Index
Contents
Index
President’s Message..........................................................................................................................................4
From the Secretary General’s Desk..................................................................................................................6
Happenings at IACC ...........................................................................................................................................7
Trade Opportunities with IACC ......................................................................................................................28
Trade Opportunity from USA.............................................................................................................................. 28
Trade Opportunity fromINDIA ........................................................................................................................... 28
US investments in India...................................................................................................................................29
Cisco to invest $1.7 billion in India this year; to partner Centre’s digital drive ......................................................... 29
New York City based Rockefeller Foundation to set up 1,000 mini power grids across rural India ........................... 30
Bill Gates Backs Impact Investor Unitus Seed ......................................................................................................30
India’s Investments in U.S................................................................................................................................32
Tech Mahindra buys US Company for$240 million .............................................................................................. 32
Aurobindo wins Natrol bid with $132 million........................................................................................................ 32
Indo-US Corporate News.................................................................................................................................34
Microsoft to use ‘white space’ tech forfree internet in India ................................................................................. 34
CCI gives nod to Mylan-Abbott merger ............................................................................................................... 34
Delaware headquartered DuPont introduces technology solution to tackle fake pesticides sale ............................ 35
After Google and Microsoft,IBM towoo online start-ups..................................................................................... 35
'Rs 299 corner': Google gears up forGreat Online Shopping Festival ....................................................................36
Made-in-India KTM Duke 390,RC390 heads to America: Launch price starts at $4,999......................................... 38
Huge demand forcars will turn around Ford's fortunes in India: President Nigel Harris .......................................... 39
Massachusetts based Dunkin's DonutsIntroduces Chickpea, Saffron, and Chili to their menu ............................... 40
Oregon based Columbia Sportswear to open 25 stores in India by April 2015........................................................ 40
Oracle Signs MoU with ICT Academy of Kerala to help students develop IT skills .................................................. 41
Global hotel chains eye secondary, tertiary markets in India................................................................................. 42
In the News:.....................................................................................................................................................44
'Infra sector to be main focus area for Indo-UScommerce ties'............................................................................. 44
U.S. President Barack Obama to bechief guest at Republic Day celebrations ....................................................... 45
Chuck Hagel understoodIndia's value, opened US military for Sikhs.....................................................................45
India and United States Joint Statement on the Trade Policy Forum.....................................................................46
Ex-Im Bank Chairman Hochberg Visits India toPromote Made-in-America Exports.............................................. 49
Wonderful moment in Indo-US ties: US Senator..................................................................................................50
Enrolment of Indian students in USup by28%: Report ........................................................................................ 51
India Signs MoU with USA on Setting-UpInfrastructure Collaboration Platform................................................... 52
Narendra Modi has turned India into a magnet: McKinsey CEO Dominic Barton ................................................... 53
Third Meeting of Indo-US Science & Technologyheld.......................................................................................... 54
Obama opens US borders to more talent from India............................................................................................ 54
Community leaders hail Verma's nomination as India's US envoy......................................................................... 56
Calendar of IACC Events for 2014....................................................................................................................57
Indo-US Trade Statistics...................................................................................................................................61
2014: U.S. trade in goods withIndia.................................................................................................................... 61
2013: U.S. trade in goods with India .................................................................................................................... 61
India – US Trade Analysis ................................................................................................................................62
International Buyer Program, 2014 Trade shows...........................................................................................63
How to reach us:..............................................................................................................................................64
President’s Message
Dear Member,
There are many positive developments that have unfolded in recent days that can impact the Indo-US economic
partnership.Foremostisthe conclusionof the Indo-USFoodSecurityagreement,whichcanheraldthe earliestsigning of a
trade facilitation agreement under the WTO. After a long spell of impasse, the multilateral trade negotiations will be
resumedinthe rightearnest. The bonhomie at the G20 meeting in Brisbane, where India was an active participant, is an
indication of the resolution of the WTO contracting parties to forget the past and seize the opportunities that are
unfolding in world trade. The coming months will witness some solid initiatives in this regard.
A related development is the consensus reached by the US and China to limit the emission of greenhouse gases. The
pledge by the US of USD 3 billion towards Green Climate Fund (GCF), in particular, signals the importance that is being
accordedto climate change.India’shope isthatthe GCF will be increasingly committed to enabling developing countries
like India to access state-of-the-art technologies to abate pollution.
Education is emerging as a sector that is further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and the US. The
enrollmentof Indiansinthe USschools,collegesandtechnical instituteshasgone upby 28 percent. Indian students make
up the second largest foreign contingent in the US after China, contributing to a sizeable portion of its revenue for the
sector.Yet,the cherishedgoal of Indiato emerge as a regional hub for education, despite its huge network of schools of
higherlearningstillremainstobe afar cry. Our cooperationineducationsectorhastoshow more seriousness in terms of
exchange of facultiesandsharingof informationandnetworkingamongthe topuniversities.There is no denial that some
of the leading universities in US have expressed their desire to have off campuses in India to cater to the educational
needs of not only Indians but also for the students from the developing world, who cannot afford higher cost in the US
cities. Legislations that bar setting up of such institutions must be amended to take the conversation forward.
Recently, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stressed the need for accelerating India’s services exports to offset the
increasingdeficitinthe merchandizetrade.He hadidentifiedsome low lyingfruitslikehealthcare,legal services, research
and development,financial servicesetc.whichcanbe easilyandconveniently tapped to up the services exports from the
country.At the same time,India’straditionalstrengthinITandITES has to be consolidatedsince thissegmentwasthe first
to be exploitedandhascatapultedservicesexportsfromthe countryfroma few milliondollarssome two decades back to
US$ 151 billion.The governmentshouldaddresssome of the irritantslikevisaregulationtoenable India to accelerate the
services exports to the US.
IACC has been taking regular initiatives in creating newer ideas and approaches for cementing the India-US economic
cooperation. The recently concluded India-US Economic Summit ferreted out many new ideations that can be put to
practice in many areas including energy, tourism, education, manufacturing sector etc. Across our regions, we are
engaginginnewerconversationson hot topic issues such as infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, CSR, and inviting
more and more delegations to India.
Significantly,thereisanew found enthusiasm in the Indian economic landscape. Many new policy initiatives have been
unveiled. FDI regime is being increasingly liberalized. Newer schemes like Make in India, Digitizing India etc. are being
implemented. The Indian industry has considerable stake in that. To tap that potential, we need state-of-the-art
technologies,huge resourcesandcapabilities.Insuchthings, the US is our natural partner. This message IACC has to take
to the nation through its well-crafted sensitization programs, workshops, and seminars so that we can remain ahead of
others in espousing the cause and importance of the Indo-US economic partnership.
Asoke K. Laha
National President, IACC
From the Secretary General’s Desk
Dear Members,
An investmentof over$ 1 trillionisneeded for toning up the Indian infrastructure sector in the next ten years or so. The
resource requirement will be much higher if we are to go by the importance assigned by the new dispensation for this
sector.Thisis reflectedinsome ambitiousannouncementslikespeedyintroductionof bullettrains,creatingfourtransport
corridors, developing urban transport like metros, and light rail, smart cities, and the unprecedented focus on power
generation.
Domestic resource constraints are many. For instance, huge resources are being planned for education, health, river
cleaning, cleanliness drive, Jan Dhaan Yojana, etc. Therefore, it is necessary that we seek investments from abroad.
Infrastructure proposalsshouldbe attractive,gestationperiodlow andreturnoncapital adequate tomotivate investorsto
bringin the capital.Goingbythe pasttrend,FDI inIndiaismostlydirectedtothe servicessector,followedbyconstruction,
and the rest is miniscule spread across various sectors. We have to change this trend. Infrastructure should be a vertical
that fits the bill for foreign investors.
In the past, many knee jerk exercises have been carried out to attract investment in infrastructure, such as sovereign
guarantee of minimum returns on investment in the power sector, opening up of various segments like construction,
townshipforforeigninvestorparticipation,relaxationof landholdingrightsforcertaininvestments, etc.Butthe resultsare
not adequate, going by the flow of investments into the segment.
Against this backdrop, IACC’s forthcoming Infrastructure Summit assumes importance. A delegation from the State of
Texas led by Ed Emmett, the top elected official of Harris County and an internationally renowned authority on
transportationandlogistics, Mr. Tom Kornegay, the longest serving Executive Director of the Port of Houston Authority,
TexasState SenatorRodneyEllisandIACCGHPresidentandExecutive Directorwill be attending the summit. Importantly,
Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Urban Affairs is the Chief Guest for this Summit. We expect both Indian and US
Stakeholderstoparticipate andferretoutthe policy framework that is needed for catalyzing investment into the sector.
IACC will host this delegation from the State of Texas, US, led by Ed Emmett in Mumbai as well.
In December, IACC will host another delegation led by Mr. Wilfred Muskens, Deputy Secretary, Office of International
Business Development, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Pune.
I invite youto read this issue of the Newsletter, and pay particular attention to our list of upcoming events. We have an
interesting line-up of events in sectors such as Infrastructure, International Trade Development, Finance, Taxation &
Corporate Affairs, CSR, and Agriculture. We look forward to your active participation in all our initiatives pan India. As
always, your suggestions and comments are welcome.
With regards, Atul Vyas,
Acting Secretary General
Happenings at IACC
West India Council
IACC in association with Nishith Desai Associates organized a program on “International Arbitration” in
Mumbai
IACC along with Nishith Desai Associates organized a program on “International Arbitration”. on October 17, 2014, from
4:30 pm to 6.30 p.m. in the Banquet Hall No. 4 on 2nd
Floor of Garware Club House, Wankhede Stadium,'D' Road,
Churchgate, Mumbai - 400 020.
Indiaand the UnitedStatesare major playersinthe worldeconomy,withrapidlygrowingtrade andbusinessrelationships
between companies located in far apart regions such as India and Texas. Companies like these, who are doing business
across transnational borders,frequently turn to arbitration to resolve their business disputes. This program provided an
overviewof international arbitration,examine choices to further the company’s objective to keep costs down and avoid
unnecessary delays, and explore strategies for tailoring the process to meet your needs.
The esteemed panellists included Ms. Shashi Patel, Partner, Ware, Jackson, Lee & Chambers, LLP, USA who spoke on
“International Arbitration.TipsforMaximizingthe BenefitsandManagingDisputesArisingwithCompanies outside India”
and SeniorAssociatesMr.Sahil Kanuga and Ms. Shalaka Patil from Nishith Desai Associates who spoke on “International
Arbitration – Past, Present and Future with a Focus on India”. The session was chaired by Mr. Suresh Kotak, Promoter,
KotakMahindra Finance Ltd.Mr. Kotakaddedto the discussionbygivinghisveryvaluable inputsand moderated the Q&A
brilliantly.
After attending the program, participants had a better understanding about:
1. Differences between Arbitration, Mediation & Litigation.
2. Characteristics of the Arbitral Process.
3. Advantages of the Arbitral Process.
4. Disadvantages of the Arbitral Process.
5. Essential Considerations in Drafting the Arbitration Clause/Agreement.
6. Enforcement of the Arbitration Agreement.
The session was phenomenal and was very well attended and appreciated by the participants.
Ms. Rajyalakshmi Rao, Regional President, IACC-WIC welcoming the participants and introducing the esteemed speakers at the event.
Participants listening intently to the panel discussion
Interactive session with Mr. K. V. Chowdary, Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes, Delhi on October 13,
2014 in Mumbai
IACC organized an interactive session with Mr. K. V. Chowdary, Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes, Delhi on
October 13, 2014 from12.30 to 2.00 p.m. inHall No.1 on the 2nd
Floorof the Garware Club House, Wankhede Stadium,'D'
Road, Churchgate, Mumbai - 400 020.
The topic of discussion was “Retro amendment and exchange of information under Tax treaties.
Mr. Chowdaryinhisspeechassertedthe sovereign'srightto change laws retrospectively, and added that taxpayers have
benefited in some cases. He pointed out that "Retrospective amendment is the constitutional prerogative of the
governmentandgovernments prior to this have enacted tax laws with retrospective effect. Some of them have been in
favorof the tax payer,"he said,concedingthatsuchamendments put the industry at some risk. Mr. Chowdary incredibly
answered to innumerable questions and also discussed various direct tax related issues raised by the participants.
The session was outstanding and very well attended.
Ms. Rajyalakshmi Rao, Regional President, IACC-WIC welcoming Mr. K. V. Chowdary, Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes, Govt.
of India by presenting a memento of appreciation
Mr. Jairaj Purandare, Executive Council member of IACC in discussion with Mr. Chowdary during the Q&A session
Mr. Chowdary addressing the participants
Gujarat Branch
Interactive Meeting with the Mr. Thomas L. Vajda, U.S Consul General, US Consulate Mumbai at Hotel
Radisson Blu, Ahmedabad
The Indo – AmericanChamberof Commerce (IACC),GujaratBranch,organized an Interactive Meeting with Mr. Thomas L.
Vajda, the Consul General, US Consulate Mumbai on October 17, 2014, at Hotel Radisson Blu, Ahmedabad.
ChairmanMr. JaiminShahwelcomedMr. Thomas L. Vajda, Consul General, US Consulate Mumbai and introduced him to
the Council members. Mr. Vajda previously served as the Director of the Middle East Partnership Initiative, a foreign
assistance programsupportingpolitical andeconomic reform in the MENA region. His service in Washington has been in
the areas of East Asian and Pacific affairs, weapons removal and abatement, and human resources.
There was a discussion on opportunities for trade, investment and economic growth etc. Chairman Mr. Shah briefed CG
that IACCisworkingforpromotingIndo-USbusinessandhe alsorecognizedIACCas a key Indian Business partner to USA.
Mr. Vajdagave a brief ideaaboutSelectUSA programme,International Buyersprogramme,Delegation from USA to India,
Bank tie-ups for investors in USA, Development on Infrastructure, Hospitality and Education sectors in India and
investmentopportunityforUSbusinessmen.Mr.Vajdaalso said that many American Companies are interested to invest
in Gujarat, as Gujarat has very positive situations for Industrial Growth.
Ms. Camille Richardson, Principal Commercial Officer, US & Foreign Commercial Service, Mumbai also joined for the
interactive session. The meeting was followed by Hi-tea.
Mr. Jaimin Shah Chairman, IACC Gujarat Branch welcoming CG Mr. Thomas L. Vajda
(L- R) Ms. Camille Richardson, Principal Commercial Officer, USCS; Mr. Thomas L. Vajda, Consul General, US Consulate; Mr. Jaimin
Shah, Chairman IACC Gujarat.
Mr. Samir Shah- Sr. Vice Chairman welcoming Ms. Camille Richardson
Interactive meeting in progress with Mr. Vajda
Mr. Thomas L. Vajda with IACC Council members
Pune Branch
IACC and U.S. Commercial Service jointly inaugurated ‘American Business Corner’ on October 20, 2014 at
Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA).
Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Commercial Service are working together through ‘American Business
Corner’, which was successfully inaugurated on October 20, 2014 at Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and
Agriculture (MCCIA).The inaugurationof newoffice premisesatMCCIA were done bythe hands of the honorable Thomas
L. Vajda, Consul General, U. S. Consulate, Mumbai.
The U.S. Commercial Service wants to reach out to the need of the business community in the 2nd and 3rd tier cities of
India,andfacilitate trade betweenIndianimporters&exportersandtheirAmericancounterparts.The ‘AmericanBusiness
Corner’,will offeropportunitiestoIndianimportersinthesecitiestolearnaboutthe servicesandprogramsofferedby the
ABC andconnectwithAmericanbusinessesthroughbooklets,brochures,newsletters, magazines and CDs; and upcoming
business opportunities.
The eventwas well attendedby60+ industryveteransandwasfollowedby Breakfast. The ABC launch has been very well
received by Pune stakeholders.
Thomas L. Vajda, U.S. Consul General inaugurates American Business Corner.
(L-R) Ms. Camille Richardson, Principal Commercial officer, Mr. Dillon Banerjee, Counselor for Commercial Affairs, Ms. Rajyalakshmi
Rao, Regional President , IACC – WIC& Mr. Prashant Pansare, Chairman, IACC Pune look on.
Mr. Dillon Banerjee getting introduced to Mr. Surendra Kumar Jain, Presi dent MCCIA as Ms. Camille Richardson and Mr. Shalendra
Porwal look on.
American Business Corner premises
Mr. Thomas L. Vajda inaugurating the American Business Corner as Mr. Prashant Pansare looks on.
Exchange of MoU’s (Memorandum of Understanding)
North India Council
Indo-US Economic Summit: Convergence and Connectivity in Indo-US Economic Relations, on
October 15-16, 2014, in New Delhi
The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) hosted its decennial edition of the Indo-US Economic Summit in New
Delhi on October 15-16, 2014. This year’s theme “Convergence and Connectivity in Indo-US Economic Relations”, was a
natural progression from last year’s topic “Indo-US Resurgence Summit: A Search for Innovative Strategies”, as it took
forwardthe momentumsetinour bilateral dialogue.The Summitcontinuedtoprove itsrelevanceasa significantplatform
for deliberations on Indo-US strategic, economic, trade and business relations.
Focusing on this year’s Summit theme, Dr. Lalit Bhasin, Regional President, IACC and Summit Chairperson said that a
special emphasishadbeenimpartedtowardspromotionof ourengagementinthe Servicessector,asectorthat surpassed
any otherintermsof itscontributionandpotential indefiningouroverall trade contours.Inhiswelcomeaddress,he cited
the meeting of Honorable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama as a historic and defining
moment in Indo-US relations. He further added that the IACC Forum remained aligned with the efforts of our
GovernmentsandIndustries in bridging the Indo-US gap for future growth, continuously engaging a strong membership
base of 2100 large, medium and small companies from India and the US across 11 offices pan India.
Mr. Asoke Laha,National President,IACC,reiteratedDr.Bhasin’scommentandsaidthatinthe upcomingyear,IACCwould
continue tocontribute inthe facilitation of Indo-US trade by providing policy inputs and industry insights, particularly in
sectors such as aviation and defense, manufacturing, services, skill development, hospitality and tourism, and
infrastructure.EffectivelyengagingSMEswasalsoa priorityforIACC,SMEs beinganinfluential andcrucial segment of the
industrythatwas havingan increasing impact on the global economy. The Chamber was looking forward to engage with
this group in both the countries and generating ideas to enhance the bilateral cooperation.
The two-dayEconomicSummithada lineupof leading experts in fields of IT and Cyber Security, Aviation, Education and
Skill Development,Hospitality and Tourism, e-commerce, Media & Entertainment, International Trade and Services. Mr.
George Sibley,Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy was the Chief Guest and delivered his special address at the
Inaugural session. Mr. Sibley suggested that while the PM and the President had come up with a joint statement that
highlighted key issues of interest for both India and the US; for the success of this partnership, it was pertinent that the
twocountriesrecognizedeachother’s‘worth’inthisjointrelationshipandworkcooperativelytowardsthe shared‘vision’
of “Chalein Saath Saath: Forward Together We Go”.
During the inaugural, Mr. George Sibley released a white paper jointly carried by IACC and the Summit’s Knowledge
Partner,Kochhar& Co.Thispaper coversa wide range of topical issues,whichwere also discussed over the course of the
two days of the Summit. Mr. Pratyush Kumar, Regional Vice President, IACC-NIC, and President Boeing India and Vice
PresidentBoeingInternational,highlighted the three areas of focus for his company and for the larger Indo-US dialogue,
namely,Defence,TechnologyandAviation. He suggested that there was tremendous scope for convergence in all these
sectors,andlaidspecial emphasis on the “Make in India” initiative launched by the Indian Government. Mr. Raman Roy,
CMD, Quatrro Global Services Pvt. Ltd. presented the Indian industry perspective and said that India and the US were
natural partners where India represented a varied and skilled supply base that could deliver world class services. Mr.
SanjayMehta,Regional Vice President,IACC,andManagingDirector,Teleperformance Indiadeliveredthe Vote of Thanks.
On the firstday,the Summithostedknowledge sessionsonIT& CyberSecurity,TrendsinIndo-USCooperationinAviation,
Education and Skill Development, and Hospitality and Tourism. On day two, the Summit delved into Sessions on
International Trade,e-Commerce the Changing Paradigm, Media & Entertainment, Exchange of Services: Cooperation in
Accounting, Financial & Legal Services, and closed with concluding remarks by Dr. Lalit Bhasin, Mr. Asoke Laha and Mr.
John McCaslin.
Dr Lalit Bhasin, Summit Chairman and Regional President, IACC delivering the Welcome Remarks
Mr. Asoke K Laha, National President, IACC & President & CEO, Interra Information Technologies Inc. making the Theme Présentation
Mr. George N Sibley, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy delivering the Inaugural address during the Summit.
Releasing of Study Book prepared by Kochhar & Co. the Knowledge Partner
(L-R) Mr. Sanjay Mehta, Regional Vice President, IACC & Managing Director, Teleperformance India; Mr. Pratyush Kumar, Regional
Vice President, IACC & President Boeing India and Vice President Boeing International; Dr Lalit Bhasin; Mr. Rohit Kochhar, Chairman &
Managing Partner, Kochhar and Company; Mr. George N Sibley and Mr. Asoke K Laha
Participants at the Summit
Dr. Kamlesh Bajaj, CEO, Data Security Council of India (DSCI) led the session on IT & Cyber Security. Mr. Ashish Sonal,
Founder & CEO, Orkash Services Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Daniel Clegg, US Dept. of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mr.
Umesh Verma, CEO, Blue Lance Inc., & Chairman Cyber Security Task Force of Greater Houston Partnership and Mr.
UmeshSachdev,CEO, Uniphore Software Systems,alsoaddressedthe audience inthissession.Theydiscussedkeyaspects
of cyberterrorism,the increasingthreatsto companies and personal privacy, and ways to set in place counter-measures
to minimize the frequencyandscope of the attacks. Information protection was key to avoid identity and currency theft.
Session on IT and Cyber Security
(L-R) Mr. Daniel Clegg, Legal Attache, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Dr. Kamlesh Bajaj, Chief Executive Officer, Data Security
Council of India (DSCI); Mr. Umesh Verma, CEO, Blue Lance Inc. & Chairman Cyber Security Task Force of Greater Houston
Partnership; Mr. Umesh Sachdev, Chief Executive Officer, Uniphore Software Systems and Mr. Ashish Sonal, Founder & CEO, Orkash
Services Pvt Ltd;
Mr. Atul Sharma, Past Regional PresidentIACC-NIC,andManagingPartner,LinkLegal India Law Services, led the Aviation
Session which discussed the opportunities in Aviation Infrastructure, and re-looked at the Civil Aviation Authority
Regulations. Mr. Henry Steingass, Regional Director, S&SE Asia, USTDA, Mr. Arijit Ghosh, President – Aerospace,
Honeywell India, Mr. Nalin Jain, President and CEO, South Asia, GE Transportation, GE Aviation, Mr. Amber Dubey,
Partnerand Head – Aerospace andDefence,KPMG, Mr.Piyush Gupta,Partner,Kochhar& Co., Mr. Ravi Menon,Executive
Director,AirWorks india,Group Captain R K Bali (Retd),Secretary,BusinessAircraftOperatorsAssociation (BAOA), Cdr. A
M Ganapathy, ManagingPartner, ACCOLITE CBAS Inc. were the other speakers in this session. Given that most air traffic
growthhad beenfoundinAsia,specificallyIndiaand China, the lack of infrastructure at some of the airports in India was
resultinginthe disabilityof handlinghighairtrafficandmaintainingoptimumairconnectivity.The speakersalsocalled for
rationalization of taxes, revision of certain policies that hampered investment in this sector and better regulations for
MROs.
Session on “Trends in Indo-US Cooperation in Aviation”
(L-R) - Mr. Amber Dubey, Partner and Head-Aerospace and Defense, KPMG;Mr. Nalin Jain, President and CEO, South Asia, GE
Transportation, GE Aviation; Mr. Arijit Ghosh, President –Aerospace Honeywell India; Mr. Henry Steingass, Regional Director, S&SE
Asia, USTDA; Mr. Atul Sharma, Past Regional President, IACC & Managing Partner, Link Legal India Law Services; Mr. Piyush Gupta,
Partner, Kochhar & Co; Mr. Ravi S Menon, Executive Director, Air Works India; Group Captain R K Bali (Retd), Secretary, Business
Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) and Cdre A M Ganapathy, Managing Partner, ACCOLITE CBAS Inc.
The Educationand Skill Development session was led by Mr. Vivek Singh, Director, Grant Thornton India LLP. Mr. Sanjay
Mehta, Managing Director, Teleperformance India, Mr. Deepak Bharara, Chief Human Resource Officer, Lanco Infratech
Limited, Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Managing Director & CEO, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and Prof. Rupa
Chanda, IIM Bangalore were the other panelists for this session. The panelists called for global sensitization of every
studentinIndia,andadvisedalookat whether there is alignment in the faculty instruction and industry expectation i.e.
between education and employability. Given the new Govt.’s increased focus on skill deve lopment, the panelists
encouragedapublicprivate partnershipingeneratingadvocacycampaignstomotivate peoplein specializing in skills that
were in demand internationally.
Session on Education and Skill Development
(L- R) Mr. Deepak Bharara, Chief Human Resource Officer, Lanco Infratech Limited; Mr. Sanjay Mehta; Mr. Vivek Vikram Singh,
Executive Director, Grant Thornton India LLP; Prof Rupa Chanda, IIM Bangalore and Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Managing Director & CEO,
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)
Mr. Baljit Sobti, Managing director, Systems Tek India Pvt. Ltd. led the Hospitality and Tourism session, along with Mr.
John McCaslin, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs, US Embassy, Mr. Vikram Madhok, Managing Director,
Abercrombie & Kent India Ltd., Mr. Sunder Advani, CMD, Advani Hotels & Resorts India Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Navin Berry, Chief
Executive, Cross Section Media and Mrs. Ragini Chopra, Director, Jetairways as speakers. The speakers echoed some of
the concerns mentioned in the Aviation session regarding non-conducive regulations and policy, along with lack of
connectivitybyairandtrain and heavytaxation that negatively impacted tourism and travel in India. They were hopeful
that the new‘Visaonarrival’initiative forall Americanswouldbe a game changer for India and expected a 15% growth in
this sector so that India could realize its capability of handling 15 million tourists each year. Mr. McCaslin made a highly
engagingpresentationonthe promotionof tourismfromIndiatothe US, the US government’sfocusandinitiatives in this
area and also the significant amount of revenues this sector contributed to the overall US economy thus giving a very
balanced tone to the overall discussions and adding the vital US perspective.
Session on Hospitality and Tourism
(L-R) Mr. Navin Berry , Chief Executive, Cross Section Media; Mr. Sunder Advani, CMD, Advani Hotels & Resorts India Pvt. Ltd; Mr.
John M McCaslin, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs, US Embassy; Mr. Baljit Sobti, Managing Director, Systems Tek India Pvt
Ltd; Mr. Vikram Madhok, Managing Director, Abercrombie & Kent India Ltd and Mrs. Ragini Chopra, Director, Jet airways
The session on International Trade opened day 2 of the Summit and was led by Mr. Kamal Meattle, Past National
President IACC and CEO, Paharpur Business Centre & Software Technology, Incubator Park. Mr. Don Jackson, Partner,
Ware JacksonLee & Chambers, Mr. R. Chandrashekhar, PresidentNASSCOM, Mr.Hugo Yon,ActingMinisterCounselorfor
Economic,Environment,Science and Technology, US Embassy, and Mr. Ronen Sen, Former Indian Ambassador to the US
were the other speakers for this session. The speakers touched upon the significant role of the IT sector in defining the
Indo-UStrade relationmaintainingthat it was not just the presence of Indian IT companies in the US that was significant
but the presence of US IT companies in India which also had to be recognized. There was still tremendous scope for
innovation in this sector. They also elicited the importance of start-ups, particularly in the US and the role of Indian
entrepreneurs and stressed on the Indo-US relationship that was enabling job creation in both countries.
Session on International Trade
(L- R) – Mr. Don Jackson, Partner, Ware Jackson Lee & Chambers; Mr. Ronen Sen, Former Indian Ambassador to US; Mr. Kamal
Meattle, CEO, Paharpur Business Centre & Software Technology Incubator Park; Dr Lalit Bhasin; Mr. R Chandrashekhar, President,
NASSCOM and Mr. Hugo Yon, Acting Minister Counselor for Economic, Environment, Science and Technology, US Embassy;
The nextsessionone-Commerce,the ChangingParadigm, was led by Mr. Sanjay Mehta, Regional Vice President, IACC &
Managing Director,Teleperformance India.Otherhighprofilepanelists included Mr. Amarjit Singh Batra, CEO, OLX South
Asia, Mr. Praveen Sinha, MD & Founder, Jabong.com, Mr. Nitin Bawankule, Industry Director, Ecommerce, Local and
Media, Google India, Mr. Sunil K. Goyal, CEO, Yournest.in and Mr. Skand Bhargava, Lead Analyst, Contact Center
Outsourcing,Everest Group. In the last few years, India had evolved as a market for ecommerce with a large population
becomingincreasinglycomfortablewithonline buying.The speakerstalkedabouthow thisformatempoweredthe buyers
to not only buy at a lower cost point but to also voice their review for products and services on social media thereby
ensuringinstantfeedbackandinfluencingbuyingpatterns.However,Indiahadtobe evaluatedasacollective combination
of smallerregions rather than a whole country so that local culture and economics could be factored in for targeted and
relevant products & services.
Session on e-Commerce, The Changing Paradigm: Driving Consumer Empowerment
(L-R) Mr Skand Bhargava, Lead Analyst, Contact Center Outsourcing, Everest Group; Mr Sunil K Goyal, CEO, Yournest.in; Mr. Sanjay
Mehta; Dr Lalit Bhasin; Mr. Amarjit Singh Batra, CEO, OLX South Asia; Mr. Praveen Sinha, MD & Founder, Jabong.com and Mr. Nitin
Bawankule, Industry Director, Ecommerce, Local and Media, Google India.
Mr. Sandeep Marwah, Chairman, NIC’s Media and Entertainment Committee & Director of Asian Academy of Film &
Television & Asian School of Media Studies led the session on Media & Entertainment, along with Mr. Pankaj Parashar,
eminentFilmDirector, Mr.SantoshBhartiya, CEO, Senior Media Ltd. and Mr. Uday Singh, Managing Director, the Motion
Picture Distributors Association India as distinguished speakers.
