Eminenet Scientists-Then Why not Now?

Posted on January 4, 2008 by indra

I do consider myself a well-read person, but I don’t know anyone else but Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala of IIT, Madras and Anil K Gupta of IIM- Ahmedabad. I am afraid, most of the people in our country are hardly aware about many reputed scientists, technocrats, and managers from the academic field who have been regularly contributing in different fields of science and technology. Perhaps it is because media don’t cover our academic institutions very much. It was interesting to read the former president, Abdul Kalam writing about the three scientists, D. S. Kothari, Homi Jehangir Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, who were founders of the three greatest scientific institutions in the country.

D. S. Kothari was an outstanding physicist-cum-astrophysicist and is well known for his theory on ionisation of matter by pressure in cold and compact objects like planets.

Kothari was made Scientific Advisor to the defence minister in 1948. Kothari realised early on that the main purpose of Defence Science Organisation was to serve the immediate and long-term needs of the armed forces.

As Scientific Advisor, he identified the disciplines such as Operational Research & Ballistics, Explosives & Armaments, Rockets & Missiles, Naval Technology, Engineering, Food & Life Sciences and problems posed by adverse environment on men and material, for development that is relevant and functioning even today. Kothari also established the Defence Science Centre for conducting research in electronic materials, nuclear medicine and ballistic science. He is, therefore, considered the architect of defence science in India.

The second giant was Homi Jehangir Bhabha. Before coming to India, he was a research student in theoretical physics in University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, where he did outstanding original research on cosmic radiation. He discovered that electron pairs were produced when cosmic radiation interacted with matter; he also identified muons, particles produced by cosmic rays. The latter discovery won him the prestigious fellowship of Royal Society.

On his return in 1939, Bhabha joined Sir Raman at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore. In 1945, he started the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), where he focused on nuclear and mathematical science. After Independence, he established the Atomic Energy Commission in 1948. Bhabha is acknowledged as the founder of India’s atomic energy programme. His vision gave birth to centres of excellence in nuclear technology, nuclear power, nuclear devices and nuclear medicine.

Vikram Sarabhai was the youngest of the three and worked with Sir Raman in the study of experimental cosmic rays. He established the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad with space research as focus. Later on, he became the director of Space Science & Technology Centre (SSTC), which set off in 1963 by launching sounding rockets to conduct atmospheric research.

In 1970, Sarabhai unveiled the country’s space mission with its vision of building satellite launch vehicle capability for putting our communication satellites in the geo-synchronous orbit and remote sensing satellites in the polar orbit. He also envisioned that launch vehicles built in India should be launched from Indian soil. All this led to intensive research in multiple fields of science and space technology.

Today, with its 14,000 scientific, technological and support staff in multiple space research centres, supported by about 300 industries and academic institutions, India has the capability to build satellite launch vehicles for placing remote sensing, communication and meteorology satellites in different orbits. In fact, space application has become a part of our daily life

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Why can’t India have more of such scientists who emulate these visionaries, dream and work for transforming India into a developed nation the way these stalwarts did? Why shouldn’t the media help in task of promoting Indian technological marches and technologists and scientists? An extensive effort is essential to make the role of science and technology popular among the people at large.

Kalam suggests:
  Science and technology has to be made attractive to the political leaders.
  Technologies that give immediate benefits to the people directly or indirectly should be packaged and successfully offered to the political leadership.

It is absolutely essential for the country to compete with the developed nations.

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Innovating India-1

Posted on January 2, 2008 by indra

Much before Ratan Tata announced his project of Rs 1 lakh car, I used to have discussions with my friends about an Rs 1lakh tractor. I wrote too. Few months ago, I heard of one company that had started offering Rs 1 lakh tractor. I wonder if the company is doing that with commercial success. But it is a shame that none of the many big companies in India that manufacture tractors took up the challenge to produce a reliable tractor that could be affordable too for the millions of farmers having pitiably small holdings and money to spare. Unfortunately banks also hardly provide the credit to small farmers to get the credit at lower interest for buying the tractors. If Tata can think of a car for the people, why can’t Mahindra do the same for a tractor?

One of the earliest projects of Mechanical Engineering Research Institute at Durgapur related to the design of an Indian tractor, perhaps named as Swaraj that was commercially produced too. However, it can still take up the task to make one with a target price of Rs 1 lakh or less. Unfortunately, even the power tiller today costs more than a lakh. Mindset of manufacturers in the country must change towards real innovation that can cut cost of the tractors for the users.

