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PUBLICATION OF THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA IN DUBAI
◆◆ UAE, India to renew MoU on labour migration
◆◆ IMF predicts another robust yearfor India with 8.8% growth rate
◆◆ UAE non-oil trade grows 18% inMarch 2010
◆◆ India to launch 10 satellites a year: ISRO
VOL. 2 ISSUE 5 MAY 2010
Dubai remembers the victimsof the Mangalore air crash
KAPIL SIBAL launches CBSE-International
curriculum in UAE
PRIZE QUIZ
INSIDE
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CBSE-International curriculum launched
The International Monetary Fund has pre-dicted another robust year for India with agrowth rate of 8.8 percent driven by strongdomestic demand
The Indian Space Research Organisationwill launch 10 satellites in a year to bettercommunication network and improve disaster management
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Another robust year forIndia predicted
INDIA-UAE
UAE, India to signrenewed MoU on labourmigration
8
INDIA-UAE
UAE remembers those whopassed away in Mangaloreairline tragedy
10
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
India will launch 10 satellites in a year: ISRO
19
16
20TRAVEL: KEYLONG
India’s Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal,launched the Central Board of Secondary Education’s International curriculumin the UAE
contents
4
India Mattersis a monthly publication of theConsulate General of India
(CGI) in Dubai. All rightsreserved. No part of this journal
may be produced, stored or transmitted in any form or by anymeans – electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the
permission of the CGI Dubai.
Editorial correspondence and manuscripts can be addressed to
Content and design by IANS(www.ianspublishing.com)
on behalf of Consulate General of India in Dubai.
FROM THE CONSUL GENERAL’S DESKDear Reader,
Although it's difficult today to see beyond the sorrow,May looking back in memory help comfort you tomorrow.- Author unknown
The above held true for many families and friends who lost their loved ones in the Mangalore air crash tragedy onMay 22. It was more sorrowful as the passengers lost their lives while journeying home, thus accentuating the reality ofyour karma bhoomi and your janam bhoomi. A condolence gathering was held at the Consulate on May 24.
Life goes on. One of the highlights of the month was the Honourable Minister for Human Resources Development, Mr. Kapil
Sibal’s visit to the UAE to launch the CBSE International (CBSE-I) curriculum. CBSE-I is the first step in having ourschool curriculum standard accepted globally.
India’s Minister of State for Finance, the Honourable Mr. Namo Narain Meena was in Dubai for the inauguration ofPunjab National Bank’s Dubai International Financial Centre branch. He also inaugurated the representative office ofthe Indian Overseas Bank in Karama.
Another significant visit was that of Honourable Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, Mr. Vayalar Ravi. TheMinister met UAE Labour Minister Saqr Gobash Saeed Gobash and had interactive meetings with the Indian commu-nity in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Hearty congratulations to students who took the board exams and came out with excellent grades. Kudos to theirparents and teachers.
As some of you may know, the Consulate comes live on the radio show India Matters every Saturday at 6pm onRadio Spice 105.4 FM. Tune in, if you can.
Do keep us posted with your comments on the radio show and the magazine.
Happy Reading!
INDIA MATTERS ON AIRThe Consulate General of India in Dubai has re-launched its
weekly radio programme, India Matters, with the purpose ofinforming the public about various Consular services, events relat-ing to India and about what matters to Indians in the UAE.
India Matters is aired every Saturday between 6 pm and 7 pmon FM 105.4 Radio Spice and repeated every Friday between 5 pmand 6 pm.
FM 105.4 Radio Spice caters to the South Asian community inthe UAE, broadcasting mainly in Hindi and English.
Sanjay Verma
The winner of the first monthly quiz contest is
Mr. Harindranath Sundaram.He wins a gift hamper.
Congratulations!
Distance-learning programmes fromIndia could be introduced for the studentsin Abu Dhabi, Minister Sibal said in replyto a question raised by a panelist at theforum.
The Indian Minister said, to establishthe new Indian schools, investmentshould be raised in the UAE.
The CBSE International (CBSE-I) cur-riculum was officially launched in Dubaion May 25 by the Minister at The IndianHigh School (IHS).
The new curriculum of the CBSE thatseeks to be at par with other internationalcurricula was introduced in 30 schoolsoutside India this year. History and geog-raphy in global and local contexts, envi-
ronment education and community serv-ice programmes are some of the addedcomponents in the curriculum.
CBSE-I was introduced in 13 schoolsin the UAE in grade 1 and grade 9 for the2010-2011 academic year. The IHS, OurOwn Indian School and The MillenniumSchool, all based in Dubai, are some ofthe CBSE-I schools with this upgrade.
In phase two, the curriculum will beintroduced in grades 6, 7 and 10 and inthe remaining grades in 2012.
The UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar,Singapore, Malaysia and Japan are amongthe nine countries that are first to adoptthe new curriculum.
Recognised by US and UK universities,the new curriculum will now pave the wayfor students to be readily accepted forhigher studies without pre-requisites.
Speaking at the launch ceremony,
Minister Sibal said CBSE-I is a small stepfor India but a huge step for education.
“With the internet revolution, there areno more boundary restrictions in thetransfer of data or knowledge. But apartfrom the transfer of data, very little inter-action (between) people is happening. Inthis world, we need to collaborate; weneed to internationalise our curriculum.Through that process of education, wewill have a more peaceful, tolerant diverseand unified world. That is the real aim ofeducation,” he stated.
According to him, the Indian educa-tion system needs to move away from themere percentages in examinations thathave “engrossed many children inunhealthy competition”.
“Some students would like a moreinternational course and we are justincreasing the choice for students,” saidMinister Sibal during the media gatheringthat was attended by Dr. Abdulla AlKaram, Director-General of the Knowledgeand Human Development Authority(KHDA), M.K. Lokesh, Ambassador ofIndia to the UAE, and Sanjay Verma,Consul General of India in Dubai.
He said the CBSE was ready to com-pete with international systems like theInternational Baccalaureate (IB).
“We can provide the same quality edu-cation at a much lower cost.”
Later, at a press conference held at theschool, Minister Sibal said CBSE-I is openfor students of non-Indian origin too.
“We are looking at both foreign andIndian students. I do not think any choiceshould be limited to one nationality,” hesaid.
The Minister said children shouldrealise that the goal of education is not tounderstand complex mathematical prob-lems, but to prepare them to face chal-lenges out in the world.
“Children must realise that two plustwo must be four in the classroom. Butoutside the classroom, it may not be so.Formulas of life are more complicated andin that sense we need a globalised com-munity that understands the complexitiesoutside the classroom,” he said.
Ashok Kumar, CEO of IHS, said hisschool now has a mixed model whereinstudents can choose between the existingor the international curriculum.
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CCOOVVEERR SSTTOORRYY
Recognised by US and UKuniversities, the new curriculum will now pavethe way for students to bereadily accepted for higherstudies without pre-requisites
India’s Minister for Human ResourceDevelopment Kapil Sibal was on ashort visit to the United Arab Emiratesto launch the Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE) Internationalcurriculum and for the unveiling of thenew Manipal University campus.
On May 24, Minister Kapil attended aforum titled ‘India-UAE: Leveraging theKnowledge Economy Paradigm’, whichdiscussed the development of knowledge-based partnerships between the UAE andIndia, at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.
Addressing the forum, UAE’s Ministerfor Higher Education and ScientificResearch Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak AlNahyan said both countries could cooper-ate not only in creating knowledge, but
translating this into innovations. “India is gaining international reputa-
tion for its innovations in pharmaceuti-cals and software, which will improve fur-ther with the development of research anddevelopment,” he said.
According to Minister Sibal, the cur-rent population of children in India willbe ready to join the workforce in the next20 years.
“The education sector in both the UAEand India must be expansive, inclusiveand excellent in order to meet the globalneeds for a workforce of the 21st centu-ry,” he said.
Minister Sibal suggested distance-learn-ing programmes as one of the solutions tothe Indian schools crisis in Abu Dhabi.
