Saturday, September 01, 2012

Iran: The war is over, finally!

With the Obama administration playing down the Bushehr reactor issue, US finally accepts Iran; B&E brings out a completely hidden fact of the timing of the State Department’s pro-Iran statement

“We recognize that the Bushehr reactor is designed to provide civilian nuclear power and do not view it as a proliferation risk!” With this one statement on August 13, 2010, Darby Holladay of the US State Department created history by changing a decades’ long policy stand of United States towards Iran. The statement was brilliantly timed, given the propensity with which Israel was preparing to attack Iran’s nuclear plant. The statement also defined a historic moment in US-Israel relations, by communicating to Israel that the US was no longer ready to blindly accept any anti-Iran tirade.

These voices from the Obama government express an opinion considered improbable just a few months back, when US was said to be on the brink of attacking Iran. In February 2010, Obama had warned, “Despite their (Iran’s) posturing that their nuclear power is only for civilian use, they in fact continue to pursue a course that would lead to weaponization.” Given such a negative statement, the current US stand is momentous.

For the trained political analyst though, the past year should have been enough to give much evidence of what was around the corner in not only Obama-Iran relations, but most importantly Obama-Israel relations. Last year, when US Vice President Joe Biden, during an interview with ABC Sunday, announced that US would not “stand in the way” of Israel attacking Iran, US President Barack Obama had immediately backtracked asserting that US had “absolutely not” given any go ahead to Israel for attacking Iran. Obama had reiterated further, “We have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the Middle East.” For Israel, that was bad news, and not just because of worsening political relations with US – Israeli fighter crafts would have had to pass over Iraq to attack Iran; and Iraq was under US control then.


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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Fox snaps!

Megan Fox will not be seen in the next installment of the Transformers franchise, and she wants it known that she has opted out and has not been dropped from the film. Recently, a topless photograph of hers was leaked, which was taken on the sets of the film Passion Play. The miscreant should be a worried man, for the furious Megan wants to personally cause physical harm to him! People are advised to think twice before messing with Megan!


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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Miley’s milestone birthday

Miley Cyrus’ 18th birthday this November promises to be an eventful one. For one, she plans to move in to her own home at the Toluca Lake in Los Angeles on her birthday, which she will be renovating this summer. The young starlet has already spent a whopping $3.4 million on her dream house. The singer-actress will also be tying the knot with boyfriend Liam Hemsworth once she turns 18. Miley sure seems in a rush to shed her image of a cute teenager!


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Saturday, August 11, 2012

THE FOOD PROCESSING IMBROGLIO

There is an urgent need for reforms in the food processing sector, the poor, fragmented and often ignored cousin of agriculture. Such transformations would not only create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, but prove to be the catalyst for the much needed second Green Revolution in Indian agriculture.

As a result, the critical link in the chain, marketing and distribution, is muddled with middlemen and small kirana stores with poor storage and packaging facilities. Thus, massive wastages occur, proving to be a deterrent to processors acquiring larger scales. In fact, according to estimates from the Ministry of Food Processing, food worth $12.7 billion (7% of total food industry value) was wasted in 2008, courtesy lack of adequate post-harvest management infrastructure. The second factor that incentivises only small-scale operations is the controversial APMC Act, which prohibits direct contract of processors with farmers, which therefore forces the processors to pay higher mandi rates. There is clear lack of integration amongst various entities in the sector at present, as Richard F. Stier, Consulting Food Scientist, Institute of Food Technologists, says, “Perhaps the greatest challenges faced by nations like India are government, transportation and the lack of an integrated agri-business sector.”

To further sour the pudding, India has one of the highest tax and duty rates for this industry. High tax and excise duties, coupled with high import tariffs for unprocessed food are a sure-shot deterrent. Although peak customs duty rate has been reduced progressively to 10%, several agricultural commodities (perceived as ‘sensitive’ for our masses) pay higher rates. Thus unit costs continue to escalate. Despite the fact that archaic food laws (The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 and PFA Rules, 1955) have been replaced by a new one – The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 – that is aimed at establish an overarching authority to lay down latest scientific standards for food articles on the lines of the FDA in USA, such efforts will prove useless until streamlined markets and easier credit don’t exist. High cost is also a killer, as Dr. A. Bandyopadhyay, Chief General Manager, NABARD, says, “The food processing industry seems to suffer from a vicious cycle of high unit cost – low demand – low capacity utilisation – high unit cost.” Thus much is left to be done in this regard.

