India e-Newsletter April 2012 by ambndia

ISSUE NO. 1 ; Vol. XXX I Website: http://www.indembassysuriname.com/ April 2012

4th BRICS Summit

India successfully hosted the Fourth BRICS Summit on March 29, 2012. The broad theme of the summit was 'BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Security and Prosperity'. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh hosted  Report: Tablet sales President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, President Dimitry Medvedev of Russia, President Hu Jintao of China and President touch 4.75 lakh in 2011. Jacob Zuma of South Africa at the Summit. The BRICS Delhi Declaration capturing the essence of Leaders'  Economy & deliberations and articulating BRICS shared positions on contemporary issues of mutual interest was issued at the Investment end of the summit. Highlights of 4th BRICS Summit : 1) Global governance reforms: BRICS leaders pitch for reform of global  Doing Business with governance institutions, including the UN, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. India – Sectoral Profile – 2)Global economic recovery: BRICS leaders support closer coordination for balanced and sustained global economic Biotechnology recovery.  Feature: Tapping 3)Development Banks of BRICS countries sign two pacts for boosting intra‐BRICS trade. BRICS to set up Exchange Energy from Small Hydro Alliance, a joint initiative by related BRICS Power Projects securities exchanges. 4)Development Bank: Leaders agree to explore the  ICC Events setting up of a BRICS‐led South‐South Development Bank. It will promote mutual investment and fund  News in Hindi infrastructure projects in BRICS and developing countries.  Trade Enquiries 5) IMF quota reforms: Pitch for greater representation of developing countries and  Bharat Darshan emerging economies in the IMF by speeding up quota reforms. 6) Back a "merit‐based selection‐process" for the heads of the IMF and the World Bank, posts प्रेम का योहार – reserved customarily for a European and an American respectively. होली 7) Iran: Cautions the West against allowing the Iranian situation to escalate into conflict. Backs होली बसंत व प्रेम-प्रणव का dialogue to resolve the Iranian nuclear impasse. पवर् है तथा धमर् की अधमर् 8) Syria: Backs a Syria‐led democratic transition. BRICS voices 'deep concern' over Syria and calls for 'an immediate पर िवजय का प्रतीक है । end to all violence and violations of human rights' and backs a Syrian‐led political process. 9) Backs speedier resolution of the Arab‐Israeli conflict and the creation of an independent Palestine co‐existing with यह रं ग का, हास-पिरहास Israel. का भी पवर् है । यह वह 10) Step up joint efforts for successful conclusion of the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations. 11) Jointly help in the development and resurgence of Africa. योहार है , िजसम लोग 'क्या 12) Backs green economy and agree to closer coordination on global climate change negotiations करना है , तथा क्या नहीं 13) Adopts an all‐encompassing action plan that includes, among other things, meetings of foreign ministers on sidelines of the UN and meetings of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors on sidelines of G20 करना' के जाल से अलग meetings/other multilateral meetings. होकर वयं को वतंत्र 14) Identify new areas of cooperation that includes multilateral energy cooperation within BRICS framework, a महसूस करते ह। यह वह general academic evaluation and future long‐term strategy for BRICS; BRICS Youth Policy Dialogue; and Cooperation पवर् है , िजसम आप पूणर् प in Population related issues Source: IANS से व छं द हो, अपनी पसंद  News about India

का कायर् करते ह, चाहे यह िकसी को छे ड़ना हो या

अजनबी के साथ भी थोड़ी

शरारत करनी हो। इन सबका सव तम

प यह है

िक सभी कटुता, क्रोध व

िनरादर बुरा न मानो होली

है की ऊँची

विन म डूबकर

घुल-िमल जाता है । बुरा न

मानो होली है की करतल

विन होली की लंबी

पर परा का अिभ न अंग है ।

State Visit of Her Excellency Ms. Dilma Rousseff, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil to India

Her Excellency Ms. Dilma Rousseff, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil paid a State Visit to India from March 27‐31, 2012 at the invitation of the Prime Minister of India, His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh. The President of Brazil and the Prime Minister of India held official talks on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest. 2. During the visit, the President of Brazil met the President of India, Her Excellency Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil. After a ceremonial welcome in New Delhi, the President of Brazil visited Rajghat to pay homage to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi. The President of India hosted a Banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary. The Chairperson UPA Smt. Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of Opposition Smt. Sushma Swaraj called on the President of Brazil. The University of Delhi conferred the Degree of Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa on the President of Brazil during the visit. 3. The following bilateral instruments for cooperation were signed during the visit: i Executive Programme of Cultural Exchange 2012‐2014; ii Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation under the Brazilian programme ‘Science without Borders’ ; iii Programme of Cooperation on Science, Technology and Innovation (2012‐2014);

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Indian‐American honoured by the US government for responsible citizenship

iv Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Biotechnology; v Memorandum of Understanding on Technical Cooperation; vi MOU between INMETRO and NABCB on mutual recognition of accreditation bodies; and vii Statement of Intent for Promotion of Gender Equality and Advancement of the Rights of Women and Children.

Text of the Joint Statement by India and Brazil on the State Visit of Her Excellency Ms. Dilma Rousseff, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil to India

Union Budget 2012‐13

IBEF: New Delhi: Vivek Wadhwa, an Indian‐ American researcher and technology columnist, has been honoured by the US government for responsible citizenship. Wadhwa was conferred with the 'Outstanding American by Choice' award by US Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorka. The prestigious USCIS award recognises the achievements of naturalised US citizens through civic participation, professional achievement and responsible citizenship. Wadhwa is currently serving as a visiting scholar at Emory University, Vice President of academics and innovation at Singularity University, Fellow at Stanford University. Besides these he also holds other important position in some other universities. Before joining academics in 2005, Wadhwa had founded two software companies. Wadhwa, a naturalised citizen since 1989, holds an MBA from New York University and is the founding president of the Carolina's chapter of The InduS Entrepreneurs (TIE), a non‐profit global network intended to foster entrepreneurship.

The Union Budget for 2012‐13 has been presented by Mr Pranab Mukherjee, the Union Finance Minister, in Parliament on March 16, 2012. Here are the highlights of Union Budget 2012‐13 OVERVIEW OF THE ECONOMY  GDP is estimated to grow by 6.9 per cent in 2011‐12  Indian economy is expected to grow at 9 per cent with an outside band of +/‐ 0.25 per cent in 2011‐12  Developments in India's external trade in the first half of current year have been encouraging. Diversification in export and import market achieved INVESTMENT ENVIRONMENT  Efforts to arrive at a broadbased consensus in consultation with the State Governments in respect of decision to allow FDI in multi‐brand retail upto 51 per cent  Rajiv Gandhi Equity Saving Scheme to allow for income tax deduction of 50 per cent to new retail investors, who invest upto Rs 50,000 (US$ 995.39) directly in equities and whose annual income is below Rs 1,000,000 (US$ 19,892) to be introduced. The scheme will have a lock‐in period of 3 years  Various steps proposed to be taken for deepening the reforms in the Capital markets, including simplifying process of IPOs, allowing QFIs to access Indian Bond Market etc.  To protect the financial health of Public Sector Banks and Financial Institutions, Rs 15,888 crore (US$ 3.15 billion) proposed to be provided for capitalisation. Possibility of creating a financial holding company to raise resources to meet the capital requirements of PSU Banks under examination  A central "Know Your Customer" depository to be developed in 2012‐13 to avoid multiplicity of registration and data upkeep AGRICULTURE  Plan Outlay for Department of Agriculture and Co‐operation increased by 18 per cent  Outlay for Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) increased to Rs 9,217 crore (US$ 1.83 billion) in 2012‐13 EDUCATION  6,000 schools proposed to be set up at block level as model schools in Twelfth Plan  Rs 3,124 crore (US$ 622 million) provided for Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) representing an increase of 29 per cent over BE 2011‐12  To ensure better flow of credit to students, a Credit Guarantee Fund proposed to be set up HEALTH  Allocation for NRHM proposed to be increased from Rs 18,115 crore (US$ 3.61 billion) in 2011‐12 to Rs 20,822 crore (US$ 4.15 billion) in 2012‐13  National Urban Health Mission is being launched HOUSING SECTOR  Various proposals to address the shortage of housing for low income groups in major cities and towns including allowing ECB for low cost housing projects and setting up of a credit guarantee trust fund etc INFRASTRUCTURE AND INDUSTRY  During Twelfth Plan period, investment in infrastructure to go up to Rs 5,000,000 crore (US$ 996.02 billion) with half of this, expected from private sector  More sectors added as eligible sectors for Viability Gap Funding under the scheme "Support to PPP in infrastructure"  Government has approved guidelines for establishing joint venture companies by defence PSUs in PPP mode  First Infrastructure Debt Fund with an initial size of Rs 8,000 crore (US$ 1.59 billion) launched earlier this month NATIONAL MANUFACTURING POLICY  National Manufacturing Policy announced with the objective of raising, within a decade, the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25 per cent and creating of 100 million jobs SKILL DEVELOPMENT  Projects approved by National Skill Development Corporation expected to train 62 million persons at the end of 10 years  Rs 1,000 crore (US$ 199.02 million) allocated for National Skill Development Fund in 2012‐13 BUDGET ESTIMATES  Gross Tax Receipts estimated at Rs 1,077,612 crore (US$ 214.66 billion)  Net Tax to Centre estimated at Rs 771,071 crore (US$ 153.60 billion)  Non‐tax Revenue Receipts estimated at Rs 1,64,614 crore (US$ 32.79 billion)

