Seasonal Magazine March 2018 Issue - Stocks by John Antony

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VOLUME 17 ISSUE 3 MARCH 2018

YEARS

MAGAZINE

Seasonal www.seasonalmagazine.com

Managing Editor Jason D Pavorattikaran Editor John Antony Director (Finance) Ceena Associate Editor Carl Jaison Senior Editorial Coordinator Jacob Deva Senior Correspondent Bina Menon Creative Visualizer Bijohns Varghese Photographer Anish Aloysious Office Assistant Alby CG Correspondents Bombay: Rashmi Prakash Delhi: Anurag Dixit Director (Technical) John Antony Publisher Jason D Pavorattikaran

India’s journey back to permit raj Arvind Panagariya has become the latest in a series of intellectual casualties under the Modi regime. Not so long back, the former Chief Economist at Asian Development Bank and Professor of Economics at the Ivy League Columbia University was Modi’s handpicked man for National Institution for Transforming India Aayog, better known as NITI Aayog, the replacement PM Modi brought in for Planning Commission.

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The Professor left his job as Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog in August citing that Columbia University was not extending his leave, but it was everyone’s guess what had gone wrong. To start with, NITI Aayog was toothless, just a convenient think-tank that the ruling dispensation ‘innovated’ to destroy India’s venerated Planning Commission that used to ensure that not all economic planning power is concentrated with Centre but federally distributed to states. Secondly, despite his deep knowledge in Economics (he is a PhD in Economics from the venerated Princeton University), as well as his decades of work experience with World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, it was clear that no one in the Government took this renowned economist’s views seriously. For instance, almost every quarter or even more frequently, Arvind Panagariya used to remind the Government and RBI that interest rates should be much, much lower for Indian economy to pick up again. While Dr. Raghuram Rajan agreed with him in principle, his hands were tied as Modi and Jaitley did scant to create the room for a deeper interest cut in the banking system. But the final straw for Prof. Panagariya’s unceremonious exit came in the form of a devastating demonetization program and the recklessly irresponsible farm loan waiver in India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh. It was clear for Panagariya that his kind of economic wisdom wasn’t needed in this new India anymore.

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EDITORIAL

Just like Rajan, the Indian born economist became the next intellectual casualty under this regime. But what is so unkind and even self-defeating for BJP is how Panagariya was recently attacked by ever yone from Subramanian Swamy to Ashwani Mahajan of RSS-backed Swadeshi Jagran Manch for a recent opinion piece he wrote for a national daily. He was promptly branded a ‘foreigner’ for his US passport. Didn’t BJP know it when he was made Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog? Such vicious attacks of course stem

from the fact that Prof. Panagariya has written something that is undeniable with facts and figures. And it doesn’t take rocket science to decipher what this Columbia economist has written, unlike many of his peers. Even more disturbing for BJP is the fact that Panagariya has categorically proved that India’s economic progress in recent decades was solely due to the economic liberalization policies of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao / Dr. Manmohan Singh combine and its further progression under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr. Singh as PM. To quote Panagariya himself, “India became the first democracy to achieve 8%-plus growth for nine years beginning in 2003-04,” on these policies. The Professor has warned that it is quite clear that Modi Government has been increasing duties arbitrarily on several goods from December 2017 onward, which has gathered pace through GST implementation and Budget 2018, on the pretext of furthering protectionism. The Professor writes, “Increases in duties on a long list of products ranging from kites and footwear to cellular mobiles phones and motor vehicles in Budget 2018 have ended (my) optimism.” The economist is most disturbed at the way the Government has brought back a discredited duty regime called Phased Manufacturing Program (PMP) that was dumped into history’s dustbin by Dr. Manmohan Singh in his New Industrial Policy of 1991, for being entirely counterproductive. Panagariya also warns that this kind of arbitrary duty increases across the board is nothing but a pullback to the country’s ancient License Raj / Permit Raj that ensured that India grew only between 2-4% a year before 1991. He also systematically destroys the argument that such duty rises are for favoring MSMEs and SSI units, with facts and figures, proving that their plight was worst in the License Raj, and improved exponentially only after

the economic liberalization of 1991. Panagariya’s arguments may be sound, but the greater worry it unleashes is this Government’s penchant for growing its revenue exponentially on one hand, and a lack of full transparency in coming out with the details of large international deals like the new Rafael deal with France. And despite all these increased revenue, Modi Government’s record on job creation has been a total washout. No sector or constituency is safe from sudden jerky movements from this regime, like how the stock market investors found out recently when a sudden introduction of 10% Long Term Capital Gains Tax on equity investments helped wipe off 10 lakh crore of investors’ wealth within a week. Even some of Government’s staunchest supporters in India Inc voiced concern over the move stating that taxing 1 year investments under LTCG was so illogical, as 1 year is never long-term in equities, and besides that everyone knows that the LTCG exemption which was there for more than a decade now has been one of the driving forces behind India’s booming investor sentiment. Similarly, the hasty implementation of GST has sent the smaller businesses reeling, just like how demonetization affected the rural customers and farm loan waivers affected the banking system and MFIs, none of which are yet out of the doldrums. It is remarkable how even governments that rose to power on huge popular waves start planning their own demise when they ignore history and repeat mistakes of theirs and their predecessors. As Prof. Ar vind Panagariya quotes American philosopher George Santayana in his article,"Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it." John Antony

CONTENTS

COMPANIES ON A PREDICTABLE, HIGH GROWTH TRAJECTORY In the July of 2016, twenty-sixth July to be precise, Seasonal Magazine carried the cover story titled, ’36 Better Performing Companies to Ride This Bull Run’. Just 19 months later, we are back to assessing how these companies have been faring on the fundamental performance as well as on their stock performance. TOYOTA YARIS, HONDA CIVIC AND MORE While the talk at the Auto Expo this year revolved around SUVs and electric mobility, there were number of sedans too that were showcased. Biggest news would be the return of Honda Civic in India. Here are the top sedans showcased at Auto Expo 2018.

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MALDIVES CRISIS: WILL INDIA TEST CHINA'S PATIENCE? The crisis in Maldives can be best described as a power struggle between two contending factions, one belonging to the current President of the Maldives, Abdulla Yameen and the other his political opponents who have been jailed

EXERCISE IS BENEFICIAL, EVEN WHEN YOU REMAIN OVERWEIGHT

THE STRANGE CASE OF PALESTINIAN TEENAGER AHED TAMIMI

According to a latest study, physical activity may be equally and perhaps even more important than how much the person actually weighs.

Judge bans media from Israeli military court as trial of teenager filmed slapping and kicking soldiers starts.

HOW KARNATAKA SHOWS THE WAY ACROSS SECTORS

PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES TO CHOOSE FOR A BETTER FUTURE

When Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s rule enters its fifth year, Karnataka is showing other states of India on how to maintain leadership in sectors like IT, BT, e-Commerce, startups, and professional higher education even while making major breakthroughs in sunrise sectors for the

Private companies dominate India Inc., private hospitals lead better healthcare delivery, private banks are better managed than their public peers, but when it comes to higher education, can private universities, or at least some of them, eventually overtake India’s public universities in

DRIVING IN TIAGO, NEXON & TIGOR, TATA MOTORS BEATS HONDA IN NUMBERS

PAKISTAN BIDS FAREWELL TO IT'S "MORAL COMPASS"

JIO FIBER MAY COME WITH 100MBPS FTTH BROADBAND, FREE FOR 3 MONTHS

Lawyers dressed in black blazers, politicians, intellectuals and activists joined citizens flooding Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium, as mourners accompanied the body of Asma Jahangir with flowers and wreaths.

What is JioFiber? All questions about the 100Mbps FTTH broadband, free 3 months' service & more answered. After disrupting the Indian telecom industry, Reliance Jio is stepping into the broadband sector with its long-rumored JioFiber.

NITTE UNIVERSITY

POISED TO BE FIRST AMONG EQUALS Nitte University and Nitte Educational Institutions of Karnataka are among the crème de la crème of private higher educational institutions in South

ALCOHOL AND AGGRESSION: WHAT IS THE TRIGGER? Do you tend to get aggressive just after a peg or two? It is because certain areas in the brain that temper aggression shuts off, researchers say.

KALASALINGAM ACADEMY OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION (KARE)

CARING 360 DEGREES FOR ITS STUDENTS

Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, near Madurai, in Tamil Nadu, is taking care of their students in the most

GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY

THE FOCUS IS ON BETTER EMPLOYABILITY With the private university space maturing, more and more institutions are having similar facilities and even similar faculties. But the proof of the

VIT STUDENTS BEAT EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS AT NATIONAL LEVEL HACKATHON Utkarsh Kumar and Vansh Arora, the two VIT students who emerged triumphant at biggest national government hackathon, has also signed contract with the Rajasthan Government for a

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NEWS-IN-BRIEF ANDHRA'S CHANDRABABU NAIDU IS RICHEST CM IN INDIA: ADR Andhra Pradesh's Chandrababu Naidu is the richest Chief Minister in India with declared assets worth over ?177 crore, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) stated. Naidu is followed by Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu with assets worth over ?129 crore and Punjab's Amarinder Singh with ?48 crore. Tripura's Manik Sarkar with ?27 lakh is the CM with lowest declared assets.

WORLD BANK'S ?8K-CR PROJECT FAILS TO DECONGEST MUMBAI LOCAL

GOOGLE HAS CODENAMED ANDROID P 'PISTACHIO ICE CREAM': REPORT Technology giant Google has reportedly codenamed this year's Android 9.0 update as 'Pistachio Ice Cream' internally, according to reports. The name for 'Android P', which is expected to launch this year, follows Google's tradition of dessert-themed names for its operating systems. Earlier versions of Android were named Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop, KitKat and so on.

I LOVE PAKISTAN BECAUSE I LOVE INDIA: MANI SHANKAR AIYAR

The World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 2, which aimed to decongest Mumbai's suburban railway network, has failed to yield the desired results after six years, a World Bank report has revealed. The project, which cost ?8,087 crore, failed to reduce overcrowding in the locals, decrease travelling time, and improve punctuality of trains, the report showed.

Speaking at a function in Karachi, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said that he loves Pakistan because he loves India and that India should "love thy neighbour as thyself". "While Islamabad has accepted the policy of and need for continuous dialogue to resolve issues of bilateral importance, New Delhi has not," Aiyar added.

MINORITIES PANEL CHIEF URGES MUSLIMS TO GIVE UP AYODHYA LAND National Commission for Minorities Chairman Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi on Monday urged Muslims to give up Babri Masjid and the disputed land in Ayodhya to Hindus for the construction of Ram Mandir. Adding that since 'Namaaz is no longer offered' in Babri Masjid, Rizvi said, "The place holds great significance for the (Hindu) community, but not for us."

CIVILIAN HOUSES NEAR ARMY CAMPS' BOUNDARY AN ISSUE: NIRMALA Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that construction of civilian houses adjacent to the boundary wall of Army camps is a problem across the country. "It is getting difficult to remove these constructions because these are taking place with permission," she added. Sitharaman, however, assured that she's studying the situation in the country and will come with a solution.

DO YOU KNOW THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT YOUR SALT? Do you use a good quality salt every day in your kitchen? Test your salt at home in two simple DIY methods shown in this video 'Sawaal Kijiye Apne Namak Se' launched by Tata Salt. It urges consumers to question the quality of their salt and make the best choice for their family without any compromise.

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NEWS-IN-BRIEF

BRITISH EATERY SERVES MEAL WEIGHING 55 KG, SETS WORLD RECORD

A British restaurant has broken the Guinness Record for the world's largest serving of fish and chips by cooking a meal weighing almost 55 kg. The meal comprised a nearly 28kg halibut, which was covered in batter and placed on a large portion of chips. Meanwhile, the previous record was held by a 47.75-kg serving of fish and chips.

INDIAN ENGINEER AWARDED AT SCI-TECH OSCARS 2018 Vikas Sathaye, an engineer from Mumbai, is part of a four-member team that bagged the 'Scientific and Engineering Award' at the Oscars 2018 Scientific and Technical Awards. The team was honoured for the development and implementation of Shotover K1 Camera System. The six-axis stabilised aerial camera mount gets attached to the base of helicopters and helps in shooting steady footage.

SACHIN'S MOST HOME TONS CAME AT CHENNAI'S CHEPAUK STADIUM

Sachin Tendulkar smashed five of his 42 centuries in India at Chennai's MA Chidambaram or Chepauk Stadium, the most for him at a single Indian stadium. Sachin's first-ever international hundred in India also came at Chepauk, when he hit 165(296) in a Test against England on February 12, 1993. Interestingly, Sachin hit all five centuries at the stadium in Tests.

HOLI-THEMED EVENT TO BE HELD AT INDIAN EATERY IN LONDON A Holi-themed event will be held at an Indian restaurant in London between February 26 and March 10. Guests can participate in 30-minutelong sessions wherein they will pelt paint at their family and friends, at the cost of ÂŁ12 (Rs1,000) per person. They will have to pay ÂŁ35 (Rs 3,000) more for the five-course meal including gulab jamun and papdi chaat.

GOVT PLANS TO BUY 17,000 MACHINE GUNS, 6,500 SNIPER RIFLES The Centre is mulling over a proposal to purchase over 17,000 light machine guns (LMGs) and 6,500 sniper rifles for the armed forces. A meeting headed by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to decide on the Rs 2,000crore proposal is scheduled to be held on Tuesday. The sniper rifles would reportedly replace the Russian Dragunov rifles that are currently in use. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

SAROJINI NAIDU NICKNAMED MAHATMA GANDHI 'MICKEY MOUSE' Indian poet and freedom fighter Sarojini Naidu was arrested during the Quit India movement and was jailed in 1942 with Mahatma Gandhi. It is said that she shared a pleasant relationship with Gandhi and often called him "Mickey Mouse". Popularly known as the 'Nightingale of India', Naidu was born on February 13, 1879.

UBER MANDATES 6-HR BREAK FOR US DRIVERS AFTER 12-HR SHIFT Cab-hailing startup Uber has made it mandatory to take a six-hour offline break for drivers in the US after every 12-hour shift. The new feature will fully block the use of the driver app for accepting trips during the break time. The move reportedly came in response to the issue of drowsy driving and driver fatigue reported by its users.

NEWS-IN-BRIEF ROGER FEDERER BECOMES OLDEST WORLD NO. 1 IN TENNIS HISTORY Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has become the oldestever men's singles world number one tennis player, at the age of 36. Federer achieved the feat by defeating Dutchman Robin Haase in the Rotterdam Open quarterfinals on Friday. Federer surpassed eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi, who was 33 years old when he became world number one in 2003.

AI DEVICE GIVES ELECTRIC SHOCK TO MAKE USER CLICK PICS Germany-based Peter Buczkowski has developed an AI-enabled device that forces a user with electrical impulses to take a picture. Called 'Prosthetic Photographer', it distinguishes between high and low quality photos and analyses the images in front of it. When satisfied with image, it sends out an electric shock, forcing the user to unwillingly press a button to click the picture.

MAN DRINKS BOTTLE OF KETCHUP IN 25 SECONDS, SETS RECORD

GOVT ALLOWS WHATSAPP PAYMENTS TO ROLL-OUT TO 1 MN BETA USERS

A Mumbai man has set a Guinness World Record by drinking a bottle of tomato ketchup using a straw in a record time of 25.37 seconds. Interestingly, Dinesh Shivnath Upadhyaya has previously eaten nearly 270 grams of peanut butter within 60 seconds and stuffed 88 grapes in his mouth in one go.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has given consent to launch WhatsApp BHIM UPI beta with limited user base of 1 million and low per transaction limit, the regulator said. This comes after Paytm Founder Vijay Shekar Sharma accused NPCI of favouring WhatsApp. Sharma said while Indian players require threefactor authentication, WhatsApp was allowed to dodge the rule.

NASA MARS ROVER EXPECTED TO LAST 90 DAYS COMPLETES 5000 DAYS

'MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB' WERE FIRST WORDS EVER RECORDED

NASA's solar-powered Mars rover Opportunity, expected to last for 90 days, has completed 5,000 Martian days since landing on the Red Planet in 2004. Called "sol", a Martian day lasts 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth. Opportunity has driven over 45 km from its landing site, sending back about 225,000 images which provided evidence of groundwater on Mars.

WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE MOST POWERFUL PASSPORTS IN THE WORLD? South Korea and Singapore have the most powerful passports in the world with a visa-free score of 162, according to 2018 Global Passport Index. Germany and Japan have been ranked second while the UK and US took the fourth and fifth spots respectively. With a visa-free score of 57, India has been ranked 73rd, falling below Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

American inventor Thomas Edison received the patent for the phonograph, the first device capable of recording and reproducing sound, on February 19, 1878. Edison successfully recorded 'Mary had a little lamb' as the first words on the device. He gave public demonstrations of the device, and got the nickname 'Wizard of Menlo Park'.

INVESTMENTS

COMPANIES ON A PREDICTABLE, HIGH GROWTH TRAJECTORY

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efore we reassess their performance, here is a brief recap of what all happened during those one-and-ahalf year period. On 8th November 2016, the Union Government announced the unprecedented and shocking demonetisation drive of 1000 and 500 notes – the mainstay of India’s cash economy - in the lofty hope of curbing black money. Stocks naturally went in for a tumble. After the knee-jerk reaction came the deeper pain in stocks, as the economy too tumbled, with almost everyone except those in the government predicting a significant GDP pull-down. The companies highlighted by Seasonal Magazine too was affected as the entire nation grappled with the utter confusion of getting their cash exchanged for the newer currency. ATMs went dry due to no one thinking about the compatibility of the new notes in the old machines. Businesses across the board, sparing only a very few, started giving poor results or acute warnings on future results. But more was in store for stocks. In July of 2017 – one year after our cover story on selected stocks – Government implemented the new tax regime of GST. Due to its revolutionary provisions, almost all businesses were hit, especially those in the midcap, smallcap and microcap segments. Still, there was more to come. When it became clear that the effects of demonetisation were

In the July of 2016, twenty-sixth July to be precise, Seasonal Magazine carried the cover story titled, ’36 Better Performing Companies to Ride This Bull Run’. Just 19 months later, we are back to assessing how these companies have been faring on the fundamental performance as well as on their stock performance.

COMPANIES GAINING

PRICE ON 26-07-2016

HIGH SINCE

GAIN TIMES

GAIN%

CURRENT PRICE

Avanti Feeds

609.75

3000

4.92 times

392%

2293.45

Siyaram Silk Mills

209.69

799

3.81 times

281%

659.75

KEI Industries

118.90

423

3.56 times

256%

374.90

Can Fin Homes

259.88

667

2.57 times

157%

503.10

GRUH Finance

288.45

714

2.47 times

147%

514.55

SAMKRG Pistons & Rings 166.85

379

2.27 times

127%

303.60

V-Guard Industries

110.91

251

2.26 times

126%

234.60

Vidhi Specialty Food

53.65

116

2.16 times

116%

82.05

SEASONAL MAGAZINE

COMPANIES ON A PREDICTABLE, devastating on the cash-only rural economies, state governments ranging from Uttar Pradesh in North to Karnataka in South launched farm loan waivers, starting in September 2017. That was enough to upset the entire financial sector stocks, as the sentimental defaulting of loans became rampant, especially in the rural sector. The NBFCs, HFCs and MFIs were especially hit. And in late December and January of 2018, Government started recapitalizing PSU banks aggressively, thereby causing a temporary bull run in their stocks, and a further setback in NBFC, HFC and MFI stocks. Still, the Sensex and Nifty continued its upward momentum, making new highs on the hope that all these moves will finally prove to be good for the economy in the long run. Then came the final blow of a sudden introduction of Long Term Capital Gains Tax for equity investors, and that was it, stocks started tumbling like a house of cards. In the backdrop of these unpredictable policy measures by the

HIGH GROWTH TRAJECTORY government, it is a wonder that most of our highlighted companies have managed not to lose money. 27 out of the 36 highlighted companies have managed to grow their stock prices, while 13 of them have managed to more than double in value during these 19 tumultuous months. Even those companies that are trading lower now, have had some meaningful rise above the July 26th 2016 prices, before going down from that level. We also had 8 outperformers in the pack that gained much more - Avanti Feeds (5 times), Siyaram Silk Mills (4 times), KEI Industries (3.5 times), Can Fin Homes (2.6 times), GRUH Finance (2.5 times), SAMKRG Pistons & Rings (2.3 times), V-Guard Industries (2.25 times) and Vidhi Specialty Food Ingredients (2.15 times), during this one-and-a-half year period. In this sequel of a cover story, we revisit 15 of these outperforming companies to understand what make them predictable companies on a highgrowth trajectory.

AVANTI FEEDS

GROWTH CONTINUES TO BE STRONG, WHILE BUDGETARY SUPPORT TOO IS POSITIVE FOR THE SECTOR vanti Feeds has emerged as the top performing stock in our list of highlighted companies, around one and a half years back. Within this short period of 19 months, Avanti stock’s price has multiplied by nearly 5 times (4.92 times precisely), soaring from Rs. 609.75 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 3000 in November. Since then it has corrected somewhat and consolidating at a stable level. This year’s Union budget has been favorable to Avanti due to a Rs. 10,000 crore allocation by Government to boost seafood exports. Results continue to be strong with the latest Q3 profits zooming by over 123%. A very niche player in the market for shrimp feeds and shrimp exports, Avanti has been an investor’s delight for many years now. Powering the market cap expansion has been its earnings expansion as well as a positive rerating by the market. The Andhra and Telengana based firm is noted for its small equity and low-debt model, and growing nature of the aquaculture market in India, especially after the

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introduction of the vannamei shrimps, is ensuring that the base effect will favour Avanti Feeds for a long time to come. The company also comes across as strong in several other core metrics like Sales Growth, Return on Equity, RoCE, Dividend Yield etc. Risks include the potential for adverse weather and diseases affecting shrimps. Avanti has been battling these problems with better processes and stringent quality control systems. World’s largest seafood processor Thai Union, one of the world’s largest seafood processors is a major investor in Avanti.

Company Name

Avanti Feeds

Price on 26-07-2016

609.75

High Since

3000

Gain Times

4.92 times

Gain%

392%

Current Price

2293.45

COMPANIES ON A PREDICTABLE,

HIGH GROWTH TRAJECTORY

SIYARAM SILK MILLS

BUDGETARY SUPPORT FOR TEXTILES, SUPERIOR RoE AND SOARING PROFITS CALL THE SHOTS HERE. iyaram Silk Mills has become the second-most top performing stock in our list of highlighted companies, around one and a half years back. Within this short period of 19 months, Siyaram’s stock’s price has multiplied by nearly 4 times (3.81 times precisely), soaring from Rs. 209.69 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 799 in December. Since then too it has not corrected much and has been consolidating for a stable base. This year’s Union budget has been favorable to Siyaram due to a Rs. 7140 crore allocation by Government to help textile sector. Results continue to be strong with the latest Q3 profits zooming by over 64%, beating estimates. Siyaram is an outperformer in its sector when it comes to Return on Equity (RoE). From yarns to retail, and everything in between like fabrics, home furnishing, & ready-wear, Siyaram has come a long way in three decades. But what added value was the creation and deployment of 13 brands on which Siyaram crafts over 60 million meters of fabrics annually. The company is upping the premium brand play by bringing in Italian fashion label Cadini, and focusing on Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs) for driving growth.

