second most populous nation in the world, but we are not one of those countries with the highest purchasing powers in the world. We have a huge unemployment ratio making the market less attractive for global businesses to think it as a market that has ready customers.

Better late than never All this does not augur too well for what our PM wants. But atleast a thought process has started and its a welldone sign.

“As mentioned by the Prime Minister, the purchasing power of the people can be enhanced and demand created only if they have employment opportunities,” CII President Ajay

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S Shriram said in a statement more re cently. He added that ease of doing business that the PM talks about is heartening and could be the key to attract manufacturers as a second alternative to China.

FICCI, another popular industry body, said that India is unarguably an attractive investment destination given its rich demographics that feed into the intrinsic demand and supply elements of businesses. The potential, however, has remained mostly untapped for want of a truly enabling environment required for businesses to flourish. It said the government needs to focus on improving business environment through ease of doing business and an encouraging fiscal framework, encouraging manufacturing set-up by providing a conducive eco-system that supports factor advantage, nurtures innovation and strengthens inter-linkages with other industries and institutions.

Though the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is being very inspiring, but ground work should be a simultaneous process and encouraging investment in scientific knowledge is the right place to start.

Lead Story

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arendra Modi’s call is for foreign investors to invest and take advantage of one of the youngest populations in the world and a market which holds nearly a sixth of the world population.

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Lead Story

EARTH SCIENCES HOW FAR IS

INDIA ?

| By Rasik Ravindra

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HE EARTH IS A UNIQUE AND SINGULAR PLANET OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, on which life is known to exist. Our understanding of the Earth, since its inception about 4.5 billion years ago, has come through centuries of observations, wisdom and experiences of our ancestors which further evolved and got sharpened by the modern scientific exploration, hypotheses and models generated to explain the intricacies and complexities inherent in the various processes operating upon it. The key ‘spheres’ that sustain the planet Earth – atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and geosphere are required to be knit into a large and single ‘Sphere’ as each individual smaller sphere is intimately linked, inter-dependent and interwoven with other spheres. Collectively, these help in driving the earth System. the earth system science organization, under the ministry of earth sciences, Government of India, established in 2007 endeavours to address these themes and the science behind the processes that drive the Earth, in a holistic way. The scientific programs on understanding climate change processes, dynamics of ice covered regions of - Arctic, Antarctic and Himalaya and its impact on the climate as well as its linkages to Indian monsoon, weather forecasts, early warning to natural disasters-storms, tsunamis, earthquakes; dissemination of information on ocean state, advisory to fisher men, exploration and exploitation of living and non living marine resources and technology development especially in the field of ocean exploration; are some of the major initiatives that have direct relevance

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Lead Story to mankind with high rating on the societal benefit scale.

Science and Initiatives

One such initiative that has proved highly beneficial and even life saving was the development and installation of “Low Temperature Thermal Desalination“ unit in Kavaratti island of Lakshadweep in 2005. The plant is producing fresh potable water from sea for about 10,000 local islanders, continuously. Equipped with the knowledge of the sea bed bathymetry near the island, the thermal gradient of 15oC (the temperature of surface water is 28oC while that of water at 350 m depth is 12oC), is utilised to evaporate the warmer water at low pressures and condense the resultant vapour with the colder water to obtain fresh water. The plant has a capacity of producing 1 lakh litre per day of freshwater of 280 ppm salinity from the original 35000 ppm salinity of the seawater. The success and unmatched health benefits to locals has encouraged ESSO-NIOT (National Institute of Ocean Technology) - an autonomous R&D institution of MoES to go for similar plants at Agatti and Minicoy islands. Six additional plants are envisaged to come up at Androth, Amini, Kalpeni, Kadamat, Kiltan and Chetlat islands, shortly.

Subsequent to the commencement of supply of this water for drinking purposes, there has been a significant drop in the incidents of water-borne diseases among the local population.

The Oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the surface of the Earth and apart from providing the vital nutrition in terms of supply of food and livelihood to millions of coastal population; it plays an important role in moderating the Earth’s climate by occupying central stage in the global hydrological cycle. Study of ocean and collection of observational record of its various parameters is pivotal to understanding the earth processes because of linkages of oceans

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to natural disasters such as tsunamis, cyclones, storms and their ability in increasing the accuracy to develop models for forecasting weather and its abnormalities. Many institutions of the ministry e.g. IMD (India Meteorological Department), ESSOINCOIS (Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services), ESSOIITM (Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology), ESSO-NCMRWF (National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting) and ESSONIOT are engaged in developing and establishing observational platforms and climate models that provide an important inputs to such studies.

There are numerous automatic weather stations apart from the conventional IMD Observatories, the state of the art observing systems (GPS radiosonde stations, Doppler radars, Pilot Balloon stations and modern satellite data) which provide input on vital weather parameters that goes into the system of weather forecasting.

Services such as Agromet advisories to Block level under “Gramin Krishi Mausam Seva” and “Aviation Weather Decision Support System” are proving to be of great value for their practical utilization in lives of common men.

Warning and Benefits The improved weather forecasting as established during the Phailin (2013) and recent Hudhud (2014) cyclones are well known examples that saved hundreds of human lives and cattle population. The Phailin cyclone, which was one of the most powerful storms with T6.0 on intensity scale, struck the Odisha and Andhra coast causing massive destruction in the region- affecting 12 million people. This cyclone prompted India’s biggest evacuation in 23 years with more than 550,000 people being moved from the coastline in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to safer shelters, damaged crops worth Rs 2,400

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crores and caused loss estimated to be around Rs 420 crores. The timely weather prediction and consequent rescue operations restricted loss to human lives to a minimum.

The Tsunami early Warning System, which was commissioned by ESSO-INCOIS at Hyderabad, subsequent to the devastating tsunami of Dec 26, 2004, is another example of a world class facility developed indigenously to warn coastal population of large scale disturbances of the ocean floor that can produce high and mighty waves capable of causing large scale inundation and destruction. Using a network of broadband seismic stations and data from more than 300 Seismic stations spread over the world, a network of tsunami Buoys deployed in the Indian Ocean, several tide gauge stations and working 24x7, the Indian Tsunami early Warning System can detect the tsunami and issue advisories to the coastal regions not only in India but also to most of the Indian Ocean rim countries in record time.

Some research and developmental activities such as lobster and crab fattening by ESSO-NIOT and marine ornamental fish culture provided by ESSO-CMLRE (Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology) and advisories on fisheries by ESSOINCOIS by identifying the potential fishing zones (PFZ), have raised the economic conditions of fisher men communities to a great.

An Impact Assessment and economic benefits of weather and marine services conducted by National Council of Applied Economic Research (Dec, 2010) has highlighted the immense contribution made by such R&D activities. The study has estimated that total annual net economic benefits due to the scientific identification of PFZ lie in the range of Rs 34,000 to Rs 50,000 crores, while the economic benefit from the use of weather information was estimated

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Over 12 million T6.0 on intensity scale, struck the Odisha & Andhra

`2,400 crores economy

`34,000/ 50,000 crores PEZ

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between Rs 50,000 (where 24 per cent EEZ of India.

In addition to these activities, farmers receive weather information) to Rs 211,000 crores (if all the farmers ESSO-NCAOR is the nodal institute in India to organise, conduct and coordireceive such information). nate the expeditions to Polar Regions - Arctic, Antarctic, Himalaya and Exploration and Exploitation One of the important segments of Southern Ocean - aimed at a holistic the Earth system science is the explo- understanding of the role played by ration of resource potential and its uti- cryospheric processes and Southern lization in development of the nation. Ocean dynamics towards global cliThe ESSO-NCAOR (National Centre mate change. for Antarctic and Ocean Research) – a prestigious research institute located Arctic and Antarctic in Goa - is mandated to undertake reIndia has strong presence in both search in the field of solid earth stud- Arctic and Antarctic. The Arctic region ies that includes conducting surveys in is critical in understanding the therthe up-coming fields of deep sea floor mohaline circulation that originates for hydro-thermal systems and poly in the northern Atlantic and drives metallic nodules that have high con- the oceanic circulation in this part of centration of noble metals (gold, sil- globe thereby regulating climate. To ver, platinum and palladium etc) and evaluate the fast dwindling Arctic sea strategic minerals (such as copper, ice and to impart bi-hemispherical nickel, cobalt, molybdenum etc) re- approach to the Polar science, India spectively; exploration of potential launched its first expedition to Arctic sea mounts of Afanasy-Nikitin region in 2007, which was followed soon in about a thousand km south of India 2008 by establishing a Research Basefor cobalt enriched crust and gas hy- Himadri at Ny-Alesund (790 North) in drate - as future source of energy and Svalbard. This provided essential fathe bathymetry surveys of vast areas cilities to Indian scientists to conduct of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone research in the field of Arctic microbi(EEZ) lying beyond the coast line ology, atmospheric science, glaciologof the country. This Centre has also ical and palaeoclimate in the extreme played a key role in acquiring seismic, north. Regular monitoring of some of reflection, gravity and magnetic data the glaciers and geological mapping over 31,000 Line Km in Bay of Bengal of deformational episodes in tectonand Arabian Sea areas, for establishing ically sensitive Svalbard, is being unlimits of continental shelf beyond the dertaken by our scientists. India has

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Lead Story also launched a major biogeochemical program in Kongsfjorden system in collaboration with Norway by deploying an ocean-atmospheric mooring in the fjord to collect long-term data on oceanographic, meteorological and biological parameters.

The sustained scientific research in Arctic was helpful in obtaining the Membership as Executive Member in the International Arctic Science Committee and status of an Observer in the Arctic Council.

Indian endeavor in Antarctica is comparatively much older. Our first Antarctic Base - Dakshin Gangotri (DG), was operationalised in 1983 which helped in initiating continuous monitoring of Antarctic weather and glaciological parameters. The permanent station and India’s scientific interest in the frozen continent earned India a Consultative status in Antarctic Treaty regime in 1983 itself.

Due to excessive snow and ice buildup around the station, DG had to be abandoned in 1990. However, the second station- Maitri had already started taking shape in the Schirmacher Oasis, about a hundred km south of DG. Maitri was commissioned in 1990-91 with permanent weather, seismological, geomagnetic and GPS observatories in place. Maitri also provided an access to Humboldt, Gruber and other mountains chains of Wohlthat Range in the interior parts of Antarctica to Indian geologists.

Antarctica being a huge continent of about 12 million sq km area, it was thought befitting to construct an additional research station in another part of the continent to have a scientific spread in the points of data collection. An area at a distance of about 3000 km from Maitri was shortlisted in Larsemann Hills of eastern Antarctica and a state of art modern research station-Bharati was constructed. The new station was commissioned in 2012.

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Through its 33 scientific expeditions to Antarctica, launched so far, India is undertaking multidisciplinary scientific research that has helped in understanding several natural phenomenon like ozone depletion (Ozone hole) and its building up again; fluctuation and nature of the Polar ice cap, microbial diversity, nature of cold loving bacteria (psychrophyllic) that thrive in ice or permafrost and their pharmaceutical use, high resolution palaeoclimate data from study of sediment and ice cores, etc. ESSO- NCAOR scientists have retrieved ice cores from several drill holes, at times up to 100m depth, to decipher change in temperatures over past hundreds of years and build a chronological record of past climate.

The deglaciation history of the areas has been built using different palaeoclimate proxies. Biological diversity of Lacustrine and terrestrial environment too has been mapped along with creating a vast base line environmental data bank.

Indian geologists have also mapped mountains in deep interior parts of central Dronning Maud land of eastern Antarctica, bringing out the history of crustal development and tectonics of rocks as old as 1000 million years.

Historic Expedition The launching of a scientific expedition to South Pole in 2010-11 marked yet another milestone in the Indian Antarctic history. Coinciding with the centenary of man’s landing on the southern tip of the Earth, a team of scientists comprising me, Javed Beg, Ajay Dhar, Pradip Malhotra, Thamban Meloth, Ashit Swain and two vehicle mechanicsSurat Singh and Krishnamoorty undertook an on-land traverse lasting for about a month to travel a distance of approximately 4,500 km to 2,835 m high Geographic South Pole and back.

A traverse that tested the mental and

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physical strength of the team to bear bone chilling freezing temperatures, as low as minus 540C over an uneven rugged terrain, at times full of sharply crested sastrugies or knee deep soft snow was finally successful in placing an Indian flag at the South Pole on 22nd November.

ESSO-NCAOR has recently cashed its vast expertise in Polar studies by initiating integrated studies on Third Pole i.e. Himalaya. Most of the major glaciers of Chandra Basin in Himachal Pradesh have been roped in the study to start with, which is likely to bring out a clear picture of health of the glaciers and role of various components of hydrological cycle viz rain fall, snow, groundwater, melt water etc that contribute to the river discharge.

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“ The writer is currently the Chair of Panikkar Professor at Earth System Science Organization, Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi and the Member of UN Commission on limits of Continental shelf. He held the position of Director of National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa between 2006 and 2012. He also has been a veteran Polar scientist having lead expeditions to Himalaya, Arctic, Antarctic and South Pole and decorated with several national and international awards in the field of Polar science.”

