CLUSTERKRAFT E-NEWSLETTER - INFORMATION BULLETIN ON CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED ISSUES

Volume 51

:::: IN THIS ISSUE ::::

OUR INITIATIVES

Inaugural Workshop of Project in Tirupur Knitwear and Apparel Cluster

KNOW YOUR CLUSTER

Ludhiana Knitwear and Apparel Cluster

INFORMATION SHARING CORNER

Social capital

CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT-ISSUES AND POLICIES

Handlooms Buyers-Sellers meet held in Ahmedabad
Weaver training & cluster development project on track
Problems of industrial body discussed
Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGREGA), set to shape lives of Koraga people
Flood-ravaged Andhra seeks Rs 6,000-cr Central assistance
Turning science into wealth

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ISSUES

Geneva town meeting targets census, energy, environment
Gov. Schwarzenegger and Secretary Salazar Sign MOU to Expedite Renewable Energy Development in Calif.
Delhi to have 100 energy efficient buildings in three years
‘Not much done to preserve environment’
Cities in Maharashtra to emulate PMC's eco-housing programme

INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICTs)

Govt upbeat about ICT security laboratory
US firm creates 60 high-tech jobs
65% of new graduates land in ICT jobs
Middle East is third top destination for India`s electronics hardware export
Outstanding NZ ICT teachers awarded

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPR)

Benefits of GI not reaching weavers
Latha Jishnu: The IPR icing on Brazil's cotton victory
UAE sees first imprisonment for parallel imports in the Middle East
Malihabadi dusseheri mango gets GI status
Plea filed in apex court against GI tag for Tirupati Laddu

MICRO, SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (MSMEs)

CII survey: Q2 an upsurge point for MSMEs
Industrialists demand more incentives
Private Equity funding elusive for most SMEs
Pharma Dept assures more liberal funds to SMEs after utilization of CLCSS
ICICI Bank sees surge in lending for infrastructure projects

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Workshop on ICT research and creative enterprises, Torino, Italy
International Industrial Expo & Conferences – Rudrapur
Asia+TEX 2009
India International Trade Fair
Food Ingredients India 2009
Foodpro 2009

- EDITORIAL SUPPORT -

• Minakshi Mehra

• B P Singh

CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT - ISSUES & POLICIES

CLUSTERKRAFT
Wishes all cluster members, firms,
BDS providers, stakeholders and associated partners

A VERY HAPPY
AND
PROSPEROUS DIWALI

Handlooms Buyers-Sellers meet held in Ahmedabad :-
...............................................................................

A Buyers-Sellers Meet (BSM) was jointly organized by Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and

Weavers Service Centre at Ahmedabad, yesterday. more...

Weaver training & cluster development project on track :-
...............................................................................
The government of Orissa has decided to provide free handloom saris to 40,000 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) of the state to support the weavers as well as to create a stable and permanent market for handloom saris more...

Problems of industrial body discussed :-
...............................................................................
A meeting of industrialists with Dinesh Rai, IAS, secretary industries, government of India to discuss problems being faced by Industrial Associations and to seek more incentives to MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) sector, was held at Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU) Complex, Phase-V, Focal Point. more

Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGREGA), set to shape lives of Koraga people:-
...............................................................................
A few of the problems faced by the Koraga tribal people are of their own making, according to P. Shivashankar, the Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Panchayat. Their present socio-economic backwardness has been imposed on them by oppressive systems of the past. But, with the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGREGA), they now have the power to shape their destinies,? he said. more...

Flood-ravaged Andhra seeks Rs 6,000-cr Central assistance:-
...............................................................................
Andhra Pradesh government on Friday asked the Centre to provide an immediate financial assistance of Rs 6,000 crore to take up flood relief work and also additional funds for rehabilitation of the victims. more...

Turning science into wealth:-
...............................................................................
Scientific innovation is a key driver of prosperity for advanced economies. New Zealand is not commercialising scientific innovation well enough, and there are opportunities to improve our performance. Using publicly funded science to develop innovations and forming successful internationally focused businesses can make a worthwhile contribution to future economic prosperity. more...

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ISSUES

Geneva town meeting targets census, energy, environment :-
...............................................................................
Energy and the environment will be center stage when the city's Strategic Plan Advisory Committee holds a town meeting to discuss the long-range future of Geneva. more

Gov. Schwarzenegger and Secretary Salazar Sign MOU to Expedite Renewable Energy Development in Calif. :-
...............................................................................
Further laying the groundwork for California to reach its environmental goals, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in order to expedite the sifting of California renewable energy projects. California is the first state to sign an MOU with the Department of the Interior (DOI) to cooperatively develop long-term renewable energy plans and to sheppard eligible projects. more...

Delhi to have 100 energy efficient buildings in three years :-
...............................................................................
The national capital will have at least 100 'green buildings' in next three years with Delhi Government inking a pact with The Energy Research Institute (TERI) to implement the ambitious project. more...

