Friday, August 17, 2012

CAN A YEAR-OLD BODY SAVE A BLEEDING SECTOR?

Can the year-old Airports Economic Regulatory Authority nurse the bleeding sector and strike a balance between the price-conscious passengers & profit-hungry developers? by Steven Philip Warner

When the Naresh Chandra committee submitted its report to the Ministry of Civil Aviation six-and-a-half years back, it had boldly stated that “passenger airports are for the most parts an embarrassment.” Some still are. But, the dynamics have changed. Walk into the two brownfield airports at Delhi and Mumbai, which were handed over to private operators in 2005, and you’d realise that today, both of them appear in a much improved shape, compared to the heaps that stood in the name of airport infrastructure five years back. And from the ongoing modernisation projects in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai (apart from 35 airports in smaller locations others) and greenfield projects in locations like Cochin, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Navi Mumbai, Goa, Pune et al, it seems like the Civil Aviation authorities in the country have worked magic even in the absence of a powerful regulator. But there’s more that meets the eye, and it’s surely not as encouraging. It’s the regulation hitch.

In 2005, when the Government sidelined $10 billion for the upgradation and modernisation of airports across the country, it clearly lacked the expertise to deliver. Having roped-in private players including GMR, Fraport AG & Eraman Malaysia (DIAL - the Delhi International Airport Ltd. consortium) and GVK (MIAL - the Mumbai International Airport Ltd. consortium) and with enough funds pooled-in to provide for AAI’s airport upgradation work (which involved an estimated Rs.124.34 billion) during the current Five-Year Plan (ending March 2012), the government had apparently scored a double home run. Reality was much different.

The government forgot the first prerequisite to bring clarity amidst events for all stakeholders – investors, passengers and developers – an economic regulator, who ensures fair play. [This was something that countries like US, Australia, UK and many nations in the EU realised during the early days of privatisation of their airports.] Private participation in Indian airports started, and with it began the motive to work towards a windfall of profits. As such, the lack of guiding principles regarding revenue models of the airport operators led to much controversy. Then came May 2009, when after two years of debates, the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) was established. Being a fledgling, it could not immediately get down to solving the revenue & pricing muddle that had so deeply been entrenched into the aviation system. Of late however, the regulator has started showing some signs of promise, as John Siddharth, Aerospace Analyst at Frost & Sullivan, tells B&E, “AERA has been effective for the air travel passengers since its establishment. The two major reasons to support the above statement would be, firstly, AERA has a regulatory control on price, and secondly, AERA is expected to bring in higher efficiency in quality of service delivered at airports.”


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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Ek Khiladi, Ek Hasseena… for real

Sushmita Sen adds another name to her long list of boyfriends and it is none other than Wasim Akram. Buzz has it that the two were spotted hand-in-hand at a popular nightspot and were very comfortable in each other’s company. The two met while judging a reality show Ek Khiladi, Ek Haseena and have been in touch ever since. We hope this guy is here to stay in Sush’s life!

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Monday, August 13, 2012

Talk away pain? Now you’re talking!

Your low-back ache can be considerably aggravated by your thoughts and notions. Try a bit of CBT, and you might just be talked out of causing debilitating pain to yourself

Roughly 80% of the world suffers from this at some point in their life. It is singularly responsible for more sick leaves and disability than any other disorder in the world. Popularly characterised by a lady whimpering ‘ooh, aah, ouch!’ on the telly, lumbago or low-back pain is what we’re talking about, and talking about the pain is exactly what the doctors are advising to its victims! The study was conducted by Professor Sarah E Lamb and her colleagues from The University of Warwick and the University of Oxford, and their findings were published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), a short-term treatment that challenges and reframes negative beliefs, has been judged as an economical option to aid recovery by this study. While back pain is a physical problem, a person’s mental make-up affects the way he/she manages their health, which can significantly benefit or deteriorate the patient’s condition. The study found that people who were provided with CBT group-support sessions experienced greater physical fitness and enjoyed a better quality of life than those who were given a one-off advice session.

