www.spoindia.org Vol. II
| Issue 12
| October 2017
| Rs. 50
36pg
www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 1
2 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
LEAD STORY | 34 Editor-in-Chief: Deepak Kumar Sahu Executive Editor: Dr. Vijay Anand Assistant Editor: Samrita Baruah Copy Editor: C. M. Dutta Art Director: Rakesh Kumar Network Administrator: Ashok Kumar Singh Manager-IT: Subhash Mohanta Manager-SEO: Bidyadhar Behera BUSINESS: Vice President: Prasanna Rout General Manager: Ashok Ranjan Dash Marketing Manager: Dipendra Kumar
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Global tension grows with soaring relationship between North Korea and the US News- 6-18 SPOI SPECIAL 31 OICL signs MoU with ALIMCO LEAD STORY 20 Integrated Natural Resource Management – A project by United Breweries OPEN YOUR EYES 22 Cairn India installs solar run RO plant at Sewniwala, Barmer FACE TO FACE 24 GST will draw a big chunk of MSMEs into digital transaction SPECIAL FEATURES 25 Women Empowerment in India: Significance and challenges SPOI ANALYSIS 26 Sandvik creating sustainable solutions in areas of education and skills SPOI CORPORATE 28 Progressing from CSR to Sustainability:
Through Accelerating Collaborations & Impact FACE TO FACE 29 Aviva’s CSR focus is purely on helping educate the under-privileged children SPO FOUNDATION 30 DHFL asks everyone to do something good for the society FACE TO FACE 38 Vodafone wishes to see a multiplying impact of its activities on the society INTERVIEW 32 The future of IT skills for Technical support organizations LEAD STORY 34 Global tension grows with soaring relationship between North Korea and the US COVER STORY 36 A sudden note ban leaves positive impacts behind: DEMONETIZATION www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 3
Cyber bullying gone horribly wrong Thanks to the growth of social media, it has become one of the most important communication channels in recent years. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram are playing increasingly important roles in our lives - from keeping in touch with our friends and families to finding our significant other and landing our dream job. As it gets popular, social media has also attracted internet-initiated crime involving social networking sites, mainly Facebook and Twitter. This technology might seem like progress, if not for one giant problem - the popularly recognised crimes by Cyber Bullying and abuse. Today there is nothing more amazing or powerful than social media. Words and images travel at the speed of light to potentially billions of people at the click of a button or the touch of a send key. The influence of social media bullying on today’s children, youth and any public figure is undeniable. Being online as well as having accounts on social media websites creates a form of virtual life. It makes communication easier but also represents a threat as this virtual life can be harmed or manipulated by other online users. Through social media, Pokemon Go fever spread around the world. Pokémon Go is a major success for Niantic (the spin-off of Google). They tracked all of the exciting data around Pokémon posting, promotion, and engagement. It proves very dangerous to the players who play this game. Now another company promoting the bizarre game Blue Whale is being circulated through social media, and its targets are asked to download the app which gives them instructions on a checklist of challenges they need to complete. The last step of this challenge is to commit suicide. The app sets a date for the death of the player, and the player is forced into accepting every order given. The Indian government has directed internet majors—Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Microsoft and Yahoo—to immediately remove the links of dangerous online game Blue Whale Challenge, which has led to the suicide of many children in India and other countries. The honourable Supreme Court said on Friday that Doordarshan and private channels should create awareness on health hazards in Blue Whale Challenge by telecasting it on prime time. It passed the order on complete ban on the game and blamed it for the hundred suicides throughout the country in recent times and also observed that it was a national problem. It is understood that an administrator of the game uses social media platform to invite /incite children to play this game, which may eventually lead them to take extreme steps for self inflicting injuries including suicide. This is a big debate picking up in the country, of how to keep children and minors safe. Should there be any policy to restrict social media for children under the age of 18 remains as a big question.
Deepak Kumar Sahu Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, SPO India www.spoindia.org 4 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
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www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 5
NEWS/e-Governance
Indian, Russian firms sign an agreement to cooperate in e-governance
PENCIL Portal launched for implementation of National Child Labour Project
Indian and Russian firms have signed an agreement to cooperate in Information Technology and the projects in the agreement include cooperation in Smart City projects, cyber security and e-governance, officials said. The agreements were signed by Russian RusITExport (RITE), a key integrator of top Russian IT solutions in the global market, and Indian firm Aark Infosoft Pvt Ltd for development of complex IT projects in India. The agreements were signed in Dubai at the GITEX Information Technology Forum held earlier this month, in the presence of the Indian Ambassador to UAE. The first stage of the implementation of the agreement will be the development of a road map, Russian officials said. As per the MoU, the companies will cooperate in the Smart City projects in three cities in India but the names were not revealed.
The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment launched Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour (PENCIL) Portal at National Conference on child labour. The PENCIL portal is an electronic platform that aims at involving Centre, State, District, Governments, civil society and general public in achieving the target of child labour free society. It encompasses various components- Child Tracking System, Complaint Corner, State Government, National Child Labour Project and Convergence. Each district will nominate District Nodal Officers ( D N O s ) who will receive the complaints. Within 48 hours of receiving complaints, DNOs will check genuineness of complaint and take rescue measures in coordination with police, if complaint is genuine. So far, 7 states have appointed DNOs.
IGNOU signs MoU with CSC and National e-Governance Division
Assam e-stamping services to be live on digital seva portal
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) achieved another milestone under Digital India Programme for digital inclusion by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on August 22 with Common Service Centres (CSC). This MoU will help in facilitating the prospective and enrolled students of IGNOU with the facility of online admission form submission, online reregistration, o n l i n e examination f o r m submission, and other online services made available by IGNOU, including online payment facilitation through the CSC SPV Digital Sewa portal. Through this collaborative arrangement, over 2 lakhs CSCs will act as a single contact point for all the digital support services of the University, said a statement from IGNOU. This initiative will help the IGNOU to outreach its potential students in far flung and disadvantaged regions besides providing alternative digital support helpdesk to urban and semi urban students. 6 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
e-stamping is an electronic process whereby the physical stamps are replaced by the electronic stamps. Assam is introducing electronic or e-stamping on an experimental basis, a step towards pre-empting fraudulent dealings with stamp papers.
The e-Stamping facility is an electronic system of paying nonjudicial stamp duty and is a secured way of stamping documents. The e-stamp certificate can be purchased at the designated Authorised Common services centres in Assam. The system integration service is under way and the services are expected to go live on Digital Seva Portal. e-Stamping is currently operational in the states of Odisha, Gujarat, Karnataka, NCR Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the union territories of Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu Puducherry, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
NEWS/Digital India
NeSL to store information of bankruptcy cases
National e-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL) said that it has become India’s first information utility (IU) for bankruptcy cases. It will be regulated by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). The information utility will store data on borrowing, default and security interest with safeguards like authenticating the terms
of contract. It will store the details digitally in a central server. “Today, IBBI granted it a renewal registration from 25th September, 2017 to 24th September, 2022,” said NeSL said in a press statement. NeSL is owned by State Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation Ltd, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, among others. Suvan Law Advisors along with SNG & Partners are the law firms advising NeSL, while Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) provides research inputs.
NHAI launches new website, app to track projects
In a move towards digitisation, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) launched a new multilingual website of the organisation and a Project Monitoring Information System (PMIS) mobile app. Deepak Kumar, Chairman, NHAI said, “Within two months the general public will be able to rate National Highways through this website.” He further added that the mobile app will facilitate close, inhouse monitoring of NHAI projects on a mobile phone. The NHAI website, which has been developed using state-ofart technologies, provides a centralised platform wherein NHAI’s different software and applications are available. “As a single point repository of all relevant information, the enterprise applications are mapped to the website, which are for internal use of NHAI,” said the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.
Paperless income tax assessment All practicing doctors to have rises by 78% unique digital identification
The number of income tax payers opting for paperless assessment rose by 78% over the last three years, prompting the department to roll out it his ambitious scheme across India by the end of this financial year. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the policy-making body of the income tax (I-T) department, launched the initiative
in select metro cities with an aim to reduce visits by assesses to tax offices and their interface with the taxman, thereby curbing instances of corruption. The latest blueprint prepared by the department on the subject states that the number of paperless, or e-assessments, over the internet has seen growth in the last three years. “During the financial year 2015-16, a total of 1,014 cases were completed under the pilot project (e-assessment).
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has directed all states to provide a unique permanent registration number (UPRN) to every doctor registered in their jurisdiction. The initiative will put an end to the duplication of doctors registered by various state medical councils as well as the Indian Medical Register under the MCI and provide a clear picture of how many doctors are practicing in India. A UPRN number is to be generated for the over one million doctors recorded in the IMR. “With this digital platform, we will get to know about the actual number of doctors and the list of medical specialists practicing in the country. We will have all the details about a doctor, ranging from addresses to personal details,” said Reena Nayyar, secretary-in-charge of the MCI. www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 7
CSR/CORPORATE
Mphasis and Habitat for Humanity build homes for floodaffected families
Mphasis and Habitat for Humanity India, committed to provide affordable housing and improved sanitation, has handed over 25 new homes and 50 sanitation units to the families affected by floods in Tamil Nadu. The handover ceremony was held at
Thulasinghapuram, Nandambakkam, Chennai, in the presence of Sathya Gopal, IAS, Principal Secretary & Relief Commissioner, Government of Tamil Nadu; Gokul Santhanam, Senior VicePresident & Head – Business Unit Human Resources, Mphasis; Rajan Samuel, Managing Director, Habitat for Humanity India, and other dignitaries were present at the event. Rajan Samuel, Managing Director, Habitat for Humanity India, said, “At Habitat for Humanity, our effort has always been to offer a helping hand. The 2015 floods severely affected the lives of the people residing in Tamil Nadu. Having a home builds hope, pride and ensures a secure future for families affected by such natural calamities.”
ShepHertz presents #My EcoFriendly Diwali
ShepHertz Technologies, a Gurgaon-based startup offering omni-channel enterprise platform for agile and incremental digital transformation, has launched a social media campaign called #My Eco-Friendly Diwali by sharing stories on why people should stop bursting firecrackers. As a contribution to keeping our environment clean, ShepHertz employees decided to share their experiences on why they don’t burst firecrackers anymore. Commenting on the same, Sushil Singh Bhadouria, Executive VP Innovation and R&D, ShepHertz, says, “This is the best Diwali celebration we have ever had where everybody dressed up, prayed, exchanged gifts and camaraderie that we witnessed is beyond any materialistic happiness. Everybody in the team is glad there were no firecrackers involved and still the celebration was grand.” 8 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
Dabur helps 12 villages achieve ‘Open-Defecation Free’ status
On the occasion of the third anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Swachh Bharat initiative, Dabur India has helped 12 villages in Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh achieve ‘Open Defecation Free’ (ODF) status. The company has targeted to more than double the number of ODF villages under its fold to 26 by the end of 201718 fiscal. The 12 villages declared Open Defecation Free following sustained efforts by Dabur India Ltd include eight in Uttar Pradesh and four in Himachal Pradesh. In all, the company has helped construct toilets in over 2,600 households across these villages to achieve this feat. In addition, separate toilet blocks for boys and girls are also being constructed in nearly 20 schools across five states – Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Assam.
