The Orissa government on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order, which held that land acquisition procedures for the proposed Rs 15,000 crore Vedanta university project were illegal.The state government has filed an appeal against the 16 November decision of the Orissa High Court which quashed its land acquisition notification citing 17 issues.The High Court had also directed Vedanta to return the land awarded to them to their owners.At least two PILs and six individual petitions were filed in the High Court since 2007 challenging the state government's notification on the land acquisition procedures.The petitions said that Land Acquisition Company rules, 1963 had not been properly followed.The proposed multi-disciplinary university project would have caused extreme debilitating impact on the eco system as well as the local bio-diversity, the petitioners had contended.Congress leader Umaballav Rath had filed the first PIL in the HC challenging the varsity project, which was envisaged on 500 acres of temple land.The petitioners had also questioned the status of the company saying that it was not properly formed as per the Company's Act.The High Court had cited 17 issues and held that land acquisition procedure for Vedanta were illegal.Accordingly, the High Court quashed the land acquisition notifications and also the award proceedings in favour of the company and directed them to return the land to the orginal owners.The petitioners had pointed out that the proposed university project site, which was to come up near Puri about 60 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, was close to Balukhand Konark Black Buck Sanctuary and a river.They also objected to inclusion of a large chunk of land belonging to Lord Jagannath temple in the proposed site.Sterlite Foundation, a private limited company which subsequently changed its name to Vedanta Foundation in 2004, entered into an MoU with Orissa government on July 19, 2006 to set up a university near Puri.(PTI)
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There has been a strong wave of internalisation within the Indian education system which is primarily ascribed to the influx of foreign institutes and universities establishing base camps in the country. In a similar yet distinct vein, Edexcel (Educational Excellence, one of the UK's most prominent examination boards, known for their international syllabi, are acutely interested in promoting a modern international curriculum In India. The company has been present in 85 countries has been prominent in the Indian sub continent but is relatively new in India. Dr. David Davies, Academic Portfolio Manager for the international section at Edexcel, has high expectations from schools and colleges in India to adopt Edexcel's global curricula, having been associated with British Council, schools, colleges and government bodies around the world. In an interview with Alokita Datta, Davies talks about Edexcel's plans in India, developing and contextualising international educational programmes in India, the need to accept and encourage vocational courses and how holistic global education can be provided in India and other countries.Edexcel has been present in South Asia for a number of years through your system of examinations but has not been very well known in India. How do you plan to expand into the Indian market at this point in time?India is still a new market for us, we have been here only a few years but there has been one school, the Calcutta International School which has been offering Edexcel examinations for about 20 years but by and large we are new in India. We are building up our team; we already have 45 affiliated schools in India and are focusing on Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, among other big cities in the country and hope that we will soon have as many schools affiliated in India as we do in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In both these countries there are about 150 schools affiliated with Edexcel and almost 95 per cent of the international schools offer Edexcel examinations.I think this the right time for us to be expanding in India because increasingly, parents and students are seeing that they have more chances with an international exam board to utilise the opportunity to go abroad. People are moving more and more with our premier qualification, which is the Edexcel A level for class 12 which is accepted in universities all around the world; in Australia, Canada, US and so on. People think that they may not want to go to those countries immediately but want to have some experience in those countries later. Thus if you pass an General Certificate of Education (GCE) A level examination, you will be given credits corresponding to it in the US and Australia, and in the UK most students go to universities with an A level and we are one of the 4 awarding bodies in the UK offering A levels which means that people know that it is a greatly recognised qualification. I think the other trend for students in India, is to get UK degrees without having to leave their country. Our other qualification, the Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) Nationals make that possible. These are vocational qualifications for class 12 that are available in India and we already have colleges that will accept these to the next level which is the BTEC Higher National.When were the BTEC programmes conceptualised and what were was the idea behind developing them as parallel, full- fledged courses?The BTECs go back to around the 1970s and the intention was to give vocational students a qualification comparable to the academic exams, the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) for class 10 and the A levels for class 12 that is offered by Edexcel. So that vocational education was not seen as a second class option after all, a lot of people with vocational training earn a lot of money. Also, not everyone is suited to appearing for long written exam papers, some people prefer kinaesthetic learning, learning