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WE HAVE A

NUMBER OF MOM - L

Dr Shailesh Nayak, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences

M

OTHER EARTH HAS A LOT TO OFFER, it requires science to understand her. Government

of India felt its importance and formed Ministry of Earth Sciences in 2006 from the merger of India Meteorological Department (IMD), National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Earth Risk Evaluation Centre (EREC) and the Ministry of Ocean Development. The MoES is mandated to provide the nation with best possible services in forecasting the monsoons and other weather/climate parameters, ocean state, earthquakes, tsunamis and other phenomena related to earth systems through well integrated programmes. The ministry also deals with science and technology for exploration and exploitation of ocean resources (living and non-living), and play nodal role for Antarctic/Arctic and Southern Ocean research. Ramesh Kumar Raja, Correspondent, Governance Today, talked to Dr Shailesh Nayak, Secretary, MoES and Chairman, Earth Commission about different aspects of one of the youngest ministries. Edited excerpts:

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LIKE PROGRAMMES What is the current budget allocation for Ministry of Earth Sciences ?

It’s a meagre amount of Rs 1,281 crore. It’s a very small sum if we compare the same with other ministries and also with the amount spent on scientific studies in developed nations.

We expect some hike from the government to enhance our capability in Earth sciences.

How do you look at our alarm system which is not strong enough to deal with disasters such torrential rain, flash floods etc. in different parts of India ?

Disasters will keep occurring. Our job is to issue prior warning and we do it at least three days before any occurrence. If you talk about tragedies in Jammu and Kashmir this year and Uttarakhand last year, we already had raised alarms. We keep doing so before any cyclone or catastrophic event occurs. Recently, we had issued a warning about heavy rain and floods in the north-eastern states. We had also raised alarm before cyclone Phailin in the recent past and the same

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we did prior to cyclone Hudhud. Our ministry is very prompt in issuing advisory. The rest depends on implementing sides.

Don’t you feel it’s proving a flop programme the way you raise alarm at your end turns futile at the other end, possibly at the side of implementation ?

See, three factors are involved in such situations. First is the basis of science on which we issue a warning or an advisory. Second is the way of response on the basis of advisory. And third is the level of consciousness of the affected communities. The outcome would be positive only when these three work in tandem or simultaneously. However, sometimes the situation is very different. It takes time to respond to the warning issued by us. The recent flash flood in Jammu and Kashmir falls in this category. The area there is so bowl-shaped that once the water enters it’s difficult to exit.

Even though there are many such issues, we keep ourselves engaged in the system of forecasting, which happens

to be the job of our ministry. The rest course of action goes beyond the purview of our ministry.

What is the procedure of passing on information to the next level? Does the MoES give info to the rescuing bodies as well ?

We share our information to all, whether it’s state government, district officers, home ministry or NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) or any other designated for the purpose.

How do you look at India’s successful mission to South Pole carried out by National Centre for Antarctic and Open Research (NCAOR), an institute under your ministry, in 2010 ?

Definitely, it’s a great achievement for our country. Actually, the mission had been planned to explore the possibility of survival in the most extreme conditions of Antarctica, even farther away from ‘Maitri’, India’s research base in the coldest place of the land.

We wanted to check the scope of our

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reach in the weather conditions that is not conducive for survival. It was also a demonstration to build confidence in people that they can live far off in Antarctica with certain facilities. The team also conducted certain scientific experiments in this regard with an aim to move ahead in future with dayto-day requirements.

What has been the development in the last four years?

Thanks to the 2010 mission, now our people are penetrating deeper into Antarctica and exploring more avenues of reach by staying there for 2-3 days. Earlier, they used to be close to the base station.

What is/are the reason/s behind MoES for having a number of departments, most of them located outside the national capital? What is the common purpose?

These are actually not departments, but research institutes; each of them having a specific task to do in the larger interest of the nation. Once the research conducted by an institute is complete, the service or product generated in it, is used for the ben-

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Lead Story efits of economy, environment, etc.

This is not a typical ministry, most of its work is done like any other research institute. This is not a funding agency, it works itself and give inputs and info to others.

You are said to be instrumental in developing warning system for Tsunami in India. Tell us about the development.

The need for an early warning system was felt after the 2004 tragedy when the government decided to devise a mechanism to avert catastrophes if Tsunami hits next time. Until then India had no such system. On the other hand, the warning systems of United States and Japan were not that much useful as they were merely based on the earthquake. Our system has the extraordinary potential to disseminate accurate information – from its timing to its height – across 1,800 points of the Indian cost within 10 minutes. The information is provided to other countries as well. The system involves a network of seismic stations, tidal stations, bottom pressure recorders, and real time analysis of data, modelling of travel time, propagation of tsunami wave and in-

undation and generation of high resolution bathymetry and coastal topography data. So, it is technically highly sophisticated.

Any achievement for MoES in the recent past as India is a land of different forms of natural calamity ?

Our constant endeavour to improve accuracy and track correctest of data of natural occurrences is one real achievement. It’s a spontaneous effort that we make round the clock.

Has there been change in any policy since you took office in 2008 ?

Not as such, as it’s a scientific department. It has three basic purposes. The first and foremost is to improve the science of forecast. Second is the job of exploration in places such as Antarctica, Arctic and deep Ocean and developing technology for exploitation of resources (living and non-living). And third is the installation of system to observe and maintain these two.

Any maritime exploration operated ?

A maritime exploration is going on in south-west Indian Ocean where de-

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Lead Story posits of hydrosulphide have been found from which minerals such as zinc, copper, gold, silver etc. can be extracted.

Why the need for Earth Commission when there is already a ministry dedicated to Earth sciences ?

The Earth Commission works in mission mode based on commission structure. It is responsible for formulating policies and overseeing implementation of policies and programmes in mission mode, and ensure the necessary interdisciplinary integration. It has been constituted for big programmes, such as exploration of oceans, Antarctica etc., which calls for long-term commitment.

Doesn’t MoES have a dream programme like Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) ?

We have a number of such programmes related to monsoon, climate, earthquake etc. While Monsoon Mission is aimed at improving the predictions of rainy season, there is a climate programme that seeks to understand

HIS WISDOM

its changing pattern in the next 100 years. Similarly, we are fixing an eight-kilometre drill at Koyna in western Maharashtra for earthquake research. We are also carrying out a deep sea drilling of approximately 1.5 km in the Arabian Sea to understand the evolution of Himalaya and origin of monsoons.

Does MoES have a tie-up with any foreign agency ?

Yes, we have alliances with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States, Met Office of United Kingdom and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology ( JAMSTEC), to name a few. We have tie-ups with all those agencies where we feel our need to share scientific and technical skills in enhancing the observations of the Earth and use the information most effectively for the benefit of the society.

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Various units under the Ministry of Earth Sciences: n India Meteorological

Department (IMD), n National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), n Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune, n National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), Thiruvananthapuram n Earthquake Risk Evaluation Centre (EREC) n National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) Chennai, n National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR) Goa, n Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) Hyderabad, nIntegrated Coastal and Marine Area Management Project Directorate (ICMAM-PD) Chennai, nCentre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE) Kochi,

F

ormerly a scientist at Space Applications Centre, ISRO, Dr Shailesh Nayak has been providing

leadership to Earth system sciences in the country since August 2008. He is credited to have set up the state-of-the-art Tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean in 2007. He pioneered the development of algorithms and methodologies for application of remote sensing to coastal and marine environment, generated baseline database of the Indian coast, and developed services for fishery and ocean state forecast. He was conferred the prestigious ISC Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Award 2012 as well as Bhaskara Award for 2009. He is Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru, and the International Society of Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing (ISPRS). He has been awarded honorary degree of Doctor of Science by the Andhra University and Assam University. He has published about 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

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‘OUR YOUNG SCIENTISTS NEED TO DEVELOP A VISION’ Dr. MURARI LAL happens to be the only scientist from South Asia to be part of the select group of authors, for the four scientific assessment reports of climate change conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, continuously for the past two decades. In an interaction with Ekta Srivastava, Sr Correspondent, Governance Today, Dr Lal shares his aweinspiring journey as the atmospheric scientist…

Having a doctorate degree in Geophysics and working and providing substantial scientific and technical assistance to various ministries and department of science and technology. How has been the journey so far ?

I obtained my master’s and doctoral degrees in Geophysics in the years 1969 and 1972 respectively from Banaras Hindu University. Though my core interest is in climate change, I started my career as a Junior Scientific Officer at the Indian Institute of Tropical

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Meteorology, Pune in 1972. During the period 1975 to 1977, I joined the Atmospheric Environment Service in Canada as a National Research Council Post Doctorate Fellow. In 1977, I joined the Indian Meteorological Service and pursued the research in understanding the role of suspended particulates and other trace constituents present in the atmosphere on the energy partitioning within the earth-atmosphere system. And then I turned myself towards the premier teaching institutes like IIT to pass on my professional knowledge of weather forecasting in India to younger generation. I joined IIT Delhi in 1981 and remained there for almost 23 years.

I have also closely interacted with the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Department of Science & Technology and Planning Commission of the Government of India in several committees on scientific, technical and policy matters related to the key multilateral environmental agreements and related United Nations conventions.

In the year 1992, I made my first

contribution to the Supplementary Report on the First Scientific Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released in 1992. Since then, I was closely associated with IPCC and have contributed to many technical and special reports and to second, third and fourth assessment reports and guidelines. I have also authored in scientific reports of the International Ozone Assessment Panel released in 1995 and 1999 and in Global Environmental Outlook (GEO) reports of the United Nations Environment Programme. My participation in Sixth Indian Antarctic Expedition in 1986 provided me with the ground realities in this Remote Icy Continent and developed keen interest in me to understand the key characteristics of vertical ozone profile and its significance to society apart from its impact on global climate.

Agriculture, being the highest contributor to India’s GDP, is lagging behind. How can we improve this ?

We are a country of 1.25 billion population. Our younger generation is

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Lead Story strong enough to develop the skill to make the best use of a strong educational system in agricultural sciences, most advanced ground weather monitoring system as well as remotely sensed data, GIS tools for data visualization and the most advanced Informaton and Communications Technology and to think of new innovative researches. We need to think, how we can reach small scale farmers with real time guidance to facilitate them in their sustainable livelihood so that they can increase the agricultural productivity within limited land resource. They have to go for the alternate technology and develop ICT tools for providing district and block level Agricultural Marketing Systemwhat type of seeds should farmers opt for in the years to come or how to adapt to avert the adverse impacts of recurrent droughts and floods and other weather extremes which would exacerbate due to ongoing climate change in almost each State of India, the erratic behaviour of monsoon rainfall has become a regular feature in this century with more pronounced intra-seasonal and interannual variability - when part of India is reeling under drought, other part has to cope with extreme floods. How to make the best use of the available weather data into real time advisory for farmers for gaining more productivity would be the most critical challange for weathermen and climatologists in India. How to set the cropping calendar in a State of India to derive the best from ongoing seasonal weather that is where the farmers need to be told in advance of the season. There is a lot of genetic research that is being done by the agriculture scientists across the country. India has invested so much into the ICAR and Agriculture Universities, in creating research and development infrastructure and knowledge bank to feed into the required advancement in skill of youths. They need to inte-

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grate the weather information and forecast into finding out ways on how to produce more with less and less or limited land resources, limited water and limited capacity of the soil to grow. Because this is what is needed and required to continue to feed the growing population in the largest democracy of the world. Likewise, Ministry of Water Resources, Central Water Commission and affiliated institutions need to mainstream the adverse impacts of climate change into creation of new infrastructures for ensuring water for all (likely to be a scarce commodity in not too distant future), and for flood protection etc and also for long term policy framework (including those being pursued for interlinking of rivers in the country) for sustainable development in the country.

How do you think technology can enhance the future of the rural India ?

Thanks to Sam Pitroda’s efforts, we have come to connect the entire country in 21st century. But only a handful of population in the villages still have access to mobile and lesser number is aware or fully conversant with the new technology being provided in the mobile sets, like SMS, IVRS. So, here we need to reach out to farmers, inform them in advance about the technological advancements, which they can use to minimise the damage to their crops.

Particularly when there is need for a better understanding of adapting to practical approaches for sustaining food productivity in the face of more erratic weather to support their livelihood. So use the weather information effectively for benefits of farmers.

Same way, there is other sector like water where a lot needs to be done.

The projects for rainwater harvesting need to be strictly monitored to reap any tangible benefit for future benefit and must be more vigorous-

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ly pursued across India to reverse the current trend of depleting ground water in many states like Punjab and Haryana which today hold the key to food security for majority of the population in the country. The new government has taken several major initiatives towards provision for water and sanitation for all and is gearing up to take stronger measures to provide health to all – Indeed, in India where majority of the population lives in the rural areas (where many children are still suffering from malnutrition etc.) – reaching out to them with all the facilities is a tough and challenging task. However, taking cue for the application of advanced technology in all sectors in the developed world, we can collectively build future of rural India at a faster pace.

What is your message to the young scientists of the country, even those who are migrating ?

Development in ICT in India has made it possible now which we couldn’t have imagined 30 years ago.

And with a strong and high class technological education system in India, this is the responsibility of our young scientists to make the best use of the existing infrastructure and R&D facilities in India and apply their knowledge into producing something which benefits the society and the country. The technology needs to be used in this country for reducing the losses and damage from natural disasters and for the general wellbeing of the society. This country has a lot of opportunities, all they need to have is to develop a vision on how they could contribute their knowledge and skills to the betterment of the country and the society.

