Showing posts with label news weekly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news weekly. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The army might have uprooted many militant groups operating from Pakistani soil

The pressure exerted by the US government on the Pakistan army and government is making things worse, pushing Pakistan to a journey towards the unknown. The ruling classes in Pakistan are happy that they are being provided massive “aid” to fight the militants, despite the fact that the country is being run on the loans extended by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Peter Symonds, a frequent contributor to Global Research, wrote an article that was published on May 16, 2010 titled: 'America’s War on Pakistan: US Warns Pakistan of Severe Consequences'. It reads: 'The Obama administration has seized on the failed car bombing in New York’s Times Square on May 1 to insist that the Pakistani military step up its war on Islamic militants and extend its operations into North Waziristan. The US demand is being backed by thinly disguised warnings of economic reprisals and military interventions'.

In a CBS interview recently, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: “We’ve made it very clear that if, heaven forbid, an attack like this that we can trace back to Pakistan was to have been successful, there would be very severe consequences.” Under interrogation, Shahzad has allegedly admitted training in Taliban camps in North Waziristan, although the amateurish character of the bombing attempt indicates otherwise. A Tehrik-e-Taliban spokesperson has denied any involvement. Is the alleged terrorist an agent provocateur providing an alibi to proponents of “Long War” to intrude into Pakistan after Iraq and Afghanistan?

An American analyst wrote recently that the US leadership itself creates a monster, then inflates it and then fights it. How true is it for Osama bin Laden?

Clinton is also insisting that Pakistan and India shun their differences. Nobody differs from such pious assertions. But how come Clinton, or for that matter any other US leader, suddenly becomes a peace nick? The motive seems to be simple: Pakistan armed forces should concentrate on “war on terror” rather than look with scepticism towards India with which it had fought four unproductive wars during the last 62 years.

General Kayani is reluctant to open another front in North Waziristan. “It seems Pakistan would undertake an operation in the North Waziristan, but at the time of its choosing. The Pakistan military wants to consolidate its position in Orakzai, Khyber and Bajaur before launching an attack in North Waziristan. It may take a couple of weeks, if not months,” Rizvi believes.

“Pakistan’s economy is on the verge of collapse, with gross domestic product falling from more than 8 per cent growth in 2005 to under 3 per cent last year. More than $3.5 billion in US economic and military assistance is in the pipeline, and a nearly $8 billion International Monetary Fund agreement and a $3.5 billion World Bank financing package are pending,” writes Symonds.

Faced with a severe energy crisis, hundreds of thousands of loom workers in Pakistan are likely to be laid off. Inflation has crippled not only the working classes but even the middle classes. One find thousands of low-income employees having food at free food centres run by eminent social activist Abdus Sattar Edhi because they can’t buy food with their meagre salaries.

The ruling elite look the other way. The economic and political turmoil can push the people of Pakistan towards anarchy since forces that could resist malignancy either do not exist or are too weak and fragile.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Friday, June 11, 2010

World observed the 40th anniversary of Earth Day

While businesses have systematically and thoroughly abused and mutilated our earth, several companies have begun to implant and implement environment-conscious ideologies in their organisations. From a global perspective, the highest impact is being achieved by an Indian-American according to Forbes. Recently named as the greenest billionaire in the world, Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, has been pouring millions of dollars into innovative companies that are into sustainable building materials, solar power and advanced bio-fuels. Meanwhile, organic clothes that spare the earth the scourge of pesticides and chemicals are slowly gaining ground in the Indian market. While several designers have taken out eco-friendly lines, two major apparel brands have recently decided to tread the green mile too. These new lines from Van Heusen and Arrow present 100 per cent organic clothes made out of cotton, linen and have used natural dyes. Vandana Shiva, however, stresses on tying such projects with community-based initiatives to ensure that such ventures sustain in the long haul. Further, in dyeing a regular fashionable outfit, roughly 8000 chemicals are used, besides using heavy metals, creating toxic waste and consuming huge quantities of precious water.

Therefore natural dyes are an essential step for clothing companies. Herbal dyeing, which not only uses natural plants and minerals but also retains the medicinal properties of the herbs, is being seen as the next big trend by many. Says Arun Baid of Aura Herbal Textiles, “We will not speculate that the whole world will change and will go for herbal dyeing, but since the dedication to environment, global warming, carbon points are serious issues, in the near future anybody and everybody will have to be sustainable to survive.”

