iacc newsletter issue # 3, march 2012 newsletter... · 2017-08-18 · general atlantic may pick up...

IACC Newsletter Issue # 3, March 2012

By IACC Head Office, Mumbai

Index

Contents Index ................................................................................................................................ 1

President’s Message .......................................................................................................... 4

From the Secretary General’s Desk .................................................................................... 5

How the Tata Group, Infosys, Wipro & Essar are the biggest job creators in the US .................................. 21

Interview (edited excerpts): Samuel Allen, Global Chairman & CEO, Deere and Company ........................ 25

Indo-US Corporate News ................................................................................................. 27

Walt Disney to acquire controlling stake in UTV ......................................................................................... 27

Tata-Pepsi JV NourishCo launches enriched water ...................................................................................... 27

Online retailer Amazon goes Junglee.com in India ...................................................................................... 28

Citigroup Sells HDFC Stake for $1.9B; Nets $ 722 M Profit .......................................................................... 29

Su-Kam Power and Wisconsin based Kohler tie up for hybrid power back-up ........................................... 29

Jubilant FoodWorks to open first Dunkin' Donuts outlet in India by June .................................................. 29

Sahara group forms JV with New York based Turner Construction ............................................................. 30

Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association signs pact with Karnataka biotech body ..................................... 30

Atlanta-based software services company Infor, ties up with TCS .............................................................. 31

RIL gets fashion bouquet of 20 global brands via Iconix JV ......................................................................... 31

IBM keen on investing in mid-segment storage products, expands aggressively ....................................... 32

United States to import cancer drug from India .......................................................................................... 32

GoAir inks $1 billion engine deal with Pratt & Whitney .............................................................................. 33

Hero MotoCorp in technology tie-up with Wisconsin based Erik Buell Racing (EBR) .................................. 34

Jacada Announces Geographic Expansion into India ................................................................................... 35

Boeing confirms Indian order for 10 C-17s as Indian defence market grows .............................................. 35

Microsoft India ties up with Ybrant Digital .................................................................................................. 36

India’s Investments in U.S ................................................................................................ 36

Mahindra Satyam Acquires Washington based vCustomer's International Operations for $27 Mn .......... 36

Welspun expanding Little Rock pipe manufacturing facility in US .............................................................. 37

Cloud Computing Co Nivio Gets $21M from US based AEC Partners, Videocon Group .............................. 38

US investments in India ................................................................................................... 39

KPMG launches India Technology Center in Bangalore ............................................................................... 39

New York based Warburg Pincus to invest $50M in AU Financiers ............................................................. 40

Cognizant expands its Kochi operations ...................................................................................................... 40

World Kitchen launches India subsidiary; ties up with TTK ......................................................................... 41

Medical devices maker Covidien sets up India R&D centre ......................................................................... 41

JP Morgan’s Infra Fund Raises over $95M for India 'Sidecar' Vehicle ......................................................... 41

IMAX Expands Relationship with SPI Cinemas in India with Four-Theatre Deal .......................................... 42

DaVita Acquires Majority Stake in NephroLife India, Newly named entity to be called DaVita NephroLife 42

UST Global expands its footprints in India ................................................................................................... 43

General Atlantic may pick up stake in IndusInd Media ................................................................................ 43

Abound Solar and Solarsis Announce Commissioning of Solar Plant in Andhra Pradesh, India .................. 44

NY based EXLService opens new facility in Noida, Sharpens its Focus on Talent Management ................. 44

In the News:.................................................................................................................... 45

India-US partnership has global significance ............................................................................................... 45

In India's interest to improve business climate to attract more FDI: US official ......................................... 46

Budget 2012: Speed up Indo-US Totalisation agreement ............................................................................ 46

New US visa norms to benefit Indian professionals .................................................................................... 47

PepsiCo eyes 30,000 farmers under collaborative farming by 2013 ........................................................... 47

President Obama honors Nobel laureate Amartya Sen with humanities award ......................................... 48

Indian-American conferred with the "Most Powerful and Influential Women of California" award .......... 49

Two Indian—American students invited by White House to brief Obama on their research ..................... 49

Indian IT industry in US contributed $15 billion in taxes over the last five years ........................................ 49

There is room for growth in US-Indo ties: lawmakers ................................................................................. 50

US moves with India from bilateral to trilateral assistance ......................................................................... 51

Indian IT firms step up hiring on US campuses ............................................................................................ 51

High rate of denial of H-1B, L-1 visas to Indians – NFAP Report .................................................................. 52

Indian, US warships to take part in ‘Malabar war games’ ........................................................................... 53

US to emulate India’s Certified Financial Planner model ............................................................................. 54

US working to reduce trade and investment barriers with India ................................................................ 55

US-India relations have bright future: White House .................................................................................... 55

India a growing market for Hollywood films ................................................................................................ 56

Blue Star Infotech Ltd. Appoints Douglas Gray as Chief Solutions Officer ................................................... 56

Indo-US Trade Statistics ................................................................................................... 57

Calendar of IACC Events for 2011-12 ................................................................................ 58

International Trade shows ............................................................................................... 59

US Department of Commerce Certified Trade shows in U.S.A (April-May, 2012) ..................................... 59

Major Trade shows in India (April – May, 2012) ............................................................... 61

Major Trade shows in U.S.A (April– May, 2012) ................................................................ 66

How to reach us: ............................................................................................................. 73

President’s Message On January 20, 1961, John F Kennedy exhorted his countrymen “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” This message rings true even today, for both USA and India.

The world is still reeling from the effects of the recession that started in 2008. Unemployment continues to be a serious issue. Growth rates of many economies, including India, have moved downwards. Political compulsions in democracies, coupled with the approach of big business of reducing employees and saving on taxes wherever possible, and the education system of creating job-seekers rather than job-creators or a self-employed workforce, all augur continuing problems.

Policy makers in the US say the troubles in Europe would continue to depress American growth. The euro zone entered a period of economic contraction at the end of 2011. Countries like Spain are still struggling with high borrowing costs, non-existent growth and austerity budgeting. This means fewer customers for American goods, less European investment in American markets and continued concerns about financial stability. India’s Finance minister has appealed to the Congress Party’s fractious government allies and a hostile opposition to cooperate "in the national interest" to restore the health of Asia's third-largest economy. His call comes at a time global ratings agencies and investment houses warn that India's weak public finances and political paralysis over reform measures are clouding the nation's financial prospects.

The Vodafone case in India has highlighted the concern of the Indian Government, which requires revenues from taxes, versus certainty of Indian laws for investors investing in India. The evolution of a large investment from Mauritius which has an attractive Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, and the law laid down by Indian Courts from time to time has brought us to the present position.

One often hears that it is advisable not to pay taxes wherever possible. While this should be done within the law, it appears obvious that is not the case in many instances. Even after income tax rates have been reduced to reasonable levels, I often hear justification that many of us feel we can put the money to better use than our Government can. Yet, we expect the Government to fulfill its functions. Then we complain at the multitude of taxes that are brought, with multiple amendments – fringe benefit tax, service tax etc. We also complain about corruption, yet the “givers” actively participate in this process with the “takers”. Maybe we should look at actively participating in national growth instead of just complaining?

Mutually beneficial trade has built stronger relationships across cultures and geographies since time immemorial. Exchange of constructive thoughts has added to this process. As a bilateral Chamber of Commerce, we must try and play a larger role in these trying times, and actively participate in putting matters back on track through right-thinking for the larger good. Towards this end we continue to focus on relevant areas of activity and interaction. We are delighted that the US Government and Trade, as also India’s policymakers and leaders, are supporting us in these endeavors as is clear from the role IACC is playing in the visit of the US Secretary of Commerce to India, and the support we are receiving for SUITE, our flagship event to be held in the US in May this year.

Anand Desai National President, IACC

From the Secretary General’s Desk

Dear Members,

The visit of IACC delegation led by Mr. Sunil Kakkad, Chairman Gujarat Branch to Chicago and Columbus was

very successful. Interactive sessions and B2B meetings were held in various cities with visiting US Ports &

Maritime as well as with the Medical Trade Delegations in conjunction with U.S. and Foreign Commercial

Service (US&FCS) where IACC members were able to discuss business opportunities and interact with the

members of the delegation. Arrangements for the high profile visit of John Bryson, US Secretary of Commerce

led Infrastructure Business Mission to India in Delhi & Mumbai are underway,

Similarly, IACC is supporting the visit of US & FCS led delegation to NABSHOW in April to Las Vegas; the 8th

Indo-US Economic Summit in New Delhi on April 19-20, 2012 and the visit of IACC Delegation to Washington

DC/Fairfax County along with SUITE 2012 to be held from May 22-25, 2012 is also progressing; Meetings are

being planned with Indian Embassy, USDOC, USTR & IPTO in Washington DC. I am happy to inform you that

The Indo-US Education Forum is taking its 2nd Delegation of 13 Indian Higher Education Institutes to Texas,

Florida, North Carolina, Washington & Virginia from May 28th to June 8th, 2012. The delegation will be led by

Dr. Sankaran Raghunathan, Co-Chair of IACC Indo US Education Forum. The focus of the delegation will be to

promote collaborations between Indian and US Universities and establish effective partnerships.

This issue covers regular features like Indo-US Corporate News, Happenings @ IACC, Indo-US Trade Statistics,

IACC’s upcoming events, International trade fairs in USA & India amongst others.

We hope you are benefiting in many ways and look forward to your active participation & support. In the

meanwhile you will receive the membership renewal notices for the year 2012-13. We request you to kindly

renew and remit your fees at the earliest.

With regards, R.K. Chopra

Secretary General, IACC

West India Council

USIIC workshop on “Importing from the U.S. - Challenges & Opportunities” and supported by IACC at Hotel

Sofitel, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai

R K Chopra, Secretary General, IACC with Mr. Anand Trivedi, Regional Director, IACC WIC receiving Mr. Peter Haas,

U.S. Consul General in Mumbai at the event.

U.S. Consul General Peter Haas, addressing the gathering at the event.

IACC, WIC Co-Organized an Event on “Addressing Tax Regulations in USA Affecting NRIs” on 8th February,

2012 at the Lincoln Auditorium, Indo-American Society

Mr. Sanket Shah, Co-Founder and Managing Director of NS Global speaking on Tax Regulations in USA Affecting NRIs

Dr. L. S. Kanodia, Regional President, IACC-WIC, highlighting the importance of Tax regulations while addressing the

gathering at the session.

Participants engrossed in the presentation

Pune Branch “Innovation@Breakfast” Session – 6 on “Encouraging Innovation & Engagement @ Work” on 24th February,

2012 at Hotel Deccan Rendezvous, Pune

Discussions over the breakfast

Mr. Shirish Deodhar, Founder & CEO, InnovizeTech Software giving presentation, Mr. Deodhar shared thoughts based on practical approach on his personal experience at previous companies like VERITAS Software (now Symantec), Symphony

Services and his start-ups.

Mr. Shirish Deodhar being Felicitated by Mr. Ranjit Wandrekar Vice Chairman IACC & CEO Tower Network Operating

Systems Ltd.

Panel Discussion & Interactive Session

(L-R) Mr. Nitin Deshpande, President, Allscripts India Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Shirish Deodhar; Mr. Niranjan Dixit, Director, Tower Network Operating Systems Ltd. and Dr. Suresh Gore, Director, Knowchem Laboratories

Innovation@Breakfast conducted the 6th Session of the Series at Hotel Deccan Rendezvous. The topic for the

Session was “Encouraging Innovation & Engagement @ Work” presented by Mr. Shirish Deodhar, Co-Founder

and CEO, InnovizeTech Software

The session was well received and attended by 20 participants of known organizations like, Allscripts India Pvt.

Ltd, Q Logic, Knowchem Laboratories, Kivi Products, Bran Engineering Pvt. Ltd , Bhate & Ponkshe, Stork

Electronic P. Ltd. etc. to name a few.

Gujarat Branch

IACC Delegation to Chicago & Columbus, Ohio, USA, 7th February – 12th February 2012

IACC business delegation members (L-R) Mr. Akshay Kumar, Sales Director, NEPC India; Mr. Balkrishna Sharma, Vice

President, Finance & Acquistions, Sai InfoSystem; Mr. Himanshu Vyas, Director, Ayurnet Healthcare; Mr. Sunil Kakkad,

Chairman, IACC (Gujarat Branch); Mr. Sam Pitroda, Adviser to PM for Public Information, Infrastructure & Innovation; Mr.

Jaimin Shah, Owner, Dev Information Technology; Aditya Aggarwal ( Dev information Technology-Canada), Ms. Krishna

Israni, Branch Secretary, IACC, (Gujarat Branch) Naresh Prajapati, CMD, Azilen Technology at Chicago

IACC Delegates with Chairman Mr. Hemant Patel, Vice-Chairman Mr. Alkesh Patel and AAHOA members

IACC delegates listening to the presentation by Mr. Jim Schimmer of Global Markets, Columbus- 2020

The trip featured a first –hand opportunity to assess market potential in Chicago & Columbus, Ohio, USA and

to meet key corporate decision makers in USA, local government representative and trade association to

establish a local government partnership and economy development. The focused sectors for this delegation

were Pharma, Renewable Energy, Information Technology, Health Care, and Medical Equipments. IACC with

the support of Columbus International Sister City Inc. IACC Gujarat Branch office was able to line up meeting

with various companies in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

These meeting in Columbus would not have been possible without the constant support of Ms. Barbara

Pratzner, president, International Sister Cities, Inc. and to some extend with the help of following people, Ms.

Vinita Mehra, Kegler Brown and Ms. Deb Scherer, Global Market, Columbus 2020.

The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce Delegates met Mr. Sam Pitroda at his Oak Brook Office in Chicago,

and had Dinner with along with the AAHOA association at Columbus. One-to-One meeting at Bluemile, tour to

Datacenter , presentation at Memorial Hall- Global Market, Columbus 2020, meeting with the President Mr. E.

Gordon Gee, Ohio State University, Indian Delegation welcome reception by Kegler Brown, visit to the New

County Courthouse and lunch with the Commissioner Mr. John O’ Grady, tour and presentation at the

Nationwide Children’s Hospital ,world class welcome reception to view Columbus-Dresden light installation,

Ice hockey game, Round table discussion on International development: “Sister Cities’ Real World Impact” and

200th Birthday Bash celebration.

Conclusion:

The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, Business cum Social delegation to the Chicago & Columbus, Ohio,

USA was extremely beneficial to all the participating delegates.

East India Council

Orissa Branch

Breakfast Meet with US Port Trade Mission on 17th February, 2012 at Park Hotel, Kolkata

Mr. Shourya Mandal, Sr. Vice President, IACC interacting with the Ports & Maritime Delegation from USA in Kolkata.

Shourya Mandal and Mr. S D Mookerjea, Regional Vice President, IACC-EIC Interacting with members of the Delegation

Mr. Shourya Mandal, National Vice president of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and Mr. S D

Mookerjea, Regional Vice President (East India Council) were present at an informal breakfast meet at Park

Hotel, Kolkata.

It was truly an interactive meet where IACC representatives discussed the ways and means to facilitate

meeting the objects of the mission. Dr. Bob Long of International Research and Development Solutions put

forward system based solution to port security threats while representatives of Great lakes Dredge and Dock

Company LLC enumerated their services to help Indian problems in ports. Ms. Sarah Shapiro of US trade &

Development Agency also discussed the opportunities offered by the Indian economy with IACC

representatives.

Mr. Mandal formally introduced IACC to the gathering and gave a brief address on its activities.

South India Council

Andhra Pradesh Branch

Breakfast Meeting organized by IACC AP with US PAN ASIAN American Chamber of Commerce Education

Foundation-Asia Trade Mission on 16th February, 2012

Mr. Ravi Vishnu, Vice Chairman, IACC-AP Branch addressing the delegation

USPAACC Chairman Ms. Susan Au Allen addressing the audience

Delegation of Asia Trade Mission during the meeting

Round Table Meeting with US PAN ASIAN American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation-Asia

Trade Mission on 17th February, 2012 at Hotel Taj Krishna, Hyderabad

Delegation of USPAACC Asia Trade Mission after the Round Table Conference

Karnataka Branch

Interactive Session with Mr. Ron Somers, Chairman, USIBC on "Indo-US Bilateral Trade: Challenges &

Opportunities" on 7th February, 2012 at the ITC Windsor Hotel.

Mr. A. Gurudutt, former Chairman - IACC Karnataka Branch, delivering the welcome address

Mr. Ron Somers, Chairman, USIBC, addressing the gathering

IACC Karnataka Branch partnered with the Bangalore chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC) for an

Interactive session with Mr. Ron Somers, Chairman, US India Business Council (USIBC) on "Indo-US Bilateral

Trade: Challenges & Opportunities in the New Economic Situation".

Mr. Ron Somers, an extra ordinarily energetic speaker, began his address by delving on what fantastic

resources India as a country possesses & especially the state of Karnataka, which has been an attractive hub

for several investments in various sectors in the past. With the Global Investors Meet in Karnataka not too far

away, Mr. Somers expressed there was much more in store to expect for the people of Karnataka.

The United States has always been keen to work with India & Karnataka has been one of the major hot spot

states for exploring business opportunities. Mr. Somers ended his speech with a very positive hope of seeing a

lot more investments & profitable days to look forward to.

The members of IACC who attended the event expressed that this was a fantastic event organized by the

branch giving them an opportunity to connect with the USIBC representatives & also hear Mr. Ron Somers,

who as usual was fascinating.

