As Pune International Centre (PIC) proudly enters its eighth year, the memory of the years gone by is still fresh in our minds. It seems like just yesterday we were setting the stepping stones for our path ahead. Today, the role of PIC as a unique think tank has made its mark not just in Pune but across the country. With this, the expectations from us have definitely increased and we are poised to fulfil them all. To help achieve this, PIC has planned a series of programmes this year which would bring forth newer ideas and thoughts that aspire to make a positive difference to the society.
We believe that our members are the soul of this organisation and their commitment towards PIC has helped us in coming up with unique programs and in achieving newer goals. We are delighted that we have succeeded in retaining the quality and diversity of our members with people from various sectors joining PIC.
As we look at the collaborations that we have had in the past few years, we feel honoured to be associated with prestigious institutions like Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), India Development Foundation (IDF), Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE), Symbiosis International University (SIU) and many more. The confidence shown by these institutions in PIC’s mission and their continued support is an integral part of PIC’s growth story.
PIC also has to its credit some unique flagship programmes which were started to make a positive impact. These include the National Conference on Social Innovation (NCSI), Pune Dialogue on National Security (PDNS) and the ‘Vichar Sphardha,’ organised with the rural students. These programmes have come a long way by spreading their wings of influence and deepening their reach. This year, PIC began a collaboration with Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (GOI) for a series of programmes. As part of this, a Round Table was held to discuss the manner in which Ministry of External Affairs could secure India’s economic interests through diplomacy. After the success of this programme we look forward to more such collaborative efforts in the time to come.
With a firm belief on research, PIC has widened its scope by establishing five verticals under its public policy research division. These verticals are namely: ‘Social Innovation (SI),’ ‘Pune Dialogue on National Security (PDNS),’ ‘Environment Energy and Climate Change (EECC),’ ‘Urbanisation’ and ‘National Innovation Ecosystem and Growth.’ These verticals will ensure that PIC continues to focus on the most pertinent and relevant issues in these sectors, hold discussions and come up with public policy research papers highlighting solutions.
As we know, policy writing remains a key focus area for PIC. This year, we saw two policy documents being published. The first one is, ‘List in India: Towards FDI 2.0’ and the second one is, ‘Innovating India 20192024: Public Policy Agenda’. The objective of ‘Innovating India 2019-2024: Public Policy Agenda’ document was to provide actionable policy ideas to policy makers and influencers. The document was circulated to all the major political parties and was released in their presence at an event in New Delhi on 26th March 2019, before the start of the 2019 manifesto writing process. We are looking forward to the release of a PIC policy paper on Gifted Children, Aftercare of Young Adult Orphans, Agriculture and Progressive
Maharashtra. Also, we look forward to organise conferences on Migration and Energy and Environment very soon.
It is extremely important to mention that the success of PIC’s programmes and research is supported by our distinguished members of Governing Council (GC). The guidance of the sub-committees which include Programme, Membership, Finance and Infrastructure and its members have made PIC’s initiatives a success. We thank all the members of the GC and the sub-committees for their continued support and participation in the governing of PIC. We also would like to welcome our new members, institutional, corporate, and individual and look forward to collaborating with them in the future.
Many of the initiatives of PIC have been made possible with the support from individuals and organizations, which share the same values and beliefs as PIC. We would like to thank our institutional and individual members for joining us in our endeavors and commend their collaborative spirit.
We also greatly appreciate the efforts of our Director and the PIC team which has been working hard to make every program and initiative a success.
For us, contributing to PIC for the past 7 years has been a very satisfying experience and it would be an honour to continue this journey for years to come. We look forward to achieving newer heights this year with all of you.
Dr. R A Mashelkar Dr. V L Kelkar President Vice PresidentPune International Centre (PIC) recently completed 7 years and the journey so far has been extremely satisfying. I am happy to bring to you PIC’s seventh annual report which would give you a glimpse of the eventful happenings of the year gone by.
The year 2018-19 was immensely fulfilling with a series of activities and programmes. We are glad to announce that PIC now has an individual membership of 397 members, institutional membership of 53 and corporate membership of 12 members respectively. We truly believe that the diverse expertise of all our members has been the strength of PIC and continues to contribute to the growth of this organisation.
This year, PIC organised 26 big programmes which included book releases, film festivals, round tables, national conferences and release of some very important policy papers. Apart from this, 11 PIC Adda lectures on various topics were organised. Many eminent personalities graced these programmes, which added more meaning and colour to the events.