Going green is becoming so fashionable that at The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) green has replaced the usual red colour of the carpet at the entry. Where Amitabh Bachchan has for long been encouraging eco-friendly behaviour, the latest Bollywood celebrity to join the green bandwagon is Abhay Deol, who has signed up to become the official Brand Ambassador of The Climate Project – India, and for a start has decided to use two separate garbage bins – one for dry waste, and the other for wet waste. The project is aiming to present more concrete solutions through their Teachers Training Programme, where they plan on training teachers in every government and privately-owned school in Delhi about climate change, in time to help the capital get all squeaky and shiny for the Commonwealth Games 2010.

While there is a lot afoot to help our earth regain its lost vitality, each one of us needs to treat our planet with respect and love, and behave as a member of one big family. The Dongria Kondh tribe, the businessmen who own the factories, to the school children who planted saplings this Earth Day, are all an intrinsic and organic part of the same family. “We are the last generation that can make a difference. Our generation has a challenge to not only act in our own capacities to reduce our carbon footprints, but in addition we should also get our politicians to take the big decisions that are needed now,” says Vinuta Gopal. “We need to now think of the rights of mother earth, and how that defines our rights,” stresses Vandana Shiva, and leaves us with a thought that will hopefully resound in our readers’ minds long after, “We are an earth family, and this earth family is a child of mother earth, and her rights come first.”

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Is homeschooling a viable recourse from the culture of rote pervading our education system?

Can such children – vulnerable as they sound – ever prove to be a threat? The fear of creation of a parallel society is the reason that governments of various nations quote for banishing homeschooling by law. One such country is Germany where the illegal status of homeschooling recently led Uwe and Hannelore Romeike to leave their home country – with their five children – and seek political asylum in USA through Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA: A US-based non profit organisation dedicated to this cause for over 25 years). Mike Donnelley, Staff Attorney, HSLDA, reveals, “Homeschoolers in Germany are fined many thousands of dollars, criminally prosecuted or have their children possibly taken from them. The govt. claims that they have ‘an interest in stamping out parallel societies.’ They say that the state has an equal responsibility in raising children and that schools are necessary in order to bring children up with the "democratic values" of the new German state.”
In India, there are no specific diktats on homeschooling, apart from the “free and compulsory education for all” provision in the constitution, now bolstered by the recently passed RTE Act. “Every state has its own rules with regard to schooling, but homeschooled children can pretty much join regular schools any time they wish. If they want to continue with homeschooling, then they can complete their high school (10th grade) from the National Open School. The certificates from this organisation can be used all over the country to join colleges for courses thereafter,” explains Chetana.

The pedants call homeschooling a utopian dream – where socialisation, conflict management, ability to deal with competition and other life skills can never be achieved. Mike dismisses notions of socialisation that have to do with staying “cooped up in a classroom with 20-30 children of their own age for 6-8 hours a day”. Sandhya agrees, “The fact that a child is being homschooled doesn't mean that he is at home 24x7 and doesn’t meet other children. In fact, we find more time for him to meet people from different walks of life now than we did when he was at school and the only people he came in touch with regularly were his classmates, teachers, friends and us. One thing he might miss out on is the 'sense of competition' in the classroom. And my viewpoint is that I'd rather have him work well as a team rather than try to compete with someone.”

Looking back at one’s childhood days, the possibility of spending some years studying at home and some in school creates an overwhelming urge to be home – and young – again. But as a parent, the dream may turn into a terrible dilemma. The end of shaping well-rounded and sensitive citizens is certainly a matter of formidable responsibility, after all…
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Monday, April 19, 2010

Succour on the Texas trail!

Vishal Retail has been under the storm for quite some time now. First the debt problem, then the inventory issues and finally expansion plans... Is it even possible for the company to stand on its own? Or is the TPG investment proposal its clarion call?

