india-ireland in focus

C o n t e n t s

Disclaimer: India-Ireland in Focus is a special publication. The views expressed in this journal are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Embassy of India in Dublin. The magazine is produced to promote India-Ireland ties. The journal has no

commercial value and is not for sale, it is for private circulation only.

Published by: Embassy of India6 Leeson Park, Dublin 6, Ireland; • Tel.: 01-4970843, 4966792; • Fax: 353-1-4978074

Produced by Krest Publications, New Delhi, India Tel.: 91-11-4653 9323 • Fax : 91-11-4610 5603 • Email: [email protected]

Printing: Rave India

India-Ireland linkages enhanced ..............................................................................................................................................................................3

The Ireland- India Business Association ................................................................................................................................................................4

New Government, new opportunities ....................................................................................................................................................................10

The first Budget under the Modi Government and what it means for business ...............................................................................................11

Modi, the profile .......................................................................................................................................................................................................12

“Make in India” – made real ....................................................................................................................................................................................13

Ireland's focus on energy conservation attracts Indian conglomerate .............................................................................................................16

HCL Technologies: creating business value from Ireland ..................................................................................................................................18

Ireland- India working together ..............................................................................................................................................................................20

CRH seeks Indian opportunities ............................................................................................................................................................................22

Modi Government to launch $32.9 billion infrastructure projects .....................................................................................................................23

Ireland-India horse breeding ..................................................................................................................................................................................24

Food diplomacy ........................................................................................................................................................................................................26

Increase growth rate and reduce inflation - Modi's big food challenge ............................................................................................................28

An out of space first for India ................................................................................................................................................................................29

Sports news: Irish cricket gains multi-million Euro boost ..................................................................................................................................30

Historic cricket launch – Ranji Trophy becomes Irish national fixture ..............................................................................................................31

India-Ireland linkages enhanced

Ambassador's Desk

3INDIa-IrELaND IN FocusocTobEr 2014

A s the Irish summer comes to an end, I extend my warm greetings to the readers of the publication “India Ireland in Focus”. This is a joint effort of the Embassy of India and Ireland India Business Association to promote and strengthen India Ireland business linkages.

It is heartening to note that the number of business focussed events and the level of interest in two-way investment continue to develop. With the multiple initiatives being announced by the new government of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to foster development and economic growth and with the stronger signs of economic recovery in Ireland, there are significant opportunities to take our bilateral engagement forward.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the ‘Make in India’ initiative on 25 September 2014 from Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. The initiative was launched simultaneously at the national level, the state level and globally through the Indian Missions abroad. It has its origin in Prime Minister’s Independence Day speech where he gave a clarion call to “Make in India” and to initiate what he called the “zero defect zero effect policy”.

Ease of doing business, focus on Public-Private partnerships, harnessing the potential of Democracy, Demography and Demand –form the key focus of PM Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' campaign. Giving a twin definition for FDI, Prime Minister Modi said that for Indians FDI or First Develop India is a responsibility; for entrepreneurs and businessmen the world over, FDI or Foreign Direct Investment is an opportunity.

This issue brings you more about the Indian Government’s commitment to chart a new path wherein business entities will be extended a red carpet welcome in a spirit of cooperation. Also included in this issue are success stories of Indian companies in Ireland as well as Irish companies in India. We have tried to bring together a range of articles to interest our wide variety of readers. I look forward to your continued feedback.

I would like to thank the contributors for their articles in this publication. I will continue to count on the support of the IIBA in the future.

Mrs. Radhika Lal LokeshAmbassador of India

H.E. Mrs. Radhika Lal Lokesh, Ambassador of India to Ireland addressing the audience on the occasion of Independence Day 2014

4IndIa-Ireland In Focusoctober 2014

The Ireland India Business Association (IIBA) was founded in May 2008 to

foster commercial links between Irish and Indian businesses. The IIBA is a member-driven non-profit organisation which organises regular business and networking events via its chapters in Dublin, Cork and Mumbai. The Association also organises seminars and business briefings

with guest speakers from Ireland and India. The organisation is sponsored by reputed companies like Etihad Airways, CRH, William Fry and Bank of Ireland. It is also supported by Enterprise Ireland and the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) as well as regional Chambers of Commerce. Both Ambassadors from India to Ireland and Ireland to India are its patrons and add the support of

The Ireland- India Business AssociationLinking two countries for trading opportunities

February–Cork. Seminar on ‘entering the Indian market'

February–Dublin Seminar on ‘entering the Indian market'

Bilateral trade

On Thursday 13th February, Michael Dineen,

Contracting Plus shared the journey of the

Contracting Plus business expansion into India

Organisations trying to understand why and how to enter to India were treated to a special lunchtime seminar in Alexander

House, Regus' Head Office in Ballsbridge, Dublin on Wednesday Feb 26th. The seminar was also aimed at companies already in India looking to be even more effective and managers running cross cultural teams between Ireland and India.

the Embassies in both countries.

The primary aim of the Association is to promote bilateral trade between Ireland and India. Interactions in various sectors such as in ICT, Pharma, Medical Devices, Engineering, Education, Energy, Infrastructure, Agri-business and Aviation are already established and growing. New members are always welcomed.

Michael Dineen from Contracting Plus which has offices in South India highlighted the potential of India as the world's

outsourcing hub while noting the commonalities with Ireland in Business, Education, Tax, Finance and IT. The advantages of rural business locations over the large metros were outlined: stronger community relationships, staff retention and competitiveness.

Mr. Dineen's Business Tips included:

• ResearchingandunderstandingIndiannationalandlocalhistory• Targeting 1 IndianMarket is amistake - each state has its own

intricacies• Buildtrust.Don'tover-promiseandplanfora3-5yearprocess• Gujaratisagreatentry-pointtoIndiaduetoitsinfrastructureand

laws.

Daniel Ramamoorthy on India market entry

5 IndIa-Ireland In Focusoctober 2014

March - Dublin. Roundtable discussion with His Excellency, the Ambassador of Ireland to India, Feilim Mc Laughlin

Bilateral trade

Left to Right: George Kiely, Enterprise Ireland, His Excellency, Feilim McLaughlin, Ambassador of Ireland to India and Sumit

Mullick, Chairman of Ireland India Business Association

Left to Right: Sumit Mullick, IIBA Chairman, Nilakanthi Ford, KFV Consulting and Mike Gibbons, KPMG

Speakers on the day included: Nilakanthi Ford of KFV Consulting, Shaun Saurin of Regus and Daniel Ramamoorthy, Entrepeneur and advisor to the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment on Entrepreneurship, Mr Raghav Mathur a partner in the Corporate, Private Equity and Finance Groups with the Gurgaon Office of Desai and Diwanji was a special guest and joined the panel after the presentations for a Q&A session.

On Tuesday, 4th March, the Ireland India Business Association in association

with KPMG held a roundtable discussion with His Excellency, the Ambassador of Ireland to India, Feilim Mc Laughlin.

The event was facilitated by Nilakanthi Ford of KFV Consulting and was held for senior management of Irish companies in India and Indian companies based in Ireland.

Among a range of topics, the Ambassador discussed inward investment opportunities in India, reflecting on the influence that the looming election is having on the foreign investment market. He also reviewed the present status of the ongoing Free Trade Agreement negotiations between the EU and India.


April-Dublin Seminar Series on ‘Business Opportunities with India' and Launch of ‘India-Ireland

in Focus ‘by Ambassador Radhika Lal Lokesh, the Embassy of India in Ireland and IIBA

the Radisson Hotel, St Helens, Dublin the event was sold out with over 120 guests and a long waiting list. The two key themes of the day were communication and collaboration.

