FIMI Seeks Intervention Of Central And State Government For Removal Of Trade Barriers Imposed Due To E-Auction Mechanism

* Karnataka state loosing close to Rs.8000 Cr. revenue per year due restrictive trade practices while the rest of India is exporting iron ore as per the EXIM policy of Government of India.

* Karnataka Iron Ore industry has a massive potential to drive Socio-Economic Development and create huge employment opportunities in the state, with relevant policy amendments to boost the industry. 

The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI), Southern region seeks intervention of the central and state governments for the removal of various restrictions imposed exclusively on iron ore trade in the state of Karnataka. 

Karnataka is the only state in India where the miners have no commercial freedom to sell their product, where entire ore has to be sold through institutionalized e-auction to parties meeting eligibility criteria- domestic end users. It is also the only state from where export of iron ore and pellets made from Karnataka ore is prohibited.

However, there is no corresponding requirement on the eligible purchasers to exclusively source from e-auction. Even though there is adequate supply of Karnataka ore which for the current financial year will be around 45 Mil tone against Demand of around 36 Mil Tone,  there has been consistent and substantial quantities imported from other states as well as abroad every year, tipping the balance and pushing the iron ore industry into duress. Owing to above non-level playing field in terms of trade restriction where the miners can only sell the material domestically, without any alternate market for sale, the prices in Karnataka are subdued and the Karnataka iron ore is being sold at ~$50 in  as against ~ $140 internationally.

The various rigorous conditions which are now strangling the iron ore industry were imposed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in 2011 through order in the WP filed by an NGO-Samaj Parivatana Samudaya. The Hon’ble Court provided the rationale that such stringent measures were required to redress the extraordinary situation which existed then and to give time for the authorities to establish systems for monitoring. Central Empowered Committee-the commission of Supreme Court- itself has recommended to Supreme Court that these conditions have served its purpose and it is time to revisit the same. 

While the strict conditions have weeded out the illegal elements and established robust monitoring systems, perpetuating the requirement for e-auction of iron ore by Monitoring Committee and prohibition on export of iron ore and pellets are causing sustained loss to state exchequer, and hindering development of minerals and socio-economic development of mining areas. Hence FIMI has requested concerted efforts from Central and State government and other stake holders to restore freedom of trade for iron ore lessees in Karnataka.

As per estimates, the gross loss over a 5-year period to the State of Karnataka is approximately INR 30000 crores due to E- Auction mechanism with restrictions on sale of Iron Ore outside the state and Exports. Incidentally, the suppressed prices are a double whammy since it leads not only to lower royalty and other levies to the state but also reduces the bid premium on ore extracted from recently auctioned captive mines which is over and above the stated loss herein.   

It is interesting to note that these discriminatory policies are specific to Karnataka state whereas rest of the India (including Goa and Orissa) is allowed to trade freely as per the EXIM policy of Government of India thereby ensuring fair revenue to the State Exchequer including foreign exchange as well as overall growth of the nation.

As per the data available, the total export in the year 2020-21 from other parts of India is ~40MMT whereas despite of having such a high quality Iron ore resources, state of Karnataka is struggling to realize the true potential of Iron Ore Industry. 

The misery of the Iron Ore Industry is, while there are restrictions on the free trade of Iron Ore, on the other hand steel makers from the state have all the liberty to source Iron ore from any other region of the country & even import from other countries in addition to ever increasing captive mines acquired in the past leading to market monopsony. 

FIMI also welcomed and applauded the efforts initiated by Hon'ble Mines Minister of Karnataka Hon’ble Shri Murugesh Nirani to consider lifting ban on restricted trades of Iron ore and provide much needed boost to Karnataka Iron Ore Industry.

FIMI Southern Region also raised concern over non-utilization of special fund under DMF & SPV. The mining sector contributes almost 35% of its income to state exchequer as royalty and various levies. The iron ore mining fraternity in Karnataka in past 6 years has contributed around 2336 Cr. to DMF Fund and a corpus of around 18000cr is accumulated under SPV. These funds ear marked for socio-economic development for the community. Appropriate steps should be taken by the State govt. to use the unutilized funds on development of the infrastructure & livelihood in the mining belts and surrounding districts.

