இனிய பிறந்த நாள் வாழ்த்துக்கள்......அப்துல் கலாம்

இனிய பிறந்த நாள் வாழ்த்துக்கள்....
உங்கள் பணி மேலும் சிறப்பாக தொடர வாழ்த்துக்கள் .....

தினமலர் :அக்டோபர் 15,2012,00:32 IST

 இந்தியாவின் முன்னாள் ஜனாதிபதியும், இந்தியாவின் "ஏவுகணை மனிதர்' என அழைக்கபடுபவருமான அப்துல் கலாம், 1931ம் ஆண்டு அக்.,15ம் தேதி, தமிழகத்தின் தீவுப்பகுதியான ராமேஸ்வரத்தில் பிறந்தார். இவரது முழுப்பெயர் "ஆவுல் பக்கீர் ஜெனுலாபுதீன் அப்துல் கலாம்'. 

தென் தமிழகத்தில் ஏழ்மையான குடும்பத்தில் பிறந்த கலாமின் தாய் மொழி தமிழ். குடும்ப வறுமையால், படிப்புச் செலவுக்கு நாளிதழ் விநியோகம் செய்தார். பள்ளியில் சராசரி மாணவராக இருந்த கலாம், ஆய்வுகளுக்காக அதிக நேரம் செலவு செய்தார். பள்ளிப்படிப்பை முடித்தவுடன், 1954ம் ஆண்டு திருச்சியில் உள்ள ஜெயின்ட் ஜோசப் கல்லூரியில் இயற்பியல் பட்டம் பெற்றார். 1960ம் ஆண்டு "மெட்ராஸ் இன்ஸ்டிடியூட் ஆப் டெக்னாலஜி' (எம்.ஐ.டி.,)யில், "ஏரோஸ்பேஸ் இன்ஜினியரிங்' பட்டம் பெற்றார். 

தொடர்ந்து, டிபன்ஸ் ரிசர்ச் அண்டு டெவலப்மென்ட் ஆர்கனைசேஷனில் (டி.ஆர்.டி.ஒ.,), ஏரோநாட்டிக்கல் டெவலப்மென்ட் எஸ்டாபிலிஷ்மென்ட் தலைமை விஞ்ஞானியாக, பணியில் சேர்ந்தார். இந்திய ராணுவத்திற்கு சிறிய ரக ஹெலிகாப்டரை வடிவமைத்ததே அவரின் பணி. 1969ம் ஆண்டில் இஸ்ரோவுக்கு பணி மாற்றம் செய்யப்பட்டார். அங்கு, இந்தியாவின் முதல் உள்நாட்டு செயற்கைக்கோளை உருவாக்கும் முயற்சியில் ஈடுபட்டார். சீரிய முயற்சியால் போலார் எஸ்.எல்.வி., எஸ்.எல்.வி., 3 போன்ற ராக்கெட் திட்டங்களை வெற்றிகரமாக உருவாக்க உதவினார்.
இஸ்ரோ, 1970ம் ஆண்டு எஸ். எல்.வி., ராக்கேட் மூலமாக ரோ கிணி 1 செயற்கைக்கோளை வெற்றிகரமாக விண்ணில் ஏவியது. அதே ஆண்டில், புராஜெக்ட் டெவில், வேலியண்ட் என்ற இரண்டு செயற்கைக் கோள்களும் கலாமின் முயற்சியால், எஸ்.எல். வி., ராக்கெட் மூலம் விண்ணில் ஏவப்பட்டது. அப்போது பிரதமராக இருந்த இந்திரா, மத்திய அமைச்சரவை நிதி ஒதுக்க மறுத்த போதிலும், இந்தியாவின் விண்வெளி திட்டங்களுக்காக, ரகசியமாக நிதி ஒதுக்கினார். 

