tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28542649637881534882024-03-28T05:23:04.772+05:30Kiran Mazumdar ShawMy Thoughts and ExpressionsDr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-14669060322375732762018-01-01T13:42:00.000+05:302018-01-01T13:42:11.397+05:302017 – A Landmark Year for Indian Science<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>By Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD, Biocon</b></div>
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2017 has been an exciting year for science in India. From unheralded incremental innovations to Big Bang headline-grabbing global feats, Indian scientists have done some very important work to push the frontiers of science during the year.</div>
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India researchers made significant contributions to R&D across a broad spectrum of fields spanning across space sciences to life sciences. The Indian scientific community was seemingly responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call to propel our nation into the elite league of the Top Three countries in science and technology by 2030.</div>
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The victories, big or small, have been hard won. They are the culmination of years of intensive R&D efforts, frugal innovation, pooled knowhow, and a constant focus on excellence often in the face of scepticism and scarce funding.</div>
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<b>2017: A Space Odyssey</b></div>
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The big payoff came early in the year when the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scripted history by successfully launching a record 104 satellites into orbit using a single rocket, beating the previous record of 37 satellites deployed by Russia in 2014. It made the world stand up and take notice. Thanks to ISRO, we are now ranked among the world’s Top Six space-faring nations in terms of technological capabilities and an exclusive member of the global space club.</div>
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Indian scientists also played a key role in one of the major discoveries in the history of astronomy – the first-ever direct detection of gravitational waves. Nearly 40 scientists from several institutes across India contributed to the paper on the discovery of gravitational waves, which won its lead scientists the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2017.</div>
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Indian astronomers and astrophysicists also identified a previously unknown, extremely large supercluster of 43 galaxies located 4 billion light years away, which they named Saraswati.</div>
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<b>Making a Big Impact in Life Sciences</b></div>
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Indian scientists also demonstrated their advanced skills in the competitive realm of life sciences discovery. Not content with making generic versions of innovator products, several Indian pharma companies are themselves turning to innovation. Earlier this year, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals got the U.S. FDA’s nod to initiate human trials on one of their experimental antibody drugs to treat multiple myeloma. Sun Pharmaceutical, too, made progress on the development of a novel psoriasis drug.</div>
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Close collaboration between the scientific teams of Strand Life Sciences, the Mazumdar Shaw Center for Translational Research (MSCTR), and the Mazumdar Shaw Medical Center (MSMC) led to breakthrough research in cancer detection. It resulted in Strand Life Sciences becoming one of the earliest companies to introduce the revolutionary liquid biopsy technology in India, which allows cancer diagnosis through a blood test.</div>
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Indian scientists have also devised a unique method of early cancer detection using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur have developed an AI-based algorithm that uses light scattered from tissues to differentiate normal and precancerous tissues with high speed and great accuracy.</div>
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Elsewhere, scientists from the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) played a key role in the discovery of a potential cure for Friedreich’s ataxia, a genetic disease that damages the nervous system and impedes normal movement in patients. If successful, this novel molecule could help reverse this neurodegenerative disease that so far has no cure.</div>
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<b>Biocon Makes a Mark</b></div>
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At Biocon, we have been leveraging India’s value advantage of unmatched scientific talent to indigenously develop innovative biotechnology-based therapies aimed at making a huge difference globally in the treatment of chronic diseases.</div>
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Having launched India’s first novel biologic drug for head & neck cancer, Nimotuzumab, in 2006, followed by the introduction of a novel biologic therapy for psoriasis, Itolizumab, in 2013, we have continued to focus on differentiated therapies with a view to make a difference to patient lives.</div>
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While 2017 was a challenging year, we concluded the year on a euphoric note with a landmark achievement that demonstrated our advanced R&D capabilities. The US FDA approved a biosimilar antibody drug, Trastuzumab, co-developed by Biocon and Mylan to treat aggressive forms of breast and gastric cancers. It marked a major milestone for India as well Biocon, as we became the first company from India to secure a biosimilar approval in the US. This approval not only establishes Biocon as a credible biologics player from India it puts us in an exclusive league of global biosimilar players.</div>
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We also launched KRABEVA® (Bevacizumab), a key biosimilar antibody drug for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and other types of lung, kidney, cervical, ovarian and brain cancers, in India.</div>
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These developments endorse the strength of our country’s science and the manufacturing capability to develop world-class biosimilars that conform to best-in-class global quality standards.</div>
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<b>Surge of Data Sciences</b></div>
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India is fast gaining global recognition for the quality of its data scientists who enable evidence based decision making. The ability of our data analysts has led to the emergence of decision sciences at the intersection of technology, business and math thus creating a new man machine ecosystem. The exponential growth in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning is leading to a huge demand for highly skilled professionals. Over the last one year the number of analytics jobs in India has almost doubled. Bengaluru-based Mu Sigma, was among the first few companies in India to spot this trend early on and since then has capitalized on this opportunity to build a billion-dollar enterprise with a reputed client base of leading multinationals. As more data analytics projects get outsourced to India, due to lack of such skills across the world, we are likely to see a boom in this field in the years ahead.</div>
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<b>The Pursuit of Excellence</b></div>
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The Indian scientific community has set new benchmarks in scientific excellence and created a powerful and formidable brand for India in 2017. Our pursuit of excellence extends into the New Year and beyond. And I take this opportunity to thank all our scientists whose achievements have invoked a sense of national pride in every Indian citizen. Our scientific advancements have proven beyond doubt that through conviction and passion we can achieve leadership in science & technology and innovation excellence!</div>
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<b>Happy New Year!</b></div>
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Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-52527409997405647762017-11-27T15:52:00.000+05:302017-11-27T18:33:28.785+05:30Crusader for Affordable Healthcare<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biocon, CMD, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw</td></tr>
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<strong>Financial Chronicle: Big Interview:</strong> Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw spoke to FC on a range of topics, including women as entrepreneurs, philanthropy, affordable healthcare, citizen activism etc. Here’s the full version of the interview.<br />
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<li><strong>As a woman business leader, what are some of the challenges you have encountered in getting to the top and how were you able to surmount them? Has the situation improved for women entrepreneurs today?</strong></li>
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I am happy to note that a large number of women entrepreneurs are coming to the fore in India today. In fact, India has been ranked as the most active country for successful women entrepreneurs, with one-third of early-stage entrepreneurs being women.<br />
This is a huge change from when I started Biocon in 1978. I had to function in a fairly hostile business environment and surmount a lot of credibility challenges. Professionals did not want to work for me as they felt that I could not provide them ‘job security’ being a woman, and some even assumed I was the secretary to the Managing Director (MD) and not the MD. Suppliers told me they were reluctant to give me credit because they did not have confidence in my business abilities. Banks and financial institutions were reluctant to fund me and some even suggested that my father should be the guarantor for any loans.<br />
While more women are coming forward with new entrepreneurial ventures, women-led startups still find it difficult to get funding. A recent media report said only 2% of all the fund raised by startups in India in 2017 went into women led start-ups.<br />
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego in the US, have found that men, who make up 90% of venture capitalists, prefer to invest in companies run by other males. Since female-led startups face tougher funding prospects than male-led startups, fewer women enter the tech entrepreneur pipeline that ultimately feeds the ranks of venture capitalists, according to the study.<br />
<strong>Thankfully, Bengaluru is blessed to have a booming ecosystem for women entrepreneurs. I hope such an environment can be replicated pan-India to enable women-led businesses to overcome challenges, manage risk and deliver growth.</strong><br />
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<li><strong>Given the high cost of healthcare, what steps are needed to improve healthcare delivery in rural India?</strong></li>
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India needs a healthcare model that hinges on affordability and access. This calls for existing public health infrastructure to be revitalised, new medical centres to be built and modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based telemedicine technology to be leveraged for addressing the demand-supply gaps in terms of doctors and health facilities, especially in the rural areas. There is an urgent need to promote Public Private Partnership (PPP) models in healthcare.<br />
The government alone cannot meet the healthcare infrastructure and capacity gaps in Tier II and Tier III cities as well as rural areas. While it’s true that some PPP projects attempted earlier have failed, clear policy guidelines can ensure the successful implementation and sustainability of healthcare PPP models in future.<br />
I believe advances in ICTs provide a very effective tool for improving healthcare delivery and reducing healthcare disparities in rural areas. A modern ICT-based universal healthcare system can help leverage modern diagnostics in primary healthcare for early detection and treatment, and integration with telemedicine could bridge the deficit of specialists at the primary care level. Through cloud based data collection for patient profiling, epidemiological and patient centric data can be generated which will enable mapping of the disease burden at the level of the smallest administrative unit. Comprehensive databases and disease registries can enable better evaluation of the incidence and diversity of diseases thereby allowing for more effective healthcare interventions.<br />
Biocon Foundation, Biocon’s CSR arm, has embraced technology for healthcare delivery at various levels – through mobile phones, handheld diagnostic devices, ICT-enabled eLAJ smart clinics and digitized patient records. We have also entered into public private partnerships (PPPs) in Rajasthan and Karnataka to scale up our various CSR programs. These initiatives have contributed to expanding the reach of our programs.<br />
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<li><strong>What are your views on the recent controversy over the KPME Act, which has brought into focus the issue of high cost of private medical treatment in the country?</strong></li>
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We all know the dismal state of healthcare in our country where public healthcare services are almost non-existent and people have to rely on private healthcare ecosystem for high quality healthcare delivery. Inadequate public investment in health infrastructure gets compensated by large-scale investments by the private sector, which is over 3% of GDP or almost double of the government’s spending on healthcare in India.<br />
The proposed Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Amendment Bill that includes price control on private healthcare sector will be detrimental for the health of this sector and suicidal for patients.<br />
While government’s intention to safeguard patient’s interests and make healthcare delivery affordable is good, the mechanism proposed through KPME Amendment Bill is sub-optimal. Seeking to cap prices of various medical procedures at private hospitals will be detrimental to the fiscal health of those who have invested heavily in setting up world-class hospitals, as well as for the patients in the long run.<br />
While undue profiteering at the cost of patients’ needs to be discouraged, these hospitals need to make decent returns on investment (RoIs) to make their business sustainable. If not, the private healthcare sector will meet the same fate as the existing government hospitals, which have failed to provide good quality healthcare to people. Therefore, in my view, we need to have a more comprehensive regulatory framework that looks beyond price caps in private sector to ensure quality healthcare coverage for all.<br />
Another proposed modification in the KPME (A) Bill calls for imprisonment of doctors found guilty of negligence. Such a provision could prove counterproductive by deterring doctors from taking quick decisions in emergency cases. A more pragmatic ‘3 Strikes, You’re Out’ approach could help curb malpractices by doctors as erring individuals could stand to lose their licenses if they step out of line despite two previous warnings.<br />
The proposal to set up a specific patient grievance redressal cell to fast track patient complaints is again good in its intent but not thought through well, since doctors can be held liable under current consumer protection laws and complaints against them can be made to Karnataka Medical Council (KMC), Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Lokayukta. Adding another forum will only complicate the matter further, unless some of the existing channels are closed for complaints against doctors.<br />
I am glad that Karnataka Chief Minister Mr Siddaramaiah has engaged with the protesting community and has agreed to look into their concerns. I think he is amenable to modifying some of the harsher aspects of the KPME (A) Bill and I believe that healthcare providers have also agreed for price regulation for procedures under govt. health insurance schemes. So, I hope the modified bill when tabled will be in the best interest of patients and healthcare providers.<br />
<strong>While there can be no debate over the need to increase access to affordable healthcare for the common man, the government also needs to upgrade the public healthcare delivery and not just focus on controlling the private sector which is the major provider of tertiary healthcare in the country today. It is time that the government increases its spending on public health and starts investing more in hospitals to bring them at par with the private hospitals both in terms of infrastructure and high-end talent. The government also needs to create mechanisms that allow patients’ grievances to be addressed in an expeditious and fair manner. The aim should be to ensure ‘best-in-class’ healthcare services delivery in the public and private sphere, for the larger benefit of Indian patients</strong>.<br />
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<li><strong>If technology can be leveraged to improve healthcare delivery, can it work in improving the level of governance in India?</strong></li>
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I believe the government needs to leverage technology in a big way to deliver governance that is efficient, transparent and accountable. The goods and services tax (GST) as originally envisaged could have been a model of how a simple, technology-based tax administration can effectively raise compliance and tax collections in the country. However, messy political bargaining has led to the GST’s current structure that is seriously flawed, defeating the very purpose it was meant to serve.<br />
If the government had taken the views of all stakeholders on board before implementing GST, they would not have to constantly run to the drawing board to tweak the tax slabs to ensure better ease of doing business and improve India’s global competitiveness.<br />
Take for example, ambulances with a capacity of 10-13 people, including the driver, now attract the highest GST rate of 28% plus 15% compensation cess. The huge tax component inflates the cost of the ambulance. Similarly, hospitals pay GST at a rate of 28% on all purchases and services availed for air-conditioned hospital beds. Hospitals, however, cannot offset this higher tax incidence by taking input credit for the GST paid as healthcare services are exempt from service tax. If this anomaly is not addressed, it will lead to a deterioration of hospital services and worse, make businesses unviable. <strong>Hospital care is not a luxury service and the government should not confuse hospitals with hospitality!</strong><br />
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<li><strong>You have channelled some of your philanthropic activities towards boosting entrepreneurship in the country. What other areas do you focus on as part of your philanthropy?</strong></li>
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As the founder of a Biopharmaceutical company, I believe innovation and commerce are as powerful for driving technological advancement as they are for creating social progress. It is my long-held belief in the power of entrepreneurship to drive change that has led me to support startups, especially in the area of healthcare.<br />
As part of my philanthropic efforts I also passionately support the pursuit of science to target cancer, which is a debilitating disease that imposes unbearable financial burden on patients in poor countries. The Mazumdar-Shaw Medical Center, my philanthropic initiative in partnership with Dr Devi Shetty, aims to create a sustainable affordable cancer care model that leverages advanced technologies, state-of-the-art diagnostics and best-in-class talent to address the challenges associated with this fatal disease. Our unique cancer care model enables the poor to access treatment at costs subsidized by those who can afford it. The Mazumdar-Shaw Centre for Translational Research, which is an integral part of the hospital, has developed a number of advanced yet affordable genomics based cancer diagnostics including liquid biopsies. This is enabling early diagnosis and better treatment outcomes based on personalized medicine.<br />
Biocon, the company that I founded in 1978, has committed its Corporate Social Responsibility to ensure that marginalized communities living in underserved urban and rural areas of India can enjoy the ‘Right to Health’, the ‘Right to Education’ and the ‘Right to Sanitation’. Over the years, Biocon Foundation has built a strong reputation for the quality of its programs and their impact in addressing the social, humanitarian and environmental challenges of India.<br />
My love for the arts influences my philanthropic efforts aimed at encouraging new artists. Deteriorating civic amenities in another area of concern that I try to address through my philanthropy.<br />
I am inspired to join Bill & Melinda Gates and the growing fraternity of the Giving Pledge in their philanthropic efforts to make this world a better place. I have been giving away half of my income towards philanthropy on an annual basis. My will reflects this intent very succinctly. In 2016, I became the second Indian to take the Giving Pledge.<br />
<strong>Having grown up in a middle class family in India, I was brought up by my parents to believe that wealth creation is about making a difference to society. As a first generation entrepreneur, I built my company Biocon with these guiding principles. My success with Biocon has given me the wherewithal to pursue my overarching commitment to social inclusiveness.</strong><br />
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<li><strong>Tell us more about your work with B.PAC. Bengaluru known for its lakes is becoming a city of neglect with its choked drains and lakes. what is B.PAC doing in this area?</strong></li>
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B.PAC has today emerged as a platform for participative governance by galvanizing ordinary citizens of Bengaluru to engage proactively with government and civic bodies.<br />
We as citizens cannot stand by and blame the government for all that ails our cities today, we need to demonstrate ownership as well as exhibit responsible behaviour. For instance, a large part of the problem of dead or dying water bodies is on account of garbage and untreated sewage from residential colonies and commercial establishments is being allowed to flow into lakes. Unfortunately, when this happens the burden of finding a solution is passed on to key individuals or corporates, besides government bodies and citizens are not held accountable for creating these problems. B.PAC is trying to address this anomaly through better citizen engagement in finding solutions for the problems of our city and restoring its past glory.<br />
While corporates are ready to contribute, Citizens too need to get involved by vigilantly guarding against attempts by land sharks to grab lakebeds and ensuring that untreated effluents and sewage do not end up polluting lakes. The government, on its part, needs to ensure that heavy fines are imposed to deter people from polluting lakes and dumping garbage.<br />
B.PAC is actively working towards citizen engagement in addressing various issues. For example in order to get citizens involved in lake conservation at the ward level, B.PAC has selected community representatives staying around lakes to actively participate in the process. B.PAC teams are also providing authorities with the necessary data for selection of lakes in the city for rejuvenation.<br />
Similarly, under the B.Safe program B.PAC has joined hands with the Bangalore City Police for the ‘A Billon Eyes – For a Safer Bengaluru’ Initiative. Research shows that bystander intervention helps prevent harassment and increases the sense of safety among women. Hence, this campaign is helping ensure citizens are prepared to actively help in ensuring the safety of women and children in the city.<br />
Recently, B.PAC has also launched the My Place of Pride (MYPOP) contest, which rates, ranks and awards the communities that exhibit best practices in solid waste management, water conservation, power management, fire safety and hygiene and cleanliness.<br />
<strong>B.PAC is pushing Bengaluru citizens to shed their apathy and engage effectively with the political system to find solutions to the myriad issues that bedevil our city.</strong></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>This article originally appeared in Financial Chronicle, November 25, 2017 issue.</i></span><br />