Earlier, FIMI Southern Region had written to Ministry of Mines GOI appealing to take appropriate steps and urgently submit necessary facts before the Hon’ble Supreme Court, in order to rectify the gross imbalance that has arisen due to the prohibition on free trades and seek urgent rectification of the situation by permitting export of iron-ore from Karnataka. FIMI had also written to the state government seeking its intervention to restore normalcy in Karnataka for ease of doing business by the Mining sector. FIMI acknowledges and thanks Hon'ble Minister of Mines & Geology, Mr. Murugesh Nirani for their intention to file an affidavit in Supreme Court in support of export of iron ore.  

While speaking at the Press conference Mr. Santesh Gureddi, Vice President FIMI & Chairman FIMI, Southern Region said "The restrictive trade practices in the state of Karnataka have detrimental effects on Karnataka Iron Ore industry and also resulting in low confidence among the investors particularly in Iron Ore sector. The existing Iron ore mining operations in the state are not viable with cap on Production and E-auction mechanism leading to unfair valuation of Iron Ore which is almost 200 % lower in the state of Karnataka compared to international prices. We urge State and central government to review the policies for state of Karnataka and bring in proper amendments which will be beneficial for the state of Karnataka"

Mr. Sauvick Mazumdar, Member FIMI, Southern Region added "We are thankful to the Hon'ble Minister of Mines & Geology , Karnataka for considering the issues related to Karnataka Iron Ore Industry. Karnataka Iron Ore industry has the massive potential to drive the growth. The lower price for Karnataka Iron Ore and restrictions on the trade is also drastically reducing the contribution towards DMF and other community development activities in the state of Karnataka. It is very important to bring in suitable policy reforms to enhance the ease of doing business in the state of Karnataka, which will be in line with the larger vision of our Prime Minister to make $5 Trillion economy by 2024."

"Karnataka Iron Ore Mining industry is struggling and there are chances if this unfair trade practices continue many Iron Ore industries may exit from the state which could result into massive direct & indirect employment loss" added Mr. Basant Poddar, Ex- Chairman, Southern Region. 

He further added Karnataka has adequate stocks of Iron Ore but steel makers from Karnataka inclines toward importing Iron ore from other regions. There should be no apprehension about shortage of Iron ore in Karnataka and its free trade should be allowed to realize the dream of making India a global economic powerhouse.

About FIMI:

The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) is an all-India apex body established in 1966, to promote the interests of mining (including coal), exploration, mineral processing, metal making and other mineral-based industries. The body works towards promoting ‘Mine in India’ for ‘Make in India’, commitment to socio-economic growth and improving lives in remote mining regions, leading the sustainable mining movement in India, transforming geologic possibilities into mines of wealth and honing India’s mining skills.

SIRO Clinpharm Partners With Across Global Alliance; Aims To Bridge The Gap In The Pharmaceutical Service Provider Market

SIRO Clinpharm, a Clinical Research Organisation in India announced that they have become a partner of ACROSS Global Alliance (ACROSS) and will help represent India in working towards the common goals and objectives of ACROSS in bridging a gap in the pharmaceutical service provider market. ACROSS is a global alliance of clinical research organizations (CRO’s) also known as Partners along with special service providers known as Qualified Vendors. The Partners form the core of the ACROSS organization. SIRO Clinpharm will have the opportunity to provide its core services and expertise in India’s geography.

Commenting on this partnership, Karan Daftary, Director, SIRO Clinpharm said, “The relationship provides mutually beneficial outcomes for both parties, with SIRO Clinpharm having the opportunity to assist ACROSS’s clients in India, whilst ACROSS and its Partners can assist Siro Clinpharm’s clients with their overseas (i.e., outside India) clinical expertise in over 96 countries worldwide. This partnership opportunity enables Siro Clinpharm to actively participate in Global Clinical trials, where India is one of the regions that would be covered, in collaboration with other ACROSS Partners.” 