A m b a s s a d o r Radhika Lokesh i n v i t e d b o t h Indian's businesses in I r e land and Irish businesses in India to collaborate i n d e v e l o p i n g s u b s t a n t i a l

opportunities for both economies and through working together.

Ambassador of India to Ireland Mrs. Lokesh with the speakers at the event

Her Excellency, Mrs. Radhika Lokesh Ambassador for India and Mr. Sumit Mullick, Chairman IIBAproudly display the first edition of India-Ireland in Focus

Monday April 14th was not only sunny, it also proved an auspicious occasion for the

K eynote speaker of the day was Shr i B .N. Satpathy - Senior Advisor

in the Planning Commission - Government of India. Mr B.N.Satpathy provided an excellent presentation on the collaboration opportunities possible between India and Ireland. He specifically focussed on the importance of innovation and leadership in such ventures between the two countries.

Bilateral trade

launch of a new 'India-Ireland in Focus' and seminar on Business opportunities. Held at


Mr. B.N. Satpathy - Senior Advisor in the Planning Commission - Government of India

Mr. Philip Thomas and Mr. Sanjay Pahuja, HCL

Left to Right: Venkatesh Priyadarshi TCS, Her Excellency

Mrs. Radhika Lokesh, Ambassador for India, Tony

Martyn, Bank of Ireland

Other speakers on the day include Venkatesh Priyadarshi, Regional Manager, Tata

Consultancy Services (TCS) who gave an insightful presentation on the skills and capabilities of Tata Group, an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It encompasses seven business sectors: communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products and chemicals. He also anecdotally noted that since 2012, with the appointment of the current chairman Cyrus Pallonji Mistry, who has an Irish passport, he is effectively working for an Irishman!

Phi l ip C Thomas, Director - Client Relations, BPO Business Services, HCL Technologies and

Sanjay Pahuja, AVP & Head, Ireland Operations, BPO Business Services, HCL Technologies, gave a joint presentation on HCL Technologies and the work they are doing both globally and in Ireland. HCL has pioneered industry trends, such as third-party Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) operations, multi-country delivery and providing next generation business services to Fortune 500/Fortune Global 500 customers. The HCL team consists of over 79,000 professionals of diverse nationalities, who operate from 31countries HCL set up European offices in Ireland three years' ago. Today the Company has 400 employees in Ireland and has been delighted with the development of its Irish business.

Bilateral trade


Left to Right: Mr. B.N. Satpathy; H.E. Mrs. Radhika Lokesh, European CEO Suresh Bhat and Subhromoy Mukherjee, State Bank of India

Mr. Derek Collins, Director, New Business and FDI from Bank of Ireland talked of his experiences in India and doing business with companies from India.

August - Dublin: Opportunities in India

The "event" was chaired by Nilakanthi Ford, IIBA Vice Chairmanand Director Europe and Asia for KFVC.

The last group of speakers represented an Indian and an Irish Bank -the State Bank of India and the Bank of Ireland.

For the State Bank of India, European CEO Suresh Bhat and Subhromoy Mukherjee, Chief Financial Services, explained the Banks' presence in Europe and the facilities that it would make available for companies planning to set-up in India. This included introductions to potential partners as well as providing a comprehensive market entry service.

Bilateral trade


Mr. Ravi Chandar, Commercial Secretary, Embassy of India

On Thursday, August 14th, the Ireland India Business Association (IIBA) gathered together with the members of the Irish

Exporters Association's Asia Trade Forum (ATF) to celebrate India's Independence Day in the offices of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. The room was jam packed with attendees eager to hear about India. The crowds are testimony to the recent surge of interest in bi-lateral trade between Ireland and India.

"Our vision for Ireland is to emerge as one of India's preferred trading partners for EU trade", said John Nevin, Chairman, ATF. "The IEA believes that exports have a critical role to play in Ireland's economy and, in particular, exports to the emerging and fast growing markets in Asia, which we aim to grow from 4% to 10%. Looking east for export growth is an imperative for Irish companies.

The breakfast talked openly about the pros and cons of doing business in India. "A lot of patience is needed to operate in India and you must plan ahead" said Ravi Chandar, the First Secretary, Bilateral Political, Commercial & Consular at the Embassy of India in Ireland. He also reminded us of the similarities between the two countries and that English being the language for business and historically Ireland has cultural ties with India since the days of the Irish missionaries that set up schools and convents.

Richard Breen, a partner in William Fry who spent 3 months in India this year,emphasised that most businesses in India are family run-relationships are key. George Kiely, Enterprise Ireland advised companies to visit the country to understand the business climate.

NilaKanthi Ford, Vice Chairperson of the IIBA, and Director of KFVC emphasised that now is the time to do business with India . Her advice for those considering bilateral trade with India is twofold:

• Plan,prepareandchooseyourbusinesspartner wisely as relationships are very important.

• Think outside the box. Grow tounderstand the size of India and explore all the opportunities that lie outside of the main cities.

Bilateral trade

Eve of India Independence Day - Dublin


India's election has produced a decisive majority for the political alliance led by the

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Led by Mr. Narendra Modi it was not just a land slide victory, it also changed the Government of34years.Turnoutwashigher,as a percentage of eligible voters, than in any election since 1984, and exit polling showed an overwhelming demand for change from the 551 million Indians who went to the polls.

The sweep of the BJP's victory was striking and provide for a majority which will allow easier passage of legislation changes goingforward.TheBJPwon283seats in parliament, clearing a simple majority of 272. With its coalition partners it now controls 336 out of 543 seats.The ruling Congress party won

only 44 seats (it previously held 209). Polls show Modi enjoyed majority support from upper- and lower-caste Indians, rural and urban voters as well as Indians in the populous north and wealthier south.Highly publicised governance issues and hopes for change have united the world's most diverse nation.

Prime Minister Modi provided inspiration to a younger generation with his rise to power from tea seller to successful State Minister of Gujurat. He has promised to reinvigorate an economy whose annual growth rates have halved from near double-digit rates in recent years. He has pledged to tackle endemic corruption and create a slimmed-down, more effective state through what he calls "maximum governance, minimal government.”

Modi cites his own record as chief minister of Gujarat, which has grown faster than China for two decades, as an example of the pro-growth, no-nonsense management experience he will bring to New Delhi as prime minister. He also promises to more forcefully pursue India's interests abroad.

Restoring economic vigour through good governance and decisive reform is the clear mandate of India's new government. It is appropriate that they have voted in a prime minister who has managed the economy of India's most industrialised and globalised state. Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister to be born after Indian independence in 1949. The population at large has extraordinarily high expectations for his government.

New Government, new opportunitiesThe President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and the Vice President, Mr. Mohd. Hamid Ansari with the Prime Minister,

Mr. Narendra Modi and the other members of Council of Ministers after the Swearing-in Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on May 26, 2014.


The growth Modi promises should restore energy to the bilateral relationship. A flourishing India undergoing vigorous reform will

The Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi congratulating ISRO scientists after successful launch of Mars Orbiter (Mangalyan) into the Mars orbit, at ISRO Headquarters in Bengaluru on September 24, 2014

Democratic India

The Union Budget for 2014-15 has been announced by Mr Arun Jaitley, Union Minister for Finance, Government of India, in Parliament on July 10, 2014. As the election of Narendra Modi in May produced a seismic event, expectations of the first budget in many quarters were high. Like any new

prime minister, Mr. Modi emphasised the change but the reality has been that they are also building on and accelerating the previous government's efforts – much easier now that they have such a sizeable majority in Parliament.