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Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-60034185701522033332017-09-22T11:21:00.003+05:302017-09-22T11:21:40.525+05:30India To Be A Biotech Hot Spot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The last 70 years have been transformational for the Indian biotech industry, mirroring the nation’s own rapidly advancing economy and rising global status. We have successfully leveraged recombinant DNA technology to deliver biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, genetically engineered crops and enzymes. In doing so, we have created a notable bio-economy valued at $35 billion. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have embraced cutting-edge technologies, built global scale manufacturing capacities, and benchmarked our systems and strategies to global best practices. Currently, India is among the top 12 biotechnology destinations in the world and ranks third in the Asia-Pacific region. While our immediate goal is to build a $100 billion bio-economy in India by 2025, in the next 30 years, India aspires to become a biotechnology hot spot reputed for its high-value, low-cost innovations in bio-therapeutics including personalised and precision medicine, advanced enzyme technologies, GM crops and bioinformatics. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The success of India’s biotechnology industry can be traced to the pioneering spirit of entrepreneurs who leveraged a nascent technology and India’s cost-effective scientific talent pool to bring affordable innovations to the market. Its evolution over the decades mirrored the country’s growing confidence in life sciences. While the 1980s were the decade of enzymes, the next decade saw vaccines gaining prominence as a business segment. The emergence of genomics research companies in the 2000s was followed by Novel biologics and biosimilars making an impact from 2010 onwards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I started Biocon as India’s first biotech enterprise in 1978 in a garage in Bengaluru to manufacture industrial enzymes for food and textile industries around the world. The initial years were tough as I encountered market scepticism, funding challenges, infrastructural hurdles, manpower issues and government apathy. I persevered because I believed biotechnology was the technology of the future with the potential to deliver transformational change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">By the mid-1980s, Biocon had evolved as the largest enzymes company of India pursuing an R&D-led biotech business. As few more biotechnology-based companies started coming up, it caught the attention of the government and, in 1986, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) was established. I was privileged to be invited to be a part of the DBT’s Task Force, which helped articulate the regulatory framework for the industry. Recombinant technologies were at the fulcrum of regulations covering vaccines, genetically modified crops and biopharmaceuticals. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Biocon’s stock market debut in 2004, as the first biotech company in India to go public, commanded a premium valuation. It led to the development of a biocluster in Bengaluru, attracting a number of large and small biotech companies. These included Strand Genomics, a bioinformatics company; Gangagen, a phage-based antibiotic company; Reametrix, a whole blood-based diagnostics instrumentation company; Syngene, which spearheaded research services; and Bio-IT companies like Genotypic Technology, BigTec and Molecular Connections. The cluster also spurred the growth of ancillary biotech companies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The disruptive power of Indian biotechnology innovation grabbed the attention of the world in the late 1990s when companies like Shantha Biotechnics, Bharat Biotech, and Serum Institute started producing and supplying vaccines at a fraction of the cost of western drug makers. Today, ‘1 in 3’ children globally are immunised with a ‘Made in India’ vaccine. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Having built a strong base of indigenous R&D capabilities and excellent clinical trials and manufacturing infrastructure, the industry started developing biotech-based drugs or biologics. Taking the lead, Biocon introduced India’s indigenously developed recombinant human insulin using a proprietary fermentation technology in 2004 and, along with Wockhardt, was able to break the monopoly of innovators in insulins by offering indigenously manufactured affordable alternatives, thus enhancing access to this life-saving therapy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Over the years, Biocon has successfully launched two novel biologics and five biosimilar products aimed at cancer, diabetes and autoimmune diseases, making these advanced therapies available to a large patient population. Today, there are a select few companies such as Dr. Reddy’s Labs, Zydus Cadila, Intas Pharma, Reliance Life Sciences, Lupin, etc., which are active in the area of complex biologics/biosimilars. The biotechnology sector is evolving fast and it promises to transform healthcare, agriculture and environmental management, leading to the dawn of the ‘Biotechnology Age’. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">By 2030, the Indian bio-economy sector is expected to attain a size of $200 billion. I foresee the intelligent use of data to transform global health. India’s highly developed software skills offer a unique Bio-IT opportunity to mine, analyse and interpret data and create algorithms that can match therapies with the diagnosis. There is also considerable excitement over the promise of targeted genome editing technologies like CRISPR CAS9, which can potentially prevent several diseases, including some cancers, and prevent specific genetic anomalies from being passed on to future generations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I believe, by 2050, cancer will become manageable through advances in the field of immuno-oncology, which works by stimulating an immune response against malignant tumours, thus replacing the need for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Biotechnology in agriculture and farming has the potential to address numerous challenges associated with food security in India. Just as the commercial cultivation of genetically modified cotton in India, starting 2002, helped convert the country from a net importer to a net exporter of cotton, selective propagation of genes that improve yields and are resistant to pests, flooding and drought, could make food cheaper, more nutritious and abundant. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bioremediation techniques, which offer a cheaper alternative to conventional cleaning technologies, can be used to address the impending global crisis in the area of water and energy. Application of technologies like the ones being developed by Sea6 Energy, will help harness the potential of the oceans to provide solutions in energy, agriculture and feed, thus helping restore the ecological balance.</span></div>
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<em style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This article originally appeared in September 2, 2017 issue of Business World Magazine.</span></em></div>
</div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-55412028374721236212017-04-19T15:34:00.000+05:302017-04-19T15:51:36.802+05:30Delivering Affordable Innovation through Scientific Excellence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">19th of
April is a historic day for India’s space mission.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;"> On this day, 42 years ago, ISRO
launched the first Indian satellite Aryabhata. Indigenously designed and
fabricated in India, Aryabhata was, to paraphrase the legendary Neil Armstrong,
“one small step for ISRO, one giant leap for India’s satellite technology.” </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That India’s maiden satellite was
named after the legendary astronomer and mathematician, Aryabhata, is only
befitting. In the 5<sup>th</sup> Century B.C., Aryabhata successfully
calculated the diameter of the earth and the moon, proposed that the earth
rotated on its axis and determined the value of Pi up to the fourth decimal
place, among other things. I<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">t is this deep knowledge of
advanced maths and science that made India the global knowledge hub of the
ancient world, drawing scholars from distant lands to its universities at
Nalanda and<span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span>Taksashila. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Centuries later, in 1947, while
delivering his historic “tryst with destiny” speech our first Prime Minister
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru referred to the need of leveraging India’s historic connect
with science and technology for the task of nation building. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Two decades later in 1969, when Dr
Vikram Sarabhai, the founding father of India’s space program, took charge of
ISRO, he made an inspiring statement which was prophetic… <i>“There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a
developing nation... But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful
role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in
the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and
society.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As a developing economy, India’s
budget for space science was modest, which evoked a lot of scepticism about our
country’s capability. Even today, ISRO has a budget which is a tenth of NASA, yet
it has propelled India into a leadership position in space research.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ISRO’s soaring achievements may have
taken the world by surprise and what’s more, they have demonstrated India’s
potential to drive ‘affordable innovation’ that can deliver high value with frugal
resources. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thanks to ISRO, what India has
achieved in space technology is not only world class, it is world beating! India
has been able to scale the heights of success driven by a scientific team on a “mission
mode” led by inspirational leaders like Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, Prof. Satish
Dhawan, Prof. U.R. Rao, Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Shri G. Madhavan Nair, Dr. K.
Radhakrishnan, Shri A.S. Kiran Kumar and Dr M Annadurai!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The legendary Dr APJ Abdul Kalam had
also contributed to the scientific excellence of this great institution. He drove
India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle program (SLV-III) and the
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) project during his two-decade association
with ISRO. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Today ISRO is proof of what
inspirational leadership can achieve with frugal resources! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Just two months ago, ISRO helped
India script history by successfully launching a record 104 satellites into
orbit using a single rocket, beating the previous record of 37 satellites
deployed by Russia in 2014. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;">ISRO: Championing Affordable
Innovation</span></b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Forty-two years ago when ISRO
launched Aryabhata it had to start from scratch as India lacked the kind of
sophisticated infrastructure that Western nations had. Aryabhata was built in a
period of 30 months by a young team of scientists and engineers at a project
cost of a little more than Rs 3 crore.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the succeeding four decades, ISRO
has stuck to its philosophy of ‘affordable innovation’.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">India’s Mars Orbiter Mission was
without doubt the cheapest inter-planetary mission ever to be undertaken since
Martian exploration began. ISRO designed, built and launched the Mangalyaan
space probe for US$74 million, which is nearly a tenth of NASA’s Mars probe
Maven! It was even cheaper than the US$100-million spent in producing the
Hollywood space drama Gravity! As our Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi had pointed out, the 650 million km journey to Mars cost India a mere Rs 7
per kilometre, less that a Rs 10 per km auto ride in Ahmedabad! The frugality
of its Mars orbiter notwithstanding, India stunned the world when it became the
first nation ever to have succeeded in reaching the Red Planet in its maiden
attempt! This was indeed a phenomenal
milestone which saw every Indian bursting with pride. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Navigation with Indian Constellation,
or NAVIC, the program that put India among the elite group of nations to have
their own satellite navigation systems, was also a feat of cost-effective space
engineering! At US$350 million, India spent less money on their entire satellite
navigation network than the cost overrun of Galileo, the European satellite
navigation network project!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Even ISRO's 2008 Moon Mission,
Chandrayaan I, at a cost of ~US$100 million, was a feat in itself considering no
other country had succeeded in executing a lunar mission for less than US$500
million. More importantly, ISRO’s affordable innovation succeeded in collecting
data that confirmed the presence of water on the moon!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;">ISRO: Breaking the Colonial Mindset</span></b></span></h3>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">By championing the ‘Innovate in
India’ mantra, ISRO has boosted our self-belief as a nation. For too long, we
have been prisoners of a colonial mindset with low levels of confidence in our
own capabilities which has led us to look at the West for scientific validation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Through its pursuit of excellence,
ISRO has created a powerful and formidable brand for India, which is about
leadership in science & technology and innovation excellence!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">ISRO’s emergence as a frontrunner in
the growing private space market has led countries like US, UK, Germany,
Canada, Japan, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Israel, the Netherlands, Belgium,
Italy and several others to seek India’s help for satellite launch services. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">It’s interesting to note that of the 180 foreign
satellites launched by ISRO since 1999, more than half belonged to the US!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">ISRO is today a byword for
world-beating scientific excellence! It has helped India stake a claim as an
exclusive member of the global space club. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">We are now ranked among the
world’s top 6 space faring nations in terms of technological capabilities!</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I remember that In the 1960s and 1970s every single scientist
who wanted to pursue space research aspired to go to NASA. Only a few remained in
India and not by choice I may add. This exodus of Indian scientists is reflected
in the large representation of people of Indian origin at NASA!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">However, it is an entirely different
picture today. The first choice for many of the current generation of Indian space
researchers is ISRO! And I wouldn’t be surprised if we witness the return of a
large number of the Indian diaspora at NASA so that they can be part of this
great space mission that our nation has embarked on!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;">ISRO: Looking at Greater Private Sector Participation</span></b></span></h3>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As India’s space program gains
momentum and stature, ISRO plans to increasingly outsource space science
services to the private sector and ensure that its own scientists and engineers
focus on space exploration and research.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While ISRO has a nearly 30-year-old
partnership with the Indian industry, the private sector's contribution has
largely been restricted to fabrication, testing and assembling. Under the
banner of ‘Make in India’, ISRO is now entrusting Indian companies with the
task of building rockets and satellites! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The push for greater private sector
participation is also in sync with the larger efforts of ISRO to augment
capabilities and tap the growing commercial market for space-based
surveillance, remote sensing and telecommunication. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">By collaborating with India Inc.,
ISRO can create a robust space industry which can carve out a bigger slice of
the estimated US$300 billion-plus global civilian space market, leveraging India’s
innovative, vibrant and tech savvy entrepreneurial ecosystem. If Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Elon
Musk’s Space-X are dreaming big in terms of space tourism, so can Indian
entrepreneurs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Satellites Can Help India Leapfrog into a Digital Future</span></span></b></h3>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Today ISRO is helping India address
several socio-economic and developmental needs of the country using space
technology. ISRO has already taken the
benefits of the space technology to the remotest of Indian villages to address
the basic needs in education, health, nutrition, and drinking and irrigation
water.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Going forward, ISRO’s satellites can
play a big role in realizing India’s aspiration of transforming itself into a
country empowered by digital technologies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It took 20 years for India to have
the first 100 million Internet users, but the next 100 million users will come
in less than three years. To cater to rising demand, it is imperative to look
beyond the traditional modes of internet delivery to space-based solutions. Satellite
internet can provide an economical solution to most of the challenges faced by
ground infrastructure like optical fibres.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In fact, satellite-based Internet
systems can prove more effective at distributing Internet broadband capacity
over a large area as well as reduce congestion in already overloaded networks,
thus improving the quality of service provided by mobile networks. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Space-based technologies can be
integrated into 5G systems to help take advanced Internet of Things (IoT) applications
to regions that are beyond the reach of terrestrial networks. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Going forward, ISRO plans planetary
exploration missions, a reusable launch vehicle, and a program to send
astronauts into space in the coming years. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Space science is going to be a new
industrial sector for India. This can be a differentiated ‘Make in India’ story
with high scientific skills and technological capabilities. This will open up
huge demand for scientific and engineering skills, creating new jobs. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">India's pursuit of cutting-edge space
technologies, which had started off as a national mission is now becoming a
large national enterprise, with the potential to spur sustainable and inclusive
economic growth. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h3 style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><b><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Biocon’s Journey of Affordable Innovation for Global Impact </span></span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When I reflect on my own
entrepreneurial journey, I find lot of parallels between ISRO’s march to the
forefront of global space exploration and Biocon’s ambition to become one of
the most recognized Indian names in the global biotechnology sector.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am very proud that our company is
today considered to be among the world-beating innovators in
biopharmaceuticals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As a pioneering biopharma enterprise,
Biocon has been among the first in India to invest in developing recombinant
DNA and bio-processing technologies that can deliver innovative and affordable
biologics. We have focused relentlessly on chronic disease spaces like
diabetes, cancer and autoimmune conditions, marked by unmet needs. Our mission
is to develop drugs that can be labelled “blockbusters” not because they can
earn a billion dollars but because they are affordable enough to benefit a
billion patients!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Like
ISRO, we have leveraged India’s value advantage of unmatched scientific talent
and cost-competitive manufacturing to deliver scale, speed and quality. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">We have indigenously developed
innovative technologies, which offer us a global competitive edge</span><span style="line-height: 150%;">.
We have adopted a business mantra of ‘highest quality at the lowest cost.’ <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Just as
ISRO has made transformational impact through space technology, my company,
Biocon, has harnessed the potential of Biotechnology to make a huge difference
through affordable insulins, and cancer drugs for the benefit of patients the
world over.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ISRO & Team Indus: Working to Put India on the Moon</span></span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ISRO’s triumphs in space science have
fired up the best and the brightest minds in India to contribute to this
emerging narrative of technical and scientific excellence. This is evident from
an innovative start-up venture, Team Indus which is attempting to create space
history by becoming the first private enterprise in the world to not only build
and land a spacecraft on the moon but have a rover ride the surface.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What is equally interesting is how
India is approaching the unfolding ‘Moon Race’ by following a dual strategy of
a state-funded program in the form of Chandrayaan 2 and a privately-funded
moonshot via Team Indus. It is an exciting model of private-public partnership
that augurs well for ushering in a whole new and exciting era for space
exploration.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Team Indus is scheduled to launch its
lunar probe this December on board ISRO’s extended Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle to the moon. It has benefited immensely from its collaboration with ISRO’s
scientists who had worked on Chandrayaan 1. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Interestingly, ISRO is also planning
to launch Chandrayaan 2 early next year, which includes a large rover to carry
out several significant scientific experiments on the moon. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Team Indus is the only Indian team
competing for the Google Lunar XPRIZE, which is a global competition to
challenge and inspire engineers and entrepreneurs to develop low-cost methods
of robotic space exploration. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I firmly believe that a win for Team
Indus will be a win for India as this pioneering entrepreneurial effort in
space research can inspire scores of others and be the cornerstone of success
for India on the world stage. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;">Women Scientists to the Fore </span></b></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When India was celebrating the
success of its first Mars mission, I was very excited to see the smiling faces
of the women scientists of ISRO being splashed all over the media. It was a
watershed moment as far as the Indian Space Program is concerned. But, more
importantly, it shattered stereotypes about space research and Indian women. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I, myself, had to break many a gender
barrier when I started Biocon in 1978 as a young, 25-year-old woman
entrepreneur, with no business background and limited financial resources. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This kind of gender bias was not
specific to India. Even in Western society, women scientists were pushed to the
background despite playing a crucial role in science. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In is noteworthy that in the late
19th century, a group of women, known as ‘Harvard Computers’, helped process
astronomical data for Harvard Observatory Director Edward Charles Pickering. In
the 1960s, a team of African-American women mathematicians in NASA played a
vital role in the US space program. Their stories would have remained untold
had it not been for the book and the subsequent Hollywood film 'Hidden Figures'
that are based on their extraordinary contributions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thankfully, that landscape is
changing now as more and more women prove their mettle as engineers, mathematicians,
and computer programmers. Scientific organizations are realizing the diversity
of thought, creativity and innovation that women bring to the table and this is
opening up more opportunities for women scientists. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That is why today we are seeing a large
representation of women in the innovation ecosystem of India. One-third of the
3,000 entrepreneurial start-ups in the life sciences sector have been founded
by women! Over 20% of ISRO's over 16,000 employees are women. In my company,
Biocon, over 30% of the 4,000 scientists are women.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I believe, women are an integral part
of the scientific community and at ISRO they have played key roles in the
numerous successful missions of the agency. It gives me immense pleasure to see
many women ISRO scientists to have become household names, today.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While Indian-origin space pioneers
like Kalpana Chawla and Suneeta Williams have been an inspiration, many girls
today are aspiring to follow in the footsteps of an Anuradha TK, a Nandini
Harinath, a Valarmathi or a Tessy
Thomas!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Conclusion</span></span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now that ISRO has built credibility through world-beating
scientific excellence the path ahead towards global leadership is going to be extremely
exciting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ISRO has proven beyond doubt that it is not about
the amount of money you invest but it is about the scientific conviction and
passion that you display which can help you reach for the stars! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ISRO, is truly a shining example of ‘mind over
matter’ that reflects that if you have the mental acumen of our scientists and
engineers, then money doesn’t matter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">ISRO today invokes a sense of national pride for every Indian citizen.