Industrial visit to Laguna Clothing Pvt. Ltd. On 24th February, 2012

IACC Karnataka Branch at Laguna Clothing Pvt. Ltd. during their Industrial visit

Taking forward the site visit idea to SJS Enterprises in Dec, the IACC Karnataka Branch organized for an

industrial visit to Laguna Clothing Pvt. Ltd. The idea was to learn what the company does, look at their

manufacturing facility & learn from their best practices.

Laguna Clothing is a high-end manufacturer & supplier of formal shirts, sports shirts & wrinkle free/non-iron

shirts to major apparel brands across the world like Hugo Boss, Marks & Spencer, Ted Baker, Thomas Pink &

others. A member of IACC Karnataka, Laguna strongly represents the textile & retail sector of the secretariat's

focus. Since its inception in 2006, Laguna Clothing boasts of highly state-of-the-art facilities in Bangalore &

Mauritius, with an employee count of 1,600 & a whopping production capacity of 3 million shirts a year!

True to our expectations, the site visit turned out to be a great one in terms of the exposure & learning for the

participants. The Laguna team generously gave a 2 hour tour explaining every single aspect of manufacturing a

shirt, which eventually made the participants "respect the shirts" they wore, given all the hardships that go

into making one! We eventually concluded with some interesting questions in the board room by the

participants & each one getting a Laguna-made shirt, as a gift to take back!

Tamil Nadu Branch

Luncheon Meeting with Mr. Francisco J. Sanchez, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, U.S.

Department of Commerce on February 20, 2012 at Hotel Hyatt Regency, Annasalai, Chennai

(L-R) Mr. J. Raman Govindarajan, Chairman IACC (TN); on the dais Mr. Francisco J. Sanchez, Under Secretary of

Commerce for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce; Mr. T. N. Venkatanarayanan, Vice-Chairman IACC (TN); Ms. Jennifer Mclntyre, U.S. Consul General in Chennai

A cross section of the audience during the Luncheon Meeting with Mr. Francisco J. Sanchez, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce

Mr. Francisco J. Sanchez delivering keynote address

Certificate of Appreciation for Achievement in Trade

Mr. Franciso Sanchez, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, U.S. Dept. of Commerce

addressed the luncheon meeting organized by Indo American Chamber of Commerce, Tamil Nadu Branch, He

said that the US saw a big potential for American companies in the ports and maritime technology area in

India, because India would spend $90 billion between now and 2020 in developing the sector, to raise Indian

ports handing capacity from 1 billion tones to 3.2 billion tones. He urged the government to remove barriers in

bringing in the best technology in the development of local industries.

Mr. Sanchez is leading a U.S. business delegation to explore opportunities in the Ports and Maritime

Technology sector. The delegation comprised 12 U.S. companies that provide state-of-the-art cargo handling

equipment, port security and maritime technology equipment. These firms that offered cutting edge products

and services and investment portfolio possesses the expertise to play a significant role in helping India meet its

ambitious infrastructure targets and future economics goals.

The trade mission that is travelling to other key cities in the country kicked off in Chennai as it was an

important port city with a rich maritime history spanning over a thousand years, Mr. Sanchez said.

Breakfast Meeting with Mr. Bishnoi, Chairman and Managing Director, Tecpro Systems Limited held on

February 28, 2012 at Hotel Vivanta by Taj Connemara, Chennai

The Road to Success Talk by Mr. A. K. Bishnoi, Chairman and Managing Director, Tecpro Systems Limited

A memento being presented to Mr. A. K. Bishnoi by Mr. J. Raman Govindarajan, Chairman IACC (TN)

Special Report

How the Tata Group, Infosys, Wipro & Essar are the biggest job creators in the US The powerful narrative in American minds about Indian companies, a result of years of campaigning against outsourcing, is that they operate in the United States mainly to send jobs back home, or wrench it by hiring cheap labor from India. The meme is just as strong as the one that exists about the Chinese: Indians are responsible for the decline in service sector jobs, just as the Chinese are behind the job losses in the manufacturing sector. Data compiled by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) reveals that just seven Indian companies alone currently have 65,000 employees in the US, with the Tata Group alone employing 24,000 (see graphic The Biggest India Inc Job-Creators in the US). A CII survey released last year showed that, in the past five years, Indian companies have invested more than $26 billion in this country across many industries, and have provided crucial support to recession-beleaguered states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Louisiana and Michigan. Not Just IT "We think of IT as the key part of the [Indian investment in the United States]," said Derek Scissors, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC. "[IT investment] is important and valuable, but there are other businesses. For instance, there are industrial investments in the United States, straight forward, manufacturing traditional industry and energy investments." The much vilified IT firms are also contributing to the US economy in a big way. According to the Indian IT Industry Association, its members employed over 100,000 workers in the country last year, up from about 20,000 in 2006. They also support more than 280,000 jobs, more than 70% of them US residents. Of India's $60 billion software-exporting industry, which employs roughly four million people worldwide, 7% work in US centres, comprising of client and development centres. Apart from the investments and job creation in the US, Indian IT companies here, despite generous tax breaks and incentives, have also contributed $15 billion in taxes in the past five years, foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai said, on a recent visit to Washington, DC. Ron Somers, president of the US-India Business Council, who termed the bilateral relationship a "two-way street", said local hiring is the way forward. "For an Indian company to succeed in the United States, of course it makes sense to hire an American workforce. Likewise, when American companies invest in India, their workforce will be Indian nationals." IT Jobs Growing And the expansion and hiring spree by Indian IT companies here is going to increase significantly in the next few years, as the cost of labor increases in India, countries like Philippines make inroads into the outsourcing business, and multinational companies realize the significant advantage of doing business locally. HCL Technologies has announced plans to hire 10,000 people, or about 12.4% of its current work force, in the US and Europe by 2015, reported the Wall Street Journal. Infosys declared it will increase its US head count by 1,500 in the next 12 months from 3,000 now. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is planning to hire an additional 1,200 people in the US by next month, and Wipro intends to train and hire 400 American veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a theme encouraged by President Barack Obama.

To offset costs, companies are looking to hire graduates entering the workforce: HCL is working with 12 universities, including in Seattle, Rochester, NY, and Raleigh, NC, to offer a six-month elective course that graduating engineering students will have to complete before they can be hired by the company.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wipro-ltd/stocks/companyid-12799.cms

At Infosys and TCS, the increase in US hiring comes as part of an overall push to increase local work forces. Infosys has said it plans to increase its non-Indian work force to 15% of the total, from 6.46%, trying to emulate TCS, who say 98% of its hires in Latin America are local. The Tata Example: Also ramping up its presence is the Tata Group, the biggest Indian employer in the US. TCS has inked major deals with Citibank, Dow Chemical and Hilton Worldwide in recent years. The Hilton group of hotels hired TCS in 2009 to take over some back-office operations, such as human resources, financial systems and its intranet portal for the company's 10 brands and 3,700 hotels. Hilton used to handle this work in-house or with hundreds of small consultants.

Last year, the Acting United States Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank, had high praise for Tata Steel, when she toured Thomas Steel Strip, a unit of Tata Steel, in Ohio. The manufacturing facility, which produces electroplated cold-rolled strip used in the casings of consumer batteries, automotive parts and other applications, employs over 275 full-time employees and plans to add a small number of additional staff to cope with rising demand. In Ohio, approximately 1,300 people are employed by Tata companies, including TCS which has a software delivery centre in Milford, Ohio; Tata Business Support Services (TBSS), where staff work at a Reno contact centre; and Tata Technologies, which carries out engineering and design work for automotive, manufacturing and aerospace industries. Nationwide Presence As Indian companies have increased their presence in the country, American legislators have encouraged them on. Senator Mark Warner, co-chair of the India Caucus, former governor of Virginia, and who co-founded the cellular telecommunications company Nextel, have exhorted Indian businesses to look at investment beyond northern Virginia, New Jersey, northern California, or the areas where there are already large established Indian and business communities. "The value in Indian business investing in more rural communities and areas that have not seen the benefits of globalization is enormously powerful," he said. Warner pointed out how Essel Propack, since it invested $62 million and set up a polymer manufacturing facility in rural Virginia, in Danville, has grown three times over the past 10 years, with about 400 employees now, and the whole community's view on trade and globalization changed because they saw the benefits coming in both directions. The former governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland, was instrumental in getting Indian companies to invest in Ohio. Other governors of US states have now started to woo Indian companies with trips to India and promises of even cash in return for investment.

In Virginia Last year, Virginia governor Bob Mc. Donnel, in a trip to Mumbai, said Indian companies and investors would get cash incentives based on the capital investment and actual number of jobs created in the state. Besides 31 of Fortune 1000 firms headquartered in Virginia, Indian conglomerates like the Tata Group and the Essel Group have a significant presence there. Virginia is a hot-bed for Indian companies: there are over 150 Indian-owned small and medium companies in northern Virginia itself, known as the IT corridor of the state, and about 25 other companies in the manufacturing space, including Tata, Sendestra, Essel Propak and others. Virginia's neighboring state Maryland's governor, Martin O'Malley, in a trip to India in December last year, said that his trade mission yielded deals worth $60 million, including an agreement with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) to create an India-Maryland Center to boost trade. Wooing Indian companies has paid off well for Maryland: in the first nine months of last year, the Port of Baltimore saw $341 million in trade to and from India compared with $229 million from the same time frame in 2010, a 49% increase. Lobby More, India Inc But why are Indian investments in the US merely a blip on the radar of national consciousness? One reason is the size of the American economy. "Indian investment is estimated at $25 billion in total," said Heritage Foundation's Scissors. "The US is a $15-trillion economy. Twenty-five billion dollars sounds like a lot, but it is not." Another reason is there is "not a lot of awareness" about Indian investments in the US is bad PR, according to Scissors. "Indian companies don't engage the US government very well. Now I don't want to advocate for lots of foreign lobbying... But India is not in danger of doing too much."

USIBC's Somers also said the "vilification of companies from India as taking American jobs, rather than creating them, is a misperception that must be changed." Groups such as "USIBC, CII, and Ficci must be central to correcting such misperceptions," he added. 'You see Mahindra tractors in American hinterland...most Americans know Tata is a quality brand' --- Ron Somers, president of the US-India Business Council speaks on Indian investments in the US Popular View of India Inc Indian companies are viewed favourably in the US. Even when I travel to the farthest reaches of America's hinterland, to the Fryeburg Fair in the state of Maine, I will see bright red Mahindra tractors being proudly displayed by local distributors. Tata is recognised throughout the US as a genuine quality brand. There is not one American law firm that does not recognise the breadth and heft of companies like Reliance, Essar, Bharat Forge, Birla, Ashok Leyland, TCS, Wipro and Infosys. Telecom giants like Bharti and Reliance ADAG are the envy of the industry. It is worth noting that not one CFIUS [Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which is tasked with reviewing foreign investments in US companies] case has been brought before the US Congress preventing acquisition of an American company by an Indian firm. Why? Because of our common values. India=IT. Can This Change? Let's not be too quick to bash IT and global sourcing. Indian companies investing here, creating jobs here and mobilizing opportunity should join organizations like the US-India Business Council in order to more effectively raise their profile. Capitol Hill welcomes FDI that helps create employment in America. There is not one governor of any state that has not taken or at least considered a Roadshow to India. How can we effectively re-orient public perception? We need to create this positive narrative by illuminating these investment successes. Do enough Americans know that Tata employs more than 20,000 Americans? That Essar is investing more than $1 billion in a new steel plant in Minnesota? Or that Reliance is helping produce shale gas for the Eastern Seaboard? India's economy is much more than IT and outsourcing, but even these industries are creating jobs in America. We must continue to get this story out, with crystal clear focus.

Click here for index

Interview (edited excerpts): Samuel Allen, Global Chairman & CEO, Deere and Company, on

the company's growth plans in India

Illinois-based Deere and Company, widely known by its brand name of John Deere, plans to consolidate operations in India and be present in the entire value chain of farm equipment. It recently opened its fifth manufacturing unit in the country. Global chairman and chief executive officer, Samuel Allen, in an e-mail interview with Sanjeeb Mukherjee, talks about the company’s growth plans. Q: Recently, Indian tractor major Mahindra and Mahindra claimed it was the world’s largest tractor maker by volume, which you countered. What is position of John Deere on this? A: There is no official reporting of the number of units sold by agricultural equipment companies worldwide. Any statement that compares volumes of units sold is based solely on the judgment of individual companies and their own calculations or estimates. However, total sales of products expressed in financial terms are most definitely reported by publicly-traded companies. On this commonly-reported measure, Deere remains the world's largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment. Q: What market does Deere look for in farm equipment here? A: Our sales in India is doing very well and exceeding our initial expectations. John Deere has made a significant progress towards being a complete agricultural solutions provider. Customers can benefit from our harvesting equipment, irrigation equipment and post-harvesting equipment. Our ultimate success in India and in markets around the world would come from our ability to provide tools and solutions to help customers be successful. Q: What is Deere’s market share in tractors and other major farm equipment in India and how much will it grow in the next three to five years? A: John Deere sees significant growth in the Indian market and will have sufficient production capacity it. Our market share varies from state to state; it is as high as 18 per cent in some and is growing year by year. Q: Do you think rising wages of farm labor are pushing a major mechanization drive across India? If yes, what kind of equipment will ride this trend? A: Not only rising wages. There is a need for right technology to support yield improvements, a serious concern for a country like India. Usage of specialized agricultural equipment like combine harvesters, sugar cane harvesters, cotton pickers and forage & hay equipment, with the right agronomy practices, are going to play vital role. Q: How does Deere stand to gain from this? A: John Deere understands the emerging needs of the Indian farmer in the value chain, and shall be able to support this with the right products and programmes. Q: What is Deere's total investment in India till now and how much will it scale up in the next three to five years?

A: As we announced earlier in the month, we are making an additional investment of $100 million in India, of which $80 million will be invested for the Dewas works and the remaining $20 m for additional capacity development at our manufacturing base in Pune. Q: Do you plan to start any more manufacturing facilities. What products will you be looking at? A: In India, John Deere operates six facilities, of which five are manufacturing locations and one is for engineering and technology services. These are spread all over the country. We are currently focusing on execution of some ongoing projects. Q: How much will John Deere India's bottom line be this year and how much has it grown over last year? A: Our objective is to serve farmers through best technology equipment and there has been a continuous upward trend in terms of sales. Q: How much will John Deere India contribute to the overall group's bottom line and how much will it grow over three to five years? A: John Deere does not report sales or income for individual countries. Sales in India are doing very well and exceeding our initial expectations. Q: John Deere acquired shares of its joint venture with Ashok Leyland some years before. Are you looking for more such expansion? A: We are very happy with our association with Ashok Leyland for construction and forestry equipment, and production from the JV has started from the Chennai plant in November 2011


Indo-US Corporate News

Walt Disney to acquire controlling stake in UTV

The Walt Disney Company said that it will acquire a controlling interest in UTV Software Communications Ltd, one of India's biggest television producers, as part of the US entertainment giant's plan to expand its presence in Bollywood, media and gaming. The California-based company, which holds a 50.4-per cent stake in UTV, said in a December 2011 newspaper advertisement that it would launch an open offer in January 2012 for the remaining shares it does not already own in UTV. The move comes after the Indian government last month approved the proposal by the US entertainment giant. Walt Disney did not disclose how much it will pay to acquire the stake, but it had said in the newspaper advertisement that it would pay between Rs835.03 to Rs1, 000 a share. At Rs1, 000, the purchase would cost Disney about Rs2, 033 ($384 million). Until now, Disney India has held 50.44-per cent of UTV, and its chief executive Ronnie Screwvala and three other promoters holding a 19.82-per cent stake.

The acquisition will be completed through a successful delisting offer and Screwvala will take over as managing director of The Walt Disney Company India reporting to Andy Bird, chairman, Walt Disney International, the company said in a statement.

UTV Software, a holding company, is a producer and distributor of movies, broadcasts a clutch of movie and entertainment channels, and is into content production for television and other digital media. It also has a presence in gaming.

The company operates through a number of subsidiaries, including movie production under UTV Motion Pictures, Indiagames, and UTV Global Broadcasting that broadcasts entertainment and movie channels, all of which would form part of Walt Disney's Indian unit with the completion of the transaction.

''In combining the creative capabilities of each company we will integrate a large stable of vibrant brands and franchises in the branded entertainment space,'' said Screwvala. ''With the middle class expected to grow from 50 million to more than 500 million people by 2025, this market offers huge potential for us to deliver quality branded entertainment to consumers,'' he added.

Disney currently owns India's leading kids' television networks Disney Channel, Disney XD and Hungama and is the largest retail character licensor in the country. The company's mobile, internet and gaming division creates some of India's most popular content, including Club Penguin, the virtual world for kids that launched in India in 2010.


Tata-Pepsi JV NourishCo launches enriched water

Tata Global Beverages Ltd, which sells Tetley Tea and Eight O’clock coffee, and the Indian arm of soft drinks major PepsiCo Inc., launched a new product of their joint venture NourishCo Beverages Ltd – a nutrient-enriched water called Tata Water Plus.

The new company will expand its product portfolio of healthy products rapidly, with a new variant of Water Plus to hit the market in the next six or seven months. "We expect that by 2016, the joint venture's turnover would touch Rs700 crore with our product portfolio, which will be enhanced by then," Tata Global Beverages vice chairman RK Krishna Kumar said. ''There is a growing trend towards health and wellness in the beverages category,'' said Ashok Namboodiri, chief of sales and marketing at NourishCo Beverages Ltd. ''We believe there is immense potential, which will evolve over a period of time.''