The Suryaa organizes Global Hand Washing Day in Delhi
The Suryaa celebrated “Global Hand Washing Day” at NGO “Save the Children” School, at Khizrabad New Delhi 16th October, wherein fifty 6–12-year-old underprivileged children participated in the activities. This year’s theme for the activities was “Our Hands, Our Future”, reminding us that hand washing protects our own health, but also allows us to build our own future, as well as those of our communities, and the world. It was an initiative “The Suryaa” along with “Save the Children”. In this initiative titled “Our Hands, Our Future”, children and young adults joined their creative forces and took their creativity to the runway. Hand washing is an affordable, effective way to achieve these goals. Efforts on Global Hand Washing Day were to promote the benefits and practice of hand washing with soap, as well as fostering access to and improving hygiene facilities.
CSR/CORPORATE
Vodafone presents Green Diwali Campaign for Delhiites
OPPO Camera Phones to facilitate training of Under Privileged kids
Vodafone India has come up with an innovative concept to delight its customers this Diwali. From 16th to 19th October, across its 52 stores in Delhi NCR, Vodafone is inviting its customers to celebrate “Green Diwali”. Green Diwali is a part of its ongoing “CelebratingSuper” campaign, wherein Vodafone will distribute “Super Crackers” to its customers. Also using Augmented Reality Te c h n o l o g y, customers can create ecofriendly “Virtual phuljharis” or “E-Phuljharis”. The “Super Crackers” contain ecof r i e n d l y water soluble papers that carry a different variety of seeds of plants with air-purifying characteristics. The E-Phuljhari is a unique personalized GIF greeting that can be sent to friends and family through social media. With this initiative, Vodafone Delhi is making a conscious effort to have safe and eco-friendly celebration. The celebration gets doubled with customers being offered “Customised offers” and a chance to win a gift hamper.
OPPO Mobiles has partnered with India’s leading cricket training academy, Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP) provide scholarship and promote cricket skills to the less privileged kids. As a part of its Diwali campaign, OPPO had pledged to donate INR 20 per Facebook share of its new TV commercial. As a result, OPPO was able to raise INR 20 Lakhs by the TVC being shared widely. This initiative by the brand is another effort to promote and support cricket in India. Under this scholarship program Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP) will provide 2 years of cricket training to the selected children. The selected children will get an opportunity to be trained under the guidance of cricket expert and coaches. These scholarships will help in unearthing new talent and give young kids a platform to kick-start their budding cricketing careers.
Cisco to digitize the world’s largest non-profit mid-day meal programme
JLL India to support girl education in partnership with Project Nanhi Kali
Cisco has entered into an agreement with Akshaya Patra Foundation to accelerate digitization of their kitchens across seven locations in India. Akshaya Patra Foundation’s nonprofit mid-day meal programme serves wholesome food to over 1.66 million children from 13,958 schools across twelve states in India. Digitization of Akshaya Patra kitchens and key offices will help them realize significant gains in productivity, scalability, and cost-efficiency and accelerate Akshaya Patra’s goal to reach five million children by 2020. As part of this agreement, Cisco will deploy an enterprisegrade network and collaboration suite connecting their kitchens and their offices by enabling endto-end IT and process digitization. The upgraded Akshaya Patra network will connect their offices in Bangalore, Gurgaon, and field kitchens across seven locations (two kitchens in Bangalore, one each in Lucknow, Vrindavan, Bellary, Guwahati, and Jigani) on a single network which will enable them to efficiently track their kitchen production, distribution, supply chain and logistics.
On the occasion of Diwali, JLL India, supported by their staff has partnered with Project Nanhi Kali to fund the annual primary education of over 325 girl children from economically disadvantaged families in India. For this, the firm has decided to deploy the funds previously earmarked for client and employee gifting towards improving the lives of underprivileged girl children. Project Nanhi Kali is a joint initiative by the K. C. Mahindra Education Trust and Naandi Foundation. Effectively, JLL India will provide academic material to enable girl children to access quality education and attend school with dignity, and also the required social support to reduce the chances of them dropping out. Project Nanhi Kali works with 18 NGO implementation partners at the grassroots level, and the K. C. Mahindra Education Trust regularly monitors the activities to ensure that quality education is imparted to all the ‘Nanhi Kalis’ (young buds). www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 9
NEWS/GOVT.
PM establishes All India Institute Dharmendra Pradhan launches of Ayurveda in New Delhi PNG supply in Odisha
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has dedicated the All India Institute of Ayurveda in New Delhi, to the Nation. The first ever All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) is set up along the lines of AIIMS. As an apex institute under the Ministry of AYUSH, the AIIA will bring synergy between the traditional wisdom of Ayurveda and modern diagnostic tools and technology. Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) Shri Shripad Naik was also present on this occasion. The Prime Minister asserted that the nation cannot progress unless they value and cherish their history and heritage. Those nations who leave their heritage behind, are destined to lose their identity, he added. The Prime Minister said that when India was not independent, its knowledge, and its traditions such as Yoga and Ayurveda were belittled. The Prime Minister said that the Government is working towards establishing an Ayurveda hospital in every district of the country. He said that more than 65 AYUSH hospitals have been developed in the last three years.
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship has launched supply of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) for the residents of Bhubaneswar yesterday. With this, GAIL started supply of environment-friendly PNG to 255 houses in Nalco Nagar located at Chandrasekharpur area. NALCO officer Shri Jatindra Nayak and his wife Smt. Binapani Nayak received the 1st PNG connection being the beneficiary of commencement of the first phase of City Gas Distribution (CGD) project in Bhubaneswar. A f t e r completion of the project there will be no hassles of booking and storing cylinders as gas is continuously supplied through pipes and payment is done after usage on the basis of meter reading. Moreover, in the unlikely incident of leakage, the gas quickly rises and disperses in the atmosphere without causing damage.
Ministry WCD launches #IamThatWoman campaign
100 year old DGS&D to close down this month
In an attempt to end Gender bias in women against women, the Ministry of Women and Child Development is undertaking an online campaign #IamThatWoman. Through the campaign, the Ministry seeks to highlight the various aspects of women standing ‘by’ and ‘for’ women. The Ministry of WCD has urged people to shun stereotypes associated with women harming other women. Twitter and Facebook u s e r s have been encouraged to tag and share stories of women helping women with a photograph and post online with the hashtag #IamThatWoman. The Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi said, “When a woman has the support of her womanhood, she can be unstoppable. Through this campaign, we aim to shed light on the enormous contributions made by women for women.” 10 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
The nearly 100-year-old procurement arm of the Central government - the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) will close down on October 31, a senior official said. The closure of the DGS&D, which traces its origin to London during the British raj, follows the government's shift to the commerce ministr y's e-market platform (GeM) set up last year for public procurement of goods and services. About 1,100 of its employees are being shifted to different departments including income tax, while the senior officers are likely to be accommodated in other branches of the government by the Department of Personnel and Training. The DGS&D assets, which are present across the country, would be transferred to the Land and Development Office of urban development ministry.
NEWS/GOVT.
‘Northeast is the new ‘Start-Up’ destination’ – Dr Jitendra Singh
New Education policy by December: MoS HRD Dr. Satya Pal Singh
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has said that the Northeast is fast emerging as the new “Start-up” destination for youngsters from all over India. He was addressing the two-day National Convention on “Transforming Northeast India” in New Delhi. Dr Jitendra Singh said that with the improvement in connectivity and transport facility in the last two years, coupled with concentrated administrative focus, more and more youngsters are now heading towards the North-Eastern States to venture into entrepreneurship and take advantage of its unexplored potential. Citing an example, he said, “For instance, whereas in certain areas of Northeast, including states like Arunachal Pradesh, while almost 40% of the fruit goes waste on account of lack of adequate storage and transport facilities, the same can be used to produce and manufacture fresh and pure fruit juice at a much more cost-effective price.”
Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shri Satya Pal Singh has said that the new education policy is in final stages and it would be announced in December. Inaugurating a 'National Academic meet' in Thiruvananthapuram, Dr. Singh said the policy envisages to 'correct' the course of education system in the country that has followed a colonial mindset. Dr Singh pointed out that unfortunately after independence, most of the academicians followed the footsteps of British and Western scholars and deliberately denigrating Indian culture. Stating that the biggest challenge being faced by the education system and the government is 'how to de-colonise the Indian mind' and the government is working on the policy in this regard. The Minister said it will be the first education policy that was discussed layer by layer and threadbare.
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra for Skilling launched in New Delhi
Government and ADB sign $300 Million Loan for fiscal reforms in West Bengal
To bring momentum in skilling through collaborative efforts, the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh along with Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated India's first Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) for Skilling in Smart Cities, in collaboration with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The ministers also laid the foundation for a Skill Development Centre at Moti Bagh and a Centre of Excellence at Dharam Marg, New Delhi. Affirming synergies with the Government of India’s flagship programs, the new skill development centres underscore the commitment of the Ministry of Urban Affairs & Housing (MUHA) and the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to support skilling in smart cities. National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), an executive arm of MSDE, has collaborated with New Delhi Municipal Council Smart City Limited (NDMCSCL) to extend cooperation for setting up of PMKK Centres for Smart Cities.
The Asian Development Bank and the Government of India signed a $300 million loan today to continue a series of fiscal reforms in the State of West Bengal to improve the quality of public service delivery.
The Second West Bengal Development Finance Program targets a further increase in public investment through reduction of unproductive expenditure, and savings from efficiencies in revenue collections. The Program will build on earlier intervention under Phase I of the project through the $400 million Program that targeted a comprehensive fiscal consolidation program in the state. “The Program aims to further deepen the reforms with focus on expenditure rationalization, improvement in revenue administration, and facilitation of more private investment in the state” said Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance who signed the loan on behalf of the Government of India. www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 11
NEWS/Technology
‘Care N Grow’ platform to help Government launches Divyang screen children without a medical Sarathi Mobile Application The Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment has launched background Divyang Sarathi—The accessible and comprehensive mobile
Keeping in mind the need for trained healthcare staff that can undertake health screenings in Indian schools when required, 25 year old certified doctor Dr. Meghana Kambham, from the Andhra Medical College, has created ‘Care N Grow’ – a platform that enables teachers and other school staff to screen children, even without a medical background. Dr Meghana’s ‘Care N Grow’ platform had been earlier chosen by Microsoft’s #MakeWhatsNext Patent Program, which offers female inventors patent support and mentorship, so they can protect their ideas and further their innovation. Using the Care N Grow platform teachers and/or school staff can record the vitals of children via a dedicated mobile screening tool; update the data in the app, and store it in a secure cloud. The platform has a special algorithm that converts this data to generate a clinical-grade report card that includes a decision support system. Regular records for every student are stored to generate a medical history, and parents are notified in case any abnormalities are found by the system.
application for easy dissemination of information to ‘Divyangjans’. The mobile app aims to empower Divyangjans by providing them easier and convenient access to information pertaining to schemes, s ch o l a r s h i p s, statutes, institutional support systems, jobs and other crucial information. The app is integral part of ICT component of Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) launched in December 2015. It also compliant with principles of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for Universal Access and provisions of Rights of Persons with Disabilities for Universal Access and provisions of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 which mandates that all information to be made available in accessible form.