Session on Media and Entertainment
(L-R) Mr. Santosh Bhartiya, CEO, Senior Media Ltd; Mr. Sandeep Marwah, Director of Asian Academy of Film & Television & Asian
School of Media Studies; Mr. Uday Singh, Managing Director, The Motion Picture Distributors Association India and Mr. Pankaj
Parashar, Film Director.
The last session of the day “Exchange of Services: Cooperation in Accounting, Financial & Legal Services” was led by Mr.
AseemChawla,Regional Council Member,NIC&Partner,MPC Legal and Mr. Atul Sharma, Past Regional PresidentIACC &
Managing Partner, Link Legal India Law Services. Ms. Shashi Patel, Ware, Jackson, Lee & Chambers, LLP, Mr. Thiru
Govender,CPA,Shareholder,ElliottDavisPLLC,and Mr. Sanjay Agarwal, Chairman,Committee onEconomic, Commercial
Laws & WTO, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India also addressed the audience.
Session on Exchange of Services Cooperation in Accounting, Financial & Legal Services
(L-R) Mr. Thiru Govender , CPA, Shareholder, Elliott Davis PLLC; Mr. Atul Sharma; Dr Lalit Bhasin; Mr. Aseem Chawla, Partner, MPC
Legal; Ms. Shashi Patel, Ware, Jackson,Lee & Chambers ,LLP and Mr. Sanjay Agarwal, Chairman, Committee on Economic, Commercial
laws & WTO, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
The Summit hosted over 250 delegates on each day representing organizations from India and the US, ,top diplomats,
officialsfromIndiangovernmentandUS Embassyandfocusedonareas of bilateral trade and investment, knowledge and
technology transfer, public private partnerships, and joint partnerships in the varied sectors.
South India Council
Tamil Nadu Branch
Networking Meet with Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, Chargé d’ Affaires, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi on
October 19, 2014
Indo-AmericanChamberof Commerce (IACC) organizedaNetworkingMeetwith Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, Chargé
d’ Affaires, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi at Hotel Hyatt Regency, Chennai.
While addressingthe gathering,Ambassador Stephens expressed America’s keenness to partner with India in achieving
Prime MinisterModi’smandate tocreate 1 millionjobseverymonth. She pointedout issuance of 8 lakh visas to India by
U.S. Embassy so far this year, in her speech.
The Ambassador further said, as far as Chennai is concerned its proximity to business communities in eastern countries
like Korea, Japan, Singapore should be encourage more investment opportunities. Also, improvement in India’s
Intellectual Property Rights with International Standards would help boost the confidence of American investors.
In conclusion, Ms. Stephens emphasized the partnership need between India & U.S. on various issues like tackling
terrorism, space cooperation and climate change.
This program was attended by prominent senior representatives from various industries based in Chennai.
Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, Chargé d’ Affaires, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi addressing the participants.
Trade Opportunities with IACC
Trade Opportunity fromUSA
Sr. No. Business Interest of the Company Contact details
1. Simmons Engineering Corporation is USA based
company and has been a supplier of unique blades to
Industry.
This company is having world class quality in
Manufacturing, innovation in design and product
development and exceptional customer service. They
are currently active primarily in the foam and food
market. Additionally we have capability in the metal
cutting, wood cutting and aerospace industries.
Simmons is seeking distributors for their specialized
band saw blades that are used to cut and fabricate
foam rubber among other things.
ExportBusinessisone of the strategic initiatives of the
company moving forward.
For more details, please visit : www.simcut.com
Ms. Rakhi Panda
Regional Director, IACC-WIC
Tel: 91-22-22821413
rakhi@iaccindia.com;
B2B@iaccindia.com
Trade Opportunity fromINDIA
1. AKP Foundries (P) Ltd is in the business of
Foundry/casting manufacturing and CNC machining
since last 35 years.
Their Exports business is around 30% of sales.
Theywouldlike to have a Joint Venture in the product
segment of Pumps and valves
They act as a manufacturing and sales hub for the US
counterpartin the Asia pacific region as well as export
to European countries etc.
Also, they are interested in B2B the construction
equipmentand Engine manufacturers so as to explore
the possibility of exports of castings to US
For more details,pleasevisit: www.akpfoundries.com
Ms. Jitika Narang
Manager Memberships, IACC
(Karnataka Branch)
Tel:91-80-41148325/ 22203366
jitika@iaccindia.com;
B2B@iaccindia.com
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US investments in India
Cisco to invest $1.7 billion in India this year; to partner Centre’s digital drive
Nearly three months after Cisco Chairman & CEO John Chambers said he will "bet big on India", the world's biggest
computernetworkingcompanydetailed plans to invest around $1.7 billion in a year, becoming the first multinational to
make such a commitment in the country since the Narendra Modi government took over. After a spate of exits of top
officialsandconcernsoverbusinessgrowthinthe country,Ciscoisback onits feetwithbillionsof dollars up its sleeves as
it looks to partner India on the government's digital initiative.
"Ciscoisinvesting$1.7 billionthisyearintothe Indiaoperations,"Cisco'sIndiapresidentDinesh Malkani told media. "The
investment includes a $40-million innovation fund and investments into R&D." "I think Modi in India is going to turn
aroundthat country,"Chambershadsaid duringanearningscall inAugust."You can see the enthusiasmboth citizens and
businessesthere are bettingonasingle emerging market. I would bet on India right now in a big way." Cisco India lost at
leastfourkeypeople inthe pastyear,includingIndiaheadJeffWhite.Inthe quarterendedOctober 26, 2013, Cisco's India
revenue declined 18%. With the new Modi government in place, Cisco is placing a fresh bet on India.
Witha freshannual investmentof $1.7 billion in India, Cisco is preparing to bid for large government contracts for smart
cities and other Digital India projects. Chambers sees huge opportunity in India. During a speech in August, he said he
wants Cisco India's contribution to the parent company rise from less than 2% now to at least 5%. As the US network
equipment-makerfacesconstantdipinitsChinabusiness,Ciscosees India as a big opportunity for growth. In the quarter
endedJuly26, CiscoIndia'srevenue grew 18% while China revenue declined 26%. The slide in China revenue continued
evenduringthe subsequentquarterwhenthe companysaw a dip of 33% in China business. India was still growing at 6%.
"Ciscohas been a market leader in a lot of areas. India market is important for them from a smart city perspective. They
are doing a lot of work in that area. Even in the data centre space they are doing very well. With smart city being a big
thinginIndia,Ciscowill double down in the long term," said Karthik Ananth, director at marketing research firm Zinnov.
Cisco is now approaching the new government opportunity by carving out a new division called the Growth Vertical,
which will focus on areas such as eHealthcare, eEducation, smart cities and national broadband project.
The growing Internet penetration and exponential growth of Internetbased companies, such as Flipkart, Ola, Zomato in
the country, is creating newer opportunities for Cisco. "Every time a new user gets added to the network, he's an
opportunityforeducation,forbanking,forecommerce.We've beenworkingwithbusinesses to provide the network. We
also want to partner with the government for the national broadband project, to make sure the network is available to
every village in the country," Malkani said.
"We've got some of our bestpeople to be a part of this new division as it requires a lot of work," Malkani said. "For such
projects,the productsneedtobe more ruggedand localised.The teamisworkingonmaking sure we get every bit of that
right."Some of the keypeople whoare apart of the divisioninclude Purushottam Kaushik, who'll be heading the growth
vertical andhas previouslybeenworkingonprojectsintelecom,Indiadigitisation,Internet of Everything, physical safety,
energy,manufacturingand transportation. Vishal Saxena, who has been in the company for last eight years, working on
service provider and defence business, is now heading India digitisation and smart cities part of the growth vertical.
Rupinder Singh, who has been technical leader for the public sector, enterprise and service provider business, will be
playing the engineering director for India digitisation, Internet of Everything, physical safety and surveillance.
Cisco,whichemploys11,300 people inIndia,hasmoved about15-20% of itsIndiaworkforce tothe newlyformed division.
Cisco has already won some large government projects in these areas. The company is consulting the government on
buildingfouroutof the five smartcitiesinthe Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor."We built the entire blueprint for four of
the five cities on DMIC.
Nowwe are movingintothe nextphase where we are goinginto a lot more detail about the deployment and the project
plan,"Malkani said.The fourcitiesinclude Dholera Special Investment Region in Gujarat, Shendra Bidkin Mega Industrial
Park in Maharashtra, Manesar Bawal Investment Region in Haryana and Khushkhera Bhiwadi Neemrana Investment
Region in Rajasthan.
Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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New York City based Rockefeller Foundation to set up 1,000 mini power grids
across rural India
In itseffortstoprovide electricityforrural populationof the country,the Rockefeller Foundation i s working on a USD 100
million (Rs.614 crore) initiative to establish 1,000 mini power grids in the next three years, a PTI report stated.
The first30 mini gridsare expectedtobe setup,mostlyin Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, by the end of this year, according to a
senior official of the foundation.
The foundation, which works for betterment of human lives in different parts of the world, would be putting in USD 65
million(nearlyRs.400crore) for the mini gridsinitiative."Ourcontributionwill be USD 65 million but the total cost will be
higher. Total cost would be around USD 100 million for 1,000 mini grids," the foundation's Associate Vice President and
Managing Director (Asia Program Team) Ashvin Dayal told the media.
The projects would have equity participation from companies.
Generally,amini powergridwould help cater to 150-250 households with about 1,000 people. The amount of electricity
such grids can carry would be in the range of 65-75 kilowatt hours. Setting up of mini grids would help in increasing
electrification in India where about 53 million households are without access to power.
"We are not going to provide grant funding completely... We will be providing concessional debt, grant financing for
additional support that is needed. Companies will put in their own finance," Dayal said.
While the firstsetof 30 mini gridswouldbe readybythe endof thisyear,the foundationhasseta target of setting up 200
such grids by 2015 end. "By end of 2017, we expect to have 1,000 mini grids," Dayal said. For these mini grids, the
foundation would focus on districts in Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha, among other states.
The foundation has been experimenting with two to three pilot projects in India for the past two years.
"We are working with a set of companies which will actually establish and operate mini grids either as generators or
generatorsanddistributorsorjustas distributors.We are working with NGOs for community engagement...," Dayal said.
The foundation also had initial discussions with the ministries of power as well as new and renewable energy. The
government -- which is working on a multi-pronged strategy to boost fuel supplies, ramp up power generation and
increase transmission networks -- aims to provide electricity for everyone by 2019.
Copyright © Press Trust of India 2014, All Rights Reserved
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Bill Gates Backs Impact Investor Unitus Seed
Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates has backed impact investment firm, Unitus Seed, along with a clutch of 15 other HNI's
enabling the Indian rupee fund to raise a total of $4 Million to invest in startups targeting the BoP space.
The investmentof Bill Gatescame fromthe personal fund (not from the Gates Foundation) with a corpus of $1 Bn, set up
by the world’ssecondrichestmantoprovide equity, loans and loan guarantees to for-profit companies. The other HNI’s
who have helped Unitus raise funds include Desh Deshpande (formerly Sycamore Networks), Romesh Wadhwani
(SymphonyTG),VinodKhosla(KhoslaVentures),Steve Singh(Cleartrip,Concur) SomaSomasegar (Microsoft), Dilip Wagle
(McKinsey),GeetaAiyer (Boston Common), Kamesh Aiyer, Pradeep Singh (Aditi), Bharat Shah (Microsoft), Anoop Gupta
(Microsoft), Nagesh Pabbisetty (Microsoft), Prady Misra, Vikram Chalana (Winshuttle).
Unitusinvestsinthe countrythroughtwoof itsfundsUnitus Seed Fund India, a SEBI registered VC fund, and Unitus Seed
Fund, LP an offshore venture capital fund. The offshore fund has over 50 investors putting in close to $17 Million in the
fund.
Targeting the healthcare, education, mobile commerce & value-added services, marketplaces & e-commerce, retail &
distribution, agriculture, and water & energy sectors, fund has made 14 investments with a ticket size of $100K-250K.
Some of its investees include: Blowhorn, an online marketplace for last mile logistics; pediatric primary healthcare
network, AddressHealth Solutions; Jiffstore, a mobile commerce retail platform; mGaadi, a mobile ordering service for
autorickshaws; Smile Merchants, a dental clinics chain owned by Free 3 Healthcare Services among others.
Intellecap, another impact investor estimates that $1.6 Bn of capital has been invested in more than 220 impact
enterprisesacrossIndia,withmore thanhalf of the investments in microfinance with Unitus expecting a 30% increase in
these investments this year.
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India’s Investments in U.S
Tech Mahindra buys Lightbridge Communications Corporation for $240 million
Tech Mahindra,India’sfifth-largestITservice companyhasentered into an agreement to buy US-based network services
company Lightbridge Communications Corporation (LCC) for $ 240 million (Rs 1,486.5 crore).
The deal, expected to close by the January-March quarter, makes it the company’s its largest acquisition after it bought
over Satyam five years ago. Tech Mahindra bought trouble-ridden Satyam for Rs. 2,889 crore in 2009.
The VirginiaheadquarteredLightbridgeisone of the largestindependentglobal providersof networkengineeringservices
to the telecommunicationsindustry,withmore than5,000 employeesinover50countries,andannual revenuesin excess
of $400 million(Rs2,478 crore),saida statementfromTechMahindra. “We expectnetworkservicesto be a major growth
engine for our organisation,” said Vineet Nayyar, executive vice chairman of Tech Mahindra.
“We will now be the largest and most comprehensive provider of technology services to communications service
providers,” said CP Gurnani, MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra. Following the acquisition, Tech Mahindra’s revenue for the
financial yearmaysee an upward adjustment of 10.3% in 2015-16 from what was estimated earlier, according to Sarabjit
Kour Nangra, vice president, research, Angel Broking.
“However,the deal may be margin-dilutive for the near term,” she said. For the financial year 2015-16, Tech Mahindra's
revenue would be Rs. 27,484 crore and net profit Rs. 3,666 crore, according to Angel Broking estimates.
Copyright © 2014 HT Media All Rights Reserved
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Aurobindo wins Natrol bid with $132 million
Company set to enter the branded nutraceuticals business
Hyderabad-basedAurobindoPharmaLimitedsaidrecentlythatit'sUS subsidiaryAurobindoPharma USA Inc.wasemerged
as the highestbidderwith$132 million(aroundRs812.5 crore) for acquisitionof nutritional supplement maker Natrol Inc
and other affiliates.
Throughthisacquisitionthe companyaimstodiversifyitsoperationsbeyond the traditional generics business especially
into the nutraceuticals targeting the US and other international markets. The auction process for the acquisition of the
assetsof Natrol withan agreementtotake on certainliabilitieswasinitiatedbythe UnitedStatesBankruptcyCourtfor the
Districtof Delaware afterthe companyfiledforbankruptcyinJune thisyear.Natrol stated in the bankruptcy petition that
it hadup to $ 500 millionassetsandupto $ 100 millioninliabilities,accordingtothe reports.The auctionwaslaunchedon
November 10 with an offer of about $ 90 million, which was bested by Aurobindo.
In a statement Aurobindo said Natrol is an excellent strategic fit and provides the right platform for creating a fully-
integrated OTC platform in the USA and in other international markets. "The acquisition of Natrol along with some
incremental investmentandthe R&D wouldhelpachieve ouraspirationof entering the branded nutritional supplements
business which offers a good value. The size of the nutraceuticals business in the US is about $ 35 billion, which is
expected to go up to $ 55 billion by 2020," N Govindarajan, managing director of Aurobindo told media.
Manufacturing of all the products of Natrol was being done in the US and Aurobindo would continue with these
operationsastheytendto be cost competitive,accordingtohim.Natrol is a 30 plus year brand with seven of its products
completing 20 years in the US market enjoying a loyal and a stable customer base, he said. The process of acquisition,
which is subject to final approval by the US Court, including other statutory approvals, is expected to be completed by
December 15, according to Govindarajan. On the question of funding the acquisition, he said it would be done through
debtand internal accruals: “We have enough head room for raising fresh funds as we had already reduced the debt to $
400 million from a peak of $600 million ". On the valuation front the acquisition was reasonable, according to Angel
Broking. “On the funding part, the company can easily fund the same, as the company has comfortable debt: equity of
1:1", it said.
Based in California, Natrol, a unit of Plethico Pharmaceuticals Limited of India, was acquired for about $ 82 million in
October 2007 by Plethico. Angel Broking says Natrol's sales should be around $ 100 million and given the size of the
Aurobindo, the acquired company will form around 4-5% of its FY 16 sales and profitability.
Led by a strong growth in US Generics business, Aurobindo reported a 58.4% jump in net profit at Rs 372.18 crore in the
second quarter ended September, 2014. Revenues also witnessed a 50.5% growth at Rs 2,881.22 crore in that quarter.
A Wall StreetJournal reportsaysNatrol filedforChapter11 BankruptcyProtectioninJune, under pressure from Cerberus
BusinessFinance LLC,andeventuallyagreedtoputitself forsale topayoff itsdebtsto itslender.Inadditiontocash to pay
Cerberus,AurobindoPharmaUSA Inc. hasagreedto take on some of Natrol'sunpaidbills,accordingtothe papers filed on
Monday in the US Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington.
Accordingto reportsappearedinthe monthof June, Natrol was also has been the target in the past year of at least 3 law
suitsseekingclassactionstatus.Theywere filedquestioningthe claimsof the advertisedbenefits of glucosamine -related
supplements produced by the company. Natrol denied the allegations.
Copyrights © 2014 Business Standard Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Indo-US Corporate News
Microsoft to use ‘white space’ tech for free internet in India
MicrosoftIndiais ready with a plan to provide free last-mile internet connectivity across the country. It proposes to use
the "white space" - the unusedspectrumbetweentwoTV channels - to provide free connectivity to large sections of the
Indian population.
"Wifi has a range of only about 100 metres, whereas the 200-300 MHz spectrum band available in the white space can
reach upto 10 km,"saidBhaskar Pramanik,chairman,MicrosoftIndia."Thisspectrumbelongsmainly to Doordarshan and
the government and is not used at all. We have sought clearance for a pilot project in two districts."
If the pilotsare successful, the project can be quickly rolled out across the country and could give a huge boost to Prime
MinisterNarendraModi'sDigital Indiainitiative,whichproposestouse technology to deliver governance to every citizen
of India,eveninremote areas. "The challenge isthe lackof digital infrastructureacrossIndia.Thisinitiative addresses this
challenge in a cost-effective manner and creates an eco-system that will benefit everyone, including manufacturers of
routers and other technology devices, other technology companies, besides Microsoft," Pramanik said.
Microsoft'sinitiativealsotake forwardthe Prime Minister'ssloganof "IT + IT = IT", which is Indian talent plus informati on
technologyequalsIndia tomorrow and also give a push to the 'Make in India' campaign by encouraging the manufacture
of equipment locally. Microsoft, which was part of an international consortium that included BT, Nokia and BBC,
conducted the most widespread field trials on white space-based Internet connectivity in Cambridge, US, in 2011. The
technology hasn't been widely adopted anywhere in the world, but experts believe it can lead to a spurt in broadband
connectivityincountriessuchasIndia.EngineersatMicrosoftdevelopment centers inIndia have adapted this unlicensed
technology for this country.
The ambitiousDigital Indiaprojectenvisagesproviding broadband connectivity across the country by connecting 250,000
gram panchayats via optic fibre cables, thereby providing digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen, digital
governance and services on demand and digitally empowering all citizens.
The plan was approved by the Modi Cabinet on August 30.
Copyright © 2014 HT Media All Rights Reserved
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CCI gives nod to Mylan-Abbott merger
GenericdrugmakerMylan Inc. andUS-basedAbbottIndustrieshave receivedthe CompetitionCommissionof India's (CCI)
nod to proceed with their merger. The fair trade regulator has cleared the application made by New Moon BV, a new
companyincorporatedunderthe lawsof the Netherlands,forthe purpose of this merger. New Moon BV had approached
the CCI on 12 August.
Abbott'sestablishedpharmaceutical products (EPP) segment will merge with Mylan's existing business, which will then
vestwithNewMoon. Abbott'sEPPsegmentincludesspecialtypharmaceutical productsandbrandedgenerics.Abbott will
have a 21% shareholding in New Moon. New Moon's wholly-owned subsidiary, Moon of PA Inc., has been newly
incorporated to help with the merger. This wholly-owned subsidiary will be subsumed under Mylan. Thereafter, the
common stock of Mylan will be cancelled. New Moon will issue its stock to Mylan's former shareholders to become the
parent company of Mylan.
"Formershareholdersof Mylanwill own approximately 78% and Abbott and its affiliates will own approximately 22% of
shareholding in the Acquirer (New Moon)," the CCI order states.
The order notedthatNewMoon has claimedthatAbbott's acquisition of 22% in it is only in the nature of an investment.
But the CCI said there were still "competition concerns" that would need to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.
Copyright © 2014 Doctor's Guide Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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Delaware headquartered DuPont introduces technology solution to tackle fake
pesticides sale
US-basedchemical firm DuPont has come out with technology solutions to tackle illegal and counterfeit pesticides sold
under its brand in India.
The company hasintroducedtwotechnologies'DuPontIzone'and'DuPontTracelogy'to educate farmersin identifying an
original genuine product versus a counterfeit one, a statement said.
'DuPont Izone', a technology that works with web-based verification system, helps in validating the authenticity of the
product when a farmer sends an SMS. 'DuPont Traceology', a cloud-based product verification system, helps in tracking
productsand providingcritical productinformation such as batch, lot and part number to verify products. "The presence
and threatof spurious,fake andillegal cropprotection products is more than ever before. In the garb of crop protection,
theythreatenouragricultural growth.We at DuPontare committedto fight this menace," said Ram Mudholkar, Business
Director (South Asia), DuPont Crop Protection business.
The counterfeit pesticides account for more than 40 per cent of pesticides sold in India. These products infringe
trademarksof reputedbrandsandpose great threatto the environmentand can damage crops, leading to severe wealth
losses to the farmers, the company added.
Copyright © Press Trust of India 2014, All Rights Reserved
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After Google and Microsoft, IBM to woo online start-ups
Technology companies such as Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have been wooing the
rapidly-growingonline start-up community in India and across the globe for at least the past couple of years by offering
free software credits, mentorship, marketing support, investor introductions and even funding.
Recently,US-basedInternational BusinessMachine Corp.(IBM) joinedthe bandwagonbyannouncingasimilarprogramme
to give start-ups and entrepreneurs around the world up to $1, 20,000 worth of credits to use its cloud-computing
technology and take advantage of its global network of enterprise clients, consultants and innovation centers. The IBM
Global Entrepreneur Program for Cloud Start-ups will give online start-ups "access to IBM's broad and fast-growing
enterprise cloudportfolioandthird-partycloudservicesbuiltaroundopenAPIs(applicationprogramminginterfaces)"that
will help them build and monetize their solutions "more easily", Promod Haque, senior managing partner of Norwest
Venture Partners (NVP), said in a statement. Entrepreneurs will get access to IBM's cloud infrastructure from SoftLayer,
one of its subsidiaries, and its cloud platform called Bluemix for app development.
An IBMIndiaspokespersoncitedthe example of aMysore-basedstart-upcalledReinventio that developed Streamify, an
online tool developedforuserstohostwebinars,conferencesandbusinesscalls,injusttwodays,usingBluemix.Streamify
usesPynetra,agesture-recognitionproductthatallowsuserstomake presentationsbydrawingimagesinthe air, thereby
creatinga virtual classroom.AccordingtoKarthikPadmanabhan, country manager, ecosystem development of IBMIndia
and southAsia,"With this new announcement of IBM's Global Entrepreneur for Cloud Start-ups, we are hoping startups
will ride the next wave of innovations like big data, IoT (internet of things), etc., on cloud platforms."
Entrepreneurs, said IBM in its statement, will also be provided technical support and consulting through its network of
over 40 innovation centres, new incubator space in New York City's Silicon Alley, and Bluemix Garage in San Francisco's
Galvanize start-up hub.
IBM's move to help start-ups comes on the back of similar announcements it made for small- and mid-sized firms.
On 15 July, the firm announced an exclusive partnership with Apple Inc. to introduce a new class of business apps.
On 30 October, IBM said it plans to offer Twitter data as part of select cloud-based services, including IBM Watson
Analytics-a new cognitive service that brings intuitive visualization and predictive capabilities to business users.
Google, Microsoft and AWS, though, have a clear lead in the start-up segment.
As part of programme called 10,000 Start-ups launched by software lobby Nasscom in March 2013, Google offers up to
$20,000 total credit for its Google Cloud platform. Also, based on eligibility, start-ups can use Google Apps free for six
months.
Microsoft offers Azure Credits, and BizSpark subscribers are eligible to a $150 monthly amount of cloud computing
resources through Microsoft developer network subscription benefits free from the Windows Azure Platform.
And AWS offers $100-$3,000 in credits, valid for two years, besides $5,000 worth of premium AWS business support for
one year bundled with some other freebies.
While analystsagree these announcements are good for start-ups, they caution such announcements restrict the use of
cloudto the technologysolutionsorplatformsof the companies that offer them. "Moves such as these (the IBMstart-up
announcement) offer a lot of potential in building the cloud ecosystem. IBM will face competition from cloud
infrastructure firmsbutthere are manyopportunitiesindevelopingapplicationsandservicesforthe cloud platform," said
Shree Parthasarathy, senior director, enterprise risk service at consulting firm Deloitte India.
He added, though, that "all organizations are trying to push their cloud platforms to start-ups".
AlokShende,founderandprincipal analystsof AscentiusConsulting,corroboratedthatIBMwill face competitionfromthe
likes of Google and Microsoft "that have a lead in this space, and offer a suite of services to start-ups".
Shende andParthasarathyalsopointedoutthat offering credits to start-ups for a limited period, say a year or two years,
does not help them. "Pricing is to be taken with a pinch of salt. Value of the credits is not important for start-ups. What
mattersisfor howlongsince most start-ups need nurturing for a long time since they need to last for the long-term and
do not have the resources to do so," said Shende.
"It's importanttounderstandthe periodforwhichstart-upswill be allowedto use the free software or credits, and when
licensing will start since sustainability is a major issue for entrepreneurs," Parthasarathy said.
Copyright © 2014 HT Media All Rights Reserved
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'Rs 299 corner': Google gears up for Great Online Shopping Festival
Google hasropedin 300 offline andonlineretailersandconsumercompaniesforitsGreatOnline ShoppingFestival that is
expected to reach 100 million consumers this year, riding on the frenzy of online shopping in recent weeks. The Great
Online ShoppingFestival (GOSF), to be held from December 10-12, is expected to see participation of various consumer
durable, FMCG and e-commerce firms in India.
The organizerswill alsoruna two-week run-up campaign by reserving each day for a single company to partner in a day-
long offers and contests for consumers, said top executives of some ecommerce companies participating in the event.
Google and various e-commerce partners plan heavy-duty online advertising while consumer brands will do offline
campaignssuchas hoardingandotheroutdooractivities,saidaseniorexecutive of ane-commerce company. "On that day
theyare tryingto getmore exclusive launches.Theyare talkingtocompanieslikeSamsung,PhilipsandMotorolatolaunch
products during these days," the person said.
Nitin Bawankule, director for ecommerce at Google India, declined to comment.
In a seasonof megaonline sales,Google'sthirdeditionof GOSFisexpectedtocreate a biggerhype thanthe last two years
as it plans to line up products ranging from FMCG, consumer durables and fashion lifestyle segments to arts and
collectibles, travel packages and even two-wheelers, according to sources quoted earlier.
This year, the organizers will also introduce digital walls in various cities where consumers can order through the ir
smartphones by scanning the QR codes of the products, they said.
A top executive of an e-commerce firm said GOSF will also introduce a special segment called "Rs299 corner" where
branded products priced between Rs600-1500 will be sold at Rs299. The products will be delivered free of charge and
there will be cash-on-delivery option to woo first-time online consumers.
The personalsosaidthat in the 14 days betweenNovember27and December9, a lucky winner everyday will get to shop
for free among a host of select items.
Google startedGOSFin 2012. Last yearit got almost16 millionhitsonall partnersitesdespitetechnical glitchesinthe first
day, and almost 40% of the traffic came from Tier 2 and 3 cities.
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Made-in-India KTM Duke 390, RC 390 heads to America: Launch price starts at
$4,999 (Rs 3.08 lakhs)
KTM RC 390
KTM has announced that American market will soon (in 2015) get the popular entry level sports bikes Duke 390 and RC
390, recognizing growing potential in the segment there.
KTM Duke 390 and RC 390 are built on the same lightweight tubular steel trellis frame, suspended by White Power
suspensioncomponents –invertedtubularWPforkonfront and WPmonoshockon the rear swingarm.The duo touch the
road with highly acclaimed 10/70Z R17 front and 150/60Z R17 rear Metzeler tyres.
Bajaj-KTMChakanplant being the only production base for KTMDuke 390 and RC 390, the models will be exported from
India to the U.S.
Both are poweredby 373.2 cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that develops 43.5 PS max power @ 9,000 rpm and 35
Nm peaktorque @ 7,000 rpm,makingthe duothe one of the best power-to-weight ratio motorcycles in their respective
classes. Both use 6-speed gearbox.
KTM Duke 390 and RC 390 will stand beside their bigger siblings Duke 690, Super Duke 1290 and flagship RC8 R in North
Americanshowrooms.Inaddition the Austrian motorcycle manufacturer also announced that the latterly unveiled 1290
Super Adventure will also join the lineup in the US next year.
KTM Duke 390 will be labelled with Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $4,999 (Rs. 3.08 lakhs), RC 390 of
$5,499 (Rs. 3.39 lakhs) and 1290 Super Adventure of $20,499 (Rs. 12.64 lakhs).
Both,KTM Duke 390 andRC 390 are exclusivelymade by KTM’s 47% stake owner, Bajaj Auto at their plant in Pune, India.
It is from here, that the entry level KTMbikes are exported around the globe. KTMbikes which are being made in India
include – Duke 125, Duke 200, Duke 390, RC 125, RC 200, and RC 390.
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Huge demand for cars will turn around Ford's fortunes in India: President Nigel
Harris
About a decade and half since and after holding various positions across the globe, Harris is expected to play a very important role
for the company.
For Nigel Harris, his father has always been a great role model. But when he had the option of taking over the family's
dairy farm in New Zealand from his father, he looked elsewhere. His love for cars landed Harris at Ford Motor. Harris
joined the New Zealand unit of the US auto maker in 1985 as a fleet sales analyst.