by doing, acquiring skills and that is exactly what the BTEC National offers to them. Say, you want to work in the media industry, you wouldn't really want to do an English and maths exam; what you want is to get hands on about the media industry, training. Our qualifications are supported by various workplace institutions and professional bodies. The route there is that a student can take a BTEC National in class in school and then go to a college, and there are around 10 colleges in India at the moments who offer a Higher National diploma two thirds of a degree. You can then get a further year to the final year of the degree offered in a college in India by universities from the UK. This means that the vocational student has an equivalent degree and is much less expensive than going to the UK or the US. I think therefore, that this provides university education within reach for the average middle class student.To what extent is localisation important within the numerous international curricula and examination systems that Edexcel offers? How can that be introduced in India, for instance?Localisation can come into both, our academic and vocational courses. For example with our IGCSE, if you do business, you can study Indian business, within history and geography you can study the history and geography of the Indian sub continent. So those options are there. With the vocational courses the BTEC Firsts in class 10 and BTEC National in class 12 there is much more opportunity for customisation because you are not following a set syllabus that leads to an exam paper, you are following units which give you guidance on an assignment. For instance, if you were pursuing a BTEC National in business, your assignment could be about work simulation for an Indian company. So you pretend that you are a company setting up a new mobile phone business in India; how you do deal with the competition, one of the groups may become marketing representatives and another group of students could take on finance, events and so on. So students like about what it is like to work in the world of work. I think this is very relevant to students in India who by following the BTEC programmes, would be well on their way to having exactly the same qualifications as someone from the UK. The bachelor's degree doesn't say taken in India within brackets, it is the same degree you get abroad. Since these courses follow a different mode of instruction what are the variations in exam patterns that Edexcel offers?I think it is relatively limited when it comes to a subject like mathematics, which would be the same whether you follow a local or an international board. But a subject like English, we approach in a very different way. What we have is a combination of examinations and course work. The exam is traditional but within course work we could ask students to compare two works of literature which is something not very well done if you have a 3 hour exam paper to finish. With the literature course work, students can write their paper in depth, over an extended period of time. In science, we put much more emphasis on practical work which is done throughout the course and the student writes about it in the final exam paper. Some people do not work well under a timed examination system, the ticking clock intimidates. The beauty of the BTEC is that there are no exam papers in these courses which are ideal for a lot of students. With a BTEC course, a student is expected to do course work, set of assignments, cover work at your own pace so there is no pressure of time and at the end of it you are assessed on what you have actually done. If it is business, it could be a business simulation, if it is art and design, you may have created some art work; not over a 3 hour exam but over a period that enables you to get it absolutely right. Or if it is drama, students have to stage an actual play. We also have BTEC courses in sports, so students can play and analyses themselves at the same time.break-page-breakHow do you introduce the market perspective into a course with regard to the economic viability of the sills and products that students create while pursuing your programmes?The guidance in the syllabi is all about judging the market place. In India for instance, we bring in new games such as computer game designing which didn't exist till a few years ago. Within the course on media students can choose an option such as print journalism, or film and screen writing. We revise our courses every five years wherein we go to the industry bodies and ask them what is new in their industry. Thus we reissue syllabi according to new requirements and the beauty of this is that a student is assessed on affixed set of criteria, which is different for a pass, merit and distinction. The teacher decides whether he/she has met them based on the portfolio of work put together which may include, video, PowerPoint slides etc. An external verifier from the UK is sent to judge if a college is at the same level as other colleges, who comes in twice a year for each of the two years of a course and most of the schools and colleges get it right.Because the BTECs are unconventional, how do you equip teachers to teach these courses differently?Exactly, the teacher can no longer stand in front of the class with students taking notes. They need to be out there with groups of students. What we do is offer every school that wants to start BTEC , two days implementation training. We haven't introduced this in India yet but the BTEC Nationals have been successful in many schools in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The schools affiliated with us follow the IGCSE and the A level exam but with the BTEC we are starting from scratch. I think an important aspect is that parents need to be convinced as well. First of all, many people might still want to see their children as doctors and lawyers.What are the challenges that you have had to face because of the diversity of people and opinions in India?Changing the mindset of people towards vocational