Minister for Human Resource DevelopmentKapil Sibal (centre) at the launch of theCBSE International curriculum.
KAPIL SIBAL LAUNCHES CBSE-I
“We have begun with grades 1 and 9 andwill roll over to the new system graduallywhile retaining the Indian curriculum.”
Vineet Joshi, Chairman of the CBSE,said the internationally benchmarked cur-riculum is a response to the challenges ofteaching students in a globalised world,which is enquiry and skill-based cateringto individual learning styles.
“The curriculum provides opportunityfor extended learning and help developperspectives, with emphasis on researchorientation and social empowerment,”Mr. Joshi said.
“In addition to knowledge, it is becom-ing increasingly important for people tohave the right attitude, a willingness tolearn and understanding on how to col-laborate in teams,” he said.
“This will determine the economic for-tunes of many countries in the foreseeablefuture.”
On his part, Abdulla Al Karam, saidthat, while some diversity in curriculum ishealthy, efforts should be made to stan-dardise education.
“In Dubai, there are 13 different curricu-la (for) around 200,000 students,” he said.
“This is unusual and poses several chal-lenges which we faced during the inspec-tions of schools, but we overcame it.”
More than 180 principals and teachers
from the 30 schools affiliated to CBSE-Iwill receive professional development anda comprehensive syllabus document withsupport material and guidelines in areas ofpedagogy and assessment.
Minister Sibal also unveiled the newCBSE-I portal and officially opened the e-learning programme in The Indian HighSchool. A professional training pro-gramme was also initiated for 180 teach-ers from 30 schools.
The Minister was also the chief guest ata ceremony held by Manipal Universityfor unveiling the new campus, the facili-ties and design of the university. He con-gratulated Manipal University for its newexpansion and said one of the challengesthe university should embark upon is tofigure out whether it can be built in thecontext of a 21st century city.
He added that “sitting in Manipal(University), in the midst of a new centre,there are many conquests yet to be made”and as the university moved along in theknowledge economy, it would have tomeet those challenges and address them.
“We don't know what technology isgoing to bring to us 10 years from now…and the only way to discover is to igniteyoung minds in institutions like thisnature (Manipal University),” MinisterSibal said. !
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Minister Sibal and CBSE Chairman Vineet Joshi promoting the distance learning programme of the CBSE.
CBSE TOPPERS IN GULF BASK IN GLORY
Students in the Gulf have consis-tently placed themselves at the topin the class 12 Central Board ofSecondary Education (CBSE)
examinations. The overall pass percentage in the
Gulf was 90.67 percent against 79.87percent that was achieved by students inIndia.
Around 3,500 students from 33 UAEschools appeared for the class 12 CBSEboard examinations. Many schoolsrecorded pass percentages of 97 and abovewith girls outshining the boys this year aswell.
Parents and students were eagerlyawaiting the results because the scores arecrucial in gaining admission to Indianuniversities or for pursuing higher studiesabroad.
The Delhi Private School in Sharjah hadmuch to celebrate with the first and secondUAE toppers emerging from their batch.This year, the UAE and science topper isVarsha Madhavnarayan Totadri with 96.2percent followed by Manish Raje of thesame school with 96 percent.
In the commerce stream, AkshyaKannan of the Our Own English High
School, Al Ain, topped in the country with94.8 percent while Rasheeda ShabbirRashid of the Indian High School (IHS)bagged the top honours in humanities with94.8 percent.
Ashok Kumar, CEO of IHS, said thisyear’s results surpassed their expectationswith many students passing in the firstdivision.
Dr. Farooq Wasil, Director of AsianSchools under the GEMS group, said thatthere has been a significant improvementin the grades from last year.
“The overall averages are higher this yearand subject averages too have gone up,”Wasil, said. GEMS schools have no com-partments this year.
Students were challenged further with ashift towards analytical and practical appli-cation assessment.
“The shift towards higher order think-ing in examinations and the gradual
move towards a hands-on approachrather than a restricted means of assess-ment will strengthen the students’ skills,”Wasil said.
In the Gulf, students from countries likethe UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar andBahrain appeared for the exams in 63 cen-tres in March.
The overall pass percentage in the regionrecorded a marginal increase of 0.63 fromlast year.
The overall pass percentage across Indiaand abroad saw a 1.13 per cent dip. Thepass percentage for girls was 85.28, com-pared to 75.90 for boys.
According to the CBSE, the number ofcheating cases in this year’s exams saw adrop with 43 cases as compared to 58 casesreported last year.
This year, 699,129 students – 408,367boys and 290,762 girls – took the Class 12board exams in India and abroad. !
" UAE TOPPER: Varsha Madhavnarayan Totadri 96.2%" 2nd UAE TOPPER: Manish Raje 96%" SCIENCE TOPPER: Varsha Madhavnarayan Totadri 96.2%" COMMERCE TOPPER: Syed Tasmiya 94.8%" HUMANITIES TOPPER: Rasheeda Shabbir Rashid 94.8%
Students from the Gulf outperformedtheir Kerala counterparts again thisyear in the Secondary School
Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinationof the Kerala board, with 97.52 percentsecuring eligibility for higher education.The pass percentage last year was 98.7percent.
The results were announced by Kerala’sEducation and Cultural Affairs MinisterM.A. Baby on May 3. The overall per-centage of students who secured eligibili-ty for higher education in the examina-tion is 90.72 as against 91.92 last year.
In all, 564 students had appeared forthe examination in the Gulf region thisyear. Of this, 550 secured eligibility forhigher education. All students in eight outof 11 schools in the Gulf secured eligibil-
ity for higher education. As many as 17students received the top honour of A+grade in all subjects in the Gulf as against7,056 in Kerala and Lakshadweep.
In all, 450,000 students had appearedfor the examination held in March in2,709 centres in Kerala, 11 in the Gulfand nine in Lakshadweep. Of this,410,348 secured eligibility for higher edu-cation.
The Model School, Abu Dhabi,showed the best performance on thiscount with 10 students securing A+ grade,followed by The New Model School,Sharjah with four securing the A+ grade.One student each in The New IndianSchool, Dubai, Al Majd English School,Dubai, and The Indian School, Fujairah,got A+ Grade in all subjects.
Minister Baby said the overall pass per-centage was 1.2 percent less this time,down to 90.72 percent as against 91.92percent last year. The Education Ministeradded that students seeking higher educa-tion will not have any difficulty in gettingadmissions as the government had provid-ed for over 420,000 seats for the class 11.The admission process will begin imme-diately and classes will commence on June30.
He said that the government had nointention of doing away with the boardexaminations for classes 10 and 12 as pro-posed by the union government.However, the government would intro-duce changes in the examination systemto make the examinations less cumber-some for the students, he added.
97% Gulf students pass SSLC exams
Aglobal and country-specific con-tent will be taught in history and
geography while an enrichment com-ponent called ‘Breakthroughs’ hasbeen added to science that will look ata more project-based learning process.
Mathematics has been divided intotwo levels, the core in grade 1 to grade8 and core and higher elective mathe-matics in grade 9 and grade 10.
The curriculum that will see a shiftin the teaching pedagogy and resourceswill focus on innovation programmescalled Perspectives, Life Skills andSocial Empowerment Through Workand Action (SEWA) and Research. InLife Skills, students will develop criti-cal thinking, interpersonal, communica-tion, self-esteem and cooperation skills.
Students will gain global and localinsights to issues through discussionsand debate in Perspectives. SEWA willbe introduced to students from grades1 to 10 that will mandate communityservice every year with an NGO ororganisation of their choice, recordingtheir experiences in a journal.
The CBSE-internationalcurriculum
Under the new regulation, the UAELabour Ministry will issue labour permitsstrictly in accordance with the details fur-nished by the prospective employee inIndia through his recruiting agent.Minister Ravi said he was confident that a“very transparent” system for the recruit-ment of skilled Indian workers would bein place soon. In the past, there have beenseveral instances when an overseas-boundwhite collar worker from India, afterarrival in UAE, found that the terms ofhis employment were much worse whencompared to what was offered by therecruitment agent in India.