"WhenI firstjoinedFord,Itoldmy fatherthatone day I will be the MD of Ford New Zealand,andhe laugheditoff,"Harris,
president of Ford's India operations since February this year, recalled at a recent interview. He went on to become the
managing director of Ford New Zealand in the late 1990s. About a decade and half since and after holding various
positionsacrossEurope,Africaandthe AsiaPacific, Harris is expected to play a very important role for the Detroit-based
company.Fordis lookingatIndiato be a driverof its emerging market push. It also wants to see the Indian unit making a
profit, something that eluded the company in its 17 years of operations here.
Not new to the Indian market, Harris was one of the key contributors for the Ikon sedan developed for the local market
and has travelledto the country 7-8 times in late 90s to get an insight into the Indian consumers. Expectations are high,
but Harrisseemsto be enjoyingit."I reckon, if you love what you do, if your hobby is your work, then you never have to
work a day in your life. That is what it has been like for the last 29 years."
The company hadone-off successeswithmodelssuchasthe Ikon,Figoand EcoSport,but still isn'ta mainstreamcarmaker
inIndiain termsof volume andprofitability.Itisoftencalleda"one-productcompany"-mostof itssalesatany givenpoint
come from one model,andnowitis the EcoSportcompact SUV. "The criticismleveled on us is understandable, we know
whyit isthe case," Harrissaid."It doeschange,because of the One Ford plan. I think we will change the perception, with
the evidence in the future."
CHANGE IN STRATEGY
Under the One Fordplan,productsmanufacturedinIndiaare now alignedwithglobal lifecycle anddevelopment costs are
expected to be shared by units in markets to where the products are exported. That is expected to make per-unit costs
lower,as the company will be able to utilize capacity better. The Ikon or Figo were developed specially for India, which
meant costs were high and volumes weren't enough to recover the cost.
The company isinvesting $1 billion in its new Sanand plant in Gujarat and will be rolling out at least three to four cars in
the nextcouple of years.Afterhittingthe sweetspotwiththe EcoSport, there is an entry level sedan lined up for launch,
as well asa small car thatis likelytoreplace the Figohatchbackandan all-new EndeavourSUV.Otherlikelymodelsinclude
a competitor on the B562 platform to Honda Cars India's City mid-size sedan and a seven-seat multipurpose vehicle.
Despite the EcoSport posting high volumes, Ford India is losing money. Its loss swelled more than 40% to ` . 597 crore in
fiscal 2014, with accumulated losses totaling. 2,360 crore. Higher exports will likely help ` cut losses this year.
"You have to be profitable, that is why you are in business," Harris said.
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Massachusetts based Dunkin's Donuts Introduces Chickpea, Saffron, and Chili
to their menu
The globalized world may not be flat, but it is round. And also frosted. And also, it must be said, delicious.
In 2012, Dunkin'Donuts—thatquintessentiallyAmerican purveyor of that quintessentially American thing, larded sugar-
dough—launchedinIndia.The 34 storesthatare now spreadacross the countrysell manyproductsthatwill be familiar to
American consumers: coffee, bagels, sandwiches, and, yep, doughnuts. They also sell items that were formulated
specificallyforIndianconsumers:veggieburgers,lychee coolattas, and spicy sandwiches. The menu deviates so far from
U.S. stores' traditional breakfast-y fare that, in India, the chain brands itself as "Dunkin' Donuts and More."
The doughnutsthemselves also come in country-specific flavors. And to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in
India,Dunkin'Donutsjustlaunched several new flavors of the breakfast item-that-is-actually-a-dessert. Among them: a
Kesar Badam (saffron-inflected almond milk) doughnut, topped with saffron cream, blanched almonds, and crushed
pistachios;amilkcake doughnutfilledwithrice pudding;aSoanPapdi (flakypastry) doughnutcoated with chickpea flour;
and a white chocolate doughnut topped with guava and chili.
Pedro D’Mello, head of the food division for Dunkin’ Donuts India, told The Wall Street Journal that it took him and his
teamthree monthsto formulate the new doughnuts. (He also considered other flavors, including cardamom and beetle
nut extract.) The ones that have made their way into the stores of "Dunkin Donuts and More" are sweet little
encapsulationsof the globalizedworld:anAmericanproductwith a distinctly Indian flavor. As the Dunkin' Donuts patron
Ravi Sharma toldthe Journal of the Diwali doughnuts: "I think it’s a great idea. Who had ever thought that one day high-
end doughnut stores would draw inspiration from Indian streets?"
Copyright © 2014 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved
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Oregon based Columbia Sportswear to open 25 stores in India by April 2015
Outdoorand adventure wearretailerColumbiaSportswear Company will open 25 stores by April 2015 in India against an
earlier plan of opening up to 5 stores, as the demand for products has exceeded its expectations.
ColumbiaSportswearCompany,whichenteredIndiathroughadistributiontie-upwithChogori IndiaRetailLtd,opened its
first store on December 24, 2013, and at present has three stores in the country.
"Earlier, we had planned to open 3-5 stores in the first year and depending on the off-take, we would plan further
expansion.But,that3-5 store planhas changedto 25 storesplan.We will have 25 stores by April 15. We will expand very
fast in India," Chogori India Retail Ltd Vice President Khyati Bhinde told media.
Bhinde did not share investment that the company would make to expand Columbia Sportswear brand in India.
Elaborating on the expansion strategy, she said the company plans to open up to 120 point of sales, exclusive store and
shop-in-shop store in three years in India. It will open shop-in-shop stores by October next year in select multi-brand
departmental stores like Shoppers Stop.
Talkingaboutthe demandforColumbia'sproducts,Bhinde said:"Whenwe were bringing the brand, we thought outdoor
(activities) doesn't exist much in India, people might not know Columbia. But after opening our first store, we came to
know that people understand outdoor and also know the brand. We have received very good response for the brand."
At present,90 percent of productsare importedandthe restare manufacturedinIndia.However,Bhinde said that might
change in future."If share of lifestyle productsintotal salesgrows,the companymightlookatmore local manufacturing,"
she added.
Columbia Sportswear, which sells outdoor apparel, footwear and accessories in India, also plans to introduce high -
performance outdoor gears in the country.
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Oracle Signs MoU with ICT Academy of Kerala to help students develop IT skills
ICT Academy of Kerala (ICTAK) and Oracle have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement Oracle
Academy's computer science programs across 60 institutes in the state of Kerala over the next two years. As part of this
initiative, Oracle Academy software curriculum, hosted technology, training, support and certification resources are
expected to be made available to students and faculty. Additionally, 120 faculty members are scheduled to undergo
training to help put 6000 students on the pathway to future IT careers.
Oracle and ICT Academy of Kerala (ICTAK) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate Oracle
Academy curriculum into the educational programs of the state's colleges to inspire the next generation of technology
professionalsandhelp prepare them for careers in IT. Under the MoU, Oracle intends to facilitate the delivery of Oracle
Academy curriculum to 120 faculty members over the next two years - with these teachers set to reach as many as 6000
students from 60 institutes from Kerala state.
Oracle will facilitatea'train-the-trainer'course toramp up facultyrepresentatives as instructors for six courses, including
CreatingJavaProgramswithGreenfoot,JavaFundamentals,JavaProgramming,Database Design, Database Programming
withSQL, and Programming with PL/SQL. Once trained and certified, this faculty is expected to use the Oracle Academy
infrastructure to train other faculty members.
Today, more than 2.2 million students in 96 countries benefit from Oracle Academy. In India, Oracle Academy programs
supports more than 240,000 students at more than 1300 educational institutions.
"Oracle Academyhasbeendedicatedinourmissiontoextendthe reachof computerscience educationtostudentsacross
the world,includinginIndia,"saidKrishnaSistla, Senior Director, Oracle Academy, Oracle Asia Pacific and Japan. "Access
to good computer science education is a defining 21st century social issue, and with the help of Oracle Academy's
programs,studentsof Keralacan enhance theirknowledgeand build relevant industry expertise for job opportunities in
the field of Information Technology and other industries that benefits from IT."
"The core objective of ICTAcademyof Kerala is to improve employability skills amongst students," said Santhosh Kurup,
CEO, ICT Academy of Kerala. "Our aim is to prepare students of higher education to face the competitive world by
equipping them with high quality course content and skilled teachers. We are excited to work with Oracle in delivering
Oracle Academycurriculumto our students and teachers, and believe this educational foundation will help prepare our
students for today's workforce."
Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Global hotel chains eye secondary, tertiary markets in India
As international hotelchainslooktoincrease their presence in India, they are going beyond the metros and tapping into
booming secondary and tertiary markets.
Six monthsago,Marriott International Inc.openeditsentrylevelfive-starhotel CourtyardatBilaspurinChhattisgarh-acity
witha population of just over 300,000 residents. Expected business from mining and power companies operating in the
mineral and coal-rich state was the reason Marriott went to Bilaspur.
Now, the group is looking at other such markets and says that it expects 25-30% of its portfolio to be in secondary and
tertiarymarketsinthe nextthree tofive years.Placeswhere Marriott is expanding include Guwahati, Shillong and Katra.
"Some of these secondaryandtertiarymarketsrepresentgreatopportunitybecausesome of these marketshave pent-up
demand for international branded hotels; demand not just for rooms, but also in F&B (food and beverages), especially
banqueting," said Rajeev Menon, area vice-president, South Asia, Marriott International.
Menon adds that the group has a reasonably strong presence in gateway cities, and would now like to expand the
portfolioacrosssecondaryand tertiarymarkets,"because thatisgrowingevenfasterandthatiswhere the natural growth
is".
Accordingto a reportreleasedbyHVS,a hospitalityconsultingfirm, demandforbranded/organizedhotel rooms has risen
at a compoundedannual rate of 17.6% inthe lastfive years.Expertssaythatprimarymarkets like the metros are growing
in single digits, while secondary and tertiary markets are seeing double-digit growth.
"Industrial clusterssuchasNeemrana,Vizag,Vijayawada,Baddi,Pantnagar,Manesar,Dahej,Asansol, Tirupur, Rajkot, etc.
are emergingasattractive destinationsforhotel companies,"saidChandni Sahgal,director,D'Essence HospitalityAdvisory
Services Pvt. Ltd, a hospitality consulting firm.
As such, firms are looking to get the first-mover advantage by expanding into these markets, she said. "Also, property
developersinthese marketsare aggressivelyseekingtotie upwith international brands; it is a matter of pride for them,"
added Sahgal. The Wyndham Hotel Group was an early mover in Neemrana, in Rajasthan, where it opened its Days Inn
midscale hotel three yearsago. The high demand prompted the company to open a Ramada hotel there last year. It also
has a Days Inn hotel at Panipat in Haryana.
Deepika Arora, regional vice-president, Indian Ocean, EMEAI, for Wyndham, says expanding to secondary and tertiary
markets makes perfect business sense. "We have a portfolio of brands that fits well in these markets to cater to the
economyandmidscale segments,"saidArora,addingthatthese marketsare buzzingwithalotof industrial growth, which
leadstoa lotof corporate and banquetingopportunities. Explaining the attractiveness of a market like Neemrana, Arora
saysthe regionhasa special industrial zone dedicated to Japanese companies and another one is in the works. "...being
international companies, they look for international hotel brands," says Arora.
Almost65% of Wyndham'supcomingpropertiesare inthe secondaryand tertiary markets, she added. Some of the other
citieswhere Wyndham'sbrands are present or are under development include Jalandhar, Jamshedpur and Dharmapuri.
Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants International, which runs hotels under the Premier Inn brand is also eyeing these
markets.The company,whichwill have sevenactive properties in India by 2017, is now also looking to penetrate deeper
intothe Indianmarketand isactivelyengagedintalksto open properties in secondary and tertiary markets, according to
David Vely, senior vice-president, development, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Whitbread.
While these markets are attractive, they have their own set of challenges as well.
"Findingthe right partner is a big challenge," said Sahgal. Also, availability of good quality supplies and connectivity are
majorissues,she said,addingfindingskilledmanpowerisyetanotherchallenge."Career-orientedprofessionals might not
wantto work ina tertiarymarketproperty." Butotherssay the risk for global companies using the management contract
model, where they do not invest in the property but sign a contract to manage it, is relatively low.
"Managementcompaniesdon'thave anythingtolose.Itisthe private entrepreneurwho bears the risk of investing in the
property and they want these international brand names to go with them so that they can raise loans easily," said
Narendra Verma, principal consultant, Hospitality Consultants India Pvt. Ltd.
Vermasaidthese places will grow, but it will not happen quickly; the hotel companies know this, but unfortunately the
property owners might panic as they look for a quick turnaround, he added.
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In the News:
'Infra sector to be main focus area for Indo-US commerce ties'
Mr. Arun M Kumar, Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service and Assistant Secretary for Global Markets, U.S.
Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration
A lot of "good ground work" has been covered, post Obama-Modi meet in the US, and now is the execution time, with
infrastructure going to be the focus of the Indo-US commerce ties, a top official has said.
"In the joint statement, one of the big focus areas is infrastructure sector," Arun M Kumar, Assistant Secretary of
Commerce and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service in the US Commerce Department's
International Trade Administration,said.He was referring to the India-US joint statement issued after the September 30
meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama.
There isan "enthusiastic"response from the US companies, he noted. Appreciative of the steps being taken by the new
Indian government in "improving" the business climate in the country, he said, there were a lot of areas where
improvement are required. Land acquisition is one of them, he said. "We have seen determination (by the new
government) to move forward. We definitely want to build the momentum of our interaction with the new Indian
Governmentinthe lastfew months," he said. The September visit of Modi to the US and his meeting with Obama at the
White House, he said, was very successful. "We are ready to engage," Kumar said. "We are very excited about the
infrastructure collaboration,"he added. "I think, we have covered a lot of good ground work. Now it is execution time,"
he said.
Americancompanieshave alotof good technologiesandpracticestoofferinthe infrastructure sector, said Kumar who is
nowheadedforhisthirdtrip to India,the lastone wasalongwith the New Delhi visit of the Secretary of State John Kerry
and the Commerce Secretary, Penny Pritzker. He was one of the first few top US officials to visited India after the
formation of the Modi Government.
The Commerce Departmentis expected to play a key role in Indo-US ties now that Modi-Obama meeting agreed to take
their bilateral business and trade ties to USD 500 billion from the current USD 100 billion.
"It isdoable andachievable.We have justscratchedthe surface of our bilateral trade potential," he said in response to a
question, adding that this needs a lot of action, simplification of various areas of investment, improvement in ease of
doing business.
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U.S. President Barack Obama to be chief guest at Republic Day celebrations
U.S. President Barack Obama will attend India's Republic Day celebrations in January as chief guest, a sign of steadily
expanding ties between two countries that share concerns about China's growing power in Asia. Obama was invited by
Prime MinisterNarendraModi andwill be the first U.S. president to attend a Republic Day celebration, the White House
saidon Friday.DiplomatssaidObama,whovisitedIndiain2010, wouldalso be the first U.S. president to visit the country
twice while in office.
India'srelationswithWashingtonhave flourishedin the past decade, although they have also had tussles over trade and
other issues. The two countries are developing a strategic partnership prompted by shared concerns about China's
increasingly assertive territorial claims in the Asia-Pacific region. Modi met Obama on a visit to the United States in
Septemberandtheyhave spokenbytelephone since. Their relationship is thought to have helped resolve a major trade
spat in the World Trade Organization.
Modi used a Twitter message to announce Obama as the chief guest on Republic Day, which marks the enactment of
India'sconstitutiononJan.26, 1950. Dhruva Jaishankar,aSouthAsiaspecialistatthe GermanMarshall Fund of the United
States, said the invitation to Obama was a sign of "a radically altering political calculus" in New Delhi, where previous
leaders traditionally sought to keep some distance from Washington.
"This visit will also mark a real turnaround over eight or nine months ago, when questions were still being asked about
Modi’swillingness to cooperate with the United States, given his history of having been denied a visa," Jaishankar said.
Modi wasdeniedentryintothe UnitedStates from 2005 until he was elected prime minister in May, after allegations he
did too little to stop religious riots that killed at least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, in his home state of Gujarat. Modi
denied any wrongdoing.
Indiatraditionallyinvitesaheadof state to participate aschief guestforRepublic Day celebrations, which culminates in a
militaryparade includingits nuclearcapable missiles.Muchof the hardware dates back to the Soviet era, when India had
close ties with Moscow, while more recent defense purchases include billions of dollars of U.S.-made equipment.
Last year's chief guestwasJapanese Prime Minister ShinzoAbe, who has taken a tough line with China over its territorial
claims.
Copyright © 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved
Chuck Hagel understood India's value, opened US military for Sikhs
File photo: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who quit amid differences with President Barack Obama, understood the strategic
importance of India and opened up the US military a little bit more for the Sikhs. Hagel, 68, who has been asked by
President Obama to remain in office till Senate confirms his replacement, is likely to talk to his new Indian Defence
Minister Manohar Parikar.
Duringhis21 monthsin office,Hagel openedupthe US militaryforthe Sikhs,alongpendingdemandof Indian- Americans
that Sikhsbe allowedinthe force withtheirreligioussymbolsintact.Inanorder issuedthisyear,he permittedSikhstoj oin
armed services on a case by case basis, with their religious symbols intact as long as they do not interfere in their work.
Sikh leaders have termed it as a step in the right direction.
The Pentagon, in a fact sheet, listed "Deepening the Strategic Relationship with India" as Hagel's key achievement.
"Understanding the importance of a rising and democratic India to the future security and prosperity of Asia and South
Asia, encouraged deeper strategic and defense cooperation, including through the Defense Trade and Technology
Initiative and expanded mil-mil cooperation," the fact sheet said.
Accordingto Hagel'saides,he understoodthe significance of Indiaandthe US-Indiamilitary-to-militaryrelationship in the
emergingnewgeo-political landscapeinthe AsiaPacificregion.Thiswasone of the reasonswhyhe visitedIndiainthe first
100 days of the new Indian Government and set pace of strengthened military and defense ties with India.
Hagel also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the latter met Obama at the White House in September. While he
might have been on the same page with India's former Defense Minister A K Antony, Hagel appeared to be quite
comfortable and enthusiastic working with the Modi Government.
He was quick to appoint Frank Kendall as the Pentagon's point person for the India-US Defense Technology and Trade
Initiative andbroke protocolsbypersonallyattendingthe Defense Policy Group meeting that took place here last month.
However,whenHagel wasnominatedthe USDefense Secretary,avideosurfacedinwhich he was seen making anti -India
remarks and one in favor of Pakistan. But towards the end of his tenure, he did not meet Pakistan Army Chief General
Raheel Sharif during his trip to the US this month, even though the latter extended his trip for a few days, in hope of
meeting with him.
As America's 24th Defense Secretary, he is the first Defense Secretary in nearly two decades to be confronted with the
realityof shrinkingbudgetsanda growingdemandforUS militarysupportaroundthe world.Hagel issaidtohave resigned
amidreportsof differenceswithObamawhoisapparently seekingtoinstall anew leadershipatthe Pentagonashe enters
the last two years of his presidency facing new global challenges like the rise of IS.
Photo credit: NBCNews.com
Copyright © Press Trust of India 2014, All Rights Reserved
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India and United States Joint Statement on the Trade Policy Forum
India and the US, in a meeting co-chaired by trade minister Nirmala Sitharaman (right) and US Trade Representative Michael Froman,
laid out a one-year work programme to improve trade ties. Photo: PTI
Minister of Commerce and Industry of India Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Mr.
Michael Froman met in New Delhi on November 25, 2014 for the eighth ministerial-level meeting of the India-United
StatesTrade PolicyForum(TPF).The twogovernmentssignaledtheirreadinesstoenhance bilateral trade and investment
ties in a manner that promotes economic growth and job creation in both India and the United States.
Work Sessions
MinisterSitharamanandAmbassadorFromandiscussedandexchangedviews on a range of trade and investment issues,
inparticular,(i) Agriculture,(ii) Services, (iii) Promoting Investment in Manufacturing, and (iv) Intellectual Property. The
co-chairsof the respective WorkSessionsbriefedMinisterSitharaman and Ambassador Froman on the outcomes of their
discussions and presented agreed upon work plans for continued engagement in these areas in 2015. Both countries
noted the importance attached to the Trade Policy Forum by Prime Minister Modi and President Obama to further
stimulate bilateral trade and investment.
Agriculture
Both countries recognized the important role of agricultural and food trade in feeding their populations, providing
consumer choice and supporting the livelihood of their farmers. India and the United States agreed to establish a new
technical dialogue thatwillpromote cooperation on plant health, animal health, and food safety issues in a manner that
facilitates the movement of agricultural goods between the two countries. They agreed to work towards facilitating
agricultural trade betweenthe twocountriesbyengagingwitheachotherclosely with the intent of establishing science -
and risk-based regulations and procedures that conform to international standards and guidelines set by CODEX
Alimentarius,the WorldOrganizationforAnimal Health(OIE) andthe InternationalPlantProtectionConvention (IPPC), to
the extent possible. Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman also acknowledged the benefits that could accrue to
Indian and U.S. farmers and agri-businesses from these engagements.
Both countries noted each other’s' requests and agreed to follow up on exploring the possibility of enhanced market
access onidentifiedagricultural products.Theyalsonotedthe potentialreconciliationof the definition of wholesale pack
between Departments, forthcoming rules to allow stickering of maximum retail price at the port, and timely
implementation efforts concerning these issues.
Services and Investment
MinisterSitharamanandAmbassadorFroman highlightedthe importantrole of the servicessectorinIndiaand the United
States,andthe significantpotential forincreasingbilateral servicestrade and investment. To advance this goal, India and
the UnitedStatesagreedto increase engagementon servicesandinvestmentissues.The UnitedStatestooknote of India's
interest in engaging on social security totalization, and agreed to review any information provided by India about
developments in its social security regime. They decided to continue their engagement on visa issues, and the United
States took note of India's interest in ensuring easier access for Indian professionals in the United States.
MinisterSitharamanhighlightedIndia'seffortstopromote foreignparticipationinkeyservices sectors, including those of
interesttothe UnitedStates,andurgedU.S. investorstotake advantage of these opportunities. Minister Sitharaman and
Ambassador Froman recognized the benefits that can accrue from services liberalization in the information and
communications technology sector.
Promoting Investment in Manufacturing
Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman discussed efforts that each country is undertaking to promote a business
friendly environment for attracting investment in manufacturing, moving forward on a commitment made by Prime
Minister Modi and President Obama in September 2014 to address this issue that is critical to each other’s' economy.
Affirmingtheirsharedgoal of usingtrade and investment as a vehicle for stimulating economic growth and job creation,
Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman agreed to deepen bilateral engagement aimed at promoting bilateral
investment across sectors. Both countries stressed the importance of providing a transparent and predictable policy
environmentto help attract investments in manufacturing. In this regard, Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman
agreed to exchange information on stakeholder participation in the framing of trade and investment policies and
procedures,andtodiscussbest practices.Further,theyhighlightedtheireffortstoincrease supply chain connectivity and
implement "single window" clearance systems that will benefit all manufacturing activities in both countries. Minister
Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman also agreed to exchange information on international standards and systems of
acceptance of conformityassessmentprocedureswithspecificfocusonunderstandingeach government’s procedures for
testing, packaging, and labeling requirements.
MinisterSitharamanand Ambassador Froman discussed the "Make in India" campaign launched by Prime Minister Modi
to promote India as a manufacturing destination, highlighting the pro-investment domestic reforms envisioned to
facilitate the ease of doing business and create a climate that will attract investment.
Intellectual Property and related issues
Recognizingthe shared interest of our creative industries, India and the United States agreed to deepen cooperation to
build capacity and generate awareness in the field of copyright. Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman also
acknowledged the paramount goal of ensuring the poorest populations in India and the United States have access to
quality healthcare andcommittedtoidentifyingwaysinwhichtrade andinnovationpoliciescanenhance access to quality
health and affordable medicines.
India highlighted the benefits of traditional Indian medicine in view of its potential to enhance access to affordable
healthcare;andthe importance of traditional knowledge in contributing to cultural, economic, and social development.
The United States agreed to facilitate further engagement in this field between the experts of both countries.
Minister Sitharaman highlighted India's work on a new intellectual property rights (IPR) policy which would stimulate
innovationacrosssectorsinthe country.The United States agreed to share information on this subject to support India's
on-goingefforts. Bothcountriesrecognizethe importance of providinga transparent and predictable policy environment
for fostering innovation.
India and the United States recognize the importance of trade secrets protection to attracting investment and agree to
exchange information on best legal practices in this area.
World Trade Organization
MinisterSitharamanandAmbassadorFromanexpressedsatisfaction at the recent understanding between India and the
United States on the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes and the Trade Facilitation Agreement as a
follow-uptothe discussionsbetweenPrimeMinisterModi and President Obama. They committed to working with other
WTO Membersto ensure thatthe WTO General Council takesthisunderstandingforwardtowardsasatisfactoryoutcome.
Private Sector Advisory Group
Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman encouraged the continued work of the United States-India Private Sector
Advisory Group (PSAG), which had been created under the TPF to provide strategic advice. Minister Sitharaman and
Ambassador Froman expect that the work of TPF will benefit from the depth, breadth, and diversity of expertise of the
PSAG in trade and international affairs in advance of the 2015 TPF meeting to be held in Washington, DC.
In conclusion,MinisterSitharaman and Ambassador Froman expressed satisfaction with the discussions held during the
eighth round of the TPF and reiterated their mutual commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade and
investment.AmbassadorFromanthankedMinisterSitharamanforhostingthe eighth roundof the TPF in New Delhi. They
agreed to convene the ninth round of the TPF in the United States in 2015.
Press Information Bureau
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Ex-Im Bank Chairman Hochberg Visits India to Promote Made-in-America
Exports
Fred P. Hochberg, Chairman & President of the Export-Import Bank
Washington, D.C. – Export-Import Bank of the U.S. (Ex-Im Bank) Chairman Fred P. Hochberg is visiting India this week to
promote made-in-America exports in support of U.S. jobs. "The U.S. and India share complementary aspirations when it
comes to our economic future," said Chairman Hochberg. "When quality American goods and services are deployed to
buyersinIndia,theirnationbenefitsfromincreasedcapacityanda reliable foundation for long-term economic growth—
and the U.S. benefits by creating new jobs back home."
Today, Chairman Hochberg delivered comments at a roundtable hosted by the U.S.-India Business Council, where he
discussedenergygrowth,especiallywhenitcomestothe renewable energy sector, and infrastructure expansion in India
and whatrole U.S. companiescanplayin both.He also addressedsimilarsubjectsatthe Federationof IndianChambers of
Commerce and Industry later in the day.
In addition, Chairman Hochberg held a lunch with Indian businesswomen, to learn more about the challenges and
opportunities they have in starting and growing a business in the country. Throughout his trip, Chairman Hochberg has
alsotakenthe opportunitytohighlighthowEx-ImBank'sfinancingtoolshave enabledAmericanbusinessesbothlarge and
small to export their products to India.
Some examples include:
Polyguard, of Ennis, Texas, employs 120 people and manufactures corrosion-preventing and waterproof linings for
industrial processes and pipelines. The company utilizes Ex-Im trade credit insurance and is exporting to 34 countries.
Since making use of Ex-Im insurance, the company's export sales have increased by more than 230 percent.
Preferred Popcorn of Chapman, Nebraska is a small-business vendor that exports popcorn, concessions supplies, and
coconut oil to India and other international markets. Started in 1998, the company currently employs 40 people in
Nebraska,Indiana,Illinois,Ohio,andKentucky.Since itsfounding, the company has relied upon Ex-Im Bank products and
now fills orders in 60 countries around the globe. As a consistent policy holder of Ex-Im Bank export credit insurance,
Preferred Popcorn has watched its sales mount to $43 million, 50 percent of which are export-related. Moreover, Ex-Im
Bank support has translated into approximately 25 new jobs.
Tomorrow, Chairman Hochberg will attend and give keynote remarks at the India-U.S. Technology Summit. The Summit
will be an opportunity for businesses, research institutions and government agencies from both countries to exchange
ideas and forge new partnerships to increase trade and investment in the knowledge sector. Chairman Hochberg's
remarks will focus on the mutual benefits that can be realized by choosing quality U.S. goods and American innovation.
ABOUT EX-IM BANK:
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that supports and maintains U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export
financingatno cost to Americantaxpayers.The Bankprovidesavarietyof financingmechanisms,includingworkingcapital
guarantees and export credit insurance, to promote the sale of U.S. goods and services abroad. Ninety percent of its
transactions directly serve American small businesses.
In fiscal year2014, Ex-ImBank approved$20.5 billionintotal authorizations.These authorizationssupportedanestimated
$27.5 billion in U.S. export sales, as well as approximately 164,000 American jobs in communities across the country.
Small businessexporterscanlearnabouthowEx-ImBank productscan empowerthemtoincrease foreignsalesbyclicking
here. For more information about Ex-Im, visit www.exim.gov.
Export-Import Bank of the United States
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Wonderful moment in Indo-US ties: US Senator
Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine, United States Senator from Virginia
Asserting that it is a "wonderful moment" for Indo-US ties, an influential American Senator has said that currently the
opportunities for bilateral cooperation between the two countries are significant. "This India-America moment is a
wonderful one.The opportunities for cooperation are significant," Senator Tim Kaine, who was recently in India, said at
the annual Washingtongalaof AmericanIndiaFoundation(AIF)lastweek,attendedbywho'swho of the community from
the US Capital and its neighborhood.
"We came back withsuch a powerful feelingthatthisIndiais,"Kaine saidatthe event,where he wasfelicitatedalongwith
the AssistantSecretaryof State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Biswal, for their inspiring leadership and philanthropic
commitment to support AIF's mission to help disadvantaged Indians. Kaine is the current Chairman of the Senate
Subcommittee onthe NearEast,Southand Central AsianAffairs,overseeingAmericanforeignpolicyin this critical region,
from Morocco to Bangladesh.
Praisingthe role of Indian-Americansinnationbuildingandimprovingbilateral tiesbetweenthe twocountries, Kaine said
the talentpool of the Indian-Americancommunityissostrongand so diverse thatif one isjustputting together a team on
the aristocracy of merit, this community will be at the forefront. "That is an aspect of life in this country that makes the
Indian-American moment in the relationship between our nations so fruitful right now," Kaine said at the AIF gala.
In all USD 300,000 were raised from the sponsors, donations and from this year's gala pledge drive and silent auction.
