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VOLUME 15 ISSUE 3 MARCH 2016
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Editorial MAGAZINE
Seasonal www.seasonalmagazine.com
Managing Editor Jason D Pavorattikaran Editor John Antony Director (Finance) Ceena Senior Editorial Coordinator Jacob Deva Senior Correspondent Bina Menon Creative Visualizer Bijohns Varghese Photographer Anish Aloysious Correspondents Bombay: Rashmi Prakash Hyderabad: Iqbal Siddiqui Delhi: Anurag Dixit Director (Technical) John Antony Publisher Jason D Pavorattikaran
Why don’t we pluck all the low-hanging fruits first? A few days back, Dr. Raghuram Rajan plucked a fruit that was hovering just above his head for some time now. In one rapid late-night move, the RBI Governor finally allowed a bank’s real estate assets, foreign currency translation reserves, and deferred tax assets to be included while calculating tier-1 capital.
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While the impact of this move is somewhat difficult to calculate, and assessments by individual analysts vary, the consensus is that it will help our public sector banks by a minimum of Rs. 40,000 crore – in other words, they have to raise only 40k less in equity in the coming few years to
Dr. Rajan? You bet not! Banks always had considerable real estate assets. Banks always had deferred tax assets. And at least the big banks like SBI, BoB, & ICICI, always had significant foreign currency translation reserves. So, what was preventing RBI from plucking these low hanging fruits? The specialists at RBI are sure to have their own technical reasons, but commonsense suggests that it could have been done long long back, without banks and the investors going through a prolonged turmoil! What is at play here? Obviously, the issue is of the ‘expert’ being perplexed by the whole task at hand, and staring
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conform to international Basel-III standards.
at the topmost fruits, wondering how they can be ever plucked!
Our public sector banks were reeling from bad debts and the consequent provisions which were locking up their capital on one side, and upsetting their valuations on the other side, thereby making fur ther capital raising a daunting task.
Instead, a non-expert, who doesn’t know tree climbing or not having expert tools, would have decided to pluck the low hanging fruits first!
As always, the market had a whiff of what was coming, some 12 hours before the event. Sensex rose by 777 points – its highest single-day rise in 6 years – just before RBI announced it, which was followed up by 464 points rise on day 2, and 364 points rise on the third day! Was it a big or difficult achievement by
The experts had to be pressed against the wall by the alarming circumstances for them to see that, after all, there are many low hanging fruits. Exactly the same phenomenon was at work during Modi/Jaitley combine’s third budget a day before RBI plucked their easy fruit. The duo had in their last two budgets, relied more on sophisticated strategies like 2014’s innovation of Smart Cities, and 2015’s novelty of reducing the
corporate tax. The idea behind was genuine – of kickstarting growth – but flawed. It took one more year, a few election losses at the state level, and erosion of the entire stock market gains post Modi’s coming to power, to convince them to look for low-hanging fruits if any. And the pragmatic leaders they are, they finally realized not only what could be wrong in their sophisticated strategies, but what could be the solution too. While promoting smar t cities, promoting defense manufacturing, and cutting corporate tax all sound good on paper, they didn’t deliver as much as expected, especially in the short-term. Why? It is a no-brainer as Indian workforce is still dominated by agriculture which employs 50 Indians out of 100. If this is unbelievable to you, fur ther proof
comes from the fact that India ranks second in the world in farm output. Same goes with the country’s rural/ urban divide. 68 Indians out of 100 are still living in rural areas, despite all the rush you find in your great city. So, what happens when you ignore 50% to 68% of the people, and focus on urban development like smart cities or on sectors like services that employ only 27% Indians or industry that employs even less at around 22%? If you thought the only effect is that nearly 70% people would be left disgruntled, nothing could be more wrong. Whether disgruntled or not, and
whether it is fair or not fair, the real effect is that when we ignored them, their plight became worse, their consumption dipped, and this is the most important part – it adversely affected the growth of both industry and services that the government was trying to help in the 2014 and 2015 budgets! Anyway wisdom has finally arrived in the 2016 budget. Modi and Jaitley went in for the kill this time by plucking many low-hanging fruits that were always there – like record agricultural credit, record allocation to MGNREGA, legitimacy to Aadhaar, and a momentous push to reach bijli, sadak, & pani to the country’s villages. And contrary to the widely held belief, this so-called pro-poor budget has finally ended up in getting market’s applause too. Market as always has the sixth-sense to feel a good thing when it starts emerging.
This is not to say that promoting industries or the service sector is not essential. Rather, it is the need of the day. Everyone knows that India needs to create more jobs in industry & services, that to sustain this growth India needs urbanization, and to drive both of these, India needs fresh investments – both foreign and domestic – on an unprecedented scale. But at what pace? Industrialization and urbanization should happen at an optimum pace that is sustainable in the long run. It shouldn’t be too slow like in India, or too fast like in China. Low hanging fruits are everywhere. Not just in banking or agriculture or rural growth. It is there in industry and
even in attracting investments that drive industrial growth. An example comes from Haryana which is going to host a Global Investor Summit soon. While the recent reservation riots in the state led many people to wonder whether Haryana can pull it off, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is going ahead with ‘Happening Haryana 2016’ against all odds. Why? Because the leader in him knows the low hanging fruits that Haryana can pluck, come what may. For one, Haryana has been home to the largest contingent of Japanese companies in India, including some of the biggest names like Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Yokohama, and many more. Post riots, while all were keenly watching CM’s move, he is known to have got a call from the planned Japanese contingent, according to
Captain Abhimanyu, the Industries Minister. The Japanese told the CM that they will surely come if the event is staged as planned. And the CM and Industries Minister know that if the discerning Japanese investors come, then everyone else too will be coming. They are not letting go this chance to jumpstart employment in the state, especially when the recent social unrest was about jobs. Like PM, FM, this CM, his Industries Minister, and the RBI Governor, let all our leaders learn to pluck the lowhanging fruits first. Only that can make a world of difference in these challenging times. John Antony SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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Contents FINALLY IT IS HAPPENING, HARYANA IS SHIFTING TO TOP GEAR Nobody had any doubt about Haryana’s industrial credentials. The state has the second-highest per capita income in the country, and is also a leader when it comes to per capita investment receipt. How can it be otherwise, with Haryana surrounding the national capital, New Delhi, on three sides, and with three-fourths of this state’s area coming under Delhi-NCR, arguably one of the world’s largest urban agglomerations. Yet, the wealthy nature of Haryana is more equitable across urban and rural populations, as the state is also home to the largest pool of rural crorepatis. With the state’s credentials being such, it is so easy to rest on its laurels. But Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has a wider world vision, where he sees Haryana rightly claiming its deserving position as a topmost leader in next generation of global investments and development. His vision is equally shared by Abhimanyu Singh Sindhu, better known as Captain Abhimanyu, the state’s Cabinet Minister for Industries & Commerce. While CM Khattar handles the maximum portfolios in the state cabinet, Captain Abhimanyu follows closely with independent charge of 13 crucial Departments. The duo dreams together and travels together like they did in Japan and China for attracting investors, and has together come up with the vision for ‘Happening Haryana 2016,’ a Global Investors Meet, scheduled for March 2016.
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HARYANA TO MAKE GURGAON A TEXTILES HUB
CM KHATTAR WINS OVER SOUTH INDIAN BUSINESSMEN
The Haryana Government has ambitions plans about its textile industry and wants to turn Gurgaon into an apparel hub like Surat and Varanasi.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said today that several leading companies of South India had offered to invest in the state to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore.
GURGAON PO TO HAVE FREE WIFI, CORE BANKING
HARYANA MAKES ITS LESS URBANIZED REGIONS MORE ATTRACTIVE FOR INVESTMENTS
The revamp is aimed at ensuring that postal services remain relevant in the digital era.
UK FIRM TO INVEST 1000 CRORE IN HARYANA FOR MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS
The Haryana government has recently inked an agreement with Indo-UK Healthcare Private Limited to establish medical institutions in
INSIDE HARYANA'S NEW LABOUR POLICY
The BJP-ruled Haryana government is confident about getting major labour reforms cleared in the next assembly session in March, including changes in the Centre's Industrial Disputes Act 1947, to
HARYANA TO DEVELOP 3RD SCIENCE CITY OF INDIA The third Science City of the country will be developed by Haryana Government over an area of 44 acres in the campus of Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science
Haryana government has amended the area norms for grant of licence permission in low and medium potential towns and to regulate the development of urbanised sector in
HARYANA STATE PARTNERS WITH SOUTH KOREAN STATE
South Korean state of Chungcheongbuk and Haryana have agreed to enter into a sisterstatehood relationship for development.
HARYANA AIMS FOR TOP-5 SLOT IN EASE-OF-DOINGBUSINESS
Haryana will figure among the top five states on the aspect of ease of doing business in the next round of rankings, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal
HARYANA INTRODUCES DECENTRALIZED & FAST APPROVAL FOR SMALL TO MEDIUM PROJECTS
"If someone is investing something below Rs 10 crore, there is no need for SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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Contents SALTY FOOD DAMAGES LIVER? We all know that using too much salt is a major cause of high blood pressure. Now, a latest study indicates that it may also lead to liver damage in adults and developing embryos. Most of the salt we eat comes from processed foods and foods prepared in restaurants.
ARE PRIVATE BANK CEOS PUBLIC SERVANTS? India’s private sector bank CEOs may be heading for some headaches – and then some more. As if a nearly Rs 400,000-crore backlog of bad loans (mostly in the public sector) was not
While there is no dearth of private universities in either NCR or Haryana, students as well as parents are starting to prefer not the noisiest institutions, but ones with strong roots and a larger..
INTERNET IS GOING ALL MOBILE IN INDIA SAYS GOOGLE STUDY
A new report reveals that mobile phones captured 60 percent share of all shopping-related queries and over 50 percent share of all travel-related queries.
NEW DELHI'S AMBITION TO BE SMART
VITAMIN D: WONDER PILL OR OVERKILL?
INSIDE GOOGLE'S FREE WI-FI AT INDIAN RAILWAY STATIONS
THE GOOD AND BAD PERFORMERS IN PSU SECTOR
Salt and Tap Water a Toxic Combo?
GERMAN PASSPORT MOST POWERFUL, AFGHAN LEAST, INDIAN AT 85TH RANK
New Delhi Municipal Council's smart city proposal aspires to shoot for a global benchmark like Singapore.
One of the highlights of railway minister Suresh Prabhu’s budget announce ments on Thursday was free, fast, unlimited Wi-Fi at over 100 Indian
Here is one study that would force you to tweak your cooking routine in the kitchen. According to researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Nanjing University in China, cooking with chloraminated tap water and iodised table salt.. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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ROOTS AND LEADERSHIP MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
Wouldn’t it be great if one vitamin could build stronger bones and protect against diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, and depression? Or even help you lose weight? Researchers have high hopes for vitamin D — which comes from our skin’s reaction..
The overall net profit of CPSEs decreased by 19.71 per cent to Rs 1,03,003 crore during 2014-15 compared with Rs 1,28,295 crore in the previous fiscal, the Public Enterprises Survey said.
The index ranks the countries in accordance with the travel freedom a country’s citizens enjoy. The more countries you can visit just by showing up and getting a landing..
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
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Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister
Nobody had any doubt about Haryana’s industrial credentials. The state has the second-highest per capita income in the country, and is also a leader when it comes to per capita investment receipt. How can it be otherwise, with Haryana surrounding the national capital, New Delhi, on three sides, and with three-fourths of this state’s area coming under Delhi-NCR, arguably one of the world’s largest urban agglomerations. Yet, the wealthy nature of Haryana is more equitable across urban and rural populations, as the state is also home to the largest pool of rural crorepatis. With the state’s credentials being such, it is so easy to rest on its laurels. But Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has a wider world vision, where he sees Haryana rightly claiming its deserving position as a topmost leader in next generation of global investments and development. His vision is equally shared by Abhimanyu Singh Sindhu, better known as Captain Abhimanyu, the state’s Cabinet Minister for Industries & Commerce. While CM Khattar handles the maximum portfolios in the state cabinet, Captain Abhimanyu follows closely with independent charge of 13 crucial Departments. The duo dreams together and travels together like they did in Japan and China for attracting investors, and has together come up with the vision for ‘Happening Haryana 2016,’ a Global Investors Meet, scheduled for March 2016. The step couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time, as Haryana can no longer afford to take investment competition from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra, Tamilnadu, and Karnataka in a casual way. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016 arendra Modi and Manohar Lal Khattar have some things in common. While Modi has become the nation’s Prime Minister for the first time, Khattar has become Haryana’s Chief Minister for the first time. As one time RSS Pracharaks, both are also unmarried, capable of devoting themselves fully to the national cause and BJP’s objectives. But Manohar Lal Khattar has an additional responsibility. This is not only his first stint as CM, but this is the first time BJP has come to power in Haryana, which means that Khattar has much to prove with regard to BJP’s promises for the state too. This added responsibility is no mean task either, especially when it comes to industrialization, as the state has fared pretty good in this regard under previous governments led by both Congress and Lok Dal, dating back to the days of Bansi Lal who is regarded as the architect of modern Haryana.
Vidhan Sabha
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BJP had come to power in Haryana more due to the alleged corruptions of the previous regimes, rather than the previous governments’ failure in industrializing the state. Over the past few decades, Haryana has become home to large domestic companies as well as MNCs like Maruti Suzuki, Escorts, Hero, Alcatel, Sony, Whirlpool, Bharti, JCB, Yamaha, ABB, Goodyear, Knorr, IOC, NTPC, National Fertilizers, Asian Paints, Suzuki Motorcycle, Nippon Carbide, Lotte, Tata Tea, Amul Dairy, IBM, Aon Hewitt, Dell, Convergys, United Healthcare, DLF, Unitech, NIIT, and lots more. Haryana is also a national leader when it comes to hosting Japanese companies. That is why CM Khattar and Industries Minister Captain Abhimanyu are really thinking big of driving Haryana into a much higher orbit, so that the past developments in the state are no comparison to what will happen in the future.
The finest example for this larger-thanlife vision is Haryana’s recent success in attracting a mammoth Chinese investment of $10 billion or nearly Rs. 70,000 crore. The MoU regarding this with Chinese realty major Wanda Group was signed during CM’s recent China visit. Under this MoU, Wanda will develop a new industrial township spanning 2200 acres, that will be designed to attract various manufacturing and service companies from China and other countries. Coming up at Kharkoda in Sonipat, the investment for the new city is a major win for Haryana as the state has won this investment from Wanda which also considered other regions like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Delhi, for building this new industrial city. According to CM Khattar himself, this massive investment didn’t happen easily and followed detailed discussions spanning several months.
Captain Abhimanyu Minister
There were several contentious issues like how to get around Haryana’s Land Ceiling Act, and how to earmark the 3000 acres the Chinese realty major was asking for. Finally on Chief Minister’s initiative in China, Wanda agreed to settle for 2200 acres to start with. Whereas Happening Haryana 2016’s original target was Rs. 1 lakh crore, this MoU for the new city has ensured that the state will easily overshoot its target during the event in March, or even before it. Chief Minister’s Japan visit was also very successful with Suzuki promising a major investment, and more than that, with Suzuki’s CEO Osamu Suzuki being in all praise for Khattar’s communication skills, especially the way in which the CM conversed in Japanese language. CM Khattar and Minister Captain Abhimanyu have also moved boldly to address some of Haryana’s most vexing challenges with regard to attracting more big-ticket investments. Prime among these challenges has been the state’s troubled labour relations during the past few years. Under Captain Abhimanyu, the Department of Labour & Employment, has worked hard to come up with a comprehensive set of Labour Reforms that is set for passage by the State Assembly soon, followed by President’s assent. Minister Abhimanyu has promised that the new set of reforms is even more progressive than of neighbor and another BJP-ruled state Rajasthan which took national limelight not too long back for investor-friendly labour policies. Haryana has also moved decisively to address land availability issues. As a state having Land Ceiling Act in force, the state has been struggling to find expansive lands for large manufacturing industries. But it has recently succeeded in earmarking 10,000 acres for industries to invest in.
The vast difference between land prices in prime locations and rural pockets has also been difficult to bridge. For example, while land prices in Gurgaon is over Rs. 10 crore per acre in some regions of that district, Haryana has many backward areas in its rural landscape where an acre comes for less than Rs. 25 lakhs, but which no investor is eager to take up. Now, to bridge this gap, Haryana is offering good incentives for investors to set shop in all its districts so that industry is equitably dispersed throughout, thereby bringing development everywhere. The idea is to attract massive investments beyond its happening districts like Gurgaon, Faridabad, Rohtak, Bahadurgarh, Karnal, Panipat, & Hissar, to its relatively nonindustrialized districts like Ambala, Bhiwani, Fatehabad, Jhajjar, Jind, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Mahendragarh, Mewat, Palwal, Panchkula, Rewari, Sirsa, Sonipat, and Yamuna Nagar. Another major initiative by which SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
Ram Bilas Sharma, Minister Haryana is planning to bring massive development is full cooperation with one of the most ambitious Central Government programs, the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), a $100 billion project, launched in 2007 by the then UPA Government at the Centre. The mammoth project’s first phase is under active development these days using an Indo-Japanese joint fund of $10 billion, and Haryana Government under CM Khattar is doing everything possible to ensure that the state gets maximum benefit from DMIC and its backbone, the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). Haryana has much to gain from this national project as, among the six states that DMIC and WDFC traverses, Haryana leads in the percentage of area under DMIC influence zone, which stands at 66%. The state will also get 2 Investment Regions and 2 Industrial Areas for development along the 130 km of DMIC/WDFC that passes through the state. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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Haryana is also bullish on Centre’s Smart Cities project, and has bagged Smart City aid for Faridabad and Karnal. However, not content with that achievement, CM Khattar has been demanding Smart City status for Gurgaon too. The exact plan is to transform 1000 acres of Gurgaon into a ‘Smartest City’, for which the state is willing to spend Rs. 500 crore, even if Centre is unable to include it in the program. With such initiatives and momentum in place, the whole government machinery in Haryana has been working tirelessly to ensure that Happening Haryana 2016 is a major success. The state has recently implemented several reforms to improve ease-of-doing-business, of which one is groundbreaking in that any indefinite delay in approvals due to unsubstantiated reasons would attract automatic approvals after 100 days! The northern state has a spanking new Enterprises Promotion Policy 2015
Devender Singh, IAS
which it promulgated last year, which has been noted for its contemporariness and comprehensive nature. A single window clearance system too has been implemented. The state has also become the first in the country to implement trade of transferable development rights for land, which the industry especially the construction and real estate industries
Vivek Atray, IAS have been asking for. Taking investor assistance to a new degree, Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) has recently appointed its nine top officers to act as relationship managers in 20 different sectors so as to facilitate those investors who are keen to set up businesses in the State.