PIC began the year with a workshop on ‘Climate Literacy’ graced by Dr. R A Mashelkar. Several important lectures too were held this year which enriched our knowledge base on crucial topics. Speaking of few, well known economist Dr. Junaid Ahmad spoke on ‘Prospects of Global Growth and Opportunities for South Asia,’ while psephologist and politician Shri. Yogendra Yadav shared his views on ‘Defending India’s Swadharma: 2018 and beyond.’ The highlight this year, were the two film festivals organised by PIC, namely the Sri Lankan film festival and the Israeli film festival. Both these festivals received an overwhelming response from the audience. The other distinguished guests who made their presence at PIC’s programmes were Dr. Vinay Sahasrabudhe, Dr. Pramod Kale, Dr. Sukhadeo Thorat, Dr. Madhav Gadgil, Mr. Shekhar Gupta, Prof. Sanjeev Dhurandhar, Mr Ravi Pandit, Mr Kiran Karnik, Prof. Sumit Majumdar and Dr. Mohan Agashe.
It’s a proud feeling that PIC’s flagship annual conferences namely the Pune Dialogue on National Security (PDNS) and the National Conference on Social Innovation (NCSI) have now come a long way and are gaining immense popularity. This year, NCSI received hundreds of applications from innovators from across the country. The year also saw the fourth PDNS which was based on the theme, ‘Challenges for Governance,’ with a focus on internal security.
Another feather in the cap for PIC this year was organising the roundtable discussion on ‘Securing India’s Economic Interests through Diplomacy.’ This was the inaugural event of PIC’s Foreign Policy Outreach Programme which has been supported by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India. The initiative was kicked off with this round table where the purpose was to receive industry inputs to identify areas that MEA can focus upon through its various missions and the Economic Diplomacy Division. This round table was attended by dignitaries such as Amb. Manoj Bharti, Additional Secretary (Economic Diplomacy and States), Amb. Gautam Bambawale, Indian Diplomat, Former Indian Ambassador to China, Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan. Dr. S Jaishankar, President, Global Corporate Affairs, Tata Group, Amb. Sudhir Devare, Indian Diplomat and Former Ambassador to Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia.
As you all know, PIC believes in actively engaging with you for which the social media is one of the available platform. It would be our pleasure to stay connected at all times through our Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages, as well as our official website which would bring you the latest updates on our programmes and other initiatives.
This year a lot of young talent made its presence at PIC office to do their internship. PIC welcomed students from well-known colleges in the city like Fergusson and Symbiosis and it induced some of fresh energy and perspectives in the team as well as it would have helped in their learning and growth.
I would lastly like to thank all our office bearers (President, Vice President, Hon. Secretary General and Hon. Treasurer), members of the Governing Council, Chairpersons and Conveners of all sub-committees, PIC’s Institutional and Individual Members, and my team for their dedication and effort in helping PIC reach newer heights.
I thank Falguni Gokhale, Member, PIC for designing this report. I also thank PIC staff member Ms. Kiran Pardeshi and Ms. Jui Dharwadkar for editing and helping me to put together this report.
I eagerly look forward to an eventful and impactful year ahead with your continued association.
Prashant GirbanePune has always been a city of learning, scholarship, liberal values, enlightened thinking and action, and prides itself on the presence of thought leaders from all walks of life.
What this great city missed hitherto was a meeting point for all such great minds, a place where, in an intellectually stimulating and peaceful environment, enlightened discussions and debates could be held about the future of this great city, this great nation and indeed the world. In New Delhi, for example, the India International Centre (IIC) provides such an ambience. Over almost half a century, it has played a unique cultural and intellectual role in the life of New Delhi’s citizens. Parallelly, Goa hosts the International Centre, Goa (ICG) and Bengaluru hosts the Bangalore International Centre.
Individuals with a distinguished record of public service in India and abroad conceived the idea of an international centre in Pune. The idea of setting up the Pune International Centre (PIC) received prompt and enthusiastic support.
Aware of the city’s role during India’s freedom struggle, its pioneering contribution to social reforms and liberal politics, its reputation as a crucible of educational, scientific, literary and artistic endeavours and its emergence as a centre of high end entrepreneurial activity, the founders were determined to preserve, enrich and enlarge this legacy. As time progressed, more eminent people joined them and soon the idea gathered momentum. PIC, they reckoned, would provide a platform to all and, in particular, to younger generations who wish to promote innovative, progressive thinking in all fields of public life.
PIC is registered under Societies Registration Act 1860 and the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950.
• To create a platform for open discussion and for stimulating debates by mobilizing the intellectual resources with which the city of Pune is so richly endowed.
• To promote activities and programmes with strong emphasis on involvement of youth so as to help build future leadership and to inspire a new generation to create positive social change based on the eternal human values enshrined in the UN Charter and the Indian Constitution.
• To undertake, organize and facilitate study courses, conferences, seminars, lectures in matters relating to the all round socio-economic and cultural development of the city of Pune in particular, and the nation in general.
