New Delhi: Brookings Institution, a non-profit public policy organisation based in Washington DC, announced it would open Brookings India as a platform for public policy research and analysis.
The Brookings’ India centre will analyse the opportunities and challenges facing India. The operational activities and the funding of Brookings India will be primarily by Indians.
Brookings decided to open a centre here because India is the largest democracy and one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Brookings Institution is one of the oldest independent think-tanks, and has been consistently ranked among the most influential ones for many decades. In the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go-To Think Tank Rankings in 2012, Brookings was ranked the world’s best.
Urjit Patel, who was appointed a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India earlier this month, has been a non-resident senior fellow of the Brookings Institution since 2009.
Vikram Singh Mehta, former chairman of the Shell group of companies, will be the chairman of Brookings India. Mehta began his career with the IAS in 1978 and had earlier worked with Philips Petroleum and Oil India Limited.
“The India centre will look into Indian issues, drawing on Indian talent. The model of independent policy-relevant research that Brookings has developed over nearly 100 years will contribute to an informed Indian citizenry and provide useful analysis and recommendations to Indian policymakers as they deal with these challenges. The connection to Brookings in Washington will help increase the reach of Indian scholars to the US and elsewhere,” said Mehta.
Brookings India’s research will focus on domestic and global economics, foreign policy, and energy and infrastructure policy.
Nita and Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, Rahul Bajaj of Bajaj Auto, S Gopalakrishnan of Infosys, and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon are among the persons who support the Brookings’ India initiative.
Earlier, Aspen Institute had set up an Indian chapter. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is also expected to start an Indian centre.
Although the Chinese had a larger representation in global think-tanks, Indian scholars and businessmen are increasingly being affiliated with them.
Success in my Habit
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
HCL Tech in multi-million dollar deal with Cobham
New Delhi: HCL Technologies on Tuesday said it has entered into a multi-year, multi-million dollar engineering services agreement with UK-based Cobham, a technology company serving the aerospace and defence industry.
As part of the engagement, HCL will support multiple Cobham sites across the globe with a range of services — hardware, software, embedded, mechanical and testing.
“HCL will be a key partner in helping to invest in strategic programmes which allow us to stay ahead of the competition,” Tom Garvey, Vice-President, Operations, at Cobham’s Avionics and Surveillance Division, said.
The engagement will allow Cobham’s dedicated team of engineers to develop cutting edge solutions to help meet customer needs in a number of fields, he said.
As part of the engagement, HCL will support multiple Cobham sites across the globe with a range of services — hardware, software, embedded, mechanical and testing.
“HCL will be a key partner in helping to invest in strategic programmes which allow us to stay ahead of the competition,” Tom Garvey, Vice-President, Operations, at Cobham’s Avionics and Surveillance Division, said.
The engagement will allow Cobham’s dedicated team of engineers to develop cutting edge solutions to help meet customer needs in a number of fields, he said.
Farida Group sets up tannery in Ethiopia
Chennai: The Chennai-based Farida Group has established a tannery in Ethiopia to cater to export market and, if needed, for imports into India. The group is among the largest exporters of footwear and makes leather footwear for leading international brands.
The tannery about 70 km from Addis Ababa was commissioned towards the end of last year with a capacity to produce about 800,000 sq. ft of leather, according to Rafeeque Ahmed, Chairman, Farida Group.
The unit has been set up through Farida’s overseas subsidiary in Singapore. It is an independent unit that will cater to the markets for finished leather. It will export leather to the overseas markets and if needed supply to Farida Group’s requirements here, he said.
The African country is a rich source of quality raw material and setting up a tannery is a good value addition, he said. The Group has multiple leather footwear production units and tanneries in Tamil Nadu. The total footwear production capacity is over 22,000 pairs a day.
The tannery about 70 km from Addis Ababa was commissioned towards the end of last year with a capacity to produce about 800,000 sq. ft of leather, according to Rafeeque Ahmed, Chairman, Farida Group.
The unit has been set up through Farida’s overseas subsidiary in Singapore. It is an independent unit that will cater to the markets for finished leather. It will export leather to the overseas markets and if needed supply to Farida Group’s requirements here, he said.
The African country is a rich source of quality raw material and setting up a tannery is a good value addition, he said. The Group has multiple leather footwear production units and tanneries in Tamil Nadu. The total footwear production capacity is over 22,000 pairs a day.
