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

Volume 53

:::: IN THIS ISSUE ::::

OUR INITIATIVES

“Training on GMP – GHP” for micro and small firms

KNOW YOUR CLUSTER

Panipat Textile Cluster

INFORMATION SHARING CORNER

Geographical Indication

CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT-ISSUES AND POLICIES

PPP power project to come up in Kanpur
Nagaland kicks off handloom skill development program
Three handloom clusters commence in Imphal
World Bank Unveils Growth Strategy for Country Today
It’s Time for Feds to Promote Cluster Initiatives

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ISSUES

India to slow carbon emissions growth by 20-25 pct
Hold Your Breath Texas
Face The Nation: Is climate change a myth?
Enzen bags two prestigious awards at India Power Awards!
Vision Howrah to battle climate change
Energy could be stored in ground

INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICTs)

Samsung’s ICT training plan places 185 into employment
Rwanda: ICT Bus Excites Gisagara Revelers
Workers need more ICT skills to do their jobs
Helping SMEs adopt ICT to compete & grow

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPR)

Intellectual Property Rights for Arogyasri soon
Another push for Expo IPR protection
India, US ink pacts on Intellectual Property Rights
Taiwan seeks IPR protection assistance from China
Govt spends Rs 60 lakh to protect Darjeeling tea brand

MICRO, SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (MSMEs)

Rwanda: Country to Celebrate Africa Industrialisation Day
Uttar Pradesh gets Rs.1,400-cr investments
30% Maharashtra MSMEs closed, 20% untraceable
Centre housing rare herbs in need of care & promotion
OSFC inks deal with SIDBI for refinance facilities

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Auto Expo 2010
Industrial India Trade Fair
Food Tech India 2009
Knit Show 2009
Garment Technology Expo 2010

- EDITORIAL SUPPORT -

• Minakshi Mehra

• B P Singh

CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT - ISSUES & POLICIES

::: IN FOCUS :::
PPP power project to come up in Kanpur

The apex body of Small and Medium Industries Indian Industries Association has proposed to set up a gas based power plant in Panki near Kanpur on a Private Pubic Partnership basis, to salvage the industries of the omnipresent power woes plaguing over 4,000 SMEs of the city.

The local industrialists have been framing the proposal for past six months and the State Industrial Development Corporation has now assured the association of speedy and complete assistance towards realizing the dream project meant to inject lifeblood into city industries. Mr Sunil Vaishya IIA regional president said that the corporation had agreed to allot land for the proposed power plant at the earliest.

He said that “The severe power crunch in the city has remained the single most deterrent in industrial progress of the city and the enterprises have failed to realize their full production capacity for decades now owing to the crisis. We are now hopeful that the paucity will subside gradually in coming years now.” more

Nagaland kicks off handloom skill development program :-
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A 15 month long Handloom Cluster Development Program opened on 17th November at Dimapur, in the state of Nagaland.

The Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) has organized this program, which is being sponsored by the office of the Small Industry Development Bank of India (SIDBI), Guwahati. more...

Three handloom clusters commence in Imphal :-
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Three handloom cluster projects - Ahongei, Dimdailong and Andro have been opened on November 20 in Prompat town in the state of Manipur.

During the opening ceremony, funds amounting to Rs 5.76 lakhs, Rs 6.26 lakhs and Rs 6.38 lakhs were allocated for the development of these Handloom Cluster Projects, which is expected to help the clusters generate revenue. more

World Bank Unveils Growth Strategy for Country Today:-
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Abuja — Today, economic experts and analysts from within and outside the shores of the country as well as government officials will converge on THISDAY Dome, Abuja, for the THISDAY Town Hall Meeting to brainstorm on the new report of the World Bank entitled "Employment and Growth Report (EGR)". more...

It’s Time for Feds to Promote Cluster Initiatives :-
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Business clusters have existed throughout American history. Naturally occurring clusters — like Detroit’s auto industry, Akron, Ohio’s tire plants, and Hollywood’s film studios — all developed because of a combination of geographic and natural resources exploited by local inventors and entrepreneurs more...

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ISSUES

India to slow carbon emissions growth by 20-25 pct :-
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India pledged Thursday to significantly slow the growth of its carbon emissions over the next decade, becoming the last major emitting country to announce a climate change policy before a U.N. summit opens next week. The plan is less aggressive than those announced by the U.S. and China in the last two weeks, and one critic called it nothing more than a reiteration of the status quo. more

Hold Your Breath Texas :-
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This week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided that the air we exhale, carbon dioxide, is toxic and poses a danger to our well-being. The EPA plans to use this “endangerment” finding to issue costly new emissions regulations on Americans – once again putting Washington in charge. This deeply undemocratic process is an arrogant attempt by the Obama Administration to enact by regulation what they could not pass through the people’s Congress. Such a disturbing and cynical effort to take away your voice should cause all Americans to stop and wonder “what is next?” more...

Face The Nation: Is climate change a myth? :-
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The UN Climate Change Summit began in Copenhagen, Denmark on Monday. The conference has opened for two weeks of negotiations among 193 nations to forge a pact to secure the world from calamitous global warming. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, however, is under fire from the Opposition that has accused him of selling out India's stand on climate change and going soft on the West. more...