It’s an inspirational story of how self-belief and conviction can lead a nation
to set new benchmarks in scientific excellence</span><span style="line-height: 150%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">By championing cutting-edge space exploration and partnering with
innovation-led start-ups in the private sector ISRO can create a starburst of
advanced innovation for our country and our future! <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- Kiran Mazumdar - Shaw</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>This 'Aryabhata Lecture' was delivered by Kiran Mazumdar - Shaw at ISRO Satellite Centre, Bengaluru on April 19th on the occasion of Satellite Technology Day.</i></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-18840016949857339332017-04-03T11:22:00.000+05:302017-04-03T11:22:32.024+05:30Digital India Can Propel Us to Double-Digit Growth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fla6v72fTQ3pzKlf39ag9DnjNroD5Bz2SUA-HMlR2ypOY2_FU8xaUSBGckH59L24Tm49sWvnMjwG9aDSjPKLW1tl0ayWNXrwXOAXvL3hGGgvsgMTsytbc61jjN40nOcrp8fQHpOp9wM0/s1600/yourstory-digital-india.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fla6v72fTQ3pzKlf39ag9DnjNroD5Bz2SUA-HMlR2ypOY2_FU8xaUSBGckH59L24Tm49sWvnMjwG9aDSjPKLW1tl0ayWNXrwXOAXvL3hGGgvsgMTsytbc61jjN40nOcrp8fQHpOp9wM0/s400/yourstory-digital-india.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: Google</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The new fiscal year promises exciting opportunities for the Indian economy, which is scheduled to bring in a game-changing new reform in the form of the Goods & Services Tax. Expectations of wider economic reforms, new measures to improve the ease of doing business in India and higher infrastructure investments also augur well for the prospects of economic growth of India, which is the fastest growing major economy in the world today.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Signals emanating from the global economy are also positive. According to economists, 2017 is witnessing synchronous recovery in global growth for the first time since the recession in 2010. Emerging economies remain the main driver of the strengthening global outlook, as they continue to contribute more than three-quarters of total global GDP growth in 2017, according to the International Monetary Fund.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As conditions look favourable for the economy growing at a faster clip, it is time for India to revisit its aspirations of double-digit GDP growth. If we are really serious about achieving this growth pace, we need to focus on the mission of Digital India and leverage the transformative power of a technology-driven economy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Digital India Can Transform Lives & Boost Growth</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We all know that India suffers from a huge infrastructure deficit. It is estimated that India’s infrastructure could require an investment of up to US$1.7 trillion by the end of the decade, as per the World Bank report.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Investing heavily on infrastructure has time and again proved to be one of the most successful recipes for accelerated economic growth. However, we also know it requires huge capital investment and has a long gestation period. Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored for long. To leapfrog India’s traditional deficit in physical infrastructure, we need to urgently invest in building a strong Information & Communication Technology (ICT) backbone, which will present many unique opportunities by enabling businesses in the areas of financial services, education, healthcare, agriculture, retail etc. and will improve economic conditions in remote areas. Above all, digital infrastructure growth can empower the government to embrace and enable innovation, provide resources to help increase agricultural productivity as well as enable universal healthcare access. It can also bring financial services to the unbanked rural and underprivileged communities and help fulfil the country’s longstanding goal of ‘education for all’.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Financial Inclusion</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">India, like the rest of the world, is witnessing a rapid adoption of digital payments. This is being driven by deeper mobile phone penetration, concerted policy action by the Reserve Bank of India and government initiatives like Aadhaar and Jan Dhan Yojana. Demonetisation has also given a decisive push to the adoption of digital payments.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As millions of these Indians adopt digital payment methods they will be able to connect to the formal financial sector as customers and suppliers. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A report published by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) says increased use of technology in the realm of Financial Services could give 300 million Indians access to banking services by 2025 and raise their incomes by up to 30% thanks to better access to credit and the ability to save and make remittances.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Education</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The McKinsey report also estimates that remote learning, massive open online courses (MOOCs) and other digital systems could have an economic impact of US$ 60 billion to US$ 90 billion a year by 2025 thanks to higher productivity among a larger number of skilled workers. India could have about 24 million more high-school and college-educated workers and 18 million to 33 million more vocationally trained workers by 2025 as a result of digitization in the education sector.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Healthcare</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Disruptive technologies could transform the delivery of public health through remote health services and digitally enabled healthcare workers who can link specialists with patients in rural areas. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A modern ICT-based universal healthcare system will help leverage modern diagnostics in primary healthcare for early detection and treatment, and telemedicine to bridge the deficit of specialists at the primary care level. They can also be used for cloud based data collection to collate epidemiological and patient centric data to profile and map the disease burden at the level of the smallest administrative unit. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Comprehensive data bases and disease registries will enable better evaluation of the incidence and diversity of diseases at an epidemiological level and thereby allow for more effective healthcare interventions. This can, in turn, ensure equitable access to healthcare services of assured quality, safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness to all sections of the society.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An ICT-based health delivery model will need strong integration between primary and tertiary care providers. Also, linkages need to be established between health research and national health programs to ensure research findings are leveraged in decision making in public health. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">By 2025, some 400 million of India's poor could get access to better healthcare through technologies that bring medical expertise to modestly skilled health workers in remote areas.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Agriculture</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Technology applications in the area of agriculture, like the use of hybrid and GM crops, precision farming, and mobile Internet–based farm-extension and market-information services could raise the incomes of as many as 100 million farmers and bring better nutrition to 300 million to 400 million consumers by 2025.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Energy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the area of energy, smart metering could save US$15-US$20 billion a year by 2025 in reduced transmission losses. Technology can also be used to address India’s infrastructure deficit, with McKinsey estimating these interventions could help India build 10 million more affordable homes by 2025. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Conclusion</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Digital India has a huge role to play in spurring economic growth. India needs to embrace technology to deliver superior and sustainable solutions for a better life and a brighter future and ignite the entrepreneurial energy of today’s youth. If India can leverage the transformational power of technology through innovation, human ingenuity and, above all, effective leadership, it will be able to achieve sustainable double-digit economic growth. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Kiran Mazumdar - Shaw</i></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-30135009514719849612017-03-08T13:09:00.000+05:302017-03-08T13:09:10.116+05:30Healing the World <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>To download the complete article, visit: <a href="http://bit.ly/2ncVkXM">http://bit.ly/2ncVkXM</a> </b></span></div>
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Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-12498316596694181222017-03-07T18:20:00.001+05:302017-03-07T18:38:46.289+05:30Smart Women Pursuing Smart Science <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: http://smartsciencetoday.blogspot.in/</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A couple of years ago, India celebrated the success of its first Mars mission and I was very excited to see the smiling faces of the women staff of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) being splashed all over the media. It was a watershed moment as far as the Indian Space Program is concerned. But, more importantly, it shattered stereotypes about space research and Indian women. These are boom times for Indian science. In the last few years, science and technology, as a sector, has been receiving a lot of national spending with a lot of new universities and institutes that </span>promotes<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> science education and research coming up in the near future in India.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">One aspect of scientific development in India that comes across as a pleasant surprise is the active participation and representation of women in the field of science and technology. If former Indian president Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was known as the ‘Missile Man’ of India, we have Tessy Thomas who is known as the ‘Missile Woman’ of India. She is the first woman scientist to head a missile project in India. Likewise, we have many more encouraging examples where women have broken the glass ceiling and made a mark in their respective fields. Today, 8 of the Top 10 Banks in India are headed by women and 12% of India’s 5,100 pilots are women.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">However, stepping into the male-dominated domain of Indian science is not easy for a woman researcher. Women in science continue to have an incredibly difficult time being treated fairly because of the unfair system and sexism. And I can say this by drawing examples from my own life experience. The mind-set of the society is that women are less capable of understanding science, although all evidence is to the contrary. I faced seemingly insurmountable road-blocks on my path to building Biocon into the enterprise it is today. Initially, I had credibility challenges where I couldn't get banks to fund me; I couldn't recruit people to work for a woman boss. I can credit my success to my education and upbringing that had helped instil a strong sense of self-belief and a never-say-die spirit in me.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">In India, women face discrimination when it comes to scientific institutions and science education. A new study by UNESCO outlining the involvement of women in science has some stark figures for India. As per a report by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 44% of bachelor students are female while 41% get till the doctoral level. The report further states that women researchers show a tendency to work in the academic and government sectors while men dominate the private research sector, which offers better salaries and opportunities for advancement. Moreover, as per a latest report by the World Economic Forum, only 14.3% of science researchers in India are women. The proportion is worse than that in several West Asian countries like Bahrain, where women account for 41.3% of researchers in science.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">India is aggressively working towards establishing itself as a leader in industrialisation and technological development.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">The Government of India, through the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy-2013, among other things, aspires to position India among the world’s top five scientific powers. If India has to realise this dream, women have to take a central stage. They need to capitalize on their inherent qualities of compassion, sensitivity, multi-tasking and above all, the inner strength to excel. Coupled with their hard work and perseverance, women can achieve anything they set their minds on.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">- <b><i>Kiran Mazumdar - Shaw</i></b></span></span></div>
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Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-18977932973479259092017-02-02T12:05:00.003+05:302017-02-02T12:05:56.577+05:30Budget Expands Ambit of Clean India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has presented a Budget that boasts of several firsts. It is the first time that the railway and general budgets have been merged and planned and non-planned expenditure classification done away with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I believe the Finance Minister has laid out a very safe budget this year operating with fiscal prudence and staying within his comfort zone. As a result, he has missed out on introducing bold measures that could have spurred non-linear economic growth in the wake of the slowdown on account of demonetisation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Budget has a good number of positive measures aimed at offering incentives to different stakeholders, boosting domestic spending and cleansing the country of black money. Budget 2017, presented across 10 key levers, aims to ‘Transform, Energise and Clean’ India. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The idea of a clean India has been doing the rounds for quite some time and this year’s Budget has widened the ambit of ‘Swachh Bharat’ from sanitation to cleaning up the financial and political systems. The finance minister has proposed the idea of ‘Transform, Energise and Clean’ India, to energise various sections of the society, especially the vulnerable, in order to unleash their true potential. This is an idea, which, if implemented properly, could yield great dividends for India in the long run.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Budget provides a lot of thrust on development of the farm economy by raising the funding for the rural and agriculture sector by 24%. It talks about increasing the allocation for ‘Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin’ from</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rs 15,000 crores to Rs 23,000 crores with a target to complete 1 crore affordable homes by 2019. It also sets a target of 1st May 2018 for achieving 100% rural electrification.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To give people in the rural India access to the Internet, the Budget talks of providing high speed broadband connectivity on optical fibre in more than 150,000 gram panchayats by the end of the next fiscal which will ensure better digital literacy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Innovation Fund for Secondary Education to be introduced in educationally backward districts will encourage local innovation, ensure universal access, gender parity and improvement in the quality of education & skill development in rural India.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The sanitation coverage in rural India has increased to 60% and in order to improve this further the Budget has proposed incentives for ‘open defecation’ free villages. He has proposed to provide safe drinking water to over 28,000 arsenic and fluoride affected habitations in the next four years as part of a sub mission of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mr. Jaitley’s Budget has sought to strengthen the digital payments model to generate long-term benefits in terms of reduced corruption and greater formalisation of the economy. The Budget tries to encourage a "less-cash" society by capping cash transactions at Rs 3 lakh. It announced the launch of Aadhar Pay, a merchant version of Aadhar Enabled Payment System. Moreover, card readers, finger print readers and iris scanners can now benefit from excise and duty exemptions. However, this will need a bigger push on the digital infrastructure front in order to be inclusive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With an eye on bringing more accountability and transparency in political funding, the finance minister has announced a few measures, which are a welcome development. The innovative concept of electoral bonds proposed by the FM has the potential to change the way political funding is done in our country. The reporting of all donations above Rs 2000 in cash will spur better governance by political parties.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Overall, with this budget, Arun Jaitley has tried to make an attempt at cleansing the nation of black money by bringing in more transparency and accountability with a view to make India an inclusive and equitable society. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD, Biocon</i></span></div>
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Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-89416069637489376642017-01-06T11:32:00.000+05:302017-01-06T11:32:39.589+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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am shocked at the incidents of sexual violence against women in Bengaluru over
the past few days. As a Bengalurean I have always been fiercely proud of the city’s
reputation as one of the safest places for women in India. So the horrific
incidents of women being molested openly in public places came as a rude jolt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bengaluru,
a modern metropolis with global aspirations, is today unfortunately making
global headlines for caveman-like sexual violence directed against women. It is
a matter of collective shame that as a society and as citizens of Bengaluru we
could neither protect these women nor could nab the culprits immediately. The
situation calls for a swift action and exemplary punishment to deter any
recurrence in future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b> </b><b><span style="font-size: large;">We Need Policing, Not Politics</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It
is time for the authorities to confront the fact that we have a very serious
law and order situation in our hands. According to the National Crime Records
Bureau statistics for 2015, Bengaluru had reported the third highest number of
attacks against women with an intent to outrage their modesty from among 53
Indian cities. The brazen manner in which miscreants went about assaulting
women at Brigade Road on New Year’s Eve also shows that they had no fear of the
law. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bengaluru
was till recently ranked as the best city in India to stay in and a large part
of it was because of its liberal, progressive ethos and its reputation as one
of India’s safest cities for women. Sadly, Mercer's Quality of Living Survey
has ranked Bengaluru a distant third in 2016, behind Hyderabad and Pune. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A
repeat of this kind of sexual assaults that have been reported in the last few
days will end up permanently tarnishing the city’s image and alienating many
who were considering making it their home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Urgent
action is needed to tackle a weak system of law enforcement and policing that
leaves women vulnerable. Concerted efforts need to be made to catalyse
legislative changes needed for the effective functioning of special courts that
can deliver speedy justice to women victims of sexual abuse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If
such criminal activity goes unchecked, it will have serious ramifications for
the future. It will not only erode citizens’ faith in the ability of the state
to protect them, it will also make global investors nervous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Stop
This Moral Policing</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As
disturbing as these incidents are, what is equally distressing is that instead
of unequivocal condemnation terms like ‘Western culture’, ‘half dress’,
‘late-night partying’ associated with women have come to dominate the
narrative. This is dangerous because ‘victim blaming’ not only allows the
sexual predators to go scot free but also emboldens them to repeat their
offences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ironically,
the moral police have a lot to say about how women should be dressed but are
curiously silent on how men should behave in society. This is reflective of a
very regressive male mind-set.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This
hypocrisy needs to be called out because it is actually a mask for our
society's intolerance towards women emancipation and gender equality. It
reflects a deeply parochial mindset and an aversion towards a modern,
self-assured woman who dares to break the age old mold of a submissive woman.