What this first Budget did is mark out the direction and tone of what a Modi government plans to do over the next five years, and how it will go about it. Here are a few highlights that will be incremental to improving India's economic outlook and investment environment.

• Investor friendly Tax regime; India will bring in Goods and Service Tax by the end of the year.• FDIindefencetobeallowedupto49%withfullmanagementcontrolforIndia;• Developmentof100smartcities• FDIininsurancetobeallowedupto49%;• StepstoopenFDIinurbanconstructionsector• E-commercesalesencouragedintheretailsector• HigherEducationfocus-4newAllIndiaInstitutesofMedicalSciences(AIIMS)proposedin

AndhraPradesh,Maharashtra,WestBengalandUttarPradesh;AIIMSineverystateofthecountrygoingon;5moreIndiaInstitutesofTechnology(IITs).

• SkillIndiaPlantoincreasevocationaltraining.• NonewRetrospectiveTaxtobeissued;howevercurrentcasestobescrutinisedforresolution

(highlevelcommitteetobesetup).

The first Budget under the Modi Government and what it means for business

be a better business partner. A surging India is also more likely to pursue a foreign policy that makes it shape world events. India would

then be an example to the emerging world of economic transformation under democratic institutions. A thriving India will uplift its region.


Modi, the profileNarendra Damodardas Modi is the 15th Prime Minister of India. Born 17 September 1950, he is the first Prime minister to be born after Indian Independence. A leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Modi also served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat state from 2001 to 2014. He is currently the Member of Parliament (MP) from Varanasi.

Modi's laser focus on development and his proven ability to deliver results have made him one of India's most popular leaders. His promise is to build a nation that is strong, inclusive and prosperous where each and every Indian can realise their hopes and aspirations. He is praised for his economic policies, which are credited with creating an environment for a high rate of economic growth in Gujarat.

Born to a family of grocers in present-day Gujarat, Modi was the third of six children. Modi has achieved his success thanks to the values instilled in his childhood. He grew up in a loving but poor family "without a spare rupee". He learnt the value of hard work and from a very young age immersed himself in service to the nation. In 1978, Modi graduated with an extramural degree through Distance Education in political science from Delhi University. In1983,whileremainingasacampaignerintheRSS,hecompletedhisMaster'sdegreeinpoliticalsciencefrom Gujarat University.

In November 1995, Modi was elected National Secretary of BJP and promoted to the post of general secretary (Organisation) of the BJP in May 1998. On 7 October 2001, Modi was appointed the Chief Minister of Gujarat, with the responsibility of preparing the BJP for elections in December 2002.

As Chief Minister, Modi's ideas of governance revolved around privatisation and small government. The State government worked to brand Gujarat as a state of dynamic development, economic growth and prosperity, using the slogan "Vibrant Gujarat". He started financial and technology parks and during the 2007 Vibrant Gujarat summit, real estate investment deals worth INR6.6 trillion were signed in Gujarat.

Modi is a "people's leader" dedicated to improving their well being. He has a powerful, personal connection with ordinary people. In May 2014, Modi was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP parliamentary party following his party's victory in the Indian parliamentary elections and was subsequently appointed the prime minister.

This was India's first social media election. Modi's charismatic leadership is complemented by a strong online presence where he is known as India's most techno-savvy leader, Modi effectively used social media like Twitter, Facebook and Google in his campaign, besides Google Hangouts and holograms for campaign appearances. He even posted a selfie on Twitter and his victory tweet emerged as the most retweeted in India.

Narendra Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister on 26 May 2014 at the Rastrapati Bhavan. He exceptionally invited all South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) leaders to attend his swearing-in ceremony. The attendees included Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, and Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam of Mauritius (SAARC observer), Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Prime Minister of Pakistan Naz Sharif and Speaker of the National Parliament of Bangladesh Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.

To attract foreign investment in Gujarat during his time as chief minister, Modi made visits to countries such as China, Singapore and Japan. Since his appointment as Prime Minister, he has continued to promote close ties with neighbouring countries. His first foreign visit was to Bhutan. He later visited Nepal and the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, in August followed by a 5 day bilateral visit to Japan. He is hosting China’s President Xi Jinping in September and visiting the USA in October.

Democratic India


On T h u r s d a y 2 5 t h September, a day after India’s triumphant Mars

mission and hours before leaving on his first visit to the USA, prime minister, Narendra Modi launched the “Make in India” campaign in New Delhi. The initiative is meant to cut red tape, spur foreign investments and transform India into a manufacturing powerhouse. It is intended to help create jobs and boost economic growth. Basically, this rolls out a red carpet to attract industrialists to turn India into a global manufacturing hub,

Stakeholders including leading businessmen and CEOs of about

3,000companiesof30countrieswere invited to a high-profile launches worldwide.India’s top industrialists, including Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and Wipro chairman Azim Premji spoke about the new deal for foreign investors, alongside Modi.The launch was also attended by finance minister Arun Jaitley; Minister of State for Finance, Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman; Power Minister Piyush Goyal, MSME minister Kalraj Mishra, Labour Minister Narendra Singh Tomar as well as Textile Minister Santosh Singh Gangwar among others.

The Government's objective is to

get the manufacturing sector to grow over 10% on a sustainable basis. It has planned global outreach through a digital campaign, a facilitation window of sorts for investors who want to do business in the country.

The digital face of the initiative is a freshly designed website—MakeInIndia.com. The website offers information about various sectors. Behind it, is an agency called Invest India. This is a joint venture between industry chamber FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) , the central government’s department of indus t r ia l p romot ion and

PM Modi launches ‘Make in India'The ambitious initiative seeks to make India a

manufacturing hub

“Make in India” – made real

The Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi launching the website ‘makeinindia.com’, at the inauguration of the “MAKE IN INDIA”, in New Delhi on September 25, 2014.

Make in India


Maruti Suzuki’s Kenichi Ayukawa, Reliance Industries’ Mukesh Ambani, Wipro’s Azim Premji, Aditya Birla Group’s Kumar Mangalam Birla and ICICI Bank’s Chanda Kochchar are seen at the Make In India launch

policy, and state governments. Prospective investors can post questions on the Make In India portal and they should expect to be answered by a panel of experts within 72 hours. Twenty five sectors have been identified as priority areas in the portal.

Modi also came up with a new definition for FDI. “For Indians FDI is a responsibility, it means to First Develop India, for global investors FDI is an opportunity in the form of Foreign Direct Investment,” he said. Modi does not want any industrialist being forced to leave India, he continued, "The most important thing is faith”. He explained that the Government Mantra is “to trust each and every Indian. The atmosphere of trust can

change a lot of things. The change cannot only take place inside the parliament, it can also happen outside."

Stating that the biggest factor is faith to attract investment he said, "There should be rule of law. Like there is corporate social responsibility (CSR), there should also be corporate-government relations. We have to create opportunities of employment. If the poor get jobs the purchasing power of families will increase." He said India needs highways and i-ways, which are information ways to create a digital India.

PM Modi added, "India offers d e m o c r a c y , d e m o g r a p h i c dividend, demand and the world is ready to come to Asia. The new

era of economic growth is in Asia and we have to see how to make it India's. I want to take India higher on Ease-of-Doing-Business Index and want to enhance Public-Private Partnerships in skills development."

Referring to the successful launch of Mangalyaan, (the Mars space probe) he said, "Nobody can question the talent of our people. When we talk of a 'Look East' policy, we must also talk about 'Link West'.”……."Industry does not come when there are too many incentive schemes. To bring industries, we have to create a development and growth oriented environment. We have to increase manufacturing and at the same time ensure that the benefits reach the youth of our nation and this is the step of a Lion."

