POINT OUT

POINT
OUT
• Arup Roy Choudhury,
CMD, NTPC
‘Power sector
is the key
enabler of India’s
economic
growth. The sector
consists of generation
, transmission
and distribution utilities
and is a crucial
component of India’s infrastructure.
Power sector leads the investment in
infrastructure for the XII th plan. The
energy deficit increased marginally on
a year –on year- basis in financial year
2012-13 to 8.7% from 8.5% in financial
year 2011-12. Overall the sector
is characterized by acute shortages of
power. In terms of consumption patterns
India ranks amongst the lowest in
the world. The per capita consumption
of power in India has increased from
631 units in financial year 2005-06 to
879 units in financial year 2011-12 as
per CEA. This is many times less than
the electricity consumption in the developed
countries of the world giving
enormous scope of capacity addition in
India.
• S L Bansal, CMD,
Oriental Bank of Commerce
‘In view of the
present economic
slowdown,
banking
industry is facing
serious challenge on
maintaining asset
quality & profitability.
The quantum of
non performing assets has increased
substantially over the last 2 years and
Banks have moved towards early resolution
& monitoring of borrowal accounts.
As credit demand from large
projects is muted, the banks are now
focusing on augmenting retail credit,
MSME and Mid Corporate segments
towards de-risking their balance sheets.
The other challenges are compliance
to BASEL III capital requirements,
competition from opening of new private
sector banks and on Human Resources
front. As a professional banker,
I would always like to foresee inclusive
growth for our 1.2 billion population
and dream of an Indian society void of
any financial exclusion. It is with this
objective of financial inclusion, major
banks were nationalized in two phases
in 1969 & 1980, which was also considered
as the beginning of the era of
social & mass banking. In plain terms,
this means banking for all the segments
of the society in general and especially
for those weaker sections who are at the
bottom of the pyramid. You will appreciate
that all public sector banks have
played a key role towards economic upliftment
of a vast cross section of people
by making banking accessible to the
rural masses.
• T.V. Mohan Das Pai, Chairman,
Manipal Global Education
‘India’s gross
enrolment is
22% in the
age group
of 18-23, growing
at 7% per annum.
We have 3 crore
students in our colleges
with around
90 lakhs completing every year. We
have solved to a great degree the challenge
of access to higher education
but the challenge of quality remains.
This can only be solved if we have
autonomy for our universities. We
are over regulated and under governed.
Our democracy, our diversity,
our unquestioned acceptance of everybody’s
right to the freedoms promised
in our constitution. The fact that
our economy has all the necessary
factors to grow on a sustained basis
at 8%+ per year! that our population
is fast stabilising and the fact that we
have a very young population. Our
disregard of merit and the mad rush
to mediocrity in our politics and in
our society. The lack of leaders with
a vision of the India of the future and
the strategy to achieve it. The lack of
focus on execution and the growing
belief that rhetoric is equal to execution
in our politics and lastly the lack
of empowerment in governance of
our cities.
YOUR VOICE
• Harish Bijoor, Marketing Guru
‘Brands are
growing bigger
and bigger.
As the brand
movement grows
bigger, it is important
not to neglect the
commodity-movement
at the other end
of the spectrum. I do believe we in the
realm of brands need to POINT OUT
the importance of this movement as
well. Small is indeed beautiful and will
always be. Niche brands need as much
support as the big ones. If the true-blue
mixed fabric of society needs to be retained,
and if the variegated nature of life
needs to be celebrated, it is important to
support movements that are small and
still beautiful.
Therefore I would support the
small hole-in-the-wall bookshop as
it gets rampaged by the large brand
book shop. I would support the small
vegetable vendor and his cause as his
offering gets vandalized by the biggie
at the corner. Time to POINT OUT all
this I guess!
• Ashwini Kumar, Social Worker
‘There is a need
in the country
to re-evaluate
the social service
parameters. The
process of registration
of NGO’s and
the CSR activities of
the Indian Corporate
sector should get more transparent.
We have seen and continue to see
that most of what is spent in the name
of Social Service hardly reaches the
deserving masses. If that leakage can
be plugged, there will be no illiterates,
no unemployment, no malnutrition
and no poverty and country would become
a superpower. Indian masses have
shown that in the most adverse conditions
also they have the instinct to not
only survive but try and excel. Despite
limitations of resources, we are able to
come up with the best possible solutions
because I believe that it is genetically
ingrained into us to meet the challenges.
That I feel is the biggest strength
that the society has that we are “Great
Survivors” but limit it to self.
4
FEBRUARY 2014