General Affairs
Forces Conduct Month-Long Exercise To Test Combat Readiness For Future Threats
-
The Navy has carried out a mega exercise which saw participation of its strategic assets including nuclear-powered submarine and aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, besides Su-30 and Jaguar fighter jets of IAF.
The Theatre-level Readiness and Operational Exercise (TROPEX) was conducted to test combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Navy, the Air Force, the Army and the Coast Guard.
The aim of the month-long exercise, which was carried out across the vast expanse of the Arabian Sea and the North Central Indian Ocean, was to test the combat readiness of the forces to deal with any possible threat.
"TROPEX 2017 assumes great significance in the backdrop of current security scenario.
"The exercise provided an apt-opportunity to test the combat capability of the Indian Navy, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Coast Guard, and strengthened inter-operability and joint operations in complex conflict situation," the Defence Ministry said.
Over 45 ships from both the Western and Eastern Naval Commands, five submarines including the nuclear powered Chakra, 50 Naval aircraft, 11 ships from the Coast Guard, troops from the Army and 20 aircraft from the Air Force including Su-30s and Jaguars participated in the exercise from January 24 to February 23.
"The exercise, in complete coordination with the Army and Air Force, was conducted in phases to test the various facets of war-fighting and joint combat capabilities of the armed forces to respond to given threat situations," the Ministry said.
It witnessed various weapon firings by ships, submarines and aircraft from both the Navy and the Air Force. The Ministry said the interaction of the forces helped validate operational war fighting concepts and provided valuable lessons to sharpen combat skills.
The Theatre-level Readiness and Operational Exercise (TROPEX) was conducted to test combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Navy, the Air Force, the Army and the Coast Guard.
The aim of the month-long exercise, which was carried out across the vast expanse of the Arabian Sea and the North Central Indian Ocean, was to test the combat readiness of the forces to deal with any possible threat.
"TROPEX 2017 assumes great significance in the backdrop of current security scenario.
Over 45 ships from both the Western and Eastern Naval Commands, five submarines including the nuclear powered Chakra, 50 Naval aircraft, 11 ships from the Coast Guard, troops from the Army and 20 aircraft from the Air Force including Su-30s and Jaguars participated in the exercise from January 24 to February 23.
"The exercise, in complete coordination with the Army and Air Force, was conducted in phases to test the various facets of war-fighting and joint combat capabilities of the armed forces to respond to given threat situations," the Ministry said.
It witnessed various weapon firings by ships, submarines and aircraft from both the Navy and the Air Force. The Ministry said the interaction of the forces helped validate operational war fighting concepts and provided valuable lessons to sharpen combat skills.
PM Modi On Mann Ki Baat: 'ISRO Launch A World Record In Space Arena'
-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the India needs more scientists and the attraction of youth towards science should increase. Congratulating the scientists after the launch of the record 104 satellites by Indian space agency ISRO, he said, it was a matter of exultation that "that the entire campaign was led and steered by our young and women scientists".
"India created history by becoming the first country to launch successfully 104 satellites into space at one go," said the Prime Minister in the 29th edition of his monthly radio programme Mann ki Baat. "Coming on the heels of the successful mission of sending Mangalyaan to Mars, the ISRO's feat, he said, was a "world record in the arena of space".
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, the Prime Minister said, "I have nothing but praise for the zeal, industry and sacrifice that have animated the modern scientists in the pursuit after truth".
India, he added, has successfully tested the Ballistic Interceptor Missile - "a cutting edge technology in the arena of security". In this context, he said, "We need more and more scientists. The attraction of science for youngsters should increase."
The Prime Minister also said that since demonetization, people have been moving towards digital currency. "Our society is increasingly turning out to be technology driven. Systems are getting technology driven," he said.
A mark of this is the growing number of digital transactions. "Digital transactions are rising and a lot of emphasis is being placed on schemes like Digi-Dhan. The government, which had tried to popularize these schemes by rewarding people who opted for them, has so far distributed 10 lakh rewards, PM Modi said.
"India created history by becoming the first country to launch successfully 104 satellites into space at one go," said the Prime Minister in the 29th edition of his monthly radio programme Mann ki Baat. "Coming on the heels of the successful mission of sending Mangalyaan to Mars, the ISRO's feat, he said, was a "world record in the arena of space".
The Prime Minister also said that since demonetization, people have been moving towards digital currency. "Our society is increasingly turning out to be technology driven. Systems are getting technology driven," he said.
A mark of this is the growing number of digital transactions. "Digital transactions are rising and a lot of emphasis is being placed on schemes like Digi-Dhan. The government, which had tried to popularize these schemes by rewarding people who opted for them, has so far distributed 10 lakh rewards, PM Modi said.
BMC Elections: Eye On Mumbai Mayor's Chair, Sena-BJP Play Who Will Blink First Game
-
The Congress' clear refusal on Saturday to help the Shiv Sena take charge of Mumbai civic body could nudge the Sena and the BJP - allies in the Narendra Modi government who fought a bitter battle for control of the country' richest municipal body - to join hands again. But the big question is: Who will get the Mayor's chair.