Women were previously asked to dress in a certain way, but now when they decide
to dress differently they are made to feel vulnerable. Women were previously
expected to remain quiet, but now when they speak up they are made to feel
vulnerable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What
these people need to understand is that the Indian woman has come a long way
today and are confidently contributing to business, science, sports and many
other fields. And we are not going to surrender our hard-fought social,
political and economic independence to disappear behind closed doors just
because of the brutish behaviour of some lumpen elements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Let’s
Reclaim Our City</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ordinary
Bengalurueans also need to come forward to reclaim the city and protect its
women-friendly reputation. We cannot remain apathetic to the subject of sexual
assaults and let hoodlums run amok in our city. We need to speak up and protest
whenever and wherever we witness sexual misconduct. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The
political establishment needs to send out a very unambiguous signal that sexual
crimes against women will be dealt with sternly. The police should take a ‘zero
tolerance’ attitude towards sexual violence, take swift action whenever any
such incidents are reported, name and shame the culprits in public, and make all
efforts to ensure that the guilty don’t go unpunished.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Let us all
take a pledge to make Bengaluru safe again!</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoTitle">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD
Biocon & Founder President, B.PAC<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoTitle">
</div>
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</div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-86308031156270762102017-01-03T09:06:00.002+05:302017-01-04T11:04:22.793+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HPqjJJ6Lu-FgghUL_Vaz8sqY2tLAdDgl7DMmSDNpM7jsBidKSZ1A47x6tG-K0YqhVxKHjEoltshE5b4tBJ7obQPCSKjVz7F93PF965ibLf8h6aR3HLmTXMsrP4dguvDLOYOOhBjTegMC/s1600/Thumb-ehealth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HPqjJJ6Lu-FgghUL_Vaz8sqY2tLAdDgl7DMmSDNpM7jsBidKSZ1A47x6tG-K0YqhVxKHjEoltshE5b4tBJ7obQPCSKjVz7F93PF965ibLf8h6aR3HLmTXMsrP4dguvDLOYOOhBjTegMC/s400/Thumb-ehealth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>eHealth Push Can Build a ‘Swastha Bharat’ in 2017</b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2016 was a landmark year for India as demonetisation nudged the country towards an inclusive, less-cash dependant, digital future. In 2017, the government should push for the increased adoption of technology to transform the country’s public healthcare system and ensure a healthy future for all Indians.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The low priority accorded to healthcare in India over the years has resulted in a vicious cycle of disease, death and destitution in the country. Over 63 million Indians slip into poverty every year as high healthcare costs drain them of their financial resources. In fact, poverty caused by expenditure on health has doubled in India in the past 15 years. Surprisingly, this has happened in a period when India’s economy has grown at an average rate of almost 7% annually.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) poses a grave socio-economic challenge for the future. It is estimated that NCDs alone will cost India USD 6.2 trillion by 2030.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Encouragingly, however, there are clear signals that the Indian government is intent on pushing the healthcare agenda. The NITI Aayog recently launched a ‘Performance on Health Outcomes’ index to rank various states on their performance on measurable health indicators. 2017 could be the year when the government implements far-reaching measures to build a ‘Swastha Bharat’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Leveraging Information & Communication Technologies</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">India has a vast population and thus myriad healthcare challenges. Resource shortages however result in the unavailability of quality healthcare that is affordable and easily accessible. To tackle resource limitations the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can provide policymakers in India with a very effective tool for improving healthcare delivery.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A modern ICT-based universal healthcare system will help leverage modern diagnostics in primary healthcare for early detection and treatment, and telemedicine to bridge the deficit of specialists at the primary care level. They can also be used for cloud based data collection to collate epidemiological and patient centric data to profile and map the disease burden at the level of the smallest administrative unit. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Comprehensive data bases and disease registries will enable better evaluation of the incidence and diversity of diseases at an epidemiological level and thereby allow for more effective healthcare interventions. This can, in turn, ensure equitable access to healthcare services of assured quality, safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness to all sections of the society.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An ICT-based health delivery model will need strong integration between primary and tertiary care providers. Also, linkages need to be established between health research and national health programs to ensure research findings are leveraged in decision making in public health. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this context it is heartening to know that the Indian government is in the process of giving final shape to the proposed National eHealth Authority, which will be the nodal authority responsible for development of an Integrated Health Information System (including Telemedicine and mHealth) in India.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This authority has been envisaged to support the formulation and management of all health informatics standards for India, laying down data management, policies, standards and guidelines in accordance with statutory provisions, promote setting up of state health records repositories and health information exchanges, and to deal with privacy and confidentiality aspects of electronic health records. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The health ministry is already collecting Aadhaar numbers of patients and linking the unique identity numbers to patient records in a few states, according to media reports. The ministry has also notified the standards for electronic medical records and electronic health records in India. India has already implemented a Health Management Information System to capture public health data across the country.</span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ensuring Affordable Healthcare</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Several studies have shown that strategic investment in health systems and the ability to innovate and adapt to resource limitations are among the key attributes that have helped some countries or regions achieve substantially better health outcomes than others at similar levels of development. It is in this context that the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can provide policymakers in India with a very effective tool for improving healthcare delivery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Utilizing the power of ICT & medical technology into the public healthcare sector government can bring in more transparency, efficiency and accountability that can enable a more effective healthcare system. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Biocon Foundation, the CSR arm of Biocon, has already leveraged the power of technology to take healthcare services to rural and remote areas. It has implemented the unique eLAJ project to deliver evidence-based healthcare for the benefit of communities with poor access to quality healthcare in Karnataka and Rajasthan. Patient-specific health data are captured on the eLAJ electronic medical record system and linked to an individual’s Aadhar. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Foundation has also implemented a mobile phone based health (mHealth) platform for early detection, prevention and treatment of oral cancer. This comprehensive, evidence based oral cancer screening program facilitates early detection at the doorstep. By empowering the frontline health worker to conduct cancer screening in a low resource setting, this program has ensured that healthcare reaches remote pockets in a cost-effective manner. By linking oral cancer specialists with the rural population through telemedicine, the mHealth platform has created an opportunity for diagnosis, follow-up and referral.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I truly believe that technology can solve many of the daunting healthcare challenges that we face as a country. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD, Biocon</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>This article first appeared on <a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/kiran-mazumdar-shaw-e-health-push-can-build-swastha-bharat-117010201190_1.html" target="_blank">Business Standard</a> on Jan 2, 2017</i></span></div>
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</div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-17278151340095162522016-12-20T11:49:00.000+05:302017-01-03T11:28:03.266+05:30CRISPR: A Game Changing Technology for a More Equitable Future<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mNYpgFXT1FfcbbYElACkeIAZR-r10z8UCHRDRJQoKnyU2dqWv9f1rZKBZnwy6CmjdkVZMifvQ8iRyuN1IAD3HUmesFOzGqRLVe5xB6VH9_TpGLRMFKfZRlyQ3WLm6d-KeoRaiqwtgpAN/s1600/crispar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mNYpgFXT1FfcbbYElACkeIAZR-r10z8UCHRDRJQoKnyU2dqWv9f1rZKBZnwy6CmjdkVZMifvQ8iRyuN1IAD3HUmesFOzGqRLVe5xB6VH9_TpGLRMFKfZRlyQ3WLm6d-KeoRaiqwtgpAN/s400/crispar.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Image Credit: Mopic/Alamy Stock Photo</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">2016 was a
landmark year for the biotechnology industry as it was for the first time that
the revolutionary CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique was used in humans. With
more human trials involving CRISPR-Cas9 scheduled to be conducted, I believe
2017 will be the year when the technology’s potential to treat human diseases
could receive strong clinical validation.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">CRISPR-Cas9, which
provides scientists with a breakthrough tool to alter or replace the DNA of
nearly any living organism with unprecedented precision, is one of the most
promising scientific discoveries of the past century. This is why there was
considerable excitement in the biotech world when news broke that s<span style="background: white;">cientists in China had </span>injected
cells modified with CRISPR technology <span style="background: white;">into
a patient suffering from an aggressive form of lung cancer.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the China
trial, scientists used CRISPR technology to edit out genes that were preventing
the lung cancer patient’s immune cells from attacking malignant cells. These
modified immune cells were then injected back into the patient to help fight
back the disease. The trial was seeking to primarily establish the safety of using
CRISPR-based genetic modification to fight cancer. Beyond cancer, CRISPR holds
the promise of therapeutic applications in tackling hitherto incurable genetic
disorders such as haemophilia, muscular dystrophy, sickle-cell anemia and
cystic fibrosis, as well as chronic conditions like Type 2 diabetes and
Alzheimer’s disease.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The fact that
CRISPR has been able to capture the popular imagination is evident from the
fact that the four scientists who pioneered the development of the CRISPR
gene-editing system were named runners-up for TIME magazine’s 2016 Person of
the Year! They lost out to Donald Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Faster, Cheaper & More Efficient</span></b></h3>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What makes CRISPR
such a breakthrough innovation is the fact that it makes gene editing faster,
easier, efficient and cheaper than previously available technologies. In time,
CRISPR can open the door to affordable therapies that offer the right treatment
for the right patient at the right time with the aim of minimizing side effects
and maximizing positive outcomes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Recently,
researchers at the Salk Institute demonstrated that CRISPR could be used to
partially restore vision in genetically blind rats. The Salk technique
represents the first time scientists have managed to insert a new gene into a
precise DNA location in adult cells that no longer divide, such as those of the
eye, brain, pancreas or heart, offering new possibilities for therapeutic
applications in these cells, the study, published in the journal <i>Nature</i>,
said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The rising
popularity of CRISPR technology mirrors today’s medical paradigm that is
rapidly evolving from treating symptoms to understanding disease at a cellular
and genetic level to deliver personalised diagnostics and therapies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scientists are
even looking at the possibility of using CRISPR technology to grow human organs
in animals for transplantation, thus effectively tackling the problem of human
donor shortages. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Studies are also
ongoing to use CRISPR to manipulate mosquito genes so that they can no longer
spread killer diseases like malaria and dengue. Research is also being
conducted into the ecological and agricultural applications of CRISPR
technology – from helping protect endangered species to developing
pest-resistant crops that would help cut down use of toxic pesticides.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Huge Investor Interest</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The huge potential
of CRISPR has expectedly generated immense investor interest. In 2016 alone,
the US witnessed the market debuts of three biotech companies focused on CRISPR
technology. Editas Medicine and Intellia Therapeutics raised over USD100
million each through their market offerings earlier this year, according to </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Bloomberg</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">;
while Crispr Therapeutics generated USD56 million through its IPO in October.
In fact, companies working on CRISPR technology have raised over USD600 million
since 2013 in venture capital and the public markets, researchers at Montana
State University had estimated in 2015.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the US, the
first human clinical trials to study the safety of a CRISPR-based cancer treatment
are expected to be initiated in 2017. Interestingly, the trials are being
funded by The Parker Institute, a new philanthropy created by tech billionaire
Sean Parker to battle cancer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ensuring Affordable Access</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While investments
are welcome, the international medical research community needs to be cognizant
of the fact that this breakthrough technology is not hijacked by purely
commercial interests. The rush to profit from new biomedical discoveries based
on CRISPR should not lead to the creation of restrictive patent regimes and
monopolistic markets. It should not end up as a model that seeks to sustain
super-normal profits by </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">discriminating against patients on the basis of nationality, race and
economic status.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The focus should
firmly be on using CRISPR to develop therapies that fulfil unmet medical needs
while ensuring they are affordable and thus accessible. The needs of poor
patients and overall public health should not be sacrificed in favour of
developing non-essential treatments for rich patients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The game-changing
CRISPR technology should lead to new paradigm where those needing life-saving
medicines get it, at all times and in all places. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Kiran Mazumdar - Shaw</b></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Dec 19, 2016</b></i></span></div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-237585201675501612016-12-20T11:37:00.003+05:302016-12-20T11:40:57.647+05:30Transforming India into a digital society that is less cash dependent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpB3bFp4DR_rLCsMXABHTG050HkjtWDSLTpCM9ztGWC_JKXo2gN8x9oWHYIv-WYqrn147msEHoCnYOWbBHCVayJ8_y5PbteBX7WwDUI_jyU5_dy64kjxh0zyyjMoUmZWYohCUXpMojnt3/s1600/currency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpB3bFp4DR_rLCsMXABHTG050HkjtWDSLTpCM9ztGWC_JKXo2gN8x9oWHYIv-WYqrn147msEHoCnYOWbBHCVayJ8_y5PbteBX7WwDUI_jyU5_dy64kjxh0zyyjMoUmZWYohCUXpMojnt3/s400/currency.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As the debate on the pains and gains of India’s move to demonetize high-value currency notes continues to rage, I firmly believe that the digital payments economy is an idea whose time has come.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">History shows us how money as a ‘medium of exchange’ has evolved over several millennia from cowry shells to gold and silver coins to paper currency and now to electronic data.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In his international bestseller <b><i>Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind</i></b>, Prof. Yuval Noah Harari notes that today more than 90% of the sum total of money in the world — more than $50 trillion appearing in our accounts — exists only on computer servers as most business transactions are executed by moving electronic data from one computer file to another, without any exchange of physical cash.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“As long as people are willing to trade goods and services in exchange for electronic data, it’s even better than shiny coins and crisp banknotes—lighter, less bulky, and easier to keep track of,” Prof. Harari writes in his fascinating book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Demonetisation thus offers a transformational opportunity to propel India’s traditional cash-intensive economy to an inclusive, less-cash dependant , digital future.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">India Marching Towards a Digital Future</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">India, like the rest of the world, is witnessing a rapid adoption of digital payments. This can be gauged by the fact that 78% of all consumer payments in 2015 were made in cash down from 89% in 2010 and 92% in 2005, according to a July 2016 report by Google and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This increasing uptake of electronic payments in India is being driven by deeper mobile phone penetration, concerted policy action by the Reserve Bank of India and government initiatives like Aadhaar and Jan Dhan Yojana.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Jan Dhan Yojana has brought modern financial services to the doorsteps of 250 million Jan Dhan bank account holders in the heart of rural India.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Aadhaar is now the largest online digital identity platform in the world, with over a billion people registered. Nearly 350 million Indians have Aadhaar-linked bank accounts and there have been over 1 billion transactions involving direct transfer of cooking gas subsidy and wage payments under MNREGA, India's job guarantee program, to beneficiaries’ bank accounts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thanks to the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS), people in the remote, unbanked villages can now withdraw or deposit money at their doorsteps by providing their Aadhaar numbers and fingerprints on a micro-ATM. They can even make cashless payments to another person with an AEPS account using mobile phones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Five years ago, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), which allows instant interbank fund transfers through mobile phones. Today transactions worth Rs 29,000 crore a month are done through IMPS. Recently, NPCI launched the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), which is expected to make payments more efficient through UPI-based mobile apps. For basic feature phone users, NPCI offers the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) technology that allows funds transfers even without internet connectivity.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Financial Inclusion to Get a Push</span></b></h3>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A recent study, published in the journal Science, provides empirical proof of how mobile-money services can help reduce poverty in developing economies. Access to the Kenyan mobile money system M-PESA increased per capita consumption levels and lifted 194,000 households, or 2% of Kenyan households, out of poverty, according to the study. I believe India can emulate Kenya by building a strong digital payments economy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A large section of India’s population is still dependent entirely on cash to meet their financial needs - from receiving wages to saving money. As millions of these Indians adopt digital payment methods they will be able to connect to the formal financial sector as customers and suppliers. It will allow the poor, who are typically outside the formal banking system, to build financial histories and thus obtain credit from more formal sources instead of being at the mercy of local moneylenders. Once they realize that their mobile payment history can improve their creditworthiness and help them access cheaper loans, they will willingly use cashless modes of transaction.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It will also allow both banks and non-banking financial companies to reduce their overhead costs on customer data collection as well as increase the reach of their loan services to small value customers. They can then pass on the benefits in the form of low-interest micro-credit to these new customers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Digital payments will thus provide the poor financial flexibility, financial stability and creditworthiness over the long term.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Digital Payments Is the Way to Go</span></b></h3>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The digital payments industry in India is a huge opportunity that is waiting to be tapped. The Google-BCG report predicts the industry can touch USD500 billion by 2020, contributing 15% to India’s GDP. Significantly, India is today in a sweet spot: customers want the convenience of digital payments, policymakers are seeking greater financial inclusion and higher transparency, and the infrastructure needed for high-volume, secure digital payments has been put in place. With all the pieces in place, demonetisation provides India a unique opportunity to leapfrog into a brave new digital world! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Kiran Mazumdar - Shaw</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Dec 12, 2016</b></i></span></div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-36898658750430644902016-10-11T09:33:00.000+05:302016-10-11T09:33:24.483+05:30Stamp Out Sexual Violence Against Women <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKQMbvU2_beTQZQ0sqh3Hlmu8HoCFl4D0fmvsjP94uRMqxHRK7tjQDK_Ce8OOQ0q4S7_RjvvZ8Tqg9zjNzJLAjFfIa0xQUheYrqmEAQ6mY-zBXafCuhL1VnhNbuoI_jZ6kuwXbrUGIM5X/s1600/LTAR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKQMbvU2_beTQZQ0sqh3Hlmu8HoCFl4D0fmvsjP94uRMqxHRK7tjQDK_Ce8OOQ0q4S7_RjvvZ8Tqg9zjNzJLAjFfIa0xQUheYrqmEAQ6mY-zBXafCuhL1VnhNbuoI_jZ6kuwXbrUGIM5X/s400/LTAR.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtsey: Hindustan Times</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Dear friends and colleagues,</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today<span style="color: #1f497d;">,</span> women can be seen in greater numbers in what were previously perceived as “male-dominated” professions. Attitudes towards women at the workplace have changed a lot from the time I started Biocon in 1978 as a young, 25-year-old woman entrepreneur, with no business background and limited financial resources. Professionals did not want to work for me as they felt that I could not provide them ‘job security’ being a woman, and some even assumed I was the secretary to the Managing Director (MD) and not the MD. Suppliers told me they were reluctant to give me credit because they did not have confidence in my business abilities. Banks and financial institutions were reluctant to fund me and some even suggested that my father should be the guarantor for any loans. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While there is a higher acceptance of women in the professional context now, certain gender biases still persist. When a woman dares to speak her mind, demands respect and equality, she is often perceived as a threat by her male colleagues. A bold woman is often prone to sexual harassment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Tackling Sexual Harassment at the Workplace </span></b></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In order to discourage sexual abuse and ensure safety of women at the workplace the formal Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act was introduced in 2013, which mandated every organisation with more than 10 employees to have a policy for Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of sexual harassment at the workplace. It also directed companies to have an internal committee to look into the complaints of sexual harassment. However, it is not enough to just provide a grievance redress mechanism. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #ed7d31; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;">PREVENTIVE MEASURES</span></span></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnzqwodJsmCTuRp2dSnLJWIg5jdmybdQpHJ6w2440PiZ6Dd4a2dg2wRKw81ErdxqoR4nLjnYWXB2Wa9HHq_7bFnRx6ep6RuB4W7RnGx8tveYjbroBjtrnruKQXduJO4D5Kh0PuhSsghBA/s1600/Word+Cloud+%25283%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnzqwodJsmCTuRp2dSnLJWIg5jdmybdQpHJ6w2440PiZ6Dd4a2dg2wRKw81ErdxqoR4nLjnYWXB2Wa9HHq_7bFnRx6ep6RuB4W7RnGx8tveYjbroBjtrnruKQXduJO4D5Kh0PuhSsghBA/s320/Word+Cloud+%25283%2529.png" width="161" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Organizations need to adopt a ‘zero tolerance’ attitude towards sexual misconduct and put strict preventive measures in place. An annual certification program on prevention of sexual harassment should be made compulsory for all employees. Gender sensitization and behavioural workshops should be run to train employees on how to conduct themselves responsibly and with propriety<span style="color: #5b9bd5;">. </span>We have found that these workshops help employees understand what they need to do when confronted with such a situation. A few years ago, we further strengthened our employee policy on prevention against sexual harassment by introducing a mandatory annual e-training which prepares them for handling such situations for themselves or for other colleagues.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Men need to respect women as fellow workers and colleagues. They need to be sensitized about the fact that sexist and off-colour 'jokes' that stereotype and objectify women are unacceptable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Women should be encouraged to fearlessly fight gender discrimination and sexual harassment. They should also be empowered to confront a harasser whenever they encounter sexually inappropriate behaviour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Women also need to be mindful of the fact that their behaviour is in keeping with professional propriety and that they work shoulder to shoulder with male colleagues without demanding extra privileges being a woman. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #ed7d31; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">CORRECTIVE ACTION</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Organisations should have a system in place to take immediate and appropriate corrective action whenever an incident of sexual harassment is reported. Those who come forward to press charges of sexual harassment need to be assured that neither will they be victimised nor their career jeopardised in any way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sexual aggressors should not be allowed to take advantage of the workplace hierarchy to get away unpunished. Dismissal without any ‘benefits’ or ‘severance pay’ for executives found guilty of sexual harassment could also serve as a strong deterrent.<span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span>We have had a few cases where we took strict action against alleged perpetrators without hesitation. We even let go some high performing employees to establish that organizational values and ethical conduct is paramount and cannot be compromised. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b> </b>Employees need to be educated on the company's sexual harassment policy so that they can provide the right moral support to a victim, respect her privacy and cooperate in any kind of departmental investigation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If you are being harassed persistently by a colleague despite voicing your resentment, then you may wish to consider the following course of action:</b></span></div>
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<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Send an email strongly expressing your resentment.</span></b></li>
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<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Make sure you keep a note of all incidents, emails n any other forms of messages including witnesses if any </span></b></li>
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<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Do not publicize the issue until you access the company's redressal system for sexual harassment</span></b></li>
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<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Only if all of the above fails should you take the matter public and to a court of law for due justice </span></b></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></b><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We All Need to Take Responsibility</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To create an environment that breeds equality, instils confidence in women and assures them of their safety and security, both men and women should come forward to commit themselves to a code of conduct that is built on mutual respect. Everybody needs to embrace a culture of gender diversity and gender equality. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As a society we need to bring up every boy to understand that the responsibility for sexual misconduct lies squarely with him. Governments and businesses must help create an environment conducive to women’s economic empowerment. Our law makers will have to send out a hard-hitting message to deter sexual predators. It is time we said enough is enough and did all that it takes to create a society that is safe for each and every woman.<span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is indeed a matter of shame that despite the advances that we have made as a nation, as a society we have failed miserably in protecting our women and children from sexual assault and rape. Nearly 95 women are raped in India every day! If that number doesn’t alarm you, consider the fact that these are only the reported cases. If we were to account for the rapes that are hushed up, the number would be even more appalling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It has been four years since the sickening gangrape and murder of 23-year old Nirbhaya shook the nation to its very core. Since then, the definition of rape has been expanded and harsher punishment recommended for rapists. However, these changes don’t seem to have deterred the perpetrators of these grave offenses. This is really worrisome. It points to a deep-seated societal mind-set which needs to be corrected. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The atavistic misogyny that fuels sexual violence against women in India reflects an aversion towards a modern, self-assured woman like you and me, who dares to break the traditional mould of a submissive women whose voice is limited to the four walls of her home. Thus, if a woman fails to adhere to certain conservative societal norms - in dressing, socializing or lifestyle choices - it makes her “deserving” of rape according to this medieval mind-set.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It is time we joined the battle against society's regressive attitude towards women and their rights at home and at the workplace. Unless gender discrimination and sexual harassment is nipped at the bud, it can morph into abhorrent incidents of sexual molestation and rape.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span></span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yours sincerely,</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>Chairperson & MD, Biocon</b></i></span></div>
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Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-81679634253138605012016-10-04T17:31:00.000+05:302016-10-04T17:31:38.783+05:30Yusuf Arakkal – A Loss to the Art World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcS8e4eCuPYKwvkq3k9FgdpagBFhZfQE-QbuPfLEzRdHIBpcTCrVKVm0F-4tWoMdAB89tjb_Xt2mX-s0qh8z4D8mm6PSZ0lrKXZheCMznvNH_45SJkPhldXOhy5mt2VEif4QO9MBw147d3/s1600/YUSUF-ARAKKAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcS8e4eCuPYKwvkq3k9FgdpagBFhZfQE-QbuPfLEzRdHIBpcTCrVKVm0F-4tWoMdAB89tjb_Xt2mX-s0qh8z4D8mm6PSZ0lrKXZheCMznvNH_45SJkPhldXOhy5mt2VEif4QO9MBw147d3/s400/YUSUF-ARAKKAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I woke up in Barcelona to the sad news of Yusuf's passing away this morning. My mind immediately flooded with memories that date back almost 4 decades. I vividly remember the day I met Yusuf Arakkal, a budding artist who was exhibiting his works at ITC Windsor Manor in November 1980. I was a struggling entrepreneur who had a deep interest in art. I went through the exhibition with rapt interest as I was inspired by the textured uniqueness of the artist's style. The artist walked up to me and introduced himself and appreciated my comments. All I could afford was a ₹200 etching which I proudly bought. I admitted to Yusuf that I loved his canvases but they were beyond my reach! He promptly invited me to his humble studio at the HAL quarters to view other works and said he would work out payment terms that I could afford! I therefore became a proud owner of a 3 ft by 3 ft canvas of his Street Urchin series which occupies pride of place in my office even today!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Who would have known then that I would be one of the largest collectors of Yusuf's works. Biocon is also adorned with wonderful murals and sculptures that I commissioned over the years on various scientific themes like 'Genomic Inspiration' to 'Recombinant Revolution' I even commissioned him to make the breath catching mural of kites at the Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre called 'Hope'. Biocon also donated a Yusuf Arakkal sculpture to the city of Bengaluru near Koshy's on MG Road called 'DNA'. Most recently, I supported Yusuf's dream of creating a sculpture called 'Flight into the future' which he wanted to install at the Minsk Square near the HAL offices to pay tribute to his first employers. The permission to install have been shuttling between BBMP and BMRCL. I hope the bureaucracy will allow his memory to be honoured by the city by issuing the long awaited permission as a final tribute. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yusuf was multifaceted. He was engaged in diverse projects from Kerala tourism's 'God's own country' to various art Biennales where he won a coveted gold medal in Florence. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He promoted young artists in a selfless way and many of them came from his alma mater Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I had the privilege of knowing Yusuf as a dear friend who would always ask me for my critique for every one of his series. I often chided him for being lazy and not unleashing his unique talent! He had moments of brilliance and periods of monotony. Reflecting on his works over 4 decades, he will be remembered as an artist who belongs to the highest rank and leaves an indelible impression on the art world in India. My thoughts are with his wife Sara and his son Shibu. May his soul rest in peace.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw</b></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Oct 4, 2016</b></span></i></div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-14975472893291810832016-09-11T09:26:00.003+05:302016-09-11T09:29:30.594+05:30An Open Letter to Citizens of Karnataka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJv2H5wFL5E4w00nMgSaLxH9EKsHeeb27IUNyylySZ5jBMLs98Rgcnfu57lbhlqLJTyuleQEQn6hA-SZs9EwyhUMjkFBZGY77aEdT2viSPwe_Hgyqon8irNqBcvkdPv7llvn3pZKEQQ2U2/s1600/KMS-Open-letter-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJv2H5wFL5E4w00nMgSaLxH9EKsHeeb27IUNyylySZ5jBMLs98Rgcnfu57lbhlqLJTyuleQEQn6hA-SZs9EwyhUMjkFBZGY77aEdT2viSPwe_Hgyqon8irNqBcvkdPv7llvn3pZKEQQ2U2/s400/KMS-Open-letter-copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">The last two days of outrage expressed
against my innocuous tweet on Bangalore bandh, has hurt me and pained me to the
core. My tweet has been distorted and misinterpreted and used to hurl abuse and
shame me, which is most unfair. I am shocked to see such negative vile being
hurled at me from different quarters. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">As a proud Kannadiga, I have worked
tirelessly over decades in Bangalore not just as a businesswoman creating
several thousand jobs but as a proud and responsible citizen, investing my
personal time, energy and funds for the welfare of the people of Karnataka. I
have utmost love and respect for my fellow citizens, especially farmers and am
aware of the hardships faced by them due to acute water shortage and believe
Karnataka's needs from Cauvery water must be addressed first. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">However, I am of the view that Bandhs
are not a solution to this grave issue, this long standing Cauvery water
dispute needs to be settled through non emotional, evidence based amicable
discussions between the two state governments.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Welfare Initiatives</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Through my foundation I have been
investing in creating sustainable livelihood solutions for people of Karnataka
in nearly 100 GramPanchayats covering nearly 1500 villages for more than a
decade. Through our initiatives in healthcare and education we have been
touching several hundred thousand lives. 90% of our beneficiaries are farmer
families across Mandya, Anekal, Hoskete, Chikaballapura, Dandelli, Coorg,
Billagi, Bagalkot, Badami, Mangalguda, Kalkunte, Chikaballapur, Kaladgi, Halyal
Vijayapur, Tumkur, Bijapur, Huskur, and Hennagara in Karnataka. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">We have also built a township in
Bagalkot where over 400 farmer families have been rehabilitated and provided
sustainable living through houses equipped with solar lights and toilets and
have access to clean drinking water through a water filtration plant. We have
also set up a primary health clinic to provide them medical support and are
also building a community centre and a primary school. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Since
early 2000, through my philanthropy I have been supporting rural communities
with comprehensive primary healthcare services through health clinics,
management of malnutrition in children, early detection and prevention of oral
& cervical cancer and management of diabetes & Hypertension. Under
‘Chinnara Ganitha’ program we have benefited over 7 lakhs farmers’ children
across 1550 schools in Karnataka. We have developed and provided special text
books to enable activity based learning to develop critical competencies in
mathematics for the students of class 1 to class 7. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">I
am deeply concerned with the state of farmers and have therefore also
collaborated with eKisaan Foundation to enable our farmers with technology that
can empower them to take right decisions. Several hundred gram panchayats have
been equipped with Tablets to benefit several thousand farmers in those
regions. This initiative of Biocon is helping farmers living in remote
areas of Karnataka regularly access information needed for raising their crop
yield in a cost effective manner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri light", sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri light", sans-serif; text-align: center;">For
the city of Bengaluru, I have been personally engaging with the Government and
various administrative departments to address various infrastructure challenges
of the city. As the founder member of B.PAC, I am selflessly investing in
various initiatives to address ongoing challenges of the city and to improve
the life of an average Bangalorean. However, despite my commitment to the city
and state there are groups of people who have been targeting me with their
spiteful comments which I find most deplorable and in extreme bad taste.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><b>Cauvery River Water Distribution Facts </b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Cauvery river originating from
Talakaveri in Karnataka has a length of 800 kilometer, of which 320 Km is in
Karnataka and 416 km in Tamil Nadu with remaining across Kerala border. There
are 3 dams constructed by Karnataka (KRS, Kabini and Harangi) which have a
total capacity of 104 TMC of water, while Tamil Nadu has a total capacity of
136 TMC of water through its 3 dams (Mettur, Bhavani Sagar and Amaravathi).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Tamil Nadu’s irrigated lands have
nearly doubled over the last 3-5 decades from an area of 1,440,000 acres to
2,580,000 acres, with 1,140,000 forest land being converted to farming land.
While Karnataka’s irrigated area has stood at 680,000 acres, with no
changes to the irrigated lands. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Current Shortage of water</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">As per available public domain
information Karnataka requires 81 TMC of water to cater to drinking water
requirements and water for farming. However the total water currently available
in all the 3 dams is only 56 TMC, out of which 22 TMC water is a dead water
(below the dam gates). This indicates that Karnataka has a scarcity of 47 TMC
of water currently to cater to its regular needs, while Tamil Nadu has been
constantly demanding for the additional share of the water to sustain its
additional agricultural activity.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">With 90% of the monsoon season over and
little or no further rainfall expected, Karnataka is facing a serious shortage
of water to drink, yet has agreed to comply with the Supreme Court order of
releasing additional water to Tamil Nadu, this reflects the large heartedness
of Kannadigas.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">However, at this moment Tamil Nadu
Government‘s additional demand for more water to be released for their summer
commercial crop is unfair. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">In light of these unjust demands being
made on Karnataka, the protest and agitation by the farmers is well placed,
however the manner in which this is being done is not appropriate, two wrongs
don’t make one right. The bandhs and violent protests not only hamper the
common man and the daily wage earner but also impacts the overall productivity.
One day of bandh leads to an economic loss of several thousand crores which
impacts the health of the state and its people.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">I would therefore urge both
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Governments to resolve this long standing water
dispute through amicable evidence based discussions in the best interest of our
farmers. </span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-87708489083719606902016-09-10T16:21:00.000+05:302016-09-10T16:21:33.947+05:30I express my solidarity with Karnataka, its people and farmers who are facing acute water challenges.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-43500825692786566182016-08-09T17:11:00.000+05:302016-08-09T17:11:37.934+05:30Ethics of Winning <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mWofNpX9Fh9RGTFfMTC1bMkq6oLQUHKESKJpODB5Vuo6ARuJ0YM2BXba19eQ1hDVSndyuwZgvNQmm3YrxBvOqGIp6wfmnbp0Spbw8gvF2k0eEktRUlpTomi7olPRcWBWTQMM63-RV4Fn/s1600/kms-opj.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mWofNpX9Fh9RGTFfMTC1bMkq6oLQUHKESKJpODB5Vuo6ARuJ0YM2BXba19eQ1hDVSndyuwZgvNQmm3YrxBvOqGIp6wfmnbp0Spbw8gvF2k0eEktRUlpTomi7olPRcWBWTQMM63-RV4Fn/s320/kms-opj.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I
feel honoured to address the Fifth Convocation of the O.P. Jindal Global
University. I am given to understand that this University is unique in many of
its programs be it the multidisciplinary Masters of Arts program in Diplomacy,
Law and Business or the Bachelor of Arts programs in Liberal Arts, Humanities
and Global Affairs or the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy which
is the first exclusive public policy school in India. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;">It is these differentiated programs that
have, in a very short time, become hallmarks of innovative excellence and
thereby done its alumni proud. I congratulate
the founders and all the stakeholders of this great Institution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Standing
before you today, against the backdrop of the Rio Olympics, I can’t help but
use the analogy of looking at the graduating Class of 2016 as qualifiers for
Life’s Decathlon, an arduous race of guts, grit and endurance. In fact the gold medallist of an Olympics
Decathlon is often described as the ‘World’s greatest athlete’ because it is
about the combined performance of an athlete across track and field events. Just qualifying to get to this point is a
proud moment but the course ahead is about competition and winning and above
all, fair play. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jobs and the Jobs Market<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So
let’s start with the first race the 100 meters sprint. Every one of you is making a dash to get
yourself employed, to find a job so to speak.
Some of you will find dream jobs in dream companies, some of you will be
daring and join start-ups and some of you will even be gutsy enough to start
your own companies and become entrepreneurs. Many of you will be disappointed
and opt for what is available knowing that this is only the start of your
life’s journey and that there are no winners or losers at this stage of the
race. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When
I reflect on my own aspirations when I graduated from Ballarat University in
Australia as India’s first woman Brew Master in 1976, I sprinted across the
country to get a job in any Brewery that would hire me but that was not to
be. So I decided to be self-employed and
start my own enterprise. In hindsight, I converted my failure into a hugely
rewarding entrepreneurial success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today,
the job market for young men and women is vast and varied. Perhaps the most disruptive change is that of
a shift in the societal mind-set that no longer seeks job security but job opportunity. Start-Ups
have revolutionized the job market for young people whether they are techies or
just entrepreneurial. Today India boasts of 25,000 start-ups valued at $75
billion employing nearly a million people.
India ranks third among global start-up ecosystems with 4 to 5 start-ups
being born every day. The Government, in
its wisdom, has rightly come out with a policy for Start-Ups to make it that
much easier for young enterprises to start, scale and endure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Building expertise: Converting Knowledge
to Wisdom<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The next event in the Decathlon is the long jump,
which is about immersing yourself in your chosen job by applying the knowledge
that you have acquired at this great institution to gain experience and
eventually expertise. This is what skilling and competence building is all
about. Computer education has created an
enviable cadre of coders who have assumed global scale and competence and
earned our country worldwide leadership in software services. Likewise, our biological
scientists, chemists and pharmacologists have built global expertise in
developing generic drugs and vaccines that have made a huge difference to
global health. India has earned the
rightful title of “The pharmacy of the world” where one in three children in
the world are immunized with a ‘Made in India’ vaccine and Indian generics
account for a third of the global market.