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DRDO: BUILDING SELF RELIANCE IN

DEFENCE TECH India capable enough to deal with any eventuality, feels Senior Defence Scientist Having worked as Scientist for almost 35 years in Defence Research and Development Organisation, Ravi Kumar Gupta is now heading the Directorate of Public Interface, of the defence research behemoth. In a conversation with Ekta Srivastava, Sr Correspondent, Governance Today, he sheds light on the latest innovations and initiatives of the research wing of Ministry of Defence. Behemoth

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F

CHNOLOGIES | By GT Correspondent

Defence Acquisition Council

45%

Imported

55%

Indigenous sources

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O

n most of Defence equipments “Being Imported”

This is a misconception. If you look at data on capital items approved for induction, these days around 55 per cent are from the indigenous sources and only 45 per cent are being imported. Many people still quoted the figure as 30%, but that was about a decade ago. Secondly, we need not develop and manufacture everything in the country. We have to see what resources we are having and how best we can utilize them. In today’s globalised environment and rapidly advancing technologies, one cannot afford to make everything in-house. It is neither viable nor cost effective in the long-term. The important thing is to have complete control over the technology. 70 to 75 per cent indigenous production is considered optimum for any country. Now taking it from 55 to 75, this is where we are working hard. If you see the Akash missile sys-

tem alone, the value of systems approved for induction by the Army and Air Force is around Rs 23,000 crores. The production value of various DRDO developed items inducted or approved for induction is over Rs 1,70,000 crore.

So, this is not true that we have not done enough. Considering the limited resources we had and the challenges we had to face, we have done reasonably well.

On the mission of DRDO The mission of the Department is to attain technological self-reliance in defence systems and weapons. The Department has the mandate to design, develop and to lead to production state-of-the-art weapon systems, platforms, sensors and allied equipment to meet the requirements of the Armed Forces, thus providing support in areas of military science to improve combat effectiveness of our troops. DRDO, through a network of 54 laboratories and establishments lo-

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ADA program

30,000 Professionals

cated all over India, executes programmes and projects in diverse fields of aeronautics, armaments, missiles, combat vehicles, electronics and instrumentation, advanced computing and networking, engineering systems, advanced materials and composites and Naval R&D. These agencies also conduct specialised training programmes in these areas. The programmes are carried out by a workforce of about 26,500 professionals, including about 7,500 scientists and engineers, and supported by a budget of the order of Rs 15,000 crore (FY 2014-15).

To fulfil the objectives, we have strong partnerships with about 40 academic institutions, 15 national S and T organisations and nearly 1000 small, medium and large industries.

On Current Projects

7,000

Scientists and engineers

We will be going for user trials of Agni IV which has a range of 4,000 km and Agni V which has a range of 5,000 km.

Image : Agni V

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In the field of surface-to-surface strategic missiles, we have developed total self reliance and a core competence that have been demonstrated through development of Prithvi missile, its variants, the Agni series of missiles and the underwater launched Bo5. With Agni 1, Agni 2, Agni 3 and Agni 4 already inducted, longer range Agni 5, has had two very successful flights. In the area of tactical battlefield missiles too, big strides have been made. ‘Akash’ air defence system constituting the surface to air missile and associated surveillance & tracking systems and other equipment has been inducted. ‘Astra’, the beyond visual range air-to-air missile meant for ‘Tejas’, Sukhoi SU 30 and Mig 29 aircrafts, has been developed and is undergoing trials from the Sukhoi SU-30 aircraft. ‘HELINA’ the helicopter launched anti-tank missile underwent development trials. ‘Prahar’ a versatile high precision surface to surface ballistic missile has been developed to extend the reach of artillery.

Electronic Warfare (EW) systems is another key area where we have achieved complete self- reliance. The systems developed include ‘Samyukta’, ‘Sangraha’, Varuna, Divya Drishti, Radar Warning Receivers (RWR) and EW suites have been developed for several fighter aircrafts. A wide range of radars: Rohini, Revathi, BFSR, Aslesha,

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Bharani, Rajendra, WLR (Weapon Locating Radar) have been developed.

In the arena of aeronautical systems, ‘Tejas’ - India’s first indigenously designed and developed 4th plus generation light combat aircraft has entered production phase, LCA Navy is flying while work has already begun on their still more advanced and powerful Mark-II versions. Full scale engineering development of ‘Tejas’ sanctioned in mid 1993 led to its maiden flight on 4th January 2001and initial operational clearance on 20th December 2013 with the expense of just about Rs 7000 crores. Among unmanned aerial vehicles, Pilotless target aircraft- ‘Lakshya- I’ has been in service; Lakshya II has been developed; ‘Nishant’ has been inducted; ‘Rustom 1’ developed and ‘Rustom 2’ is undergoing taxi trials. Aircraft Arrester Barrier systems, a variety of brake parachutes and heavy paradrop systems have been developed.

Armaments and ammunition worth over Rs 13000 crore, developed with an R&D cost of just about Rs 110 crores have been inducted or are under induction. Two regiments of Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket system – Mark- I have been inducted; Mark-II is undergoing trials. Among small arms, over a million INSAS rifles have been produced so far, under barrel grenade launcher has been developed . Our own main battle tank ‘Arjun’ Mark-I has been inducted and Mark-II developed.

Similarly, Underwater Warfare Systems (UWS) has been another area in which a solid foundation for selfreliance has been established by successful development of a number of sonar system, including, Humsa NG, Panchendriya, ‘ALTAS (Advanced Light Towed Array Sonar) and USHUS and a number of weapons, including ‘Torpedo Advanced Light’, ‘Varunastra’ and Processor Based

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Mines. An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) has been developed demonstrating essential technologies developed indigenously.

On India’s quest for high-end technology Today, we have become highly self-sufficient and capable in designing world-class systems, whether it is radars, missiles, or sonars. What we need to strengthen is certain types of sub-system, components, devices and the raw materials. In case of systems such as Agni series of missiles, where option of import was not there, we developed over 85 per cent of items indigenously; remaining being non-critical items available off-theshelf from multiple sources. It took us time but we have emerged stronger; with total control over technologies. We have to take extra initiative in terms of investment, infrastructure, technology and knowledge generation to strengthen areas of those components and devices presently imported.

On the go Development of such advanced technologies has led to the development of numerous state-of-the-

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art systems, despite the constraint of sanctions imposed by the advanced countries and the country’s industrial base being unprepared for supplying requisite components and advanced materials. These systems have been developed at a cost far lower and in a time frame not too long as compared to developed countries equipped with years of experience, technology base and resources. Even where development of an advanced product took somewhat longer then expected time, the mark –II versions and beyond are being developed much faster. Thus, Agni 5 took just three years from the word go to the first flight.

Today we are at the threshold and are among the top few countries in the world with indigenous capability of developing multi-level strategic deterrence, Nuclear powered submarine, multi- layer ballistic missile defence, 4th plus generation combat aircraft, main battle tank, comprehensive range of radars, sonars electro-optic sensors, on-board computers and so on. As a result, today we are at a level where we can take a leap.

DRDO is an organization that offers an exciting career in defence R&D that is full of challenges and opportunities to innovate and invent for the benefit of the country. The environment and facilities are excellent and financial compensation respectable. DRDO is marching ahead with aim of enhancing the level of self – reliance. Today, more and more industries are joining hands with DRDO in manufacturing products based on indigenous technologies. With a strong technology base and rapidly expanding industrial base, both quantitatively and qualitatively; and a wide range of products in advanced stage of development, the future is bright.

|

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Lead Story

INDIA HOLDS POTENTIAL

TO GROW

| Gunjan Joshi

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I

NDIA IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING ECONOMIES

of the world and with its consistent and eminent scientific contributions, it is now well recognized as one of the clinical hubs for the global health sector. The country is amongst the top 12 global biotech hot spots and is third largest in the Asia-Pacific region. With an immense growth in medical and healthcare sectors in India, a large number of opportunities are available to thousands of young scientists and trainees. A recent study by Elsevier for the UK’s Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) shows a 14.4 per cent increment in the growth of research articles output in India as compared to other countries. Indian pharmaceutical industry is the major contributor to biotech sectors, with an overall contribution of 75 per cent. Some of the licensed marketing and production

NOVEMBER 2014

Lead Story healthcare products in India include follicle stimulating hormone, hepatitis-B vaccines, streptokinase, erythropoietin, human growth hormone, blood factor VIII, tissue plasminogen activator, human insulin etc. The involvement of private sectors and collaborations with foreign institutions and organizations like WHO, USA FDA, NIH etc. have strengthened the input as well as output of the Indian research.

duct such trials, lack the direct access to the patients for clinical trials. Here the CROs (Clinical/Contract Research Organizations) bridge-in their entrepreneurial support, and provide clinical-trial support for drugs and/ or medical devices. According to the Clinical News, Aug 2012, the market CROs in India is budding at the rate of 11-13 per cent annually and is expected to cross the US$1 billion mark by 2016.

Clinical trials are the major contributors of tempting global sponsors to invest and benefit from the trials in India for developing new drugs.

Conducting clinical trials is a necessity if we need to avail better treatments for the diseases, which are still demanding their fate. Even though the medical institutes have the benefit of direct communication and involvement of patients in the trials after their due consent, their economic infrastructure for research purposes is very weak. On the contrary, the private sector or the drug industries, which are financially equipped to con-

IMPECCABLE TARGET FOR TRIALS

NOVEMBER 2014

India has a huge population with a large number of genetic, lifestyle, chronic and acute diseases. According to “Indian Healthcare - New Avenues for Growth”, the number of diabetic patients in India are largest in the world after China, and the communicable diseases like malaria and tuberculosis are the primary cause of mortality in the country. Moreover, Ayurveda and Unani medicine system are important sectors of India’s healthcare industry. India has well trained medical specialists who are

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immensely trained in the public medical colleges, which encounter a huge number of patients on daily basis.

There are more than 200 medical colleges, 15,622 hospitals and 14,000 diagnostic labs in India from which over 22,000 medical students and 700,000 scientists graduate every year. With such strong infrastructure, India has the capability to excel in medical and healthcare research and is attracting the healthcare industries from around the globe for collaborative input.

ISSUES THAT MATTER The Elsevier study for BIS states that quality concerns, lack of quality infrastructure and consumer confidence obstruct the growth of India’s CRO market. Karyn Korieth and Annick Anderson (in the last year’s issue of ‘Center Watch’) detailed the effects of the regulatory environment in India. It was stated that this regulatory environment had hampered global sponsors and CROs to conduct clinical trials in India. The number of registered interventional studies in India dropped 25 per cent and the number

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WAYS TO ENHANCE TRIALS

T

he Central Drugs Standard Control Organization has agreed on a vision for year 2010-2015 to ensure a strict vigil on any fraud and misconduct in clinical research and to allow Phase-0 (micro dosing) studies and phase-1 studies in the country in a meticulous way.

Other than making amendments in patent policies in clinical trials, there are various other possible ways to enhance medical and healthcare research with more focus on clinical trials.

A

Recruitment of subjects for clinical trials should be well advertised through healthcare websites, television, radios, posters, flyers etc. Subjects should be well paid for their participation in the trial.

B

Establishment of a single-window clearance for clinical trials, and strategic planning of national and international collaborations and trials, involving Indian and international CROs could be a stepping stone for the upliftment of the medical sector (as stated by BIS in its March 2014 report)

C

Schemes like Affordable Healthcare in India by WellcomeTrust should be brought in to support research by funding the innovative projects.

D

Many multinational companies like GE healthcare, are collaborating with Indian R&D sectors to encourage the researchers to develop products locally in their target markets

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Lead Story

of investigators came down by nine per cent between 2010 and 2012. The amendments in the rules for testing new drugs, unclear patent policies and delayed approval times have altered the scenario, more favourable towards the other Asian markets like China and South Korea. Many scientific institutes like NIH are backing out from conducting clinical trials in India. Since Novartis lost a Supreme Court patent case for its anti-cancer drug Glivec earlier this year, most of the global companies are re-thinking their decision to join hands with India for any scientific collaboration. The Indian government and R&D sector should look into this matter seriously, otherwise the rising power of India in scientific industry will soon be lost, and it will be a major setback for the efforts of many hard working scientists, and a large number of patients who have contributed for the benefit of the clinical trials.

ICMR PROPOSALS The contributions of the leading research council, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and various other science agencies have been commendable in the area of stem cell as well as other cell-based therapies.

Several such centres have been established during XI Plan, and the ICMR has proposed to have many more stem cell research centres in various parts of the country in its new proposal. The ICMR has proposed several other plans for the benefits of medical and healthcare of the country in its XII plan. Some of the major issues to be taken care of include establishment of advanced centres to accelerate and coordinate research on congenital birth defects and related problems, new centres to study cardio vascular disease, diabetes, stroke and muscular dystrophy are also needed. The centre(s) for Muscular Dystrophy is proposed to be set up at Coimbatore,

Mumbai and other appropriate locations. A Centre for Advanced Research on Neuro Muscular Disorder is proposed to be established at NIMHANS, Bangalore. The Geriatric mental health departments have been established at CSMU, Lucknow and many such other centres have been proposed in other parts of the country.