The "Make in India" initiative will be a reference point for foreign investors on regulatory and policy issues. Already, the Government has allowed 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) under the automatic route in construction, operation and maintenance in rail infrastructure projects and

TheTataNanoandIsro'sMarsmissionhavecaptivatedtheworld'simagination.WhatIndianowneedstodoistotakeleading

edge technology and show the world how to makeastepchangemanufacturing.


recently increased FDI in defence from 26 to 49 per cent.

The Tata Nano and Isro's Mars mission have captivated the world's imagination. What India now needs to do is to take leading edge technology and show the world how to make a step change manufacturing.

Twenty five “thrust” sectors

The Government has identified 25 key sectors in which India has the potential of becoming a world leader. These include, automobiles, chemicals, IT, pharmaceuticals, textiles, ports, aviation, leather, tourism and hospitality, wellness, railways, auto components, design manufacturing, renewable energy, mining, bio-technology, pharmaceuticals and electronics among others. Along with this, the Government will also identify some domestic companies having leadership in innovation and new technology, in order to help them turning into global champions.The prime minister has involved all ministries related to manufacturing.

TheGovernmenthasidentified25keysectorsin which India has the potential of becoming aworldleader.Theseinclude,automobiles,

chemicals,IT,pharmaceuticals,textiles,ports,aviation,leather,tourismandhospitality,wellness,railways,autocomponents,design

manufacturing,renewableenergy,mining,bio-technology,pharmaceuticalsandelectronics

Make in India

What they said? Economic Times : NEW DELHI: India Inc promised support to the government's Make in India initiative but sought better governance, removal of infrastructural bottlenecks, stable tax regime and less restrictive labour laws to help India merge as a manufacturing hub.

Cyrus Mistry, who heads the diversified Tata Group, led the industry in soundly endorsing Prime Minister"This programme offers a unique and timely opportunity to make India global," said Mistry, while cautioning that the country's aspirations on the global manufacturing arena will only be fulfilled if certain challenges were addressed on priority.

"These factors will include buildup of critical infrastructure across the country supported by stable policies, transparent and competitive tax and duty structure, efficient and time-bound administration through the use of e-governance, cost effective and reliable energy coupled with logistics, critical for the competitiveness of industry," he said.

Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Group, said his group commits to the 'Make in India' movement, and added that his company's over 1.8 lakh crore investments will fructify in 12-15 months. "These investments will help in creation of 1.25 lakh jobs," he said. "It is important to connect village clusters with the international markets and not only domestic markets by building the physical infrastructure and virtual infrastructure, so that all our goods and services are connected to all markets," he added.

Chairman of the Aditya Birla GroupKumar Mangalam Birla said manufacturing has to become the next big wave.


CG is an Indian company that very few people in Ireland would be aware

of. However CG Ireland has been contributing over €22 million to the Irish economy on a yearly basis and has created around 500 jobs in the local market. Furthermore,

stakeholders alike. For almost eight decades, CG has delivered advanced turnkey solutions for transmission and distribution of power that has helped to transform the electricity scenario across the world. Its portfolio encompasses electrical products,

systems and services for utilities, power generation, industries and consumers. With manufacturing facilities, solutions and services in India, Canada, USA, Brazil, UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Hungary, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, and more than 15,000 employees across its operations in around 85 countries, CG is a key player today in the global power transmission and distribution (T&D) industry.

The business offerings in CG Ireland can be broadly classified into two main units- Distribution Transformation and Automation Solutions. Over the last 15 years, CG’s facilities in Cavan, Ireland have delivered state-of-the-art distribution transformers from the 15 kVA to the 5 MVA range. The 5 MVA transformers were a major achievement with the Research and Development (R&D) unit in Ireland playing a critical role in its development. CG has also developed and successfully implemented several substation type transformers with end-to-end applications that include Miniature Circuit

Ireland's focus on energy conservation attracts Indian conglomerate

Indian success in Ireland

given the fact that the current global economic scenario reflects a shift in focus from the West to the East, Ireland has greatly benefited from being a part of an International Conglomerate headquartered in India.

CG envisions a planet empowered by renewable energy. It is a truly global organisation. It is also people-centric so CG places great value on its relationships with both internal and external


Breakers (MCBs), switchgear and cabinets adhering to IP54 standards. Special Distribution Transformers that are developed through extensive R&D and customisation on the basis of customer requirement have also been an important part of CG’s portfolio in Ireland.

The Automation Solution Division of CG, with its research and software units located in Dublin, is another key indicator of CG’s growing focus on Europe. CG is investing significant capital and time to understand Ireland and Europe’s market potential and the challenges faced by utilities and other businesses.

Caption: The graph shows the potential in the Irish market for companies in the power sector. For CG, this also opens a great opportunity to enhance its network in the Irish power domain and create strategic partnerships with companies to deliver value to end users.

Towards a smarter planet

CG Ireland constantly strives for a greener planet running on power that is managed smartly and efficiently. It supplied the very first IEC 61850 solution into East Africa in the form of a total substation automation solution for 132kV and 33kVsubstations. The unit in Ireland was also instrumental in the development of the S Series that changed the image of transformers significantly.

Research by Energy Needs Ireland (eni) shows that there is an immediate and growing need for smart meters in Ireland. In fact,

surveys of the end consumer also indicate significant interests to convert to smarter electrical systems. For CG this is a clear indicator of how the end consumer, looking to save on electricity bills, can be the key growth driver and influencer in the smart meter and smart grid business in Ireland.

Futureoutlook

With Ireland actively looking for more sustainable sources of energy and ways to generate more power to fuel its rapidly growing economy, CG foresees the perfect opportunity to make a multi-layered impact in the Ireland market that will positively impact lives as well as the economy on the whole. The key to CG’s strategy in Ireland will incorporate cutting edge innovation and ground breaking technology to enable inclusive and sustainable growth.

References

http://eni.ucd.ie/2013/ENI_2013_White_Paper.pdf

http://www.eirgrid.com/media/All-Island_GCS_2013-2022.pdf

h t tp : / /www.cgg loba l . com/others/joint-ventures/CG-Power-Systems-Ireland-Ltd.html

h t t p : / / w w w . f i n f a c t s .i e / i r i s h f i n a n c e n e w s /article_1027779.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ind ia%E2%80%93Ire land_relations

http://www.iiba.ie/


“Ireland’sRelentlessPursuitofEnergyConservationanditsGrowingPresenceintheEuropeanIndustrialLandscapehasbeenInstrumentalinDrawingCGintotheCountrytosetup

oneofitsLargestUnits"



HCL Technologies: creating business value from Ireland

Founded in 1976 as one of India's original IT garage startups, HCL is one of the fastest growing IT and BPO services organisations – a growth based on a

disruptive approach to business and its unique ‘Employee First Customer Second’ philosophy.HCL has been in the Republic of Ireland since 2010 and is very encouraged to see a clearly improving economy.

HCL is part of a $6.5 billion global technology and service provider group with 95,000 people focusing on ‘transformational outsourcing’ underlined by innovation and value creation.HCL Technologies (HCL) has been one of the fastest technology companies not only in India but in the world – even during the depths of the economic downturn.

HCLoperatesacross31countriesandhasanextensiveglobal network of delivery centres to provide seamless service to customers worldwide. HCL’s “Think Global, Act Local” Management is a framework which marries the global service delivery framework to the local interface based on geo-adapted ecosystem. HCL has 95 different nationalities among its employees. The company value of putting the ‘Employee First’ has been at the core of creating a common ground for employees from diverse backgrounds to connect.