Biswal saidIndian-Americanshave akeyrole to play in the bilateral India-US relationship. "As the Indian Prime Minister
talks about his agenda for transforming India and his vision for the US-India partnership to be a part of that
transformation, the Indian-American community has a very important role to play," Biswal said.
"Transformationisnotjust'G to G' (governmenttogovernment),it'snotaboutPPPs,(public-private- partnerships). Those
are very important equations - but it is fundamentally also about 'people to people' ties," she said. "The US-India
relationshipisnotgoingtoreach itsfull potential untilthe full potential of our 'people to people' ties is reached," Bi swal
said.
"Aswe lookaroundthe world,we recognize thatthere is no partner that the US has, that deeply respects our values, our
views,ourperspectivesthanthe nationof India.“The Presidentsaw thatcominganddeclaredthe US-Indiarelationship to
be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," Biswal added.
Copyright © Press Trust of India 2014, All Rights Reserved
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Enrolment of Indian students in US up by 28%: Report
The gender balance of Indian students is skewered, two-thirds being male and only one-third being female.
The total number of Indian students studying in the US shot up 28% to 1,34,292 students, comprising the second largest
foreign student body in America after China, according to a new report published on Thursday by US Immigration and
Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security.
Startling majorities - 65% - were studying engineering, computer science, and information technology and support
services,andtogetherwithstudentsin other STEM(science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields made up
79% of all IndiastudentsinAmerica.Asa result,thoughIndiansonlymake up12% of the foreignstudentpopulationinthe
US, theyconstitute 26% of all foreignSTEMstudents.Business,biology,andmedicinewere the nextmostpopularfieldsof
study, with the social sciences, humanities and liberal arts, and visual and performing arts the least popular fields.
The genderbalance of Indian students is similarly skewered, two-thirds being male and only one-third being female. In
total,there are 89,561 Indianmale studentsandonly44,731 Indianfemale students. A major reason for the rapid growth
instudentsiseconomic,accordingtoNaveenChopra,chairmanof The Chopra’s,an educational consultinggroup based in
Delhi."The US economyisgrowingnow,andunemploymenthasfallenfrom 10% to 6%," Chopra said, adding that "Indian
students believe the US has the best opportunities for work."
This increase reflects a greater trend for both Indian undergraduate and graduate students studying in the US. The total
number of Indian graduate students enrolled there has jumped 26% to 54,245 students, according to a new report
released by the American Council of Graduate Schools. This was the second consecutive year of double digit growth,
building upon a 14% increase last year, and a sharp reversal in trend from years past when Indian graduate school
enrollment was actually decreasing.
Thiswas alsoby far the largestincrease among Asian countries in the Council of Graduate Schools survey, compensati ng
for sagginggraduate enrollmentratesincountriessuchasChina,witha mere 3% increase,andKorea,witha 6% decrease.
OnlyBrazil,whichsendslessthanone-twentieththe number of students India does to the US, saw higher growth at 32%.
The numberof IndianstudentsinAustraliaandNew Zealandare alsoincreasing.Australia, which registered a huge dip in
Indianstudentenrollmentaftera series of racially motivated attacks on Indian students in 2009, has recovered in recent
years with total student visa applications from India more than doubling from 2012 to 2013.
However, Indian enrollment in the United Kingdom has been plummeting, dropping 44% from 2010-11 to 2012-13, says
the HigherEducationFundingCouncil forEngland,goingfrom18,535 to 10,235 studentsduringthattime period. This was
mainlybecause of changesinvisaregulations,saidChopra."The UKcurtailedtheirtwo-year,post-study work visa in 2012,
whichusedto letstudentsstayin the UK to find employment after graduation," he pointed out. "As a result, the middle
class market collapsed. But you still find many upper class students going to the UK."
Scholarshipsmayalsobe a factor. "The US is wayaheadof the UK andAustraliainscholarships,whichallows hardworking
middle classIndianstudentstogoto the US," Choprasaid.A National Unionof Studentssurveyfoundearlierthisyear that
nearly 63% of Indian PhD students in the UK felt the UK government was "not welcoming" or "not welcoming at all".
This precarious drop has sent the UK scrambling to repair its tattered image. UK universities and sciences minister Nick
Clark recently visited India for three days to strengthen educational ties between the UK and India and to address
"misconceptions"thatIndianstudentsmight have aboutthe difficultyof obtaining visas to the UK. During his stay he also
announced a new five-year initiative to send 25,000 students from the UK to India.
Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Click here for index
India Signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with United States of
America (USA) on Setting-Up Infrastructure Collaboration Platform
Boost for ties Arun M Kumar (right), Assistant Secretary and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service, and Dinesh
Sharma, Additional Secretary, External Affairs, signing an MoU in New Delhi.
Image source: PTI
In a follow-upof the JointStatementof Prime Minister of India and President of United States of America in September,
2014, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed here today between Department of Economic Affairs (DEA),
Ministryof Finance,Governmentof Indiaand Department of Commerce, United States of America (USA) on establishing
Infrastructure Collaboration Platform.
ThisMemorandumof Understanding(MoU) establishesaUnitedStates-IndiaInfrastructureCollaborationPlatform, under
whichboththe Governmentsintendtocoordinate andcooperate withthe goal of facilitatingU.S.industryparticipation in
Indian infrastructure projects to improve the bilateral commercial relationship and benefit both the Participants'
economies.
Shri.DineshSharma,Additional Secretary,DEA signedthe Memorandumof Understanding(MoU) onbehalf of India while
Shri.ArunM. Kumar,AssistantSecretaryof Commerce for Global Markets, Department of Commerce signed it on behalf
of United States of America respectively.
Representativesof IndianInfrastructure Ministries such as Urban Development, Commerce and Industry, Railways, Road
Transport and Highways, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Information and
Broadcasting,Communications&InformationTechnology,WaterResources, RiverDevelopmentandGangaRejuvenation,
were also present during the meeting, along with representative of Ministry of External Affairs.
Press Information Bureau
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Narendra Modi has turned India into a magnet: McKinsey CEO Dominic Barton
DominicBarton,the CEO of the world'slargestwhiteshoe consultingfirm, McKinsey,says that India is back on the priority
listof CEOs after Narendra Modi's ascension to power. "People had given up on India. They felt India is too complicated
and itwas difficulttogetanythingdone.Ithaddroppedinthe last five years on people's priority (list). I think it has gone
rightback up, people are interested,obviously people are going to want to see action but I think the feeling is they will,
because this government seems serious," says Barton.
On hispart, the McKinseyCEO isagainadvisinghisclientstobetbigon India."Iwas not(advisingclientstocome to India)
twoyears ago because itwascomplicated...and companies and clients were deeply frustrated with the bureaucracy, no
decisionsgettingmade.Companiesweresaying...letusgoto Africa,letus go to Nigeria, let us go to Indonesia, let us just
go to the US, but that has changed.Ithinkbecause if youlookat the trendsthat are going on in the world, India is right in
the centre," says Barton.
"Agriculture and food is going to be one of the biggest businesses in the world right here (along with) the healthcare
boom, education boom, advanced analytics," adds Barton.
PM Narendra Modi's high profile, the outcome of addresses at New York's Madison Square Garden and Sydney's
AllphonesArenahashelpedadvance India'scause inglobal boardrooms. "I hear people say he seems very determined...
We knowitis unbelievablycomplicatedbuthe isgoingto getit done.Isee itin pharmaceuticals,industrialcompanies and
the pensionfunds.The pensionfundsare interestedandthatisa bigopportunityandsowe are interestedingettingmore
investment here too," says Barton.
With the world economy on a wobbly footing again - Japan receding into recession, a stalled Europe and China slowing
down - India could find itself in a sweet spot providing stability and balance to the world economy.
"I thinkthe people aroundthe worldlookatthisandsay we need growth from India. It is also a bit of desperation for the
world,40% of the world'sgrowthjustlastyear came from China. We need more balance and India is the place that could
do it. So if India unleashes, it is going to help not only India but the world," says Barton.
Besides,Bartonisoptimisticaboutthe US, where he saysthe economyisrecoveringinspite of the government,andabout
China. The world's second-largest economy has plenty of headroom to grow, given that its urbanization rate has just
crossed the 50% mark.
Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Click here for index
Third Meeting of Indo-US Science & Technology held
The 3rd
Science andTechnologyJointCommissionmeetingbetweenIndiaandUSA was heldonNovember17, 2014 inNew
Delhi.The JCMwasco-ChairedbyShri YS ChowdaryMinisterof State for Science & Technology, Government of India and
Dr. John Holdren, Director, White House Office of Science & Technology Policy and the Science Adviser to the U.S.
President. Both sides recognized the value of the science and technology cooperation in being one of the pillars and
integral component of overall bilateral relationship.
Shri. Chowdary highlighted the importance which the present government underlines to the promotion and support to
science with a human face which will underpin the development of technology requi red to support the knowledge
economy of this century.
Four Working Groups on Basic and Applied Sciences; Health and Medical Sciences; Earth, Environment and Climate
Sciences; and Emerging Materials and Advanced Manufacturing had very fruitful discussions in not only evaluating the
progressbutalso identifyingnewareasof future cooperation. Both sides have agreed to establish a new Working Group
on plant biotechnology and agricultural research which is vital for addressing food security in context to food-water-
climate nexus.
A verycrucial area of Global HealthSecurityhasbeenjointlyaddressedforcooperationtowardsemergencypreparedness
and response;anti-microbial resistance;emerginginfectionslike Ebola.Similarlythe aspectsof environmental healthhave
beenalsocoveredespeciallywithrespect towater,airpollution,sanitationandhygiene.IndiaandUSA alsoagreedto take
forward collaboration in ground water studies, monsoon modeling, tropical cyclones and severe weather systems. The
future areasof collaborationinmarine services,deepdrillinginthe ocean,satellite observationandassimilationandwave
modelingwere jointlyidentified.Itwasagreedthat the Departmentof Science &Technologyand U.S. NSF will strengthen
cooperation in the area of women in science, particularly in networking and mentoring.
Dr. JohnHoldrenemphasizedthe needtouse andapplyscience toaddresssome of the impendingchallenges which India
and USA needs to meet for its food, water and energy security. It was decided that through cooperation innovative
solutionscanbe developedwhichare affordable and meets not only bilateral needs but would be of larger global good.
Copyright © 2014 Business Standard Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Obama opens US borders to more talent from India
US PresidentBarackObama'simmigrationreformpushlate onThursdayseekstosignificantlyliberalize the visaregime for
students,professionalsandbuddingentrepreneurs,asthe US triestostop those withhigh potential and specialized skills
fromleavingitsshores. Once the reformsare implemented,the USgovernmentexpects 400,000 highly-skilled workers to
be eligibleforvisas. "Are we a nation that educates the world's best and brightest in our universities, only to send them
home to create businesses in countries that compete against us, or are we a nation that encourages them to stay and
create jobs here, create businesses here, create industries right here in America? That's what this debate is all about,"
Obama said in his power-packed address.
Studentspursuingcourses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programmes in US universities
can look forward to a prolonged stay, compared to the 29 months they are currently entitled to under the option al
practical training(OPT) programme,till theysecure workvisas.Also,the OPTprogramme will be expanded to cover more
courses. Typically, the programme is for 12 months, extendable by 17 months for students pursuing STEMcourses. The
duration of the extended stay hasn't been specified yet.
According to estimates, there are about 200,000 Indian students under the OPT programme as of now. To fuel the US's
entrepreneurialspirit,Obamaalsosoughtkeyadministrativereforms,whichwouldbetterutilise a provision that allowed
a non-citizen with an advanced degree or an exceptional ability to seek US citizenship or a green card without an
employer'ssponsorship.Incase 'inventors,researchers,andfoundersof start-ups'whomightnotqualifyforthe provision
but have beenawardedsubstantialUSinvestorfinancingorholdthe promise of innovation and job creation, they will be
offered 'parole', which will allow them to temporarily pursue research and development in the US, rather than abroad.
Indian-American Vivek Wadhwa, a technology entrepreneur, academic and fellow at Stanford Law University, who has
beencampaigningforaneasierimmigrationregime forentrepreneurs,wasquotedassaying44 per cent of all founders in
SiliconValleywere of Indianorigin. Inastatement,India's information technology lobby body, Nasscom, said it believed
"these measures will help attract and retain talent in the US by addressing some of the operational and social issues,
alleviating skills shortages to some extent". It, however, sought more clarity on some of the key announcements.
The reforms are silent on the long-pending demand of industry to increase the quota of H-1B visas, used by Indian
software companies to send workers to their centers in the US.
However,there couldbe some clarityonthe L-1 categoryof visas,usedtosendprofessionalswithhighly specialized skills.
A fewyearsago,industryhadbeenreportingarejection rate of 40-50 per cent for L-1 visas. Ron Hira, associate professor
of publicpolicyatthe RochesterInstitute of Technology,saidthe directionfromObamawouldlikelyinclude an expansive
definitionof "specializedknowledge",whichwouldprovide cheertooutsourcers,astheywere the largestbeneficiaries of
the L-1 category.
In hisspeech,Obamaalsorecognizedthe factthatthe processfor givinggreencards (US citizenship) needed a significant
overhaul.Accordingtoindustryestimates,securingpermanentUScitizenshipmighttake between11and 72 years,forcing
many to return to their countries after their work visas expired. Directions have been given to hasten the processing of
greencards for skilled individuals, apart from allowing seekers to change employers while they wait for approval. Also,
spousesof individualswithlawful permanent resident status or the permission to seek green cards can find work during
their stay in the US.
"All these are very positive measures, but we are yet to see the nuts and the bolts to understand the actual impact on
Indiaand Indiansinthe US," saidPoorvi Chothani,Executive Council Member, IACC; immigration attorney and managing
partnerof LawQuest,animmigrationlawfirminMumbai. Ina lettertothe US Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS),
JehCharlesJohn,secretaryof homelandsecurity,US,said,"Idirect the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and USCIS
develop regulations for notice and comment to expand the degree programmes eligible for OPT and extend the time
period and use of OPT for foreign STEMstudents and graduates, consistent with law."
To secure a work visa in the US, students have to find an employer who can sponsor it. However, often, even when
students have a sponsor, they do not get work visas due to limited quotas, etc.
WHAT DO WE GET?
 Students pursuing STEMcourses in US universities to get extended stay after completing their courses
 Clarity on L-1 visas, largely used by Indian software companies to send workers with specialized skills to the US
 Directions have been given to hasten processing of green cards for skilled individuals & allowing change of
employer while waiting for approval
Copyright © 2014 Business Standard Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Community leaders hail Verma's nomination as India's US envoy
The nomination of Richard Rahul Verma as the US Ambassador to India is a "crowning moment" for Indian-Americans,
members of whose have been appointed in record numbers by President Barack Obama, according to eminent leaders
from the community.
Verma, if confirmed by the Senate would be the first-ever Indian-American to be the US Ambassador to India. "It is a
crowningmomentforus(Indian-Americans).Not only has the president appointed many Indian-Americans here, but he
has foundsomeone worthyof representingthe countryinIndia.Iwouldview this as a crowning moment," Silicon Valley-
based MR Rangaswami, a successful entrepreneur, community builder and philanthropist, said.
"He hasa strongrelationshipacrossthe UnitedStatesGovernment.He isequally popular among both the Democrats and
Republicans.He hasa deepunderstandingof IndiaandIndiaUSrelationship,"said,SwadeshChatterjee,who played a key
role in the civil-nuclear deal.
Indian-American Republican from Texas, Ashok Mago said, "It is exciting to see that finally an American of Indian origin
withgreat credentials have been nominated to represent USA to one of the most important nation". "We all have great
hopes for Rich (Verma) to take relations between to great nations to new heights. He has opened door for other
Americans of Indian-origin to be considered as US ambassadors to India," he said.
The UnitedStatesSenate hasnot yetannouncedthe date forconfirmationhearingforVerma.NeeraTandon,President of
CenterforAmericanProgress?atop US think-tanksaid,"Ihave alwaysknown him to be a brilliant thinker, very strategic,
very sharp, very quick, and just incredibly capable."
Copyright © Press Trust of India 2014, All Rights Reserved
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Calendar of IACC Events for 2014
Event Sector Description Date Venue Contact
Interactive session
with Deputy
Secretary, Office
of International
Business
Development,
DCED,
Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, USA
Mr. Wilfred
Muskens
International
Trade
Development
Interactivemeeting organized
for IACC members to explore
opportunities in the State of
Pennsylvania
Tuesday, December 02, 2014 Mumbai Ms. Trishla Dosi
trishla@iaccindia.c
om
Delegation on
Ports and
Infrastructure
Infrastructure
- Logistics
The delegation will beled by Ed
Emmett, the top elected official
of Harris County and an
internationally renowned
authority on transportation and
logistics. The delegation is
accompanied by Tom Kornegay,
who was the longest serving
Executive Director of the Port of
Houston Authority. The
delegation will also include
Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis
and IACCGH President and
Executive Director.
Thursday,December 04, 2014 Mumbai Ms. Trishla Dosi
trishla@iaccindia.c
om
Direct tax and
transfer pricing
controversies -
recent
developments,
impact’
Finance,
Taxation and
Corporate
Affairs
Keeping in mind the recent
controversies and updates in
the field of tax and its critical
rolein decision-making,this
session will includekey tax
controversies arisingin thefield
of corporate tax and regulatory,
new initiatives introduced by
government impactingtax
payers,transfer pricing
controversies,and recent
judicial precedents affecting tax
payers entering into
transactions with their affiliates.
In lightof the samewe have
framed the session.BMRis a
professional services
organization offeringa range of
Tax, Risk and M&A advisory for
businesses of all sizes,atthe
local,national and international
levels.
Friday,December 05, 2014 |
3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Pune,
Navalmaal
Firodia Hall no.
05, MCCIA, ICC
Trade Towers,
Senapati Bapat
Road
Ms. Devyani
Salunkhe
devyani@iaccindia
.com
Forthcoming Events
Program on
Profit
Maximization
Techniques
(Profimax)
Finance,
Taxation and
Corporate
Affairs
This programhas been
organized for getting more
information aboutProfimax,
which will be of benefit for our
members.
Friday,December 05, 2014 |
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Cochin,
Panampilly
Nagar, The
Center Hotel
(Avenue
Center)
Ms. Sujatha Sunil
sujathasunil@iacci
ndia.com
Lecture by CIAS
Fellow Richard
Rossow on “U.S. -
India Economic
Ties: The Next Ten
Years”
International
Trade
Development
Twenty years ago we had very
littletrade. Ten years back IT
services began to hit its stride
and became one of the most
crucial pillarsfor economic
cooperation.Today we areon
the cusp of US LNG exports to
India and,hopefully,a
manufacturingrevolution in
India to compete with China.
What arethe sectors that will
likely dominatebilateral trade
and investment ten years from
now?
Friday,December 5, 2014 |
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Bangalore,
Hotel Citrus
Ms. Swati
Srivastava
swati@iaccindia.co
m
Creating Value for
the Customers
General Programme will focus on
Creating Valuefor the
Customers, Total Customer
Value Management
TransformingBusiness Thinking
Saturday,December 6, 2014 |
9:30 a.m.
Kolkata,
Palladian
Lounge BCC&I
Ms. Madhusree
Daityari
eic@iaccindia.com
Interactive session
with Deputy
Secretary, Office
of International
Business
Development,
DCED,
Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, USA
Mr. Wilfred
Muskens
International
Trade
Development
Interactivemeeting organized
for IACC members to explore
Business opportunities in the
State of Pennsylvania,USA.
Saturday,December 6, 2014 IACC,
Conference
Hall
Ms. Krishna Israni
krishna@iaccindia.
com
Indo-US
Infrastructure
Summit
Infrastructure The Summit will focus on
emerging opportunities in India
in key sectors of Highways,
Ports and Railways.TheHon'ble
Minister for Road Transport,
Highways and ShippingMr.
Nitin JairamGadkari will grace
the occasion as Chief Guestand
deliver the Inaugural Address.
Monday, December 08, 2014 New Delhi,
India Habitat
Centre
Ms. Sonia Khatter
sonia.iacc@gmail.c
om
Interactive session
with Deputy
Secretary, Office
of International
Business
Development,
DCED,
Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, USA
Mr. Wilfred
Muskens
International
Trade
Development
Interactivemeeting organized
for IACC members to explore
opportunities in the State of
Pennsylvania
Monday, December 8, 2014 |
6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Bangalore Ms. Swati
Srivastava
swati@iaccindia.co
m
U.S.- India
Bilateral
Investment
Treaty- Potential
Commercial
Impact
International
Trade
Development
The speaker for the event is Mr
Richard MRossow, Wadhwani
Chair in U.S. India Policy
Studies, The Center for Strategic
and International Studies (CSIS)
with abundanceexperience and
knowledge. IACC will host
breakfastbefore the interactive
session with Mr Richard M
Rossow.
Monday, December 8, 2014 |
8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Hyderabad,
Hotel Marigold
by Greenpark
(Ebony Hall)
7-1-25, Green
Lands,
Begumpet
Mr. SriramBhaskar
sriram@iaccindia.c
om
B2B Meetings with
U. S. Department
of Commerce’s
second Franchising
Trade Mission
International
Trade
Development
Trade mission is hereto identify
potential partners, potential
master franchisees/licensees,
and area developers in India.
Limited one-on-one business
appointments with the visiting
delegation.
Monday, December 08, 2014 Mumbai,
American
Consulate-
Bandra Kurla
Complex
Ms. Archana Kolte
archana.kolte@iac
cindia.com
Seminar on
"Business
Responsibility and
CSR"
Corporate
Social
Responsibility
The IICA-GIZ Business
Responsibility InitiativePhase-II,
is a bilateral cooperation
project between the Indian
Institute of Corporate Affairs
(IICA) and the Deutsche
Gesellschaftfur Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The
seminar will focus on the
phases of the projectand on
Section 135 of the Companies
Act, 2013 and the CSR Rules.
Tuesday, December 09, 2014 Mumbai Ms. Sneha Shimpi
sneha@iaccindia.c
om
Interactive session
with Deputy
Secretary, Office
of International
Business
Development,
DCED,
Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, USA
Mr. Wilfred
Muskens
International
Trade
Development
Interactivemeeting organized
for IACC members to explore
opportunities in the State of
Pennsylvania
Tuesday, December 09, 2014
| 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Pune, Finolex
Board Room-B
Wing, 5th
Floor,MCCIA
Trade Tower,
S. L. Kirloskar
International
Convention
Centre
Complex,
Senapati Bapat
Road
Ms. Devyani
Salunkhe
devyani@iaccindia
.com
Emerging Frauds
and recent
developments in
FCPA
Legal The objective of this seminar is
to discussthecurrent business
environment, impactof changes
in the Global and Indian
regulatory landscapewith
respect to risks,bribery and
corruption and how
organizations can navigaterisks
through a robustanti-fraud risk
program.
Friday,December 12, 2014 |
9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Bangalore,
Ernst & Young,
UB City
Canberra Block
6th Floor
Ms. Swati
Srivastava
swati@iaccindia.co
m
Workshop on
Supply Chain
Management &
Logistics
supported by IACC
Infrastructure
- Logistics &
Supply Chain
The highly interactive,two-day
workshop, delivered by the best
of academia in India,is filled
with lively casestudies,
interactivity,currentreal-world
examples, group discussions
that foster real-lifescenarios
make this a must attend
workshop for supply chain
practitioners and for specialists
who justwant to revise the
fundamentals.
December 15-16, 2014 Mumbai,
Hilton Hotel,
International
Airport
Ms. Sneha Shimpi
sneha@iaccindia.c
om
Seminar on
Business Valuation
Finance,
Taxation and
Corporate
Affairs
Providepractical insights into
the Business Valuation space
which is a pre-requisitefor an
intelligentdecision maker.
Knowing a company’s worth
and what determines that value
is imperativebefore payingthe
bigbucks.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014 Mumbai,
Mumbai
Cricket
Association
Club, Bandra
Kurla Complex
Ms. Trishla Dosi
trishla@iaccindia.c
om
Managing
Currency Risk is
Present Scenario
Finance,
Taxation and
Corporate
Affairs
Experts from MCX and eminent
Economists will discuss
ManagingCurrency in present
Economic Scenario
Friday,December 19, 2014 |
6:15 p.m.
Kolkata,Park
Hotel
Ms. Madhusree
Daityari
eic@iaccindia.com
7th Vibrant
Gujarat Summit
2015
General "Investors' summit" -An ideal
platformfor knowledge sharing,
social and business
transformation
January 8-13,2015 | 9:30
a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Gandhinagar,
Mahatma
Mandir
Ms. Krishna Israni
krishna@iaccindia.
com
One Day
Conference on
"Indo-US
Agribusiness
Opportunities"
Capture-Converge-
Collaborate
Agriculture The conference will focus on
the opportunities in the Indo-US
Agribusiness sector
Friday,May 15, 2015 Mumbai Ms. Trishla Dosi
trishla@iaccindia.c
om
Click here for index
Indo-US Trade Statistics
2014: U.S. trade in goods with India
NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. Details may not
equal totals due to rounding.
Month Exports Imports Balance
Jan-14 1,582.40 3,675.40 -2,093.00
Feb-14 1,366.90 3,043.00 -1,676.10
Mar-14 1,714.20 3,882.20 -2,168.00
Apr-14 1,401.10 4,457.90 -3,056.80
May-14 1,736.80 4,102.30 -2,365.50
Jun-14 1,907.50 3,231.70 -1,324.30
Jul-14 1,855.90 3,918.30 -2,062.40
Aug-14 1,920.1 3,859.7 -1,939.6
Sep-14 1,924.2 4,016.1 -2,092.0
Total 2014 15,409.2 34,186.7 -18,777.5
2013: U.S. trade in goods with India
NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. Details may not
equal totals due to rounding.
Month Exports Imports Balance
Jan-13 1,726.90 3,179.90 -1,453.00
Feb-13 1,561.10 2,829.00 -1,268.00
Mar-13 1,865.20 3,676.80 -1,811.60
Apr-13 1,656.90 4,069.50 -2,412.60
May-13 1,924.20 4,201.30 -2,277.00
Jun-13 2,365.70 3,410.80 -1,045.10
Jul-13 1,885.10 3,973.20 -2,088.10
Aug-13 2,068.8 3,615.6 -1,546.8
Sep-13 1,631.7 3,321.0 -1,689.2
Total 2013 16, 685.60 32,277.10 -15,591.40
Click here for index
India – US Trade Analysis
India - USTrade
Trade andcommerce form a crucial component of the rapidly expanding and multi-faceted relations between India and
U.S. From a modest $ 5.6 billion in 1990, the bilateral trade in merchandise goods has increased to $ 63.7 billion in 2013
representing an impressive 1037.5% growth in a span of 23 years.
India's merchandise exports to the U.S. grew by 4.2% from $ 28.96 billion during the period January-August 2013 to $
30.17 billionduringthe periodJanuary-August2014. US exportsof merchandise to India fell by 10.4% from $ 15.05 billion
during the period January-August 2013 to $ 13.49 billion during the period January-August 2014. India - U.S. bilateral
merchandise trade during the period January - August 2014, is $ 43.65 billion.
Trade during the year the period January – September2014
i) Major itemsof exportfrom India to US
Selectmajoritemswiththeirpercentageshares,are givenbelow.
a) Textiles (15.6%)
b) Preciousstones&metals(20.5%)
c) Mineral Fuel,Oil (11.3%)
d) Pharmaceutical products(11%)
e) Organicchemicals(5%)
f) Machinery(4.9%)
g) Electrical Machinery(3%)
h) Lac, Gum, Resins(2.9%)
ii) Major items ofexport from US to India
Selectmajoritemswiththeirpercentageshares,are givenbelow
a) Preciousstones&metals(23.5%)
b) Aircraft,spacecraft,Parts (12.4%)
c) Machinery(10%)
d) Electrical machinery(6.6%)
e) Mineral Fuel,Oil etc.(6.4%)
f) Optical instruments&equipment(6.1%)
h) Organic chemicals(3.4%)
g) PlasticProducts(3.3%)
Click here for index
International Buyer Program, 2014 Trade shows
International Buyer Program
2014 Trade Show Schedule
2014 International CES® (Consumer Electronics Show)
January 7–10 • Las Vegas, NV • cesweb.org
InfoComm International® 2014
June 18–20 • Las Vegas, NV •
infocommshow.orgShooting Hunting Outdoor Trade Show andConference
January 14–17 • Las Vegas, NV •
shotshow.org
2014 International Franchise Expo
June 19–21 • New York, NY • ifeinfo.com
World of Concrete® 2014
January 21–24 • Las Vegas, NV •
worldofconcrete.com
Fancy FoodShow (Summer) 2014
June/July (TBD) • New York, NY •
specialtyfood.com
DistribuTECH® Conference and Exhibition
January 28–30 • San Antonio, TX •
distributech.com
2014 Annual Meeting and Clinical Laboratory Expo of the
AmericanAssociation forClinicalChemistry
July 27–31 • Chicago, IL • aacc.org
International Production &Processing Expo
January 28–30 • Atlanta, GA • ippexpo.com
MAGICMarketplace (Summer) 2014
August 17–20 • Las Vegas, NV •
magiconline.comNAHB International Builders’ Show® 2014
February 4–6 • Las Vegas, NV •
buildersshow.com
International Woodworking Machinery &Furniture Supply Fair
August 20–23 • Atlanta, GA • iwfatlanta.com
Progressive Insurance® Miami International BoatShow®
February 13–17 • Miami, FL •
miamiboatshow.com
FarmProgress Show
August 26–28 • Boone, IA •
farmprogressshow.com
CONEXPO-CON/AGG® 2014
March 4–8 • Las Vegas, NV •
conexpoconagg.com
WEFTEC® WaterEnvironment FederationTechnical Exhibition and
Conference 2014
September 27–October 1 • New Orleans, LA •
weftec.orgNatural Products Expo West/Engredea 2014
March 6–9 • Anaheim, CA • expowest.com
PACKEXPO International2014
November 2–5 • Chicago, IL • packexpo.comInternational Home + Housewares Show 2014
March 15–18 • Chicago, IL • housewares.org
American FilmMarket®
November 5–12 • Santa Monica, CA •
americanfilmmarket.com
WasteExpo 2014
April 1–3 • Atlanta, GA • wasteexpo.com
GreaterNew York Dental Meeting
November 28–December 3 • New York, NY •
gnydm.com
The 2014 NABShow®
April 7–10 • Las Vegas, NV • nabshow.com
POWER-GEN® International
December 9–11 • Orlando, FL • power-
gen.com
2014 Offshore Technology Conference
May 5–8 • Houston, TX • otcnet.org
Click here for index
The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel
Show (NRA Show) 2014
May 17–20 • Chicago, IL •
show.restaurant.org
How to reachus:
We invite articles, industry related market research reports and whitepapers, information on policy matters related to
Indo-US trade and investments via e-mail. Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) deserves right to edit the said
articles for clarity and space and use them in all electronic and print form.