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Ten‐year old Indian in UAE helps save environment IBEF: April 16, 2012 New Delhi: Abdul Muqeet, a ten‐year‐old Indian boy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is contributing towards saving the environment, spreading eco‐friendly ideas. Every day, he makes paper bags and distributes them to supermarkets, stores and malls. Abdul has received several awards for his commitment to environmental conservation. Abdul started his project when he was only eight. He was informed of the negative impact the non‐ biodegradable plastic bags have on nature. This led him to think about eco‐friendly ideas ‐‐ what he could do personally and how he could get other people to act. In the last two years, Abdul has made and distributed about 4,500 bags to supermarkets, stores and malls. Popularly known as “paper bag boy", by schoolmates, Abdul is never shy about stopping a stranger in a supermarket to deliver his message. "I tell them that recycling one tonne of paper saves 17 trees," he said. Abdul has held demonstrations in Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi Mall, Khalidiya Mall, Jimi Mall in Al Ain, Dubai Festival City and Dubai Marina Mall. "When we saw his enthusiasm, we wanted to nurture his interest. I want to tell mothers that every child can give back to the community," said Abdul’s mother Andaleeb Fatima.

Miss India Worldwide 2012 in Suriname

but for hundreds of international and thousands of Surinamese guests as well. Special guests included Bollywood stars Aftab Shivdasani and Aarti Chabria, Miss India Worldwide 2007, Fareisa Joemmanbaks (Suriname) and Miss India Worldwide 2011, Ankita Ghazan (Australia). All attended several Glamour events, such as the talent night and the Fashion Dance event, with creations of South African designer Priscilla Bhika. International guests were not only impressed by the organization and all it had accomplished, but also by the warm welcome extended by all of Suriname. The slogan: ‘Where Business Meets Beauty’, was observed throughout all aspects of the event. In addition to several glamour events, a set of three other events was held from February 19th until the 25 25th. The International Business Centre in collaboration with the Surinamese Chamber of Commerce and Industries, accommodated businesspeople from Suriname and abroad. An exquisite selection of Bollywood Blockbusters was shown during the Film Festival in TBL Cinemas. In the Courtyard by Marriott Paramaribo an expansive Indian menu was presented by top chefs from India, thanks to the Indian Embassy in Paramaribo. Even though Suriname is only a small country, as the host of the Miss India Worldwide Pageant, it shared its tremendous potential with the world and showed that it’s a country crowned with genuine diversity.

Indian Food Festival in Suriname

An Indian Food Festival was held coinciding with the Miss India Worldwise Beauty Pageant 2012. The Food Festival was held from 19th February to 26th February at Courtyard Marriot, Paramaribo and presented a pick of Indian culinary delights to the participants of the Miss India Worldwise Beauty Pageant 2012 and other guests. Vice‐President of Suriname, H.E. Mr. Robert Ameerali and his family, were among the guests. The Food festival was sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of India. The Food Festival created awareness amongst the local clientele about variety of Indian cuisine.

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

On February 25th 2012 in a luxurious Ballroom in sizzling Paramaribo Suriname, the gorgeous Alana Seebarran from Guyana was crowned the 21st Miss India Worldwide. The spectacular show concluded a week of exciting events, not only for the 35 contestants,

Ambassador Sodhi with Miss India Barbados at the India Food Festival

Tablet sales touch 4.75 lakh in 2011: CyberMedia Research

FDI inflows up 92% in January The Hindu Business Line: February 14, 2012

The Hindu Business Line: April 03, 2012

New Delhi: Low‐cost tablets are getting traction in the Indian market. According to CyberMedia Research, about 4.75 lakh units of tablets were sold in India last year. Mr Naveen Mishra, Lead Telecoms Analyst, CyberMedia Research, said, “The Indian market has become very competitive in the five quarters since fourth quarter of 2010, when the first tablet model was introduced in the country by Samsung.” “Going forward, with the launch of new, competitively priced models from vendors such as Intex and Micromax, CyberMedia Research expects bigger marketing spends to popularise the tablet form factor as well as signal brand strength by leading players,” he added. Over the past few months, number of companies have launched low‐cost tablets in the market. This includes the INTEX itab at Rs 11,900, Zync tablet at Rs 8,990 and Wishtel's tablet at Rs 4,000 According to CyberMedia Research, the competition is expected to intensify further with new vendors launching their products during 2012. “In a short span of time, the market has already seen ‘verticalised' product offerings and during 2012 this will become an even stronger trend. For now, education seems to be the vertical with highest priority of adoption and a large number of models are positioned at this segment,” Mr Mishra said. However, he cautioned that the success in adoption of tablets will largely depend on product performance and availability of relevant content as well as affordable and widespread 3G services.

New Delhi: India received $2 billion foreign direct investment in January 2012, registering a 92 per cent rise, compared to $1.04 billion a year ago. The cumulative inflows for the April 2011‐ January 2012 period stood at $26.19 billion, according to an official release. Sectors which received FDI inflows during the 10‐ month period this fiscal are: services ($4.83 billion), pharmaceuticals ($3.20 billion), telecommunication ($1.99 billion), construction ($2.23 billion), power ($1.56 billion) and metallurgical industries ($1.65 billion). Mauritius remain the top source of inflows ($8.91 billion), followed by Singapore ($4.30 billion), Japan ($2.75 billion), UK ($2.75 billion), Germany ($1.46 billion), the Netherlands ($1.16 billion) and Cyprus ($1.31 billion). FDI inflows into India totalled $19.42 billion in 2010‐11 financial year, down from $25.83 billion in 2009‐10.

India's web economy to touch Rs 11L cr by 2016: Study

Business Standard: March 20, 2012 Mumbai: The Indian internet economy is projected to touch Rs 10.8 trillion by 2016, according to a report in the The Boston Consulting Group’s Connected World Series study. Indian internet economy that contributed Rs 3.2 trillion to the overall economy in 2010 represents 4.1 per cent of the gross domestic product. The report ‘The $4.2 trillion Opportunity: The Internet Economy in G‐20’, further notes that if the internet were a sector, it would be the eighth largest in India. It is driven especially by exports of information technology services — net exports make up 59 per cent of the Indian Internet economy, while consumption is only 20 per cent. “Consumption is the principal driver of internet GDP in most countries, typically representing more than 50 per cent of the total in 2010. It will remain the largest single driver through 2016. China and India stand out for their enormous internet related exports — China in goods, India in services — which propel their internet‐economy rankings toward the top of the chart,” said Arvind Subramanian, a Mumbai‐based BCG partner. He said, “In emerging countries like India, social media is fast becoming the internet medium and mobile the access medium of choice. India’s internet economy growth rate of 23 per cent makes it the second fastest across the G‐20 countries and ahead of many other developing nations in the G‐20, which are growing at an average of 17.8 per cent. Projected growth rates elsewhere are: 24.3 per cent in Argentina, 18.3 per cent in Russia and 15.6 per cent in Mexico. In 2010, developed markets contributed 76 per cent of the G‐20's internet economy; by 2016 that will fall to 66 per cent. In 2010, the share of online retail out of the overall retail in India was only 0.9 per cent. It is projected to reach 4.5 per cent by 2016. What's more, the internet influences only an additional 0.8 per cent of total retail from connected consumers researching online and purchasing offline ('ROPO'). These numbers compare to 3.1 per cent for online sales and 4 per cent for ROPO in Brazil, 1.7 per cent and 4.8 per cent in Russia, and 5 per cent and 9.6 per cent in the US. The report also highlights how internet has become an integral part of consumers’ everyday life. When the report asked the surveyed base how much they would have to be paid to live without internet access, Indian respondents said an average of Rs 21,436 per year, or 2.8 times what they pay for access and services. When asked whether they would forgo to take showers for a year in order to keep internet access, 36 per cent of Indian online consumers said they would; 64 per cent said they would forgo chocolate; 63 per cent coffee; and 70 per cent would give up alcohol. The report further stated that the internet economy in developed markets of the G‐20 will grow at an annual rate of 8 per cent over the next five years, far outpacing just about every traditional economic sector, producing both wealth and jobs. The contribution to GDP will rise to 5.7 per cent in the EU and 5.3 per cent for the G‐20. Growth rates will be more than twice as fast — an average annual rate of 18 per cent — in developing markets, some of which are banking on digital future with big investments in broadband infrastructure. The economy by 2016 will also employ 32 million more people than it does today. In 2010, the internet economy in the UK accounted for the highest percentage of national GDP, followed by South Korea (7.3 per cent) and China (5.5 per cent). In each of these three countries, the internet economy would rank among the top six industry sectors. At 4.7 per cent, the 2010 share of US GDP contributed by the internet was about the same as the share contributed by the federal government — and ranked slightly ahead of the developed markets' average share of 4.3 per cent.