POTENTIAL EXISTS In India, very few universities encourage research in biological sciences unlike in western countries where research is given priority at under graduate level. Our greatest challenge in the coming decade will be to tempt scientists working abroad to Indian institutes for the benefit of biotech, medical and healthcare sectors. A recently introduced $120 million collaborative fellowship programme for five years, jointly sponsored by the Wellcome Trust (Great Britain) and the Department of Biotechnology (India), epitomises a significant step for encouraging young scientists working abroad to return to India with a successful career in hand. Such funding systems should be encouraged in other medical colleges and healthcare sectors too. By opening of new medical colleges and research oriented institutes, alluring funds and infrastructure, proper and fair recruitment of scientists on the basis of their credentials in their area of expertise, India has potential to become one of the leading contributors in the scientific world.

The writer is Post Doctoral Fellow at University of Michigan |

NOVEMBER 2014

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Finance

NEW ASSET RESTRUCTURING COMPANIES

ON THE ANVIL

| By GT Correspondent

G

URDIAL SINGH SANDHU, A RAJASTHAN CADRE IAS OFFICER OF 1980 BATCH, TOOK OVER THE CHARGE AS BANKING SECRETARY EARLIER THIS YEAR . In the past two

years, the position had become one of the most challenging as banks have been grappling with asset quality issues due to over leveraged sectors like power, infrastructure, gems and jewellery which are among others getting badly hit by their worst downturn in a decade. Sandhu is currently busy with looking for new ways to infuse capital into public sector banks as new capital adequacy norms for banks are set to kick in ,

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NOVEMBER 2014

Finance

even as he engages in regular discussions with bankers to sort out a large pile of non-performing loans dragging the system. He is also looking to kick-start consolidation process in state-owned banks to improve efficiencies within this fiscal, while the ministry is drafting norms for longer tenures for senior executives in the PSBs. Sandhu has taken a lot in his plate in his short tenure; be it the challenge of the ambitious financial inclusion promotedby the new PM or the issue of new bank license. He explains some of the plans in this interview. Edited excerpts:

T

ES

L

What is the progress in Prime Minister backed financial inclusion programme, Jan-Dhan Yojana ?

We have got a very good start. As on 7th October , 5.52 crore accounts have been opened and a deposit of Rs 4,268 crore have been mobilised under PMJDY.

What is the status of the direct infusion into Public Sector Bank (PSBs) ?

PMJDY

5.52cr

accounts have been opened

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We are going to the Cabinet soon, within a month. The consulting process has started and the proposal would go to the Cabinet.

Earlier the government had said that it has to have 58 per cent stake in PSBs, but now we are cutting stake in PSBs to 52 per cent because only then will banks have space to raise additional capital.

So, we are going to provide banks with that space and would bring down the government share in these banks. For the same, we are taking a broad mandate from the Cabinet in reducing government’s

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shareholding. This is not through typical dis-investment here private share holding in these banks is going up through capital raising programme. Capital infusion takes place from time to time.We feel there should be some onus on the bank management also, to see that the capital is well utilised and there is healthy return on the capital.

There were talks about sale of some non-core assets by PSBs. Any progress there ?

There could be some sale of non-core assets of these banks.

The banks have investments in credit ratings agencies, insurance sector and few other areas as well.

They can exit from those businesses whenever they get good valuation. The timeline would be decided by the banks themselves and the ministry will not set timelines for sale of non-core assets.

The related things are also the consolidation of some of the banks and competing with each other.

The scarce capital that some of the banks have will be spent better if there is a consolidation. That exercise is also on. All of the consolidation cannot happen in one go, something should happen this year too.

Are you prescribing any norms for capital conservation ?

We are prescribing some norms on tackling asset quali ty issues, return on capital, etc. These norms will help in conserving capital.

Norms for the asset quality improvement and better use of capital would be issued by the ministry.

We have to make these accountable, Corporate governance banks and longer stable tenures for executives

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We have got a very good start. As on 7th October , 5.52 crore accounts have been opened and a deposit of Rs 4,268 crore have been mobilised under PMJDY.

Finance

of PSBs would be a part of this for better performance. Not giving longer tenures to executives has been cited as one of the reasons for lacklustre performance of banks. By the end of the year the norms would be issued.

There were also talks about merging state-run banks but there has been no progress so far ?

We have appointed some of the experts to look into the merging of PSBs. SBI Caps are looking into that. First they will do an initial study, give us a broad picture, and then they will do a detail study. We want to begin the process this year and continue in the years to come.

Report from SBI Caps; we hope to get the in the next few months.

SBI and some of associate banks are planning to merge. SBI is also working out internally in merging with one of its associates by the end the fiscal, so as to kickstart the process. There may be merger of an associate bank with SBI this fiscal. Apart from this, other banks are also being considered. UBI could be one of the possibilities.

When could the guidelines for payment banking come ?

when the fresh guidelines will come but they should come as early as possible.

There were also talks about forming a national asset management company to buy distressed assets from banks. Any progress there ?

There were no proposals but some suggestions.But we are not going ahead with that plan now. Instead, we will create some new Asset Restructuring Companies and strengthen existing ones with more capital. If that happens,it may serve the purpose. RBI is going to come with guidelines on it this year.

They will invite NBFCs and ARCS with better capital, today they are not capitalised properly and with the small capital they are unable to take up the challenge of bad debts. So, we want large ARCS. We will not set up a single company as then, where will the funds come from for that. If the government has to give funds then it does not serve the purpose. Funds have to come from other places and more private sector. |

RBI had issued some draft guidelines earlier. So based on those feedbacks, we are in the process of finalising those guidelines. So once the guidelines are issued, they would be inviting applications. I think India Post can also be a part of this, as I don’t think they have the capacity at the moment to become a universal bank. I don’t know

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Infrastructure

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PRICE REDUCTION NEED OF THE HOUR Despite its growth at the rate of 20 per cent per annum, the real estate sector has been on a roller coaster ride since 2005. The sector has been under a cold wave for the last couple of years. It is not getting the buyers; the number of unsold inventories is continuously increasing, especially in NCR region. The sector was very hopeful from the festive season but this also couldn’t provide the required boost

| Rahul Trivedi

T

HE SECTOR WHICH HAS A MULTIPLIER effect on the economy and stimulates the demand in over 250ancillary industries such as cement, steel, paint, brick, building materials, consumer durables and so on is under the huge pressure of unsold inventories and liquidity crunch. Since 2005 the real estate sector has been on high and low tides. In 2005, the UPA government permitted 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI), under the ‘automatic route’ in townships, housing, built-up infrastructure and construction development projects. The FDI was permitted with the vision to bridge the shortage of housing in the country and to attract new technologies in the housing sector. Thanks to it, the number of foreign firms owning real estate projects in India has also increased. The construction development sector garnered FDI worth US$ 23,587.25 million in the period April 2000-June 2014.

The sector also witnessed a rise in investment and developmental activities. There was not only the arrival of many new domestic players but numerous foreign real estate investment companies, including private equity funds, pension funds and development companies, also stepped in. There was growth in demand, substantial development and increased foreign investments in 2007 and early 2008. However, by mid-2008 the effects of the global economic slowdown were evident here too, and the industry took a ‘U’ turn. FDI inflow into real estate dropped significantly and what had emerged as one of the most promising markets for foreign investments looked like bugling out.

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CURRENT SCENARIO The real estate sector is not only fighting the liquidity crunch but it is also facing buyer’s crunch. The developers were hoping for revival as the new government took charge in May but, to their dismay, things have not yet gone in favour. Though the Narendra Modi government also took initiatives to spur the real estate sector, it allocated Rs 7,060 crore for the development of 100 smart cities, a reduction in the size of projects eligible for FDI from 50,000 sq m to 20,000 sq m, and having the minimum investment limit for FDI to US$ 5 million but this couldn’t bring in the reform needed for the sector.

Commenting on the current scenario, Deepak Kapoor, director, Gulshan Homz, says, “The real estate sector in India is currently on a recovery phase with the festive season providing a much needed boost.

Till last year, most customers were insecure about investing or buying a property as the economic and political condition was not stable. Post poll this year, the recovery started with a lot of new policy changes, reduction in home loan rates, etc. This has created an environment where now customers are gearing up to resume their investments. With a lot of developers launching new projects, emergence of tier 2/3 cities, infrastructural development across the country and offerings of discounts/schemes/offers, the realty has finally got back on track.”

Though the developers are of the opine that the market sentiments has been good during the festive season and they were hoping for a positive response from the market, but unlike past few years, this festive season was also not able to provide the much needed push. Despite lots of lucrative offers from the developers, buyers didn’t show interest in buying the flats. Investors also kept themselves away from making any invest-

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Infrastructure

ment. According to the real estate rating and research agency, Liases Foras, the third quarter of FY2012-13 saw the residential realty sector slipping into a respite once again. The market did not seem to be charmed by the festive spirit.

As per the report, “Weakness in India’s macroeconomic scenario continued as the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growth for November fell to a four-month low and current account deficit as a percentage of GDP stood at an unsustainable level of 5.4 per cent for the second quarter of FY13. The residential real estate market also mirrored the negative sentiment and witnessed a lacklustre performance in the December quarter of FY13. The old demons of surging prices, ballooning inventory levels and subdued demand returned to haunt the sector in the third quarter.”

The agency cited the price as the major reason behind this slowdown.

It said in its report that the price of existing supply remains at an elevated level across most of the six major cities, the National Capital Region (NCR), Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune on an annual as well as sequential basis. This had a cascading effect on the demand and inventory pile-up. Sales in terms of volume and value slipped in most of the cities due to which time required to clear the stock at the existing absorption pace showed a significant rise.

NCR witnessed an uptrend in prices with Faridabad and North Delhi showing 23% and 21% sequential gain.

However, the pace of price increase slowed in Q3 2012-13 as against the previous quarter. Bengaluru saw a 10% surge in prices on account of mushrooming IT companies and availability of superior range of dwelling units.

Moreover, execution of projects at a faster pace has also impacted the up-

ward movement of prices, the report said.

Apparently, MMR is inching towards normalcy as prices have moved southward after three long quarters.

Even as the remaining suburbs recorded a 2-3 per cent quarterly price rise, it is likely that the long due correction could see the light of the day, as the 3 per cent sequential price drop in the Island City could have a ripple effect on the prices across other locations. However, effects of a sudden rise in Ready Reckoner rates in Mumbai, since 1 January 2013, cannot be completely ruled out.

The research firm also said in its report that there were about 7.6 lakh unsold apartments across India at the end of June. Only 27 new projects were launched this September across the top 15 cities against 279 in the same month last year, according to PropEquity. “There is too much existing inventory waiting to be sold,” says Samir Jasuja, managing director at PropEquity.

But with the job growth data for the quarter to September reflecting a twoyear high, some builders see a revival in the real estate market by the end of March. “The sentiments have started changing, but it will take time for sales to come back,” says R.K. Arora of Supertech.

Sanjeev Srivastava, managing director of Assotech Developers, said this is just the beginning and sales may pick up over the next few months.

“Sales might not be up to the mark now, but things are improving fast,” he says.

Whereas Kushagr Ansal, director, Ansal Housing, says that this year’s festive season has received a mixed response from the public with a lot of developers claiming a good show and a few observing below average performance. He says, “There have been two major reasons behind this year’s festive result pendulum; one being

NOVEMBER 2014

Infrastructure that the market is on the revival period with customers gaining trust on the government and the sector, therefore not all have started to invest again, thus lesser demand than usual. Another reason, by which at least a decent show was possible, was due to the kind of unique offers and discounts presented by the developers this season. This has resulted in a good enough showdown in the sector and looking at the way the demand is shaping up. Few months down the line, we’ll overcome the recovery stage.”

HIGH PRICES Developers might not agree to the fact that the sky-high price is a major factor behind the sluggish sale. The buyers are not interested in the new payment schemes or getting a freebie with a booking. They are looking for prices to come down. Pankaj Kapoor, MD of Liases Foras, says, “The pricesupply situation in NCR clearly implies that home prices are being kept high artificially. The price depreciation is only being witnessed in the secondary market while builders are refusing to bring down prices in the primary market.”

With a weighted average cost of Rs 75 lakh for a 1,200 sq ft apartment in NCR, prices are still being kept high because investors are holding on to properties while end-users are still staying away. This also creates barriers for new launches/construction at lower prices in these areas.

NOVEMBER 2014

Developers are not willing to bring down the prices as they cite the reason that the price of everything used for construction has been increased.

But someone should bring to their knowledge that the government has taken few initiatives to bring down the prices. The government has reduced the excise duty on cement and steel and interest subsidy on loans has also been expanded.

A.K. Tulsiani, CMD, Tulsiani Constructions and Developers, says that the construction cost is increasing each passing day and there is a cut-throat competition in the sector. Builders are already on the edge, hence price cannot be reduced as they are offering reasonable price averagely.

Somewhere or the other Chaman Panwar, MD of The Visava Group also agrees to Tulsiani Constructions and Developers. Panwar says that downfall of prices is not quite possible in the emerging and highly demanding real estate market. “It is also a good sign for the economy of our country that capital appreciation occurs continuously. In a case where the demand becomes static or falls in worst cases, still the property prices are frozen for some time; but as soon as the market stabilises, the prices move north. Rather than prices going down for property, it is more important that norms become flexible for developers so that projects are commenced and delivered on time, and land prices should fall. These factors

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will directly help in reducing the cost of a unit which then will not require prices to fall,” he adds.

HOW TO OVERCOME ?