courses is a big challenge. We are focusing primarily on metropolitan cities however, we are going into some smaller cities as well, such as Calicut . But we intend to start with the growing middle class in the cities first. Also I think it is fair to say that India is a very exam oriented country, so there are challenges of perception, people might raise their eye brows at the idea that there are no exams with the BTEC courses. But we need to realise that the BTEC's are holistic courses where students have to work and create products and services. In fact we have another qualification known as BTEC work skills which provides students with hands on training about things such as, how to prepare a CV. We are also bringing in a primary curriculum and a secondary curriculum so that we have everything for the age group of 7 to 18. There is a hybrid qualification known as the International Diploma which we are also coming out with. This is a trust vow to meet the complaints from universities who say they have seen so many students with grade A in all their subjects but they need something more. The International Diploma consists of either the A level exams or the BTEC Nationals plus three other subjects. One of the subjects is global perspective which is like global citizenship, one is a project which is of the student's own choosing and third is the BTEC work skills.But work skills as a course would probably not be successful if they followed a uniform syllabus, they need to be specialised...The beauty of BTEC is that it can and needs to be flexible. Yes, the job market is different everywhere and what an Indian employer may expect from a candidate's CV could be different from other places. So we need to explain the context to our external verifiers (from Edexcel UK) and things could run perfectly well. If team work is important in the work place, or negotiation skills in the workplace, you can shift emphasis depending on your choice of units. The implementation training takes place in schools and the verifier takes the instructors through the process of teaching, conducting assignments, depending on the course. In the case of academic courses, we recently held a training course in Delhi we sent our chief examiners from the UK to organise sessions with teachers from different schools. If it is a softer subject like music, we also provide online training where teachers can correspond through email. Our links with Pearson which is about 8 years old enable us to provide textbooks in virtually all subjects. Since they have come in they have invested 80 million pound on new technology and the other big thing they give us is resources. Now we also have Edexcel online, schools can electronically download exam papers and all teachers are given email addresses of subject advisors if they have queries.Is the final grading for all courses conducted by a central body in the UK?At the moment we do all the markings ourselves in Edexcel and currently we do a 100 per cent of it in the UK so people know that they have been trained by us according to UK standards. I think it lends validation because in theory, students are marked on computers and thus could be evaluated in different countries but our feedback tells us that people want to know that there assessment has come from the UK. But there is a body in the UK that regulates us, which has been set up by the government and is called Ofqual. If ever we do anything wrong people can complain about it to them. Initially our IGCSE examinations were only meant for students of other countries but there has been an outcry since which the UK government has decides that these courses be made available in the UK as well.What has the experience interacting with Indian schools been like? How will you go about the process of acquiring recognition from Indian educational institutes?The response from all schools has been very positive, but the one issue they have all raised is if Edexcel courses are recognised by the local universities, which I understand is a key point. This is a work in progress for us, the A level courses are already recognised by the Association of Indian Universities and working towards getting recognition from University of Delhi and other central universities and we discover that is quite a big task! It will take us a few months but we are confident that they will give us recognised status and it will be the same task with the BTECs. No one is recognising them as of now but I am sure they will. Of course with the degree route it is not essential to have the BTEC courses recognised, as they will be conferred by a UK university in India. But our idea is to have BTECs recognised going straight to Delhi University. The main challenge is in making our name known. People have not really heard of Edexcel, it stands for educational excellence. We are the former London University School board, if people knew that it would improve our brand image. So we have been around in India since the 1960s but not under the name Edexcel.Your focus seems more on schools even with the vocation courses....That is because we have quite a bit of success already with colleges. Also students will have a better chance of being successful in vocational courses later if they have been trained in the BTEC way, as it were, from the beginning. Also, it has been found that in the UK, if students are just given an academic diet in class 9 or onwards, they start skipping lessons because it doesn't create interest in them. Our success has been the most with BTEC Firsts (at class 10 level) because students may be interested in automobile designing, travel and tourism and because of that they work better in studying English and maths and thus see the point of working that way. Ultimately this is a very good opportunity for students and parents all over, with more limited means and resources.alokita dot datta at abp dot in