Teva Pharma, P&G sets up world's largest OTC plant in Gujarat
Ahmedabad: Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals, an $18 billion generic drug maker will set up world's largest OTC medicine facility in Gujarat in collaboration with Procter & Gamble. On Tuesday, the company had ground-breaking ceremony for its multi-product facility at Sanand, near Ahmedabad.
Teva Global Operations, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Operation, Eran Katz, said "The multipurpose plant in India will support the growing demand for our non-prescription health care products across Asia. The Sanand facility will be a critical component of PGT Healthcare, Teva's international partnership and joint venture with Procter & Gamble." Teva Pharm India Pvt. Ltd expects completion of construction of the plant in two years.
The facility would be focused on Over-the-counter (OTC) product manufacturing and will initially cater domestic and Asia Pacific markets, according to the company. This will include liquid, oral solid dosage and inhaler production including P&G's current Vicks range of cough & cold medicines and throat drops in India, along with potentially other over-the-counter products for India and other markets.
The new plant will complement the existing network of Vicks contract manufacturers in India as the company plans to continue working with their current contract manufacturers even after this plant is operational, said the company.
The modular design of the plant will enable Teva to further expand the plant as demand for consumer health care products continues to grow across the region and the globle.
In November 2011, P&G and Teva Pharma entered into a joint venture in consumer healthcare by setting up PGT Healthcare headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. This business model brings together each company's complementary capabilities and existing OTC portfolios. While Teva Pharma is world's largest generic drug maker, P&G is one of the largest players in FMCG globally.
Teva Global Operations, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Operation, Eran Katz, said "The multipurpose plant in India will support the growing demand for our non-prescription health care products across Asia. The Sanand facility will be a critical component of PGT Healthcare, Teva's international partnership and joint venture with Procter & Gamble." Teva Pharm India Pvt. Ltd expects completion of construction of the plant in two years.
The facility would be focused on Over-the-counter (OTC) product manufacturing and will initially cater domestic and Asia Pacific markets, according to the company. This will include liquid, oral solid dosage and inhaler production including P&G's current Vicks range of cough & cold medicines and throat drops in India, along with potentially other over-the-counter products for India and other markets.
The new plant will complement the existing network of Vicks contract manufacturers in India as the company plans to continue working with their current contract manufacturers even after this plant is operational, said the company.
The modular design of the plant will enable Teva to further expand the plant as demand for consumer health care products continues to grow across the region and the globle.
In November 2011, P&G and Teva Pharma entered into a joint venture in consumer healthcare by setting up PGT Healthcare headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. This business model brings together each company's complementary capabilities and existing OTC portfolios. While Teva Pharma is world's largest generic drug maker, P&G is one of the largest players in FMCG globally.
India, EU sign pact to recycle waste water
Patancheru (Medak dist): India and the European Union have signed a Rs 80-crore (about €12-million) agreement to recycle industrial and domestic waste water to provide water for irrigation purposes.
Besides, the two sides would work on other products that come out of waste water and also on the efficient use of water under the Water4Crops-India project.
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will lead one of the two consortia with 34 member companies, universities and research organisations.
The Union Department of Bio Technology and six EU countries contributed Rs 40 crore each for the four-year project.
The Indian consortia include The Energy Research Institute (TERI), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Euro India Research Centre, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, SABMiller and Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.
“The consortium will be working on three types of industrial waste water mainly from the Charminar Breweries of SABMiller in India in Andhra Pradesh; Onion and Fruit Processing Plant at JISL, Jalgaon in Maharashtra; and the sugar factory from Ugar Sugar in Karnataka,” Suhas P. Wani of ICRISAT, who is leading the Indian consortium, told reporters here on Tuesday.
Besides, the two sides would work on other products that come out of waste water and also on the efficient use of water under the Water4Crops-India project.
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will lead one of the two consortia with 34 member companies, universities and research organisations.
The Union Department of Bio Technology and six EU countries contributed Rs 40 crore each for the four-year project.
The Indian consortia include The Energy Research Institute (TERI), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Euro India Research Centre, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, SABMiller and Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.
“The consortium will be working on three types of industrial waste water mainly from the Charminar Breweries of SABMiller in India in Andhra Pradesh; Onion and Fruit Processing Plant at JISL, Jalgaon in Maharashtra; and the sugar factory from Ugar Sugar in Karnataka,” Suhas P. Wani of ICRISAT, who is leading the Indian consortium, told reporters here on Tuesday.