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

Export grows by 21.4% in April to February 2012 at US dollar 267.4 billion India’s exports for the months of April 2011 ‐ February 2012 have registered a growth of 21.4%, at US $ 267.4 billion. Interacting with the media persons, Shri Rahul Khullar, Commerce Secretary, informed that during the same period the imports were US $ 434.2 billion with a growth of 29.4% and a Balance of Trade stood at US $ (‐)166.8 billion, during the same period. Shri Khullar also informed that India’s exports in February 2012 were US $ 24.6 billion with 4.3 % growth and imports stood at US $ 39.8 bn with growth of 20.6% Balance of trade for the month of February 2012 stood at (‐) 15.2 billion US $. During April‐February 2012, the following sectors have done well with regard to exports‐ engineering, (US $ 54.5 billion) which registered the growth of 20.9%; petroleum & oil products, 46% (US $ 53 billion); Gems & Jewellery registered the growth of 28.8% (US $ 40.6 billion); Drugs and pharmaceuticals 11.4% (US $ 11.4 billion );leather 20.4% (US $ 4.1 billion) Cotton yarn and fabric made‐up 18.5% (US $ 6.1 billion) ; electronics, 3.5% (US $ 8 billion); Readymade garments, 19% ( US $ 12.1 billion). As regards to imports during April‐February 2012, the growth estimates on the following sectors are: POL, 41% (US $ 132.6 billion); Gold and silver 38.5% (US$ 54.5 billion); machinery, 27% (US $ 32.2 billion), electronics, 21.8% (US $ 30.1 billion), and coal 72% (US $ 15.5 billion US $). The Commerce Secretary clarified that the figures are only the rough estimates and the final figure is subject to change.

Foreign direct investment norms for Indians relaxed

Business Standard: March 29, 2012 Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on announced a slew of revisions aimed at liberalising the norms for direct investment abroad by Indian residents. These include liberalisation in regulations on qualification shares, professional services rendered and Esop (employee stock option plan) schemes. The central bank has removed the cap of one per cent on resident individuals acquiring qualification shares for holding the post of a director in a foreign company. “Accordingly, remittance shall be allowed from resident individuals for acquiring the qualification shares for holding the post of a director in a foreign company to the extent prescribed in the law of the host country where it is located,” said the RBI notification. It has also decided to grant general permission to resident individuals to acquire shares of a foreign entity in part or full consideration for professional services rendered to the foreign company or in lieu of a director’s remuneration. And, Indian resident employees or directors have been permitted to accept shares offered under an Esop scheme globally, on a uniform basis, in a foreign company irrespective of the percentage of the direct or indirect equity stake. Earlier, the facility was subject to equity holding of not less than 51 per cent. However, shares under the Esop scheme should be offered by the issuing company globally on a uniform basis and the annual return filed by the Indian company to RBI through the authorised dealer category‐ I bank, giving details of remittances and beneficiaries. RBI also announced several modifications to ease the process of direct investments abroad. “It has been decided that issuance of personal guarantee by the promoters of the Indian party as presently allowed under the general permission shall also be extended to the indirect resident individual promoters of the Indian party, with the same stipulations as in the case of personal guarantee by the direct promoters,” it said.

Exports during current fiscal will be around $300 b: Sharma

The Hindu Business Line: Mumbai: The country's exports during the current fiscal would be around $300 billion, an increase of 22 per cent from $ 245 billion achieved last year, said the Union Commerce Minister, Mr Anand Sharma, on Thursday. He was interacting with the media after reviewing the progress of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project. Mr Sharma said that growth in exports have been achieved in spite of very challenging circumstances and global contraction of demand. “The conscious strategy which we have adopted of accessing new markets have sustained our exports and would be able to withstand the increasing pressure on current and trade account,” he said. He said that exports have to be sustained by a robust manufacturing sector. Therefore projects such as DMIC and National Manufacturing Zones needs to be given a boost. Today DMIC is one of the biggest infrastructure projects on the anvil, which will impact 43 per cent of the national population. In the long run, DMIC will attract an investment of about $100 billion. Riding along with the industrial corridor would be the National Manufacturing Zones (NMZ), which would be full‐ fledged industrial townships focussed on manufacturing industries. Seven such zones are being planned along the DMIC, of which two would be in Maharashtra, Mr Sharma said. Also addressing the media, the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, said that in the first phase of the project, Dighi port industrial area in Raigad district spread over 2,500 km and Shendra Bidkin mega industrial area of 845 km in Aurangabad have been identified as NMZs. Both the regions would be developed with an investment of about Rs 8,766 crore, he said. For proper implementation of the DMIC project in the State, a joint venture between the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Corporation and the Maharashtra Government will be set up, which will have an independent team for implementing the project, Mr Chavan said. The Hindu Business Line: February 24, 2012 New Delhi: India has invited Saudi participation in upcoming investment opportunities in its petroleum upstream and downstream sector including OPaL’s Petrochemical project at Dahej and OMPL’s Petrochemical project at Mangalore. An offer was made to the Saudi side for considering equity participation in these projects as a strategic investor, said Mr R.P.N. Singh, Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas, after the bilateral meetings with Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Minister for Petroleum Affairs, Saudi Arabia. Other proposed investment opportunities such as Indian Oil Corporation’s LNG project at Ennore, Bharat Petroleum Corporation’s LNG terminal at Kochi, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation’s grass‐root refinery in Visakhapatnam and Indian Oil Corporations petrochemical plant at Paradip were also discussed. Since both Saudi Arabia and India are prominent actors in the International Energy Forum (IEF) comprising 88 countries, which is the world’s principal vehicle for the ongoing global energy dialogue, several issues related to the IEF were also discussed, he said.

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India invites Saudi Arabia to invest in oil sector

9,000 Karnataka schools take green turn

The Times of India: April 07, 2012 Bangalore: Karnataka can boast of 9,000 'environment‐ friendly schools' by the end of this financial year. They will grow their own vegetables, plant medicinal plants in their school's backyard and be high on the green awareness quotient. Being coordinated by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), state education department officials will be roped in for the project's implementation. "Last year, we were successful in making many schoolchildren environment‐ friendly. Based on that, we thought of taking up the initiative in a more organized manner this time," said KSPCB chairman A S Sadashivaiah. The body has set aside a budget of Rs 2 lakh per district to facilitate this programme across the entire state. Apart from training school teachers and bringing out literary works on air, water and soil pollution, competitions will be held on green initiatives, which will fetch awards and marks for the students, the chairman said. Facilitating another green initiative, KSPCB will encourage industries to get involved in 'Green Nurturing'.

Made in India' chopper cabin ready to take off The Hindu Business Line: March 27, 2012

Chennai: The first ‘made in India' helicopter cabin is ready to take off in the global skies. Manufactured by the Tata group in Hyderabad, the cabins have been fitted in the helicopters manufactured by the US‐based Sikorsky. “We need to just add cockpit and tail to the cabin, and the helicopter is ready to fly,” said Air Vice‐Marshal (Retd) Arvind Walia, Regional Executive, India & South Asia, Sikorsky. The company is part of United Technologies. The helicopter with cabin from India has been fitted into the S‐92 helicopter of Sikorsky. It is to be delivered in the next few days to a global customer. “I do not know who the customer is,” he said. Sikorsky operates two manufacturing facilities in Hyderabad. The Tata Advanced Systems is a helicopter cabin making venture with the Tata Group. In this, it owns 26 per cent stake. The other company is Tara Aerospace Systems, which manufactures helicopters components. Around 5,000 components manufactured by Tara are fitted into the cabins, he said. Mr Walia said that company has asked the Tatas to increase production to three cabins a month in 2013 from the present two. In India, Sikorsky has so far supplied six ‘executive transport' category helicopters to some of the commercial establishments in Mumbai. It has also supplied a helicopter to the Maharashtra Government. It is in talks with large offshore drilling companies, he said. The company has also evinced interest in co‐production of 200 helicopters along with the Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd. If selected, the next stage will be Request for Proposal, he said.

India's Onshore Wind Energy potential is 3000 GW: Study The Economic Times: A study is pegging Indian potential for wind energy at 3,000 GW. It claims that the potential for wind energy utilisation with the prevalent technologies is far in excess of earlier estimates by Center for Wind Energy Technology (CWET). The Centre estimated Indian wind energy potential at 49,000 MW and increased to 100 GW subsequently. "Scientific and research work carried out by Indian wind industry expert Jami Hossain has inspired scientists at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL) to challenge assessments of the Chennai based government agency CWET, on the potential for wind farms in India. Hossain in his paper, published in the international renewable energy journal Renewable Energy, presented his findings on the assessment for potential for windfarms using Geographical Information System Platform," read a media statement issued by World Wind Energy Association (WWEA). In the paper, Hossain assessed the potential at around 2000 GW, which has now been confirmed by the LBNL study which sees the total onshore wind potential of India between 2000 and 3000 GW. Commenting on the development, WWEA secretary general Stefan Gsanger said, ""These findings have significant policy implications for India as every unit of electricity generated from wind not only saves oil and coal but also prevent emissions of CO2 and other environmentally dangerous gases. Unfortunately India is not the only country where the wind potential has been underestimated by far." He added that recent studies and national targets from China, Denmark or Germany ‐ and now from India ‐ have demonstrated that wind could cover the whole electricity demand of these countries. "Many more countries should update their wind potential assessment, based on real data, in order not any more to underestimate the potential contribution of wind power to the national energy supply," said Gsanger. Hossain stated that they have tried to further refine and improve figures based on competing uses of land in the country but with the continued improvement in technology, the onshore potential is indeed very high compared to what was assessed earlier. "The gross under estimation by CWET has prevented the policy makers and the planning bodies in the country such as the planning commission and Central Electricity Authority (CEA) in recognising wind energy as a major and possibly mainstream source of wind energy," said Hossain.

