H I G H L I G H T S :
-Third International Day
of Yoga Celebration on
River Main
-IGCC Annual Gathering
-Inauguration of 9th
Cologne India Week
-Make in India promo-
tion - Company Visits
C O N S U L A T E
G E N E R A L O F
I N D I A ,
F R A N K F U R T INDIEN NEWSLETTER V O L U M E I V , I S S U E V I I
I N S I D E T H I S
Farewell Message by
CG
1
Yoga on the Main 2
Yoga on the Main
Photos
3
Company visits 4
Annual General Meet:
Düsseldorf
5
9th Cologne India
Week 6
Spotlight on India 7
India - Germany
Business news
8
News Roundup
9
Dear friends
It is time to say goodbye to you all and to this city after four long years in
Frankfurt as the Consul General. It is emotional to uproot myself from a
place which has given so much. I however, go back satisfied, that we could
achieve a lot in these four years – in terms of our enhanced engagement with
the German businesses, Indian diaspora, Indian students and other sections
of the society. I could see the sentiment gradually changing regarding
engagement with India. We launched India Business Forum to bring all
professionals together. We set up Friends of India for the Indian community
organisations. We promoted ‘Kala Sangam’ as a vehicle for Indian artists to
perform in Germany. We brought the Indian students together. We
promoted Make in India and other initiatives of the Government.
I must admit that my family and I had a memorable time here, made new
friends, met interesting people and explored many beautiful places in
Germany. I thank each one of you for your support and encouragement
which helped me to contribute in my own small way towards a stronger
Indo-German relationship.
I do hope to see some of you in Delhi which is my next assignment. To
those, who would like to keep in touch, my personal email is
Raveesh Kumar Consul General of India, Frankfurt
Farewell Message
'Yoga on the Main' Consulate General Of India, Frankfurt celebrated the third International Day of Yoga on 19th
June, 2017, titled 'Yoga on the Main' a cruise on the river Main aboard, 'Nautilus', with the sup-
port of India Tourism and Tech Mahindra. The event comprised of 'Common Y oga Protocol'
conducted by European Yoga Institute, followed by Yoga session 'Inner Peace & Outer
Dynamicism' by Art of Living, Yoga for Love a guided meditation by Sadhguru by Isha
Foundation, 'Y oga for Work-life Balance' by Santulan Aum Hari. Meditation sessions
'Pranayama' was conducted by Patanjali Yogapeeth, 'Meditation for Harmony' by Brahma
Kumaris, and 'Outer Peace through Inner Peace' Yoga Therapy by Bhakti Marga. Later, a
performance by Sarod Maestro Pandit Vikash Maharaj and his troupe from Varanasi, enthralled
the audience. The event also included a quiz competition based on Yoga. Stalls were also set on
the ship by the Yoga institutes to make people aware about the benefits of Yoga. It also drew the
attention of a large number of spectators, including tourists on both sides of the river and on the
bridges across the river. The event was covered by Deutsche Welle, Germany's public interna-
tional broadcaster, on TV & Radio. The event concluded with chanting of the Shanti Mantras and
was attended by over 200 people.
Forthcoming Events
-15 th August :
Celebration of
Independence Day
P A G E 2
CG Raveesh Kumar, Mrs. Ranjana Raveesh, (L) Sponsor’s & Yoga
Partners
CG Raveesh Kumar, Mrs. Ranjana Raveesh, Mr. Ajit Pal Singh, India
Tourism, Mr. Kaushik Gupta, Country Head, TechMahindra Germany
'Yoga on the Main'
Team of Asha members, co-organiser Weltladen and Fair
Ein e.V., and the beautiful artists
Company visit to JUMO GmbH & Co.KG As part of the Consulate’s efforts to reach out to German
companies located in its jurisdiction, Shri. T.G Ramesh,Vice
Consul (E&C) and Marketing Executive visited the
Headquarters of JUMO GmbH & Co.KG in Fulda on 7 June
2017. JUMO is the global market leader in manufacturing
industrial temperature probes and is a high-tech supplier of
innovative products in the field of measurement, control &
automation technology and employs more than 2,100
employees worldwide. At the meeting, economic reforms in
India like GST & its benefits for Companies like JUMO
were also highlighted. As part of the visit JUMO`s plans for
expansion in India were also discussed.