NourishCo currently sells GlucoPlus, a glucose-based energy drink, and Himalayan mineral water in India. Tata Global's sales may grow 7-8 per cent in the year ending 31 March 2012, Krishna Kumar said. This compares with a 3.5 per cent increase to Rs 5,980 crore ($1.2 billion) a year earlier. The new product will help both companies expand in India's growing beverage market, which has expanded with rising incomes. The country's

soft-drink market is expected to double to 12.9 billion litres in 2015 from 6.2 billion litres in 2010, Euromonitor International predicts.

Last month Tata Global Beverages signed a joint venture accord with Starbucks Corp to open Starbucks coffee shops in India. Later however the company said it plans to reduce dependence on tea- and coffee-based products after rising commodity costs decreased its profits. Tata Water Plus, priced at Rs16 per 750 ml bottle, has been launched in the Tamil Nadu market initially and would be launched in other parts of the country in a phased manner.

Commenting on the new product, PepsiCo India region chairman and chief executive Manu Anand said, "This unique offering by NourishCo is for everybody - developed keeping in mind the nutritional gaps in an average Indian's diet." NourishCo, which has outsourced the production of the new product to a company in Chennai, will follow the same process all over the country. "We plan to cover the entire country, including the far flung areas, in next three years," Kumar said.

On the branding of the future products, Kumar said that there were "no hard and fast rules" and the JV would not follow any set pattern. In 2010, PepsiCo and Tata Global Beverages had announced forming a 50:50 joint venture for the non-carbonated, ready-to-drink beverages segment, with the focus on health and wellness beverages.


Online retailer Amazon goes Junglee.com in India

American online retail giant Amazon.com entered the Indian market with Junglee.com, an online shopping site powered by the US-based company. The site says that it is an online shopping service by Amazon "which enables customers to find and discover products from online and offline retailers in India and from Amazon.com". Potential customers cannot directly buy anything from Junglee.com as the government is yet to allow foreign investment in multi-brand retail. Amazon is branding the site as a purchase decision-making site rather than a transactional site. The move by Amazon - the world's largest online retailer with $48 billion in assets - was widely anticipated, with rumors of it hitting the media in January. News agency PTI had reported that the world largest internet retailer will set up a facility in Hyderabad and employ over 3,000 people. According to the report, the Andhra Pradesh government had met with an Amazon delegation led by John Schoettler, vice president (global real estate and facilities) in November, after which the announcement was made. Junglee.com claims to offer more than 1.2 crore products covering over 14,000 brands and hundreds of retailers. Amazon lists Homeshop18, UniverCell, Hidesign, Gitanjali, The Bombay Store, Fabindia, Bata India, Dabur Uveda, Microsoft India Store, Reebok, and Amazon.com as some of the biggest names available. India, despite its restrictions, is a market that Amazon could not well ignore. The country is the third-largest Internet market after US and China. But Amazon will have to compete with local sites like Flipcart, which also offers a large range of products – and ships them for free. The e-commerce market in India has more than doubled from a $ 4 billion in 2009 to nearly $ 10 billion in 2011. Nearly $ 350 million has been pumped in by 40 Indian e-commerce start-ups till the end 2011, compared with $ 43 million in 11 companies in 2009. Amazon, founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos quickly grew to become the world's largest online retailer, selling books to electronics on its website largely to American consumers. Kindle, the company's popular e-book reader, is also being sold on the site.


Citigroup Sells HDFC Stake for $1.9B; Nets $ 722 M Profit Global banking major Citigroup Inc. has exited India’s largest mortgage lender Housing Development Finance Corp Ltd (HDFC), selling its 9.85 per cent stake through block deals on Friday. The shares were sold for over Rs 9,551 crore or $1.9 billion as per current exchange rates. The sale gives “a pre-tax gain to Citigroup of $1.1 billion (Rs 5,490 crore), and an after-tax gain of approximately $722 million (Rs 3,550 crore),” according to a Citigroup statement. “The sale of Citi’s remaining stake in HDFC is part of Citi’s ongoing capital planning efforts,” it added. In June 2011, Citigroup sold 1.5 per cent stake in HDFC to bring its holding down to 9.9 per cent in order to meet the Basel III capital rules.

At 1:43 pm, shares of HDFC were trading at Rs 671.70 a unit on the BSE, down 4.09 per cent. Citigroup sold its stake at Rs 657.56 per share, a discount of over 6 per cent to Thursday’s closing price of Rs 700. The shares have been picked up by FIIs. Citigroup’s move comes three weeks after private equity major Carlyle Group sold one-fourth of its stake in HDFC for Rs 1,355 crore. The PE firm sold its stake at 2x and still holds over 3.5 per cent stake. In May 2006, Citigroup acquired 9.27 per cent stake in HDFC, from its life insurance partner Standard Life. The UK-based firm sold its stake in HDFC for Rs 3,020 crore as it was facing financial problems at home. Citigroup had already built 3-4 per cent stake in HDFC at that point of time. In 2007, along with the private equity major Carlyle Group, Citigroup participated in the Rs 3,114 crore ($767 million) investment in HDFC. As of March 2011, Citi held 11.38 per cent stake in HDFC through Citigroup Strategic Holdings Mauritius (8.83 per cent) and Citigroup Holdings Mauritius (2.55 per cent). Carlyle now holds 5.25 per cent stake and its average investment price comes at Rs 344 per share. “We are pleased with the results of our investment in HDFC and will continue to value our long-standing relationship with the company. Citi remains deeply committed to India and we continue to focus on the growth opportunities for our franchise in this very important market,” said Pramit Jhaveri, chief executive of Citi India.


Su-Kam Power and Wisconsin based Kohler tie up for hybrid power back-up

Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd and Kohler Power Systems, US, have introduced range of diesel and gas

generators. Both companies have entered into a supply, distribution marketing pact and have conceived a

hybrid solution offering inverter and genset, according to a press release.

Kohler India Corporation will collaborate with Su-Kam to provide the customized solution based on the hybrid

concept. The unique features include priority-based load sharing between inverter and DG sets, efficiency

under critical power conditions and reduction in carbon footprint. A graphic user interface regularly updates

the user on the voltage, frequency and current supply. It also prevents blackouts by updating the user on the

fuel level, engine temperature, battery voltage and engine oil pressure.


Jubilant FoodWorks to open first Dunkin' Donuts outlet in India by June

Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd. is preparing to open the first store of U.S.-based chain Dunkin' Donuts in India by June as it bets on the growing preference among a younger and more affluent middle class to drink coffee and eat at fast-food chains. Dunkin' Donuts' entry into India through a franchise agreement between U.S. parent Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. and New Delhi-based Jubilant FoodWorks sets the stage for a face-off with traditional coffee rival Starbucks Corp., which will arrive in Asia's third-largest economy through a joint venture a month or two later. The Dunkin' Donuts stores are under construction and the menu development is at its final stages, said Jubilant FoodWorks Chief Executive Ajay Kaul. He said that a factory which will supply the Dunkin' Donuts

http://www.vccircle.com/500/news/citigroup-sells-hdfc-stake-for-19b-nets-722m-profit

stores is almost complete. The first Dunkin' Donuts will come up in New Delhi and 80-100 more will be opened across the country in the next five years. Starbucks, which recently set up a joint venture with Tata Global Beverages Ltd., expects to open its first cafe as early as in August. But it will be more aggressive in its expansion, and is aiming for 50 stores by the end of 2012. Starbucks has performed better internationally than Dunkin' Donuts, but Kaul says India is a "clean slate" where the two rivals will be able to further popularize coffee-drinking and grow the market, instead of going head to head. "Collectively, we can open up a huge market." India, where coffee consumption stands at 100 grams per person versus 4.5 kilograms in the U.S., provides enormous scope for growth. Increasing adoption of international tastes is leading local coffee consumption to raise 6%-7% annually, faster than the 3% growth in tea, a beverage traditionally preferred by Indians. A booming cafe market that is estimated to grow to $680 million in annual sales by March 2016 also holds out promise for the new entrants. While serving the "core" Dunkin' Donuts menu, the Indian outlets will also serve dishes that appeal to the "distinctive Indian palate," he added. International chains like McDonald's Corp. have had to adjust their menus to match local tastes and gain market share. Jubilant FoodWorks, which also exclusively operates the Domino's Pizza chain in India, will spend 1 billion rupees ($20.36 million) by March on setting up pizza and coffee outlets. Mr. Kaul didn't give financial details of the Jubilant-Dunkin' Donuts tie-up.


Sahara group forms JV with New York based Turner Construction

Sahara India Pariwar announced the formation of an integrated construction services joint venture with US-

based Turner Construction International and Acropolis Capital Group. Sahara will initially invest $100 million

and will hold 63 per cent of the JV's equity while the other two partners will hold the remaining stake, Sahara

Group Chairman Subrata Roy said at a function in Mumbai.

Sahara would raise its investment to $300 million later, he said, adding that the structure of the JV may also

change. The JV, to be called Sahara Turner Construction Ltd, plans to build projects worth $2.5 billion in India

in five years; the partner’s said. The joint venture also announced the launch of its first project, Sahara Prime

City Ltd. The plans were announced at a joint press conference by Turner Construction chief executive

Nicholas Billotti and Sahara Group chairman Subrata Roy. The two, however, did not give details of the joint

venture's investment proposals.

Sahara Tuner will provide all the business solutions related to infrastructure industry to its clients. Sahara India

Pariwar will also be one of the clients of Sahara Turner, Roy said.

Sahara, with assets of $26 billion, has interests in finance, media and entertainment, hospitality, real estate

and infrastructure. A subsidiary of German construction group Hochtief, New York-based Turner Construction

is one of the largest construction companies in the US, building about $8 billion worth of projects every year.

London-based Acropolis Capital Group is an investment firm specializing in hedge funds.


Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association signs pact with Karnataka biotech body The Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology Services (KBITS) and the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association (PABio) have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly create and promote biotech opportunities both in the US and Karnataka. Pennsylvania Bio (PABio) is a 518-member trade association for the life sciences in Pennsylvania and has built strengths in biotech, medical device, diagnostic, pharmaceutical, research, and financial services. Whereas KBITS is the nodal agency of the Karnataka Government providing incentives and concessions to the biotech sector, under the various schemes and policies of the State Government, including setting up of biotech

finishing schools in Karnataka. KBITS is also the implementing agency for the Bangalore Biotech Park and the proposed biotech parks in Tier II cities. According to Mr. Chakravarthi Mohan, Managing Director, KBITS, and Director of Karnataka Department of IT/BT, “Both PABio and KBITS have a mandate to promote biotech activities in their respective regions by creating appropriate opportunities like trade events, conferences, business delegations etc.” “Both the associations will work together to support the efforts of life sciences companies to establish or grow a presence in the region. And this collaborative project will be known as ‘BioSpan' to reflect the goal of spanning the two regions and the two countries,” he added. Mr. Christopher P. Molineaux, President, Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association, said PABio is the only state-wide trade association for the life sciences in Pennsylvania. Bio-Venture Fund: Dr V.S. Acharya, Karnataka Minister for IT & BT, said, “The State Government is planning to set up a $10-million Bio-Venture Fund, to cater to certain hi-tech areas with strong social relevance, such as transgenics, stem cell biology, etc. “The intention of the State Government is quite clear. We would like to see a booming economy led by the knowledge sectors. We believe in realistic, practical and workable policies. Several initiatives announced by us are already under implementation as a result of the practical policies.” On the issue of shortage of talent in the biotech sector, Dr Acharya said the Government has sanctioned setting-up of 12 Biotech Finishing Schools, recommended by the Selection Committee headed by Prof Padmanaban. “The one-year course of BT Finishing Schools, started in September last year is mid-way through and the feedback we have received is to say the least, highly rewarding. All the students undergoing the course at the schools will be absorbed by the industry, in partnership with which the Biotech Finishing School is conducting the course.”


Atlanta-based software services company Infor, ties up with TCS

Atlanta-based business application software services firm Infor announced a strategic partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), aimed at expanding its geographic reach in key industries. As part of the agreement, TCS will be marketing enabling and providing services for certain products of Infor and its affiliate, Lawson Software, in the fashion, food and beverages and healthcare sectors, a company statement said. The privately-held company currently has over 70,000 customers in 164 countries, including 500 in India. While the Americas contribute 53 per cent to its revenues, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Asia-Pacific account for 37 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. It operates a Centre for Excellence in Hyderabad, which houses more than 100 of its 8,000-odd global workforce. The centre, which drives research and development for 10 core products, offers 30-odd products and services to customers such as Boeing, Ferrari, ABRL and L&T.


RIL gets fashion bouquet of 20 global brands via Iconix JV

Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Brands has struck an equal joint venture with Nasdaq-listed Iconix Brand Group acquiring the ownership and management rights of 20 international lifestyle brands for India. These brands-including names like Ed Hardy, Mossimo, London Fog, Ecko and Candie's-operate mostly in fashion apparel, home decor and electronics with combined retail revenue of $12 billion globally. The deal provides Ambani significant heft in India's expanding lifestyle retail industry, and this is possibly the biggest investment in fashion by a large Indian corporate after Aditya Birla's acquisition of Madura Garments more than a decade ago. Reliance Brands will buy 50% stake in Iconix India, a newly created subsidiary of the US parent founded by Neil Cole, a brother of the American designer Kenneth Cole. Ambani, the richest Indian

with an estimated wealth of $27 billion, may use Iconix JV to acquire or invest behind Indian fashion brands. Similarly, Iconix will transfer the Indian ownership of all future global acquisitions to the new JV. "The India ownership of the brands is vested with the joint venture company for perpetuity. We paid a fairly significant upfront amount to purchase the stake and the rights," Darshan Mehta, CEO, Reliance Brands, told TOI. Some other prominent brands that are part of the JV include Mudd, Candie's Rocawear, Rampage, Danskin, Charisma, and Sharper Image. Iconix also has joint ownership of seven global brands, including Material Girl (with singerMadonna), which will become part of the JV in due course. The deal-making with Reliance is part of Iconix Group's aggressive push into growth markets like India and China, where they forged a JV with fashion tycoon and former owner of Tommy Hilfiger, Silas Chau. Iconix chairman Neil Cole, who built a fashion business through acquisitions, said he was open to brand buyouts in growth markets like India. "We are in talks to buy a brand in Brazil, and could look for similar opportunities in markets like India," he said from New York over phone. Iconix India will license the brands to local retailers in return for royalty payments. The JV will keep the brand management, marketing and business development duties for all the brands. "We plan to build exclusive long term licensing deals with local retailers for each of these brands. The retailer will manage the stores, inventory and the operations," Mehta said. Mohan Mahajan, partner at consulting firm Mahajan & Aibara, said acquiring rights of well-known global brands is one of the easier ways to build a retail business, as opposed to developing a local brand. Indian conglomerate Aditya Birla acquired Madura Garments, the branded apparel brands of Coats Plc, to enter the fashion business in 1999. More recently, RPG Enterprises bought the brand rights of Ceat from Italian tyre maker Pirelli.


IBM keen on investing in mid-segment storage products, expands aggressively into smaller

cities across the country

IBM is investing in developing storage products for mid-segment and lower segment clients in Tier-2/ Tier-3 cities in India and is focusing on increasing its presence in smaller cities. “We are putting a lot of effort into the mid-market clients. We are investing in more products in the low and mid areas, and these organic products that IBM has developed… not just OEM,” Ms. Laura Guio, Vice-President for Storage Sales in Growth Markets, told. “One thing IBM is doing is taking the technology and feature function richness of an enterprise solution and pushing it down the stack. For those who don't have the investment power invest in the enterprise solution but want the bells and whistles. As they invest in this, our solution helps them ride up the continuum,” Ms. Guio said. “What we need to focus on is helping clients understand in the mid-space,” she added. Products & requirement: According to her, people initially were willing to buy storage space but then saw the other costs that came with buying space. Products such as V7000 were suitable for such small-term requirement, she says. With India being the fastest growing in IBM's bunch of 149 ‘growth markets', the company is working on developing more products such as IBM Storwize V7000, suitable for small and medium business as it helps manage data flow reduces storage rack space. In this context, the company is also planning to expand aggressively into smaller cities across the country and leverage the market with the help of business partners.


United States to import cancer drug from India

The United States today said it will import cancer drug manufactured in India to overcome the acute shortage of the medicine used in treatment of ovarian, bone marrow and AIDS-related skin cancer. Exercising its

enforcement discretion, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) said the chemotherapeutic drug Lipodox will be imported as an alternative to Doxil.

Doxil, it said, is used in multiple treatment regimens, including treatment of ovarian cancer after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy. The drug is also indicated for use in AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma and multiple myeloma. FDA anticipates that the incoming supply of Lipodox will be able to fully meet patient needs. FDA said it has entered into an agreement with Sun Pharma Global FZE, which manufactures the drug at the FDA-inspected facility in Halol, Gujarat.

FDA said its exercise of enforcement discretion for Lipodox is a temporary, limited arrangement specific to Sun Pharma Global FZE and its authorized distributor, Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd.

“A drug shortage can be a frightening prospect for patients and President (Barack) Obama made it clear that preventing these shortages from happening is a top priority of his administration,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.

In addition, in response to the President Executive Order on prescription drug shortages, FDA also issued draft guidance to industry on detailed requirements for both mandatory and voluntary notifications to the agency of issues that could result in a drug shortage or supply disruption


GoAir inks $1 billion engine deal with Pratt & Whitney

The Wadia Group-promoted budget airline GoAir announced a billion-dollar engine deal (on list price) with Pratt & Whitney on Wednesday for its 72 A320neo aircraft, firm orders for which were placed with the European airplane maker Airbus in June last. GoAir placed an order worth $7.2 billion for the aircraft deal, and deliveries will start by 2016. GoAir chose these 144 PurePower PW1100JM engines over its current CFM engines that are fitted on its existing A320 fleet as the new engines would result in substantial fuel cost savings for the budget airline. GoAir will fund the engine acquisition through a mix of debt and equity.