India, one of the top clean‐energy economies The Hindu Business Line: New Delhi: India continued its ascent as a top destination for private clean energy investment, according to a research report released by The Pew Charitable Trusts, a non‐profit organisation. The country’s ‘National Solar Mission,’ with a goal to have 20 GW of solar power installed by 2020, helped drive the seven‐fold jump in solar energy investments to $4.2 billion, the report said. India received $4.6 billion and an additional 2.8 GW of capacity was installed over the course of the year. India now has 22.4 gigawatts of installed clean energy generating capacity. According to the report, India’s clean energy sector continued to flourish in 2011, with private investment increasing 54 per cent to $10.2 billion, placing the country at sixth position among the G‐20 nations. This was the second highest growth rate among the G‐20 nations. “Clean energy investment, excluding research and development, has grown by 600 per cent since 2004 on the basis of effective national policies that create market certainty,” said Ms Phyllis Cuttino, Director of Pew’s Clean Energy Program. “On a number of measures, India has been one of the top performing clean energy economies in the 21{+s}{+t} century, registering the fifth highest five‐year rate of investment growth and eighth highest in installed renewable energy capacity,” the report said. Globally, investment grew to a record $263 billion in 2011, a 6.5 per cent increase over the previous year. The US reclaimed the top spot among all G‐20 nations and attracted $48 billion. However, with $45.5 billion in private investments, China continued to be a hub of clean energy activity — leading the world in wind energy investment and deployment as well as wind and solar manufacturing. Germany received $30.6 billion, ranking third among G‐20 nations. The combination of falling prices and growing investments accelerated installation of clean energy generating capacity by a record 83.5 GW in 2011 bringing the total to 565 GW globally. This represents almost 50 per cent more than installed nuclear power capacity.

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

BIOTECHNOLOGY

With its large pool of scientific talent, world‐class information technology industry, and vibrant pharmaceutical sector, India is well positioned to emerge as a significant player in the global biotech arena. Biotechnology is perceived as a revolution throughout the world. Scientists, through Research and Development (R&D), have developed and are continuing to develop cures for diseases that have affected people for decades and even centuries. With its large population of over a billion people there is a huge market for products and services. India 's population has a very interesting demography that creates almost a perfect environment for biotech companies to shift bases here. In addition the Indian sub‐continent, which occupies only 2.4% of the total global surface area, has the most varied species of flora and fauna. Indian Advantage • Promising potential to be a global player in the arena of biotechnology • Large pool of skilled and cost competitive manpower • Well developed and integrated scientific infrastructure • Advanced chemical synthesis technologies • Manufacturing practices conforming to US and EU norms • Diverse biological resources • Globally recognized as a producer of low cost, high quality bulk drugs and formulations. Overview of Biotech Industry The Biotech Industry in India in FY 2010‐11 clocked US$ 3927.6 million, excluding life sciences education (with which the biotech industry has crossed US$ 4 billion) , growing 21.5 percent over the last year’s revenue of US$ 3233.2 million. The revenue split between exports and domestic sales has also recorded minor shifts ranging between two‐to‐five percent. The exports across segment made up 51 percent of the overall revenue contributing a total of US$ 2015.7 million. The ratio between exports and domestic sales stands at 51:49, which is a sign of a robust industry. Indian Biopharma Sector India BioPharma market comprising primarily of vaccines, therapeutic drugs, insulin, animal biologicals, stations and diagnostics, continued to grab the largest share of the total biotech industry revenue of US$ 3924.4 million in 2010‐11. The biopharma market accounted for US$ 2424.8 million , with 61.8 percent of market share in 2010‐11.It accounted for US$ 2008.7 million, taking 62 percent market share in 2009‐10. Vaccines: Vaccines sector within biopharma segment witnessed a continued growth of 12 percent during 2010‐11. With the revenue of US$ 555.4 million in 2010‐11, vaccines sector claimed the largest pie in the biopharma segment. In 2009‐10 the vaccines sector had sales of US$ 495.9 million. Diagnostics: Driven by a rise and investments in the healthcare infrastructure, diagnostics and therapeutics business had a positive impact on the diagnostic sector. The diagnostic market is estimated to be at US$ 555.2 million for 2010‐11 registering growth of 22 percent over last year’s market of US$ 455.1 million. Therapeutics: The total biologics market in India witnessed a growth of over 35 percent and stood at over US$ US$ 455.1 million for year ending 2010 as against US$ 336.8 million for the year ending 2009. For 2010, the human insulin and analogues market stood at over US$ 177.5 million and erythropoietin stood at US$ 23.4 million. Indian Bioservices Sector The bioServices sector clocked total revenues of US$ 738.4 million in 2010‐11, registering a growth of 23 percent over last year’s (2009‐10) total segment revenue of US$ 600.2 million.This constitutes about 19 percent of the total biotech industry revenue for the fiscal.

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

Looking into the future, the contract research organization (CRO) industry will continue to grow at a rate of 20‐30 percent in the next three years. The segment will also see the entry of a number of small‐sized homegrown CROs into the market looking at BA/BE studies. Also, being on the growth mode, Indian CROs will look at outbound acquisitions both big and small. Mandatory registration of all clinical trials in India has brought about the much‐needed transparency into the system and this in turn will lead to a rise in the number of global companies outsourcing clinical trials to India. Indian BioAgri Sector The BioAgri market clocked total revenue sales of US$ 564 million in 2010‐2011 as against US$ 440.3 million in 2009‐2010. This accounts for 14.4 percent of the total biotech revenues. Bt cotton has been a roaring success with 95 percent of Indian farmers adopting the technology. India today is the fourth largest country in the world under Bt cotton cultivation. The total land area under Bt cotton in 2010‐2011 was 9.5 million hectare, which is over 85 percent of the total land under cotton cultivation in the country. In the fiscal 2009‐2010, the total land acreage under Bt cotton cultivation was 8.4 million hectare. Maharashtra with about 3.142 million hectare has the highest area under Bt cotton acreage followed by Gujarat at 2.354 million hectare and Andhra Pradesh at 1.399 million hectare. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Karnataka are other important states undertaking Bt cotton cultivation. Indian BioIndustrial Sector The bioIndustrial market in India clocked US$ 142.3 million in 2010‐2011, growing at a rate of 10.9 percent for 2010‐2011, as against US$ 128.2 million in 2009‐2010. India has a marginal share in the global market for industrial enzymes, which is estimated to be at about US$ 3387.30 million.The segment is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 15 percent till 2015. Though there is a prevailing domestic demand, the segment is largely export driven. Major export markets include the US (global share of 40 per cent), Europe (global share 25 percent) China (Global share: 20 percent). Others include Rest of Asia (Global share of 15 percent). Realizing the potential of the opportunities outside India, many Indian companies are expanding their base outside the country even into difficult markets such as China. Advanced Enzymes for instance, will start its European and Chinese subsidiaries for market expansion. And this is how the company expects to achieve its US$ 227.4 million revenue‐milestone in the next five years. Indian BioInformatics Sector The bioInformatics segment, which is the smallest of industry segments constituting barely two percent of the market share in the overall industry revenue, grew by 4.9 percent in FY 2010‐11. The segment clocked US$ 55.1 million in this fiscal as compared to US$ 52.5 million in FY 2009‐10. The major players in the segment, Strand Life Sciences and Ocimum Biosolutions collectively contributed US$ 24.3 million to the overall revenue. The factors contributing to this growth include tracking of discovery activities, data analysis, and pharma research. The different sub verticals covered under it are Informatics, Omics, Lab information, Clinical Data Management and Biostatistics. Biotech Industry Exports of different sectors during FY 2009‐10 Segment

2009‐10 Exports Rs Crore (US$ Million)

2010‐11

Percentage Share (%)

Exports Rs Crore (US$ Million)

Percentage Share (%)

BioPharma

4767.7 (1081.7)

5535.4 (1255.6)

BioServices

2507 (569)

2986.3 (677.4)

BioAgri

58.1 (13.2)

74.4 (16.9)

BioIndustrial

124.1 (28.2)

150.2 (34.1)

Bioinformatics

73.9 (16.8)

106.02 (24)

Total

170.9 (38.8)

8852.3 ( 2008)

51.3

Source: Association of Biotechnology led Enterprises (Able) E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