Europe is now HCL’s fastest growing geography, with 25% growth over the last 12 months. Furthermore, HCL has been named European Employer of the Year for eight years, since 2006. In the Republic of Ireland, HCL boasts some of the largest global strategic outsourcing relationships in Ireland within the Telecoms, Financial services & Technology sectors. HCL has invested in setting-up Centres of Excellence in both Dublin and Kilkenny and has now some 700 professionals delivering transformational services to our clients.

‘Ireland is a focus market for us, where we want to serve some of the largest clients in the region. It is also a rich source of capabilities and competencies to service clients not only for Ireland & UK, but also for our global customer base.’ – Udayan Guha, Head of HCL Business Services, Europe.

EMPLOYEE CULTUREIDEAPRENEURSHIP

HCL is called the world’s largest Ideapreneurship. As an organisation HCLhas always sought to give its employees the license to ideate. Grounding all actions in this belief, HCL hascreated its own culture of Ideapreneurship, which supports and encourages grass-roots, business-driven, customer-focused innovation and recognizes that every employee is an ideapreneur. This vibrant entrepreneurial culture has led to institutional and grass-root programs that help in seeding ideas, mentoring creativity and harvesting innovation.MAD JAM is one such enterprise wide engagement supporting this culture.

MADJAM

MAD JAM allows people to seed and nurture outstanding ideas from within HCL. It is focused on celebrating innovation by recognizing employees with talent (innovative ideas) and supporting them to harvest these by having them showcased for adoption across the organization.MAD JAM has successfully served as a platform to enable the company from the bottom-up to holistically experience better business, growth and reputation among its peers and external partners.

HCLEthos

The HCL ethos is Employee First, Customer Second (EFCS) it believes an engaged employee will go above and beyond to wow the customer. In Ireland HCL is working towards ‘Excellence through People’

external accreditation programs, Sports Social programs, Charity (SSC) events and wellness events. HCL people in Ireland have been actively involved in many community initiatives from cake bakes and fun runs to Red Heart day and mid-summer events. HCL is also giving back to the community by partnering with Vincent DePaul, Temple Street, Marie Keating Foundation and the Irish Cancer Society.

Relationshipbeyondcontract

HCL is committed to assisting clients in driving Transformation through continuous improvement,



standardization and automation resulting in significant year on year improvements.At the same time, HCL is taking its client relationships to the next level with its ‘Relationship beyond the Contract’ approach. In an uncertain business landscape, no contract can predict what will change tomorrow; HCL believes that real value lies in the relationship that gets created between customer and provider. HCL firmly believes that a relationship is not just about two

parties signing a deal on a piece of paper, but it is about people coming together to create ideas, and more importantly, to create value.

HCL has been impressed with the strong skills and specialised software companies in Ireland. The company believes that by leveraging on the strong educational infrastructure and

talent pool in Ireland there are also opportunities for large Global service providers like HCL to partner together with niche Irish software product companies to take their capability jointly to global clients. HCL is definitely looking forward to continue to grow its operations in Ireland and says the future looks bright.


Today Ireland is one of the top 20 countries in scientific global rankings

for the quality of its research. (Source: Thomson Reuters Essential Scientific Indicators). It is also second in the world for the quality of its research in the fields of Immunology and Probiotics, 6th in the world for Nanoscience research and eighth in the world for research quality in Materials Science. In 2013, NatureMagazine, thescientific publishing journal ‘Nature Magazine’ described Ireland as one of five ‘Up and Coming’ destinations for high level research.

Investment in Research and Development is a high priority for the Irish Government. The Government Action Plan for Jobs is continuing to build upon major Irish achievements in scientific research to work with global industry to support the process of turning innovative concepts into commercial reality. International collaboration between researchers in academia and industry plays a key role in delivering excellent research. These types of collaborations are very much part of Irelands’s eco-system and have delivered significant results.

EXAMPLES

S i n c e 2 0 1 1 , t h e S c i e n c e Foundation Ireland (SFI) has invested €5m in the International Strategic Cooperation Award (ISCA) programme. This supports

Ireland- India working together

Ireland ranks second in the world for research into Immunology and Probiotics

Scientific co-operation

Trinity Dean of Research Prof. Vincent Cahill

Professor Mani Ramaswami

new and existing research-based collaboration between Ireland’s Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and partner organisations in four designated countries including India. The other partner countries are Brazil, the People’s Republic of China, India, and Japan.

Joint applications to the EU framework programme have been submitted, and students have been co-supervised by academics based in Ireland and

companies based in India, such as Achira Labs, and Connexios Life Sciences.

Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) acknowledges the value of building strong links with India in education, science and technology. This has led to more than €1m funding over two years. In turn, this has strengthened joint research undertakings between India and Ireland, particularly in the areas of Photonics, Plant/Agricultural Biotechnology and Digital Humanities.

Recently this has also opened collaboration opportunities in the a reas o f robot i c s , embedded systems and wireless ne tworks , pharmaceut i ca l development, nanotechnologies, photovol ta ics , b iomdec ia l sensors and biomedical implants Nanotechnology, Mater ia l Science, Energy, Environmental and Civil Engineering, Bioscience, Biomedicine, Computer Science and Policy Research.

The ISCA India consortium is a portal for any Indian academic or industrial group interested in expanding their activities to I re land. I t p rov ides a coordinated national approach to present Ireland´s scientific and technological reputation in India. The envisaged outcomes include:

• increasedimpact.CombinedIrish and Indian research will deliver significant results through combining scale and complementary expertise.


• increased access continuedfunding to for both countries from international and private sources.

• increased involvement ofskilled Indian students and scientists in Irish R&D.

• increased communicationand improved relationships between the two countries.

Trinity College Dublin is leading the ISCA India Consortium under the direction of Professor

Vincent Cahill and Professor Mani Ramaswami. The other Irish institutions involved are Cork Institute of Technology, Dublin City University, Dublin Institute of Technology, NUI Galway, Waterford Institute of Technology and University College Cork.

Scientific co-operation

In India collaborating Indian institutions include some of the best universities and academic laboratories.


CRH, Ireland's largest industr ia l company, is gearing up for an

acquisition spree following its strong annual results. Based in Dublin, Ireland the company employs around 76,000 people in35countries.Itmanufacturesa range of building products to service the construction industry.

From its Mumbai headquarters, the CRH development team is actively seeking further opportunities for expansion in India.CRH also operates a construction accessories business (Halfen) in India. This supplies a wide range of construction accessories for building and infrastructure projects.

CRH entered the Indian market in 2008 with the acquisition of a 50% stake in MHIL, a cement business located in Andhra Pradesh in South India. MHIL has an annual cement capacity of 4.8 Mtpa from two plants and is the lowest cost producer and a leading player in its market. The collaboration has led to significantly increased business.

InAugust2013,CRHannouncedthat it had bought a stake in India’s Sree Jayajothi Cements. A unit of the Shriram Group, SreeJayajothiCementshasa3.2million-ton cement plant in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Shriram said the deal

valued Sree Jayajothi at 14 billion rupees (€175 million).

CRH said its 50:50 joint venture in India, My Home Industries (MHIL), reached an agreement to acquire 100 per cent of the shares of Sree Jayajothi. The investment was financed from MHIL’s existing debt capacity and by equity inputs from the joint shareholders (€70 million). CRH’s equity interest amounts to approximately €35million.