CBT sessions involve talking about beliefs relating to physical activity, helping resolve negativity and teaching patients to relax and be less fearful about their situation. Most people’s reaction to lower-back ache is to avoid activity, which only goes on to make the muscles more stiff and so contribute to the existing pain. CBT ensures people don’t fall into this vicious circle, and instead provides advice on appropriate activities they should pursue for faster recovery. At the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, CBT is an accepted tool for the treatment of backaches and a psychologist is a member of the team treating backaches.


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Saturday, August 11, 2012

S. Viraraghavan, Director, Sales and Marketing, Cargill India shares nitty gritties in an exclusive interview to B&E

B&E: How does Cargill India feel government policy should be modified with regard to FDI in food processing and retailing and will it adversely affect the unorganized and small players?

SV: Creating a favourable fiscal environment to induce venture capital and mutual funds to invest in different components of supply chain, tax holidays, excise relief, fiscal incentives for cold-chain setups and a regulatory mechanism are important for driving growth. It is a misnomer that organized retail will have a negative impact on unorganized sector. They can co-exist and grow and a lot of inefficiencies will get addressed.

B&E: Processed food currently forms a very small percentage of India’s exports. How can this scenario be improved in terms of duty rates and standards?

SV: We have to improve the acceptance of process food in the society and address the myth that all processed food is unhealthy. Govt. of India is taking some positive initiatives to address fiscal incentives to the sector which is a positive development. Export of food items to developed markets needs adherence to stringent food norms and hence, requires high capital investment in machinery and process automation. Concessional duties for importing machinery will also encourage big ticket investments in the sector. The Food Safety and Standards Act is a positive step and we need alignment to global food safety standards such as CODEX to make our products acceptable in the global market.

B&E: How does Cargill India see the future for the sector in a 3-5 year timeline and what is the biggest opportunity areas within the sector?

SV: With the economy growing at an accelerated pace, there’s been a significant change in food habits. More processed and functional food will become part of the Indian diet and hence the sector will see robust growth. As a major global Food Ingredients Supplier we see a big opportunities in the sector. We have successful and popular brands like Nature Fresh and Gemini and have substantial market access. Going forward, this creates a favorable situation for us to look at the food market.


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Friday, August 10, 2012

RAMESH POKHRIYAL, CM, UTTARAKHAND

“We have Vision 2020” 


7 months into his tenure as CM, Ramesh Pokhriyal unveils his plans for Uttarakhand to Anil Pandey 

What are your plansfor Uttarakhand?

We have prepared ‘Vision 2020’ to make Uttarakhand a prosperous, ideal and developed state by 2020. The plan focuses on the theme ‘Pahad Ka Pani, Pahad Ki Jawani’, or water and youth of the hills. We will harness the natural resources of the state in an optimal manner. We will also focus on increasing economic activities in the state that will lead to creation of more jobs and increase in GDP. We’ll take education, health facilities, roads, drinking water, power and other basic amenities to every nook and corner of the state. We have invited investors and the response has been very encouraging.

Please elaborate your ‘Water & Youth of the Hills’ scheme.

The state has a capacity to produce at least 40,000 MW of power from hydel projects. Therefore, we have planned to install several hydel power units in the state. The surplus power will be sold to other states. To rope in local talent and provide jobs, we have decided to employ local youths in mini hydel power projects.

But haven’t all these measures failed to check migration from the hills?

No, there is a significant dip in numbers. Expansion of industries and further industrialisation are the key factors for stopping brain drain.

Health is another area of concern. The lack of connectivity and the lack of facilities in small hamlets are the major areas of concern.

The state provides all BPL families free treatment. Keeping in view the specific problems of the hills, the state government has come up with Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Free Healthcare Programme. At present, the programme is run through 90 centres in the entire state. Under this scheme, anybody can dial the prescribed number – 108 – and avail the facility of emergency ambulance service. These ambulances are sort of mobile hospitals. We have saved as many as 82,000 mothers and children .in the last one and a half years.

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