Investment Opportunities The following thrust areas offer tremendous scope for potential investment in the Biotechnology sector  Agriculture and Plant Biotechnology  Medicinal and Aromatic plants  Animal Biotechnology  Aquaculture and Marine Biotechnology  Seri biotechnology  Stem Cell Biology  Human Genetics and Genome Analysis  Environmental Biotechnology  Microbial and Industrial Biotechnology  Healthcare  Bio‐Fuels  Bio Pesticides  Bio‐Informatics  Software Support Policy Framework National Biotechnolgy Development Strategy Biotechnology as a business segment for India has the potential of generating revenues to the tune of US$ 5 billion and creating one million jobs by 2010 through products and services. This can propel India into a significant position in the global biotech sweepstakes. Biopharmaceuticals alone have the potential to be a US$ 2 billion market opportunity largely driven by vaccines and bio‐generics.Clinical development services can generate in excess of US$ 1.5 billion whilst bioservices or outsourced research services can garner a market of US$1 billion over this time scale. The balance US$500 million is attributable to agricultural and industrial biotechnology. India has many assets in its strong pool of scientist and engineers, vast institutional network and cost effective manufacturing. There are over a hundred National Research Laboratories employing thousands of scientists. There are more than 300 college level educational and training institutes across the country offering degrees and diplomas in biotechnology, bio‐informatics and the biological sciences, producing nearly 500,000 students on an annual basis.More than 100 medical colleges add 17,000 medical practitioners per year.About 300,000 postgraduates and 1500 PhDs qualify in biosciences and engineering each year. These resources need to be effectively marshaled, championed and synergized to create a productive enterprise. India is reorganized as a mega bio‐diversity country and biotechnology offers opportunities to convert our biological resources into economic wealth and employment opportunities. Innovative products and services that draw on renewable resources bring greater efficiency into industrial processes, check environmental degradation and deliver a more bio‐based economy. Indian agriculture faces the formidable challenge of having to produce more farm commodities for our growing human and livestock population from diminishing per capita arable land and water resources. Biotechnology has the potential to overcome this challenge to ensure the livelihood security of 110 million farming families in our country. The advancement of biotech as a successful industry confronts many challenges related to research and development, creation of investment capital, technology transfer and technology absorption, patentability and intellectual property, affordability in pricing, regulatory issues and public confidence. Central to this are two key factors: affordability and accessibility to the products of biotechnology. Policies that foster a balance between sustaining innovation and facilitating technology diffusion need to be put in place. There are several social concerns that need to be addressed in order to propel the emergence of biotechnology innovation in our country such as conserving bioresources and ensuring safety of products and processes. Government and industry have to play a dual role to advance the benefits of modern biotechnology while at the same time educate and protect the interests of the public. Wide utilization of new technologies would require clear demonstration of the new added value to all stakeholders. The National Science and Technology Policy of the Government and the Vision Statement on Biotechnology issued by the Department of Biotechnology have directed notable interventions in the public and private sectors to foster life sciences and biotechnology. There has been substantial progress in terms of support for R&D, human resource generation and infrastructure development over the past decade. With the introduction of the product patent regime it is imperative to achieve higher levels of innovation in order to be globally competitive. The challenge now is to join the global biotech league. This will require larger investments and an effective functioning of the innovation pathway. Capturing new opportunities and the potential economic, environmental, health and social benefits will challenge government policy, public awareness, educational, scientific, technological, legal and institutional framework. The issue of access to the products arising from biotechnology research in both medicine and agriculture is of paramount importance. Therefore, there should be adequate support for public good research designed to reach the unreached in terms of technology empowerment. Both "public good" and "for profit" research should become mutually reinforcing. Public institutions and industry both have an important role in the process. The National Biotechnology Development Strategy takes stock of what has been accomplished and provides a framework for the future within which strategies and specific actions to promote biotechnology can be taken. The policy framework is a result of wide consultation with stakeholders‐scientists, educationists, regulators, representatives of society and others and reflects their consensus.It focuses on cross‐cutting issues such as human resource development, academic and industry interface, infrastructure development, lab and manufacturing, promotion of industry and trade, biotechnology parks and incubators, regulatory mechanisms, public education and awareness building.This policy also aims to chalk out the path of progress in sectors such as agriculture and food biotechnology, industrial biotechnology, therapeutic and medical biotechnology, regenerative and genomic medicine, diagnostic biotechnology, bio‐engineering, nano‐biotechnology, bio‐informatics and IT enabled biotechnology, clinical biotechnology, manufacturing & bio‐processing, research services, bio‐resources, environment and intellectual property & patent law. E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

This is the time for investment in frontier technologies such as biotechnology. It is envisaged that clearly thought‐out strategies will provide direction and enable action by various stakeholders to achieve the full potential of this exciting field for the social and economic well being of the nation. Full text of the policy Results Framework Document for Department of Bio‐Technology Vision The vision of the department is to create biotechnology tools and technologies that address the problems of agriculture productivity, food production, nutrition security, health care and environmental sustainability by providing new and emerging products and services at affordable prices, generate employment opportunities and make India globally competitive in the emerging bio‐economy. Mission The Department of Biotechnology aims at achieving its vision by facilitating emergence of a system that promotes excellence and sustains innovation through implementation of novel schemes/programmes and institutional mechanisms to:  ensure availability of required numbers of world class scientists and professionals relevant to R&D and technology development alongwith a well trained and skilled technical work force for industry.  establish adequate infrastructure, biotechnology incubators and clusters.  catalyze early stage innovation through investments and support services.  engage public‐private partnerships for development of products of social relevance for applications in agriculture, healthcare, environment and industry.  provide a fiscal, regulatory and legal framework that encourages risk taking by investors. Objectives  Ensure availability of adequate human resource at all levels  Engage public‐private partnerships for development of products of social relevance  Promote basic and translational research for development of products and processes of social relevance  Establish of new centres of excellence and technology platforms To view full text of the policy Click here Future Outlook Looking at the future, India will go the innovation way. The government funding in terms of providing finance, getting into PPPs, their commitment in developing this sector is encouraging and it is prepared to be a financier and steer regulations. Globalization in biotech is largely India‐centric. In the future, India will be a part of the global market and will be a part of the pie across the value chain. There will be a lot of marketing alliances where companies abroad can come and Indian companies will play the role of contract sales organizations (CSOs). It will not just be about business opportunities but capability development that will expose India to actively learn the expertise of the partner. Based on the current trends and the new progressive biotech policies, the forecast for 2015 is that the Indian biotech industry would have annual revenues in excess of US $13 billion. Useful Web Links  Official Website of Department of Biotechnology  Association of Biotechnology led Enterprises

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

Tapping Energy from Small Hydro Power Projects

Hydro power is obtained from the potential energy of water flowing from a height. The energy is converted into electricity by using a turbine coupled to a generator. The hydro power potential of a site is dependent on the discharge and head of water. These projects can be set up on rivers, canals or at dams. They are classified as Micro hydro (up to 100kW), Mini hydro (101‐2000kW i.e. 2MW) and Small hydro (above 2MW up to 25MW). SHP is economical and at the same time is compatible with use of water for other purposes like drinking, irrigation etc. It can also provide electricity in a decentralized manner. It gives the flexibility of installation and operation in a distributed mode. The power generation is environmentally friendly because it causes negligible or no submergence; minimal deforestation and hence reduced impact on flora, fauna and biodiversity. The standard indigenous technologies for the SHP are available and hence only minor adaptation to specific site conditions is required. While SHP projects on rivers involve higher costs of civil works than those on canals, the cost of equipments for canal based projects is relatively higher. SHP projects generally cost between Rs.7‐8.5 crore per MW. SHP projects generally have a pay‐back period of 5‐7 years depending upon the capacity utilization factor. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) supports SHP development throughout the country, both in government and private sectors. Apart from providing financial subsidy to new ventures, the government provides assistance for renovation and modernization (R&M) of existing stations. The subsidy is utilized by the promoter towards repayment of the term loan availed from a financial institution. However, the subsidy is released after the project performance parameters are achieved. The equipment too used is commensurate with the standards laid down by the International Electro‐technical Commission and Bureau of Indian Standards. A special incentive package has been developed for the promotion of the SHP programme in the North‐Eastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. A number of states have announced policies to attract private sector entrepreneurs to set up SHP projects. The State Electricity Regulatory Commissions are now determining tariffs for these projects. Water mills also known as gharats in the northern part of the country are traditionally used for mechanical energy. The Himalayan region alone is the house for about 100,000 water mills and are used for mechanical applications like grain grinding and oil extraction. Water mills have, generally, low conversion efficiency and hence improved water mills have been developed for mechanical applications as well as electricity generation. The scheme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for development of water mills is being operated with the help of local organizations such as Water Mills Associations, cooperative societies, registered NGOs, local bodies and state nodal agencies. Under the scheme, subsidy up to Rs.30,000 in mechanical mode and Rs.1 lakh in electrical/ electrical plus mechanical mode. The state of Uttarakhand has the distinction of already setting up over 500 such water mills in its remote and isolated areas. While about 3342 MW capacity has been installed in the small hydro power sector, 2025 water mills/micro hydel projects were also functional at the end of February, 2012. The small hydro power sector is expected to get further boost in the Twelfth Plan. (PIB Feature.) ******* Inputs from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

HydroVision India 2011 According to the report, “Hydropower Development in India,” India has an assessed hydropower potential to the tune of 84,000 MW at 60% load factor. Shockingly, only about 20% has been developed so far due to a dearth of issues surrounding environmental concerns, resettlement and rehabilitation issues, land acquisition, regulatory issues, approval procedures, and evacuation problems in addition to interstate legal issues. HydroVision India 2011, in conjunction with POWER‐GEN India & Central Asia and Renewable Energy World India, brings together the widest audience of industry professionals in the region. The 2011 exhibition will be held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India from May 5 – 7. Exhibiting at HydroVision India 2011 presents an unrivalled opportunity for companies to establish or further their business interests in one of the world’s most dynamic power markets. For details please check: http://www.hydropowerindia.com E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

