Slides of the study presented by Mr. René Neukirchner during last meeting of GIRT Hamburg on 10th September may be downloaded now.
Study: Innovation strategies of selected German multinationals in India (PDF, 2 MB)
Archiv der Kategorie: English
Indian govt. restricts mobile connections for foreign tourists
According to a report appearing in the Economic Times (Sept. 2, 2012), the Government of India „has asked Telecom Service Providers not to provide mobile connection for more than three months to any foreign tourist visiting India“.
„Any mobile connection issued to a foreigner should not have a validity beyond the validity of the visa. In case of foreign tourist, the validity of connection should not be beyond the visa period and also not exceed three months at a time even if the validity of the visa is beyond three months,“ the fresh guidelines, which have been vetted by Union Home Ministry, said.
The fresh regulations are set to cause hassles to foreign tourists, who regularly travel to India and wish to keep their local mobile number unchanged. It may be subject to question, how effective such a policy is going to be in achieving its stated objective, i.e. to check misuse of SIM cards by terror groups. Those bent on harming India can probably use the numerous STD/ISD booths, WiFi networks, or satellite phones without getting detected easily. It is a common, innocent tourist, who will have to face the hassles, despite registering him- or herself and thus being identifiable at any point of time. The regulations are especially and unnecessarily harsh, because they do not even allow a connection for the full period of visa validity and restrict it to a maximum of 3 months, as if a terrorist would misuse his or her connection only after 3 months.
This goes in the same direction as the (incomprehendible) restriction on entry within less than 2 months on a tourist visa, despite having a „valid“ visa for the complete duration. Those who wish to harm India probably do not necessarily apply for a visa and rather infiltrate the country in an illegal manner. But it is a commoner who usually suffers the consequences of a short-sighted policy.
Indo-German Trade has grown significantly
According to a report by Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Germany’s trade with the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) has grown 7-folds within past 15 years (between 1996-2011). In comparison the trade volume as a whole grew only 2.5 folds.
Trade with India also registered significant growth. While German exports to India rose from € 2.4 billion in 1996 to € 10.9 billion in 2011, Indian exports to Germany rose from €2.0 billion to € 7.5 billion in the same period.
Detailed information in German are available in press release issued by FSO on 29.08.2012.
An English version without detailed information on the matter (but contact details for further enquiries and methodological description) is also available at FSO website.
Next meeting of GIRT Hamburg on 10th Sept. 2012
German-Indian Round Table (GIRT) Hamburg takes pleasure in cordially inviting its participants and other interested persons to its next meeting on September 10th, 2012.
On this occasion Mr. René Neukirchner, student at Hamburg University of Technology, will present results of a study of innovation strategies pursued by some of the largest German companies in India, which include BASF, Bosch, Daimler, SAP and Siemens. The study looks at a unique combination of “global innovation” with “open innovation”. It examines which projects are being pursued by those firms and to what extent they are engaged in research collaboration with local Indian partners. The underlying idea is to learn from such strategies and to reduce market risk and technology uncertainty.
Apart from presentation of this study, there will be discussion on current developments in Indo-German context. We will also inform our participants about the initial planning related to India Week 2013. As usual, participants will have enough time to exchange thoughts and ideas, and engage in networking.
The event will take place on Monday, 10th Sept. 2012, at 18:30h in Hotel Baseler Hof (Esplanade 11, 20354 Hamburg).
There is no participation fee. As usual, the meeting takes place in the form of a “Stammtisch”, whereby each participant is expected to consume his or her evening meal at the meeting and pay for own consumption of food and beverages. This is a part of the arrangement with the event venue, which allows us to do without a participation fee.
Those interested in attending the GIRT meeting may write to tiwari@tuhh.de latest by September 5th, 2012. Confirmation is subject to availability of seats. Since seating capacity is limited we require binding registration and will send the confirmed participants a written affirmation of the registration prior to the event.
With best regards
Rajnish Tiwari
Head, German-Indian Round Table Hamburg
Smart Mobility for India: Needs, Opportunities and Challenges
India finds itself in a precarious situation. While the lack of efficient and effective mediums of mobility for public-at-large outside metropolitan cities continues to cause loss of productivity and stifle economic growth in a considerable manner; the economic growth in major urban centres and the resultant growth of passenger vehicles and two-wheelers is leading to heavy traffic jams and pollution, again causing loss of productivity and chocking of economic growth. This article argues that a viable solution to these entwined and complex challenges lies in implementing “smart mobility” solutions. This could prove to be the next growth driver and present immense opportunities for Indo-German collaboration, in both private and public sectors. […]
This article, authored by Rajnish Tiwari, has been published in GermanyContact India (issue 02/2012, August). To continue reading click here. An extended, unedited version of the article with additional information/graphs can be accessed here (PDF, 524 KB).