“The UAE has taken several measureslike the Wage Protection System, improv-ing the civic conditions in the labour
accommodation units and abandoningthe rule that the employees should sub-mit guarantees for settling labour dues.These steps have improved the conditionsof the workers significantly”, saidMinister Ravi.
Indian community leaders also met theMinister and voiced their concerns aboutthe new tax laws in India, voting rights forexpatriates and more direct air services tosmaller Indian cities.
India’s introduction of a new tax law inwhich Indians, regardless of where theylive, will face income tax, was a majorconcern raised by many of those gathered.Minister Ravi said that he would raise thematter in Parliament seeking an exemp-tion for expatriate Indians.
Another concern raised was that non-resident Indians are not allowed to votethrough absentee ballots, which some saidhad been a source of frustration. Manyresidents here were unable to travel toIndia to cast votes during the general elec-tions in 2009, they said.
The Minister said that theConstitution stipulated that a person hadto reside in India for at least six months tobe eligible but added that he would pusha bill allowing absentee voting.
On direct flights from the UAE toIndia, however, Minister Ravi was firm.
“If you can persuade some airlines tofly directly from every city here to there,then good,” he said. “Because I cannotoffer you flights.” !
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UAE AND INDIA TO SIGN RENEWEDMOU ON LABOUR MIGRATION
India and the United Arab Emiratesare set to revamp legal proceduresthat will ensure that skilled Indianemployees, once they arrive in the
Gulf country, are no longer prone toundue hardship.
The broad agreement was reached dur-ing the visit to the UAE of Minister forOverseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi,who met UAE Labour Minister SaqrGobash Saeed Gobash on May 26.Minister Ravi said the countries wereworking towards “a memorandum ofunderstanding that will offer greater pro-tection to the large number of Indianworkers here”.
Officials familiar with the process saidthe agreement is expected to be finalisedin two months. The existing MoU wassigned in 2006 and is valid till December2010.
The two sides have agreed to expandthe scope of the existing MoU and tousher in more control over the recruit-
ment agencies to prevent cheating of theIndian workers migrating here, MinisterRavi said during the interactive sessionorganised by the Community WelfareDepartment of the Indian Embassy at theIndia Social Centre. The technical com-mittee comprising experts from both thesides will meet in Abu Dhabi in July todiscuss the details of the MoU renewal.
“We are optimistic of signing therenewed MoU before December itself,”Minister Ravi said.
“This is going to be the first such agree-ment between a labour supplying and alabour hiring country,” K. Ellangovan,Counsellor (Community Affairs) at theIndian Embassy said.
The UAE is presenting a paper at theInternational Labour Organisation inGeneva-based on this round of agree-ment, he added.
Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, flanked by India’s Ambassador to the UAE (right) and India’s Consul General inDubai Sanajy Verma, addressing the media in Dubai.
Empost centres, which provideIndian passport services, will be
open for business on Fridays very soon,India’s Ambassador to the UAE M.K.Lokesh said.
This decision has been made after arequest from the Indian community inAl Ain, Ambassador Lokesh said at AbuDhabi Indian Social Centre.
“Instead of Fridays, the centres willremain closed on Saturdays,” he said.
He said this change would be imple-mented in Al Ain only as no suchrequest had come up from any otherpart of the country.
EMPOST TO ADD A DAY
The Indian Embassy in UAE willsoon be starting a resource centrein Dubai to provide a range of
services for the welfare of the expatriateworkers, including a 24-hour helpline.
The Indian Workers’ Resource Centre(IWRC) would provide services like thefacility for registering and monitoringgrievance petitions and providing legal,financial and medical counseling and plansto set up a toll free number which Indiansin need of assistance can call, said Mr. M.K. Lokesh, India’s Ambassador to theUAE.
He said the centre would be an out-sourced facility.
The embassy has already invited‘expressions of interest’ from the organisa-
tions which would be able to establish andmanage the centre.
The Indian Embassy in the UAE wouldbe the second Indian mission in the GCCcountries, after Kuwait, to have such acentre, Ambassador Lokesh said.
The IWRC will process applications forattestation of employment documents ofIndian workers. It will also conduct aware-ness classes and counseling sessions for thecommunity.
The Indian government will meet theexpenditure for running the centre. Theorganisation, which would establish andmanage the IWRC, would be selectedbased on its experience and competence.
Asked how long would it take for theactual launch of the centre, the
Ambassador said it would be difficult toset a stipulated time-frame.
“We have advertised in the media,inviting the bids from experienced compa-nies to establish the centre. But it wouldall depend on how many organisationsrespond.
“Those who send applications express-ing interest to run the centre will have tomake a presentation on their proposals.Those found eligible will be shortlistedand issued the request for submittingdetailed proposals,” Ambassador Lokeshsaid.
There are about 1.7 million expatriateIndians working in the UAE, nearly 65percent of whom belong to the blue collarcategory.
India to set up resource centre for workers
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Verma said at the condolence meeting. “Butwhen death comes in such an unnaturaland abrupt manner, it confounds the soul.”
“This tragedy happened to people work-ing here who had spent decades here, dedi-cated their youth to this country, and weregoing home,” he said.
“Let this time of crisis bring us togetherto hold hands as a nation. The 158 deathsaffected many Indians in Dubai, AbuDhabi and Northern Emirates. Today’sgathering unites us all in sorrow. It unitesour nationality,” he added.
Mr. Verma announced that the IndianConsulate in Dubai would appoint a dedi-cated officer to deal with all requirementsthe families of the deceased would need toreceive the compensation the Indian gov-ernment had announced would be offered.He said the process of compensation in suchaccidents had to go through a process butthe Consulate and the entire community
will back the families in every way possible.“I am sure that everyone in this room is
affected by this crash and has lost someonethey knew. However, life has to go on,”Consul General Verma said.
Men, women and young children gath-ered at the hall to observe a minute’s silencein respect for those who died. The names ofall the victims from the crash were shownon a large screen while many held picturesof those who died.
Students from the Dubai Indian High School recited verses from the holyscriptures. Prominent members of the com-munity also expressed their support for therelatives and families of the deceased.
C.R. Shetty, President of the KarnatakaSangha, Dubai, and UAE Tulu Association,which lost 40 of its members in the crash,said the community had not yet come toterms with the reality of losing so many ofits close associates.
“This is the greatest tragedy to have hap-pened in my lifetime. I have lost family,friends and community members. All I cando now is pray for them. We are doing ourbest to help the relatives with information,”Shetty said.
“Our members are also in touch withpeople who need help from the UAE on allmatters.”
K Kumar, another community leader,said: “We lost children, families and menfor no fault of theirs. I only pray that theirsouls remain in peace forever.”
While most of the close relatives of theair crash victims headed to India to be therewhen their loved ones were laid to rest,friends and colleagues stayed back andremained in grief over the death of theirdear ones.
Before departing, the mourners lit hun-dreds of candles at the Consulate premisesin memory of those who died. !
UAE RESIDENTS PRAY FOR
DEPARTED SOULS
IINNDDIIAA--UUAAEE
After the initial shock over theMangalore air crash, it was a dayof mourning and remembrancefor Indians in the UAE.
It was a community united in grief thatgathered at the Indian Consulate on May24. Hundreds of Indians gathered at theirconsulate in Dubai to light candles andmourn the loss of friends and loved oneswho were killed in the Air India ExpressFlight 812 which crashed in Mangalore onMay22.
Grief-stricken members from the com-munity expressed anguish and shock aboutthe deaths.
Indian Consul General Sanjay Vermasaid the tragedy was more sorrowful as thepassengers of the Air India Express flighthad lost their lives while making their jour-ney to the motherland.
“Only thing that comes with a 100 per-cent guarantee is death,” Consul General
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Two major Indian nationalisedbanks, Punjab National Bank(PNB) and Indian OverseasBank (IOB) opened their facili-
ties in the UAE during the course ofMinister of State for Finance Namo NarainMeena’s two-day visit to Dubai.