The ACROSS Partnership model mimics the success of the multiple airline industry alliances, with ACROSS being a focused, central coordinating body that oversees the conduct of seamless global clinical trials with minimal overheads, thus passing on cost-effective solutions to the benefit of its clients.

“ACROSS was keen to strengthen its presence in the Indian market and after careful analysis of the CROs operating in the Indian market, comprehensive due diligence, and a full assessment of service offerings, SIRO Clinpharm was identified as a perfect fit for its expansion in India,” said Steven Bukvic, CEO for ACROSS Global. “SIRO Clinpharm has a well-established team of professional experts with a dynamic and forward-looking mindset that compliments ACROSS’s approach to the global pharmaceutical service provider market”.

Their comprehensive expertise and unique services will benefit the clients and strengthen ACROSS’s presence in India. With a seasoned team of more than 200 professionals from science and medical backgrounds, SIRO Clinpharm will also actively participate in global studies by offering their knowledge in the pharmaceutical, FMCG, and medical device industries. ACROSS has a well-defined process for the onboarding of Partners and Qualified Vendors along with a robust quality management system to ensure smooth conduct of studies. By being a Partner of ACROSS, Siro Clinpharm is ready to provide diversified high-quality, state-of-the-art services for clinical trials.

JK Tyre Enters Into A Strategic Partnership With JBM Auto Limited

* Furthers its commitment towards providing Smart Tyre Technology

Indian tyre industry major & market leader in Truck Bus Radial segment, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., announced its partnership with JBM Auto Ltd., leading manufacturer of high-end, convenient and sustainable public mobility solutions in India involving CNG and electric buses.  Through this partnership, JK Tyre will supply best-in-class radial tyres fitted with its SMART Tyres device for JBM Auto’s CITYLIFE CNG and ECOLIFE electric buses in the city bus application.

JK Tyre and JBM Auto have joined hands with an objective of developing smart mobility solutions incorporating latest technology that offer optimum durability and performance. The association involves end-to-end ownership of “Total Tyre Management” with a dedicated team of JK Tyre professionals to assist 24X7 across its 11 workshops established in Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad.

JK Tyre will deliver unmatchable performance by setting up “Connected Mobility Solutions”, a first-of-its-kind cloud-based monitoring system. JK Tyre has been at the forefront of driving innovation and excellence in the tyre industry through the introduction of ground-breaking technologies and products that cater to diverse business segments in the automobile industry.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Srinivasu Allaphan, Director - Sales & Marketing, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. said, “Being a market leader in the commercial segment, we at JK Tyre stand for our unwavering commitment towards innovation catering to the future mobility trends across segments. We have been actively working with different manufacturers to help them achieve advanced mobility solutions and our partnership with JBM Auto Ltd. is reflective of our commitment towards the same.”

SMART Tyre is an indigenous product from JK Tyre, which provides real-time information about the health of the tyres through smart sensors. Smart Tyres based on ‘Tyre Temperature and Pressure Monitoring system’ is an electronic system designed to monitor real time temperature and air pressure inside the pneumatic tyres on various types of vehicles.

JK Tyre & Industries Limited

The flagship company of JK Organisation, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd is amongst the top 25 manufacturers in the world. Pioneers of radial technology, the Company produced the first radial tyre in 1977 and is currently the market leader in Truck Bus Radial segment. The Company provides end-to-end solutions across segments of passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, farming, Off-the-Road and two & three-wheelers.

A global force, JK Tyre is present in 105 countries with over 180 Global distributors.  The Company has 12 globally benchmarked ‘sustainable’ manufacturing facilities - 9 in India and 3 in Mexico – that collectively produce around 35 million tyres annually. The Company also has a strong network of over 4000 dealers and 550+ dedicated Brand shops called as Steel Wheels and Xpress Wheels.

JK Tyre’s unwavering commitment towards innovation is reflected through its state-of-the-art global research and technology centre – the Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence - in Mysore, which houses some of the world’s finest technologies and techniques.

JK Tyre launched India’s first ever ‘Smart Tyre’ technology-and introduced Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) which monitors the tyre’s vital statistics, including pressure and temperature. The company recently rolled out its 20 millionth Truck/Bus Radial tyre becoming the first and the only Indian company to achieve this milestone.