The realty sector is very much desperate to overcome this gloomy situation. They need to sell off the piled up unsold inventories. The real estate still continues to be a favoured sector for investments from international as well as private investors. In the coming years, the residential as well as commercial segments of the real estate industry is set for major growth, aided in no small part by the government’s plans and initiatives to boost this sector.

Ashok Gupta, CMD, Ajnara India, says, “The sector is presently running on a recovery phase with a lot of actions taken by the government lately and enough in pipeline. Also, the festive season has helped the sector big time to overcome the demand crisis which was faced by this sector recently. The government is also pretty active in terms of helping the housing sector and its customers with its plan for ‘housing for all’. These reasons will be a major demand booster in near future and in the next 2-3 years, we’ll have a completely different real estate scenario all together.” While Tulsiani says, “A minimum time of March, 2016 will be required for realty sector to revive, as by then the supply will reduce and demand will increase and the second budget of the new dispensation will boost the Infrastructure.”

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If we go by the performance of the real estate stocks, it seems that the sector would revive somewhere around 2016 but the developers need to understand the sentiments of the buyers. They need to focus on the end users as they are the one whom the developers have to cater. They need to reduce the interference of the channel partners or investors so as to stabilise the prices.

If the sentiments of the buyers are correctly taken by the developer then they need to understand that bringing down the price is the need of the hour. |

Pricing is a Function of Supply and Demand With the not so encouraging festive season, the real estate sector is still looking positive. Anuj Puri, chairman and country head, JLL India, a professional services and investment management firm offering specialised real estate services to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying and investing in real estate, spoke to Rahul Trivedi, Correspondent, Governance Today.

Edited excerpts:

What is current scenario in the realty sector ?

The market is looking upbeat again on the heels of positive sentiments after the general elections andthe recent Union budget. There is renewed interest in home ownership, and MNCs are once again viewing India with increased interest for entry and expansion of the operations. This is good news for commercial real estate, especially IT/ITeS. The finalisation of REITs promises to bring a fresh infusion of funds into the sector.

The festive season was also not able to attract the buyers. What reason do you see behind this ?

The festive season was not able to fully harness the benefits of market recovery as the events that have catalyzed this recovery – namely the new government at the Centre and the proactive Union Budget – will

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need more time to bring their benefits to bear on the market. Meanwhile, the RBI has held on to current interest rates in favour of safeguarding against further inflationary trends.

It will take several more months for the market to get into convincing forward momentum again, so the festive season did not bring the kind of momentum that was hoped for.

The number of unsold inventories is a big issue. How should developers address this ?

They have been addressing it by offering selective discounts and incentives, the success of which has varied across cities and locations. Those with greater holding power continue for the market to pick up so that sales velocity will accelerate.lower rates.

Do you think that reducing the price has become the need of the hour ?

Pricing is a function of supply and demand. While demand exists, it is still held in abeyance by variouseconomic factors. While reduced pricing could potentially induce some further sales momentum in certain pockets, it is not likely to happen as developers are not keen on signaling a correction, especially when demand is waiting in the wings. New projects are in any case being announced at lower rates.

By what time do you think the real estate sector overcome this slowdown ?

It is already in recovery mode in the sense that it is no longer in regression mode, but it will take time to pick up forward momentum. We are currently at the cusp of growth, and the visible results will not be spectacular for a while to come. The old dictum of ‘only that which cooks slowly cooks well’ is very pertinent in the current scenario.

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LAND COST SHOULD BE

Pradeep Aggarwal, Cofounder and Chairman, Signature Global shared his insight on various issues in real estate sector in an one on one interaction with Rahul Trivedi, Correspondent, Governance Today. Edited Excerpts:

NOVEMBER 2014

What is the prevailing scenario in realty?

Indian real estate sector is on a road to recovery after the recent slowdown in the economy which carried on till the first half of this year. With the formation of a new government, there have been a lot of positive changes in the economic environment of the country which is signaling a development boost in the coming months.

Also, the market sentiments have drastically improved over the last few months with the government showing signs of stability and delivery. Right now, due to the ongoing festive season, the market is witnessing a rise in demand for property and thus, new launches and better deals are luring the customers.

Is there the need of a real estate regulator?

There is always the need of a regulator in every sector or industry so that transparency is maintained and work is done more efficiently and effectively. Real estate is one of the largest contributors to the Indian GDP with a high number of transactions taking place each day. Also, this sector has been on the negative side of

many customers’ minds due to a few incidents lately and several developers also face the problems of delay in construction and delivery due to untimely delay in approvals and licenses.

Once there is a regulator, things would be continuously monitored and supervised, which will help in creating an environment that protects customers’ interest and allow developers to knock regulator’s doors in case of difficulties.

How do you ensure that your brand is not diluted by the channel partners?

We have a thorough process wherein we conduct regular meetings with all of our channel partners to guide them about our projects, work ethics, work culture and this is followed by a suggestion session where practicalities of work are discussed. After these sessions, we all come down to one conclusion which is carried on in a synchronised manner. We also supervise and monitor their activities continuously.

Is there any surveillance mechanism to prevent fraud?

Prevention is always better than cure. Frauds in this sector can easi-

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ly be presented with two things. One, if a regulator is present then chances of fraud will go down. Second, till the time we do not have such a mechanism in place, it is important that customers need to be educated and be made aware about where they invest and how they should invest. An exhaustive research of the company and its project must be done so that one is completely aware about the true details w.r.t the past, present and future plans. This can be the perfect guiding tool for everyone to escape such mishappenings.

How should an investor crosscheck the claims made by the builder?

One must always go ahead with what is present in black and white rather than oral promises. Every promise that a company is making must be present in some form of authentic document such as a brochure, booklet, catalogue etc. These are the best tools for any investor to crosscheck what is promised and what is delivered.

What efforts you make to complete projects in time?

Being a newcomer in the Indian realty sector, we will soon be coming out with our very first project in Gurgaon.

However, we believe for a project to be completed on time, it is important to start on time which requires timely approvals, efficient manpower, flawless project plan and adequate funding. Once the work commences with all necessities fulfilled, it is just a matter of detailed and systematic supervision and monitoring of activities based on time based targets.

What are the new projects in the offing?

We will soon be coming out with our maiden residential project ‘Solera’ at Sector 107, Gurgaon.

Understanding the value of ‘homes for all’, the project will be under af-

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Infrastructure fordable segment which nowadays is a rare sight in Gurgaon. We feel that developing affordable housing project in the heart of city like Gurgaon is a daring approach to enter the realty market, but also creates the perfect mix of reliability and responsibility. Located at Sector 107 Gurgaon, Signature Global’s Solera complex will truly be an unmatched residential opportunity. Being developed in collaboration with the government of Haryana, this residential complex will give a new meaning to the term ‘Value Based Housing’. The apartments will be allotted by a draw of lots - making sure that as soon as they are launched, the value of the property, including the retail centre, will shoot up tremendously. Being an affordable segment project; we are planning to offer 1 and 2 BHK apartments with features like zero maintenance for five years, provision for power and water back up, exclusive children’s play area, picturesque landscaping, state-of-art contemporary construction and architecture and well ventilated apartments with abundant natural light.

The USP: Apart from being an affordable project in the region, it shares a wonderful location and is strategically located with Delhi being just five minutes away; two minutes from proposed metro station, two minutes from Dwarka Expressway, 10 minutes from NH 8 and 10 minutes from IGI. The festive season was also not able to attract the buyers. What reason do you see behind this?

This year’s festive season has been receiving quite a varied response from the investors with several developers claiming a good response from the market and a few being amongst the poor performers. The reasons being that the market is on a recovery track with most investors building trust on the government due to their recent good work, and hence not everyone has resumed investing, thus

lesser demand than normal. A good enough show was possible majorly due to the kind of unique offers and discounts presented by the developers this season.

Do you think that reducing the price has become the need of the hour?

Rather than reducing prices, the land cost should be reduced along with cost of raw materials. Timely approvals and licenses, if obtained, also result in time and cost saving. Once these costs come down, overall cost of a unit will be belowand thus, the selling price will be less. Otherwise there is nothing much a developer can do to reduce prices under such immense competition and less margins.

The number of unsold units is a big issue. How should developers address this?

Inventories pile up when the supply is high and demand is low.

Developers need to conduct a good market research and survey of the region before planning to set up a project. The location must have a sound infrastructure available and good civic amenities around. Once the demand and region is understood, then project planning should begin. It should make sure not to develop lots of units which may surpass the expected demand, as again the stock of unsold inventories will pile up.

By what time do you think the real estate sector will overcome this slowdown?

As discussed, the sector is on a road to recovery with lots of promises made by the government and a lot has already started showing signs of positive market sentiments. This will encourage the buyers to invest in the market and hence, the sector will start meeting the demand which will be an accurate signal of overcoming this slowdown. |

NOVEMBER 2014

e - Governance

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INDIA’S EFFORTS

LAUDABLE

Tiit Anmann ,CEO, SignWise Enterprise

A

S COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY have evolved over last decade, the governments all over the world have started using these technologies in how they function and how they interact with people at large. This, in turn, has led to massive transformation in how the governments across the globe gather data, manage these data, interact with citizenry and deliver services. Technology has allowed massive cost savings to governments and people alike in the process. The time and effort that used to be spent by governments interacting with people on one hand and the time that was wasted by people earlier in doing all sorts of statutory duties has come down significantly in many developed countries, especially in Europe.

With transactions becoming increasingly faceless and remote (away from physical presence of both transacting parties), identity verification is extremely important in an environment where an increasing number of transactions is being made online. In this regard, electronic signature or digital signature has become the backbone of the digital world of business or governance. Because no digital contract or legal document is valid without a proper, verified

NOVEMBER 2014

| Anand Mishra digital signature. It has become imperative for businesses and governments alike to adopt and encourage electronic signature-based systems which allow individuals to complete most, if not all, business and statutory activities online. Without widespread use of e-signature, the goal of digital commerce and e-governance cannot be fully or optimally achieved.

SignWise Enterprise is a leading company based in Estonia which has done path-breaking work in automating signature and authentication dependent business processes. The company authenticates people for their identities, validates signatures, offers e-signing of electronic documents and provides electronic document sharing services.

SignWise Digital Transaction Management (DTM) platform of the company brings all digital transactions on one platform which includes electronic signing, user authentication and electronic signature validation. The company also provides services across seven different jurisdictions in Europe to provide cross-border infrastructure to authenticate and validate identities and e-sign business documents. Governance Today spoke to Tiit Anmann, the CEO of the company who was in India recently, to get his idea of e-governance, how Estonia went about it and what his suggestions are for Indian government on the subject.

Edited excerpts:

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WHAT E-GOVERNANCE ESSENTIALLY MEANS The basic thing to realise is that people interact with their governments out of compulsion and not by choice. This is as true for Estonia as it is for India or the United States.

Further, people always have to invest resources in dealing with any government system. People very often have to visit various government offices to do certain works, they have to spend time in collecting information, filling out forms etc. and all of these means expenditure of time, effort and money. In other words, working with any government system is costly for people. Incidentally, this is also true for governments. Setting up offices, manning these offices, collecting data manually in paper form, processing them and delivering same services at multiple locations is very costly. In short, the overall arrangement of governance is costly for all and is also inefficient. The idea of e-governance is to make it less costly for

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e - Governance

working with government systems for people and also less costly for governments to deliver various services. This can be done by automating processes and systems so that people don’t have to spend much time and money to do statutory works, and governments don’t need to set up massive physical infrastructure to manage various systems. For example, if it is possible for people to file their taxes online by fetching all data from all information points online, it would save enormous time. Simultaneously, the government would not need to have so much manpower to collect data which already exists with some of its department or the other and can process the information much faster and efficiently. This is the basic philosophy of e-governance. By mapping the best physical process online and using the right methods of authentication, governance can be revolutionised. And this is the direction in which most governments are thinking.

HOW ESTONIA MOVED ON E-GOVERNANCE The government of Estonia has been rather proactive in introducing e-governance in its governance paradigm. After getting separated from the Soviet Union, it worked assiduously on promoting emergent technologies in governing process.

It invested on all the three aspects of qualitative improvement of government, namely technology, skill and processes. On one hand, it invested heavily on technical education and tech infrastructure while on the other, it worked on improving the processes. For example, for reducing the data being duplicated and redundancy, it decided to obtain one particular data from its citizens only once. All departments gathered some particular information and all other departments obtained that data from other department instead of asking for the information from people all over again. This eased pressure on government and people alike. But for seam-

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e - Governance

less information flow from one end of government machinery to the other, overall integration of information network and information format was required, which was done by the government.

Another important step it took in 2002 when it issued national electronic ID card to every individual over the age of 16 years. This card has an EMV microchip which contains all the relevant details of the person. And this card is compulsory for all citizens over the stipulated age. This card allows individuals to conduct all business, commercial and legal activities. The card is enough even for visiting abroad. With this card, an individual can conduct all banking transaction and file tax return as well. Further down the line, in 2007, the government introduced mobile ID to its citizens which enabled people to conduct most works on the go. This was another major step in e-governance which afforded immense flexibility to people and at the same time saved them a lot of time and money. Currently, four million e-signatures are given and more than 160 million e-signatures have been given till date. According to estimates, because of process automation on account of egovernance, Estonia saves around two percent of its GDP annually which is equivalent to what it allocated to its defense in its budget.