Company Name

Siyaram Silk Mills

Price on 26-07-2016

209.69

High Since

799

Gain Times

3.81 times

Gain%

281%

Current Price

659.75

KEI INDUSTRIES

STRONG PROFIT GROWTH AND FOCUS ON RETAIL BUSINESS TO SUSTAIN MOMENTUM. Company Name EI Industries has emerged as the third-most top performing stock in our list of highlighted companies, around one and a half years back. Within this short period of 19 months, KEI’s stock’s price has multiplied by 3.56 times, soaring from Rs. 118.90 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 423 in December. Since then too it has not corrected much and has been consolidating for a stable base. Quarterly results continue to be strong with the latest Q3 profits zooming by over 43%. Going forward, KEI’s big strategic focus is to grow its retail business sharply so that it accounts for 40% of it sales. An electrical cables manufacturer and electrical EPC contractor, KEI Industries has been a turnaround success story from 2013 onward. This maker of all kinds of electrical wires and cables from household wires to Extra High Voltage (EHV) cables, and all products in

KEI Industries

Price on 26-07-2016

118.90

High Since

423

Gain Times

3.56 times

Gain%

256%

Current Price

374.90

between, ranks high in metrics like Respect for Equity, Growth in Margin, and Return on Equity. In recent years, KEI has successfully strengthened its products for the household through a major rebranding exercise that sought to make KEI a household name. KEI’s performance is driven by focus on higher-margin products like EHV cables, better integration of its products in its EPC projects, and better positioning for the household market. KEI operates on reasonable debt levels, and has the potential for further operational leverage.KEI has significant and growing sales in several countries of the Middle East and Africa. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

COMPANIES ON A PREDICTABLE,

HIGH GROWTH TRAJECTORY

CAN FIN HOMES

STRONG FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE, AND NOW A HOT TAKEOVER CANDIDATE BY HDFC OR PE FUNDS.

an Fin Homes has become the fourth-most top performing stock in our list of highlighted companies, around one and a half years back. Within this short period of 19 months, Can Fin Home’s stock’s price has multiplied by 2.57 times, soaring from Rs. 259.88 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 667 in June. Since then it has corrected on policy moves like farm loan waivers, demonetisation and recapitalization of public sector banks. It has consolidating for a while, and is once again moving up now. This year’s Union budget has been favorable to Can Fin Homes due to booming allocation by Government to boost affordable sector housing. Results continue to be strong with the latest Q3 profits zooming by over 34%. However, the biggest news from Can Fin is that it is now a hot takeover candidate by HDFC or one among any of international PE funds, as its parent Canara Bank looks for selling its remaining 30% stake in the affordable home loan provider. Can Fin Homes has so far played the home loan business perfectly during the last 5 years, and has been reaping rich dividends too. Can Fin Homes has fared excellently in core metrics like Asset Quality, Respect for Equity, Revenue Growth, Growth in Margins, Return on Equity, Return on Assets

etc. Its NPAs are among the lowest in the home loan industry. Driving the asset quality is its robust loan underwriting policies and focus on conventional sector customers like government and PSU employees. Can Fin is known in the market for its proactive stance and rapid Turnaround Time (TAT). Legendary entrepreneur NR Narayana Murthy who co-founded Infosys has been a major investor in the company through his Catamaran Ventures.

Company Name

Can Fin Homes

Price on 26-07-2016

259.88

High Since

667

Gain Times

2.57 times

Gain%

157%

Current Price

503.10

GRUH FINANCE

VALUATIONS THAT ARE SHAREHOLDERS' PRIDE, PEER COMPANIES' ENVY. ruh Finance has become the fifth-most top performing stock in our list of highlighted companies, around one and a half years back. Within this short period of 19 months, Gruh Finance's stock's price has multiplied by 2.47 times, soaring from Rs. 288.45 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 714 in January. Since then it has corrected sharply on the general market correction across the world, including in India. Since then it has been consolidating for a stable level. This year's Union budget has been favorable to Gruh Finance due to booming allocation by Government to boost affordable sector housing. Results continue to be strong with the latest Q3 profits zooming by over 28%. When it comes to the affordable home segment, Gruh Finance continues to be the

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benchmark to beat. The niche home financier belonging to the HDFC stable continues to outperform, with its loanbook still having immense room for growth as the base effect remains very much in the company’s favour. Gruh is also a valuation leader when it comes to NBFCs, trading at much higher premiums than its peers. While growth has moderated in recent years and quarters, Gruh Finance is expecting growth to pick up in a major way from the third quarter of next fiscal onward, around 1 year from now. Company Name

GRUH Finance

Price on 26-07-2016 288.45 High Since

714

Gain Times

2.47 times

Gain%

147%

Current Price

514.55

COMPANIES ON A PREDICTABLE,

HIGH GROWTH TRAJECTORY

V-GUARD INDUSTRIES

NEW SMART PRODUCTS LEVERAGING IoT AND INTERACTIVITY WILL BE A GAME-CHANGER HERE. uring the 19 months since we highlighted V-Guard Industries, it's stock price has multiplied by 2.26 times, soaring from Rs. 110.91 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 251 in January. Since then it has corrected slightly on the general market correction across the world, including in India. It is consolidating now for a stable level. Results continue to be strong with the latest Q3 profits zooming by almost 28%. Sales growth too has been healthy at nearly 14%. The company has recently unveiled a new brand identity and vision statement. Under this new plan the company is innovating on a slew of smart Company Name apliances that leverage next generation technologies like Internet of Things. Price on 26-07-2016 New product launches like AC stabilizers, Verano (IoT enabled High Since geysers) and a new range of Smart Inverters, are examples of new market- Gain Times leading digital products that transforms Gain% non-interactive devices into potentially high engagement products. V-Guard Current Price

is now looking to launch more such products. Reflecting this, the company's new new tagline is 'Bring Home A Better Tomorrow'. The household electrical appliances and electrical cables maker scores high in several core metrics like Sales Growth, Growth in Margin, Debt / Equity, Respect V-Guard Industries for Equity, Return on Assets, Return on Equity, RoCE, and FII & DII Holding. It 110.91 was that overall high-quality approach in management that made V-Guard stock 251 multiply by nearly 21 times within a little over the first 8 years since its IPO. The 2.26 times firm is continually innovating on new 126% products and solutions for the household and is also bullish about its solar solutions 234.60 for homes.

SAMKRG PISTONS & RINGS

BUDGETARY ALLOCATION TO RURAL GROWTH AND ANOTHER YEAR OF GOOD MONSOON WILL HELP OVER HERE. uring the 19 months since we highlighted SAMKRG Pistons & Rings, it's stock price has multiplied by 2.27 times, soaring from Rs. 166.85 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 379 in January. Since then it has corrected on the general market correction across the world, including in India. It is consolidating now for a stable level. This year's Union budget has been favorable to SAMKRG Pistons & Rings due to booming allocation by Government to boost rural sector which will reflect in two-wheeler sales which in turn will help this two-wheeler piston maker. Results continue to be strong with the latest Q3 profits zooming by almost 27%. Sales growth too has been robust at nearly 25%. Last year's favourable monsoon had helped the company and a good monsoon in 2018 too will change fortunes in rural India, and two-wheelers are destined to be rainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest beneficiaries. While the stocks of two-wheeler biggies will move up, so will the stock of key parts suppliers like Samkrg Pistons & Rings, which supplies critical engine parts to large manufacturers like Bajaj, Honda, & TVS. Profit has nearly

doubled during the last three years, while stock price has gone up over 6 times in the same period. Futurgrowth will also be powered by diesel engine parts to Tata Motors, Force Motors, Piaggio, Greaves etc, as well as exports to over 15 countries. Company Name

SAMKRG Pistons & Rings

Price on 26-07-2016

166.85

High Since

379

Gain Times

2.27 times

Gain%

127%

Current Price

303.60 SEASONAL MAGAZINE

COMPANIES ON A PREDICTABLE,

HIGH GROWTH TRAJECTORY

BAJAJ FINANCE

GROWTH CONTINUES TO BE DRIVEN BY NICHE CONSUMER APPLIANCE CREDIT AND PRUDENT ASSET LIABILITY MANAGEMENT.

uring the 19 months since we highlighted Bajaj Finance, it's stock price has more than doubled, soaring from Rs. 985.34 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 1989 in September. Since then it has corrected slightly on the after-effects policy measures like farm loan waivers and demonetisation, and has been consolidating within a range. Results continue to be strong with the latest Q3 standalone profits zooming by almost 38%. Standalone revenue growth too has been robust at nearly 31%. Prudential asset liability Company Name management is enabling this NBFC to Price on 26-07-2016 better weather the rapid rise in G-Sec yields. While it's struggling LAP High Since business is expected to make a strong comeback by end of Q4, its rural Gain Times business has been growing rapidly on a lower base and is expected to benefit Gain% from budgetary allocation to rural development. From a captive lender Current Price

Bajaj Finance 985.34 1989 Doubling 102% 1642.70

for Bajaj vehicles, this NBFC has transformed into one of the most strategically diversified players within a short span of around 9 years. The share price speaks for itself during this period surging by over 330 times. Bajaj Finance also scores high in other core metrics like Respect for Equity, Revenue Growth, Growth in Margins, Return on Equity, Return on Assets etc. The NBFC’s success is largely based on its selection of two underserved markets – consumer durables finance and SME loans – and the dramatic way in which it has grown these markets with customer-friendly policies like zerointerest loans in the appliances market and rapid disbursal in the case of SMEs. It has also taken its pioneering zero-interest model to e-commerce market by tying up with market leaders like Flipkart, and to household / grocery market through leaders like Future Group (Central Mall / Big Bazaar). It is also continually expanding its product portfolio to include financing of lifestyle products, life care processes etc.

VIDHI SPECIALTY FOOD INGREDIENTS

THE NICHE EXPERTISE CONTINUES TO DELIVER, WHILE THE FIRM IS EYEING A PROMOTER COMPANY TO ACQUIRE. uring the 19 months since we highlighted Vidhi Specialty Food Ingredients, it's stock price has multiplied by 2.16 times, soaring from Rs. 53.65 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 116 in December. Since then it has corrected sharply on the general market correction across the world, including in India. It consolidated for a stable level and is now moving up again. While quarterly financial results have turned sluggish in the latest quarter, the company's Director Board has recently approved the acquisition of 100% equity shares of Arjun Food Colorants Manufacturing, an entity owned and held by the Promoters Group of the Company for a consideration of Rs. 7.92 crore. The proposed acquisition will be subject to the approval of the Shareholders of the Company. While colours can be manufactured by many, but colours that can be eaten are only the forte of a few companies. This is especially so if the food colours need to pass the stringent quality standards in the developed world like HACCP, not to mention religious conditions like Halal and Kosher. Vidhi Dyestuffs Manufacturing Ltd is a company that has mastered all that, and the stock prices speak for itself. Vidhi's stock price has surged by 50 times within less than 5 years. Vidhi’s manufacturing unit is US FDA audited, and its products are used in 80 countries.

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Company Name

Vidhi Specialty Food

Price on 26-07-2016

53.65

High Since

116

Gain Times

2.16 times

Gain%

116%

Current Price

82.05

COMPANIES ON A PREDICTABLE,

HIGH GROWTH TRAJECTORY

GIC HOUSING FINANCE

BUDGETARY FOCUS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND GROWTH IN SUBURBAN MARKETS ARE STRONG POSITIVES HERE. IC Housing Finance has become one of the top performing stocks in our list of highlighted companies from around one and a half years back. Within this short period of 19 months, GIC Housing Finance's stock's price has nearly doubled (90% to be precise), soaring from Rs. 328.60 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 623 in June. Since then it has corrected on policy moves like farm loan waivers, demonetisation and recapitalization of public sector banks. It has been consolidating for a while now. This year's Union budget has been favorable to GIC Housing Finance due to booming allocation by Government to boost affordable sector housing. Because, at GIC Housing Finance, the focus was always on affordable, long before affordable became chic. Results continue to be strong with the latest Q3 profits zooming by 24%. On a longer duration, this joint sector home finance firm has been an outperformer with its stock price increasing 8 times within the last 5 years. Powering GIC’s market cap expansion was a high dividend yield that stood at nearly 11% around 9 years back, and is even now a decent 1.25%. The company fares excellently in Respect for Equity, Sales Growth, Dividend Yield, and Asset Quality. A core strength of GIC Housing’s operation is its decades’ old experience in serving suburban housing markets in Western India, nearby major metro cities like Mumbai.

Company Name

GIC Housing Finance

Price on 26-07-2016

328.60

High Since

623

Gain Times

Near doubling

Gain%

90%

Current Price

394.20

Company Name

NIIT Technologies

Price on 26-07-2016

467.10

High Since

927

Gain Times

Near doubling

Gain%

99%

Current Price

761.45

NIIT TECHNOLOGIES

BETTING BIG ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DOMESTIC DIGITAL GROWTH.

uring the 19 months since we highlighted NIIT Technologies, it's stock price has nearly doubled (99% to be precise), soaring from Rs. 467.10 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 927 in January. Since then it has corrected slightly on the general market correction across the world, including in India. It is now consolidating for a stable level and trading with a positive bias. The company is betting big on Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with AI partner Arago, as well as on domestic growth through government's push for digital delivery of services. Among many mid-cap software companies, NIIT Technologies has proved to be an outperformer in recent years. Quarterly financial results for the last three consecutive quarters have been robust on the profits front and healthy on the revenue front. Soundly managed, what it needs is a niche to dominate. Stock is up by nearly 4 times within the last 4.5 years. Its performance has also helped its promoter company, NIIT Ltd which holds nearly 24% stake in the software firm. NIIT Technologies has a small equity, negligible debt, and offers a dividend yield of nearly 1.5%.

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COMPANIES ON A PREDICTABLE,

HIGH GROWTH TRAJECTORY

NBCC (INDIA)

GOVERNMENT'S CONTINUED INFRASTRUCTURE PUSH IS SWELLING THE ORDER BOOK HERE. BCC (India) has become one of the top performing stocks in our list of highlighted companies from around one and a half years back. Within this short period of 19 months, NBCC's stock's price has surged 78%, soaring from Rs. 163.61 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 292 in November. Since then it has corrected on the general market correction across the world, including in India. It has been consolidating for a while now for a stable level. This year's Union budget has been favorable to NBCC (India) due to the continuing favourable stance on public infrastructure. Post 2012, we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen any PSU companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stock rising by nearly 28 times within 6 years. Formerly known as National Buildings Construction Corporation, it has a modest equity of Rs. 120 crores and zero debt. Spanning verticals like project management, realty, & EPS, its order book has been swelling steadily and stands at over Rs. 75,000 crores, more than enough for around 5 years. This year alone NBCC is hoping to add Rs.30,000-Rs. 40,000 crores into its order book, and next year it is guiding for a topline growth of 30%. NBCC is a Navratna Enterprise of Government of India.

Company Name

NBCC (India)

Price on 26-07-2016

163.61

High Since

282

Gain Times Gain%

72%

Current Price

199.40

SOUTH INDIAN BANK

POISED TO OUTPERFORM AGAIN WHEN THE BANKING SECTOR CRISIS ENDS. outh Indian Bank has become one of the top performing stocks in our list of highlighted companies from around one and a half years back. Within this short period of 19 months, South Indian Bank's stock's price has surged by 80%, soaring from Rs. 19.32 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 35 in January. Since then it has corrected on the general market correction across the world, including in India. It has been consolidating since then for a stable level. The private sector lender consistently excels in certain core metrics like Dividend Yield, Return on Asset, Respect for Equity, and FII / DII Holding. On a longer time span of the last 18 years since 2000, SIB has been a consistent wealth creator, multiplying in value by During the 5 years between 2009 and 2014, South Indian Bank stock was an excellent wealth creator, multiplying in value by 34 times. While quarterly results have rebounded to healthy levels after a challenging Q2 on the profit front, based on its continued retail focus and powerful marketing communications, South Indian Bank is likely to outperform peers when the banking sector comes out of its current challenging times. It has been recruiting new officers at a good pace, showing anticipation and preparation for a new growth phase.

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Company Name

South Indian Bank

Price on 26-07-2016

19.32

High Since

Gain Times Gain%

80%

Current Price

26.70

COMPANIES ON A PREDICTABLE,

HIGH GROWTH TRAJECTORY

MANAPPURAM FINANCE

FOCUS ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES LIKE FINTECH AND DIGITAL TO BE THE GAME-CHANGER. anappuram Finance has become one of the top performing stocks in our list of highlighted companies from around one and a half years back. Within this short period of 19 months, Manappuram Finance's stock's price has surged by 63%, soaring from Rs. 77.40 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 126 in January. Since then it has corrected on the general market correction across the world, including in India. It has been consolidating since then for a stable level. On a long term basis, Manappuram has been one of India's most consistent wealth creators in the small-cap / mid-cap space, surging in value by over 21 times during the last 10 years. From a 100% gold loan company, Manappuram has become a diversified lender by starting significant operations in housing finance, microfinance, commercial vehicle finance, SME finance etc. All its newer lending businesses have been growing admirably with the added advantage of lower bases. Manappuram also fares well in core metrics like Dividend Yield, FII & DII Holding, & Return on Equity. Manappuram has been betting big on technologies like online gold loans and Fintech and has recently roped in Puneet Kaur Kohli as its Group CTO. Institutional backing continues to be a strongpoint, with Apax Partners' Gautam Narayan joining as Additional Director.

Company Name

Manappuram Finance

Price on 26-07-2016

77.40

High Since

126

Gain Times Gain%

63%

Current Price

108

LIC HOUSING FINANCE

CONTINUED BUDGETARY FOCUS ON HOUSING WILL OFFSET THE LARGE BASE EFFECT FOR THIS MAJOR PLAYER. IC Housing Finance has become one of the top performing stocks in our list of highlighted companies from around one and a half years back. Within this short period of 19 months, LIC Housing Finance's stock's price has grown by 55%, soaring from Rs. 512.85 to touch a 52 Week High of Rs. 794 in June. Since then it has corrected steadily on policy moves like farm loan waivers, demonetisation and recapitalization of public sector banks which made them more competitive to HFCs like LIC Housing. It has been consolidating for a while now looking for a stable level. This year's Union budget has been favorable to LIC Housing Finance due to booming allocation by Government to boost housing sector. While Q2 and Q3 performance has been flattish on the profits front, analysts are expecting LIC Housing Finance to start returning to growth from the March quarter. Recent quarters havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been the best period for larger housing finance companies. While smaller HFCs caught up with biggies in market share as well as valuations, bigger players were hit by the large base effect to record significant growth. The housing finance major, promoted by Life Insurance Corporation of India, also scores high on a few metrics like Respect for Equity, Sales Growth, Profit Margin,

Return on Assets, and Return on Equity. LIC Housingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth strategy to offset the large-base and grow has been to think outside of housing loans, and offer loans to secure entities like corporates, hospitals, professionals etc based on property collateral, cash flows, rental securitization etc. But the best is yet to come for LIC HF as India awaits a housing boom that will make large bases small.

Company Name

LIC Housing Finance

Price on 26-07-2016

512.85

High Since

794

Gain Times Gain%

55%

Current Price

515.05 SEASONAL MAGAZINE

AUTO

TOP SEDANS AT AUTO EXPO 2018:

TOYOTA YARIS, HONDA CIVIC AND MORE WHILE THE TALK AT THE AUTO EXPO THIS YEAR REVOLVED AROUND SUVS AND ELECTRIC MOBILITY, THERE WERE NUMBER OF SEDANS TOO THAT WERE SHOWCASED. BIGGEST NEWS WOULD BE THE RETURN OF HONDA CIVIC IN INDIA. HERE ARE THE TOP SEDANS SHOWCASED AT AUTO EXPO 2018. uto Expo 2018 has witnessed the showcase of many new concepts and SUVs and while the whole show focussed more on SUVs and electric mobility, there were a lot of sedan too that made its India debut. Likes of Honda Cars showcased its new generation Honda Amaze and the 10th generation global Honda Civic sedan that will be launched in India in coming months. On the luxury front, both German automakers Mercedes-Benz India and BMW India showcased its high-end sedans and will soon be launching them. Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain was showcased in India for the first time and Mercedes-Maybach S650 was launched at Auto Expo 2018. BMW 6 Series GT was the big showcase at the BMW pavilion and launched the high-performance BMW M5 sporty sedan in India. Here are the top sedans showcased at Auto Expo 2018.

All-new Honda Civic: The big Honda unveil at the Auto Expo 2018 is the new Honda Civic. Honda has confirmed that it will launch the sporty Civic in less than a year. 2018 Honda Civic will get the 1.8L VTEC engine and a new diesel engine. The most anticipated and the star attracter at the Auto Expo 2018 is the India bound Honda Civic which is now

confirmed for India launch. Honda Civic has been a popular model for Honda Cars India and has its large fan following in India thanks to its sporty low-slung design which has been carried over on the new Honda Civic as well. Honda Civic India launch has been confirmed during the upcoming FY 2018-19 and the car will be locally assembled at Hondaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plant in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Expect the price to be on the higher side close to Rs 18 lakh and will be positioned between Honda City and Honda Accord Hybrid in India. India bound Honda Civic will be powered by a 1.8L petrol engine and also expect a diesel engine on the Civic in India for the first time. The engine block on the Honda Civic will be the same as the one we will see on the 2018 Honda CR-V SUV.

Toyota Yaris:

Big debut coming in from another Japanese automaker, Toyota was its big rival to Honda City named - Toyota Yaris. The Toyota Yaris sedan will take SEASONAL MAGAZINE

on the likes of Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Hyundai Verna and is scheduled for its market debut by June 2018. Speculated to be named as Toyota Vios, the Toyota Yaris will sit between Toyota Etios and a Toyota Corolla Altis sedan and will take Toyotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s India sedan portfolio count to 4 including the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Toyota Yaris will be manufactured at Toyota Kirloskar plant in Karnataka. Expect many segment first features on the Yaris and might also get a hybrid powertrain at a later stage. Toyota Yaris in India will be powered by a 1.5L petrol engine with a maximum power output of 107 hp. The engine will be mated to a 6-Speed Manual Transmission and will also get an optional CVT gearbox. Expect Toyota Yaris price in India to range from Rs 8.713 lakh (Ex-Showroom).

New 2018 Honda Amaze: In the compact space, the only new sedan to debut is. the all-new Honda

Amaze that was revealed to the public for the first time at Auto Expo 2018 along-side new Honda Civic and 2018 Honda CR-V. Honda Amaze was certainly a crowd attracter at the auto show and is expected to debut in the Indian market by April 2018. All new Honda Amaze is built on an all-new platform and gets many segment first features. The new Honda Amaze 2018 now gets a bold and aggressive design and also an all-new interior design. Honda Amaze is based on Honda Brio platform and continues to be sub-4meter in length. With the launch on 2018 Honda Amaze, the company will take on the battle in sub-compact sedan space against Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Xcent, Tata Tigor and Volkswagen Ameo and will be available in both petal and diesel engine options.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain:

German automaker and India’s leading luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz India has unwrapped its Mercedes-Benz EClass All-Terrain sedan in India for the first time and has confirmed that it will be launched in India soon. Currently,

the company sells its Mercedes-Benz EClass Long Wheel Base in India and this new avatar of E-Class is all set for India launch and will be assembled inbuilt in India. Mercedes-Benz India E-Class AllTerrain sedan features 4MATIC allwheel drive system as a standard feature and also gets higher ground clearance than the standard version of MercedesBenz E-Class. The sedan uses Air Body Control multi-chamber air suspension for an improved performance. Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain also gets an all-new interior finished in light carbon-grain and will be powered by a diesel engine shedding a power of 194hp mated to a 9G-tronic transmission. Expect the price of the car to be upwards of Rs 60 lakh (ExShowroom).

BMW 6 Series GT: BMW India along with its brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar launched the all-new BMW 6 Series GT at the Auto Expo 2018 and is priced at Rs 58.9 lakh (Ex-Showroom) for the petrol version. The company has confirmed the diesel version of BMW 6 Series GT will be introduced in India later and the sedan will be locally assembled at BMW

India plant in Chennai. BMW 6 Series GT is BMW’s answer to MercedesBenz E-Class Long Wheel Base and replaces the BMW 5 Series GT globally. It is powered by the same engine as the BMW 5 Series, It gets a 2L turbocharged petrol engine that delivers 258hp. BMW 6 Series GT also features top technology including 6th generation BMW iDrive system infotainment system with navigation, gesture control, and heads-up display.

Hyundai Ioniq: Hyundai’s global electric sedan Hyundai Ioniq was showcased in India for the first time. While rumors revolve around this electric car coming to India, at the Auto Expo 2018 it was well received by the visitors and certainly got a lot of traction. Globally, Hyundai Ioniq is available in electric, hybrid and plug-in-hybrid options but the Hyundai Motor India showcased the all-electric version of Hyundai Ioniq in India. With electric mobility taking the center stage in India expect Hyundai to launched electric cars soon and its global expertise with Ioniq will definitely help the brand to build mass segment electric cars in India.