For the nearly two decades that the BJP was decidedly the junior partner in the alliance with the Shiv Sena, this wasn't a problem. The chair went to the Shiv Sena.
At 84, the Shiv Sena is still the single largest party in the 227-seat Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC but is way off the majority mark of 114. The BJP, which contested the civic body polls on its own rather than play second fiddle to the Sena, is a close second with 82 seats. Too close for comfort, and an undeniable claim to the mayoral post, it would seem.
That probably is one reason why neither side intends to blink first.
From the BJP, the only senior leader pitching for an alliance between the two estranged allies was Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
"New equations are being formed in the state so BJP and Shiv Sena should come together," he said. But Mr Gadkari has made it clear that this was the call that the party boss Amit Shah and
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who led the party to its best ever performance in the BMC, had to take.
"We are on the path to transparency. Those who support it can walk with us; those who don't can't, cannot be with us," Mr Fadnavis said, a reference to an oft-repeated point through the campaign trail when he accused the Sena-led corporation of an opaque governance, and corruption.
The Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray was equally non-committal. Will BJP and Shiv Sena come together? "Jai Maharashtra" was the response.
The Congress with its 31 corporators could bail out the Shiv Sena that's chasing the 114 mark with its 84 Corporators and a few independents. But any support, direct or tacit could cost the Congress in UP. Today it made it clear that it will not support the Sena.
"We will not support anyone in BMC. We will propose our own candidate," said Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam. However, if the Congress NCP and Samajwadi Party together prop up a mayor candidate then the Shiv Sena's mayor candidate could emerge as a winner.
For the nearly two decades that the BJP was decidedly the junior partner in the alliance with the Shiv Sena, this wasn't a problem. The chair went to the Shiv Sena.
That probably is one reason why neither side intends to blink first.
From the BJP, the only senior leader pitching for an alliance between the two estranged allies was Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
"New equations are being formed in the state so BJP and Shiv Sena should come together," he said. But Mr Gadkari has made it clear that this was the call that the party boss Amit Shah and
"We are on the path to transparency. Those who support it can walk with us; those who don't can't, cannot be with us," Mr Fadnavis said, a reference to an oft-repeated point through the campaign trail when he accused the Sena-led corporation of an opaque governance, and corruption.
The Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray was equally non-committal. Will BJP and Shiv Sena come together? "Jai Maharashtra" was the response.
The Congress with its 31 corporators could bail out the Shiv Sena that's chasing the 114 mark with its 84 Corporators and a few independents. But any support, direct or tacit could cost the Congress in UP. Today it made it clear that it will not support the Sena.
"We will not support anyone in BMC. We will propose our own candidate," said Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam. However, if the Congress NCP and Samajwadi Party together prop up a mayor candidate then the Shiv Sena's mayor candidate could emerge as a winner.
2 Gujarat Men With Alleged ISIS Links Planned Attack On Saurashtra Temple, Arrested
-
Two men have been arrested from Rajkot and Bhavnagar in Gujarat for alleged links with the ISIS. This is the first time anyone having links to ISIS has been arrested in Gujarat, the investigators said. In the earlier cases, the people had been indoctrinated by ISIS videos uploaded online or the speeches of its leader founder Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, and had no definite links with the jihadi group, they added. The men -- Wasim Arif Ramodia and Nayim Arif Ramodia -- are brothers and appear to be well educated, with one of them holding a masters' degree in computer application.
"I have no idea about these alleged activities... I don't know if the allegations are true or false. My images of all these years taken a beating," said their father Arif Ramodia, who retired from the Saurashtra University three years ago.
The brothers were planning to attack a religious place, said senior police officer JK Bhatt. "We got information that in the next two days they could strike at a religious place - most likely the Chamunda temple in Saurashtra. They had carried out a reconnaissance of the area as well. The attack was code-named 'lone wolf attack','' said an official.
According to officials of the Anti-Terror Squad, the brothers were under surveillance for over a year now. Their radicalisation process had started two years ago and they used to chat with their handlers using secured apps.
"The two were in touch with their ISIS handlers through Facebook, Twitter and other social media handles. We have seized their computers and lots of incriminating documents,'' said senior officer KK Patel. The squad also seized gunpowder and explosive making material from their residences.
"So far, 67 youths, who were influenced by the ISIS, were arrested while planning to carry out terror attacks," Union home minister Rajnath Singh was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India as saying. But the coordination between the central and state agencies has ensured that such young men have not been able to successful to carry out any terror attack in the country, he had added.
"I have no idea about these alleged activities... I don't know if the allegations are true or false. My images of all these years taken a beating," said their father Arif Ramodia, who retired from the Saurashtra University three years ago.