Indian Cultural Centre, Paramaribo INDIAN CULTURAL CENTRE, PARAMARIBO CALENDAR FOR APRIL 2012 ‘GLIMPSES OF RAJASTHAN & WEST BENGAL’ A Folk Dance Programme with Tourist Information & Distribution of Hindi Certificates) Thursday 5th April 2012 (1900 to 2030 hrs.) Venue: Yoga Hall, ICC, Paramaribo ‘LECTURE ON ‐ SELF MANAGEMENT SKILLS’ (For all Yoga students) Wednesday 11th April 2012 (1700 to 1830 hrs.) Venue: Yoga Hall, ICC, Paramaribo ‘BAISAKHI CELEBRATION’ (Musical Cultural Evening by ICC students & local artists) Friday 13th April 2012 (1900 to 2030 hrs.) Venue: Yoga Hall, ICC, Paramaribo ‘INDIAN COOKERY CLASS’ Wednesday 18th April 2012 (1700 to 1815 hrs.) Venue: ICC, Paramaribo ‘TALK ON ARANYA KAND RAMAYANA’ Friday 20th April 2012 (1700 to 1830 hrs.) Venue: Hindi Class, ICC, Paramaribo ‘LECTURE CUM SESSION ON ‐ MENOPAUSE’ (For all Ladies Yoga students) Friday 20th April 2012 (1700 to 1830 hrs.) Venue: Yoga Hall, ICC, Paramaribo ‘HINDI WORKSHOP’ Sunday 22nd April 2012 (1000 to 1200 hrs.) Venue: Sitaram Mandir, Saramacca ‘CELEBRATION OF INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY’ Sunday 29th April 2012 (1900 to 2100 hrs.) Venue: Sana Bhudaya/Congress Hall/CCS/ICC, Paramaribo

For details contact; Indian Cultural Centre 21 Mevr. Schneiders Howardstraat, PARAMARIBO Tel: 499538, 491800 Email: indianculture@sr.net

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

YOGA WORKSHOP AT ST. LUCIA

VASANT UTSAV

Vasant Utsav was celebrated at Indian Cultural Centre on 10th February 2012. The programme started with the power‐point presentation of

ICC Yoga Teacher, Ms. Suchint Kaur Sodhi conducted seven Workshops at local Schools/Institutes at St. Lucia from 2 – 5 February 2012. The yoga sessions were held at St. Joseph’s Convent, American International Medical University, Spartan – University for Health Sciences and St. Mary’s College etc.

Vasant followed by the ‘Ganesh Vandana’ a Kathak dance presentation by ICC Kathak students. Hindi students of ICC recited the Hindi poems relating to Vasant. On this occasion ICC, Hindi teacher, Dr. S.K. Jha gave an informative short speech about its cultural, social, mythological and historical relevance. ICC, Vocal VIDEO RECORDING FOR – ‘PYARE Teacher, Mrs. Madhumita Bose presented a beautiful ghazal, which was a very old and SURINAME’ Mrs. Madhumita Bose, Vocal Teacher, ICC composed famous ghazal of Malika Pukharaj, Pakistani a patriotic Suriname Indian music song, which was ghazal singer (Lo phir basant aayi), it was recorded by local SKY TV Channels at the ICC Yoga appreciated by the audience.

MEDITATION COURSE & PATANJALI YOGA SUTRAS Meditation course was conducted by Ms. Suchint Kaur Sodhi, Yoga Teacher, ICC at Indian Cultural Centre, Paramaribo from 13 – 17 February 2012

Hall on Saturday, 11th February 2012. ICC vocal music students and teachers did the recording. The production involved audio recording and mixing of songs in a studio and then video shooting took place in Yoga Hall of ICC. The SKY TV covered all the performances. The purpose of such programme is to promote the activities of Indian Cultural Centre before all ethnic communities of Suriname. In addition, ICC also provides a stage for a multi‐ cultural integration of various ethnic cultures of Suriname while promoting the Indian Culture.

WORKSHOP FOR FACIAL MAKE‐UP

Indian Cultural Centre, Embassy of India, Paramaribo organized a special workshop / demonstration programme for women facial Make‐ Up on Wednesday 15th February 2012. Every third Wednesday of the month ICC organizes a special programme for ladies viz., cookery classes etc. The workshop was conducted by Mrs. Milly Soerohardjo, a local beautician, in which she demonstrated the facial make up for day & night, general & party/ and for special occasions. Mrs.

for the period of 5 days in morning & evening sessions. Ninety five senior students took part in this session. During this course, people were given the understanding of patanjli yoga sutras. The purpose of this programme was how one can progressively sit silent for longer time and which creates an internal discipline of body and mind. The course focused on: Patanjli yoga sutras; what is yoga? Different thought waves and how one can control thought waves? So that we can become more stable and calm.

PRIZE DISTRIBUTION FOR 2ND & 3RD POSITION OF HINDI COMPETITION

In connection with World Hindi Day 2012 celebrations, a function was organized by Indian Cultural Centre and Embassy of India, Paramaribo on 17th February 2012 at Yoga Hall, ICC to distribute certificates and prizes. The prizes for the second/third winners of various

Deepti Bhalla, wife of Director, ICC, also presented a gift as token of love to Mrs. Milly Soerohardjo for her extra ordinary support for ICC.

SURYA KANT NIRALA JAYANTI

The birth anniversary of Mahakavi Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’ was celebrated at the Yoga Hall, Indian Cultural Centre, Paramaribo. On this occasion ICC, Hindi Teacher, Dr. S.K. Jha, described

Hindi competitions were distributed by H,.E. Ambassador of India, Shri Kanwaljit Singh Sodhi. On this occasion, Hindi students presented Hindi programmes like Hindi poetry recitation, presentation of Hindi Nibandh (Essay), Hindi skit etc. The Ramayana students of ICC recited the Ramayana Chaupai, which was appreciated by the audience.

TALK ON ARANYA KAND RAMAYANA

various aspects of Nirala’s life and literature and his great contribution for Hindi language. The programme was presided over by Director, ICC Shri Sunil Bhalla. During the programme, ICC vocal music students sang Vandana ‘Veena Vadini Varade’ written by Nirala Mr. Surinder Pherai, a Sr. Vocal student and Mr. Shailendra Madarie, Tabla teacher on table also presented a semi classical Vocal Hindustani item.

A talk on Aranya Kand Ramayana was delivered by Dr. S.K. Jha, Hindi Teacher ICC on Fridays 24 February, 9 & 23 March. The programme which included recitation of Hanuman Chalisa, Chaupaiyan’s, Ram Bhajans and Dohas, short stories on moral values, etc. During the programme the topic of Ram‐Bharat Milan at Chitrakoot which is the best example of brotherhood in Indian culture was explained. Poetic pronunciations of Shlokas (mantra) were also taught to the students.

LECTURE ON HEALTH INFORMATION A lecture was conducted by ICC Yoga teacher, Ms. Suchint Kaur Sodh, on Wednesday 29th February 2012 at Yoga Hall, ICC. The purpose of this lecture was to make people aware about health organization in India, where the different kind of courses and treatments are available so that people can visit India to experience the benefits. The information about the universities, health course, naturopathy and Ayurveda centres and different Yoga course in the different place was also given.

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

HOLI CHAUTAL MILAN

Indian Cultural Centre Embassy of India, Paramaribo participated in Holi Chautal Milan, which was locally organized by Organisation Hindu Media (OHM) and Suriname Cultural Union (CUS) on 4th March 2012 at Mata Gauri, Kwattaweg. This is an annual event, where various Surinamese Chautal groups participate and Holland Chautal group play their songs as an attempt to mark the on set of Holi/Phagwa Festival. During this event, Embassy of India, Indian Cultural Centre displayed Painting Exhibition of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, and few books related to Indian Culture at ICC stall and gave information regarding the activities of Indian Cultural Centre. Twelve hundred strong audiences visited and saw different stalls during the day

PHAGWA/HOLI CELEBRATIONS Embassy of India and Indian Cultural Centre, Paramaribo celebrated Phagwa/Holi Festival at Embassy residence on Thursday 8th March, 2012 between 10.00 to 13.00 hrs. H.E. Ambassador of India, Shri KJS Sodhi and Madam Mrs. Sodhi, welcomed all the diplomats/dignitaries/guests viz. Madam Kitty Ameerali, wife of the Hon’ble Vice‐President of the Republic of Suriname, Minister of Home Affairs for Republic of Suriname, Mr. Soewarto Moestadja, Member of Parliament, President VHP, Mr. Santokhi, H.E. Mr. John Nay, Ambassador of U.S.A. and spouse, H.E. Julio S. Ferreiro, Ambassador of Cuba and spouse, Counsellor, Embassy of China, Mr. Chen Xufeng, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Margobno Martowiyono, Second Secretary, Former Ambassador to Suriname, Mr.K Nandu and Bhajnath and their spouses, Former Agriculture Minister, Mr. Raghubairsingh were among the distinguished guests who participated in the function and played Holi. ICC dance & music students also presented a cultural programme, which was appreciated by all the diplomats and Indian community. Lunch was also served to all the invitees. SKY TV covered the event and telecasted in Waakhond programme.