P A G E 4
Visit by Microbox GmbH at Consulate On 12th June, CG met Mr. Stephan Welp,
MD, Microbox GmbH and Ms. Katharina
von Maltzan, Head, India Desk, Frankfurt
Chamber of Commerce & Industry at the
Consulate. CG had visited the Microbox
facility in April 2017. Microbox is keen to
expand its business in India. Currently the
company has a sales representative office in
Delhi and has been supplying their scanning
technology to libraries and regional district
courts in India. The Company has long term
interest in expanding its operations in the
Public & Private sectors in India.
India meets FrankfurtRheinMain`-Lets talk Business` On 8th June, the 21st event in the series of
India meets FrankfurtRheinMain 'Let’s talk
Business' was organized by FrankfurtRhein
Main GmbH in cooperation with the
Consulate, Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce
& Industry and Frankfurt City of Economic
Promotion Council.The theme was Labor
Laws in Germany with a special focus on
‘The most expensive traps in German labor
law’ and ‘New developments in German
labor lease’. Around 40 representatives from
Indian firms in Germany actively participated
in the event.
Vice Consul (E & C) with Mr. Peer Hohage
(Business Development Manager Export)
Outreach Activity : Visit to Eschborn On 16th June, the Consul General met the Mayor of Eschborn,
Mr. Mathias Geiger and Head, Economic Cooperation Council
Eschborn, Ms. Dong-Mi Park-Shin and discussed possible areas
of cooperation between the City of Eschborn and CGI Frankfurt.
The Indian community is fairly robust with around 400 members
of the diaspora residing in Eschborn and Niederhöchtstadt. CG
referred to the need for a school with Indian syllabus which
could cater to the growing Indian diaspora. In addition, it was
also decided that an Indo-German Day could be organised to
facilitate a better dialogue and engagement between the Indian
community, the City of Eschborn and the Consulate.
CG with Mayor of Eschborn
Mr. Mathias Geiger
Business Start-Up : AHOY A fledgling startup “Ahoy” which aims to help new
businesses, including startups, set up by five Indian
students in Germany visited the Consulate on 29th June
2017. In an interesting discussion, Team Ahoy gave an
overview of their interesting business model. “Ahoy” was
launched on 22nd June at EBS University in Oewstrich
Winkel. Germany provides a great environment for
startups and according to one report, Berlin is second
largest startup hub after London. Vice Consul (E & C) with young
entrepreneurs of AHOY
Old India Hands Reception Consul General attended the Old India Hands Reception on 20th June 2017 organised by the
Indo-German Chamber of Commerce on the eve of its Annual Gathering in Düsseldorf. Indian
Ambassador to Berlin, Smt. Mukta Dutta Tomar, German Ambassador to India Dr. Martin Ney,
Lord Mayor of Düsseldorf, Mr. Thomas Geisel were guests of honour. Around 80 to 100 Entre-
preneurs & Professionals involved in economic & business activities participated in the recep-
tion.
Consulate’s Support Activity : Cultural Programme The inauguration event of Frankfurt Sangeetha Sabha e.V, a non profit Carnatic music associa-
tion, combined with the 6th anniversary of Indian Music Academy took place on 11th June 2017.
The event was inaugurated by Ms. Soni Dahiya, Consul (PPIC) on behalf of the Consulate. On
this occasion vocal performances by students of Indian Music Academy and dance performances
by students of Indische Tanz Akademie and students of Nrithyathi School of Dance were held.
On 17th June 2017, Frankfurt Sangeetha Sabha e.V, organised its first Carnatic music concert in
Frankfurt with the support of the Consulate. The concert was part of the "Strings Attached Eu-
rope" tour where compositions were interwoven intricately with improvisations, and presented
through the rare combination of the Veena and Violin. Around 150 people attended the event.
Consul (PPIC) represented the Consulate at the event.
P A G E 5
Outreach activities
Annual Reception : Indo-German Chamber Of Commerce Consul General attended the Traditional annual reception of
the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce on 21st June 2017 in
Düsseldorf. Opening Remarks were made by Mr. Bernhard
Steinrücke, Director General, IGCC and Mr. C.S.Mathur, Vice
President, IGCC. Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal
Ministry of Economic and Energy, Mr. Dirk Wiese spoke
about the Economic policy relations with India which were in
the strategic interest of Germany. Ambassador Ms. Mukta Dut-
ta Tomar and Dr. Martin Ney also spoke extensively on the
progressive bilateral relations between India and Germany.
The IGCC has over 7000 members and is the largest foreign
Chamber of Trade in Germany. Over 350 guests attended the
reception.