Building on this success, the
Indian Pharma sector’s “Make in India” strategy must be driven by a mantra of
“Highest quality at the lowest cost” which will make a big impact on global
healthcare. In my own case, I am
committed to making a difference to Diabetes and Cancer by providing affordable
access to life saving drugs like Insulin and Biological Cancer Drugs. I hope that over the next decade, one in five
Diabetics around the world will use one of our Insulin products. I have always believed that Blockbuster drugs
are not about a billion dollars but about a billion patients. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Goals and targets<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The third leg of Decathlon
is the Shot Put. In context of your career path, it is about making intense
efforts to achieve targets. Credibility
is built by achieving stated goals and as an entrepreneur, I have well
understood the importance of overcoming credibility challenges. When I started my company Biocon in 1978, I
had huge credibility challenges. I was a
25 year old woman entrepreneur who was trying to build a business based on an
unknown field of Biotechnology. Banks were unwilling to extend credit or even
lend to me, people were nervous of working for me and even traders were
reluctant to do business with me. I had
to overcome a gender barrier, a genuine concern about being young and
inexperienced and above all the lack of understanding of what Biotechnology was
all about. I went about overcoming these
challenges by setting myself goals and with each intense effort I managed to
obtain Bank credit, recruit people and make my first export sale of an enzyme
which also was the first for the
country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Aiming high, raising the bar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The next competition is the
high jump which is all about raising the bar and aiming higher and higher.
Unless you are willing to push yourself into this realm of excellence, you
cannot win. More importantly, you have
to try over and over again to realize success.
Inability to jump the bar the first time is by no means a failure. Every entrepreneur knows that nothing works
perfectly the first time. It’s only
after several attempts that you finally realize success. Steve Jobs was a perfectionist and it always
took several versions before a Mac or an iPhone or an iPad was launched. Just like it took Elon Musk several
iterations before he brought Tesla to a waiting world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Success is an endurance race<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The next is the 400 meters
race which is a stamina test. Every one of us faces periods of fatigue, lack of
job satisfaction and even serious doubts of whether it is worth pursuing one’s
efforts. Endurance is the name of the game and those who endure come out
stronger and more confident to rise to greater challenges and greater heights. This part of life’s journey or a career path
is critical and whilst it’s easy to jump ship and escape stress, it’s tough to
endure, overcome challenges and thereby build self-confidence, the traits of
true leadership. Far too many young
people are lured by the temptation to switch jobs to make an extra buck or to
escape work related stress and data will tell you that these job hoppers never
make meaningful impact as they fail to develop both experience and expertise. As the saying goes, failure is temporary but
giving up is permanent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Overcoming obstacles – confidence building<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The 110 meters hurdles is
next.Every career path is fraught with
obstacles but overcoming obstacles is a confidence building exercise. My own entrepreneurial journey has been an
obstacle race which I have successfully overcome time and time again to build confidence,
quell scepticism and drive leadership. This must also be your resolve as you
step into your life’s journey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Values and ethics – strategy for leadership<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The next three events, the
discus throw, the pole vault and the javelin are about lofty aims and higher
goals. There will come a time when you
will need to have long term, strategic goals. Your responsibilities will shift
from being task and activity oriented to problem gauging and problem
solving. This will call for strategic
thinking that will enable you to create enduring value for you and the
organizations that you serve. This is
what builds great companies and great leaders. Integral to this is an uncompromising code of
values and ethics. Today’s sporting
world is mired with doping controversies that have dented the ethos of fair
play and sportsmanship. In the context
of business, whilst performance enhancement by leveraging new technologies is
imperative, corrupt practices that provide surreptitious business advantage are
akin to performance enhancers that are unethical and illegal. India ranks
poorly in the ease of doing business which has led to speed money and high
levels of corruption to deal with an over regulated economy. The advent of the digital world has now
brought focus on e-regulatory reforms that will deliver both transparency and
traceability which will hopefully mitigate this malaise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sense of Purpose</span></b></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Great companies and great
leaders are driven by a deep sense of purpose. Elon Musk is driven by a mission
to reduce global Warming through sustainable energy production and consumption
thereby reducing the risk of human extinction!
Bill and Melinda Gates established their foundation on the belief that
every life has equal value and have therefore focused their efforts to help all
people lead healthy, productive lives by eradicating the world of infectious diseases,
hunger and poverty. My own company Biocon is on a mission to make a difference
to global health by providing affordable access to life saving drugs for
Diabetes and Cancer. I urge every one of you to be guided by a sense of purpose
and a spirit of challenge. It will go a
long way in building character and thought leadership. Remember,
our country cannot aspire to economic greatness <span style="background: white;">as long as India remains home to one-fourth
of the world’s poor and a third of all malnourished children across the globe.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hallmark of champions</span></b></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The final lap is the 1500
meters run which crowns the champion. At
your career’s end or retirement, you will have run a long and fulfilling race,
overcoming hurdles, crossing high bars and striking tough targets. You would have competed with the best and won
some races and lost others. In the end
it’s about how you ran the race. Did you
finish the race with a winning mind-set or did you simply give up mid-way
because you lacked the stamina to endure?
As the saying goes, it’s not about winning or losing but about how you
ran the race. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Beyond Decathlon: Team sports<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Up until now, I have spoken
about the individual but my message would be incomplete without stressing on
the importance of team sports and team spirit.
The Olympics celebrates champions at the individual level but more
importantly, at a team level and at a country level. All of these resonate with the business
world. Whether it is synchronized
swimming and organizational alignment in attaining stated goals or scoring winning
goals in Hockey or smashing the volley ball to triumph, it’s about working
together as teams with a shared vision to succeed. When I reflect on my own success as an
entrepreneur, I can honestly confess that I would be nothing without my
incredible team at Biocon. It’s people
who steer organizations to greatness. OP
Jindal Global University’s success depends upon all of you to be its best
global brand ambassadors. As the great
Brazillian saying goes, “When you dream alone it’s only a dream but when dream
together it becomes reality.”<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Conclusion</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Today,
we are at the cusp of a huge transformation. We are engulfed in a digital world
where </span><span lang="EN-US">technology is disrupting our lives in unprecedented ways. Uber and Ola are the new norm in public
mobility. Flipkart and Amazon have displaced the Bricks & Mortar retail
space with click and buy E-tailing stores. Wearable devices and smart phones
have radically changed the way we manage our calendars, navigate our travel,
watch movies, or buy tickets for anything from theatre to airlines. Today
start-ups are capturing data, curating databases and monetizing information in
a manner that was never thought of before. Robots are assembling automobiles
and even performing surgeries. We have driverless cars and soon I suppose
pilotless flights. We have 3D printing technology that can print bespoke</span><span lang="EN-US">
organs or blood vessels or bones and joints. </span><span lang="EN-US"> The possibilities are endless but it will take
painstaking efforts to build enduring businesses in this exciting virtual
world. Remember, n</span>o longer is value creation linked to scale
but to the power of the idea. We are today witnessing the
birth of the “ideas economy,” where the value of a company is measured by its
“innovation quotient” rather than traditional metrics such as revenue, profit,
physical assets etc. The potential of the WhatsApp messaging platform to change
the way the world communicates led Facebook to pay an “innovation premium”
resulting in a blockbuster deal value of US$19-billion. The power of the idea
is being reinforced by the dizzying valuations being commanded by companies
like Snapchat (US$20 billion), Uber (US$65 billion) and our own home-grown
companies like Ola </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">($5 billion) and Flipkart ($15 billion) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Go out and innovate a bright future for our country by taking
breakthrough ideas to the market, ideas that will end poverty, hunger and
unemployment and provide equitable prosperity for all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s3" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ms Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw's Commencement speech at the 5th Convocation of O P Jindal Global University</span></i></div>
</div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-82457750898307591342016-07-30T13:17:00.000+05:302016-07-30T13:20:36.216+05:30Biocon Advances In War Against Diabetes <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4PAGocqNTeMJCkUYQWbOK-lqo08clFer8bINikiulnu8scTclLjE4JOud2c17wyarbtEa1feG5ck4RixBXPHuzZEFb2HOgnVDbBHVHurbJucZFgO58A1Zv33Za2QBGaZnPYcVEjhdOuu/s1600/KMS_Blog_Q1FY17_Diabetes_28July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4PAGocqNTeMJCkUYQWbOK-lqo08clFer8bINikiulnu8scTclLjE4JOud2c17wyarbtEa1feG5ck4RixBXPHuzZEFb2HOgnVDbBHVHurbJucZFgO58A1Zv33Za2QBGaZnPYcVEjhdOuu/s320/KMS_Blog_Q1FY17_Diabetes_28July.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy: Economic Times Blog </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There
are nearly half a billion diabetes patients in the world. The alarming growth
in the global diabetes population is leading to a huge demand for effective
therapies from pre/early diabetes to late-stage disease. Of the 100 million
people who need insulin globally, however, only ‘one in two’ can manage and
afford costs associated with chronic insulin therapy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As
a leading insulins producer, Biocon is committed to provide affordable access
to high quality insulins to patients worldwide through our differentiated
portfolio, which includes rh-Insulin as well as basal and rapid-acting insulin
analogs along with delivery devices. Our aim over the next 10 years to provide
our insulin products to ‘one in five’ diabetes patients in need of
insulin-based therapy anywhere in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Already,
our global scale capacities for manufacturing high quality, affordable insulins
have positioned us as the largest Asian insulins player and the fourth largest
producer of insulins in the world, enabling us to address the growing needs of
diabetes patients across the globe. Globally, we are among the Top 3
biosimilars players in rh-insulin and Insulin Glargine in terms of market
share. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Insulin Glargine Launch in Japan<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In
the beginning of FY17 we took a small but significant step in our journey to
make a global impact in diabetes management through our affordable biosimilar
insulins when our partner FUJIFILM Pharma launched our biosimilar Insulin
Glargine in Japan. This is the first biosimilar from India and second
biosimilar Glargine to be approved and launched in Japan. Importantly, this is
also Biocon’s first biosimilar approval in a developed country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our
product will provide a high quality, yet affordable, world-class long-acting
biosimilar basal Insulin Glargine to the over 7 million people with diabetes in
Japan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As
Japan has a reputation of very high expectations of product quality and
manufacturing standards, the launch earns us huge credibility and validates our
mission of delivering the highest quality at the lowest cost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If
fact, it is a testament to our commitment to quality and compliance that our
manufacturing facilities were audited and approved by the Japanese regulatory
agency, PMDA, on their very first inspection visit. It endorsed our strong
R&D capabilities spanning process development, analytical characterization,
and preclinical and clinical development, which were leveraged in submitting a
comprehensive regulatory dossier to the Japanese health authorities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The
significance of the Japanese approval for Glargine goes beyond Japan as it will
likely open some markets for us that rely on a developed country approval and
provides confidence in terms of approvals in other developed markets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Insulin Approvals in Malaysia<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our efforts to make our insulins more
widely available also got a shot in the arm in the first quarter of FY17 with Biocon’s
rh-Insulin becoming the first product manufactured at Malaysia to be approved
for commercialization by the Ministry of Health (MoH), Malaysia. Biocon’s
Insulin Glargine was also approved by the MoH, Malaysia. These approvals will
open up commercialization opportunities for the company and will enable us to
address the needs of nearly 3.3 million diabetes patients in Malaysia. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The commercialization of the Malaysian
facility will augment our global scale in insulin production thus helping us
achieve the ‘economies of scale’ needed to provide affordable insulin and
insulin analogs to treat diabetes, which now affects nearly ‘one in 11’ adults
globally. Regulatory filings for several other emerging markets are underway to
enable commercial sales from the Malaysian facility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Biocon is already recognized as
Asia’s largest Insulin producer and our Malaysia facility will further
strengthen our position as a global player.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The development of Insulin Glargine
partnered with our partner Mylan is also tracking towards regulatory filings in
the developed markets during this fiscal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">To address the diabetes burden in the
US, we are collaborating with Lab PiSA to develop generic rh-Insulin. Biocon
will be responsible for clinical development, regulatory approval and
commercializing the product in the U.S. while PiSA would contract manufacture
the drug product in their facilities in Mexico.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">These significant developments at the
beginning of FY17 have positioned us well to achieve our long cherished
objective of providing affordable access to transformative, lifesaving biopharmaceuticals
to patients across the globe. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 14px;">This piece was first published in the Plain Speak on Economic Times Blog on July 28, 2016</i></div>
</div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-58799373538989909052016-07-05T13:03:00.000+05:302016-07-05T13:06:11.654+05:30Book Review: Science of an Entrepreneur - by Karan Avtar Singh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWp4hpULxRDNa8N9XWN4zGSuswIq4bgUQ2eeUUOj0PLDJPJdQpVageaIhHsMK3oAUJJ_aqba8PLsndqv79f-grW1nyjFopHOgBXtVK5ZzmHpEFiKwoCiccYnc8aEwx1VM1ni-ZMSA6Wkh/s1600/mythbreaker.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWp4hpULxRDNa8N9XWN4zGSuswIq4bgUQ2eeUUOj0PLDJPJdQpVageaIhHsMK3oAUJJ_aqba8PLsndqv79f-grW1nyjFopHOgBXtVK5ZzmHpEFiKwoCiccYnc8aEwx1VM1ni-ZMSA6Wkh/s320/mythbreaker.PNG" width="211" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Why Kiran Mazumdar Shaw? That is the question I asked myself when I saw this book. This biography is a recounting of very exciting times: An inflection point in Indian life sciences and enterprise. Kiran is one of the few persons who have combined excellence in enterprise and bioscience to become a leader in this sector. The book is not, strictly speaking, a biography; because it interweaves the stories of Biocon, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw’s personal life and India’s science sector as they rode the wave of the opening up of India’s economy over the last 25 years. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The author’s deep understanding of science as well as of business and enterprise has helped in creating an engaging and simple narrative of an otherwise complex scheme. She skilfully navigates cell biology, biochemistry, medicine, finance, banking and corporate mergers and acquisitions without avoiding technical details and yet retains the excitement of innovation, experimentation, courage and foresight that emerge as the hallmarks of Kiran’s life and character.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There are three reasons why we should read this book. First, the style is neither journalistic nor pedantic, the author combines scientific discourse and corporate drama into an engaging narrative. Second, the subject matter which extends well beyond the life of Kiran to encompass the development of the biotechnology industry in India is of immense interest. Third, the numerous insights scattered liberally across this book merge to make a coherent tapestry of the lives of many eminent Indians in this field who chose to work in India to promote research and development in the life sciences. If anything, Kiran’s story is of an entrepreneur and a missionary who attracted the best minds in biotechnology to India and to Biocon with immense foresight and persistence. As they say, luck favours the brave.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The author unfolds several aspects of the title of her book Myth Breaker: Kiran is not only a pioneering woman scientist and entrepreneur in India, she is also instrumental in breaking the myth of India being unsuitable for cutting-edge research, development and production. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Seema Singh highlights how Kiran was supported by her family, friends and colleagues. Beginning with this base of trust and faith, Kiran undertook multiple translational tasks. She first built an enterprise that bridged Ireland and India, then she filled several voids that existed in translating research into a viable product, and even transported people and ideas from developed countries to India. Kiran emerges as an achiever who saw opportunities when others did not and who had the courage to risk everything to pursue such opportunities. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An important task of the biographer is to analyse events and trends to discover their underlying causes and thereby to develop a portrait of the subject’s character as it evolves over a lifetime. This process of discovery and analysis distinguishes a biography from a story. In this context, one is reminded of Irving Stone’s biography of the painter Vincent Van Gogh, titled The Agony and the Ecstasy, which was filmed as the movie Lust for Life by Vincente Minelli with Kirk Douglas playing the role of Van Gogh, the manic-depressive genius who produced some of the greatest paintings of the modern era. However, this first biography by the author lacks those personal insights that arise only as a result of painstaking research into the life of the subject. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The book contains many insightful vignettes about friends and colleagues of Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, but it stops short of sketching a detailed and nuanced personal pen picture that a reader of a biography is looking for. What made Kiran take those crucial decisions that turned out to be life-changing events? How was she influenced by those closest to her and how did she influence them?</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">These most important and most personal questions are left unanswered. Perhaps, this is a fault one can find with most biographies of a living person for obvious reasons. There is a genuine need to protect privacy, and a felt need amongst those interviewed to preserve their private thoughts for themselves. The biographer’s failure to create the persona of the subject in full detail leads to a disconnect between the plot as its unfolds and its heroine. Whereas, the plot is fully choreographed and explains the bubbling energy of the biotech sector in India, Kiran’s pivotal role in these developments emerges only as a subtext. Surely, a more compelling way to tell this fairy tale of heady growth and rapid developments in life sciences in India would have been to place Kiran firmly in the limelight and show how events unfolded around the prima donna of India’s biotech drama. The story of her evolution definitely deserved centrestage in this book.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The book does a great job in describing the evolution of Biocon itself, especially, the pivot from opportunism to strategy when it had grown to a certain size and faced existential issues. To quote Kiran, ‘It’s all right to be opportunistic when you are building your business but when you reach a level of critical mass, you have to be strategic.’ Biocon had become the world’s largest producer of Pichia-based recombinant products, it was also a leading producer of insulin biosimilars, like Insugen, and so many companies sought partnerships with Biocon. One such partnership with Pfizer got off to a great start in October 2010 but then fizzled out. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Kiran emerges as a persevering and patient entrepreneur who diligently pursues the best talent over a period of time, and offers them a workplace built on trust, recognition and generosity. As a result, many of the best brains in the life sciences end up working for Biocon where they graduated from academics and research to translation and enterprise by taking the ‘plunge’ into risky business situations. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As Biocon grew, often standing on the shoulders of giants, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw evolved from a passionate scientist and entrepreneur to a mentor and guiding force in India’s biotech revolution. It is this central plot that is so well documented in this biography. For that inspiring tale alone, it is well worth reading.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 22.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>This was first published in The Tribune on July 3rd, 2016</i></span></span></div>