It was a pleasure to read about two rural innovators who have done some pioneering work to develop two farm equipment: mini-tractor and motorcycle plough, that will go a long way to help the small farmer.

Bhanjibhai Mathukia, 65, of village Kalavad in Junagarh has finally signed a technology transfer agreement with an Anand-based company for his 10 HP farmer friendly tractor that he developed out of available components and parts such as a gearbox of an Mahindra Jeep, the front tyre of Padmini car and rear wheels of jeep, and a fixed-speed stationary engine. However, it is Prof Anil K Gupta of IIM, Ahmedabad, already reputed for his GIAN, Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network who got Bhanjibhai’s innovation transformed into a marketable product using all his resources. Department of scientific and industrial research funded Rs 6 lakh for prototype development and fine tuning the product. The tractor got a customized transmission, a power take off system and a contemporary industrial external design, and the mandatory acceptance from Central Farm Machinery Testing Institute at Budni (MP)

Mansukhbhai Jagani, 42, of Mota Devalia village in Amreli has converted a Bullet motorcycle into an efficient mechanical plough. Jagani has managed to sell 150 bike-cum-tractors. Jagani developed an attachment that could be fitted by replacing the rear wheel of any powerful motorcycle. The device can perform many farming operations such as ploughing, sowing, inter-culturing, and spraying in fruit crops. The machine can cover four hectares in an hour for groundnut cultivation and consumes a litre of oil an hour.

Beside GIAN, Anil Gupta has other initiatives too to help the grass-root innovations working such as Society for Research and initiatives for sustainable Technologies and Institutions SRISTI and SRISTI Sadbhav Sanshodhan, a lab that helps the grass root innovators in commercialization of the product. However it is pity that Indian Council for Agriculture Research with all facilities hardly helps the farmers. The same is true for many technical institutes that could have help the rural entrepreneurs in fine tuning the design and processes to make the products compete with China instead of finding excuses for not doing that.

All the professional institutes and agriculture universities must work with the farmers to find out the assistances necessary for them to remove the bottlenecks and make the farming profitable.

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Booming and Blooming India-XXXIII

Posted on December 31, 2007 by indra

Sensex hovering around 20K and India Inc scaling up in almost all sectors, the boom appears to continue even in 2008. Investors’ wealth on the Indian bourses has crossed Rs 70,00,000-crore milestone for the first time in history, with an average increase of over Rs 40 crore in every minute of trading during 2007.

Bharti Infratel sells $1 b stake to global investors: Bharti Infratel, the wholly owned telecom infrastructure subsidiary of Bharti Airtel Ltd, will sell off about 10 per cent stake to international investors for $1 billion. The investors who have agreed to invest are Temasek Holdings, The Investment Corporation of Dubai, Goldman Sachs, Macquarie, AIF Capital, Citigroup and India Equity Partners (IEP), with Temasek Holdings being the largest investor.

Cisco chooses Bangalore for first business unit outside US: Cisco Systems, the world’s biggest maker of data networking equipment, plans to launch a business group, based in Bangalore, India, that will wire new buildings and even entirely new cities with state-of-the-art networking technology. The group would be Cisco’s first business unit to have its headquarters based outside the US.

Indian chip design firms acquiring for scale, R&D: Indian information technology companies, such as Wipro Ltd, Sasken Communication Technologies Ltd and MindTree Consulting Ltd, which offer chip-design services, are in an acquisitive mode to consolidate their position in the global market. In the last two years, these firms have together made five acquisitions totalling Rs502 crore, mainly to broaden their customer base and intellectual property (IP) assets.

B’lore, H’bad high-speed airport link: Paving way for Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to going ahead with the construction of high-speed metro links to connect their capitals with airports, Delhi Metro Rail Corp. has submitted its detailed project report (DPR) to the states.

Tatas bid $1.5 bn for Liberian mines: Tata Steel is looking for raw material security at a frenetic pace and the world’s sixth largest steel maker is now eyeing the Western Cluster Iron Ore deposits in Liberia, that consist of several deposits spread over 207.58 sq km and the investment is likely to be around $1.5 billion. A bid has already been submitted.

Gujarat NRE wraps up Australian acquisition: Gujarat NRE Coke has completed the acquisition of Australia-based Elouera mine from BHP Billiton, a part of the Australia-based Illawarra Coal Business.

Maruti to export 2.5 lakh cars: Maruti Suzuki India may export around 2.5 lakh cars per annum from the Mundra port, operated by the Ahmedabad-based Adani group.