After struggling for almost two years, Vishal Retail has finally found itself a saviour. The beleaguered retailer would now be acquired by Texas Pacific Group (TPG), a private equity firm that plans to infuse Rs.2.50 billion in it. Further, the business would be divided into two formats namely the cash & carry and retail business. “TPG has given a proposal under the CDR mechanism. However, the outcome will be weighed with pros/cons and the decision post the outcome will be taken considering interest of all stakeholders,” R. C. Agarwal, CMD, Vishal Retail, tells B&E. The retailer has revived, in part, but is it even remotely possible for Vishal Retail to continue on its own? To understand that, let’s go back to how the train of cataclysmic events unfolded:

March, 2008: The Retailers Association of India forecasts an annual growth of 30% for the sector. One of India’s leading retailers, Vishal Retail grows at 100% (y-o-y) with a turnover of Rs.10 billion. But soon the global slowdown hits India and the growth forecast for the sector is slashed to 12-15%. Vishal is debt trapped – an obligation of about Rs.7.5 billion. In fact, by December 2008, Vishal’s expenditure on interest increases by a whopping 137.26% and profit plunges by a horrifying 86%. Speculations are rife that Vishal is the next Subhiksha. June, 2009: Vishal consolidates its back-end and front-end operations. The hard work pays off and finally in Q2 of 2009, business improves. Topline shows signs of recovery with net sales of Rs.2,653.70 million for Q1 2009, an increase of 13.96% from the previous quarter. But the debt challenge still persists.

March, 2010: Vishal’s stock touches an intraday high of Rs.65.25, up by 5%, on speculations of Texas Pacific Group acquiring Vishal Retail (by the time this magazine goes for print).

Phew! … Three years, one retail giant, a slowdown and the ultimate struggle for survival. Though this retailer started its journey three years before Kishore Biyani could set up his first store in 1997, it could not sustain the first mover’s advantage. Raison d’ĂȘtre: Vishal Retail made the one mistake of using short-term debt for long-term growth. But this ‘one mistake’ proved too costly.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Friday, April 09, 2010

Central India's largest state is home to 300 tigers

Pachmarhi
Situated amidst falls, caves, valleys and lofty peaks of the Satpura mountains, Pachmarhi was founded by Captain James Forsyth of the British Army in 1857. The place boasts of several sightseeing spots. Priyadarshani is the place where Captain Forsyth was mesmerised by the breathtaking view of the valley. At Handi Khoh, one can get a scary view of the valley beneath from a single rock formation that is 300 feet high. One can sit here and enjoy the sight of the meandering stream. Similarly, Apsara Vihar is a small natural geyser where one can take a dip and feel the muscles relax almost immediately. Rajat Falls is a 350-feet high fall and Dhupgarh is the highest point of the Satpura range.

There are the Pandav Caves where, it is believed, that Pandavas, during their years of exile, had taken shelter for sometime. Jatashanker has the distinction of hiding Lord Shiva when his own creation, Bhasmasur, decided to try his luck on his mentor. Mahadev and Chota Mahadev caves have their own charm and attract a fair amount of travellers. But the ultimate test for the pious is Churagarh which is pretty difficult to reach given its nearly impossible-to-commute road. Devotees come here to offer tridents to Lord Shiva. And the Catholic Church here—built in 1892—is the best example of French and Irish architecture.

Hari Ranjan Rao, managing director of MP Tourism Development Corporation, says, “It is probably the only hill station in central India where one can experience every aspect, right from devotion to nature and from archeological interests to flora and fauna.”

The nearest hill station is Piparia on the Howrah-Mumbai main line. One can take a taxi or bus from there. The closest airport is Bhopal where one can hire a cab or take a bus to Pachmarhi. The place boasts of several hotels and guest houses by MPTC.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-

Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Will sports india ever get more saharas

The public statement issued by Sahara read, “In the interest of the national hockey players, Sahara India Pariwar has decided to pay immediately, Rs.10 million in suspense account to Hockey India, only for distribution to the players so that they can return to practice and play for the country.” This action only saw more skeltons tumble out of the closet. A week later, the Indian Women’s Hockey team also raised its voice demanding payment of similar dues. This time however, it was Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, who stood up for the rights of the Women’s Hockey team and donated a sum of Rs.10 million.