On May 1, Minister Meena inauguratedPNB’s Dubai International FinancialCentre (DIFC) branch. PNB is one of thelargest banks in India with over 5,000branches and a business of over $100 bil-lion (AED3.67 trillion).
K.R. Kamath, Chairman and ManagingDirector of PNB, said the bank, thoughnow has a presence in DIFC with aCategory 1 licence, nurtures bigger ambi-tions for the UAE. The bank will offer anarray of financial services to corporate andprofessional clients.
“We are open to the idea of entering thecountry’s banking market through a jointventure or acquisition.
We have to assess how much capital willbe required and what sort of returns we canexpect before a decision on the same ismade,” said Mr. Kamath.
Mr. Kamath is confident that Dubai willoffer the bank a good market as it is con-sidered one of the top international mar-kets in the region.
He said the bank had already stabilisedin Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
“We will move to Canada, Australia, andsoon we will upgrade our representative officein Oslo to a full-fledged branch,” he said.
Mr. Kamath said the DIFC Dubaibranch, headed by G. Rajkumar Nair, itschief executive, would facilitate servicingcorporate clients who are exploring over-seas business opportunities in the UAE andIndia.
“The DIFC branch of PNB will assistIndian corporates in raising project financefor the UAE and overseas investments,along with the provision of trade relatedservices to corporate clients. We will alsosupport global corporate houses wishing toconduct their business in India and thebranch can leverage PNB’s domestic distri-bution network as well as its access toIndian currency market to facilitate thesame,” said Mr. Rajkumar.
PNB also launched a new remittanceproduct in association with UAE ExchangeCentre to facilitate STP (Straight ThroughProcessing).
“DIFC is the ideal gateway for PunjabNational Bank to launch its operations inthe MENA (Middle East and NorthAfrica) region, particularly as India-GCCtrade volumes continue to grow positively,”
Mr Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO,DIFC Authority, said at the time of grant-ing the licence.
Speaking at the inaugural function of thePNB at DIFC, he expressed the hope thatGDP growth rate will be around 8 to 8.5percent if monsoon is normal, as expected.
Minister Meena said that the govern-ment is keeping close watch on inflationwhich is a great cause of worry at present.
He said UAE is the largest non-oil trad-ing partner of India and 10th largest for-eign direct investor in the country whileIndia is third largest investor in UAE. Hesaid despite global slowdown India’s exportto UAE jumped to 56 percent.
Minister Meena said UAE’s energyresources and investible funds are as impor-tant for India as India’s ability to contributethe development of UAE’s service sectorand its economy.
On May 2, Minister Meena inauguratedthe representative office of IOB.
A. Bhat, Chairman and ManagingDirector of IOB, said the bank was takinga significant step towards further globalis-ing its operations by opening an office inan important business hub like Dubai.
IOB already has a global presence withfull-fledged branches in Hong Kong,Colombo, Seoul, Singapore and Bangkok. !
Two Indian banks foray into UAE market Rongali Bihu celebrated in Dubai
Under the aegis of AssamSociety UAE, the Assamesecommunity in the UAE cel-ebrated Rongali Bihu on
April 16 with the traditional Bihu dancewith the soft percussions of the dhol(Assamese drum), the sensuous sound ofthe pepa (pipe made from buffalo horn)and a host of other ethnic instruments.Graceful damsels swirled aroundwrapped in golden silk, with some seri-ously bright ethnic motifs.
Rongali Bihu (the joyous Bihu), cele-brated during the Assamese month ofBohag (Baisakh), marks the welcoming ofthe New Year and spring. The word Bihu isderived from Visuvan that describes anumber of festivals in India that are associ-ated with the March equinox. Like mostother Indian festivals, Bihu is associatedwith farming because the traditionalAssamese society is predominantly depend-ent on farming.
This year’s Rongali Bihu celebrationswere held at Dubai’s Metropolitan PalaceHotel in Deira, where members of the
UAE’s Assamese community performedthe traditional Bihu dance and Hussoriamidst the unique sounds of exotic musicalinstruments. During the cultural pro-gramme, local artistes were joined by guestperformers from Assam who enthralled theaudience with the famous Sattriya danceand a plethora of popular Assamese songs.
The occasion was graced by Mr. SanjayVerma, Consul General of India and Mrs.Verma, who sampled an array of mouthwatering Assamese delicacies, and the gor-
geous Assamese traditional silk attires,before being treated to some ethnicAssamese Music.
In his message, the Indian ConsulGeneral said, “On the auspicious occa-sion of Rongali Bihu, I extend my greet-ings and best wishes to the entireAssamese community in the UAE. Maythe Assamese New Year bring peace, hap-piness and prosperity to the entire com-munity. I would also like to express myadmiration for the rich and inclusiveAssamese culture which brings togetherpeople of different faiths and beliefs.”During the Rongali Bihu festivities,
Consul General Verma launched the newwebsite of Assam Society UAE,www.assamuae.org, and released the fifthedition of Probaxi Bihuwan, the RongaliBihu 2010 souvenir, which serves as asocio-cultural medium for the UAE’svibrant Assamese community.
Assam Society UAE is a communitybased voluntary organisation which serves asa socio-cultural forum for the Assamesecommunity living in the UAE. !
A Bihu dance being performed.
Minister Namo Narain Meena, along with Ambassador of India M.K. Lokesh, inaugurating the Punjab National Bank’s DIFC branch.
Professor Nitin Nohria, an alumnusof the Indian Institute ofTechnology in Mumbai, has been
named the first Indian American dean ofthe prestigious Harvard Business School,a role he will take up from July 1.
Currently the Richard P. ChapmanProfessor of Business Administration atthe century-old institution and co-chairof its Leadership Initiative, Nohria willserve as the 10th dean of HarvardBusiness School.
“I feel a profound sense of responsibili-ty for continuing Harvard BusinessSchool’s proud legacy of ground-breakingideas and transformational educationalexperiences,” said the chemical engineer-turned-management expert who has co-authored 16 books.
“With business education at an inflec-tion point, we must strive to equip futureleaders with the competence and charac-ter to address emerging global business
and social challenges,”Nohria added.
Some of his students alsorecall how he, along withhis brother-in-law BharatN. Anand, the Henry R.Byers Professor of BusinessAdministration at Harvard,are known for their hospi-tality and the receptions tocelebrate Indian festivalsand its culture.
Nohria received his degree in chemicalengineering in 1984 from the IndianInstitute of Technology in Mumbai,which also awarded him with its distin-guished alumnus medal in 2007.
He then received his doctoral degree inmanagement from the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology’s Sloan School ofManagement in 1988 where he earned anoutstanding doctoral thesis award inbehavioral and policy sciences.
Following that, hejoined the Harvard facultyas an assistant professor in1988, became an associateprofessor five years laterand then served as theRichard P. ChapmanProfessor of BusinessAdministration since1999.
His current academicinterests include the theory and practiceof leadership, the study of human motiva-tion, the analysis of management practicescritical to corporate success, and thestrategic and organisational challenges ofglobalisation.
“Nitin Nohria will be a wonderful deanof Harvard Business School,” said JayLight about his successor. “He is widelyrespected within our extended communi-ty as a perceptive scholar of leadership andas a thoughtful and able academic leader.”
Indian made new dean of Harvard Business School
SSPPEECCIIAALL
|15MAY 2010
INDIA MATTERSMAY 2010
14| INDIA MATTERS
INDIA SHINING Recent surveys show several positive aspects of the world’s second-fastest growingeconomy even as multiple sectors await investment
MMUUMMBBAAII AAMMOONNGG TTOOPP1100 CCOOSSTTLLIIEESSTT OOFFFFIICCEEMMAARRKKEETTSS
India’s financial capital Mumbai hasemerged the world’s fourth most-expensive office market, with London’sWest End retaining its position as the
world’s most expensive office market,according to CB Richard Ellis Group, whichtracks occupancy costs for prime office spacein 176 cities around the globe.