Kerala declared ‘Total Banking State’: Kerala was declared “Total Banking State” providing at least one bank account for every household. Kerala is the third state to achieve the status after Himachal Pradesh and Goa.

India top investor in US govt securities among BRIC nations: India increased its exposure to the American treasury bills by more than four billion dollars in the month of October, which is higher than Brazil, Russia and China, according to the latest data available with the US Department of Treasury.

E-tendering to check mafia: The Uttar Pradesh government decided to implement e-procurement scheme under the national e-governance plan to check mafia and criminal elements in tender and contract activities.

India cellphone base to cross US in New Year: From all indications, India’s mobile phone market in terms of number of subscribers is set to overtake the United States and take its spot as the biggest after China.

Telecos add 8.3 million wireless users in November: India added 8.3 million wireless users, a record in November, taking the total subscriber base to 225.5 million. Including fixed-line users, total telephone subscriber base grew to 264.8 million by November. India’s total telephone user base is expected to top 500 million by 2010.

Health hub on Bypass stretch: Seven private hospitals, with over 2,000 beds, are set to come up on a 2.5-km stretch of the EM Bypass, from Ruby General Hospital to the Garia connector, by 2008, involving an investment of around Rs 500 crore.

Nagpur set to become `bin-free`: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has cleared a proposal to award the work of collecting trash from the doorsteps of citizens to Infrastructure Leasing & Finance Services (IL&FS), New Delhi, and the Centre for Development Communication (CDC), Nagpur, for a period of ten years to make Nagpur a ‘bin-free’ city.

60 car launches are planned through 2008. In 2008, air travellers will be able to use mobile phones in flight. A new technology that creates micro cellular sites called `picocells’, within an aircraft, without interfering with the airplanes communication or other systems will make this possible.

Microfinance firm from Bengal makes it to Forbes’ list: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, founder and chief executive officer of Bandhan, has made it to the Forbes magazine’s first-ever listing of the world’s top 50 Microfinance Institutions, next to only ASA of Bangladesh and way above Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus’ Grameen Bank.India tops list of top microfinance institutions. Forbes has named seven such entities in the list of world’s top 50 – highest for a country. Bangalore- based Bandhan at the second position.

Videocon to invest $5 billion on power projects: Consumer electronic maker Videocon Industries will set up thermal power projects aggregating 5,000 MW in Gujarat, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh along with a international player, investing about $5 billion on building three power plants.

XL Telecom building solar farms in Spain, Portugal: XL Telecom through its subsidiary Saptashva Solar Ltd has firmed up a forward integration project to establish grid connected ‘solar farms’ in Spain and Portugal with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore.

OVL to take 40% stake in Venezuelan oilfield: ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas investment arm of state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), will take a 40% stake in San Cristobal oilfield in Venezuela at a total investment of $355.738 million comprising signature bonus of $173.1 million for the stake.l ONGC will develop a war chest of $20 billion to acquire stakes in major oil and gas properties abroad.

India emerging as an attractive investment destination for US SMEs: Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are set to go global with opportunities flowing in from all corners. After SMEs from Germany and the UK, the US has expressed willingness to invest and explore possibilities of technology transfer to Indian SMEs.

India ranks 7th in IPO proceeds: E&Y According to data compiled by international consultancy firm Ernst and Young. India was the fifth largest market in terms of number of IPOs and seventh largest in terms of the proceeds for the year.

India-born Malik in Forbes` Web Celeb 25 list: India-born Om Malik has been named as one of the global web celebrities by the American magazine Forbes. A chemistry graduate from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, 41-year-old Malik is the brain behind the website ‘http://gigaom.com’ and has also served as a technology journalist for various publications.

Let us hope the boom in economy to continue in 2008. Wishing a prosperous New Year.

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Virtual IIT Can Bring Revolution

Posted on December 28, 2007 by indra

Let me confess I did never get very much impressed by the quality of teaching at IIT at Kharagpur between 1957-1961, when I was there. As I can talk now, only few of the teachers were excellent. Most of them were just mediocre. I don’t remember if they followed any curricula and any specific book. Whatever they taught was not sufficient to understand the subject. They hardly provided any reading materials. I am sure things must be different now. For any course for a student after class XII, a specific book or a set of reading materials covering the curricula is a necessity. The teaching must make the student interested in reading additional books on the subject to further the knowledge. Unfortunately, I didn’t get anything like that from our teachers. And so I told one of my reputed teachers many years after passing out in a meeting that perhaps the students in a private school learnt more and knew better. IITians performed better in life as they were picked up from a huge number of brilliant students. Even without what they learnt at IIT they could have done excellent in life.