NASSCOM and Facebook introduce new program to facilitate new-to-internet users
Dell Inc. expects to invest nearly $14 million to support STEM education
Broadening its resolve towards constructing a robust and cohesive developer community inspiring large-scale innovation for new internet users, NASSCOM 10,000 start-ups are back with the second edition of Code for the Next Billion program. In partnership with Facebook, the program aims to not only inspire and encourage the “developer community” but also to make India the centre for app development and provide
a strong global recognition. The Code for the Next Billion is also supported by Invest India, which will be leading an extensive outreach campaign across the Start-up India Hub. Highlighting a firm focus to promote Social Impact Start-ups which are building mobile applications for newto-internet/bottom of the pyramid users, the six-monthlong program is aimed at accelerating the development and adoption of mobile internet applications across India.
12 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
As a part of its ongoing efforts to invest in a more diverse technology workforce, Dell Inc. expects to contribute $14 million in grants and technology donations to support future generations of STEM workers, in current fiscal year which ends February 3, 2018. Current donations made across Dell’s 71 youth learning partners globally are expected to bring technology education to more than 1.5 million underserved youth. With the expected contributions, a total of 4 million children will be impacted through Dell’s strategic giving programs, since 2014. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects total number of jobs in STEM fields to grow 12.5% by 2022 in the U.S. alone. As the technology industry looks for new ways to diversify its workforce, there’s an opportunity to expand STEM initiatives to those who may be underserved in this area currently. Specifically, there is room for the public and private sectors to commit more to STEM education and mentorship to underserved youth. By encouraging all youth regardless of gender or ethnicity or social class to study STEM, there’s an opportunity to bring different perspectives to STEM-related industries as well as fulfil jobs in the future.
NEWS/Business
Search for next CEO progressing well - Infosys
Firms should use CSR funds for Ganga cleanup – Nitin Gadkari
India's second largest IT company Infosys said that its search for the next Chief Executive Officer is "progressing well". The Bengaluru-based company has set a deadline of March 2018 to fill the top vacancy following the abrupt resignation of former CEO Vishal Sikka in August after a spate of allegations pertaining to governance issues by co-founder N R Narayana Murthy. Infosys has roped in executive search firm Egon Zehnder to assist in global search for the replacement. U B Pravin Rao was named interim-CEO and Managing Director of the company on August 18. The process of identifying the next CEO and shareholder consultation outreach have been initiated and are progressing well," Infosys said in a statement announcing second quarter earnings of the current financial year. The company had previously stated that it will cast a wide net in the CEO search, and the hunt would encompass Infosys alumni along with internal and external candidate.
India Inc should undertake Ganga cleaning and river rejuvenation projects under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, road transport and water resources minister Nitin Gadkari said. Corporations can build ghats, crematoriums and adopt river development projects as the government is looking to enter into memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the private sector, the minister said at PHD Chamber’s annual session here. Section 135 of the Companies Act 2013 requires companies above a certain size to spend at least 2% of their average net profit for the immediately preceding three financial years on CSR activities. Gadkari also said the government would soon launch 150 projects for Ganga cleaning and development.
Govt extends date to claim GST transition credit till Nov 30
India stands third in number of family-owned businesses: Report
The government has extended the deadline by a month till November 30 for businesses to claim credit of transitional stock in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. "Form GST TRAN-1 (with revision facility) extended to November 30, 2017," said a tweet by GST@GOI, the official twitter handle of the government for GST. TRAN-1 is to be filed by those businesses that are keen to claim credit for taxes paid before the launch of GST on July 1. The GST Council, in its 21st meeting in Hyderabad, had decided to extend the deadline for filing TRAN-1 form to October 31, from September-end earlier. It also allowed businesses to revise the form once in the case of any discrepancy.
India has 108 publicly-listed family-owned businesses, third highest in the world, while China tops the tally with 167 such companies followed by the US which has 121, says a Credit Suisse report. As per the Credit Suisse R e s e a r c h Institute's (CSRI) latest "CS Family 1000" report, with an average market capitalisation of $6.5 billion, India ranks 5th in Asia Pacific excluding Japan, and 22nd globally, in terms of average m-cap. Besides China, the US and India, the top 10 countries in terms of number of family-owned companies include France (4th place), Hong Kong (5th), Korea (6th), Malaysia (7th), Thailand (8th), Indonesia (9th), Mexico (10th).
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CSR/PSU
RINL CMD launches Swachhta Intranet Portal
Government to infuse Rs 2.11 lakh crore into PSU banks
Sri P Madhusudan, CMD – RINL has launched “Swachhta Intranet Portal” as part of Swachhta hi Sewa campaign being undertaken in VSP as a RINL-CSR initiative. Sri Madhusudan complimented both Information Technology and CSR de par tments for organizing the campaign in the true spirit and observed that this is a very good move and a big leap to the Swachh Bharat campaign being undertaken by RINL. Sri PC Mohapatra, Director (Projects); Sri P Raychaudhury, Director (Commercial); Sri KC Das, Director (Personnel); Sri VV Venugopala Rao, Director (Finance); Executive Directors and senior officials from IT and CSR departments were present on the occasion. The portal is a repository of information on Swachhta activities amongst the employees and departments to showcase exemplary contribution on implementation of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
The government has announced an unprecedented Rs 2, 11,000 crore plan for recapitalisation of the PSU (public sector undertaking) banks in a bid to push growth and create jobs. The Cabinet that met earlier in the day cleared the package. The Rs 2.11 lakh crore package will be spread over two years, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said. While Rs 1, 35, 00 crore will be in the form of frontloaded
NRL inks 15-year diesel export deal with Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation
NCL rakes up Coal supply to Power Houses
Numaligarh Refinery (NRL), the Assam-based subsidiary of state-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) has inked a 15-year agreement with Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) for exporting gas oil (off road diesel). In the process, the Miniratna PSU has become the first Indian company to sign a long-term fuel supply deal with Bangladesh. The heads of the two entities inked the deal in the presence of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who concluded her two-day visit to Bangladesh. BPC will initially import up to a quarter million tonne per annum (MTPA) of gas oil from NRL for the first three years through a 133-km product pipeline proposed to be built with a capacity of 1 MMTPA, the company said in a statement. The quantity will be gradually raised to 400,000 tonnes over the tenor of the supply agreement which will take effect after the pipeline is built.
14 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
recapitalisation bonds, the remaining Rs 76,000 crore will be in the form of budgetary support. The nature of the bonds and details of the bonds would be made public during course of time, he said. While saying more banking reforms will be announced in the days to come+, Jaitley was critical of banks being indiscriminate in their lending in the past and brushing the real NPA (nonperforming assets) issue under the carpet for a long time.
Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) has raked up supply of coal to its consumer power houses by whopping 45 per cent in the first fortnight of October, 2017. The company has supplied 3.406 million tonnes (MT) of coal to the power houses during the said period, that remained at 2.342 MT in the corresponding period of the last fiscal. Amongst the key pit-head Power Utilities, NTPC Singrauli STPP and NTPC Vindhyachal STPP have buffer stocks of 15 days each, while UPRVUNL Anpara Thermal Power Station has buffer stock of 18 days. Moreover, NCL has coal stock of 5 MT at present, 75 per cent of that is despatch-ready and can be supplied to the pit-head power plants readily on demand. NCL has supplied 40.09 MT of coal to its power consumers in current fiscal (up to 15th October) against 33.93 MT in same period of the last fiscal, thereby registering a progressive increase of 18 per cent in coal supplies to power houses.
CSR/PSU
Air India seeks Rs 1,500 cr short term loans
Govt is planning MTNL, BSNL revival
Air India has sought proposals for short term loans worth Rs 1,500 crore to meet its “urgent” working capital needs, according to a document. This is the second time in over a month that the carrier has floated tenders for short tenure loans even as the government is working on the modalities for the stake sale. The Maharaja, which is surviving on taxpayers’ money, is battling multiple headwinds, including financial woes and stiff competition. In a document, Air India has said that it is looking for “government guarantee backed short term loans totalling up to Rs 1,500 crore to meet its urgent working capital requirements”. The loan would have a tenure up to June 27, 2018 from the date of being availed and the deadline could be extended.
The government is now mulling the idea of merging the wireless business of the MTNL with that of BSNL for the revival of state-owned, loss-making telecom firms. The wireless business of MTNL is very small — it provides services only in two circles, Delhi and Mumbai, and has a total subscriber base of just 0.36 million. Though a merger of BSNL and MTNL has been on and off the government’s table for the last several years, this latest proposal of just merging the wireless unit of MTNL with BSNL is being discussed because it is simple to achieve. Since MTNL is a listed entity and BSNL is not, a proper merger between the two would entail a reverse merger process. Also the transfer of staff is problematic because of seniority and different pay scale issues. By merging the wireless businesses would not need to get into such complexities and would also achieve the purpose of a single government entity having pan-India mobile operations.
NRDC Inks MOU with European Business Technology Centre
ONGC to raise oil output by 4 MT by 2020: Report
National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) signed memorandum of understanding with European Business Technology Centre (EBTC), a not for profit organization facilitating Europe-India cross-border collaborations in technology transfer and IP Management on 18th October 2017. The purpose of the MOU is capacity building in intellectual property management, through organizing training programs for training to the trainer programmes in IP management and patent search and analysis and commercialization of the IPRs. The MOU was signed by CMD NRDC Dr. H Purushotham and Paul B Jansen, Director EBTC. Senior officials from EBTC, Vincent, Ankita Tyagi, Jay Lakshmi Das, D C Joshi, N G Lakshminarayan and B K Sahu were also present.