Scenes from Holi Celebrations

Music & Dance presentation by ICC students & local artists

BRIEFING ABOUT THE YOGA TOPICS & PRACTICES

As part of Annual Assessment Programme for Yoga students, the students attending Yoga classes since July 2010 were assigned different topics - sixteen topics each topic will be written by three students together and 55 practices will be written by each student, which they will submit by 30th April 2012.

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

HINDI KATHA KAHANI

A story telling programme (Hindi Katha Kahani) was conducted in Hindi class room, Indian Cultural Centre on Friday 16th March 2012 to promote the art of storytelling among the students. Different level of Hindi students told their stories in different ways. Special attention was given to dialogue delivery according to punctuation, emotion that is needed for expressions. Ten students told their stories. Participants were Miss. Shirani, Miss Sheragini, Miss. Krishika, Miss Krishana, Miss Prabha, Ms. Asha, Mr. Sanjeev, Mr. Tedjoe Jagdish, Mr. Suresh & Mr. Manorath.

INDIAN COOKERY CLASS (A variety of Indian Prantha)

INTERNATIONAL FOOD FAIR AT IAS

A demonstration of variety of Indian Pranthas was presented at the monthly cookery class organized at the Indian Cultural Centre. Around 40 local women attended the class and appreciated the preparation. Mrs. Manjeet Sodhi, wife of H.E. Ambassador of India, presided over the special class. Mrs Wasim Zaidi explained the recipe and method of preparation and after that, hot paranthas were served to all the invitees.

The International Food Fair was organized at International Academy of Suriname on Saturday 24thMarch 2012. On this occasion Indian Cultural Centre, Embassy of India and local Indian parents of IAS school displayed one food stall to represent Indian food and culture. A few Indian books relating to Indian tourism were distributed. Main attraction of the stall was the Indian food which was distributed free of cost. The Kathak students of ICC also presented the Shiv Stuti with Kathak techniques; under the guidance of Ms. ICC, Kathak dance teacher, Namrta Rai

and percussion ICC table students also presented one item.

SPECIAL LECTURE CUM SESSION ON YOGA

ICC Yoga teacher, Ms. Suchint Kaur Sodhi conducted a special lecture‐cum‐ session on Yoga at ICC for a fitness group to make them aware of how Yoga can help in fitness. Participants showed their interest to continue in regular ICC Yoga classes.

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LECTURE ON YOGA AS THERAPY A Lecture was given on therapy aspect of Yoga by ICC Yoga teacher, Ms.

Suchint Kaur Sodhi at Yoga Hall, ICC. In the lecture, Ms Sodhi explained how Yoga practices are helpful in different ailments, like backache, hypertension, arthritis, diabetes etc. It also made them aware of kind of other precautions that will help them to prevent themselves from problems:

सरू ीनाम म होली

139 वषर् पहले भारत से सूरीनाम आए िहंद ु तानी पूवज र् अपने साथ अपने धमर्-सं कृित थे। फगवा नाम से प्रचिलत रं ग का महकता

का अनमोल खज़ाना लाये

यौहार होली आज भी सरू ीनाम म

अ यंत हषर् और उ लास से मनाया जाता है । इसका आरं भ कईं िदन पहले से चौताल िमलन के साथ हो जाता है ;

थान

थान पर गाँव गाँव म लोग एकत्र

हो कर खूब उ लास के साथ चौताल व खजड़ी पर मोर कबीर; भैया सुन लो मोर कबीर" की

होली के गीत गाते ह..... कबीर गाते ह – " सन ु लो

विन से सूरीनाम गूंज उठता है ।

स पूणर् िविध िवधान के साथ होिलका दहन िकया जाता है और द ु हडी के िदन सुबह से लेकर

शाम तक रं ग की बरसात चलती है । लोग टोिलय म शहर का चक्कर लगते ह, तो कुछ लोग शहर के बीच बीच ि थत इंिडपडस

कवेयर पर एकत्र हो िमत्र , पिरिचत व अपिरिचत के साथ

योहार का आनंद उठाते ह। होिलका की भ म का टाका लगाने की परं परा भी यहाँ आज तक कायम है । भारत-भवन की होली - फगवा (होली) के िदन भारत-भवन (भारत के राजदत ू का आवास) पर िवशेष कायर्क्रम का आयोजन िकया जाता है िजसम अ य दे श के राजनियक व

सूरीनाम के राजनेताओं के साथ साथ सामा य जनता भी शािमल रहती है । इस वषर् भारत

भवन पर सब ु ह दस बजे से सां कृितक कायर्क्रम आरं भ हुआ। महामिहम ी कंवलजीत िसंह सोढ़ी वारा सभी को होली पवर् की शभ ु कामनाओं के बाद भारतीय सां कृितक कद्र की छात्राओं ने राधा-कृ ण की मतवारी होरी दशार्ते मोहक न ृ य प्र तुत िकया; इसके

प चात होली के िविभ न गीत से सभी झम ू उठे । रं गारं ग कायर्क्रम व रं ग से सराबोर होने के प चात सभी अितिथय ने िह द ु तानी भोजन, गुिजया इ यािद पकवान का भरपूर

इस अवसर पर सूरीनाम के उप-रा ट्रपित की प नी

राजदत ू व अ य राजनियक भी उपि थत थे।

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

वाद िलया।

ीमती िकट्टी अमीराली, गह ृ मंत्री

ी सोवत मो तजा व अनेक दे श के

थानीय िह दी

कूल म प्रमाण पत्र िवतरण

जनवरी माह म आयोिजत िह दी की प्रथमा, म यमा, उ तमा व प्रवेिशका परीक्षाओं के प्रमाण पत्र सभी िहंदी अ यापक को 5 माचर् 2012 को सरू ीनाम िहंदी पिरषद म िवतिरत िकए गए थे। आजकल िविभ न पाठशालाओं

वारा अपनी अपनी

पाठशालाओं म कायर्क्रम आयोिजत कर छात्र को प्रमाण पत्र िवतिरत करने का िसलिसला जारी है । कईं िहंदी अ यापक ने

बड़े उ साह के साथ कायर्क्रम आयोिजत कर िहंदी के नाटक, किवताएं, गीत इ यािद भी प्र तुत िकए। यह सभी अ यापक

अवैतिनक ह और िनः वाथर् भाव से और बड़ी लगन के साथ इस कायर् म जट ु े हुए ह। आयोिजत प्रमाण पत्र िवतरण कायर्क्रम की कुछ झलिकयाँ।

वािनका के सर वती

कूल म तीन िह दी िशक्षक ने िमलकर

कायर्क्रम आयोिजत िकया।

वािनका म

ीमित कलपु जी के छात्र

भारतीय सां कृितक कद्र के छात्र

वािनका के

प्र तत ु ह िविभ न

द्धानंद प्रांितक मंिदर म

थान पर

ीमित तुकुन के छात्र

िजला िनकेरी म प्रमाण पत्र िवतरण पर एक किवता प्र तुित

कौमवेना की संघ िहंदी पाठशाला के छात्र

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

ह दी बचा सकती है िदल के दौरे से: शोध

खाने को ज़ायकेदार रं ग दे ने और खूबसूरती को िनखारने के िलए इ तेमाल होने

वाली ह दी अब आपके िदल की भी िहफाजत कर सकती है .

थाईलड म हुए एक अ ययन से संकेत िमले ह िक बायपास सजर्री कराने वाले दय रोिगय के िलए ह दी बहुत फायदे मंद सािबत हो सकती है और िदल के दौरे से बचा सकती है . बायपास सजर्री के दौरान रक्त प्रवाह की कमी के चलते

बढ़ जाती है .

दय की मांसपेिशय को नुकसान हो सकता है , िजससे मरीज को िदल का दौरा पड़ने की आशंका

ह दी म कई ऐसे त व पाए जाते ह जो इन खतर का मुकाबला करने म मददगार सािबत होते ह.

समाचार एजसी रॉयटसर् के अनुसार अमरीका के ही उ साहजनक शोध बताया है .

यू टन म ि थत एंडरसन कसर िरसचर् सटर के भरत अग्रवाल ने इसे बहुत

'दौरे का खतरा 65 फीसदी कम'

यह शोध थाईलड के िचयांग माई िव विव यालय म हुआ िजसम 2009 से 2011 के बीच बाइपास सजर्री कराने वाले 121 लोग ने िह सा िलया. दिु नया भर म

दय रोिगय की एक बड़ी संख्या है

इनम से आधे लोग को िदन म चार बार एक ग्राम ह दी के त व से बने कै सूल िदए गए जबिक बाकी लोग को दस ू रे कै सूल िदए गए. ये कै सूल सजर्री होने से तीन िदन पहले और सजर्री होने के पांच िदन बाद तक िदए गए.

'अमेिरकन जनरल ऑफ कािडर्योलॉजी' म छपे इस शोध के नतीज के मुतािबक ऑपरे शन के बाद अ पताल म रहने के दौरान

ह दी का कै सूल लेने वाल म िदल का दौरा पड़ने की आशंका 13 प्रितशत थी जबिक दस ू रे कै सूल लेने वाल म यह आशंका 30 प्रितशत के आसपास पाई गई.