தொடர்ந்து செயற்கைக்கோள்களை ஏவிய கலாம், அக்னி, பிரித்வி போன்ற ஏவுகணை உருவாக்குவதில் பெரும்பங்கு வகித்தார். ஜூலை 1992 முதல், டிசம்பர் 1999 வரை மத்திய பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் மேம்பாட்டு அமைப்பின் தலைமை அறிவியல் ஆலோசகராக இருந்தார். இந்த காலகட்டத்தில் தான், பொக்ரான்-2 அணு சோதனை நடத்தப்பட்டது. இது வெற்றிகரமாக நடத்தப்பட்டதால் அவர் இந்திய நாட்டின் உயர்மட்ட அணு விஞ்ஞானி எனும் அளவிற்கு உயர்ந்தார். இந்திய ஜனாதிபதி: கே.ஆர். நாராயணனுக்கு பின், இந்தியாவின் 11வது ஜனாதிபதியாக தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட கலாம், 2002 ஜூலை 25ல் பதவியேற்றார். இவருக்கு பா.ஜ., காங்கிரஸ் கட்சிகளின் ஆதரவு இருந்ததால், இவரை எதிர்த்து போட்டியிட்ட லட்சுமியைக் காட்டிலும் அதிக ஓட்டுகள் பெற்று 2007 ஜூலை 25வரை ஜனாதிபதியாக பணியாற்றினார். 13வது மற்றும் 14வது ஜனாதிபதி தேர்தலிலும் இவர் போட்டியிட வேண்டும் என பல்வேறு கட்சிகள் வலியுறுத்தின. இவர் மறுத்து விட்டார். இது இவரது பெருந்தன்மையை காட்டியது. 

தற்போது :

திருவனந்தபுரத்தில் உள்ள இந்திய விண்வெளி அறிவியல் மற்றும் தொழில்நுட்ப கழகத்தின் வேந்தராகவும், சென்னை அண்ணா பல்கலை.,யில் பேராசிரியராகவும், இந்தியன் இன்ஸ்டிடியூட் ஆப் மேனேஜ்மென்ட்( ஐ.ஐ.எம்.,)- ஆமதாபாத், இந்தியன் இன்ஸ்டிடியூட் ஆப் மேனேஜ்மென்ட் ( ஐ.ஐ.எம்.,) இந்தூர், மைசூர் பல்கலை., மற்றும் பல இந்திய கல்வி நிறுவனம், ஆராய்ச்சி நிறுவனங்களில் வருகை பேராசிரியராக பணியாற்றி வருகிறார்.இப்போது பல்வேறு கல்வி நிறுவனங்களுக்கும் சென்று, மாணவர்களை சந்தித்து, சிறந்த எதிர்கால சந்ததியை உருவாக்கும் முயற்சியில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளார். 

‘India is ripe for revolution’

B L : BSRaghavan :15th October 2012

The TV news channel, Headlines Today, in association with Bloomberg TV, holds an hour-long discussion every Saturday on burning issues, moderated by the iconic Tim Sebastian of BBC’s HardTalk fame, in the series titled The Outsider.

 It takes the form of a motion which is voted upon by a large interactive audience after being debated by eminent figures in public life.

I was clean bowled by the daring motion — India is ripe for revolution — brought before the audience on October 13, and the no-holds-barred, no-punches-pulled expression of views marking the proceedings.

The participants in the debate were the former Minister and political gadfly, Mani Shankar Iyer, the former IAS officer-turned social activist, Aruna Roy, who played a monumental role in making the Right to Information a reality, Prof Dipankar Gupta, reputed for his perceptive contributions to raising the quality of public discourse, and Jay Panda, the youthful and public-spirited MP, elected to the Lok Sabha from Kendrapara in Odisha.

Amazingly, all of them unanimously agreed that the people were seething with “searing rage” over their utter helplessness in the face of Himalayan corruption, rampant misgovernance, insufferable arrogance of politicians, the sadistic callousness of administration everywhere and the perversion and subversion of the institutions of democracy itself.