Amara Raja Batteries to spend Rs 440 cr on capacity expansion
Hyderabad: Industrial and automotive batteries manufacturer Amara Raja Batteries, in which the US battery giant Johnson Controls holds 26% stake, has decided to spend Rs 440 crore on augmenting production capacities of its VRLA and four-wheeler batteries over the next 16-18 months.
The board of the company, which met on Monday to take record the audited financial results for the quarter ended December 2012, has approved the proposal on investments on expansion of large VRLA and four-wheeler batteries of the company's facilities located near Tirupathi in Andhra Pradesh.
Executive Director Ravi Bhamidipati said the fresh investments were in addition to already approved capital investment of Rs 304 crore to expand capacities in medium VRLA, automotive four-wheeler and automotive two-wheeler lines.
Amara Raja manufactures batteries to Indian railways,power, oil and gas sectors. It counts among its major clients the leading Indian automobile players such as Ashok Leyland, Ford India, Honda, Hyundai, M&M, Maruti Suzuki and TATA Motors. The company also exports products to Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East.
"We continue to enjoy debt free status with free cash of over Rs 350 crore as on December 31, 2012. The capacity expansion programs undertaken in the last 12 months are progressing as per schedule," said chief financial officer K.Suresh.
For the quarter to December 2012, Amara Raja reported a 23% growth in its consolidated net profit at Rs 81 crore compared to the same quarter a year ago of Rs 66 crore, while it saw its net sales grew by 24% at Rs 757 crore from Rs.612 cr a year ago.
Managing Director Jaydev Galla said teh company is confident of growth prospects and continues to invest in capacities in the medium to long range despite slack demand from OE customers in automotive segment, supply challenges, power tariff hike, rising commodity and fuel prices and volatility in currency markets.
The board of the company, which met on Monday to take record the audited financial results for the quarter ended December 2012, has approved the proposal on investments on expansion of large VRLA and four-wheeler batteries of the company's facilities located near Tirupathi in Andhra Pradesh.
Executive Director Ravi Bhamidipati said the fresh investments were in addition to already approved capital investment of Rs 304 crore to expand capacities in medium VRLA, automotive four-wheeler and automotive two-wheeler lines.
Amara Raja manufactures batteries to Indian railways,power, oil and gas sectors. It counts among its major clients the leading Indian automobile players such as Ashok Leyland, Ford India, Honda, Hyundai, M&M, Maruti Suzuki and TATA Motors. The company also exports products to Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East.
"We continue to enjoy debt free status with free cash of over Rs 350 crore as on December 31, 2012. The capacity expansion programs undertaken in the last 12 months are progressing as per schedule," said chief financial officer K.Suresh.
For the quarter to December 2012, Amara Raja reported a 23% growth in its consolidated net profit at Rs 81 crore compared to the same quarter a year ago of Rs 66 crore, while it saw its net sales grew by 24% at Rs 757 crore from Rs.612 cr a year ago.
Managing Director Jaydev Galla said teh company is confident of growth prospects and continues to invest in capacities in the medium to long range despite slack demand from OE customers in automotive segment, supply challenges, power tariff hike, rising commodity and fuel prices and volatility in currency markets.
Kerala industrial body sets up container freight station at Kalamassery
Kochi: Aimed at tapping growing business opportunities from the Vallarpadam Terminal, the State-owned Kerala State Industrial Enterprises (KSIE) has set up a container freight station at Kalamassery.
The Rs 25-crore venture, established at 8.5 acres owned by the company, would cater to the emerging needs of the International Container Transhipment Terminal at Vallarpadam.
The facility has an 80,000 sq ft customs-bonded cargo handling centre to manage export and import operations and can handle 1,000 containers at a time, Mayin Haji, Chairman and Febi Varghese, Managing Director, KSIE, said.
All modern facilities have been incorporated for the security and smooth operations of the freight station in accordance with international standards. It can provide direct employment to 100 eligible candidates and indirect employment to 500 persons.
KSIE has arranged facilities for container stuffing and de-stuffing and for the smooth movement of cargo. The project would also be helpful in providing time-bound services to the Exim trade after the Customs clearance proceedings, they said.
Kerala Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty, who had recently inaugurated the facility expressed the hope that the new CFS could play a leading role in the movement of transhipment cargo from this region, which is emerging as a leading destination connecting the global shipping trade.