‘Not much done to preserve environment’ :-
...............................................................................
With global warming already showing its signs in Jammu and Kashmir in the form of untimely climatic changes, the Jammu and Kashmir government candidly admitted Monday that no concrete steps had been taken to preserve the environment and to arrest the phenomenon which could lead to ecological disaster. more...

Cities in Maharashtra to emulate PMC's eco-housing programme :-
...............................................................................
Impressed with the Pune Municipal Corporation's work on implementing eco-housing certification programme for housing projects constructed on the basis of eco-norms, the state environment department is considering extending the concept to other cities in the state. more...

INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Govt upbeat about ICT security laboratory :-
...............................................................................
The government is upbeat about developing an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) security laboratory to protect its confidential data and information. more

US firm creates 60 high-tech jobs :-
...............................................................................
A US software company is to create 60 jobs over three years in a new research and development centre in Belfast.
The £4.4m investment is being made by Boston-based NaviNet, a specialist in computer systems for healthcare firms. The announcement was made as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the city.. more...

65% of new graduates land in ICT jobs :-
...............................................................................
Due to the active stance of the Cebu academe in providing ready-to-hire graduates of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) related courses, at least 65 percent of the total graduates land in ICT jobs. more

Middle East is third top destination for India`s electronics hardware export :-
...............................................................................
India's export of electronic hardware to the Middle East registered a growth of 107 per cent during 2008-09 over the year-ago period. In value terms, export of electronics hardware increased to US$ 6790 million in 2008-09 from US$3279 million, according to Kamal Vachani, Regional Director of Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) for the Middle East. more

Outstanding NZ ICT teachers awarded :-
...............................................................................
Microsoft New Zealand has recognised two teachers for outstanding contributions to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education at ULearn, the country’s largest conference for educators. more

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPRs)

Benefits of GI not reaching weavers :-
...............................................................................
The handloom silk industry of Varanasi region may have received the distinction of Geographical Indication (GI) for its famed silk products like brocades and sarees, but is this tag helping the soul of the industry- the weavers? more

Latha Jishnu: The IPR icing on Brazil's cotton victory :-
...............................................................................
When the World Trade Organisation (WTO) finally ruled in favour of Brazil in its long fight with the US over its damaging cotton subisidies, the verdict was a double victory for developing countries. America’s cotton subsidies have hurt a number of developing nations, particularly a clutch of sub-Saharan countries, and this in itself is cause for celebration. more

UAE sees first imprisonment for parallel imports in the Middle East :-
...............................................................................
Dubai Courts has issued an imprisonment ruling against six foreign nationals convicted of engaging in ‘parallel imports’ – importing a non-counterfeit (grey) product from another country without the permission of the intellectual property owner. more...

Malihabadi dusseheri mango gets GI status :-
...............................................................................
Malihabadi dusseheri mango, the pulpy and rich-flavoured summer fruit grown in the Lucknow region, is the latest to get geographical exclusivity rights after Banarasi saree, Puneri Pagadi, Tirupati laddu and Darjeeling tea. The mango variety has secured GI rights on September 11. more..

Plea filed in apex court against GI tag for Tirupati Laddu :-
...............................................................................
A public interest petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking ‘suo motu’ action against the grant of intellectual property right (IPR) protection to ‘Tirupati Laddu,’ which is a temple offering. more

MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (MSMEs)

CII survey: Q2 an upsurge point for MSMEs:-
...............................................................................
Going by the findings of a Micro, small and medium enterprises' (MSME) outlook survey conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the ongoing fiscal's second quarter was an upsurge point for the MSMEs, which reportedly saw a notable rise in production, demand and overall turnover. more

Industrialists demand more incentives :-
...............................................................................
Various industrial associations held a meeting with Madhav Lal, development commissioner, MSME, Government of India, at Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU) Complex, to apprise him of the industry’s need for more incentives. more

Private Equity funding elusive for most SMEs :-
...............................................................................
Funds are invariably a pressing issue for most entrepreneurs, more so for those starting or running a small or medium enterprise. Though venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) funding has grown considerably in the last decade or so, micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs) are still founded mostly with the entrepreneur's own money or, in some cases, with loans from banks. more

Pharma Dept assures more liberal funds to SMEs after utilization of CLCSS :-
...............................................................................
The Department of Pharma has assured the industry to facilitate more 'liberal funds' especially for the small and medium sector in upgrading them and be competitive in the domestic and international market. more

ICICI Bank sees surge in lending for infrastructure projects :-
...............................................................................
ICICI Bank, the country’s largest private sector lender, which has identified infrastructure as one of its growth drivers, sees projects worth Rs 150,000 crore for achieving financial closure in the next three to four months. more

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Workshop on ICT research and creative enterprises, Torino, Italy | more |

International Industrial Expo & Conferences – Rudrapur | more |

Asia+TEX 2009 | more |

India International Trade Fair| more |

Food Ingredients India 2009 | more |

Foodpro 2009 | more |

:::: OUR INITIATIVES ::::

An inaugural workshop to launch the project “Implementing Business Development Services for MSMEs in Tirupur Knitwear and Apparel Cluster” was organized on September 24, 2009 at TEA Conference Hall, Tirupur.