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Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-64775129904979821302016-05-05T16:47:00.000+05:302016-07-04T13:52:18.064+05:30A Collaborative Approach to Healthcare Delivery <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4B6rk2xiHKjJBjcaFPg7xAZPcXa-MLDyD3iSQchYp0S5mibgUfnSEgMj2osbHUUoZH1-RHH_R66tBHrRN0p6IQ0i8z_un6ISCMSAch0u2pAHERYCEHRxsNT_DyPOlkjZ3bhgtrDJmUscC/s1600/PPP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4B6rk2xiHKjJBjcaFPg7xAZPcXa-MLDyD3iSQchYp0S5mibgUfnSEgMj2osbHUUoZH1-RHH_R66tBHrRN0p6IQ0i8z_un6ISCMSAch0u2pAHERYCEHRxsNT_DyPOlkjZ3bhgtrDJmUscC/s320/PPP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy: TOI</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The highest attainable standard of health is a
fundamental right of every human being. In this context, universal access to
healthcare assumes prime importance. However, healthcare delivery poses a
significant challenge for policymakers in India. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A severe lack of resources means that there is only
one doctor per 1,700 citizens in India, well below the minimum ratio of 1:1,000
stipulated by the WHO. There are also only 1.3 beds per 1,000 population,
significantly lower than the other BRIC economies and the WHO guideline of 3.5
beds per 1,000 population. In rural areas and smaller towns of India, even basic
health services remain inaccessible. Given the sorry state of affairs it is no
surprise then that India continues to lag behind poorer neighbors like Bangladesh,
Sri Lanka and Nepal in terms of child mortality. For every 1,000 children born
in India between 2011 and 2015, 48 died on average every year before reaching
the age of five, according to the World Bank. Equally alarming is the fact that
a quarter of the world’s neonatal deaths and 15% of maternal deaths happen in
India. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It is pertinent to note here that despite the fairly rapid
pace of economic growth that India has experienced in the last 20 years, public
health spending in the country is only about 1% of GDP. This compares to 3% in
China, 4.1% in Brazil and 8.3% in the US.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Inadequate government spending on healthcare and lack
of access to health insurance pushes almost 3% of India’s population into
indebtedness and bankruptcy every year. To address this situation, the
government needs to come forward and take proactive steps to implement a
universal healthcare program that ensures basic healthcare services for everyone
with minimum financial burden being passed on to the patient. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">India needs a universal
healthcare program that hinges on affordability and access. This calls for existing
public health infrastructure to be revitalized, new medical centres built and </span><span lang="EN-US">modern ICT-based telemedicine technology to be
leveraged for addressing the demand-supply gaps in terms of doctors and health
facilities.</span><span lang="EN-US"> There is an urgent
need therefore for public health spending in India to be raised to at least
2.5% of GDP as well as Public Private Partnership (PPP) models in healthcare to
be promoted. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">PARTNERING TO MAKE HEALTHCARE
ACCESSIBLE<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The government alone cannot meet the healthcare
infrastructure and capacity gaps in Tier II and Tier III cities as well as
rural areas, and this makes private participation a must. While it’s true that
some PPP projects attempted earlier have failed, clear policy guidelines can ensure
the successful implementation and sustainability of healthcare PPP models in
future. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The prerequisites should include agreed upon scope of
work, legal and regulatory framework, resources pooling and management,
transparency and accountability, suitable policies and a commitment to public
good. It is necessary that PPPs ensure that government services are delivered
in an economical, effective and efficient manner. The role of the government should
be proactive and it should identify areas in National Health Programs,
diagnostic and curative services where partnerships are possible. The government
should also develop working guidelines based on successful experiences of
different states besides framing quality guidelines with professional help from
organizations that already have experience in preparing quality assurance
tools. Lastly, smart business models need to be put in place without which it will
be difficult for private players to achieve reasonable returns on investment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">It is encouraging to see that the NDA government is
looking seriously at PPP models for improving healthcare access to the
country’s 1.2 billion people and </span><span lang="EN">lessen the healthcare burden on the common man</span><span lang="EN-US">. At a time when the federal government is examining
ways to implement healthcare initiatives under the PPP model in a time bound
manner, states like Rajasthan have already set the ball rolling. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">THE RAJASTHAN EXPERIENCE<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan has
partnered with the private sector for running Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and
sub-centres across the state. Rajasthan, which is geographically the largest
state in India, has over 500 Community Health Centres, over 2,000 PHCs and over
13,000 sub-centres. Several PHCs, which are located in remote areas, are now being
run on a PPP model. The terms of the PPP engagement are simple. While the state
government will provide the necessary infrastructure, medicines, equipment and
operational costs, the private operator would provide doctors, paramedics and
other staff, free outpatient services and 24-hour emergency services. These
PHCs are already reporting encouraging results as the improvement in
cleanliness and availability of staff and medicines have led to a jump in the number of patients
being treated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Rajasthan government has also launched a health
insurance scheme to provide medical coverage of up to Rs 3 lakhs to each
citizen and is expected to cover nearly 70% of the state’s population. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Health insurance is an area where PPP arrangements
have been successful. The Yeshasvini Co-operative Farmer’s Healthcare Scheme, a
PPP scheme involving Narayana Health and the Karnataka government, offers coverage
of over 800 surgical procedures to farmers and their family members. Yeshasvini
is one of the largest self-funded healthcare insurance schemes in the country. Neighboring
Andhra Pradesh runs the Arogya Raksha Scheme in collaboration with the New
India Assurance Company and with private clinics. The scheme, which is fully
funded by the government, provides hospitalization benefits and personal
accident benefits to citizens below the poverty line. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">TOWARDS A HEALTHIER FUTURE<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The new Companies Act of 2013 mandates corporates to
spend 2% of their profits on CSR activities. The government can take this
opportunity to partner with the private sector for taking healthcare delivery
to the next level. It will lead to a huge improvement in healthcare delivery in
India through a combination of good infrastructure, latest technology and the
best available medical expertise. If PPPs are need based and customized to
local circumstances, they clearly have the potential to drastically change the
healthcare landscape in India. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">PPPs can thus be a 'win-win' arrangement in which
diverse actors with varied motivations and philosophies work together to
contribute to the health of the people and the development of the country.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>This piece was first published in the print version of TImes of India on May 5th, 2016</i></span></span></div>
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Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-23542057299510159582016-03-25T12:17:00.000+05:302016-05-05T16:52:17.195+05:30What Price Philanthropy? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy: Google Images</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Over the past month, I have been a
silent spectator, witnessing a miserable drama unfold in Bangalore. This is
regarding a remarkable project to safeguard an important art collection through
the upkeep and modernisation of an ailing state gallery </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the Venkatappa Art
Gallery (VAG), by turning it into a new museum for the city. These plans were
to be made possible through local corporate philanthropy. Sadly, the plans are
currently in jeopardy as they are being protested by a group of ‘artist
activists’ operating under the banner of the ‘VAG Forum’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rather than being based in rational
argument, discourse and constructive criticism, the protest has been conducted
through personal attacks, ill-researched and incorrect accusations, ignorance
and fanciful conspiracy theories. As the journalist, Vedam Jaishankar, has
recently put it, this protesting group are involved in ‘sullying culture, and a
revered institution, in Karnataka’, and you, the people of Bengaluru, will be
the ones to lose out from this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am a concerned and proud
Bangalore citizen who believes I have attempted to do good for the city and in
helping it evolve. This is why I also proudly agreed to be part of the
Karnataka Tourism Vision Group in an attempt to contribute ideas towards
improving tourism in the state, and as a result the lives of those who benefit
from it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It saddens me to see that these
clear, transparent and positive plans to promote the cultural sector in
Bangalore are meeting with resistance, from an antiquated and regressive mindset
which is against positive change. Is it so hard to believe that there are those
who wish to use their positions and access to funds to make Bangalore a better
place? Must these plans to make the city a better place for all of us
constantly be disrupted by the activities of a dissenting few, who create a
world of suspicion, conspiracy and paranoia, against those who are trying to
effect positive change? The world over, the cultural and educational sectors
welcome the support of the private sector to improve their services. Are we so
pig-headed in Bangalore that we think our museums and galleries are fine
institutions without need of modernisation, and that the government alone is
doing enough? I understand why some artists might not want to own-up to the shortcomings
of the current system of which they are a part, but why should the rest of the
city, and the next generation of artists and citizens, be held back because of
this emotional and out-dated sentiment?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have waited to see whether better
sense would finally prevail, and have been disappointed again and again at
finding it totally missing. I had hoped the city’s citizens would see through
the conspiracy theories, but as this has not been the case, I wanted to break
my silence, and to communicate some facts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">About two years ago, the Government
of Karnataka made a plan for the adoption of certain cultural destinations in
the state under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which then became a
cabinet decision and issued as a Government order, after which the Tourism
minister reached out to the Karnataka Tourism Vision Group and various
Corporates and Foundations to come forward to adopt places under this program
as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. 46 destinations were identified
over a wide geography throughout the State. Twelve of these, including the
Venkatappa Art Gallery (VAG) were located in or very near Bengaluru. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Local businessman and long-time
patron and supporter of the arts, Abhishek Poddar, was invited by the
government to participate in this PPP and help adopt the VAG – which has
unquestionably fallen into disrepair over the years and is in serious need of investment.
He was selected based on his credentials as being not only someone willing and
able to invest his personal money as well as raise
considerable funds from the corporate community, but also someone involved in
the arts on a local and national level, as he was then on the board of the
National Gallery of Modern Art, Bangalore, and advisor to the Deccan Heritage
Foundation and and advisor to the Foundation Inde-Eurpoe de Nouveaux Dialogues,
based in Rome. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have known Abhishek for over 20
years, and he is possibly the most competent, trustworthy and professional
person in the Bangalore artworld to facilitate this project. Under the
non-profit arts organisation the Tasveer Foundation, of which Abhishek is a
trustee, I, along with the government, and the KTVG were confident this would
be a great initiative for the city, and was being managed through the right
hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Representing the Tasveer Foundation
or TF, Abhishek accepted the Government’s invitation with a sense of
responsibility, in the belief that with his help, real change could be
implemented. He agreed to adopt the VAG for a minimum of five years and, as per
the conditions of the MoU, (which incidentally are the same for all the sites
currently adopted), and then hand it back to the government on the PPP
understanding, once its modernised building and processes were in place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Within a short time thereafter, he
drew up a Management and Advisory Board under the TF, to carry out the work
needed to improve the VAG and facilitate a new museum. This board included
several prominent public figures, including myself, to make it happen. The
board oversaw, through local and outside advisors, the drawing up of a
fantastic plan to rejuvenate the VAG, by totally renovating, modernising and
expanding it to become a new museum which would continue to exhibit its
existing art collection, besides bringing additional art on view and be even
more inclusive than it had previously been. When other institutions are
becoming world-class in the city, why should art and culture be left behind in
the dark ages?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An intrinsic aim of the board, and
also the MoU, was a focus on transparency regarding the financial operation of
the project. Significant amongst this is that any funds generated from ticket
sales, or any other commercial activity of the museum would have to be
reinvested right back into running the project and the safeguarding of the
existing collection therein. This would ensure that neither Abhishek nor the
Tasveer Foundation nor MAP’s Board would draw any income from the project VAG
whatsoever. At the end of the agreed tenure, all modifications and additions in
terms of non movable assets would revert to the state at the end of the MoU
period. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Further, we as the Management Board
agreed to appoint a prominent auditing firm at the appropriate time to ensure
its finances and running are completely diligent and transparent. For all
intents and purposes, and with the sum of money we envisaged this project would
cost, this makes this an exemplary act of cultural philanthropy, and one that
would endow this city with a star attraction like few others anywhere in the
country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am saddened to say that I don’t
find the support I would imagine this should deserve from the people of the
city, and that the project has been allowed to be threatened by an aggressive
and misinformed group who are campaigning that this is a "handing over of
VAG into private, profiteering hands". The most prominent victim of all the
noise and whistle blowing and unfurled black umbrellas and skirmishes in
government offices is . . . the truth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As you will see, there is almost no
truth whatever in all the attacks that have been mounted on Abhishek Poddar and
the Tasveer Foundation and, by extrapolation, on the Board. Indeed, with every
passing day, the attacks grow louder and more personal and fanciful, and the
exaggerations and lies more hysterical. It is beyond comprehension why some
senior artists who have themselves not exhibited in the current VAG in the last
five years or more and are seldom seen within its walls, have suddenly felt it
necessary to "protect" it from those who will transform it into a
pride of Bangalore. The sad part is, that I am sure there are valid voices from
the artists community which should be heard, and ideas they can contribute to
make the project even better, even more inclusive. However, these voices are
being drowned out and undermined by the VAG Forum’s irrational smear campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If these misguided protests are
successful, we as a city have some serious questions to answer: What then is
the value of the MoU that the government has signed? What then is the value of
the commitment given by the Government. Not just in these projects, but any
agreement signed by them? What is the point of the government inviting
foundations and corporates to participate and adopt the State's greatest
landmark projects, develop them and make them part of a planned tourism venture
at no cost to the State itself? Why should any of the companies that were
considering the government's invitation take it seriously any more? Why should
they put their CSR funds at risk if, after they have committed themselves to
the projects they adopt, and started to spend money on them, when they can so
easily come under the kind of mindless attacks and allegations that in this
case the VAG Forum has initiated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It is now time for the Government
of Karnataka to decide who authors their policies, and who holds the power. The
Karnataka Tourism Vision Group was an inspired idea. It is also time for the
people of the city to stand up and take responsibility for what they would like
to see for the future of their city and for their children. It’s time for every
citizen who is interested in Bangalore and in its advancement, to stand up and
voice what they would like. These projects are not being done just for art and
culture, they are a valid attempt to make Bangalore a better place for
everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I too had submitted a plan to help
improve and modernise a museum in Bangalore – by adopting the Visvesvaraya
Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM), to transform it to a world class
Science and Technology Museum for the city and the state. I am sure most of you
are already aware of the sequence of events that unfolded there, and to save
the VAG from the same fate, I have chosen to speak out here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our history is littered with
examples for both ends of the spectrum. Remember Ravindran Kalakshetra? What
promise it had, and its status today? It took the personal passion and effort
of Arundhati Nag to make Rangashankara happen which is the pride of theatre
here in Bangalore today. Similarly you may also recall the objections and
protests to many such pathbreaking initiatives including the Tender Sure roads,
and thankfully we have some of them complete with many more under way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now it is for the government and
the people to fend off the nonsensical attacks, and instead focus on the
implementation of good ideas. Nobody will benefit from it falling victim to the
small-mindedness that the VAG Forum has managed to dredge up. We need to decide
if we want to promote art and culture, or give in to art activism and
terrorism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In short, this is a fantastic
project which can only be a positive asset for Bengaluru. It is being carried
out in a transparent, honest and professional manner, and by a highly competent
and respectable group of people, all of whom have public and cultural interest
as their number one priority. Are we really going to stand by and let a group
of disenfranchised, conspiracy theorists block such a move? Isn’t that a
terrible loss for the city? Will citizens please speak up?</span><span style="font-family: "segoe ui" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-19737041663611120332016-03-08T12:49:00.000+05:302016-04-04T15:59:57.488+05:30Breaking the Stereotype<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQjCO41bDMxF8BmeHfm7IPvpGbFdd6R6yy_5Y9vZaUT5bE2HAIM5Nrt5oJMbPYzotFBzpdROj2vXURoYHh7TFbC9DYD0FeWvkqEADqCSDfYIa4hjBW-_Ir5l6yds3uLFQPMTwOwnfMnVD/s1600/women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQjCO41bDMxF8BmeHfm7IPvpGbFdd6R6yy_5Y9vZaUT5bE2HAIM5Nrt5oJMbPYzotFBzpdROj2vXURoYHh7TFbC9DYD0FeWvkqEADqCSDfYIa4hjBW-_Ir5l6yds3uLFQPMTwOwnfMnVD/s320/women.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy: Google Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Today’s
Indian woman is making a mark across diverse fields – from business and
politics to sports and social work – breaking stereotypes and smashing glass
ceilings along the way. It is interesting to note that 6 of the Top 10 Banks in
India are headed by women and 12% of India’s 5,100 pilots are women. Likewise,
there is a huge surge in women-led start-ups in IT & Biotechnology.
Witnessing this change is exciting and energizing as there is a newfound
confidence among Indian women, a sense of self-belief that they can excel in
any domain, compete with their male counterparts on a level-playing field,
attain leadership positions and become role models for all.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This
is a far cry from the situation in the ‘70s and ‘80s, when women professionals
in India were stereotyped as “unreliable, unprofessional and high risk!” When I
started Biocon in 1978, as a young, 25-year-old woman entrepreneur I had to
fight against these very stereotypes. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Challenging
Stereotypes</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Entrepreneurship
was an unusual ‘career’ choice for women in the ‘70s and biotechnology was
unheard of as an industry sector. So here I was, daring to start a
business in a male dominated society in a sector that no one had heard of! , To
top it all, I had no business background and had limited financial resources.