Maharatna oil PSU ONGC has prepared a blueprint to raise crude oil production by 4 million tonne (MT) and almost double natural gas output by 2020 to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of cutting India's import dependence by 10 per cent, CMD Shashi Shanker has said. The PSU will raise crude oil production from 22.6 MT in 2017-18 to 26.42 MT in 2021-22. " P r i m e Minister had given a call to cut country's oil imports by 10 per cent by 2022. Our roadmap for meeting that is ready," he said. "We intend to increase crude oil output by 4 million tonnes and raise gas production from current 60 million standard cubic meters per day to 110 mmscmd." The nation's biggest oil and gas producer has prepared the 'Roadmap for Import Reduction' two years after Modi set the target for reducing oil import dependence by 10 per cent, from 77 per cent in 2013-14. www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 15
CSR/NGO
NASSCOM Foundation along with American Express boosts social innovations
NASSCOM Foundation has entered into partnership with American Express to drive social innovation through NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum, and provide free technology education to young girls utilizing the freely available public library space as training centres. American Express will be donating Rs.1.32 crore for these projects from its CSR budgets. Of this total grant amount, Rs.1 crore will be utilized towards NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum in providing grants and mentorship to social innovators in the area of Financial Inclusion, Healthcare & Sanitation, and Environment. The remaining, Rs.32 lakh, will be utilized under NASSCOM Foundation’s Indian Public Library Movement to train young girls on technology skills, using public libraries as the training centres. The project – Technology empowering Girls – will be run in four libraries, catering to a minimum 200 adolescent girls each year, per library.
KSRTC ropes in Sulabh International to maintain bus station toilets
Amid rising complaints on poor maintenance of toilets, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has decided to hand over maintenance of bus station toilets at three of its divisions to Sulabh International, an NGO. Transport minister H M Revanna said that the government will hand over maintenance of toilets at KSRTC bus stations in Bangalore Central, Ramanagar and Mandya divisions to the NGO. Unlike stations in other divisions, which are entrusted to housekeeping agencies through tender, the ones in these divisions are maintained through local arrangements. “We received several complaints regarding maintenance of toilets and collection of charges for urinal, especially from women passengers. We have decided to rope in Sulabh International since the existing manpower in KSRTC is inadequate," he added. 16 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
NGO gifts school students plants to celebrate Green Diwali
Bringing about an innovation in Diwali celebrations, a group of individuals including two women gifted plants to students in schools requesting them to plant saplings and avoid bursting crackers in the festival of lights. Charanjeet Singh, executive member of NGO Watch Dog, said that they organised awareness camps on Green Diwali in four schools in Bhanorh, Mullanpur Raikot road, Pandori and Gover nment S e n i o r Secondary School in Dakha area. He added that academicians Professor Pallavi and Lecturer Manjeet Singh Bangoo apprised the students and teaching staff about the need for Green Diwali. Members of Watch Dog said that they had collected seven hundred saplings of various plants and stationary and others for students. They added that the students were encouraged to plant saplings on Diwali and lighting Diyas instead of bursting crackers that cause air and noise pollution.
Krushi Vikas Va Gramin Prashikshan Sanstha develops rural areas
The Krushi Vikas Va Gramin Prashikshan Sanstha has successfully implemented the Integrated Rural Development Project in 10 villages of Bodwad block in Jalgaon district. The project aims at addressing issues arising out of erratic c l i m a t i c conditions in Bodwad, like inconsistent rainfall, poor availability of irrigation facilities, absence of soil and water conser vation interventions. The project was executed in a phased manner. It is now in its third and last phase. KVGPS organization was established in the year 1991 and emerging as a regional and national development organization aimed at the betterment of rural, semi-rural, and diversifying urban communities that depend on agro and nonfarm-based activities for their livelihood and progress.
NEWS/Urban Development
Maharashtra withdraws clearance of low-cost housing projects under PMAY
Government committed to providing affordable housing: Hardeep Singh Puri
In a major embarrassment to the state government, it had to withdraw a clearance given to three sites for low cost housing projects under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), as it was revealed later that these plots are reserved for other purposes. Under the PMAY, houses of 300 sq ft are provided to those who are from Economically Weaker Sections of the society (EWS) and Low Income Group (LIG) families. The central government will also give a loan to these families at subsidised rate of 6.5 per cent up to Rs 6 lakh. However, later MHADA realised that, three of these sites in MMR are reserved for some other purposes, so they can’t be used for building affordable homes. It then sought a permission to change the reservation; however, the state government’s Urban Development (UD) ministry refused to grant permission for change in reservation.
The government is committed to ensuring a decent habitat for people in urban areas, particularly the poor, and has taken various initiatives in this regard, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. He was addressing a programme organised here by his ministry on the theme 'Housing Policies: Affordable Homes' on the occasion of World Habitat Day. Puri asserted that the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) is at the core of ensuring affordable homes to the poor and the needy while missions like the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) aim at enabling the much-needed infrastructure for a decent habitat. Puri said that the government has taken several initiatives to boost the housing sector, especially the affordable units, to meet the accommodation needs of the people.
NBCC to develop Nauroji Nagar project as ‘World Trade Centre’
Smart City challenge calls for start-ups working towards social impact
State-owned NBCC has announced that it has got a licence to develop a commercial project at Nauroji Nagar in the national capital as 'World Trade Centre'. The government has engaged construction firm NBCC as the implementing and marketing agency for redevelopment of three colonies - Nauroji Nagar, Netaji Nagar and Sarojini Nagar - on sustainable finance model. “We have got the licence from WTC, New York recently to develop the Nauroji Nagar commercial hub as World Trade Centre(WTC)," NBCC's Chairman and Managing Director Anoop Kumar Mittal told reporters here. In this complex, he said there are 12 commercial towers, spanning over 3 million sq ft area. This project is expected to be completed by 2020. The World Trade Centres Association (WTCA) has given licences for the development of 21 WTCs in India. At present five WTCs are operational at Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Noida and Kochi.
A new Smart City challenge has been launched in India which encourages young entrepreneurs to identify local problems and develop innovative solutions which have a lasting social impact and are also successful businesses. Smart City 4.0, recently launched by the Innovation Acceleration Group at the University of California Berkeley, US, seeks to develop skills for industry, mentor innovators, a c c e l e r a t e technologies and create fundable start-ups that work towards developing smart cities in India. As a part of the ongoing initiative, India's Smart City CoInnovation Lab will be established in Allahabad, a city that has been identified by the government under its 100 smart cities mission.
www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 17
NEWS/International
Concerned Over Fast Food Wrapping
India to reduce trade But No Diplomatic Ties with North Korea
Here's another thing to worry about at a fast food restaurant: the packaging. That wrapping paper and paper containers that hold your burgers, fries, burritos, etc. can be bad for your health. But as long as you don't stuff the materials up your nose, you should be safe, right? After all, you don't eat food wrapping and packaging materials. Well, actually, maybe you do. Many fast food wrappers and containers have a grease-repelling chemical coating, which according to a report in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, may consist of fluorinated compounds. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains, these flourinated compounds, otherwise known as PFASs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) may "affect the developing fetus and child, including possible changes in growth, learning and behavior, decrease fertility and interfere with the body’s natural hormones, increase cholesterol, affect the immune system and increase cancer risk.
India has refused to give in to America’s pressure to snap all diplomatic connections with North Korea. In a meeting with the visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj categorically said that India has sized down its embassy in DPRK but does not intend to close it down. India had informed the US that it has "minimal" trade with North Korea, and that there was a small Indian embassy in Pyongyang which should stay there so that some channels of communication remain open.
Catalonia government dissolved after declaring independence from Spain
Jeff Bezos Is the World’s Richest Person with $90 billion
Spain dismissed Catalonia's president and Cabinet, and dissolved its Parliament on Friday hours after lawmakers in the autonomous region defied Madrid and voted to declare independence. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called new elections and fired the Catalan police chief, as part of an unprecedented package of measures to seize control of the renegade administration in Barcelona. He said said the moves were needed to restore legality, after a political and constitutional crisis that has gripped the country for months. "In this moment, we need to be serene and careful, but we also need to have confidence that the state has the tools, backed by the law and reason, [to] peacefully and reasonably go back to legality and take away threats to democracy," he said. Rajoy spoke hours after the Catalan Parliament voted by 70 to 10 to "form the Catalan Republic as an independent and sovereign state." 18 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
Amazon.com Inc. shares prices surged on Friday, Jeff Bezos became the richest man in the world Friday morning. The gain in Amazon stock' price added nearly $7 billion to his wealth overnight. Lifting its founder’s net worth by $7.8 billion to $91.3 billion .Bezos will top the index for the first time. His wealth briefly surpassed that of Microsoft Corp. cofounder Bill Gates . Gates ended Thursday with a net worth of $88 billion. Bezos, 53, has added $18.1 billion to his fortune this year. Gates’s net worth rose by $5.6 billion, even after he donated $4.6 billion of Microsoft stock to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in August. Gates has given away almost 700 million Microsoft shares and $2.9 billion of cash and other assets since 1996, according to an analysis of his publicly disclosed giving. He would be worth about $150 billion if he hadn’t made the donations.
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lead STORY
Integrated Natural Resource Management – A project by United Breweries Introduction to the Project Tijara, a tehsil in Alwar, Rajasthan is an under-developed area with a majority of the population being economically and socially backward. The demography comprises mainly of backward castes and minorities. For the longest time, illegal mining had been a contributor to the income of the communities living here. The Integrated Natural Resource Management project is implemented in partnership with a reputed NGO, Sir Syed Trust (SST). SST is a voluntary organisation driven by a vision of “Enabling Poor for Sustainable Livelihood Development�. The main aim of the organisation is to empower the community through activities related to agro-forestry, water, livestock development, education and health in order to overcome the socio economic disparities and evolve a selfreliant community. The project is designed largely for recharging ground water by renovating indigenous rainwater harvesting structures and undertaking rainwater harvesting measures on private lands. The main sources of livelihood in these villages are agriculture and livestock based and there is tremendous scope for improving the productivity of resources that people have. The project is designed to take a holistic view to address other livelihood needs of people living in these villages. Prior to finalising on the project, a detailed participatory needs assessment (PNA) was carried by the partner NGO to identify the most pressing needs of the chosen villages. The PNA helped bring the people together and collectively discuss and prioritise their development issues. The community has agriculture land through which rain water flows, making it undulated,thereby bringing down the productivity by 25-30% as compared to similar land in other villages nearby. Levelling of these lands to improve in-situ rain water harvesting and therefore the microclimate in the area which ultimately will increase the productivity of these lands is a part of the project. The project also aims to introduce improved agriculture practices to improve the quality of produce from these lands. To further support and improve microclimate, the project has an important component to plant trees along the field bunds and to develop fruit orchards. 20 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
Tushara Shankar Head - CSR, United Breweries Ltd. Sector
: Water Conservation Livelihood Generation
and
Geography of the Project : Tijara block, Alwar District, Rajasthan Project Budget
: INR 1,00,29,000
Project Duration
: 2 years
Achievement of the Project
Initiated in October 2016, the project has been working towards building a pool of community leaders, and involving youth in all processes for faster expansion of project activities. • Inclusion of women: Women have been actively encouraged to participate in the project by forming Self Help Groups. • Five Paals and 2 ponds renovated/rejuvenated: Paals are earthen embankments constructed across seasonal nalas that restrict the flow of water during rains, reduces the erosion and helps recharge water locally. The renovated structures will help improve the water recharge as well as availability in the nearby areas. • 35 Hectares of Land Levelled Land levelling is being carried out for about 35 hectares of land, most of which has never been cultivated ever before because of the terrain. • Plantations on farm bunds 6,175 trees have been planted along the farm bunds. • 25 Women Self Help Groups 25Women Self Help Groups covering nearly300 families have been formed under the project. Monthly or weekly meeting of the groups and promoting monthly/weekly savings of a fix sum of money are being undertaken. Inter-loaning among groups is also being encouraged to help the other group or group members meet their emergency credit needs. • 18 Orchards promoted 18 Orchards with a plant survival rate of about 88% have been promoted. Kinnowand lemon orchards are promoted under the project as they are most appropriate keeping in mind the micro climate of the region and the water availability. • Kitchen Gardens promoted among 260 families Community is being motivated to make kitchen gardens in their backyards to help meet their nutritional requirements from vegetables. About 260 families have been provided with seeds for growing vegetables. • Vermicomposting introduced to 18 families Vermicomposting has been introduced among several families so they can maintain kitchen gardens. Worms and polythene sheets have been distributed to 18 families so they can take up this activity full time and supply vermi-compost to the farmers and other households in need of it. The focus of the project has always been to identify the most backward families and sections in the adopted villages and bring them into the mainstream.