• To undertake, facilitate and provide for the publication of newsletters, research papers and books and a journal for the exposition of emerging cultural and socio-economic patterns and values.
• To establish and maintain libraries and information services to facilitate the spread of new information and knowledge and also the study of world cultures and socio-economic conditions.
• To offer prizes and to grant scholarships in furtherance of the objectives of the Centre.
• To provide a forum for the promotion of visual, performing, design arts and also literature.
• To do or get done, all such other lawful things as are conducive or incidental to the attainment of the above aims and objectives.
Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, President
Mr. Prabhakar Karandikar, Hon. Gen. Secretary
Mr. Prashant Girbane, Hon. Director
Program Advisory Committee:
Chairperson: Prof. Amitav Mallik
Ms. Lisa Pingale
Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale
Ms. Falguni Gokhale
Prof. (Dr.) Sangeeta Kale
Ms. Isha Apte
Membership Committee:
Chairperson: Ms. Anu Aga
Mr. Amit Paranjape
Mr. Mukesh Malhotra
Dr. Narendra Jadhav
Dr. Padmini Sundaram
Mr. Prabhakar Karandikar
Dr. Vijay Kelkar, Vice President
Mr. Ravi Pandit, Hon. Treasurer
Convener: Dr. Deepak Shikarpur
Mr. Amit Paranjape
Dr. Latika Padgaonkar
Mr. Prashant Girbane
Ms. Swati Raje
Convener: Mr. Suresh Pingale
Dr. Phiroz Poonawala
Mr. Saif Dhorajiwala
Dr. S.B.Mujumdar
Dr. Vijay Bhatkar
Infrastructure Committee:
Chairperson: Mr. Arun Firodia
Mr. Ajit Nimbalkar
Mr. Satish Magar
Mr. Girish Kelkar
Finance Committee:
Chairperson: Dr. Vijay Kelkar
Dr. Abhay Firodia
Mr. Atul Kirloskar
Mr. Baba Kalyani
Dr. Naushad Forbes
Mr. Satish Mehta
Convener: Mr. Anil Supanekar
Mr. Hanumantrao Gaikwad
Mr. Pramod Chaudhari
Mr. Pratap Pawar
Convener: Mr. Arpit Agarwal
Mr. Pratap Pawar
Mr. Ravi Pandit
Mr. Mohan Bhandari
Mr. Shailesh Mehta
Mr. Ajit Nimbalkar
Mr. Anil Supanekar
Mr. Arun Firodia
Mr. Baba Kalyani
Dr. Jabbar Patel
Dr. Narendra Jadhav
Mr. P. D. Karandikar
Mr. Prashant Girbane
Dr. R. A. Mashelkar
Dr. S. B. Mujumdar
Lt. Gen. Shamsher Singh Mehta
Dr. Vijay Kelkar
Dr. Abhay Bang
Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
Mr. Babasaheb Purandare
Prof. CNR Rao, FRS
Dr. Govind Swarup, FRS
Dr. Jayant Narlikar
Prof. Amitav Mallik
Ms. Anu Aga
Air Marshal. Bhushan Gokhale
Dr. Ganesh Natarajan
Mr. Mukesh Malhotra
Dr. Naushad Forbes
Mr. Pramod Chaudhari
Mr. Pratap Pawar
Mr. Ravi Pandit
Mr. Satish Magar
Mr. Suresh Pingale
Lt. Gen. Vinayak Patankar
Dr. Ashok Ganguly
Prof. Avinash Dixit
Mr. Chandu Borde
Mr. Fareed Zakaria
Mr. Javed Akhtar
Late Ms. Kishori Amonkar
Ms. Lata Mangeshkar
Mr. Nandan Nilekani
Prof. Man Mohan Sharma, FRS
Mr. Rahul Bajaj
Mr. Sachin Tendulkar
Ms. Shabana Azmi
Ms. Suman Kirloskar
Ms. Vijaya Mehta
Alliance Franciase De Poona, Pune
Azim Premji Foundation, Bengaluru
Balaji Institute of Management Studies, Pune
Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune
Late Mr. Mangesh Padgaonkar
Prof. Madhav Gadgil
Late Mr. Mohan Dharia
Mr. Rahul Dravid
Ms. Sai Paranjpye
Late Mr. Sharadchandra Gokhale
Mr. Sunil Gavaskar
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Pune
College of Engineering, Pune (COEP), Pune
Equal Opportunity Foundation, Pune
Fergusson College, Pune
Forum of Federation, Canada
Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE), Pune
India Development Foundation (IDF), Gurgaon
India Habitat Centre (IHC), New Delhi
Indian Institute for Human Settlement (IIHS), Bengaluru
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), Gujarat
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhilai, Raipur
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Mumbai
Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IIT - Gandhinagar), Gujarat
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Goa
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, Uttarakhand
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Uttarakhand
Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata
Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai
Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune
International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bangalore
K E M Research Institute, Pune
MAEER’s MIT School of Government (MIT-SOG), Pune
Mahratta Chambers of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), Pune
Modern College (Progressive Education Society), Pune
National AIDS Research Institute (NARI), Pune
National Centre for Cell Sciences (NCCS), Pune
National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune
National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Delhi