Shriram, is a conglomerate with assets of $9 billion, was said to have had talks earlier with investors including Blackstone Group and KKR for selling its stake in the cement business. Blackstone decided not to proceed, leaving

CRH seeks Indian opportunities

CRH IndiaAtul Khosla – Managing Director; Partha Gopalan – Chief Operating Officer; Sunita Fernandes – Office Manager; Sajid Zia Khan – Senior Vice President – Business Development; Rashmi Agarwal – no longer working with us; Sudha Bhushan –

Manager – Finance & Taxation; Nicky Hartery – Chairman – CRH plc;Jay Wasson – repatriated to Ireland; Rahul Oke – Vice President – Business Development

Irish business


Modi Government to launch $32.9 billion infrastructure projects

CRH and its French rival, Vicat, to fight things out.

Now MHIL has grown from a single factory with 3.2 milliontonnes capacity to a group with a total cement capacity of 8 million tonnes at 3 locations.

VGU Plant

The company operates two fully integrated cement plants in Mellacheruvu and Kurnool witha3.2milliontonnescementcapacity each. Additionally, MHIL owns a state of the art cement grinding plant with 1.6

million tonnes capacity in the coastal town of Vizag. In the last six years, MHIL has also become a cost efficient cement business. Its operations include two modern captive power plants with an annual power generation capacity of 75 mega Watts.

The Government is looking to build two lakh Km of roads under public-private-

partnership (PPP) mode which includes widening of existing one lakh km of highways. It has allocated funds for the projects as well as seeking more funds through securitisation of toll revenues.

A number of steps have been initiated to bring in wide reforms in the highways sector including launch of 350 electronic tollplazas by December and building amenities for drivers and commuters on every 50 km stretch. Bids have already

been floated for consultancy and design of 270 such facilities. The Government is also focusing on boosting waterways for cargo transportation.

In order to reduce bureaucracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that various ministries can now approve projects up to Rs 1000 crore without Cabinet approval. This fivefold increase in the discretionary spending power of ministries is meant to allow faster clearances of projects, particularly those related to infrastructure.

The infrastructure sector is a key focus area for the Modi-

led government. The Centre is keen to speed up infrastructure development and investment to boost economic growth. It is reported that the government is set to finalise the policy for implementing its ambitious plan to convert 100 existing cities into smart cities, where it will allow large-scale participation of private sector.

Apart from the 100 existing cities that will be retrofitted to smart cities, the government is also considering developing three-four Greenfield cities. The future certainly looks bright for construction companies in India.


The thoroughbred industry in Ireland is highly successful and globally competitive.

It directly employs approximately 14,000 individuals and thousands more indirectly. It made a direct economic contribution of nearly e1.1 billion to the Irish economy in 2012. Racehorse owners are the key drivers of wider industry economic activity supporting hundreds of breeding and training operations spread throughout the country.

Ireland has the unique opportunity to be the best in the world with unmatched bloodstock, world class personnel and excellent horse racing infrastructure.Ireland is the largest producer of thorough breds in Europe. Irish breeders have a well-earned reputation for producing tough, durable and sound horses that go on to perform at the highest level all over the world. A temperate climate and calcium rich soil provide ideal conditions for developing young stock. Irish bred horses consistently celebrate

part of the agreement, Ireland will help China to establish its first national equine facility at Tianjin as it hopes to develop a successful horse breeding industry. It will boast 4,000 horse stalls, a horse clinic, 150 trainers’ offices, 5 training tracks, two international standard race tracks, a grandstand and clubhouse, as well as an International Equestrian College and a horse auction house.

As it stands, Ireland’s horse breeding industry is already hugely export-oriented as it produces more than 40 per cent of all thoroughbred foals in Europe. Talks are also underway for up to 800 horses for the racing venture and racecourse to be sourced from Ireland.

Ireland-India horse breeding

Speaking for Coolmore Stud, JP Magnier said:

“The sector plays a huge part in the Irish economy, currently generating €1.1 billion annually. This industry is something we are good at.”

At Pune racecourse every October, Coolmore sponsors the Coolmore Juvenile million. On the same evening, the feature race is the Group 2 Irish Thorough bred Marketing & Goff’s R.W.I.T.C. Limited Gold Cup.

international success and as a result, bloodstock exports continue to thrive each year.

There are almost 7,000 registered breeders in Ireland with some of the most successful breeders in the world choosing to base their operations in the country. This includes Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, HH the Aga Khan, Prince Khalid Abdulla, and the Weinstock family who all invest significant resources in building up large stud farms and broodmare bands throughout the country.

Recently, the Chinese Government selected Ireland as its horse racing and breeding partner as part of a multi-billion dollar project. As

Irish business


FASTFACTS• The Irish bloodstock breeding and

racing industry is of major importance to Ireland in terms of employment (especially in rural areas) as well as in exports and tourism.

• Ireland recorded a population of28,289 thoroughbreds in 2010.

• Irelandisthethirdlargestbreederofthoroughbreds in the world.

• Approximately 17,300 people areemployed in the thoroughbred industry in Ireland,

• The gross value of the industryexceeded €1.1bnin2013.

• Irish jockeys, trainers and ownersregularly succeed at the highest international levels.

• HorseRacingIreland(HRI)isastatebody establish to represent key sectors of the industry.

• IrishThoroughbredMarketing(ITM)is a division of Horse Racing Ireland which provides the service and support to overseas visitors interested in the Irish thoroughbred racing and breedingindustry.

Ambassador of India to Ireland, H.E. Mrs. Radhika Lal Lokesh visits Coolmore

Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, County Tipperary in Ireland, is the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses.

Coolmore also has extensive operations at Coolmore Australia in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales and Coolmore America based at Ashford Stud, Lexington, Kentucky. As well as standing many of the beststallions in Europe, Coolmore offers a first class boarding service which is used by many leading breeders in Europe and beyond.

Indian breeders have chosen Ireland as the country for developing their broodmare bands and stallion ranks for many years. One of the best fillies ever seen in India was called ‘Jacqueline’. She dominated the racing season in 2010. Following a brilliant racing career which included an unprecedented four Classics, Jacqueline now lives at Coolmore in Ireland. She currently is being bred with the world’s leading sire called ‘Galileo’.

Ambassador for India visits Coolmore


Indian cuisine is a reflection of 500 years intermingling of various communit ies

and cultures combined with influences caused by the arrival of the Mughals, the British, and Portuguese.

Indian cuisine also played its part in shaping international relations. The spice trade between India and Europe was catalyst for Europe's Age of Discovery. It also influenced other cuisines across the world, especially those from Southeast Asia, the British Isles and the Caribbean.

FlavoursofIndia

Herbs and spices, or masalas, play a vital role in Indian food. Masala means a 'blend of several spices’ which varies from dish to dish. Garam masala is the most important blend and an absolute essential for Indian preparations. Each state in India has its own particular blend of garam masala.

The story of Indian spice is more than 7000 years old. Centuries before Greece and Rome had been discovered, sailing ships were carrying Indian spices, perfumes and textiles to Mesopotamia, Arabia and Egypt. It was the lure of these that brought many seafarers to the shores of India.

India’s culinary styles

Cuisine differs across India's diverse regions.

NorthIndia

This cuisine is perhaps the most popular and widely served in restaurants around the world. It is broadly characterised by meats and vegetables cooked in the tandoor (coal fired barbecue),

use of cream in dals and yogurt in marinades.

Wheat is produced in the north and therefore a range of breads - naan, tandoori roti, chapattis or parathas are traditionally eaten with foods of this region.