Whether it be the case with Hockey India or the controversy surrounding the National Rifle Association of India (which had initially left out India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra from the core group for the Commonwealth Games 2010), it is obvious that even the organisers of sporting events, the companies and the marketing agencies, are least interested in sponsoring sporting events other than cricket. Supporting these views are the sports marketing people, who believe that the marketers are simply obsessed with cricket, and cricket only, and thus refuse to look out for other options. The reason for the step-motherly treatment to other communities in the sports society is simply that marketing companies, generally, find few takers for events like chess, volleyball, basket-ball, and even games like football, tennis and table tennis, generate low interests. And for games like kabaddi and kho-kho, there are only a few local brands found flashing their banners in the dusty skies. Justifying the lack of interest on the part of India Inc., Nandan Piramal, of the Piramal Group and founder of Pune Football Club, says that the returns on investments associated with sponsoring sports prevents the corporates from throwing away money without purpose. There are more people like him in the industry, who want to do much more, but are looking out for economic viability. Doubling up on the alibis, a source close to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said on conditions of anonymity that, “In the absence of any proper encouraging factors like tax incentives or any other kind of subsidy, the corporates find it useless to invest in sports.”

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-

Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Crying Wolf?

Having made to beat a hasty retreat on its stand on ‘retreating glaciers’, the IPCC might have lost more than just credibility!

‘Repeat a lie a thousand times and it becomes truth’ seems to have been the motto of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change or the IPCC and its Chairman R K Pachauri who is finding himself on a sticky wicket in the wake of the ‘Glaciergate’ scandal. But come as they may, the lies have become far too many to be kept under wraps… the can of worms is open and the count of worms hasn’t stopped... not just yet.

There seems to be no end in sight to IPCC and its Chairman, R K Pachauri’s woes. First, it was a series of leaked e-mails that set-off a wave of doubt about the extent and the rate of global warming, then it was the outlandish claim (based on mere speculation) that Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035; and now there’s yet another damning case built by Britain’s daily, Telegraph against the Nobel award-winning body that seems to have shot itself in the foot yet again by claiming that ice from world’s mountain tops was disappearing due to global warming, a claim based on a university student’s thesis and an article published in a popular magazine for climbers...

With the IPCC adding one goof-up after another to its cap, the UN body would need something of a miracle to salvage its credibility, what with another of its claims about the effects of climate change on the Amazon having come from a lifted report appearing in the WWF – an advocacy group. “As if this were not bad enough, the IPCC has now had to admit to yet another serious error. For years it has been trying to maintain that if the world warms again (and it has not done so for 15 years) hurricanes, floods and droughts would become more frequent. Now, it has admitted that this is not the case, and it proposes to “re-evaluate the evidence,” says Lord Christopher Monkton, a staunch critic of the IPCC and the theory of man-induced global warming.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Ukraine's U-turn

The new regime in Kiev has given the country's political evolution another chance to kickstart itself

Four years ago, when the then pro-western Ukrainian President Yuschenko was warming up to Brussels while ignoring its sulking neighbour Russia, you could not help but recall the famous Ukrainian maxim: “The church is near, but the way is icy. The tavern is far, but I will walk carefully.”

So, for four agonising years, Kiev kept on going to the tavern while the Church waited; quietly doing what it does the best—twisting the arm. And in hubris, which led Yuschenko believe that it can act as a chessboard between the West and the emergent Russia, Kiev became an international playground. The people who had so enthusiastically ushered in the Orange Revolution a few years ago became wary. Yuschenko ignored domestic concerns and indulged a little too much in the international game. When he woke up, on the eve of the elections, he had already lost the plot. The gloom in Brussels was obvious. But gloomier still was Yuschenko’s camp.

Now compare that with the new President Viktor Yanukovych’s path. An open pro-Russian leader, the first capital he visited was Brussels—not NATO’s den but EU’s headquarters. He conducted talks with the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek.

Unlike Yushchenko, who preferred to make pledges of ceaseless love to the nation’s European buddies, Yanukovych specified his priorities of associations with the EU. They consist of the signing of the accord on association (a first step towards the EU), the formation of the free trade zone, the non-visa regime and the EU’s support in overcoming the consequences of the financial predicament in Ukraine—rather domestic concerns, all of them. And then, he decided to rebuild the bridge with the nation his predecessor had so offended—Russia.
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Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Malaise that now runs rampant across the country