Sudhir Rajpal, IAS The two day Happening Haryana 2016 event scheduled for March 7th and 8th at Gurgaon’s Hotel Leela Ambience is partnered by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and KPMG. Next day, on 9th a Pravasi Haryana Divas is also being organized and it will reflect CM’s idea to attract NRI investors too. Haryana has identified 10 focus areas for attracting investments through Happening Haryana 2016. They are Agro-Based, Food Processing & Allied Industry; Auto, Auto Components & General Engineering; Defence & Aerospace Manufacturing; Electronics & IT/ITES; Footwear & Accessories; Pharmaceutical & Chemical Industries; Renewable Energy & Solar Parks; Research & Development; Textiles, Apparel & Handlooms; and Transportation/Logistics Hub/Inland Port/Container Depot. The event is organized by Haryana Industries Department and supported by HSIIDC and Haryana Investment Promotion Centre. The roadshows for the event are in full swing, with the Delhi and Kolkata meets coming off very well, and the Mumbai, Bangalore, & Chennai roadshows coming up soon. This is apart from CM Khattar’s and Captain Abhimanyu’s high-profile visits to USA, Canada, Japan, & China to attract investments. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
HARYANA AIMS FOR NOT JUST BUT LOW COST OF DOING BUS
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal has said that Haryana's New Industrial and Entrepreneur Policy has been framed keeping both aspects - 'ease of doing business' and 'cost of doing business'. He said that he is happy to note that Japanese businessmen consider Haryana as their second home away from their natural home. He invited all the Japanese business fraternity to participate in 'Happening Haryana-Global Investors' Summit-2016' which is going to be held in Gurgaon on 7th and 8th March. he chief minister was addressing 'JapanHaryana Business Meet2016' at Delhi recently. Exhorting Japanese businessmen to invest in Haryana, he asked them to invite their colleagues as well to the Investors Summit at Gurgaon. He said that majority of the issues pertaining to ease of doing business had already been addressed in the new Industrial & Entrepreneur Promotion Policy framed by his Government. He said that in order to make skilled man power available to the industrial establishments, adequate number of skill development centers will be opened in the state. Besides, a Skill Development University will also be set up. He said that the state government has taken many steps to facilitate the entrepreneurs coming to invest in Haryana. According to the chief minister, the power of issuing Change of Land Use (CLU) for industries costing upto Rs 10 crore and one acre land has SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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been given to deputy commissioners. He said that in 31 Blocks, there is no need of obtaining CLU and in case of Industries costing Rs 10 crore to Rs 100 crore, CLU will be issued within 90 days. For industries costing above Rs 100 crore to Rs 500 crore and other big Industries, a group of ministers will give special attention and get the CLU issued in a time bound manner. He said that a Japanese Cluster of Industries has been planned in district Jhajjar and work on developing that area was going on at a faster pace, much faster than anywhere else in the country. Referring to steps taken for 'ease of doing business', he said that relationship managers will be made available to get all formalities completed and the Entrepreneur or Investor is required only to move an application. The Relationship Manager will follow it. The CM assured that the traffic movement on NH-8 will be made smooth and the problem at Kherki Daula Toll Plaza
T EASE OF DOING BUSINESS, SINESS, SAYS CM KHATTAR Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister
will also be sorted out. He said, "We want that more and more Entrepreneurs come to Haryana and invest here but that doesn't mean that they should not invest in other states of the country. India is federal country and the structure of federalism need to be strengthened. Haryana will try to attract investments by competitiveness." Highlighting the Haryana's New Industrial and Entrepreneur Policy, Manohar Lal said that during last 15 months the State Government has taken steps to exploit the full potential Haryana has for industrial growth. He said that now investors are attracted towards India and people abroad are visualizing the image of India changing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narender Modi. Referring to his Japan tour, the Chief Minister said that he felt proud on hearing from Osaka Suzuki that their experience of doing business in Haryana has been good and he has even said that people in Japan consider it as good investment. He has also appealed other Businessmen of Japan to invest in Haryana. Mr Manohar Lal said that Japanese Business community has assured an investment of 35 billion American Dollars in India and Haryana wants to have major share of it. He said that JICA has assured to invest 2.5 million dollars in Haryana. He said that a 'Helpline for Japanese' has been started to facilitate Investors from Japan where all their queries will be answered in Japanese language. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
MANOHAR LAL KHATTAR'S VISION FOR PROGRESS THROUGH YOGA, GITA, AND UPANISHADS The message of Yoga, Vedas, Upanishads, and Gita are for the whole mankind irrespective of creed, community or country, feels Manohar Lal Khatar. They have been the basis of our ancient education and India was known as Jagad Guru due to this spiritual knowledge. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is of the view that all kinds of obstacles can be overcome with the help of a determined mind and thoughts. According to him Yoga not only helps keep the body free of diseases, but also strengthens the mind and intellect. It has become necessary to do Yoga in today's hectic and stressful life, feels the CM. While noting that that Yoga was our ancient discipline, he felt that it was re-established on an International level by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The CM also pointed to the fact that United Nations has also declared June 21 as 'World Yoga Day'. He said that keeping in view the growing importance of Yoga, the SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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State Government was placing special emphasis on the promotion of Yoga and Ayurveda. He had started a new programme, namely, 'Yog Evam Vyayamshala' under which Yogshalas are being established in all villages and cities of the State. Last year, Yogshalas were established in 1,050 villages as the first phase. According to Manohar Lal Khattar gradually we are forgetting the need and knowledge of spiritual quotient (SQ) in our lives for which India was known in the world and the foreigners had been visiting our ancient Universities Nalanda and Taxila for this divine education. In the present context the amalgamation of SQ with Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is need of the time, according to the
Haryana CM. The message of Vedas, Upanishads and Gita are for the whole mankind irrespective of creed, community or country, feels ML Khatar. They have been the basis of our ancient education and India was known as Jagad Guru due to this spiritual knowledge. Haryana Government has already decided to include 'Sholakas' of Bhagwad Gita in the school curriculum.
According to the CM, there is no education without culture, and this spiritual book would give right direction to the society. Following a meeting chaired by Baba Ramdev, the State Council of Educational Research and Training, Haryana, had recommended that Sanskrit should be made compulsory in all schools under the state board from Class VI to XII. The meeting was held at Ramdev’s ashram in Hardwar and the
recommendations were forwarded to the state education department. While the SCERT oversees textbooks for Classes I to V, the officials discussed how yoga, moral education and the teachings of the Gita could be incorporated in the syllabus for all classes. The participants had recommended that “Sanskrit Vigyan” should include the study of the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagwad Gita, yoga, ayurveda, literature, and grammar. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
HARYANA INTRODUCES DECENTRALIZED & FAST APPROVAL FOR SMALL TO MEDIUM PROJECTS "If someone is investing something below Rs 10 crore, there is no need for the entrepreneur to come to the state government, he can get all clearances locally under the deputy commissioner," said CM Khattar.
his government has eased various norms and has come up with single window clearance system for setting up of industries in the state. "We are here to attract investments in Haryana. We are going to organise an investors' summit in our state on March 7-8. We have introduced single window clearance system with time bound prospective so that the investors can have a hassle free system for investments," Khattar told a press conference here. Khattar said the state government has set up 31 administrative blocks where the investors won't need Change of Land Use (CLU) clearance to set up industries while there are 75 more blocks where CLUs will be given in a time bound manner," he said.
or projects over Rs 10 crore and more than one acre area, clearances will be given by the empowered committee constituted under the Chairmanship of Principal Secretary to CM, he said. Industrialists in West Bengal have expressed their desire to invest around Rs 5,000 crore in Haryana, state Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said recently. He told a press conference here that he met a number of industrialsts in West Bengal and they expressed their SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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intentions during these meetings.
Stating that the automobile sector holds a special position in Harayana, he said there are lot of scope for investors to invest in Diary, food processing, steel, IT and automobile sector.
"Nothing is finalised as of now. But we had a meeting with a host of investors. Food processing, polymers, IT, solar, infrastructure are some of the sectors where investors have expressed their desire to invest. There may be many more such proposals," he said.
He also said that the state government has zero-tolerance on the issue of corruption.
The Chief Minister, who was here to launch the second roadshow in the run up to "Happening Haryana-Global Investors Summit 2016" in Gurgaon, said in a bid to attract investments that
He said Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Directors of 14 leading companies met him and offered to expand their base by setting up their units in Haryana.
Meanwhile, Khattar said Haryana's new solar policywill soon be released to give boost to solar energy-based projects.
HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
MINISTER ABHIMANYU SAYS HARYANA'S NEW LABOUR REFORMS ARE PATHBREAKING aryana, which of late has been in the midst of violent labour unrest, has approved a set of labour reforms, state Industries Minister Captain Abhimanyu said recently. He was hopeful that these will be passed in the budget session of the Assembly. "The labour reforms would probably be better than those of Rajasthan," he asserted. Rajasthan has already taken the lead in introducing transformative changes in central labour laws. "We in Haryana have already approved in-principle the labour
reforms even probably more progressive than Rajasthan. We are waiting for our budget session. This is something which the state government has to pass in the Assembly and then we send it for presidential assent as it is a concurrent subject," Captain Abhimanyu said at a CII conference here. Courting investors, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said incentives will be offered to those setting up shops in lesser developed areas. He said an e-biz portal called investharyana.Nic.In has been launched, which will provide singlewindow clearances, and invited investors to participate in the Happening Haryana Summit in
Gurgaon from March 7-8. "We are trying to create a better environment for ease of doing business... We have launched an e-biz platform aimed at giving all the clearances under one roof," the Chief Minister said. "Udyog is not equally distributed in the state. The land value in select pockets of Gurgaon is Rs 10 crore per acre while in some other areas, it is Rs 25-30 lakh. We are ready to give incentives to investors who set up businesses in those areas." He pitched for an early implementation of GST and assured the gathering that the state is fully geared up to make the transition to the indirect tax framework once it is rolled out. Khattar also discussed the progress of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project and the multi-modal logistics hub being set up on the state's border during a meeting with DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant here. "Very soon, we are coming up with a multi-modal logistics hub on the border of Haryana," Captain Abhimanyu said. "We also discussed with the DIPP Secretary the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) and Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS). We have principally approved both these projects." Khattar unveiled the state government's plan to establish the 'Smartest City' in the country spread across 1,000 acres in Gurgaon in collaboration with the Centre. He demanded that Gurgaon be included in the central government's list of Smart Cities. "Faridabad and Karnal have been approved for Smart Cities. Our demand is Gurgaon should also become a part of the list. Even if it is not included, we will spend Rs 500 crore and develop Gurgaon into a Smart City," he said. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
HARYANA AIMS FOR TOP-5 SLOT IN EASE-OF-DOINGBUSINESS HARYANA WILL FIGURE AMONG THE TOP FIVE STATES ON THE ASPECT OF EASE OF DOING BUSINESS IN THE NEXT ROUND OF RANKINGS, HARYANA CHIEF MINISTER MANOHAR LAL KHATTAR HAS SAID. He was here leading a delegation as a part of the road show for the ensuing `Happening Haryana-Global Investors Summit' to be held in Gurgaon on March 7-8, 2016. "In the next round of ranking of states Haryana will figure in the top five states on the aspect of ease of doing business," Khattar told IANS in an interview here. He said ever since the BJP government has come to power around 15 months back, several procedural issues have been eased for industries. While the validity period of approvals has been extended, in several cases self certification has been allowed. Around 310 points of simplification of procedures were identified and 180 of them have been addressed and the balance 130 would be settled soon.
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"Now grant of approvals for industries have been brought under one roof. During the past 15 months a total of Rs.1,300 crore worth of investments have been made in the state," Khattar added. This number is however expected to jump manifold at the global investors' summit. "Already a Chinese group by name Wanda has expressed its interest to invest around $10 billion in the state to set up theme park and other facilities at Karkonda in Sonepat district. Another Chinese group CFLD too has enquired about land availability," Khattar said. On spreading out industrial development across the state which is now in few districts, he said Haryana is divided into four zones - A, B, C and D- and the last one is least developed. "In the case of D-zone change of land use does not need the government's approval," he said while adding that the issue is being addressed by the government. He also said the government has started online services like registration of property, CM Web Portal, e-Stamp, e-Disha Sewa, CM Window, Citizen Portal namely 'HarSamay', CM eDashboard, BISWAS and e-Biz portal. To a question about the state having an international airport, he said: "We have asked the central government to have an international airport at Hisar. Bids have been called for hiring the consultants."
hub for aircraft.
Brownfield cluster.
He said the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) will set up four 700 MW atomic power plants in the state.
On the development of the road network, he said the Western Peripheral Expressway would be constructed at a cost of Rs 4,115 crore.
Expressing satisfaction on the crime rate in the state Khattar said the government is focussing on women's safety.
The 135-km-long Eastern Peripheral Expressway would cost Rs 7,558 crore. The stretch of the 70-km National Highway No.1 of Mukarba Chowk from Delhi to Panipat would be made eight-lane at a cost of Rs 2,129 crore.
Khattar said the state has a land bank of around 10,000 acres and land acquisition is not a problem as farmers are also willing to give their land for industrial use. On the rationale for declaring information technology (IT) and information technology enabled services (ITES) outfits as public utilities, he said these sectors provide employment to people.
Khattar spoke of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for mass rapid transport, under which the Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation has been formed to make the mass rapid project functional. The state government will also sign a MoU with Indian Railways for setting up a train coach factory.
Khattar said the government will soon come out with a new IT policy to develop IT and IT-based industries. He said a Skill Development University is also being set up in Haryana. According to him, the government will constitute an Economic Advisory Council, with CEOs and promoters of companies as members. The Central Government has notified Gurgaon, Manesar, Bawal area and Panchkula as well as Barwala as a
Apart from an international airport, Haryana wants to develop Hisar as a maintenance-repair-overhaul (MRO)
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
CM KHATTAR WINS OVER SOUTH INDIAN BUSINESSMEN Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said today that several leading companies of South India had offered to invest in the state to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore.
e was addressing a press conference after attending a meeting with entrepreneurs in Chennai today, a press release by the government spokesperson said. He also announced that the state government would soon unveil its new Labour and IT policies. The new Labour Policy would be more industrial and labour friendly, said the CM. He said a skill development university was also being set up in the state. He said the chief executive officers and business captains of 12 leading companies of South India met him and expressed their interest in establishing their units in Haryana in logistic, SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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manufacturing, food processing, infrastructure, glass industry and education sectors. Prominent among these included Gati Limited, Siemens Industry Software Limited, LUKAS TVS Limited, Saint Gobain India, SCHWING Stetter (India) Private Limited and Farm Fresh Banana. The Chief Minister also invited the entrepreneurs to participate in the Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit-2016 to be organised in Gurgaon on March 7 and 8 and also in the Haryana Pravasi Diwas on March 9. When asked to comment on the quantum of investment, which Haryana is expecting to get during the
Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit-2016, the CM said the state government had signed 20 MoUs with the leading companies and the Wanda Group of China alone had offered to invest $10 billion in the state. “Considering the overwhelming response shown by the entrepreneurs in the new Enterprises Promotion Policy-2015, we hope to exceed the target of Rs 1 lakh crore. We have a target to provide employment opportunities to four lakh people in the state,� said Khattar. On being asked about the incentives being offered to the micro-medium and small enterprises (MSMEs), the CM said the state had been segregated into four sectors.
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
UK FIRM TO INVEST 1000 CRORE IN HARYANA FOR MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS The Haryana government has recently inked an agreement with Indo-UK Healthcare Private Limited to establish medical institutions in the State with proposed investment of Rs 1,000 crore. his project is expected to generate employment for 3,000 persons. A pact to this effect was signed here Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Devender Singh, on behalf of the Haryana government, and Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer, Indo-UK Healthcare Private Limited, Ajay Gupta. Under this agreement, the Haryana government would facilitate IndoUK Healthcare Private Limited to
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obtain necessary permissions, registrations, approvals and clearances for the project from the departments concerned in order to ensure the establishment of the project in a timebound manner. This would be done as per the existing policies and rules and regulations of the state government. The project is likely to commence in 2017. Speaking on the occasion, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said during his tour to the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart David
Cameron had reached an agreement for expansion of medical services in India with investment of one billion pounds into the Indian healthcare system. This agreement was signed in the same series. Haryana is one of the six States which have signed MoUs with Indo-UK Healthcare Private Limited, he added. Reiterating the State government’s commitment towards providing better healthcare services, Mr Khattar said presently, there are nine medical colleges in the State.
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
GURGAON PO TO HAVE FREE WIFI, CORE BANKING
from improving ambience and the speed of providing services,� he said.
The revamp is aimed at ensuring that postal services remain relevant in the digital era.
he city will soon have a stateof-the-art post office with free WiFi, core banking, railway reservation counter and a postal shop at the air-conditioned hall on Udyog Vihar postal campus. The postal office will be managed by an allwomen staff that has been specially trained for the job.
networking sites and mobile apps.
The Udyog Vihar post office, which gets 400-500 customers every day, has been upgraded and will be inaugurated on Friday. The revamp is aimed at ensuring that postal services remain relevant and useful to the customers in an era of emails, social
Postmaster general, Gurgaon zone, Umesh Verma said Udyog Vihar campus has a large number of daily visitors and so they wanted to create a world class facility for customers. “We will provide free WiFi, gifting and packing material at the post office, apart
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Postal authorities said it is for the first time in the country that five counters out of six will offer banking and postal services at the same time. They are also introducing a queue management system for customers. If this transformation is successful, it would be replicated across Gurgaon.
A cheque drop facility, automated sorting of letters and phone charging station are all part of the new scheme, Verma said. An all-women staff will run the post office and they have been provided with technical training. The postal authorities studied the best practices in the UK and south-east Asian countries so that these could emulated in the country. The delivery chain of the post office has also been mechanised and postmen will use motorcycles and erickshaws to deliver letters and packages. In order to harness the business opportunity offered by e-commerce companies in Udyog Vihar and Gurgaon, the postal department has set up a call centre at the campus.
HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
HARYANA TO DEVELOP 3RD SCIENCE CITY OF INDIA he third Science City of the country will be developed by Haryana Government over an area of 44 acres in the campus of Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, in district Sonepat. This was stated by Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal, who was speaking at a programme organised to mark the birth anniversary of Sir Chhotu Ram at the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology at Murthal recently. The Chief Minister said that the development of this Science City, which would be the first of its kind in Haryana, would boost tourism and provide new opportunities for scientific discoveries to students. The two other Science Cities have been established at Kolkata in West Bengal and Kapurthala in Punjab. He said that a horticulture university was being established in Karnal, which would usher in a new revolution in the field of agriculture. He said that
centres of this university would be opened in Jhajjar, Jind and Naraingarh. Apart from this, the centre at Bawal would again be made functional. He said that with the establishment of International Terminal Market for fruits and vegetables over an area of 600 acres at Ganaur in district Sonepat, farmers in the surrounding areas would get a bigger market than the Azadpur Mandi. Manohar Lal said that the State Government has decided to provide skill development training to the wards of farmers. A Skill Development University in Faridabad has been proposed for this purpose. Reiterating the State Government’s commitment towards promoting development of industries in the State and generating employment opportunities for the youth, he said that a target has been set to invite investment of Rs one lakh crore in Haryana, which would generate employment opportunities for four lakh youth. He said that the State Government is organising the
“Happening Haryana Global Investors’ Summit-2016” at Gurgaon on March 7 and 8, 2016, to woo investors and project Haryana as a preferred destination for investment. Paying floral tributes to Sir Chhotu Ram, the Chief Minister said that his birth anniversary was a happy occasion for farmers. He described the leader as the saviour of farmers who had devoted his life for the cause of the farmers and the poor. He said that during his long struggle, Sir Chhotu Ram not only rescued farmers from the clutches of moneylenders, but also fought to get them ownership rights of land. He said that the State Government was following the principles set by Sir Chhotu Ram in the interest of farmers. The farmers in the State were provided compensation to the tune of Rs 1,092 crore for the damage caused to the crops.This was given in a record time. Cotton growers in Haryana whose crops were affected by Whitefly attack would soon be provided compensation. Apart from this, Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, has launched the ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana’ so that farmers do not have to depend on the Government for compensation, he added. On the occasion, the Chief Minister also flagged off the 6th Quarter Marathon and joined the participants in the Marathon. He also inaugurated the Multipurpose Indoor Sports Complex built at a cost of Rs 4.61 crore and unveiled 11 statues depicting the Dandi March led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1931, at Shreejee International School. Those present on the occasion included Haryana Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, Mrs. Kavita Jain, Member of Parliament, Mr. Ramesh Kaushik, BJP State VicePresident, Mr. Rajeev Jain and other prominent personalities of the area. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
INSIDE HARYANA'S NEW LABOUR POLICY he BJP-ruled Haryana government is confident about getting major labour reforms cleared in the next assembly session in March, including changes in the Centre's Industrial Disputes Act 1947, to allow units with less than 300 workers to close down or lay off workers without seeking government permission.
I am confident the reforms will be cleared by the assembly," Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Sunday .
Currently, the waiver applies to units with less than 100 workers. "Labour reforms are a major priority .
Currently, units with 20 or more workers are required to do so.
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The state is also hoping to push through a reform of the Centre's Contract Labour Act 1970 which will require only units with more than 100 workers to register with the government.
If cleared by the assembly the changes
in these Central laws will still need presidential assent. Haryana is known for violent labour unrest in the past most famously at the Maruti plant in Manesar. When asked whether trade unions would block reforms, Khattar said, "Labour unrest in Haryana is in the past. Trade unions and industry now have cordial relations. The government has also undertaken many pro-labour policies, including raising the minimum wage."
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
HARYANA CM AIMS FOR 25% GDP GROWTH
THE HARYANA GOVERNMENT ASPIRES TO TAKE ITS GROWTH IN GDP TERMS TO 25 PER CENT FROM THE PRESENT 8 PER CENT, CHIEF MINISTER MANOHAR LAL KHATTAR SAID RECENTLY.
Haryana Launches Online Grievance Redressal for Industries
The Haryana government has launched an online service for redressal of grievances and onetime dispute settlement mechanism for long-pending issues related to industries, an official spokesperson said.
aryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal launched the service at a press conference here on 'Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit', scheduled to be held in Gurgaon on March 7 and 8.
urrently, the GDP growth of Haryana is 8 per cent and "we are thinking of ways to take it further. Haryana has immense potential. We have the target of taking our GDP to 25 per cent and have started working on it," an official statement quoted Khattar as saying while talking to students of Sri Ram College of Commerce. The CM also mentioned that though India today is an emerging economy, yet it has a share of about 2.65 per cent in the world's GDP. Referring to Haryana, he said the state,
despite 2 per cent population of the country, contributes 10 per cent of the soldiers in Indian army and its hard working farmers are pride of the nation. He added that the share of Haryana in India's GDP is 3.5 per cent which is a big share compared to its area. A start-up weekend camp for girls and women was organised in Kurukshetra University by Haryana Government at the end of February. The women and girls excelling in this camp will be honored on 8th March in 'Happening Haryana Global Investor's Summit-2016' at Gurgaon.
On the online grievances redress system for existing industrial units that aims to make the process speedy, easier and effective, Industries Department Principal Secretary Devender Singh said a three-tier system at the district, state and apex Levels had been set up. The government has decided to make the grievance redress system functional through e-biz portal i.e www.investharyana.nic.in. The industrial units will register and submit their grievances on the portal which will be resolved at the district level by a committee led by deputy commissioner within prescribed time limit, at the state level by a panel headed by Principal Secretary, Industries. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
HARYANA MAKES ITS LESS URBANIZED REGIONS MORE ATTRACTIVE FOR INVESTMENTS Haryana government has amended the area norms for grant of licence permission in low and medium potential towns and to regulate the development of urbanised sector in a harmonious manner. he amendment has been made to encourage and increase participation of individual landowners, farmers and local developers in the process of planned urbanisation of low and medium potential towns," a Spokesman of the Town and Country Planning Department said recently. He said it would help in diminishing role of public–sector and HUDA for acquiring and developing land for urbanisation on account of stringent provision of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
He said that the location of the site should be in conformity with development plan proposal in terms of prescribed land use. The site should also confirm the sector plan, he said. The spokesman said that for residential plotted colonies, the existing 50 acres of medium potential zone has been reduced to 15 acres and the existing 25 acres of low potential zone has been reduced to 10 acres.
"Similarly, it would increase housing stock at affordable rates through private participation and discourage unauthorised colonisation particularly in low and medium potential towns," he pointed out.
Similarly for residential group housing, the existing 10 acres of medium potential zone has been reduced to two acres and existing five acres of low potential zone has been reduced to one acre.
The spokesman also said it would
He said that for commercial colony,
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augment deficient physical and social infrastructure through private sector participation for planned development.
the existing two acres of medium potential zone has been reduced to one acre and existing one acre of low potential zone has been reduced to 0.5 acre. The medium and low potential zones in industrial (general) have been reduced from existing 25 acres and 15 acres to 15 acres and 10 acres respectively.
showing interest to obtain the licenses in these towns. "Therefore, the government had reviewed the area norms being followed by the Town and Country Planning Department for grant of licences under the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act," he said.
For industrial (green category), the medium and low potential zones would be of five acres and two acres respectively.
Notably, the Council of Ministers in its meeting held on February 3, had approved the area norms for development of various colonies in medium and low potential towns.
He said that it has been felt that as the area requirement norms for obtaining licences were on higher side considering the land particularly in low and medium potential towns, therefore, the developers were not
Haryana government has allowed 10 per cent permissible saleable area of industrial licensed colony for setting up common facilities such as warehouse, storage house and cold storage for the benefit
of industrial units. An official spokesperson said the state government had framed a policy for grant of licences for development of industrial colony in industrial and agricultural zones. The matter was reviewed by thegovernment and it had been noticed that no provisions in respect of reservation of area for allied and common services like warehouse and cold storage had been provided in the policy. Therefore, a decision to this effect has been taken to facilitate and encourage setting up of industries in industrial colonies and parks in Low and Medium Potential Towns for optimum utilization of land and resources.
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
12 COUNTRIES TO PARTICIPATE IN HARYANA GLOBAL INVESTORS SUMMIT aryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said that 12 countries would participate in the first Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit-2016 being organised in Gurgaon on March 7 and 8. Addressing media persons at the venue of the event, being organised by the state government in association with the CII, here, Mr Khattar expressed
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hope that the summit would be a historic event and said that entrepreneurs had assured him of their keenness in investing in the state. Describing the people of Haryana as resilient, he expressed belief that the state would organise the summit in a successful manner. He said that China, Czech Republic, Japan, Republic of Malawi, Mauritius, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Republic of Peru,
Republic of Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the Tunisian Republic were participating as partner countries in the event. Replying to a question, Captain Abhimanyu said that more than 800 entrepreneurs from India and other countries would participate in the summit on the first day. Technical sessions would also be held. Representatives of 140 foreign companies and Ambassadors and High Commissioners of different countries would also participate in the event, he added.
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
HARYANA TO MAKE GURGAON A TEXTILES HUB The Haryana Government has ambitions plans about its textile industry and wants to turn Gurgaon into an apparel hub like Surat and Varanasi.
he government made its intentions clear ahead of the 'Happening Haryana: Global Investors Summit” in Gurgaon at a discussion hosted by the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC). Haryana Government officials and apparel industry experts took part in the discussion on the scope of investment in the clothing industry. “We have made a mark in apparel export all over the world. We are the seventh largest apparel exporter in
globe and the industry is growing at the rate of 3.50 per cent. Haryana is the upcoming destination for investment in apparel industry and is turning into an apparel hub. I would like Gurgaon to become an apparel brand like Surat and Banaras. The Government of Haryana will support the budding entrepreneurs and will provide favorable environment to them. We will gear up and address the critical issues of the industry to motivate entrepreneurship and provide investment in Apparel Industry,” said P K Das, Additional
Chief Secretary of the state. The apparel sector is one of the focusareas for investment in Haryana at the global investors' summit. Critical issues such as skilled manpower supply, ease of doing business and need for constant interaction between government and industry for easier compliance of regulations for the apparel industry were discussed. Participants also highlighted the need to address the lack of sufficient industrial training institutes. With grueling emphasis on Skill India these days, there is a need to open more ITI's training students about the nuances of apparel sector, so that this industry sees more professional entering it to entrylevel jobs. Skill-based training makes entrants more employable in a particular sector, the release said. “We are happy that Happening Haryana has apparel sector as an area of investment in Haryana. I appreciate the initiative taken by the Government of Haryana in taking up the industry issues. The apparel sector has its share of problems; investment would increase by leaps and bounds once the government takes steps towards eradication of these problems. We have collaborated with state government in various areas and we are constantly in touch with them to help Apparel Industry grow further,” said Ashok G Rajani, Chairman, AEPC.
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
ENTREPRENEURS ORGANIZATION OPENS GURGAON CHAPTER arco Gloria had never even visited India, let alone think about investing in the Indian market. However, today he has his own company, called GFB Great Foods, based out of Manesar all thanks to an interesting conversation about India's growth story that he had with Sohna Sterling owner Sanjay Kapoor. He got to know about Enterprenuer's Organisation (EO), which he now happens to be a part of.
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Realising that Gurgaon is fast becoming the business hub of the country, EO launched its Gurgaon Chapter on Tuesday. "Gurgaon is a huge market with ever-increasing economic activity. The city boasts of a large number of entrepreneurs and we wanted to give them a platform to share their experience and hence help people in similar situations," said Anand Gupta Jr, the launching president of EO Gurgaon. Talking about the utility of such a platform, Gupta said, "We are not just
about advise, we share experiences and that could be on anything from business to personal."
He himself came back from the US and started his business in India, mostly because of the support from EO. "It is great to have a community where I can come and talk about my problems - professional and personal - without the fear of being judged," said Ayush Bansal, director of Liberty foot fashion, who is a Gurgaon-based member of EO.
HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
MARUTI SUZUKI TO INCREASE OUTPUT FROM HARYANA PLANTS
ndia's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki is likely to increase output from existing plants in Gurgaon and Manesar to meet current demand till the new plant in Gujarat goes on stream by January 2017. Maruti Suzuki, which is likely to close FY16 with a capacity of 1.45 million units, is likely to create an additional 1 lakh to 1.2 lakh output next year, said RC Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki.
"If we can't achieve double digit growth by next year, we would grow by 8-9% in FY17," said Bhargava. On Haryana CM's statement of Maruti Suzuki investing in another plant in Haryana, Bhargava said, "That is between Suzuki and Haryana. I don't think we are creating any more car manufacturing capacity." Bhargava said the carmaker is studying the implications of diesel policy on future demand, and whether the company needs to increase its petrol engine capacity. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
GURGAON GETS BEAUTIFIED FOR HAPPENING HARYANA 2016 fresh coat of paint on zebra crossings, renovated footpaths, new cycle tracks and transplanted trees are a few of the embellishments in the city ahead of the global investors meet scheduled in March. Around 1,000 delegates of 35 multinational companies from countries such as Japan, South Korea and China among others are expected to attend the Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit – 2016 being organised in Gurgaon on March 7 and 8. A number of projects are being taken up by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) and the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) to beautify the city ahead for the international event. In the recent weeks, these government agencies had also carried out several antiencroachment drives on Golf Course road and Sikanderpur. Work to improve the infrastructure deficiencies has also been accelerated on the MG Road, Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, Sector 29 and St Thomas Marg. Recently, the administration repainted zebra crossings and repaired broken footpaths on the MG Road. Saint Thomas Marg, which has a number of commercial establishments and residential areas has also undergone a drastic makeover. Garbage and construction debris are not dumped along the stretch anymore and zebra crossings have been repainted. The government agencies have ensured that traffic signages are installed and have transplanted several trees along the stretch. A cycle track SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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was also recently constructed on this stretch. The Bhagwan Mahaveer Marg in Sector 44, which houses several private firms, has also undergone similar modifications. “The stretch has changed completely in a couple of weeks. It is much cleaner and green with new plants on the dividers and a cycle track along the main road. I am also happy that new streetlights have been installed in the area,” Vanishka Goel, a resident of Sector 44, said. Overgrown trees and bushes have been trimmed at several stretches, including sectors 29, 31 and 40. “It is good to see that plants and bushes on sector 29 road have been trimmed. These plants used to obstruct vision of drivers, especially near the turns and also blocked streetlights,” Anurag Basu, a commuter, said. The city will also witness several other beautification projects such as the transplantation of over 3,000 palms
trees on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway. The plants are brought from Telangana. The sanitation wing has purchased new machinery and the administration has directed them to impose a fine on people who dump garbage on the streets. Students from Sushant School of Architecture have been roped in to beautify the important landmarks on both sides of the expressway with paintings, murals and sculptures based on patriotic themes and highlighting the contribution of Haryana in various fields. “We are making sure that the city is ready for the international summit. Each member of the government agencies are formulating plans and working on the ground level to ensure that maximum work can be done in whatever time is left. More signages and streetlights will be installed and even footpaths will be constructed at more stretches,” an MCG official said.
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
HARYANA STATE PARTNERS WITH SOUTH KOREAN STATE outh Korean state of Chungcheongbuk and Haryana have agreed to enter into a sisterstatehood relationship for development. According to an official statement released recently, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar accepted the proposal for such a relationship made by a visiting delegation today. Section Chief of Chungcheongbuk Government Lee Iksoo said that his state is looking to have a close relationship with Haryana in the field of technology. Speaking at the event, Khattar said the bilateral relationship between India and South Korea is strengthening. According to the statement, Khattar mentioned that South Korean companies like Samsung, LG and Hyundai are present in India. He added that other companies like Kakodear, Casco, LS cables and SD Bio Sensor are present in Haryana. The chief minister told the delegation about the advantageous position of Haryana and the industry friendly policy of the state. Khattar also invited South Korean businesses and investors to the Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit-2016 scheduled to be organized in Gurgaon on March 7-8.
INDIA TO SET UP NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS IN HARYANA o meet the country’s growing needs, the government plans to set up nuclear power plants in Bihar, Haryana and Punjab, the Lok Sabha was informed. The government aims to increase nuclear power generation capacity by three times in ten years. If it is 4,780 MW today, the same would go up to 13,480 MW, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha. He said new places are being explored for setting up plants to generate nuclear power which would be a big source for meeting the growing energy needs. With regard to nuclear power programme, Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, said the government is considering setting up new plants in areas not covered before. A site has been identified for a nuclear plant in Razauli in Bihar’s Nawada district in the last 18-19 months of the current government, he said. There has been a delay there due to water shortage since the current level of water available is not sufficient for the project, he said, adding that discussions are going on with the state government in this regard and work will start as soon as this problem is sorted out. He also listed out places such as Patiala (Punjab), Dehradun (Uttarakhand) and Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh). In Patiala, there are issues related to Defence land, he said, adding that areas are also being explored in Haryana. “In the last two years, one nuclear power project ie. Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojna Units - 1 & 2 (GHAVP 1&2 -- 2 x 700 MW) was accorded financial sanction and administrative approval,” Singh said. Currently, two public sector enterprises—Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI) —sets up nuclear power plants in the country. About the Kudankulam nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu, Singh said the second unit is going to be functional in May. The first unit became operational in January.
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HAPPENING HARYANA 2016
Haryana to Launch a New Business Friendly Policy The Haryana government will bring a new law to simplify regulatory framework for businesses and set up single-point time-bound clearance system to ensure ease of doing business. he State government has framed the Haryana Enterprises Promotion Bill, 2016, which seeks to provide for simplification of regulatory framework and a single point timebound clearance system for speedy implementation of industrial and other projects, an official spokesperson said. The Bill also aims at reducing the
procedural requirements, rationalise the documents and ensure ease of doing business for the promotion of industrial development. It will also facilitate new investments and provide for an investor friendly environment in the State. The spokesperson said that the cornerstone of State Government’s Enterprise Promotion Policy, 2015 is
‘Ease of doing business and reduced cost of doing business’. He said that all projects having investment of Rs 100 crore or more shall be considered by the Haryana Enterprise Promotion Board (HEPB) headed by the Chief Minister, for grant of clearances in respect of proposals relating to customised package of incentives for mega, ultra mega and other projects. A two-tier system consisting of an Empowered Executive Committee (EEC) and District Level Clearance Committees (DLCCs) in each district, shall function for grant of project clearances. The EEC/DLCC will exercise concurrent powers of competent authorities of 14 departments for statutory clearances for the specified services. All the projects having investment of Rs 10 crore or more and involving CLU cases of more than one acre land shall be considered by the EEC for grant of clearances. The government has uploaded the draft Haryana Enterprises Promotion Bill, 2016 on https://haryanaindustries. gov.in for seeking comments of all the stakeholders by March 11, 2016.