Indian Ambassador Smt. Mukta Dutta
Tomar (center) IGCC Board
Ms. Soni Dahiya (Consul )
inaugurating the concert
‘Strings Attached Europe’
Dance and music participants at Frankfurt Sangeetha Sabha
9th Cologne India Week : Celebration of India Day
On 27th June, ‘India Day’ was organised by KoelnMesse, consultants Maier+Vidorno and
Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft in Cologne, as part of the 9th Cologne India Week series of
events. Head of Chancery and Consul, Shri. Subhash Chand presented the Opening Remarks at
the event. Speakers from Metro Cash & Carry, Liebherr and Jagenberg presented their best
practices in India. Panel discussions on e-commerce in India, investment potential in India and
innovation opportunities in India. Over 100 representatives from SMEs, consultants from India
and Germany participated in the day long proceedings.
9th Cologne India Week
The Era of Digitalisation
On 26th June 2017, the Consulate in cooperation with
the City of Cologne, Confederation of Indian Industries
(CII), Attorneys Osborne Clarke organised a business
meet on ‘The Era of Digitalisation: Opportunities for
Indo-German Collaboration’, as part of the 9th Cologne
-India Week. Shri T.G Ramesh (Vice Consul (E&C)
gave a prasentation on Social Impacts on
Digitalisation in India. Issues related to Digitalisation
and IT/Engineering/Startup and Social Aspects were
discussed by representatives from Germany and India.
The keynote speaker of the event was Padma Shri BVR
Mohan Reddy, Founder and Chairman, Cyient, and
former Chairman NASSCOM spoke about the role of
ICT in the transformation of India in the current Digital
Age. Over 60 participants from the Start-up and SME community from the Cologne region partic-
ipated in the event.
P A G E 6 Outreach activities:
Celebration of India Day
On 27th June, ‘India Day’ was organised by
KoelnMesse, consultants Maier+Vidorno and
Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft in Cologne,
as part of the 9th Cologne India Week series
of events. Head of Chancery and Consul, Shri
Subhash Chand presented the Opening Re-
marks at the event. Speakers from Metro
Cash & Carry, Liebherr and Jagenberg pre-
sented their best practices in India. Panel dis-
cussions on e-commerce in India, investment
potential in India and innovation opportunities in India. Over 100 representatives from SMEs,
consultants from India and Germany participated in the day long proceedings.
Consul Shri. Subhash Chand with the organisers of the India
Day
Inauguration Ceremony The 9th Cologne India week was inaugurated on 23rd
June by Mr. Andreas Wolter (Mayor of the city of the
Cologne), Ms. Ruth Heap (President of DIG Cologne )
and Consul (PPIC) from the Consulate. Several cultural
performances by the local artists were presented on the
occasion. The India week which was held from 23rd
June to 2nd July, included various cultural, social and
business events to promote and further strengthen the
Indo-German relationship. The Week was a
collaborative effort by the City of Cologne, DIG
Cologne, Osborne Clarke and CGI Frankfurt as the main
partners with several supporting partners. The
inauguration ceremony was attended by over 400
people.
Ms. Soni Dahiya Consul (PPIC) President of DIG
Cologne inaugurating 9th Cologne India Week
The Speakers and Organisers of the event ,`The
Era of Digitalisation`
Spotlight on India P A G E 7
V O L U M E I V , I S S U E V I I
India overtakes China as the most promising market for retail expansion China fell out of the No. 1 spot in a ranking of the most
promising markets for retail expansion.China's retail market is
maturing and GDP growth has lagged, but the country's size
and e-commerce opportunity remain strong, A.T. Kearney
said.India took the top spot, helped by its expanding economy,
booming consumption rates, urbanizing population and
growing middle class.As retailers struggle in the U.S., a new
report suggests India could be the next bright spot for the
industry.
India to grow at 7.2% in FY17-18, says World Bank A recent World Bank report predicted that Indian economy
will maintain a growth rate of 7.2 per cent in the current
financial year. This report came close on the heels of Q4 GDP
figures for 2016-17, which saw growth rate plunging to 6.1
per cent due to disruptive effect of demonetisation.In its
Global Economic Prospects, the World Bank estimates India
to see growth rates of 7.5 per cent in 2018-19 and 7.7 per cent
in 2019-20. According to this, India retains the title of fastest
growing economy, with China still lagging behind.
India’s new initiative in Africa: The Asia Africa growth corridor During the recent annual meeting of the Africa Development
Bank at Gandhinagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
announced the launch of India’s latest initiative in Africa, the
Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC), in partnership with
Japan. This initiative is the latest in a series of steps taken by
India including the Third India Africa Forum Summit and a
number of high level visits to 16 African countries over the
last two years, all aimed to boost ties with the continent.