According to KSIE officials, the company had ventured into CFS as part of its diversification process by utilising its land availability to build up the facility. Close proximity to the Vallarpadam terminal and road connectivity are considered an added advantage for the CFS, set up by the company.
Sources in the shipping fraternity said that logistics business is expected to pick up in the region offering good business opportunities for CFS operations following the relaxation of Cabotage restrictions.
It is pointed out that the port management has also planned CFS’s in order to develop Vallarpadam into a major logistics hub by earmarking 54 acres near the ICTT with private participation.
Besides, the setting up of more number of CFS would generate more job opportunities, the sources said.
The CFS facility near ICTT considered being a great support to the traders as they can meet all their shipping requirements under one roof, that too near the ICTT, the sources added.
The Rs 25-crore venture, established at 8.5 acres owned by the company, would cater to the emerging needs of the International Container Transhipment Terminal at Vallarpadam.
The facility has an 80,000 sq ft customs-bonded cargo handling centre to manage export and import operations and can handle 1,000 containers at a time, Mayin Haji, Chairman and Febi Varghese, Managing Director, KSIE, said.
All modern facilities have been incorporated for the security and smooth operations of the freight station in accordance with international standards. It can provide direct employment to 100 eligible candidates and indirect employment to 500 persons.
KSIE has arranged facilities for container stuffing and de-stuffing and for the smooth movement of cargo. The project would also be helpful in providing time-bound services to the Exim trade after the Customs clearance proceedings, they said.
Kerala Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty, who had recently inaugurated the facility expressed the hope that the new CFS could play a leading role in the movement of transhipment cargo from this region, which is emerging as a leading destination connecting the global shipping trade.
According to KSIE officials, the company had ventured into CFS as part of its diversification process by utilising its land availability to build up the facility. Close proximity to the Vallarpadam terminal and road connectivity are considered an added advantage for the CFS, set up by the company.
Sources in the shipping fraternity said that logistics business is expected to pick up in the region offering good business opportunities for CFS operations following the relaxation of Cabotage restrictions.
It is pointed out that the port management has also planned CFS’s in order to develop Vallarpadam into a major logistics hub by earmarking 54 acres near the ICTT with private participation.
Besides, the setting up of more number of CFS would generate more job opportunities, the sources said.
The CFS facility near ICTT considered being a great support to the traders as they can meet all their shipping requirements under one roof, that too near the ICTT, the sources added.
GSK-Biological E tie-up on combination vaccine
Mumbai: Multinational drug-maker GlaxoSmithKline and the Hyderabad-based Biological E Limited have come together for early stage research and development of a six-in-one combination paediatric vaccine against polio and other infectious diseases.
The companies said they would form an equally-partnered venture to develop the vaccine that would help protect children in India and other developing countries. If approved, the vaccine could be a first of its kind, a GSK note said, as it would combine GSK’s injectable polio vaccine (IPV) and Biological E’s pentavalent vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (whole-cell pertussis), hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b.
Fewer Injections
The vaccine would enable fewer injections for children, thereby improving compliance in immunisation schedules. The fully liquid formulation of the vaccine also means it would be ready to use with no additional ingredients or materials required, freeing up space at local storage facilities.
The venture will bear the development costs for the candidate vaccine, which is expected to enter phase 1 development in the next two years. In phase 1 trials, the product is exposed for the first time to a small group of healthy human volunteers to evaluate the safety profile of the drug. A small initial cash investment will be made by both companies to cover start-up costs and subsequent development costs will be split equally, the note said.
Fight Against Polio
Christophe Weber, President of GSK Vaccines, said the agreement was aligned to GSK’s vision of providing quality vaccines to those in need and by leveraging Biological E’s strengths, this particular vaccine had the potential to play a significant role in the fight against polio.
Vijay Kumar Datla, Chairman Biological E, said that they expect to leverage the partnership to accelerate the development of the hexavalent vaccine and make IPV accessible for developing countries in the post-eradication phase for polio.
The companies said they would form an equally-partnered venture to develop the vaccine that would help protect children in India and other developing countries. If approved, the vaccine could be a first of its kind, a GSK note said, as it would combine GSK’s injectable polio vaccine (IPV) and Biological E’s pentavalent vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (whole-cell pertussis), hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b.