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CORRUPTION
ARE PRIVATE BANK CEOS PUBLIC SERVANTS?
India’s private sector bank CEOs may be heading for some headaches – and then some more. As if a nearly Rs 400,000-crore backlog of bad loans (mostly in the public sector) was not problem enough, India’s banking sector faces a new challenge, with the Supreme Court declaring this week that managing directors and directors of private sector banks will henceforth be called “public servants” in corruption crackdowns.
t might be as tricky as it can get for CEOs of banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank or IndusInd Bank as this can potentially bring in a host of investigators and inspectors to their doors in addition to the time-tested supervision of the Reserve Bank of India, not to speak of the other side of being a listed entity: accountability to stock exchanges and the Securities and Exchange Board of India. The landmark by a two-judge verdict came this week after the SC bench weighed the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) of 1988 with the Banking Regulation Act of 1949 to overturn a Bombay High Court verdict that said that Ramesh Gelli, chairman and managing director of the now-defunct Global Trust Bank (GTB) could not be tried under the Prevention of Corruption Act because he was not a public servant. Gelli and his executive director had sanctioned higher credit limits to a company, violating regulations. Losses resulted from the deal and the public sector Oriental Bank of Commerce bailed out GTB by merging it in. Anyone watching the Indian banking sector may recall that the Indian Bank scam of the 1990s had the CBI probing the public sector bank. As a result, public sector bank chiefs developed cold feet in lending to new clients fearing uneasy, difficult times under the prying eyes of sleuths. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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Aditya Puri Now, private sector banks may feel a similar kind of heat. Public servants can be tried and punished in India for corruption under the Indian Penal Code, the PCA and other laws including anti-money laundering and benami transactions laws. It gets tricky because a public servant can be punished for taking gratification to influence the public by illegal means or exercising personal influence with another public servant.
Now, what if a private sector bank chiefs legitimately lobbies a government official or takes a corporate gift? Where is the line drawn for corruption? More questions arise because it has historically been necessary for permission from a state or central government to prosecute a public servant. How will that tie with private bank chiefs being declared public servants? Will this curtail their
autonomy or powers in helping customers, partners or serving shareholders? Above all, as this educative document illustrates, typically anti-corruption probes are conducted by the Central Vigilance Commission, the CBI and state-level anti-corruption bureau. Money-laundering is covered by the Enforcement Directorate. On the face of it, after this week’s Supreme Court ruling , it seems the number of regulatory and supervisory pinpricks for private banks is bound to increase. The notable thing is that the 1946 banking regulation law says that bank officials are deemed to be public officials. The SC bench held the
Uday Kotak Shikha Sharma
Chanda Kochhar provision to be relevant. For India’s private bank CEOs, this might be a Sarbanes-Oxley moment. In 2002, the US, stung by a series of scandals that hurt shareholders, affecting companies including Enron, Tyco and WorldCom, came up with the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) that aimed to protect investors from fraudulent accounting activities. A key aspect of it was Section 302 that
mandatorily requires senior management officials of a company to personally certify the accuracy of reported financial statements. As many as 16 listed private sector banks in India sat on bad loans (the loans not repaid or not yielding returns) totalling more than Rs 46,000 crore at the end of last December. Potentially, any look-in by investigators into these loans will mean not a case of bad business decision by the lender but one that might involve corruption involving the bank. Alternatively, bank chiefs may be cautious upfront in both dealing with policy-makers or with borrowers who
may try to please them. Usually, any loss incurred by a private bank is a loss to its shareholders and possibly, depositors. But, as in the GTB, when a public sector has to bail out the entity, or is “too big to fail,” the burden falls on the taxpayer indirectly if not directly. The fuzzy grey area between public money and private money has created a new set of burdens. The CEO’s job in a private bank may not be an exciting one in the coming days. (Credit: Narayanan Madhavan, Hindustan Times) SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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HEALTH
SALTY FOOD DAMAGES LIVER?
We all know that using too much salt is a major cause of high blood pressure. Now, a latest study indicates that it may also lead to liver damage in adults and developing embryos. Most of the salt we eat comes from processed foods and foods prepared in restaurants. he new study, led by Jinan University in Guangzhou, China, is published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Our bodies need salt - the chemical name for which is sodium chloride - to carry out essential functions. For example, sodium ions help control the transport of water and carry electrical impulses in nerves. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people consume too much sodium - most of it from salt. Excess sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure, a major cause of heart disease and stroke. The average daily sodium intake for people aged 2 years and older is over 3,400 mg of sodium - more than double the 1,500 mg limit recommended by national dietary guidelines for most adults. Most of SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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the salt people consume does not come from the salt shaker - it is already in food by the time it reaches the table - it comes from processed foods and foods prepared in restaurants. So, while asking people to reduce salt intake has some effect in that they can look at labels to pick lower salt products, there is also a need to get producers to reduce sodium content of packaged and prepared foods. Previous studies have already suggested that too much sodium can damage the liver. In the new study, the researchers wanted to look in more detail at what happens at the level of cells. The team carried out experiments where they fed adult mice on a high-salt diet and exposed chick embryos to a salty environment. The results showed that too much sodium led to a number of changes in the liver - such as misshapen cells,
higher rates of cell death and lower rates of cell division - all of which can lead to liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis occurs when there is excessive accumulation of "extracellular matrix" proteins like collagen that support the cells that do the work of the liver - such as breaking down old and damaged cells and metabolizing fats for energy. The researchers suggest the mechanism through which too much salt may cause liver damage and fibrosis in both adults and developing embryos is through oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is where the balance between the production of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) and antioxidants is upset in favor of the former. Such an imbalance can increase inflammatory cells and promote the death of liver cells, leading to progressive fibrosis. However, on a more promising note, the team also found that treating damaged cells with vitamin C - an antioxidant - appeared to counter some of the damage brought on by too much salt.
The final round of the National Barista Championship 2016 was held in Bangalore on 27th February 2016. There are seven categories to be won by the contestants. They are Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Best Signature Drink, Best Latte Art and Best Communication skills. The Platinum Winner of this National Barista Championship will represent India to participate in the World Barista Championship to be held in Dublin, Ireland, on 23rd June 2016, which is being held along side the SCAE world of Coffee events, from 23-25 June 2016. The Coffee Board of India took up this initiative of organising the National Barista Championship from the year 2014 and this is the 3nd year of the premium competition. This competition is framed to identify the technically skilled and best Baristas in this profession. The competition mainly focuses on promoting the excellence in coffee value chain, strengthen and encourage the skill development and also to promote cafe culture in India. The baristas who were employed in various cafes like the Cafe Coffee Day, Starbucks, Lavazza and other chains, participated in the championship. There were as many as 14 participants participated in New Delhi and 18 participants in Bangalore in this championship.
Mr. Paras Bindra of Travel Food Services, who won the Platinum prize is receiving the Trophy from Dr. Aarti Dewan Gupta, Director of Finance, Coffee Board.
Winners at the NBC – Mr. Santhosh, Barista Coffee Company Ltd., Bronze; Mr. Sachin Krupakar, Silver; Ms. Nahid Khan, Mcdonald Mc CafÊ; Mr. Paras Bindra, Travel Food Services
Coffee Board, Government of India, Ministry of Commerce & Industry #1, Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Veedhi, Bangalore - 560 001, Karnataka, India. Phone: +91-80- 22266991 - 994 Fax:+91-80-22255557
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RAILWAYS
INSIDE GOOGLE'S FREE WI-FI AT INDIAN RAILWAY STATIONS
ne of the highlights of railway minister Suresh Prabhu’s budget announce ments on Thursday was free, fast, unlimited Wi-Fi at over 100 Indian railway stations by the end of the year. So how is the government actually doing this? By tying up with Google, that’s how. The partnership was announced in December 2015 when Google CEO Sundar Pichai visited India to unveil a host of India-specific initiatives from the search giant. As a part of this partnership, the American tech giant and the Railways’ telecom wing, Railtel, will jointly work to blanket railway stations with Wi-Fi. Google’s vice-president for access SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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strategy and emerging markets, Marion Croak said: “The free Wi-Fi will work on the back of fiber already deployed by RailTel and will provide station wide access instead of closing it down to a particular point.” Mumbai Central was the first station to be WiFI-enabled under this program last month. On testing out the network it was able to support
Users can use the service for free at full speed for an hour and then with reduced speed to make sure no one abuses the system.
social media, surf the web, and even watch high-definition videos on YouTube and Netflix with no buffering. Google clarified that there will be no paywalls for the service — something that is standard for Wi-Fi offered at airports around the country. The company, though, hasn’t clarified which stations will next get this service after Mumbai Central; it had previously mentioned that it would be targeting the busiest stations from each of the sixteen zones in the country. Eventually, Google and Railtel plan to bring Wi-Fi to 400 stations across the country.
INTERNATIONAL
GERMAN PASSPORT MOST POWERFUL, AFGHAN LEAST, INDIAN AT 85TH RANK countries you can visit just by showing up and getting a landing visa at the airport, the more powerful your passport is. A number of the European nations and the US, Japan and Canada closely follow Germany as the top nations holding the most powerful passports in the world. The countries listed below Afghanistan were South Sudan and Palestinian territories, according to the index -- South Sudan being the youngest sovereign state in the world and Palestinian territories less diplomatically recognised by countries in the West.
he index ranks the countries in accordance with the travel freedom a country’s citizens enjoy. The more countries you can visit just by showing up and getting a landing visa at the airport, the more powerful your passport is. The Afghan passport has been identified as the least powerful in the world for the restrictions the countrymen face in terms of visa-free travel, an index by a London-based consulting firm showed recently. The index found Germans held the most powerful passports in the world for third year in row in 2016. To know how powerful your country’s passport is, Henley & Partners, a London-based consulting firm specialising in citizenship and residency services, came up with a Visa Restriction Index for the year 2016. This index ranks the countries in accordance with the travel freedom a country’s citizens enjoy. The more
HERE ARE THE TOP FIVE COUNTRIES THAT HAVE POWERFUL PASSPORTS: Germany, with access to 177 countries Sweden, with access to 176 countries Finland, France, Italy, Spain and the UK with access to 175 countries Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands and the United States with access to 174 countries Austria, Japan, and Singapore with access to 173 countries HERE ARE THE WORST COUNTRIES TO OWN A PASSPORT: Afghanistan, with access to 25 countries Pakistan, with access to 29 countries Iraq, with access to 30 countries Somalia, with access to 31 countries Syria, with access to 32 countries India ranks 85th with access to only 52 countries.
The index update by Henley & Partners attempts to quantify the power of passports based on the judgements in the world by the amount of visa-free travel they entitle their owner to. The update comes as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) imposed restrictions on Afghan nationals` visit who were heading towards Dubai for business and tourism. The issue with the UAE emerged with the issuance of the new electronic Afghan passports amid concerns that the citizens of the other countries misused the Afghan passports. However, the issue was later resolved as an agreement was reached between the two countries to improve the information quality of the newly issued e-passports. Meanwhile, the demand by Afghans for passports has increased last year with the deteriorating security situation across the country, forcing many Afghans to travel abroad, specifically to the Western countries by risking their lives and travelling through dangerous routes. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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SMART CITY
NEW DELHI'S AMBITION TO BE SMART New Delhi Municipal Council's smart city proposal aspires to shoot for a global benchmark like Singapore.
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s the seat of India’s political power, the area that comes under the New Delhi Municipal Council’s jurisdiction, with Lutyens’ Delhi at its epicentre, has arguably the most number of VIPs per square metre than any other place in the country. But that’s not its sole claim to distinction. The 43 sq km of NDMC area is also rich in heritage sites, cultural centres, classy bungalows, an enviable green cover and Connaught Place, the thriving business hub. But even given all these, and a metro rail network that lays claims to being world class, the living standards in this municipal area don’t quite measure up to what one might reasonably expect of a globally benchmarked capital city. The air pollution is among the worst in the world, prompting extreme administrative experiments such as the odd-even number-plates for private cars. Traffic and parking are daily hassles; there is inadequate lastmile connectivity from metro stations; and street hawkers make a mockery of NDMC’s ambitious plans. But there are those who believe that with the right policy actions, and with a bit of behavioural change in society, things can be turned around. “If you went to an old building in Singapore, the elevator would have a sign that said, ‘Urination in the lift is prohibited’,’’ notes Jaijit Bhattacharya, Partner, Infrastructure and Government Services, KPMG in India, the consultancy that prepared NDMC’s ‘smart city’ proposal. Singapore, says Bhattacharya, used to face severe hygiene challenges, but transformed itself into a squeaky-clean city. “What’s stopping us from doing the same?” asks Bhattacharya. Other minds too have been preoccupied with the question. And the NDMC’s smart city proposal aspires to shoot for that global benchmark. Under the proposal, the New Delhi
City Centre, encompassing Connaught Place and surrounding areas over a 550-acre expanse, will be ‘retro-fitted’ to transform it into a ‘world-class urban area’. What will it entail? The blueprint talks about strengthening four pillars: physical infrastructure, which includes smart parking, smart grid and energy management, water and waste-water management, rooftop solar panels, a command-and-control centre, and smart digital screens; social infrastructure, which will tackle hygiene, education and health; value infrastructure, which aims to establish the city’s culture and identity; and egovernance infrastructure. Bhattacharya offers a simple illustration of a ‘smart’ solution. The consultancy received feedback from people that public toilets are dirty and unsafe, especially for women. “You can’t just install a better toilet and ask people to use it,” he says. “We want to turn it into a ‘smart hygiene centre’ by monetising the land value and leveraging it to generate more footfalls and improve safety.” To do that, the planners decided to install an ATM, which would also bring in revenues. “We also provided for a pathology lab, which will ensure that hygiene is maintained,” he adds. To top it all, they provided for a flower shop, which will elevate the aesthetics of the place. “And we put solar panels on the rooftop.” There are many such smart measures
NDMC has been debtfree since 2009-2010 and its annual budget has been generating surpluses for four years. It also boasts of ‘AA’ credit rating from Fitch India; this is the highest rating an urban local body can get.
that the NDMC wants to implement. NDMC Chairman Naresh Kumar has set himself a 1,000-day timeframe to achieve the mission goals. “Being a small body with good financial health will be an advantage in the implementation,” he notes. NDMC has been debt-free since 20092010 and its annual budget has been generating surpluses for four years. It also boasts of ‘AA’ credit rating from Fitch India; this is the highest rating an urban local body can get. But, funds aside, the NDMC faces other challenges. Behavioural change among people, governance structures and operations and maintenance will be the top three challenges for implementation, says Bhattacharya. Residents too flag behavioural change as a critical necessity. Rohit Agarwal, who runs Bangla Sweet House, an iconic food joint in Gole Market, says: “In terms of infrastructure and connectivity, our area is well provided for. For example, there are many dustbins; if the place is still not clean, it is because of the residents.” Another critical area is waste management. NDMC doesn’t have its own waste disposal site. “It banks on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. NDMC generates a lot of packagingrelated and food waste. It must also look at decentralised solutions such as decomposting,” says Suneel Pandey, Director, Green Growth and Resource Efficiency Division, TERI. With an array of solutions promised in the next three years, how will Lutyens’ Delhi change under the smart cities mission? “In the medium term, we will see a movement towards nonpolluting vehicles, a friendlier and more vibrant city, a greater feeling of community, which will make the city a melting point of nationalities,” Bhattacharya says. And what are the chances of success? “The measures that we have put in the proposal are 200 per cent realistic as long as political and governance issues are managed,” he adds. (Credit: Navadha Pandey, Hindu BusinessLine) SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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SMART PHONE
INTERNET IS GOING ALL MOBILE IN INDIA SAYS GOOGLE STUDY A NEW REPORT REVEALS THAT MOBILE PHONES CAPTURED 60 PERCENT SHARE OF ALL SHOPPING-RELATED QUERIES AND OVER 50 PERCENT SHARE OF ALL TRAVEL-RELATED QUERIES. ith over 200 million mobile internet users in India, mobile phones captured 60 percent share of all shopping-related queries and over 50 percent share of all travel-related queries, a report released recently said. Even for YouTube, over 60 percent of views were now coming from mobile phones. In the classifieds space, online job listings saw revival with over 41 percent job-related searches coming from mobile phones, the Google India report said. Terming the mobile phone as the growth engine for the internet industry, the report outlines how mass SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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adoption of mobile phones is driving adoption of newer services, becoming the primary screen for consumption of media and defining the new user experiences. With users adopting hyperlocal services, buying beauty products and furniture online, the report highlights the evolving behaviour of Indian users on the internet, with growing confidence to shop online. In 2015, 50 percent of women who shopped online purchased beauty products on the internet, the report said a-nd added that home furnishing saw a 57 percent year-on-year growth in search queries on Google, while hyperlocal services saw fast adoption
in metros -- registering a 32 percent year-on-year growth in search queries. “From planning holidays, to decorating homes, to buying groceries, watching their favourite videos online, mobile internet is beginning to influence, and in many cases define, an Indian user’s first experience online - and the industry is taking notice,” Google India VP and MD Rajan Anandan said. “It is exciting to see, for example, how Search interest for cars is seeing a strong correlation to actual sales,” he said, adding: “Looking at these trends, it is clear that the Indian users are embracing the internet like never before.” With tier-2 cities driving the next wave of growth driven from smartphones, 2015 saw adoption of Internet by older age groups seeking diverse variety of information and embracing new age platforms. Used car searches from non-metros grew rapidly, with three in four searches for used cars coming from tier-2 cities. Real estate searches from tier-2 cities saw massive 100 percent year-on-year growth. In the pre-owned category, searches for used cars formed the largest share with seven in 10 searches coming in for used cars, the report said.
