INDIA-KOREA - Asia-Pacific Business and Technology Report

EDUCATION
Human Resources Development
Co-operation–Regional Perceptions
by Reena Saxena
In the context of ASEAN,
human resource
development has several
perceptions.
While economic globalization has
opened avenues for multiple human resource
deployment, the perceptions of engagement
in developed as well as developing
worlds certainly differ.
In the developing world, in addition
to government organizations, there is a
great opportunity for non-government organizations
such as NGOs to provide quality
services in comparison to public sector
delivery of services. For example, in India,
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the educational system involves the participation
of several non-profit organizations
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such as religious organizations, which are
a fundamental part of the delivery of public
service. Another telling example in India is
the role of housing cooperatives in delivering
quality housing at competitive prices.
Hence, at the regional levels, especially
in developing countries, the role of nonprofit
and non-governmental organizations
are critical to dispensing public service.
However, the delivery of public service
amongst developed countries is largely
demonstrated by government action. South
Korea is a good example to showcase how
a nation without basic natural resources
can rely completely on its skilled ‘human
resources’ and appropriate technologies to
ensure the sustained growth needed to become
a developed nation.
In the ASEAN region there are multiple
interpretations of human resource development.
Hence, their delivery of HRD solutions
in ASEAN region require multiplicity.
Another important feature with HRD in
ASEAN countries is the dependency on contributions
from other entities for effective
deployment of any HRD program. A-P
Continued from Page 41
sunny days in a year. India has abundant
solar resources, as it receives about 3000
hours of sunshine every year, equivalent to
over 5,000 trillion kWh. Today the contribution
of solar power with an installed capacity
of 9.84 MW, is a fraction (< 0.1 percent)
of the total renewable energy currently installed.
Government-funded solar energy in
India only accounted for approximately 6.4
MW-yr of power as of 2005.
Gujarat is the leading contributor to total
solar energy output of India. In the solar
energy sector, some large projects have
been proposed, and a 35,000 km2 area of
the Thar Desert has been set aside for solar
power projects, sufficient to generate 700
GW to 2,100 GW. As of October 2009, India
is currently ranked number one along with
the United States in terms of solar energy
production per watt installed. The Indian
government has launched the Jawaharlal
Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) with
a target of achieving 20000 MW by 2022.
The scheme also aims at strengthening indigenous
manufacturing capability, and
achieving 15 million sq. meters of solar
thermal collector area by 2017 and 20 million
by 2022.
India is facing a sequence of factors that
will drive solar photovoltaic adoption at a
furious pace over the next five years and beyond.
The falling prices of PV panels, mostly
from China but also from the U.S., have coincided
with the growing cost of grid power
in India. Government support and ample
solar resources have also helped to increase
solar adoption, but perhaps the biggest factor
has been need.
Additionally, there is a growing need for
substances that will convert solar energy
to electricity. For example, photovoltaic
(PV) solar energy is based on semiconductor
processing, and, accordingly, this form
of energy harnessing benefits from steep
cost reductions similar to those realized in
the microprocessor industry (i.e., driven by
larger scale, higher module efficiency, and
improving processing technologies). Better
and more efficient manufacturing processing
and new technology such as advanced
thin film solar cell are examples that can
help to reduce industry cost. Energy conversions
efficiencies can be achieved by using
conductive polymers compared to inorganic
materials.
We need solutions to increase the efficiency
of solar cells. With transparent films
and surface plasmons, solar cells should
be seeing a dramatic increase in efficiency
over the next few years. Hopefully, related
costs will come down enough to the point
where they become common in homes and
businesses. Realizing the potential of solar
energy, the honorable Prime Minister of India
said, “We will pull together all our scientific,
technical and managerial talents with
financial sources to develop solar energy as
a source of abundant energy to power our
economy and to transform the lives of our
people”.
Pharmaceuticals Industry
The pharmaceutical industry derives
most of its ingredients from plants. Each
step in the process generates waste. Plants
make products at room temperature, using
water, and producing no waste. Plant products
have been utilized with varying success
to cure and prevent diseases. There is a need
to apply knowledge for development of traditional
herbal drugs as adaptor genes and
immune modulators which people have
been using for centuries for safety and efficacy.
This field of treatment is cultural accepted
in both India and Korea.
Textile Industry
The textile industry is one of the highest
revenue generating industries in India,
accounting for a total of 32 percent of all
exports. Recently the industry has been
switching over to the use of microbial decolorization
and degradation. There is also
an increasing need of exploring biodiversity
for natural dyes and developing ecofriendly
methodology for synthetic dyes. A
prominent application of green technology
is apparently seen in the manufacturing
and usage of organic cotton and its green
and eco-friendly products. All these require
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more funding in the R&D areas of these respective
fields, and greater interaction and
coordination between industry, academia,
and government in India and Korea would
benefit all of mankind.
River Restoration Project –
Lesson for India
A few years ago the Korean government
launched the Four Rivers Restoration Project
as a green initiative. The project is now
a core national project for green growth
that addresses such water-related problems
of recurring floods and droughts caused by
climate change. The Korean rivers are relatively
short and steep, and flooding occurs
quickly, as peak flood discharge is great.
The project includes: 1. Flood control;
2. Securing abundant water; 3. Water quality
improvement; 4. Restoring eco-rivers; 4.
Creating multi-purpose space for residents,
and; 5. River oriented regional development.
Korea is emerging as a leader of river
water management and waterfront restoration,
sharing its experiences with other
countries. North Indian Rivers have similar
characteristics with Korea’s, and such restoration
as described above is needed there
too.
Concluding Remarks
Both the Indian and Korean governments
have adopted green growth as a core national
policy for carbon dioxide reduction and
preparation for climate change. By introducing
green technology education at all levels,
governments can build a solid foundation
towards global collaboration on sustainability
of health and well-being in the light of our
increasingly challenging scenario of climate
change. Regarding business opportunities,
environmental operations and the economic
aspects of Indian-Korean Markets are going
green. Collaborations within multi-disciplines
will contribute to this research agenda
by examining the role of people, industries,
markets and flow of knowledge and technology
between India and Korea. A-P