"The two were in touch with their ISIS handlers through Facebook, Twitter and other social media handles. We have seized their computers and lots of incriminating documents,'' said senior officer KK Patel. The squad also seized gunpowder and explosive making material from their residences.
"So far, 67 youths, who were influenced by the ISIS, were arrested while planning to carry out terror attacks," Union home minister Rajnath Singh was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India as saying. But the coordination between the central and state agencies has ensured that such young men have not been able to successful to carry out any terror attack in the country, he had added.
Virat Kohli Video To Promote Uttarakhand Tourism Paid From Disaster Funds
-
A war of words broke out between Chief Minister Harish Rawat and the opposition BJP on Saturday in the hill state that voted last week after a BJP leader accused the state government of diverting funds meant for disaster rehabilitation to produce a tourism video featuring cricketer Virat Kohli.
BJP leader Ajendra Ajay said the government had told him in a RTI response that 47 lakh rupees was paid for the 60-second video to a firm linked to singer Kailash Kher.
"The payment was made in June 2015 out of funds meant for reconstruction and rehabilitation work in areas devastated by the June 2013 disaster," he said, insisting that the Chief Minister couldn't complain of falling short of funds for rehabilitation when it diverted the funds.
The diverted funds had been released by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority, he claimed.
Mr Rawat promptly hit back, stressing that the government was well within its powers to make the payments from any fund. "Is it a crime to engage to Virat Kohli in Uttarakhand promotion... It was our success that we managed to involve Kohli for promotion of the Char Dham," he said.
The Chief Minister told the opposition to file a written complaint if the party wanted him to conduct an inquiry into misuse of disaster relief funds. "We will conduct the probe under a retired judge of the Supreme Court," he said.
The Congress government has regularly faced charges for misappropriating and squandering away resources meant for disaster relief and rehabilitation after the June 2013 cloudburst and rains that caused widespread destruction.
BJP leader Ajendra Ajay said the government had told him in a RTI response that 47 lakh rupees was paid for the 60-second video to a firm linked to singer Kailash Kher.
"The payment was made in June 2015 out of funds meant for reconstruction and rehabilitation work in areas devastated by the June 2013 disaster," he said, insisting that the Chief Minister couldn't complain of falling short of funds for rehabilitation when it diverted the funds.
The Chief Minister told the opposition to file a written complaint if the party wanted him to conduct an inquiry into misuse of disaster relief funds. "We will conduct the probe under a retired judge of the Supreme Court," he said.
The Congress government has regularly faced charges for misappropriating and squandering away resources meant for disaster relief and rehabilitation after the June 2013 cloudburst and rains that caused widespread destruction.
Business Affairs
'Mumbai richest Indian city with total wealth of USD 820 bn'
-
India's financial capital Mumbai, which is home to 46,000 millionaires and 28 billionaires, is the richest Indian city with a total wealth of USD 820 billion, says a report.
According to New World Wealth, Mumbai is the richest city in the country followed by Delhi and Bengaluru in the second and third place, respectively.
Delhi is home to 23,000 millionaires and 18 billionaires with a total wealth of USD 450 billion, while Bengaluru with a total wealth of USD 320 billion houses 7,700 millionaires and 8 billionaires.
The list also includes Hyderabad with a total wealth of USD 310 billion. Hyderabad is home to 9,000 millionaires and 6 billionaires.
Kolkata home to 9,600 millionaires and 4 billionaires has a total wealth of USD 290 billion, Pune (total wealth of USD 180 billion, has 4,500 millionaires and 5 billionaires), Chennai (USD 150 billion, 6,600 millionaires, 4 billionaires) and Gurgaon (USD 110 billion with 4,000 millionaires and 2 billionaires).
Some of the other emerging cities in terms of total wealth include, Surat, Ahmedabad, Visakhapatnam, Goa, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Vadodara.
The total wealth held in the country amounts to USD 6.2 trillion (as of December 2016) and the country is home to 264,000 millionaires and 95 billionaires in total.
"Over the next decade, India is expected to benefit from strong growth in the local financial services, IT, real estate, healthcare and media sectors. In particular, the local hospital services and health insurance sectors are expected to grow strongly. Hyderabad, Pune and Bangalore are expected to lead the pack in terms of wealth growth," the report said.
Millionaires or High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) refer to individuals with net assets of USD 1 million or more.
The report also jotted down some of the affluent suburbs in the country. In Mumbai localities like Bandra, Juhu, Goregaon, Parel, Worli, Palm Beach Road were named as the richest, in Delhi it was (Westend Greens, Dera Mandi, Greater Kailash, Lutyens), in Kolkata (Ballygunge, Alipore) and in Chennai (Boat Club Road, Poes Garden).
India's financial capital Mumbai, which is home to 46,000 millionaires and 28 billionaires, is the richest Indian city with a total wealth of USD 820 billion, says a report.
According to New World Wealth, Mumbai is the richest city in the country followed by Delhi and Bengaluru in the second and third place, respectively.