Barely a week ago, two lovers in Kerala, the girl a second semester MBBS student in Kochi and the boy a student in a dentistry college in Thiruvananthapuram, killed themselves after their parents opposed their relationship. Though located hundreds of kilometres apart, they planned their deaths over their mobile phones and took their lives at the same time. A year ago, the suicide of three Class 12 students at Alappuzha, also in Kerala, shocked the state. It later turned out that the girls, who came from an underprivileged background, had been given mobiles by their boyfriends and had hidden them till they killed themselves. “Spirituality and the traditional Indian austerity seem to have lost relevance and ‘market-imposed milestones’ are being actively pursued at the direct cost of personal will and happiness,” says Kulkarni. A different take on spirituality and freedom, though, turned out to be the reason for West Bengal’s Sugata Bhattacharya’s unquenchable quest for death. A note left by his feet as he hanged himself from his hostel room merely said: “For no reason; for one reason, death”. Some time before he took his life, Bhattacharya had penned some poetry: “I’d rather be a bird in the open skies and hover gracefully unbound and free…In my deep slumber I can be as I may…”

The reasons are as varied as they are tragic. For Venugopal Reddy, the demand for a separate Telengana state was reason enough to kill himself. It had to do with “something that the government can sit and decide”, KG Kannabiran, president of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, told the press. “The movement need not be violent as this is not a revolution… but they have stationed the entire police force here (at Osmania University, the nerve centre of the Telengana movement) and that has provoked the students. We are angry. I would not be human if I didn’t get angry,” Kannabiran said. For Venugopal Reddy, that anger led to suicide.

So is there a solution to all of this? Says Salman Abid, a career counsellor from Andhra Pradesh: “So many students have committed suicide but the question of Telengana remains unsolved. The solution lies in the students asking themselves a few questions: will my death separate the soil of Telengana from Andhra?; am I alone with complete authority over my life when my second creator – my parents – are alive?” It is time to realise, he points out that while lost wealth may be replaced by industry, lost knowledge by study, lost health by temperance or medicine, lost time is gone forever. For the depressed student about to take his or her own life in today’s India, though, there seems to be little time to ponder such matters of reality, or life.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Bailouts are simply a waste of time & resources. Leave them alone!

So do bailouts really work? “It is certainly correct to let businesses fail... if they could not face the challenge from competitors. Creating more debt, will only lead to more problems down the road,” advises Lok Sang Ho, Director, Center for Public Policy, Lingan University, Hong Kong. Given the background, it is clear that the longer the crisis lasts, the bigger the bailouts would be. And there lies the catch – the billion dollar bailout plans which aim to provide credit to these failing institutions for a limited time will definitely not work!

Now, let’s talk about the Detroit giant - GM. Wagoner in his letter to the American Congress wrote, “By lending GM money, you will provide us with a financial bridge... This will allow us to keep operating and complete our restructuring...” (Right Rick, and then we can all go and compete in the American Idol!) The hearts in the Congress melted, and GM received a bailout package of $18.88 billion between December 29 & December 31, 2009. So did the ‘bailout creamed with benevolence’ help?

Not by numbers. Its Mcap has fallen to a pitiful $0.89 billion today and it returned losses tantamounting to $52.8 billion in the past year. Further, Wagoner has requested for another $21 billion from the Fed! (Oh! whatever happened to those past billions?) Commenting on GM’s worsening condition, Jack Welch, Former CEO, GE, also wrote, “The automakers’ boards should take the courageous step of putting their companies into bankruptcy!” Well, the Treasury needs to realise this. Even Barry Ritholtz, Lead Analyst, RGE, while talking about the AIG bailout avers, “AIG was essentially two companies under one roof. The government should have only rescued the life insurance side of AIG and left out the other gambling side.”

Really, ‘better to be bankrupt than dead...’ Didn’t some wiseman say this before? (Surely, he wasn’t from the Fed or the US Senate, was he?)
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-



Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Friday, March 05, 2010

Filmmaker Leena Yadav rises from the "SHABD"

Sir Ben Kingsley? Leena explains that thanks to the net, information and communication across the world is very simple. “That’s how we got our amazing action director and editor on board. They have done hi-profile work in Hollywood’s mega hits. Once we got Mr Bachchan on, the person that his character looks up to, had to have a presence that justified and made credible the vibes that coloured their constant interaction. The Big B, at any point, is a very hard act to follow, so it had to be someone who blended charismatic personality with power-house histrionics. For some reason, the first actor that comes to my mind, whenever great acting is spoken of, is Kingsley’s amazing Gandhi! So we decided – what guts, huh?! – to go for it. Ambika, a real trouper and a massive support system all along, leapt into action with all the formalities in terms of contacting his agent, script, contract … And before we knew Sir Ben was in! Amitabh Bachchan and Sir Ben in the same movie, sharing the frame! Was I dreaming?!”