Pratt & Whitney pitches one of the PurePower engines as quieter, more fuel efficient, green engines that use the geared technology, allowing different fan speeds. "Purely on a direct operating cost, we are expecting about 15% savings on fuel costs by mounting the PurePower engine, and this has been the main reason for signing the deal apart from good maintenance, repair and overhaul package," said Jeh Wadia, managing director, GoAir.

The budget carrier that has 160 daily flights, said that the environment where fuel costs have gone up by 42% on price alone is a challenging one, but GoAir might still end the year closer to break even. The unlisted entity where promoters hold the entire 100%, said it would have ended the year with a profit had the fuel cost not played truant. Brent crude prices have remained above the $100-mark through the year.

"We ended FY2011 on a profitable note, and we would have been very profitable in FY12 but for the high fuel costs and a depreciating rupee," Wadia said. The low-cost airline, with a six percent market share, said it is not striving for expansion and is instead trying to consolidate its position and focus on yields. The airline yields have seen a 12% improvement year-on-year despite the market offering tickets below cost price.

"For the third quarter of this financial year we were very clear that we will not chase market share, but focus on yields and that strategy has worked for us," Wadia added. He also said that the airline is in consultation with public oil marketing companies and private firms for using infrastructure and distribution network of these companies, since the government has allowed airlines to import air turbine fuel directly for captive use.

Domestic airline companies are facing an acute cash crunch and need equity infusion to survive, but GoAir says it's in no hurry to raise cash as it has a comfortable cash position.


Hero MotoCorp in technology tie-up with Wisconsin based Erik Buell Racing (EBR) Hero MotoCorp Ltd, the country's largest two-wheeler maker, announced a technology sourcing partnership

with US-based Erik Buell Racing (EBR), as it looks to strengthen its presence in the high-end bike segment

globally. Erik Buell Racing is a motorcycle sport company which produces street and racing motorcycles, based

in East Troy, Wisconsin, USA.

Hero MotoCorp, which broke off an alliance with Japan's Honda in the erstwhile Hero Honda Motors, is trying

to enhance its technological prowess through strategic alliances with other global technology leaders. Under

the partnership with EBR, Hero MotoCorp will receive support in terms of cutting-edge technology and design

to develop future models.

East Troy, Wisconsin-based ERB specializes in designing and manufacturing powerful and high-speed

motorcycles. "It gives me immense pleasure to welcome Eric Bull to the exciting world of Hero MotoCorp. This

is in keeping with my objective of quickly scaling up our own in-house R&D capabilities to a global two-wheeler

technology powerhouse by leveraging a network of strategic international alliances. Eric and his team have

been working closely with our engineers and designers to develop our next generation range of products with

cutting-edge technology and first-of-its-kind features,'' Pawan Munjal, managing director and chief executive

of Hero MotoCorp, said.

"The Indian two-wheeler industry is set to evolve, and it is only natural that as the market leader, we are

driving this change. As part of this plan, Erik is going to play an integral role in giving shape to some of my

dream two-wheelers for the discerning youth of today," he said, adding the two have made some definite

progress in this direction and that the results would soon be there for all to see.

"ERB is delighted to partner with a company as iconic as Hero MotoCorp. Both HMCL and ERB share the

common commitment to manufacturing world-class two-wheelers with technology of the future. I have

personally been deeply impressed with and inspired by Pawan's vision. He has given us a challenging brief, and

our highly-motivated team is working towards giving shape to that dream. We look forward to designing

technology solutions, which are in line with contemporary global standards and also futuristic in their appeal

and utility," added Erik F Buell, chairman and CTO of EBR.

Hero MotoCorp has already started work on using EBR technology in some of its existing products as also on

completely new products. The first products under the partnership are expected to be launched by 2013. Hero

MotoCorp will follow a gradual approach in developing new products rather than straightaway launching 1,000

cc or a 1,200 cc bike using EBR technology. The products will cater to the global markets and the two partners

are yet to finalize a marketing pact.

Hero MotoCorp said it would not be replacing Honda technology but rather would be adding EBR to its

technology portfolio. The Hero Group and Honda ended their 26-year-old alliance in December 2010 with the

Indian partner buying out Honda's 26 per cent stake in Hero Honda for Rs3,842 crore.

The two partners had, however, signed a new licensing agreement under which Hero will pay Honda 45 billion yen (about Rs2, 450 crore) till 2014 for using its technology.


Jacada Announces Geographic Expansion into India

Jacada Inc., a leading global provider of call center technology designed to improve the customer experience, today announced its expanding global presence and establishing of a local presence in India. As more and more corporate and government organizations in India turn to their IT and Business departments to reduce operational costs while increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty, Jacada’s offering is an ideal fit for this fast-growing market. Based on years of experience working with India’s leading financial institution and call center customer service sectors, Jacada helps local organizations deliver top-of-the-line customer service experience to their valued customers, while reducing IT and training costs and increasing employee retention. “We recognize the role technology and innovation play in driving economic growth and social development, and we are happy to have the opportunity to introduce innovative call center technologies that will create exceptional customer service among local Indian organizations,” said Guy Yair, EVP EMEA & APAC at Jacada. “With Jacada, organizations gain a competitive advantage over others in the market that helps them respond quickly to changing business needs while allowing for continuous improvement in existing customer service processes.” With more than 20 years of experience, Jacada is a trusted advisor to organizations, providing end-to-end customer service solutions, regional professional services and a solution-support infrastructure. “The market in India is growing at a phenomenal pace. As local companies start to embark on customer service improvement initiatives, the timing of Jacada’s move could not be better,” said Vivek Anand, Country Manager-India at Jacada. “And by having a direct presence rather than solely relying on third parties, Jacada will be able to implement and support its solutions with its world-recognized quality of service.”


Boeing confirms Indian order for 10 C-17s as Indian defence market grows

Boeing has finalised a contract to supply ten of its C-17 Globemaster III airlifters to the Indian Air Force, which will replace its Il-76 transports. Boeing was awarded a US$1 781 413 Foreign Military Sales contract on February 2, concluding a three year negotiation process. However, the contract’s value represents only a fraction of the amount that India is expected to pay for its ten C-17s. In April 2010 the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale to India, and quoted the value of potential sale as amounting to US$5.8 billion. In June 2011 India’s Cabinet approved the sale of the aircraft, amounting to US$4.8 billion. Delivery of the aircraft is to begin in 2013 and end in 2014. In June 2011, it was reported that the Indian Air Force could buy more C-17s later. The Indian Air Force plans to base its C-17s at Hindon Air Force Station, where its recently acquired C-130Js are based. The C-17s will replace the Indian Air Force’s 17 Il-76 transports, which are only able carry around 50 000 kg, compared to the C-17’s maximum of 74 000 kg. Both aircraft have a similar range, but the C-17 overall has better performance. However, at more than US$250 million per aircraft, it is far more expensive than the Il-76. The C-17 contract comes months after New Delhi rejected bids from Lockheed Martin (for its F-16) and Boeing (for its F/A-18) for its MMRCA fighter competition. The US saw the rejection as a huge setback, especially after lobbying by Barack Obama and American efforts to improve ties with India. However, the rejection of American fighters in favor of Dassault’s Rafale has been sweetened by the C-17 deal, and many others with the United States. The Indian Air Force is upgrading its transport fleet, and recently took delivery of six Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules, to be used for special operations. It is also developing a medium transport with Russia and seeking new tanker aircraft.

India is the world’s largest arms importer and plans to spend around US$100 billion over the next decade to upgrade its largely Soviet-era military equipment. In what has been described as one of the world's most dangerous regions, with three nuclear-armed countries bordering each other, India's fears of the rising might of China and threats from Pakistan - along with a underdeveloped aerospace industry - have made it the world's leading weapons importer. One of India’s most ambitious projects is its joint development of a stealth fighter with Russia, based on the Sukhoi T-50. India will start taking delivery of 250 aircraft by 2015. In addition, state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is developing its own stealth aircraft, called the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, planned to be in service by 2025. Meanwhile, its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is undergoing final testing and is expected to be introduced into the Air Force soon. With regard to helicopters, bids are out for 22 combat helicopters and 15 heavy lift helicopters. It was reported in Indian media late last year that Boeing's AH-64 Apache was the front runner to win the US$1.4 billion deal for combat helicopters, having beaten the Mil Mi-28N. In addition, the country also ordered 12 AW101 helicopters, made by a unit of Finmeccanica, to be used for VIP transportation, and is building the locally developed Dhruv utility helicopter and Dhruv-derived Light Combat Helicopter. The army plans to obtain 114 Dhruvs and has a joint requirement for about 400 light helicopters along with the air force.


Microsoft India ties up with Ybrant Digital

Microsoft Corporation India has appointed digital marketing solutions and services company Ybrant Digital as its advertising sales house as it expands activity to non-metro cities such as Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Goa. “Tier-2 cities are emerging as huge growth drivers, and this presents an opportunity for us to enable businesses to engage with their audiences in an effective and interactive manner,” Mr. Neville Taraporewalla, Country Director, Advertising & Online of Microsoft India, said. “Ybrant will provide businesses an option to advertise with premium media properties owned by Microsoft. Together with Microsoft, we will ensure maximum return on investment on the ad spend by our advertisers in these cities,” Mr. Suresh Reddy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ybrant Digital Ltd, said here in a statement. “Digital advertising market has crossed the $166-million mark in 2011 and is expected to reach $273 million by 2013. This growth is just limited to metros but has gone beyond and increasingly internet is being consumed in smaller towns and cities too,” he said.


India’s Investments in U.S

Mahindra Satyam Acquires Washington based vCustomer's International Operations for

$27 Million Mahindra Satyam, a leading global consulting and IT services provider, has announced the 100 per cent acquisition of BPO firm vCustomer’s International operations for $27 million. This is the first 100 per cent acquisition by Mahindra Satyam since it became part of Mahindra Group and marks the entry of Mahindra Satyam’s BPO operations into other verticals such as retail and consumer technology in addition to significantly enhancing technical support credentials, a statement said.

"The combination of vCustomer’s expertise in the retail and consumer technology verticals with Mahindra Satyam’s domain expertise and customer base will further strengthen the ability to address evolving market needs," the statement added.

C P Gurnani, CEO, Mahindra Satyam, commented: “This is a landmark moment in Mahindra Satyam's resurgence and reflects our investment appetite to enhance domain depth and global scale, across diverse verticals. The focus and operations of vCustomer maps perfectly with our global operating model, allowing for seamless integration and smooth transition of processes and associates.”

Commenting on the business outlook, Sanjay Kumar, Founder and CEO, vCustomer said: “vCustomer has harnessed formidable expertise and a diversified geographical presence across the retail and consumer technology sectors. Mahindra Satyam's synergy and commitment to investment in business growth will spur growth plans and help build new service offerings.”

Earlier, media reports suggested that Mahindra Satyam was close to buying 20-30% in Comviva Technologies, the mobile software development unit of Bharti Enterprises. A Bharti team in charge of selling its non-core business was in talks with Mahindra Satyam and the deal could fetch Rs 400-500 crore.

vCustomer Corporation, which offers customer care and technical support solutions, and is present in the retail, consumer technology, and communications sectors. It employs globally and is headquartered in Kirkland, Washington.


Welspun expanding Little Rock pipe manufacturing facility in US

Welspun Corp. Ltd. is expanding pipe manufacturing capacity at its Little Rock, Arkansas facility in the US, investing an additional $100 million and adding 200 jobs. This is the second time in three years of its operations in Arkansas that the international pipe manufacturer is expanding production capacity at its large-diameter pipe manufacturing location in North America.

With this expansion, Welspun will bring total overall investment in the facility to $280 million since opening in April 2009. Pipe produced by Welspun is primarily used in the gas and oil industry. The announcement was made at a news conference hosted by Martin M Rhodes, chairman of the board of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.

''We are extremely delighted at the performance of our Little Rock facility, which has cemented the firm's global reach in servicing some of the largest oil and gas companies in the world. We believe that this new investment will pave the way for Welspun to continue on its path of becoming one of the most respected line-pipe companies in the world and we are thankful to the City of Little Rock for the support that they have extended in fulfilling our dream,''B K Goenka, chairman of Welspun, said.

Initially employing more than 300 people, the company announced its first expansion one year later, adding 230 jobs and investing an additional $30 million. ''Welspun invested in Arkansas when the national economy was in bad shape,'' Governor Mike Beebe said, adding, ''That faith in our workforce and our business community has paid off for both Welspun and Little Rock, and today they are reinforcing their confidence in us with another significant investment in Arkansas.''

Located on 740 acres adjacent to the Port of Little Rock, Welspun's state-of-the-art spiral pipe and coating facility has an annual production capacity of more than 3,50,000 tones of pipe.

''Welspun's decision to develop a new small diameter pipe assembly line in Little Rock sends a strong signal to the economic development world that Little Rock is a prime location for business expansion in the US,'' said Little Rock mayor Mark Stodola. ''The City of Little Rock is pleased to partner with the Little Rock Regional Chamber and its Stock in The Rock investors, the Little Rock Port, AEDC and Governor's Office in facilitating this third Welspun announcement in four years, he added.

''Our citizens have a strong work ethic, and we are perfectly situated to easily reach the four corners of our country with port, rail, air and highway transportation systems,'' Stodola continued. ''Welspun, as both a new and expanding industry, understands this importance and is capitalizing on Little Rock's becoming one of the pre-eminent pipe manufacturing locations in the world.''

Through this expansion, Welspun will expand their product line of steel pipes to include the production of 6-inch to 20-inch ERW steel pipes. The new manufacturing lines will be located in a second building on 44 acres purchased by the company.

''Welspun has a strong history of growth and profitability in the oil and gas line pipe industry and is in the cusp of becoming a leading, global integrated pipe manufacturer,'' said Dave Delie, president of Welspun Tubular. ''The track-record of operational performance at Welspun is unique and the management is committed to building on our current, impressive capabilities.''

''Engineering excellence is the core to Welspun and we believe that with this investment, we will catapult Little Rock as an important destination in the ''World of Pipe,'' said Rajesh Mandawewala, managing director of Welspun. ''We have full trust and confidence in Welspun's management team and believe that the team will continue to deliver superlative results.''

Welspun Corp Ltd. formerly known as Welspun Gujarat Stahl Rohren Ltd, started its activities in 1995 and since then has supplied pipes for some of the most prestigious projects, including the World's deepest pipeline project in the Gulf of Mexico, US, heaviest pipeline project in the Persian Gulf, highest LNG pipeline project in Peru and longest pipeline project from Canada to the US.

Welspun's state-of-the- art plate, coil and pipe plants are located in Dahej and Anjar in Gujarat (India), Little Rock in Arkansas, US and now in Dammam in Saudi Arabia. The company has recently set up a spiral pipe mill in Mandya.


Cloud Computing Co Nivio Gets $21M from US based AEC Partners, Videocon Group

Cloud computing firm Nivio, which allows subscribers to rent software applications from companies like Microsoft and Adobe, has secured $21 million (Rs 104 crore) from the Videocon Group and AEC Partners, a US-based private equity firm specialising in technology investments, the company has said in a statement.

The capital raised will be used to expand engineering efforts at Nivio’s Palo Alto office and also to roll out the Cloud platform across Nivio’s operating regions in Europe, the Middle East, India and Australia.

Founded in 2004 by Sachin Dev Duggal and Saurabh Pradeep Dhoot (son of the younger brother of Videocon Group chief Venugopal Dhoot), nivio provides online desktop solutions, accessible through Internet-connected devices running on various platforms such as Linux, Mac and Windows.

It also provides an array of on-demand services including software apps rental, access to a variety of educational content and storage expansion for keeping pictures, music and data. The company offers three products – nDrive, nDesktop and nApps – available in several packages aimed at students, educators and small businesses.

The company has more than 120 employees on board and previously raised over $9 million from Deutsche Bank and private investors. It has strategic partnerships with AMD, Interoute and Microsoft Corporation.

“We are extremely happy to bring two new passionate investors into our team. We are also very proud that nivio has successfully delivered 7x returns to some of our angels in this round,” Sachin Dev Duggal, co-founder and chief wizard at nivio, commented on the funding.

While AEC Partners’ investment is pure PE funding, co-investment by the Videocon Group means one of the co-founders is bringing in fresh money as Dhoot is part of the Videocon Group promoters. Videocon has a core business of consumer electronics and over the years, diversified into oil & gas, DTH, telecom and retail, among other businesses.


http://www.vccircle.com/500/news/cloud-computing-co-nivio-gets-21m-from-aec-partners-videocon-group

US investments in India

KPMG launches India Technology Center in Bangalore

KPMG India today commissioned its technology centre in Bangalore at the World Trade Center (WTC).

The centre houses "technologically advanced teams specializing in enterprise applications, business intelligence and analytics, as well as network design, architecture, data management, and application development, KPMG said in a statement.

Professionals working at the facility will focus on innovation and strategies to help clients achieve their business objectives, address their pain points with the help of suitable enterprise class applications from within a wide array of choices across the product spectrum.

Michael J. Andrew, global chairman, KPMG, who was in India on a business visit said, This centre is complimented by the wealth of relevant talent and strong educational facilities which will be the key in growing this center.'' One of the key highlights at this facility is hi-tech experiential environment for clients to get a demonstration of the full range of all the technology-assisted service offerings tailored to meet varied

business needs. Complementing the experience zone is a well-equipped global program management control center that permits simultaneous review of multi-location, multi-product complex engagements.