I am really happy that IITs are now talking of virtual courses. It will make the teaching transparent and bring in equity among the students.

A news report says, ‘Eighth IIT may be without a campus, a virtual one’.

As reported, steps are afoot to offer the technical excellence of the Indian Institutes of India to a larger population of students through a separate virtual IIT initiative rather than limiting it to only some 12,000 selected through the entrance examinations in which some 2.5 lakh participate.

Basically, all the existing IITs will be participating in this initiative.

The IIT faculty has already developed study materials for subjects such as mechanical, electrical, chemical, and computer engineering and these are available on line under its project NPTEL. While some content is expected to be in form of class notes, some lectures by the IIT faculty will be screened in video format.

IIT, Delhi is already working on creating virtual laboratories that can allow students to conduct experiments in a simulated mode. Simultaneously, the institutes can think of using the existing laboratories for the students of virtual IIT during the vacations or in another shifts.

To help clarify doubts and problems, the faculty could also interact with students occasionally.

The standard of courses offered by the virtual IIT will be of a standard comparable with the existing IITs. In order to maintain the high standards that are a hallmark of the IITs, the online IIT will follow strict admission criteria.

According to MS Ananth, Director IIT, Madras, “For this initiative to materialize what will be critical is bandwidth. One way out of the problem, at least initially, tying up with colleges having the required bandwidth for transmitting video programmes.

The best part of the virtual IIT will be that the services of the best teachers out of a big pool can be obtained to prepare the specific course. The course must be accessible to the students of all engineering colleges in India, if necessary at some fee to IITs. Local teachers will only be facilitators to students and devote time to upgrade their knowledge and/or get into research. The virtual institute will solve the problem of the shortage of good teachers to some extent also.
However, a group of experienced teachers and experts from the related industry must keep on updating the courses and making it more relevant and contemporary.

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Why Can’t Ratan Tata Save Buddha?

Posted on December 27, 2007 by indra

I am surprised and shocked. Mamta’s fast has gone on for now 25 days. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s fast against land acquisition in Singur enters the 25th day today. With her health deteriorating in the evening, Banerjee had to be put on oxygen support yesterday.

Narrating how the project was brought to Bengal, Buddha desperately said yesterday at Bengal chamber of commerce meeting that the Tatas were shown three or four locations in the state and they first chose a site at Kharagpur. The Tatas are already present there. But, on the day Bhattacharjee was sworn in as chief minister for his second term, Tata group chairman Ratan Tata had come to Kolkata. It was then he had told the chief minister that, if he could get land nearer to Kolkata, Singur would be his choice. “How could I not keep Ratan Tata’s request?” Bhattacharjee said. “I persuaded him like anything to prevent him from going to Uttaranchal. And now if he has to go away, we will never be able to raise our head. No industry will ever come to Bengal,”

Why is Tata Motors so adamant in locating its Rs 1-lakh-car project at Singur? One will agree that the West Bengal government committed to give it the land at Singur. But it was only after they rejected the offer of Kharagpur where Tatas are already having some factories including Tata Bearings that may be a vendor to Tata Motors.

I don’t understand why Tata Motors can’t change its mind and save Buddha Babu who went out of the way to offer Tatas the 3-crop fertile land at Singur that was known to be a Trinamool stronghold.

What will Tata Motors technically loose if it shifts its project to some other locations? It is a poor strategy of Tata Motors to stick to its point. I am sure the government can find a different place for it near Kolkata itself, and Mamta will agree for it. It will break the stalemate and save the embarrassment of Buddha’s government. Today the whole Bengal is watching this battle between Mamta and Buddha. If Tatas think that Mamta will give up her fast that is already in 24 days old without making Buddha bend, they are mistaken. It would have been nice for Tatas to come on its own, and request for some other alternative locations near Kolkata. It would have enhanced the image of Tatas and Buddha Babu would have been obliged for this noble gesture.

I wish the good sense prevailed over Tatas.

PS “I cannot say no to Ratan Tata, otherwise we will never be able to raise our heads,”<

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Entrepreneurs-in-making but manufacturing

Posted on December 27, 2007 by indra

Here are some stories of the young men and women from just one reputable business school who have given up the cozy life and fat salary packets of multinational to start something of their own and perhaps setting the trends for new India.