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MIDDLE EAST

THE STRANGE CASE OF PALESTINIAN TEENAGER AHED TAMIMI

Judge bans media from Israeli military court as trial of teenager filmed slapping and kicking soldiers starts.

military court, and it’s part of the Israeli military occupation”. Some of Israel’s critics have said the case epitomises its brutal approach half a century after its forces captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Tamimi comes from the village of Nabi Saleh, where regular protests from its several hundred residents have often ended with stone throwing. Since her early years, she has become an international poster girl for the antioccupation movement. Rights groups have called for her immediate release. “As an unarmed girl, Ahed posed no threat during the altercation with the two Israeli soldiers who were heavily armed and wearing protective clothing,” said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and Africa. “Yet again the Israeli authorities have responded to acts of defiance by a Palestinian child with measures that are entirely disproportionate to the incident in question.”

teenage Palestinian protester filmed slapping and kicking two soldiers outside her home has appeared before an Israeli military court to face various charges including assaulting security forces, incitement and throwing stones. Ahed Tamimi, who turned 17 in jail last month, arrived on Tuesday morning for the first day of what could be a monthslong trial, in what has become a symbolic case in the battle for international public opinion. The judge ordered a closed-door hearing and ejected a large group of journalists who had gathered at the Ofer SEASONAL MAGAZINE

military base, despite a request by Tamimi’s lawyer for the media to be able to observe proceedings. Tamimi’s supporters say the incident in December occurred soon after she discovered Israeli troops had seriously wounded her 15-year-old cousin, who was shot in the head with a rubber bullet during a stone-throwing clash. Arrested in the middle of the night and since denied bail, Tamimi could face years in prison for what prosecutors argue was a criminal offence. She faces 12 charges, some of which date back to 2016. Tamimi’s father, Bassem, said on Tuesday that he arrived at trial “with no good expectations, because this a

Hysteria over how the world perceives Tamimi, who comes from a family with a long history of both peaceful and violent resistance against the occupation, has spread across both societies. The footage of Tamimi led to the teenager being hailed as a hero by some Palestinians, who saw her as standing up to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. One senior Israeli official recently revealed he had asked a parliamentary committee to investigate whether the blond, blue-eyed Tamimi family were “real” Palestinians. Some Israeli politicians have applauded the restraint of the two soldiers while others have demanded a heavy-handed punishment for what they see as a brazen attack. “She is not a little girl, she is a terrorist,” said the culture minister, Miri Regev, before the trial. “It’s about time they will understand that people like her have to be in jail and not be allowed to incite to racism and subversion against the state of Israel.”

SOUTH ASIA

Pakistan Bids Farewell To It's "Moral Compass" LAWYERS DRESSED IN BLACK BLAZERS, POLITICIANS, INTELLECTUALS AND ACTIVISTS JOINED CITIZENS FLOODING LAHORE'S GADDAFI STADIUM, AS MOURNERS ACCOMPANIED THE BODY OF ASMA JAHANGIR WITH FLOWERS AND WREATHS.

SHE WAS ALSO AN OUTSPOKEN CRITIC OF THE POWERFUL MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT, INCLUDING DURING HER STINT AS THE FIRST-EVER FEMALE LEADER OF PAKISTAN'S TOP BAR ASSOCIATION. Pakistan will do without her. "Once you get over the shock and sadness, there is eventually a panic about how we will find our moral compass now. Rest in power @Asma_Jahangir," tweeted Ahmer Naqvi, of Pakistani music platform Patari.

akistan bid farewell to its top rights advocate Asma Jahangir Tuesday, with thousands cramming into a major cricket ground under tight security to grieve the diminutive woman described by many as the country's "moral compass". Lawyers dressed in black blazers, leading politicians, intellectuals and activists joined citizens flooding Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium, where camera drones flew overhead as mourners accompanied the body with flowers and wreaths. "Asma's death has created a wide gap that looks to be never filled," one attendee, college teacher Said Raheem Ul Haque, told AFP as the service began. Chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Asma Jahangir was a human rights lawyer and activist. Jahangir, who died of cardiac arrest on Sunday aged 66, was a lawyer who cofounded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and also served as United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

She was widely admired in the international humanitarian community and was seen as a champion of the downtrodden in Pakistan, which has a troubled rights record, especially for minorities. Her death has sparked an outpouring of tributes from global human rights groups and political leaders, including the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres - who called her a "human rights giant" - and Pakistan's Nobel prize winner Malala Yousafzai. Newspaper front pages have been dominated by accolades to "Asma the fearless", while social media has seen a tsunami of acclamations, with many questioning what

Jahangir faced death threats, beatings and imprisonment to win landmark human rights cases while standing up to dictators.

Jahangir faced death threats, beatings and imprisonment to win landmark human rights cases while standing up to dictators. The rights commission which she helped create made its name defending religious minorities and tackling highly charged blasphemy accusations along with cases of "honour" killings -- in which victims, normally women, are murdered by a relative for bringing shame on the family. Jahangir secured a number of victories during her life, from winning freedom for bonded labourers from their "owners" through pioneering litigation, to a landmark court case that allowed women to marry of their own volition. She was also an outspoken critic of the powerful military establishment, including during her stint as the first-ever female leader of Pakistan's top bar association. Jahangir was arrested in 2007 by the government of then-military ruler Pervez Musharraf and held under house arrest. In 2012 she claimed her life was in danger from the feared Inter Services Intelligence spy agency.

HIGHER EDUCATION

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rivate Universities in India began competing with its eminent public peers, from a grossly disadvantaged position. With higher fees and lower entry standards, there was only one thing batting for private universities – the grossly inadequate number of seats available in India’s public universities against a surging population and the

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resultant rising Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER). But sooner than anticipated, it became clear that the country’s new job growth was not keeping up with the number of graduates joining the job-seekers’ pool every year. Take the most relevant example, which is engineering graduation. According to AICTE figures itself, of the over 7,50,000 engineers India produces every year from 3,000 or more registered institutes, more than half do not find employment. Only 3,34,000

engineering graduates got jobs in 2015-16 out of about 7,58,000. Staring at such undeniable statistics, the best private universities are trying to differentiate themselves by focusing on employability. One of the key fronts that they are battling this out is by focusing on liberal arts education, like the best universities in the world, especially in the West. The liberal arts approach is a globally favoured

interdisciplinary model, whereby engineering, management, medical, or law students can also take subjects from social sciences so that their knowledge is more relevant to the society around them, and as such their employability increases. This works out, as more and more companies are recruiting graduates not based on their current knowledge level but on how strong

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they are in three areas reasoning, mathematical skills and writing skills. In fact, apart from poor employability, lack of a liberal arts approach has been found to be the prime reason why Indian Universities – both public and private - fare very poorly in global academic rankings of repute. In 2015 itself, India had decided to invest more in research universities, liberal arts and social sciences to

improve the country's position in global ranking of universities. Now, Central Government has come up with various initiatives to foster excellence in select Indian universities and their faculty and students. Prime among them is the proposal to select 20 ‘Institutes of Eminence’, which will include 10 public universities and 10 private universities for receiving a whopping subsidy of Rs. 1000 crore each to build upon their eminence to reach a global stature. Around 100 institutions have already applied to be selected as an Institute of Eminence, but independent observers have already called out about the pitfalls in this

approach. As eminent historian Ramachandra Guha points out, the most important question is who selects the 20 institutions. Guha feels that the ‘Expert Committee’ promised by the Government should ideally have renowned public university founders, scientists and scholars like K Vijay Raghavan, Sriram Ramaswamy, Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyaya, Niraja Gopal Jayal, Supriya Chaudhuri and NR Madhava Menon. But news reports suggest that Government is more keen for having a more flamboyant committee with the likes of Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft

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CEO Satya Nadella and Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi. While these three and such high-flying Indians of global stature are certainly knowledgeable, a committee with them and a bunch of regular bureaucrats would ultimately result in the bureaucrats calling the shots while these busy global CEOs remain as just attractive names in the committee. At the same time, some of the government moves to inject puranas, vedas and yoga into engineering curriculum has met with stiff resistance from noted academicians, and has given rise to doubts whether the selection of such a committee would favour those institutions aligned with the rightist philosophies

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of the ruling party. Nevertheless, the move will give a shot in the arm for the ten selected private institutions as it is the first time that they would be getting such a massive direct subsidy from the nation. The Government has also launched four other schemes viz. Teacher Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE), Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship, Distinguished Investigator Award (DIA) and Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR), all of which can be utilized for private institutions to level the playing ground further. Seasonal Magazine profiles select private universities that are ensuring a better future for their students be it corporate or academic placements.

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MANAV RACHNA INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF RESEARCH AND STUDIES

LEADERSHIP IN INDUSTRIAL & ACADEMIC TIE-UPS

aridabad based Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies (formerly called Manav Rachna International University), had long back ago discovered that an institution's excellence is primarily tied up with the kind of environmental interactions it has with the society, industry and academic world it is living in. In fact, few private universities in India can ever hope of doing a better job in creating

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and using such tie-ups for the benefit of their students than Manav Rachna. MRIIRS has academic tie-ups with 47+ foreign universities including University of West of England, The Association of International Accountants, Royal Agricultural University, The University of North America, Auckland Institute of Studies (AIS), Lahti University of Applied Sciences, Algonquin College, University of Nottingham, and many more

across USA, UK, South America, Finland, Far East, Canada, and other Asian Countries.Often its courses are designed in active consultation and collaboration with some select universities from this pool. The kind of industrial tie-ups Manav Rachna has forged with industry majors include both Indian and MNC corporations like IBM, SAP, TCS, Infosys, Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric India, KPMG, Fortis, Honda, JBM Auto, SuKam, and many more similar as well as niche companies in diverse sectors. Industry relevant course modules for BTech and MBA are not only designed with these partners, but students are facilitated for regular interactions and more formal internships. MRIIRS is also a regular host for many prestigious scientific conferences in

cutting-edge fields like Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation, as well as for startup meets and competitions like the noted Startup Jalsa recently. No wonder then that some of the most innovative employers come searching for Manav Rachna students, including names like HCL Healthcare, Cygnus Hospitals, Hindustan Times, Sports Authority of India, Samsung, CNN IBN, GE Healthcare, Microsoft, 99acres.com, Infoedge, Zomato, KPMG, Fortis, HT Media, Airtel, Grofers, American Express, Blended HR, Naukri.com, Sukam and Wacom, to name a few.

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Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies (formerly called Manav Rachna International University) is keeping its competitors on their toes through some of their recent initiatives. • Manav Rachna has been honored with the “Best Education Brand 2017” by ‘THE ECONOMIC TIMES’. • MRIIRS declared as the “Best Knowledge Creation & Innovation

•

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University” at the ASSOCHAM National Education Excellence Awards 2018. Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), MRIIRS is among the Top 5 Business Schools of North India and among the Top 5 Private Universities across the country. FMS is also among the Top 32 Business Schools of the country (closely behind IIMs) as per the Times B School Survey 2018. FMS, MRIIRS ranked amongst Top 40 B-Schools of India by Business India B-School Survey 2017-18. MRIIRS ranked among Top 30 in North Zone in “Best Universities Survey 2017” by The Week. MRIIRS ranked amongst the Top 10 Promising Engineering colleges in India in the Best Universities Survey by India Today (2016-17)

MRIIRS has a 5-star rating for teaching, facilities, social responsibility and inclusiveness in addition to a 4-star rating for employability. This global recognition has brought Manav Rachna at par with some of the best institutions across the globe. The areas of academic collaborations cover exchange of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff members, joint research and consultancy activities, participation in seminars and academic meetings, exchange of academic materials and other information, special short-term academic programmes and projects, cooperation in curriculum development, collaboration in international seminars and conferences, and cooperation in quality assurance which can transform graduates into quintessential global professionals. The institute also reached an agreement with the Auckland Institute of Studies (AIS) for the promotion of IT courses. Under the agreement, assistance from AIS would involve processes and quality management system in the development and upgradation of the curriculum. Students studying these two courses will be able to use the Moodle system taught in New Zealand. Students studying these two courses in MRIIRS will have the unique opportunity to go through the Compilation Study Abroad Program in New Zealand's Auckland Institute of Studies during their third year. MRIIRS has collaborated with Jay Bharat Maruti Ltd. and JBM Auto Ltd. for its B.Tech Mechanical Engineering course and with Su-Kam for the B.Tech Electrical Engineering course that specializes in power electronics, to provide assured placement to students*. Further, in association with Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Private Limited (HMSI), MRIIRS also provides a platform to engineering students in the mechanical, automobile, electronics, and electrical

*T&C Apply

branches to take up research projects in various emerging areas. In addition to this, IBM has tied up with MRIIRS to jointly offer B.Tech. - Computer Science & Engineering in different specializations including Cloud Computing, Business Analytics & Optimization, Cyber Security & Forensics, and Graphics & Gaming Technology. Other tie-ups include SAP SE, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), EdGate Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Career Launcher, Mitsubishi Electric India (MEI), Infosys and Sky Testers. The one-of-its-kind, an ‘Air Quality Monitoring Lab’, supported by DST, GoI has been established at Manav Rachna To compare the air quality of indoor and outdoor air environment and to provide a good learning research environment to students. A total of 17 equipments have been deployed in the Manav Rachna campus, out of which two are exclusively available at Manav Rachna Campus. The MBA programme is tailor-made to meet industry requirements. During the MBA programme, students are provided with regular industry exposure, along with mentoring by senior executives. The course itself offers dual specialization in nine areas, with industrial knowledge partners from organizations such as Fortis and KPMG, in which a student can opt for two specializations including Finance (in collaboration with KPMG), Marketing, Human Resource, International Business, Information Technology, Digital Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Events & Media, and Business Analytics. 40 Hours Business Process Course of SAP is a part of the curriculum for MBA students, who have the option of being part of more than 12 successful entrepreneurial ventures as well as government-sponsored research projects. In addition, the institution also boasts a Human lab, which includes a psychological testing centre and Assessment Centre and Development Centre (ACDC). Apart from its flagship courses, FMS also offers industry-centric specialized programmes, such as MBA in HealthCare and MBA in HRM - a twoyear residential programme. FMS provides a hundred per cent assistance during internships and final placements for all students who register for the process. The Corporate Resource Centre of MRIIRS assists recruiters in

taking appropriate hiring decisions, while also supporting students in making strategic career choices. Every year, more than 100 companies visit the campus for placements. Some of these include 99acres.com, Infoedge, Zomato, KPMG, Fortis, HT Media, Airtel, Eli Research, Grofers, American Express, Blended HR, Naukri.com, Neoteric Business Solutions, Sukam, Wacom, to name a few. Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies hosted the Association of Indian Universities’ most coveted event “Anveshan-2018 North Zone Student Research Convention”. The platform provided a platform to emerging researchers from different universities and institutions, to express their ideas that can lead to innovative research initiatives. The institute also plays host to one of the most anticipated conferences in the field of cyber-security. It’s a confluence of security thought leaders and rich content insights to emancipate the possibilities and opportunities of this cyber world. A Touring Exhibition “Deutschland’s Energiewende” (Energy Transition in Germany) was held at MRIIRS recently signifying the India-German ties and opportunities for the students in the field of energy. The exhibition highlighted the importance of energy efficiency and renewable energy for the future. With the latest talk of the town being in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, MRIIRS isn’t far behind. The institute organized a lecture on the aforementioned topics and was led by Himanshu Batra, Founder and CEO, Acadview Technologies Pvt. Ltd, who has 12+ years of the experience in the IT companies IBM and Google, Silicon Valley. The institute also encourages its students to participate in international workshops and conferences. An example of this being B. Tech students presenting their work at the International Conference on New Frontiers in Engineering, Science & Technology (NFEST-2018) at Delhi Technological University recently.

Startup Jalsa’, a platform which brings together successful entrepreneurs with aspiring entrepreneurs – to help them get funding ready was organized at Chandigarh recently. A team of 30 members comprising 27 entrepreneurs and 3 facilitators from Manav Rachna NewGen IEDC presented their startups, business ideas and represented the ECell under the ‘Best E-Cell’ competition at this mega event. Out of over 100 startups that pitched to the jury, ‘Aarkaya Solar Solutions’ and ‘Parimukh’ from Manav Rachna secured place in top 10 and top 6 product stage startups category respectively. Seven Idea Stage startups comprising 11 aspiring entrepreneurs from Manav Rachna NewGen IEDC pitched their business ideas (plans) to a panel of investors, mentors and entrepreneurs. A majority of upcoming startups from NewGen IEDC received an overwhelming response with a further call for meeting from various investors and mentors. Manav Rachna has been striving to, and succeeded in creating a global level institution against a traditional ethos. Strong academics, research, employability, skill development, value system, community connect and collaboration — everything has to go hand in hand. MRIIRS has achieved an amazing alchemy of such diverse influences and factors. With Start-ups being encouraged, MRIIRS is helping students to become job creators. Students are enabled to come up with a great idea and intellect to drive a start-up. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

JSS ACADEMY OF HIGHER EDUCATION & RESEARCH

FULLY EQUIPPED FOR FUTURE

hen it comes to a modern or even next-generation university, excellence has gone beyond classrooms and labs. Today, higher education excellence rests on such pillars like international tie-ups, industry collaboration, research, conferences, and placements. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, based in Karnataka and Tamilnadu, comes around with flying colours in all five of these new emerging pillars. Formerly knows as JSS University, this deemed-to-be university has one of the most extensive and actually working relationships for student and faculty exchange with renowned universities in USA, Australia, & Asia. A pioneer in industry collaborations, JSS has even started an Innovation Centre in Connected Cardiac Care in its Mysore campus in tie-up with a leading Silicon Valley startup. The university conducts cutting-edge seminars, workshops and conferences in emerging

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technologies like 3D Printing, and on how it can be adapted to its stronghold of healthcare. Its conferences are a huge success as it has active partnerships with the world’s best organizations like WHO, EAFO, ICMR, UMC etc. No wonder then that JSS students are getting placed every year with some of the finest MNCs in the country like Dr. Reddys Lab, Micro Labs, Himalaya Drugs, Mylan, Biocon, Cipla, Novartis, Unilever, Pfizer, Astra Zeneca Pharma, Narayana Hrudayalaya, Columbia Asia Hospital, and many more. JSS is also expected to be a leading contender for various new government initiatives like ‘Institutes of Eminence’, Teacher Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE), Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship, Distinguished Investigator Award (DIA) and Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR) program.

A deemed university in Karnataka from the private, self-financed sector, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research is accredited by NAAC with A Grade and comes at leading positions in the NIRF ranking by MHRD. JSS stands for Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara, and is promoted by JSS Mahavidyapeetha, one of Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest educational groups. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research is focussed on medical and health-related studies, and comprises JSS Medical College, JSS Dental College and JSS College of Pharmacy at the main campus in Mysore as well as a second pharmacy college in Ootacamund. Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji serves as the Chancellor of the University, while BN Betkerur is Pro Chancellor, and Dr. B Suresh is the Vice Chancellor. The institute is a pioneering leader in the medical science research space and has noteworthy international tie-ups to go with its growing stature. The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's (SIUE) School of Pharmacy has partnered with JSS College of Pharmacy since 2 years to offer a student exchange program. Two students in their final year of

pharmacy education have the opportunity to complete an elective rotation at each respective institution. SIUE students spend five weeks in India, while JSS students spend eight weeks in USA. Two students from the JSS College of Pharmacy, Nickita Benny and Bhagya Sree, are currently shadowing SIUEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kelly Gable, PharmD, BCPP, in the department of psychiatry in a St. Louis family healthcare center.

The university or its constituent colleges have tie-ups with La Trobe University, Australia; Khon Kaen University, Thailand; University of Southern Nevada, USA; Long Island University, USA; AIMST University, Malaysia; Howard University, USA; University of Illinois, USA; National Institutes of Health, USA; and Oman Medical College, Oman. Recently, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research announced the

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formation of an Innovation Centre in Connected Cardiac Care in collaboration with iMedrix at the University's main campus in Mysore. iMedrix is a mobile health startup based out of Silicon Valley and Bangalore. Given the rate at which the epidemic of Cardio Vascular Diseases and life style diseases is spreading, this Centre will focus on an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to the early detection, prevention, acute care and follow-up of heart diseases and related comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and abnormal lipid profiles. "The advent of digital, connected technologies in medicine holds immense potential. JSS University is pleased to have formed a first

of its kind Centre in India. We will pioneer new models of integrated and affordable, preventive and predictive cardiac care for the population of this region" said Dr. B.N.Suresh, Vice Chancellor of JSS University. Dr Suresh is a frequent speaker at medical and innovation conferences and recently stated how ‘pharmacy education in India had undergone a paradigm shift in the last two decades from the development of novel drug delivery systems to the pharmacogenomics based personalised medicine while the response is slower compared to Western countries’. He

added that biotechnologists, chemists, materials science, experts and chemical engineers have started playing leadership role in driving the drug discovery and development process. The JSS College for Women, a constituent college of the JSS Mahavidyapeetha, witnessed the inauguration of its Biochemical Society of the Department of Biochemistry with a view to stress the importance of science and technology for increasing crop production and other aspects of agricultural sciences. In the field of banking, JSS Centre for Management Studies alongwith Department of Management Studies, JSS Science & Technology University organized a day-long workshop for the students of MBA Corporate Finance and MBA Finance. The event saw Morgan Stanley’s Global Derivatives Support Manager Daniel Madar deliver some interesting insights to the students. Corporation Bank General Manager (retd.) Ranga Swamy, who is also a visiting professor at JSS CMS, spoke on the impact of bank consolidation on corporate finance. The JSS Dental College and Hospital recently organized a CDE programme on ‘3D Printing and its applications for health care’. The speakers enlightened the audience about 3D printing

Dr. B Suresh Vice Chancellor SEASONAL MAGAZINE

and its applications for health care. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research is also in the fray for developing a new generation skill university through the Pradhan Mantri Koushalya Kendras (PMKK), which are being organized in every district in the country. Going beyond industry, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research has also worked with cutting-edge frontline research organizations like World Health Organization (WHO), Eurasian Federation of Oncology (EAFO), Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC) etc, and renowned scientists from these

institutes have graced JSS campus as guest lecturers. JSS postgraduate students have also undertaken their project works in leading corporations like Aurobindo, Biocon, Himalaya, Hindustan Unilever, Lupin, Micro Labs, Mylan Labs, Novo Nordisk, Orchid Healthcare, Philips etc. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research is home to a Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology and Natural Products Research, which is spearheading the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts in knowledge creation and dissemination of the same to the society around. JSS students have also excelled in

BN Betkerur, Pro Chancellor

career placements during the past year with students from its various streams getting absorbed by numerous organizations including Dr. Reddys Lab, Micro Labs, Himalaya Drugs, Mylan, Biocon, Cipla, Novartis, Unilever, Pfizer, Astra Zeneca Pharma, Narayana Hrudayalaya, Columbia Asia Hospital, and many more. Around 350 students have received 436 offers from IT giants such as Accenture, Infosys and Wipro.

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JSS ACADEMY OF HIGHER EDUCATION & RESEARCH

JSS BECOMES FIRST INSTITUTION IN KARNATAKA TO BAG INTERNATIONAL QS RATING JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, has received QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) 4-Stars rating, from the UK based body. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru (Previously known as JSS University) has been awarded QS 4-Stars rating in a recently concluded audit by QS Quacquarelli Symonds from the UK. ¬The QS Stars rating evaluates universities across a wide range of important performance indicators as set against pre-established international standards. By covering a broader range of criteria than any world ranking exercise, QS Stars shines a light on both the excellence and the diversity of the rated institution. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research received the award at a special function held at Hotel Southern Star on Friday, 23 February, where Ashwin Fernandes, Regional Director for QS in South Asia presented the certificate to Dr B Suresh, Vice Chancellor of JSS. With the conclusion of this audit, JSS has joined the elite club of highly rated universities in the world. It is also the first institution in the state of Karnataka to receive this recognition. Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) from the UK, founded in 1990, is the world’s

leading network for top careers and education. QS is also considered as the most trusted independent source of global intelligence on the higher education sector. QS has been producing rankings since the launch of the QS World University Rankings in 2004. QS also produces regional university rankings for Arab region, Asia, Latin America, BRICS etc. The QS Stars evaluation is a comprehensive audit which has rated over 280 universities in over 50 countries. It is one of the most recognised international evaluations of

universities, which has been designed to look at the institution at a deeper level. The QS Stars audit evaluates an institution in over 50 different indicators, and awards universities between 1 and 5 stars plus, overall as well in categories. The ratings once conducted are valid for three years. The target audience of the audit results are prospective students, to help them get a wider picture of an institution’s qualities, looking at everything from the employability of graduates, to sports facilities and community engagement. It is designed to reflect the nuanced mission of universities, and the needs of students who may be interested in things other than those to which traditional rankings are necessarily limited. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research completed the audit to the satisfaction of QS analysts who studied data over a period of 6 months, to conclude that JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research has met the set standards to be awarded 4 Stars overall, as well as 5 Stars in 3 categories, namely Teaching, Facilities and Inclusiveness. It also received a top rating in India for the subject “Pharmacy” with 3 stars. On this occasion of announcing result of QS Rating, Ashwin Fernandes, Regional Director for QS said “It is not only a proud moment for the institution, but also for the city of Mysore, as well as for the state of Karnataka, which has with this rating received significant recognition on the global stage. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research has worked extremely hard over the last few months to complete the audit as per our rigorous standards.”