The result of this emphasis on process automation shows in the way businesses are being conducted in the country. Today, more than 95 per cent of banking is done

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online in Estonia. Same is the case in tax filing. Statutory filings for businesses are compulsorily done online. As of now, there are only three activities for which physical presence is required. These are marriage, opening a bank account and real estate transactions. For all other transactions, an individual only needs to go online and do it with his or her digital ID and e-signature.

ON INDIAN GOVERNMENT’S EFFORTS Indian government’s efforts in rolling out e-governance is laudable. As technology has evolved rapidly over last few years, it has allowed better process automation as well as authentication of an individual. This is why the Aadhar project of the government with biometric ID authentication is so robust. And because of its scale, it is unique.

But this is only one aspect of the work. Much would be required on processes side. Legacy systems would have to be brought online and improved. While there are different sets of rules across states, these can and should be integrated so that a standardised ID-based system could evolve.

The central and many state governments are doing quite exemplary works in this direction. India is a large country and it is slowly getting there.

|

Advice To Indian Government On E-Governance While the UIDAI (Aadhar) programme is progressing well, there are three crucial factors that need to be taken into consideration while working on e-governance programme. First of all, the ID should be universal, authenticated beyond doubt, which means there should be no question about the identity of the person behind the digital ID. This data should be available to all pertinent sections of the government so that there is no need for second identification while carrying out any transaction. Second, technology should be interoperable so that the data can be accessed seamlessly across government machinery. Of course, a high level of tech infrastructure integration would be required for the same and the government would need to ensure the same. Finally, a lot of emphasis should be laid on the process automation. It has to be realised that process automation is not just copying the process, but an effort of optimisation which can be achieved by working online. Only an integrated approach to e-governance can deliver desired result.

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Technology

FUTURE

AT YOUR

FINGERTIPS There are many television advertisements which show that you can see your wall, sofa, window glasses etc. as the screen and operate your smartphones without taking them out of your pocket. In the age where technology is getting better day by day, such an interface would revolutionize the way we interact with technology

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| By Virendra Sharma

Human race has technologically evolved more in last two hundred years that it did over previous 50,000 years. And the rate of technological advancement has nearly doubled every decade over last fifty years. Sixth Sense Technology has emerged as a new frontier in the tech evolution.

In the year 1990, Steve Mann, a researcher and inventor who holds a PhD in Media Arts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, invented first wearable computer. He is considered as the father of Sixth Sense Technology. He implemented this technology as the neck worn projector with a camera system.

His work was carried forward by Pranav Mistry, an Indian computer scientist and inventor who is currently the head of Think Tank Team and vice-president of Research at Samsung.

What is Sixth Sense Technology?

An extra sensory perception which involves the reception of information not gained through any of the five senses and not taken from any experiences from the past or known is defined as Sixth Sense.

Sixth Sense technology aims to more seamlessly integrate online information and tech into everyday life. By making available information needed for decision-making beyond what we have access to with our five senses, it effectively gives users a sixth sense.

NOVEMBER 2014

Technology The Sixth Sense Technology is a wearable gesture interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information. This technology may change how we look at the world, forever. Sure, it is a system that projects information about what surrounds you over objects’ surfaces, but it’s also much more. By using a camera and a tiny projector, Sixth Sense sees what you see and visually augments any surfaces or objects you are interacting with.

We’ve evolved over millions of years to sense the world around us.

When we encounter something, someone or some place, we use our five natural senses which include eye, ear, nose, tongue mind and body to perceive information about it; that information helps us make decisions and choose the right actions to take.

But, arguably the most useful information that can help us make the right decision is not naturally perceivable with our five senses, namely the data, information and knowledge that mankind has accumulated about everything and which is increasingly all available online. Although the miniaturization of computing devices allows us to carry computers in our pockets, keeping us continually connected to the digital world, there is no link between our digital devices and our interactions with the physical world.

Information is confined traditionally on paper or digitally on a screen.

Sixth Sense technology bridges this gap, bringing intangible, digital information out into the tangible world, and allowing us to interact with this information via natural hand gestures. Sixth Sense frees information from its confines by seamlessly integrating it with reality, and thus making the entire world your computer.

Currently, we use our devices

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(computers, mobile phones, tablets, etc.) to go into the internet and get information that we want. With Sixth Sense technology we will use a device no bigger than current cell phones and probably eventually as small as a button on our shirts to bring the internet to us in order to interact with our world.

Sixth Sense technology will allow us to interact with our world like never before. We can get information on anything we want from anywhere within a few moments. We will not only be able to interact with things on a whole new level but also with people. One great part of the device is its ability to scan objects or even people and project out information regarding what you are looking at.

How it works

The devices which are used in Sixth Sense Technology are camera, coloured marker, mobile component, projector and mirror.

The camera and the projector are coupled with a smart phone which acts as the computer and connected to the Cloud, all the information stored on the web. It projects information onto surfaces, walls and physical objects around us, and lets us interact with the projected information through natural hand gestures, arm movements, or our interaction with the object itself.

This wearable gestural interface attempts to free information from its confines by seamlessly integrating it with reality, and thus making the entire world our computer. To a layman, it would be something supernatural. Some might just consider it as a superstition or something psy-

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chological. But the invention of Sixth Sense Technology has completely shocked the world. Although it is not widely known as of now, but the time is not far when this technology will change our perception of the world.

Futuristic approach The true power of Sixth Sense lies on its potential to connect the real world with the Internet, and overlaying the information on the world itself. It also recognises the objects around you, displaying information automatically and letting you access it in any way you want, in the simplest way possible.

Being a wearable device, it enables you to have a whole world of digital information at your fingertips, sets information free and the whole world is your screen or personal computer, it clearly shows that this has the potential of becoming the ultimate “transparent” user interface for accessing information about everything around us. If they can get rid of the coloured finger caps and it ever goes beyond the initial development phase, that is. But as it is now, it may change the way we interact with the real world and truly gives everyone complete awareness of the environment around us. |

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Health

Healthcare is a state subject in India,but the cash-strapped state governments sadly look uninterested in providing even the basic minimum support to it.The private sector thus steps in,bringing bulks of investment. Impetus from the central government such as subsidy, regulatory push etc. then becomes need of the private sector.

PPP HEALTHCARE IN

THE ROAD AHEAD

T

HE TRANSFORMATION EXPECTED BY THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO REMAIN UNFUL| Ekta Srivastava FILLED IN ALL PREVIOUS BUDGETS, AS THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY HAS FAILED TO GAIN THE PRIORITY INFRASTRUCTURE STATUS. This may slow down private investment and will adversely affect the spread of secondary healthcare in Tier 2, Tier 3 cities and

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rural areas surrounding these cities.

The new government should bring forward a comprehensive policy on Public Private Partnerships (PPP) for use by Central and State Governments which may help in promoting the much needed PPP projects in Healthcare.

In Nascent Stage India has PPPs and related reforms evolving in many states, with the governments across the country promoting them as a

NOVEMBER 2014

Health

As the public sector continues to face challenges in financing and management, discussions around PPPs in the healthcare sector is very low

1,821 projects in other sectors

114

projects on healthcare as of March 31st, 2014

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means for bridging the disparity in infrastructure so as to meet the needs of the citizens. In the past one year, states like Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have adopted a number of PPP projects in the healthcare sector. Some of the projects introduced in these regions include Yeshasvini Health Insurance Scheme, Emergency Response Services, Development and Operation of Radiology Diagnostic Centres and Rajiv Aarogyasri Community Health Insurance Scheme.

In fact, the governments of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have appointed RAHI Care to install dialysis facilities at hospitals through a PPP model.

Maharashtra also hasn’t been far behind. Last year, the state decided to address one such problem through a PPP model, as 22 government hospitals in Maharashtra will be provided with the diagnostic services of the Mumbaibased Enso Healthcare Private Limited.

Similarly, another contract was bagged by the same firm in Punjab. Chhattisgarh has started outsourcing its diagnostic needs through a bonus and penalty PPP model. Other states such as Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat are expected to follow suit.

It can be observed that almost 40 percent of all the PPP projects proposed

FUNDING overnmental sourceis the most common mode of financing a PPP, even as

G

the entities of both the public and private sectors contribute to the financing of the project. The scheme is supported by the public sector in the form of subsidies, grants, land and capital expenditures.The government also provides Viability Gap Funding (VGF), a scheme that aims at supporting infrastructure projects that are economically justified but all short of financial viabilities. The total funding provided under the scheme does not exceed 20 per cent of the total project cost, provided that the government or the rightful entity that owns the project provided additional grants out of its budget, but not exceeding a further 20 percent of the total cost.

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Health

Types of PPP The type of a PPP chosen depends on the project’s objective, its complexity and the extent of involvement of the private entity.

Build Operate Transfer (BOT) The private sector is assigned the task of building, operating and eventually transferring the project to the public sector. It is ensured that the private player attains the breaking point as the government purchases a pre-specified amount of the project like in the case of Deendayal Chalit Aspatal Yojana in Madhya Pradesh. Further, it is divided into three segment; BOOT (Build, Own, Operateand Transfer), DBFOT (Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer).

Operation and Management It involves the management of a part/whole of a public facility by the private sector. The private player is paid a fixed fee by the awarding authority for performing specific task, and is dependent on the tariff or risk involved. Such contracts allow the entry of private sector skills into operations, design, delivery, and labour and equipment procurement. For example, the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Mobile Medical Vahan in Rajasthan.

Concessions The role of the public sector here shifts from being the service provider to a regulating authority for the quality and cost of the service. The private sector is hired for construction, maintenance and management of the project. As opposed to BOT contracts, the concession beneficiary obtains revenues directly from the consumer.

Lease In this case, the private player is engaged in providing services and management of the infrastructure. The capital investment is made by the public sector, however, the operational costs are borne by the private entity.

Joint Venture The project is jointly owned and operated by the public and private sector entities that share costs, risks and revenues.

Most of the times, a joint venture is undertaken when the public sector seeks technical skills from a private entity.

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till March 31st, 2104, are already in the operational phase, indicative of the fact that PPP in Indian healthcare is still in a nascent stage compared to other countries. A large number of projects are in the bidding and construction phases – 12 percent and 9 percent respectively, which once operational, will add to the penetration of PPP in the country.

A look at the list of the operational PPP projects in the healthcare domain reveals that currently, 44 projects are functional across the country. Majority of these projects are concentrated in the states of Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. These projects include insurance schemes, emergency response services such as mobile vans, management of Community Health Centres etc., indicating a majority of O and M type projects. The cost of these projects range from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 900 crore.

There are 70 upcoming PPP projects which include development of hospitals, development of radiology diagnostic centres and emergency medical services. A drastic shift in terms of the type of projects can be noticed, as most of the projects are variations of the BOT type rather than the O and M. This indicates that India is now relying more on the private sector, by handing over the development process rather than the management of projects to private entities.

Regulatory Aspects A system for the approval or appraisal of projects to be undertaken through the PPP mode has been laid out by the central government. The procedure applies to all the projects involving a lower capital i.e. of less

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Health

Implemental Issues n Lack of Trust, adapta-

tion and consensus at the administrative level, which hinders the decision making process. n Absence of independent regulators and lack of strong regulatory environment. n PPPs possess the potential to enhance access to healthcare;still the belief that PPPs lead to inflation through commercialization of healthcare is an important issue that needs to be addressed. n Inconsistencies in measurement of performance indicators due to lack of set of standards for service quality. n Constraints associated with budget and delay in payments from the public sector affect the projects leading to disruption of services. n Lack of proper mechanism for identification of beneficiaries.

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than Rs 100 crore detailed instructions are issued by the Department of Expenditure. These projects do not require approval of the PPP Appraisal Committee and are cleared by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC)/ Standing Finance Committee (SFC) as applicable.

Opportunities TO THE 1 BENEFITS PUBLIC ENTITY

n PPPs enable improved operation and enhanced efficiency of public services by accessing private sector innovation, technology and processes.In certain cases, it also provides an alternate source of funding for infrastructure and services.

2

BENEFITS TO THE PRIVATE ENTITY

n As partnerships have become more complex, the benefits have also become more diverse and include elements such as publicity, influence and prestige. n Partnership help build legitimacy as they allow the private sector to work with respected organizations. n Research work that can be used in the future for product development. n Enhancement of brand image and name recognition.

Road Ahead The objective of these projects cover a wide spectrum of application, spanning health insurances schemes, systems for urgent delivery of healthcare services, installation of healthcare equipment in hospitals,

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upgradation of diagnostic services and development of healthcare facilities. The government has also been taking initiatives to promote private investment into healthcare. It has been addressing issues constraining participation of private players and has also drafted a national PPP policy and promoted the formation of the Public Private Partnership Approval Committee (PPPAC) in order to streamline the projects. After such steps, immense domestic as well as foreign interests are expected from private players for improving healthcare in the country of over a billion people.

States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, where rural areas account for a major chunk of the population, the access to the affordable healthcare is low. These states need to focus on increasing PPP activity in their respective healthcare sectors.