“Mumbai CBD (central business dis-trict) regaining its fourth place in the mostexpensive office rents list from seventh placein December 2009 is a clear indication thatthe corporates have re-started to expandtheir operations and supply in this micro-market continues to remain limited, whichhas moved up the rentals,” says AnshumanMagazine, chairman and managing direc-tor, CB Richard Ellis, South Asia.
IINNDDIIAA’’SS NNEEWWSSPPAAPPEERRSS
Dainik Jagran continues to be India’smost- read newspaper across all lan-
guages. The Hindi daily leads the overalldailies and Hindi dailies lists, according toquarterly Indian Readership Survey by theMedia Research Users Council (MRUC).
According to the IRS Q1 2010, thedaily has a Total Readership (TR) of54,254,000. Dainik Bhaskar comes secondwith a readership of 33,432,000.
Hindustan, published by the HindustanMedia Ventures Ltd and a subsidiary ofHT Media Ltd., comes third with a reader-ship of 29,411,000.
Amar Ujala stands at the fourth position
with a readership of 28,720,000. AmarUjala was launched on April 18, 1948from Agra.
The Marathi daily Lokmat comes fifthwith a total readership of 23,276,000.Lokmat is also the highest read regionaldaily.
The Tamil newspaper Daily Thanthi isranked sixth with a total readership of20,305,000. Dinakaran, a leading Tamildaily, is ranked seventh among the most-read newspapers in India. The AnandaBazar Patrika stands at the eighth positionwith a total readership of 15,318,000.
Eenadu, a Telugu newspaper, is in fifthposition among regional language playerswith a TR of 14,726,000; it is the ninthmost read paper in India.
Rajasthan Patrika with a total readershipof 14,205,000 is the tenth most read news-paper in India.
The Times of India, which tops theEnglish dailies chart is the 11th most-readacross all languages. Owned by Bennett,Coleman & Co, it is the flagship companyof The Times Group, which has been inexistence for 150 years.
The Times Group’s business spans acrossnewspapers and magazines, televisionbroadcasting, running internet portals, cre-ating and distributing multimedia prod-ucts and music publishing and retailing.The group has five dailies, two magazines,29 niche magazines.
Among English dailies, The Times ofIndia has received a TR of 13,447,000,which puts it at No. 1 spot. HindustanTimes is the second most-read English daily
and the 12th among all newspapers with atotal readership of 6,254,000.
HT Media also publishes a nationalbusiness newspaper, Mint with an exclusiveagreement with the Wall Street Journal topublish WSJ-branded news and informa-tion in India.
The Hindu is ranked third amongEnglish dailies with a total readership of5,140,000. The Hindu, which started off asa weekly in 1878, became a daily newspa-per from 1889. The Hindu is based inChennai with 13 editions.
The Telegraph is ranked fourth with atotal readership 2,877,000. It was launchedin 1982 by the ABP group of publications.Today, The Telegraph is the largest-circulat-ed English daily in the eastern region pub-lished from Kolkata.
Deccan Chronicle follows at No. 5among English dailies with a total reader-ship of 2,816,000.
The Economic Times is at the 6th posi-tion while The New Indian Express is at No.7 among English dailies. The last three inthe top 10 list of English dailies are: Mid-Day, Mumbai Mirror and DNA.
OOPPPPOORRTTUUNNIITTIIEESS GGAALLOORREE
India offers numerous opportunities foran entrepreneur. Here is a list of sectors
where an entrepreneur can invest for betterdividends.TourismA booming industry, tourism is a sector anentrepreneur can hardly afford to miss.Indian heritage sites, historic monuments,beaches, hill stations, wildlife, snow-capped hills and mountains offer a lot to aforeign tourist. Foreign tourist arrivals inMay 2010 rose by nearly 16 percent ascompared to last year. Around 345,000foreign tourists visited various parts of thecountry during May, compared to 299,000during May 2009.AutomobilesIndia has emerged as a hot spot for auto-mobiles and a cost-effective hub for auto
components sourcing for global automajors. The automobile industry recordeda 26 percent growth in domestic sales in2009-10. The strong sales have made Indiathe second fastest-growing market afterChina. One of the world’s largest manufac-turers of small cars with a strong engineer-ing base and expertise, India offers tremen-dous scope for entrepreneurs. TextilesIndia is famous for its textiles. Each statehas its unique style in terms of apparel.India can grow as a preferred location formanufacturing textiles taking into accountthe huge demand for garments. Places likeTirupur and Ludhiana are now exporthubs for textiles. Social venturesMany entrepreneurs are taking up socialentrepreneurship. With a growing youngpopulation in rural areas who have thedrive and enthusiasm to work, entrepre-neurs can focus on this segment. SoftwareIndia’s software and services exports arelikely to rise with export revenue growthprojected at 13 to 15 percent to hit about$57 billion by March 2011. With one ofthe largest pool of software engineers,Indian entrepreneurs can set higher targetsin hardware and software development.Engineering goodsIndia continues to be one of the fastestgrowing exporters of engineering goods,growing at a rate of 30.1 percent. TheCentre has set a target of $110 billion by2014 for total engineering exports.FranchisingSince India is well-connected with the
world, franchising with leading globalbrands that want to spread across the coun-try, can offer vast opportunities for youngentrepreneurs. With many small townsdeveloping at a fast pace in India, the fran-chising model is bound to succeed.Education and TrainingThere is a good demand for education andonline tutorial services. With good facilitiesat competitive rates, India can attract morestudents from abroad. Advanced teachingmethods, educational portals and tools canbe used effectively to make the sector use-ful and interesting. Food Processing Food processing is yet another sector thatholds tremendous prospect for gor growth.The processed food market opens a vastpotential for entrepreneurs, be it fast food,packaged food or organic food. Fresh fruits
and vegetables too have a good demandabroad. A good network of food processingunits can help potential exporters build agood business.Corporate demandsThere will be a rising demand for formalattire with more and more companiesopening their branches in India. Peoplewho can meet this demand in a cost effec-tive way can make a good business. Ayurveda and traditional medicine India is well-known for its herbal andayurvedic products. With increasing aware-ness about the ill-effects allopathic medi-cines, there will be a huge demand for cos-metics, natural medicines and remedies.Organic farming Entrepreneurs can focus on businessopportunities in this sector. There are many small-time farmers who have adopted organic farming but thedemand is still unmet, offering manyopportunities for those who can promote organic farming.MediaThe media industry has huge opportunitiesto offer young entrepreneurs. With the
huge growth of this segment, any businessin this field will help entrepreneurs reaphuge benefits. Television, advertising, printand digital media have seen a boom inbusiness.PackagingWith China invading the markets withcheap plastic goods and packaging materi-als, there is a good opportunity to developgood packaging materials to meet domesticand foreign demand. There is a hugedemand various sectors like agriculture,automotive, healthcare infrastructure andpackaging sectors for plastics.Floriculture Floriculture is another lucrative sector withlot of growth potential. The global trade infloriculture products is worth $9.4 billion.With an 8 percent growth, the sector isexpected to grow to $16 billion by 2010.India’s share in world trade is just 0.18 per-cent, so there is huge potential for growth. ToysAnother evergreen industry is toy manufac-turing. India has potential to manufacturecost effective and safe toys for the world. Healthcare sectorIndia’s healthcare sector too holds potential.The private sector can play a vital role indeveloping this sector. With medical tourismalso gaining momentum, the sector canattract foreigners who are looking for costeffective treatment in countries like India.BiotechnologyBiotechnology also holds huge potentialfor an entrepreneur. He can look at aplethora of options with the application ofbiotechnology in agriculture, horticulture,sericulture, poultry, dairy and productionof fruits and vegetables. Energy solutionsThe government has unveiled the NationalSolar Mission which has set a target of20,000 MW of solar generating capacityby the end of the 13th Five Year Plan.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hadurged the industry to see the huge businessopportunity and set up ‘Solar Valleys’ onthe lines of the Silicon Valleys. Recycling businessE-waste will rise to alarming proportions inthe developing world within a decade, withcomputer waste in India alone to grow by500 percent from 2007 levels by 2020,according to a U.N. study. This sectoropens a viable business opportunity forentrepreneurs for e-waste management.