EVEN MORE COMMITTED, UNDER A NEW NAME

Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeswara (JSS) University, Mysore is now JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, but nothing else changes, except for a renewed commitment to advance overall performance of its students. The Ministry of Human Resource’s Development, Government of India on the advice of UGC in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956, has notified the change in the name of the Deemed to be University from “Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara (JSS) University”, Mysore, to “JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, and continuing to be a Deemed to be University with the powers conferred under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research with a mission to serve the needs of the community at large and with a vision to provide education that helps transformation of individuals and society continues to empower health sciences and education through innovative pathways in learning and research. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research is accredited by NAAC with Grade A and ranked 35th (2016) and 45th (2017) among the Universities in the country by NIRF, Government of India and ranked 1st among young Universities in Karnataka by KSURF. Moving beyond horizon, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research has made a stand in International rating, QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited has rated JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research for Excellence with 4 stars, making it the first University in Karnataka and third in the country to achieve this Distinction. The Pharm D. programme of JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research has been granted with International Certification by Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), USA, and becomes the first among the Universities in the Asia Pacific region.

The Karnataka Vision Group of Science & Technology and FIST, DST has recognized JSS Medical College Mysuru as Centre of excellence in Molecular Biology & Regenerative Medicine. The Clinical Development Services Agency (CDSA), Department of Biotechnology, Government of India has recognized JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research , as Centre of Excellence for carrying out clinical trials at Centre for Clinical Excellence Research (CCRE), JSS Medical College, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research The Indian Pharmacopeia commission has recognized JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research as regional coordinating centre for Pharmacovigilance Program of India (PvPI). WHO International Drug Monitoring Programme located at Uppsala, Sweden has partnered with JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research to establish a strategic framework for collaboration to conduct training programmes for capacity building in Pharmacovigilance for the Asia-Pacific region. WHO Global Vaccine Safety Initiative program has partnered with JSS Medical College Hospital to promote quality and safe use of vaccines. JSS Hospital is identified by WHO as a sentinel site for multi country vaccine safety studies. TIFAC Centre of Relevance and Excellence (CORE) in Herbal Drugs sanctioned by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. Renowned as a destination of learning, research and service, the reputation of JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research has become synonymous with quality education in India and abroad. JSS Academy of Higher Education &Research’s interdisciplinary approach

to world-changing research and insatiable commitment to rigorous inquiry remain core values and help lead the country in scientific and technological innovation. Working in partnership with policymakers and practitioners worldwide, bringing improvements to people’s lives in real time. University embraces the challenges of the 21st Century by building new bridges across old boundaries. These bridges include new educational programs and interdisciplinary studies; strategic partnerships with private and public R&D centres that pool resources and promote innovative research; and new international relationships. The university continues to nurture and groom graduates, postgraduates, and PhD researchers of great acumen by providing effective value based education and helping in the overall development of an individual through its state-of-art facilities to make the learner a responsible citizen of the country. Today, more than 550 faculty members instruct 5000 undergraduate and graduate students and around 286 research scholars. The research outputs have supported high impact publication in premier scientific journals and have contributed new knowledge to the understanding of newer drugs, therapy and treatment through innovations, patent and centres of excellence. JSS Academy of Higher Education &Research has been able to achieve the above noteworthy miles stones due to the visionary leadership and patronage given by His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji, the Chancellor of JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, able administration provided by Dr. C.G. Betsurmath, Executive Secretary, JSS Mahavidyapeetha, the excellent guidance and directions of multifaceted leader Dr.B.Suresh, Vice Chancellor, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research and efficient administration of Dr.B.Manjunatha, Registrar, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru.

KALASALINGAM ACADEMY OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION (KARE)

CARING 360 DEGREES FOR ITS STUDENTS Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, near Madurai, in Tamil Nadu, is taking care of their students in the most holistic fashion, befitting the dynamic changes taking place in the higher education system of the country. The deemed university has introduced a world-class choice-based credit system that offers even a postgraduate course as an elective. It has made several meaningful tie-ups with renowned universities across the world, including a semester-abroad program with a prestigious South Korean University. On the research front, it is making giant strides with its research students bagging projects from national level agencies like DST, DRDO, BRNS, ICMR, ICSSR, ICMR, AICTE, CSIR, DBT, IIMA and IIPA. KARE has also tied up with a private sector leader to offer soft-skills training to its students to boost employability. To enhance industry interaction, the university also hosts several national and international level conferences. t a time when the content of courses strictly adheres to industry demands leaving very little room for flexibility, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education - KARE (Deemed to be University) is an innovator on this front. As part of its choice-based credit system, the student has the freedom to choose the courses of his/her interest, which covers nearly 40% of the syllabus. Apart from the usual

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major and minor electives, the institute also offers credits on humanities electives, self-study electives, free electives, co-curricular and extracurricular courses â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with the latter two non-CGPA courses being made mandatory to fulfil the academic requirements. The students are also required to undergo six-month projects at various industries to enhance their employability skills. In addition to this, KARE offers a postgraduate course as an elective, which is

a rarity among Indian universities and provides credits of an equivalent course done at a foreign university. Students are made to collaborate with ongoing research projects that would increase their exposure to a hands-on learning experience. Some students are even encouraged to take up additional courses to earn extra credits, while the academically-weaker students are guided ably by faculty advisors. Another interesting feature of its academic programme is the semester abroad scheme, which presents students with a fascinating experience at Hannam University, South Korea. Apart from the student exchange tie-up with Hannam University, KARE has also struck MoUs with a host of other world-class universities such as Georgetown University, USA; Carnegie Mellon University, USA; Cambridge University, UK; Aachen University (RWTH), Germany; Centre for Combinatorics, Nankai University, China; Agora University of Oradea, Romania; East Tennessee State University, USA just to

name a few. Under these MoUs Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education students can spend one or two semesters (Semester Abroad Programme) in the selected partner Universities to get the international exposure. The selected students also have the opportunity to avail the exchange student scholarships. Kalasalingam University features at the 281st spot in the Green Metric rankings published by Universitas Indonesia (UI) based on environmental sustainability. UI releases an annual list of sustainable universities across the world. Invitations for application are sent to over 3000 universities. The 2017 list had ranked 619 universities, including 24 from India. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has chosen seven projects of students of Kalasalingam University for funding under the StartupNIDHI. Each chosen project is offered ?10 lakh and will be completed in a year. Seven projects involving 21 students of Kalasalingam University were chosen by

experts at a presentation made in Entrepreneurship Institute of India in Ahmedabad last year. According to university data, there are a total of 30 ongoing projects and 54 completed projects funded by agencies such as DRDO, BRNS, ICMR, ICSSR, ICMR, AICTE, CSIR, DBT, IIMA, IIPA. With an eye on improving its placement intake, Kalasalingam University signed a memorandum of understanding with SMART Training Resources, Chennai. The ‘Career-readiness credit course training’ will be part of the university students’ weekly curriculum from the first year. Students will have to write mid-semester and end-semester for the 45-hour credit course. The first two years of the course would focus on soft skills, language training and problemsolving abilities. Engineering-specific training would take place in the third and fourth years. While the syllabus will be geared towards changing trends in job market, the institute also offers niche training for company-specific courses such as training for Wipro and Amazon India.

The university witnessed companies handing over 1,503 offers to students during 2016-2017 academic year. The institute recently organized a twoday seminar on research issues in network security sponsored by the Institution of Engineers (India) and organized by the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, which saw paper presentations and expert speaker sessions over the course of two days. There was also a recent workshop providing advance-level training in Machine Learning algorithms and applications. The workshop titled ‘Implementation of Machine Learning Algorithms using Matlab was conducted by industry experts, faculty members from premier institutions and faculty members from KARE. The 3rd international conference on ‘Advanced Manufacturing and Automation’ (INCAMA 2018) was recently organized by the School of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering of KARE. NCAMA2018 is aimed at providing a premier forum at international level to present and discuss new ideas, novel results, grand challenges and major technical trends in the field of manufacturing engineering, industrial automation and materials science. The institute also plays host to various national seminars, one of which being the 4th national seminar on ‘Technologically Important Crystalline and Amorphous Solids (TICAS) organized by the Physics Department and International Research Centre. The event would be sponsored by CSIR, DAE, DST & ICMR. The event invites original papers related to identified scientific topics in the aforementioned field.

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NITTE UNIVERSITY

POISED TO BE FIRST AMONG EQUALS Nitte University and Nitte Educational Institutions of Karnataka are among the crème de la crème of private higher educational institutions in South India. But increasingly, all peer institutions in the sector are competing intensely by way of apparent metrics like infrastructure and facilities. This has given rise to a situation of apparent similarity among various institutions, but with the upcoming level playing ground for public and private institutions promised by various government initiatives like ‘Institutes of Eminence’, Teacher Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE), Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship, Distinguished Investigator Award (DIA) and Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR) program, Nitte Group of Institutions are decisively moving up its game into the next orbit and planning meticulously to compete with India’s best public universities even, and thus differentiating itself distinctly from the overcrowded private and deemed university space. Towards this, it is focusing on integrated research programs, promotion of innovation, and focus on sunrise knowledge sectors like stem-cell research. It is collaborating with multiple arms of Indian Government like DST, NITI Aayog etc, as well as with foreign governments like that of Belgium. NITI Aayog has already selected a Nitte institution as a startup district with innovation hub along with the prestigious NIT Suratkal. Nitte SEASONAL MAGAZINE

University has also tied up with some of the best public universities in US like University of Minnesota, to further student and faculty exchange. Its various arms like its Management Institute and Medical College are doing their level best to stay relevant and influential in the industry and community, by furthering causes like MSME growth and community medicine.

itte University has always been a stalwart in the research and development arena. In fact, the university has a specially designated Dean for R&D activities, who looks into quality checks in the research literature leading to PhD degrees. At the funding level, the institution is involved in sponsored research. It has been obtaining funding from VTU, DST and AICTE for carrying out sponsored research and also for developing research facilities. In the last few years, the college has received funding to the tune of nearly 10 million rupees for research activities. Presently, about 20 research scholars are working in the research centre and several scholars have already obtained their Ph.D. The faculty members of the institution have about 250 research

papers published in research journals and subsequently presented in national and international conferences held in India and abroad. The university looks poised to strengthen its research capability further and the presence of a strong research culture should help the institute to redefine its curriculum to suit the demands of quality, cutting-edge research work. However, there have also been some encouraging initiatives mooted by the institute in collaboration with governmental and nongovernmental orgainizations. NITI Aayog, the policy think tank of the Government of India, recently

announced that it would soon give the ‘innovation hub’ tag to NMAM Institute of Technology (NMAMIT), an autonomous engineering college under the Nitte Education Trust. The announcement came from none other than India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Apart from the coveted recognition, NMAMIT, Karkala, and NIT-K, Surathkal, will jointly execute a couple of projects under this programme, while they will also execute some independent ones. Senior professors from the country's premier technical institutions will lend their support for proper execution of the projects. NMAMIT and NIT-K, Surathkal, have

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Vinaya Hegde, Chancellor

also been chosen as India's first startup districts with incubators, by the ministry of commerce and industry. Connectivity (air, road, sea and rail), presence of several education institutions, state-of-art facilities, student resources and infrastructure, were key factors to get these institutions selected for the centre. Niranjan N Chiplunkar, principal, NMAIT said that the institution has done construction activities on a 10,000 square foot area for the incubation centre. "We have already completed works of the administration area, which is about 2,000 square feet, and are awaiting further communication from the government in this regard," he said. In the sphere of management and economics, Nitte University’s Justice K S. Hegde Institute of Management has teamed up with Infopace Management Private Limited (nodal agency for Quality Council of India) in Bangalore to raise an awareness programme on ‘zero effect and zero defect’ for owners of micro, small and SEASONAL MAGAZINE

medium enterprises. This was a unique initiative launched by the Union government for MSME sector to enhance the quality of products matching global standards. Always known to be a major influencer in the scientific field, Nitte University continued its outstanding contribution in stem cell research. The second biennial national conference on 'Advances in stem cell research and cellbased therapy with emphasis on orthopaedic, dermatological and dental applications' was jointly organized by Nitte University Centre for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine (NUCSReM) and Department of Orthopaedics, KSHEMA. The conference comprised seven scientific sessions, a total of 16 faculty talks, eight delegates' paper presentations and 35 poster presentations with the participation of 190 delegates. It was inaugurated by University Chancellor N Vinay Hegde, who emphasized the growing importance of stem cell research in medical education.

The conference was also presided over by newly appointed Vice Chancellor Prof B Satheesh Kumar Bhandary, Pro Vice-Chancellor M S Moodithaya and Pro Chancellor Prof Shantharam Shetty. Nitte (Deemed to be University) is also one of the select few higher education institutions in India to be selected by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India for support under bilateral cooperation with Ghent University, Belgium, within the framework of DST-BELSPO (Belgian Federal Science Policy Office) Indo-Belgian Research and Technology Cooperation. The institute held an international workshop on ‘Vibrios in one health’ which saw the presence of scientists from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden (Prof. Anna Godhe); University of Plymouth, UK (Dr Lucy Turner); University of Sabaragamua, Sri Lanka (Dr Dharshane Ruwandeepika). The international workshop was inaugurated by Prof Dr Satheesh Kumar Bhandary, vice chancellor. He alluded to his own experience of handling cases of cholera and diarrheal diseases in his medical career. Professor Bhandary explained the ongoing international collaborations in Nitte (Deemed to be University) and called for greater multidisciplinary research in dealing with public health and food safety issues. The workshop was facilitated by Prof Peter Bossier from University of Ghent. One of the main highlights of Nitte (Deemed to be University)’s exchange programme is the one with the University of Minnesota, USA. As part of its Global Health initiative, six Master of Public Health (MPH) students from the University of Minnesota, USA, were in Mangaluru and Nitte to attend the second year MPH student exchange programme hosted by the Division of Public Health, K S Hegde Medical Academy. The two-week long programme titled 'Tobacco or Health, the balancing game in India' focussed on health system studies related to tobacco control and noncommunicable diseases in rural South India. The students were exposed intensively to various components of health care delivery systems from community to tertiary care in Government and private sectors such as sub-centres, primary health centres, and satellite health centres run by Nitte Health Care. Vice Chancellor Prof Satheesh Kumar Bhandary awarded certificates of participation and credits to all participants. Joe Wiesenberger, Chief Administrative Officer from Minnesota School of Public Health was present during the event and appreciated the efforts of Nitte in delivering such a high-quality academic programme. A novel initiative by the students of the Nitte-based

Vishal Hegde, Pro-Chancellor (ADMIN)

NMAM Institute of Technology (NMAMIT) saw the development of an Android application to ease the process of campus placements in college. he application enables the students to register for the companies who visit the institute for placements and also disseminate news and updates about the placements to the registered students. To date, the institute has been using an in-house developed placement portal for handling the students’ registration for placements, updating their profiles, informing them about company details and instant notifications by the placement department. Now, all these can be done using the app. The app was developed by a team of four students of Computer Science Engineering (CSE), namely, Kashif Minhaj, Mohandas Pai, Muthahir Mohammed and Tahaseen, under the guidance of Venugopala P.S. of CSE Department, with the technical support of Rajeevan and Praveen Shetty. Nitte (Deemed to be University) will also offer Syndicate Bank’s one year Post Graduate Diploma programme in Banking and Finance course. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY

ith the private university space maturing, more and more institutions are having similar facilities and even similar faculties. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and in recent years, many private universities are finding it pretty difficult to place their graduates and postgraduates in good reputed companies. But Greater Noida based Galgotias University is an exception to this trend, as under CEO Dhruv Galgotia’s dynamic leadership, the university has been equipping its graduates with a wide range of soft skills through its unique School of Lifelong Learning. Apart from soft skills, this School equips students to prepare for CTET, CAT, CMAT, BANK PO exam etc. This has become imperative as jobs in the IT sector are on the wane, whereas the formal or public sector has been making a dramatic comeback. Galgotias’ computer science and application students are

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also being equipped to make the best use of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and Big Data. And even more impor tantly, GU recognizes that not all students are born to be employees, and are going the extra mile to ensure that all with the entrepreneurial spark are nurtured to attempt larger-thanlife projects. For instance, towards this, Galgotias University had recently hosted Asia’s largest Hybrid Vehicle Challenge as well as Go Karting Race. Galgotias is also expected to be a leading contender for some of the new government initiatives like ‘Institutes of Eminence’, Teacher Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE), Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship, Distinguished Investigator Award (DIA) and Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR) program.

Galgotias University is ahead of competition in numerous fronts. The varsity is steadfastly devoted to excellence in teaching, research and innovation and not to mention the attention given to low student-tofaculty ratio. The latter parameter is one of the prime reasons why Galgotias University is able to place sufficient personal attention and mentoring opportunities for its students. The commendable placement record is also an indicator of the varsityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus on upholding the highest academic standards right from selecting top faculty, introducing world-class pedagogical practices to personality development of the students. Last year, over 120 top corporates came for placement.

According to university statistics, 84% computer science students got placed and the salary package offered was between the range of Rs.3 lakh to Rs.6 lakh. Industrial visits are important in the career of a student who is pursuing a professional degree. It is a mandated part of the curriculum. Galgotias University has arranged industrial visits with an objective of providing students functional opportunity and help combine theoretical knowledge with practical work experience. The following sites were visited by students: Nandi Polytube, Dilli Electrical, Metal Innovation, Ankur Exports, Barsat Engineering, Cell-Com Tele Services Pvt. Ltd., Sai Card Home pvt. Ltd and Optics Karkhana. It also houses what they call as the

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‘School of Life Long Learning’. The centre ‘grooms students of Galgotias University in multidimensional areas thereby enabling them to effortlessly face the challenges of corporate world and also to become a better human being once they pass out from the campus’. School of Life Long Learning comprises of 30 trainers having cumulative training and teaching experience of 200 plus years in some of top training companies of the country. They have been veterans in their field and have played a very vital role in framing the entire pedagogy, teaching methodology and framework of the School. School of Life Long Learning starts training students from the first year till final year so that by the time these students

reach the end of their program they are capable enough to crack the selection process of the top companies who visit the university for campus recruitment. The School has been grooming students of B.Tech., M.Tech., MBA, MCA and BCA. The School has prepared the students of B.Ed. for CTET exam and has also started preparing students for various competitive exams like CAT, CMAT, BANK PO etc. The pre-final and final year students are given extra grooming through an exclusive two month program called “Campus to Corporate” which enables students to not only get their dream job but also seamlessly blend into the corporate world. The campus also boasts of a state-ofthe-art library facility, which is located at the heart of the academic complex.

The library is designed in three spacious, centrally air-conditioned halls, equipped with modern & comfortable furniture and provides excellent academic ambience for the students. Students can access thousands of research and learning resources in print and online, and derive benefit from the library`s commitment of providing high-quality resources and services. The library also offers access to thousands of electronic books, journals and databases. The year has already begun on a positive note for the Greater-Noida based university, which has an enrollment of over 15,000 students across more than 100 undergraduate and post graduate programs. In a recent event organized by the New Indian Express called ThinkEdu Conclave, Dhruv Galgotia, CEO of Galgotias University, spoke about how AI, Augmented Reality and Big Data can help transform the face of education. “The workplace of tomorrow will see a dramatic change and if universities do not acknowledge these changes now, they will soon perish,” he said. The Galgotias Commerce Society recently organized the 4th annual national workshop on finance and accounting solution through Tally. Participants were provided with certificates after evaluation. The university also sends its students for international internships, one of which went to Ashish Kumar Lath, who got the opportunity to travel to Gdansk, Poland. Students of Mechanical Engineering from across Asia gathered at the Galgotias University campus to participate in the biggest Hybrid Vehicle Challenge and Go Karting Race. The School of Mechanical Engineering, Galgotias University organized this event in partnership with Ministry of New & Renewable Energy and Imperial Society of

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Innovative Engineers (ISIE). The five daylong event aimed at promoting the biggest ever student's talent pool of manufacturing the motorsport vehicles and putting it to a real time test in the racing track. The idea was to showcase the designing and manufacturing skill of engineering students participating from universities and institutions from across India and its neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, Srilanka, Bhutan etc. A hybrid car was made by the students of SECE Galgotias University. More than 90 teams from across Asia participated in this hybrid formula race which was held at the Buddha International Circuit, Greater Noida and includes reputed engineering institutions from states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and UP. Nearly 300 students are expected to participate in the event which includes one allwomen team and eight electrical vehicle teams. Ms. Bani Yadav, International Fastest Women Rally Driver was present to encourage the participants. On this occasion, Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Renu Luthra stressed the significance of the event for the students. She said, "The hybrid vehicle challenge shall provide an opportunity to students for Technology, Research & Engineering skill development as they get experience of real world engineering design projects. Also, the automotive industry is constantly bringing new technologies whether it is for safety, entertainment, usefulness or just pure innovation. It is important that students equip themselves with skills related to design and innovation so that they are ready with the skill set that the industry requires of them". Galgotias University and ISIE also roped in several placement partners to

get the talented students exposed and absorbed in the industry. The varsity organized a huge placement drive at the campus with big brand names such as ISIE India, J.S. Design, Tech Imperial and Speedways Electric. The university also provides opportunities for students to take part in conferences happening in and around the city. Recently, Dean prof. Ashia Qureshi along with 4th year BSc nursing students participated in the conference on e-Heath care organised in AIIMS, New Delhi. Professor Qureshi spoke on role of nurses in EHealth care and nursing information system. The students gained rich experience during 3-day workshop. The School of Electrical, Electronics& Communication Engineering organized a training programme, specially designed for engineering colleges and polytechnic teachers and will mainly deal with programming using MATLAB and LabView. The aim of the programme was to update the knowledge in the emerging and

upcoming topics in the subject area and make the teachers conversant with the MATLAB and LabView software and its interface with hardware. The Galgotias Business School has been featured in Dun & Bradstreetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading business schools. The publication profiles 168 universities affiliated as well as private Business Schools in India that fall under the purview of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and/or governed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The Centre of Intellectual Property Rights Studies (CIPRS), School of Law, Galgotias University, in association with Origin IP Academy LLP, Bangalore held a one-day national workshop on Emerging issues in Intellectual Property Rights. The workshop aimed to increase knowledge and understanding of intellectual property law concepts and issues and its overview and relevance. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

VIT STUDENTS BEAT EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS AT NATIONAL LEVEL HACKATHON

UTKARSH KUMAR AND VANSH ARORA, THE TWO VIT STUDENTS WHO EMERGED TRIUMPHANT AT BIGGEST NATIONAL GOVERNMENT HACKATHON, HAS ALSO SIGNED CONTRACT WITH THE RAJASTHAN GOVERNMENT FOR A PROJECT WORTH RS. 15 LAKHS.

tkarsh Kumar and Vansh Arora, first year students of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), earned the top honours at ‘Rajasthan Hackathon 3.0’ – the biggest government hackathon even organized at Udaipur. The students, who were also the youngest participants at the event, signed a contract with the State government of Rajasthan Rajasthan Government worth 15 lakhs, which was given by the honorable Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ms. VasundharaRaje. Utkarsh Kumar and Vansh Arora, built an Augmented Reality (AR) app (Team Bhai) for tourism, which enhances tourists’ experience. Over 1,800 participants gave a demonstration of 450 different projects in the preliminary states and 13 of them were shortlisted for the finals. Some of the participants who competed in the event also included professionals working in big industries and also former students of IITs and IIMs. “Most participants were experienced and were also older. We did not expect to win the hackathon. It is our biggest achievement,” said, Utkarsh Kumar on winning the biggest government hackathon in India. “Our AR app will help in enhancing experience of tourists as it explains the story behind the places they visit with its help. Our app will be the only augmented reality company to have government validation,” said Vansh Arora. On the inspiration behind the startup Utkarsh Kumar said: “My mother is fond of history and she is the reason behind making the AR app a reality.” The team will start with Rajasthan tourism and will move to other States of India. The app can help not only tourism, but also

education sector to make learning more interesting. The team went second to pitch and floored the judges, who seemed really impressed with the idea and the demonstration. “Wow” is how Nick Booker, co-founder IndoGenus reacted to the prototype and Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Manipal Global Education also lauded the app of the VIT students, stating that they were brilliant. Rajasthan Hackathon 3.0’ was conducted to give a platform for enterprising youth, startups and entrepreneurs across the nation and to think out of the box on more than nine topics includingArtificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, Blockchain, Big Data, Internet of Things, Bioinformatics, Bhamashah, E-MITRA, Tourism. Participants were judged by Mr. Mohandas Pai, Pulak Ghosh, Professor at IIM Bangalore and Mr. Nick Booker. They will now be their mentors to build their initiative. They are also given a chance to get incubated under iStart, a Rajasthan

government incubation programme. Other notable guests were the Director Public Affairs of Uber, MD of Autodesk, the Country Head of Oracle, CEO of OYO Rooms, CEO of Zoomcar, CTO of PepsiCo and Director, Startups and National Technology Officer of Microsoft. Utkarsh Kumar (17BCE0284) can be contacted at 9600255537 / utkarshk98@gmail.com and Vansh Arora (17BCE0857) can be contacted at 9003700885 / vansha10@gmail.com.