Delhi is home to 23,000 millionaires and 18 billionaires with a total wealth of USD 450 billion, while Bengaluru with a total wealth of USD 320 billion houses 7,700 millionaires and 8 billionaires.
The list also includes Hyderabad with a total wealth of USD 310 billion. Hyderabad is home to 9,000 millionaires and 6 billionaires.
Kolkata home to 9,600 millionaires and 4 billionaires has a total wealth of USD 290 billion, Pune (total wealth of USD 180 billion, has 4,500 millionaires and 5 billionaires), Chennai (USD 150 billion, 6,600 millionaires, 4 billionaires) and Gurgaon (USD 110 billion with 4,000 millionaires and 2 billionaires).
Some of the other emerging cities in terms of total wealth include, Surat, Ahmedabad, Visakhapatnam, Goa, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Vadodara.
The total wealth held in the country amounts to USD 6.2 trillion (as of December 2016) and the country is home to 264,000 millionaires and 95 billionaires in total.
"Over the next decade, India is expected to benefit from strong growth in the local financial services, IT, real estate, healthcare and media sectors. In particular, the local hospital services and health insurance sectors are expected to grow strongly. Hyderabad, Pune and Bangalore are expected to lead the pack in terms of wealth growth," the report said.
Millionaires or High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) refer to individuals with net assets of USD 1 million or more.
The report also jotted down some of the affluent suburbs in the country. In Mumbai localities like Bandra, Juhu, Goregaon, Parel, Worli, Palm Beach Road were named as the richest, in Delhi it was (Westend Greens, Dera Mandi, Greater Kailash, Lutyens), in Kolkata (Ballygunge, Alipore) and in Chennai (Boat Club Road, Poes Garden).
Paytm opens doors to Snapdeal, Stayzilla ex-staffers
-
With hundreds of employees being handed out pink slips by companies such as Snapdeal and Stayzilla, rival e-commerce firm Paytm is walking into the ring by offering generous job offers to laid-off staffers.
Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma tweeted: "Hello, Tech/Product people in Delhi NCR, feeling heat of business restructuring? We welcome you @Paytm and @Paytm-Mall with open arms." While the tweet did not mention any names, it may be noted that last week Softbank-backed e-commerce firm Snapdeal announced laying off 500-600 employees across verticals while homestay-booking platform Stayzilla shut shop.
Snapdeal co-founder Kunal Bahl admitted to having made mistakes in growing much before it could figure out the right economic model.
Struggling to raise fresh capital, Snapdeal will stop all non-core activities, reduce costs drastically and cut down staff strength to turn profitable.
Similarly, the Chennai-based online hotel room aggregator Stayzilla also decided to wrap up operations because of intense competition in the market. On the other hand, mobile wallet firm Paytm has seen a significant growth in business after the government's move to demonetise high-denomination notes.
The company, which is slated to launch its payments bank soon, is hiring aggressively across its areas.
With hundreds of employees being handed out pink slips by companies such as Snapdeal and Stayzilla, rival e-commerce firm Paytm is walking into the ring by offering generous job offers to laid-off staffers.
Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma tweeted: "Hello, Tech/Product people in Delhi NCR, feeling heat of business restructuring? We welcome you @Paytm and @Paytm-Mall with open arms." While the tweet did not mention any names, it may be noted that last week Softbank-backed e-commerce firm Snapdeal announced laying off 500-600 employees across verticals while homestay-booking platform Stayzilla shut shop.
Snapdeal co-founder Kunal Bahl admitted to having made mistakes in growing much before it could figure out the right economic model.
Struggling to raise fresh capital, Snapdeal will stop all non-core activities, reduce costs drastically and cut down staff strength to turn profitable.
Similarly, the Chennai-based online hotel room aggregator Stayzilla also decided to wrap up operations because of intense competition in the market. On the other hand, mobile wallet firm Paytm has seen a significant growth in business after the government's move to demonetise high-denomination notes.
The company, which is slated to launch its payments bank soon, is hiring aggressively across its areas.
5 major telcos optimum for Indian mkt: Telecom Secy JS Deepak
-
The fresh round of consolidation unfolding in the Indian telecom market is likely to yield five major players ensuring "enough competition but not fragmentation of spectrum", Telecom Secretary J S Deepak said.
His comments assume significance as India -- the world's second largest mobile services market after China -- is in the midst of massive consolidation with incumbent operators joining forces to take on aggressive newcomer Reliance Jio.
The consolidation in the otherwise crowded Indian telecom industry has been hastened by Jio's free voice call and data plans, forcing incumbents to slash tariff at the cost of profits.
"Dropping revenue is a concern which we are also addressing...Era of free service and falling revenue will change...In this backdrop, the investments in India are not only welcome but are also likely to be productive," Deepak told PTI.
On consolidation playing out in the telecom market, he said, "The way things are...this consolidation is going to be very good for India as we are likely to get four private and one government player...BSNL-MTNL...which is ideal."