यह शोध करने वाले टीम के प्रमुख डॉक्टर वारवारं ग वांगचेरोन का कहना है िक ह दी से बने कै सूल लेने वाल म िदल के

दौरे का खतरा 65 फीसदी कम पाया गया. हालांिक यह शोध करने ह गे.

दय रोिगय के छोटे से समूह पर िकया गया और जानकार का मानना है िक अभी और यापक शोध ( ोत - बीबीसी िहंदी)

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

TRADE ENQUIRIES

List of Commercial Inquiries Received from India, in January 2012

Name of the Company 1.

Vipal Bhavsar Prachi Exports 25 Gopinath Nagar; Jagarpur Gam Road Chandlodia – Ahmedabad 382481; Gujarat Tel: +91‐79‐65100001 Mob: +91‐9712966001 E‐mail: prachiexports0407@gmail.com Uday Talashilkar Secretary Malwani Santra Mob: +91‐9987568971 E‐mail: malwanisantra@gmail.com / malvanikokan@gmail.com Vipul Bhavsar Prachi Exports 25 Gopinath Nagar; Jagatpur Gam Road, Chandlodia; Ahmedabad‐382481; Gujarat Tel: +91‐79‐65100001 Mob: +91‐9712966001 E‐mail: prachiexports0407@gmail.com Skype: Vipul_bhavsar1202 Sumeeta Purchase Department Medichi Bio Care Tel: +91‐8690454447 E‐mail: purchase@v2group.co.in Ahmeda Pharma Ahmedabad “205”, Kirtiman Complex, Opp. Kadvapatidar Hostel, Off. C.G. Road, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad – 380 009. E‐mail: qa@elegantindia.com Aditya Chandra Agarwal Director Aditya Overseas 6, Mahendra Enclave, Wazir Pura Road (Behind Judge Compound), Agra, Mob.:+91‐983‐7777‐633 Telefax: +91‐562‐2852290 E‐mail: zariboxes@gmail.com Website : http://www.zariboxes.com Chhavi Gupta FDI Export Plot No. ‐ 37, Beant Colony, Chandigarh Road, Ludhiana ‐ Punjab Tel: +91‐161‐2680067/ 2680068/ 5097649 Telefax: +91‐161‐5097649 Mob: +91‐98556‐30370 E‐mail: marketing@fdiexport.com/ fdiexport@yahoo.com/ feedback@fdiexport.com/ technical@fdiexport.com Website: www.fdiexport.com Vidhya VKS Farms Pvt Ltd Formerly VKS Exports Pvt Ltd No.8, 34th Street, Ashok Nagar, Chennai ‐ 600 083 Tel : +91 44 23713311, 24719495 Fax : +91 44 23711331 Mobile : +91 9840990676

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

Product Gum Powder and Raw Cotton

Fresh Fruits, Sweets, Manmade Articles and supply of Manpower

Guar Gum ‐ Used in Food Industry, Pharmaceutical Industry, Cosmetic Industry, Industrial Paper Industry, Textile Industry, Oil Field Industry and Metallurgical and Mining Industry

Pharmaceutical Formulations

Pharmaceutical Formulation & Surgical Disposables

Zari Handicraft/ Jewelry Boxes/ Handicraft Boxes

Spanners & Hand‐Tools

Food products like: Table Eggs ( Fresh chicken Eggs) ‐ Arbracers Hatching Eggs ‐ Frozen Boneless Buffalo Meat ‐ Frozen Whole griller Chicken ‐ Edible Salt

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15. 16.

17.

skype : vidhyavks www.vksfarms.in Raintech International A ‐77 / 1 Industrial Area Wazirpur, New Delhi – 11 00 52 Tel: +91‐11‐27372917,42474409 Mob: +91‐9818 249 419 Skype: sanjay3384 E‐mail: export@raintechgroup.com Website: www.raintechgroup.com ORG Engitech Pvt Ltd. 503, Harekrishna Complex, Ellisbridge, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad‐380006 Telefax:+91‐79‐30004425/ 22890001 Mob: +91‐9374160151 E‐mail: pradeep@orgengitech.com Website: www.orgengitech.com Ashok Kalra New Jullundur Sports 428‐R, Model Town; Jalandhar Tel: +91‐181‐2442088 Mob: +91‐98885‐13772 E‐mail: ashokkalra_jld@dataone.in Website: www.newjullundursports.com Yogesh Dubey Vice President Rakesh Sandal Industries 25,Azad Nagar,Kanpur‐02(U.P.) Tel: +91‐512‐2563930 to 34 Fax: +91‐512‐2563935‐36 E‐mail: spiceoil@vsnl.net Website: www.rakeshin.com/ www.cyprioloil.com Mohd.Azim Khan Azra International Plot no. 50 A, Lane No. 4, Behind Geejgarh Vihar, 22‐Godown, Jaipur‐302006, Rajasthan Mob: +91‐9887700722/ 9694591640 E‐mail: azrainternationaljpr@gmail.com/ info@indianhandicraftsstore.in/ azim@indianhandicraftsstore.in Website: www.indianhandicraftsstore.in Ajay Gupta. Everest Paper Products Mfg. Co. Pvt. Ltd. 2, Prajapati Gaurav, Sector 2, Plot No: 3, Station Road, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410 210. INDIA. Tel.: +91.22.27744567 Fax: +91.22.27741123 Mobile: +91.9820736886 E‐mail: exports@everestpaper.com Website: www.paperfine.com Sagar Shaik E‐mail: sagar.grexports@gmail.com Vipul Manan Enterprises 21 Ashirvad ‐2; Prahalad Nagar Auda Garden, Ahmedabad‐380015 Tel: +91‐79‐65415478 Mob:0091‐9712966001 E‐mail: vipul@mananentp.com Rizwan Ahmed Allies Overseas E‐mail: alliesoverseas45@gmail.com Website: www.granitemanufacture.com

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

Stainless Steel Kitchenware & Stainless Steel Petware

Water Purifying Systems

Sports Goods

Natural Essential Oils, Spice Oils, Herbal Extracts, Vegetable Oils, Aromatherapy Oils & Traditional Indian Attars/ Perfumes etc.

Handicrafts, Gift Items & Accessories

School & Office Stationery Products ‐ Paperfine

Granite Fully Pressed Cotton Bales and Agricultural Products

Granite, Sandstone, Limestones, Slates, Kerb Stone, Cobble Stone, Culture Stone, etc.

18.

19.

20.

Sahil Jhalani Ciba Masala Udyog Old Industrial Area, Itarana Road, Alwar Mob: +91‐9460654343/ 9269317179 E‐mail: cibamasalaudyog@yahoo.com/ cibaspices@yahoo.com/ cibaspices@gmail.com Vishnu G. Dev, Sector No: 9/C‐54/203, Shantinagar, Mira Road (East), Thane 401107 Tel : 08976185171 Tel : +91‐99302‐05255 E‐mail expimpsyndicate@gmail.com Minhaj Ali ‐ Sr.Manager Exports Golden Tobacco Limited Mumbai Mob: +91‐9324258123 E‐mail: exports@goldentobacco.in Website: www.goldentobacco.in Sumit Sharma Sales Engineer Three Sixty Power Products Private Limited 418, Time Tower, 4th Floor, Sector – 28 MG Road, Gurgaon‐120002, Haryana Tel: +91‐124‐4280750/51/52 Fax: +91‐124‐4280753 Mob: +91‐9958789446 E‐mail: sumit.sharma@threesixty.in Website: www.threesixtypower.com

Whole and Ground Spices

Food Processing Industries as well as Lubricant Oil Industries

Cigarettes , Flavored Cigars, Cigarillos & Smoking Mixtures ( RYO)

Inverter, UPS, Batteries, Solar Charge Controller, Wind Turbines, Solar Street Light, Solar Water Heater and PV Modules

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo

Page 18

BHARAT DARSHAN – Odissa

In the eastern coast of India, is the ninth largest state, Orissa, which is now known as Odisha. It is here, on the Wheeler Island, off the coast of Orissa that India launched Agni V on Thursday. Centuries ago, Orissa was known as Kalinga. King Ashoka invaded it in the 3rd century BC, leading to the famous Battle of Kalinga, where he had a life changing experience. The state has some historic architectural sites, including the famous Sun Temple in Konark. Orissa has Asia’s largest brackish water lake, Chilika. The Hirakud dam in the state is the longest earthern dam in the world.

Embassy of India Address: Dr. Sophie Redmondstraat No. 221, Post Box No.1329, Paramaribo, Suriname Tel: (0597) 498344/531448/531449 (General) Telefax: (0597) 491106/499382 Email: ambindia@sr.net; amb.paramaribo@mea.gov.in; hoc.paramaribo@mea.gov.in Business Hours: The Embassy is open from 0800 hours till 1630 hours from Monday to Friday (except on holidays) and is closed on Saturday and Sunday. The Consular & Visa Section of the Embassy is open from 0900‐1200 hours from Monday‐Friday and is closed on Saturday and Sunday

E‐Newsletter of the Embassy of India, Paramaribo