Anuradha Agrawal, (2002) started community kitchens almost a year ago in the slums of Ahmedabad. She has now turned it into a profitable venture much to the surprise of many. About 30 community kitchens, comprising 30 families each, are currently working. She now wants to take this number to 100 in the coming months. http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c.php?leftnm=10&autono=308750 “Each family on an average spends Rs 70 on their food. While we save Rs 15 from this amount by way of bulk purchase of ration and vegetables, half of it is passed on to the families and the rest is spent on maintenance of the kitchens. Community kitchen also saves fuel for these families,” she says. In the process, Anuradha is transforming their taste-based food habits into a more healthy diet.

Vivek Pahwa (2006) launched a website for second marriages. The website boasts of 20,000 registered users wanting to go in for a second marriage. Changing life patterns in the country would further add to this list in future.

Gunjan Aggarwal (2002) saw an opportunity in vocational training. Her firm, Avsarr, a job opportunity platform, is now training young boys and girls in financial services to cater to the requirement of three banks. A typical 7-9-day training is enough to make them employable in areas of helping the banks expand their current and savings accounts. “We need not impart knowledge in behavioural psychology to these people. A short training is enough to develop necessary skills,” she says. And her idea is working.

Ashish (2002) with 15 years of service in the Armed Forces, now offers technology and a platform to address risk and intelligence. According to him, every business now needs to address the issues of real risk, not just business risk, after the terror attacks in the US and elsewhere brought the security issues into the realm of overall planning of a company.

With growth in GDP approaching to double digit and increasing telecom and Internet penetrations, the potentials for entrepreneurships in on and off-line services are huge. However, I only wish that all institutes of excellence started putting a special thrust to induce this younger generation of entrepreneurs to go for manufacturing too. The big retail outlets in organized sector can also encourage entrepreneurship in manufacturing, as Maruti did for auto components manufacturing. Manufacturing can only bring prosperity to the millions and let our IITs and IIMs find the way out to create an explosive growth of manufacturing sector.

However, another area of hope among many potential sectors is one in food. Here are some entrepreneurs from food processing industry that must be emulated:

United Pizza Restaurant Pvt Ltd, a Bangalore-based company operating a pizza restaurant chain called US Pizza, plans to start exporting ‘made in India’ pizzas through its under-construction factory in Bangalore, scheduled to go on stream by March 2008. Under the arrangement, United Pizza would only have to take care of the production of pizza base with tomato puree and Indian cheese, minus the toppings. “Various pizza companies, especially European, which would find it credible to outsource pizzas from India.”

Other area where the institutes of excellence must contribute is India’s agriculture sector that can contribute in enhancing the prosperity for a larger number of populations. Some entrepreneurs are already setting examples by making agriculture more commercial. Agro Dutch Industries is the leading exporter of mushrooms from India, a 100 per cent export oriented unit with a turnover of about Rs 250 crore. Himalya International Limited is another company that exports fresh mushrooms and various products made out of mushrooms in the US market. It is planning to double its capacities to meet the export demand. And these companies have succeeded in persuading its buyers to improve on price to take care of rising rupee.

There is ample proof that India’s high economic growth is being fuelled by the rising innovation intensity of its industries. But innovation in India must become a religion. Will it require a mandatory inclusion of technocrats in politics and administration? I am basing my view on an article in New Scientist that makes an interesting observation: “Does China make faster and more determined progress because most senior leaders of the Central Government were trained as engineers (Politburo of Engineers)?”

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Bihar- Hope and Despair

Posted on December 25, 2007 by indra

Nitish Kumar may be a nice man, perhaps gentleman unlike Laluji. However, my views are not based on any facts. It is through the media reports about Nitish that I liked. Recently, all his party men were after the blood of Raghubans Prasad Singh. Television channel showed footages of two boys (age 11 years) working in the field of Raghuraj Singh, the brother of Union rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh near his Shahpur home under Mahnar in Vaishali (Hajiprur). However, it was established later that the two are “regulars in schools” and “had pulled the log across the field when promised a chance to appear on television and Rs 20 each.” Nitish behaved as a real mature person. He didn’t go with his men. And finally, the truth came out. Another news report related about his visiting his senior party man George Fernandes and requesting him to inaugurate some development projects in Muzaffarpur. George Fernandes have gone against Nitish with no malice and inhibition, as he didn’t back him for heading the party.

These acts are magnanimous. But then is it good enough for Bihar and its people?