However, at first glance, it seems that when it comes to the export potential of the sector, the elephant trudges along at its own agonizingly slow pace. But some interesting facts twist this tale. Indian food processing industry caters mainly to the domestic market (quite unlike the IT industry) which is growing at a substancial pace. India’s processed food products made for the domestic market are still largely unacceptable in the global markets while western cousine has satiated the Indian palate comparatively well. Still, the potential of the sector to bring in foreign exchange and generate huge export oreinted jobs is huge yet almost ignored.

Not just in terms of newer policies and legislations that will bring about overarching changes in the way the industry is tructured and functions, there is a need for some fast paced steps to immediately untangle the various ropes binding the sector. In fact, according to C. K. Basu, former President, All India Food Processor’s Association, “For entrepreneurs who wish to establish or expand their projects without any financial support from the government, quick clearance of their proposals will be essential for rapid growth of food industry. For this purpose effective and efficient one window system need to be established at both national and state levels.”

Thus for the moment, despite a few green patches here and there, the food processing landscape in India remains dry and cracking, craving for the panacea of right policy, credit and technology to successfully feed the millions being added every year to the populace.




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Monday, July 30, 2012

The Chinese Answer to The West – “Made in China” to “Made by China”

There is this flippant yet popular joke that goes like this: if you clone yourself four times, one will be Chinese! That says it all about the manner in which the world perceives the ubiquitous Chinese – populated and copycats. There’s no doubt, China has become numinously overpowering and has integrated itself into the lives of people all across the globe by their sheer human power and the power to produce goods and services at a prodigiously unprecedented pace and volume. So much so that from Greenland to Antarctica, and from Middle East to Europe, if one were to try and search the origin of the products used in these countries on a daily basis, in all probability the ‘origin’ would turn out to be China. Be it your cell phone or the laptop, or even the engine of your car, everything turns out to be made in China. An original iPhone or even its look-a-like (with similar or more features), both are made in China. In fact, all this is known. But what is mostly unknown is the infrangible might that the Chinese have garnered today with their home-grown products and brands. Not only is China manufacturing almost all goods for Western companies, but it also has gained a huge impelling momentum with its own domestic production. Today, stellar Chinese companies are topping various global lists in terms of revenue, market share, size and scale; but more than that, their sterling products are also acting as alternatives – or even better replacements – for Western products within and outside China. Today, the Chinese have a “Made by China” option with similar features and quality for almost every known Western brand, which are also anyway made in China.

Against the populist perception of China being a nation of cheap-labour export and copycats, China has emerged as one of the most innovative nations as well! When one goes to a top designer store in America or to the Disney Stores in Disneyland, all products in these stores are made in China, totally dispelling the myth that Chinese products mean coarse or low quality fakes. Everything, everywhere seems to be made in China, especially in the West. So much so that post 9/11, when the Americans had their national flag flying up and about almost everywhere, it was found out that most of these flags had been made in China! Obviously, as an Indian, it hits one hard since there is absolutely no such concept like “Made in India”, though as a nation we have some of the best talented individuals, many of whom are even running the world’s topmost companies now. That is why when Hillary Clinton comes to India and gives a motivation pill to Indians that they should look at a parallel role in this region along with China, and when the Indian media goes ga-ga over that, I feel like rolling with laughter! One reason why I started writing on China – and plan to write often – is so that Indians know where we could have been and where we actually are, shamefully. This piece actually doesn’t merit an Indian mention at all – so much is the telling Chinese superiority when it comes to “Made in China” as well as “Made by China”!

In the latest World Intellectual Property Indicators 2010 (WIPO) report, China figures as the third largest nation in terms of patent applications. China has applied for 203,481 patents in 2009 and around 492,008 between 2003 and 2007. To further their supereminent entrepreneurial endeavours and strengthen domestic companies, the Chinese government launched an “indigenous innovation” scheme and further declared it a national priority in 2006. This whole program was aimed towards encouragement of technological innovation in Chinese domestic firms and motivating them to own their proprietary Intellectual Property rights. Moreover, all science and technology based production has been continuously aided with huge tax incentives, credit facilities and budgetary support. On top of that, the products thus developed under the “indigenous innovation” program also featured as a priority in the government procurement lists. A 2010 US Chamber report titled ‘China’s drive for indigenous innovation’ states how China has climbed the ladder swiftly and made itself prominent in the field of science and technology. The Thompson Reuters Science Citation Index (CSI) placed 122,998 Chinese scientific papers in 2009, thus making them the third largest contributor. China also features as the largest contributor in the areas of engineering, genomics and nanotechnology.