VIT STUDENT WHO BEAT STUDENTS FROM 150 COUNTRIES FELICITATED paper on the creation of an application that would help in the stimulation of the nervous region with the creation of mirror neurons. He received the first place in the world level finals held at London termed IET PATW – present around the world in November. He also received UK Pound 1,000 (Rs. 85,000) cash award for the same. The journey to reach the top was not easy for Saraff as there were over 1,000 participants from over 150 countries that included students like him, young research scholars and also employed professionals. hubham Saraff, a third year student of B.Tech in Computer Science Engineering at Vellore Institute of Technology and who clinched the world title of "IET- Present Around the World (PATW)” Contest was felicitated at VIT. Saraff had made project on mirror neurons. He was honoured by S.Raghavan of IET India chapter in the presence of G.V.Selvam, Vice President of VIT. Saraff’s presentation was on ‘mirror neurons’ as part of his project on neurons that shaped us. He submitted a research

The felicitation function was held at Dr.Ambedkar Auditorium on Monday. Amandeep, student president of IET’s VIT chapter welcomed the gathering. In his address to the students after felicitating Saraff, Mr. G.V. Selvam said he was reminded of his school days. He said that those were days when he was unable to ask questions and had he done that, it would have been possible for him to increase his knowledge. He said he appreciated the efforts of organisations like IET to bring out the talents of students. There were now abundant opportunities for students to improve their lev-

els of knowledge, thanks to many events and competitions that were now being conducted. He said a situation had now arisen where it was not possible to do anything without engineering and technology. Medical technology had become so advanced that it was now possible to perform surgery through robotics. Through new innovations, it was also possible for advancements in medical technology to bring the cost of treatment, Mr. Selvam said. He also recalled that during the recently conducted Hackathon organised by the Rajasthan Government, two students from VIT – Utkarsh Kumar and Vansh Arora, had topped in the event and also bagged a prize of Rs. 15 lakh. PATW is a global competition organised by The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) of United Kingdom for over 15 years for young professionals and students aged between 18 and 30 to provide a platform explore their talent and innovative thinking in engineering and technology. The first round was at the university level, held at VIT in March this year, the Zonal round in Vellore the next day. Saraff represented VIT University at the Chennai Local Network Finals. As the winner of this round, he took part in the South Asia Finals in Bengaluru which saw participation from 9 different regions. Shubham has received several awards not only in academics but also in various cultural events including Distinction in Speech and Drama from Trinity College of London. He is a licensed Scuba Diver, Boxer, and a keen Sky diver. From across 150 countries, only 5 Winners from global regions around the world competed at London on November 15 at London. These regions are: America, Asia Pacific, South Asia, UK Region and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Shubham has received several International awards for academics including a Merit Scholarship Award. He has received other awards which include Distinction in Speech and Drama from Trinity College of London. He is also a licensed Scuba Diver, Boxer and keen Sky Diver. Shubham has now been invited to present his paper on Artificial Intelligence at Cambridge University, UK in January 2018.

NEWS-IN-BRIEF ABRAHAM LINCOLN KEPT IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS INSIDE HIS HAT

The 16th US President, Abraham Lincoln, stored important documents inside the crowns of his hats. Lincoln, who often wore a traditional stovepipe hat measuring about seven-eight inches high, was born on February 12, 1809. Known to be the tallest American President at 6 feet 4 inches, he was also a wrestler and a licensed bartender.

MEMES OF MALAYALAM ACTRESS PRIYA EMERGE AS SONG GOES VIRAL Memes of Malayalam actress Priya Prakash Varrier emerged after the song 'Manikya Malaraya Poovi' went viral on the internet. "So let's declare this girl as the National Crush now," read a tweet. Another user wrote, "Expressions given by Priya...in those 2 minutes were more than what Nargis Fakhri and Katrina...couldn't give in their entire career." Comedian Zakir Khan tweeted, "#KeepCalm&BeSakht."

CABINET CLEARS DIRECT ADMISSION TO PHD IN IITS AND IISC The Union Cabinet has cleared the proposal allowing direct admissions to PhD programmes in IITs and IISc under the Prime Minister Research Fellowship scheme. This move will allow graduates or final-year students of B Tech, integrated M Tech or M Sc in the field of science and technology to be offered direct admissions to pursue PhD in IITs and IISc.

AFTER RS 200CR BUYOUT, OLA TO INVEST ?400CR IN FOODPANDA INDIA Ola's parent ANI Technologies is reportedly planning to invest Rs 400 crore ($62.2 million) in Foodpanda India after acquiring the food delivery platform for over Rs 200 crore ($31.7 million) in December. The investment is part of Rs 1,285 crore ($200 million) ANI Technologies committed to the company during the acquisition. The funds aim to bolster Foodpanda India's logistics and delivery capabilities. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

The US is planning to turn the International Space Station (ISS) into a private enterprise and stop funding it after 2024, according to the Washington Post. The ISS is currently operated by Boeing on behalf of US space agency NASA. ISS operations were previously subcontracted to SpaceX and Orbital ATK to outsource cargo supply flights to the

TN ASSEMBLY GETS JAYALALITHAA'S PORTRAIT, DMK BOYCOTTS EVENT

CENTRE DRAFTS 10-CITY PLAN TO CLEAN GANGA, CHECK SEWAGE FLOW

The Centre has drafted a plan to check the flow of sewer water into the river Ganga by installing sewage treatment plants (STP) in 10 major cities. These cities reportedly contribute about 65% of the total polluted water flowing into the river. As per an official of National Mission for Clean Ganga, these STPs would ensure 100% sewage treatment.

US MULLS PRIVATISING INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION: REPORT

The portrait of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was unveiled in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday by Speaker P Dhanapal. Opposing the move, the main opposition DMK boycotted the event claiming that Jayalalithaa was convicted in a disproportionate assets case. The state government defended the portrait, highlighting steps taken by the former CM for women's empowerment.

IN- FOCUS

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VPS HEALTHCARE

Global Medical Expertise,

Better Patient Outcomes

Within as little as ten years, a young radiologist hailing from Kerala has built up a healthcare empire, having 10,000 employees across 100 healthcare centres, 20 hospitals, 13 brands and 3 continents. He started off when he was 30 years, and at 40 years now, Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil still has boundless energy to expand the VPS footprint with a firm focus on ensuring better and better patient outcomes. Apart from hospitals, VPS Healthcare runs air ambulance services, health tourism, and believe it or not, a major pharmaceutical manufacturing unit. This is Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil’s remarkable success story that unveiled itself when Seasonal Magazine met him for this interview at VPS Lakeshore Hospital, Kochi.

“

Each of us has a unique part to play in the healing of this world,” wrote bestselling author, spiritualist and philanthropist Marianne Williamson, in her book, ‘The Law of Divine Compensation’.

to be in basements, and Dr. Shamsheer reminisces that he wondered whether it was in these high-tech departments under the earth whether he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

For a young radiologist working in the basement of Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi, the riddle was whether his healing touch would be as a radiologist or by being someone much more influential in moulding the society around him.

Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil hails from a family of entrepreneurs in North Kerala. His ambition was to be a medical doctor and radiologist, which he achieved seamlessly from Kasturba Medical College and Sri Ramachandra Medical College, given that he was a brilliant and hardworking student always.

Radiology departments in most modern hospitals tend

But entrepreneurship and innovation was in his veins, SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Global Medical Expertise, Better Patient Outcomes and even while in medical college, he and friends attempted their luck with small commercial ventures. After his MD, Dr. Shamsheer started his career as a Radiologist at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi, where he worked for a year. Soon he realized that his calling in life was healthcare entrepreneurship, and that is how he ventured into the healthcare sector of UAE by starting his first hospital, in 2007, all of 30 years. As much as he was blessed with entrepreneurship in his genes, his marriage too proved to be a blessing for more reasons than one. He is the sonin-law of Yusuf Ali MA, arguably the wealthiest and most influential NRI business tycoon in the Middle East, who became a natural mentor to young Dr. Shamsheer. What this young doctor turned medical entrepreneur has achieved swiftly within his first ten years as a businessman is the stuff that legends are made of. Within its first decade itself, VPS Healthcare Group has grown into a mammoth size, having 10,000 employees across 100 healthcare centres, 20 hospitals, 13 brands and 3 continents. Apart from hospitals, VPS runs medical centres, specialized clinics, air ambulance services, health tourism, and believe it or not, two major pharmaceutical manufacturing units. Its renowned hospitals in the Middle East include Burjeel Hospitals in Abu Dhabi, Dubai & Muscat; Medeor Hospitals in Abu Dhabi, Dubai & Al Ain; LLH Hospitals in Abu Dhabi & Musaffah; Lifecare Hospitals in Musaffah & Baniyas; and Lifeline Hospitals in Sohar & Salalah. Many of its hospitals are the largest private hospitals in the cities it operates in, with the best example being Burjeel Hospital of Abu Dhabi which is the city’s largest tertiary care hospital in the private sector. Much of VPS Healthcare’s rapid growth has been powered by acquisitions of existing hospitals which have been rapidly modernized under Dr. Shamsheer’s expert vision. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

In India too, VPS has so far followed this strategy by taking over three Rockland Hospitals in Delhi NCR region, and Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi, Kerala, which is as of now VPS Healthcare Group’s largest single hospital. VPS medical centres are primarily in UAE and Oman, and come under its renowned healthcare brands including Burjeel, Medeor, LLH & Lifeline. Its specialized clinics business include facilities in dental, homecare services, occupational healthcare, emergency transfers, mobile health, and other routine specialty treatments. They operate under brands including Tajmeel, Prince, Response Plus, OccuMed etc.

Educare Institute of Dental Sciences, which is one of the top dental colleges in Kerala, affiliated to Calicut University and recognized by the Dental Council of India. The latest diversification from VPS in the healthcare field itself includes a medical coding unit in Kochi’s Infopark, named Dynamed Healthcare Solutions which will initially cater to the medical coding requirements of VPS’ own hospitals in UAE where it has become mandatory. Later on the currently 17,500 sq ft facility has the ambition to tap the booming medical coding market in North America and Europe.

One of VPS’ radical diversifications have been into pharmaceutical manufacturing by taking over one of UAE’s largest pharma production units, now rechristened as LIFEPharma FZE, which is also a major exports player from the region to EU and other territories for select drugs. Now VPS is planning another pharma unit focusing on oncology drugs and vaccines, while it has already started pharma retailing under the Burjeel banner.

Medevac Services has been one of VPS’ Group’s most innovative ventures. An emergency medical evacuation service, it offers services like patient escort services on commercial airlines, air ambulance transfer, major medical evacuations from various environments with support from Government entities, rescue emergency response missions, fitness assessments for flying, bed-to-bed ground ambulance transportation, repatriation services and helicopter emergency medical services.

VPS has also ventured successfully into medical education by taking over

Indeed, the Medevac Services unit has brought much acclaim to VPS as it has

successfully evacuated patients from war ravaged Yemen to India, and treated them in VPS Rockland Hospitals in Delhi. Dr. Shamsheer’s innovative streak has proven to be limitless so far in the hospitals sector. Once when an opportunity presented itself to take over a mall, he had only hours to decide whether VPS can successfully convert it into a hospital or not. He flew in expert consultants from USA to study the issue, who after assessing the mall was of the opinion that it could not be converted. But he took a second opinion from a gifted local architect who convinced him that it can be done with some exceptional features. Within seconds Dr. Shamsheer decided and today this mall building which was converted to a hospital is also known for its walk-in cafeterias, apart from its reputation as an exceptional medical facility. When another opportunity presented itself to start a dental clinic inside of a zoo, Dr. Shamsheer took an immediate decision, and today VPS has a thriving dental practice inside the zoo, where kids forget the pain of a tooth procedure in lieu of enjoying with their favorite animals. Capitalizing on opportunities has been a hallmark of Dr. Shamsheer’s entrepreneurial career, and he has earmarked Rs. 1000 crores for acquisitions alone. In growing such a large empire too in the fastest way possible, he has brushed aside conventional ownership models, and went in for a right mix of full ownership, part ownership, owned facility, management only, joint ventures etc. This has played a major role in VPS’ rapid success so far. Despite being the youngest Indian billionaire in the Middle East – with $1.3 billion in personal wealth at all of 40 years now – Dr. Shamsheer has kept close to his heart several social and philanthropic activities. In April 2014, Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil filed a petition in the Indian Supreme Court regarding the NRI Voting Rights. He was concerned by the existing

procedure in which the NRIs had to travel to their constituency to vote. He moved the Supreme Court to make the process easier. Acting on his PIL, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to explore the possibilities for NRIs to cast their vote. Acting on the Supreme Court’s directive, the Election Commission set up a committee to explore the possibilities of NRIs to vote. In October 2014, based on the committee’s recommendation, the Election Commission submitted its report to the Supreme Court, which has recommended enabling NRIs to vote by proxy and e-postal ballot. Under his guidance, VPS has also set a world record for the most number of simultaneous breast self-examinations. Such success in social activism has made him a social media phenomenon too. He has also left his mark in healthcare philanthropy with various initiatives including 1000 free heart surgeries initiative. medical evacuations from Yemen, medical aid in Syria etc to name a few. Despite being a globe-trotting billionaire businessman, Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil comes across surprisingly as humble and boyish. When we met him at Lakeshore Hospital of Kochi for this interview, the way he handled numerous smaller business associates who were waiting for him was very touching – warm and friendly with no airs of a billionaire businessman, but astute and quick with

sensible decisions regarding each of them. From 2003 when it opened its doors to patients, Lakeshore Hospital of Kochi was a benchmark in Kerala. Lakeshore continued this dominance for over a decade, and there is no doubt that just when it seemed that better benchmarks were emerging in Kerala, Lakeshore has done it again, by being acquired by Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil. He has brought in better professional management under veteran healthcare management expert SK Abdulla as its CEO and retaining the renowned medical team for which Lakeshore was always famous for.

SEASONAL MAGAZINE IN CONVERSATION WITH DR. SHAMSHEER VAYALIL, CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR OF VPS HEALTHCARE GROUP: As a young entrepreneur who has swiftly entered into the big league of billionaires, can you tell us some of your success secrets? I don’t think these traits are unique to me. You must have the hunger to learn and the humbleness to listen. You will figure out something new every day. We should accept that one person can’t know everything, so you should always hire the best people for the job. Take feedback very seriously – and act on it. You shouldn’t be focused only on revenues, but on quality, capability and capacity. Are you planning for VPS Healthcare’s IPO in UAE, London, or India in the near future? SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Global Medical Expertise, Better Patient Outcomes We want to go global and want to be in a lot more markets than we are right now. We have to build a health care ecosystem with an integrated delivery approach, where we control the various aspects of patient care. An IPO is just another mechanism for growth and we will reach that milestone in due course. Can you outline the various circumstances that led to VPS Healthcare’s acquisition of Lakeshore Hospital? What are the strategic advantages that attracted you to Lakeshore? We were already associated with Lakeshore Hospital much before the take over in 2016. As we all know, it is a renowned hospital in India and when the takeover opportunity presented itself, it was a fairly easy decision for us to go ahead. Does VPS Healthcare fully own VPS Lakeshore now? Or do you still have several minority shareholders including several senior doctors who are still working with you? We still have minority shareholders. You had made some top management changes after taking over Lakeshore. Can you outline these briefly, and did it extend to the medical side too? There wasn’t any significant modification in the working of the hospital. As with every change, there need to be adjustments for clarity of thought and continuity of vision. VPS Healthcare is known for its industry leading EBITDA margins. How does Lakeshore compare with VPS Healthcare’s profit margins? How do you see it’s future trajectory?

Our focus has never been on profit margins, but quality of care. We have been successful in building on Lakeshore Hospital’s industry-leading clinical outcomes. Our physicians continue to raise the bar for innovative medical treatments and we will continue to support them in these endeavors In 2003 when it was inaugurated and for nearly a decade since then, Lakeshore was the benchmark to beat in Kerala. Later with the advent as well as growth of hospitals like Aster Medcity and Amrita Hospital, do you think Lakeshore lost this benchmark position, and has some catching up to do? We can’t comment on what others have or may do. VPS Lakeshore Hospital is still the hospital of choice for patients. Most of your comparable peers like Aster, Amrita, & Rajagiri have either started medical colleges or are actively pursuing them. Do you have

plans for a VPS Lakeshore medical college? We have already taken over the Educare Institute of Dental Sciences in Malappuram. We will continue to push for more and better education in the region. As of now, what would you judge as VPS Lakeshore’s major strengths? Is it doctors or is it the advanced equipment or a combination. How do you wish to see it change? For any hospital to provide the best quality of treatment, you obviously need physicians and state-of-the-art equipment. The combination of physicians and equipment plays a major role in defining the standard of care provided. However, one must not forget that it is the teamwork of physicians, nurses and other support staff that ensures delivery of quality and personalised care. As a prudential buyer coming in to manage a large facility like Lakeshore, what have been the core strategic changes that you have brought into the management? Are you planning to scale up from 350 beds anytime soon? As mentioned earlier, we will continue to push for VPS Lakeshore

SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Hospital to grow and there needs to be adjustments for alignment of thought and vision. One dimension of VPS Healthcareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success in UAE and elsewhere has been your success in extending your various brands to different cities and localities. Similarly, are you planning any new Lakeshore Hospitals elsewhere in Kerala or India? We already have three VPS Rockland hospitals in Delhi NCR and our plan is to increase our bed strength to 5,000 in India over the next three years. We will continue to look for opportunities to grow our footprint, capacity and capabilities. Is VPS Lakeshore JCI accredited? Are you planning this or any other international or national accreditations? VPS Lakeshore is currently NABH accredited and the lab at the hospital has NABL Accreditation. We have plans to go for JCI in 2018. You had taken over a hospital chain in New Delhi. Can you briefly outline the scope of this acquisition and the growth plan you have for it?

Mr. P. M. Sebastian Vice Chairman, VPS Lakeshore Hospital Are you planning any more acquisitions in India? As mentioned above, we actively look for acquisitions and when we came across a relevant opportunity, we move quickly to conclude the deal. VPS Rockland Hospitals are strategically located covering a wide area of South Delhi and Gurugram and the infrastructure is pretty good, which played a key role in our decision. . We will continue to look for opportunities to grow our footprint, capacity and capabilities.

S.K. Abdulla CEO, VPS Lakeshore Hospital VPS Healthcare is known for its different ownership models like full ownership, part ownership, owned facility, joint ventures etc. Which according to you is the most preferred model for a company like VPS Healthcare that is raring to scale up swiftly? There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t one model that works. Different opportunities present specific options. We will continue to look for opportunities to grow our footprint, capacity and capabilities.

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HEALTH

EXERCISE IS BENEFICIAL, EVEN WHEN YOU REMAIN

OVERWEIGHT

According to a latest study, physical activity may be equally and perhaps even more important than how much the person actually weighs. ou could be fit and healthy even if you are severely overweight. Surprised? Don't be. According to a latest study, physical activity may be equally and perhaps even more important than how much the person actually weighs. The study published in the journal BMC Obesity was led by Jennifer Kuk, associate professor in York University's School of Kinesiology and Health Science, and collaborator Dr. Sean Wharton, MD, medical director of the Wharton Medical Clinic and adjunct professor at York University. The findings revealed that individuals with severe obesity may not lose hope as a fit lifestyle can help them have a similar health profile to those who weigh significantly less than them. The study aimed to look at the benefits of cardio-respiratory fitness on cardiovascular health in people with mild to severe obesity and reinforce the advantage of fitness and exercise. The results came as a pleasant surprise, suggesting that those with even severe obesity, or a BMI greater than 40, can be fit and healthy. Obesity can manifest in worse health conditions when the person is unfit, leads a sedantry life and does nothing to manage his condition, said the researchers. The risk of cardiovascular diseases increases significantly when the BMI touches or goes beyond 40. According to researchers, the study yet again reinforces the importance of fitness. About 150 minutes of exercise per week, as per physical activity guidelines, generally leads to less than half pound of weight loss. The researchers added that it can also do wonders for overall heath for those with severe obesity. For the study, the data was gathered from 853 Canadian SEASONAL MAGAZINE

patients attending Wharton Medical weight management clinics in Southern Ontario. The participants were made to complete a clinical exam which included fasting blood measures and a maximal treadmill stress test. The study showed that the amount of fitness necessary to achieve health benefits was far less than one would imagine. 41% of participants with mild obesity had high fitness levels, while 25 per cent and 11 per cent of the participants with moderate and severe obesity, respectively, had high fitness. The findings also revealed that individuals with severe obesity were more likely to have high blood pressure, glucose, and triglycerides if they were in the lowest 20 per cent of fitness levels, but were not more likely to have these issues if they were in the 80 per cent group with moderate to high level of fitness. Obesity may have become a common health problem in the current scenario; there are ways through which you can cut down on that extra fat. Apart from 30 minutes of regular exercising, you should include these eating habits in your daily diet.

calories. Cutting these out may actually help save on to the extra calories in the long run.

1. Eat small and frequent meals at regular intervals. However, make sure that your quantity is limited every time you eat. It is a good idea to aim for three meals and two small snacks in a day. This will help prevent overeating.

5. Add more fruits and vegetables in your diet. They come packed with a lot of nutrients and fewer calories while helping you stay full for longer and avoid binge eating.

2. Cut down on condiments like an extra layer of cheese, mayonnaise or some other sauce that adds to unnecessary

3. Drink enough water in order to stay hydrated. In fact, drink a glass of water before every meal in order to suppress hunger and make you feel satiated. You will end up eating lesser; as a result you will ingest lesser calories. 4. Eat slow. You don't have to rush during your meals. Chew your food many times so it becomes easier for the stomach to digest easily. Slow eating also helps prevent overeating.

These simple tips will not only help cut down on unnecessary fat that may hinder your health, but also help you keep fit and active.

HEALTH

ALCOHOL AND AGGRESSION: WHAT IS THE TRIGGER?

DO YOU TEND TO GET AGGRESSIVE JUST AFTER A PEG OR TWO? IT IS BECAUSE CERTAIN AREAS IN THE BRAIN THAT TEMPER AGGRESSION SHUTS OFF, RESEARCHERS SAY.

the study, the researchers noted changes in the working of the prefrontal cortex -- the brain area involved in tempering a person's levels of aggression, cognitive behaviour and decision making -- in participants just after two drinks. While being provoked was found to have no influence on participants' neural responses, but when behaving aggressively, there was a dip in activity in the prefrontal cortex of those who had consumed alcoholic drinks. This dampening effect was also seen in the areas of the brain that are involved with rewards. Also, heightened activity was noted in the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with memories.

"Although there was an overall dampening effect of alcohol on the prefrontal cortex, even at a low dose of alcohol, we observed a significant positive relationship between dorsomedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity and alcohol-related aggression," said Thomas Denson, Associate professor at the University of New South Wales in Autralia. "These regions may support different behaviours, such as peace versus aggression, depending on whether a

This dampening effect was also seen in the areas of the brain that are involved with rewards.

person is sober or intoxicated," Denson added. The findings, published in the journal Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioural Neuroscience, may help reduce alcoholrelated harm. The team recruited a small group of young men, who were either given two drinks containing vodka, or placebo drinks without any alcohol and then underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. There is a need for "large-scale investigations into the neural underpinnings of alcohol-related aggression with stronger doses and clinical samples. Doing so could eventually substantially reduce alcoholrelated harm", Denson said. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Carl Jaison

SOUTH ASIA

Maldives Crisis: Will India Test China's Patience? The crisis in Maldives can be best described as a power struggle between two contending factions, one belonging to the current President of the Maldives, Abdulla Yameen and the other his political opponents who have been jailed by the regime. On February 1, the Supreme Court of the Maldives issued an order ordering the release of former political prisoners.When the police chief indicated he would comply with the court order, he was fired from his post. Moreover, the Supreme Court was forcibly entered and the Chief Justice and other judges were arrested. Yameen imposed a state of emergency while the court order stands cancelled. hat seems to be on the face of it an undesirable situation to be settled within the domestic jurisdiction by the various stakeholders has now garnered international attention over the scope for foreign intervention. The two countries that have the most to benefit (and perhaps face losses) from involving are India and China. While China has remained ambivalent on its next steps, although any action seems contingent on India’s strategy, the latter is still placing all options on the table for consideration. As recent history would point to, India has come to the aid of the island nation previously under Rajiv Gandhi’s government, who ensured that a coup attempt was foiled. At that time, China had been a silent spectator to the events unfolding in the region and was SEASONAL MAGAZINE

generally coy about Cold War compulsions. However, China is no longer watching from the side-lines as it seeks to gain supremacy in the region at the expense of India. Further, India hopes to maintain its regional stability but is conscious of the strategic repercussions it could have if it decides to interfere in the internal affairs of Maldives. China views the Maldives as key to its Maritime Silk Road project in the Indian Ocean as it has already acquired Hambantota port in Sri Lanka and Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. To this effect, the ruling Communist Party of China has come out in support of Yameen who had recently signed the controversial Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China. The official Chinese line maintains that political struggles are supposed to be internal affairs and that

New Delhi has no justification to intervene in Male's affairs. The precepts of international law would agree with China’s position as Article 2 (4) of the Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state by any member of the UN, and Article 2 (7) restricts the UN from intervening in matters within the domestic jurisdiction of state, unless authorised under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. As both the conditions aren’t met, India will have to split hairs to justify any form of military or diplomatic intervention. The tricky issue in the situation is the absence of ‘physical human rights violations’ committed by the regime whereas the doctrine of ‘Responsibility to Protect’ entails that intervention can be justified only the grounds of gross human rights abuses. The fundamental responsibility is placed on the state itself to fulfil its obligations to its people, including the protection and respect of human rights.

PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI HAS EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE CRISIS IN THE MALDIVES, MOST RECENTLY ON A PHONE CALL WITH US PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, BUT THE MATTER AT LEAST FOR INDIA CANNOT JUST REST ON EXPRESSIONS OF CONCERN.

However, going beyond the stated principles and legality surrounding intervention, India lacks the necessary mechanism and regional backing to carry out a successful intervention. Firstly, there is always the potentiality of the issue escalating out of control if military means are resorted to and risks antagonizing the neighbouring countries over India’s military adventurism. Secondly, apart from a handful of voices requesting for India’s involvement including from former president of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed whose tweet ignited the debate, there aren’t many local stakeholders and possible alternatives that India can tap to have any chance of effecting any concrete solution. Regime change is a complex process that requires mass protest movements as much as ‘boots on the ground’. A case in point would be NATO’s intervention in Libya, which although proved to be disastrous had groundswell of support from the forces opposed to Gaddafi. Similarly, although American invasion

of Iraq received its fair criticism, the deciding factor apart from strategic interests in the region was the help sought by the Kurds who were being butchered by Saddam’s regime. Therefore, India can influence the internal politics of Maldives only when it gains the active support of internal stakeholders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern about the crisis in the Maldives, most recently on a phone call with US President Donald Trump, but the matter at least for India cannot just rest on expressions of concern.

CHINA VIEWS THE MALDIVES AS KEY TO ITS MARITIME SILK ROAD PROJECT IN THE INDIAN OCEAN AS IT HAS ALREADY ACQUIRED HAMBANTOTA PORT IN SRI LANKA AND DJIBOUTI IN THE HORN OF AFRICA.

Maldives is firmly in India’s regional sphere and New Delhi also has a number of commercial interests there, all of which are in danger as a result of the crisis. The island nation is also one of many countries where Indian and Chinese influence directly competes. And there is history too: India carried out a military intervention in the country three decades ago when it was roiled by a similar political crisis. As C Raja Mohan, an expert on South Asian geo-politics, states “Delhi surely knows one thing from its past interventions. The task of fixing other people’s problems is never easy. And not all consequences of intervention can really be predicted or managed. Maldives might be tiny state with less than half a million people. With a deeply fractured political elite that has become acutely conscious of its strategic location, it will take a lot of Indian energy to repair the state of affairs in Maldives. But then that is the burden of all major powers, especially China in their own regions.”

SEASONAL MAGAZINE

AUTO

Toyota Affordable SUV 'Rush' Coming to India?

Japanese automaker Toyota recently revealed the Yaris premium sedan in India at the Auto Expo 2018. Now, it looks like Toyota is readying another product for the Indian market. Toyota is considering an affordable SUV for India as the company wants to fill the void in its product portfolio in one of the fastest emerging markets.

urrently, in the SUV segment, Toyota's Fortuner is selling like hot cakes in India. But there is no offering in the affordable segment and Toyota is planning to address this problem. Previously, it was reported that Toyota might introduce the Rush or CH-R in India and now it has been confirmed by the company chief. Managing Director of Toyota Kirloskar India, Akito Tachibana said that the company has options through models such as Rush and CR-V. He also stated that Toyota is evaluating on which model would be suitable for the Indian conditions. He also said that Toyota has no plans to develop an all-new model for India. Talking about the expected price of the new SUV, Tachibana said that the SUV SEASONAL MAGAZINE

could be priced in the range of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. He further added that the pricing would be finalised as the company identify and start work on the new model for the Indian market. We expect that Toyota could introduce the Rush in India. The Japanese automaker has recently updated the Rush and the SUV is already on sale in Indonesia. The Rush has been in the news for the past few years, and Toyota might finally bring the SUV to the country.

Talking about the expected price of the new SUV, Tachibana said that the SUV could be priced in the range of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh.

The Toyota Rush is a seven-seater SUV. In its second-gen avatar, the Rush sports butch looks and sports a mix of SUV and MUV design. The front fascia of the Rush is similar to Innova, and the headlamps resemble that of India-spec Honda CRV. The SUV comes with all the bells and whistles such as LED headlamp, automatic climate control and a touchscreen infotainment system. Toyota Rush is a small SUV with a sevenseater layout, and the combination of SUV and MUV design does make it stand apart from the crowd. It would be an ideal product for the Indian market as the popularity of SUVs is growing rapidly in the country. Toyota might launch the Rush in India by late-2018 or early-2019. When launched in India, the Rush will lock horns with the likes of Hyundai Creta and Renault Captur.

MAGNETIC MAHARASHTRA - CONVERGENCE 2018

There are 29 states a

SEASONAL MAGAZINE RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH SUBHASH DESAI, MAHARASHTRA’S INDUSTRIES’ MINISTER, FOR AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW ON THE BACKDROP OF MAGNETIC MAHARASHTRA GLOBAL INVESTORS SUMMIT 2018: I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve,” wrote Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto regarding the unprovoked 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, USA, by forces of Imperial Japan, which caused America to join World War II, and ultimately brought about the defeat of Japan and other Axis Powers.

“

While it is hotly contested whether the Japanese Admiral actually said or wrote it, no quote would be truer on the effect of Pearl Harbor attack, and similar has been the effect of repeated announcements by various Indian states regarding their achievements on attracting investments, on the state of Maharashtra. Because, there are 29 states in India, and then there is Maharashtra. If you keep aside Maharashtra’s performance metrics from Indian numbers, the country’s GDP would shrink by 23% and its manufacturing output by 25%. Its neighbour Gujarat started this trend of bragging about investment numbers, and soon everyone from Haryana in North to West Bengal in East to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh & Tamil Nadu in South were soon

seen joining this fray. More recently, the new state of Telengana too has mimicked it. However, all these states have done it prudently, looking from their own angle, as in reality they had to do a lot of catch up with a de facto leader like Maharashtra. The state also kept mum during the better part of this race for investments that is more than a decade old now. Because, whatever these states kept saying, Maharashtra continued to be a leader in attracting FDIs every year. But repeated media bombings regarding investments by these states have now inadvertently caused the giant of Maharashtra to awaken. Not now exactly, but three years back when a new NDA Government led by BJP & Shiv Sena stormed into power in 2014. And the way Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of BJP and Industries Minister Subash Desai of Shiv Sena have gone about it would remind anyone of Swami Vivekananda’s famous exhortation to Indian youth, “Arise! Awake! And stop not until the goal is Maharashtra to keep on pioneering newer and newer reached.” Industrial Policies that are the envy of all other states. This CM-Minister duo has overhauled almost all For instance, Maharashtra recently came up with two industrial policies, moved swiftly up new policies that took even the the ease-of-doing-business index, industry by surprise. A new policy for CM Fadnavis and Minister the sunrise segment of Fintech, as and have toured the world over together including USA, Europe & well as a new policy for the emerging Desai have worked Far East as a cohesive team, for tirelessly to advance many group of women entrepreneurs or making Maharashtra increase its women-led startups. dream projects in lead much further. Chief Minister Devendra Maharashtra that include While The numbers speak for themselves. Fadnavis’ youthful vision leads the Indian Government numbers itself Aurangabad Industrial City investment performance of show that during the past year Maharashtra, the deep experience of (AURIC), Shendra Bidkin Maharashtra accounted for 51% of Industries’ Minister Subash Desai Industrial Area (SBIA), all FDI coming into India. In other that execution is at as much Supa Industrial Township ensures words, the remaining 28 states perfection as possible. and Defence & Aerospace Minister Desai is a veteran social could together garner only 49% of FDIs coming into the country, Parks at Nagpur, Nashik worker from Goregaon, a booming making them distant seconds, suburb of Mumbai. He was and Aurangabad. thirds and fourths. handpicked by Shiv Sena Founder For CM and Industries Minister, the Babasaheb Bal Thackeray for his numbers are a huge pat on the back, as the previous energy and achievements in social work even at a three years’ average FDI share was only 30%, which young age, and elevated in the party to handle top means Maharashtra is accelerating rapidly. responsibilities. The numbers are not without cause and they would Minister Desai has been instrumental in the rise and only increase further. Because, Maharashtra development of Goregaon in recent years, and one of Government has its hands on the pulse of the his most noted achievements there has been as the industry, thanks to having the Economic Capital of Founder of ‘Prabodhan Goregaon’ that runs a blood India with them. Mumbai is headquarters to almost bank, a dialysis centre, generic drug stores, and various all banks and insurance companies, not to say other social, cultural and sporting activities. anything about the bulk of large listed corporates CM Fadnavis and Minister Desai have worked tirelessly in various sectors. to advance many dream projects in Maharashtra that That feel for the industry’s needs has made include Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC), Shendra

MAGNETIC MAHARASHTRA - CONVERGENCE 2018 Bidkin Industrial Area (SBIA), Supa Industrial Township Maharashtra’s Industries Minister and Guardian Minister and Defence & Aerospace Parks at Nagpur, Nashik of Mumbai. and Aurangabad. They are also spearheading efforts to maintain and SEASONAL MAGAZINE RECENTLY CAUGHT UP increase Maharashtra’s lead in integrated multimodal WITH SUBHASH DESAI, MAHARASHTRA’S INDUSlogistics, which more and more industries are now TRIES’ MINISTER, FOR AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW ON looking out for as the clincher while selecting states for THE BACKDROP OF MAGNETIC MAHARASHTRA investments. Apart from its national leadership in GLOBAL INVESTORS SUMMIT 2018: shipping due to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Maharashtra Maharashtra being the third largest state, is especially will soon commission its fifth international airport at Navi suited for attracting projects requiring large land Mumbai. banks. What are the government's initiatives in Coming to roads, it has larger-than-life projects that no promoting such projects using this natural strength? state can even dream of like the Maharashtra Do you have a GIS enabled industrial land bank? Samruddhi Mahamarg or the Nagpur-Mumbai Super Yes, being the third largest state, we do have a lot of land Communication Expressway, connecting the JN Port available. Our lands are also superior by way of full in Mumbai with the multi-modal cargo hub in Nagpur. supporting infrastructure like good roads, round the clock A new sealink connecting Mumbai to water supply and uninterrupted power Raigad District, called the Mumbai supply. And industries are free to apply Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) or Sewrifor land of their choice. However, to be Nhava Sheva Trans Harbour Link, is a Coming to roads, it has better organized and streamline proposed 21.8 km, freeway grade road larger-than-life projects development, we have identified certain bridge connecting Mumbai with Navi locations as new industrial areas. that no state can even Mumbai. When completed, it would be Examples are Aurangabad Industrial City the longest sea bridge in India. Then dream of like the (AURIC) and Shendra Bidkin Industrial there is Mumbai’s Coastal Road which Area (SBIA) both near Aurangabad, and Maharashtra Samruddhi is a proposed 29.2-km freeway that part of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor would run along Mumbai's western Mahamarg or the Nagpur- (DMIC). These are specialized and coastline connecting Marine Lines in integrated townships where plots of Mumbai Super the south to Kandivli in the north. different sizes and for varied purposes Communication have been developed, and many As Guardian Minister of Mumbai City prominent industrial houses are setting Expressway, connecting too, Subash Desai’s deep passion for shop here. Then there is Supa near Pune the city has made these projects the JN Port in Mumbai where a great number of plots are being possible, as he has toiled hard for removing various roadblocks that were with the multi-modal cargo made available. Another domain where we are focusing on is defence troubling these projects. hub in Nagpur. manufacturing and aerospace industries True to his Shiv Sena heritage, which require large and specialized land Minister Desai has been fearless in taking on banks. For instance they need fire testing and certain competition from influential states like Gujarat head on common facilities. These parks are being developed at using facts, figures and of course jokes in his inimitable Nagpur, Nashik and also at Aurangabad. Such facilities style. When Seasonal Magazine quizzed him about the are in good demand now, as it is according to Central quality of investment meet MoUs, he was quick to point Government’s push for Make in India and defence out a bizarre case of Gujarat Government including a manufacturing. We are also making all our industrial land tie-up with its own Women & Child Welfare Department banks GIS enabled. to begin Anaganawadis as an investment meet MoU! “But we work with real industries,” he added. Which While Maharashtra has been a traditional leader in rings true as its MoU conversion rate is a national manufacturing goods export, do you think it has lagged leading 74%, when most states can’t even convert 30% behind in recent years, when aggressive states like of signed MoUs. And indeed, the Who-is-who of India Gujarat and Tamilnadu came into direct competition with Inc are there at Maharashtra, including domestic and well-equipped ports as you have? Are there any plans to international giants. These include names like Tata, upgrade any of your minor ports to a major port like Birla, JSW, Posco, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Persistent, Mumbai Port or Jawaharlal Nehru Port? Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Skoda, Mahindra, Bajaj, Bharat Forge, L&T, and many more. Seasonal Magazine in conversation with Subash Desai,

It is true that some of our neighbouring states have improved in recent years with good facilities, but we have

south to Kandivli in the north. All these will be very strategic projects for Maharashtra, and on such projects we will retain our leadership in industry friendly multimodal logistics. Maharashtra is having a huge population of 112 million inhabitants too, and how are you prioritising projects that generate employment on a massive scale? Are there any special incentives for labor-heavy investments? Yes, we do support and create opportunities for youngsters looking for jobs. Different industrial policies have been announced for different sectors, all of which will have a focus on job creation too. However, one specific sector we are very keenly focusing on for massive job creation is textiles. Towards this, we will have 10 new integrated textile parks. From early on, Maharashtra was a leader in textiles, but the mills were more in Mumbai. But as per the new textiles policy, the new integrated textile parks will be in cotton producing areas of the state like Marathwada, Vidarbha etc. This is done for better logistics as well as for helping the agricultural community producing cotton. The first of these parks have come up near Amaravati in Vidarbha. Textile majors like Siyaram and Raymond have already launched their projects there. By focusing on the labour intensive textile sector, we are confident of providing jobs on a massive scale. What about the other side of the coin? Is Maharashtra confident of delivering adequate manpower to industries? We are a state that is proud to have qualified manpower on a massive scale. In fact, we are the leaders in India on this front, and to tell you frankly, this has been a major reason for companies choosing Maharashtra over other states when it comes to projects that require technically competent manpower. We have more than a thousand engineering colleges, with more than 1 lakh engineers passing out each year. We also have more than 900 Industrial

Training Institutes (ITIs) from which more than 1 lakh technicians pass out every year. So, we are very confident on this front. Maharashtra has been a leader in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India. Do you see the trend improving or remaining stable or going below on increased competition from other states? We are not just leaders in this regard, we account for more than 50% of all FDI inflow that came into India last year. This is not our data, but information published by the Centre. And the trend has been improving recently. Because, during the previous 5 years our share of Indian FDI was, on an average, 30%. Thanks to having Mumbai, the economic capital of India, Maharaashtra's per capita income is much higher than national average. But when investing companies try to leverage this consumer wealth, they

are appalled by the exorbitant costs of setting up shop in Mumbai. What are the government's plans to expand Mumbai or make it more attractive to investors? Is there a plan to increase the FSI? Recently we have launched a new Fintech policy. It will be a game-changer on many fronts. We have also modified and re-launched our new IT & ITES policy. Over 2.5 million jobs have been already created in these sectors. Until now these sectors were mainly setting up shop in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune. But with the new policies in place, more financial services and IT companies will locate themselves in our Tier II and Tier III cities. We are promoting integrated townships with sustainable walk-to-work culture. FSI increase is given as an incentive to IT industry. The end result of all these policy changes is that new jobs will be created on a massive scale. Until recently, Maharashtra was not aggressive in wooing large new manufacturing companies that were trying to set shop in India. Still, due to it's natural advantages, it continued to be the de facto leader in manufacturing. Now, with programs like Make in India, how is Maharashtra trying to attract the kind of large manufacturing units that it had missed for states like Haryana, Gujarat, & Tamil Nadu? I think other states would have missed more projects that set shop in Maharashtra, than vice versa. You name any large industrial group, be it Indian or international. They would be here. Tata, Birla, JSW, Posco etc in Steel; Microsoft, Google, Apple, Persistent etc in IT; Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Skoda, Tata, Mahindra, Bajaj etc in Auto; then Bharat Forge and L&T in engineering and defence; this list can be endless. Some of these companies are basically only in Maharashtra and not anywhere else in India. All this has happened due to the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural and synergistic strengths in various fields. But you are right, now we are actively and aggressively wooing industrial

MAGNETIC MAHARASHTRA - CONVERGENCE 2018 houses than it was done earlier. The state, especially Mumbai & Pune, is already a leader in the MSME sector. Is the government planning an MSME and ancillary units push in other pockets like Nagpur, Aurangabad etc? As I told you, our Cabinet has approved 7 new industrial policies. While these are for different sectors, almost in all of them we have announced many incentives to MSMEs. We have reserved land for MSMEs. Then there is capital subsidy, interest subsidy, concessional power tariff and concessional stamp duty. We will also support MSMEs to get listed in the SME Platforms of BSE and NSE. This kind of 360 degree support to MSMEs is unprecedented, anywhere in India. In recent years, there have been active efforts by other states, especially Gujarat to wean away a sizeable chunk of the financial services business in Mumbai to newly planned mega cities with attractive real estate prices and tax cuts. Does Maharashtra view this as a threat, and what are your special initiatives to retain your leadership in financial services business? Yes, building the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Mumbai was our dream project. But the Central Government favoured Gujarat. We still know we are the natural leader to host this, as almost all banks and all the big corporations are either headquartered in Mumbai or have large operations here. So what we have decided is we will build the IFSC at BKC Mumbai on our own and openly compete with them, leveraging all of Mumbai’s strengths in the financial services business. With the new fintech policy in place, Maharashtra has become even more attractive for financial services and fintech companies. Despite accounting for around 28% of country's IT exports, Maharashtra's public image in the global IT map lags behind such competitors like

Bangalore and Hyderabad. Do you think the IT achievements in Pune need to be marketed much better before a global audience? Yes, some such states were successful in attracting many IT companies. But as you said, we too have a sizeable presence in this segment. Since coming to office three years back, this government has been aware of this perception issue and has worked hard to overcome it and attract more and more IT jobs into the state. Now, the greater flow of both IT and ITES companies are into Maharashtra. Soon, we will be coming out with facts and figures to support this real claim. And there is no doubt that even in IT we will lead from the front. Going into a major investment meet, how do you counter criticism that much of the MoUs won’t be implemented ever? That has been the sorry state of affairs with many states that are making a lot of noise on investment meets. But here too, Maharashtra is a leader by a long margin. You will be surprised to know that our MoU conversion rate is a whopping 74% in recent years. No state can match this. Even from the Make in India meet at Mumbai, we could convert 5 lakh crore worth of projects from the total 8 lakhs we signed. Again no state came any close. I was once surprised to visit the Gujarat Government’s website and see an investment meet MoU – signed between the Government and it’s own Women & Child Welfare Department to set up Anganawadis. If

such tricks are resorted to, we can present the whole Maharashtra Budget as MoUs and no one will beat us. But we sign MoUs with real industrial houses for real projects. If you have watched, you would have observed something about Mumbai. Almost every week, we have a visiting CM or top level delegation from a state, in our Mumbai? Know what they are here for? To woo the industry captains! Because, they are all here already! Will any CM go to Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, or Chennai this frequently? Not at all. I will tell you one more incident. Some time back I met a CM from a prominent state, and they were doing well on the investments front. So I asked him what they were doing to attract investors. He kept silent for a while, and then told me, “I often send my officials to Mumbai to study your policy, and based on that we do our own policy and show the investors!” So this kind of a pioneering lead Maharashtra has always had, and the Magnetic Maharashtra Global Investors Summit will once again increase our lead further.

TECH

Jio Fiber May Come With 100Mbps FTTH broadband, Free for 3 months WHAT IS JIOFIBER? ALL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE 100MBPS FTTH BROADBAND, FREE 3 MONTHS' SERVICE & MORE ANSWERED. AFTER DISRUPTING THE INDIAN TELECOM INDUSTRY, RELIANCE JIO IS STEPPING INTO THE BROADBAND SECTOR WITH ITS LONG-RUMORED JIOFIBER.

the report had highlighted a one-time cost of Rs 4,500 towards the installation of compatible equipment, which will be refunded after the free trial period ends if the customer chooses to discontinue services. Those who are keen to be a part of the JioFiber preview offer must stay in touch with Reliance stores as registrations will take place there. In comparison to JioFiber's rumored tariffs, ACT's official GIGA broadband offers plans starting at Rs 5,999 per month with 1Gbps speed, FUP of 1,250GB and 1Mbps post FUP. The broadband provider also introduced sixmonth and annual plans at Rs 35,994 and Rs 71,998, respectively. The service is currently available in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Other rivals that Jio will be facing with its JioFiber rollout include Airtel and BSNL. At the prospect of Jio launching its low-cost fiber broadband in India, existing providers have started making preparations well in advance.

eliance Jio's entry in India has brought overwhelming joy to consumers. It's about to get more exciting as the telco start-up is going to launch its longrumored JioFiber high-speed optic fiber broadband service in India with an offer you'll be unable to refuse. Remember the Jio 4G rollout in late2016, when the telco offered six months of free 4G data and voice calling services and then changed the face of the entire telecom industry by challenging incumbents with aggressively priced offers on voice and data bundles? Well, it's time for a rerun. JioFiber FTTH is finally coming, with free offers, of course! Brace yourselves as the Mukesh Ambaniled telecommunications and technology start-up officially launches its high-speed broadband service in India with speeds of up to 1Gbps next month. What's more exciting is that the company will launch the JioFiber preview offer to give early customers 100GB per month at 100Mbps broadband free for 3 months, SEASONAL MAGAZINE

TelecomTalk reported. Taking cues from the success of the Jio 4G telecom service, the company might take up a similar strategy in its broadband foray. The initial free offerings should give the company a massive user base. Once the free period is over, Reliance Jio might extend the free offer (if the legal bodies do not pose roadblocks), but it is certain that the pricing of the fixed broadband service will be aggressive. If the leaked plans are anywhere close to being true, JioFiber subscribers might end up paying Rs 500 for 600GB data and Rs 2,000 for 1,000GB at 100Mbps per month. That's going to send down a massive wave of disruption in the broadband sector, which is led by incumbents like Airtel, ACT Fiber, BSNL, and MTNL. But there's no evidence that these monthly JioFiber plans are real. They seem too good to be true. But with Jio, anything is possible. According to a previous report, leaks had revealed tariffs of JioFiber broadband starting at Rs 1,500 per month. In addition to that,

Last year, Airtel started offering 1,000GB free data for its broadband customers as a part of its BigByte offer. Prior to that, Airtel offered 1,000GB data for its VFiber customers for one year free of cost. Reliance Jio's FTTH broadband rollout has been long overdue. RIL Chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani addressed the progress of JioFiber during the company's 40th annual general meeting (AGM) last July. "Creating fixed-line high-speed broadband services is the next leap forward for our country. Jio remains well on track to bring world-class optic-fiber connectivity to enterprises, small businesses, homes, and public spaces. Most of Jio's infrastructure for providing these services are already in place. This is the next big monetization opportunity for Jio. I will regularly apprise you of the progress we make in each of these areas," he said. Reliance Jio has been testing its high-speed fixed-line broadband service for a while now. JioFiber is live in select localities in about 10 cities across India, including Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Surat, and Vadodara.