Asked if the spate of buyouts would leave enough room for competition in the Indian market, Deepak said, "Ideal is five players for India, which is what is likely to happen".
Stating that the consolidation is potentially resulting in five big players would ensure "enough competition but not fragmentation of spectrum", he said, it will be "optimum for the Indian market".
Last week, India's largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel announced acquisition of Norwegian Telenor's India unit.
Bharti Airtel's revenue market share will rise to 35.6 per cent following the acquisition. Telenor India currently has 2.6 per cent share in Indian market.
Vodafone and Idea have already said that they are considering merging their businesses in India, a move that would create the biggest telecom operator in the country with about USD 12 billion in sales.
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications has already signed a pact to merge its wireless business with smaller rival Aircel.
Deepak, who is attending the Mobile World Congress (MWC) here, is slated to meet senior officials of leading global telecom and tech companies like Vodafone, Huawei, AT&T, Nokia, Ericsson, Intel, and Facebook over the next three days. The Department of Telecom will showcase major reforms undertaken in the Indian mobile market to the global audience.
In his presentation at the MWC, Deepak would touch upon the USD 10 billion Foreign Direct Investment inflows into the telecom sector in FY17, and outline flagship programmes like Digital India, Smart Cities and Start Up India.
Asked about concerns on tariff war hitting profitability of telecom companies, Deepak said, "Telecom is scale business...with scale-up of business, even with low tariffs it is possible to make profits as companies have demonstrated.
While profits may not happen immediately but those who stay on for the long-term, will make profits."
Also, with spectrum harmonisation, the sector's efficiencies are likely to go up and reduce cost, which in turn will help companies, he added.
It may be recalled that the government received commitment of Rs 65,789 crore by selling 964.80 MHz of spectrum in an auction in October last year.
The Telecom Department undertook a slew of reforms in 2016 aimed at facilitating ease of doing business. This included formulating the right of way rules for faster telecom network roll-out, spectrum harmonisation, increasing the availability of spectrum through auction and introduction of Aadhaar-based eKYC for new mobile connections.
The fresh round of consolidation unfolding in the Indian telecom market is likely to yield five major players ensuring "enough competition but not fragmentation of spectrum", Telecom Secretary J S Deepak said.
His comments assume significance as India -- the world's second largest mobile services market after China -- is in the midst of massive consolidation with incumbent operators joining forces to take on aggressive newcomer Reliance Jio.
The consolidation in the otherwise crowded Indian telecom industry has been hastened by Jio's free voice call and data plans, forcing incumbents to slash tariff at the cost of profits.
"Dropping revenue is a concern which we are also addressing...Era of free service and falling revenue will change...In this backdrop, the investments in India are not only welcome but are also likely to be productive," Deepak told PTI.
On consolidation playing out in the telecom market, he said, "The way things are...this consolidation is going to be very good for India as we are likely to get four private and one government player...BSNL-MTNL...which is ideal."
Asked if the spate of buyouts would leave enough room for competition in the Indian market, Deepak said, "Ideal is five players for India, which is what is likely to happen".
Stating that the consolidation is potentially resulting in five big players would ensure "enough competition but not fragmentation of spectrum", he said, it will be "optimum for the Indian market".
Last week, India's largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel announced acquisition of Norwegian Telenor's India unit.
Bharti Airtel's revenue market share will rise to 35.6 per cent following the acquisition. Telenor India currently has 2.6 per cent share in Indian market.
Vodafone and Idea have already said that they are considering merging their businesses in India, a move that would create the biggest telecom operator in the country with about USD 12 billion in sales.
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications has already signed a pact to merge its wireless business with smaller rival Aircel.
Deepak, who is attending the Mobile World Congress (MWC) here, is slated to meet senior officials of leading global telecom and tech companies like Vodafone, Huawei, AT&T, Nokia, Ericsson, Intel, and Facebook over the next three days. The Department of Telecom will showcase major reforms undertaken in the Indian mobile market to the global audience.
In his presentation at the MWC, Deepak would touch upon the USD 10 billion Foreign Direct Investment inflows into the telecom sector in FY17, and outline flagship programmes like Digital India, Smart Cities and Start Up India.
Asked about concerns on tariff war hitting profitability of telecom companies, Deepak said, "Telecom is scale business...with scale-up of business, even with low tariffs it is possible to make profits as companies have demonstrated.
While profits may not happen immediately but those who stay on for the long-term, will make profits."
Also, with spectrum harmonisation, the sector's efficiencies are likely to go up and reduce cost, which in turn will help companies, he added.
It may be recalled that the government received commitment of Rs 65,789 crore by selling 964.80 MHz of spectrum in an auction in October last year.
The Telecom Department undertook a slew of reforms in 2016 aimed at facilitating ease of doing business. This included formulating the right of way rules for faster telecom network roll-out, spectrum harmonisation, increasing the availability of spectrum through auction and introduction of Aadhaar-based eKYC for new mobile connections.