Most of my friends thought I was being foolish trying to take on such a
challenge when I could be married and raising a family instead! But that was
not me. From the very beginning I wanted to be a change agent in society and
wanted to transform the way society perceived and treated women. I wanted to
challenge this concept that women couldn’t do some roles that men could. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Encouraged
by my father, I decided to pursue a career path in business and I was willing
to face the odds. There were many odds I had to deal with: Banks were unwilling
to lend to me, professionals did not want to work for me and even suppliers did
not want to deal with me all because I was a woman! Bankers told me that I was
considered ‘high risk’ in the business world. Professionals felt that I could
not provide them ‘job security’ and suppliers told me they were reluctant to
give me credit because they did not have confidence in my business abilities. Of
course, I was infuriated and insulted but took it on as a challenge to build my
credibility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I
started building my company Biocon with a sense of purpose and spirit of
challenge. I was determined to bridge the gender divide and decided that I
would build a company where women scientists could pursue their research
dreams, where women professionals would work shoulder to shoulder with their
male colleagues and where men and women had mutual respect. My journey of
building Biocon was about experimentation and learning – trying out ideas and
overcoming challenges that are a part and parcel of entrepreneurship and
business. In time I succeeded in building one of Asia’s largest
biopharmaceutical enterprises because I truly believed that innovation has no gender
barrier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Mind-sets
Need to Change</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Even
as millions of Indian women are succeeding at work, there are millions of
others who continue to live under the cast of repressive mind-sets. This finds
expression in gender discrimination, female foeticide, preference for the male
child, denying education to girls and extends to gender stereotypes in
behaviour, marriage and career. A large number of people still believe that
women are capable of performing only limited roles at home or certain types of
jobs. This mind-set, among both men and women, needs to change if progress is
to be made. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As
a nation and as a larger part of the society we are actively addressing these
issues. The Indian government’s ‘<i>Beti Bachao Beti Padhao</i>’ (‘<b><i>Save
the Girl Chid, Educate the Girl Child’</i></b>) campaign is an expression of
this intent as it seeks to protect and empower girls. Several women centric
programs aimed at ensuring their education, health, economic security, safety
and fundamental rights are being implemented by both governmental and
non-governmental organizations in the rural areas under the ‘<i>Padhega India
to Badhega India’</i> <i>(<b>India Studies, India Prospers</b>)</i> initiative,
as we know that only ‘education’ will lead to economic development in the
country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Unleashing
Shakti</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Women
have a vital role to play in India’s future as the country looks to gain global
economic leadership. They should be encouraged to cultivate a sense of
self-confidence and determination even in the face of failure. Coupled with
their hard work and perseverance, women can achieve anything they set their
minds on. I firmly believe the empowerment of the Indian woman will unleash
‘Shakti,’ or the feminine creative power, and lead to transformational societal
change in India in the coming days.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>This piece was first published in the Online Version of </i></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 14px;">The Week Magazine on March 08, 2016</i></div>
</div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-74776447510135731422016-03-03T11:40:00.000+05:302016-04-04T15:59:42.259+05:30Innovation, not price control is the answer to affordable Bt cotton technology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BEqgN3ZKaf2Psnp3Mk8ji4UycqPX4D-3whks2OyI9cZ3Gw23GrxjrKPa787qr2bfVXwcn2-buXNiTN34PdEkfvNb3Eb_gmA8YLxJmaYqIOBV38nSh7R2k9juFsElHjEfOaNlKyli207x/s1600/btcotton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BEqgN3ZKaf2Psnp3Mk8ji4UycqPX4D-3whks2OyI9cZ3Gw23GrxjrKPa787qr2bfVXwcn2-buXNiTN34PdEkfvNb3Eb_gmA8YLxJmaYqIOBV38nSh7R2k9juFsElHjEfOaNlKyli207x/s320/btcotton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy: TOI</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The biggest threat to cotton farmers is the bollworm, because of its ability to cause extraordinary damage to crops and livelihoods. In the 1990s, pesticides were the only weapon farmers had against the bollworm. Half of all the pesticide consumption in India was accounted for by just one crop – cotton.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yet, the ability of the bollworm to develop pesticide resistance meant that millions of small cotton farmers in India were being pushed into poverty. The situation changed only after the Indian government, having conducted extensive and stringent bio-safety tests, allowed farmers to switch to using genetically modified (GM) Bt cotton seeds in 2002.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Bt cotton contains genes from the naturally-occurring soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). GM technology is used to introduce the Bt gene into cotton seeds, which then produce a protein that effectively tackles insects like the bollworm. GM technology thus offers the cheapest and most efficient method of protecting the cotton crop from this belligerent pest.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Resulting higher yields and lower costs of cultivation have enabled Indian farmers to realise higher profits on their produce over the past decade. It has also averted a potential environmental crisis from excessive pesticide use.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The only GM product allowed for commercial cultivation in the country, Bt cotton has made India the largest cotton producer in the world and converted the country from a net importer to a net exporter of this important cash crop. Over 90% of the country’s cotton growing areas today grow Bt cotton, which has resulted in the doubling of cotton yields over the last decade.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Bt cotton amply demonstrates that responsible introduction of GM crops can be one of the most potent ways of increasing productivity of crops in this country. Yet, fear mongering by activists over the bio-safety and environmental safety of GM crops has led to a hostile policy regime and resulted in amoratorium on transgenic crop trials.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As field trials are the first step towards cultivation of GM crops in India, this ban prevents biotech researchers from introducing indigenously developed GM technologies in the market. This has created a “technological monopoly” for Monsanto’s Bt cotton seeds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Indian seed companies have to pay a licence fee for using Monsanto’s proprietary Bollgard technology that was approved for use in the country over a decade ago. The failure of successive Indian governments to stand up to anti-GMO activists has led to this monopoly-like situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The current government now wants to tackle what it perceives as “high Bt Cotton seed prices” through price controls. To this end, it has recently passed the Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order (CSPCO) 2015 to fix a uniform maximum sale price for Bt Cotton from March 2016. But two wrongs seldom make a right. Price controls will create more market distortions by further dis-incentivising the development of alternative Bt cotton technology.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Price controls on cotton seeds through state and central government orders are the latest example of India’s schizophrenic approach to innovation. On one hand we are asking foreign companies to come and ‘innovate in India’, but on the other we have tied the hands of Indian innovators with regulations and prevented them from bringing indigenous technologies to farmers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Advances in agri-biotechnology have led to the development of transgenic varieties of rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, cotton, brinjal, mustard, potato, sugarcane and chickpea. Apart from this, agricultural scientists are leveraging molecular markers in crop breeding for the selective propagation of genes that improve yields and resist disease.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Recently, eminent agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan made a strong case against the moratorium and in favour of a smooth approval process towards field trials for GM crops, saying that they are “absolutely essential to assess risks and benefits”. He even suggested that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) should organise an All India Coordinated Project for the field testing of GM crops in the farms of agriculture universities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The government should certainly pay heed to Swaminathan’s suggestion as GM crops not only have the potential to bring succour to millions of needy in this country but also ensure food security for the entire nation. While the government understands the importance of food security, it needs to translate this understanding into action.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The constitution of the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) as an independent regulatory body is thus critical to the country’s progress in biotechnology. BRAI is proposed as the final authority on issues related to biotechnology with the mandate to take science-based decisions after due discussions and safety trials on GM products. But the BRAI Bill has been hanging fire for several years now because of the hostile public view propagated by a few, on GM crops. This has resulted in a Catch-22 situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It is of paramount national interest for the government to unshackle agri-biotechnology, which can provide powerful solutions to irrigation and arable land challenges in a country that has only 2.3% of the world’s land area but must ensure food security for 17.5% of the world population.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>This piece was first published in the Print Version of </i></span><i style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Times of India newspaper on March 03, 2016</i></span></div>
</div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-84640435084237678052016-03-01T12:37:00.000+05:302016-04-04T15:59:28.763+05:30A ‘People’s Budget’ to Spur Inclusive Economic Growth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JNDJ3CUFfgq7PoACeiwkmfVFXHZo-7ikQ7Npodzq2GxXDGEVr4da3nmtMnlmhjKlohm9UsAgB7ddAvW99_px8pwjpc10VgMvsbLw8jrOi-UAUKMkX70k-IPzdQrl9PBbPiGpPT6O5Dug/s1600/Budget2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JNDJ3CUFfgq7PoACeiwkmfVFXHZo-7ikQ7Npodzq2GxXDGEVr4da3nmtMnlmhjKlohm9UsAgB7ddAvW99_px8pwjpc10VgMvsbLw8jrOi-UAUKMkX70k-IPzdQrl9PBbPiGpPT6O5Dug/s1600/Budget2016.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Budget
2016 can be described as a ‘people’s budget’ that is aimed at spurring
inclusive economic growth through measures that will drive rural development,
relieve agricultural stress and boost farmers’ welfare. The Budget however has
missed out on outlining innovative policies to spur India’s manufacturing
sector to drive growth at a time when the economic scenario appears
challenging, both externally and internally. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Macroeconomic
Impact</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">Sticking to the fiscal deficit target of 3.5% for FY17 leaves room for
the RBI to cut interest rates and ease balance sheet pressures in the financial
sector. However, the allocation for recapitalization of public sector banks in
the Budget appears inadequate to help them manage their </span><span style="background: white;">non-performing assets (NPAs), which </span><span style="background: white;">stood at around </span><span style="background: white;">Rs 4 lakh crore </span><span style="background: white;">as on December 31, 2015.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Impact
on Social Sector</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #5b9bd5;">Rural
Economy </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Budget
2016 has focused on raising
rural prosperity through
giving agriculture and rural development a fillip. The much needed allocation
to road connectivity to the rural hinterland coupled with fiscal support to
relieve farmer stress is expected to boost the rural economy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">It’s definitely a step in the right direction as the rural economy badly
needs a boost especially after two successive droughts. The measures could
revive rural demand to stimulate overall economic growth. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">The use of
the Aadhar platform for Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG and Fertiliser
subsidies will help rural stakeholders, as it will ensure that benefits of
government subsidies directly reach the needy.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">Moreover, the decision to allocate Rs 2,000 crore in the Budget for
providing cooking gas connection to women members of poor households is a
constructive measure towards empowering women and protecting their health.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #5b9bd5;">Healthcare</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">For addressing the country’s healthcare
challenges, the government has announced a new health protection scheme that
provides health insurance coverage of up to Rs.1 lakh per family and an
additional top-up package of up to Rs. 30,000 for senior citizens belonging to
poor and economically weak families. It has also announced a National Dialysis
Services program and the opening of 3,000 stores under Prime Minister’s Jan
Aushadhi Yojana in FY17. While these initiatives are good they are still
woefully short of the kind of investment needed to provide affordable
healthcare to patients in a country that ranks among the lowest public spenders
on healthcare in the world.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #5b9bd5;">Education
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">The Budget has taken some good steps to improve the quality of higher education
in the country. The Budget proposes to create an enabling regulatory
architecture for creating world-class teaching and research institutions. It
has also envisaged a Higher Education Financing Agency<span style="color: #1f497d;">
</span>(HEFA) with an initial capital base of Rs 1,000 crore to fund
infrastructural upgrades in our top institutions.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Impact
on Common Man</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The salaried and small tax
paying business community are also beneficiaries of this Budget with several
tax deductions expected to put more disposable income in the hands of the Aam
Admi and thereby boost domestic consumption. E.g., First–time home buyers can
now claim an additional deduction of Rs 50,000 on interest paid on home loan.
However, the retirement benefit of withdrawal from PF corpus is now partially
taxable, which is not good news. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Impact
on Corporate Sector</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Budget
has been below the expectations of the corporate sector. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5;">Ease of Doing Business</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">In this Budget, there is no specific direction on ease of doing
business, which is critical to encourage investments in manufacturing to
support the ‘Make in India’ agenda. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">The rules and regulations pertaining to land, environment and others at
both State and Central levels need to be aligned. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5;">Boost to Manufacturing</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">There has been no incentive to boost the manufacturing sector that leads
to real job creation apart from </span>an
offer of a 25% tax rate for new projects, which is grossly inadequate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5;">Infrastructure Creation</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">The Budget allocation of Rs 2.2 lakh crore for infrastructure is a
welcome move. However, success will depend on the effective utilization of
these funds during the year.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5;">Encouraging Start-ups</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">To give a leg-up to start-ups, the Budget is offering a three-year tax
holiday for start-ups set up during April 2016 to March 2019. This is a good
beginning, but a lot needs to be done to realize the full benefits that
start-ups can bring to an economy like ours.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5;">Skill Development</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">The Budget proposes to set up 1,500 Multi Skill Training Institutes
across the country and a National Board for Skill Development Certification in
partnership with the industry and academia. This is a long awaited, positive
development for the youth of India. It also aims to provide Entrepreneurship
Education and Training through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). These
measures lay a strong foundation for skilling 1 crore Indian youth over the next
three years.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Impact
on Science & Technology</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The
promising Biotechnology sector has been totally excluded as the Budget failed
to make any provisions for the funding needs of the industry. The weighted
deduction for expenditure on Scientific Research is being reduced to 150% from
200% currently, which does not augur well for future of innovation in the
country. The only compensating factor has been the introduction of a Patent Box
regime that levies a low 10% tax rate on income accruing from IP. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="background: white;">Conclusion</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Going by what Budget 2016 has to say, Modinomics is no longer about
wealth creation by India Inc. but about Jan Dhan and rural prosperity to drive
inclusive economic growth. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854264963788153488.post-34132262989545424732016-02-22T12:00:00.000+05:302016-03-04T18:11:25.068+05:30Can healthcare costs in India come down further?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6Ug_txHB7OO-N2A-l6lzROYOQXPE1xrADlf7j7_gqP2WDL0wAlrEsjqG2Q8Dv0Gs0oIuUnMi9KrNiSfzbumXtw159OxzwPydOEv1NrqDBqwlOmE7niBAvWAYh4wXx-XflH1mCwlhSQKm/s1600/Healthcare++Cost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6Ug_txHB7OO-N2A-l6lzROYOQXPE1xrADlf7j7_gqP2WDL0wAlrEsjqG2Q8Dv0Gs0oIuUnMi9KrNiSfzbumXtw159OxzwPydOEv1NrqDBqwlOmE7niBAvWAYh4wXx-XflH1mCwlhSQKm/s320/Healthcare++Cost.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy - Google Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When you can’t tax the rich, tax the less well-off. This is exactly what the Karnataka government did by notifying all hospitals to collect 8% luxury tax from every patient in an intensive care unit (ICU).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Lying on an ICU bed fighting for one’s life is not a luxury by any stretch. But the room is air-conditioned and, technically, any ‘bed’ that is air-conditioned has to pay luxury tax. Unfortunately, the government did not do its homework, since it’s a regulatory requirement in India to run an ICU with air-conditioning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Policymakers must understand that taxing healthcare only hurts poor patients. In Budget 2011, one learnt about a 5% service tax on healthcare. What it meant was that a patient, who most likely sells his assets and comes up with Rs 1 lakh for a heart operation, is expected to write another cheque for Rs 5,000 as a penalty for being born in a country that does not take care of him. Fortunately, the medical community raised its voice calling the service tax on healthcare a ‘misery tax’ and the government withdrew it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Traditionally, a household electricity tariff is only Rs 4.50 per unit, while industries pay just Rs 5.50 per unit. Hospitals paid Rs 7.20 per unit. Hospitals were classified along with shopping malls and cinemas under the entertainment sector. The Association of Healthcare Providers (India) made a representation to the Karnataka government and convinced it that hospitals are not in the business of entertainment. The electricity tariff was reduced to Rs 6 per unit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If the private sector is fleecing patients, why do we need them? Nearly 70 years after Independence, our government never increased the budgetary allocation for health to more than 1.1%. This is worse than most sub-Saharan countries. The US spends 18%, France 12%, most Asian countries about 5% on healthcare.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In India, 47% of rural citizens and 37% of urban ones borrow money or sell assets to pay medical bills. Medical cost is one of the most common reasons for rural bankruptcy. The private sector is only trying to fill the vacuum created by the government service.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No other country can offer quality healthcare at the same costs as India. A surgery conducted in Kolkata 26 years ago could cost Rs 1.50 lakh. Today, the same surgery costs less than a lakh. This climbdown in costs is not due to technology, it is due to market forces and compassion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Can healthcare costs in India come down further? Yes, provided the government stops looking at poor patients as a source of revenue. Look at drug prices. A patient wants to buy a life-saving antibiotic and pays Rs 1,000 of which Rs 250 goes to the government as various taxes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Similarly, when a patient pays Rs 1,000 for any service in the hospital, Rs 250 goes back to the government in the form of various taxes. Until the government stops looking at the patients as a source of income, cost of healthcare in India cannot come down further.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">India needs approximately three million new beds. With 1% of budgetary allocation in healthcare, there are no plans to add those beds. If the private sector needs to build those beds, especially in Tier 2-3 cities, there should be major incentives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Income-tax exemption for hospitals as an incentive won’t reduce healthcare costs for patients, but will only benefit the promoters. But reducing the input cost by bringing down taxes will directly reduce the cost of healthcare. The government should rationalise the taxes on patients and divert the entire tax collection to an autonomous body that can build 500 new government medical, nursing and paramedical colleges in backward districts of India, especially in the northeast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Youngsters from poor families should be trained to become doctors, nurses and technicians free of cost. After graduation, when they start earning, tuition fees can be paid back with modest interest in small instalments over 10-20 years to the autonomous body that funded their education. This will make the entire project self-sustaining.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The 21st-century economy will be driven by the health sector. The global healthcare industry is the second largest at $7.4 trillion, and is the only industry that is creating jobs today. With the right policies on medical education, India’s health sector can emerge as the leading healthcare provider for the world. It can also emerge as the world’s largest employer, making India the first country in the world to dissociate healthcare from affluence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>This piece was first published in the Print Version of The Economic Times newspaper on February 20, 2016</i></span></div>
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01393464661332006504noreply@blogger.com0