STATE-IN-FOCUS

HOW KARNATAKA

SHOWS THE WAY ACROSS SECTORS

UNDER CHIEF MINISTER SIDDARAMAIAH’S RULE, KARNATAKA IS SHOWING OTHER STATES OF INDIA ON HOW TO MAINTAIN LEADERSHIP IN SECTORS LIKE IT, BT, E-COMMERCE, STARTUPS, AND PROFESSIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION EVEN WHILE MAKING MAJOR BREAKTHROUGHS IN SUNRISE SECTORS FOR THE COUNTRY LIKE AVIATION INDUSTRIES, ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT, AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT.

earning from how the early-mover advantage has worked for Bengaluru and the state in Information Technology and Biotechnology, Siddaramaiah is leaving no stone unturned in pursuing the next big wave for Karnataka. While the state already leads in a few emerging sectors like e-commerce and startups, the Congress Government is most bullish on pushing growth in the high-tech area of aviation industries. The CM has been smart enough to realize that there is huge synergy for this industry in the state, as Karnataka is second only to Delhi and Maharashtra when it comes to both aircraft movements and passenger traffic. Even Central agencies like DRDO prefers to utilize the state’s potential, and has recently commissioned its Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Chitradurga in Karnataka. The state-of-the-art facility spread over 4000 acres is the first of its kind in India and will go a long way in furthering aeronautical research. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

National leadership of Congress has made it clear that Siddaramaiah will be the face of the party in next year’s elections, and there is no doubt that this has made Opposition BJP’s task to take over the state tougher. Karnataka is also showing other states in India the way when it comes to skills development and vocational training. Within days of CM Siddaramaiah launching the acclaimed Kaushalkar web portal and app for the same, over 3.22 lakh youth have enrolled from across the state for training in specialized jobs like account executives, air conditioner specialists, delivery associates, accessory fitters, ambulance drivers, CCTV supervisors, and more. Karnataka has even formed a new Department of Skills Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood for spearheading the program. The professionalism and effectiveness of the portal and app have resulted in even BJP-ruled states like Gujarat and Rajasthan evincing interest in the app. This massive initiative in skills is not

surprising, given Siddaramaiah’s longterm ambition to provide jobs to 1.80 crore youths by 2030, as estimated by the Knowledge Commission of Karnataka. Unlike many political leaders across India, this CM has been astute enough to realize that if India has to attract manufacturing jobs it has to go miles and miles in skills development, just like how China did it. In its existing stronghold of IT, Karnataka Government is aware of the challenges especially from the new phenomenon of large-scale lay-offs in Bengaluru and Mysuru, and has decided to tackle it head-on by ministerial level discussions with the IT trade unions. With strong pre-monsoon showers bringing relief across Karnataka, and a healthy monsoon expected to break over the southern state by first week of June itself, the state’s huge farming sector is expected to perform powerfully. Unlike by many other states, Karnataka Government has rubbished Centre’s

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recent notification of cattle trade ban, asserting powerfully that it is a purely state issue. This has brought relief to farmers as cattle rearing and trade has been a pivotal part of the farming cycle in the state since centuries. However, on the flipside, the state has pulled back from controversial protests like beef-fests, in accordance with Rahul Gandhiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision, who is

expected to campaign in the state intensively for continuation of Congress rule in the state. The government is also doing everything possible to maintain its lead in professional higher education, across India. For instance, 56 private and government institutions provide medical education in the state, with it producing the most doctors, 8750 to

The Next-Gen Agri Trading Platform When it comes to tech-enabled services, Karnataka has a natural edge, and the state government too has been utilizing it impressively. The stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Unified Markets Platform (UMP) built in association with NCDEX Spot Exchange has already connected 157 of the 162 agricultural markets across 29 districts of the state. Bidding is taking place online. Nearly 300 tons of agricultural commodities valued at around Rs.57,000 crore have already been traded by farmers using UMP, and Karnataka is now attracting buyers from other states. Current bulk buyers include ITC, Reliance, Metro Cash & Carry, Godrej Agro, Pepsico India etc. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

be precise, ahead of other heavyweights like Maharashtra and Tamilnadu by a good margin. Even in the current year, the state has added 350 more MBBS seats. With such concerted efforts to emerge in sunrise sectors and maintain leadership in strongholds, there is no doubt that CM Siddaramaiah will provide a tough fight to Opposition in the 2018 polls.

Kannada Pride Close on the heels of making learning Kannada language mandatory in all schools across the state, Karnataka Government is all set to make it compulsory the singing of the State Anthem, ‘Nada Geethe’. If implemented, it will be a sentimental as well as patriotic master-stroke which puts the Sangh Parivar and BJP on the defensive in the state, as their moves to push Hindi into public life has been meeting with significant opposition in the state. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is also executing this move to promote Kannada culture deftly, without affecting the singing of the National Anthem and school anthems if any.

Winning its Cauvery Rights In Siddaramaiah’s own words, Karnataka has been fighting for our rights over Cauvery waters for over a 100 years. We prepared an appeal against the verdict of the tribunal. Though our appeal hasn’t fully been allowed, it has been fulfilled partly. I’m happy with the decision of the Supreme Court. SC has rightly said that water is a national resource and everybody has rights over drinking water especially, whether it originated in Karnataka or Goa or any other part of the state. Even after tribunal gave direction to mediate a settlement with or without a third party, the main contention is for drinking water. But Goa’s stand on this isn’t justifiable. We would hope that the PM intervenes as this is something that can’t be settled between two chief ministers. We had said this even for the Cauvery dispute.”

A German Technical Training Institute Soon after CM Siddaramaiah’s skills development portal and app won national level approval and rapid enrollments from across the state, the government has announced a new Karnataka German Technical Training Institute (KGTTI). While Mysuru will host this world-class institute that can develop 3000 industry-ready candidates, by giving land, water, and electricity, a German company will be doing the significant investments required. The stress will be on hands-on training and towards this state-of-the-art training facilities would be provided by the Germans who are noted for producing some of the world’s best technicians.

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A Pro-Poor Land Bill A few proactive state governments have come out with Land Bills in recent years to replace outdated laws, but under CM Siddaramaiah what the state has proposed - The Karnataka Land Reforms Amendment Bill (2016) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is nothing short of revolutionary. If consented by the Centre and the President, this sharply pro-poor law will give ownership rights to over two lakh people belonging to scheduled tribes and micro backward classes, to lands they have been living on without any documents even if it is private land. The BJP is definitely is in a fix over this, mulling whether it would be better to stall it, or to help the CM and share the glory.

A Pro Homebuyer Realty Law Karnataka has been one of the first state governments to implement the new state law required to implement the new Central legislation on real estate development. While there were initial hiccups in certain provisions, CM Siddaramaiah had directed to quickly address it, and the new clarifications have been widely welcomed by homebuyers and organizations supporting their interests. On the other hand, even major real estate developers, who usually comply with regulations, have expressed their view that the Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act (RERA) is quite stringent and is seen as protecting homebuyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interests more.

Taking No Chances in Power Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is taking no chances with power availability and has already bought 1000 MW. Power availability is a crucial issue in the state due to the concentration of industries, farmers, and even higher education students, which are incidentally three pillars of its economy. The state government has also been pushing for renewable energy in a big way which won the appreciation of the British Deputy High Commissioner.

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Bengaluru to Go Smart How did Bengaluru miss the bus on being selected as a ‘Smart City’ in the first two rounds? The best explanation is that it was already the smartest city in India that needed no handholding for the same. But better late than never, and the Karnataka capital has been selected for being a Smart City in the third round of selection by the Centre. What it means to Bengaluru is that it will get Rs. 2219 crore funds from both the Centre and State to implement several projects to modernize the city and bring it up as a global city. While several projects will vie for the funds, many of them on PPP basis, the bulk will go to a project to revitalize the historic heart of the city.

Finding Solutions in True Tech Style Bengaluru is famous for many things while infamous for only one – the traffic gridlock. Flipkart, one of the largest e-commerce companies in India, which is based out off Bengaluru conducted a competition for tech teams to come up with out-of-the-box ideas to solve the city’s traffic congestion forever. Believe it or not, teams participated from not only Karnataka or India, but across the world including from Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Indian startups like Ola. Titled Gridlock Hackathon, the solutions presented including those that leverage Cloud, Big Data, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence etc.

Not Resting on Metro Laurels While Karnataka had swiftly moved to implement the metro rail system in its capital, CM Siddaramaiah is not resting on the laurels of having implemented Namma Metro. He has been pushing hard for a more lengthier suburban railway system for Bengaluru and its suburbs, and owing to his persistence, the Centre has given the green signal based on the condition that Karnataka should bear 80% of the charges while Indian Railways will bear only the remaining 20%. For now Karnataka has agreed, promising to bargain later. The suburban rail will have 15 MEMU trains and will also include a MEMU maintenance facility at Banaswadi. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

HOW KARNATAKA SHOWS THEWAY ACROSS SECTORS

THERE ARE CHALLENGES IN KARNATAKA, BUT SIDDARAMAIAH HAS SOLUTIONS hief Minister of Karnataka recently gave a detailed interview that explained his take on almost every problem that BJP has been highlighting in the election-bound state. With only two major states to fall before Modi-Shah combine’s aggressive objective of ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’ to become a reality, anyone would expect Karnataka CM to be a beleaguered man now. But in this interview Siddaramaiah proves why he is not playing the defensive, but the offensive. BJP has been leaving no stone unturned in its quest to usurp the major Southern state from Congress, under the too clever leadership of Amit Shah. And in the rare case if Shah proves inadequate for the job, as it happened in Gujarat recently, Modi himself has taken it up to unseat Siddaramaiah at any cost. But so far, Siddaramaiah has not only parried all moves, but threw some equally powerful punches at BJP, sparing no one, including BS Yeddyurappa, Shah, and even Modi included. Fortune too has not forgotten the Karnataka CM. It showered on him recently by way of a favourable verdict on the Cauvery water-sharing dispute with neighbouring Tamil Nadu. It came as a huge sentimental win for the CM as he has been battling another water dispute with neighbouring BJP-ruled Goa with no solution in sight. He has countered BJP’s hard Hindutva with his own brand of soft Hindutva by visiting temples and reminding everyone of Lord Rama’s name in his own name. And he has been most effective in combatting BJP’s nationalist agenda of pushing Hindi by countering it with pride in Kannada language and culture which is something that unites all Kannadigas every time. While BJP has been trying to focus on the thousands of farmer suicides, the CM has been countering it by pointing out the worst droughts in around 100 years. The CM’s Anabaghya scheme benefitting 8 lakh families is also proving to be a headache for BJP as the public response has been very positive. BJP’s agenda of targeting some of Karnataka government’s ministers and bureaucrats with IT raids too have backfired as nothing concrete could be unearthed according to the CM, and even more importantly he has used every such opportunity to remind everyone of BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa’s record of facing a jail term for corruption. The CM has also parried Amit Shah’s strategy of pitting Lingayat leader Yeddyurappa against himself, by reacting favourably to Lingayat community’s demand for being recognized as a separate religious community and minority, apart from Hinduism, which is something BJP loathes to even consider for obvious reasons. Here is the transcript of the interview with CM Siddaramaiah: SEASONAL MAGAZINE

The Cauvery water issue perhaps has come at the right time for you in terms of elections. However, would you not concede that you are nevertheless facing a tough election because the fact is no CM has been re-elected in Karnataka since 1985. So, in a way, history is against you. (laughs) That isn’t bothering me very much. I am fully confident that because of our work and performance, the people will definitely appreciate and bless us and we will retain power 100%. You don’t think anti-incumbency is going to be a factor this time because the general trend has been that people want change every five years. Fortunately, there is no anti-incumbency in Karnataka because all our programmes have reached the intended beneficiaries. We believe in inclusive growth and development. What is the main issue in this election, accordind to you? The PM seems to suggest that corruption is the major issue. He even went to the extent of personally targeting you and saying that yours is a ‘10% government’ meaning that out of all the contracts, 10% comes into your government’s pocket as commission. See, Modi has forgotten that BS Yeddyurappa is the most corrupt CM Karnataka has ever had. He was even seated beside Modi. So, these are just false allegations being made against the government. Being the PM of this country, I am sure he would have access to so many reliable sources. But if he makes such baseless allegations without any proof of document, I must say that I

have never seen any PM engage in such actions. BJP argues that whether it was the income tax raids or graft allegations against government officials, the issue is about personally targeting you over corruption and lack of governance in the state. MS: The raids by income tax officials were politically motivated although guilt has not been proved in any case till now. I challenge them to show any proof of allegation by our government. How can they have any moral right to make such statements after projecting the tainted Yeddyurappa as their CM candidate? He has even faced jail term over graft charges. In that case, is Hindutva the main poll issue? Because whether it was the controversy over celebrating Tipu Jayanthi or the programmes you’ve organized for minorities, you are being accused today of minority appeasement.. See, they have been playing the Hindutva card in every election. In the coastal areas and southern regions, we have won 7 out of 8 seats in the last

CM on Corruption “Modi has forgotten that BS Yeddyurappa is the most corrupt CM Karnataka has ever had. He was even seated beside Modi. If Modi makes such baseless allegations against us without any proof of document, I must say that I have never seen any PM engage in such actions. The raids by income tax officials were politically motivated although guilt has not been proved in any case till now. I challenge them to show any proof of allegation by our government. How can they have any moral right to make such statements after projecting the tainted Yeddyurappa as their CM candidate? He has even faced jail term over graft charges.”

CM on Communalism “BJP has been playing the Hindutva card in every election. I am only sharing that I am also a Hindu and that in my name also ‘Lord Rama’ is there. But the difference between them and myself is that I practice Hindutva with humanity. I maintain that I am a practising Hindu who is tolerant of other religions unlike them. I love all religions. I love Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism and I treat all of them equally. I respect human values above anything as a devout Hindu.” election. We are hopeful that this would be repeated this year also. Hindutva is not an issue in Karnataka. But you have constantly talked about how the BJP and RSS practice Hindutva without humanity. You have claimed that people like the RSS and Bajrang Dal are terrorists or extremists and that you have ‘Ram’ in your name. It almost seems like you have been provoking them on the issue of religion. And after you made those statements, there were rumours that you were summoned by Rahul Gandhi to Delhi and ever since, you have chosen to not speak further on this. No, I haven’t provoked them at all. I am only sharing that I am also a Hindu and that in my name also ‘Lord Rama’ is there. But the difference between them and myself is that I practice Hindutva with humanity. Also, Rahul Gandhi didn’t summon or advice me on this matter therefore I completely stand by my statement. However, I don’t say that they are terrorists. I maintain that I am a practising Hindu who is tolerant of other religions unlike them. I love all religions. I love Islam, Christianity, Sikhism,

Jainism and I treat all of them equally. I respect human values above anything as a devout Hindu. It’s interesting that you say this because some have argued that you are playing politics by dividing the Hindu votes. For example, you have pushed for an agenda that would declare the Lingayat community as a religious minority. And we all know that the Lingayat votes have historically gone to the BJP. Are you not trying to undercut Yeddyurappa by granting Lingayats this opportunity? MS: I have and never will practice divisive politics. I believe in unity of all castes. But this agenda isn’t an initiative of this government, it is their demand. There are some factions who have given me petitions and I have referred all of them to State Minorities Commission. Also, I am targeting only secular votes and those who believe in democracy and the constitution and not communal elements. The Gauri Lankesh murder case had a national dimension to it and your government has promised to catch the killers. But whether it is Kalburgi or SEASONAL MAGAZINE

HOW KARNATAKA SHOWS THEWAY ACROSS SECTORS Lankesh, the fact is that the killers haven’t been caught yet. Isnt this a failure of the government in that law and order will be perceived to be in tatters? As far as Gauri Lankesh murder case is concerned, it is in the advanced stage. There are some clues that we have found out and we are seriously investigating it. She was very close to me and even her father. We are committed to capturing the killers and I am confident that the state police will be able to do their job. So the need for the CBI to investigate doesn’t arise. Your critics have argued that the card of Kananada sub-nationalism has been vociferously advocated by you. You have demanded for a state flag, you have encouraged some organizations to remove posters that have Hindi on them. Somewhere you are playing the card of Karnataka pride as well. I am not doing this with the intention of making any political gain. It has been my stand all along that Kannada should get supremacy in Karnataka because it is our regional language and our mother tongue. There is no need to put Hindi in the metros of Karnataka. It has not been done in Tamil Nadu, so why here? Also, I am going to the people only with the governmental performance that we have been able to showcase. I am only responding to whatever statements are being made against Karnataka’s culture and tradition. I am not attempting to win over support over these emotional issues. One of the major issues with the developmental agenda is that close to

2500 farmers have committed suicide in the last five years. Doesn’t that impact your image as a pro-farmer leader? I won’t dispute any of that. However, I must add that our state has faced two extremely bad droughts. We didn’t face this kind of droughts in the last hundred years. Also, this isn’t to mean that Karnataka is the only state where this is happening rampantly. The BJP has argued that a mix of farmer anger and urban anger will turn against you this time.. What have they done for the farmers when they were in power? What has Modiji done for farmers in three and a half years? How can they claim that farmers are with them? We have introduced so many schemes for them. One of the charges against your government is that you have reached out to many through your laudable schemes like the Indira canteen scheme for the poor as well as for rural Karnataka, but have seemed to neglected the urban, middle-class in cities like Bangalore. Potholes are a regular sight on Karnataka roads, 5 commuter deaths already, lakes being polluted. There is a perception that you are destroying Bangalore’s brand image because your obsession is with how to get votes in Karnataka. Cities like Hyderabad are catching up with you and even bettering you on some counts. Is there any merit in this? It’s not true that I brought Bangalore to this level. The area in Bangalore has been expanded since 2006. Earlier, it was 220 sq kms and now it is 800 sq

CM on Kannada Pride

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kms. The population has grown exponentially. Almost 1 crore people reside in Bangalore today. Also, we are not losing out to any other city in IT terms or infrastructure terms. We are exporting 38% of the total services in the country. After the government came to power, the government has been improving the infrastructural situation. I won’t say that all the problems have been solved. But we are ready for any challenge that comes our way. Our budget has been welcomed in all quarters. Is it true that you are relying heavily on rural backward class, dalit votes? See, we have introduced the ‘Anabhagya’ scheme wherein one crore and 8 lakh BPL families have benefited. This covers all sections of society. We are giving milk to all children irrespective of their caste, religion, economic background etc. However, I am always for the socially marginalized sections of society and the ones who have been deprived of social justice so far. There are increasing allegations about the way in which police personnel and officials have been transferred, the deputy SP of Chikmagalur committed suicide when he was accused of kidnap and his family said that senior police officials were targeting him. And in BJP’s words ‘Karnataka is hell for bureaucrats’.. These are politically motivated allegations. There are no complaints from the bureacrats. Also, what are the incidents they are quoting? Based on what evidence? Elections are fast approaching so they are making these

“It has been my stand all along that Kannada should get supremacy in Karnataka because it is our regional language and our mother tongue. There is no need to put Hindi in the metros of Karnataka. It has not been done in Tamil Nadu, so why here? I am only responding to whatever statements are being made against Karnataka’s culture and tradition.”

CM on Farmer Suicides “I won’t dispute any of that. However, I must add that our state has faced two extremely bad droughts. We didn’t face this kind of droughts in the last hundred years. Also, this isn’t to mean that Karnataka is the only state where this is happening rampantly. What has BJP done for the farmers when they were in power? What has Modiji done for farmers in three and a half years? How can they claim that farmers are with them? We have introduced so many schemes for them.”

charges. These are baseless and irresponsible statements to make. Somewhere, there is also a sense that in this election, the state could witness a hung assembly and this has happened in the past also. In that scenario, will you reach out to Deve Gowda to keep BJP and Modi out of power? According to reports that I am getting, there is no chance for a hung assembly. That situation doesn’t arise at all so the question of going to another political party doesn’t become even a matter of consideration. Congress party will come back on its own and form the government. Also, Deve Gowda’s family isn’t committed to any ideology. Even if there is a hung assembly, one can’t predict which party he will choose to support. This election is seen as a trailer to what could happen in 2019. This has become a big challenge particularly for the Congress. There are only two large

CM on Anti-incumbency “Fortunately, there is no anti-incumbency in Karnataka because all our programmes have reached the intended beneficiaries. We believe in inclusive growth and development.”

states where the Congress is in power today – Karnataka and Punjab. Does that put extra pressure on you? (laughs) I have no pressure or any kind of tension. I am fully confident and not just me, all our leaders are ready to give our best. Rahul Gandhi is on a yatra and has visited one temple after another but maintains that Hindutva is not an issue. Is there some message that you and Congress are trying to send out that you are not anti-Hindu? These are only allegations and propaganda by the BJP. He is also visiting mosques and churches to show that we are committed to secularism. Going to these worship centres isn’t only secularism, it is also humanitarianism. Loving each and every citizen of the country and state is important to Congress party. You have established yourself as the Congress Party’s number one leader in Karnataka. So is this going to be a Siddaramaiah vs the rest match-up or between you and Yeddyurappa? No, I believe this is a fight between ideologies ie; secularism and communalism. BJP are communal elements and they believe in that. We believe in developmental agenda as well. But in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP did rather well in Karnataka.. Not at all. Even in Lok Sabha, we got 9 seats. Yes, they had more than us. But in the coming Lok Sabha polls, we are sure to get more seats than BJP.

What is the source of the confidence you are projecting today to me that in the upcoming election you are sure to get re-elected when history says otherwise? What has changed? I have been touring the entire state, going to each and every district. I have sensed the pulse of the people. I have been in politics over 40 years and campaigning in the state since 1984. I know the people of this state. They have already decided to vote for the Congress Party. It’s interesting you say that because many believe that Congress Part requires more leaders like you, strong regional leaders to have any chance of stopping the BJP. Have you been given full freedom or do you still have to ring up Rahul Gandhi and the high command? There are no restrictions from the high command and I have full freedom to strategize in this election. Rahul Gandhi is our AICC President and I have to obey his words. But he is confident of our work and won’t interfere. Finally, are you a superstitious man like most Karnataka CMs in the past? (laughs) (laughs) No, in fact we have brought in a legislation against superstition. We are sure to get a clear majority not just become the single largest party on the grounds of our performance and clean track record. We will come to power and there is no doubt about it. (Interview by Rajdeep Sardesai for India Today Television) SEASONAL MAGAZINE

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HOW KARNATAKA SHOWS THEWAY ACROSS SECTORS

KARNATAKA FOREST MINISTRY ACHIEVES LEADERSHIP IN

ELEPHANT CONSERVATION

Silencing a lot of harsh critics, it has been proven that Karnataka has the most number of jumbos in the country, outpacing traditional leader Assam by a huge margin. It is a major win for the Forest Ministry headed by Minister Ramanath Rai.

ith the first round of Elephant Census 2017 across several Indian states concluding, it is a jumbo success for Karnataka and especially its Forest Ministry headed by Minister Ramanath Rai. Silencing a lot of harsh critics, it has been proven that Karnataka has the most number of pachyderms in the country. With the highest number of 6,049 elephants, the state leaves Assam as a distant runner-up with only 5,719 elephants. Traditionally, Assam has been a leading state from which most of the Indian elephants are caught for taming. Karnataka Forest Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s win in this regard is in fact a second confirmation that its conservation of forests and its wildlife have been producing grassroots level results. Earlier, it was proven that Karnataka hosts the highest population of tigers in the country. It is in the southern forest areas that include Nagarahole, Bandipur and Bhadra that the highest density of pachyderms has been spotted in Karnataka. In a break from traditional methods of counting elephants, the Elephant Census-2017 was known as 'AllIndia Synchronised Elephant Population Estimation' and was done simultaneously across the country to SEASONAL MAGAZINE

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ascertain the exact count of jumbos, using direct counting strategies instead of indirect ones like counting elephant dung. Another positive for Karnataka is that the area inhabited by the elephant population is considerably expanding across all divisions. Also, all the forest divisions in Karnataka show the presence of elephants. Jumbos are found in all 33 forest divisions across the state. The results show an overall density of 0.67 elephants per square km over 8,976 sq km, suggesting a total estimated 6,049 elephants in Karnataka. The Nagarahole Tiger Reserve has the highest density with 1.54 elephants per sq km followed by the Bandipur Tiger Reserve with 1.13 elephants and Bhadra Tiger Reserve with 1.12 jumbo per sq km. Similarly, the Bannerghatta National Park on the outskirts of Bengaluru too suggested a salubrious density of 0.63 elephant per sq km of area. Now, Elephant Census 2017 across India would attempt confirmation for

Ramanath Rai, Minister of Forest

the results through indirect methods like dung spotting, and direct methods like GIS mapping of the jumbos, and an ambitious effort to photograph all the elephants. Even after such confirmatory reports it is highly unlikely that Karnataka would lose its status as the Elephant Capital of India as the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forest department which was under fire due to forest fires (due to drought) and wildlife deaths, have been working hard to achieve conservation success across all key species.