PUBLIC SECTOR
THE GOOD AND BAD PERFORMERS IN PSU SECTOR The overall net profit of CPSEs decreased by 19.71 per cent to Rs 1,03,003 crore during 2014-15 compared with Rs 1,28,295 crore in the previous fiscal, the Public Enterprises Survey said.
he overall loss of CPSEs rose 28.20 per cent rose to Rs 27,360 crore in 2014-15 as against Rs 21,341 crore in the previous year, the survey tabled in Parliament said.
Telephone Nigam Ltd, Hindustan Photo Films Manufacturing Company and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals were the top five lossmaking CPSEs.
ONGC, Coal India, NTPC, National Mineral Development Corporation and Power Finance Corporation were the top five profit-making CPSEs during 2014-15.
However, the total investment (equity plus long-term loans) in all CPSEs stood at Rs 10,96,057 crore as on March 31, 2015 compared to Rs 9,92,096 crore as on March 31, 2014, recording a growth of 10.48 per cent.
On the other hand, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Air India, Mahanagar
The total turnover/gross revenue from operation of all CPSEs during 2014-15
stood at Rs 19,95,902 crore compared to Rs 20,66,057 crore in the previous year showing a reduction in turnover of 3.40 per cent. The contribution of CPSEs to Central Exchequer by way of excise duty, customs duty, corporate tax, interest on Central Government loans, dividend and other duties and taxes decreased from Rs 2,20,982 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 2,00,585 crore in 2014-15, showing a decline of 9.23 per cent. Moreover, CPSEs employed 12.91 lakh people (excluding contractual workers) in 2014-15 compared to 13.49 lakh in 2013-14, showing a reduction in employees by 4.30 per cent. Out of 298 CPSEs under the administrative control of various ministries/ departments, 235 were in operation and 63 were under construction up to December 2015.
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HEALTH
SALT AND TAP WATER A TOXIC COMBO? Here is one study that would force you to tweak your cooking routine in the kitchen. According to researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Nanjing University in China, cooking with chloraminated tap water and iodised table salt could put potentially harmful toxins in your food.
he team found several molecules that are almost completely new to scientists created by cooking with chloraminated tap water and iodised table salt. They said that limiting cooking time and temperature, and cooking with table salt fortified with iodate instead of iodide, could be safest. Our tap water is disinfected before we drink it or use it in cooking. This is done in several ways, including by adding chlorine or molecules called chloramines that are made using ammonia. These two processes -chlorination and chloramination -have an effect on the chemical makeup of the water. According to the researchers, chlorine or chloramines in tap water can react with the iodised table salt added to food, creating a kind of acid called hypoiodous acid. According to scientists, chlorine or chloramines in tap water can react with the iodised table salt added to food, creating an acid that can then react with food and other organic matter in the water. This in itself is not cause for concern, but the acid can then react with the food and other organic matter in the tap water to create cooking iodinated disinfection byproducts (I-DBPs) -molecules that are almost completely new to researchers. For this study, researchers identified some molecules and tested their toxicity. “I-DBPs formed during cooking with chloraminated or chlorinated tap water are something new to environmental chemists, toxicologists and engineers,” said Xiangru Zhang, SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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corresponding author of the paper and Associate Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “They are relevant not only to drinking water researchers and practitioners but also to the public,” he added. The researchers analysed the I-DBPs formed during cooking with chlorinated and chloraminated tap water. They simulated cooking with different types of tap water at varying temperatures and time, and added
wheat flour and iodised salt to see what I-DBPs would be formed. Using cutting-edge chemistry techniques, they identified 14 completely new molecules and determined the structure of nine molecules. They then carried out tests to see how toxic nine of the molecules are and found that some of the molecules are 50-200 times more toxic than others. The study was published in the journal Water Research.
BEAUTY
DELICACIES THAT ARE SKIN'S BEST FRIENDS
INSTEAD OF BUYING EXPENSIVE CREAMS AND SKIN CARE TREATMENTS, STOCK UP YOUR KITCHEN WITH THE SEVEN SUPER FOODS THAT WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH ALL THE NUTRIENTS REQUIRED TO GET THAT BEAUTIFUL, GLOWING SKIN THAT YOUVE ALWAYS WANTED.
Having good, healthy skin in these times of increasing pollution levels should be considered an achievement, really. Every morning is all about how someone found a new zit on their face, or never-there-before pigmentation, dark spots, acne, blackheads, etc. Rushing to the nearest store and blowing your hard-earned money on beauty creams and face washes to get rid of the problem skin is the first thing on the list in these situations. But why do that when you could be saving time by resisting the problem in the first place? How? Eating well, that's how! Instead of buying expensive creams and skin care treatments, stock up your kitchen with the seven super foods that will provide you with all the nutrients required to get that beautiful, glowing skin that youve always wanted.
1. Fish / Salmon: Salmon is known to be a source rich in the highest amount of essential Omega-3 fatty acids, that are responsible for the maintenance of cell membranes. They help in reducing skin pores, fine lines and wrinkles and also contribute in protecting the skin from harmful rays of the sun.
3. Avocado: Considered one of the healthiest foods, avocados are a rich source of Vitamin E. Adding this super food to your diet, will in turn add that beautiful glow to your skin. A small tip: When combined with foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E can also reverse the signs of aging.
5. Chicken / Turkey: Turkey meat, especially the dark part is an amazing source of zinc. Zinc helps maintain collagen levels and protects skin cells from damage.
2. Berries / Strawberries: These berries are full to the brim with antioxidants and fight against free radical damage to the skin. Rich in Vitamin C, strawberries help fight signs of ageing by reducing wrinkles and providing moisture to the skin.
6. Rice / Brown Rice: Although brown rice can't prevent signs of aging, they can certainly delay the process. Brown rice helps maintain the firmness and elasticity of your skin. This is because it is full of Selenium.
4. Tea / Green Tea: Let's talk about beverages for a change. The antioxidant powers of green tea are not unheard of. Green tea not only keeps you physically fit, but the polyphenols in it help fight of free radical damage and reduce signs of aging.
7. Carrots: Rich in beta-carotene, carrots work their wonder on the skin when betacarotene is converted to vitamin A in the body. This aids in growth and repair of skin cells.
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HARYANA DESTINATIONS
Heritage Haryana Pinjore Garden Pinjore Gardens (also known as Yadavindra Gardens) is located in Pinjore, Panchkula district , 22 Km from Chandigarh. It is an example of the Mughal Gardens style, and was built by Patiala Dynasty Rulers. It was created in the 17th century by architect Nawab Fidai Khan during the early reign of his foster brotherAurangzeb. In recent times, it has been renamed as 'Yadavindra Garden' in the memory of Maharaja Yadavindra Singh former of the princely state of Patiala. The garden has been laid in seven terraces, with the main gate of the garden opening into the highest first terrace, which has a palace built in Rajasthani– Mughal style.
Mountail Quail Moni Morni is a village and tourist attraction in the Morni Hills in the Panchkula district of the Indian state of Haryana. It is located around 45 kilometres from Chandigarh. The name of Morni is believed to derive from a queen who once ruled the area. The Haryana Government has constructed the Mountain Quail Resort for tourists,along with a motorable road to connect the Morni Hills with the Haryana State Highway near Panchkula. An Indian Forest Department rest house named "Lal Munia" and a PWD rest house have also been constructed to accommodate tourists and trackers. The resort includes small playgrounds for children, along with a roller skating rink and a swimming pool. There is an old fort in the Morni area, which is now in ruins. The hills are covered by pine trees, and are popular trekk ing locations.
Kurukshetra Kurukshetra in Haryana is also known as Dharmakshetra . According to the SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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Puranas, Kurukshetra is a region named after King Kuru, the ancestor of Kauravas and Pandavas, as depicted in epic Mahabharata. The importance of the place is attributed to the fact that the Kurukshetra War of the Mahabharata was fought on this land and the Bhagavad Gitawas preached here during the war when Lord Krishna found Arjuna in a terrible dilemma.
Karnal Karnal , the Rice Bowl of India is a city located in the NCR (National Capital Region). Karnal is said to have been founded by Karna, a key figure in the epic Mahabharata, who died at the hands of his brother and archrival, Arjuna.The Old Fort Constructed by Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind in about 1764 A.D.,now provides accommodation for the office and residence of the Tehsildar. Karna Lake is a major tourist attraction in the district of Karnal. It is located at a distance of 125 km from both Chandigarh and Delhi, thus
serving as a midway halt while traveling between the two cities on the famous Grand Trunk Road.
Brahma Sarovar Brahma Sarovar is an ancient water tank sacred to Hinduism in Thanesar, Haryana. According to stories of myths, Lord Brahma created the universe from the land of Kurukshetra after a huge yajna. The Brahma Sarovar here is believed to be the cradle of civilization. The sarovar is also mentioned in the eleventh century AD memoirs of Al Beruni, called ‘Kitab-ul-Hind’. The tanks are especially crowded during solar eclipse because it is believed that a dip there during the solar eclipse absolves one of all sins.
Fort Of Prithviraj Asigarh Fort, also called Hansi Fort is located in Hansi town of Haryana. It is also known as Prithvi Raj Chauhan Ka Qila and has been declared a centrally protected monument by ASI.
It is believed that original fort was built by Harsha or his Prabhakaravardhana. The ancient coins of period before Chirst were also found in this area.Later, the fort was reconstructed by Prithviraj Chauhan in the 12th century.
Bu Ali Shah Kalandar Shaikh Sharafuddeen Abu Ali Qalandar Panipati also called Bu Ali Qalandar in India[1] was a Sufi saint of the Chishti Order who lived and taught in India. His dargah (mausoleum) in the town ofPanipat is a place of pilgrimage.
Grave Of Ibrahim Lodhi The tomb of Ibrahim Khan Lodhi is situated in a park, maintained by Panipat Municipal Committee. The tomb is situated near tehsil office, close to dargah of Sufi saint Bu Ali Shah. He was defeated and killed during the First Battle of Panipat, fighting against Mughal emperor Babur on 21st April, 1526.
Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park also known as ChattBir Zoo. is a zoological park situated close to Zirakpur, India and is an abode to a large variety of birds, mammals and reptiles. The lion safari is the most interesting part about the Chattbir Zoo found in proximity of Chandigarh.
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HUMAN RESOURCES
INDIA INC TO WITNESS ‘PLATEAUING’ OF SALARY FIGURES EMPLOYERS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO HELP YOU LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LINK BETWEEN FINANCIAL STRESS AND HEALTH AND WELLBEING, AS WELL HELP WORKERS PRIORITIZE THEIR HEALTH AND RETIREMENT PLANNING DECISIONS. Even though there is a fear of consolidation in the start-up ecosystem, the salary increase in this sector has been projected to be the highest among all sectors for 2016. Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions’ business of Aon plc, has projected a 15.6 per cent pay hike for early-stage companies and start-ups. According to Aon Hewitt’s survey, companies in this category stand out despite being in the pre-profit stage for three years and continue to have an aggressive stand on pay. At 15.6 per cent, the salary increase
projected for 2016, they feature as number one, with the closest second being Life Sciences at 11.6 per cent. The other sectors, which are likely to witness higher increase are media (11.2 per cent), hi-tech (10.8 per cent), consumer products (10.8 per cent), etc. The automotive, retail and chemicals sectors are likely to witness an increase of 10.7 per cent. Overall, it has projected a 10.3 per cent salary rise for India Inc in 2016 compared to 10.6 per cent in 2015. The study, the largest of its kind in India, analysed data across 700 companies.
Anandorup Ghose, partner at Aon Hewitt India, said: “With this year’s numbers, we are seeing a confirmation of our view that Indian companies are taking very clear steps to arrest the steady increase in compensation budgets. The lower inflation rates in the economy has also helped companies in deciding on the reduced salary increases without creating too much of a disruption in the lives of employees.”
Increasing Focus on Talent and Merit While employees’ expectations have gone up over the past few year, Aon Hewitt’s data show companies are managing those carefully. The focus on performance differentiation is much higher with a larger proportion of budgets being allocated to higher performers. Investing in key talent has emerged as a major trend. Key talent would mean high potential and hot skills apart from high performers. The payout gap between an average performer and key skills is growing year-on-year. At 63 per cent, this is the highest differentiation that India Inc has observed.
Attrition rate at its lowest The attrition rate in India is dropping. At 16.3 per cent, it is the lowest that corporate India has observed since the 2009 financial crisis. While attrition was controlled at a broader level, key talent attrition increased from 5.9 per cent in 2014 to 7.3 per cent in 2015. Increasingly, organisations are developing separate retention plans and policies for their top talent. While rewards continue as a retention tool to retain top talent, programmes around leadership opportunities and coaching, overseas assignments, are fast catching up. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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MEDICAL MYTH
VITAMIN D: WONDER PILL OR OVERKILL?
Wouldn’t it be great if one vitamin could build stronger bones and protect against diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, and depression? Or even help you lose weight? Researchers have high hopes for vitamin D — which comes from our skin’s reaction to sunlight, a few foods, and supplements. Learn the facts below and see who’s at risk for a “D” deficiency. Vitamin D Boosts Bone Health
levels of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is critical for strong bones, from infancy into old age. It helps the body absorb calcium from food. In older adults, a daily dose of “D” and calcium helps to prevent fractures and brittle bones. Children need “D” to build strong bones and prevent rickets, a cause of bowed legs, knock knees, and weak bones.
Vitamin D and Weight Loss
Vitamin D and Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more common far away from the sunny equator. For years, experts suspected a link between sunlight, vitamin D levels, and this autoimmune disorder that damages the nerves. One newer clue comes from a study of a rare gene defect that leads to low levels of vitamin D – and a higher risk of MS. Despite these links, there’s not enough evidence to recommend vitamin D for the prevention or treatment of MS. Vitamin D and Diabetes Some studies have shown a link between a low vitamin D level and type 2 diabetes — the more common version of this blood sugar disorder. So, can boosting your vitamin D levels help ward off the disease? There’s not enough proof for doctors to recommend taking this supplement to prevent type 2 diabetes. Excess body fat may play a role in diabetes and low SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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Studies have shown that people who are obese often have low blood levels of vitamin D. Body fat traps vitamin D, making it less available to the body. It’s not clear whether obesity itself causes a low vitamin D level or if it’s the other way around. But one small study of dieters suggests that adding vitamin D to a calorie-restricted diet may help overweight people with low vitamin D levels lose weight more easily. Low “D” and Depression Vitamin D plays a role in brain development and function. One promising study showed that large doses of vitamin D could lessen the symptoms of mild depression. But other studies show mixed results. The best bet is to talk with your doctor about whether vitamin D could ward off the symptoms of depression. How Does Sun Give You Vitamin D? Most people get some vitamin D from sunlight. When the sun shines on your bare skin, your body makes its own vitamin D. But you probably need more than that. Fair-skinned people might get enough in 5-10 minutes on a sunny day, a few times a week. But cloudy days, the low light of winter, and the use of sun block (important to
avoid skin cancer and skin aging) all interfere. Older people and those with darker skin tones don’t make as much from sun exposure. Experts say it’s better to rely on food and supplements. Dining With Vitamin D Many of the foods we eat have no naturally occurring vitamin D. Fish such as salmon, swordfish, or mackerel is one big exception — and can provide a healthy amount of vitamin D in one serving. Other fatty fish such as tuna and sardines have some “D,” but in much lower amounts. Small amounts are found in egg yolk, beef liver, and fortified foods like cereal and milk. Cheese and ice cream do not usually have added vitamin D. Start Your Day With Vitamin D Choose your breakfast foods wisely, and you can get a substantial amount of vitamin D. Most types of milk are fortified, including some soy milks. Orange juice, cereal, bread, and some yogurt brands also commonly have added vitamin D. Check the labels to see how much “D” you’re getting. Vitamin D Supplements Eating D-rich foods is the best way to get vitamin D. If you still need help getting enough, there are two kinds of supplements: D2 (ergocalciferol), which is the type found in food, and D3 (cholecalciferol), which is the type made from sunlight. They’re produced differently, but both can raise vitamin D levels in your blood. Most multivitamins have 400 IU of vitamin D. Check with your health care provider for the best supplements for your needs. Are You Vitamin D Deficient? Problems converting vitamin D from food or sunshine can set you up for a deficiency. Factors that increase your risk include: Age 50 or older Dark skin A northern home Overweight, obese, gastric bypass surgery Milk allergy or lactose intolerance Liver or digestive diseases, such as
Crohn’s disease or celiac Symptoms of “D” Deficiency Most people with low blood levels of vitamin D don’t notice any symptoms. A severe deficiency in adults can cause soft bones, called osteomalacia (shown here). The symptoms include bone pain and muscle weakness. In children, a severe deficiency can lead to rickets and symptoms of soft bones and skeletal problems. Rickets is rare in the United States.
for vitamin D is 600 IU (international units) per day for adults up to age 70. People aged 71 and older should aim for 800 IU from their diet. Some researchers recommend much higher doses of vitamin D, but too much vitamin D can hurt you. Above 4,000 IU per day, the risk for harm rises, according to the Institute of Medicine. Daily “D” for Breast-feeding Babies
There’s a simple blood test used to check your vitamin D level, called the 25-hydroxyvitamin D test. Current guidelines by the Institute of Medicine set a blood level of 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) as a goal for good bone health and overall health. However, some doctors say people should go higher, to about 30 ng/mL to get the full health benefits of vitamin D.
Breast milk is best, but it doesn’t have much vitamin D. Breastfed babies need 400 IU of vitamin D until they’re weaned to fortified formula and can drink at least one liter (about 4 ¼ cups) every day. Starting at age 1, babies drinking fortified milk no longer need a vitamin D supplement. Be careful not to give too much vitamin D to babies. High doses can cause nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, excessive thirst, muscle aches, or more serious symptoms.
How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?