Challenges
A majority of the activities under the project involved working with the community on family or community land and majorly those that had never been undertaken before. The community had apprehensions about any ownership issues that would arise. Intensive community interaction sessions were organised to dispel rumours, clear the air and help them understand the objective of the project and the intended benefits. Community participation and contribution were highlighted as important components of implementing this projectto ensure ownership. The women self-help groups have been a medium through which most of the financial transactions happen for all the land work. In a region which is extremely traditional in its outlook, getting women to be involved in anything beyond the housework has been a challenge. The project firmly believes in the importance of having these community structures lead the project to ensure its sustainability. Gradually, women have been brought into the project fold and this has brought about a remarkable difference in the outlook of the community with respect to the role of women in the society.
CSR Assurance for the Project by KPMG
KPMG, one of the Big 4 consulting firms undertook a CSR Assurance for this project to verify the implementation, monitoring and evaluation and CSR expenditure incurred on this project and found no discrepancies. The project is still young and in its implementation stage and an evaluation is planned once the project has matured and reached a stage where substantial impact can be shown. www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 21
OPEN YOUR EYES
Cairn India installs solar run RO plant at Sewniwala, Barmer Cairn India under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) of Rajasthan is establishing 331 RO plants across Barmer District. These plants have varying capacities from 1,000 to 3,000 litres per hour capacity and will be installed over the next three years to provide safe drinking water to a large number of people (estimated in excess of 1 million) living in 800 villages. One of India’s leading water treatment solution provider, Fontus Water is the implementing partner for the project. Use of Renewable Energy: Since power availability remains unreliable in some areas in Barmer to address this issue, Cairn is providing solar powered RO plants in their new project. Barmer has abundant sunlight availability throughout the year. To maximize use of this renewable source of energy, CAIRN India has given mandate for operating some water purification plants with solar energy. Cairn India has planned to setup around 35 solar operated plants under this initiative. First Solar Based RO Plant: The first plant based on this pioneering initiative and India’s largest solar operated community based RO Plant, has been installed at Sewniwala in Baytu Tehsil. The plant has MNRE certified panels and generating a power of 5KW and storing the same in batteries, which can be used for 8-10 hrs of plant operations. The water from this plant will be sold at 25 paise per liter to the local community. Serving Ram Devra Pilgrims: The solar Sewniwala plant also serves devotees travelling to Ram Devra, a local pilgrimage spot in the Jaisalmer area. Devotees from Barmer walk more than a
couple of hundred kilometers every year to the town of Ram Devra. Given the high temperatures (summer temperatures in the area can go upto 50°C) and sparse vegetation, the pilgrims find a major need for water, which this plant has helped address. This installation has put Sewniwala on world map and will help in improving various health issues of the local people by providing purified drinking water at their door step. This is an innovative example of sustainable solutions in community development, where environmentally-friendly green solutions are being used to serve the poorest population with safe drinking water.
Other Advantages of Solar:
Environment friendly: Solar energy is an alternative for fossil fuels as it is non-polluting, it does not pollute the air by releasing harmful gases, so the risk of damage to the environment is reduced. Low maintenance cost: Initial cost of solar panels is steep but there are practically zero recurring costs. Easy Installation: Solar panels are easy to install and does not require any extra space, wires, cords or power sources. Long Lasting Solar Cells: Solar cells make no noise at all and there are no moving parts in solar cells which make them long lasting and require very little maintenance. Save power: As an alternate source of power it saves electricity Greatly Reduced Contribution to Global Warming: There is no carbon dioxide, methane or other emissions that warm the atmosphere. Improves Fire-Reduction: Electricity, Generators have a safety threat, whereas solar electric light is entirely safe. l 22 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
“We will make our village ODF’’ – a CAIRN initiative Children can learn what adults cannot and children can do things that adults never will. That’s why it did not come as a surprise when the children of a secondary school in Barmer got together, folded their hands and pleaded their family members to build toilets in their houses. Their act of pleading their elders to construct a toilet was a spectacle of innocence and perseverance. They were able to convince their parents to build toilets and use them for their children’s sake. The children were motivated by the CAIRN supported FINISH-RDO team to understand the benefits of sanitation and also become the carriers of the message of sanitation. The process started in July. On July 16, the CLTS experts from the team of CAIRN supported FINISH-RDO organized a session with the primary school children. Over 135 students and 25 teachers were present in the meeting. Throughout the session, the team endeavored to educate the children through storytelling, songs, social mapping on the importance of sanitation and how hygiene could improve their health and enhance their efficiency. The students were given information on the importance of construction and usage of toilets and were asked to meet again after seven days. A week later, the team met the students of each class separately and told them about the steps they would be required to take to contribute to the construction and usage of toilets. Subsequently, the students were asked to show their village to the CAIRN supported FINISH-RDO Team at 8 am on the weekend. The team went to each household from which the children belonged and also to a few other households. The children were asked to enlighten their family members, especially the eldest members of their families, on the benefits
Gram Panchayat
: Kanod
Panchayat Samiti
: Gida
School
: Primary school, Chila Nadi
of constructing and using a toilet and not defecating in the open. The children folded their hands and pleaded their family members to construct and use toilets. It was a very heart-warming sight wherein the children were literally seen begging their family members to construct toilets. The families were given every piece of information required to construct the toilet and assured of any help that they would require. The Family members understood the process and the importance of constructing a toilet and assured their children of constructing a toilet within one week. A week later, the CAIRN supported FINISH-RDO team returned to the school to meet the children and convince their neighbours to construct toilets and practice sanitation practices. l
www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 23
FACE TO FACE
GST will draw a big chunk of MSMEs into digital transaction Rajarshi Bhattacharyya, Country Head (India) – SUSE during a chat with SPOI shares his insights on how GST can be a game changer for the Indian economy and help the different initiatives supported by the government SUSE, a pioneer in open source software, provides reliable, software-defined infrastructure and application delivery solutions that give enterprises greater control and flexibility. More than 20 years of engineering excellence, exceptional service and an unrivalled partner ecosystem power the products and support that help our customers manage complexity, reduce cost, and confidently deliver mission-critical services. The lasting relationships we build allow us to adapt and deliver the smarter innovation they need to succeed - today and tomorrow.
How is GST a significant milestone for the Indian economy? Goods and Services Tax is the single biggest tax reform taken up by India since independence, which collapses 17 central, state and local body taxes into a single tax. Policymakers predict that GST is going to be a potential game changer for the country’s economy. On one hand, they expect that the introduction of GST will give a major impetus to the manufacturing sector, create more jobs and improve investment climate. Overall, it is expected to positively impact demand and consumption of goods, which will certainly be a boost to the Indian economy in the long run. As GST extends the tax base of the nation, the government revenue is expected to go up. In the short run, economist predicts that inflation will be brought under control as GST for most goods are fixed at a lower rate. So, I am quite optimistic about both the short and long-term impacts of GST on our economy.
How will digital transactions through GST help in increase in business for the company? At SUSE, digital has always been the primary medium for transactions. So, we don’t anticipate GST to change too many processes internally. However, GST will certainly draw India’s MSMEs, which might include some of our customers and partners, towards digital transaction. This will make this sector more transparent and organized in the long run, and we hope it will facilitate ease of doing business with them.
How will GST support “Make in India” initiative in the long run? Economists do believe that GST will be a boost for the Make in India initiative, considering how the new tax regime will likely 24 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
transform India’s manufacturing sector. Introduction of GST aligns perfectly with ‘Make in India’ project’s goal to convert India into a manufacturing hub. Our previous tax regime was one of the major inhibitions that curbed fresh investments in the manufacturing sector, due to multiplicity of taxes, cascading effect of taxes and huge compliance cost. GST is expected to address all these concerns and improve efficiency in logistics—leading to clear advantages for the Indian manufacturing sector. GST will eventually make Indian products more competitive, both in the domestic and international markets.