It is the only Indian tyre manufacturer to be included in the list of Superbrands India in 2019 for the seventh consecutive year. JK Tyre has been conferred the Sword of Honour for Safety across its plants by the British Safety Council,UK. The company entered the Limca Book of Records with the country’s largest off-the-road tyre - VEM 04.

JK Tyre is also synonymous with motorsport in the country. For over three decades, the Company has relentlessly worked towards shaping India’s positioning as the motorsport hub of Asia, developing the right infrastructure for the sport and promoting young talent in the arena.

OYO To Cover COVID-19 Vaccination Costs For Employees And Families In India

* OYO will be covering vaccination costs of employees and their family members for the countrywide COVID-19 vaccination program in India

* Keeping in mind the needs of today’s dynamic workforce, OYO has been consistently revising its policies for the well-being of its employees

OYO Hotels & Homes, the world’s leading technology and revenue growth platform for small hotels and homeowners, today announced that it would be covering vaccination costs for all employees in India and their families, across locations and levels. OYO India employees and their family members will benefit from this as they can choose to get the vaccination done at any centre convenient to them and the costs would be reimbursed in full by OYO. Additionally, the company has also enhanced the insurance benefit of employees to include a COVID-19 home care cover.

With the aim to build a healthier, diverse, inclusive and productive workforce, OYO has been revising and adding new employees policies year-on-year keeping employee wellbeing at the forefront. The company was one of the first Indian start-ups to announce a 5-day work week and is now offering its employees a host of benefits including free annual health checks, 24X7 doctor consultation, one-on-one counselling sessions and other services such as a COVID-19 test booking, online medicines ordering facilities and more. In addition, the company also added a psychiatric cover and an increased maternity cover.

Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace for all, OYO also launched an employee-centered initiative #RiseEqually to announce a change in its parental leave policy. Amending the policy, the company has now increased paternity leave to 4 weeks from the earlier period of 2 weeks. This includes flexibility to avail this leave prior as well as during 12 months from childbirth. New parents will also get an additional leave of 8 weeks of work-from-home and 8 additional weeks on half-pay. Expanding the scope of maternity & paternity policy, OYO’s new parental policy will include all parents welcoming a child- be it through birth/adoption/surrogacy; regardless of gender or marital status.

In addition to this, from April 2021, OYO employees in India will receive their salaries on the 25th of every month (or earlier) inorder to enable them to plan their monthly finances and long term savings better.

Speaking about the recent announcements, Dinesh Ramamurthi, Chief Human Resources Officer - OYO Hotels & Homes said, “It’s encouraging to see the pace of the immunisation drive in India, we’re all trying our best to win the fight against COVID-19. As part of our commitment to keep our employees and their families safe and show our gratitude to them, we are happy to facilitate the cost of their COVID-19 vaccinations. We encourage employees to take the vaccine after reading up about its benefits and making an informed decision.”

He added, “OYOpreneurs make us who we are. And that’s why we strongly believe that happy employees mean a happy company and changing times have driven us to enhance our health and wellness offerings to them. We have always believed in providing equal opportunities to everyone irrespective of their age and gender and our new gender-neutral parental policy is a testament to us levelling the playing field both at home and at work.”

In 2020, OYO launched a slew of employee wellbeing and work-life balance initiatives. Along with moving to a 5-day work week, the company introduced a ‘weekend curfew’, encouraging a balanced work-life approach. OYO also launched and facilitated a host of other initiatives to build an equitable and inclusive workplace such as the OYO Women’s Network, a platform for members to seek or share career advice, build a network with leaders inside and outside OYO.

About OYO Hotels & Homes:

About OYO - Opening its doors in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes, is today the leading technology and revenue growth platform for 100K+ small hotels and homeowners across 800 cities in 80 countries, including India, US, UK, Japan and those in Europe, Southeast Asia,  Middle East and Latin America. 