United States and India : Prosperity Through Partnership President Donald J. Trump hosted Prime Minister Narendra
Modi of India at the White House on June 26 for an official
visit to Washington, D.C. In marking 70 years of diplomatic
relations between India and the United States, the leaders
resolved to expand and deepen the strategic partnership
between the countries and advance common objectives. Above
all, these objectives include combatting terrorist threats,
promoting stability across the Indo-Pacific region, increasing
free and fair trade, and strengthening energy linkages.
President Trump and Prime Minister Modi expressed
confidence that, together, the United States and India will
provide strong leadership to address global challenges and
build prosperity for their citizens in the decades to
come.Democratic Stalwarts in the Indo-Pacific Region.
NASA launches world's smallest satellite built by Indian students We have made history. The world's smallest satellite has been
launched in space.A team of students from Space Kidz India
in Chennai, who built the world's smallest satellite called
'KalamSat', rejoiced after its launch by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) today.The
satellite weighs only 64 grams.The team led by Rifath
Sharook, an Indian teenager hailing from Tamil Nadu,created
the smallest and lightest satellite in the world for NASA.They
have broken a global space record by launching the
satellite."It's a 3-D printed satellite. It is for the first time that 3-
D printing technology is being used in space.
250 Trains in India to have Solar Panels fitted We recently mentioned about how India was increasing its use
of solar power to reduce carbon emissions and provide an
environmentally friendly source of energy in the country. Well,
Indian Railways is planning to install solar panels on the roofs
of a number of its trains. It is already fitting solar photovoltaic
panels to the roofs of a considerable number of its
buildings.The railway company just happens to be the fourth
biggest train company in the world. It is to fit solar panels to
250 of its trains’ coaches that provide a local service with the
energy being used to provide power for lights and fans.
Batteries will also be used.
Yoga: India’s soft power that can change the World The Yoga initiative, starting with International Yoga Day, was
a welcome break from India’s prior cultural lethargy. It is
imperative that India expands its yogic culture as its civilisa-
tional strength. India has a tremendous cultural power or
civilisational shakti that has maintained a profound impact on
the world for thousands of years. This is represented by India’s
great gurus, rishis and dharmic traditions at an inner level,
along with a sophisticated artistic and material culture outward-
ly.
PSLV-C38 Successfully Launches 31 Satellites in a Single Flight India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its 40th flight (PSLV-
C38), launched the 712 kg Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth
observation and 30 co-passenger satellites together weighing
about 243 kg at lift-off into a 505 km polar Sun Synchronous
Orbit (SSO).The co-passenger satellites comprise 29 Nano
satellites from 14 countries namely, Austria, Belgium, Chile,
Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, United Kingdom and United States
of America as well as one Nano satellite (NIUSAT) from
India.This is the 11th Satellite launched by PSLV for Germany.
Another landmark moment for India Germany Space
Cooperation.This is the thirty ninth consecutively successful
mission of PSLV.
All News and Photos are procured with the help of different Media sources
India-Germany Business News P A G E 8
V O L U M E I V , I S S U E V I I
Narendra Modi's four-nation tour: Make in India outreach programme has attracted many German SMEs, says PM The Make in India Mittelstand (MIIM) launched to encourage
German small and medium industry (SME) to India has
evoked major interest in Germany, giving further boost to bi-
lateral business ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. Ger-
many is contributing in a big way to the Make in India. The
Strategic Market Entry Programme -- MII Mittelstand started
in September 2015 to facilitate entry into the Indian market
has been a major success. Over 83 German companies have
expressed interest in joining the programme, 73 have officially
enrolled, while 47 companies' investments are in advanced
states of implementation. PM noted that the Indo-German
Managers Training Programme had led to increased invest-
ments and creation of joint ventures by companies from both
countries. "More than 500 Indian managers have benefited
from this programme,” said the PM.
BMW to invest Rs 125 crore in India after 8% growth BMW, the luxury carmaker from Germany is about to invest
another Rs 130 crore in India to provide the push to its local
operations. This round of investment would take its total
investment in the country to Rs 1,250 crore. In the January-
May period this year, BMW India has grown at the rate of 8%,
having sold 3,533 units. "Since 2007, we have been
consistently investing in India. In 2017, we are going to
increase our investment further to up to Rs 1,250 crore on a
cumulative basis," said the BMW India President Vikram
Pawah. Talking about manufacturing in India, he said, "We
are locally producing eight of our total 16 models that are
available. So as we introduce new models, also the new 5
Series, will be produced in the Chennai plant."