The best known North Indian food is Mughlai cuisine. Mughlai cuisine is a style of cooking developed by the imperial kitchens of the Mughal Empire and broadly non-vegetarian in content. This cuisine is characterized by the use of yogurt, fried onions, nuts and saffron. There are tender kebabs, creamy kormas, and rich pasandas.

The most notable ingredient in Kashmiri cuisine is mutton, of whichthereareover30varieties.Traditional Kashmiri cooking is, almost like an art called Wazwan reflecting strong Central Asian influences. The Wazwan experience means primarily non vegetarian dishes, each aromatic with herbs and the fresh produce of the region. Unique to Kashmiri cuisine is the use of boiled rather

than fried spices. This gives them a unique and distinctive flavour and aroma.

Punjabi cuisine is not different from other cuisines in the sense that most of the cuisine is inspired by the Central Asian and Mughlai cuisines since it was the entry spot for Muslim invaders. Punjab has also bequeathed the institution of dhabas, wayside eateries especially on highways. Mah ki Dal, Sarson Da Saag and Makki Di Roti, meat curry like Roghan Josh and stuffed parathas are some of the popular dishes of this cuisine.

Awadhi cuisine bears similarities to those of Persia, Kashmir, Punjab and Hyderabad. The bawarchis and rakabdars of Awadh gave birth to the dum style of cooking. Dum is the art of sealing ingredients in a large handi or pot and cooking over a slow fire. The richness of Awadhi cuisine lies not only in the variety of cuisine but also in the ingredients used like mutton, paneer, and rich spices including cardamom and saffron.

Food diplomacy

Culinary delights


South India

In South India, food is characterised by dishes cooked on the griddle such as dosas, thin broth like dals called sambar and an array of seafood. The region is also known for its heavy use of 'kari' leaves, tamarind and coconut.

Andhra Pradesh is known for its Hyderabadi cuisine which is greatly inspired by the Mughlai cuisine. Some of the most traditional Hyderabadi dishes are biryani, chicken korma and sheer khurma.

T h e c u i s i n e o f K a r n a t a k a has similarities with its three neighbouring South Indian states, as well as the states of Maharashtra and Goa to its North. Karnataka has two main styles of cooking, the Brahmin cuisine that is strictly vegetarian and the cuisine of Coorg which is noted for its pork dishes.

The Chettinad cuisine of Tamil Nadu has transcended the boundaries of the state to carve a worldwide following. Generally the dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas.

The rich intermingling of cultures in Kerala has contributed to a vast melting pot of mouth-watering delicacies that are churned out. Appam and stew, ulli theeyal and of course the ubiquitous banana chip! In the northern region of Kerala or the Malabar coast Muslim Moplah cuisine rules the roost. Arab influence is predominant in many of its dishes like the Alisa, which is a hearty wheat and meat porridge. South of Central Kerala is where the art of Syrian Christian cooking remains the pride of many a homemaker. Their contribution to the Kerala cuisine has been manifold and the most noted are the hoppers, duck roast, meen vevichathu (red fish curry) and the isthew (stew).

EastIndia

Bengal i cu is ine i s the only traditionally developed multi-course tradition from the Indian

subcontinent that is similar to the modern service à la russe style of French cuisine. Bengali cuisine has a high emphasis on chilli pepper along with mustard oil and tends to use high amounts of spices. The cuisine is known for subtle flavours with emphasis on fish, vegetables, lentils, and rice. Fresh sweet water fish is one of its most distinctive features; Bengalis prepare fish in many ways, such as steaming, braising, or stewing vegetables with sauces based on coconut milk or mustard.

Gujarati cuisine is str ict ly vegetarian and tends to be sweet. The popular dishes in this cuisine are oondhia, patra, khaandavi and thhepla.

Parsi food is the hallmark of India's Zoroastrian community - ancient Persians. The Parsis’ main dish is Dhansakh (caramelized onions and brown rice served with a mix of dals, vegetables and meat). Goan cuisine has a strong Portuguese influence since it was previously a Portuguese colony. The gravy will be chilly-ho while

The flavours of Oriya cuisine are usually subtle and delicately spiced. Fish and other seafood such as crab and shrimp are very popular. The food of India's eastern states such as Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur varies quite dramatically due to their geographical location. These areas are heavily influenced by Tibetan, Chinese, and even Western Cuisine.

WestIndia

Rajasthani cuisine is quite diverse. On one side of the spectrum, there is the love for shikaar (a good hunt). On the other side, is the equally grand all vegetarian food of Marwar or Jodhpur with popular dishes such as choorma laddoo and daal baati.

spices are ground with vinegar and coconut. Some examples of this cuisine are Balcao, Xacuti, Vindaloos, Sorpotel and Moehlos.

Malvani/Konkani cuisine is the standard cuisine of the Hindus in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, Goa and northern parts of West Karnataka. Although Malvani cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, there are many vegetarian delicacies. Malvani cuisine uses coconut liberally and is usually very spicy; however, the ‘Konkanastha Brahmin’ style of food of the region is quite bland and also vegetarian.

So, a rapid tour of the many States and varieties of Indian cuisine. Now its influences can be seen in kitchens and high street restaurants the world over.

Culinary delights


In India, the inflation that the economy witnessed is primarily because of two

reasons. In the first place, the inflation is predominantly food inflation due to distortion and inefficiencies in the supply chain of India's agriculture sector and all its middlemen. On one hand agricultural reforms are a must. On the other hand, the entire food grain procurement policy will be given a makeover.

During the election, Prime Minister Modi made it clear that he wanted to restructure the Food Corporation of India to reduce the high level of wastage of food grain in India. India's agriculture needs massive investment and more participation from the private sector for which a new wave of policy initiatives is needed.

In the past, Modi had advocated creating a real time database of agricultural commodities, an initiative that may help in better commodity management and decision making on issues of what agricultural commodity to export and what not to export.

The highlights of a report prepared by Mr. Modi prior to the election included splitting up the operations of the Food Corporation of India in terms of procurement, storage and distribution functions, and installing a Price Stabilisation Fund so that procurement and distribution at State level could be improved. Another suggestion was to increase participation of the organised sector and cooperative bodies in retailing, including farmers’ markets, agro-processing

and proper storage chains for wastage control.

Foodanddrink–theIndianstory

In other areas, India is fast overtaking other countries in food production. According to the Ministry of Finance paper on the economy in July 2014, India has now overtaken the European Union in milk production. Recording an annual rate of just over 4% - double the rest of the world- India saw 132.4 million tonnesof peak milk production in 2012.

India is also the world’s largest producer of mangoes,bananas, coconuts papayas, cashew nuts and pomegranates in addition to being the largest producer and exporter of herbs and spices.

Meanwhile, India’s meat industry is also booming. Euromonitor's data shows that India had 221 millionanimalsin2013.Itranksas the world’s fourth largest beef producer behind the US, China and Brazil. It is also the 15th largest exporter of beef generating revenuesofsomeUS$3.5billiionin 2013. It must however bepointed out that the country

focusses on water buffalo meat both for domestic consumption and export.

FoodandDrink–theIrishstory

The value of Irish food and drink exports has approached €3billionfor the first time in 2013. Thisrepresents an increase of 40% since 2009. Export values for dairy products and ingredients exceeded €3 billion, meat and livestockcomprised €3.3billionandpreparedfoods were €1.65 billion.