57% Of Indian Organizations Suffered Unexpected Downtime In 2020 Due To Data Loss, Reveals Acronis Survey

* 70% of Indian companies run as many as 10 solutions simultaneously, however, investing in more solutions does not necessarily lead to better cyber protection

Singapore’s Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, released the findings of its second annual Cyber Protection Week survey, which uncovered a dangerous disconnect between the need for organizations to keep their data protected and the ineffective investments they’ve made trying to reach that goal.

While 2020 saw companies purchase new systems to enable and secure remote workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, those investments are not paying off. The global survey discovered that 70% of companies in India now run as many as 10 solutions simultaneously for their data protection and cybersecurity needs, while the remaining 30% run more than 10 solutions – yet 57% of all those organizations suffered unexpected downtime last year because of data loss.

The findings from Acronis’ annual survey, which polled 4,400 IT users and professionals in 22 countries across six continents, including India, dispel the myth that simply adding more solutions will solve cybersecurity and data protection challenges. Not only does investing in more solutions not deliver more protection, in many cases trying to manage protection across multiple solutions creates greater complexity and less visibility for the IT team, which increases risk.

“This year’s Cyber Protection Week survey clearly illustrates that more solutions do not deliver greater protection, as using separate tools to address individual types of exposure is complicated, inefficient, and costly,” said Rustom Hiramaneck, General Manager – South Asia at Acronis. “These findings confirm our belief that the smarter approach is cyber protection, which unifies data protection, cybersecurity, and endpoint management in one.” 

Knowledge gap contributes to IT challenges in India

Complicating matters, there is a significant gap in awareness among users and IT pros in India of what IT and cybersecurity capabilities are available to them, which can cause them to lose valuable time, money, and security:

35% of IT users and 11% of IT professionals in India (63% and 16% for global) would not know if their data had been modified without their knowledge because their solution makes determining that kind of tampering difficult.

10% of IT users in India don’t know if their anti-malware stops zero-day threats (43% for global), because their solution doesn’t make that information easily available – but 58% claim to have it. Having easy access to such cybersecurity insights is critical to ensuring data is protected.

A shocking 20% of IT pros in India (13% for global) don’t know if their organization is subject to data privacy regulations. If those responsible for ensuring data privacy don’t know they are culpable, they cannot implement strategies or evaluate the solutions needed to address the requirements. That ignorance puts the business at tremendous risk of major fines for potential compliance violations in 2021.

For anyone using multiple solutions to solve their IT and cybersecurity needs, the lack of transparency into such information only gets worse. Not only must they remember which solution provides a particular data point, they are constantly switching between consoles to find the details they need – leading to inefficiencies and missed insights.

Individuals’ lax approach to protection

The survey also revealed a staggeringly lax approach to data protection among IT users in India:

98% of IT users spent more time on their devices last year (92% for global), and 85% of them took extra steps to protect those devices (just over 50% for global)

35% admit to not updating their devices until at least a week after being notified of a patch, or even longer (41% for global)

98% of IT users reported performing backups, with 40% claiming to back up daily – yet 90% (69% for global) have irretrievably lost data at least once, suggesting that they don’t know how to back up or recover properly

The efforts of individuals to protect their data aren’t keeping pace with threats, which is likely due to false assumptions (such as believing Microsoft 365 backs up their data) or a reliance on automatic solutions.

Action items for Cyber Protection Week

The challenges of protecting and securing data, applications, and systems will continue to grow in the post-pandemic world. To ensure that data is protected, Acronis recommends five simple steps:

Create backups of important data. Keep multiple copies of your backups, with one local copy for fast recovery and one off-site in the cloud to guarantee recovery if disaster destroys your copies. 

Update your operating systems and applications. Outdated systems and apps lack the security fixes that stop cybercriminals from gaining access. Regular patching is required to avoid exploits.

Avoid suspicious emails, links, and attachments. Most malware infections are the result of social engineering techniques that trick unsuspecting individuals into opening infected email attachments or clicking on links to websites that host malware.

Install antivirus, anti-malware, and anti-ransomware software while enabling automatic updates so your system is protected against malware.

Consider adopting a single cyber protection solution to have the central management and integrated protection needed to meet today’s IT requirements.