E-mail:pratik@iaccindia.com
Disclaimer:
No part of thisnewslettermaybe reproduced,reprintedorutilizedin any form or by any means electronic or mechanical
withoutpriorpermissionof the publisher.While every care is taken in compilation of information contained herein, the
publishercannotacceptanyresponsibilityforerroror omissionorforthe use of trademark,copyrights,brandname,logos
or otheridentifyingsymbolsprovidedinsupportingandparticipating companies and organizations. However all possible
and reasonable care hasbeentakentoensure thatthe informationinthis newsletter is as accurate and up-to-date at the
time of printing. This newsletter is for internal use only.
Credits:
A numberof personsandorganizationshave assistedusinthe preparationof this newsletter. The information contained
herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable and are based on research and analysis, whitepapers,
academia, websites, internet postings and e-mails received. We wish to thank and express our gratitude to everyone
named and unnamed for providing valuable inputs and providing data willingly.
Conceived,DesignedandResearchedby:
PratikWaghela, WebSystemsManager,IACC;E-mail:pratik@iaccindia.com
Click here for index
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IACC Newsletter October 2014 Final

  • 2.
    Index Contents Index President’s Message..........................................................................................................................................4 From theSecretary General’s Desk..................................................................................................................6 Happenings at IACC ...........................................................................................................................................7 Trade Opportunities with IACC ......................................................................................................................28 Trade Opportunity from USA.............................................................................................................................. 28 Trade Opportunity fromINDIA ........................................................................................................................... 28 US investments in India...................................................................................................................................29 Cisco to invest $1.7 billion in India this year; to partner Centre’s digital drive ......................................................... 29 New York City based Rockefeller Foundation to set up 1,000 mini power grids across rural India ........................... 30 Bill Gates Backs Impact Investor Unitus Seed ......................................................................................................30 India’s Investments in U.S................................................................................................................................32 Tech Mahindra buys US Company for$240 million .............................................................................................. 32 Aurobindo wins Natrol bid with $132 million........................................................................................................ 32 Indo-US Corporate News.................................................................................................................................34 Microsoft to use ‘white space’ tech forfree internet in India ................................................................................. 34 CCI gives nod to Mylan-Abbott merger ............................................................................................................... 34 Delaware headquartered DuPont introduces technology solution to tackle fake pesticides sale ............................ 35 After Google and Microsoft,IBM towoo online start-ups..................................................................................... 35 'Rs 299 corner': Google gears up forGreat Online Shopping Festival ....................................................................36 Made-in-India KTM Duke 390,RC390 heads to America: Launch price starts at $4,999......................................... 38 Huge demand forcars will turn around Ford's fortunes in India: President Nigel Harris .......................................... 39 Massachusetts based Dunkin's DonutsIntroduces Chickpea, Saffron, and Chili to their menu ............................... 40 Oregon based Columbia Sportswear to open 25 stores in India by April 2015........................................................ 40 Oracle Signs MoU with ICT Academy of Kerala to help students develop IT skills .................................................. 41 Global hotel chains eye secondary, tertiary markets in India................................................................................. 42 In the News:.....................................................................................................................................................44 'Infra sector to be main focus area for Indo-UScommerce ties'............................................................................. 44 U.S. President Barack Obama to bechief guest at Republic Day celebrations ....................................................... 45 Chuck Hagel understoodIndia's value, opened US military for Sikhs.....................................................................45 India and United States Joint Statement on the Trade Policy Forum.....................................................................46 Ex-Im Bank Chairman Hochberg Visits India toPromote Made-in-America Exports.............................................. 49 Wonderful moment in Indo-US ties: US Senator..................................................................................................50 Enrolment of Indian students in USup by28%: Report ........................................................................................ 51
  • 3.
    India Signs MoUwith USA on Setting-UpInfrastructure Collaboration Platform................................................... 52 Narendra Modi has turned India into a magnet: McKinsey CEO Dominic Barton ................................................... 53 Third Meeting of Indo-US Science & Technologyheld.......................................................................................... 54 Obama opens US borders to more talent from India............................................................................................ 54 Community leaders hail Verma's nomination as India's US envoy......................................................................... 56 Calendar of IACC Events for 2014....................................................................................................................57 Indo-US Trade Statistics...................................................................................................................................61 2014: U.S. trade in goods withIndia.................................................................................................................... 61 2013: U.S. trade in goods with India .................................................................................................................... 61 India – US Trade Analysis ................................................................................................................................62 International Buyer Program, 2014 Trade shows...........................................................................................63 How to reach us:..............................................................................................................................................64
  • 4.
    President’s Message Dear Member, Thereare many positive developments that have unfolded in recent days that can impact the Indo-US economic partnership.Foremostisthe conclusionof the Indo-USFoodSecurityagreement,whichcanheraldthe earliestsigning of a trade facilitation agreement under the WTO. After a long spell of impasse, the multilateral trade negotiations will be resumedinthe rightearnest. The bonhomie at the G20 meeting in Brisbane, where India was an active participant, is an indication of the resolution of the WTO contracting parties to forget the past and seize the opportunities that are unfolding in world trade. The coming months will witness some solid initiatives in this regard. A related development is the consensus reached by the US and China to limit the emission of greenhouse gases. The pledge by the US of USD 3 billion towards Green Climate Fund (GCF), in particular, signals the importance that is being accordedto climate change.India’shope isthatthe GCF will be increasingly committed to enabling developing countries like India to access state-of-the-art technologies to abate pollution. Education is emerging as a sector that is further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and the US. The enrollmentof Indiansinthe USschools,collegesandtechnical instituteshasgone upby 28 percent. Indian students make up the second largest foreign contingent in the US after China, contributing to a sizeable portion of its revenue for the sector.Yet,the cherishedgoal of Indiato emerge as a regional hub for education, despite its huge network of schools of higherlearningstillremainstobe afar cry. Our cooperationineducationsectorhastoshow more seriousness in terms of exchange of facultiesandsharingof informationandnetworkingamongthe topuniversities.There is no denial that some of the leading universities in US have expressed their desire to have off campuses in India to cater to the educational needs of not only Indians but also for the students from the developing world, who cannot afford higher cost in the US cities. Legislations that bar setting up of such institutions must be amended to take the conversation forward. Recently, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stressed the need for accelerating India’s services exports to offset the increasingdeficitinthe merchandizetrade.He hadidentifiedsome low lyingfruitslikehealthcare,legal services, research and development,financial servicesetc.whichcanbe easilyandconveniently tapped to up the services exports from the country.At the same time,India’straditionalstrengthinITandITES has to be consolidatedsince thissegmentwasthe first to be exploitedandhascatapultedservicesexportsfromthe countryfroma few milliondollarssome two decades back to US$ 151 billion.The governmentshouldaddresssome of the irritantslikevisaregulationtoenable India to accelerate the services exports to the US.
  • 5.
    IACC has beentaking regular initiatives in creating newer ideas and approaches for cementing the India-US economic cooperation. The recently concluded India-US Economic Summit ferreted out many new ideations that can be put to practice in many areas including energy, tourism, education, manufacturing sector etc. Across our regions, we are engaginginnewerconversationson hot topic issues such as infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, CSR, and inviting more and more delegations to India. Significantly,thereisanew found enthusiasm in the Indian economic landscape. Many new policy initiatives have been unveiled. FDI regime is being increasingly liberalized. Newer schemes like Make in India, Digitizing India etc. are being implemented. The Indian industry has considerable stake in that. To tap that potential, we need state-of-the-art technologies,huge resourcesandcapabilities.Insuchthings, the US is our natural partner. This message IACC has to take to the nation through its well-crafted sensitization programs, workshops, and seminars so that we can remain ahead of others in espousing the cause and importance of the Indo-US economic partnership. Asoke K. Laha National President, IACC
  • 6.
    From the SecretaryGeneral’s Desk Dear Members, An investmentof over$ 1 trillionisneeded for toning up the Indian infrastructure sector in the next ten years or so. The resource requirement will be much higher if we are to go by the importance assigned by the new dispensation for this sector.Thisis reflectedinsome ambitiousannouncementslikespeedyintroductionof bullettrains,creatingfourtransport corridors, developing urban transport like metros, and light rail, smart cities, and the unprecedented focus on power generation. Domestic resource constraints are many. For instance, huge resources are being planned for education, health, river cleaning, cleanliness drive, Jan Dhaan Yojana, etc. Therefore, it is necessary that we seek investments from abroad. Infrastructure proposalsshouldbe attractive,gestationperiodlow andreturnoncapital adequate tomotivate investorsto bringin the capital.Goingbythe pasttrend,FDI inIndiaismostlydirectedtothe servicessector,followedbyconstruction, and the rest is miniscule spread across various sectors. We have to change this trend. Infrastructure should be a vertical that fits the bill for foreign investors. In the past, many knee jerk exercises have been carried out to attract investment in infrastructure, such as sovereign guarantee of minimum returns on investment in the power sector, opening up of various segments like construction, townshipforforeigninvestorparticipation,relaxationof landholdingrightsforcertaininvestments, etc.Butthe resultsare not adequate, going by the flow of investments into the segment. Against this backdrop, IACC’s forthcoming Infrastructure Summit assumes importance. A delegation from the State of Texas led by Ed Emmett, the top elected official of Harris County and an internationally renowned authority on transportationandlogistics, Mr. Tom Kornegay, the longest serving Executive Director of the Port of Houston Authority, TexasState SenatorRodneyEllisandIACCGHPresidentandExecutive Directorwill be attending the summit. Importantly, Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Urban Affairs is the Chief Guest for this Summit. We expect both Indian and US Stakeholderstoparticipate andferretoutthe policy framework that is needed for catalyzing investment into the sector. IACC will host this delegation from the State of Texas, US, led by Ed Emmett in Mumbai as well. In December, IACC will host another delegation led by Mr. Wilfred Muskens, Deputy Secretary, Office of International Business Development, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Pune. I invite youto read this issue of the Newsletter, and pay particular attention to our list of upcoming events. We have an interesting line-up of events in sectors such as Infrastructure, International Trade Development, Finance, Taxation & Corporate Affairs, CSR, and Agriculture. We look forward to your active participation in all our initiatives pan India. As always, your suggestions and comments are welcome. With regards, Atul Vyas, Acting Secretary General
  • 7.
    Happenings at IACC WestIndia Council IACC in association with Nishith Desai Associates organized a program on “International Arbitration” in Mumbai IACC along with Nishith Desai Associates organized a program on “International Arbitration”. on October 17, 2014, from 4:30 pm to 6.30 p.m. in the Banquet Hall No. 4 on 2nd Floor of Garware Club House, Wankhede Stadium,'D' Road, Churchgate, Mumbai - 400 020. Indiaand the UnitedStatesare major playersinthe worldeconomy,withrapidlygrowingtrade andbusinessrelationships between companies located in far apart regions such as India and Texas. Companies like these, who are doing business across transnational borders,frequently turn to arbitration to resolve their business disputes. This program provided an overviewof international arbitration,examine choices to further the company’s objective to keep costs down and avoid unnecessary delays, and explore strategies for tailoring the process to meet your needs. The esteemed panellists included Ms. Shashi Patel, Partner, Ware, Jackson, Lee & Chambers, LLP, USA who spoke on “International Arbitration.TipsforMaximizingthe BenefitsandManagingDisputesArisingwithCompanies outside India” and SeniorAssociatesMr.Sahil Kanuga and Ms. Shalaka Patil from Nishith Desai Associates who spoke on “International Arbitration – Past, Present and Future with a Focus on India”. The session was chaired by Mr. Suresh Kotak, Promoter, KotakMahindra Finance Ltd.Mr. Kotakaddedto the discussionbygivinghisveryvaluable inputsand moderated the Q&A brilliantly. After attending the program, participants had a better understanding about: 1. Differences between Arbitration, Mediation & Litigation. 2. Characteristics of the Arbitral Process. 3. Advantages of the Arbitral Process. 4. Disadvantages of the Arbitral Process. 5. Essential Considerations in Drafting the Arbitration Clause/Agreement. 6. Enforcement of the Arbitration Agreement. The session was phenomenal and was very well attended and appreciated by the participants. Ms. Rajyalakshmi Rao, Regional President, IACC-WIC welcoming the participants and introducing the esteemed speakers at the event.
  • 8.
    Participants listening intentlyto the panel discussion Interactive session with Mr. K. V. Chowdary, Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes, Delhi on October 13, 2014 in Mumbai IACC organized an interactive session with Mr. K. V. Chowdary, Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes, Delhi on October 13, 2014 from12.30 to 2.00 p.m. inHall No.1 on the 2nd Floorof the Garware Club House, Wankhede Stadium,'D' Road, Churchgate, Mumbai - 400 020. The topic of discussion was “Retro amendment and exchange of information under Tax treaties. Mr. Chowdaryinhisspeechassertedthe sovereign'srightto change laws retrospectively, and added that taxpayers have benefited in some cases. He pointed out that "Retrospective amendment is the constitutional prerogative of the governmentandgovernments prior to this have enacted tax laws with retrospective effect. Some of them have been in favorof the tax payer,"he said,concedingthatsuchamendments put the industry at some risk. Mr. Chowdary incredibly answered to innumerable questions and also discussed various direct tax related issues raised by the participants. The session was outstanding and very well attended.
  • 9.
    Ms. Rajyalakshmi Rao,Regional President, IACC-WIC welcoming Mr. K. V. Chowdary, Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes, Govt. of India by presenting a memento of appreciation Mr. Jairaj Purandare, Executive Council member of IACC in discussion with Mr. Chowdary during the Q&A session Mr. Chowdary addressing the participants
  • 10.
    Gujarat Branch Interactive Meetingwith the Mr. Thomas L. Vajda, U.S Consul General, US Consulate Mumbai at Hotel Radisson Blu, Ahmedabad The Indo – AmericanChamberof Commerce (IACC),GujaratBranch,organized an Interactive Meeting with Mr. Thomas L. Vajda, the Consul General, US Consulate Mumbai on October 17, 2014, at Hotel Radisson Blu, Ahmedabad. ChairmanMr. JaiminShahwelcomedMr. Thomas L. Vajda, Consul General, US Consulate Mumbai and introduced him to the Council members. Mr. Vajda previously served as the Director of the Middle East Partnership Initiative, a foreign assistance programsupportingpolitical andeconomic reform in the MENA region. His service in Washington has been in the areas of East Asian and Pacific affairs, weapons removal and abatement, and human resources. There was a discussion on opportunities for trade, investment and economic growth etc. Chairman Mr. Shah briefed CG that IACCisworkingforpromotingIndo-USbusinessandhe alsorecognizedIACCas a key Indian Business partner to USA. Mr. Vajdagave a brief ideaaboutSelectUSA programme,International Buyersprogramme,Delegation from USA to India, Bank tie-ups for investors in USA, Development on Infrastructure, Hospitality and Education sectors in India and investmentopportunityforUSbusinessmen.Mr.Vajdaalso said that many American Companies are interested to invest in Gujarat, as Gujarat has very positive situations for Industrial Growth. Ms. Camille Richardson, Principal Commercial Officer, US & Foreign Commercial Service, Mumbai also joined for the interactive session. The meeting was followed by Hi-tea. Mr. Jaimin Shah Chairman, IACC Gujarat Branch welcoming CG Mr. Thomas L. Vajda
  • 11.
    (L- R) Ms.Camille Richardson, Principal Commercial Officer, USCS; Mr. Thomas L. Vajda, Consul General, US Consulate; Mr. Jaimin Shah, Chairman IACC Gujarat. Mr. Samir Shah- Sr. Vice Chairman welcoming Ms. Camille Richardson
  • 12.
    Interactive meeting inprogress with Mr. Vajda Mr. Thomas L. Vajda with IACC Council members
  • 13.
    Pune Branch IACC andU.S. Commercial Service jointly inaugurated ‘American Business Corner’ on October 20, 2014 at Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA). Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Commercial Service are working together through ‘American Business Corner’, which was successfully inaugurated on October 20, 2014 at Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA).The inaugurationof newoffice premisesatMCCIA were done bythe hands of the honorable Thomas L. Vajda, Consul General, U. S. Consulate, Mumbai. The U.S. Commercial Service wants to reach out to the need of the business community in the 2nd and 3rd tier cities of India,andfacilitate trade betweenIndianimporters&exportersandtheirAmericancounterparts.The ‘AmericanBusiness Corner’,will offeropportunitiestoIndianimportersinthesecitiestolearnaboutthe servicesandprogramsofferedby the ABC andconnectwithAmericanbusinessesthroughbooklets,brochures,newsletters, magazines and CDs; and upcoming business opportunities. The eventwas well attendedby60+ industryveteransandwasfollowedby Breakfast. The ABC launch has been very well received by Pune stakeholders. Thomas L. Vajda, U.S. Consul General inaugurates American Business Corner. (L-R) Ms. Camille Richardson, Principal Commercial officer, Mr. Dillon Banerjee, Counselor for Commercial Affairs, Ms. Rajyalakshmi Rao, Regional President , IACC – WIC& Mr. Prashant Pansare, Chairman, IACC Pune look on.
  • 14.
    Mr. Dillon Banerjeegetting introduced to Mr. Surendra Kumar Jain, Presi dent MCCIA as Ms. Camille Richardson and Mr. Shalendra Porwal look on. American Business Corner premises
  • 15.
    Mr. Thomas L.Vajda inaugurating the American Business Corner as Mr. Prashant Pansare looks on. Exchange of MoU’s (Memorandum of Understanding)
  • 16.
    North India Council Indo-USEconomic Summit: Convergence and Connectivity in Indo-US Economic Relations, on October 15-16, 2014, in New Delhi The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) hosted its decennial edition of the Indo-US Economic Summit in New Delhi on October 15-16, 2014. This year’s theme “Convergence and Connectivity in Indo-US Economic Relations”, was a natural progression from last year’s topic “Indo-US Resurgence Summit: A Search for Innovative Strategies”, as it took forwardthe momentumsetinour bilateral dialogue.The Summitcontinuedtoprove itsrelevanceasa significantplatform for deliberations on Indo-US strategic, economic, trade and business relations. Focusing on this year’s Summit theme, Dr. Lalit Bhasin, Regional President, IACC and Summit Chairperson said that a special emphasishadbeenimpartedtowardspromotionof ourengagementinthe Servicessector,asectorthat surpassed any otherintermsof itscontributionandpotential indefiningouroverall trade contours.Inhiswelcomeaddress,he cited the meeting of Honorable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama as a historic and defining moment in Indo-US relations. He further added that the IACC Forum remained aligned with the efforts of our GovernmentsandIndustries in bridging the Indo-US gap for future growth, continuously engaging a strong membership base of 2100 large, medium and small companies from India and the US across 11 offices pan India. Mr. Asoke Laha,National President,IACC,reiteratedDr.Bhasin’scommentandsaidthatinthe upcomingyear,IACCwould continue tocontribute inthe facilitation of Indo-US trade by providing policy inputs and industry insights, particularly in sectors such as aviation and defense, manufacturing, services, skill development, hospitality and tourism, and infrastructure.EffectivelyengagingSMEswasalsoa priorityforIACC,SMEs beinganinfluential andcrucial segment of the industrythatwas havingan increasing impact on the global economy. The Chamber was looking forward to engage with this group in both the countries and generating ideas to enhance the bilateral cooperation. The two-dayEconomicSummithada lineupof leading experts in fields of IT and Cyber Security, Aviation, Education and Skill Development,Hospitality and Tourism, e-commerce, Media & Entertainment, International Trade and Services. Mr. George Sibley,Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy was the Chief Guest and delivered his special address at the Inaugural session. Mr. Sibley suggested that while the PM and the President had come up with a joint statement that highlighted key issues of interest for both India and the US; for the success of this partnership, it was pertinent that the twocountriesrecognizedeachother’s‘worth’inthisjointrelationshipandworkcooperativelytowardsthe shared‘vision’ of “Chalein Saath Saath: Forward Together We Go”. During the inaugural, Mr. George Sibley released a white paper jointly carried by IACC and the Summit’s Knowledge Partner,Kochhar& Co.Thispaper coversa wide range of topical issues,whichwere also discussed over the course of the two days of the Summit. Mr. Pratyush Kumar, Regional Vice President, IACC-NIC, and President Boeing India and Vice PresidentBoeingInternational,highlighted the three areas of focus for his company and for the larger Indo-US dialogue, namely,Defence,TechnologyandAviation. He suggested that there was tremendous scope for convergence in all these sectors,andlaidspecial emphasis on the “Make in India” initiative launched by the Indian Government. Mr. Raman Roy, CMD, Quatrro Global Services Pvt. Ltd. presented the Indian industry perspective and said that India and the US were natural partners where India represented a varied and skilled supply base that could deliver world class services. Mr. SanjayMehta,Regional Vice President,IACC,andManagingDirector,Teleperformance Indiadeliveredthe Vote of Thanks. On the firstday,the Summithostedknowledge sessionsonIT& CyberSecurity,TrendsinIndo-USCooperationinAviation, Education and Skill Development, and Hospitality and Tourism. On day two, the Summit delved into Sessions on International Trade,e-Commerce the Changing Paradigm, Media & Entertainment, Exchange of Services: Cooperation in Accounting, Financial & Legal Services, and closed with concluding remarks by Dr. Lalit Bhasin, Mr. Asoke Laha and Mr. John McCaslin.
  • 17.
    Dr Lalit Bhasin,Summit Chairman and Regional President, IACC delivering the Welcome Remarks Mr. Asoke K Laha, National President, IACC & President & CEO, Interra Information Technologies Inc. making the Theme Présentation Mr. George N Sibley, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy delivering the Inaugural address during the Summit.
  • 18.
    Releasing of StudyBook prepared by Kochhar & Co. the Knowledge Partner (L-R) Mr. Sanjay Mehta, Regional Vice President, IACC & Managing Director, Teleperformance India; Mr. Pratyush Kumar, Regional Vice President, IACC & President Boeing India and Vice President Boeing International; Dr Lalit Bhasin; Mr. Rohit Kochhar, Chairman & Managing Partner, Kochhar and Company; Mr. George N Sibley and Mr. Asoke K Laha Participants at the Summit
  • 19.
    Dr. Kamlesh Bajaj,CEO, Data Security Council of India (DSCI) led the session on IT & Cyber Security. Mr. Ashish Sonal, Founder & CEO, Orkash Services Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Daniel Clegg, US Dept. of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mr. Umesh Verma, CEO, Blue Lance Inc., & Chairman Cyber Security Task Force of Greater Houston Partnership and Mr. UmeshSachdev,CEO, Uniphore Software Systems,alsoaddressedthe audience inthissession.Theydiscussedkeyaspects of cyberterrorism,the increasingthreatsto companies and personal privacy, and ways to set in place counter-measures to minimize the frequencyandscope of the attacks. Information protection was key to avoid identity and currency theft. Session on IT and Cyber Security (L-R) Mr. Daniel Clegg, Legal Attache, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Dr. Kamlesh Bajaj, Chief Executive Officer, Data Security Council of India (DSCI); Mr. Umesh Verma, CEO, Blue Lance Inc. & Chairman Cyber Security Task Force of Greater Houston Partnership; Mr. Umesh Sachdev, Chief Executive Officer, Uniphore Software Systems and Mr. Ashish Sonal, Founder & CEO, Orkash Services Pvt Ltd;
  • 20.
    Mr. Atul Sharma,Past Regional PresidentIACC-NIC,andManagingPartner,LinkLegal India Law Services, led the Aviation Session which discussed the opportunities in Aviation Infrastructure, and re-looked at the Civil Aviation Authority Regulations. Mr. Henry Steingass, Regional Director, S&SE Asia, USTDA, Mr. Arijit Ghosh, President – Aerospace, Honeywell India, Mr. Nalin Jain, President and CEO, South Asia, GE Transportation, GE Aviation, Mr. Amber Dubey, Partnerand Head – Aerospace andDefence,KPMG, Mr.Piyush Gupta,Partner,Kochhar& Co., Mr. Ravi Menon,Executive Director,AirWorks india,Group Captain R K Bali (Retd),Secretary,BusinessAircraftOperatorsAssociation (BAOA), Cdr. A M Ganapathy, ManagingPartner, ACCOLITE CBAS Inc. were the other speakers in this session. Given that most air traffic growthhad beenfoundinAsia,specificallyIndiaand China, the lack of infrastructure at some of the airports in India was resultinginthe disabilityof handlinghighairtrafficandmaintainingoptimumairconnectivity.The speakersalsocalled for rationalization of taxes, revision of certain policies that hampered investment in this sector and better regulations for MROs. Session on “Trends in Indo-US Cooperation in Aviation” (L-R) - Mr. Amber Dubey, Partner and Head-Aerospace and Defense, KPMG;Mr. Nalin Jain, President and CEO, South Asia, GE Transportation, GE Aviation; Mr. Arijit Ghosh, President –Aerospace Honeywell India; Mr. Henry Steingass, Regional Director, S&SE Asia, USTDA; Mr. Atul Sharma, Past Regional President, IACC & Managing Partner, Link Legal India Law Services; Mr. Piyush Gupta, Partner, Kochhar & Co; Mr. Ravi S Menon, Executive Director, Air Works India; Group Captain R K Bali (Retd), Secretary, Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) and Cdre A M Ganapathy, Managing Partner, ACCOLITE CBAS Inc.
  • 21.
    The Educationand SkillDevelopment session was led by Mr. Vivek Singh, Director, Grant Thornton India LLP. Mr. Sanjay Mehta, Managing Director, Teleperformance India, Mr. Deepak Bharara, Chief Human Resource Officer, Lanco Infratech Limited, Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Managing Director & CEO, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and Prof. Rupa Chanda, IIM Bangalore were the other panelists for this session. The panelists called for global sensitization of every studentinIndia,andadvisedalookat whether there is alignment in the faculty instruction and industry expectation i.e. between education and employability. Given the new Govt.’s increased focus on skill deve lopment, the panelists encouragedapublicprivate partnershipingeneratingadvocacycampaignstomotivate peoplein specializing in skills that were in demand internationally. Session on Education and Skill Development (L- R) Mr. Deepak Bharara, Chief Human Resource Officer, Lanco Infratech Limited; Mr. Sanjay Mehta; Mr. Vivek Vikram Singh, Executive Director, Grant Thornton India LLP; Prof Rupa Chanda, IIM Bangalore and Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Managing Director & CEO, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)
  • 22.
    Mr. Baljit Sobti,Managing director, Systems Tek India Pvt. Ltd. led the Hospitality and Tourism session, along with Mr. John McCaslin, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs, US Embassy, Mr. Vikram Madhok, Managing Director, Abercrombie & Kent India Ltd., Mr. Sunder Advani, CMD, Advani Hotels & Resorts India Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Navin Berry, Chief Executive, Cross Section Media and Mrs. Ragini Chopra, Director, Jetairways as speakers. The speakers echoed some of the concerns mentioned in the Aviation session regarding non-conducive regulations and policy, along with lack of connectivitybyairandtrain and heavytaxation that negatively impacted tourism and travel in India. They were hopeful that the new‘Visaonarrival’initiative forall Americanswouldbe a game changer for India and expected a 15% growth in this sector so that India could realize its capability of handling 15 million tourists each year. Mr. McCaslin made a highly engagingpresentationonthe promotionof tourismfromIndiatothe US, the US government’sfocusandinitiatives in this area and also the significant amount of revenues this sector contributed to the overall US economy thus giving a very balanced tone to the overall discussions and adding the vital US perspective. Session on Hospitality and Tourism (L-R) Mr. Navin Berry , Chief Executive, Cross Section Media; Mr. Sunder Advani, CMD, Advani Hotels & Resorts India Pvt. Ltd; Mr. John M McCaslin, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs, US Embassy; Mr. Baljit Sobti, Managing Director, Systems Tek India Pvt Ltd; Mr. Vikram Madhok, Managing Director, Abercrombie & Kent India Ltd and Mrs. Ragini Chopra, Director, Jet airways
  • 23.
    The session onInternational Trade opened day 2 of the Summit and was led by Mr. Kamal Meattle, Past National President IACC and CEO, Paharpur Business Centre & Software Technology, Incubator Park. Mr. Don Jackson, Partner, Ware JacksonLee & Chambers, Mr. R. Chandrashekhar, PresidentNASSCOM, Mr.Hugo Yon,ActingMinisterCounselorfor Economic,Environment,Science and Technology, US Embassy, and Mr. Ronen Sen, Former Indian Ambassador to the US were the other speakers for this session. The speakers touched upon the significant role of the IT sector in defining the Indo-UStrade relationmaintainingthat it was not just the presence of Indian IT companies in the US that was significant but the presence of US IT companies in India which also had to be recognized. There was still tremendous scope for innovation in this sector. They also elicited the importance of start-ups, particularly in the US and the role of Indian entrepreneurs and stressed on the Indo-US relationship that was enabling job creation in both countries. Session on International Trade (L- R) – Mr. Don Jackson, Partner, Ware Jackson Lee & Chambers; Mr. Ronen Sen, Former Indian Ambassador to US; Mr. Kamal Meattle, CEO, Paharpur Business Centre & Software Technology Incubator Park; Dr Lalit Bhasin; Mr. R Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM and Mr. Hugo Yon, Acting Minister Counselor for Economic, Environment, Science and Technology, US Embassy;
  • 24.
    The nextsessionone-Commerce,the ChangingParadigm,was led by Mr. Sanjay Mehta, Regional Vice President, IACC & Managing Director,Teleperformance India.Otherhighprofilepanelists included Mr. Amarjit Singh Batra, CEO, OLX South Asia, Mr. Praveen Sinha, MD & Founder, Jabong.com, Mr. Nitin Bawankule, Industry Director, Ecommerce, Local and Media, Google India, Mr. Sunil K. Goyal, CEO, Yournest.in and Mr. Skand Bhargava, Lead Analyst, Contact Center Outsourcing,Everest Group. In the last few years, India had evolved as a market for ecommerce with a large population becomingincreasinglycomfortablewithonline buying.The speakerstalkedabouthow thisformatempoweredthe buyers to not only buy at a lower cost point but to also voice their review for products and services on social media thereby ensuringinstantfeedbackandinfluencingbuyingpatterns.However,Indiahadtobe evaluatedasacollective combination of smallerregions rather than a whole country so that local culture and economics could be factored in for targeted and relevant products & services. Session on e-Commerce, The Changing Paradigm: Driving Consumer Empowerment (L-R) Mr Skand Bhargava, Lead Analyst, Contact Center Outsourcing, Everest Group; Mr Sunil K Goyal, CEO, Yournest.in; Mr. Sanjay Mehta; Dr Lalit Bhasin; Mr. Amarjit Singh Batra, CEO, OLX South Asia; Mr. Praveen Sinha, MD & Founder, Jabong.com and Mr. Nitin Bawankule, Industry Director, Ecommerce, Local and Media, Google India.