World Bank Group members,including India, have endorsedboosting its capital by more
than $86 billion and giving developingcountries a little more voice in running theaffairs of the 186-member institution.
The changes announced on April 25 inWashington, D.C., bring about a 3.13 per-centage-point shift in favor of the develop-ing countries, giving them just over 47.19percent of the total votes, while advancedeconomies’ share of the total falls to justunder 52.81 percent.
India has become the seventh largestshareholder in the World Bank after theWashington-based financial aid institutionraised the voting share of the South Asianeconomic powerhouse.
“The changes in the shareholding struc-ture of the Bank would make India one of
the important shareholders in the Bank.India would now be the 7th largest share-holder in the Bank,” said a FinanceMinistry statement.
India asked the IMF to “to reshape andredefine its role and mandate” in tune withthe times to play a pivotal role to help fos-ter strong and sustainable growth. !
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" IN SHORT "
India is likely to cross the 1,000-million-kg mark in tea production
this financial year and exports of thecommodity are expected to grow by 5-10 percent, Tea Board of IndiaChairman Basudeb Banerjee said. “Forthis financial year, we expect the pro-duction to be 1,000 million kg or it canbe even more than that,” he added.
India is the world’s largest tea grow-er. The country produced 960 millionkg of tea in 2009-10 and the exportsrose to 200 million kg during the peri-od from 190 million kg in 2008-09.
“We expect a 5-10 percent growth inexports this year too,” he said.
India to produce over1,000 mn kg of tea
India plans to build 2,500 km of newhighways in 2010-11, which means 7
km will be added to the network everyday – well below the revised target of 12km. Last year, only 2,008.93 km high-ways could be constructed against thetarget of building 3,165.55 km.
The government had last year set atarget of building 20 km of highwayseveryday as part of its plans to improveinfrastructure. But recently, TransportMinister Kamal Nath said the targethad been lowered to 12-13 km per day.
India targets 2,500-kmhighways in 2010-11
Pharma major Ranbaxy Laboratorieshas reported a consolidated net profit
of $210 million (Rs. 963.1 crore) in theJanuary-March quarter of 2010 against aloss of $153 million (Rs. 761 crore) in thecorresponding period last year.
“Solid growth in key geographies,along with optimal delivery value fromfirst-to-file opportunities in the UnitedStates, ensured that we achieved yetanother quarter of strong operationalperformance,” said Atul Sobti, thecompany’s Chief Executive.
Ranbaxy Laboratoriesposts $210 mn net profitIndia’s infrastructure output expanded
by 5.1 percent for the first month ofthis financial year as against 3.7 per-
cent in April 2009 on account of growthin production of crude oil, petroleumrefinery and finished steel, official datashowed recently.
For April-March 2009-10, the infra-structure output registered a growth of 5.5percent as against 3 percent in previousfiscal due to strong growth in electricitygeneration and finished steel production.
The infrastructure output is measuredby the index of six core industries whichhas a combined weight of 26.7 percent inthe index of industrial production (IIP)that measures India’s industrial produc-
tion. Electricity generation, with a weightof 10.17 percent in the IIP, grew by 6 percent in April as against 6.7 percent inthe year-ago period. Crude oil productionregistered a growth of 5.2 percent againsta contraction of 3.1 percent in April 2009.
The petroleum refinery productionexpanded by 5.3 percent compared to 4.5
percent contraction in year-ago period,while coal output shrank by 2.3 percentagainst an increase of 14.2 percent in April2009. The cement production grew by 8.7percent in April 2010 compared to 11.9percent in same month last year and fin-ished (carbon) steel output grew by 4.7percent against 1.3 percent shrinkage ayear ago, the data showed.
India’s industrial production will regis-ter double-digit growth in the 2010-11financial year, according to the govern-ment. “In spite of a calibrated withdrawalin the shape of a partial rollback of incen-tives, the performance in the industrialsector is expected to remain steady in2010-11,” says an official note.
Infrastructure output up 5.1% in April
Another robust year for India
Predicting a robust growth rate of8.8 percent for India this year, theInternational Monetary Fund(IMF) says strong domestic
demand will support the recovery in bothIndia and China as the total world outputgoes up by 4.2 percent.
In projecting India’s growth of 8.8 per-cent in 2010, 3.1 percentage points morethan the 5.7 percent growth in 2009, and8.4 percent in 2011, the IMF raised itsown estimates in January by 1.1 points for2010 and 0.6 points for 2011.
The strength in final domestic demandin India is expected to have positive spill-overs for other Asian economies, said theApril 2010 World Economic Outlook(WEO) report. “For economies such asIndia, which are relatively more closed andwhich have relied on stimulus to supportgrowth, the main challenge will be toensure durable fiscal consolidation, includ-ing by implementing fiscal and other struc-tural reforms,” it added.
The IMF also suggested that it “may notbe too early to start unwinding the stimu-lus if output gaps are closing and inflationpressures are beginning to emerge.”
“This appears to be the case already fora few economies in the region, includingAustralia, India, and Malaysia, where
authorities have already started tighteningmonetary policy,” the WEO noted.
For economies where excessively largesurpluses contribute to global imbalances,slowing the effects of inflows on creditgrowth by allowing more exchange rateflexibility would help address both prob-lems, it said. Other potential policyresponses include strengthening macro-prudential measures, tightening fiscal poli-cy, and, if still needed, some form of capi-tal controls, IMF added.
Painting a more positive picture foremerging economies, the agency said:
“Inventory investment is likely to make asignificant contribution to growth in theshort term, on account of prospects forimproved demand in both advanced andemerging economies.”
With global trade rebounding, stocksmust be rebuilt after the drawdown of2008-09, just as in the advancedeconomies, it pointed out. “Historically,sound domestic policies and strong under-lying potential have provided a number ofemerging and developing economies withsome insulation against recessions inadvanced economies,” the IMF added. !
Developing countries getmore voice in World Bank
RBI Governor D. Subbarao at the G20 meet.
India to become$50-bn drug market
Walmart Asia to makeIndia an export hub
India is likely to be one of the top 10 drugmarkets in the next 10 years and will beworth at least $50 billion by then, a
report has predicted. The country is now the14th largest market in the world with annu-al sales of $19 billion as of March 2009.
The report by the consultancy companyPricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), titled‘Global Pharma Looks to India: ProspectsFor Growth,’ says Indian industry is likelyto become a competitor to global drugmakers in certain areas and a potential part-ner in many others, such as contract manu-facturing, clinical trials and drug research.
The report noted that India has “consid-erable contract manufacturing expertise,and leadership in the production of gener-ic or off-patent drugs and vaccines.” !
Walmart Asia targets India as amajor export destination tosource its retail stores for its
global operations. Talking to BusinessStandard, Walmart Asia President andChief Executive Officer, Scott Price, recent-ly said that India contributed about $125million worth of exports for the retail storesof Walmart located across the world.
He said the company plans to push it to$1 billion in a few years. Talking abouttheir synergy with Bharti Enterprises forBharti Walmart Private Ltd, he said aninvestment of about $6-7 million was pro-posed for this project in the next three tofour years, whereby 10 to 15 new ‘BestPrice Modern Wholesale Stores’ would beset up across India. !
BBUUSSIINNEESSSS && EECCOONNOOMMYY SSCCIIEENNCCEE && TTEECCHHNNOOLLOOGGYY
|19MAY 2010
INDIA MATTERSMAY 2010
18|INDIA MATTERS
The UAE’s non-oil trade grew 18percent to AED63 billion inMarch, up from AED53 billion in
March 2009, according to preliminary sta-tistics released by the Federal CustomsAuthority (FCA).