As the population of India continues to grow, significant rise in the demand for healthcare products and services is expected. In such scenario, participation of the private sector, which brings along resources and technical expertise, is inevitable. Therefore, in order to meet the rising needs of the country, both public and private sectors will have to work in close collaboration, sharing responsibilities, resources, risks as well as benefits at every step of the project. |

Inputs: RNCOS Whitepaper on PPP in Healthcare

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Opinion

SWACHH BHARAT,

IS IT ?

| Ekta Srivastava

2

ND OCTOBER, 2014, the launch of Modi’s dream of Clean India Campaign, ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ with such a big fanfare – ministers, bureaucrats and others holding ‘Jhadoos’ – has evoked interesting reactions from the rag pickers. “Why cleaning has suddenly become such a big deal, we use to do it every morning,” they quip.

Nevertheless, the campaign has taken a big loop across the country, but just taking a broom in our hands and posing in front of the camera will not serve the purpose. To change the country, we need to change the people and to change the people, we need to change their mindset i.e. educate them, make them aware and empower them with the equality.

Because what is lagging us behind are the things lying in our mind and belief since the ages. India, the world’s largest democracy, has the dubious distinction of practicing social discrimination. A discrimination which can be seen wide open anywhere in the country.

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NOVEMBER 2014

Opinion

IRONY We clean our homes daily, but throw garbage on the road. We don’t dream of spitting in the office and throwing away waste paper (unless there is a dustbin), but we make a shower of pan-masala spit on the roads, stairs and trains. We flush every time we use washrooms in our homes, but feel proud of peeing on roadsides. We don’t dare to throw our bottles and wrappers in the metro, but what about the Indian Railways trains where the condition is pathetic enough to describe.

A large majority of the population habituated with unhygienic practices, which have roots in centuries old customs, still continue to revel in the prospect of celebrating Kumbh Mela without the slightest notion of how it is contributory to the beginning of the self-destructive cycle that people dependent on the Ganges water lead themselves to, apart from the everyday acts of open defecation, urination, bathing, cleaning clothes, dumping household garbage et al into these ‘sacred’ waters.

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We have the tendency of using public properties for granted. After misusing the ‘sarkari samaan’, we feel a sense of relief, which shows that people around the country want to have everything in private hands.

Now, if we say that, making India clean is next to impossible then we need to check out the dual character of the people of the country. We are the same people, who go to malls and local market, metros and railway stations, airport and bus stands, but the difference in behaviour is clearly visible.

APPROACH We know that despite 68 years of Independence, while moneybags here can easily compete with moneybags in the advanced world, while rulers of India yearn to make 21st century as India’s century, there has not been any qualitative change in the lives of the majority of the Indians who are still lying at the bottom of the society. Yes, a small section among them has definitely taken advantage of the affirmative

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action programme and is on the path of upward mobility, but for the majority, there is no qualitative change in their situation marked by deprivation and discrimination.

However, it’s not only the government which will do everything; we as the citizens of this nation have to take initiatives. One step from everyone towards the growth of the country, will make 1.25 billion steps a day, which will reform the nation in its best way.

Reduce-Reuse-Recycle – the three simple words are to be instilled in the minds of the people to foster in the era of true cleanliness.

To harvest alternative sources of energy, to manage urban waste, to ensure standard living conditions for all and sundry and to have a proper and realistic federal structure, that is what we need, from the government.

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Enabler Malini, a Mumbai resident, has been proving people wrong with her philanthropic determination to do something for the people like her, working as Trustee and chairperson for Abled Disabled All People Together (ADAPT).

ROLE MODEL FOR

A

DIFFERENTLY ABLED | Ramesh Kumar Raja

W

H E R E THERE IS A WILL THERE IS A WAY.

T h e slogan aptly finds its face in Malini Chib, 48, who despite being afflicted with multiple disabilities in the form of Cerebral Palsy – an incur-

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able ailment limiting one’s physical and mental health – fought arduously to build up a successful life in a knowledge-based profession, called writing, researching and cataloguing, which even a normal person dreams of and efforts for but fails in attaining the accomplishment.

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Enabler

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Overcame death Medically, she first showed up the doctors when she survived beyond the seven months they said she had.

An umbilical cord wrapped around her neck at birth cutting off oxygen to the brain had resulted in Cerebral Palsy. Doctors foresaw that she would be a vegetable for life, but giving a surprise to their eyes and ears, Malini rose to ride a bus in London all by herself using her electronic wheelchair in 2006. They figured she couldn’t use a cellphone, but giving a rude shock to their claims, Malini ‘annoyed’ shopkeepers in London till they gave her one.

All People Together (ADAPT), as well.

Crippled by a disease with no treatBorn in late ‘60s Kolkata, where ment, the people believed she didn’t Cerebral Palsy – like in other parts of understand or even feel much but the country – was nearly an unheard Malini went on to successfully pur- of condition, so she had to spend her sue degrees and diplomas, includ- early childhood among doctors and ing two master’s – Gender Studies therapists, all discouraging.

Says Malini, “No one here knew from the Institute of Education, London and Library Science and about my condition that time. All docInformation Management from the tors, who attended me, were helpless London Metropolitan University. She on diagnosing my immobile hands and limbs unlike other babies. has even put her experiences They had a similar opindown in a book – possibly the first one in its genre ion that I would be a Wheelchairvegetable for rest by any Cerebral Palsy bound Malini of my life. But my patient – which was uses a voiceparents didn’t give released on the synthesizer to up and took me to World Disability England for treatDay in 2010. communicate, and W heelchairment when I was currently works as an bound Malini uses merely one.” event manager for a a voice-synthesizbook chain er to communicate, STRONGand currently works as WILLED PARENTS an event manager for a book Following the initial shock, chain. Though she lived most parts of Malini’s parents were impatient to her life like an extra-terrestrial (ET) in learn more about the disability. So the human society, Malini, a Mumbai taking a leaf out of the disease, her resident, has been proving people parents traversed different parts of wrong with her philanthropic de- India in hunt for a special institute termination to do something for the that provided education to the differpeople like her, working as Trustee ently-abled. But to their disappointand chairperson for Abled Disabled ment, there was drought of such fa-

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cilities then. Finally, they decided to shift to London in the vicinity of a close doctor-relative, where a new ray of hope reached Malini’s life.

With parents and grandparents, cousins and her brother providing their much-needed cushion of unconditional love to Malini, and backed by a school and an adopted society abroad that believed that she can, Malini bloomed. She recalls, “I at tended special school in England and spent winters in the Bahamas with my grandparents. My mother found a part-time job at a children’s orthopaedic hospital where I would go for therapy. I wasn’t too happy. They treated me like a guinea pig. They spoke about me in front of me, like I had no feelings of my own. It was totally medical, I was not a person.”

Sensing optimism, her family, later, returned to India when she was six and settled in Mumbai. Her mother, Mithu Alur, quit her job to start her own school, the Centre for Special Education, which later evolved into the Spastic Society of India in 1972 – a first of its kind in India – to provide therapy and tutelage to children afflicted with Malini-like syndromes.

However, growing up in Mumbai came with its share of difficulties and it

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HIGH SPIRITS

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peaking about her current challenge, Malini says, I haven’t taken a flight on my own yet. I am working on it and confident enough to meet it as well. She emphasizes the need of an education system that is inclusive rather than segregationist since kids who study in special schools are over-protectively fostered and unprepared to take on the world. I would like to give a message to every physically and mentally challenged person that they should never give up at any cost. Sustained efforts and hard work always yield good results, she signs off.

Enabler compounded with college life. Shares Malini, “As I had done my schooling in a special school, it took a long time for me to fine-tune to (St. Xavier’s) college in Mumbai. People had difficulty interacting with me and the tribulation was mutual.”

On finishing her college, Malini went to Oxford, England for further studies (diploma in publishing from Brookes University) and felt an instant sense of inclusion in the society. “They are more sensitive towards disability as compared to us and more receptive than discriminatory,” she believes. The institute also offered her the liberty to move about freely without constantly having someone to help her. She recalls how she could join her friends anywhere, access the library, computer centre or the bar and how these easy accessibilities gave her a sense of belonging.

Courtesy these facilities that drove an enthusiasm in her to study more, and hence came in two master’s degrees.

In late 1998, at the University of London, she was one of the first international students with disability.

So how different are things in India?

One can get the answer in her book, where she explains that she found getting around easier there; people were less bothered by her poor speech skills and were always ready to help.

BOOKED TRUTH

Thanks to her family’s spirit to extend the significance of what is ‘normal’, Malini today stands as a ‘role model’ for others with Cerebral Palsy. The family, too, is a case in point of how near ones can help out a person with disabilities break labels.

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So how came the title, “One Little Finger”, which she originally started in 1989 but halted for an eon due to reasons best known to her? Answers Malini, “It’s a reference to my left forefinger that I use to type. I always liked to write but never got an opportunity and also wasn’t confident enough to put down my innermost feelings. In 1995, I gave it another shot and was in talks with a publisher, who wanted the whole book but I was not motivated to do that. Finally, I made up my mind and the book was written over the last two years. My second master’s indeed

empowered me more to write.”

Meanwhile, her father Ranjit Chib, trained her to climb stairs with the support of the banister and she ‘whizzed’ about in her wheelchair to launderettes, eateries, chemists.

Experience of raising her led her family to start the pioneer disability movement in India through the Spastic Society, headquartered in Mumbai. Later, Malini herself founded ADAPT (a progression of the ‘society’) in 2000 that raises the voice of the disabled. “Elevators, ramps and roads at appropriate places” are some of the disabled-friendly issues, she highlights from time to time.

Braving odds, she feels totally at ease handling computers and spends a lot of time sending e-mails. Says Malini, “My disability does not come as an obstruction in communication here.” While the cosmopolitan nature of Mumbai appeals to her, London is where her heart is, as it gives her the sense of freedom. She points out, “I can move around without anyone’s help, the infrastructure is constructed keeping in mind the needs of people with disability.” So what’s her take on in Indian context? “Here one wants to go out or catch a movie but sadly, there is no access. People do not really care about those who are on a wheelchair,” she complains. In terms of attitude, she says, “We are constantly teaching everybody that – we are part of you – and this process emotionally drains you.”

Though life is a challenge for people like her, Malini thanks those who consider the physically and mentally challenged people like any other people. States she, “At my workplace people are approachable. They want to know more about me and I am accepted as a whole person.” |

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Art & Culture

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‘MORE GOVERNMENT

To da y

SUPPORT NEEDED TO PROMOTE

CLASSICAL DANCE’ Kavita Dwibedi is one of the finest exponents of Odissi in the world today.

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AUGHTER AND DISCIPLE OF veteran Odissi maestro, Guru Harekrishna Behera, Kavita was drawn into the profession at the tender age of eight. Over a professional career spanning more than 20 years, she has scaled many peaks professionally. She is also the founder of Delhi-based ‘Odissi Akademi’, an institution that promotes the classical dance form and music. In this conversation, Kavita shares her views on issues pertaining to the Odissi classical dance and today’s youth. Edited excerpts: What differences you have been observing year after year among the people towards Indian arts?

There is definitely a change in the minds of the people. Parents are increasingly becoming interested in teaching their children any form of classical dance. With Odissi it is more.

But being an instructor and teacher, I first do the interview of parents to know how much patience they hold to see their child performing on the stage. If they want like a fast food, they can knock other doors. Because learning Odissi is an eight-year long course, which has to be completed within the span of 15 years of learning.

It takes time to feel the dance, only then one can think of becoming a professional. But I am glad that there is a sudden rise of interest among the parents. Even the boys are queuing up and joining in large numbers to learn this art form.

The way today’s youngsters are getting driven by western dance and music, do you foresee a long future for our very indigenous dance forms – Odissi, Kathak, Mohiniattam etc.?

Although youngsters are getting attracted towards western culture,

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Art & Culture it’s impossible to wash away our culture which is as old as 5000 years.

Let me tell you, the trend is changing once again. The younger generations are returning to their roots.

There is a realisation of inner peace through our classical dance. They come in large numbers to attend the concerts and the number is shooting up day by day. Voluntary youth movements like SPIC MACAY (Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth) have been working consistently for the cause for the last 30 years. Even the results are showing. Others like IRCEN and schools and colleges are also endeavouring to promote the classical dance and music.

What should be done to boost the influence of classical dance so that youngsters could take it as a passion and profession both?

To reach them in large numbers from time to time. To tell them about its depth by conducting classes and workshops so that interest could be developed in the young minds. Their energy have to channelised properly. They have to be given proper platform to exhibit their talent and excellence in their respective fields. They need to be encouraged to take this up as a profession.

Is there dire need of governmental endorsement in rejuvenating Indian arts?

Government bodies do the needful; but if it is done more, it will definitely benefit at a larger scale.

Being an expert, what according to you are the key features to take Odissi as hobby or passion?

I always stress on the age-old tradition of our Indian classical dance.

The philosophy of guru-shishya parampara (teacher-student tradition) has been there since ages. The grace,

beauty and divinity of Odissi is the most important feature that one can take up this art form as a career, as a hobby or as a passion, as it makes one a complete and better human being.

To what extent your academi has been successful in propagating and popularizing Odissi?

Our main aim is to educate the general population about the greatness of the classical dance forms, particularly Odissi music and Odissi dance. For this, we conduct an annual festival “Jayadeva Utsav” that started over 10 years back, where the artists from different dance fields perform on Jayadeva’s ashtapadi. Besides, we organise special lectures and music programmes from time to time highlighting our culture.

As you have traveled across different nations, what differences you find between the audiences of India and abroad ?