''The information technologists working at this Center will help converge KPMG's wide array of advisory services ranging from performance and reporting to accounting, tax, compliance and regulatory,'' said Russell Parera, CEO, KPMG in India.

KPMG expects to partner with Oracle and SAP education on training programs for its employees at the center.

According to Kumar Parakala, partner and head of IT advisory for EMA, the centre would become an important hub for KPMG's innovation in information technology solutions, critical to solve complex business issues of our clients. "They will be able to experience these solutions and better understand their benefits prior to making significant investments.'' Parakal said.


New York based Warburg Pincus to invest $50M in AU Financiers

Private equity major Warburg Pincus is picking up a stake in Jaipur-based AU Financiers (India) Private Limited for $50 million (Rs 250 crore), said a source familiar with the development. The privately held non-banking finance company (NBFC) is involved primarily in commercial vehicles and SME loans.

The firm has earlier raised funding from Motilal Oswal's private equity fund and World Bank arm International Finance Corporation (IFC). "Thank you for your interest in Warburg Pincus. The firm is bound by internal operational policies, which does not allow discussion of deal related investment activities. Warburg Pincus is unable to share any views regarding your queries," a Warburg Pincus spokesperson.

AU Financiers is promoted by first generation entrepreneur Sanjay Agarwal. It also provides vehicle loans, business loans against property and small loans to customers mainly in semi-urban and rural areas. As of June 2011, the company had a loan portfolio of Rs 1,508 crore.

Currently, AU Financiers mainly operates in Rajasthan and is expanding to other states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Goa and Madhya Pradesh. It has also expanded into housing finance recently, when it received the license from National Housing Bank. These operations are carried out by its subsidiary, AU Housing Finance Private Ltd.

For Fiscal Year 2011, revenues and profit after tax (PAT) of AU Financiers jumped over three times to Rs 159 crore and Rs 42 crore, respectively. During Q1FY12, the company reported PAT of Rs 7 crore on a total income of Rs 49 crore as compared to PAT of Rs 3 crore on total income of Rs 19 crore in Q1FY11, according to report by credit rating agency Care.

AU Financiers raised Rs 55 crore in equity funding from IFC and Motilal Oswal's India Business Excellence Fund (IBEF) in 2010. It had also raised Rs 20 crore from Motilal Oswal in 2008.

The deal comes soon after another NBFC, Murugappa Group’s Cholamandalam Investment & Finance Co Ltd, said that it is raising Rs 212 crore from private equity firms Multiples Alternate Asset Management and Creador Capital. Cholamandalam is primarily involved in vehicle financing and currently focuses on light commercial and small commercial vehicles (LCVs and SCVs).


Cognizant expands its Kochi operations

Cognizant, a NASDAQ-listed, US-headquartered provider of information technology, is expanding its operations in Kerala by leasing 15 acres of land at the Kochi Infopark campus. The company Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kerala government for this. When fully completed, Cognizant's new campus in Infopark Phase II will have a built-up area of 1.6 million sq ft. and the capacity to accommodate around 12,000 professionals. Cognizant will develop the campus in phases. The first phase is being built at a cost of approximately Rs.250 crore and will consist of a 550,000 sq ft software development block, which will accommodate over 4,000 professionals.

Cognizant at present has over 1,500 professionals working from the first phase of Kochi Infopark. Present at the signing ceremony was Kerala Industries Minister P. K. Kunhalikutty, who said that it was recently that the government has released the 'Emerging Kerala' tag line because it is emerging slowly and strongly as the land of opportunities. "Big IT names like TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Oracle, HCL, Cognizant and Cap Gemini are setting up offices in the state. Today, we are at the threshold of the next phase of IT growth in Kerala and the government assures all support to all companies who will play a key role in the development of the state as a leading IT hub of the country," said Kunhalikutty. "We are committed to expanding our operations in Kochi and tapping into the world-class talent in the state of Kerala. This investment in a new campus in Kochi is a part of Cognizant's commitment to grow its operations in this region, and work closely with academia to further enhance the knowledge quotient," said R. Chandrasekaran, president and managing director, Global Delivery, Cognizant.


World Kitchen launches India subsidiary; ties up with TTK

World Kitchen Holding Company LLC, the Illinois-based firm which markets and distributes high-end kitchenware brands like Corelle, Corningware and Pyrex cutlery, on Thursday announced it is setting up a wholly-owned subsidiary in India to be called World Kitchen (India). Under the new subsidiary, World Kitchen will sell kitchenware to consumers through retail outlets and channel partners. A press release issued by the company said World Kitchen Holding has tied up with TTK Prestige as a distribution partner for the southern states. Joseph Mallof, president and CEO of World Kitchen Holding Company said in a statement: "Establishing an Indian subsidiary will enable us to better meet the demands of a rapidly evolving consumer base." World Kitchen Company also operates as an Asian entity called World Kitchen (Asia Pacific) based in Singapore.


Medical devices maker Covidien sets up India R&D centre

Covidien, a US-based manufacturer of medical devices and pharmaceuticals, has set up its first research and development centre in the country. “The Indian healthcare devices market is part of our focus on emerging markets. The Hyderabad centre will enable us to improve product time to market and create valued-innovation,” Mr. Robert Frechette, Vice-President (Engineering Services), told newspersons after the inauguration of the centre. The value of the Indian medical devices market is estimated at $4 billion, and is clocking a growth rate of 15 per cent annually, he added. Apart from designing products to suit local market needs, the R&D unit would utilize India's huge talent pool to provide a range of engineering services for the company's medical products business. The company plans to hire over 350 professionals for the centre over the next two years. Some 30 people are already working at the 40,000-square-foot facility. Mr. Arjun Sarker, Managing Director — Indian sub-continent, Covidien, said the business focus in India would be on surgical solutions and medical devices, though the company is strong in the pharmaceuticals business too.


JP Morgan’s Infra Fund Raises over $95M for India 'Sidecar' Vehicle

JP Morgan Asset Management, the global investment and wealth management firm, has raised over $95 million commitment for an India-specific ‘sidecar’ fund. The sidecar fund, an over-allocation pool giving the fund manager an opportunity to invest in larger deal opportunities, is being raised for JP Morgan’s Asian infrastructure fund.

A report in Pension & Investments states that the State of Michigan Retirement Systems has committed $70 million to the fund, which is invested in two toll roads in India. The investment is part of the overall $1.685 billion commitments made by Michigan Retirement Systems to funds of Apax Partners, Parthenon Group, Credit Suisse and others. In its filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in November last year, the company stated that JPMorgan AIRRO India SideCar Fund US, LLC raised $95 million from two investors. However, it cannot be ascertained if any other sidecar fund has been floated since. Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System is another investor in the sidecar fund and has put in $25 million. Ontario Securities Commission, a provincial regulatory agency in Canada, has also said in its filing that an investor has committed over $10 million to the fund. JP Morgan has invested in Hyderabad-based Soma Group’s highway projects unit and Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Ltd (NICE). NICE, which is developing the 164 km tollway between Bangalore and Mysore, raised $110 million in December 2010 while Soma raised a similar amount in September last year. It had also reportedly invested $400 million in Nikhil Gandhi-promoted SKIL Infrastructure, which controls ship-builder Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Ltd. JP Morgan’s Asian Infrastructure & Related Resources Opportunity (AIRRO) Fund closed at $858.6 million in February 2010. The fund received commitments from investors, including institutional ones and high-net worth individuals, from the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.


IMAX Expands Relationship with SPI Cinemas in India with Four-Theatre Deal

IMAX and SPI Cinemas Private Limited (SPI) announced an agreement to install four digital IMAX® theatre systems in new SPI Cinemas complexes across India. The deal brings the total number of commercial IMAX® theatres open or contracted to open in India to 13. IMAX is headquartered in New York. The local Indian film market currently ranks number one in the world for attendance and film production with over 1,000 films produced a year and approximately 90% of revenues derived from non-English language movies. Recent reports project the country's film industry to grow from $3.2 billion in 2010 to $5 billion by 2014. "We are pleased to expand our relationship with SPI in India," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "Not only is SPI Cinemas' commitment to offering cutting-edge entertainment experiences perfectly aligned with the IMAX brand, but this agreement puts us in position to consider the local release of Bollywood films, which will be key to the success and growth of IMAX in this strategically important region of world." "SPI is a leading player in the Indian exhibition industry, with multiplexes that have some of the highest attendance rates. Today's agreement will bring IMAX theatres into their new multiplexes, which will be located in high-growth areas," said Don Savant, IMAX's Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific. "Our unparalleled technology, worldwide brand and exciting film slate coupled with SPI's state-of-the art multiplexes are sure to thrill audiences across India and we are pleased to join forces with them once again." IMAX's digital projection system delivers The IMAX Experience® and helps drive profitability for studios, exhibitors and IMAX theatres by eliminating the need for film prints, increasing program flexibility and ultimately increasing the number of movies shown on IMAX screens. The system can run both IMAX and IMAX® 3D presentations.


DaVita Acquires Majority Stake in NephroLife India, Newly named entity to be called DaVita

NephroLife

DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500(R) company and leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) today announced it has acquired controlling interest in NephroLife, a leading

Bangalore-based kidney care company. DaVita(R) had previously announced making a minority investment in the company. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"DaVita NephroLife is a strong cultural fit with DaVita," said DaVita Chairman and CEO Kent Thiry. "While it will take time for this venture to realize returns, this is a logical, long-term opportunity." "This is a unique opportunity in a region where DaVita has focused its attention," said Dennis Kogod, DaVita Chief Operating Officer. "We will continue that focus in India and other areas in the Asia-Pacific region."

NephroLife currently operates nine clinics in India, offering a range of nephrology care including dialysis and vascular surgery. "India represents a positive, long-term opportunity with transformational growth in the health care arena," said Atul Mathur, DaVita's president for the Asia-Pacific region.

As a leading provider of kidney care services in the United States, DaVita has achieved clinical outcomes that have improved year-over-year for more than a decade and will share that expertise through its active management of the company. "Our vision is to become a role model for health care," said DaVita NephroLife's Managing Director Shriram Vijayakumar. "Our innovative, integrated care has strong economic value for society."DaVita is currently providing dialysis services in the Asia-Pacific region in Singapore and has an agreement to develop and operate dialysis clinics in Malaysia.

Bridge of Life - DaVita Medical Missions(TM), a nonprofit organization founded by DaVita, has been conducting missions in rural India since 2008. The focus has been opening dialysis clinics in Phalodi and Jodhpur, updating the clinic's water purification systems, and providing extensive training for over one hundred kidney care professionals.


UST Global expands its footprints in India After being a prominent employer in the IT sector in tier 2 cities in Kerala, California-based IT services company UST Global has embarked on an expansion in Bangalore. Company officials said UST Global's new facility in Bangalore can accommodate 500-600 associates, with the capacity to expand up to a headcount of 5,000. In Kerala, the company operates out of Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. UST Global chairman Satendra Gupta said the company's operations had been centred around India and the Philippines, and that it made sense to the company to step up its presence in India's IT capital. Company country head Alexander Varghese said the availability of a large talent pool was one of the key attributes that went in favor of the company choosing Bangalore for expansion. In Kerala, the company is building a campus in the Thiruvananthapuram special economic zone. The 3 million sq ft campus is expected to be a major hub for offshore IT services offered by the company, which focuses on delivering IT and business solutions to the Global 1,000 market.


General Atlantic may pick up stake in IndusInd Media

U.S. private equity firm General Atlantic LLC (GA) is looking to pick up a 'significant' stake in Cable Company IndusInd Media and Communications. The report, which cited two people familiar with the matter, did not detail the size of the stake General Atlantic is likely to buy or the deal size. The proposed investment comes after India passed the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2011, which makes it compulsory for cable companies to convert their analogue systems to digital in a phased manner by 2014. India's Hinduja Group owned IndusInd is looking to raise funds as it needs money to meet the digitisation deadline, the report quoted one person as saying. The U.S. private equity firm also wanted to increase its presence in India, the report said, citing another source. Last month, General Atlantic said the sharp depreciation of India's currency and stock market declines have created a good entry point for private equity investments in the South Asian nation. IndusInd has not finalised

anything and is still in the process of evaluating a few proposals, Ravi Mansukhani, chief executive was quoted as saying in the report.


Abound Solar and Solarsis Announce Commissioning of Solar Plant in Andhra Pradesh, India

Abound Solar, a leading manufacturer of next-generation thin-film photovoltaic modules, and Solar Integration Systems India Private Limited (Solarsis), a leading solar system integration company in India, today announced the commissioning of a 1MW solar photovoltaic plant in Kadiri, Andhra Pradesh, India. The commissioning officially took place on January 14, 2012 and comes less than a year after the two companies announced a partnership targeting the fast-growing Indian solar market. This project was commissioned under the Rooftop and Other Small Solar Power Generation Plant (RPSSGP) Scheme administered by IREDA under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). It is the first project in the state of Andhra Pradesh to use Abound Solar cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film modules. The combination of Abound Solar's low-cost modules and Solarsis' homegrown racking and mounting solution cuts down on the overall balance-of-system (BoS) cost of the project. "This plant will generate operational data on different technology performance in Indian weather," said Venkat Rajaraman, CEO of Solarsis. "India is a key market for Abound Solar due to our U.S.-made CdTe panel's excellent performance in India's climate, our commercial focus over the past two years and our successful use of U.S. Export-Import Bank financing. We have a significant installed base in India and see this growing in 2012," said Craig Witsoe, President and CEO of Abound Solar. "Solarsis is a good partner for us, offering project and local industry expertise." About Abound Solar

Abound Solar is a leading manufacturer of next-generation, cadmium telluride thin-film photovoltaic modules. Abound Solar provides a made-in-the-USA product designed to meet the unique requirements of commercial- and utility-scale installations. Abound Solar uses a robust, commercial-scale, continuous manufacturing process that results in low-cost, high-quality modules that provide superior performance in high-heat and diffuse light conditions.


NY based EXLService opens new facility in Noida, Sharpens its Focus on Talent Management ExlService Holdings, Inc. a leading provider of Outsourcing and Transformation services announced it has consolidated hiring and business capability development for service delivery with a new facility in Noida, India. As a global business service provider, EXL will use its new Center for Talent to deepen its already strong industry and process domain expertise and position itself for future growth. The center's operations will exclusively focus on recruitment, capability enhancement and talent development. The 31,000-square-foot facility has the capacity to manage 150 recruitments and train 8,000 employees in any given day. It is located near 10 EXL delivery centers. Last year, EXL recruited more than 3,500 employees and trained approximately 6,000 employees and 20,000 participants in Noida and Gurgaon, India. "A global services firm is only as successful as its ability to service clients with teams that possess the deep industry and process-specific knowledge needed to solve their pain points," said Rohit Kapoor, President and CEO, EXL Service, "The EXL Center for Talent underscores our continued commitment to building and developing the right capabilities among our employees. This state-of-the-art facility will attract high quality talent and provide an unforgettable experience to our employees. The center will enhance the intellectual capital of EXL and help in creating an engine for sustainable growth for the organization." EXL held opening ceremonies for the center with Kiran Karnik, former President of NASSCOM and a member of EXL's board of directors, and Sir William "Mark" Tully, former Chief of Bureau, BBC, New Delhi, at a function held in Noida.


In the News:

India-US partnership has global significance

Observing that the Indo-US strategic partnership has global significance, the Indian Ambassador, Ms. Nirupama Rao, has said the two countries are jointly working in a variety of fields, from fighting terrorism to ensuring the stability of the world economy. “India and the US have been described as natural strategic partners. Today, our strategic partnership has global significance,” Ms. Rao said in her address to the Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, India-South Asia Programme. “The expanding cooperation between India and the US remains firmly anchored in our shared values and our ability to work together in a variety of fields, from fighting the menace of terrorism to ensuring the stability of the global economy,” she said. The India-US Strategic Dialogue initiated in 2009 has identified five principal areas for expanding cooperation: energy and climate change; education and development; economy, trade and agriculture; science and technology; health and innovation. The third meeting of the dialogue will be held later this year. Ms. Rao said it was evident that people-to-people contacts remain at the heart of the Indo-US partnership. “Backed by this extraordinary connectivity at the people level, both sides are expanding their strategic and political consultations on issues of mutual interest and responding to new geo-political and geo-strategic realities,” she said.

The US, she said, remains a preferred destination for Indian students to pursue their advanced degrees. Nearly 100,000 students from India are benefiting from the higher education system in the US. “And we would like to see more and more American students coming to India in the future to study India. The newly launched ‘Passport to India’ initiative by the US State Department is a laudable initiative in this direction,” she said. “I believe as the economic engagement between India and United States grows further, we would see continuous expansion in such exchanges between India and the United States, unleashing the creative energy of our youth for our common prosperity,” the Indian Ambassador said.


In India's interest to improve business climate to attract more FDI: US official With India ranked 132 in a World Bank report on business environment, it is in the country's interest to improve the business climate to attract more Foreign Direct Investment, a senior US official said today. "The worlds over countries are increasingly creating an attractive business climate because they want to attract investment. So it’s less a concern for US and more a concern for India to make sure it remains competitive in attracting FDI," Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Francisco Sanchez, said.

"Currently I think India ranks around 132 on the World Bank ease of doing business. It is in India's interest to improve its business climate so it can attract investment and help continuing grow its economy," he told reporters. Sanchez is leading his department's first-ever ports and maritime trade mission to India and will be touring Mumbai and Ahmedabad to "introduce stakeholders to each other."