Vitamin D for Older Children
The recommended dietary allowance
Most children and adolescents don’t
Testing Your Vitamin D Level
get enough vitamin D from drinking milk. They should have a supplement with 400 IU to 600 IU. That amount is often included in chewable multivitamins. Children with some chronic diseases such as cystic fibrosis may be at increased risk for vitamin D deficiency. Talk to your child’s doctor about the need for extra vitamin D. How Much Is Too Much Vitamin D? Some researchers suggest taking far more vitamin D than the 600 IU daily guideline for healthy adults. But too much be dangerous. Very high doses of vitamin D can raise your blood calcium level, causing damage to blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. The Institute of Medicine sets the upper tolerable limit at 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day. You can’t get too much vitamin D from the sun. Your body simply stops making more. But sun exposure without sunscreen can raise your risk of skin cancer. Drugs That Interact With Vitamin D Some drugs cause your body to absorb less vitamin D. These include laxatives, steroids, anti-seizure and anti-cholesterol medicines. If you take digoxin, a heart medicine, too much vitamin D can raise the level of calcium in your blood and lead to an abnormal heart rhythm. It’s important to discuss your use of vitamin D supplements with your doctor or pharmacist. Vitamin D and Colon Cancer It’s too soon to make a strong case for vitamin D as an overall cancer-fighter. But newer studies suggest that people with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood may have a lower risk for colon cancer. Vitamin D and Heart Disease Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to a greater risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart disease. Still, it’s not clear whether boosting vitamin D will reduce heart risks and how much vitamin D is needed. Very high levels of vitamin D in the blood can actually harm blood vessels and the heart by increasing the amount of calcium in the bloodstream. Source: WebMD SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
GD GOENKA UNIVERSITY
ROOTS AND LEADERSHIP MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
A.K. GOENKA Chairman SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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While there is no dearth of private universities in either NCR or Haryana, students as well as parents are starting to prefer not the noisiest institutions, but ones with strong roots and a larger vision, as well as the key leaders who are passionate to see to it that this vision is fulfilled in their students’ careers. Today that emerging niche in NCR is dominated by institutions like GD Goenka University.
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ituated on Gurgaon-Sohna highway in the GD Goenka Education City, sprawling over 60 acres, this greenfield private university that came into existence in 2011 is noted for its strong roots as well as strong leadership. GD Goenka stands for Gayatri Devi Goenka in whose memorial the GD Goenka Group came into existence by the efforts of her sons AK Goenka who heads the educational institutions and BK Goenka who leads Welspun, the group’s industrial division which is a global leader in large diameter pipes and home furnishings. In education, the GD Goenka Group has a formidable reputation in running institutions spanning from kindergarten level to doctorate level. Established in 1982, the education division is dominated by GD Goenka Public Schools, GD Goenka World School, GD Goenka Lå Petite Montessori Preschools, and GD Goenka Toddler House, apart from the GD Goenka University. The
size
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the
Group
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MRS. RENU GOENKA Vice-Chairperson overwhelming, with its flagship GD Goenka Public Schools alone numbering more than 60. While Chairman AK Goenka is ably assisted in his educational initiatives by Renu Goenka as Vice-Chairperson and Nipun Goenka as Managing Director, the Group has early on realized that only a visionary educationalist can effectively fructify their vision. GD Goenka University has such a leader in Dr. Raj Singh. Before being appointed as the ViceChancellor of GD Goenka University, Dr. Singh was the Vice Chancellor of Amity University and Ansal University, as well as Head of ICFAI Business School, New Delhi. However, Dr. Raj Singh is much more than an educationalist. Prior to his academic career, for 14 years he was with Indian Air Force. Coming from a sterling academic background, Dr. Singh is a postgraduate
in Economics and Doctorate holder in Strategic Cost Management and Performance of Mergers and Acquisitions, from University of Rajasthan. He was also the topper of the coveted Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) programme from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI).
MR. NIPUN GOENKA Managing Director he is a strong champion of flexible, inter-disciplinary, and transdisciplinary learning, which are areas where even prestigious institutes in India fall short. While he admits that many private universities have a long road to travel still, he foresees a future where select private universities like GD Goenka will even overtake conventional and government-funded institutions just like it has happened in USA and elsewhere in the developed world.
Even more, Dr. Singh is an institution builder, a noted orator, a noted corporate consultant to MNCs as well as large domestic companies, and has been a visiting professor at prestigious institutions like IIT Delhi and Delhi School of Economics. One of the main values that Dr. Raj Singh brings to GD Goenka University’s students and faculty is that
According to this Vice-Chancellor, such inversion of roles has already started happening in select subjects and niche competitions, but that the media has been unfair in not giving credit where it is due when it comes to private institutions. Another of Dr. Singh’s strengths has been in forging global academic alliances – a role that he excelled while in Amity too – and today thanks to his vision, some of the key departments of GD Goenka
DR. RAJ SINGH, Vice Chancellor
University has life-changing alliances with world-class institutions. For example the University’s School of Fashion & Design is in collaboration with the famous Politecnico Di Milano School of Italy; and its School of Hospitality is in collaboration with Le Cordon Bleu the world’s largest and most prestigious organization in hospitality education. Recently, GD Goenka University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IBM to offer specializations in the area of Cloud Computing and Virtualisation, Business Analytics and Optimisation, Mainframe Technology, and Cyber Security & Forensics, for BTech Computer Science and Engineering program, to provide students with the needed skills and edge while seeking employment in the industry. A highlight of this program is that the computer science faculty of the university will also be trained by IBM. GD Goenka University is structured as 9 Schools in Architecture & Planning, Communication, Engineering, Fashion & Design, Hospitality, Humanities & Social Science, Law, Management, and Education. Various undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctorate level programs are available from these departments. The university is also noted among the student community for its promotion of industry interactions, cultural activities, sports, and trendy hangouts and eateries. Despite its young age, the university has also excelled in career placements so far. Obviously, this achievement is only going to be better in the coming years, given the way in which GD Goenka University has been forging alliances with global majors in education and industry to create modern and industry-relevant programs in all its departments. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
ALLIANCE UNIVERSITY
ENSURING EMPLOYABILITY THROUGH INDUSTRY INTERACTIONS
Dr. Madhukar Angur, Founder Chancellor of Alliance University believes that for any research initiative to be impactful and beneficial, it needs to solve societal problems and enhance the quality-of-life of social communities. Towards achieving such an end, the Chancellor has put in place a sharp focus on attracting and retaining the best researchers and research students at Alliance University, and on providing them with comprehensive support and motivation. Guided by the strategic vision of this foundermentor-administrator, internationally renowned academician, management expert, corporate consultant, and entrepreneur, the Bangalore based private university has made great strides in ensuring top-notch employability in its student community. Industry interaction too at Alliance is an all-round endeavour, thanks to its world-class Advisory Board consisting of renowned academicians, researchers, and consultants from across the world. Alliance University ranks high in entrepreneurship development due to its pioneering MBA programs designed to foster entrepreneurial competencies, and is now planning on expanding its start-up incubation centre. Seasonal Magazine in conversation with Dr. Madhukar Angur, Chancellor, Alliance University, Bangalore: an you tell us about the research initiatives being undertaken at Alliance University? My conviction is that research is all about contemporary knowledge creation and dissemination. Why the two should be pursued is at its core simple enough to understand. An ideal University should work towards enhancing the lives of its community at large, more so in such a day and age. It’s common knowledge that humanity is rapidly moving towards becoming a fully integrated knowledge society. There are gargantuan issues facing our world now and even bigger ones that will emerge in the future. If our research is effective and impact worthy, it will attempt to solve such problems and SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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enhance the quality-of-life of people around us. That in the end is the acid test. Our mandate at Alliance is that all research initiatives must in some way benefit communities we belong to and the larger society. I use this as a guiding norm in the knowledge we create. What are the research strategies and methodologies being followed at Alliance University? I continue to believe that the secret to success in research is all about attracting and motivating the right kind of people who are academically rigorous scholars, keenly analytical, and disciplined enough to exhibit sound judgements. We rigorously apply a complete range of research methodologies – clinical, empirical, and experimental – as appropriate to the problem we own as an academic community and work on. What is the real edge that Alliance is holding when it comes to research outcomes? Ground-breaking research outcomes are never mere accidents. They require a great deal of coordination between multiple stakeholders involving them in diverse manners. Our competitive edge comes from our sharing faculty time, student ideas, alumni access, industry interactions, Dr. Madhukar Angur
and research support, apart from other physical and intangible resources. Employability of graduates has been a challenge at most higher education institutions in India. How is Alliance University tackling this issue? Before answering the question, let me state that on a personal front, employability studies have been my personal passion in the field of management for many years now. To answer your question, yes, obviously there is a huge skills mismatch even now in many of the universities and colleges in our country. At Alliance, what we are attempting is a seamless transition from education to society. There is a dramatic change in employability paradigms. Let me state a recent example. There is this new academic initiative of ‘nano degrees’ followed by many contemporary MNCs where they take in fresh graduates and train them in specific
high-end skill sets. Many such nano degrees are in niche domains like, say, the engineering-management interface where there is lot of new developments and strategies. So, when we incorporate niche subjects and training into the curriculum, the employability of our graduates increases dramatically, and their prospective employers have one job less to do. Do you have a start-up incubation centre or entrepreneurship development centre at Alliance University? We do, and the work it does goes beyond limited roles and goals. As you know, with more than half of all the start-ups in India, Bangalore is the ‘start-up capital’ of the country. Nobody did anything to make that happen, and it was a natural outcome of the city’s leadership in having the largest engineering and research talent pool in the country. As a university
headquartered in such a great city for start-ups, we are putting our best efforts to leverage that edge. Wellconceived start-ups in Bangalore have a greater chance for attracting funds, and becoming successful eventually. At Alliance, we are prepared to handhold our start-ups, and get them up and running. Secondly, entrepreneurship development comes naturally to Alliance as we are the pioneers and leaders in conducting MBA programs with specialization in Entrepreneurship and Family Business. As you are aware, businesses in India are largely familyowned and family-driven, even when they are large listed entities, and Alliance is adding great value into this domain by helping the sector to professionalize. How do you assess the potential of our young graduates, and the role they can play in the world economy in the coming decades? SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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Today’s global economy is driven by youthful workers, and India is soon going to be the youngest country in the world. The average age of our skilled workforce is 29 years, which is unbelievable for many in the developed countries, especially in Europe and North America. Because any nation with an average age of 35 for its skilled human resources is in itself an achievement, given the low birth rates. In USA, I believe the average age for skilled workers is around 47 years and in Europe it is even more. Today, you hear a lot about immigration laws getting tightened across Europe and USA, but it is only a matter of time before they get more relaxed for professionally qualified persons than it was earlier, because there is no other way the developed countries are going to replace their workforce, than by sourcing professionally qualified persons from countries like India. This is part of what we call the demographic dividend, and India is staring at a huge global opportunity that may last for a minimum of 30 to 40 years. What are your initiatives for fostering industry interactions at Alliance University? Alliance University has extensive industry interaction by design and it SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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is part of our everyday existence as an academic institution. We have a Centre for Industry Interaction (CII) which provides an excellent platform for these interactions. Further, the structure and make-up of our Advisory Board lends itself for more comprehensive and global interactions. The members on the Board are eminent academicians and consultants from some of the world’s best universities. They are the kind of people who even the best in the Industry engage. Our Advisory Board members include Dr. Jagdish Sheth,
As you know, more than half of all the startups in India are in Bangalore. Nobody did anything to make that happen, and it was a natural outcome of the city’s leadership in having the largest engineering and research talent pool in the country.
Dr. Robert Easter, Dr. Tan Chin Tiong, Dr. Howard Hunter, and Dr. Ken Harmon, among others. They are leaders in their disciplines at institutions like Emory University; University of Illinois; Singapore Management University; Kennesaw State University, etc. They consult to corporates and some of them even advise their governments. We also have Advisory Board members from top corporates like Pratik Kumar of Wipro Infrastructure, Bhaskar Bhat of Titan, among others. Recently, the members were in Bangalore to participate in two exclusive panel discussions that Alliance University hosted on Innovativeness and Entrepreneurship. Around 180 noted leaders from industry participated in the discussions, and they were representing around 120 leading business houses, including young and successful start-ups. The university conducts series of events that provide excellent interactions with the industry. Our academic philosophy has always emphasised rigor with relevance as our pedagogical mainstay. So industry interaction is something which is an integral part of Alliance University by design, and it is our students who participate extensively and make maximum mileage out of this initiative.
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
MS RAMAIAH UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
“WE CREATE INNOVATORS, NOT JUST EMPLOYEES” MS Ramaiah was a visionary who created one of the largest group of professional higher education institutes in the country. His son, MR Jayaram, current Chairman of Bangalore’s MS Ramaiah Group of Institutions has taken the organization to a new level through his holistic policies. One of his innovations was the MS Ramaiah School of Advanced Studies that was founded in 1997-98 under the leadership of Prof. SR Shankapal. Soon the School of Advanced Studies would tie up with UK’s Coventry University to launch industry-oriented postgraduate programs. Today, many years later, this School of Advanced Studies has become one of the most promising private universities in the whole of India. Under the leadership of Chancellor MR Jayaram and Vice-Chancellor Prof. Shankapal, MS Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences (MSRUAS) has rapidly evolved as a model to follow for other universities, for pioneering best practices like its multidisciplinary approach, its user oriented courses, its applied research initiatives, its employability training, and its stress on grooming innovators and problem solvers, rather than entry-level employees. MSRUAS develops cognitive skills in its students, makes them employable in high-paying jobs, and has partnered with industries to design courses. easonal Magazine in conversation with Prof. SR Shankapal, Vice-Chancellor, MS Ramaiah University of Appled Sciences: MSRUAS from the beginning onward had a high focus on postgraduate programs. Is it continuing, or do you have equal focus on undergraduate and postgraduate programs now? Yes, in the beginning the focus was more on postgraduate programs. Even now that focus remains, with around 60% of our seats being for PG courses. The reason for this seeming anomaly with other universities is that we want to create more problem solvers or innovators. While there are different kinds of university models like teaching university, research SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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university, open university etc., we want to be an innovation university. We define innovation university as an institution that is always interactive with the society around it – and not just with the industry – to come up with solutions for the society. Undergraduate degree holders tend to be more of a human resource for the industry, while it is the postgraduate students who are likely to be the problem solvers in industry as well as society. But the gap between UG and PG courses in MSRUAS has come down recently, due to a couple of reasons. One is that undergraduate students bring in more vigour and vitality into the campus, and also because they are inputs to our PG courses and we want better quality students for the higher degrees. MSRUAS has shared a unique
relationship with UK’s Coventry University. Is that comprehensive partnership continuing? Have you tied up with any other overseas institutions? We tied up with Coventry University for some specific reasons. In 1997, after MR Jayaram took over the leadership of Ramaiah Group of Institutions, he wanted to start something very different and very promising in the long run. That is how MS Ramaiah School of Advanced Studies came into being under my leadership. We were not a university back then. But we wanted to do something world-class, and Jayaram, me, and Prabhakar went scouting for a very innovative university to tie up with. That is how we came across Coventry University. They had excellent industry interactions, and some professors there of Indian and Pakistani origin were willing to help us. Coventry, as a city had been famous for its automotive industry, spawning companies like Rover (now Jaguar Land Rover), Standard Motors, Triumph Motorcycles, and even the original Royal Enfield facility was within 55 kms of Coventry. So the place and the university have industryacademic interaction in their blood, and so we too started with a specialized course in the automotive domain. While the relationship with
Coventry University is unique and still continuing, we have also tied up with a few other universities abroad. MSRUAS had started an MTech course in Cyber Security and Information Assurance, designed by Paladion Networks. How has been the response and progress of the batch, and are you planning more such specialized courses designed by the industry in fields where you foresee a demand-supply mismatch of trained professionals? The response has been very good, and we have started more such courses in collaboration with the industry. We call it user oriented PG courses, and eight companies are collaborating with MSRUAS to run these types of courses. In some such programs, all the students are given by the specific company, whereas in some others a percentage of students are from outside, but they also get absorbed by the industry, as these are courses designed by the end user which is the specific industry itself. You have been a great proponent of advancing students’ cognitive skills as opposed to other conventional skills that are knowledge-based or transferable. What drives this vision? The pace of technological and industrial change is accelerating, and
today we have reached a stage where every 3 to 4 years most things change. So a new graduate needs to have cognitive skills like analytical abilities, problem solving skills, critical thinking abilities etc to learn new knowledgebased skills. If he has developed such cognitive skills, he can master any new or emerging field of knowledge. Towards that we need to make each student highly independent. How we do this is by lots of assignments, selfdirected studies etc. so that he becomes a true self-learner. From its inception onward, MSRUAS has advocated the employability of your graduates and postgraduates. What are the specific strategies that you have adopted to ensure this? The primary strategy is to keep the industry needs in mind, and for that we need to keep the industry involved. After all, an automotive engineering student should be able to do automotive engineering jobs at the end of his studies. We are capable of grooming our students to industry readiness due to another reason too. Today, MSRUAS is one of the leading private universities in India for conducting training programs for various industries. We are doing training programs for around 25 leading companies in India, in various sectors. We also keep ourselves
MR Jayaram
“
In 1997, after MR Jayaram took over the leadership of Ramaiah Group of Institutions, he wanted to start something very different and very promising in the long run.
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“ Every year, we sent at least 15 of our lecturers for overseas training at good institutions, and at least 6 professors from abroad come here for training our faculty every year.
updated as per world-class standards with our tie-ups with overseas universities. In Russia, we have tie-ups with six universities while in UK we have relations with three institutions. As a private university, you may not be fully satisfied by the student input that you get each year. How do you bring up even such students to high academic and employable levels? It is true, we always don’t get the kind of students we may prefer, especially at the undergraduate level. But at the end, we want to make every one of them truly productive in their chosen domain. How we go about doing this is simple enough – motivate without causing stress. Make them enjoy studies. You will be surprised to know the kind of transformation MSRUAS can cause in even average students. Very ordinary students from Diploma and ITI backgrounds, after doing our course in Product Design, are employed in top automakers’ facilities like the GM Design Centre in Bangalore, with salaries they couldn’t have imagined a few years back. Can you outline what are the salient
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features of your research initiatives in various fields? Firstly, our focus is mainly on applied research. Secondly, while our faculty and researchers are currently publishing in national and international journals, we are always motivating them to publish in the very good journals, because that is the acid test and that is the kind of research achievement that brings exposure and makes a difference. We are very particular about the academic quality of our research students, and from around 150 applications only 25 students are taken in. We provide the best students with financial support even, from what our faculty gets for their research work with institutions like the DRDO. Do you think our faculty standards in higher education would improve vastly if our professors and lecturers are trained abroad, in reputed institutions in the developed world? It is very true and we are already doing that in a big way. Every year, we sent at least 15 of our lecturers for overseas
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training at good institutions, and at least 6 professors from abroad come here for training our faculty every year. We do that because, many mistakenly think that infrastructure makes a great university, while the truth is that it is great faculty that makes a great university. Great faculty can teach their students even under the shade of a tree. Certain MS Ramaiah Group of Institutions, including MSRUAS, recently led a program in which several foreign students obtained a feel of Indian village life in Kaiwara. Can we know what this program and its objectives were all about? Such initiatives spring from the leadership of our Chairman MR Jayaram. He is a very spiritual person who spends weekends in the village, meditating and doing social work like distribution of free food, conducting mass marriages etc. Our doctors and dentists go there and do free camps too. In fact, we have a rule that every student should do at least a minimum of two days of social work an year. Even foreign students come on exchange programs to experience Indian rural life through MS Ramaiah Group of Institutions.