About Acronis

Acronis unifies data protection and cybersecurity to deliver integrated, automated cyber protection that solves the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) challenges of the modern digital world. With flexible deployment models that fit the demands of service providers and IT professionals, Acronis provides superior cyber protection for data, applications, and systems with innovative next-generation antivirus, backup, disaster recovery, and endpoint protection management solutions. With award-winning AI-based antimalware and blockchain-based data authentication technologies, Acronis protects any environment – from cloud to hybrid to on-premises – at a low and predictable cost.

Pre-Cast Technology Proves To Be The Game Changer In Construction

By Manu Sharma

Pre- cast technology or prefab has revolutionized the way builders are constructing today. As against popular belief, pre cast construction is as sturdy as conventional construction and results in huge savings in terms of time as it ensures faster delivery of homes. Manu Sharma, Editor, Silicon Village caught up with Darshan Govindaraju, Director, Vaishnavi Group regarding pre cast technology being deployed in their residential and commercial projects and Safarulla Azeez, Director, Techno-Commercial, Katerra, a company that engages in manufacturing of pre-cast structures, to get insights into the technology behind pre fab structures.

Q. How has prefab structures helped build new hospitals and quarantine facilities across India in record time through the covid-19 pandemic?

Darshan Govindaraju: Whenever there is large requirement with less manpower and less time, standardization of construction elements and size, modular system comprising Precast  elements, MEP , finishes etc prefab is best the option to build  hospitals/quarantine facilities in less time due to very less activities at site

Q. How much cheaper are prefab homes compared to other homes? Please justify with numbers.

DG : Prefab homes are known for their better quality, faster timelines and accuracy and precision in dimensions, however the same can be deemed economical when there is a mass construction involved with considerable repetitions. And when compared with the return on investments, time benefit analysis and long maintenance, etc, offsite manufacturing could be cheaper on a larger picture.

Q. How does your manpower, who are well versed with the old/traditional building technologies cope with this technology? Is there any training involved or you employ only those with knowledge on this technology?

Safarulla Azeez: We at Katerra has a mix of both skilled and relevant experienced manpower and also the people proficient in traditional construction methodology who were open for learning and evolving over time. Katerra however provides an extensive training during the induction period for all the employees to cope with the precast and prefabrication technology.

Q. How durable are prefab homes compared to the traditional ones?

SA: Precast homes are much more durable than conventional homes as predominant material is RCC in case of precast while it is still brick and motor in traditional methods. At Katerra our precast building components are from a bare minimum of M40 grade up to M60 as per the design requirement, which induces additional strength and durability. Also the precision of the reinforcement laying, stirrups, cover maintained, uniform compaction  ,  concreting in controlled environment , strict quality check at factory & curing and mould finish are few value additions which eventually help in enhancing the structural durability of the homes.

Q. Are prefab energy efficient? If yes please justify the claim?

SA: Precast technology is definitely energy efficient approach during construction as there would be limited manpower, minimum water consumption as it is artificial curing using steam chambers, carbon footprint for production is less when compared to traditional methods, etc. Katerra has executed projects for Infosys, Microsoft, BOSCH, etc which are LEED/IGBC rated which shows the impact of energy efficiency during execution. Offsite manufactured buildings are also energy efficient during life cycle, as plastering is completely eliminated there is no requirement of regular maintenance to avoid shrinkage cracks, factory produced components have minimum rate of corrosion as cover is maintained accurately. Also, RCC in general is a better energy efficient material over traditional brick and motor.

Q. Why aren't prefabricated homes still not popular in India?

SA : Construction has always been the biggest unorganized sector in India making it difficult for adopting global technologies. However, India is continuously evolving in terms of construction technology and in fact precast/offsite manufacturing has penetrated in the last decade. Currently all the government construction authorities are making steps towards developing special codes for precast/offsite manufacturing which will eventually pave path and encourage more precast homes and buildings in India. With the evolving market the limitations in flexibility for changes or modifications are eliminated and making the precast homes more popular in the urban market. The other reason was technology through right equipment and machineries were not in place, and as Katerra we have implemented new technology and equipment from different part of the world which enhance the prefabrication and precast technology more popular in India.