Well-positioned to continue leading India market: TCS
-
India's largest software services exporter TCS says it is confident of maintaining leadership position in the domestic market that is witnessing strong technology adoption in private as well as public sectors.
The company is quite "enthused" by the commentary and discussions on expanding digital infrastructure in the country, Tata Consultancy Services CEO Rajesh Gopinathan said in an interview with PTI.
"We have always been the leaders in India and have been very proud of the fact that practically every single large national level IT transformation project has been executed by TCS," he said.
TCS is well-positioned in the Indian market, Gopinathan said, adding that it has "the largest share of revenues coming out of India among any of the industry participants".
"We expect to continue that as the offtake of technology across both private and public sectors in India continues," he said.
The Mumbai-headquartered company gets about 6 per cent of its global revenues from India, while for Infosys, the number stands at 3.4 per cent. Wipro gets about 10 per cent of its revenues from India and the Middle-East.
For Indian IT companies, America accounts for the lion's share of revenues at about 60 per cent, while Europe and the UK contribute about 20 per cent.
Asked about his vision of TCS five years from now, Gopinathan said: "TCS will emerge even stronger than what it is, with a much more diversified and holistic business model as technology itself evolves in business."
He added that the USD 16.5-billion firm is well-structured and will go through constant evolutionary change.
"We are at that kind of a point now where we have experimented with things over the last few years, we know the direction where we are going, all stakeholders believe in it.
So, the two key words now are scale and speed. Whatever we are doing, we will do it at scale and faster," he said.
Digital is one area where the company is placing big bets.
"We have a revenue run rate of USD 3 billion in digital ... We have been growing fairly rapidly. Five years from now, we will pretty much be majority digital. So, it's 16 (per cent being digital)-84 today, we are looking at inverting that ratio by the end of the next five years or so," he said.
Gopinathan said the transformation setting in technology is becoming an enabler instead of just being a cost factor.
"Technology is moving away from being a cost centre to a profit centre in many companies... the winners and losers are determined by how they leverage technology... So, it's a huge opportunity with their own challenges," he said.
India's largest software services exporter TCS says it is confident of maintaining leadership position in the domestic market that is witnessing strong technology adoption in private as well as public sectors.
The company is quite "enthused" by the commentary and discussions on expanding digital infrastructure in the country, Tata Consultancy Services CEO Rajesh Gopinathan said in an interview with PTI.
"We have always been the leaders in India and have been very proud of the fact that practically every single large national level IT transformation project has been executed by TCS," he said.
TCS is well-positioned in the Indian market, Gopinathan said, adding that it has "the largest share of revenues coming out of India among any of the industry participants".
"We expect to continue that as the offtake of technology across both private and public sectors in India continues," he said.
The Mumbai-headquartered company gets about 6 per cent of its global revenues from India, while for Infosys, the number stands at 3.4 per cent. Wipro gets about 10 per cent of its revenues from India and the Middle-East.
For Indian IT companies, America accounts for the lion's share of revenues at about 60 per cent, while Europe and the UK contribute about 20 per cent.
Asked about his vision of TCS five years from now, Gopinathan said: "TCS will emerge even stronger than what it is, with a much more diversified and holistic business model as technology itself evolves in business."
He added that the USD 16.5-billion firm is well-structured and will go through constant evolutionary change.
"We are at that kind of a point now where we have experimented with things over the last few years, we know the direction where we are going, all stakeholders believe in it.
So, the two key words now are scale and speed. Whatever we are doing, we will do it at scale and faster," he said.
Digital is one area where the company is placing big bets.
"We have a revenue run rate of USD 3 billion in digital ... We have been growing fairly rapidly. Five years from now, we will pretty much be majority digital. So, it's 16 (per cent being digital)-84 today, we are looking at inverting that ratio by the end of the next five years or so," he said.
Gopinathan said the transformation setting in technology is becoming an enabler instead of just being a cost factor.
"Technology is moving away from being a cost centre to a profit centre in many companies... the winners and losers are determined by how they leverage technology... So, it's a huge opportunity with their own challenges," he said.
India needs more scientists to harness technology: PM
-
India needs more scientists to harness technology for the benefit of the common man, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today while hailing the scientific community for the record launch of 104 satellites and the successful test-firing of a new missile.
"The attraction for science among our young generation should increase. The country needs more scientists. When science is harnessed keeping in mind the needs of the common people, it becomes the most valuable contributor to general humanity," he said in his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio programme.
Referring to a recent competition organised at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, he said socially useful innovations were showcased and one of these was an application developed to help fishermen locate the most productive fishing zones and get updates about weather and sea conditions.
"There are times when a problem portrays the importance of science for finding a solution," Modi said referring to the 2005 Mumbai floods which led to development of a dwelling structure that saves its occupants and prevents water-logging.