  • 25.
    Mr. Sandeep Marwah,Chairman, NIC’s Media and Entertainment Committee & Director of Asian Academy of Film & Television & Asian School of Media Studies led the session on Media & Entertainment, along with Mr. Pankaj Parashar, eminentFilmDirector, Mr.SantoshBhartiya, CEO, Senior Media Ltd. and Mr. Uday Singh, Managing Director, the Motion Picture Distributors Association India as distinguished speakers. Session on Media and Entertainment (L-R) Mr. Santosh Bhartiya, CEO, Senior Media Ltd; Mr. Sandeep Marwah, Director of Asian Academy of Film & Television & Asian School of Media Studies; Mr. Uday Singh, Managing Director, The Motion Picture Distributors Association India and Mr. Pankaj Parashar, Film Director.
  • 26.
    The last sessionof the day “Exchange of Services: Cooperation in Accounting, Financial & Legal Services” was led by Mr. AseemChawla,Regional Council Member,NIC&Partner,MPC Legal and Mr. Atul Sharma, Past Regional PresidentIACC & Managing Partner, Link Legal India Law Services. Ms. Shashi Patel, Ware, Jackson, Lee & Chambers, LLP, Mr. Thiru Govender,CPA,Shareholder,ElliottDavisPLLC,and Mr. Sanjay Agarwal, Chairman,Committee onEconomic, Commercial Laws & WTO, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India also addressed the audience. Session on Exchange of Services Cooperation in Accounting, Financial & Legal Services (L-R) Mr. Thiru Govender , CPA, Shareholder, Elliott Davis PLLC; Mr. Atul Sharma; Dr Lalit Bhasin; Mr. Aseem Chawla, Partner, MPC Legal; Ms. Shashi Patel, Ware, Jackson,Lee & Chambers ,LLP and Mr. Sanjay Agarwal, Chairman, Committee on Economic, Commercial laws & WTO, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. The Summit hosted over 250 delegates on each day representing organizations from India and the US, ,top diplomats, officialsfromIndiangovernmentandUS Embassyandfocusedonareas of bilateral trade and investment, knowledge and technology transfer, public private partnerships, and joint partnerships in the varied sectors.
  • 27.
    South India Council TamilNadu Branch Networking Meet with Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, Chargé d’ Affaires, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi on October 19, 2014 Indo-AmericanChamberof Commerce (IACC) organizedaNetworkingMeetwith Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, Chargé d’ Affaires, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi at Hotel Hyatt Regency, Chennai. While addressingthe gathering,Ambassador Stephens expressed America’s keenness to partner with India in achieving Prime MinisterModi’smandate tocreate 1 millionjobseverymonth. She pointedout issuance of 8 lakh visas to India by U.S. Embassy so far this year, in her speech. The Ambassador further said, as far as Chennai is concerned its proximity to business communities in eastern countries like Korea, Japan, Singapore should be encourage more investment opportunities. Also, improvement in India’s Intellectual Property Rights with International Standards would help boost the confidence of American investors. In conclusion, Ms. Stephens emphasized the partnership need between India & U.S. on various issues like tackling terrorism, space cooperation and climate change. This program was attended by prominent senior representatives from various industries based in Chennai. Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, Chargé d’ Affaires, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi addressing the participants.
  • 28.
    Trade Opportunities withIACC Trade Opportunity fromUSA Sr. No. Business Interest of the Company Contact details 1. Simmons Engineering Corporation is USA based company and has been a supplier of unique blades to Industry. This company is having world class quality in Manufacturing, innovation in design and product development and exceptional customer service. They are currently active primarily in the foam and food market. Additionally we have capability in the metal cutting, wood cutting and aerospace industries. Simmons is seeking distributors for their specialized band saw blades that are used to cut and fabricate foam rubber among other things. ExportBusinessisone of the strategic initiatives of the company moving forward. For more details, please visit : www.simcut.com Ms. Rakhi Panda Regional Director, IACC-WIC Tel: 91-22-22821413 rakhi@iaccindia.com; B2B@iaccindia.com Trade Opportunity fromINDIA 1. AKP Foundries (P) Ltd is in the business of Foundry/casting manufacturing and CNC machining since last 35 years. Their Exports business is around 30% of sales. Theywouldlike to have a Joint Venture in the product segment of Pumps and valves They act as a manufacturing and sales hub for the US counterpartin the Asia pacific region as well as export to European countries etc. Also, they are interested in B2B the construction equipmentand Engine manufacturers so as to explore the possibility of exports of castings to US For more details,pleasevisit: www.akpfoundries.com Ms. Jitika Narang Manager Memberships, IACC (Karnataka Branch) Tel:91-80-41148325/ 22203366 jitika@iaccindia.com; B2B@iaccindia.com Click here for index
  • 29.
    US investments inIndia Cisco to invest $1.7 billion in India this year; to partner Centre’s digital drive Nearly three months after Cisco Chairman & CEO John Chambers said he will "bet big on India", the world's biggest computernetworkingcompanydetailed plans to invest around $1.7 billion in a year, becoming the first multinational to make such a commitment in the country since the Narendra Modi government took over. After a spate of exits of top officialsandconcernsoverbusinessgrowthinthe country,Ciscoisback onits feetwithbillionsof dollars up its sleeves as it looks to partner India on the government's digital initiative. "Ciscoisinvesting$1.7 billionthisyearintothe Indiaoperations,"Cisco'sIndiapresidentDinesh Malkani told media. "The investment includes a $40-million innovation fund and investments into R&D." "I think Modi in India is going to turn aroundthat country,"Chambershadsaid duringanearningscall inAugust."You can see the enthusiasmboth citizens and businessesthere are bettingonasingle emerging market. I would bet on India right now in a big way." Cisco India lost at leastfourkeypeople inthe pastyear,includingIndiaheadJeffWhite.Inthe quarterendedOctober 26, 2013, Cisco's India revenue declined 18%. With the new Modi government in place, Cisco is placing a fresh bet on India. Witha freshannual investmentof $1.7 billion in India, Cisco is preparing to bid for large government contracts for smart cities and other Digital India projects. Chambers sees huge opportunity in India. During a speech in August, he said he wants Cisco India's contribution to the parent company rise from less than 2% now to at least 5%. As the US network equipment-makerfacesconstantdipinitsChinabusiness,Ciscosees India as a big opportunity for growth. In the quarter endedJuly26, CiscoIndia'srevenue grew 18% while China revenue declined 26%. The slide in China revenue continued evenduringthe subsequentquarterwhenthe companysaw a dip of 33% in China business. India was still growing at 6%. "Ciscohas been a market leader in a lot of areas. India market is important for them from a smart city perspective. They are doing a lot of work in that area. Even in the data centre space they are doing very well. With smart city being a big thinginIndia,Ciscowill double down in the long term," said Karthik Ananth, director at marketing research firm Zinnov. Cisco is now approaching the new government opportunity by carving out a new division called the Growth Vertical, which will focus on areas such as eHealthcare, eEducation, smart cities and national broadband project. The growing Internet penetration and exponential growth of Internetbased companies, such as Flipkart, Ola, Zomato in the country, is creating newer opportunities for Cisco. "Every time a new user gets added to the network, he's an opportunityforeducation,forbanking,forecommerce.We've beenworkingwithbusinesses to provide the network. We also want to partner with the government for the national broadband project, to make sure the network is available to every village in the country," Malkani said. "We've got some of our bestpeople to be a part of this new division as it requires a lot of work," Malkani said. "For such projects,the productsneedtobe more ruggedand localised.The teamisworkingonmaking sure we get every bit of that right."Some of the keypeople whoare apart of the divisioninclude Purushottam Kaushik, who'll be heading the growth vertical andhas previouslybeenworkingonprojectsintelecom,Indiadigitisation,Internet of Everything, physical safety, energy,manufacturingand transportation. Vishal Saxena, who has been in the company for last eight years, working on service provider and defence business, is now heading India digitisation and smart cities part of the growth vertical. Rupinder Singh, who has been technical leader for the public sector, enterprise and service provider business, will be playing the engineering director for India digitisation, Internet of Everything, physical safety and surveillance. Cisco,whichemploys11,300 people inIndia,hasmoved about15-20% of itsIndiaworkforce tothe newlyformed division. Cisco has already won some large government projects in these areas. The company is consulting the government on buildingfouroutof the five smartcitiesinthe Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor."We built the entire blueprint for four of the five cities on DMIC.
  • 30.
    Nowwe are movingintothenextphase where we are goinginto a lot more detail about the deployment and the project plan,"Malkani said.The fourcitiesinclude Dholera Special Investment Region in Gujarat, Shendra Bidkin Mega Industrial Park in Maharashtra, Manesar Bawal Investment Region in Haryana and Khushkhera Bhiwadi Neemrana Investment Region in Rajasthan. Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Click here for index New York City based Rockefeller Foundation to set up 1,000 mini power grids across rural India In itseffortstoprovide electricityforrural populationof the country,the Rockefeller Foundation i s working on a USD 100 million (Rs.614 crore) initiative to establish 1,000 mini power grids in the next three years, a PTI report stated. The first30 mini gridsare expectedtobe setup,mostlyin Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, by the end of this year, according to a senior official of the foundation. The foundation, which works for betterment of human lives in different parts of the world, would be putting in USD 65 million(nearlyRs.400crore) for the mini gridsinitiative."Ourcontributionwill be USD 65 million but the total cost will be higher. Total cost would be around USD 100 million for 1,000 mini grids," the foundation's Associate Vice President and Managing Director (Asia Program Team) Ashvin Dayal told the media. The projects would have equity participation from companies. Generally,amini powergridwould help cater to 150-250 households with about 1,000 people. The amount of electricity such grids can carry would be in the range of 65-75 kilowatt hours. Setting up of mini grids would help in increasing electrification in India where about 53 million households are without access to power. "We are not going to provide grant funding completely... We will be providing concessional debt, grant financing for additional support that is needed. Companies will put in their own finance," Dayal said. While the firstsetof 30 mini gridswouldbe readybythe endof thisyear,the foundationhasseta target of setting up 200 such grids by 2015 end. "By end of 2017, we expect to have 1,000 mini grids," Dayal said. For these mini grids, the foundation would focus on districts in Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha, among other states. The foundation has been experimenting with two to three pilot projects in India for the past two years. "We are working with a set of companies which will actually establish and operate mini grids either as generators or generatorsanddistributorsorjustas distributors.We are working with NGOs for community engagement...," Dayal said. The foundation also had initial discussions with the ministries of power as well as new and renewable energy. The government -- which is working on a multi-pronged strategy to boost fuel supplies, ramp up power generation and increase transmission networks -- aims to provide electricity for everyone by 2019. Copyright © Press Trust of India 2014, All Rights Reserved Click here for index Bill Gates Backs Impact Investor Unitus Seed Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates has backed impact investment firm, Unitus Seed, along with a clutch of 15 other HNI's enabling the Indian rupee fund to raise a total of $4 Million to invest in startups targeting the BoP space. The investmentof Bill Gatescame fromthe personal fund (not from the Gates Foundation) with a corpus of $1 Bn, set up by the world’ssecondrichestmantoprovide equity, loans and loan guarantees to for-profit companies. The other HNI’s who have helped Unitus raise funds include Desh Deshpande (formerly Sycamore Networks), Romesh Wadhwani (SymphonyTG),VinodKhosla(KhoslaVentures),Steve Singh(Cleartrip,Concur) SomaSomasegar (Microsoft), Dilip Wagle
  • 31.
    (McKinsey),GeetaAiyer (Boston Common),Kamesh Aiyer, Pradeep Singh (Aditi), Bharat Shah (Microsoft), Anoop Gupta (Microsoft), Nagesh Pabbisetty (Microsoft), Prady Misra, Vikram Chalana (Winshuttle). Unitusinvestsinthe countrythroughtwoof itsfundsUnitus Seed Fund India, a SEBI registered VC fund, and Unitus Seed Fund, LP an offshore venture capital fund. The offshore fund has over 50 investors putting in close to $17 Million in the fund. Targeting the healthcare, education, mobile commerce & value-added services, marketplaces & e-commerce, retail & distribution, agriculture, and water & energy sectors, fund has made 14 investments with a ticket size of $100K-250K. Some of its investees include: Blowhorn, an online marketplace for last mile logistics; pediatric primary healthcare network, AddressHealth Solutions; Jiffstore, a mobile commerce retail platform; mGaadi, a mobile ordering service for autorickshaws; Smile Merchants, a dental clinics chain owned by Free 3 Healthcare Services among others. Intellecap, another impact investor estimates that $1.6 Bn of capital has been invested in more than 220 impact enterprisesacrossIndia,withmore thanhalf of the investments in microfinance with Unitus expecting a 30% increase in these investments this year. Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Click here for index
  • 32.
    India’s Investments inU.S Tech Mahindra buys Lightbridge Communications Corporation for $240 million Tech Mahindra,India’sfifth-largestITservice companyhasentered into an agreement to buy US-based network services company Lightbridge Communications Corporation (LCC) for $ 240 million (Rs 1,486.5 crore). The deal, expected to close by the January-March quarter, makes it the company’s its largest acquisition after it bought over Satyam five years ago. Tech Mahindra bought trouble-ridden Satyam for Rs. 2,889 crore in 2009. The VirginiaheadquarteredLightbridgeisone of the largestindependentglobal providersof networkengineeringservices to the telecommunicationsindustry,withmore than5,000 employeesinover50countries,andannual revenuesin excess of $400 million(Rs2,478 crore),saida statementfromTechMahindra. “We expectnetworkservicesto be a major growth engine for our organisation,” said Vineet Nayyar, executive vice chairman of Tech Mahindra. “We will now be the largest and most comprehensive provider of technology services to communications service providers,” said CP Gurnani, MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra. Following the acquisition, Tech Mahindra’s revenue for the financial yearmaysee an upward adjustment of 10.3% in 2015-16 from what was estimated earlier, according to Sarabjit Kour Nangra, vice president, research, Angel Broking. “However,the deal may be margin-dilutive for the near term,” she said. For the financial year 2015-16, Tech Mahindra's revenue would be Rs. 27,484 crore and net profit Rs. 3,666 crore, according to Angel Broking estimates. Copyright © 2014 HT Media All Rights Reserved Click here for index Aurobindo wins Natrol bid with $132 million Company set to enter the branded nutraceuticals business Hyderabad-basedAurobindoPharmaLimitedsaidrecentlythatit'sUS subsidiaryAurobindoPharma USA Inc.wasemerged as the highestbidderwith$132 million(aroundRs812.5 crore) for acquisitionof nutritional supplement maker Natrol Inc and other affiliates. Throughthisacquisitionthe companyaimstodiversifyitsoperationsbeyond the traditional generics business especially into the nutraceuticals targeting the US and other international markets. The auction process for the acquisition of the assetsof Natrol withan agreementtotake on certainliabilitieswasinitiatedbythe UnitedStatesBankruptcyCourtfor the Districtof Delaware afterthe companyfiledforbankruptcyinJune thisyear.Natrol stated in the bankruptcy petition that it hadup to $ 500 millionassetsandupto $ 100 millioninliabilities,accordingtothe reports.The auctionwaslaunchedon November 10 with an offer of about $ 90 million, which was bested by Aurobindo. In a statement Aurobindo said Natrol is an excellent strategic fit and provides the right platform for creating a fully- integrated OTC platform in the USA and in other international markets. "The acquisition of Natrol along with some incremental investmentandthe R&D wouldhelpachieve ouraspirationof entering the branded nutritional supplements business which offers a good value. The size of the nutraceuticals business in the US is about $ 35 billion, which is expected to go up to $ 55 billion by 2020," N Govindarajan, managing director of Aurobindo told media. Manufacturing of all the products of Natrol was being done in the US and Aurobindo would continue with these operationsastheytendto be cost competitive,accordingtohim.Natrol is a 30 plus year brand with seven of its products completing 20 years in the US market enjoying a loyal and a stable customer base, he said. The process of acquisition, which is subject to final approval by the US Court, including other statutory approvals, is expected to be completed by
  • 33.
    December 15, accordingto Govindarajan. On the question of funding the acquisition, he said it would be done through debtand internal accruals: “We have enough head room for raising fresh funds as we had already reduced the debt to $ 400 million from a peak of $600 million ". On the valuation front the acquisition was reasonable, according to Angel Broking. “On the funding part, the company can easily fund the same, as the company has comfortable debt: equity of 1:1", it said. Based in California, Natrol, a unit of Plethico Pharmaceuticals Limited of India, was acquired for about $ 82 million in October 2007 by Plethico. Angel Broking says Natrol's sales should be around $ 100 million and given the size of the Aurobindo, the acquired company will form around 4-5% of its FY 16 sales and profitability. Led by a strong growth in US Generics business, Aurobindo reported a 58.4% jump in net profit at Rs 372.18 crore in the second quarter ended September, 2014. Revenues also witnessed a 50.5% growth at Rs 2,881.22 crore in that quarter. A Wall StreetJournal reportsaysNatrol filedforChapter11 BankruptcyProtectioninJune, under pressure from Cerberus BusinessFinance LLC,andeventuallyagreedtoputitself forsale topayoff itsdebtsto itslender.Inadditiontocash to pay Cerberus,AurobindoPharmaUSA Inc. hasagreedto take on some of Natrol'sunpaidbills,accordingtothe papers filed on Monday in the US Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington. Accordingto reportsappearedinthe monthof June, Natrol was also has been the target in the past year of at least 3 law suitsseekingclassactionstatus.Theywere filedquestioningthe claimsof the advertisedbenefits of glucosamine -related supplements produced by the company. Natrol denied the allegations. Copyrights © 2014 Business Standard Ltd. All rights reserved. Click here for index
  • 34.
    Indo-US Corporate News Microsoftto use ‘white space’ tech for free internet in India MicrosoftIndiais ready with a plan to provide free last-mile internet connectivity across the country. It proposes to use the "white space" - the unusedspectrumbetweentwoTV channels - to provide free connectivity to large sections of the Indian population. "Wifi has a range of only about 100 metres, whereas the 200-300 MHz spectrum band available in the white space can reach upto 10 km,"saidBhaskar Pramanik,chairman,MicrosoftIndia."Thisspectrumbelongsmainly to Doordarshan and the government and is not used at all. We have sought clearance for a pilot project in two districts." If the pilotsare successful, the project can be quickly rolled out across the country and could give a huge boost to Prime MinisterNarendraModi'sDigital Indiainitiative,whichproposestouse technology to deliver governance to every citizen of India,eveninremote areas. "The challenge isthe lackof digital infrastructureacrossIndia.Thisinitiative addresses this challenge in a cost-effective manner and creates an eco-system that will benefit everyone, including manufacturers of routers and other technology devices, other technology companies, besides Microsoft," Pramanik said. Microsoft'sinitiativealsotake forwardthe Prime Minister'ssloganof "IT + IT = IT", which is Indian talent plus informati on technologyequalsIndia tomorrow and also give a push to the 'Make in India' campaign by encouraging the manufacture of equipment locally. Microsoft, which was part of an international consortium that included BT, Nokia and BBC, conducted the most widespread field trials on white space-based Internet connectivity in Cambridge, US, in 2011. The technology hasn't been widely adopted anywhere in the world, but experts believe it can lead to a spurt in broadband connectivityincountriessuchasIndia.EngineersatMicrosoftdevelopment centers inIndia have adapted this unlicensed technology for this country. The ambitiousDigital Indiaprojectenvisagesproviding broadband connectivity across the country by connecting 250,000 gram panchayats via optic fibre cables, thereby providing digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen, digital governance and services on demand and digitally empowering all citizens. The plan was approved by the Modi Cabinet on August 30. Copyright © 2014 HT Media All Rights Reserved Click here for index CCI gives nod to Mylan-Abbott merger GenericdrugmakerMylan Inc. andUS-basedAbbottIndustrieshave receivedthe CompetitionCommissionof India's (CCI) nod to proceed with their merger. The fair trade regulator has cleared the application made by New Moon BV, a new companyincorporatedunderthe lawsof the Netherlands,forthe purpose of this merger. New Moon BV had approached the CCI on 12 August. Abbott'sestablishedpharmaceutical products (EPP) segment will merge with Mylan's existing business, which will then vestwithNewMoon. Abbott'sEPPsegmentincludesspecialtypharmaceutical productsandbrandedgenerics.Abbott will have a 21% shareholding in New Moon. New Moon's wholly-owned subsidiary, Moon of PA Inc., has been newly incorporated to help with the merger. This wholly-owned subsidiary will be subsumed under Mylan. Thereafter, the common stock of Mylan will be cancelled. New Moon will issue its stock to Mylan's former shareholders to become the parent company of Mylan. "Formershareholdersof Mylanwill own approximately 78% and Abbott and its affiliates will own approximately 22% of shareholding in the Acquirer (New Moon)," the CCI order states.
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    The order notedthatNewMoonhas claimedthatAbbott's acquisition of 22% in it is only in the nature of an investment. But the CCI said there were still "competition concerns" that would need to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Copyright © 2014 Doctor's Guide Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved. Click here for index Delaware headquartered DuPont introduces technology solution to tackle fake pesticides sale US-basedchemical firm DuPont has come out with technology solutions to tackle illegal and counterfeit pesticides sold under its brand in India. The company hasintroducedtwotechnologies'DuPontIzone'and'DuPontTracelogy'to educate farmersin identifying an original genuine product versus a counterfeit one, a statement said. 'DuPont Izone', a technology that works with web-based verification system, helps in validating the authenticity of the product when a farmer sends an SMS. 'DuPont Traceology', a cloud-based product verification system, helps in tracking productsand providingcritical productinformation such as batch, lot and part number to verify products. "The presence and threatof spurious,fake andillegal cropprotection products is more than ever before. In the garb of crop protection, theythreatenouragricultural growth.We at DuPontare committedto fight this menace," said Ram Mudholkar, Business Director (South Asia), DuPont Crop Protection business. The counterfeit pesticides account for more than 40 per cent of pesticides sold in India. These products infringe trademarksof reputedbrandsandpose great threatto the environmentand can damage crops, leading to severe wealth losses to the farmers, the company added. Copyright © Press Trust of India 2014, All Rights Reserved Click here for index After Google and Microsoft, IBM to woo online start-ups Technology companies such as Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have been wooing the rapidly-growingonline start-up community in India and across the globe for at least the past couple of years by offering free software credits, mentorship, marketing support, investor introductions and even funding. Recently,US-basedInternational BusinessMachine Corp.(IBM) joinedthe bandwagonbyannouncingasimilarprogramme to give start-ups and entrepreneurs around the world up to $1, 20,000 worth of credits to use its cloud-computing technology and take advantage of its global network of enterprise clients, consultants and innovation centers. The IBM Global Entrepreneur Program for Cloud Start-ups will give online start-ups "access to IBM's broad and fast-growing enterprise cloudportfolioandthird-partycloudservicesbuiltaroundopenAPIs(applicationprogramminginterfaces)"that will help them build and monetize their solutions "more easily", Promod Haque, senior managing partner of Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), said in a statement. Entrepreneurs will get access to IBM's cloud infrastructure from SoftLayer, one of its subsidiaries, and its cloud platform called Bluemix for app development. An IBMIndiaspokespersoncitedthe example of aMysore-basedstart-upcalledReinventio that developed Streamify, an online tool developedforuserstohostwebinars,conferencesandbusinesscalls,injusttwodays,usingBluemix.Streamify usesPynetra,agesture-recognitionproductthatallowsuserstomake presentationsbydrawingimagesinthe air, thereby creatinga virtual classroom.AccordingtoKarthikPadmanabhan, country manager, ecosystem development of IBMIndia and southAsia,"With this new announcement of IBM's Global Entrepreneur for Cloud Start-ups, we are hoping startups will ride the next wave of innovations like big data, IoT (internet of things), etc., on cloud platforms." Entrepreneurs, said IBM in its statement, will also be provided technical support and consulting through its network of over 40 innovation centres, new incubator space in New York City's Silicon Alley, and Bluemix Garage in San Francisco's Galvanize start-up hub.
  • 36.
    IBM's move tohelp start-ups comes on the back of similar announcements it made for small- and mid-sized firms. On 15 July, the firm announced an exclusive partnership with Apple Inc. to introduce a new class of business apps. On 30 October, IBM said it plans to offer Twitter data as part of select cloud-based services, including IBM Watson Analytics-a new cognitive service that brings intuitive visualization and predictive capabilities to business users. Google, Microsoft and AWS, though, have a clear lead in the start-up segment. As part of programme called 10,000 Start-ups launched by software lobby Nasscom in March 2013, Google offers up to $20,000 total credit for its Google Cloud platform. Also, based on eligibility, start-ups can use Google Apps free for six months. Microsoft offers Azure Credits, and BizSpark subscribers are eligible to a $150 monthly amount of cloud computing resources through Microsoft developer network subscription benefits free from the Windows Azure Platform. And AWS offers $100-$3,000 in credits, valid for two years, besides $5,000 worth of premium AWS business support for one year bundled with some other freebies. While analystsagree these announcements are good for start-ups, they caution such announcements restrict the use of cloudto the technologysolutionsorplatformsof the companies that offer them. "Moves such as these (the IBMstart-up announcement) offer a lot of potential in building the cloud ecosystem. IBM will face competition from cloud infrastructure firmsbutthere are manyopportunitiesindevelopingapplicationsandservicesforthe cloud platform," said Shree Parthasarathy, senior director, enterprise risk service at consulting firm Deloitte India. He added, though, that "all organizations are trying to push their cloud platforms to start-ups". AlokShende,founderandprincipal analystsof AscentiusConsulting,corroboratedthatIBMwill face competitionfromthe likes of Google and Microsoft "that have a lead in this space, and offer a suite of services to start-ups". Shende andParthasarathyalsopointedoutthat offering credits to start-ups for a limited period, say a year or two years, does not help them. "Pricing is to be taken with a pinch of salt. Value of the credits is not important for start-ups. What mattersisfor howlongsince most start-ups need nurturing for a long time since they need to last for the long-term and do not have the resources to do so," said Shende. "It's importanttounderstandthe periodforwhichstart-upswill be allowedto use the free software or credits, and when licensing will start since sustainability is a major issue for entrepreneurs," Parthasarathy said. Copyright © 2014 HT Media All Rights Reserved Click here for index 'Rs 299 corner': Google gears up for Great Online Shopping Festival Google hasropedin 300 offline andonlineretailersandconsumercompaniesforitsGreatOnline ShoppingFestival that is expected to reach 100 million consumers this year, riding on the frenzy of online shopping in recent weeks. The Great Online ShoppingFestival (GOSF), to be held from December 10-12, is expected to see participation of various consumer durable, FMCG and e-commerce firms in India. The organizerswill alsoruna two-week run-up campaign by reserving each day for a single company to partner in a day- long offers and contests for consumers, said top executives of some ecommerce companies participating in the event. Google and various e-commerce partners plan heavy-duty online advertising while consumer brands will do offline campaignssuchas hoardingandotheroutdooractivities,saidaseniorexecutive of ane-commerce company. "On that day theyare tryingto getmore exclusive launches.Theyare talkingtocompanieslikeSamsung,PhilipsandMotorolatolaunch products during these days," the person said. Nitin Bawankule, director for ecommerce at Google India, declined to comment.
  • 37.
    In a seasonofmegaonline sales,Google'sthirdeditionof GOSFisexpectedtocreate a biggerhype thanthe last two years as it plans to line up products ranging from FMCG, consumer durables and fashion lifestyle segments to arts and collectibles, travel packages and even two-wheelers, according to sources quoted earlier. This year, the organizers will also introduce digital walls in various cities where consumers can order through the ir smartphones by scanning the QR codes of the products, they said. A top executive of an e-commerce firm said GOSF will also introduce a special segment called "Rs299 corner" where branded products priced between Rs600-1500 will be sold at Rs299. The products will be delivered free of charge and there will be cash-on-delivery option to woo first-time online consumers. The personalsosaidthat in the 14 days betweenNovember27and December9, a lucky winner everyday will get to shop for free among a host of select items. Google startedGOSFin 2012. Last yearit got almost16 millionhitsonall partnersitesdespitetechnical glitchesinthe first day, and almost 40% of the traffic came from Tier 2 and 3 cities. Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Click here for index
  • 38.
    Made-in-India KTM Duke390, RC 390 heads to America: Launch price starts at $4,999 (Rs 3.08 lakhs) KTM RC 390 KTM has announced that American market will soon (in 2015) get the popular entry level sports bikes Duke 390 and RC 390, recognizing growing potential in the segment there. KTM Duke 390 and RC 390 are built on the same lightweight tubular steel trellis frame, suspended by White Power suspensioncomponents –invertedtubularWPforkonfront and WPmonoshockon the rear swingarm.The duo touch the road with highly acclaimed 10/70Z R17 front and 150/60Z R17 rear Metzeler tyres. Bajaj-KTMChakanplant being the only production base for KTMDuke 390 and RC 390, the models will be exported from India to the U.S. Both are poweredby 373.2 cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that develops 43.5 PS max power @ 9,000 rpm and 35 Nm peaktorque @ 7,000 rpm,makingthe duothe one of the best power-to-weight ratio motorcycles in their respective classes. Both use 6-speed gearbox. KTM Duke 390 and RC 390 will stand beside their bigger siblings Duke 690, Super Duke 1290 and flagship RC8 R in North Americanshowrooms.Inaddition the Austrian motorcycle manufacturer also announced that the latterly unveiled 1290 Super Adventure will also join the lineup in the US next year. KTM Duke 390 will be labelled with Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $4,999 (Rs. 3.08 lakhs), RC 390 of $5,499 (Rs. 3.39 lakhs) and 1290 Super Adventure of $20,499 (Rs. 12.64 lakhs). Both,KTM Duke 390 andRC 390 are exclusivelymade by KTM’s 47% stake owner, Bajaj Auto at their plant in Pune, India. It is from here, that the entry level KTMbikes are exported around the globe. KTMbikes which are being made in India include – Duke 125, Duke 200, Duke 390, RC 125, RC 200, and RC 390. Copyright© 2009-2014 RUSHLANE. All Rights Reserved Click here for index
  • 39.