The subjects we present before the Indian audience is definitely well received, but I am always surprised to see, even the audience overseas enjoy our performances to the fullest. They do their homework before coming to the concert. They may not understand the language, but they understand the feeling of the dance. And that makes me satisfied.

Any message for aspiring classical danseuse ?

To become a classical dancer, one needs to follow the three D’s – Dedication, Devotion and Discipline.

This helps in reaching the heights of perfection in life.

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NOVEMBER 2014

Travelouge

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JUMP OF THE LIFE!

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HEY SAY IN OUR LIFETIME we truly live only those moments when we can hear our own heartbeat. There are only a few such moments in our life.

Bungee jumping is one of them!

By nature, I am very adventurous and hence I am always on a lookout for new adrenaline-pumping events – be it river rafting, bike riding, rock climbing or paragliding. I have done all these things, and when my friend Ajay mooted the idea of bungee jumping I was naturally very excited. So, we went on a trip last summer to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand where we performed “jump of the life” in addition to camping and river rafting. My elder brother, who was visiting me from America, also accompanied us along with his college-going son.

NOVEMBER 2014

The adrenalin and stress of an adventure are better than a thousand peaceful days.

Paulo Coelho

| Manuj Rathi

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Travelouge FEAR NO MORE

JOURNEY BEGINS We were a group of 10 people, so we had to take two cars. Since Rishikesh is around 6-hour drive from New Delhi, we left our home early at 5 a.m.

Our journey was quite comfortable and by 11 a.m. we reached Rishikesh.

We straight away went to Jumping Heights, where to our amusement, the price of bungee jumping was Rs 3000 per head and an additional fee of Rs 100 to enter their office, which was the location site. Fee was non-refundable; hence we had to decide who wanted to go for the “jump of their life”. Two of our friends backed out after getting to know that distance of jump was 83 metres down i.e. around 25-storey building. We did a lot of bargaining since we were a group of eight people, but in vain as there is only one jumping site. We were quite surprised to see the office and arrangements at the Jumping Heights; it was really of international standard. They showed us a video of people doing bungee jumping and explained to us in detail about the safety measurements. We also had an option to do “flying fox” and “giant swing” but we opted for simply bungee jumping.

The jump is assisted by professionals from New Zealand. The main instructor was a female in her early 30s.

She made sure that my harness had been correctly fastened and she did the final check and explained to me about the jump process and the posi-

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tion before the take-off. She looked very experienced. Although her task was repetitive, she was very calm and thoughtful. I was very eagerly waiting for my jump, being not afraid at all. I was chatting with the instructor and she was also surprised to see my calmness before the jump.

HEIGHT OF ADVENTURE When the young lady instructed me to go to the edge my heart started pounding and I thought to myself that whether I had taken a wrong decision by coming here in first place to jump. She instructed me one last time that on a count of 3-2-bungee I need to jump. I got nervous and forgot that I had been tied up with a bungee rope and all the safety precautions that had been taken. The mind stopped working and I kept thinking that what the hell was going on. Suddenly I heard my name being called by the instructor. She said, “Manuj just look at the yellow mark across the mountain and on my count, jump.” There was no turning back and I took the plunge. I felt very light at that moment, I was falling at a speed of 160 km per hour with wind blowing my hairs so strong.

I can never, ever forget that feeling.

The swing suddenly brought me back up before I knew it was over. Needless to say, it was a very exciting and enthralling moment… in fact a very difficult task to share that feeling in words.

You need to do it.

Someone had asked me why we should perform this. After all, it does not make a sense. Now, after doing the jump from the height of nearly 25 stories building, I am in a better position to answer it. We feel scared all the time of something or another, like we feel fear of commitment, fear of failure, fear of outcome, fear to take a stand, and above all fear of change.

Just before the jump, we experience the same fear. The idea is to overcome that fear. Only I know how afraid I was just before the jump. My elder brother, who accompanied us on this trip, told me that it was very easy for you to jump but the real courage is for that person who felt that fear, was really afraid of jump, but eventually overcame his fear and did it.

I guess the non-refundable fee of Rs 3000 is also the biggest motivating factor to take the plunge. My elder brother who came from America was very much satisfied with the arrangements at Jumping Heights and was very surprised to see adventure sports of this level in India.

I suggest everyne to do bungee jumping, at least once, in your lifetime. After all, it’s the true moment that you have lived.

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NOVEMBER 2014

Inaugural

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VERNANCE TODAY

Governance is not government. Governance is the system of service delivery. It is a process under which one tries to achieve certain objectives. In a democratic set-up, governance is an endeavour to create people’s participation in the government. It is something where you are trying to give certain types of benefits to the people, who deserve it most, particularly the marginalised and poor.

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Inaugural Prabhat Jha, MP,Rajya Sabha

Amod Kanth, Retd. IPS, Director, Prayas

GOVERNANCE TODAY LAUNCH

I warmly endorse Governance Today’s vision to work as a bridge between the government and the society, especially in the era when many people unfortunately believe in breaking the link. I hope it must be the priority of the GT to convey the issues of the society in a rightful manner and not be scared of the government.

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I am so happy today that Governance Today, as the editor defined it, wants to cater to the requirements of the poorest of the poor, in the sense that who are street children, who are homeless, vendors and extremely poor. I think their services have priority, to the governance. Probably this magazine is going to become a true reflection of the requirements of the day and combines all types of activities of the governance.

This magazine can also critically examine and support the process which our government is trying to achieve. It can be a good contribution towards it.

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Inaugural

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Rohit Pandey, CEO, Classteacher Learning Systems

Indrajit Bhattacharya Consultant -Healthcare IT Bcause.in

GOVERNANCE TODAY LAUNCH Governance is such a broad term... it means different things to different stakeholders. I would like to define it in the terms of better quality of life for every human being. I think the magazine can help in different ways, because as a society, we are ready to define good governance as one of the goals of our society. We need a lot more debate and discussions on how this will be achieved. We need to discuss the processes to work together for ‘good governance.’ I think the magazine will reach some of these issues and trigger debates around some of the sub-issues related to the ‘good governance’ of the various sectors of our society. Through that I think we will be able to achieve ‘good governance.’

NOVEMBER 2014

I would like to congratulate Governance Today. It has taken a huge step by showcasing the governance in respect to all verticals. Being primarily a medical engineering person, I am sure the GT will give a lot of focus on healthcare too, and showcase the best practices.

My best wishes and all success to the magazine.

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Wish Note

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IN FURTHERANCE OF GOOD GOVERNANCE Vinit Goenka, National Co-Convener, IT Cell, BJP

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DO UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE of the magazine to the society in the coming time.

The magazine can play a vital role in bringing out the expectations of the people from the government and be a positive critic of the existing governance systems in India. It can indeed make a significant difference, being the solution provider to the major problems of the society by suggesting new models of governance which are easily scalable and more effective and efficient. But to be able to do it, it is necessary that you always move ahead with the intention to find the solution to the problems that the society and government are grappling with every day.

It is very important that the governance systems are to be responsive to the needs of the citizens. As you know the How fast can the system respond to the needs of the citizens ?

This question ensures that the systems that are required for identifying the needs of the citizens in the lowest time possible ought to be employed so that the required services can be provided. For example: If there is a breakout of an epidemic in any region of the country, it is necessary that the timely action be taken rather than run the risk of a pandemic. This ‘fast’ response can be achieved by incorporating the social media as part of the governance system to get the feedback in the shortest time possible from the society.

How the systems identify the needs of the citizens beforehand and how preventive measures be taken based on the previous experience ?

The systems can be pre-prepared to the changing needs of the citi-

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government fails to deliver the intended results due to the unnecessary complicated bureaucratic processes, but in order to make it responsive, it is only possible through a medium like your magazine which cannot only capture the right expectations of the citizens but also audit, if the existing processes are delivering right value to the people.

In my view on the future course of governance in India, the utmost important question that would be asked time and again is- “How responsive is the system to the needs of the citizens?” Today a common man doesn’t appreciate any delay in the services that are to be delivered from the government. I hope the questions answered below would drive the evolution of the governance systems in India going ahead:

zens by knowing the needs which might occur in a particular time beforehand. For example: It is a known fact that during monsoon the epidemics break out and so it is necessary that the medication is pre-prepared to ensure the casualties due to the epidemics are lowest. This can only be achieved by employing the tools like analytics into the governance systems so as to identify the pattern of re-occurrences of various issues based on the past data. This ensures that the governance systems are more effective.

How governance systems ensure that the initiatives of the government are properly communicated to the citizens ?

The governance system will adopt the tools of social media and also embrace the new technologies to ensure that the services are communicated

to the citizens so that they can avail a better service and also bring in more transparency in the system.

How governance systems ensure the mass customisation of the services and scale them up easily?

With the embracement of new technologies and use of mobile phone, the governance can ensure that it delivers to every citizen by customising its services as per the needs of the citizen. It is also easier to scale up the processes with the use of technology.

Finally, I would like to express my best wishes to your magazine and wish you all the best for your future endeavors.

NOVEMBER 2014

Launch Pad

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Vatika Business Centre in 3 Cities

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ATIKA HOTELS has augmented its capacity by 30 percent across 3 Indian cities by opening 3 new business centres with over 65,000 sq ft of fully furnished office space and around 750 more seats. Vatika Business Centre also unveiled the findings of a study on “What constitutes a great office?” The study showed great location and ease of increasing capacity were the two main concerns of an entrepreneur when he wants to open his office in a new city. The study was conducted over 20,000 respondents across 8 Indian Cities over a period of 3 months.

Vatika Business Centre already has 8 centres across Delhi-NCR, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, and Mumbai covering more than 2,00,000 sq. ft of space with 2,200 seats that it provides for Fully Furnished Shared Offices, Meeting Rooms and Virtual Offices with HD Video Conferencing, Secretarial Staff, Office Reception and Building Maintenance.

The 3 new business centres in Noida, New Delhi and Hyderabad occupies 21,500 sq ft area, 20,000 sq ft area and 24,000 sq ft area respectively. The centre at Noida is at 1st floor of Tower 4 Building of Blue Silicon at Business Park, Sector 62, Noida. The centre offers 270 seats in various combinations ranging from single seater to 15 seaters, 3 meeting

rooms and a conference room. Hyderabad centre located in High Tech City offers 257 seats in various combinations upto 20 seater suites, 9 meeting rooms besides a conference room. In addition, it will offer virtual office space packages.

The centre at New Delhi located at Connaught Place.

Konnectus Building, housing the starting terminus of Airport Metro and just opposite New Delhi Railway Station (Ajmeri Gate side) offers 189 seats in the form of 4 meeting rooms and 22 suites in various capacities upto 20 seater.

SIGNATURE GLOBAL LAUNCHES SOLERA

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FF LATE, Gurgaon has been witnessing a massive footfall by new entrants in the realty sector with ample of professional experience riding with them in diverse fields. In a similar boat, a new player ‘Signature Global’ has finally made its way to the millennium city; and launched its maiden residential project ‘Solera’ at Sector 107, Gurgaon.

NOVEMBER 2014

Understanding the value of ‘homes for all’; the project will be under affordable segment. Being developed in conjunction with the government of Haryana, this residential complex will give a new meaning to the term ‘Value Based Housing’. The apartments will be allotted by a draw of lots making sure that as soon as they are launched, the value of the property, including the retail centre, shoots up tremendously. Being an affordable segment project; the company is planning to offer 1 & 2 BHK apartments with features like zero maintenance for 5 years, provision for power and water back up, exclusive children’s play area, picturesque landscaping, state of art contemporary construction & architecture and well ventilated apartments with abundant natural light.

Solera is located with Delhi being 5 mins away, 2 mins from proposed metro station, 2 mins from Dwarka Expressway, 10 mins from NH 8 and 10 mins from IGI. The project is spread across 6.125 acres. with 950 units in offer for public with varied sizes ranging from 350 sq. ft. – 602 s. ft. The prices are beginning from Rs. 12.53 lakhs.

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Editor’s Pick

LET’S MAKE INDIA SHINE!

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Way back in 1980s, if any student wished to pursue science stream in higher academy the entire society would bestow him with appreciations quite like a Nobel Prize winner. “Brilliant! And hence he has opted science for higher study. He would make his parents proud.” Praises go on, courtesy the choice of his subject. The commerce and arts streams were thus given second preference.

Unfortunately in the last two decades or so, the study of pure science is on ventilator because of our poor planning towards the Science. The professional degrees are ruling the roost. The charm of IITians or AIIMSians is hijacked

by NIITians and MBAs. Or should we say, Laxmi has defeated Saraswati!

Today we are happy in our maiden mission to space. We are happy to receive the first beaming from our newly-launched MANGAL YAAN. But the same photograph has been received way back in 1971 as beamed by MARINOR -9. We are still happy. Are we proud too!

Don’t you think it’s time to buck up? The single Mars mission has helped India in making a strong global statement showcasing its scientific temper and resilience to undertake arduous journeys in the world of science. But the speed of such scientific progress should now be showing adequate acceleration. Now India is considered a young country with 65 per cent of its population falling under the age of 40 years. It speaks about a huge potential. Our scientist, researchers are not just brilliant but extra-ordinarily world class. Then why can’t we take the Lab to Land!!

We say we don’t race with anyone, but with our own level of excellence.

But can we deny that we fall way behind the developed world in trying to get to the red planet? I would like to invite your views on the matter.

Have we reached Mars on time? Reply to edit@governancetoday.co.in

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