National Innovation Foundation - India (NIF), Ahmedabad
National Institute of Bank Management (NIBM), Pune
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), New Delhi
National Insurance Academy (NIA), Pune
Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, New Delhi
Pravara Institute of Medical Science, Pune
Prayas Energy Group (PEG), Pune
Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), Pune
Science and Technology Park (STP), Pune
Shree Chanakya Education Society (Indira Group of Inst), Pune
Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women’s University, Pune
Sir Parshuram Bhau College (S P), Pune
Society of Civil Servants, Pune
Symbiosis International University (SIU), Pune
Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS), Mumbai
The Agri Horticultural Society of Western India (Empress Garden), Pune
Venture Center - Entrepreneurship Development Center, Pune
Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA), Pune
BP Exploration (Alpha) Limited, New Delhi
Cairn Energy India Pvt. Limited, Haryana
Deccan Mechanical And Chemical Industries Pvt Ltd (DEMECH), Pune
Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), Mumbai
Huawei Telecommunications (India) Co. Pvt. Ltd, Haryana
JSW Steel Limited, Mumbai
Larsen & Toubro Limited, Mumbai
National Stock Exchange of India, Mumbai
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Mumbai
Reliance Industries Limited, Mumbai
Tata Chemicals Limited, Mumbai
Tata Consultancy Services, Mumbai
Keeping in mind the core idea of making Pune carbon neutral by the year 2030, a workshop on Climate Literacy and Action for Pune was launched. This was a joint initiative by Pune International Centre (PIC) and the Centre for Environment Education (CEE). The focus of the workshop was on key contributing sectors to this mission and ways in which people engagement may be achieved, both individually and collectively.
The workshop was convened by Prof. Amitav Mallik, Trustee, PIC and Chairman of Programmes Committee while Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, President, PIC was the keynote speaker for the event.
5th June 2018
On the occasion of World Environment Day, a programme on ‘Enhancing Environmental Awareness’ was held. Two films addressing Climate Change impacts were screened. This was followed by a panel discussion on the essence of the message from the films and on how Pune citizens can participate and achieve meaningful environmental protection and climate change action.
The experts who participated in the panel discussion were Mr. Sarang Yadwadkar, architect and river activist, Ms. Ketaki Ghate, Founder and Managing Partner at Okios, for Ecological Services, Dr. Neha Bhadbhade, an engineer and researcher at SOPPECOM, and Ms. Saili Palande-Datar, ecologist and organic farmer.
Author: Amb. Rajendra Abhyankar, Professor of Practice of Diplomacy and Public Affairs, IFS (Retd) and Founder Member, PIC
3rd July 2018
The book ‘Indian Diplomacy : Beyond Strategic Autonomy’, is an account of India’s foreign policy from the time of Jawaharlal Nehru to the most recent government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The program was chaired by Amb. M. K. Mangalmurti. The book ponders over the relevance and validity of the concept of strategic autonomy in relation to India’s non-aligned foreign policy. Amb. Rajendra Abhyankar said that the book explains why the concept of strategic autonomy might work for India, but also why it is far from a successful foreign policy in today’s world.
Speaker: Dr. Junaid Ahmad, Country Director - India, The World Bank
12th July 2018
Well known economist Dr. Junaid Ahmad delivered a lecture on ‘Prospects of Global Growth and Opportunities for South Asia,’ emphasizing on ways to address challenges in front of South Asian countries for achieving growth. The program was chaired by, Mr. Niranjan Rajadhyakshya, Executive Editor, Mint and Founding Member, PIC. Analyzing 50 years of data, Dr. Ahmad found that India’s growth has been stable and continuous over the years which he cited was a good sign. For further growth, he suggested improvements in service delivery through Public-Private Partnerships, increasing participation of women in labour force and efficient management of water and other natural resources.
Speaker: Shri. Yogendra Yadav, Indian politician, psephologist
1st August 2018
Indian politician, psephologist, Mr. Yogendra Yadav spoke of how Indians have democratized the idea of democracy while delivering a lecture on ‘Defending India’s Swadharama- 2019 and Beyond.’ The programme was chaired by Dr. Suhas Palshikar, Professor of Political Science and Political Commentator.