The Director Sahiba can’t even begin to explain the experience of working with them. “Totally and unconditionally, dedicated and committed professionals, their brilliance at work was only matched by their generosity of spirit and humility, away from it. Not once, even for a second, did they ever make me feel like either a discriminated-against woman director or someone only on her second film. Sensitive, responsive and interactive with critical inputs, both these legends made “Teen Patti” an enriching experience for which we shall remain eternally grateful. I genuinely believe that if you are an Indian film director and haven’t had the privilege, good fortune and luck to work with Mr Bachchan, your journey is incomplete.”

Pssst – what about the garma-garam Maria? Another Big B – Brazilian Bombshell? “She’s a real knockout! See, I needed a dancer with sexuality that intimidated, not titillated. She had to radiate the right vibes when she goes around the room buttonholing men, singing "Teri Niyat Kharab Hai". I interviewed plenty of very attractive females, but when she walked in, I instantly knew that she was it! The in-your-face pataka symbolised the seven deadly sins! My choreographer Ashley Lobo agreed and man… she really turned on the heat during that number!”

Finally, what are her expectations from the film? She laughs. “The film’s title “Teen Patti” is my answer! Life, Bollywood releases, audience feedback, box office results… Isn’t everything a gamble, residing in the terrains of the unknown? That’s what makes it exciting, challenging … And scary! We’ve done our very best, worked with our hearts, with passion and purpose. It works as a metaphor of life, at various levels and is totally identifiable. It plays out easily – unlike “Shabd” – and is neither intellectual nor complex. The content powered by the likes of the two legends and supported by brilliant talents like Madhavan, should provide for thrilling entertainment. Let’s see. I am keeping my fingers crossed …” Here’s to the gamble paying off!
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-



Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

“India has entered a steel intensive phase...”

Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh spells out his vision for the Indian steel sector in an exclusive conversation with Pramod Kumar

Virbhadra Singh, Union minister for steel, is keen on taking initiatives to make the Indian steel sector self-sustaining and globally competitive. In this exclusive interaction with TSI, he discusses the major issues facing the sector and also how they can be addressed. Excerpts from the interview...

How has the steel industry grown in this last year since slowdown hit India in October 2008?

The steel sector in India has successfully surmounted the global economic recession and has stood out with a positive growth of 2.5 per cent in steel production and 6.8 per cent in steel consumption during April-November of the financial year 2009-2010. This has been possible on account of the various economic and financial stimuli that were launched in October 2008. The trends also indicate that steel demand in India may pick up now on the back of strong domestic demand from the automobiles, housing and construction sectors.

Steel consumption has faced shortage of iron ore and you had also recently said raw iron ore exports should be restricted. What can be done on this front?

I am of the view that iron ore reserves in the country need to be conserved for fulfilling the requirements of the domestic steel industry, which is a key to infrastructure sector in the country. The ministry has been consistently taking up the matter for imposition of appropriate export duty on iron ore to discourage unabated exports of iron ore and also improve the domestic availability. The government has recently increased the export duty on iron ore lumps from five per cent to ten per cent and the iron ore fines from nil to five per cent.

Recognising that iron ore is a non-renewable resource and considering the long-term requirements of steel industry, the government has already taken a stand that conservation of iron ore resources is of paramount importance. We are, therefore, examining all options to improve the domestic availability of iron ore at reasonable prices, through fiscal measures.

We have seen the steel industry in China prosper because of the Olympics? How will the Commonwealth Games impact India?

VS: The usage of steel for the Commonwealth Games and linked infrastructure could be as high as one million tonnes. However, that is not an isolated area where we are looking for growth. While Commonwealth Games may give a fillip to steel demand, the sustainable boost to steel demand in India over the medium and long term will be strongly linked to infrastructure development, urbanisation and lifestyle changes on account of growing income levels. India has already entered the steel intensive phase of growth, which observed steel consumption growth clocking double digits a few years back. We may again witness double digit growth in steel consumption very soon, possibly by next financial year.

You have been trying to expedite the expansion programme of SAIL to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore. Can you elaborate on this?