Sounding positive on Indo-US bilateral trade, he however said his nation currently has a trade deficit with India, but that two way trade has been steadily increasing and that there is room to grow. Part of his trip was to help continue growth of this two-way trade relationship, he said adding growth projections would allow growth in two-way trade.

During his meeting with local officials, he is scheduled to take up issues, including upgrading port facilities. "I will also share concerns of US companies that have a presence here--one that I have heard is the sheer need to upgrade your port facilities. There is a lot of congestion and if that isn't solved, it could inhibit growth, especially in the auto industry," he said.


Budget 2012: Speed up Indo-US Totalisation agreement

India has been discussing the Totalisation Agreement with the US for a long time now. While in 2011, it seemed like they were close to reaching a pact, nothing has happened since.

Both sides are negotiating the Bilateral Totalisation Agreement (BTA), which once signed, would benefit lakhs of Indians who are working in America and paying social security but are unable to get any benefit out of it. According to government sources, there are 300,000 Indians working in the US and they lose their social security contributions if they do not complete 10 years of employment. According to Nasscom Indians on H1 and L1 visas pay almost USD 1 billion in social security taxes in the US annually, without getting the benefits.

The Totalisation Agreement will exempt Indian professionals working in the US from paying social security and medicare taxes. Currently, residents of the US pay 6.2% social security taxes on wages up to USD 106,800 and 1.45% medicare taxes. Since a lot of these professionals return to India before they retire, they will never see the payouts of these contributions.

Despite the Indian government making a case for a pact for over a decade, the US has refused to sign one saying India does not have a social security system. It has refused to accept the EPF or even the New Pension Scheme as one. In the absence of an agreement, Indians working in the US have complained for years that they are losing significant amounts.

However, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma has time and again said that India has signed totalisation agreements with several European countries, whose social security systems are different from the Indian system and from the US system. As such, the differing systems of social security should not be an impediment in signing of the agreement between the two countries.

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The US currently has Totalisation Agreements with 24 countries, the only two Asian countries being South Korea and Japan. India has signed social security agreements with Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in the recent past. Similar agreements with other countries like Canada, South Korea, Czech Republic and USA are being pursued.


New US visa norms to benefit Indian professionals

In a move that could benefit professionals from India, the United States has proposed several steps, including changes in the F-1 and H-1B visas, to attract foreign skilled workforce. The move comes ahead of the proposed comprehensive reform in the country's immigration policy.

The changes include providing work authorization for spouses of certain H-1B visa holders, 17-month extension of optional practical training (OPT) for F-1 international students to include students with a prior degree in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, allow for additional part-time study for spouses of F-1 students and allowing more space for outstanding professors and researchers to present evidence of academic achievement.

The department of homeland security also would launch its 'Entrepreneurs in Residence' initiative with an `Information Summit' in Silicon Valley on 22 February. The US move will bring together entrepreneurs, academia and government agencies to discuss ways of maximizing the potential of current immigration laws to attract foreign entrepreneurial talent. These steps are intended to support President Barack Obama's plans to meet US economic and national security needs, according to the department of homeland security. The Obama administration wants to attract and retain immigrants who create jobs and boost competitiveness in the US and its immigration policy reform focuses on that.

Despite the decline in the number of Indian professionals seeking jobs in the US, that country is still the favorite destination for business travelers and tourists from India. The US embassy in India expects a 14 per cent year-on-year growth in the number of visas that it will be processing till 2020, with the number of visas issued crossing the 2-million mark by that year, according to the minister counselor for consular affairs James W Herman.

Meanwhile, India's ministry of labor and employment signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the USW department of labor to increase cooperation between the two countries. ''The road map laid down in the memorandum of understanding will facilitate very close cooperation and interaction between our two countries and bring about improvements in the life of workers and their working conditions,'' India's minister for labour and employment Mallikarjun Kharge said on the occasion of signing of the MoU in Washington DC.

The MoU covers cooperation in the areas of skill development, youth employment, occupational safety Health and mines safety. The MoU will also help in increasing know-how in the areas of accreditation Systems, self-regulation and auditing through collaboration, exchange and sharing of ideas, he said.


PepsiCo eyes 30,000 farmers under collaborative farming by 2013 Global beverages and snacks major PepsiCo expects the number of Indian farmers, from whom it sources different produce, to reach 30,000 by the end of next year, up 25 per cent from the existing pool. The company works with farmers across nine states, including Punjab, Maharashtra and West Bengal, procuring agri-products like potato and barley from them. "PepsiCo India works with over 24,000 farmers across nine states in the country. By 2013 we are targeting around 30,000 farmers," PepsiCo India Vice President-Agro Jaideep Bhatia told. Asked if the company is looking to engage farmers in other states as well, he said PepsiCo will first look to scale up in the nine states before expanding elsewhere. Under its collaborative farming Programme, the company provides technical and financial support to farmers, which includes tie-up with banks and insurance firms. The firm assures buy back of the farm produce at pre- agreed prices from cultivators thus helping them insulate from market price fluctuations besides ensuring stable income. Last year PepsiCo India had procured 2 lakh tonne of potatoes from the farmers through three plants in West Bengal, Punjab and Maharashtra, which

were used to make potato chips. "This year our target is to procure 20 per cent more than the last year," Bhatia said. On the company's collaborative farming in West Bengal, Bhatia said more than 10,000 farmers were associated with PepsiCo in the state. It operates in six districts - Burdwan, Hooghly, Bankura, Birbhum, Howrah and Midnapur West. "We procured 20,000 tonnes of potato from West Bengal in 2010 and this year our target is to procure 60,000 metric tonnes," Bhatia said. PepsiCo sells beverage brands like Pepsi, Mirinda, Slice and snacks brands like Uncle Chips, Lays and Cheetos in India.


President Obama honors Nobel laureate Amartya Sen with humanities award

AN HONOUR: “We even have an economist, which we don’t always get on stage.” This was the comment of U.S. President Barack Obama on 78-year-old Amartya Sen before presenting the 2011 National Humanities Medal to the 1998 Nobel Prize winner in Economics. Seven others were also presented with the medal at the glittering White House function on Monday. The Nobel laureates were seen chatting for some time. Professor Sen also attended a White House reception.

India-born Nobel laureate Amartya Sen was on Tuesday felicitated with the prestigious National Medals of Arts and Humanities award by U.S. President Barack Obama for his efforts to increase the understanding of fighting hunger and poverty.

Dr. Sen, who won Nobel Prize in economics in 1998, was given the award at a glittering White House function here. “We even have an economist, which we don’t always get on stage,” Obama said referring to 78-year-old Dr. Sen, before he presented the 2011 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities.

“Sen is being awarded the 2011 National Humanities Medal for his insights into the causes of poverty, famine, and injustice. By applying philosophical thinking to questions of policy, he has changed how standards of living are measured and increased our understanding of how to fight hunger,” said the citation, read by a military aid of the US President.

The two Nobel Laureates (Obama and Sen) were seen chatting on some issues during the award ceremony. Dr. Sen also attended the White House reception hosted by President Obama on this occasion. The First Lady, Michelle also attended the awards ceremony. The 2011 National Medal of Arts was also awarded to Will Barnet, Rita Dove, Al Pacino, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Martin Puryear, Mel Tillis, United Service Organization and AndrWatts. And the 2011 National Humanities Medal were given to Kwame Anthony Appiah, John Ashbery, Robert Darnton, Andrew Delbanco, National History Day, Charles Rosen sand Teofilo Ruiz besides Dr. Sen.


Indian-American conferred with the "Most Powerful and Influential Women of California"

award

Top Indian—American fundraiser at President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, Shefali Razdan Duggal, has been conferred with the "Most Powerful and Influential Women of California" award in recognition of her leadership in the State. Duggal was chosen by National Diversity Council, an NGO which awards diversity in workplace and communities. Duggal, 40, is a member of Obama's Presidential Partners, National Finance Committee and Northern California Finance Committee. Indian-origin Duggal, a mother of two, was raised in Cincinnati, Chicago, New York and Boston. She received an MA in Political Communication from New York University and a BS in Mass Communication from Miami University. As a professional, she worked as a political analyst at Staton Hughes, a political strategy firm, and for Senators Ted Kennedy and Dianne Feinstein. Duggal was actively involved in Senator Obama's 2008 Presidential campaign and had also been associated with Senator Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaign where she was a member of the campaign's Northern California Steering Committee and the Women for Hillary Committee. She has played an active role in bridging the gap between India and the US.


Two Indian—American students invited by White House to brief Obama on their research

Two Indian—American students figure in the list of 30 students who have been invited by the White House to acquaint US President Barack Obama on their breakthrough research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The two students - Shree Bose and Anand - have been invited by the White House along with winners of other national level science competitions. Shree Bose, a 17-year old senior at Fort Worth Country Day School in Fort Worth, Texas took top honors at the 2011 Google Science Fair for her discovery of a way to make ovarian cancer treatment better for patients when they have built up a resistance to certain chemotherapy drugs, according to a White House release. Anand Srinivasan, a sophomore from Roswell High School in Roswell, Georgia, qualified as a top 15 Finalist in the 2011 Google Science Fair. "Anand used data recorded via electroencephalography (EEG) from his brain and, after coupling it with the custom software that he wrote, used it to control a home-built robotic arm," as

per the White House. Click here for index

Indian IT industry in US contributed $15 billion in taxes over the last five years - US told to

address concerns of Indian IT Industry

India expressed hope that the current economic woes in the United States would not lead to protectionism and said that concerns of the Indian IT industry over anti-outsourcing measures announced by President Barack Obama recently will be addressed quickly. India's Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai on his first bilateral visit to the US said that the Indian IT industry in the US has contributed $15 billion in taxes alone in the last five years and underlined the need to eliminate discriminatory actions. Mathai is believed to have raised the issue in his meeting with the officials of Commerce Department on Monday in the backdrop of Obama's State of the Union address in which he outlined measures to bring jobs back to the country. Obama had said his administration would offer incentives to those firms which will create jobs in the country. Mathai in his address to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies said, "Indian IT industry contributed $15 billion in taxes over the last five years. This success story should not be set back by stringent visa regulations which act as a non-tariff barrier."

"We do hope the current economic challenges in the US would not lead to protectionism and that concerns of Indian IT industry will be addressed quickly," he said. Nasscom estimates that Indian industry employs over 100,000 in the US up from 20,000 six years ago, he said adding it supports 200,000 other jobs, including indirect ones, apart from enhancing the competitiveness of some the US industries. "According to a back of envelope calculation, Indians paid over $200 million in visa fees. Perhaps $30-50 million has been taken from young aspiring Indians working in businesses whose US visas were rejected. The pink slip has become a greenback!" Mathai said. "It needs reiteration that the targets of these discriminatory actions are precisely those who have contributed intellectually to the climate of reform in India, and who have been votaries of strong India-US relations," said the Foreign Secretary. Many of Obama's proposals centered on changes to the tax code, including limiting deductions for companies that move jobs overseas, rewarding companies that return jobs to the United States and increasing taxes on wealthy Americans. He said that money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies that decide to bring jobs home. As the bilateral economic ties deepen, Mathai said India and the US will obviously have a growing range of policy and regulatory concerns with each other. "But, we have in place an elaborate set of bilateral mechanisms to address them. While we should expeditiously conclude a Bilateral Investment Treaty, we must look beyond it, too," he said, noting that the US is the only advanced economy in the world with which India has not concluded or is pursuing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. "So, we should not only focus on expanding trade and investment, but also use the power of innovation to make our economies global leaders in the 21st century, and at the same time, address the needs of the poorest sections of the population in the world and find solutions to the challenges of clean energy, food security, health, education," Mathai said.


There is room for growth in US-Indo ties: lawmakers

The Indo-US ties, particularly in defense sector, have strengthened in past few years and there is still room for growth in the relationship, a Senate committee was told here. "India has become a much more prominent partner of the US and potential ally on military-to-military issues in the last several years. Last year, the US cleared the way for the resumption of high-technology defense and aerospace exports to India," Senator Jeanne Shaheen said at a hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee. "However, it does seem that there is still room for growth in our relationship," he said.

Admiral Robert Willard, Commander of the US Pacific Command, said India is a very important partner in the region and one that there remains room for growth and advancement in partnership. "It has advanced in the past two-and-a-half years that I've been at Pacific Command. And in the previous two-and-a-half years as Pacific Fleet commander, we were very much engaged with India and attempting to advance the relationship then," he said.

"If you range back to our history with India, we are in a fairly nascent stage of engagement nation to nation, given that this is the largest democracy in the world, like-minded in many ways, and in a troubled region of the world in South Asia, but a very important partnership," Willard said.

The Pentagon Commander said from the security standpoint, the US is engaged with India across all its services at an increasing rate every year. "There are challenges in the relationship. We overcome still the trust deficit as it relates to having departed South Asia years ago and having terminated relationships with both India and Pakistan following nuclear tests in the late 1990s," he said.

"I think that the current dialogue that is from the president on down, and certainly at a military level very robust, is overcoming all of this. There is certainly a China factor in India. They have a long-term border dispute that continues to be a challenge for both countries, and they fought a war over it in 1962," Willard said. Noting

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that China is a very strong partner of Pakistan and Pakistan and India have relationship that all is aware of, both nuclear-armed and a long-term history of animosity between the two of them.

"To India's credit, they're maintaining ministerial-level dialogue with Pakistan and have for the past nearly two years, even post-Mumbai and all of the tension that that created," Willard said. Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said US relationship with India is very important.

"Our relations with India, our security and military relations, it's a very significant partner in the region. The growing and robust relationship, I believe is good news and the right way to go and your answer is very reassuring to me as it was to other members of the committee," Levin told Willard in response.


US moves with India from bilateral to trilateral assistance

With India emerging as a global economic power, the US assistance with India is now moving from bilateral to trilateral one, US officials have said. "Our strategy with India is going to increasingly be looking at working with the Indians on mutual development goals which not all may be in India; may be in third countries," a senior Obama administration official said. Briefing reporters on the budgetary proposals for the fiscal 2013, the official said for certain countries like India the US is now moving from assistance to trilateral cooperation. "Our Feed the Future Initiative has already started working with India on such a program similar to one we have with Brazil and Mozambique," the official said requesting anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the press. "There are other countries, like Indonesia is starting up its own aid agency now. You are going to start seeing more of that and Asia is going to be probably leading the way along with the two summits on Latin America on that effort,” he said. The budgetary proposals of the State Department, which looks after US' foreign assistance, reflects drop in US assistance to India. For instance, America's developmental assistance to India in fiscal 2011 $26.5 million, which in 2012 is estimated to drop to $18.5 million and in 2013 fiscal beginning October 1 this year, the Obama Administration has proposed a developmental assistance of $15.5 million to India. Similarly US' assistance to India in global health Programme, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and International Military Education and Training.


Indian IT firms step up hiring on US campuses

Amid a protectionist stance in the US, top-tier IT companies like TCS, Cognizant, Infosys and Wipro are ramping up campus hiring this year in their largest outsourcing market. Cognizant, which visited 14 campuses in the US last year, is adding 10 more colleges this year, besides starting a campus drive in UK and Europe. Similarly TCS, the country's largest software services exporter, is increasing the number of US colleges it is visiting this year. Infosys plans to hire in a big way from engineering and management schools. In short, Indian IT firms are playing a big role in employing US nationals, who have been hit hard by the slowdown. Despite the continuing macro concerns, Indian IT majors are upbeat about opportunities in mature markets like the US and Europe as all of them indicated a strong deal pipeline and plans to open more local centers in the region. “Today with customers looking for global delivery model, we need to focus a lot more in globalizing our talent pool. In 2011, we visited 14 undergraduate campuses and four B-schools in the US. This year we are adding 10 more campuses, of which 3 will be undergraduate technology campuses and 7 management colleges. Campus recruitment is a big draw in the US. We have 60-70 full time recruiters in the US,” Cognizant group chief executive (technology and operations) R Chandra Sekaran told.

“We are also starting campus hiring in the UK and Europe in a big way this year. The hiring will be a mix of technology and management graduates. Hiring in big numbers from campuses in US and Europe is something we have not done before,” he said. Some of the colleges Cognizant visited last year include Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers, University of Massachusetts, North Carolina State University, Virginia Tech, and University of Illinois. While the B-Schools list has Kelley School of Business, University of Iowa, Krannert School of Management and McCombs School of Business. Cognizant, at present, has over 20,000 people in the US while 75% of its global workforce is based in India. IT major TCS has plans to increase its campus drive in the US this year as it continues to see a “healthy” deal pipeline. “We go to 20-22 colleges in the US. This year, we are increasing the number of colleges we visit. The hiring will be in the consulting, architecture and programming space depending on the market,” said TCS managing director and CEO N Chandrasekaran. He adds that the hiring numbers won't be as big as it is in India. He also pointed out that of its total hiring, 7-10% is outside India, including places like US, UK, Latin America, China, Asia Pacific and some European countries. However, the company did not specify the absolute numbers of campus hires. Infosys is also expanding its presence in the US, which accounted for more than half of the company’s’ 500 hires outside India in Q3. This quarter, the company has a target of hiring 1,000 people outside the country, of which 500 will be in the US. “We have hired from campuses before, but now we are going to go hire again in a big way from both engineering and management schools,” a Infosys official told FE. As part of its ramp-up, the IT major has also identified two locations in the US for a development centre which it plans to announce next quarter. At present, Infosys has 15,000 employees in the US, of which 2,000 are locals. The company plans to increase hiring target each quarter in the US so that the locals constitute 50% of the workforce in the next few years. Wipro has 38% of the overall workforce outside India, which was about 31% a year ago. Recently, the company said it is looking at taking its total overseas workforce percentage to 50% in the next two to three years.