Iyer and Roy were sure that India was heading for a revolution. Iyer thought it could be staved off by the devolution of more powers to panchayati raj institutions.

Aruna Roy felt that the revolution in India might assume forms and characteristics different from what had been seen elsewhere.

‘MILLION MUTINIES’

Gupta and Panda took the position that despite all the problems India faced, things could still be managed within the Constitutional framework. Because of the self-corrective mechanisms and the ameliorative measures taken, and the undoubted progress that the country had made, conditions might not reach the level of desperation leading to a revolution.

But the motion was carried with the 58 per cent of the audience voting in favour.

I thought that, of the four participants, Aruna Roy came through forcefully as one who had her finger on the pulse of the people. She talked of a “million mutinies” already erupting on varying scales in different parts of the country in the form of rasta roko, public protests against lack of basic amenities, agitations against police brutalities and the like.

A revolution was inevitable if these coalesced into a country-wide mass uprising. And then, there would be no stopping it.

The Maoist insurgency itself was an incipient form of revolution, being the mobilisation of the people to resist the sufferings inflicted upon them by those in power.

INSOLENCE

Just as the debate was going on, the print and electronic media all over India were bursting at the seams with news of the shocking exposes regarding Robert Vadra and the Law Minister, Salman Khurshid, and his wife, the menacing of a toll attendant by Porbander (Gandhiji’s birthplace!) MP with his gun for merely asking for his identity and the alleged kidnapping of a Chief Medical Officer by a Minister in UP — all of it made worse by the utterly insulting and contemptuous attitude shown by politicians for the resentment of the people.

Some personal experiences of mine also indicate that the governing class is totally oblivious to the powder keg India is fast becoming, almost as a precursor to an Indian Spring akin to the Arab Spring (which, it must be remembered, started with a small incident of a policewoman misbehaving with a vegetable vendor in the capital of Tunisia).

At two functions of members of the younger generation I asked the boys and girls what their dreams were. At one place, a boy stood up and described the gruesome and gory things he wanted to do to politicians he named. At the other place, a girl said that since elections only led to the exchange of one set of goons and crooks for another, all the voters should, to a person, boycott the next elections and create a Constitutional crisis.

A respectable senior citizen actually told me that the Maoists should target Ministers and bureaucrats, instead of police constables and petty government servants!

 Are our politicians aware of the “searing rage” brimming all over the Internet and the media? 

One very much doubts, looking at their continuing insolence.

COMMENTS:

I had left inda in 2003, fresh after college with much interest or knowledge about Indian politics. I returned in 2011 to a totally changed India. I am leaving India for good now this month because of what I have just noticed and observed in my short 1 year stay. Listening to the Indian news channel makes me sick to the stomach with news about corruption, village idiots who are in charge of our lives 

India is doomed and I would not be surprised at all if India actually breaks up into many countries within next 25-30 years because our institutions, leaders have become hollow from inside.

from:  paulose

Posted on: Oct 14, 2012 at 21:56 IST

(1) Yes, citizens’ concern is the prevalent system. Basic question is whether today’s politicians have a vested interest in continuing it. Without reforming the system our democracy cannot be a true democracy. But would today’s bureaucrat-politician combine allow the revolution to take place? (2) Reality is that a system wherein favours are sought by government officials, and those who are politically well connected, is inbuilt in our society. (3) Corruption, particularly in the lower and middle level bureaucracy, is so rampant in our country that it is possible to get favours from almost any government official for a price. (4) I wonder whether the bureaucracy and all political parties with no exception ever want to change this corrupt system.