What are the future challenges with respect to GST which needs to be implemented as per government regulation? I think one of the biggest challenges for companies will be how they can assess the impact of GST on product pricing, supply chain and cost. They also need to get used to the huge number of returns to be filed on a regular basis. It calls for a major overhaul in processes and strategies. Besides, there is a genuine shortage of GST experts who can understand the intricacies of GST. It’s not just the individual companies, the entire ecosystem—the industries, banks, finance professionals—needs to be GST-ready, which will certainly take some time. l
special features
Women Empowerment in India: Significance and challenges It is said “You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women”. Empowerment literally means 'To invest with Power”. In context of women's empowerment, the term has come to denote women's increased control over their own lives, bodies and environment. Women empowerment is the process of treating women with same status as that of men in all fields of the society.The empowerment of women is a multidimensional aspect which demands active participation of various stakeholders in a developing nation like India. Social, Economic and Political empowerment inter alia, including education for women, health of women, mobility of women, participation of women in various fields and also protection of women against Gender based violence are major pillars of creating an enabling environment for empowering women overall. Achieving gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls, rests upon unlocking the full potential of women in the world of work. According to the World Bank, India has one of the lowest female participation in the workforce and it’s decreasing (from 35% in 1990 to 27% in 2014). Moreover, 25% of urban women quit their jobs after giving birth to their first child.When economies are geared towards achieving women’s rights and gender equality, the benefits, such as fairer societies and greater economic growth, accrue to everyone. Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work implies not only empowering female entrepreneurs and business owners, but also recognizing women’s unpaid care, domestic work and the overwhelming majority of women in the informal economy.A study conducted by the Harvard Business Review on the ‘Battle for Female Talent in the Emerging Markets’ observes that in spite of the presence of many qualified and ambitious women in the BRIC (Brazil,Russia, India and China) countries and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), female talent is underleveraged in emerging markets, suggesting - “…the inducements to languish or leave reflect both entrenched cultural perspectives and modern complexities’’. Among other issues, unfair discrimination at the work place and care giving responsibilities of women are some of the reasons why women are pulled back from the workforce. If they do manage to stay in work once they have married and have children, most stay in mid-level jobs. The trend of placing qualified young women to lower entry positions in comparison to their male counterparts with the same qualifications is very much a reality. Female employees tend to be concentrated in entry or middle level positions, that is, the more senior the position, the lower the percentage of women. Women occupy a very small minority of the senior professional managerial or leadership positions. While the India Gap Review Report has shown 0% of women on company boards or as CEOs, a 2010 study by Mckinsey puts this at 5% in India. India is in the bottom half of the global
rankings and holds the 112th position out of 134 economies in terms of the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI2010). Assessing gender gaps in labor force participation of women has shown that the gaps are minimal in the twenties and the widest gap is found in the 30-34 up to 50-54 age groups. The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) therefore, ask for a rebalancing of the situation. They call for deliberate policies to ensure that women are given opportunities to enter into leadership positions, for training and education to improve their status in comparison to men, have better work conditions with ensured health, safety and well-being, and are free from discrimination. It calls for institutions and companies to become better advocates of gender equality within their sphere of influence, in their supply chains and in communities. The interesting part is that the WEPs are not restricted to women alone but also include men in pushing for such changes in the workplace, marketplace and community.There are a whole host of initiatives that need to be taken on by companies to ensure that WEPs are implemented within their spheres of influence. This not only includes those engaged with the supply chain but also members of the communities within their spheres of influence. Companies are currently measuring and reporting different indicators dependent on subjective priorities within the organisations based on WEPs. Effective and engaging collaboration is the key for better implementation of women empowerment. Former UN Secretary General said “When you embrace these Principles, you join a great and gathering movement to unleash the power of women and change the world … by working together based on shared values, we can advance the common good”. l By Meenakshi Batra Chief Executive - CAF India www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 25
SPOI ANALYSIS
Sandvik creating sustainable solutions in areas of education and skills According to you, what are the top priorities in your organisation for taking initiatives through CSR for the inclusive growth of your organisation? Sandvik CSR is a strategic step forward that goes beyond business to engage with communities around our sphere of operations by leveraging the skills and enthusiasm of our employees and partners best suited to create impact. This definition captures Sandvik’s philosophy with regards to CSR and the key elements of its implementation strategy.
How have you designed the CSR programs in your organisation? Sandvik’s CSR design is a holistic, long term strategy that aligns with our core values of “Customer Focus”, “Innovation”, “Passion to win” and “Fair play” and adheres to the Sandvik Code of Conduct. Sandvik’s rich experience spanning five decades across multiple locations in India has provided insights on some of the gaps in social development required to sustain economic growth. For example, Sandvik clearly recognizes the severe quality/skill gaps in the community with regards to the education and skill training. Sandvik believes that – Sandvik CSR can maximize impact if it focuses
Mr. Saharsh David Mr. David is a Sustainability and CSR Expert. With path-breaking work in CSR, he features in list of 100 Most Impactful CSR Leaders Global Listing-2016- CSR Congress. His other laurels include Winner of CSR Golden Peacock Awards 2017 and also Category and Overall Winner of Amity CSR-2017. He has been honoured as one of the 50 Most talented CSR Professional in India-2014-World CSR Congress. on those needs where it can leverage its core competencies and employee’s skills. The interventions will primarily be through structured CSR programs, based on policies that are well defined for internal stakeholders and include robust processes for impact measurement and communication.
Education is a key driver for ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity. Is there any mandate to support in the education sector in the society? Sandvik CSR vision is to contribute towards creating innovative and sustainable solutions in the field of education, skill and sustainable communities in various spheres that we operate in India. F o r
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education to play a critical role in transforming the society and ending poverty, the focus of the school needs to be on good learning tools, increasing gender equality, improved and sustainable infrastructure, focus on child safety, mental and physical wellbeing. And the real transformation in the society will come if innovation becomes part of curriculum in each school. To transform the government schools in India, Sandvik fellows work in five schools across four states and reach more than 3750 students under our school initiative in quality education, innovation, gender equity, and safety.
How do you identify the credible partners for leveraging strategic partnerships? Sandvik projects are planned as per the policy and therefore there is a clear agenda in running each of our initiative. The implementing partner needs to be a knowledge expert in the Sandvik focus of CSR. With this minimum requirement, an assessment is conducted on the performance of the partner for last three years. The partner also needs to comply
with our Code of Conduct in executing the program. This way we establish the credibility of our partner and work with them to enhance it.
How do you engage your employees towards achieving Impactful resource? At Sandvik we believe that every individual plays an active role in taking our society forward. We ensure that Sandvik's various CSR initiatives help each Sandvik employee to identify a cause to connect to through volunteering. There are four major facets through which employees can volunteer, such as – a. One time volunteering for an event or a specific activity, b. Short term (Skill based) volunteering to support social organisations professionally. c. Strategic Volunteering, where seniors from Sandvik support social organisation by mentoring them of a specific aspect of work (for e.g. Managing Finances). d. In kind volunteering - to support a cause through financial support. An example of Sandvik Employees working as an Impactful resource Yusuf Meharally Centre (YMC) is a voluntary organisation registered in the year 1860, with a vision of wholesome Rural Development. At their Panvel based centre YMC has a village industry set up where they produce Ghani oil, bathing soaps, pottery and car panting. Sandvik's Operations team is currently helping YMC to improve their village industry set up by its interventions for with following objectives a. Making Machines safer. b. Reducing cost of production / maintenance by following SOPs. c. Improving working conditions by providing proper lamination, ventilation, flooring, etc. d. Training YMC team for improved work ethics This is an example of extending professional support to the social organisations to help them overcome the years of sluggishness due to lack of expert technical support. l
Success stories from Sandvik Sandvik is closely working with organisations that are making a difference to the lives of the people. Some of the success stories that have transformed the lives of people are as below 1. We support SAMPARC to provide digital literacy to the rural youth and school dropout youth under the digital literacy drive. •
Kiran Kacharu Ovhal is one such example. He belongs to a financial weaker single parent family residing at Bhaje village. He was unable to complete his higher education because of his family condition as his priority was to support his family financially. He was struggling to find a job when he came to know about SAMPARC VTC. He completed his basic MS-CIT course, and has now joined railways at Car Shade Kurla Depo. Today he is working with Indian Railway and withdrawing the salary of Rs. 18000/- per month and now takes care of his family.
2. Lila Poonawalla Foundation Scholarship supported by Sandvik Asia was awarded to the following girls to pursue their studies – •
Dhanashree Ramdas Raskar pursued Mechanical Engineering after Diploma from the VIT College of Engineering. While Dhanshree’s father expired sometime back, her mother works as an Assistant in an Electronic Shop. After completing her graduation with SGPA of 8.2, she got placed in Neilsoft India Pvt. Ltd and hopes to pursue Masters. In her spare time, she loves to dance and listen to good music.
•
Dipavali Gajanan Naphade: Dipavali pursued Mechanical Engineering after Diploma from VIT College of Engineering. While Dipavali’s father works in a Juice Stall, her mother is a home-maker. After completing her graduation with SGPA of 9.2, she got placed in Praj Industries. In her spare time she loves to read Historical Books, Listening to Music and to play Chess, Badminton and Crafting. She is an all-rounder and has represented her school and college at District Level for various competitions.
3.
DoorStep School –Every Child Counts - Pimpri – Chichwad
In-line with Sustainable Development Goal of Inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all, we support the Doorstep schools – Every child counts initiative. This project aims to provide educational inclusion to the children of the marginalized communities like rag pickers, roadside dwellers and migrant communities. It works towards preventing child labour by ensuring children reach school at right age and continue their schooling and to increase Stakeholder’s participation and strengthens the cause of Every Child Counts programme. We are supporting this program since 2014 and have enrolled 3335 children in schools to give them access to mainstream education. ECC program also works with communities on girl child education1565/ 3335 girls enrolled in mainstream schools so far in PCMC area (46%). www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 27
SPOI CORPORATE
Progressing from CSR to Sustainability: Through Accelerating Collaborations & Impact The subjects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability have gained substantial interest and prominence globally in the business and policy landscape over the last few decades. As job creators, purveyors of products and services, and the largest collective investor in the world, business contributes significantly to economic development. And when it strives for quality employment, creates products, and services that meet the needs and improve the circumstances of the world’s vulnerable, and invests capital mindfully to benefit communities and the environment, business can become a prominent contributor to more sustainable development.
sustainability strategy with the SDGs, and using the SDGs to increase its sustainability ambition levels will create opportunities for partnerships to help reach its goals and achieve greater impact in the process. More specifically, governments, multilateral institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and companies will pour investment into initiatives supporting the SDGs. This funding will affect supply chains and markets and increase access to energy, technology, and products, such as health and financial services. Participating in this process will create business opportunities related to sustainability strategies, consumer engagement, market expansion, and beyond.
New Horizons for Sustainability in Business While CSR and sustainability continue to mean different things to different organizations - and there is no consensus on their definitions - broadly speaking, CSR and sustainability are seen to be spanning across economic, social, and environmental dimensions in business operations, society, and the economy. The terms CSR and sustainability are dynamic and evolving, and generally shaped by different expectations of stakeholders in different economic, social, cultural, political and policy contexts, and therefore, differ from country to country. These differences have resulted in a range of activities considered as CSR and sustainability, resulting in both being rather fragmented domains. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) present a holistic worldview for business to streamline their efforts in sustainability. The first question, however is - 'Why are SDGs and strategic partnership essential for business?' Broad by design, the SDGs offer a framework for impact across sectors; forming a critical platform for collaboration. Aligning a business’
Streamlining Processes From management of diverse set of stakeholders to socially responsible investments to supply chain integrity to climate change, all are considered part of CSR and sustainability. In policy and academics, role of both governments and businesses in shaping CSR and sustainability landscapes have been debated and deliberated upon. Of late, the regulatory landscape related to business responsibilities in both the developed world and the emerging economies is undergoing a transition and is an interesting arena for business and policy dialogue, engagement, and research. The ‘best method is to build a business’ SDG strategy and align it with its core business practice/s and challenges to anticipate.’ This may be ideal when integrated this with a business’ current sustainability strategy. To start, a business may conduct a benchmarking study against the SDGs to understand how it is already contributing to the Goals. In this process, it can also identify specific goals where it may be leading, and those that may require more attention or investment. Another key question to examine is where partnerships - with
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companies in its sector or other sectors, governments, civil society, and more may help it contribute to the SDGs more effectively and reach its sustainability goals more efficiently.