'Indo-German varsity exchange programme on full steam' Germany was actively working with India for the university
exchange programme, German Deputy Consul General Jurgen
Thomas Schrod said. "India-Germany varsity exchange
programme is consistently going on involving premier
institutions in Kolkata as well as from North-East. Advocating
the need for increased cultural exchange between the two
nations, he said "Quite a few people in Kolkata - artistes,
literary people, musicians - have gone to Germany. "As part of
heightening cultural activities, the Max Mueller Bhavan in
Kolkata is having new premises where more art shows,
musical programmes can take place," he said.
He also said that India was among the top five trading partners
of Germany.
India mulling startups exchanges with Germany, Saarc To further develop the ecosystem for startups in India, the
government is working on ways to step up the exchanges with
startups from countries like Germany and in the South Asian
region, said the Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. "We
have negotiated with Germany for an exchange of ideas with
German startups under an existing arrangement between our
countries." The Minister said at the launch of the Startup India
Hub online platform designed to be a single point of contact
for the startup community and we are currently working on the
modalities of how to exchange ideas with German startups, and
hope to realise this within some months. Given the complemen-
tarities among the South Asian nations, the government is ac-
tively considering a South Asian Association for Regional
Coperation (Saarc) startups exchange programme.
Germany to conduct feasibility study on Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru rail route Known for its expertise in the high-speed rail sector, Germany
will conduct a feasibility study for running trains at a speed of
about 300 kmph on the 450-km-long Chennai-Bengaluru-
Mysuru route. Germany has appointed a consortium of consult-
ants comprising DB E&C, Intraplan Consult and Ingenieurbng
to carry out the study in the southern region. Germany will bear
the cost of the year-long study involving exact location, rid-
ership, opportunities, and challenges among other issues and
submit the report. A pre-feasibility study of this section was
completed by the German side in 2016 and now they are keen
to do a feasibility study, said a senior Railway Ministry official
involved with the high-speed rail project. India had signed a
joint declaration of intent in October 2015 on the development
of cooperation in rail sector between German Federal Ministry
of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and the Indian Railways
during the visit of the German Chancellor to India.
India to participate in food industry exhibition in Germany Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur
Badal on Tuesday signed an agreement for India's participation
in ANUGA, an international exhibition for food industry in
Germany in October 2017. While ANUGA 2015 had 135 Indian
exhibitors, more than 200 Indian companies are expected to
participate in ANUGA 2017. "Food diplomacy will bridge
many differences and transform the lives of the
farmers."Development of food processing industries will help
achieve the target of doubling farmers' income by 2022, said the
Union Minister.
KfW financing water metro in India KfW has signed a loan agreement with the Republic of India
for EUR 85 million on behalf of the German Federal Ministry
for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The loan
is to be used to finance an integrated water transport system in
the city of Kochi in Southern India and will be transferred to
the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) via the Indian state of
Kerala. This development will ensure a seamless transport net-
work, as electric buses and rickshaws will transport passengers
to the boats, and footpaths and cycle lanes will be created. Ko-
chi is one of the 100 "Smart Cities" in India. The development
and the energy-efficient modernisation of the water transport
system will help to significantly improve the mobility of the
city's population, while also reducing environmental pollution
and the volume of resources consumed. With this development,
Kochi is making a vital step towards becoming a 'Smart City'.
India is one of Germany's oldest and most important partner
countries. Since the beginning of the German development co-
operation in 1958, India has received government commitments
totalling EUR 13 billion, which is the highest amount world-
wide. The bilateral cooperation is focusing on the fields of en-
ergy, the environment (including urban development) and sus-
tainable economic development.
All News are procured with the help of different Media sources
CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA
FRIEDRICH-EBERT-ANLAGE 26, 60325, FRANKFURT AM
MAIN, GERMANY
Telephone :+49 69 153 00 50
For suggestions and feedback, please send your e-mails to [email protected]
Month of June in Pictures!
CG Raveesh Kumar and Mayor Mathias
Geiger, EconomiCouncil Head
IGCC Reception in Düsseldorf Inauguration of Frankfurt Sangeetha
Sabha by Consul Ms. Soni Dahiya
Shri T. G. Ramesh Vice Consul (E & C) presenting on Social Impact of
Digitalisation on India
CG´s Farewell Reception!
CG with the Consulate General of India, Frankfurt family
Farewell reception by CG & Family
CG with members of ‘Friends of India’
Members of ‘Indian Business Forum’ presenting a Memento to CG
Consul Shri Prabhakar presenting a memento to CG