In order to maintain its pivotal position in the Indian steel sector and to improve its competitive edge, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has drawn up a modernisation and expansion programme for its five integrated steel plants and the special steel plants, including the raw material division. Apart from increasing the production capacity, the plan also addresses elimination of technology obsolescence, improving energy efficiency, environment friendly technology and improvement in value addition through a flexible product-mix and customer centric approach. Special emphasis has been laid on state-of-the-art-Information Technology application through Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Manufacturing Execution System (MES). The estimated project cost of the steel plan is Rs 60,000 crore. Besides, a provision of Rs 10,264 crore has also been made towards investment in existing mines under Raw Materials Division. During the year 2009-2010, SAIL has earmarked nearly Rs.10,000 crore towards budgeted capital expenditure, out of which Rs.6100 crore was spent by November 2009. The plan is likely to be completed by 2012-2013.

What is your long-term vision for SAIL as an organisation?

At this time we are the fifth largest producer of steel (globally) and we hope that we will be second largest after implementation of the present programme.

What impediments do you see in meeting the annual steel production target, especially when all the major steel projects, including those of Tata Steel, Arcelor Mittal, Jindal South West and Jindal Steel and Power Limited, are pending for over four years?

It is a fact that brownfield capacities of all major steel investors are going on as per schedule. During the last financial year, Tata Steel added 1.8 million tonne blast furnace at Janshedpur and JSW Steel commissioned a 3 million tonne blast furnace in Karnataka. Almost all estimated 33 million tonnes of brownfield steel capacities are likely to materalise within the next 3 years. This includes additional 12 million tonne expansion capacity of SAIL and 3.4 million tonne capacity expansion project of RINL. In the private sector, all major players like Tata Steel, JSW Steel, Essar, Jindal Steel & Power and others are also moving fast with their brownfield capacity addition plans. Amongst the Greenfield investors, a few have achieved substantial progress in land acquisition. These projects include Tata Steel’s 3 million tonne plant in Orissa, Essar’s Steel’s 6 million tonne unit in Orissa and Jindal Steel and Power’s (JSPL) 2.5 million tonnes each in Orissa and Jharkhand. Posco is one of the foreign investment projects which is facing difficulty in land acquisition, but has made considerable inroads by keeping other things in place. This way they can move ahead immediately after acquiring the land. The land identified by Arcelor Mittal, both in Orissa and Jharkhand, falls under the scheduled area, which involves additional procedural formalities. The process has already started and one may see some progress soon. Moreover, there are also a number of small and medium steel projects in the capacity range of 0.5 to 1.0 million tonnes, which were initially not considered, but are observed to be coming up fast.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Lighting up the twilight years

Senior citizens are increasingly enjoying sex into their 80s…
They say time is a great healer, the same holds true for sex, used by many sexual healing therapists; but what happens when these two healing powers come together? The reference here is to old-age sex! It has been observed that senior citizens of today are not shying away from some between-the-sheets action. And this has been confirmed by a study conducted by the University of Chicago that finds a mention in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

The survey conducted between 2005-2006 involved face-to-face interviews with 1,550 women and 1,455 men in the comfort of their homes. The results were encouraging, if not impressive, with 68 per cent men agreeing to having had sex in the past year with women following not too far behind at 42 per cent.

While these are the trends in the sexually-liberated west, what about countries like ours where sex is spoken of albeit in hushed tones? “Indians have been active since time immemorial, in fact, sex is the only “indoor sport” for majority of (old) people that they can enjoy and afford,” says India’s leading Sexologist, Prakash Kothari. In fact, he is quick to add, “In India, more than 50 per cent of the 65+ population would be enjoying sex at that age. In fact, most senior citizens are more active than the youngsters”.

But just what happens with age that sex goes out of the window? The reasons are many ranging from lack of or lower sex drive, erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness, problems with early orgasm or never reaching climax, pain during sex, lack of pleasure, and not to mention performance anxiety. But urinary tract infection seems to be the biggest culprit in keeping men and women from enjoying a healthy sex life, with women being more prone to the ailment and other STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases).
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Friday, February 26, 2010

dos & don’ts: before attack

The families should not take fixed routes at fixed timing, all the time, even while travelling to a particular destination. They should also not flock a particular area, club, restaurant, etc.

2 Take professional help whenever needed, as this will greatly improve the chances of your family remaining safe from such attacks. Learn the Dos and Don’ts to ensure a safer tomorrow.