A Call for Sustainable Collaborations Working closely with industry, policymakers, civil society and academia, CAF India engages with stakeholders across the board on the subjects of CSR, sustainability, and responsible business. Our analysis, following the CSR Mandate legislated in India vide Section 135 in Company’s Act 2013, states that the focus largely has been on the procedural aspects of the law and the CSR spend of mandated 2% of the profits. Aligning business’ goals and achievements with an inclusive process like the SDGs can enhance the credibility of its sustainability goals and help ensure that you it is having the greatest impact possible. Hence CAF India has initiated a critical strategic collaborative process in the form of SDGs Drivers Forum wherein we have formed a dedicated action group of private sector stakeholders wherein the essential drivers (Sustainability/CSR personnel) aim to align their responsible activities with the diverse targets of SDGs. With the expanding horizons of CSR and sustainability, the need for collaboration is greater than ever, the onus of proceeding to move beyond business as usual to sustainable outlook rests now on both private sector and civil society organizations. The outlook entails an inclusive, objective and continuous dialogue process between from industry and civil society, so as to transform decision-makers to real time changemakers, and visionaries to form a formidable force to leverage the global development agenda. l By Rohan Jain Manager Planning & Knowledge - CAF India
FACE TO FACE
Aviva’s CSR focus is purely on helping educate the under-privileged children CSR for Aviva started much earlier, even before the 2% mandate was announced by the govt. Jayaram Ramanathan, Vice President – Corporate Communications, Aviva Life Insurance, besides speaking about its flagship initiative shares how as a socially responsible company would take the sustainability legacy forward with the help of Arpana Trust, with whom it has maintained long-lasting relationship -
What will be your agenda for sustainability for 2017? At Aviva, we work at 3 levels – global, at India level and at internal level. In India we predominantly focus on empowerment of woman and education. Globally the agenda for sustainability is pretty high as Aviva is a part of the UN signatory and the UN Panel which works towards sustainability. From that perspective, as a company we work towards assuring that we meet all the required guidelines concerning carbon footprint, wastage etc. From an Indian perspective though, the focus is not so much on environmental sustainability, but on education front, we have been supporting an NGO called Arpana Trust from the past 14 years. And I am happy to share that we have so far helped more than 6000 children. Much before the CSR law came into being; we have been helping them with proper education guideline, in which we have at present 3 projects running. Arpana Trust is a charitable organization which works towards the upliftment of street children in slum rehabilitated settlements. In 2005, Aviva India in partnership with the Arpana Trust launched the Arpana Aviva Balvatika – a centre for children below 5 years of age. These children are provided with primary education and mid-day meals.
What is your flagship initiative? In India our flagship initiative is called Street to School, in which we give education
to under-privileged students. The aim is to fulfil our brand promise by improving the lives of underprivileged children. Our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives focus on empowering underprivileged children through education. We recognise education as the right of every child - the right to a strong foundation that enables them to escape the vicious circle of ignorance, disease and poverty. Street to School, as the name suggests helps children move from street to school and we try to bring them at par with the nearest possible government education that they can be imparted. Besides Arpana Trust, we work with Katha for a project for special need children.
How would you like to take this legacy forward? As a company we are very socially responsible and whatever we do is audited at 3 levels – internal, global and external. So we try to adhere to the norms, guidelines and targets that we as a company have set for ourselves and believe in ensuring that the impact that we deliver is something that is quantifiable and can make a difference.
While going for any partnerships, what factors do you look for in your partners? The first thing we see is the credibility
of the organization; secondly would be their expertise and the third would be the process that they follow. The impact should be measurable for us and we should be able to understand of how the money is being spent.
What kind of challenges do you while taking up any project? From a company perspective, currently it is dependent on the 2% rule and so it is purely ‘better the business more the money’ policy. But from the other side of the fence, for NGOs and partners to come and reach out to us corporates is a very big challenge because every corporate has its own agenda that needs to be synced with the business philosophy. Secondly, the lack of adequate process mechanism which can lead to sustainable impact can be another factor that can pose as a big challenge.
Any message you would like to give to the community? I would definitely like to say that in India philanthropy is as old as the country itself. Even in our mythodologies we have heard of donations and philanthropies. It is critical that we continue with the legacy and hopefully meet the 2030 sustainable development goals that we have set for ourselves. I would also encourage more people to contribute. l www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 29
SPO FOUNDATION
DHFL asks everyone to do something good for the society Though DHFL is new to CSR, DHFL Pramerica believes that the act of giving is purely an individual phenomenon, irrespective of any govt. mandate or rules and should start from an individual level only. Suman Majumdar, AVP & National Product Manager - DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance Company speaks on what sustainability means for the company and how does as an insurance company does it look at the developmental goals and sustainability What has been the sustainability agenda for DHFL in 2017? Health is the major focus for us. The ongoing project at DHFL is ‘Behtaar’ India for us. We are doing this in conjunction with NDTV and CAF is our implementation partner for this project. This happens to be our flagship initiative too. So there are 3 verticals to it – health, hygiene and environment. Out of these 3, health is the bigger aspect because we understand that at the end, whether it is hygiene or environment, it all rounds up to one thing which is health.
Which NGOs and self-help groups do you work with? We are very new to CSR, and so we have been working directly with a lot of organizations, which ideally need not be an NGO. But now since we are in touch with CAF, we would like to work and take up more projects with CAF.
What are the factors you look for in your partners? Hope and trust are the 2 things that we usually look for in our partners. We also try to ensure that the content of delivery is good enough; their previous campaigns that they have undertaken should speak volume of their trustworthiness and honesty. So we try to test them that way and then work with them.
How far do you encourage your 30 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
employees to be a part of these initiatives? We encourage 100% participation among our employees, because apart from the corporate social responsibility, there is also an individual responsibility that matters. And as a company, we highly encourage everybody to step forward and do whatever they can for the community.
How does sustainability get reflected in your offerings to your customers? Since we are an investment company, the development and sustainability goals should get manifested through the processes. For instance, for a manufacturer, if he manufactures
anything, the sustainability development should get reflected in it. But for us, it is how we process our solutions in terms of sustainability is how we look at sustainable development.
Any message you would like to give to the community? My only message to the community would be to step forward. It is both for the young and old alike. Most of the time we step back thinking of what people will think about us, or will I be able to do it all myself ? But personally I feel, these inhibitions can be broken once you have taken the first step. When you restore faith in yourself that something good can be done, you should just go for it. l
SPOI special
OICL signs MoU with ALIMCO As per the MoU signed between ALIMCO and OICL, distribution camps will be organized at Delhi NCR region for an estimated cost of Rs 100 lakhs. In the Distribution Camps, artificial limbs, aids & appliances such as Tricycle, Wheel Chairs, BTE Hearing Aids, Crutch Axilla Adjustable, Braille Cane, MSIED Kit, Braille Kit etc. to Persons with Disabilities will be distributed. The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd (OICL) and Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) have signed an MoU on 8th September at New Delhi for Rs. 100 Lakhs for Distribution of Aids and Assistive Devices such as Artificial limbs, Tricycle, Motorized Tricycle, Wheel Chairs, Joystick Wheelchair, BTE Hearing Aids, Crutch Axilla Adjustable, Braille Cane, MSIED Kit, Braille Kit, Daisy Player, Smart Cane,
ADL Kit for Leprosy Patients, etc. to persons with disabilities at Delhi NCR region, under the CSR initiative of OICL in the august presence of Shri A. V. Girija Kumar, Chairman & Managing Director, OICL & Shri D.R. Sarin, CMD – ALIMCO.
control of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India and has been manufacturing various types of aids & appliances on mass scale to meet the requirements of the Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), across the country.
The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. is a public sector general insurance company of India having its head office at New Delhi and it has 31 Regional offices and more than 1900 active Operating Offices across the country.
As per the MoU signed between ALIMCO and OICL, distribution camps will be organized at Delhi NCR region for an estimated cost of Rs 100 lakhs. In the Distribution Camps, artificial limbs, aids & appliances such as Tricycle, Wheel Chairs, BTE Hearing Aids, Crutch Axilla Adjustable, Braille Cane, MSIED Kit, Braille Kit etc. to Persons with Disabilities will be distributed. l
ALIMCO is a “Not For Profit” Central Public Sector Undertaking working under the administrative
www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 31
INTERVIEW
The future of IT skills for Technical support organizations Over the past few years, digital transformation has become a watchword for many businesses. In this new era defined bycloud computing, social media and mobile strategies, companies are pursuing new IT tools, and it is clear that the best useof tools require a disruption to operational procedures. Accompanies seek success with new products and new customers; there are many areas that must be addressed in order to become a truly digital service provider. One of the critical success factors for service organizations is to understand how technical support, the backbone of customer satisfaction as well as customer retention is evolving with regards to technology adaption and workforce skills.
The Four Pillars of a Functional IT Framework: However, before we discuss the workforce skill trends, let us first understand how technical support is evolving at a dramatically fast pace. Afunctional IT framework describes four primary IT disciplines—Infrastructure, Development,Security, and Data. • Infrastructure: The Infrastructure pillar is the bedrock of IT operations. Witha broad reach and a long history, Infrastructure contains many of theroles most often associated with IT.At the core of this function, system administration and network operations take care of the back-office tasksthat have been part of IT since the mainframe era. However, today’s setup requires physical server maintenance,virtual system administration, network configuration, and storage planning. These tasks, which have traditionally centered on “on-prem” components still establish the foundation for the rest of the IT architecture. Interestingly, we are observing a growing importance of application implementation. • Development: While Infrastructure focuses on hardware, Development centers on software.It is important to note that companies building software for externalcustomers have separate product development teams. However, in times to come, there will clearlybe an overlap between the software product teams and infrastructure and these two pillars work seamlessly to provide the best application for the end user. • Security: As technology needs become more complex andthe digital stakes get higher, security is perhaps the most important pillar of any organization. Security most often begins as an offshoot ofInfrastructure, since the traditional security approach has been heavilyfocused on technology. The need for further specialization is driven bynew layers of technical tools, business processes that establish securepractices.Traditionally organizations have used firewall and antivirus as the means for securing their infrastructureand endpoint devices. • Data: As Security is an offshoot of Infrastructure, Data is an offshoot ofDevelopment. The skills and thinking needed in Development 32 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
translatewell to Data, where there is an abstract component of dealing with bitsand bytes. The recent growth in the amount, veracity, velocity and variety of data that a company can manage has brought focus to certainspecialized skills, but there is a foundation that must be built beforemoving to more advanced applications.
New age technical support competencies These four pillars and their overlap has created a complex environment which requires rethinking thestrategic and tactical competency development of a technical service function. To the extent that hardware is still involved at the core of technical services at the first level of technical support, the responsibilities have definitely evolved in the past few years. From a PC running on Windows most originations have started utilizing other operating systems and smartphones heavily. In many cases enterprise application are accessed over cloud by employees and customers. Pure hardware repair is a passé as companies exploreBYOD and utilize warranty support, but familiarity acrossmultiple operating systems is needed as a basic step inensuring productivity.Beyond devicesthe first line of defense is nowinteracting with a complex back end system comprised of many components. l By Pradipto Chakrabarty, Regional Director, CompTIA India
www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 33
lead STORY
Global tension grows with soaring relationship between North Korea and the US North Korea was behind the “WannaCry” cyber attack in May that disrupted businesses and government services worldwide, including the National Health Service (NHS) in England. Security Minister Ben Wallace said Britain believed “quite strongly” that the ransomware attack came from a foreign state. WannaCry infected more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries in a matter of days, demanding victims pay ransoms starting at $300 to regain access to their machines. As the tension between North Korea and the US continues to grow, the possibility of war is rapidly evolving into a probability. Hence, North Korea is poised to deliver a devastating blow to the United States economy with a series of high-tech electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks, which would plunge the world into chaos. Politicians in the US are said to be alarmed by the growing threat of a high-altitude nuclear blast 34 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
and the resulting electromagnetic pulse. North Korea has already carried out a series of missile tests amid World War 3 fears.