Prof. SR Shankapal
You are a veteran of MS Ramaiah Group having worked with Founder MS Ramaiah as well as his son and Chancellor MR Jayaram. How do you describe the unique leadership capabilities of both leaders? Also, how do they differ in their styles? I joined this great organization in 1984, and was working as a lecturer at our engineering college, but in a very lowkey manner. MS Ramaiah was a visionary who built this great institution, but I didn’t get enough opportunities to interact with him. When MR Jayaram took over and was considering a new institution for advanced studies, the then Principal suggested me for heading it. As I told just now MR Jayaram is a person who is very spiritual and very holistic, and he ploughs back everything back to the development of the institution, so that we can build this up as a great university like in the West. He doesn’t interfere in day-to-day affairs, and has built up a culture of transparency with no capitation and reasonable fees. MSRUAS is fast progressing as a
young but integrated university that brings together several institutes of longer heritage. What all are the USPs of this university that you would like to highlight before students and their parents? We are following a multi-disciplinary approach to higher education. We have the Open Elective system where even someone doing a dental degree can opt for an engineering course, if he or she desires. When it comes to research, we follow an interdisciplinary approach whereby doctors can approach engineers and ask them to invent a device to solve a medical problem. We have something called the Engineering Medical Centre to facilitate such interactions and come up with solutions. Nowadays knowledge creation through research is happening at the intersections of various domains, and MSRUAS is in tune with this world-class trend set by the best universities in the West. As a veteran educator in the private sector, what all would be your broad suggestions for the state and central governments in the field of higher
education? Do you think that this nation as well as its industry have still not learned to utilize the knowledge and skillsets of its reputed academicians in higher education? I think in recent years, governments at both the central and state levels are beginning to understand what really needs to be done for furthering higher education. Earlier, the sector was too much regulated, and while it has come down now, it can be bettered still. Interactions between the academic world and industries have significant room for improvement in India. For example, Munich headquartered BMW has a long tradition of interactions with Technical University of Munich (TUM). They are loyal to each other. Such interactions should be aimed at. At MSRUAS, our prime objective is to set a good example for other universities to follow in everything that we do well like our multidisciplinary approach, our user oriented courses, our applied research initiatives, our employability training, and our stress on grooming innovators and problem solvers. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
KR Mangalam University KR Mangalam University on Sohna Road in NCR, is a private university that has evolved from the expertise of the KR Mangalam Group in running educational institutions for many years, especially premium international schools. KR Mangalam Group was traditionally a garments exporter with over Rs. 2000 crore annual turnover before they ventured into premium schooling and higher education institutes. KR Mangalam University was set up in 2006 as a state private university of Haryana, and it offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in all popular streams like engineering, management, law, applied sciences etc. Like its more popular KR Mangalam World Schools in DelhiNCR, KR Mangalam University too is on track to carve its own niche in the higher education space. KRMU is promoted by Yash Dev Gupta as Chairman, and academically led by Prof. KK Aggarwal as Chancellor and Prof. KN Tripathi as Vice Chancellor.
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Yash Dev Gupta
PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
Ashoka University Sonipat based Ashoka University boasts of tie-ups with the Yale University, University of California at Berkeley, Carleton College, University of Michigan and King’s College, London among others. Yale has been shaping Ashoka’s curriculum and infrastructure in the major areas of admissions, development, student and faculty. The privately funded institution, which has raised Rs 200 crore from its 40 founders, has an intake of 350 students for its three-year graduate program out of 3,000 applications. The self-financing university aims to raise Rs 300 crore in the next five years from its backers. Those contributing Rs 10 crore and above are counted as founders and join the board of trustees. Some prominent trustees include Ashish Dhawan, founder, Central Square Foundation; Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder of Naukri.com; Vineet Gupta, MD, Jamboree Education; Puneet Dalmia, Managing Director, Dalmia Cements; Jerry Rao, founder, MPhasis, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Investor, Radhakishan Damani, Investor and founder, DMart; Dilip Shanghvi, Founder Sun Pharmaceuticals. Out of the 40 founders of Ashoka University, 14 are part of the board of trustees. Ashish Dhawan, Founder
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University
RACING AHEAD ON PLACEMENTS & RESEARCH disha doesn’t have too many private universities. Among the private universities present in the state, there are only a few that come up to national standards in placements and research initiatives. But Bhubaneswar based Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University (SOA) is a rare exception to this norm. This Deemed University has been making its presence felt since the past few years on the placement arena. Last year, more than 90% of its students were placed successfully. While Tata Consultancy Services recruited 875 students, 380 got placed in Wipro, Deloitte recruited 29 students, and 63 students got offers from Capgemini. In fact the backward state of Odisha now has a name in the recruitment map of India for grooming the second-most employable graduate contingent after Delhi. And private universities like SOA have definitely played a crucial role in the image makeover of this tribal and poorer state of India. SOA University also impresses the prospective student community by its size. The
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university is structured as seven institutes or departments that have their own campuses and infrastructure. While many private universities are languishing for students, with number of students not more than a couple of thousands, the faculty size of SOA itself is impressive at 1200 lecturers and professors. The institutes or departments at SOA include engineering, business, medicine, hotel management, nursing, dental, and
Prof.(Dr) Khageswar Pradhan Chancellor, SOA University
Prof. (Dr.) Amit Banerjee, Vice Chancellor, SOA University
pharmacy which also includes a biotechnology centre. Not being content with just performance in placements, SOA has systematically delivered also on the research front, with its researchers often attracting the limelight not only nationally but internationally. Many of SOA’s research has also been of high social relevance, with the best recent example being a study that found out that disasters exacerbate child malnutrition. The study was undertaken by SisirRanjan Dash of Siksha O Anusandhan University together with researchers from the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters, University Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, and others. SOA has also become an excellent host for industry interactions with its hotel management institute recently conducting an international symposia on the topic - tourism for global peace - which was noticed worldwide in the relevant academic and industry circles.
SOA has also become a major promoter of encouraging student talent in Odisha, with its Talent Hunt - 2016 conducted successfully in all Odisha districts. The University spreads across 125 acres of land and houses 33 distinct buildings for different institutes and research centers with 16 conference & Seminar Halls and 2 auditoriums specially equipped with modern facilities. The faculty members and students of the university enjoy 1Gbps internet connectivity and fully Wi-fi Campus and have access to 1,81,806 books and 14,897 e-Journals. SOA was founded by Prof. ManojranjanNayak, an eminent educationist and humanist. The university is led by Prof.(Dr) KhageswarPradhan as its Chancellor and Prof. (Dr.) Amit Banerjee as its Vice-Chancellor. The University has been accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with grade ‘A’ for its overall performance.
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES OP JINDAL GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
JGU IS MILES AHEAD OF COMPETITION, IN PLACING ITS BUSINESS & LAW STUDENTS JINDAL GLOBAL BUSINESS SCHOOL (JGBS) AND JINDAL GLOBAL LAW SCHOOL (JGLS), TWO OF THE LARGEST CONSTITUENTS OF SONIPAT BASED OP JINDAL GLOBAL UNIVERSITY, ARE PERFORMING BRILLIANTLY ON THE PLACEMENTS FRONT THANKS TO THE PROFESSIONAL AND WORLD-CLASS SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES THAT ARE IN PLACE RIGHT FROM ADMISSION, TO TEACHING, TO INTERNSHIPS, TO FINAL GROOMING. INDUSTRIALIST AND CHANCELLOR NAVEEN JINDAL AND VICE-CHANCELLOR AND NOTED MULTIFACETED SCHOLAR PROF. DR. C RAJ KUMAR ARE EXTENDING ALL THEIR SUPPORT TO MAKE PLACEMENTS A HUGE SUCCESS AT JGU.
reated by the Jindal Organization in memory of their renowned industrialist founder OP Jindal, this private university is unique in other ways too. Its Chancellor is Naveen Jindal, who is a former MP and also the Chairman of the group’s flagship Jindal Steel & Power, which is the third-largest steel producer of the country behind SAIL and Tata Steel. An alumnus of University of Texas at SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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Dallas, (which has renamed its Business School after him), Naveen Jindal has used his network effectively to forge tie-ups for OP Jindal University with international heavyweights like Harvard, Yale, Oxford, & Cambridge. Due to its focus on non-engineering streams, the student strength of the university is relatively smaller than larger private universities, thereby enabling it to give one-to-one attention to its students in various
streams like law, business, international affairs, public policy etc. Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, who has been the Founding Vice Chancellor of OP Jindal Global University (JGU), has academic qualifications from the University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Hong Kong, University of Delhi and Loyola College. Professor Kumar is also a Member of the National Legal Knowledge Council (NLKC). He was
NAVEEN JINDAL, CHANCELLOR NAVEEN JINDAL, CHANCELLOR
PROF. DR. C RAJ KUMAR, VICE CHANCELLOR PROF. DR. C RAJ KUMAR, VICE CHANCELLOR
a faculty member at the School of Law of City University of Hong Kong, where he taught for many years.
each batch’s student specializations like Marketing, Operations, HR, Finance etc.
He was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford, UK, where he obtained his Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.) degree; a Landon Gammon Fellow at the Harvard Law School, USA, where he obtained his Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree and a James Souverine Gallo Memorial Scholar at the Harvard University. He was awarded the Doctor of Legal Science (S.J.D.) by the University of Hong Kong. He also obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the University of Delhi, India; and a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) degree from the Loyola College of the University of Madras, India.
Internships are given great importance, as it is a natural steppingstone to final placements. Jindal Global Business School (JGBS) has been successful in coordinating placements for its students in almost all core industry sectors like Banking & Finance, Education, ITES, Healthcare & FMCG, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing.
Jindal Global Business School’s placement initiative is spearheaded by a unique structure of a Placement Committee comprising of two toplevel administrators in Corporate Relations, and around 3 to 6 Student Coordinators per batch. For the benefit of future employers, core details of each year’s batch are transparently mentioned on the Business School’s website itself. These include each MBA batch’s student backgrounds like whether BTech/BE, BBA/BBM, BCom, BPharm/BSc, or BA. Also included are
Internship providers included heavyweights like Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Grasim, Nestle, Reliance Life Insurance etc. Final placements were also quite successful with maximum candidates being absorbed by the manufacturing sector (57%), followed by banking (20%), IT/ITES/Digital (9%), and Facility Management (14%). Largest candidate roles were in Finance (33.50%), followed by HR and Sales/ Marketing (each at 28.5%), and Operations (9.5%). Final recruiters included MNCs and leading corporates like Xerox, Deloitte, Samsung, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, iGate, Fortis, Havells etc. Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) offers three programs viz. 5-Year BA LLB Honours, 3-Year LLB, and a 2-Year
LLM, which has three specializations – International Trade Law, Corporate & Financial Law, and Intellectual Property Rights. From its first batch onward, JGLS has been a high performer in placements. While there is a high percentage of placements overall, the number of placements into Big Six law firms is also very high. In fact, Jindal Global Law School is rubbing shoulders with heavyweight public institutions like NLSIU Bangalore, Nalsar Hyderabad, NUJS Kolkata, and NLU Delhi, when it comes to placing its young lawyers. A big reason for JGLS’ performance in final placements is due to its sharp focus on legal internships that form a major part of a young lawyer’s experience and final grooming. JGLS law students are regularly getting internships from a wide variety of organizations employing lawyers like International Law Firms, Indian Law Firms, In-House Legal Departments of Corporates & LPOs, Judicial Clerkships at Supreme Court & High Courts, Law Offices and Chambers, International Non-Governmental Organisations, Indian NGOs, Statutory Bodies, Agencies and Research Institutions etc. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
Shiv Nadar University
Greater Noida based Shiv Nadar University has tied up with Duke University and Babson College among others. Founded by billionaire IT entrepreneur Shiv Nadar, the university follows the innovation streak of its founder. Nadar who was instrumental in creating India’s first PC, as well as companies like HCL Infosystems, NIIT, & the now high-flying HCL Technologies is worth more than Rs. 66,600 crore in personal wealth. Shiv Nadar University as well as his other educational ventures including schools are said to be a philanthropic activity of Nadar, created on a 10% donation of his personal wealth. The Gautam Buddh Nagar based private university is said to follow a ‘need-blind’ policy regarding admissions. What this means is that if the University’s board is convinced that a student is eligible to join the university it will pull out all the stops to ensure that the student is enrolled, whether he can afford it or not. This is to attract the best students and ensure diversity on campus.
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES Maharishi Markandeshwar University
Maharishi Markandeshwar University at Mullana, near Ambala, has a modern campus on 40 acres of land on the banks of Markanday River. This mammoth size and prime location have ensured that this diversified university, founded in the name of Maharishi Markandeshwar Ji, has already developed into a township with all amenities for students and faculty. Led by Chancellor Tarsem Garg, and run by MM Education Trust, the university is noted for accreditations by state, national, and international bodies, as well as placements by TCS, ICICI Bank, Airtel, Cipla etc. MMU also has a campus in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, and MM Group of Institutions also has a campus in Karnal.
Tarsem Garg
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IN-FOCUS
HOW UNION BANK IS FIRING ON ITS TECH & R.A.M. CYLINDERS At a time when the entire global banking industry is in turmoil, and not just the Indian banks, Union Bank of India has been firing on its all cylinders, especially its digital and RAM (Retail, Agriculture, & MSMEs) initiatives. The leadership of Chairman Arun Tiwari since the last three years is proving to be transformative for the leading public sector bank. umbai headquartered Union Bank of India (UBI) has recently won six Banking Technology Awards from Indian Banks Association (IBA). These include Best Technology Bank of year; Best Use of Digital & Channels Technologies; Best Use of
The bank has also recently tied up with ClearTax, an e-filing portal, through which the bank’s customers can avail free e-filing of income tax and subsidized rates for other special tax related services. Considering that UBI has four crore customers, this initiative is even transformative for the entire nation with regard to tax compliance.
Technology to Enhance Customer Experience; Best Risk Management, Fraud, & Cyber Security; Best Financial Inclusion Technology Initiatives; and Best Payment Initiatives.
What is more, UBI itself is setting a good example by extending this free income tax e-filing facility to all its 16,000 employees.
While this achievement is nothing short of overwhelming, the greater story of UBI’s digital achievements is likely to be missed. Today, 63% of Union Bank’s all transactions are etransactions, which is one of the highest rates among all public sector banks in India. Under the guidance of its Chairman Arun Tiwari and Executive Director Rakesh Sethi, the bank has been following up its relentless focus on innovating digital technologies. A recent example was the ‘selfie account’ where a new account can be opened fully online by sending a selfie of the customer and the photograph of his or her documents! SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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Clearly, UBI is one bank which is ahead of the curve when it comes to employing technology in a world where click is getting as relevant as the brick. Having said that, the bank has also been transforming itself to leverage one of its hidden strengths, which is its 4096 branches across India. Traditionally, Union Bank was a corporate facing bank, with its largest credit exposure being to the industries. While this had helped the bank to grow furiously when the economy was looking up before 2008; post the global financial crisis, it became clear that this vast branch network was in need of better utilization. Under the leadership of Chairman
Arun Tiwari, the bank re-strategized around 3 years back, and today the results are for everyone in the banking industry to appreciate. But to understand that, one should be familiar with India’s unique economic model. Despite massive urbanization, around 60% of India’s population lives in rural areas with their mainstay being agriculture.