This includes AED40.8 billion worth ofimports, AED 6.8 billion of exports andAED15.4 billion in re-exports.
The UAE's foreign trade in the sameperiod reached 5.8 million tonnes in vol-ume including 3.7 million tonnes ofimports, 1.4 million tonnes of exports and700,000 tonnes of re-exports.
Total value of imports increased 11 per-cent from AED36.6 billion in March 2009to AED40.8 billion in March 2010.
The value of exports, meanwhile,jumped 46 percent from AED4.6 billionto AED6.8 billion, while re-exports wereup 29 percent, from AED11.9 billion toAED15.4 billion in the above period.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Acting GeneralManager of the FCA, said the total value ofimports was up by 11 percent, whileexports had recorded a big rise of 46 per-cent. Re-exports were up by 29 percent,
according to the figures released.“The continuation of the upward, con-
siderably high trend of the UAE’s foreigntrade in the first quarter of this year was agood indication that it is possible for theUAE to achieve its targeted economicgrowth levels during the current year,” Mr.Bustani said
Among the UAE's trading partners,India, China, the US, Japan, Germany, the
UK, Italy, Switzerland, France andMalaysia, respectively topped the list ofexporting countries to the UAE in Marchwith a total of AED24.6 billion or 60 per-cent of the total of the UAE's imports.
On the list of importers, the top 10countries were India, Switzerland, SaudiArabia, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar,Pakistan, Iran and Yemen, representingAED5.2 billion or 76 per cent of the totalfor the same period.
In re-exports, India, Iran, Iraq, Bahrain,Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Belgium,Switzerland and Germany topped the listof destinations with a total of AED10.8billion, accounting for 70 percent of re-exports.
The release of the statistics was intendedto support the authorities and industrystakeholders with regular and up-to-dateinformation to help them make informedbusiness decisions.
In a statement, the Federal CustomsAuthority said the volume of the UAE’sforeign trade reflected “the significance ofthe UAE on the map of the world tradeand economy”. !
The Indian exchequer is set toswell by Rs. 67,718.95 crore($15 billion), with the conclu-sion of auctions for the crucial
airwaves for third generation (3G) telecomservices by private players.
The amount bid after 183 rounds of the34-day auction is sharply higher than whatwas expected and appears set to prune thefederal government’s fiscal deficit, peggedat Rs. 381,408 crore ($84 billion) for thisyear, by nearly one percentage point.
The government had hoped to collect Rs.35,000 crore ($7.75 billion) after auctioningthe airwaves for both 3G services and broad-band. The auction for broadband spectrumis to begin only on May 29, with the poten-tial to fetch another $7.5 billion to the gov-ernment.
Even though no single player won apan-India licence for 3G services, the costis pegged at Rs. 16,750.6 crore ($3.72 bil-lion). The pan-India licence is now up
nearly 378.58 percent from the Rs. 3,500crore set as the base price at the start of theauction. The prized Delhi and theMumbai circles have been won byReliance, Bharti and Vodafone. In all,Reliance, Bharti and Aircel won the max-imum number of 13 circles, followed by11 for Idea, nine each for Vodafone andTata, and three for S Tel. !
Indicating robust consumer demanddespite a rise in prices, car sales in
India grew by 39.5 percent to 143,976units in the first month of this fiscalfrom 103,227 units sold in April 2009,data released by the Society of IndianAutomobile Manufacturers (SIAM)showed.
Companies exported 37,479 cars inApril against 29,307 units in the samemonth last year – a jump of 27.88 per-cent. The total vehicle sales in India rose25.24 percent to 1,120,081 units in April2010 from 894,380 a year ago. Theexports witnessed a healthy 87.61 percentgrowth at 201,543 units as against107,424 vehicles for the same month lastyear, the data showed.
Car sales rise 39.5%
UAE non-oil trade grows 18% in March 2010
India’s 3G auction fetches $15 bn
India to launch 10satellites a year: ISRO
The Indian Space ResearchOrganisation (ISRO) is plan-ning to launch 10 satellites in ayear to better communication
network and improve disaster manage-ment, the government revealed on April28.
“ISRO is planning to launch 10 satellitesin a year. The actual number of satellites tobe launched will be decided after deliberat-ing on national developmental priorities,”Union Science and Technology MinisterPrithviraj Chavan said in the Lok Sabha.
“The aims and objectives of thesesatellites include natural resources man-agement, augmenting the communica-tions infrastructure, satellite navigation,disaster management support, space sci-ence research and planetary exploration,”he added. !
India will send two astronauts into spaceusing an indigenous rocket. Anannouncement for this is likely to be
made within a couple of months, theIndian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) said in New Delhi on April 13.This was disclosed by ISRO Chairman K.Radhakrishnan.
He said that India has technical capabil-ities for sending astronauts into the space.Radhakrishnan added that the ISRO isready to launch Indian astronauts by 2017.“The astronaut programme will be imple-mented in phases” he said.
The first phase is to test the unmannedcrew module and a service module in space.After that, the Geosynchronous SatelliteLaunch Vehicle (GSLV) will be used tosend the Indian astronauts into space. !
Eight students, who have been suc-cessful at the India Initiative forResearch and Innovation in Science
(IRIS) with their innovative science andtechnology projects, were scheduled to rep-resent India at the 2010 Intel InternationalScience and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in SanJose, California from May 9 to 14.
Four students were from South PointSchool in Kolkata. The others were fromvarious schools in Kolkata and Bangalore.
As the world’s largest pre-college sciencefair, and the only global science competitionfor students in classes 9 to 12 , the IntelISEF is a programme organised by theSociety for Science and the Public (SSP).
With a gathering of over 1,500 stu-dents from over 50 countries, representingmore than 1,200 projects, it is an oppor-tunity for the best young minds in theworld to come together to share ideas,showcase cutting-edge projects, and com-pete for more than $4 million in awardsand scholarships.
Eight science students to represent India at ISEF
India has successfully flight tested aprototype of the Light Combat
Helicopter (LCH), designed and devel-oped by the state-run HindustanAeronautics Ltd (HAL).
“The maiden test flight of the LCHwas successful. Though it was a shorthaul lasting about 20 minutes, the per-formance was good,” HAL Chairmanand Managing Director Ashok Nayaksaid. The 5.5-tonne attack copter is aderivative version of HAL’s flagship prod-uct Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH),christened ‘Dhruv.’
“We will be conducting more testflights to evaluate its various parametersat different altitudes and conditions,”Nayak said.
Made of lightweight composites, theLCH can operate at high altitudes up to6,000 metres (18,000 feet).
The prototype was flown with Shaktiengine, developed by HAL in partner-ship with Turbomeca, the French manu-facturer of aero engines for global aero-space majors.
India test flies lightcombat chopper
India to send astronauts into space
Once while visiting Keylong inHimachal Pradesh, RudyardKipling, the renowned authorand novelist, had said:
“Surely, God lives here, this is no place formen.” And rightly said so. Keylong, theexciting, mountainous and delightfulregion on the foothills of the mightyHimalayas is indeed an oasis in a colddesert. The route to Lahaul takes a trav-eller over Rohtang Pass (3,980 m), KoksarSissu, Gondla and crossing the riverChandra Bhaga at Tandi.
During winter, Keylong is literally iso-lated from the world due to heavy snow-
fall. The scenic spot is located along theequally scintillating Manali-Leh road, atthe intersection of the Chandra Valley, theBhaga Valley and the Chenab Valley.
Sights near Keylong include theKardang, Shasur and Tayul monasteries,and the Hindu Guru Ghantal temple.
MAJOR ATTRACTIONSTandi: The hamlet of Tandi is located atthe confluence of the Chandra and Bhagarivers, which merge to form the Chandra-Bhaga or Chenab river. The roads fromTandi lead to Keylong, Udaipur and
Koksar. Villages near Tandi offer opportu-nities for learning about the unique cul-tural setting of the Lahaul Valley.