Referring to the 38th successive successful launch of PSLV rocket that placed a record 104 satellite in orbit, Modi said ISRO scientists have brought laurels to the nation. He said the ISRO team had several young scientists, including women.
"After the successful mission of sending Mangalyaan to Mars, ISRO scripted a world record in the arena of space. ISRO has successfully launched 104 satellites simultaneously into space.
"These satellites belonged to various countries...India has created history by becoming the first country to launch successfully 104 satellites into space in one go," he said.
He noted that one of the satellites launched by PSLV is Cartosat 2D, which has become operational and will be of great help in mapping of resources and infrastructure and planning for urban development.
On the successful test-firing of a ballistic interceptor missile, he said that it destroyed an 'enemy' missile at an altitude of around 100 km above the earth surface. Hardly four or five countries in the world possess this capability, he said. (More) PTI NAB SC.
India needs more scientists to harness technology for the benefit of the common man, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today while hailing the scientific community for the record launch of 104 satellites and the successful test-firing of a new missile.
"The attraction for science among our young generation should increase. The country needs more scientists. When science is harnessed keeping in mind the needs of the common people, it becomes the most valuable contributor to general humanity," he said in his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio programme.
Referring to a recent competition organised at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, he said socially useful innovations were showcased and one of these was an application developed to help fishermen locate the most productive fishing zones and get updates about weather and sea conditions.
"There are times when a problem portrays the importance of science for finding a solution," Modi said referring to the 2005 Mumbai floods which led to development of a dwelling structure that saves its occupants and prevents water-logging.
Referring to the 38th successive successful launch of PSLV rocket that placed a record 104 satellite in orbit, Modi said ISRO scientists have brought laurels to the nation. He said the ISRO team had several young scientists, including women.
"After the successful mission of sending Mangalyaan to Mars, ISRO scripted a world record in the arena of space. ISRO has successfully launched 104 satellites simultaneously into space.
"These satellites belonged to various countries...India has created history by becoming the first country to launch successfully 104 satellites into space in one go," he said.
He noted that one of the satellites launched by PSLV is Cartosat 2D, which has become operational and will be of great help in mapping of resources and infrastructure and planning for urban development.
On the successful test-firing of a ballistic interceptor missile, he said that it destroyed an 'enemy' missile at an altitude of around 100 km above the earth surface. Hardly four or five countries in the world possess this capability, he said. (More) PTI NAB SC. General Awareness
John-John Dohmen & Naomi Van named Best Hockey Players of 2016 by FIH
-
Belgium’s Hockey Captain and Olympic silver medalist John-John Dohmen was awarded the Best Male Player of the Year Award (2016) by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) at the gala FIH Hockey Stars Awards Ceremony on February 23, 2017 in Chandigarh.
- In the Women’s category, Netherlands’ Naomi van As won the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) Best Female Player of the Year (2016) awards.
About John-John Dohmen
- John-John Dohmen is a Belgian international field hockey player and since 2013 he is the captain of the Belgian national team (the “Red Lions”).
- He has won five national titles, one with Léopold and four with Waterloo. He was named Belgian hockey player of the year for the season 2008-2009
About Naomi van As
- In 2008 Naomi van As became an Olympic Gold medal winner with her national team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
- At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she was again part of the Dutch team that won gold. In 2009 also she was named FIH Player of the Year.
Other Awards
Best Male Goalkeeper of the Year: David Harte
- Ireland’s David Harte was conferred with the male Goalkeeper-of-the-Year award for the second time in the row.
- David helped Ireland qualify for the Olympics for the first time ever at Rio.
Best Female Goalkeeper of the Year: Maddie Hinch
- Britain’s Olympic gold medallist Maddie Hinch was adjudged the female Goalkeeper of the Year. In 2016 she played in her first Olympic games.
- She won the silver medal for England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
Rising Male Star of the Year: Arthur Van Doren
- Belgium’s Arthur Van Doren was named the male ‘Rising Star of the Year (aged 23 years and under).
- He became national hockey champion in 2011. In 2012, he was honoured with the Golden Stick (category junior male players) by the Belgian Hockey Association.
Rising Female Star of the Year: Maria Granatto
Argentina’s Maria Granatto was named the female Rising Star of the Year after a huge success period which saw her team win the 2016 Hockey Champions Trophy and where she won Best Junior Player.
Male Coach of the Year: Danny Kerry
- Great Britain’s Danny Kerry got the honour in the men’s section. In 2016 he was appointed Head Coach of the England and Great Britain Women’s Hockey teams on a permanent basis through to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
- His team won the gold medal at the Field hockey at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Female Coach of the Year: Karen Brown
Coach Karen Brown who guided Great Britain’s women team to gold in Rio was the women’s Coach of the Year award. Brown won the award for the second consecutive year.
Male Umpire of the Year: Christian Blasch
- Germany’s Christian Blasch was the Umpire of the Year in the men’s category. Blasch has umpired a phenomenal amount of international matches, including three World Cups (2006, 2010 and 2014) and four Olympic Games (2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016).