Q. One of the disadvantages of prefabrication has been promoting repetitive, monotonous patterns, or series in order to be economically feasible. How to overcome this challenge?

SA : It is a misconception that precast need to adopt monotonous patterns, with the efficient design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA) we need to ensure the repeatability of the building components without compromising on the architectural layouts, variations and patterns. Repeatability to be achieved by standardizing the building heights, lift and staircase cores, wall panel dimensions, etc but simultaneously providing flexibility in the floor layouts, room dimensions, window & door openings, etc. Katerra is equipped with an inhouse design team to support for the probable design value additions in a much early stage to maintain repeatability without limiting developers to monotonous box designs.

Q. Since the slabs, pillars are others have been constructed in large numbers at an offsite location, transportation is another major problem in the prefab modules and might be hard to manoeuvre to reach locations in a city. How is this being handled?

SA: In our precast approach 80 percent of the precast components are manufactured in our factory and transported to site for installation. As per our past project experiences and analysis we realized there would actually be a reduction in the vehicular movement to construction site due to transporting finished components rather than the raw materials like cement, sand, aggregates, steel, etc or the concrete RMC mixers on a daily basis. Moreover, most of the transportation shall be undertaken during night abiding by the regulations which will not impact any traffic movement in and around the construction site. Katerra has executed complex projects in the most congested areas of the Bangalore like Electronic city, Bellandur, Embassy Golf Village, Embassy Tech Park. We have also executed a project with just in time approach due to unavailability of stockyard space at site. Precast technology adoption would be much more advantages at such sites as most of the activity is completed at site.

Q. How have your customers' responding to this kind of homes? Will you be building more apartments/homes using this technology in the future?

SA : There are lot of enquiries from different customers and very positive response also. Yes, Definitely Katerra will be interested in building more apartments and homes using this technology. We are in to more innovation and R&D in this sector like volumetric construction etc…

Ashok Soota Commits Rs.200 Cr Investment By Launching SKAN Medical Research Trust For Ageing And Neurological Disorders

Ashok Soota has announced the creation of SKAN, probably India’s first not-for-profit entity in the private sector, exclusively for medical research.

The research for the projects will be done through reputed partners, and directly in-house.  The strategic partner for Neurological research is the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) at Indian Institute Science, Bangalore (IISc).  CBR is putting together a consortium to handle the first project on Parkinson’s disease.  The strategic partner for Ageing is the upcoming St. John’s Geriatric Centre (SJGC), to be located on the St John’s Hospital campus. Soota has agreed to fund the setting up of the Centre for Research in Ageing and Geriatrics (CRAG) at the SJGC and to support joint projects.  In Ageing, the approach will be to go wide into relatively under-researched areas and will include the establishment of a large community-based research cohort.  For Neurological research, the plan will be to go deep into select areas like Parkinson’s disease, Bipolar disorders, Strokes and other Cerebrovascular disorders.

For problems related to both ageing and neurological disorders, the philosophy of the research will include searching for kinder, gentler therapies; delaying the onset and slowing down the progression of the disease and providing persons a better quality of life even as they live with the illness.

Soota also announced funds commitment of Rs.200 Crores for SKAN.  Out of this, Rs 100 crores is earmarked for partners such as St John’s, Centre for Brain Research (CBR), IIT-Roorkee, NIMHANS and any new partners which may be added.  Rs.100 crores is earmarked for investments in SKAN and direct projects within SKAN.

Ashok Soota said “it will take 10 years to build a world class institution for Ageing and Neurological research.  I am grateful to two eminent leaders who have agreed to take charge as Chairpersons for the two divisions in case of an exigency to me if line leadership is not ready to take charge. I have had this exigency-based arrangement in every organization I started, be it MindTree or Happiest Minds.”

SKAN is on the lookout for talent including CEOs for the Ageing and Neurological divisions and many other positions. Applicants can visit SKANrt.in for the positions to be filled and send an email to Talent@SKANrt.in.