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In today's touchscreen-or-bust age, are the days of the full-QWERTY phones numbered? Not if you see the latest sliders from the Nokia's and HTC's stables – the E7 and Desire Z. Now while these two may have a slide-out keyboard in common, there's little else that they share, and I pit them against each other to see which one comes out on top! Nokia E7Nokia's design team is on a roll since the N8, rolling out the E7 with similar design cues. In a sense, the E7 is a larger N8, packing in the same Symbian^3 platform, but trading off the N8's awesome camera for a larger, better display and a full QWERTY keyboard. Form Factor/Build Quality: To be able to fit a keyboard into a device this thin itself is part of the E7's charm, and the sturdy aluminum shell and Gorilla Glass display outclasses the Z's part-metal, part-plastic finish. At 180 grams, the Z is heavier, but only just. Screen: The E7 edges ahead of the Desire Z's 3.7-inch, 480x800 pixel capacitive LCD touchscreen with a 4-inch AMOLED screen packed with Nokia's ClearBlack Display technology, which allows for richer colors and better outdoor visibility. The Z has a higher resolution screen with a crisper display though. Camera: The E7 is destined to live in the N8's shadow in this department, after forsaking the Carl Zeiss branding and the 12-megapixel sensor for a 8-megapixel fixed focus (no autofocus) unit. This was a strange choice in the camera department, seeing how popular the N8 got thanks to its camera – an autofocus camera on the E7 is really what the doctor ordered. Saving grace for the E7 – the Z's 5 megapixels auto-focus, LED flash doesn't fare better in shooting everyday pics, so I'd go with the numbers here. Both cameras let you use a number different settings and effects, and there's an onboard photo editor too, but this one came down to just how good a picture each shot. Multimedia Playback: The Symbian^3 video player handles H.263/H.264/AVC MP4, plus DivX, WMV and many other formats, plus there's HDMI-out to broadcast to your TV direct. Z's portfolio is capable but doesn't top this.HTC Desire ZTake the successful HTC Desire and bolt on a keyboard, and you get a phone that's every bit usable and fun as any of today's Android touchscreen wonders, with a keyboard for those who get the heebie-jeebies from typing on a touchscreen. Keyboard: While the feel of the keyboard is better on the E7 (and the keys are larger), the Z scores higher thanks to a slider mechanism that's smoother to operate and access. Over time and frequent use though, the E7's slider feels more solid and less likely to become loose. Also, I personally prefer the angle that the Z adopts, involves less craning of the neck. Tough one to call, this is something that you'll have to see for yourself in the store. User Interface: Even with the revamped touch-friendly Symbian^3 user interface, it isn't a patch on the HTC Sense UI. Sure, it may be familiar to lifetime Nokia users, but that's about it. No competition here, move along.Platform: You can start listing features that Android 2.2 supports vis-à-vis equivalent stuff on Symbian^3, but the truth is that Android is a platform that's got an eye on the future, while Symbian is, sadly, shackled to the past. It's past its prime, and makes modern devices like the N8 and the E7 just look plain bad. An aside to HTC, please upgrade the Z to 2.3 post haste! Apps: While Nokia is making the right noises for apps on Symbian^3, it's getting drowned out in the din of over 150,000 applications available for the Android segment. Consumer and developer interest levels in the Android platform are much higher, which means new apps will come faster to Android than Symbian. Storage: Hmm. 16GB built-in on the E7 vs 1.5 expandable to 33.5 on the Z. No brainer - score one for the Z on pure numbers, more so if you're a media junkie who must have a ton of stuff to watch and listen to on their phones.Winner: On specs and design, the E7, but (more critically) on experience, the Desire Z. HTC Desire Z: Price: Rs. 25,590 (http://bit.ly/iGpiGv)Nokia E7: Price: Rs. 29,999 (http://bit.ly/kYQuT7) Repeated Perfection If it ain't broke…don't fix it. Apple's MacBook Pro range of laptops follow this design philosophy year after year, and still manage to remain the thinnest, most streamlined laptops in their class. Most of the changes in the 2011 variant are under the hood, including the latest second-generation quad-core Intel Core CPUs, and automatic graphics switching technology which recognises which apps or tasks require a heavy-duty dedicated graphics chip, and which can work with the built-in low-power graphics. In this iteration though, Apple's chosen the AMD Radeon 6750M chip over the Nvidia offerings, and the performance numbers bear that out. It's no surprise that this multimedia powerhouse still doesn't ship with Blu-ray drives which can be seen on some of the competition these days – Apple isn't clearly not ready to accept Blu-ray as a standard, preferring high-definition internet downloads instead. Yet, this laptop leads the way in another standard – the MacBook Pros now ship with Thunderbolt, an input/output technology from Intel (codenamed Light Peak). When connected to a Thunderbolt-equipped peripheral, transfer rates can hit a theoretical 10Gbps, that's roughly 21 times the speed of USB 2.0 and twice that of USB 3.0. It's a little like taking a 4-lane expressway when the rest of the world is using a 1-lane road. Trouble is, Thunderbolt peripherals like external displays and storage disks are hard to come by, and are prohibitively priced for the moment. The possibilities though are mouthwatering – the ability to play four uncompressed HD video streams off a hard disk, or to transfer a DVD movie (4.7GB) in a matter of seconds just reminds me just how slow our current generation of devices are. Net net, you have strong CPU and graphics updates, a new HD webcam for great construction and battery life - what's not to like in the new MacBook Pros? URL: http://bit.ly/mFHrO2Price: 13 inch models start at Rs 69,900 Game For Change Portable gaming is set to turn a corner with the Nintendo 3DS, and accessory makers are out with