    Huge demand forcars will turn around Ford's fortunes in India: President Nigel Harris About a decade and half since and after holding various positions across the globe, Harris is expected to play a very important role for the company. For Nigel Harris, his father has always been a great role model. But when he had the option of taking over the family's dairy farm in New Zealand from his father, he looked elsewhere. His love for cars landed Harris at Ford Motor. Harris joined the New Zealand unit of the US auto maker in 1985 as a fleet sales analyst. "WhenI firstjoinedFord,Itoldmy fatherthatone day I will be the MD of Ford New Zealand,andhe laugheditoff,"Harris, president of Ford's India operations since February this year, recalled at a recent interview. He went on to become the managing director of Ford New Zealand in the late 1990s. About a decade and half since and after holding various positionsacrossEurope,Africaandthe AsiaPacific, Harris is expected to play a very important role for the Detroit-based company.Fordis lookingatIndiato be a driverof its emerging market push. It also wants to see the Indian unit making a profit, something that eluded the company in its 17 years of operations here. Not new to the Indian market, Harris was one of the key contributors for the Ikon sedan developed for the local market and has travelledto the country 7-8 times in late 90s to get an insight into the Indian consumers. Expectations are high, but Harrisseemsto be enjoyingit."I reckon, if you love what you do, if your hobby is your work, then you never have to work a day in your life. That is what it has been like for the last 29 years." The company hadone-off successeswithmodelssuchasthe Ikon,Figoand EcoSport,but still isn'ta mainstreamcarmaker inIndiain termsof volume andprofitability.Itisoftencalleda"one-productcompany"-mostof itssalesatany givenpoint come from one model,andnowitis the EcoSportcompact SUV. "The criticismleveled on us is understandable, we know whyit isthe case," Harrissaid."It doeschange,because of the One Ford plan. I think we will change the perception, with the evidence in the future." CHANGE IN STRATEGY Under the One Fordplan,productsmanufacturedinIndiaare now alignedwithglobal lifecycle anddevelopment costs are expected to be shared by units in markets to where the products are exported. That is expected to make per-unit costs lower,as the company will be able to utilize capacity better. The Ikon or Figo were developed specially for India, which meant costs were high and volumes weren't enough to recover the cost. The company isinvesting $1 billion in its new Sanand plant in Gujarat and will be rolling out at least three to four cars in the nextcouple of years.Afterhittingthe sweetspotwiththe EcoSport, there is an entry level sedan lined up for launch, as well asa small car thatis likelytoreplace the Figohatchbackandan all-new EndeavourSUV.Otherlikelymodelsinclude a competitor on the B562 platform to Honda Cars India's City mid-size sedan and a seven-seat multipurpose vehicle.
  • 40.
    Despite the EcoSportposting high volumes, Ford India is losing money. Its loss swelled more than 40% to ` . 597 crore in fiscal 2014, with accumulated losses totaling. 2,360 crore. Higher exports will likely help ` cut losses this year. "You have to be profitable, that is why you are in business," Harris said. Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Click here for index Massachusetts based Dunkin's Donuts Introduces Chickpea, Saffron, and Chili to their menu The globalized world may not be flat, but it is round. And also frosted. And also, it must be said, delicious. In 2012, Dunkin'Donuts—thatquintessentiallyAmerican purveyor of that quintessentially American thing, larded sugar- dough—launchedinIndia.The 34 storesthatare now spreadacross the countrysell manyproductsthatwill be familiar to American consumers: coffee, bagels, sandwiches, and, yep, doughnuts. They also sell items that were formulated specificallyforIndianconsumers:veggieburgers,lychee coolattas, and spicy sandwiches. The menu deviates so far from U.S. stores' traditional breakfast-y fare that, in India, the chain brands itself as "Dunkin' Donuts and More." The doughnutsthemselves also come in country-specific flavors. And to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in India,Dunkin'Donutsjustlaunched several new flavors of the breakfast item-that-is-actually-a-dessert. Among them: a Kesar Badam (saffron-inflected almond milk) doughnut, topped with saffron cream, blanched almonds, and crushed pistachios;amilkcake doughnutfilledwithrice pudding;aSoanPapdi (flakypastry) doughnutcoated with chickpea flour; and a white chocolate doughnut topped with guava and chili. Pedro D’Mello, head of the food division for Dunkin’ Donuts India, told The Wall Street Journal that it took him and his teamthree monthsto formulate the new doughnuts. (He also considered other flavors, including cardamom and beetle nut extract.) The ones that have made their way into the stores of "Dunkin Donuts and More" are sweet little encapsulationsof the globalizedworld:anAmericanproductwith a distinctly Indian flavor. As the Dunkin' Donuts patron Ravi Sharma toldthe Journal of the Diwali doughnuts: "I think it’s a great idea. Who had ever thought that one day high- end doughnut stores would draw inspiration from Indian streets?" Copyright © 2014 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved Click here for index Oregon based Columbia Sportswear to open 25 stores in India by April 2015 Outdoorand adventure wearretailerColumbiaSportswear Company will open 25 stores by April 2015 in India against an earlier plan of opening up to 5 stores, as the demand for products has exceeded its expectations. ColumbiaSportswearCompany,whichenteredIndiathroughadistributiontie-upwithChogori IndiaRetailLtd,opened its first store on December 24, 2013, and at present has three stores in the country.
  • 41.
    "Earlier, we hadplanned to open 3-5 stores in the first year and depending on the off-take, we would plan further expansion.But,that3-5 store planhas changedto 25 storesplan.We will have 25 stores by April 15. We will expand very fast in India," Chogori India Retail Ltd Vice President Khyati Bhinde told media. Bhinde did not share investment that the company would make to expand Columbia Sportswear brand in India. Elaborating on the expansion strategy, she said the company plans to open up to 120 point of sales, exclusive store and shop-in-shop store in three years in India. It will open shop-in-shop stores by October next year in select multi-brand departmental stores like Shoppers Stop. Talkingaboutthe demandforColumbia'sproducts,Bhinde said:"Whenwe were bringing the brand, we thought outdoor (activities) doesn't exist much in India, people might not know Columbia. But after opening our first store, we came to know that people understand outdoor and also know the brand. We have received very good response for the brand." At present,90 percent of productsare importedandthe restare manufacturedinIndia.However,Bhinde said that might change in future."If share of lifestyle productsintotal salesgrows,the companymightlookatmore local manufacturing," she added. Columbia Sportswear, which sells outdoor apparel, footwear and accessories in India, also plans to introduce high - performance outdoor gears in the country. Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Click here for index Oracle Signs MoU with ICT Academy of Kerala to help students develop IT skills ICT Academy of Kerala (ICTAK) and Oracle have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement Oracle Academy's computer science programs across 60 institutes in the state of Kerala over the next two years. As part of this initiative, Oracle Academy software curriculum, hosted technology, training, support and certification resources are expected to be made available to students and faculty. Additionally, 120 faculty members are scheduled to undergo training to help put 6000 students on the pathway to future IT careers. Oracle and ICT Academy of Kerala (ICTAK) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate Oracle Academy curriculum into the educational programs of the state's colleges to inspire the next generation of technology professionalsandhelp prepare them for careers in IT. Under the MoU, Oracle intends to facilitate the delivery of Oracle Academy curriculum to 120 faculty members over the next two years - with these teachers set to reach as many as 6000 students from 60 institutes from Kerala state. Oracle will facilitatea'train-the-trainer'course toramp up facultyrepresentatives as instructors for six courses, including CreatingJavaProgramswithGreenfoot,JavaFundamentals,JavaProgramming,Database Design, Database Programming withSQL, and Programming with PL/SQL. Once trained and certified, this faculty is expected to use the Oracle Academy infrastructure to train other faculty members. Today, more than 2.2 million students in 96 countries benefit from Oracle Academy. In India, Oracle Academy programs supports more than 240,000 students at more than 1300 educational institutions. "Oracle Academyhasbeendedicatedinourmissiontoextendthe reachof computerscience educationtostudentsacross the world,includinginIndia,"saidKrishnaSistla, Senior Director, Oracle Academy, Oracle Asia Pacific and Japan. "Access to good computer science education is a defining 21st century social issue, and with the help of Oracle Academy's programs,studentsof Keralacan enhance theirknowledgeand build relevant industry expertise for job opportunities in the field of Information Technology and other industries that benefits from IT." "The core objective of ICTAcademyof Kerala is to improve employability skills amongst students," said Santhosh Kurup, CEO, ICT Academy of Kerala. "Our aim is to prepare students of higher education to face the competitive world by equipping them with high quality course content and skilled teachers. We are excited to work with Oracle in delivering
  • 42.
    Oracle Academycurriculumto ourstudents and teachers, and believe this educational foundation will help prepare our students for today's workforce." Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Click here for index Global hotel chains eye secondary, tertiary markets in India As international hotelchainslooktoincrease their presence in India, they are going beyond the metros and tapping into booming secondary and tertiary markets. Six monthsago,Marriott International Inc.openeditsentrylevelfive-starhotel CourtyardatBilaspurinChhattisgarh-acity witha population of just over 300,000 residents. Expected business from mining and power companies operating in the mineral and coal-rich state was the reason Marriott went to Bilaspur. Now, the group is looking at other such markets and says that it expects 25-30% of its portfolio to be in secondary and tertiarymarketsinthe nextthree tofive years.Placeswhere Marriott is expanding include Guwahati, Shillong and Katra. "Some of these secondaryandtertiarymarketsrepresentgreatopportunitybecausesome of these marketshave pent-up demand for international branded hotels; demand not just for rooms, but also in F&B (food and beverages), especially banqueting," said Rajeev Menon, area vice-president, South Asia, Marriott International. Menon adds that the group has a reasonably strong presence in gateway cities, and would now like to expand the portfolioacrosssecondaryand tertiarymarkets,"because thatisgrowingevenfasterandthatiswhere the natural growth is". Accordingto a reportreleasedbyHVS,a hospitalityconsultingfirm, demandforbranded/organizedhotel rooms has risen at a compoundedannual rate of 17.6% inthe lastfive years.Expertssaythatprimarymarkets like the metros are growing in single digits, while secondary and tertiary markets are seeing double-digit growth. "Industrial clusterssuchasNeemrana,Vizag,Vijayawada,Baddi,Pantnagar,Manesar,Dahej,Asansol, Tirupur, Rajkot, etc. are emergingasattractive destinationsforhotel companies,"saidChandni Sahgal,director,D'Essence HospitalityAdvisory Services Pvt. Ltd, a hospitality consulting firm. As such, firms are looking to get the first-mover advantage by expanding into these markets, she said. "Also, property developersinthese marketsare aggressivelyseekingtotie upwith international brands; it is a matter of pride for them," added Sahgal. The Wyndham Hotel Group was an early mover in Neemrana, in Rajasthan, where it opened its Days Inn midscale hotel three yearsago. The high demand prompted the company to open a Ramada hotel there last year. It also has a Days Inn hotel at Panipat in Haryana. Deepika Arora, regional vice-president, Indian Ocean, EMEAI, for Wyndham, says expanding to secondary and tertiary markets makes perfect business sense. "We have a portfolio of brands that fits well in these markets to cater to the economyandmidscale segments,"saidArora,addingthatthese marketsare buzzingwithalotof industrial growth, which leadstoa lotof corporate and banquetingopportunities. Explaining the attractiveness of a market like Neemrana, Arora saysthe regionhasa special industrial zone dedicated to Japanese companies and another one is in the works. "...being international companies, they look for international hotel brands," says Arora. Almost65% of Wyndham'supcomingpropertiesare inthe secondaryand tertiary markets, she added. Some of the other citieswhere Wyndham'sbrands are present or are under development include Jalandhar, Jamshedpur and Dharmapuri. Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants International, which runs hotels under the Premier Inn brand is also eyeing these markets.The company,whichwill have sevenactive properties in India by 2017, is now also looking to penetrate deeper intothe Indianmarketand isactivelyengagedintalksto open properties in secondary and tertiary markets, according to David Vely, senior vice-president, development, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Whitbread. While these markets are attractive, they have their own set of challenges as well.
  • 43.
    "Findingthe right partneris a big challenge," said Sahgal. Also, availability of good quality supplies and connectivity are majorissues,she said,addingfindingskilledmanpowerisyetanotherchallenge."Career-orientedprofessionals might not wantto work ina tertiarymarketproperty." Butotherssay the risk for global companies using the management contract model, where they do not invest in the property but sign a contract to manage it, is relatively low. "Managementcompaniesdon'thave anythingtolose.Itisthe private entrepreneurwho bears the risk of investing in the property and they want these international brand names to go with them so that they can raise loans easily," said Narendra Verma, principal consultant, Hospitality Consultants India Pvt. Ltd. Vermasaidthese places will grow, but it will not happen quickly; the hotel companies know this, but unfortunately the property owners might panic as they look for a quick turnaround, he added. Copyright © 2014 HT Media All Rights Reserved Click here for index
  • 44.
    In the News: 'Infrasector to be main focus area for Indo-US commerce ties' Mr. Arun M Kumar, Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service and Assistant Secretary for Global Markets, U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration A lot of "good ground work" has been covered, post Obama-Modi meet in the US, and now is the execution time, with infrastructure going to be the focus of the Indo-US commerce ties, a top official has said. "In the joint statement, one of the big focus areas is infrastructure sector," Arun M Kumar, Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service in the US Commerce Department's International Trade Administration,said.He was referring to the India-US joint statement issued after the September 30 meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama. There isan "enthusiastic"response from the US companies, he noted. Appreciative of the steps being taken by the new Indian government in "improving" the business climate in the country, he said, there were a lot of areas where improvement are required. Land acquisition is one of them, he said. "We have seen determination (by the new government) to move forward. We definitely want to build the momentum of our interaction with the new Indian Governmentinthe lastfew months," he said. The September visit of Modi to the US and his meeting with Obama at the White House, he said, was very successful. "We are ready to engage," Kumar said. "We are very excited about the infrastructure collaboration,"he added. "I think, we have covered a lot of good ground work. Now it is execution time," he said. Americancompanieshave alotof good technologiesandpracticestoofferinthe infrastructure sector, said Kumar who is nowheadedforhisthirdtrip to India,the lastone wasalongwith the New Delhi visit of the Secretary of State John Kerry and the Commerce Secretary, Penny Pritzker. He was one of the first few top US officials to visited India after the formation of the Modi Government. The Commerce Departmentis expected to play a key role in Indo-US ties now that Modi-Obama meeting agreed to take their bilateral business and trade ties to USD 500 billion from the current USD 100 billion. "It isdoable andachievable.We have justscratchedthe surface of our bilateral trade potential," he said in response to a question, adding that this needs a lot of action, simplification of various areas of investment, improvement in ease of doing business. Copyright © 2014 Business Standard Ltd. All rights reserved. Click here for index
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    U.S. President BarackObama to be chief guest at Republic Day celebrations U.S. President Barack Obama will attend India's Republic Day celebrations in January as chief guest, a sign of steadily expanding ties between two countries that share concerns about China's growing power in Asia. Obama was invited by Prime MinisterNarendraModi andwill be the first U.S. president to attend a Republic Day celebration, the White House saidon Friday.DiplomatssaidObama,whovisitedIndiain2010, wouldalso be the first U.S. president to visit the country twice while in office. India'srelationswithWashingtonhave flourishedin the past decade, although they have also had tussles over trade and other issues. The two countries are developing a strategic partnership prompted by shared concerns about China's increasingly assertive territorial claims in the Asia-Pacific region. Modi met Obama on a visit to the United States in Septemberandtheyhave spokenbytelephone since. Their relationship is thought to have helped resolve a major trade spat in the World Trade Organization. Modi used a Twitter message to announce Obama as the chief guest on Republic Day, which marks the enactment of India'sconstitutiononJan.26, 1950. Dhruva Jaishankar,aSouthAsiaspecialistatthe GermanMarshall Fund of the United States, said the invitation to Obama was a sign of "a radically altering political calculus" in New Delhi, where previous leaders traditionally sought to keep some distance from Washington. "This visit will also mark a real turnaround over eight or nine months ago, when questions were still being asked about Modi’swillingness to cooperate with the United States, given his history of having been denied a visa," Jaishankar said. Modi wasdeniedentryintothe UnitedStates from 2005 until he was elected prime minister in May, after allegations he did too little to stop religious riots that killed at least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, in his home state of Gujarat. Modi denied any wrongdoing. Indiatraditionallyinvitesaheadof state to participate aschief guestforRepublic Day celebrations, which culminates in a militaryparade includingits nuclearcapable missiles.Muchof the hardware dates back to the Soviet era, when India had close ties with Moscow, while more recent defense purchases include billions of dollars of U.S.-made equipment. Last year's chief guestwasJapanese Prime Minister ShinzoAbe, who has taken a tough line with China over its territorial claims. Copyright © 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved Chuck Hagel understood India's value, opened US military for Sikhs File photo: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who quit amid differences with President Barack Obama, understood the strategic importance of India and opened up the US military a little bit more for the Sikhs. Hagel, 68, who has been asked by President Obama to remain in office till Senate confirms his replacement, is likely to talk to his new Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parikar.
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    Duringhis21 monthsin office,Hagelopenedupthe US militaryforthe Sikhs,alongpendingdemandof Indian- Americans that Sikhsbe allowedinthe force withtheirreligioussymbolsintact.Inanorder issuedthisyear,he permittedSikhstoj oin armed services on a case by case basis, with their religious symbols intact as long as they do not interfere in their work. Sikh leaders have termed it as a step in the right direction. The Pentagon, in a fact sheet, listed "Deepening the Strategic Relationship with India" as Hagel's key achievement. "Understanding the importance of a rising and democratic India to the future security and prosperity of Asia and South Asia, encouraged deeper strategic and defense cooperation, including through the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative and expanded mil-mil cooperation," the fact sheet said. Accordingto Hagel'saides,he understoodthe significance of Indiaandthe US-Indiamilitary-to-militaryrelationship in the emergingnewgeo-political landscapeinthe AsiaPacificregion.Thiswasone of the reasonswhyhe visitedIndiainthe first 100 days of the new Indian Government and set pace of strengthened military and defense ties with India. Hagel also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the latter met Obama at the White House in September. While he might have been on the same page with India's former Defense Minister A K Antony, Hagel appeared to be quite comfortable and enthusiastic working with the Modi Government. He was quick to appoint Frank Kendall as the Pentagon's point person for the India-US Defense Technology and Trade Initiative andbroke protocolsbypersonallyattendingthe Defense Policy Group meeting that took place here last month. However,whenHagel wasnominatedthe USDefense Secretary,avideosurfacedinwhich he was seen making anti -India remarks and one in favor of Pakistan. But towards the end of his tenure, he did not meet Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif during his trip to the US this month, even though the latter extended his trip for a few days, in hope of meeting with him. As America's 24th Defense Secretary, he is the first Defense Secretary in nearly two decades to be confronted with the realityof shrinkingbudgetsanda growingdemandforUS militarysupportaroundthe world.Hagel issaidtohave resigned amidreportsof differenceswithObamawhoisapparently seekingtoinstall anew leadershipatthe Pentagonashe enters the last two years of his presidency facing new global challenges like the rise of IS. Photo credit: NBCNews.com Copyright © Press Trust of India 2014, All Rights Reserved Click here for index India and United States Joint Statement on the Trade Policy Forum India and the US, in a meeting co-chaired by trade minister Nirmala Sitharaman (right) and US Trade Representative Michael Froman, laid out a one-year work programme to improve trade ties. Photo: PTI Minister of Commerce and Industry of India Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Mr. Michael Froman met in New Delhi on November 25, 2014 for the eighth ministerial-level meeting of the India-United
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    StatesTrade PolicyForum(TPF).The twogovernmentssignaledtheirreadinesstoenhancebilateral trade and investment ties in a manner that promotes economic growth and job creation in both India and the United States. Work Sessions MinisterSitharamanandAmbassadorFromandiscussedandexchangedviews on a range of trade and investment issues, inparticular,(i) Agriculture,(ii) Services, (iii) Promoting Investment in Manufacturing, and (iv) Intellectual Property. The co-chairsof the respective WorkSessionsbriefedMinisterSitharaman and Ambassador Froman on the outcomes of their discussions and presented agreed upon work plans for continued engagement in these areas in 2015. Both countries noted the importance attached to the Trade Policy Forum by Prime Minister Modi and President Obama to further stimulate bilateral trade and investment. Agriculture Both countries recognized the important role of agricultural and food trade in feeding their populations, providing consumer choice and supporting the livelihood of their farmers. India and the United States agreed to establish a new technical dialogue thatwillpromote cooperation on plant health, animal health, and food safety issues in a manner that facilitates the movement of agricultural goods between the two countries. They agreed to work towards facilitating agricultural trade betweenthe twocountriesbyengagingwitheachotherclosely with the intent of establishing science - and risk-based regulations and procedures that conform to international standards and guidelines set by CODEX Alimentarius,the WorldOrganizationforAnimal Health(OIE) andthe InternationalPlantProtectionConvention (IPPC), to the extent possible. Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman also acknowledged the benefits that could accrue to Indian and U.S. farmers and agri-businesses from these engagements. Both countries noted each other’s' requests and agreed to follow up on exploring the possibility of enhanced market access onidentifiedagricultural products.Theyalsonotedthe potentialreconciliationof the definition of wholesale pack between Departments, forthcoming rules to allow stickering of maximum retail price at the port, and timely implementation efforts concerning these issues. Services and Investment MinisterSitharamanandAmbassadorFroman highlightedthe importantrole of the servicessectorinIndiaand the United States,andthe significantpotential forincreasingbilateral servicestrade and investment. To advance this goal, India and the UnitedStatesagreedto increase engagementon servicesandinvestmentissues.The UnitedStatestooknote of India's interest in engaging on social security totalization, and agreed to review any information provided by India about developments in its social security regime. They decided to continue their engagement on visa issues, and the United States took note of India's interest in ensuring easier access for Indian professionals in the United States. MinisterSitharamanhighlightedIndia'seffortstopromote foreignparticipationinkeyservices sectors, including those of interesttothe UnitedStates,andurgedU.S. investorstotake advantage of these opportunities. Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman recognized the benefits that can accrue from services liberalization in the information and communications technology sector. Promoting Investment in Manufacturing Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman discussed efforts that each country is undertaking to promote a business friendly environment for attracting investment in manufacturing, moving forward on a commitment made by Prime Minister Modi and President Obama in September 2014 to address this issue that is critical to each other’s' economy. Affirmingtheirsharedgoal of usingtrade and investment as a vehicle for stimulating economic growth and job creation, Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman agreed to deepen bilateral engagement aimed at promoting bilateral investment across sectors. Both countries stressed the importance of providing a transparent and predictable policy environmentto help attract investments in manufacturing. In this regard, Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman agreed to exchange information on stakeholder participation in the framing of trade and investment policies and procedures,andtodiscussbest practices.Further,theyhighlightedtheireffortstoincrease supply chain connectivity and
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    implement "single window"clearance systems that will benefit all manufacturing activities in both countries. Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman also agreed to exchange information on international standards and systems of acceptance of conformityassessmentprocedureswithspecificfocusonunderstandingeach government’s procedures for testing, packaging, and labeling requirements. MinisterSitharamanand Ambassador Froman discussed the "Make in India" campaign launched by Prime Minister Modi to promote India as a manufacturing destination, highlighting the pro-investment domestic reforms envisioned to facilitate the ease of doing business and create a climate that will attract investment. Intellectual Property and related issues Recognizingthe shared interest of our creative industries, India and the United States agreed to deepen cooperation to build capacity and generate awareness in the field of copyright. Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman also acknowledged the paramount goal of ensuring the poorest populations in India and the United States have access to quality healthcare andcommittedtoidentifyingwaysinwhichtrade andinnovationpoliciescanenhance access to quality health and affordable medicines. India highlighted the benefits of traditional Indian medicine in view of its potential to enhance access to affordable healthcare;andthe importance of traditional knowledge in contributing to cultural, economic, and social development. The United States agreed to facilitate further engagement in this field between the experts of both countries. Minister Sitharaman highlighted India's work on a new intellectual property rights (IPR) policy which would stimulate innovationacrosssectorsinthe country.The United States agreed to share information on this subject to support India's on-goingefforts. Bothcountriesrecognizethe importance of providinga transparent and predictable policy environment for fostering innovation. India and the United States recognize the importance of trade secrets protection to attracting investment and agree to exchange information on best legal practices in this area. World Trade Organization MinisterSitharamanandAmbassadorFromanexpressedsatisfaction at the recent understanding between India and the United States on the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes and the Trade Facilitation Agreement as a follow-uptothe discussionsbetweenPrimeMinisterModi and President Obama. They committed to working with other WTO Membersto ensure thatthe WTO General Council takesthisunderstandingforwardtowardsasatisfactoryoutcome. Private Sector Advisory Group Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman encouraged the continued work of the United States-India Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG), which had been created under the TPF to provide strategic advice. Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman expect that the work of TPF will benefit from the depth, breadth, and diversity of expertise of the PSAG in trade and international affairs in advance of the 2015 TPF meeting to be held in Washington, DC. In conclusion,MinisterSitharaman and Ambassador Froman expressed satisfaction with the discussions held during the eighth round of the TPF and reiterated their mutual commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade and investment.AmbassadorFromanthankedMinisterSitharamanforhostingthe eighth roundof the TPF in New Delhi. They agreed to convene the ninth round of the TPF in the United States in 2015. Press Information Bureau Click here for index
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    Ex-Im Bank ChairmanHochberg Visits India to Promote Made-in-America Exports Fred P. Hochberg, Chairman & President of the Export-Import Bank Washington, D.C. – Export-Import Bank of the U.S. (Ex-Im Bank) Chairman Fred P. Hochberg is visiting India this week to promote made-in-America exports in support of U.S. jobs. "The U.S. and India share complementary aspirations when it comes to our economic future," said Chairman Hochberg. "When quality American goods and services are deployed to buyersinIndia,theirnationbenefitsfromincreasedcapacityanda reliable foundation for long-term economic growth— and the U.S. benefits by creating new jobs back home." Today, Chairman Hochberg delivered comments at a roundtable hosted by the U.S.-India Business Council, where he discussedenergygrowth,especiallywhenitcomestothe renewable energy sector, and infrastructure expansion in India and whatrole U.S. companiescanplayin both.He also addressedsimilarsubjectsatthe Federationof IndianChambers of Commerce and Industry later in the day. In addition, Chairman Hochberg held a lunch with Indian businesswomen, to learn more about the challenges and opportunities they have in starting and growing a business in the country. Throughout his trip, Chairman Hochberg has alsotakenthe opportunitytohighlighthowEx-ImBank'sfinancingtoolshave enabledAmericanbusinessesbothlarge and small to export their products to India. Some examples include: Polyguard, of Ennis, Texas, employs 120 people and manufactures corrosion-preventing and waterproof linings for industrial processes and pipelines. The company utilizes Ex-Im trade credit insurance and is exporting to 34 countries. Since making use of Ex-Im insurance, the company's export sales have increased by more than 230 percent. Preferred Popcorn of Chapman, Nebraska is a small-business vendor that exports popcorn, concessions supplies, and coconut oil to India and other international markets. Started in 1998, the company currently employs 40 people in Nebraska,Indiana,Illinois,Ohio,andKentucky.Since itsfounding, the company has relied upon Ex-Im Bank products and now fills orders in 60 countries around the globe. As a consistent policy holder of Ex-Im Bank export credit insurance, Preferred Popcorn has watched its sales mount to $43 million, 50 percent of which are export-related. Moreover, Ex-Im Bank support has translated into approximately 25 new jobs. Tomorrow, Chairman Hochberg will attend and give keynote remarks at the India-U.S. Technology Summit. The Summit will be an opportunity for businesses, research institutions and government agencies from both countries to exchange ideas and forge new partnerships to increase trade and investment in the knowledge sector. Chairman Hochberg's remarks will focus on the mutual benefits that can be realized by choosing quality U.S. goods and American innovation. ABOUT EX-IM BANK: Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that supports and maintains U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financingatno cost to Americantaxpayers.The Bankprovidesavarietyof financingmechanisms,includingworkingcapital
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    guarantees and exportcredit insurance, to promote the sale of U.S. goods and services abroad. Ninety percent of its transactions directly serve American small businesses. In fiscal year2014, Ex-ImBank approved$20.5 billionintotal authorizations.These authorizationssupportedanestimated $27.5 billion in U.S. export sales, as well as approximately 164,000 American jobs in communities across the country. Small businessexporterscanlearnabouthowEx-ImBank productscan empowerthemtoincrease foreignsalesbyclicking here. For more information about Ex-Im, visit www.exim.gov. Export-Import Bank of the United States Click here for index Wonderful moment in Indo-US ties: US Senator Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine, United States Senator from Virginia Asserting that it is a "wonderful moment" for Indo-US ties, an influential American Senator has said that currently the opportunities for bilateral cooperation between the two countries are significant. "This India-America moment is a wonderful one.The opportunities for cooperation are significant," Senator Tim Kaine, who was recently in India, said at the annual Washingtongalaof AmericanIndiaFoundation(AIF)lastweek,attendedbywho'swho of the community from the US Capital and its neighborhood. "We came back withsuch a powerful feelingthatthisIndiais,"Kaine saidatthe event,where he wasfelicitatedalongwith the AssistantSecretaryof State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Biswal, for their inspiring leadership and philanthropic commitment to support AIF's mission to help disadvantaged Indians. Kaine is the current Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee onthe NearEast,Southand Central AsianAffairs,overseeingAmericanforeignpolicyin this critical region, from Morocco to Bangladesh. Praisingthe role of Indian-Americansinnationbuildingandimprovingbilateral tiesbetweenthe twocountries, Kaine said the talentpool of the Indian-Americancommunityissostrongand so diverse thatif one isjustputting together a team on the aristocracy of merit, this community will be at the forefront. "That is an aspect of life in this country that makes the Indian-American moment in the relationship between our nations so fruitful right now," Kaine said at the AIF gala. In all USD 300,000 were raised from the sponsors, donations and from this year's gala pledge drive and silent auction. Biswal saidIndian-Americanshave akeyrole to play in the bilateral India-US relationship. "As the Indian Prime Minister talks about his agenda for transforming India and his vision for the US-India partnership to be a part of that transformation, the Indian-American community has a very important role to play," Biswal said. "Transformationisnotjust'G to G' (governmenttogovernment),it'snotaboutPPPs,(public-private- partnerships). Those are very important equations - but it is fundamentally also about 'people to people' ties," she said. "The US-India relationshipisnotgoingtoreach itsfull potential untilthe full potential of our 'people to people' ties is reached," Bi swal said.