Shri. Yogendra Yadav commenced his lecture by underlining that the topic ‘India’s Swadharma’ is not about the 5000-year-old history of India, but it comprises of the last 70 years of democracy, diversity and development which jointly helps the nation to move forward. He explained these concepts and noted that Indians have democratized the idea of democracy. He said that diversity is acceptance of radically different ways of being and development is the idea of including the last person ensuring no one is left behind.
Speaker: Dr. Pramod Kale, Leader in Space Sciences in India, Former Director, Space Applications Centre and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO
3rd August 2018
As part of the lecture series titled- ‘Crazy about Science and Technology’ Dr. Pramod Kale delivered a lecture on the topic- ‘Our Future Space.’ The program was chaired by Mr. Ravi Pandit, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO KPIT Technologies Ltd. and Trustee, PIC. During the lecture, Dr. Kale spoke about the evolution of space research and future prospects in this sector. He started his lecture by narrating the history of space science in India. Later he spoke of various space objects such as satellites, meteors, comets and craters and said that ensuring optimal utilization with minimal resources is a valuable lesson that we can learn from astronauts. The programme witnessed 600+ audience, which include students of various colleges and other punekars.
Chief Guest: Mr. Dharmasiri Bandaranayake, Director, Producer, Actor, Playwright
10th to 13th August 2018
A series of Sri Lankan films like ‘With You, Without You,’ Vaishnavee, The First Teacher marked the four day Sri Lanka Film Festival organised by Pune International Centre in association with the National Film Archive of India. The festival was inaugurated by Mr. Dharmasiri Bandaranayake – Sinhalese filmmaker, scriptwriter, actor, producer and editor and is currently the Director General, Cultural Affairs, in the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka. The festival was curated by Dr. Latika Padgaonkar, founder member of PIC while Mr. Ashley Ratnavibhushana, a film society activist, helped PIC in curating of Sri Lankan films.
Speaker: Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Member of Parliament and President at Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)
30th August 2018
Member of Parliament, Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe delivered a lecture on ‘Democratic Reforms for Good Governance.’ It was chaired by Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, President, PIC. Speaking on the occasion Dr. Sahasrabuddhe opined that Indian democracy needs to come out of the statusquo’ism and that every citizen must consciously apply one’s mind and think of democratic reforms.
1st September 2018
A Round Table Conference on Reforms in Agriculture in Maharashtra, organised by Pune International Centre (PIC) and Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) saw participation of state-wide experts from the fields of agriculture, water management and technology. They brainstormed on ways to enhance agricultural growth in Maharashtra through institutional and policy reforms. The conference was convened by Mr. Anil Supanekar, Trustee PIC and chaired by Mr. Umesh Sarangi IAS (Retd.).
19th September 2018
A round table was held on the draft PIC policy paper titled ‘Governance and Effectiveness of NGOs –The Way Ahead.’ The paper gave a comprehensive overview of India’s NGO sector and a set of policy recommendations for elevating its efficiency and positive contribution to India’s development goals. It was organised by Pune International Centre (PIC) in association with TATA Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). Various academicians, NGOs, CSRs, enablers and consultation agencies took part in the discussion. The session was chaired by Mr. S. Ramadorai, Former Vice-Chairman, TCS & Member, PIC and Mr. Madhukar Kotwal, lead author of the policy paper presented the paper.
Speaker: Dr. Madhav Gadgil, Ecologist, Academician, Writer, Founder of Centre for Ecological Studies, and Hon. Member, PIC
24th September 2018
On the occasion of PIC’s seventh Foundation Day anniversary, eminent ecologist Dr. Madhav Gadgil delivered a lecture on ‘Today Kerala, Tomorrow Konkan?’ The lecture focussed on the floods in Kerala, its causes and what needs to be done to avoid a similar situation elsewhere. Dr. Gadgil said that mismanagement of manmade reservoirs caused the Kerala floods. He emphasized that uneven economic growth and environmental degradation is currently forcing rural people to migrate to cities. This kind of growth, he opined, is not job-less growth, but job-destroying growth.
Speaker: Dr. Sukhdeo Thorat, Former Chairman, University Grants
Commission Professor Emeritus, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, JNU
26th September 2018
Economist, Dr. Sukhadeo Thorat spoke of the challenges faced by the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Maharashtra as part of his lecture on ‘Dalits in India: Search for a Common Destiny.’ The programme was chaired by Prof. Rajas Parchure, Director, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics. During the lecture, Dr. Thorat gave an economic overview of Scheduled Castes in Maharashtra and explained the reasons holding back their progress. He mentioned that asset ownership, entrepreneurship and access to education are some major challenges faced by SCs in Maharashtra.