devices that extend the system's notoriously short battery life already. The Hyperkin Powerplus slips on to the back of the console without obstructing the 3DS' cartridge port, SD card and game controls, while adding an extra 1800mAh to the device's standard 1300mAh battery. Plus you get an LED indicator letting you how much juice you have on tap. Watch out for my full review of the 3DS next week! URL: http://bit.ly/k7OdvbPrice: $19.99 technocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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British education and publishing company Pearson on Tuesday said it has increased its shareholding in Indian online education firm TutorVista to 76 per cent for about Rs 577 crore in a bid to tap the growing Indian education market.Pearson, which had acquired about 17.2 per cent stake in TutorVista in June 2009, said it plans to take its holding to 80 per cent next month by buying out small promoters' stake in the Bangalore- based company."This is one of the largest deals in the Indian education space," Chairman Pearson India John Makinson said.Pearson, which owns book publisher Penguin and the Financial Times, expects the acquisition to enhance Pearson's adjusted earnings per share in 2012, its first full year after the acquisition.In mid 2009, Pearson established a joint venture with education company Educomp Solutions to develop vocational and professional services for the Indian market."TutorVista will be integrated into our education business in India and will enhance our presence in the school market in India and in tutoring across the globe in schools and higher education," the company said in a statement.TutorVista is one of the leading online tutoring company and has over 2,000 teachers employed across India today. Manipal K12/Edurite, which is the Indian business of TutorVista runs and managers around 19 schools across the country, apart from providing technology based learning solutions to more than 2000 schools in India.(shrutika(dot)verma(at)abp(dot)in
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Finance Ministry is miffed with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for delay in auction of one block of 20 megahertz of broadband wireless access spectrum, that could have fetched Rs 13,000 crore to the government.R. Gopalan, Secretary Economic Affairs, has shot a missive to R. Chandrashekar, Secretary DoT, asking him to expedite the auction process. The reason, the Budget Estimates 2011-12 had factored in Rs 13,000 crore in the non tax revenue estimates.Gopalan has reminded DoT, that it has failed to act, despite the office memo sent on May 2, 2011 to all the ministries and departments including DoT, to closely monitor the non-tax revenue receipts projected in BE 2011-12 to avoid any shortfall."I hope that DoT would have initiated the process…for auction of BWA spectrum to achieve the target in the current financial year," states a letter from Goplan to secretary DoT.Officials in DoT claimed that Defence Ministry clearance were not available for the auction of that one block of 20 MHz of BWA spectrum. However, industry observers point that this was cleared about three months ago by the Defence Ministry.However, following the missive, the babus in DoT have started the process. But, sources say that a section of the officials feel that it would not fetch a higher price as the last round of BWA auction that concluded on June 11, 2010. The government collected Rs 38,543.31 crore from the auction of BWA spectrum, that was grabbed by five operators—Infotel in all 22 circles, Aircel in eight circles, Qualcomm and Bharti Airtel in four each and Augere in one circle.A DoT official pointed that they are planning to initiate action against those companies that are yet to start the BWA services.Infotel, which was taken over by Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries Ltd, has been tightlipped about its project. So are the other winners of BWA spectrum bids held last year.(BW Team)
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Bereft of China's riches, India is banking on diplomacy, development and its entrepreneurial private sector to woo African nations to open markets and natural resources to Asia's third-largest economyNew Delhi has promised billions of dollars in development support, financing for infrastructure projects and the building of educational and training institutes as it positions itself as the alternative to Beijing.India enjoys historical ties with some African countries, but became a mere observer when China came calling for resources and energy, with financial riches New Delhi could not match.China boasts foreign exchange reserves of more than $3 trillion, 10 times India's $307 million, and has aggressively used state-owned development banks to invest heavily in oil, gas and other resources across the continent.But after being caught cold by China, and losing a series of bids for oil rights and infrastructure projects to its Asian rival, India is banking on a new approach to Africa that blends trade and investment with development economics."India's approach is reciprocal, expecting access to resources in exchange for developing technology and training Africa's human resources. That's how India is different to other foreign powers," said Suresh Kumar, head of the Department of African Studies, University of Delhi."In providing education, technology, development and security, India is a complete partner."Like China, India has posted high economic growth rates since 1990 and the economy in a country of 1.2 billion people is now expanding at more than 8 per cent a year. Resources from Africa are seen as crucial to help sustain growth.Total trade between India and African countries stood at $46 billion last year, still less than half of China's $108 billion in 2008, but a huge increase on $3 billion in 2000-1. India says it will reach $70 billion by 2015.Beijing also leads the way in diplomatic terms, with 42 embassies across sub-Saharan Africa, double India's diplomatic presence of only 21 embassies, a report from the London-based Chatham House think-tank said.Making Up For A Lost TimeIndian is keen to trumpet its cultural links with African countries, citing a shared history of imperialism and trade routes established hundreds of years ago.The Indian diaspora in Africa tops 2 million people, but it is mainly concentrated in South Africa, the Indian Ocean and some countries along the Eastern seaboard such as Kenya."The private sector is pushing the Indian government to engage on Africa more consistently and to expand its network," said Alex Vines, head of Chatham House's Africa Programme.