But then good news came from Tokyo. NMG (Nalanda Mentor Group) had its second meeting, headed by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, recently at Tokyo. By early next year, the blueprint for reviving the 1197 AD Nalanda University in Bihar – is expected to be ready. At Tokyo, the NMG decided that the university would have schools of Buddhist studies, philosophy and comparative religions; historical studies; international relations & peace studies; business management and development studies; languages and literature; and ecology and environmental studies. I had some more ambitious dreams about this rebirth of Nalanda. It must have also included institutions of excellence of technology and sciences at par with MIT. NMG can invite western countries too to join in this unique endeavour, or IISc and IITs to pull together their resources to set up institutions in the premises. Alternatively, the IIT and IIM for Bihar, sanctioned by the HRD ministry should become part of the campus.

Another exciting news report related to sugar sector that may become the main industry for Bihar. Reliance Industries, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd and India Glycols Ltd have bid for closed sugar mills in Bihar. The privatization must move on fast track and the government must encourage the private companies to include ethanol, cogeneration as well as some food-grain based manufacturing activities in the state on priority.

Even with all the troubles and mudslinging between the trio the people of Bihar have retained their innovative talent and entrepreneurships. And that is evident when I read the report: Kanishk and Lipika Sinha, a young couple from Patna have invented an energy-saving rather fuel-free engine, at a cost of Rs 35,000, which can run without petrol or diesel and can last for a 4.5-lakh kilometre run. Kanishk Sinha recently got the engine patented (1077/Del/2005) with BigPatents India, a body supported by the Ford Foundation.

But again I appeal to Nitish to concentrate on the law and order situation that might have improved by statistics but not in real term and in the perception of the investors. Kidnapping and abduction are still rampant. A recent report in Mail Today was agonizing how it is now a moneymaking business for small enough criminals. It requires ruthless handling and exemplary harsh punishment.

Another report about the central agencies dropping the rural road building projects due to Naxalite’s fear is shocking: “The Indian Railway Construction Company (IRCON) working on many road projects in Bihar is planning to abandon the work due to the threat by Naxals. Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Bihar has a target to connect 9,600 villages involving a road length of 27,000 km. Out of 38 districts, IRCON is taking care of eight districts, NHPC and NPCC will make six each, CPWD four while the remaining districts are managed by NBCC. Out of nearly 57 such road projects initiated in the four districts of Arval, Gaya, Aurangabad and Jehanabad, nearly 23 have been abandoned due to the Naxal menace.”

As much as I understand the Naxalites in Bihar are misguided unemployed youths from deprived class. Demands of extortion and ransom money by the so-called Naxalites and kidnappers are indications that the movement is not for the uplift of the deprived class, but it is for making easy money. It requires tough but humane handling. Let the state form a small and effective core group with some social scientists and religious gurus too to look into the solutions of the problem. Urgent land reforms, extensive skill building, massive adult education, and thrust on value building at school may be the basic necessity. I suggest that the politicians in their meetings including the Janata Durbars with so-called ‘aam adami’ insist on people present for sending their children to schools compulsorily.

Further, it pains to know that ‘Bihar’s committed expenditure towards interest payment, administrative and pension payments is almost twice the state’s own revenue resources.’ Bihar needs motivated and dedicated officers to make it move out from the rut. I wish they could have set some examples with some innovative approaches.

By now Nitish would have done much more than what has happened in last two years. Let us hope Nitish’s hard work pays back.

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Why Envy If Politicians Develop their Villages?

Posted on December 7, 2007 by indra

I came across some reports how the politicians served their own villages when in power in ‘Metro India’. The stories related to Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar.

As reported, Nitish had been indifferent or knowingly avoided doing anything special for his own village till now. He could have certainly done many things even as politician in his earlier days with his influence and acquaintances, or when he was an effective cabinet minister in central government during NDA rule.

The cabinet colleagues of Nitish are now falling over each other to make up for Nitish’s neglect and uplift the condition of Kalyanbigha, the ancestral village of Nitish Kumar in Nalanda district. Bihar’s various ministers have promised an Industrial Training Institute (ITI), an Rs 2-crore power substation in the village and an Rs 35-crore grid station at Harnaut nearby, a 12-bed state-of-the-art hospital and a 12- room government higher secondary school. Road construction minister has promised to convert the 8-km single lane road linking the village to NH31 into a double lane.