The programme was inaugurated by Mr. Namgial, Chief General Manager, SIDBI, Chennai. Mr. A. Sakthivel, President, TEA gave presidential note to members. Mr. Ahill S. Rathinasamy, President – KNITcMA and Mr. Raja M. Shanmugam, Chairman, NIFT TEA College of Knitwear Fashion gave special address to cluster firms

Mr. S. S. Sankaramoorthi, Senior Technical Advisor, ACDS, gave Project overview and presented the results of the diagnostic study done in the cluster and the areas in which the cluster is lacking in competitiveness in comparison to other clusters. He also provided the industry about the details of action plan devised for the next year.
Problems and issues identified in the diagnostic study and initiatives planned to address them were well acknowledged and appreciated by the participants.

Secretary, TEKPA requested to organize similar technical seminars for the benefit of their members. President, KNITcMA came forward to identify 30 proactive members from the association to avail possible support from the project.
Representatives of technical institutions like Kumaraguru College of Engineering and Technology, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology provided their consent to collaborate under the project by engaging faculty and students to take up live projects in the industry. Few entrepreneurs came forward to form ‘network’ among themselves to avail the support under the project.
Some senior executives, who participated in the event, gave valuable suggestions with respect to making visual documentation on improving skill of workers.
As a part of workshop the following three Consultants gave knowledge inputs through presentations. Mr. M. A. Sanjeevi, Industrial Consultant, Ex-General Manager, Gokuldas Images Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore gave presentation on Methods and Tools for Productivity Improvement in Garment Industry. Mr. S. Periasamy, Deputy Director (EP&QA), Textiles Committee, Coimbatore gave presentation on Technological Advancement in Colour Matching and Communication to reduce lead time. Mr. Rajagopal, Head, SQC and OR Division, Indian Statistical Institute, Coimbatore shared information regarding Prove and Improve with TPM practices in Garment Industry.
Around 100 participants including Cluster Coordination Committee members, Association members, Representatives from MSMEs, support Institutions, technical institutions, financial institutes, banks, public and private BDS and concerned Government departments participated in the workshop

:::: KNOW YOUR CLUSTER ::::

Ludhiana Knitwear and Apparel Cluster

Ludhiana is one of the largest industrial hub of Punjab known as the Manchester of India, having population of more than 15 lakhs. Ludhiana is famous for woolen hosiery and constitutes a sizable chunk of the cotton hosiery market also. About 90% of the nation's output of woolen/acrylic hosiery comes from this region.

Ludhiana knitwear cluster has a highly diversified base with about 11, 000 formal and informal firms, and employs more than 200,000 workers. The knitwear industry has a range of firms employing 50 to 2500 workers . There are about 9,000 or so small ``fabricators,'' or independent job-workers who own basic knitting and fabricating equipment and knit or process woolen garments for other larger manufacturers, but do not finish them. There are a large number of women home-based workers in this group who do embroidery and related tasks.

The Ludhiana knitwear industry manufactures a vast range of products, which includes a range of products , winter wear like `sweaters, woollen socks, pullovers, cardigans, thermal wear, gloves, muffler, baret caps, shawls, jackets, jersey, and blankets, and summer wear like T-shirts, cotton and blended socks, under garments, knitted bed sheet, skirts, tops, sports wear, night suits, etc. The woolen products have a large range of raw material variety, i.e., Pure Marino, Botany, Lamb's wool, Shetland, Angora and Mohair range, in keeping with the latest demand trends from latest international fashion and color forecasts. These Ludhiana products have high demand in both domestic as well as international markets. The cluster units use different kinds of yarn for different markets. Main yarn range consists of cotton yarn, acrylic, pure and recycled wool, cash melon and different blends. Cluster need to improve in use of technology and innovations. The main source of design for domestic market is national/international fashion megazines. For exports samples are provided by the buyers. Embroidery, patchwork, printing and beadwork are done with indigenous machinery and the quality of embroidery is not up to the standards acceptable in international markets.

Exports from Ludhiana based garment and hosiery units have generally been around 10% of the total production. Main export markets till early 1990s were, it was former USSR and Middle East and in recent years it has expanded to other markets in Europe and USA.

:::: INFO CORNER ::::

Social capital

Social capital is a concept now a days used very widely in business, social sciences and management and is used to signify the connections within and between social networks. Social capital plays a very important role in deciding the competitiveness of the region. It can be considered as economic output of social relations. These outcomes may be very positive, less positive or even negative in a particular region.

As the name itself suggests, social capital like money capital is an important competiveness factor. In the context of cluster competitiveness social capital means existence of networks, norms and relation among different stakeholders. Building social capital is a delicate task and need to be handled with great care. Higher level of social capital and self governance motivate people to take mutually beneficial collective and cooperative actions.

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A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS DIWALI

A VERY HAPPY
AND
PROSPEROUS DIWALI