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on a six-day trip to Ethiopia and Tanzania this week, pledged $5 billion over three years in development support, $700 million for new institutions and training programmes and $300 million for an Ethiopia-Djibouti railway line."India can be blamed for waking up late to the African opportunity, but can make up for lost time by projecting itself as a more humane investor than its northern neighbour," wrote India's Hindustan Times newspaper in an editorial.While India, and other emerging economies, see Africa as an important supplier and customer to drive growth, it is a sign of New Delhi's growing global economic and political clout, that it is seeking to play a leading role in Africa's development."Africa is determined to partner in India's economic resurgence as India is committed to be a close partner in Africa's renaissance," said the declaration after the second Africa-India summit in Ethiopia this week.India's state-run oil firms are beginning to invest in countries including Nigeria and Kenya, coal and diamond firms have invested across the continent, and new embassies in Niger and Malawi have been opened to assist firms with securing uranium for India's fast-growing nuclear power industry.Private Sector RushIndia is also keen to leverage its global expertise in the information technology, agriculture and human resource sectors in helping African countries, many of which face similar developmental hurdles that India itself is grappling with.While China has snapped up resources through governmental agreements, India's government wants the private sector to spearhead the push to secure investments across the continent."India's engagement with Africa is completely different with that of China. With China its state-to-state, even if the investors are private companies," said Zemedeneh Negatu, Ernst & Young's Managing Partner for Ethiopia.Indian telecoms firm Bharti Airtel spent $9 billion acquiring Zain's African assets last year, with a view to implementing strategies in Africa that were developed in the world's fastest-growing mobile market.Largely thanks to the Bharti deal, India was the most acquisitive nation in Africa in 2010.With African consumer spending set to nearly double to $1.4 trillion by 2020, according to McKinsey and Co., Indian consumer goods makers are also pushing hard across the continent.Godrej Consumer has bought personal care products makers in Nigeria and South Africa, while Dabur India, Marico and Emami have also bought assets."India's engagement with Africa in the economic sense will be driven by the private sector," said H.H. Viswanathan of the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation."The majority of the top 10 Indian companies in Africa are private firms, not state-run like the Chinese firms."Development assistance aside, as the Indian private sector expands in Africa, the continent is also destined to benefit from job creation as companies seek lower production costs."Labour costs have become more and more expensive in China and India. Chinese and Indian companies are starting look at destinations where they can do their things cost-competitively," said Ernst & Young's Zemedeneh."That's where Africa benefits."(Reuters)
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Keeping pace with green concerns, Japanese consumer electronics giant, CASIO Computer Company, has always been the flag bearer of eco-friendly technology. From tough and durable solar-powered calculators to green projectors, energy efficiency has been one of their primary concerns. Recently Casio launched a range of mercury free 3D projectors exclusively in India. They consume considerably less power and can be effectively used to make presentations through smartphones. BW Online's Deeksha Batra caught up with Kulbhushan Seth, Head of Sales and Marketing of CASIO India, at the launch of the 3D projectors in New Delhi. Seth explained the concept of ecological projectors and the philosophy behind it and Casio's overall performance (in Japan and overseas) while claiming to be the sole manufacturers of this technology in the world. Why did Casio decide to come up with the range of eco-friendly projectors in India? It is our philosophy; we always decide to get into a category which doesn't exist, so we try to make something new. We have our core technologies on one side and the market on the other; we look at latest technologies as well as current trends in the market, also taking into account our customers' expectations. So we develop the product accordingly. What makes these projectors environment friendly? Whom are you targeting as potential customers for the product? Today our ecosystem is very important; we know what pollution has done to the earth, its soil and water. So, we decided to come up with an innovative product using our own technologies. Mercury, we know is the major pollutant of soil and water, is not degradable and is highly poisonous. Every time we use mercury lamp projectors, they have a life span and then people dump it. This is the first time, we have come up with a new high brightness LASER &LED hybrid light source which is green and eco-friendly because it is mercury-free. This makes it a unique product, very relevant for today's world. It also shows or makes our contribution to society. The big advantage with our light source is its long lamp lighting which is 20,000 hours as compared to 