28th September 2018
‘Listing MNCs in India’ was a day-long round table held at National Stock Exchange (NSE), Mumbai Campus. PIC organised this round table in association with National Stock Exchange (NSE) and was chaired by Mr. Deepak Parekh, Chairman, HDFC Ltd. The round table was based on a policy paper authored by Mr. Umesh Kudalkar, CFA and Director of Multi-Act Trade and Investments Pvt. Ltd. The round table aimed at making the policy paper more comprehensive and holistic.
Chief Guest: Mr. Milind Gunaji, Actor, Author, and Television Show Host
9th October 2018
PIC celebrated its seventh Foundation Day by organizing the fourth ‘Vichar Spardha’ in collaboration with Gyan-Key. The topic for the essay was, ‘Agenda for India: 2019-24’. The competition received an overwhelming response with 37,000 letter entries from students of Rural Maharashtra and Telangana. Out of these, 18 winners were selected and invited to Pune for felicitation. Actor Mr. Milind Gunaji was the Chief Guest for the event and felicitated the winners with the best essays.
21st & 22nd October 2018
The fourth annual Pune Dialogue on National Security (PDNS), was organised in association with The Tribune Trust and Policy Perspective Foundation (PPF). The dialogue is inaugurated by renowned journalist and Editor of The Tribune, Shri. Rajesh Ramchandran. The aim of this dialogue was to provide informed inputs to a cohesive National Security policy.
The theme this year was, “Challenges for Governance” with a focus on internal security. The program saw participation of scientists, technocrats, incumbent and retired officers of the armed forces and civil services, scholars and experts from International relations and strategic relations domain.
Chief Guest: Shri. Girish Bapat, Cabinet Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Food and Drugs Administration, Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Maharashtra
17th November 2018
The sixth National Conference on Social Innovation (NCSI), which is an annual celebration of the spirit of innovation and social innovators was organized by PIC in association with National Innovation Foundation (NIF) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) on 17th November. The Chief Guest for the conference was state cabinet minister, Shri. Girish Bapat. The innovators were selected from hundreds of applications received from 17 States and one Union Territory. After a rigorous two round evaluation by the Expert Evaluation Committee, 18innovators were selected. The daylong conference witnessed 250+ attendees which included 35+ CSRs, impact investors, students and other Punekars.
Speaker: Prof. Sanjeev Dhurandhar, Professor Emeritus, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA)
23rd November 2018
Prof. Sanjeev Dhurandhar spoke on ‘Nobel Prize in Physics 2017: The Discovery of Gravitational Waves’ as part of the PIC’s lecture Series titled “Crazy about Science and Technology”. Prof. Dhurandhar narrated the story of discovery of the first gravitational waves in 2015.He also shared his experience while working with the Nobel award winning scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Waves Observatory (LIGO).
Speaker: Mr. Shekhar Gupta, Editor in Chief, The Print
26th November 2018
Veteran journalist, Mr. Shekhar Gupta shared his views on ‘What is at Greater Risk Today? Press Freedom or Public Trust in News?’ He was speaking at the Second Memorial Lecture organised in the memory of Late Dr. Dileep Padgaonkar at Symbiosis Vishwabhavan. Dr. S. B Mujumdar, Founder and Chancellor of the Symbiosis Society and a Trustee at PIC, chaired the event. Mr. Gupta said that freedom of press and declining trust in news are interconnected topics and should be discussed in conjunction. He then went on to describe three significant years in Indian history - 1988, 1997 and 1999 - from the point of view of news and press rights and how the Kargil War gave rise to the notion that the media must be a part of a nationalist effort.
6th to 9th December 2018
The three-day festival celebrating Israeli cinema received an overwhelming response with close to 2000 attendees on all days. Mr. Dan Wolman, Director and Playwright and winner of the Life time Achievement Award at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in 2018 inaugurated the event. The festival began with screening of ‘An Israeli Love Story,’ directed by Mr. Wolman himself. The movies that were showcased in the festival covered a range of topics from love, family and relationships to war, politics and violence which gave a glimpse of Israel’s traditional and modern-day life and culture. The festival was curated by Dr. Latika Padgaonkar, member, PIC.
30th January 2019
A roundtable discussion on ‘Securing India’s Economic Interests through Diplomacy’ was organised as the inaugural event of PIC’s Foreign Policy Outreach Programme supported by the MEA, GoI. The roundtable was chaired by Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, President of PIC and facilitated by Amb. Sudhir Devare and Amb. Gautam Bambawale. Amb. Manoj Bharati, Head Economic Division, MEA spoke about MEA’s objective to extend its activities by working with all State Divisions for economic development of states and the country and reaching out to the industry through discussions and market research.