What is EMP attack? An EMP attack would fry the circuitry of mobile phones and wipe out online banking, food resources and the USA’s financial systems, resulting in a global financial crash, claimed Simpson. The blast of electromagnetic energy also has the ability to take down aeroplanes in flight and cause trains to stop in their tracks. North Korea news: Kim Jong-un - EMP attack could devastate the US economy Tension between North Korea and the United States has been building after a series of nuclear and missile tests by Pyongyang and bellicose verbal exchanges between Trump and North
Korean leader Kim Jong un, stoking fears that any miscalculation could lead to an armed confrontation.
Electronic Armageddon The catastrophic blackout would be worst in cities, because it would instantly deprive the population of access to drinking water, refrigeration, heat, air conditioning, and telecommunication. Food stores would be looted within a matter of days, and gas stations would cease to function without electricity. Without Internet access and power, all commerce and advanced methods of communication would stop. There would be no TV, radio, phones, Credit card transactions and cash withdrawals at banks would be impossible. Paper money would become worthless, and Bitcoin would cease to exist, along with the stock market. If something like that were to happen, I don’t think it is at all likely, but when North Korea is boasting about it, then, of course, the whole world would suffer if there was a major breakdown of the United States, China – that would be absolutely devastating to the world economy.
Consequences Post an EMP
Attack US politicians and major utilities have kicked the can down the road when it comes to EMP preparation. Edison Electric estimates that shielding transformers for the US grid system could cost $20 billion. The only current option after an EMP attack would be to replace damaged or destroyed transformers. However, says Scott Aaronson, managing director for Cyber and Infrastructure Security at Edison Electric, replacements for those transformers must be procured from foreign suppliers, which could take up to 18 months. The US President left all options on the table when he was asked if he would react with military force to North Korea’s latest weapons test, telling reporters: “We will see.” However, the Secretary of Defence, General James Mattis was more direct in his threats of military action as he refused to rule out a devastating end to the Kim regime through the USA’s “many military options”. General Mattis said, “Our commitment among the allies is ironclad. Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military
The whole world would suffer if there was a major breakdown of the United States Speaking to BBC’s Radio 5 Live, Simpson said: “One of the things that the North Koreans have been boasting about
an
electromagnetic
pulse
(EMP), which means firing a nuclear weapon up into the atmosphere and devastating the electrical grid of a country and all of its infrastructure.…….
response, a response both effective and overwhelming. We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said we have many options to do so. The USA has assembled an impressive arsenal, which includes a sophisticated antimissile system, as it looks to intimidate the Kim regime.” The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system, despite criticism from Pyongyang, is ready and waiting to intercept missiles and destroy incoming projectiles while they are in mid-flight. South Korea’s Government has released details, revealing it will roll out four more US-designed THAAD systems after the Kim regime’s latest nuclear test. The Trump administration’s North Korea policy consists of declaring that America’s patience has run out, refusing to negotiate, hinting at preventive war and hoping that China bails it out. Barely anybody familiar with the relationship between the two countries, the world believes China’s leaders will make North Korea denuclearize just because Trump tells them to. Yes, China wants to calm Trump down so he doesn’t start World War III. All eyes are on China wanting to know how it will maintain stability on its border. l www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 35
COVER STORY
A sudden note ban leaves positive impacts behind: DEMONETIZATION The time when the country was standing in a queue and different political party representatives were attacking PM MODI for his unprepared but fast implemented decision, there were lots of people who were still supporting and praising the decision with their different guesses Demonetization when implemented almost brought the Indian economy to a standstill. The overnight note ban decision didn’t give a chance to anybody to think about the reason behind this. After the 36 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
announcement by the PM, every citizen has just one thought - how to survive without any cash in hand, as because every shop, store or retailer had stopped taking the old currency notes right after midnight. But even after lots of criticism and allegations, our finance minister Arun Jaitly kept telling the benefits of bringing in demonetization in the economy on such a short notice. Sure enough, after months of having announced the note ban, positive effects on the Indian economy could be slowly felt. One of the most important factors behind the decision as Finance Minister ARUN JAITLY still says is that “The objective of note ban was to bring down cash in the economy, support digitisation, expand tax base, and fight black money”. He also said that people with inadequate understanding of how to tackle black
money linked note ban with money returned to the system. Deposits in banks don’t legitimise black money but now money has now been identified to its owner. The Finance minister also quoted that post demonetisation, cash squeeze in Chhattisgarh and Jammu and Kashmir resulted in dip in terrorist and separatist activities in the states. He also added that the not ban was not an exercise to confiscate money; but the next step will be to cleanse political funding. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi while supporting and justifying the demonetisation in a conference said “in the national interest, we are not afraid of taking big decisions because for us, the country is above politics. Whether it is surgical strikes, demonetisation or GST, all decisions are taken without any fear or hesitation.”
Implications of Demonetisation · Healthy cash reserve ratio of the banks · Stimulate domestic spending a boost to economic growth Advantages of Demonetisation · Awareness and reliance on formal modes of payments · Shadow economy that thrives on black money corrodes · Fake currency market deteriorates · Improves global image with regards to transparency and corruption there by stimulate economic growth · Reduces instances of tax avoidance
And a lot of positive impact can also be noted down like mentioned below: • The number of tax payers has also increased due to demonetisation. Also senior officials and administrators say that “demonetisation has sent a message that those who evade tax are engaging in a form of financial terrorism and that the law is going to come after them.” • According to a survey in November 2015, India’s major local bodies collected Rs. 1000 crore tax while after one year in November 2016 locale urban bodies collected Rs. 3,500 crore taxes, which is an increase of 245% which is huge. • Another positive effect of the demonetisation is that approximately 91 lakh new assesses joined the tax base in the financial year 2016-17. Also before the demonetisation roughly 1 lakh pan cards were issued everyday but now the number of new pan cards issued everyday is an average between 2-3 lakh, as the pan cards are now mandatory to open a bank account. • One of the biggest move of
the demonetisation is that the public has changed their financial behaviour from cash to card as they started digital transactions which has increased transparency in the economy. And to support the digital transaction, a number of several payment applications were launched that time. This initiative was also supportive for digital India because with this people are becoming digitally literate. • The usage of these digital wallets such as paytm, BHIM, SBI BUDDY, freecharge, MOBIWIKetc are witnessing transactions of more than 200 crore per day. The BHIM application and UPI payment gateways are already averaging a daily transactional value of R. 140 crore per day. • Demonetisation has also helped to bring a significant amount of additional money into the formal banking system, which is apparent from the increased number of bank deposits. On demonetisation lots of political personalities are still speaking on the profits of demonetisation and how it is helping the nation to achieve its goals. In
an interview, former economics affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das who played a key role during the demonetisation drive says that he does not agree with the criticism that implementation of demonetisation had serious shortcomings. He says it’s very difficult to estimate the impact of demonetisation without a deep study. According to him the decision was taken mainly to deal a strong blow to the menace of the black money. Though the luxury of advance preparation was not available to the banks, but the credit of the banks rose on the occasion and remonetisation went on smoothly. He also said that he would not agree that implementation had any shortfall. While commenting on the impact of demonetising in India’s growth he says “The quarter when demonetisation happened, the growth was 7%. The first quarter of this year was impacted by GST related de-stocking therefore it is very difficult to determine how much of it is due to demonetisation and how much of the current dip in GDP is due to GST." www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 37
FACE TO FACE
Vodafone wishes to see a multiplying impact of its activities on the society For Vodafone, the success of doing anything for the society is not measured in terms of numbers but the impact that it can create which eventually multiplies. P Balaji, Director, Vodafone India shares the company’s sustainability agenda and the current projects that it has undertaken with other NGOs and organizations -
What has been the sustainability agenda for Vodafone 2017? From the point of view of Vodafone, we focus a lot on being a responsible business. To that extent sustainability is pretty much part of our operations. It is not just what we do but also how we do, which is equally important - whether it is about reducing carbon footprints of our operations, or making sure that responsible business practices are followed across our entire value chain. We also have taken other sustainability initiatives – like for instance we have taken a green initiative where we are planting several hundreds and thousands of trees to save our planet. These kinds of initiatives ensure that our customers try to relate to the kind of initiatives we take. On the CSR front we have a very strong focus that goes into making a difference as a company in the areas of women empowerment, education and agriculture. In recent times we have focused on creating a platform called ‘Learning’, where we have multi-media content created for imparting science and mathematics to students from Standard VI – VII. We now created a platform for giving out scholarships to needy people, who look out for such aids but are not able to access it because of lack of information. This will happen to be the largest scholarship platform and will be multilingual in nature. Our impact is huge as we have touched 38 | October 2017 www.spoindia.org
upon 5 million people in the country through our CSR initiatives. We believe that we can significantly increase that in coming 5 years time.
How do you measure the success of your social initiatives? The effort has been put in by every organization that we work with; for us the fact that we have scaled and have reached the target and that we understand technology means that we have been chosen to make an impact. So if we are able to reach 5 million people, and if we can enhance that to 4 times in the next few years, we will be doing that on the basis of our core strength and our philosophy of ‘Connecting for Good’. And therefore if we are using this as an overarching theme to make an impact on society, then we are doing our job. Most of this comes from having active collaboration with NGO sector, govt. entities on the ground, because for us the impact is created by collaborations. We undertake these activities and then we measure it and see if whether we had been able to do that and if we are able to do we are able to multiply that impact much faster. We also keep our ears and eyes
open to collaborate with NGOs and even public safety organizations to come up with simple apps that can impact the lives of people. So for us measuring our success is not just in terms of number we reach but the fact that we are able to multiply the effect. For instance, today through Pratham as our NGO partner, we have reached out to 1000+ schools. At the same time we are trying to extend the partnership to the next level.
How do you encourage Vodafone employees to take part in your social projects? We have an initiave called ‘World of Difference’ through which we try to mobilise the collective power of our employees. Besides our people giving time and skill, the company encourages them by giving 8 weeks time to go into chosen fields and specific skills and find the right organization to partner with. So far we have been able to put in 60,000 hours of efforts and partnered with close to 160 NGOs. The good thing is the employee engagement also goes up and the purpose of working for the society is served. l
www.spoindia.org October 2017 | 39
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