High rate of denial of H-1B, L-1 visas to Indians – NFAP Report

US immigration authorities, in the past four years, have increased denial of work-related visas, with India-born professionals being refused at higher rates than nationals of other countries, an American think tank said in a report. Analysis of new data obtained from US Citizenship and Immigration Services showed the agency had increased denials of L-1 and H-1B petitions beginning 2008, thus harming the competitiveness of US employers and encouraging companies to keep more jobs and resources outside the country said the report released by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). The report entitled “Data Reveal High Denial Rates for L-1 and H-1 Petitions at USCIS” indicated most of the increase in denials involves India-born professionals and researchers. The denial rate for India-born applicants for new L-1B petitions rose from 2.8 per cent in Fiscal Year 2008 to 22.5 per cent in FY 2009, a substantial increase that resulted in many employers being unable to transfer their employees into the US to work on research projects or serve customers, it said. Illustrating the abrupt change, immigration authorities denied more L-1B petitions for new petitions for Indians in FY 2009 (1,640) than in the previous nine fiscal years combined (1,341 denials between FY 2000 and FY 2008), it said. The report noted, “If one considers that in FY 2011 63 per cent of all L-1B petitions received a Request for Evidence and 27 per cent were issued a denial that means US Citizenship and Immigration Services adjudicators denied or delayed between 63 % to 90 % of all L-1B petitions in 2011.”

“USCIS adjudicators have demonstrated a capacity to keep skilled foreign nationals out of the US by significantly increasing denials, along with often time-consuming Requests for Evidence, despite no change in the law or relevant regulations,” said Stuart Anderson, NFAP’s executive director. According to the report, denial rates for L-1B petitions filed with USCIS, which are used to transfer employees with “specialized knowledge” into the US, rose from seven per cent in 2007 to 22 per cent in 2008, despite no change in the law or relevant regulation. The denial rates stayed high for L-1B petitions at 26 per cent in 2009, 22 per cent in 2010 and 27 per cent in 2011. In addition, 63 per cent of L-1B petitions in 2011 were at least temporarily denied or delayed due to a Request for Evidence. Denial rates for H-1B petitions increased from 11 per cent in 2007 to 29 per cent in 2009, and remained higher than in the past for H-1Bs at 21 per cent in 2010 and 17 per cent in 2011, it said. “The dramatic increase in denial rates and Requests for Evidence for employment petitions without any change in the law or regulations raises questions about the training, supervision and procedures of the career bureaucracy that adjudicates petitions and the US government’s commitment to maintaining a stable business climate for companies competing in the global economy,” the report said. The NFAP said given the resources involved, employers are selective about who they sponsor. The high rate of denials (and Requests for Evidence) comes from a pool of applicants selected because US employers believe the foreign nationals meet the standard for approval. “Denying employers the ability to transfer in key personnel or gain entry for a skilled professional or researcher harms innovation and job creation in the United States, encouraging employers to keep more resources outside the country to ensure predictability,” the report said.


Indian, US warships to take part in ‘Malabar war games’

India’s increasing role in the Asia-Pacific has been supported by the United States, the region’s premier naval power. As part of growing military links between New Delhi and Washington, the US and Indians navies will take part in a joint exercise in April in the Bay of Bengal. “The US-India relationship is built on a strong foundation of common interests and values,” said Jim Miller, acting defense undersecretary for policy, ahead of the Malabar exercises. “The US sees India as a partner in advancing stability and security in the region and globally, and I look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership on defense and security,” added Miller, who co-chaired the annual defense policy group dialogue in New Delhi. Exercise Malabar gains significance in the context of maritime tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. The Malabar drills run the gamut from training with the US navy on antisubmarine warfare and advanced naval combat to maneuvers emphasizing coordinated anti-piracy exercises. Exercise Malabar, as it is known, may

seem routine at first glance. But in the context of recent tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as last year’s intensifying rhetoric among countries with interests in the South China Sea, Exercise Malabar is assuming greater significance. Singapore, Japan and Australia joined the US and India in “Malabar 2007,” which featured three aircraft carriers, 28 surface vessels, 150 aircraft and over 20,000 personnel from India, the US, Japan, Australia and Singapore. It was one of the largest multilateral naval exercises ever held in the Bay of Bengal, prompting Beijing to issue demarches to all five participating countries. According to defense experts, from China’s point of view, the coming together of these five navies marked the beginning of a loose anti-China naval barrier in the Indian Ocean region. The Pentagon, in its recent strategic review, said it was investing in a long-term strategic partnership with India, and had identified China as a threat while declaring Asia as a US priority. It is no secret that the US is keen on a strategic partnership with India and policy coordination on regional affairs in the Asia region, which is a diplomatic euphemism for shared concerns over China’s growing power. Since 2001, the US and India have conducted over 40 joint military exercises. A 10-year Indo-US defense pact signed in June 2005 deepened intelligence-sharing, military technology transfers, missile-defense collaboration and arms sales. Indian ships now routinely escort US freight ships through the Indian Ocean and conduct joint anti-piracy controls with the US. And real economic ties, as opposed to the formal frictions at the World Trade Organization, get closer every year. But India is no budding UK, and any US policymaker who believes New Delhi will act as a lieutenant for US interests has been smoking something herbal. Iran is a case in point. India shocked some in Washington, including the likes of Nicholas Burns, who was former president George W Bush’s point’s person in negotiating the India-US nuclear deal, by walking out of step with the US on Iran. But if Burns knows India well enough, it really shouldn’t be so shocking that India has a mind of its own on Iran. India is not seeking to be a junior partner in an anti-China coalition, but is quite happy pursuing its own interests as an emerging power.


US to emulate India’s Certified Financial Planner model

US-based Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) is gearing up to replicate India's online examination model for certified financial planners (CFPs) in countries such as United States, Singapore and Malaysia. FPSB is a global non-profit association that manages, develops and operation certification, education and related programs for financial planning organizations. CFP is an international certification program in the field of financial planning, wealth management and financial advisory services. "We would like to learn from what is being done in India and see if we can replicate (the online examination model) in a small and a controlled way ... and see it can be taken globally," said Noel Maye, CEO, FPSB. "We are looking at doing pilot test in countries such as Singapore and Malaysia." In India, on the contrary, there is online 24/7 model of giving CFP exams where an aspirant can give the online test at his or her preferred time. When asked about the time line to launch the online test in US, he said, "The

future is migration to online exams," said Maye. "We are at very early stage, there are lot of things have to be worked out such as the approach, the platform, (technology) provider." With increase in financial literacy and rising wealth FPSB feels that the number of CFPs will rise significantly in coming years. "We could see around 10,000 CFP professionals in India in five years," said Maye. FPSB is also looking at increasing its presence in other part of the globe such as Africa, South America and Middle East.


US working to reduce trade and investment barriers with India The United States has said it is working to reduce investment and trade barriers with India and Brazil, two of the world's fastest growing markets. The two countries present American exporters with significant opportunities and challenges, said Miriam Sapiro, Deputy US Trade Representative. "As with China, we are working hard to identify, address, and reduce barriers to trade and investment between the United States and India and Brazil, two of the world's fastest growing markets," Sapiro said in her address to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees in Atlanta. "Large and growing markets like China, India, and Brazil also present US exporters with significant opportunities and challenges. To be sure, each market presents different barriers to trade and investment," she said. But, she added that emerging economies offer tremendous potential through access to billions of new customers. The US, she said, is working to enhance trade with other developing countries and the next group of emerging economies. "We will continue to strengthen export markets and enhance economic development throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East," she said. Sapiro said the US is leading multilateral efforts at the World Trade Organisation to strengthen the rules-based trading system and keep global trade flowing and growing. In Geneva, it has been consistently emphasising three key points: the rules must be followed consistently and transparently; protectionism must be actively avoided; and it's time to recognize that emerging economic powers have commensurate responsibilities in the global trading system. Noting that the WTO system has effectively staved off protectionism and enforced global trade rules, she said it provides the essential stability and predictability that export industries need to flourish in the global marketplace. "The WTO TRIPS Agreement provides binding rules on IPR protection and enforcement, which contribute to that essential stability and predictability.”In the WTO TRIPS Council where WTO countries come together to address IPR issues, the United States has vigorously championed efforts to combat piracy," she said. Sapiro added, "To further strengthen the WTO, we are also assisting efforts to expand its membership."


US-India relations have bright future: White House

The relationship between India and the US has a bright future in the field of economic and trade, a senior White House official said. "I think there's a very bright future in US-Indian relations, in economic relations and trade," White House press secretary Jay Carney said. He said that it is true regardless of the effort that President (Obama) has undertaken to give more momentum to a trend that is already taking place. "Which is the insourcing of jobs from overseas, insourcing of American manufacturing jobs and other jobs who... bringing those jobs back to the US from a variety of places around the world," Carney said. "We obviously think that's a good thing for this country, for this economy. But broadly speaking, trade with India, trade with China, trade with countries all around the world is vital to global economic growth and especially to economic growth in the US," he said. "This President has set a goal of doubling our exports by

2015. We are on track to meet that goal. And this President will do everything he can to enhance and spur economic growth so that we do meet that goal by 2015," Carney said. Last week, the US Ambassador-designate to India, Nancy Powell, has said that the trade between India and the US are on their way to be doubled in the next few years.


India a growing market for Hollywood films

From superspy thrillers to animation films to action adventure offerings, a barrage of Hollywood movies is releasing in India. Though the viewership is still limited, the country is becoming a promising market, say trade experts.

"The response to Hollywood films in India has immensely improved over the years. We have seen considerable growth in the number of people coming to watch these films. Thanks to the social media, people are increasingly becoming aware and they have started coming to the theatres," Gautam Datta of PVR Cinemas told. "Moreover, the Indian distributors of Hollywood films have also been devising new ways to promote these films. Another important aspect behind their increasing popularity here is these films are being dubbed in various Indian languages," he added.

Last year saw a number of Hollywood releases in India that did decent business at the box-office. “Mission Impossible: The Ghost Protocol", which had Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor in a brief appearance, earned Rs.40 crore ($8.12 million) in India. And, most importantly, the film's lead actor, Tom Cruise, had flown down to the country to promote his film. The last and the final installment of "Harry Potter" series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" earned Rs.36 crore ($7.3 million) each, while Johnny Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" raked in Rs.34 crore in India. Vin Diesel-starrer "Fast Five" earned Rs.29 crore while "X-Men: First Class" fetched Rs.22 crore in the Indian market. Aaron Eckhart-starrer "Battle Los Angeles" did a business of Rs.20 crore. Animation film "Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of Unicorn" and "Kung Fu Panda 2" grossed Rs.24 crore and Rs.27 crore respectively at the box-office. “The Hangover 2", sequel to the 2009 film "The Hangover" earned Rs.15 crore at the Indian box-office. The market size of Hollywood in India is believed to be about Rs.850-Rs.900 crore, which contributes 10-12 percent of the overall box-office revenue. Ashok Amritraj, owner of Hyde Park studio in Los Angeles, said: "India is not the biggest market for Hollywood films. India is dominated by Indian films. But, on the other hand, it has grown significantly in the last 10 years." Datta said the market is small, "as like many other countries, it is an additional market for Hollywood, but the films still do well. It still has to go a long way". According to distributor Joginder Mahajan, the number of Hollywood films releasing in India has fairly increased, but films only work if they have a good storyline. "Earlier only five to six Hollywood films used to release in India, but now the number is much more. Just like Indian cinema is creating a space for itself on the global platform, Hollywood films are also gradually creating a niche here," Mahajan told.


Blue Star Infotech Ltd. Appoints Douglas Gray as Chief Solutions Officer

Blue Star Infotech has appointed Douglas Gray as chief solutions officer, responsible for customer solutions strategy, supporting technology partner programs, and steering the company's growth in areas like analytics, mobile applications, and cloud computing.

Gray will also serve as the executive liaison between customers, sales & marketing, technology partners and global solutions delivery teams.

Gray has worked for a range of IT and software companies, including American Airlines Decision Technologies (now Sabre Airline Solutions), Network Associates (now McAfee), BMC Software, and Travelocity.com, with clients across industries.


Indo-US Trade Statistics

2012: U.S. Trade in Merchandise goods with India

Month

US Exports to India

US Imports from India

Balance of Trade

January 2012 1,524.6 3.109.8 -1,585.2

Total 2012 1,524.6 3.109.8 -1,585.2

NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified .Details may not

equal totals due to rounding.

Indo-US Trade during the period January 2012

All figures are in millions of U.S .dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. Details may not equal

totals due to rounding.


Calendar of IACC Events for 2011-12

Date Event Topic Hotel/city/Information

12 April, 2012 IACC 2nd Power Breakfast Meeting

with Dr. Ajit Ranade, Chief

Economist, Aditya Birla Group

Bay View, Hotel Marine Plaza, 29

Marine Drive, Mumbai

12 April & 14 April, 2012 Americas No. 1 Success Coach- Jack Canfield Live in India Click here to read more

12th April at Nehru Centre, Worli, Mumbai.

& 14th April at Christ University Auditorium, Hosur road, Bangalore

17 April, 2012 Important Tax Issues encountered in doing Business in India Click here to Read more

Walchand Hirachand Conference

Hall, 4th Floor, Indian Merchants

Chambers IMC, Churchgate,

Mumbai

19-20 April, 2012 8th Indo-U.S Economic Summit Click here to Read more

Hotel Hilton, New Delhi

22-25 May, 2012 3rd Summit for US-India Trade & Economics (SUITE 2012) Click here to Read more

Washington/ Virginia, U.S.A

May 28-June 8, 2012 IACC 2nd Delegation of Indian Higher Education

Click here to read more

Houston, Texas


https://www.iaccindia.com/event.asp?id=98





International Trade shows

US Department of Commerce Certified Trade shows in U.S.A (April-May, 2012)

Event Name Date & Location Venue/Contact Details

NPE 2012 International Plastics

Showcase

Orlando, FL, United States

4/1/2012 - 4/5/2012

James Yi, Trade Event Programs

International Trade Specialist

Phone: 2024826482

[email protected]

The 2012 National Association of

Broadcasters (NAB) Show

Las Vegas, NV, United States

4/16/2012 - 4/19/2012

Shelby Peterson, Trade Event Programs Business and Industry Specialist Phone: 202-482-5531 [email protected] Margaret Cassilly, National Association of Broadcasters Phone: (202) 429-3189 [email protected]

Offshore Technology

Conference 2012

Houston, TX, United States

4/30/2012 - 5/3/2012

Vidya Desai, Trade Event Programs International Trade Specialist Phone: 202-482-2311 [email protected] Chris Torsy, Offshore Technology Conference Inc. Phone 972-952-9318 [email protected]

2012 AMI Int'l Meat, Poultry &

Seafood Industry Convention

and Expo, FMI 2012, NASDA,

United Fresh

Dallas, TX, United States

5/1/2012 - 5/3/2012

Philippa Olsen, Marketing

Business and Industry Specialist

Phone: 202-482-5449

[email protected]

Waste Expo 2012 Las Vegas, NV, United States

5/1/2012 - 5/3/2012

Aditi Palli, Trade Event Programs


Phone: 202-482-3334

[email protected]

The National Restaurant

Association Restaurant, Hotel-

Motel Show (NRA Show) 2012

Chicago, IL, United States

5/5/2012 - 5/8/2012

Amanda Ayvaz, Trade Event

Programs


Phone: 202-482-0338

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://export.gov/eac/show_detail_trade_events.asp?EventID=32209&InputType=EVENT















International CTIA WIRELESS®

2012 Convention

New Orleans, LA, United States

5/8/2012 - 5/10/2012

James Yi, Trade Event Programs


Phone: 2024826482

[email protected]

ELECTRIC POWER 2012 Baltimore, MD, United States

5/15/2012 - 5/17/2012

Mark Wells, Trade Event Programs Senior International Trade Specialist Phone: (202) 482-0904 [email protected] Hunter Jones, TradeFair Group, Inc. Phone: (713) 343-1875 [email protected]






Major Trade shows in India (April – May, 2012)

Date/ Event Venue/Location Description

Budget Home

30-MAR-12 to 01-APR-12

Palace Grounds, Bengaluru,

Karnataka, India

The objective of BUDGET HOME

2012 is to exhibit an array of

Budget Home & Properties

available from across Bengaluru

at the reach of the visitors, for

them to choose the one of their

choice.

International Battery Expo &

Recycling Conference

02-APR-12 to 04-APR-12

Hotel Novatel, Hyderabad,

Andhra Pradesh, India

IBRX India - 2012 will bring

together from world over leading

battery manufacturers interested

in technology and business

cooperation, battery equipment

and component manufacturers

etc.

Building Future Education India

05-APR-12 to 06-APR-12

Pragati Maidan

New Delhi, Delhi, India

Building Future Education is one

of the most popular education

industry trade events which is an

international event and

conference, covering every tier

of education including pre

schools, schools colleges,

universities, research, special

needs and academies.

Modern Machine Shop

05-APR-12 to 08-APR-12

India Expo Centre and Mart

Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh,

India

Modern Machine Shop 2012 is

the perfect destination for all

those who want to explore and

invest in cutting edge

technologies and products. The

event will act as a single stop

solution center for the various

sectors of the industrial world.