from:  Narendra M Apte

Posted on: Oct 15, 2012 at 08:59 IST

I enjoy watching Tim sebastian in Indian TV media because the journalists who hog the limelight in all our TV media are so pathetic that the contrast in quality when you watch and hear Tim is striking.Our media is populated by 4 kinds - 1.Shrill brigade majority of whom are women journalists from privileged families.2.The crooked brigade- Ones who will take money or honorariums like Padmashree and do the bidding of the financier 3.Sophisticated stephensian types who see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil,the classical fence sitters.They are boring and so terribly castrated one wonders how they increase their tribe.4.The last category is the intelligent honest types but whose clout is so low that they are dismissed by one and all.The best part of it is the so called "english educated" viewers who have so little understanding on any issue that they can be easily swayed by lowest of low arguments.India is the land of the blind where one eyed is the king

from:  shiv

Posted on: Oct 15, 2012 at 09:49 IST

We do need a revolution like the fresh revolution. Storm the parliament 
( bastille) . The Mango people should pick up the gun.

from:  Gautam Majumdar

Posted on: Oct 15, 2012 at 11:46 IST  

Hunting for business ideas? Look for problems

15 OCT, 2012, 08.00AM IST, MILAN SHARMA,ET BUREAU 


Keen to start a business but can't decide on a viable idea? One way out of this quandary may be to actively start looking at problems around you. Numerous start-ups have blossomed not because they boasted a revolutionary business idea, but because they managed to find an efficient solution to a problem that others had either ignored or were unable to solve. "A concept shouldn't just sound cool to an entrepreneur, but also solve a problem that they can relate to and is relevant to a lot of people. In this case, the satisfaction the entrepreneur receives will keep him motivated much more than having a cool idea," says Gautam Gandhi, head of new business development for Google India, and a serial entrepreneur.

Where's the problem?

In one word, everywhere. Problems can be big or niche, personal, professional, or both. According to Gandhi, an open mind and communication are the easiest ways to locate a problem. "Ask people about the issues they face and see how many are affected by it," he adds. You could also consider problems that affect you personally. "While coming up with a solution, check that it is interesting enough for a number of people, and whether they would be willing to pay for it," he adds.

How to do it?

Here are some start-ups that grew by solving problems.



Consider the following start-ups that zeroed in on a problem and 
offered a feasible and scalable solution.
The Maid's Company

This venture, set up by Gurgaon-based Gauri Singh in 2010, turned out to be a boon for households looking for reliable help, and for domestic workers, who found a stable source of income. This was a corollary to another idea by Singh—Urban Mahila & Mazdoor Alliance, an organisation set up by Singh in August 2008, which extended financial and healthcare services to urban, poor women. Over time, Singh noticed that almost 30% of the members were domestic helps. "We researched this unorganised market and found that there was no standardisation of skills and wages. There was a high dependence on informal networks to source such workers, who were riddled with security and trust issues," says Singh. Her solution, The Maid's Company, generated Rs 3.5 lakh in the first year of operations and provides 250 maids as of now.

Easy Fix Solutions

When 25-year-old Shaifali Agarwal couldn't promptly find reliable handymen—electricians, carpenters, plumbers—to fix the problems in her new apartment in Delhi in 2009, she spotted a glaring need for a venture promising a one-stop solution for home/office repairs. Two years later, in 2011, she set up Easy Fix Solutions, which posted a turnover of Rs 80-90 lakh in its first year. Today, Agarwal has a team of nearly 300 people catering to the National Capital Region (NCR).

DeliveryOnCall

Founder Ankur Mehrotra has eased the way in which families shop for groceries and other monthly supplies with this Rs 1.5 crore Delhi-based company. "The idea came to me when I was working in the corporate sector since I could hardly spend time with my family. The only day we had to ourselves, Sunday, went into stocking up. This is true of every nuclear family and I wanted to work towards saving precious time," he says. He hit bull's-eye with Deliveryoncall.com, an online and on-call facility for getting everything from grocery to pet accessories, even laundry service, at your doorstep.