Authored by – Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, President, PIC and Mr Ravi Pandit, Trustee, PIC
Chief Guest: H.E.Dr. Ron Malka, Israeli Ambassador to India
6th February 2019
The book – ‘Leapfrogging to Pole-vaulting’ was released at the hands of H.E.Dr. Ron Malka, Israeli Ambassador to India. The book is a seminal guide for understanding how seemingly in surmount table problems can be overcome by a radical shift in the way we approach them. The book is authored by PIC president, Dr. R.A. Mashelkar and Mr. Ravi Pandit, Chairman and group CEO of KPIT Technologies. H.E.Dr. Malka spoke about the promising start-up scenario in India and Israel, and how innovation is about creativity, flexible minds and continuously trying to create new solutions.
Chief Guest: Dr. Mohan Agashe, Distinguished Indian theatre and film actor
13th February 2019
A special screening of Sri Lankan film ‘Hansa Vilak’ was planned with NFAI in the presence of the lead actress of film, Ms. Swarna Mallawarachchi. Distinguished Indian theatre and film actor Dr. Mohan Agashe chaired the screening.
20th February 2019
The third programme in the series Crazy about Science and Technology was a book release titled-‘eVolution: Decoding India’s Disruptive TechStory’. Speaking about the book, Mr. Karnik said that it is an account of his personal experiences of technology’s role in shaping society and the world. He explained that the book focused on three main areas, namely; education, health and finance and within them, the interaction of technology and attitudes, behaviour and culture. The programme was chaired by Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Persistent Systems and member, PIC.
11th March 2019
Policy paper, ‘List in India: Towards FDI 2.0. was launched at the hands of Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Member of Parliament and a trustee at PIC. The author, Mr. Umesh Kudalkar spoke on how every Indian’s day-to-day life is linked to MNCs. It stressed upon the fact that despite India being the major market for MNCs like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Apple, Samsung, Microsoft etc, these corporations operate in India without listing their companies in India. He highlighted that by listing MNCs in India, retail investors, mutual funds and pension funds will be able to buy stocks from an expanded universe of quality.
Authored by - Prof. Sumit Majumdar, Professor of Technology Strategy, University of Texas at Dallas
15th March 2019
Prof. Sumit Majumdar, Professor of Technology Strategy, University, of Texas at Dallas spoke of how India has transformed itself from an agricultural economy to a service economy during the Pune release of his book, ‘Lost Glory: India’s Capitalism Story.’ He explained that the reason the book was called -Lost Glory was because if India had an optimally functioning industrial sector, the GDP would be $11.5 trillion. The panel included few PIC members: Mr. Pradeep Bhargava, Mr. Vikas Deshmukh Dr. Rajas Parchure and Prof. Pradeep Apte.
26th March 2019
A Round Table conference to launch and discuss the policy document- ‘Innovating India 2019-2024: Public Policy Agenda, was organised by PIC in association with the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), New Delhi. The 150-page policy document covers 37 issues faced by contemporary India in the fields of Governance, Growth and Economy, National Security, Human Capital, Climate Change and Environment and Infrastructure. The conference was attended by leaders of major political parties and experts from various fields.
As part of the ‘PIC Conversations’, an interactive session was organised with Dr. Ejaz Ghani, Economic Advisor, World Bank. It took place via video conferencing on 25th April 2018 (Wednesday) at 6.00 pm from PIC office.
The topic was ‘Urbanization’ with specific focus on ‘India’s Spatial Development’. Dr. Ghani analysed the development pattern in India with regards to the manufacturing and the service industry and compared the same with US and China. He said that India’s spatial development and the growth of service industry is seen concentrated in high density places like Kolkata and Mumbai, while medium density places like Pune are yet to grow at that pace. A few distinguished members of PIC who have expertise in this area, namely Dr. Ajit Ranade, Dr. Abhay Pethe, Prof. Amitav Mallik, Mr. Amit Paranjape and Mr. Prashant Girbane attended the session.
This was the first of the PIC Conversations of 2018, and many more, on various topics, are to follow.
As a part of the second PIC conversation, an interactive session was held with renowned economist, Lord Nicholas Stern who is a Professor and Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics through video conferencing on 19th February 2019 (Tuesday) at 3:00 PM at MCCIA. He spoke on the topic, ‘Climate Change and its impact on the Economy.’ Professor Stern pointed out that that there is a big divergence between what the economic models say about climate change and what the science tells us. He said that the argument that we have to sacrifice a lot now in order to be more responsible and clean is mistaken and that unmanageable climate change will make lives of future generations much worse.
The video conversation was attended by Prof Amitav Mallik, Hon Trustee & Founder Member, PIC and Ms. Shilpa Phadke, Member, PIC along with local experts and professionals such as Prof Aneeta GokhaleBenninger, Dr. Gurudas Nulkar, Mr. Madhukar Kotwal, Dr. Priyadarshini Karve, Mr. Ravindra Sinha, Ms. Sanskriti Menon and Ms. Vaishali Patkar.