Metal working machinery, low

cost automation, material

handling and quality control

systems and equipment

Furniture & Furnishing Fair

05-APR-12 to 08-APR-12

Bombay Exhibition Center(BEC),

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Furniture & Furnishings Fair will

feature a variety of products

required for designing home

exteriors & interiors. Leading

companies will be showcasing a

varied range of products such as

furniture, furnishings, bed linen,

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flooring, tiles, modular kitchens,

premium bathroom fittings,

extravagant lighting & its

accessories.

MAHATech

06-APR-12 to 09-APR-12

Gujarat University Exhibition Hall,

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

MAHATech is the Only Industrial

Trade Show in India Which offers

a host of business opportunities

to Show case the latest products,

machinery, equipment &

developments in the industry for

marketing and generating

business.

India Manufacturing Summit

12-APR-12 to 13-APR-12

Renaissance Hotel & Convention

Centre Mumbai


India Manufacturing summit

features among the top industrial

manufacturing sector trade

shows in India

Aerodrome India

12-APR-12 to 14-APR-12

Bombay Exhibition Center(BEC)


Aerodrome India is a fantastic

event designed for showcasing

Airport Infrastructure,

Operations, and Security &

Connectivity solution under one

roof.

Madurai Jewellery Show

13-APR-12 to 15-APR-12

PTR Hall

Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India

Madurai Jewellery Show ranks

among the largest Indian jewelry

industry related trade events.

Organized at PTR Mahal in

Madurai, the show boasts of

participation figures in excess of

8000 at each of its editions.

Home Expo India

15-APR-12 to 18-APR-12

India Expo Centre and Mart

Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh,

India

Home Expo India is a one stop

expo for all your sourcing needs

for a variety of houseware

products.

Steel Technology Conclave

16-APR-12 to 17-APR-12

The Leela Kempinski Gurgaon,

Delhi NCR Gurgaon, Haryana,

India

Steel Technology Conclave 2012

organized by SteelGuru is the

first ever gathering of equipment

& technology suppliers and key

India Knit Fair

18-APR-12 to 20-APR-12

IKF complex

Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, India

India Knit Fair is one of the

leading knitted garments

industry related trade events in

India.

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POWER-GEN India & Central

Asia

19-APR-12 to 21-APR-12

Pragati Maidan


POWER-GEN India & Central Asia

is a fantastic exhibition dedicated

to the Electronics & Electricals

industry. This is an extremely

important event for the traders

in the India and Central Asia

Fashion Jewellery & Accessories

Show

20-APR-12 to 22-APR-12



The Fashion Jewellery and

Accessories Show are scheduled

to be held on 20th, 21st & 22nd

April 2012 at Bombay Exhibition

Centre, Mumbai.

Education Worldwide India-

Mumbai

23-APR-12 to 23-APR-12

Taj President Hotel, Mumbai,

Maharashtra, India

The Unique exhibition of its kind

aims at the prospective

undergraduate & postgraduate

students heading towards

achieving education in the most

renowned & reputed Institutions

in INDIA & ABROAD.

Conference Cum Exhibition on

Complementary & Alternative

Medicines

24-APR-12 to 24-APR-12

Hotel Le Meriden


ASSOCHAM in its quest to

strengthen the market of

Complementary & Alternative

Medicine (CAM) with a focus to

deliver high Quality & Safer

remedies is about to organize a

prestigious Conference cum

Exhibition on the 24th of April

2012.

World Renewable Energy

Technology Congress & Expo

25-APR-12 to 27-APR-12

Convention Centre-NDCC


World Renewable Energy

Technology Congress And Expo

ranks among the prime Indian

renewable energy sector trade

events. The show ranks high on

the popularity count, with more

than 2000 qualified and well

targeted visitors.

Food & Bev Tech

25-APR-12 to 27-APR-12



Food & Bev Tech is one of the

premier processed food industry

related trade events in India. The

show serves as an ideal platform

for noted industry professionals

from this sector to directly

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interact with each other and look

into the prevailing market trends

and the latest technological

innovations.

Chemspec India

26-APR-12 to 27-APR-12



Chemspec India 2012 is a

fantastic event dedicated to the

chemical industry in India. It was

initiated in the year 2005, and

since then it has carved quite a

reputation for itself

Automotive Engineering Show-

Pune

26-APR-12 to 28-APR-12

Auto Cluster Exhibition Centre

Pune, Maharashtra, India

Automotive Engineering Show -

Pune is a renowned trade show

that is dedicated to the

automotive industry of India.

Organized at the Auto Cluster

Exhibition Centre, Chinchwad,

Pune, this show welcomes the

leading automotive professionals

and qualified experts under one

roof to deliberate more closely

on the topical issues related with

the sector, for a period of 3 days.

Media Expo- Kolkata

27-APR-12 to 29-APR-12

Milan Mela Ground

Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Media Expo-Kolkata is one of the

most professionally organized

media, advertising, photography

and signage sector trade events

in India. The show serves as a

convenient platform for eminent

professionals from this sector to

deliberate upon the latest news,

views and advertising concepts

from this sector.

Kisan Uphaar Expo

28-APR-12 to 30-APR-12

National Dairy Research Institute

Karnal, Haryana, India

Kisan Uphaar 2012 is a leading

trade show for the agricultural

sector of India. This 3 day

business fair features exhibition

on the most recent and advanced

agriculture methods

Mother Baby & Child Expo

04-MAY-12 to 06-MAY-12

Nehru Centre Mumbai


Mother, Baby & Child Expo

occupies the pride of place of

being the sole trade event in

India that is dedicated to

maternity and baby care

products. The event is hosted at

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the Nehru Centre in Mumbai and

serves as a convenient business

podium for noted industry

leaders to deliberate upon the

latest market happenings from

this sector.


Major Trade shows in U.S.A (April– May, 2012)

Event Name & Date Event Description Event Venue/Location details

NPE 2012

01-APR-12 to 05-APR-12

NPE 2012 is one of the most

important events dedicated to

the plastic industry and it is

aimed at discovering new

plastic manufacturing

technologies. The trade fair will

take place at Orange County

Convention Center in Florida,

USA over duration of 5 days.

NPE is organized by The Society

of the Plastics Industry, Inc.

with the objective of promoting

large variety of plastic made

products and services.

Orange County Convention

Center (OCCC)

Orlando, Florida, United States Of

America

Ad-Tech San Francisco

02-APR-12 to 04-APR-12

Ad-Tech San Francisco brings

together brand advertisers,

traditional & interactive

agencies, portals, on-line

publishers and technology

providers. With the rapid

growth in technology and use of

digital media

Moscone Convention Center, San

Francisco, California,United

States Of America

U.S. Law

03-APR-12 to 05-APR-12

U.S. Law is an unparalleled

forum that drives interaction

within the law enforcement

communities across all

departments and jurisdictions

nationwide.

Walter E. Washington Convention

Center, Washington, Michigan,

United States Of America

The International Gem &

Jewelry Show White Plains

06-APR-12 to 08-APR-12


Jewelry Show White Plains is

the premier, one of the largest

and most popular exhibitions of

Gem and Jewelry in New York.

The show will showcase

Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Gold,

Silver, Antique Jewelry, Pearls

and Gemstones.

Westchester County Center,

White Plains, New York, United

States Of America

The Great Bridal Expo-San

Francisco

07-APR-12 to 07-APR-12

The event entirely dedicated to

wedding. The fair will be

showcasing all latest type of

bridal dresses and other

San Francisco Marriott Marquis

Hotel, San Francisco, California,


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accessories related to wedding

purpose. The Latest designed

bridal and groom dresses and

all the products concerned with

wedding such accessories,

Beauty & Skin Care, Bridesmaid

Dresses, Cakes, Catering,

Jewelry, Financial Services,

Dance Lessons and many more

will be display at the Great

Bridal Expo-San Francisco

American Contract

Manufacturers Show - Seattle

10-APR-12 to 11-APR-12

American Contract

Manufacturers Show (AmCon-

Seattle) will feature suppliers of

job shop and contract

manufacturing services from

throughout Canada and the U.S.

Attendees will find sources for

Design, Engineering,

Prototyping, Machining,

Fabricating, Forming, Finishing,

Assembly and

Electrical/Electronic

Manufacturing Services.

Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue,

Washington, United States Of

America

Direction by Indigo New York

10-APR-12 to 11-APR-12

International Exhibition of

Creative Textile Design Held

three-times a year, DIRECTION

by Indigo expands the Indigo

brand to North America,

offering a goldmine of original

designs and concepts to

product developers,

manufacturers, designers, and

retailers. Direction by Indigo is

an international exhibition for

creative textile design in New

York, US.

Metropolitan Pavilion, New York,


Medtrade Spring

11-APR-12 to 12-APR-12

Providing a strong connection

with the HME industry,

Medtrade Spring 2012 is a much

awaited spring event for the

related industry. Having

achieved tremendous success at

the Medtrade Spring 2012

event, one can expect the trade

show to be done on a bigger

Sands Expo & Convention Center,

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Of America

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scale with ample networking

opportunities, more industry

participation and also maximum

inflow of buyers and exhibitors

alike.

Strictly Sail Pacific & Power

Boat Expo

12-APR-12 to 15-APR-12

Strictly Sail Pacific & Power Boat

Expo has adopted a new format

and will now be produced every

two years with the next two

shows. It has earned national

recognition as the only all-sail

show in the Midwest and the

largest indoor all-sail show in

the country.

Jack London Square, Oakland,

California, United States Of

America

Hawaii Market Merchandise

Expo

14-APR-12 to 16-APR-12

One of the best merchandise

expo related to jewelry, gift,

apparel, fashion accessories,

leather goods, art and

collectibles. It is one of the most

growing business sectors these

days. The event includes each

and every products and service

related to Gift, Jewelry, and

Apparel & Fashion Accessories.

Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu,

Hawaii, United States Of America

Fashion Market Northern

California-Summer

15-APR-12 to 17-APR-12

The Fashion Market has been

the debut marketplace in

Northern California for last 5

decades. Fashion Market offers

thousands of ready-to-wear

collections and thus it is the

largest open booth design on

the West Coast.

Harborside Convention Center,

San mateo, California, United

States Of America

NAB Show

16-APR-12 to 19-APR-12

NAB Show is a one-of-a-kind

investment. It's the only event

where you have the opportunity

to meet key players in

electronic entertainment, news

and communications from

around the globe.

Las Vegas Convention Center, Las

Vegas, Nevada, United States Of

America

Business Analyst World-

Philadelphia

16-APR-12 to 19-APR-12

A unique business event

designed specifically for poor

business owners, directors and

entrepreneurs.

ACE Conference Center, Lafayette

County, Wisconsin, United States

Of America

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ASI Advantage Road Show

Chicago

18-APR-12 to 18-APR-12

ASI Advantage Road Show

Chicago is the biggest trade fair

for Ad Specialty Supplies and

Decoration in USA. The show

will be the best meeting place

for the Dealers, Decorators,

Distributors and Suppliers to

meet under one roof.

Chicago Holiday Inn Elk Grove,

Chicago, Illinois, United States Of

America

Information Technology

Education & Exposition

18-APR-12 to 19-APR-12

ITEX (Information Technology

Education & Exposition) is the

innovative and ever-expanding

business technology tradeshow

in the U.S. for dealers, resellers

and VARS in the Digital

Document Technology and

Business Solutions arena The

show is the can't-afford-to-miss

event for providers seeking

innovative product, new vendor

partnerships, and strategic

education tracks to acquire

more tools to revamp business

models for profitable enterprise

Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada,


High Point Market

21-APR-12 to 26-APR-12

High Point Market is the largest

furnishings industry trade show

in the world, bringing more

than 85,000 people to High

Point every six months. Serious

retail home furnishings buyers

can be found in High Point twice

a year because if you can't find

it in High Point, it probably

doesn't exist.

TBA, High Point, North Carolina,


TRENDZ Show

22-APR-12 to 24-APR-12

TRENDZ Show, a Premiere

Women's Apparel & Accessories

show. It is where tropical

paradise meets global

marketplace. Known as the

preeminent year-round lifestyle

and resort wear market,

TRENDZ Show is the largest

show within Florida and the

Caribbean Basin.

Palm Beach County Convention

Center, Palm Beach, Florida,


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International Watch & Jewelry

Guild Show-Brooklyn

23-APR-12 to 24-APR-12

One of the biggest gem and

jewelry show, which host 12 to

14 shows in a year at different

locations like New York City, Las

Vegas, Orlando, Houston, Dallas

& Miami Beach. It will provide a

glimpse of the watches and

jewelry variety at reasonable

price. Last year, millions of

trade visitors walked at the

watch and jewelry guild show.

Brooklyn Marriott, Brooklyn,

Michigan, United States Of

America

SPIE Defense Security &

Sensing

23-APR-12 to 27-APR-12

Reach the most important

customers working in sensors

and related technologies at SPIE

Defense, Security, and Sensing

Exhibition, the largest

unclassified event of its kind in

North America. Representatives

of the leading prime

contractors, suppliers,

universities, government labs,

and military are onsite shopping

for the latest products. See the

latest technology in defense,

security, and sensing.

Baltimore Convention Center,

Baltimore, Maryland, United

States Of America

SPESA Expo

24-APR-12 to 26-APR-12

SPESA Expo is a trade show that

serves all sectors of the sewn

products industry including:

Apparel, Leather and Footwear,

Upholstered Furniture,

Technical Textiles, Home

Furnishings, and Transportation

Interiors. SPESA Expo is

organized BY the industry FOR

the industry.

Georgia World Congress Center,

Atlanta, Georgia, United States Of

America

Traditional Building Exhibition

& Conference

26-APR-12 to 27-APR-12

The only national trade show

and conference for old house

owners, architects, contractors,

developers, building owners

and craftsmen who work in

historic restoration, renovation,

and traditionally-inspired new

design and construction.

TBA, Winston-Salem, North

Carolina, United States Of

America

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/watch-jewelryguild-brooklyn.html

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/watch-jewelryguild-brooklyn.html

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/defense-security-sensing.html

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/defense-security-sensing.html

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/spesa-expo.html

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/traditional-building-exhibition.html

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/traditional-building-exhibition.html

DECORATED APPAREL EXPO

27-APR-12 to 28-APR-12

Decorated Apparel Expo -

Chicago is one of the

compressive shows for screen

printing, embroidery, digital-

direct garment decorating, and

everything related with the

business of decorating

garments. Decorated Apparel

Expo is an indispensable show

for attendees and exhibitors

alike. It will feature a large trade

floor, seminars led by the top

experts in our industry and a

free Friday night party where

colleagues really can get

together and exchange ideas.

Tinley Park Convention Center,

Tinley Park, Illinois, United States

Of America

International Gem & Jewelry

Show - Dallas

27-APR-12 to 29-APR-12


Jewelry Show Dallas is one of

the premier trade events in

Dallas for Gem and Jewelry. The

show will provide you the best

place to see, touch and feel the

latest and beautiful Jewelry,

Pearls and Gemstones. this

three days exhibition is being

organized by International Gem

& Jewelry Show INC.

Dallas Market Hall (Dallas Market

Center), Dallas, Texas, United

States Of America

Merchandise Mart

International Antiques Fair

27-APR-12 to 30-APR-12

Chicago Antiques & Fine Art Fair

is an antique and fine art lover's

paradise. It is one of the

premier art showcases around

the world for up-and-coming

artists, priding it on enabling

younger, smaller galleries to

take part. It is the ideal event

for starting or adding to a

collection or simply finding that

perfectly unique item that

distinguishes a room from all

others.

Merchandise Mart, Chicago,

Illinois, United States Of America

World Wine Meeting America

28-APR-12 to 30-APR-12

World Wine Meeting America

offers you the unique possibility

to meet during 3 days European

wine producers such as France,

Spain, Italy and also

Mediterranean countries. This is

Embassy Suites DownTown

Lakefront, Chicago, Illinois, United

States Of America

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/gem-jewelry-dallas.html

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/gem-jewelry-dallas.html

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/international-antiques-fair.html

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/international-antiques-fair.html

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/world-wine-expo.html

a new platform for buyers and

producers to meet each other

and 'conduct business' in a

convivial and professional

environment.

Arizona Apparel Show

29-APR-12 to 01-MAY-12

This is a wholesale market for

retail customers only. The

Arizona Apparel, Accessories,

Shoe & Gift Show, is put on

three times a year at The

Phoenix Convention Center.

This show will be attended by

your local reps, plus from

around the country, who will be

showing over 200 + separate

clothing, accessories, shoe, &

gift manufacturers

Phoenix Convention Center,

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Of America


http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/arizona-apparel-show.html

How to reach us: We invite articles, industry related market research reports and whitepapers, information on policy matters related to Indo-US trade and investments via e-mail. Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) deserves right to edit the said articles for clarity and space and use them in all electronic and print form. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Disclaimer: No part of this newsletter may be reproduced, reprinted or utilized in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical without prior permission of the publisher. While every care is taken in compilation of information contained herein, the publisher cannot accept any responsibility for error or omission or for the use of trademark, copyrights, brand name, logos or other identifying symbols provided in supporting and participating companies and organizations. However all possible and reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the information in this newsletter is as accurate and up-to-date at the time of printing. This newsletter is for internal use only. Credits: A number of persons and organizations have assisted us in the preparation of this newsletter. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable and are based on research and analysis, whitepapers, academia, websites, internet postings and e-mails received. We wish to thank and express our gratitude to everyone named and unnamed for providing valuable inputs and providing data willingly. Conceived, Designed and Researched by: R.K. Chopra, Secretary General, IACC; E-mail: [email protected] Pratik Waghela, Systems & Communications Assistant, IACC; E-mail: [email protected]

iacc newsletter issue # 3, march 2012 newsletter... · 2017-08-18 · general atlantic may pick up...

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