Farm2kitchen.com

Seema Dholi launched this Gurgaon-based company in 2011 after the birth of her baby. "When I was pregnant with my first child, I was very particular about the food I ate. There was not even a single organic food supplier and hardly anyone knew what organic meant. That was the trigger for me," she says. Today, the company has its presence in 262 cities across the country.

How you can reduce the premium on your car insurance

15 OCT, 2012, 08.00AM IST, SAKINA BABWANI,ET BUREAU 


Find out the simple measures, such as installing safety devices in your vehicle and 
avoiding small claims, that can help you lower the premium.


If you have been planning to buy a new car, you are bound to have been pulled in by the bevy of discounts and freebies. One of the most attractive among these is the offer of free insurance. Since buying a carinsurance policy is compulsory, the word 'free' pulls in buyers, but there could be hidden clauses. The first catch is that the insurance provided is typically only for a year. From the second year on, it's your responsibility to renew the policy and pay the premium

Moreover, free insurance would mean a lower discount on the price of the car as dealers invariably recover the premium through the final cost that you pay for the vehicle. Besides, the free policy may not include various types of damages, such as that by floods. So, read the fine print carefully before you take this bait, or you could opt for a higher discount on the car and buy an insurance policy separately. Find out how due diligence and research can help you reduce the insurance premium you may have to pay for the first year as well as subsequently.

Voluntary deductible

The part of the monetary loss that is borne by you is called a deductible, and it has two components—compulsory and voluntary. A compulsory deductible of Rs 500 would mean that you pay Rs 500 of the claim amount, while the company pays the rest. You can reduce the premium if you opt for an additional voluntary deductible. However, this also means that when a loss occurs, you will have to pay a large portion of the claim amount out of your own pocket. For instance, a voluntary deductible of Rs 2,500 would give you a 20% discount on your premium, but when an accident occurs, you will have to pay Rs 3,000 of the claim amount (voluntary deductible of Rs 2,500 plus the compulsory deductible of Rs 500). "Those who are confident of their driving ability could opt for a voluntary deductible to save on premium," says Vijay Kumar, president, motor insurance, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.

Insured declared value 

The IDV is the market value of your car. The higher the value, the more the premium. You can save a few hundred rupees on your premium by declaring a lower value for your car. If your car is worth Rs 7 lakh, declaring a value of Rs 6.3 lakh could help you save Rs 200-500 on insurance premium. "This is a double-edged sword as the claim amount for accidents will not be affected by declaring a lower IDV. However, if your car is stolen, you will get a lower amount in line with the one declared by you," says Akshay Mehrotra, chief marketing officer, Policybazaar.com.

Voluntary additional declarations

The insurance company may not tell you this, but the premium charged for a car may differ according to the profile of the owner. Insurers adopt many parameters to evaluate the risk associated with your vehicle, and these include fuel type, age of vehicle, usage of car, as well as driver-specific details, such as the occupation and driver's age. A diesel-run car is assumed to be used more often than a petrol one, so the premium charged for it would be higher by 10-15%. Similarly, it is assumed that a businessman would use his car more frequently and, hence, would be charged a higher premium. Voluntary declarations about the usage of your car, as well as other details like driving records, can help you get a discount of around 10%.

ICICI Bank signs MOU with Ecobank of Africa

Moneycontrol :Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 14:02

India's second largest private sector lender - ICICI Bank on Monday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Africa-based Ecobank Transnational Incorporated.

India's second largest private sector lender - ICICI Bank   on Monday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Africa-based Ecobank Transnational Incorporated. 

"The MoU will involve ICICI Bank and Ecobank collaborating to extend banking services across their combined footprint in India and Africa. Ecobank is present in 35 countries in Africa," the bank said in press statement.

The MoU was signed in Tokyo by Vijay Chandok, president - international banking group, ICICI Bank and Arnold Ekpe, group CEO, Ecobank. India's increasing business relations with Africa is something what apparently prompted ICICI Bank to take this initiative.