Let me start the China story with an interesting anecdote. All those who followed the Beijing Olympics closely would have surely been impressed by former Chinese gymnast Li Ning, who lit the cauldron during the opening ceremony. But then, knowledge about the fact that this 45-year old, triple gold medallist of the 1984 games is actually the founder and owner of China’s biggest sporting goods manufacturing company – Li Ning Company Limited – is quite limited. Li Ning Co. is not only the biggest in China, but also has stores across the globe. During the 2008 Olympics, the company sponsored many sporting teams, besides sponsoring the Chinese teams. Today, it is the biggest competitor to Adidas and Nike in China and clocked in staggering revenues of $1.354 billion in the last year. As per the China Market Research Group Survey 2009, Li Ning and Adidas both had a 14 percent market share in China, which was just 3 percent behind the market leader Nike.


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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Demand upswing of steel & cement in india

As long term demand upswing of steel & cement in india is assured, larger players in both Sectors probably look for distressed assets in the coming months 

Avinash Gupta, consultant with Deloitte India said, “Consolidation is typically driven when there is an overcrowding in the industry or a shortfall in terms of work for everybody.” In the case of cement, the situation is similar to steel, as the larger players are on the look out for capacity expansions as well. Take the recent example of Lafarge India – the Indian subsidiary of the world’s largest manufacturer of cement. To expand its reach and become a more national player, it is trying to purchase Chennai-based Ramco Group’s West Bengal cement grinding unit for around Rs.3.5 billion, which originally took an investment of Rs.1.20 billion to set up. Given the strong demand from building and construction, recent forecasts and upcoming development projects in India, most large cement producers are eying expansions of up to twice their capacities. For buyers in steel & cement, this is a better route to the greenfield option, which has become a red flag in India due to land acquisition controversies. On the other hand, the sector has a number of smaller players facing pricing pressures at the moment due to a dip in demand that is typical in the monsoons. Prices are down by around Rs.20 per bag since April. Moreover limestone costs could go up by around Rs.75-80 per tonne after the new mining laws. Furthermore delayed execution and the slowdown imminent in real estate with high interest rates would have an obvious negative effect. Larger players can survive more easily on volumes and also push surplus to off trade markets. But regional players face a high probability of losses and often look to milk their assets to a suitable bidder. This year, the only major acquirer so far has been Ambuja Cement, which has bought an 85% majority stake in Nepal’s Dang cements for Rs.191.3 million. But in both steel & cement, the coming months should see a number of incremental value generating deals and the competitive battle lines getting redrawn.


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Thursday, July 26, 2012

UP’s Land Acquisition Policy - Any Surprises?

After rounds of Protests by Farmers and Opposition groups, The Ruling UP Govt. announced a New Land Acquisition Policy of The State. The Improvements as most did not expect, took many by Surprise. Is it a beginning-much-needed, or is it just another Political Gimmick?

Facing flak from the ruling coalition in the Centre over the stand-off between the Noida administration and residents of Bhatta-Parsaul village in Greater Noida, Mayawati, the Chief Minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh, on June 2, 2011, announced a new policy for land acquisition in the state. Under the newly laid-out policy, all land transactions hereon, will now be struck using a consensual approach. This will happen through a direct dialogue between the private developers and the land owners.

“The role of the government now would be that of a facilitator only, limited to issuing a notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894,” said the Chief Minister while briefing the media in Lucknow at a press conference organised to announce the new Land Acquisition Policy of the state. This is the second such policy to be announced by the Mayawati regime in the past nine months. The previous one was declared on September 3, 2010. The new policy will be implemented with prospective effect and will not apply to land acquired during the time period when the previous policy was active. The announcement of the new policy followed a “kisan panchayat” addressed by the Chief Minister. The panchayat was attended by farmers’ representatives from Bharatiya Kisan Union, including its general secretary Rakesh Tikait, and those from Tappal and Bhatta-Parsaul.

According to Mayawati, the new policy had been devised after elaborate discussions with the farmers’ representatives. Describing the new policy, the CM claimed it would be better than the “proposed land acquisition policy of the UPA government”. The Congress, which a few days back had slammed the UP chief minister for alleged atrocities in the process of acquiring land for the Yamuna Expressway project and had spoken volumes against the state’s policy, did not respond to her claims. Mayawati claimed that the issue of land acquisition policy would be raised by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the monsoon session of the Lok Sabha and if the Centre’s policy was not announced, the BSP would ‘gherao’ the Parliament.