Lalu had also done the same or a little more for his village, Phulwaria and Rabri for Selar Kalan. A 22-km road to Phulwaria from the district headquarters got built that envied the neighbouring villages. But as the climax, the railway ministry has undertaken an ambitious project to link both the villages through a rail network on the Hathua-Bhatani section and the last Railway budget provided a fund of RS 230 crore for the project. I feel amazed why the system permits this. Should not there be criteria clear enough to avoid such partisan project?

However, all that Lalu had done is nothing in comparison with what Mulayam did and wished to do for Saifai, his village of 4000 people in Etawah: an international-standard air-strip, a 500-bed super specialty hospital, a world class flood-lit cricket stadium, an athletic stadium, a lion safari, and an indoor stadium almost like Talkatora of Delhi. Mulayam wanted a Boeing 747 to land at the airstrip. As usual, Mayawati has shelved all the projects. But how can the money already spent be justified? The airstrip has sucked in Rs 100 crore of taxpayers’ money, and the stadium Rs 50 crore.

I don’t find anything wrong with the basic development work and wish everyone who can, must do this as a minimum for his village. Every legislator must get a high school, an Industrial training Institute, a health care center, and electrification for his village. The legislator must use all the resources at his hand to provide these facilities for his village or for the villages of his mother or wife using the fund that he gets every year. At least, it will mean so many of the villages upgraded.

Anyone who succeeds in life must do something for his own village where he was born and brought up. I was shocked to read a story about the village of Ambanis. Why the village wouldn’t have been one with all facilities, particularly professional schools for training skills to all the boys and girls? Will the Ambanis be any way poorer if they would invest in these facilities for the people of the village?

However, the administrative reform must eliminate the possibility of building a stadium and international airport in some chief minister’s or even prime minister’s village.

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Auto Sector Getting Innovative

Posted on December 6, 2007 by indra

Auto component sector started localization with reverse engineering in 80s. I had opportunity to work with General Motors, Vauxhall Motors, Isuzu Motors, and Mitsubishi Motors for various projects. Development of components was difficult as it used to a proprietary item of the vendors of the OEMs. Indian component manufacturers used too ask for sample parts and did the best to duplicate it. Naturally over the years, the component manufacturers have mastered its product. As a new trend, even small and mid-sized auto parts manufacturers in the country are trying to supply a totally sub-assembled or fully assembled units that go straight in car assembly.

Design engineers of even tier II auto component companies today can be seen engaged in analyzing, designing and testing auto components on high-end computer-aided design and engineering component ‘morphing’ tools. A company without a capable and strong design team can’t improve and innovate the products and processes to be and remain competitive. Many big such as Bharat Forge and Amtek Auto or even small companies too are trying to acquire design firms in developed countries to get strongly placed fast into the innovation business. Many are trying to build on own locally.

Autoline, an Rs 200-crore vendor of several leading automobile companies bought Detroit Engineered Products, an American design firm, for $15 million (Rs 60 crore), and is now heading to be a global ancillary.

RSB Transmissions is an Rs 600-crore auto ancillary firm in Pune. The CEO claims “to have even advised original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) on why a component has to be designed in a particular way.” To give such advice, the design team has to be capable of going a step beyond the OEM’s component specification. RSB, for instance, designed a propeller shaft 10 kg lighter than its original weight, which, coming as it did from an Indian ancillary, surprised the OEM. RSB has invested Rs 12 crore in R&D, and has also acquired Michigan-based Miller Brothers, a precision machining company, for $19 million (Rs 76 crore). RSB’s ‘i-Design’ team is a separate entity working with OEMs on component quality, weight, design and pricing.

SRF Ltd has made innovative modifications on some old machines combining two processes of twisting and cabling with a lot of saving. Anand Group has brought about innovations in car ACs making it cheaper. Sona Steering under the able leadership of Surinder Kapur has enhanced its R&D budget by 15%. As reported, Sona has developed a steer-by-wire technology that may be showcased in coming Auto Expo 2008.

Medium-sized ancillaries have also been spending more on R&D over the past three years. Importantly, foreign majors such as Toyota who are noticing the rise in defect rate among their vendors, find Indian ancillaries a viable source. Clearly, a capable design teams can add a lot of value. It gives the ancillary company freedom from the OEMs.

However, design talent is expensive and scarce requiring a lot of nurturing from the top management. It is not easy to direct the engineering capability into R&D. IT today attracts the best brain. However, it is not difficult to build a great design team, as it requires picking up the right kind of people who may, on their own, may not like to join IT, because of their interest in design.