1,500 or 2,000 hours for a mercury lamp. Thus anyone using it — be it educational institutes or offices — can use it for a longer time without replacing the lamp. This serves as the biggest advantage since the projector is green and mercury-free it requires zero-maintenance; as opposed to the mercury lamps which need to be constantly changed during summers. It has a quick start up and switch off time, whereas a normal mercury lamp takes 60 seconds to switch off. In a country like India, where power cuts are very common, a mercury lamp tends to drip, it waits for the lamp to cool down and it takes a couple of minutes, so if it happens in between a meeting or a presentation, it is very inconvenient. S.No Category Price (In Rs.) ANSI Lumen 1. Standard Model 66,995 – 99,995 Upto 3000 2. Pro Model 1,19,995 – 1,34,995 Upto 3500 3. Short Throw 1,29,995 – 1,34,995 Upto 3000 Could also touch upon the price range comparison with existing projectors? Direct comparison may not be true if you see the long lamp light our projectors have, I'll say our product is cheaper than mercury-lamp projectors. For example, if you take five average years and eight working hours a day, we can save the cost of six lamps, each lamp costs around Rs 10,000 so you can save Rs 60,000. If you take that period in account, we are cheaper. What if we take Epson and Toshiba products into consideration? This type of light source is an updated technology which is only with Casio. Laser LED hybrid light source is not available with any other manufacturer in the world. This makes us very unique and special. Do you think your latest product launch will expand your sales and profit margins in India? Yes, definitely as currently we are selling calculators, watches and musical instruments, most of the products are low priced. Quantity is big but the value is low and some of these categories have quite a high market share. This will help us expand our sales and position ourselves as a high technology brand in India. But green projectors put us in a very different league. What is Casio's most popular product line in India and abroad (in Asia, US, Europe or Japan)? In India, calculators are most popular. Abroad, I think it is watches; G-Shock is the world-wide brand of Casio watches. How do you plan to expand your sales routes to promote the development of these projectors in India? We mostly have distributors and retailers as channel partners. But projectors are totally different and we are developing a totally new channel. Our existing channel is more retail-oriented and a projector is not a retail product. It's more of a corporate or institutional product where mostly direct sales take place. We are going to choose some direct channel partners who are going to be pan Indian. We have channel partners like small IT retailers or educational retailers, who supply educational products to schools and colleges and also provide projectors to educational institutes. We would therefore, like to tie up with them and develop a channel so that they offer our green projectors also. The educational sector is highly important and appreciable. We also have many other education related products, so now with the green projectors we will be able to make more contribution to this sector. What has been Casio's growth rate in India since 1996? We have grown more than ten times. In the last couple of years, we have seen good growth because there is synergy, retail is changing, the market is changing and consumer buying patterns are changing. Indian consumers are also spending more money and that is helping us grow further especially in categories such as watches. What are your future plans? What is your projected revenue for the coming year on a half-yearly basis? In the last couple of years, we are almost growing 30 per cent plus year-on-year, so we would like to continue that momentum, maintaining it is not easy but we would like to do that. We target half-yearly growth that is almost similar year-on-year. Do you also plan to manufacture CASIO products in India or open an R&D facility? No, I don't think so. We haven't given it a thought as yet. Could you discuss the respective market shares of your major product categories —calculators, watches, keyboards etc.? If you talk about the organised market for scientific products, we have more than 90 per cent market share. If you talk about official market share of standard calculators, it is 60 to 70 per cent. Keyboards enjoy 65 to 70 per cent market share. Watches have a smaller market share around 3 or 4 per cent. Camera sales are relatively weaker due to greater competition in the market. We are very optimistic about projectors as we are launching them and they have a very unique technology and great money value for consumers. These projectors are effective for a number of applications and can be used for longer hours during the day. Most of the corporates are embracing eco-friendly technology due to the growing consciousness about our eco-system. Hence, I believe they will also appreciate our product. Where do you place yourself in the Indian electronics market? We are into consumer electronics and all our product categories are unique. But we are an electronic company even if we manufacture watches and sell their maximum number quantity wise worldwide. All Casio products, even if it is an Rs 800 watch with a battery life of 10 years, are based on our core technologies which focus on miniaturisation, low power consumption while maintaining high durability and usability. Our projectors are green, our calculators work on solar power, many of our watches also run on solar power. How have your green slim projectors launched prior to the current category, fared in overseas markets? People have appreciated the green slim projectors, especially their mercury-free point as well as their slimness. Even though it takes some time to make people aware and help them shift towards green technology, we have been able to create a strong position worldwide. In this regard awareness and acceptability is increasing.