Fewer Injections
The vaccine would enable fewer injections for children, thereby improving compliance in immunisation schedules. The fully liquid formulation of the vaccine also means it would be ready to use with no additional ingredients or materials required, freeing up space at local storage facilities.
The venture will bear the development costs for the candidate vaccine, which is expected to enter phase 1 development in the next two years. In phase 1 trials, the product is exposed for the first time to a small group of healthy human volunteers to evaluate the safety profile of the drug. A small initial cash investment will be made by both companies to cover start-up costs and subsequent development costs will be split equally, the note said.
Fight Against Polio
Christophe Weber, President of GSK Vaccines, said the agreement was aligned to GSK’s vision of providing quality vaccines to those in need and by leveraging Biological E’s strengths, this particular vaccine had the potential to play a significant role in the fight against polio.
Vijay Kumar Datla, Chairman Biological E, said that they expect to leverage the partnership to accelerate the development of the hexavalent vaccine and make IPV accessible for developing countries in the post-eradication phase for polio.
4 FDI Proposals Amounting to Rs. 280.00 Crore Approved by FIPB
Further to Para 5 of the Press Release dated January 11, 2013 regarding Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposals approved by FIPB, wherein it was stated that decision in case of the Five (5) proposals will be communicated separately, the Central Government has now approved the following Four (4) proposals out of them amounting to Rs. 280.00 crore approximately.
Following 4 (Four) proposals have been approved.
Sl. No. Name of the applicant Particulars of the proposal FDI/NRI inflows(` In crore)
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
1 M/s IvyCap Ventures Trust To allow NRI investment through normal banking channels in compliance with FEMA Regulations and extant FDI Policy. 200.00
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
2 M/s Wipro Limited, Bangalore Transfer of shares by way of swap consequent to a demerger of non-IT activities. The company is engaged primarily in IT sector and also in other diversified activities including defence. Nil
POWER
3 M/s Spanco Power Distribution Ltd., Mumbai Post facto approval to act as an investing company and make downstream investments in its WoS and other companies in the power distribution sector. 80.00
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
4 M/s GPX India Private Limited, Maharashtra To issue equity shares to the Foreign Collaborator against import of capital goods/equipment/machinery to carry out the business of setting up of domestic Other Service Provider (OS) (Data Centre) for providing various products and services to its clients/customers. Nil
2. The following 1 (One) proposal has been deferred:
Sl. No Name of the applicant Particulars of the proposal
1 M/s Yalamanchili Software Export Ltd., Chennai Conversion of non-repatriable equity held by majority shareholder to repatriable equity and share swap of this holding to shares of a foreign company.
Following 4 (Four) proposals have been approved.
Sl. No. Name of the applicant Particulars of the proposal FDI/NRI inflows(` In crore)
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
1 M/s IvyCap Ventures Trust To allow NRI investment through normal banking channels in compliance with FEMA Regulations and extant FDI Policy. 200.00
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
2 M/s Wipro Limited, Bangalore Transfer of shares by way of swap consequent to a demerger of non-IT activities. The company is engaged primarily in IT sector and also in other diversified activities including defence. Nil
POWER
3 M/s Spanco Power Distribution Ltd., Mumbai Post facto approval to act as an investing company and make downstream investments in its WoS and other companies in the power distribution sector. 80.00
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
4 M/s GPX India Private Limited, Maharashtra To issue equity shares to the Foreign Collaborator against import of capital goods/equipment/machinery to carry out the business of setting up of domestic Other Service Provider (OS) (Data Centre) for providing various products and services to its clients/customers. Nil
2. The following 1 (One) proposal has been deferred:
Sl. No Name of the applicant Particulars of the proposal
1 M/s Yalamanchili Software Export Ltd., Chennai Conversion of non-repatriable equity held by majority shareholder to repatriable equity and share swap of this holding to shares of a foreign company.
Anand Sharma Launches eBiz Portal
New Delhi: The Union Minister for Commerce, Industry & Textiles Shri Anand Sharma launched an eBiz portal at the CII Partnership Summit in Agra today. The portal is India’s Government-to-Business (G2B) portal developed by Infosys in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) Model. “This Mission Mode Project will mark a paradigm shift in the Government’s approach to providing Government-to-Business (G2B) services for India’s investor and business communities,” said Shri Sharma while launching the portal.