- He umpired the semi-finals between Australia and Great Britain in 2012 and the final between Argentina and Belgium in 2016.
Female Umpire of the Year: Laurine Delforge
- Belgium’s Laurine Delforge was named the top umpire among women. Laurine started umpiring when she was about 17.
- Her first tournament was in 2009: U18s in Belgium. Her first senior international game was in January 2012, at a 3 Nations in South Africa.
FIH Hockey Star Award
Hockey Stars are the annual awards given to the best player, coach, goal-keepers, rising stars and umpire in a given calendar year.
- The 2016 Awards ceremony took place in the Crystal Ballroom at the 5-Star Lalit Hotel in Chandigarh, India.
- There were two Indians in the list with Sreejesh among nominees for the best goalkeeper while 20-year-old Harmanpreet Singh, who was part of the junior World Cup-winning squad, was a nominee in the ‘Rising Star of the Year’ category.
- However both could not make it for the award.
- The FIH, in partnership with Hockey India, organised the Hockey Stars Awards 2016 ceremony that celebrated the success of the winners, providing an opportunity to reflect on what was a truly remarkable year for the game.
Belgium’s Hockey Captain and Olympic silver medalist John-John Dohmen was awarded the Best Male Player of the Year Award (2016) by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) at the gala FIH Hockey Stars Awards Ceremony on February 23, 2017 in Chandigarh.
- In the Women’s category, Netherlands’ Naomi van As won the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) Best Female Player of the Year (2016) awards.
About John-John Dohmen
- John-John Dohmen is a Belgian international field hockey player and since 2013 he is the captain of the Belgian national team (the “Red Lions”).
- He has won five national titles, one with Léopold and four with Waterloo. He was named Belgian hockey player of the year for the season 2008-2009
About Naomi van As
- In 2008 Naomi van As became an Olympic Gold medal winner with her national team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
- At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she was again part of the Dutch team that won gold. In 2009 also she was named FIH Player of the Year.
Other Awards
Best Male Goalkeeper of the Year: David Harte
- Ireland’s David Harte was conferred with the male Goalkeeper-of-the-Year award for the second time in the row.
- David helped Ireland qualify for the Olympics for the first time ever at Rio.
Best Female Goalkeeper of the Year: Maddie Hinch
- Britain’s Olympic gold medallist Maddie Hinch was adjudged the female Goalkeeper of the Year. In 2016 she played in her first Olympic games.
- She won the silver medal for England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
Rising Male Star of the Year: Arthur Van Doren
- Belgium’s Arthur Van Doren was named the male ‘Rising Star of the Year (aged 23 years and under).
- He became national hockey champion in 2011. In 2012, he was honoured with the Golden Stick (category junior male players) by the Belgian Hockey Association.
Rising Female Star of the Year: Maria Granatto
Argentina’s Maria Granatto was named the female Rising Star of the Year after a huge success period which saw her team win the 2016 Hockey Champions Trophy and where she won Best Junior Player.
Male Coach of the Year: Danny Kerry
- Great Britain’s Danny Kerry got the honour in the men’s section. In 2016 he was appointed Head Coach of the England and Great Britain Women’s Hockey teams on a permanent basis through to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
- His team won the gold medal at the Field hockey at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Female Coach of the Year: Karen Brown
Coach Karen Brown who guided Great Britain’s women team to gold in Rio was the women’s Coach of the Year award. Brown won the award for the second consecutive year.
Male Umpire of the Year: Christian Blasch
- Germany’s Christian Blasch was the Umpire of the Year in the men’s category. Blasch has umpired a phenomenal amount of international matches, including three World Cups (2006, 2010 and 2014) and four Olympic Games (2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016).
- He umpired the semi-finals between Australia and Great Britain in 2012 and the final between Argentina and Belgium in 2016.
Female Umpire of the Year: Laurine Delforge
- Belgium’s Laurine Delforge was named the top umpire among women. Laurine started umpiring when she was about 17.
- Her first tournament was in 2009: U18s in Belgium. Her first senior international game was in January 2012, at a 3 Nations in South Africa.
FIH Hockey Star Award
Hockey Stars are the annual awards given to the best player, coach, goal-keepers, rising stars and umpire in a given calendar year.
- The 2016 Awards ceremony took place in the Crystal Ballroom at the 5-Star Lalit Hotel in Chandigarh, India.
- There were two Indians in the list with Sreejesh among nominees for the best goalkeeper while 20-year-old Harmanpreet Singh, who was part of the junior World Cup-winning squad, was a nominee in the ‘Rising Star of the Year’ category.
- However both could not make it for the award.
- The FIH, in partnership with Hockey India, organised the Hockey Stars Awards 2016 ceremony that celebrated the success of the winners, providing an opportunity to reflect on what was a truly remarkable year for the game.
No comments:
Post a Comment