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A notification by All Indian Council Of Technical Education (AICTE) on 28 December sent tremors through the B-school fraternity. The council came up with an eight-point system of e-governance wherein admission to all PGDM (post-graduate diploma in management) courses shall be done through common entrance test such as CAT/MAT or examinations conducted by the state governments.Private B-schools such as XLRI, IMI and IMT Ghaziabad are calling the regulation a threat to their autonomy.The new regulation restricts XLRI and MICA from conducting their own examination for the new academic session. "The complete act is anti-liberalising and very limiting, the distinctness of XAT cannot be compared with CAT," says E. Abraham, director of XLRI Jamshedpur. According to Association of Management Schools (AIMS), the new norms are inconsistent with the right extended to the unaided professional colleges to evolve any fair and transparent method of selection, a right upheld by the Supreme Court.One of the major setbacks for B-schools is the forfeiting of their right to decide their programmes' fees. The notice says fees for all kinds of PGDM programmes shall be decided by AICTE. "The institutes may not be able to recover their full costs, and while they accept this, they may resort to other means of attracting money," says Rajan Saxena, vice-chancellor of Mumbai-based Narsee Monji Institute of Management, which is a deemed university and, hence, is protected from these regulations.The notification states that all PGDM programmes shall not be less than 24-month long and the admissions shall not start before 31 March. The programmes offered by B-schools including IIMs are typically of 21 months and the admission process for many B-schools start much before 31 March. "World over people are encouraged to accelerate their management learning by introducing various short-duration programmes," adds Saxena. Academicians are also worried. "The AICTE circular is a massive problem for good standalone institutions such as XLRI and XIMB. These institutes can't seek accreditation from any university," says Sougata Roy, dean of IIM Calcutta. "These B-schools can't take shortcuts like other private institutes. The unscrupulous ones will immediately find a way out by simply affiliating themselves to some university."There was no regulatory framework prescribed by AICTE for PGDM programmes earlier. "The institutes are free to run independently without seeking an AICTE approval, but if they seek the council's approval, they will have to follow the new framework," says M.M. Pant, chairman of AIMA-CME Board of Studies. He was also present at the meeting held between AICTE and AIMA officials on 18 January. "They are irked because certain financial benefits that they were getting earlier will be reduced now," he says. Organisations such as Education Promotion Society for India, AIMS and All India Management Association (AIMA) have approached AICTE to find a middle way between the institutes' rights and the new guidelines. "Nothing constructive has come out of the meetings so far, AICTE being unmoved on its stance," says an AIMA member present at the meeting.AICTE has also proposed that model curriculum/syllabus for PGDM programme be issued by the council itself. Many industry experts think a move on those lines will cause a slowdown in the revising of management curriculum. Though the B-schools are desperate to receive a new and more autonomous set of regulations from the council, the possibilities remain bleak. (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 31-01-2011)
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Corporate India is joining hands to address its need for the future leaders. A group of professionals and entrepreneurs have announced the launch of the Young India Fellowship (YIF) - a one-year multi-disciplinary leadership development programme for postgraduate students. The first of its kind programme challenges the current trends of higher education system in India.YIF is launched in India in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania's (UPenn) School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). "Delivered by top-rung faculty, the curriculum aims to broaden perspectives and help our Fellows carve their own paths," said Pramath Raj Sinha, founder and director of YIF & founding dean of Hyderabad based ISB today at the launch of the programme. "The YIF curriculum is designed to challenge the increasing specialisation of Indian undergraduate programmes and develop a more holistic educational experience right here in India that mirrors some of the best undergraduate learning environments in the world."The residential programme will include classes on subjects including anthropology, ethics, life sciences, art appreciation and entrepreneurship with primary focus on developing the critical thinking, reading, writing, communication and leadership skills.YIF is open to 50 final-year undergraduate students or graduates with less than two years of work experience. Each of the first batch students will receive a scholarship of Rs 8 lakh to cover the full cost of tuition, board and lodging for the YIF. These scholarships have been donated by group of leading professionals who want to make a difference to higher education in India.Applications for the programme open from the 24 January, 2011. The classes will begin on 30 May 2011 in a functioning educational campus in Gurgaon.Sinha, with a few members of the industry is also setting up a private entity called Ashoka University. The 26 acre university will reflect a multidisciplinary and open pedagogical style. The YIF and the Ashoka University are supported by the International Foundation for Research and Education.(BW Online Bureau)
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Silver prices up by Rs 2,300 to Rs 57,300 per kg, in line with the general firming trendThe gold prices surpassed all previous records as they spurted by Rs 170 to Rs 23,220 on Thursday, on brisk buying by stockists, driven by a firm trend in the international markets due to the deepening Euro debt crisis.The yellow metal crossed its last record level of Rs 23,175 set on April 30 this year.Similarly, silver spurted by Rs 2,300 to Rs 57,300 per kg, in line with the general firming trend, on heavy buying by stockists and speculators.Market analysts said the trading sentiments remained bullish as gold in international markets climbed 0.66 per cent to a record USD 1,593 an ounce, as concern about Europe's debt crisis spurred demand for the metal as a protection of wealth.The precious metal touched record levels in domestic as well as futures trade worldwide, which further buoyed the sentiment, they added.At the Multi Commodity Exchange, the yellow metal touched the peak of Rs 23,465 by adding Rs 269, indicating further upsurge in the coming days.On the domestic front, gold of 99.9 and 99.5 per cent purity gained Rs 170 each to Rs 23,220 and Rs 23,100 per 10 grams, respectively.Sovereigns also gained Rs 50 to Rs 18,850 per piece of eight grams.Likewise, silver ready moved up by Rs 2,300 to Rs 57,300 per kg and weekly-based delivery climbed Rs 3,060 to Rs 57,960 per kg, on brisk buying by industrial units.Silver coins followed suit and jumped up by Rs 1,000 to Rs 63,000 for buying and Rs 64,000 for selling of 100 pieces.(PTI)
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