3 Stop displaying your riches to the public, unless you can provide security for yourself and your family members. Also be careful that all your transactions are not visible to your servants!

4 Take care of your servants, drivers, guards, etc, and keep them satisfied; changing servants frequently will only increase proportionally the chance of such attacks on your family.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Global leaders have somehow found it difficult to crack the indian market

Be it the Corolla Altis, Innova, Land Cruiser or Prado, all of them are considered as benchmarks in their respective segments by many. P. S. Chowdhary, Head-Marketing, LML asserts, “Toyota and Honda are the best in the business of automotives worldwide and similar is the case in India.”

India’s upmarket customers do seem to agree. Take the instance of the Fortuner, the latest entrant in TKM’s stable. Fortuner has already got a mind boggling 7,000 advance bookings, surpassing the anticipated figure of 5,000, forcing Toyota to raise production to 600 units a month from the 500 units decided earlier. But the company has been able to deliver only 1,000 in the first two months since the launch and TKM has in fact closed bookings for the upcoming six months. The company has a target of selling around 1,800 units in the current calendar year and around 2,000 units in 2010. “Toyota Fortuner has got an overwhelming response in the Indian market and has the potential to become the market leader. However, the long waiting period due to the capacity constraints may turn down some buyers,” explains Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director-Marketing, TKM.

However, when one looks at overall market share, the company takes a back seat. Since the segments that they operate in are low-volume driven themselves, reaching the ranks of the top five in the country is still a pipedream. Akira Okabe, Senior Managing Director, Board Member, Toyota Motor Corporation avers, “TKM is a baby when compared to giants like Maruti Suzuki in the country.” The basis of the statement surely has deep roots as the company sold a meager 46,892 units at the end of FY 09; registering a negative yoy growth of 15% as compared to the 7,00,000 units by the Indian market leader in the same period with a growth of 1.5%.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Thursday, February 11, 2010

probable fallouts of the sri lankan polls from Colombo

There is apprehension among Muslims as well. The way they have joined ranks with Tamils to oppose Rajapaksa can be explained by the fact that Fonseka won all Muslim-dominated districts in the polls.

In fact, experts believe that all these years, Muslims were wooed in order to isolate LTTE. Now that LTTE is gone, many believe, the heavily politicised Buddhist clergy will like the government to tighten screw on the Muslims as well.

It appears that issues like corruption, abolishment of the post of executive presidency and increased cost of living have failed to dent Rajapaksa’s vote base. There have been some serious allegations regarding threatening and bumping off critics and journalists. One of his brothers, Basil, is called anything between Mr 15 Per Cent to Mr 20 Per Cent. The figures represent the alleged cut he takes from every project that is passed. “Rajapaksa has ruled using jamboree techniques. He has not only exclusively presided over the armed forces but has also presided over the clandestine Tamil paramilitaries, the gangland Mafioso, death squadrons, corrupt ministers and the powerful commission lobby with the aid of his brother Basil,” says noted journalist Nilantha Ilangamuwa. “Now we have to face it for another 6 years.”

The Lankan economy is in dire straits. A colossal $11.7 million per year is spent on presidential advisors and over $8.6 million on luxury vehicles. Around $100,000 per day is spent on other central offices. Several millions a month go on looking after the President and security in Colombo. The nation that, in the past, had the second highest living standard in South Asia after Pakistan, which had generous subsidies for food and fuel and that once boasted close to complete literacy, has today one quarter of its population living below $1 a day. But all these have not mattered at all in the elections. Dayan Jayatilleka has an explanation. “The election was to decide the head of state, not merely the head of government and I consider Mahinda Rajapakse makes a superior head of state. As for our grumbles with the government, the management, these are best tackled at the forthcoming parliamentary election,” he says. Constitutional mumbo-jumbo as it may sound, it did find resonance with the voters.

Economy is a front where some out of box thinking is required. Defence expenditure reached $925 million in 2009. It is probably the only country on the earth where the defence budget has been increased following the end of a conflict. Sri Lanka’s main economic problem has been a high fiscal deficit averaging 8 per cent of GDP since 1991. Successive governments have borrowed heavily due to the 28-year-old war and the cost of maintaining a bloated public sector. Thus increase in post-conflict military budget is absurd.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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