Arun Tiwari, CMD
Arun Tiwari, CMD and Rakesh Sethi, ED, along with Union Bank team receiving the award for Best Technology Bank of the Year. And with a total of 1.26 billion people in the country, the size of India’s rural population is difficult to ignore. Secondly, while almost every MNC worth its name has a big presence in India, and despite the domestic industry too producing many giant corporations, a unique aspect of Indian economy is that 90% of the Indian population is still employed in the
informal segment. Apart from agriculture, the mainstay of this brute majority of Indians is the country’s uncelebrated but vital Micro, Small, & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Union Bank’s re-strategization revolved around boosting its share of these segments, often called RAM for Rural, Agriculture, & MSMEs using its nearly 4100 branches in every nook and corner of India. Today, UBI’s RAM portfolio has reached 52%, up from the 44% it was just one year back. In these times of capital scarcity, the bank has also been conducting a very effective campaign for growing its low cost CASA (Current Account & Savings Account) deposits. UBI successfully activated 3.44 lakh Dormant accounts during the December quarter. In addition, the bank added 9.55 lakh CASA accounts during the same period. Like most of its peers, due to the RBI mandated Asset Quality Review in Q3, the recorded asset quality or NPA level of UBI too has increased, affecting its profitability. However, its operating profit level has been stable, and unlike some of its peers, Union Bank has not slipped into losses this quarter. While the pressure on asset quality may continue for a few more quarters, the good work the bank has been doing on this front is showing some excellent results. In the crucial metric of risk-weighted assets, against scheduled commercial
banks’ 75% and peer group’s 79%, UBI’s performance stands at a much safer 70%. Clearly, UBI is trying to conserve capital in these troubled times. No wonder then that US based Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has affirmed its 'BBB-' long-term rating on Union Bank of India. According to S&P, the affirmed rating reflects UBI's sound funding and liquidity positions and a very high likelihood of support from the government of India. It has also retained the outlook on the bank at stable. Union Bank has also been upping its global presence selectively with operations in Hong Kong, Dubai, Beijing, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Antwerp, and Australia. The bank also has plans to open its office in the African continent. With the top 10 banks of the world also bleeding, and many of them curtailing their global excesses, UBI is selectively looking out for pockets where it can enter and serve the community, especially the Indian diaspora. The biggest boost UBI can get is when the economy starts turning around, as that will result in a significant portion of provisions for its stressed corporate loans undergoing a write-back. By the time it happens, Union Bank’s current focus on RAM segments and a hybrid model of click-and-brick would have transformed bank into a more balanced and robust lender. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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IN-FOCUS
SMC Investments and Advisors Ltd
AN HONEST SUPERMARKET FOR ALL FINANCIAL SERVICES Chartered Accountant turned financial services entrepreneur DK Aggarwal has built up SMC Investments and Advisors Ltd, along with his co-founders, based on his personal and professional values like honesty and client-centric approach. Recently Aggarwal has been accorded “Distinguished Entrepreneurship Award” by PHD Chamber of Commerce, whose earlier recepients include Sunil Mittal, RanaTalwar, BM Munjal, Parvinder Singh, and Analjit Singh. hich are the most aggressive telemarketing calls that you receive every day? No one would disagree that financial services is that aggressive sector – you get offers for everything from business loans to personal loans to loan against property to credit card to stock/commodity trading tips to life insurance to mutual funds to what not. Now close your eyes, and imagine the most misleading or misrepresentative or untruthful marketing promises that you have ever got. It would be again from the sprawling financial services sector. Cutthroat competition in the sector has unfortunately mademore than a few players to resort to mis-selling at all available opportunities. This is not just in personal communications, but in media interviews, public appearances, and professional articles. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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Aggression coupled with mis-selling has become the hallmark of this broad sector of the economy. This is where the life and times of DK Aggarwal, Chairman & Managing Director of SMC Investments and Advisors Ltd, comes across as a refreshing change. Anyone discerning who has watched this Chartered Accountant turned Entrepreneur in action – be it in live media or in person in conferences, interviews etc– would attest to this difference. In fact, he has built up SMC Investments & Advisors Ltd, together with his co-founders, as a shopping mall for all financial services, solely on this value – of honest talk, honest services. Today, SMC, which is on the verge of going for its public issue is a one-stop shop where you can get all financial services under one roof. These include
equity trading, commodity trading, currency trading, investment banking, wealth management, financial products distribution, research, NBFC services, depository services, insurance broking, clearing services, and real estate advisory services. SMChas also built up a commendable customer base for these various services, spanning corporate, institutional, high net worth individuals (HNIs), and retail clients. Success on that scale doesn’t come without values, and DK Aggarwal’s most commendable value has been his straightforwardness. Even when his opinion can apparently hurt some of his businesses, or show some of his sectors in poor health, such issues don’t colour his opinion. For instance, even when it is clear as daylight that the newfound emergence of mutual funds is hurtful to the classic equity brokerage business, Aggarwal is of the opinion that retail investors
are better off by investing through mutual funds.
DK Aggarwal
Even when it is obvious that most brokerages thrive by promoting activities reserved for experts like day trading or short-term trading, this CMD is of the opinion that retail investors should desist from the urge to do day trades or short-term trades. Even when the success of a brokerage is directly proportional to the size of the exposures that its clients take in one go, SMC Chief is of the unwavering opinion that exposure should be only through the monthly Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs). DK Aggarwal also knows too much about the market to be swayed by the negative analyst coverage and negative press that most IPOs attract these days for alleged overpricing. Instead, Aggarwal feels that most, if not all, IPOs still leave reasonable value on the table for investors. Indeed, the performances of several IPOs in recent months bear witness to Aggarwal’s conviction. Having started out in 1994, this Co-Founder of SMC has seen enough storms to stick to his conviction that historically most retail investors have gained the maximum by investing in the best companies through their IPOs and doing nothing, but hold, hold, and hold. At the heart of this honesty is Aggarwal’s, and therefore SMC’s, firm conviction that as financial service providers, nothing else should matter other than their clients’ interests. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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Luxury
MASERATI OPENS ITS THIRD INDIAN SHOWROOM IN MUMBAI
FOREVERMARK ANNOUNCES NEW MARKET EXPANSIONS AND CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS
Bibhu Mohapatra models in Forevermark jewelsFebruary 18, 2016: Diamond brand Forevermark has embarked on a thrilling stride. Within the span of a week, it has announced expansion in Europe and Asia, as well as its collaboration with fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra. Italian carmaker, Maserati steers into West India by inaugurating its first dealership in Mumbai, Maharashtra – the third in India. Following the launches of its New Delhi and Bengaluru dealerships late last year, Maserati, in partnership with Group Planet Petal, unveiled a luxurious, USD 2 million-worth showroom that spans 3,200 sq. feet at the new Taj Hotel at Santacruz, Mumbai’s airport area. With a capacity of 5
cars, the showroom will exhibit an exclusive collection of some of Maserati’s iconic models – from the brand’s flagship Quattroporte to its cabriolet GrandCabrio to its latest Sports Exclusive Sedan, the Ghibli. It also accommodates a modern visitor lounge, where clients can acquaint themselves with the carmaker’s history, as well as a configurator area, where buyers can customize their new vehicles.
OFFICINE PANERAI CELEBRATES THE CHINESE NEW YEAR WITH A SPECIAL WATCH To mark the onset of the Chinese Year of the Monkey, Italian fine watchmaker, Officine Panerai, has released its limited novelty Luminor 1950 Sealand 3
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Days Automatic Acciaio – 44mm. Made in only 99 units, the special watch line is the latest edition to Panerai’s exclusive series, started in 2009 to celebrate the signs of the Chinese Zodiac. The new Luminor 1950 Sealand features a remarkably detailed gold engraving of a monkey circled by tiny flower blossoms, gracing the watches’ steel cover. A tribute to the ancient Chinese astrological tradition, the sophisticated image shields a minimalist grey dial with a small seconds counter at 9 o’clock and a date window at 3 o’clock. The timepieces boast a Panerai in-house
At New York Fashion Week, the brand unveiled its partnership with the Indian-American designer, whose fall/winter 2016/2017 collection draws inspiration from China’s last empress, Cixi, and sparkles in Forevermark diamonds. The brand is also going to launch a Forevermark collection designed by Mr Mohapatra,
which will only be available in India through select Forevermark retailers from later in the year. The brand’s diamonds are not only glimmering on the New York runways, they are foraying in Hungary and Thailand, as well. Building on its success in Turkey and Britain, Forevermark teams up with R-A Diamonds to deliver its gemstones to eight independent retailers in the Central European country of Hungary. Meanwhile, licensee partner Jubilee solidifies the brand’s renown in Asia by offering its gems at Siam Paragon, one of Thailand’s largest department stores.
Luxury GUCCI RECOGNIZES FLORENCE WELCH AS ITS NEW AMBASSADOR FOR WATCHES AND JEWELRY Fashion house Gucci has named British singer, Florence Welch, its jewelry and watches ambassador for 2016. The news came at a press conference in L.A., where Ms Welch, the lead of Florence + the Machine who is nominated for five Grammys, is to attend the award ceremony adorned in Gucci. The announcement formalized the friendship between Gucci’s Creative Director, Alessandro Michele, and the performer, who has gushed the pair bonded over their love for jewelry. At the event, Ms Welch unveiled Gucci’s latest timepiece – the G-Timeless automatic, featuring decorative bees, stars and a heat.
INDIAN DESIGNER MANISH ARORA AWARDED FRANCE'S HIGHEST DISTINCTION India’s couture designer, Manish Arora, has received the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur – France’s highest distinction. At a socialite-studded event in New Delhi, the French Ambassador, Francois Richier, presented the award in recognition of Mr Arora’s contribution to the world of fashion – notably, his renowned creations that combine Indian traditional crafts like lavish embroidery with Western silhouettes and cuts. Bestowed on both French citizens and foreigners, the honor also celebrates the designer’s ties to the European country, where, from 2011 – 2012 – among other accomplishments – he served as creative director at the French house Paco Rabanne’s womenswear department. Mr Arora now joins the ranks of such acclaimed personalities as Amitabh Bachchan, Pandit Ravi Shankar and JRD Tata, who have in the past been distinguished with the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur.
MINI USA LAUNCHES A CAMPAIGN AND A CONTEST THAT DEFIES LABELS The brand of cars, often labeled “small” and “cute,” MINI USA rolls out an advertising campaign and an online contest to scrap away labels. The “Defy Labels” campaign stars a list of prominent athletes and celebrities including Serena Williams, Tony Hawk and T-Pain as well as MINI owners, whom MINI has acknowledged for their choice to break conventions and remain true to themselves. With its #DefyLabels Contest, the car manufacturer aims to reach out to
local communities and reward exceptional individuals. After a two-stage selection process – an online voting followed by a jury pick – four finalists will have the chance to partake in the brand’s biennial cross-USA rally of MINI owners. A final round of online voting will elect the ultimate winner, who will receive a twoyear lease of an all-new MINI Clubman. From February 12 – April 7, anyone can nominate candidates by uploading their image, accompanied by a brief statement on the contest’s website.
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Luxury
MB&F M.A.D. GALLERY UNVEILS NOVEL KINETIC SCULPTURES True to its futuristic aesthetics, fine watchmaker MB&F M.A.D. Gallery is exhibiting the geometrically engineered kinetic pieces of Dutch artist, Jennifer Townley. With a meticulous attention to detail and motion, Ms Townley has created sculptures that intercept their spectators’ own patterns of thought and perception. A
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panoply of intricately intertwined gears and wheels propel her works into constant action, which simultaneously distort and create shapes. Entitled “Perpetual Transience,” Townley’s collection at the M.A.D. Gallery bears close links to the various cogs, complications and movements that characterize MB&F’s watches, often described as enchantingly other worldly. All five unique pieces that comprise “Perpetual Transience” are available for purchase at the gallery’s Geneva venue, with more information to be found on its website.
FERRARI PAYS A TRIBUTE TO ITS FOUNDER WITH A STUNNING EXHIBIT Ferrari celebrated its founder Enzo Ferrari's birthday in style with an exhibit of the brand's finest cars that have made appearances in high-grossing Hollywood movies. Here's a little more about the exhibit. The exhibit, titled Red Carpet, is a tribute to Ferrari's silver screen stardom and beyond. It brings together models featured in popular movies with montages of their clips. These include the famous Magnum P.I. 308 GTSs, the Miami Vice Testarossa, the 512S used in Le Mans and the 375 America driven by Sofia Loren in Boy on a Dolphin. Besides this, the exhibit also showcases celebrity collectors and their favourite cars, along with stars that used the cars for special events. For instance, Paul Newman drove a 365 GTB4 in legendary races such as the 24 Hours of Daytona, while Steve McQueen owned a whole fleet of Ferraris. An international sweetheart Marilyn Monroe too had a penchant for Ferraris. Automobile enthusiasts will also find racing track cars and vintage models on display at the Modena's Enzo Ferrari Museum. For visit timing, tickets and other information, visit the brand's website.
STEFANO PILATI TO STEP DOWN AS HEAD OF DESIGN AT ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA Ermenegildo Zegna Group and Stefano Pilati announced that after three years as Head of Design for Ermenegildo Zegna Couture, Mr Pilati will step down from his position. Gildo Zegna, Chief Executive Officer of the Zegna Group said, "I want to thank Stefano for his contribution to Ermenegildo Zegna. We wanted to develop a strong point of view in fashion as well as style, and for Zegna to be a show not to be missed in Milan. We have reached this objective faster than expected. As we move on to write new chapters in Zegna’s development, I wish Stefano well for his future endeavours." Mr Pilati said, “I now wish to focus on other projects that I had put aside in order to achieve our common goals with Zegna Couture. It has been an honor to work with this extraordinary family company that puts quality, craftsmanship and excellence at the center of their business. I want to thank everyone at the Zegna Group and especially Gildo Zegna who has given me outstanding support and will remain a friend and a mentor.”
Luxury FURNISHING BRAND VISIONNAIRE OPENS ITS FIRST STORE IN THE UK AT HARRODS Italian home furnishing brand, Visionnaire, will venture into the UK luxury market in spring 2016. In a partnership with the iconic department store, Harrods, it will bring to the island nation its signature multi-
functional pieces. Denoting its eclectic and exquisite style, Visionnaire will fill its first British store with furniture for every room – from its handmade Chatam Dining Table to Versailles Desk to its signature Alice bed. Sprawling over 200 sq. m on Harrods’s third floor, the showroom will also feature works from the label’s latest collection designed by Domenico De Palo, to recreate the splendid 1920s sophistication.
PRADA LAUNCHES THE MONKEY CHATTER COLLECTION this collection sets itself with a Luxury brand Prada has introduced an exclusive collection of women’s and men’s bags, footwear, and accessories, all to honour the Chinese New Year. Called The Monkey Chatter, this innovative collection, celebrates the year of the red monkey. With bold and vibrant reds mixed with black leather,
modern yet traditional look, filled with signature Prada styles. Small black and red clutches, red patent leather shoes, and playful monkey key chains are among the items available in The Monkey Chatter collection. Prada’s exciting new line is available in select locations.
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Luxury
FENDI UNVEILS THE NEW SELLERIA LEI BAG Italian luxury fashion brand Fendi recently unveiled its new Selleria Lei bag. It is a new addition to the brand’s Selleria collection that is known to whisper luxury. The bag boasts of a compact shape with a contemporary vibe. It is made using signature Cuoio Romano leather and is hand-stitched keeping in line with the traditional stitching techniques. The bag, we feel, has a lot to express without really saying anything.
TAKE A TRIP TO SPACE WITH VIRGIN SPACESHIP UNITY It was a dark day for Virgin Galactic when its SpaceShipTwo crashed on earth in November 2014, killing its co-pilot in the mishap. Putting the past behind them, the company is back with renewed zeal to unveil a new and advanced spacecraft – the VSS Unity. The spaceship was revealed
last week at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California. The ceremony was attended by Richard Branson and his family, and the people involved in the making of this unbelievable vehicle. Read on as we tell you more about the event and show you a sneak peek at the complete look of the Virgin Spaceship (VSS) Unity.
BENTLEY MOTORS GIVES THE FLYING SPUR V8 S A FACELIFT The upgrade takes the best from both-the
The Bentley Continental has been a favourite amongst car enthusiasts, and it was about time the Flying Spur rose to fame too. Hence, the brand gave an upgrade to the Spur with a powerful V8 engine.
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Flying Spur V8 and brand's flagship W12. The new V8 S is tuned for power and performance. This car will make its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show and make deliveries in summer.
This eye-catching bag comes in four colour options—milk white, silver, brown and black, and can be carried in two ways. Just in case you are not in the mood to carry it over your arm, you can use the adjustable shoulder strap that can be detached when not in use.
Luxury
BULGARI SERPENTI WATCH COLLECTION – SPECIAL REPORT
Epitomising a wealth of history with truly iconic stature, the precious Serpenti watches perpetuate the Bulgari legend with unrivalled intensity. For several decades, the Serpenti watch by Bulgari has left an indelible imprint on the world of watch and jewellery design. Perpetually scaling new heights of perfection, and brilliantly reinterpreted in tune with the creative inspirations of the Brand, the universal reptile theme has written some of the finest chapters in the history of the Rome-based jeweller.
SILVER YACHTS LAUNCHES THEIR FOURTH ECO FUEL-EFFICIENT SUPERYACHT Listed amongst the fasted long range cruising yachts, the Silver Fast maps 4,500 nautical miles at 18 knots and 6,200 nautical miles at 14 knot with a proven feature of crossing the Atlantic at 22 knots, a feat that was recently counted in as a record breaker.
REVIVAL CYCLES' HANDMADE HENNE BMW LANDSPEEDER This handmade motorcycle takes its inspiration from the 1928 BMW R37 racer driven by Ernst Henne, hence the name. The original landspeeder helped Hence break several world records for speed on land between 1929 and 1937.
DUCATI DRAXTER: THE ALL-NEW CONCEPT SPORTS MOTORCYCLE When it comes to super bikes, only a few brands can beat Ducati's style and power. Recently, the brand launched the draXter concept motorcycle which is a sporty take on the popular XDiavel. We take you on a thrilling ride as we talk about this new bike and its features:
DAQRI Smart Helmet DAQRI, the Augmented Reality Company introduced something for the safety of construction workers and officials on site. The Smart Helmet has work instructions, safety information, mapping and other features that maximize safety and productivity in industrial settings. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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MONTEGRAPPA UNVEILS SALVADOR DALÍ-INSPIRED GEOPOLITICUS CHILD PEN Salvador Dalí has been a muse for Montegrappa for a few years now. To add to their league of exquisite Dalí-inspired writing instruments, the brand has now introduced the Geopoliticus Child Pen. In the past, the Italian luxury goods brand, Montegrappa created writing instruments based on Salvador Dalí's 1944 work-Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening and the 1938 masterpiece-Apparition of Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach. To complete the trilogy, the brand has now unveiled a pen inspired by the artist's workGeopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New Man. Painted in 1943, Dalí had turned to the Renaissance for inspiration before creating this canvas.
Luxury
THE VERTU PHONE FOR BENTLEY GETS A MASSIVE UPGRADE Bentley Motors and Vertu have had a long standing association, creating outstanding luxury gadgets inspired by automobiles. This New Year, the Signature Touch phone gets a technological facelift. The latest Vertu Signature Touch boasts of the brand's most vibrant display ever, along with extraordinary sound quality with Dolby Digital Plus virtual surround sound. It is touted as the highest ever technical
performance smartphone from Vertu. What's more, it features two-tone Beluga and Hotspur Bentley leather with Hotspur stitching. It also has a host of other enhancements, including a 3D Bentley logo. The phones will have a special Bentley app that will offer updates, exclusive content, tailored events and VIP access to users. The gadget is powered by Android 5.1 Lollipop and Dedicated Concierge service and other packages that ensure seamless user experience. Signature Touch also has Vertu's Made to Order option that allows each phone to be personalised with different colour of leather and 16 stitching options.
HOUSE OF ROSE PROCURES A 115-CARAT COLOMBIAN EMERALD House of Rose is known for offering couture jewellery for over three decades now. This year, the brand introduces La Regina, a single pear-shaped 115.76 carat Colombian Emerald which is set amidst white gold and diamonds. Indian luxury jewellery brand, House of Rose created history in 2011 with the Empress of Rose-the world's largest pear-shaped Colombian emerald (292.26 carats), and in 2013 with La Reina, a neckpiece studded with twenty baroque Colombian Emeralds of over 780 carats crafted from a single rough of over 3000 carats. This year, the brand introduces La Regina emerald. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
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