Irish exports in the food and drink sector are diverse. In 2013, exports to Chinagrew by over 40% and are now Ireland’s sixth largest market. India also features strongly in Ireland’s overall food and drink profile. In 2012, the two way trade was just €2.7million but it is poised to grow. 2014 will see the launch of Irish Dairy Board’s Kerrygold cheese and butter products. It will also see the launch of

the first Butlers chocolates Café. Kerry ingredients India is now established as a leading supplier of coating systems, meat and snack seasonings, functional ingredients, diary stabiliser blends and the Davinci range of speciality beverage solutions.

Drink is a growing market for Ireland in India. Particularly popular is Bailey’s Irish cream which created a whole new category of liquors on the India market as well as is Jameson, a well-known Irish whisky which is being distributed by Pernod Ricard,India.

Increase growth rate and reduce inflation - Modi's big food challenge

Food business


In true style, India launched its ultra-budget spacecraft and became the world’s first

nation to succeed in sending a spacecraft into Mars' orbit on its initial attempt. Twenty-four hours into India's entry into the elite space club, the Mars Orbiter Mission, also known as Mangalyaan, is circling the Red Planet and sending back data and photos to the command center.

Scientists and engineers working on the Mars Orbiter vehicle at the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) satellite centre in Bangalore were delighted at this little-publicised success.The Mars spacecraft will now orbit the Red Planet, mapping its surface and studying the atmosphere. The observation has already begun using its scientific instruments

• TheMarsOrbiterMission at$74 million cost less than the $100 million budget for the Hollywood space thriller "Gravity."

• The Indian Space ResearchO r g a n i z a t i o n ( I S R O ) reduced costs by using short development cycles and taking advantage of India's cheap labour market.

• I t took jus t 2 years!! India's then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced India's Mars aspiration in August 2012. In a rapid turnaround, the ISRO worked at breakneck speed to engineer, assemble and launch the Mars Orbiter.ByNovember2013,itlaunched from Chennai and 10 months later, it reached Mars' orbit to inspire a nation.

In comparison, NASA's MAVEN was announced in September 2008, and reached the planet's orbit earlier this week -- taking six years.

F o r m uc h o f i t s 5 0 - yea r history, India's space program

An out of space first for India

FULLDETAILSINTHENEXTEDITIONOFINDIA-IRELANDINFOCUS

One of the first images of the surface of Mars taken by the Mangalyaan, as presented by ISRO Scientists to the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in

New Delhi on September 25, 2014.

has pr ior i t ised developing technological capacity to help its population, such as improving its telecommunications infrastructure and environmental monitoring with satellites.

And it’s on Twitter!!@MarsCuriousity

Current affairs

Multi-national Indian conglomerate Shanpoorji Pallonji Group is investing in the future of Irish cricket and will take up naming rights for Cricket Ireland Academy which will now be known as

"Shapoorji Pallonji Cricket Ireland Academy".

The multi-national company is owned by the Mistry family. Shapoorji Pallonji is a diversified business group based in India.The partnership was announced on Wednesday 17th September at Trinity College.

In his message on the occasion, Mr. Shapoor Mistry, Chairman, Shapoorji Pallonji Group of Companies said that as Irish citizens, he feels this is a small contribution as a token of gratitude towards Ireland. The development of the academy will help Irish cricket create a pipeline of world class cricketers. He urged the students of the academy to work hard to take Irish Cricket to the next level of International cricket.

Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom welcomed the deal saying: “The development of our next generation of international cricketers in the national academy is one of our most important tasks, and requires significant investment, understanding and an ability to take the long view”.

“In the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, we are immensely proud to have found the perfect partner to share that vision, and help us mould our nation’s cricketing future for at least the next 10 years. We are also proud that Shapoorji Pallonji Group’s investment in cricket’s national academy represents the organisation’s and the Mistry family’s inaugural investment in Ireland, which we believe reflects our joint commitment to supporting the cause of ‘Ireland Inc’”.

“We are delighted to welcome Shapoorji Pallonji Group to the Irish cricket family and look forward to developing not just our players but our relationship, and that of Ireland and India, over the next decade.”

The aim of the Academy will be to identify and support the most talented young male and female players in the country, and provide them with a bespoke world-class player development programme in order to have the best possible chance of success on the international stage.

The lucrative multi-million euro deal is for an initial period of ten years and will ensure that Ireland keep producing cricketers to perform on the world stage.

Cricket Ireland’s Head of Commercial Dennis Cousins said: “In addition to the Academy Naming Rights Partnership, Shapoorji Pallonji will also benefit by becoming one of an increasing number of official partners to Cricket Ireland. This will enable the SP Group to leverage their association with the Irish Cricket Team worldwide in territories where Shapoorji Pallonji and Cricket Ireland share a global footprint. Irish cricket teams participate regularly in tournaments in countries where SP have a presence, including India, Sri Lanka, UAE and West Indies amongst others.”

“In an unprecedented year of cricket for Ireland, the SP Group will also have plenty of opportunities to leverage the partnership in advance of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup in New Zealand/Australia and when Ireland take on both England and Australia on home turf next year.”

Sports news: Irish cricket gains multi-million Euro boost

Pictured at the announcement are Indian Ambassador to Ireland Radhika Lokesk and

Minister Paschal Donohue TD with Irish International players, from left, George Dockrell and John Mooney with Cricket Ireland Academy

player Jack Tector at The Pavilion, Trinity College.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Mr. Paschal Donohue TD with

members of the Academy.

News

Historic cricket launch – Ranji Trophy becomes Irish national fixture

Arthur Deeny, Chairman, Ranji Cricket Committee of Ireland, Kevin O’Brien, Irish cricketer, Her Excellency Radhika Lal Lokesh, Ambassador of India to Ireland, Anne Chambers, Author of Ranji: Maharajah of Connemara,

Sumit Mullick, Chairman, Ireland India Business Association

Irish and world leading corporations supported the launch of the Ranji Trophy tournament in the presence of the Ambassador of India to Ireland, Her Excellency, and Mrs Radhika Lal Lokesh. Senior

executives of the companies’ nominated teams, as well as Sport Against Racism Ireland, the Ireland India Business Association and Malahide Cricket Club were there together with Charity Partner ‘Educate Together’to support the tournament itself played on Sunday June 22nd in Malahide Cricket Club.

The Ranji Cricket Committee of Ireland was formed, with the support of the Ireland India Business Association, SARI, UNITAS and Trinity College. Its aim is to develop the Irish Ranji Trophy into a major multicultural event, promoting community integration and harmony.

The event in Malahide was on a glorious summer family friendly day, with no entrance fee, offering culinary and cultural entertainment for spectators, supporters and friends of the teams. The tournament took the form of a round robin contest, with teams of six players each representing 12 teams from leading Irish and global companies. Organisations competing included AIB, Amazon, Dell, ESB, Facebook, Fidelity, Google, Intel, Microsoft, RaboDirect and Ulster Bank.

There was fabulous food from Jaipur, colourful teams and cheering supporters of upto 400. There were cultural performances from Indian performers, including dancing children in traditional costume and Sreya Sudheer a seven year old singer with a fantastic singing voice, as well a group of girls performing Irish tunes from Comhaltas Ceoiteori, for the hundreds of visitors.

Author Anne Chambers’ book ‘Ranji: Maharajah of Connemara’ (published in Ireland and India) brought the story of the legendary Indian cricketer’s link with Ireland to light. To honour Ranji’s efforts in bridging racial boundaries during his lifetime and to promote Irish-Indian relations today, Anne donated a perpetual trophy – The Ranji Trophy – for an annual multicultural cricket competition in his memory.

The winning team represented Microsoft. In second place was Dell and AIB came third in what was a thrilling final. The Vendors team finished in a close fourth.

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