In order to enable businesses and investors to save time and costs and in order to improve the business environment in the country, an online single window was conceptualised in the form of the eBiz Mission Mode Project under the National eGovernance Plan. Shri Sharma said that the “project aims to create a business and investor friendly ecosystem in India by making all business and investment related regulatory services across Central, State and local governments available on a single portal, thereby obviating the need for an investor or a business to visit multiple offices or a plethora of websites.”
Shri Sharma further said that the core value of the transformational project lies in a shift in the Governments’ service delivery approach from being department-centric to customer-centric. “eBiz will create a 24x7 facility for information and services and will also offer joined-up services where a single application submitted by a customer, for a number of permissions, clearances, approvals and registrations, will be routed automatically across multiple governmental agencies in a logical manner.” “An inbuilt payment gateway will also add value by allowing all payments to be collected at one point and then apportioned, split and routed to the respective heads of account of Central / State / Para-statal agencies along with generation of challans and MIS reports. This payment gateway is the first of its kind designed in India and can become a universal payment gateway for all eGovernance applications,” added Shri Sharma.
The Department of Industrial Promotion & Policy, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, is the Nodal Government Agency responsible for the implementation of the eBiz Project. Infosys Technologies Ltd. has been selected as the Concessionaire/ Project Implementation Partner and is responsible for the design, development, implementation and maintenance of the eBiz Solution.
Shri Sharma said that the government is “firmly committed to wide-ranging initiatives aimed at fostering the business environment in the country in a holistic manner. Our approach includes leveraging technology to bring transparency, improve efficiency and promote convenience. eBiz is an important step in this direction and we are pleased to work in partnership with Infosys on this project, which we hope will become a benchmark for successful Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the country.”
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Saurabh Chandra, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry observed that “the eBiz Project is the first of its kind ever implemented in the country. It marks the highest level of maturity in web-based eGovernance applications as it strives to achieve horizontal integration across various verticals of Central government, State governments and Para-statal agencies”.
The first phase of the project, which was being launched today, provides an interactive tool that helps investors assess the Licenses and Permits requirements while setting up and operating a business in India. The License & Permit Information wizard will provide authentic information 24X7 to investors and businesses by providing answers to questions in an interview style format.
In order to enable businesses and investors to save time and costs and in order to improve the business environment in the country, an online single window was conceptualised in the form of the eBiz Mission Mode Project under the National eGovernance Plan. Shri Sharma said that the “project aims to create a business and investor friendly ecosystem in India by making all business and investment related regulatory services across Central, State and local governments available on a single portal, thereby obviating the need for an investor or a business to visit multiple offices or a plethora of websites.”
Shri Sharma further said that the core value of the transformational project lies in a shift in the Governments’ service delivery approach from being department-centric to customer-centric. “eBiz will create a 24x7 facility for information and services and will also offer joined-up services where a single application submitted by a customer, for a number of permissions, clearances, approvals and registrations, will be routed automatically across multiple governmental agencies in a logical manner.” “An inbuilt payment gateway will also add value by allowing all payments to be collected at one point and then apportioned, split and routed to the respective heads of account of Central / State / Para-statal agencies along with generation of challans and MIS reports. This payment gateway is the first of its kind designed in India and can become a universal payment gateway for all eGovernance applications,” added Shri Sharma.
The Department of Industrial Promotion & Policy, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, is the Nodal Government Agency responsible for the implementation of the eBiz Project. Infosys Technologies Ltd. has been selected as the Concessionaire/ Project Implementation Partner and is responsible for the design, development, implementation and maintenance of the eBiz Solution.
Shri Sharma said that the government is “firmly committed to wide-ranging initiatives aimed at fostering the business environment in the country in a holistic manner. Our approach includes leveraging technology to bring transparency, improve efficiency and promote convenience. eBiz is an important step in this direction and we are pleased to work in partnership with Infosys on this project, which we hope will become a benchmark for successful Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the country.”
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Saurabh Chandra, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry observed that “the eBiz Project is the first of its kind ever implemented in the country. It marks the highest level of maturity in web-based eGovernance applications as it strives to achieve horizontal integration across various verticals of Central government, State governments and Para-statal agencies”.
The first phase of the project, which was being launched today, provides an interactive tool that helps investors assess the Licenses and Permits requirements while setting up and operating a business in India. The License & Permit Information wizard will provide authentic information 24X7 to investors and businesses by providing answers to questions in an interview style format.
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