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The exciting, mountainousand delightful region onthe foothills of the mightyHimalayas makes for adelightful summer escape
Udaipur: Fifty-three km from Keylong,Udaipur is the home of the Mrikula DeviTemple, famous for its woodcarvings.This subdivisional headquarter is situatedat the junction of the Mayar nullah withthe main river Chandra Bhaga. Earlier,the village was known as Margul orMarkul. Around 1695, it was renamedUdaipur, when king Udai Singh ofChamba (1690-1728) raised it to the sta-tus of a district centre in the Chamba-Lahaul region. Triloknath: Both Hindus and Buddhistshave revered the famous Triloknathshrine for centuries. This is primarily a
Buddhist place of worship, situated onthe left bank of the Chenab river, highabove the bed. A good branch road fromthe Tandi-Udaipur road leads toTriloknath. Prayer flags that seem toalways flutter in the cold mountainwind adorn the approach to the shrine.The structure has been raised in tradi-tional Lahauli style using stones andtimber.Jispa: This beautiful spot is 22 km awayfrom Keylong and four km ahead ofGhemur. The village is situated at thejunction of two nullahs with the mainriver Bhaga. Jispa has a very large dry
river-bed, a rarity in Lahaul. Just on theedge of the river Bhaga is a small PWDrest house. Near this, the river is shal-low and plenty of trout can be caughtduring summer. The place is an angler’sdelight.Gondla: Around 18 km from Keylong,this village of the Lahaul Valley hassome royal heritage as its prime attrac-tion – the eight-storeyed residence of thethakur of Gondla called the GondlaCastle. The fort was constructed in the17th century. There is also a gompa inthis village, which attracts a number ofpeople. !
KEYLONG:Oasis in a cold desert
By Air: Nearest airport is Bhunter,175 km from Keylong.By Rail: The nearest railhead is atJogindernagar, 250 km away.By Road: By road the distance is 115km from Manali, 188 km from Kaza,373 km from Leh, 435 km fromChandigarh and 690 km from Delhi.Best time to visit Keylong: BetweenJune and October.
HOW TO REACH
QQUUIIZZ
MAY 201022|INDIA MATTERS
OVERVIEW
SIZE! According to Census 2001, only 28%
of the 1.1 billion Indians live in urbanareas! Expected to increase to 40% by2021
! About 60% of the country’s GDP orig-inates from urban areas
! Allocation of $12 billion by theGovernment of India under theJawaharlal Nehru National UrbanRenewal Mission (JNNURM) for aperiod of seven years for improvingurban infrastructure across 63 cities
! Key metro cities Mumbai, Kolkata,Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai,Hyderabad and Ahmedabad allocated47.5% of these funds
STRUCTURE! JNNURM functions under the overall
guidance of a National SteeringGroup (NSG) which comes under thepurview of Ministry of UrbanDevelopment
! JNNURM is aimed at fast-rackplanned development of identifiedcities. Key highlights:! Integrated development of urban
infrastructure projects ! Renewal and redevelopment ofinner city areas ! Provision of basic services to urbanpoor
! Funds to be channelised throughurban local bodies (ULBs), which willbe responsible for implementation
! Implementing agencies to leveragesanctioned funds to attract private sec-tor investments through PPP contracts
POLICY! 100% FDI under the automatic route
permitted for townships, housing,built-up infrastructure and construc-tion-development based projects sub-ject to minimum scale norms
! JNNURM will provide grants/viabilitygap funding for projects
OPPORTUNITY
OUTLOOK! Investments of more than $50 billion
would be required in the next fiveyears to improve and build urbaninfrastructure
! JNNURM is the single largest initia-tive of Government of India forplanned development of cities
! Opportunity for private players topartner with ULBs in development ofurban infrastructure such as ! Water supply and sanitation ! Slum redevelopment ! Urban transportation includingroads, highways, expressways, massrapid transport systems (MRTSs) andmetro projects ! Solid waste management
POTENTIAL! A large component of development
work will be through public-privatepartnership
! Water supply and sanitation in urbanareas to attract investments over $30billion
! Mumbai is planned to be developedinto a international financial centre ! Thrust on development of trans-portation systems ! Estimated cost of development is$40 billion over the next 10 years ! Demand for 1.1 million low income houses by 2015
! MRTSs of many major cities such asBengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata andHyderabad are either being imple-mented or expanded through thePPP route
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN INDIA’S URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE
Source: www.investmentcommission.in
1. If you are crossing the Napier Bridge at themouth of the Coovum river estuary, in whichIndian city would you be?
2. Which civilian award in India has an image ofthe sun along with the name of the awardinscribed in Devanagari script on a peepulleaf?
3. Which central ministry of India, carved outfrom a department in the Ministry ofAgriculture, was created under then primeminister Rajiv Gandhi in July 1988 to connectindustry with agriculture?
4. The Indian Hotels Company, a part of the Tatagroup, runs its worldwide chain of hotels andresorts under what brand name?
5. Which product has been endorsed by golferTiger Woods, footballer Thierry Henry, tennisstar Roger Federer and cricketer RahulDravid?
6. After which character in the Mahabharataare India’s indigenously made T-90 main bat-tle tanks, the first batch of which rolled out of
the Heavy Vehicle Factory in Avadi, TamilNadu, on August 24, 2009, named?
7. Krem Dam in Meghlaya is the largest _____________ in the Indian subcontinent. Fill in theblank spaces.
8. Which major Indian company was started byK.M. Mammen Mappilai as a small toy balloonmanufacturing company in 1946 in Chennai?
9. Kaya Chikitsa, Kaumar Bhritya, Bhoot Vidya,Shalakya, Shalya, Agad Tantra, Rasayana, andVajikarana are eight disciplines of which form ofalternative medicine?
10. In 1961, when India was on the verge of afamine, which Nobel laureate was invited tobe an adviser to the then Indian minister foragriculture M.S. Swaminathan resulting in theGreen Revolution in India?
11. Mukna is a traditional form of wrestling inwhich northeast Indian state?
12. Established in 1954 as the Atomic EnergyEstablishment, Trombay, how is this premiernuclear research centre known as today?
THE PICTURE QUESTION
The Indian politician shown in the picture twiceserved as the interim prime minister of India eachterm lasting 13 days. Can you name him?
Readers are invited to answer the questions given in the column which will make them eligible towin a prize to be given by the Indian Consulate in Dubai. Write in the answers to claim a prize. Allanswers should be e-mailed to [email protected] and the first person to email all the correctanswer will win the prize. Please mention your postal address, mobile phone number and e-mailaddress clearly in the mail.
1. Kanchenjunga. 2. Mohun Bagan. 3. Syndicate Bank. 4. Junoon. 5. Udupi. 6. Eminent scientist, late Jagadish Chandra Bose. 7. These are the three recognised forms of
kabaddi. 8. Western Railway and Central Railway. 9. Ashoka Bindusara Maurya. 10. The Indira Gandhi Peace Prize. 11. Benares Hindu University. 12. The Queen’s Baton.
The Picture Question: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited or BSNL.
ANSWERS TO indiQtive, APRIL 2010
Consulate General of IndiaP.O. BOX 737, DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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P.O. Box 4090, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesTel: +971 2 4492700, Fax: +971 2 4444685 / +971 2 4447768
Email: [email protected]
The Thrissur Pooram festival, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is considered the mother of all festivals in Kerala. The festival, which falls in April-May, starts with the arrival of small
elephant processions, which carry their respective deities from various temples in differentvillages across Thrissur, and ends at the grounds of the Vadakkunnathan Temple. Legendhas it that King Sakthan Thamparan, who ruled Cochin in the late 18th century, started
the festival by unifying 10 temples around Vadakkunnatahn Temple.
Thrissur Pooram festival in Kerala
Consulate General of India, Dubai’s very own radio show, ‘India Matters’, is now back in a new way. Tunein every Saturday from 6 pm to 7pm on 105.4 Radio Spice FM.