Many foreign firms are trying to set up its R&D wing in India because of a great pool of talent. Eaton Corporation, a US-based $12-billion (Rs 48,000-crore) firm, has already created a ‘professional services centre’, comprising 500 engineers dedicated entirely to R&D to focus on clean technologies for the Indian and global automotive sector.

As announced recently, General Motors Corp, global automakers is setting up a new Collaborative Research Lab (CRL) in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur to carry out research in areas of electronics, controls and software. It had already an R&D center in Bangalore. GM has also opened its India Design Lab in Bangalore, which will comprise 100 professionals involved in styling cars.

CII too has undertaken “Mission for Innovation in Manufacturing” since May 2006. The best part is that many globally reputed management consultants are helping in its endevour to Indian manufacturing sectors globally competitive.

Many a times I feel every person in any profession must learn the basics of the art and science of innovation techniques at stage of education.

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Comrades’ West Bengal

Posted on December 5, 2007 by indra

Many a time I wondered how could West Bengal remain so poor and less developed even after 30 year of stable leftist rule. I did write about my experiences how the leftists spoiled the industries of West Bengal through trade unionism that basically terrorized the management. Any one in managerial staffs had to suffer and lead a life with fear or tow whatever the union representatives wanted. I had to pay for my bold management stands against the wishes of union many a time during HM days.

The whole world and particularly leftist intellectuals have painted the rosiest picture of the changes in rural Bengal. As much as I have noticed and conclude the local people in rural Bengal have started working very hard for getting the maximum of yields from the farming shaking off the older dogma. West Bengal didn’t use the workers from Bihar and other poor state for farming, other northern Indian states such as Haryana and Punjab did.

I don’t know how correct is Mukulika when she claims, ” Only under Left Front rule, the gorib (the sharecroppers and daily wage labourers) have gained a modicum of self-respect, a luxury no one in their families had ever experienced before. It is now possible to ride a bicycle or wear trousers without being ridiculed by members of wealthier castes.” I had friends from the rural areas since my school days and was very much in contact with the large number of local employees in HM with rural background.

Mukulika Banerjee, a reader in social anthropology, University College, London happens to write her experiences in two Muslim villages in Birbhum of West Bengal in Times of India on December 3, 2007.

After the left takeover in West Bengal, the comrades rule the state and all in administration including IPS or IAS officers are to keep the comrades in good humour. Union decides whom to employ, whom to promote, who gets the company quarters, and even who gets some advance payment.

I never knew that the grip is so intense in rural Bengal. Mukulika writes:

A ‘comrade’ controls all life in an average village of West Bengal today. In his sphere of influence, the local comrade reigns, his word is law. Successful comrades are those who are able to ingratiate themselves into every single village matter.

The comrade controls even personal lives of the people. No marriage transaction for a young girl can be made without the comrade’s consent, brothers cannot settle inheritance issues without the comrade’s support and no one can even dream of starting a new business without the comrade and his sons trying it out first.

The comrade’s lust, desire for control and greed rules the lives of the people. Any challenge to this power is met with disproportionate punishment. Access to the village lane can be cut off to the offending member’s household, a mysterious stampede of cows can ruin a standing harvest, a girl can be raped as she walks home in the dark or a young man is beaten up in front of his prospective in-laws.

Ironically, ministers, senior leaders in Kolkata and district capitals seem unaware of these happenings. They express surprise. Why should they bother if it means easy electoral victory for them election after election?

The reason for these repeated victories is complex calculus of consent among the voters, systematically and painstakingly created by a hard-working party organisation. And why do various section vote for the left?

The gorib vote for it because they genuinely think that their fragile self-respect could be taken away under a Congress regime, returning the village to the horrible old days of their fathers’ humiliation. The middle peasantry and upper castes vote for the LF in the hope that this will restrain the local comrade from raising the minimum wage. Families vote for the LF hoping that the comrade will allow them to resume negotiations for their daughter’s wedding.

For anyone who has lived in a village in West Bengal, an everyday phenomenon is: The roar of motorcycles, the constant violence and threats, the decimation of any nascent opposition party activities, the growing arrogance of party cadres.

And that is the genesis of Nandigram.

Electoral victory has been a remarkable success for the Left Front in West Bengal. But is it a democracy of the people, by the people, and for the people.

I wonder if Bengal and its people can take pride in it. Can other help? Perhaps, the answer is a big ‘NO’. The whole of India can only keep on watching from a distance and making their impressions about the changing Bengal from the high rising buildings and malls in Kolkata, and the announcement of many industrial houses about the setting up of factories.

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