KARNATAKA EDUCATION MINISTRY MULLS

E-BOOK READERS TO REPLACE SCHOOL TEXT BOOKS

MINISTER FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION TANVEER SAIT, WHO IS SPEARHEADING THE REVOLUTIONARY INITIATIVE HAS BEEN INSPIRED AFTER A FEW COLLEGES IN THE STATE HAVE TURNED TO USING E-BOOK READERS INSTEAD OF TEXT BOOKS.

entral and State Governments across India have been facing severe criticism on the weight children have to carry to school. Now, private higher education pioneer, Karnataka, is trying to take a leaf out of the private colleges. The Karnataka government is considering replacing text books with e-book readers like the Amazon Kindle. Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Tanveer Sait, who is spearheading

the revolutionary initiative has been inspired after a few colleges in the state have turned to using e-book readers instead of text books. The move for a digital alternative comes after Karnataka Government’s move to divide textbooks into two parts, the has only met with partial success in reducing weight of school bags. Karnataka Education Department has already made available all the school textbooks in a digital format on government website. Minister Tanveer Sait feels that this would make conversion to e-book readers

easier. The Ministry is now working out the budget as there are over 1 crore school going students in the state. With the cheapest Kindle costing around Rs.6000 crore, this can make the project quite taxing on the government’s revenue side. But Minister Sait is trying to solve the issue in a two-pronged manner. Removing private schools from such a program and allowing them to opt and fund for such a program themselves is the first step. This will bring the number of eligible students to 60 lakhs, which is the student strength in government schools. Secondly, Minister’s plan is to fund the cost from the savings possible from totally avoiding text-book printing. There are other avenues to reduce the cost, one of which is using cheaper tabs with a dedicated reader app. However, the plan is not without its challenges. It will take time before the students and teachers get used to it. Then there will be issues such that who will pay for the service for the device, if damaged, or what if there is no electricity to charge the device. While many schools in Karnataka are still in want of basic necessities, implementing e-readers instead of text-books can be a promising step that would further cement the leadership of Karnataka in the education sector. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

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HOW KARNATAKA SHOWS THEWAY ACROSS SECTORS

KARNATAKA FOOD & CIVIL SUPPLIES MINISTRY ACHIEVE

BREAKTHROUGH FOR POOR WITH INDIRA CANTEENS

UNDER CHIEF MINISTER SIDDARAMAIAH’S VISIONARY LEADERSHIP, THE FOOD & CIVIL SUPPLIES MINISTRY HEADED BY MINISTER UT KHADEER HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE A BREAKTHROUGH FOR THE POOR AND LOWER MIDDLE-CLASS BY IMPLEMENTING OVER 100 LOW-COST EATERIES IN CAPITAL BENGALURU, UNDER A SCHEME THAT WILL SOON BE IMPLEMENTED ACROSS ALL THE DISTRICT CENTRES IN THE STATE.

t is a known fact that whatever progressive steps Central or State Governments have been taking across India, these often result in grassroots level inflation, with the poor and the middleclass bearing the brunt. The best recent examples are the demonetisation drive and implementation of GST. But in Karnataka, under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s visionary leadership, the Food & Civil Supplies Ministry has been able to achieve a breakthrough for the poor and lower middle-class by implementing over 100 low-cost eateries in capital Bengaluru, under a scheme that will soon be implemented across all the district centres in the state. Aptly named as ‘Indira Canteens’ by Siddaramaiah to immortalize former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s most famous slogan – ‘Garibi Hathao’, the CM also got her grandson and Congress Vice President to inaugurate the canteens in Bengaluru. Targeted at the urban poor and lower middle-class in Bengaluru, the Indira Canteens offer breakfast at Rs. 5 and lunch/dinner at Rs. 10, which are around four times lower than at the cheapest urban eateries. While launching the program, Rahul Gandhi said that no person in Bengaluru should ever go SEASONAL MAGAZINE

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hungry and the canteens are a great means towards it. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that Indira Canteens was a continuation of the Congress's commitment to a hungerfree Karnataka. A five-member committee including Food & Civil Supplies Minister, UT Khadeer, was entrusted with planning and heading the program, which they did to perfection within the deadline of August 15th, the nation’s Independence Day. The ambitious project is implemented in a PPP fashion, with two caterers - Mumbai-based ChefTalk and New Delhi-based NGO Rewards, running the show, thereby bringing in private sector efficiencies. These operators run

UT Khadeer Minister For Food & Civil Supplies

huge base kitchens on a large scale in that supply food to the over 100 canteens. The government has set aside Rs 88 crore for 198 Indira Canteens (one in each ward in Bengaluru). Karnataka’s urban poor depend upon city eateries while the rural poor almost always eat from homes. CM Siddaramaiah started the Anna Bhagya scheme by giving 7 kg of rice free to over 4 crore people the very day he came to power. To its credit, the scheme is stemming mass migration from villages despite severe drought in the last three years. Also, not a single hunger related death has been reported in the State despite severe drought. Siddaramaiah also had tough words for those opposing the move as an election gimmick. He said that only those who have experienced poverty and hunger once in their lifetime would be able to appreciate such moves.

KARNATAKA INFRASTRUCTURE MINISTRY TO PIONEER

AIRPORT-TO-CITY HELICOPTER RIDES

THE STATE’S INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY HEADED BY MINISTER RV DESHPANDE IS ALL SET TO FACILITATE THE COUNTRY’S FIRST AIRPORT-TO-CITY HELICOPTER TAXI SERVICE, WHICH WOULD OFFER COMPETITIVE RATES FOR A PREMIUM SERVICE TAILORED FOR TIMEPRESSED EXECUTIVES AND EMERGENCY PATIENTS.

good deal of brainstorming and hard work have already gone into easing traffic woes in Bengaluru, but with limited success due to the high growth rate of India’s Silicon Valley. Now, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Infrastructure Development Minister RV Deshpande are pioneering a novel method – helicopter taxi – to further facilitate the ease of emergency travel between Bengaluru Airport and the city. What is more, it would be

significantly cheaper than the expectations from such a premium service. HeliTaxi is expected to be functional from the Kempegowda International Airport within three months. The helicopter taxi service will help people reach their destinations from the airport - that too at the cost of only a luxury cab service! The aerial service will ferry air passengers to and from the airport to the city faster than private cars, cabs or buses can through dense vehicular traffic, and will be available both ways. Tying up with

a private helicopter service provider Thumby Aviation Ltd, the aerial ferry will help passengers travelling between the airport and the city on demand. The project is now seeking regulatory approvals after which an integrated transfer service between the airport and the city as part of passenger-friendly initiatives will be set up. The approvals are likely to be obtained as the project has the blessings of Union Civil Aviation Minister, Jayant Sinha too. The first line to operate would be from Airport to Electronic City. Next destinations planned include Whitefield and HAL Airport. Current fares charged for an air-conditioned taxi between KIA and Electronics City range between Rs. 1500 to Rs. 2500 for a 50 kilometer ride. The travel time by road could take between 1.5 hours to 3 hours depending on traffic, while the new helicopter ride would take only 15 minutes. Infrastructure Minister RV Deshpande’s plan is to make operational many of the 90 helipads in multi-storeyed buildings across Bengaluru. The new service will be convenient for executives needing faster access to the thriving city, which is expanding and extending all-around in view of its rapid economic development.

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AUTO

DRIVING IN TIAGO, NEXON & TIGOR, TATA MOTORS BEATS HONDA IN NUMBERS

After beating Honda in terms of sales for the last 10 months, Tata Motors is now firmly in 4th place in the Indian car market, behind Maruti, Hyundai and Mahindra. Tata has sold 149,284 cars in the last 10 months, beginning from April 2017, while Honda has sold only 144,802 cars in the same period. he Tiago, Tigor, Hexa and Nexon have been Tataâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major comeback cars, contributing to at least 12,000 units per month. On the other hand, Honda is still able to have respectable numbers as the City and WR-V are still doing quite well with some support from the Amaze. Going forward, we expect Tata to get much stronger and continue the sales momentum. In 2018, Tata will launch two high performance versions of the Tiago and Tigor. Branded JTP, which stands for Jayem Tata Performance, these cars will be affordable, high performance options, but much cheaper than competition. The Tiago and Tigor JTP will be powered by a 1.2 liter turborcharged petrol engine with 108 Bhp and 150 Nm. A 5 speed manual gearbox with tweaked 5 speed gearbox ratios, stiffer suspension and stylistic changes will be offered on

Tata Motors will also launch the AMT variants of the Nexon, in both petrol and diesel engine options. The Nexon AMTs are also expected to be priced very competitively,

the cars. The Tiago JTP will start from under Rs. 6 lakhs while the Tigor JTP will start from less than Rs. 7 lakhs. Tata Motors will also launch the AMT variants of the Nexon, in both petrol and diesel engine options. The Nexon AMTs are also expected to be priced very competitively, with both cars likely to undercut the Ford EcoSport AT and the Mahindra TUV300 AMT, to be the lowest priced automatic sub-4 meter compact SUVs of India. Honda will respond with three new cars over the next one year. Of these, the all-new Amaze compact sedan is what Honda will bank on for big numbers. The other two cars â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the 7 seat CR-V SUV and the allnew 10th generation Civic sedan, are likely to contribute to less than 1,000 units per month.

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NEWS-IN-BRIEF FLIPKART LOSES APPEAL AGAINST RS110CR TAX DEMAND BY I-T PANEL

MUSLIM PARENTS GET ADOPTED HINDU SON MARRIED IN HIS CUSTOMS

Flipkart has lost the appeal against Rs 110 crore tax demand by Income Tax panel, on behalf of the tax assessed for financial year 2015-16. Flipkart has been asked to deposit about Rs 55 crore as tax and Rs 55 crore as bank guarantee by February 28. The tax has been levied by the I-T department to make e-commerce companies reclassify discounts.

Muslim parents of an adopted Hindu orphan in Dehradun have married him according to Hindu customs instead of Islamic rituals. The family, which adopted the boy when he was 12 years old, raised him as a Hindu and he said he grew up celebrating all the Hindu festivals. "My family has loved me and supported me in everything," he added.

TERRORISTS WERE IN J&K FOR 10 MONTHS, DID RECCE OF ARMY CAMP

WORLD'S FIRST DRIVERLESS TRANSPORT PODS UNVEILED IN DUBAI

The terrorists who attacked Indian Army's Sunjuwan camp on Saturday were reportedly operating in Jammu and Kashmir for the last 10 months and did the recce of the camp several times. "The terrorists were provided weapons and equipment through local overground supporters of Jaish-eMohammed in Jammu," sources said. Five soldiers were martyred and a civilian was killed in the attack.

Dubai has started testing the world's first self-driving pods that can travel individually and can also couple together to behave like a bus. The pods, designed to travel short and medium distances at 20 kmph, can be coupled in 15 seconds and detached in 5 seconds. Each pod can carry 10 riders and last for 3 hours on single charge.

INDIA'S LEAP IN EASE OF BUSINESS RANKINGS UNPRECEDENTED: PM Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that India's leap in World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Rankings from 142 to 100 is "unprecedented". He added, "We are not satisfied at this, we want to do better." He further said, "We will do whatever it takes to make it possible."

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S FACE IS CARVED INTO A MOUNTAIN IN THE US The face of United States' 16th President Abraham Lincoln is carved into Mount Rushmore, along with the faces of three other former US Presidents, namely George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt. Lincoln, who was born on February 12, 1809, led the country through its Civil War and is credited with paving the way for the abolition of slavery.

DUBAI OPENS WORLD'S TALLEST HOTEL, BREAKS OWN RECORD BY 1 M The tallest hotel in the world, the 356-metre-high Gevora Hotel, has opened in Dubai. The 75-storey structure broke the record earlier held by JW Marriott Marquis, which is also situated in Dubai, by just one metre. The Gevora Hotel has 528 rooms, four dining options, a luxury spa and a swimming pool, among other facilities.

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ALLIANCE UNIVERSITY

Modelled on the The best universities across the world including Harvard are not building new brick-and-mortar infrastructure, but tech-enabled facilities that take classroom learning to the next level. This approach has also been implemented by some Indian institutions like IIM Ahmedabad. Alliance has followed suit, and has recently upgraded itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tech-enabled classrooms to be at par with such best institutions in USA and India. Also, despite having one of the largest university libraries in this part of the world, Alliance is currently building one of the largest digital libraries in India that will give next-generation access to journals, MOOC etc. Right from its inception ten years back as a Business School, Alliance University had the requirements of the global job market in its radar. Under Dr. Angurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership, Alliance has successfully attracted renowned faculty trained in US & Europe, and also has an Advisory Council comprised of

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World’s Best global heavyweights in academics and industry from North America, EU, Singapore etc. It has also made most of its academic programs for international requirements, and this is paying rich dividends now. For a few years now, international recruiters have been placing Alliance students in global markets. Alliance University is the brainchild of Dr. Madhukar G Angur, a renowned scholar of engineering and business strategy in USA, India, and several other countries, and serves as its Founder Chancellor. Alliance University is expected to be a leading contender for some of the new government initiatives like is also expected to be a leading contender for some of the new government initiatives like ‘Institutes of Eminence’, Teacher Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE), Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship, Distinguished Investigator Award (DIA) and Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR) program.

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Dr. Madhukar G Angur has studied and taught at some of the best universities in the developed world, and is unique in that he has visited around 200 of the best universities across the globe as part of his professional career as well as personal passion in discovering the best educational practices. Moreover, Dr. Angur is not only an ace academician but has been a successful entrepreneur in both USA and India, with one of the companies he founded being part of a publicly listed corporation. When it was created almost 10 years back, the infrastructure of Alliance University was one of the best in India. But so would feel the infrastructure of any new private university in the country. The beauty of Alliance Infrastructure is that even after a decade, it still comes across as one of the finest in India. Such has been the foresight and detailed planning that have gone into creating this unique private university in Bangalore. Most of its peers are not as equipped as Alliance on this front

because the brains behind this university have unparalleled exposure in several world-class universities of United States in different capacities. Alliance University is based at Bangalore which has successively been Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Information Technology capital, Outsourcing capital, Biotechnology capital, E-Commerce capital, and Start-up capital, for definitive reasons. Much before Bangalore became all of these, it was the professional higher education capital of the country. The city boasts of the largest number of PhD holders in the country. Alliance University

being founded by the noted entrepreneur Dr. Madhukar Angur, is using this locational advantage in a strategic manner. Alliance students are also placed by some of the best e-com/ start-up companies, and the university has an incubation centre that also caters to public talent. In many universities across India, curriculum is all about academic rigor alone. While earlier this approach of focusing on the fundamentals, core, & electives, was enough to get a job, todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demanding careers call for much more. Alliance University had already risen to this emerging challenge years back, and had innovated on co-curricular and extracurricular activities in a high-impact way. The university has been overflowing with co-curricular events like seminars and conferences, fieldbased projects modelled after the best in class which are conducted in close interaction with industries, and this has ensured that Alliance looks after not only academic rigor but also creating high-impact industrial relevance for its graduates. Over the first 10 years of its existence, Alliance Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus was on the professional

Dr. Madhukar G Angur

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success of its students. But success on this front has equipped the university to focus on more holistic development of its students. It status as a primarily professional university has been a challenge in this regard. But under Dr. Angurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guidance, Alliance is now ensuring more holistic development by including more humanities courses into its professional programs, whether it is engineering, business, law, or other programs. This is ensuring that Alliance graduates are not only benefitting their companies, but their communities due to ethical behaviour and beyond. If you have high scores in your plustwo, graduation, or post-graduation, Alliance is calling you. Top scorers get even full tuition fee waivers, while high scorers get partial waivers and deferred fee payments. What is more, Alliance is also offering scholarships to top national-level performers in nonacademic fields like sports, arts etc, which is something most private universities are not offering in the country. Alliance draws its scholarship

programs from best international practices in the West, where fine students flock to the best institutions based on the superior financial aid provided. Alliance University was founded on the fact that education should be world-class. As a standalone business school, that Alliance was at one point, it looked at not only aspirational institutions in the country like the IIMs but also at some of the very leading universities in the world like Harvard, Stanford, North Western University etc. The frame of reference was that

these were truly international in content as well as facilities, and Alliance looked at them to understand what business education of the future looks like. Therefore, internationalization came as a result of this basic philosophy with which the university was founded. This philosophy was that professional education ought to prepare the graduates for the global market. Dr. Madhukar Angur has visited close to 200 universities, which has given him much insight into globalized higher education. He have also been

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faculty, guest and visiting professor at many of these places. He believes Alliance students need to have that kind of mind-set and frame of reference. Towards this, he ensured that Alliance faculty needs to come from different parts of the world. Primarily, their faculty have been educated in Europe and USA. Alliance also has an international advisory board that is truly global in its outlook. The university has got members from major universities in Singapore, Europe and USA.

almost 400 years old, and doesn’t need to boast about its infrastructure. What they have basically done in the newer side of Harvard, and similarly in IIMAhmedabad, is that they have made revolutionary technological changes in their classrooms. One is the beautiful buildings that we see from the outside, the other part is the adaptability to technology within the classroom. Dr. Angur has done this at Alliance University, for example, in their newer constructions in the campus, which is more adaptable to technology-enabled classrooms.

Despite the emerging protectionist trends the world over, particularly in the United States and Europe, Dr. Angur is a firm believer in the demographic dividends that India provides, be it in the form of a younger population, more educated youth skilled in specific areas and the reality of ageing economies of the West. The problem of ageing population can only be dealt with by embracing the skill sets brought in by the younger population. The average age of the U.S citizen is in the 40s, whereas in India it is in the 20s. There is going to be a gap of skill sets in most parts of the developed world. Despite protectionism being practised, there is always the reality of the skill gap which nations always need to fill. If a US citizen has skills equivalent to what an Indian can offer, naturally the US would prefer the former. Therefore, Indian managers and professionals need to have the necessary skill sets and more in the event of any existing skill gap, feels Dr. Angur. Number of such hiring might go down, but the quality of hiring will go up. He makes Alliance students to realize that they have to match in global competitiveness.

Alliance is now planning an additional library with exclusive digital interface. The university already has a very large, centralized library. Now they are aiming for the ability to have a seamless integration with technology and the know-how to connect with the rest of the world using this technology. Cost-effectiveness is also a huge factor driving this change. It is also important to keep in mind infrastructure in the context of quality campus life for students. Residential and extracurricular facilities also play a role in making them believe they are part of a system that enhances their quality of all-round learning. This is easily noticeable in Harvard and Stanford where there is a sense of university community and Dr. Angur wishes to make their students get that community feeling of being in a ‘home away from home’.

When it comes to educational infrastructure, Dr. Angur is inspired from world-class institutions like Harvard and IIM-Ahmedabad. Harvard University, which is

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The pedagogy at Alliance is much more than curriculum. They have curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular activities which in totality will provide holistic learning experience to their graduates. For instance, in the law programme, Alliance has got noteworthy moot court competitions. This is a cocurricular activity. Alliance has academic clubs that are co-curricular in nature which cater to enhancing knowledge in a certain domain and to prepare them for competitions in the managerial, finance, marketing fields. These have a technical interface with

theory and practice – with what Dr. Angur calls the rigor and relevance part. That interface is what is done through co-curricular activities. For instance, Alliance ensures interactions between their students and industry, and enable industry visits for their graduates so they can understand the application of theory. Alliance law students are working under accomplished lawyers, and their business students get to work with CEOs and senior executives of companies. Alliance is constantly looking for innovative ways to bridge the relevance gap. Extra-curricular activities like sports, drama etc are also encouraged with equal vigour which will help students enhance their personality. Starting from last academic year, Alliance has introduced some very significant humanities-based courses in all their programmes. The purpose of doing this is precisely to impart holistic education, with the aim that students should not only excel in their respective professional fields but also have to develop into better human beings. Students need to understand that their actions impact not only the company, but the people or community around them. Alliance is taking this aspect very seriously and has done it much more effectively from last academic year. Alliance University goes out of its way to ensure that they are in a position to attract the best talent and give scholarships to the deserving ones. The focus isn’t on increasing the number of scholarships but to identify the most meritorious students and help them in whatever way. Highly meritorious students get a free waiver, meaning they don’t have to pay any tuition. Alliance also identifies highly accomplished students in various other fields – national-level players in various sports etc – who also receive significant aid. Alliance University already has around 50 international collaborations. Now its focus is on strengthening the

existing relationships and manage them well and build on shared values, so that Alliance students are benefitted. Alliance University has been running an incubation centre for almost 9 years now. Now Alliance is introducing different ways by which their services can be utilized more fully, not only by students but also the general public, so that startup companies can become members of the incubation centre, and Alliance is able to provide them with the required skill sets. India’s education system continues to face problems pertaining to the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), which despite steadily increasing, is still far below the world average. This ratio is only about 20% in India, that is only 1/5th of those in the age group of between 18-24 are in college. The rest of the 80% who aren’t enrolled in any college, also need to improve their skill set if they are to get proper jobs. Keeping this in mind, Alliance has created a Centre for Skill Development, named after Chancellor’s parents – Girija Angur &Guddappa Angur National Centre for Skill Development. Dr. Angur and his wife have invested in it and designed courses in conjunction with the National Skill Development Centre. The centre has been housed near the Central Campus itself and the infrastructure will be solely dedicated to the workings of the Centre. Institutions of higher learning worldwide have embarked on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) approach for over 10 years now. Many Indian universities are also doing this in one way or the other. Alliance University isn’t far behind and they encourage faculty to add to the plethora of courses taught on campus. These are either free courses or ones with minimal financial investment. Alliance University, in a short span of around 10 years, has developed into one of the leading universities for higher education. Now under Dr. Madhukar Angur’s visionary guidance, Alliance is always looking at what the future holds and strives every day to make a mark in higher education in India and abroad. Alliance is committed to the creation of knowledge by making their research much more useful to the society at large. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

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POLITICS

"Idea of Demonetisation came from RSS:" Rahul Gandhi The Congress President went on slamming RSS and said the idea of demonetisation came neither from RBI nor FM Arun Jaitley but RSS.

guns at RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his remarks that the 'Sangh will prepare military personnel within three days which the Army would do in 6-7 months'. Seeking an apology from the RSS chief, Rahul said that he had insulted the soldiers of the Army by making such a comment. "Mohan Bhagwat ji has insulted the sacrifices of our jawans. He should apologise for his remark," he said during his trip to poll-bound Karnataka. Rahul had earlier also said that Bhagwat should be ashamed of drawing comparisons with the Army. Speaking to the RSS cadre, Bhagwat had said that the Sangh can prepare an "army" within three days to fight for the country if such a situation arises. "This is our capability. Swayamsewak will be ready to take on the front if the country faces such a situation and Constitution permits to do so)," Bhagwat had said.

Attacking the ruling Narendra Modi government at the Centre, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are making attempts to "capture" all institutions in the country. "BJP Hindustan ke institutions ko capture karne ki koshish kar rahi hai. RSS apne logon ko har institution me daalne ki koshish kar rahi hai. Mohan Bhagwat Ji ka bayan to aapne suna hoga (BJP is trying to capture all institutions in India, RSS is trying to push its people in every institution. You must have heard what Mohan Bhagwat ji said)," he said. The Congress president went on slamming RSS and said that the idea of demonetisation neither came from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) nor Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. He claimed that SEASONAL MAGAZINE

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it was the Sangh that gave the idea of demonetisation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who then announced it on November 8, 2016. "Do you know from where the idea of notebandi came from? It was not the RBI, not Arun Jaitley, it was not an officer in the Finance Ministry. It was a particular ideologue of the RSS. The RSS presses an idea into Prime Minister's mind and PM launches that idea," the Rahul said. Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi trained

Do you know from where the idea of notebandi came from? It was not the RBI, not Arun Jaitley, it was not an officer in the Finance Ministry. It was a particular ideologue of the RSS. The RSS presses an idea into Prime Minister's mind and PM launches that idea,"

He had also said that the Sangh is neither a military nor a paramilitary organisation, but is like a "parivarik sangathan" (family organisation) where discipline is practised like the Army and where workers are always happily ready to make supreme sacrifice for their country. However, the RSS issued a clarification saying that Bhagwat's speech was being misrepresented. RSS, in the statement, said: "Bhagwat ji had said that if situation arises and the Constitution permits, Indian army would take six months to prepare the society whereas Sangh Swayamsevaks can be trained in three days, as Swayamsevaks practise discipline regularly." The statement also added that there was no comparison drawn between the Indian Army and the Sangh Swayamsevaks, but the comparison was between general society and swayamsevaks, when given the opportunity to be trained by the Indian Army.