"In recent years, trade and investment from India to Africa has grown multi-fold and is poised to grow even higher. This MoU is a concrete step in the direction of supporting Indian corporates in Africa. It will allow ICICI Bank and Ecobank to leverage their combined expertise, strong local knowledge and corporate relationships to support Indo-African businesses," Vijay Chandok said in a release.

India's trade with Africa has doubled in the past four years. Stronger investment ties are complementing this steady growth in trade with Indian investments in Africa across a range of sectors including oil & gas, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, fertilizers, IT and infrastructure, the lender stated in the release.

FDI in retail: SC tells govt to amend FEMA rules in 2 weeks

Moneycontrol :Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 15:20

Supreme Court refuses to stay FDI policy in retail sector

The Supreme Court has come to the government's rescue on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the retail sector. The Supreme Court has asked the government to amend the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) regulations to implement FDI in retail

The Supreme Court has come to the government's rescue on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the retail sector. The Supreme Court has asked the government to amend the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) regulations to implement FDI in retail.

The court said that the RBI has till date not amended the regulation which will legitimise government's FDI policy. The government has now asked RBI to amend FEMA regulations so that FDI in retail can be implemented. RBI will make the required changes in FEMA by November 3.

The Supreme Court has also refused to stay the government's meeting scheduled for October 19, to give licences to 50 companies for FDI in retail. The order came on a PIL against the FDI policy since the act wasn't amended.

Term limits for independent directors at public banks

The state-owned banks, depending on size, generally have around 
11-14 directors  on their boards. Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint


Remya Nair:Mint: Mon, Oct 15 2012. 12 02 AM IST

Govt plans to restrict tenures of independent directors
 at public-sector bank to six years

New Delhi: Independent directors on the board of state-owned banks will soon have a maximum tenure of six years, a move that the government hopes will make them more effective and improve corporate governance.

“The plan to restrict the tenure of directors on bank boards has received the approval of the finance minister,” a ministry official said, requesting anonymity.

P. Chidambaram, after returning to the finance ministry in August, promised public-sector banks more autonomy is making decisions, which also means making their boards stronger and more efficient.

The ministry in July had asked the nationalized lenders to only discuss important issues such as strategic business plans, bad debt management, human resource planning and core business operation in board meetings.

The government’s move is in line with the provisions of the proposed companies law, which restricts the tenure of independent directors to not more than 10 years, according to J.N. Gupta, founder and managing director of Stakeholder Empowerment Services, an advisory.

“Effectiveness of the board is a key part of corporate governance, provided the right people are selected,” Gupta said. “The way the shareholder directors are sometimes appointed shows that there is still a long way to go to ensure that all stakeholders are adequately informed about the consequences of the decisions they are taking.”

The move to restrict tenure would also mean that a director, whether nominated by a shareholder or the government, will be ineligible for further appointment to the board of any public-sector bank, if the person has already served for six years at one of them.

“There have been instances when a person has been on the board of bank for years in some capacity or the other. If the government refuses to appoint a person to a bank’s board, he becomes a shareholder director and joins the board,” said another finance ministry official, who too declined to be named. “By restricting the tenure, we can ensure that one person doesn’t hop from one bank board to another.”

A board of a public-sector lender comprises the chairman and managing director, executive directors, a director nominated by the government (typically a finance ministry official), another one nominated by the RBI, some three appointed by shareholders and a couple of non-official directors. The state-owned banks, depending on size, generally have around 11-14 directors on their boards.

As a majority stakeholder, the Central government constitutes the boards of nationalized banks, with the majority of directors, including the chairman and managing director, being appointed by the finance ministry. The director nominated by the central bank and those representing other shareholders are the only ones not directly appointed by the government.

The government may also insist on banks having directors from different specialized fields to bring in varied expertise. At present, chartered accountants dominate bank boards.

“Bank boards’ should have expertise across fields like economics, finance, human resource and information technology,” the second official said. “It should not be restricted to any particular profession.