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    "Aswe lookaroundthe world,werecognize thatthere is no partner that the US has, that deeply respects our values, our views,ourperspectivesthanthe nationof India.“The Presidentsaw thatcominganddeclaredthe US-Indiarelationship to be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," Biswal added. Copyright © Press Trust of India 2014, All Rights Reserved Click here for index Enrolment of Indian students in US up by 28%: Report The gender balance of Indian students is skewered, two-thirds being male and only one-third being female. The total number of Indian students studying in the US shot up 28% to 1,34,292 students, comprising the second largest foreign student body in America after China, according to a new report published on Thursday by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security. Startling majorities - 65% - were studying engineering, computer science, and information technology and support services,andtogetherwithstudentsin other STEM(science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields made up 79% of all IndiastudentsinAmerica.Asa result,thoughIndiansonlymake up12% of the foreignstudentpopulationinthe US, theyconstitute 26% of all foreignSTEMstudents.Business,biology,andmedicinewere the nextmostpopularfieldsof study, with the social sciences, humanities and liberal arts, and visual and performing arts the least popular fields. The genderbalance of Indian students is similarly skewered, two-thirds being male and only one-third being female. In total,there are 89,561 Indianmale studentsandonly44,731 Indianfemale students. A major reason for the rapid growth instudentsiseconomic,accordingtoNaveenChopra,chairmanof The Chopra’s,an educational consultinggroup based in Delhi."The US economyisgrowingnow,andunemploymenthasfallenfrom 10% to 6%," Chopra said, adding that "Indian students believe the US has the best opportunities for work." This increase reflects a greater trend for both Indian undergraduate and graduate students studying in the US. The total number of Indian graduate students enrolled there has jumped 26% to 54,245 students, according to a new report released by the American Council of Graduate Schools. This was the second consecutive year of double digit growth, building upon a 14% increase last year, and a sharp reversal in trend from years past when Indian graduate school enrollment was actually decreasing. Thiswas alsoby far the largestincrease among Asian countries in the Council of Graduate Schools survey, compensati ng for sagginggraduate enrollmentratesincountriessuchasChina,witha mere 3% increase,andKorea,witha 6% decrease. OnlyBrazil,whichsendslessthanone-twentieththe number of students India does to the US, saw higher growth at 32%.
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    The numberof IndianstudentsinAustraliaandNewZealandare alsoincreasing.Australia, which registered a huge dip in Indianstudentenrollmentaftera series of racially motivated attacks on Indian students in 2009, has recovered in recent years with total student visa applications from India more than doubling from 2012 to 2013. However, Indian enrollment in the United Kingdom has been plummeting, dropping 44% from 2010-11 to 2012-13, says the HigherEducationFundingCouncil forEngland,goingfrom18,535 to 10,235 studentsduringthattime period. This was mainlybecause of changesinvisaregulations,saidChopra."The UKcurtailedtheirtwo-year,post-study work visa in 2012, whichusedto letstudentsstayin the UK to find employment after graduation," he pointed out. "As a result, the middle class market collapsed. But you still find many upper class students going to the UK." Scholarshipsmayalsobe a factor. "The US is wayaheadof the UK andAustraliainscholarships,whichallows hardworking middle classIndianstudentstogoto the US," Choprasaid.A National Unionof Studentssurveyfoundearlierthisyear that nearly 63% of Indian PhD students in the UK felt the UK government was "not welcoming" or "not welcoming at all". This precarious drop has sent the UK scrambling to repair its tattered image. UK universities and sciences minister Nick Clark recently visited India for three days to strengthen educational ties between the UK and India and to address "misconceptions"thatIndianstudentsmight have aboutthe difficultyof obtaining visas to the UK. During his stay he also announced a new five-year initiative to send 25,000 students from the UK to India. Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Click here for index India Signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with United States of America (USA) on Setting-Up Infrastructure Collaboration Platform Boost for ties Arun M Kumar (right), Assistant Secretary and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service, and Dinesh Sharma, Additional Secretary, External Affairs, signing an MoU in New Delhi. Image source: PTI In a follow-upof the JointStatementof Prime Minister of India and President of United States of America in September, 2014, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed here today between Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministryof Finance,Governmentof Indiaand Department of Commerce, United States of America (USA) on establishing Infrastructure Collaboration Platform. ThisMemorandumof Understanding(MoU) establishesaUnitedStates-IndiaInfrastructureCollaborationPlatform, under whichboththe Governmentsintendtocoordinate andcooperate withthe goal of facilitatingU.S.industryparticipation in Indian infrastructure projects to improve the bilateral commercial relationship and benefit both the Participants' economies. Shri.DineshSharma,Additional Secretary,DEA signedthe Memorandumof Understanding(MoU) onbehalf of India while Shri.ArunM. Kumar,AssistantSecretaryof Commerce for Global Markets, Department of Commerce signed it on behalf of United States of America respectively.
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    Representativesof IndianInfrastructure Ministriessuch as Urban Development, Commerce and Industry, Railways, Road Transport and Highways, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Information and Broadcasting,Communications&InformationTechnology,WaterResources, RiverDevelopmentandGangaRejuvenation, were also present during the meeting, along with representative of Ministry of External Affairs. Press Information Bureau Click here for index Narendra Modi has turned India into a magnet: McKinsey CEO Dominic Barton DominicBarton,the CEO of the world'slargestwhiteshoe consultingfirm, McKinsey,says that India is back on the priority listof CEOs after Narendra Modi's ascension to power. "People had given up on India. They felt India is too complicated and itwas difficulttogetanythingdone.Ithaddroppedinthe last five years on people's priority (list). I think it has gone rightback up, people are interested,obviously people are going to want to see action but I think the feeling is they will, because this government seems serious," says Barton. On hispart, the McKinseyCEO isagainadvisinghisclientstobetbigon India."Iwas not(advisingclientstocome to India) twoyears ago because itwascomplicated...and companies and clients were deeply frustrated with the bureaucracy, no decisionsgettingmade.Companiesweresaying...letusgoto Africa,letus go to Nigeria, let us go to Indonesia, let us just go to the US, but that has changed.Ithinkbecause if youlookat the trendsthat are going on in the world, India is right in the centre," says Barton. "Agriculture and food is going to be one of the biggest businesses in the world right here (along with) the healthcare boom, education boom, advanced analytics," adds Barton. PM Narendra Modi's high profile, the outcome of addresses at New York's Madison Square Garden and Sydney's AllphonesArenahashelpedadvance India'scause inglobal boardrooms. "I hear people say he seems very determined... We knowitis unbelievablycomplicatedbuthe isgoingto getit done.Isee itin pharmaceuticals,industrialcompanies and the pensionfunds.The pensionfundsare interestedandthatisa bigopportunityandsowe are interestedingettingmore investment here too," says Barton. With the world economy on a wobbly footing again - Japan receding into recession, a stalled Europe and China slowing down - India could find itself in a sweet spot providing stability and balance to the world economy. "I thinkthe people aroundthe worldlookatthisandsay we need growth from India. It is also a bit of desperation for the world,40% of the world'sgrowthjustlastyear came from China. We need more balance and India is the place that could do it. So if India unleashes, it is going to help not only India but the world," says Barton. Besides,Bartonisoptimisticaboutthe US, where he saysthe economyisrecoveringinspite of the government,andabout China. The world's second-largest economy has plenty of headroom to grow, given that its urbanization rate has just crossed the 50% mark. Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Click here for index
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    Third Meeting ofIndo-US Science & Technology held The 3rd Science andTechnologyJointCommissionmeetingbetweenIndiaandUSA was heldonNovember17, 2014 inNew Delhi.The JCMwasco-ChairedbyShri YS ChowdaryMinisterof State for Science & Technology, Government of India and Dr. John Holdren, Director, White House Office of Science & Technology Policy and the Science Adviser to the U.S. President. Both sides recognized the value of the science and technology cooperation in being one of the pillars and integral component of overall bilateral relationship. Shri. Chowdary highlighted the importance which the present government underlines to the promotion and support to science with a human face which will underpin the development of technology requi red to support the knowledge economy of this century. Four Working Groups on Basic and Applied Sciences; Health and Medical Sciences; Earth, Environment and Climate Sciences; and Emerging Materials and Advanced Manufacturing had very fruitful discussions in not only evaluating the progressbutalso identifyingnewareasof future cooperation. Both sides have agreed to establish a new Working Group on plant biotechnology and agricultural research which is vital for addressing food security in context to food-water- climate nexus. A verycrucial area of Global HealthSecurityhasbeenjointlyaddressedforcooperationtowardsemergencypreparedness and response;anti-microbial resistance;emerginginfectionslike Ebola.Similarlythe aspectsof environmental healthhave beenalsocoveredespeciallywithrespect towater,airpollution,sanitationandhygiene.IndiaandUSA alsoagreedto take forward collaboration in ground water studies, monsoon modeling, tropical cyclones and severe weather systems. The future areasof collaborationinmarine services,deepdrillinginthe ocean,satellite observationandassimilationandwave modelingwere jointlyidentified.Itwasagreedthat the Departmentof Science &Technologyand U.S. NSF will strengthen cooperation in the area of women in science, particularly in networking and mentoring. Dr. JohnHoldrenemphasizedthe needtouse andapplyscience toaddresssome of the impendingchallenges which India and USA needs to meet for its food, water and energy security. It was decided that through cooperation innovative solutionscanbe developedwhichare affordable and meets not only bilateral needs but would be of larger global good. Copyright © 2014 Business Standard Ltd. All rights reserved. Click here for index Obama opens US borders to more talent from India US PresidentBarackObama'simmigrationreformpushlate onThursdayseekstosignificantlyliberalize the visaregime for students,professionalsandbuddingentrepreneurs,asthe US triestostop those withhigh potential and specialized skills fromleavingitsshores. Once the reformsare implemented,the USgovernmentexpects 400,000 highly-skilled workers to be eligibleforvisas. "Are we a nation that educates the world's best and brightest in our universities, only to send them home to create businesses in countries that compete against us, or are we a nation that encourages them to stay and create jobs here, create businesses here, create industries right here in America? That's what this debate is all about," Obama said in his power-packed address. Studentspursuingcourses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programmes in US universities can look forward to a prolonged stay, compared to the 29 months they are currently entitled to under the option al practical training(OPT) programme,till theysecure workvisas.Also,the OPTprogramme will be expanded to cover more courses. Typically, the programme is for 12 months, extendable by 17 months for students pursuing STEMcourses. The duration of the extended stay hasn't been specified yet. According to estimates, there are about 200,000 Indian students under the OPT programme as of now. To fuel the US's entrepreneurialspirit,Obamaalsosoughtkeyadministrativereforms,whichwouldbetterutilise a provision that allowed a non-citizen with an advanced degree or an exceptional ability to seek US citizenship or a green card without an employer'ssponsorship.Incase 'inventors,researchers,andfoundersof start-ups'whomightnotqualifyforthe provision but have beenawardedsubstantialUSinvestorfinancingorholdthe promise of innovation and job creation, they will be offered 'parole', which will allow them to temporarily pursue research and development in the US, rather than abroad.
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    Indian-American Vivek Wadhwa,a technology entrepreneur, academic and fellow at Stanford Law University, who has beencampaigningforaneasierimmigrationregime forentrepreneurs,wasquotedassaying44 per cent of all founders in SiliconValleywere of Indianorigin. Inastatement,India's information technology lobby body, Nasscom, said it believed "these measures will help attract and retain talent in the US by addressing some of the operational and social issues, alleviating skills shortages to some extent". It, however, sought more clarity on some of the key announcements. The reforms are silent on the long-pending demand of industry to increase the quota of H-1B visas, used by Indian software companies to send workers to their centers in the US. However,there couldbe some clarityonthe L-1 categoryof visas,usedtosendprofessionalswithhighly specialized skills. A fewyearsago,industryhadbeenreportingarejection rate of 40-50 per cent for L-1 visas. Ron Hira, associate professor of publicpolicyatthe RochesterInstitute of Technology,saidthe directionfromObamawouldlikelyinclude an expansive definitionof "specializedknowledge",whichwouldprovide cheertooutsourcers,astheywere the largestbeneficiaries of the L-1 category. In hisspeech,Obamaalsorecognizedthe factthatthe processfor givinggreencards (US citizenship) needed a significant overhaul.Accordingtoindustryestimates,securingpermanentUScitizenshipmighttake between11and 72 years,forcing many to return to their countries after their work visas expired. Directions have been given to hasten the processing of greencards for skilled individuals, apart from allowing seekers to change employers while they wait for approval. Also, spousesof individualswithlawful permanent resident status or the permission to seek green cards can find work during their stay in the US. "All these are very positive measures, but we are yet to see the nuts and the bolts to understand the actual impact on Indiaand Indiansinthe US," saidPoorvi Chothani,Executive Council Member, IACC; immigration attorney and managing partnerof LawQuest,animmigrationlawfirminMumbai. Ina lettertothe US Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), JehCharlesJohn,secretaryof homelandsecurity,US,said,"Idirect the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and USCIS develop regulations for notice and comment to expand the degree programmes eligible for OPT and extend the time period and use of OPT for foreign STEMstudents and graduates, consistent with law." To secure a work visa in the US, students have to find an employer who can sponsor it. However, often, even when students have a sponsor, they do not get work visas due to limited quotas, etc. WHAT DO WE GET?  Students pursuing STEMcourses in US universities to get extended stay after completing their courses  Clarity on L-1 visas, largely used by Indian software companies to send workers with specialized skills to the US  Directions have been given to hasten processing of green cards for skilled individuals & allowing change of employer while waiting for approval Copyright © 2014 Business Standard Ltd. All rights reserved. Click here for index
  • 56.
    Community leaders hailVerma's nomination as India's US envoy The nomination of Richard Rahul Verma as the US Ambassador to India is a "crowning moment" for Indian-Americans, members of whose have been appointed in record numbers by President Barack Obama, according to eminent leaders from the community. Verma, if confirmed by the Senate would be the first-ever Indian-American to be the US Ambassador to India. "It is a crowningmomentforus(Indian-Americans).Not only has the president appointed many Indian-Americans here, but he has foundsomeone worthyof representingthe countryinIndia.Iwouldview this as a crowning moment," Silicon Valley- based MR Rangaswami, a successful entrepreneur, community builder and philanthropist, said. "He hasa strongrelationshipacrossthe UnitedStatesGovernment.He isequally popular among both the Democrats and Republicans.He hasa deepunderstandingof IndiaandIndiaUSrelationship,"said,SwadeshChatterjee,who played a key role in the civil-nuclear deal. Indian-American Republican from Texas, Ashok Mago said, "It is exciting to see that finally an American of Indian origin withgreat credentials have been nominated to represent USA to one of the most important nation". "We all have great hopes for Rich (Verma) to take relations between to great nations to new heights. He has opened door for other Americans of Indian-origin to be considered as US ambassadors to India," he said. The UnitedStatesSenate hasnot yetannouncedthe date forconfirmationhearingforVerma.NeeraTandon,President of CenterforAmericanProgress?atop US think-tanksaid,"Ihave alwaysknown him to be a brilliant thinker, very strategic, very sharp, very quick, and just incredibly capable." Copyright © Press Trust of India 2014, All Rights Reserved Click here for index
  • 57.
    Calendar of IACCEvents for 2014 Event Sector Description Date Venue Contact Interactive session with Deputy Secretary, Office of International Business Development, DCED, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA Mr. Wilfred Muskens International Trade Development Interactivemeeting organized for IACC members to explore opportunities in the State of Pennsylvania Tuesday, December 02, 2014 Mumbai Ms. Trishla Dosi trishla@iaccindia.c om Delegation on Ports and Infrastructure Infrastructure - Logistics The delegation will beled by Ed Emmett, the top elected official of Harris County and an internationally renowned authority on transportation and logistics. The delegation is accompanied by Tom Kornegay, who was the longest serving Executive Director of the Port of Houston Authority. The delegation will also include Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis and IACCGH President and Executive Director. Thursday,December 04, 2014 Mumbai Ms. Trishla Dosi trishla@iaccindia.c om Direct tax and transfer pricing controversies - recent developments, impact’ Finance, Taxation and Corporate Affairs Keeping in mind the recent controversies and updates in the field of tax and its critical rolein decision-making,this session will includekey tax controversies arisingin thefield of corporate tax and regulatory, new initiatives introduced by government impactingtax payers,transfer pricing controversies,and recent judicial precedents affecting tax payers entering into transactions with their affiliates. In lightof the samewe have framed the session.BMRis a professional services organization offeringa range of Tax, Risk and M&A advisory for businesses of all sizes,atthe local,national and international levels. Friday,December 05, 2014 | 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Pune, Navalmaal Firodia Hall no. 05, MCCIA, ICC Trade Towers, Senapati Bapat Road Ms. Devyani Salunkhe devyani@iaccindia .com Forthcoming Events
  • 58.
    Program on Profit Maximization Techniques (Profimax) Finance, Taxation and Corporate Affairs Thisprogramhas been organized for getting more information aboutProfimax, which will be of benefit for our members. Friday,December 05, 2014 | 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Cochin, Panampilly Nagar, The Center Hotel (Avenue Center) Ms. Sujatha Sunil sujathasunil@iacci ndia.com Lecture by CIAS Fellow Richard Rossow on “U.S. - India Economic Ties: The Next Ten Years” International Trade Development Twenty years ago we had very littletrade. Ten years back IT services began to hit its stride and became one of the most crucial pillarsfor economic cooperation.Today we areon the cusp of US LNG exports to India and,hopefully,a manufacturingrevolution in India to compete with China. What arethe sectors that will likely dominatebilateral trade and investment ten years from now? Friday,December 5, 2014 | 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Bangalore, Hotel Citrus Ms. Swati Srivastava swati@iaccindia.co m Creating Value for the Customers General Programme will focus on Creating Valuefor the Customers, Total Customer Value Management TransformingBusiness Thinking Saturday,December 6, 2014 | 9:30 a.m. Kolkata, Palladian Lounge BCC&I Ms. Madhusree Daityari eic@iaccindia.com Interactive session with Deputy Secretary, Office of International Business Development, DCED, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA Mr. Wilfred Muskens International Trade Development Interactivemeeting organized for IACC members to explore Business opportunities in the State of Pennsylvania,USA. Saturday,December 6, 2014 IACC, Conference Hall Ms. Krishna Israni krishna@iaccindia. com Indo-US Infrastructure Summit Infrastructure The Summit will focus on emerging opportunities in India in key sectors of Highways, Ports and Railways.TheHon'ble Minister for Road Transport, Highways and ShippingMr. Nitin JairamGadkari will grace the occasion as Chief Guestand deliver the Inaugural Address. Monday, December 08, 2014 New Delhi, India Habitat Centre Ms. Sonia Khatter sonia.iacc@gmail.c om
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    Interactive session with Deputy Secretary,Office of International Business Development, DCED, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA Mr. Wilfred Muskens International Trade Development Interactivemeeting organized for IACC members to explore opportunities in the State of Pennsylvania Monday, December 8, 2014 | 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Bangalore Ms. Swati Srivastava swati@iaccindia.co m U.S.- India Bilateral Investment Treaty- Potential Commercial Impact International Trade Development The speaker for the event is Mr Richard MRossow, Wadhwani Chair in U.S. India Policy Studies, The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) with abundanceexperience and knowledge. IACC will host breakfastbefore the interactive session with Mr Richard M Rossow. Monday, December 8, 2014 | 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Hyderabad, Hotel Marigold by Greenpark (Ebony Hall) 7-1-25, Green Lands, Begumpet Mr. SriramBhaskar sriram@iaccindia.c om B2B Meetings with U. S. Department of Commerce’s second Franchising Trade Mission International Trade Development Trade mission is hereto identify potential partners, potential master franchisees/licensees, and area developers in India. Limited one-on-one business appointments with the visiting delegation. Monday, December 08, 2014 Mumbai, American Consulate- Bandra Kurla Complex Ms. Archana Kolte archana.kolte@iac cindia.com Seminar on "Business Responsibility and CSR" Corporate Social Responsibility The IICA-GIZ Business Responsibility InitiativePhase-II, is a bilateral cooperation project between the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) and the Deutsche Gesellschaftfur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The seminar will focus on the phases of the projectand on Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the CSR Rules. Tuesday, December 09, 2014 Mumbai Ms. Sneha Shimpi sneha@iaccindia.c om Interactive session with Deputy Secretary, Office of International Business Development, DCED, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA Mr. Wilfred Muskens International Trade Development Interactivemeeting organized for IACC members to explore opportunities in the State of Pennsylvania Tuesday, December 09, 2014 | 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Pune, Finolex Board Room-B Wing, 5th Floor,MCCIA Trade Tower, S. L. Kirloskar International Convention Centre Complex, Senapati Bapat Road Ms. Devyani Salunkhe devyani@iaccindia .com
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    Emerging Frauds and recent developmentsin FCPA Legal The objective of this seminar is to discussthecurrent business environment, impactof changes in the Global and Indian regulatory landscapewith respect to risks,bribery and corruption and how organizations can navigaterisks through a robustanti-fraud risk program. Friday,December 12, 2014 | 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Bangalore, Ernst & Young, UB City Canberra Block 6th Floor Ms. Swati Srivastava swati@iaccindia.co m Workshop on Supply Chain Management & Logistics supported by IACC Infrastructure - Logistics & Supply Chain The highly interactive,two-day workshop, delivered by the best of academia in India,is filled with lively casestudies, interactivity,currentreal-world examples, group discussions that foster real-lifescenarios make this a must attend workshop for supply chain practitioners and for specialists who justwant to revise the fundamentals. December 15-16, 2014 Mumbai, Hilton Hotel, International Airport Ms. Sneha Shimpi sneha@iaccindia.c om Seminar on Business Valuation Finance, Taxation and Corporate Affairs Providepractical insights into the Business Valuation space which is a pre-requisitefor an intelligentdecision maker. Knowing a company’s worth and what determines that value is imperativebefore payingthe bigbucks. Tuesday, December 16, 2014 Mumbai, Mumbai Cricket Association Club, Bandra Kurla Complex Ms. Trishla Dosi trishla@iaccindia.c om Managing Currency Risk is Present Scenario Finance, Taxation and Corporate Affairs Experts from MCX and eminent Economists will discuss ManagingCurrency in present Economic Scenario Friday,December 19, 2014 | 6:15 p.m. Kolkata,Park Hotel Ms. Madhusree Daityari eic@iaccindia.com 7th Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 General "Investors' summit" -An ideal platformfor knowledge sharing, social and business transformation January 8-13,2015 | 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Gandhinagar, Mahatma Mandir Ms. Krishna Israni krishna@iaccindia. com One Day Conference on "Indo-US Agribusiness Opportunities" Capture-Converge- Collaborate Agriculture The conference will focus on the opportunities in the Indo-US Agribusiness sector Friday,May 15, 2015 Mumbai Ms. Trishla Dosi trishla@iaccindia.c om Click here for index
  • 61.
    Indo-US Trade Statistics 2014:U.S. trade in goods with India NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. Details may not equal totals due to rounding. Month Exports Imports Balance Jan-14 1,582.40 3,675.40 -2,093.00 Feb-14 1,366.90 3,043.00 -1,676.10 Mar-14 1,714.20 3,882.20 -2,168.00 Apr-14 1,401.10 4,457.90 -3,056.80 May-14 1,736.80 4,102.30 -2,365.50 Jun-14 1,907.50 3,231.70 -1,324.30 Jul-14 1,855.90 3,918.30 -2,062.40 Aug-14 1,920.1 3,859.7 -1,939.6 Sep-14 1,924.2 4,016.1 -2,092.0 Total 2014 15,409.2 34,186.7 -18,777.5 2013: U.S. trade in goods with India NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. Details may not equal totals due to rounding. Month Exports Imports Balance Jan-13 1,726.90 3,179.90 -1,453.00 Feb-13 1,561.10 2,829.00 -1,268.00 Mar-13 1,865.20 3,676.80 -1,811.60 Apr-13 1,656.90 4,069.50 -2,412.60 May-13 1,924.20 4,201.30 -2,277.00 Jun-13 2,365.70 3,410.80 -1,045.10 Jul-13 1,885.10 3,973.20 -2,088.10 Aug-13 2,068.8 3,615.6 -1,546.8 Sep-13 1,631.7 3,321.0 -1,689.2 Total 2013 16, 685.60 32,277.10 -15,591.40 Click here for index
  • 62.
    India – USTrade Analysis India - USTrade Trade andcommerce form a crucial component of the rapidly expanding and multi-faceted relations between India and U.S. From a modest $ 5.6 billion in 1990, the bilateral trade in merchandise goods has increased to $ 63.7 billion in 2013 representing an impressive 1037.5% growth in a span of 23 years. India's merchandise exports to the U.S. grew by 4.2% from $ 28.96 billion during the period January-August 2013 to $ 30.17 billionduringthe periodJanuary-August2014. US exportsof merchandise to India fell by 10.4% from $ 15.05 billion during the period January-August 2013 to $ 13.49 billion during the period January-August 2014. India - U.S. bilateral merchandise trade during the period January - August 2014, is $ 43.65 billion. Trade during the year the period January – September2014 i) Major itemsof exportfrom India to US Selectmajoritemswiththeirpercentageshares,are givenbelow. a) Textiles (15.6%) b) Preciousstones&metals(20.5%) c) Mineral Fuel,Oil (11.3%) d) Pharmaceutical products(11%) e) Organicchemicals(5%) f) Machinery(4.9%) g) Electrical Machinery(3%) h) Lac, Gum, Resins(2.9%) ii) Major items ofexport from US to India Selectmajoritemswiththeirpercentageshares,are givenbelow a) Preciousstones&metals(23.5%) b) Aircraft,spacecraft,Parts (12.4%) c) Machinery(10%) d) Electrical machinery(6.6%) e) Mineral Fuel,Oil etc.(6.4%) f) Optical instruments&equipment(6.1%) h) Organic chemicals(3.4%) g) PlasticProducts(3.3%) Click here for index
  • 63.
    International Buyer Program,2014 Trade shows International Buyer Program 2014 Trade Show Schedule 2014 International CES® (Consumer Electronics Show) January 7–10 • Las Vegas, NV • cesweb.org InfoComm International® 2014 June 18–20 • Las Vegas, NV • infocommshow.orgShooting Hunting Outdoor Trade Show andConference January 14–17 • Las Vegas, NV • shotshow.org 2014 International Franchise Expo June 19–21 • New York, NY • ifeinfo.com World of Concrete® 2014 January 21–24 • Las Vegas, NV • worldofconcrete.com Fancy FoodShow (Summer) 2014 June/July (TBD) • New York, NY • specialtyfood.com DistribuTECH® Conference and Exhibition January 28–30 • San Antonio, TX • distributech.com 2014 Annual Meeting and Clinical Laboratory Expo of the AmericanAssociation forClinicalChemistry July 27–31 • Chicago, IL • aacc.org International Production &Processing Expo January 28–30 • Atlanta, GA • ippexpo.com MAGICMarketplace (Summer) 2014 August 17–20 • Las Vegas, NV • magiconline.comNAHB International Builders’ Show® 2014 February 4–6 • Las Vegas, NV • buildersshow.com International Woodworking Machinery &Furniture Supply Fair August 20–23 • Atlanta, GA • iwfatlanta.com Progressive Insurance® Miami International BoatShow® February 13–17 • Miami, FL • miamiboatshow.com FarmProgress Show August 26–28 • Boone, IA • farmprogressshow.com CONEXPO-CON/AGG® 2014 March 4–8 • Las Vegas, NV • conexpoconagg.com WEFTEC® WaterEnvironment FederationTechnical Exhibition and Conference 2014 September 27–October 1 • New Orleans, LA • weftec.orgNatural Products Expo West/Engredea 2014 March 6–9 • Anaheim, CA • expowest.com PACKEXPO International2014 November 2–5 • Chicago, IL • packexpo.comInternational Home + Housewares Show 2014 March 15–18 • Chicago, IL • housewares.org American FilmMarket® November 5–12 • Santa Monica, CA • americanfilmmarket.com WasteExpo 2014 April 1–3 • Atlanta, GA • wasteexpo.com GreaterNew York Dental Meeting November 28–December 3 • New York, NY • gnydm.com The 2014 NABShow® April 7–10 • Las Vegas, NV • nabshow.com POWER-GEN® International December 9–11 • Orlando, FL • power- gen.com 2014 Offshore Technology Conference May 5–8 • Houston, TX • otcnet.org Click here for index The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show (NRA Show) 2014 May 17–20 • Chicago, IL • show.restaurant.org
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    How to reachus: Weinvite articles, industry related market research reports and whitepapers, information on policy matters related to Indo-US trade and investments via e-mail. Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) deserves right to edit the said articles for clarity and space and use them in all electronic and print form. E-mail:pratik@iaccindia.com Disclaimer: No part of thisnewslettermaybe reproduced,reprintedorutilizedin any form or by any means electronic or mechanical withoutpriorpermissionof the publisher.While every care is taken in compilation of information contained herein, the publishercannotacceptanyresponsibilityforerroror omissionorforthe use of trademark,copyrights,brandname,logos or otheridentifyingsymbolsprovidedinsupportingandparticipating companies and organizations. However all possible and reasonable care hasbeentakentoensure thatthe informationinthis newsletter is as accurate and up-to-date at the time of printing. This newsletter is for internal use only. Credits: A numberof personsandorganizationshave assistedusinthe preparationof this newsletter. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable and are based on research and analysis, whitepapers, academia, websites, internet postings and e-mails received. We wish to thank and express our gratitude to everyone named and unnamed for providing valuable inputs and providing data willingly. Conceived,DesignedandResearchedby: PratikWaghela, WebSystemsManager,IACC;E-mail:pratik@iaccindia.com Click here for index Get Social with the Only Bilateral Chamber of Commerce for Indo-US Business, IACC Like us on Facebook Follow IACC on Twitter Connect with IACC on Linkedin Google + IACCINDIA’s OfficialChannel