Voices from the industry have been divided on this issue. The two major industry bodies, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), have expressed dissenting views on the matter. The major point of contention appears on the role of the government. While CII has found support with the National Advisory Council’s (NAC) suggestion that the government should play a prominent role in the process of all land acquisitions, FICCI believes otherwise. Speaking to B&E on the role of the government, Chetan Bijesure, FICCI’s Additional Director, says, “In the case of UP, the role of the government has changed from that of an acquirer to one of a facilitator. We are not saying that the government should be absolved of the entire process. We are advocating a model that ensures better results for farmers as they will have the option to negotiate better rates.” Further, he adds, “The past instances where the state government has acquired land, we have seen the [unsatisfactory] results (in West Bengal, UP, Orissa). Also, the option of the developer meeting the farmer directly reduces the possibility of vested interests influencing the process at any given stage.” B. Muthuraman, President of CII, however had a different explanation for recommending a greater government involvement. As per him, the government cannot absolve its responsibility in land acquisitions. “We are pleased to note that NAC is also of the similar view on this critical issue. The State must fulfil its responsibility for economic development and play a critical role in acquiring land for industrial projects, as planned industrialisation is essential for job creation and inclusive growth,” says Muthuraman.

The mass agitations which had become synonymous with land acquisitions in the state could only be dealt through innovative solutions, and the confidence with which the UP government has doled out the fresh land acquisition policy, is backed by the reforms that it proposes to bring out.

Government sources told B&E that the new policy on land acquisition has broadly been categorised into three parts. The first part deals with direct transfer of land from farmers to private developers, with the state (district administration) merely playing the role of a facilitator. The policy underlines that the compensation package against the acquisition of land will be prepared only after the terms and conditions have been approved by 80% of the farmers or land owners whose land is to be acquired for a particular project. Failure of the private parties to woo 80% of the farmers would result in reconsideration of the project proposal. Additionally, the farmers have been given the option of taking 16% of the land developed for the project along with annuity at the rate of Rs.23,000 per acre for a period of 33 years. The farmers will also have the option for cash component in lieu of a portion of the 16% developed land. Furthermore, farmers who wish to forgo annuity will be entitled to a rehabilitation grant at the rate of Rs.276,000 per acre. [The rehabilitation grant in the September 2010 policy was fixed at Rs.240,000 per acre.]

The second part of the policy states that farmers whose agricultural land has been acquired for building state highways and canals will be entitled to all the benefits accruing under the state’s Relief and Rehabilitation (R&R) Policy, 2010. Apart from the rehabilitation grant, 25% shares of the developer company will be allotted to the farmer and one member of each farmer’s family will also be given employment in the company. In the third part of the policy, where land has been acquired by the development authorities under the master plan, the deal will be executed only abiding by the terms of agreement through a consensual approach, sources told B&E. Mayawati’s new land acquisition policy has definitely set a benchmark for the Centre to better (when it brings its bill to the monsoon session of Parliament). The events could also, actually translate into the UPA coming out with a more farmer-friendly Land Acquisition Bill.


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Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Energising India

Finally, the Indian government recently unveiled its much awaited Exim Policy, commonly known as the Trade Policy, with once again an ambitious export target to achieve. Guess what’s the projected export target for the year 2007-08? It’s a humongous $160 billion! Looks like a pretty difficult target, but one must not forget the accomplishments of our government, which in the recent past, has exceeded all set targets of exports. Consider export figures of the last three years, $83.5 billion in 2004-05, $103.1 billion in 2005-06 and a mammoth $125 billion for the last fiscal year, and one would easily understand the pace of our growth rate.

For complete IIPM article click here

Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof.Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

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Wednesday, May 09, 2007

The new Turks!

Of the 15 former Soviet Republics, Turkmenistan is one of its kind – politically repressive, yet the wealthiest nation amongst all. Owing to the conspiracy of silence in media, the true picture of this nation was hidden for years. After independence (1990-91), authorities framed two important development policies to empower the citizen – privatization and capitalism. Turkmenistan’s present social security system finds its foundation in 1991, where old age, disability and survivor pension facilities were provided comprehensively. Not to forget that men and women have been equal before the law, though socially, a woman’s role is confined to that of a homemaker.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Read more:-

· My Blog
· IIPM News
· IIPM : IIPM Links
· IIPM: More about IIPM
· IIPM Alliances - IIPM - by RAVI
· IIPM PUBLICATION
· IIPM: The Indian Institute of Planning and Management-------THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT: IIPM Students ...

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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Hide the vehicle, run to the courts... But remember, you defaulted, and you ‘have’ to pay back!

Going by the All India Debt and Investment Survey, nearly 1/4th of the Indian households were indebted in 2002. Figures that have gone upwards in the recent years with bank credit to household and consumer durables growing by over 50% during 2001- 2006. Expectably, the growth of loan recovery related complaints went up by 34% during 2003-2005.