The third PIC Conversation saw the presence of Hon Mr. Goran Persson, Former PM of Sweden who spoke on the topic ‘Emerging World Economic Order’ during an interactive session held through video conferencing on 13th March 2019 (Wednesday). He stressed on economic and social equity as the foundation for development and fair distribution of global resources and wealth and growth against the backdrop of the new economic world order. The speaker highlighted the importance on focusing on electricity as a source of future energy, while reducing the dependence on coal. He added that for an economy to grow to potential it was crucial to promote higher education and free thinking amongst women and strive for gender balance in the workforce. The Speaker noted the important role of robust welfare systems as an alternative to universal basic incomes. The speaker was joined by Dr. Junaid Ahmad, Country Director for India at the World Bank office in New Delhi. The session was chaired by Dr. Vijay Kelkar, Vice President, PIC, from Pune. It was well attended by leading figures from the business, government and academic communities.
PIC ADDA, started seven years ago, continues to facilitate intellectual discourse and networking exclusively for its members. Prof. Amitav Mallik, Chairperson of the Programme Committee of PIC, is the convenor of PIC ADDA. PIC Adda is held on the 2nd or 3rd Saturday of every month and observes the ‘Chatham House’ Rules. The cogent and insightful discussions held on various topics has made PIC Adda immensely popular amongst the members. The verdant premises of Tata Management Training Centre (TMTC) is the venue for PIC ADDA which facilitates informal yet productive interactions along with lunch.
Lectures held at PIC ADDA include:
• 4th April 2018: Understanding Bitcoins, Cryptocurrencies, and Blockchain Technologies
Speaker: Dr. Navin Kabra
• 9th June 2018: ‘Gifted Children - What should we do with them?’
Speaker: Dr. Bhooshan Shukla
• 21st July 2018: Future of Pune
Speaker: Ms. Mukta Tilak
• 25th August 2018: ‘China Intimately: Lessons from a Unique Social Immersion Journey through SmallTown and Rural China’
Speakers: Mr. Hitendra Singh
• 15th September 2017: 24 x 7 Power with Renewable Energy
Speaker: Dr. Gundu Sabde
• 13th October 2018: Look East, Act Global! - the critical potentiality of Indo-Japanese bonds
Speaker: Mr. Tomio Isogai
• 24th November 2018: Myths and Mysteries of Mahabharata
Speaker: Dr. Sucheta Paranjpe
• 22nd December 2018: Travel to Learn , Learn to Travel
Speaker: Prof. Ramchandra Salgaonkar
• 12th January 2019: Sustainably SMART Pune in a Climate Challenged World
Speaker: Dr. Priyadarshani Karve
• 9th February 2019: New Learning Agenda for Meeting the Challenges of Education in India
Speaker: Dr. John Kurrien
• 9th March 2019: Experiences in Pakistan and Thoughts on India-Pakistan Relations?
Speaker: Amb. Gautam Bambawale
Note:
Pune
(Regn No.: F-31883 (P) under Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950 & Mah. 28 / 2012 / Pune under Societies Registration Act, 1860)
Plot No.421/2, Ghorpadi Gaon (Koregaon Park), Pune - 411001.
CA. Sameer K. Ekhe Partner Membership No.124933
Pune International Centre
Final Plot No.421/2, Ghorpadi Gaon (Koregaon Park), Pune - 411001.
Annexure 1
Details of "Other Advances"
Annexure 2
Details of "Establishment Expenses"
Mr. Hitendra Singh, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Head, Social Innovation Lab (SIL)
Ms. Kiran Pardeshi,
Ms. Vaibhavi Pingale, Policy Research Analyst Junior Policy Research Analyst
Ms. Gauri Noolkar - Oak,
Mr. Rugved Dongre,
Ms. Mithila Tupekar, Program Officer SI Coordinator
Mr. Mayur Chaudhari,
Mr. Aniket Apte, Analyst (Pune Dialogue on National Security-PDNS) Accounts Executive
Mr. Tejas Pawar, Executive Assistant Admin. Executive
Ms. Sayali Sathe,
We gratefully acknowledge the co-operation and support from the Honorary, Founding, Life, Corporate and Institutional members of PIC; staff members of PIC; various collaborating institutes; concerned government departments and municipal Corporations of Pune & Pimpri Chinchwad. We also thank the following for their support and assistance:
• Staff of President, Vice President and Hon. Treasurer (PIC)
• Our Banker - IDBI Bank, Chinchwad Branch and State Bank of India (SBI) SB Road, Pune
• Our Design Agency - Staff at Design Directions Pvt. Ltd.
• Our Auditor - M/S. S K Ekhe & Associates
• Our Legal Advisor - Lexeye Services Pvt. Ltd.