But then, what do you do when Shylock comes a calling? Well, as they say amusingly in banking circles, you can’t run, but you can surely hide! Taking in view the recent judgments meted out by the courts on the scores of loan recovery cases, one can aptly say that contemporary recovery methodologies have not gone down too well with the judiciary in the past few years.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Read more:-

· My Blog
· IIPM News
· IIPM : IIPM Links
· IIPM: More about IIPM
· IIPM Alliances - IIPM - by RAVI
· IIPM PUBLICATION

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Tuesday, April 17, 2007

‘Bed’-deviled

Have you ever visited one of the premier hospitals – say the All India Institute of medical science (AIIMS) – in New Delhi? On any normal non-crisis day, hundreds of serious patients strive to occupy a hospital bed. Pathetically then, the Indian healthcare system has proved to be thoroughly inept in providing for the basic needs of healthcare in the country. According to the last available WHO report, India has fewer than one bed and one doctor per 1,000 population. India has 6,00,000 beds, compared to China’s 3.2 million hospital beds across the country. A state-wise analysis show that 33% of Maharashtra’s hospital beds are concentrated in its capital Mumbai alone. More than 50% (of the 60,000 that are registered) of Maharashtra’s doctors have practice in Mumbai.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

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Friday, March 23, 2007

National laws take precedence over international treaties.

The compliance issue comes to fore particularly in cases related to enforcement of anti-terror laws and the protection of human rights. And when it comes to striking a balance between national security and human rights, the National Commission of Human Rights clearly states that “Undoubtedly, national security is of paramount importance... Any law for combating terrorism should be consistent with the constitution, the relevant international instruments and treaties, and respect the principles of necessity and proportionality.” It is important to note here that the Indian judiciary is guided by the principles of Dualism (see box) – national laws take precedence over international treaties.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2006
An IIPM and Management Guru Professor Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Hyundai & Maruti, set on a pricey path!

Country’s leading automobile manufacturers Maruti and Hyundai have upped their prices on select models by up to Rs.12,000 and Rs.3,500, respectively, with effect from February 1, 2007. The hike comes as a consequence of the rising input costs. Some part of the revenue (obtained from the hike) will go towards better dealer margins, which in turn will aid better customer service. At Hyundai, the price hike has been restricted to Santro which will get expensive by Rs.1,000. On the other hand, all major models of Maruti, including the newly launched Zen Estilo, will get dearer.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Professor Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Read more IIPM articles:-


  1. A world free of poverty, illiteracy...& nuclear fears

  2. Ho Lee Yew, it's a contest!

  3. The globalization bomb; and the after effects

  4. The premature demise of the WTO need not distress Indians; it could be good news

  5. Goede Oud Netherlands

  6. A saving(s) grace!

  7. Goldammit! Dollar's dying;India & China smiling?

  8. Chinese whisper!

  9. 'Tis a Fruitful Summer'

  10. The Amazon... it's clear!

  11. It's a six, off the field too!

  12. Victoria Peak: Vantage point to the vaunted wonders!

  13. Silver Lining & Dark Clouds

  14. Ryanair charges Unfair France

  15. MTN calling on Arabian nightsTata Tea sips a Czech flavour

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Thursday, March 08, 2007

Naina ‘L’ Kidwai: An ‘L’ for laurels

Recipient of some of the most sterling awards in the global corporate arena, Naina Lal Kidwai has added another feather to her formidable repertoire. Being one of the most illustrious ‘power’ corporate women in the world, Kidwai was recently felicitated with the coveted ‘Padmashree’. An event that was only the prelude to her conquering some never scaled heights, by becoming one of the few Indian women to be on the board of a Fortune 500 company.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Professor Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Read more IIPM articles:-


Let's move the cheese together
Innovations don't work! No jokes...
Menage atrois: The co-opetitors
The SAARC could well be purely utilized as trade organization
The accidental tourist
The CEO's back
A world free of poverty, illiteracy...& nuclear fears
Ho Lee Yew, it's a contest!
The globalization bomb; and the after effects
The premature demise of the WTO need not distress Indians; it could be good news
Goede Oud Netherlands
A saving(s) grace!
Goldammit! Dollar's dying;India & China smiling?
Chinese whisper!
'Tis a Fruitful Summer'
The Amazon... it's clear!
It's a six, off the field too!
Victoria Peak: Vantage point to the vaunted wonders!
Silver Lining & Dark Clouds
Ryanair charges Unfair France
MTN calling on Arabian nights
Tata Tea sips a Czech flavour
Lock, stock and barrel

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