Enzen bags two prestigious awards at India Power Awards! :-
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Enzen Global Solutions, a Bangalore- based energy and environmental consulting firm has bagged two prestigious awards at India Power Awards 2009 held at New Delhi recently.

Enzen has been awarded the India Power Awards 2009(IPA) for their exemplary performance in the power utilities segment. They received awards in two categories (a) 'Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Demand Side Management' and (b) Innovative IT Application in Utility Management'. more...

Vision Howrah to battle climate change :-
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A rare political unanimity has enabled Howrah to come up with a long-term plan to combat climate change, apparently a first in the country.

The plan drawn up by the Howrah Municipal Corporation, approved unanimously at a recent meeting of the civic house, outlines policy initiatives aimed at reducing the city’s carbon footprint and preparing an action plan to tackle the fallout of climate change. more...

Energy could be stored in ground :-
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Renewable technology which uses energy stored in the ground to heat buildings and provide hot water could be installed in hundreds of thousands of homes and offices by the end of the next decade, a report has said.

There are currently around 8,000 ground source heat pumps systems in the UK, far fewer than in other European countries such as Sweden, although the market is expanding rapidly - and doubled last year from 4,000 to current numbers. more...

INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Samsung’s ICT training plan places 185 into employment :-
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An initiative by a mobile phone manufacturer, Samsung, and three non-governmental organisations to train youth from poor backgrounds in Nairobi in ICT and entrepreneurship is beginning to bear fruits. more

Rwanda: ICT Bus Excites Gisagara Revelers :-
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Kigali — District residents early this week welcomed the arrival of an ICT bus, an initiative they say will promote the usage of information and communication technology in rural areas. The ICT Bus that was received by district authorities is equipped with 20 laptop computers which are connected to high speed wireless Internet connection. more...

Workers need more ICT skills to do their jobs :-
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Within five years 90 per cent of jobs across Europe, in all sectors, will require computing skills, making, training and education in ICT a critical priority for employment and job prospects, according to a new study by the market research firm IDC, which was commissioned by Microsoft. more

Helping SMEs adopt ICT to compete & grow :-
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The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) landscape has reshaped significantly in the last few years, thanks to increasing competition, technology development and cost pressures, among other factors. The immense growth in the services segment has given rise to new opportunities and challenges, requiring increased efficiency, productivity and innovation. Small and medium enterprises will have to adopt ICT in their day-to-day business to remain competitive, grow and attract new businesses, especially in the new, globalised and competitive economic scenario. more

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPRs)

Intellectual Property Rights for Arogyasri soon :-
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Arogyasri, the unique Health Insurance Scheme for poor and needy, will soon get the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for the Online Workflow developed by the Arogyasri Healthcare Trust. On obtaining the IPR, the Trust can hire or transfer the online copyright of the scheme to any healthcare insurance organisation, states or nation on cost basis. more

Another push for Expo IPR protection :-
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A World Exposition intellectual property rights protection exhibition was unveiled in downtown Shanghai Tuesday, showcasing the efforts of the Chinese Government and Expo organizer to protect Expo emblems. The exhibition, which coincides with the fifth anniversary of the enactment of the regulation for Expo emblem intellectual property rights protection, will show at the Expo Exhibition Center on 300 Huaihai Road M. for 10 days. more

India, US ink pacts on Intellectual Property Rights :-
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India and United States on Monday signed two inter-governmental agreements on Intellectual Property Rights to help prevent misappropriation of traditional knowledge through mistaken issuance of patents. A Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) Access Agreement signed between the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). more...

Taiwan seeks IPR protection assistance from China :-
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Officials of Taiwan's Intellectual Property Office (IPO) sought advice from their mainland Chinese counterparts in Taipei yesterday on how Taiwanese companies can better defend their intellectual property rights (IPR) against infringement in China. more..

Govt spends Rs 60 lakh to protect Darjeeling tea brand :-
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The government spends over Rs 60 lakh per annum on legal requirements to protect the `Darjeeling' tea brand globally, the Rajya Sabha was more..

MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (MSMEs)

Rwanda: Country to Celebrate Africa Industrialisation Day :-
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Rwanda on November 27 joined the rest of the world to celebrate Africa Industrialization Day. On that day, various Rwandan industrialists scheduled to meet for a workshop to promote industrial cluster development in Rwanda. The workshop also aimed at stimulating and promoting small industries in Rwanda. It was jointly organized by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Rwanda Development Board and Private Sector Federation with support from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) more

Uttar Pradesh gets Rs.1,400-cr investments :-
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Uttar Pradesh received investments worth Rs.1,400 crore in the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector in 2009, a government official said here Friday. 'The growth of micro and small enterprises had been phenomenal over the past two years,' state Industries Director Mohammad Iftikhar Uddin said. more

30% Maharashtra MSMEs closed, 20% untraceable :-
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Maharashtra leads in the number of registered micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) amounting to 160,000 units and the number is still growing. However, many of these only exist on paper. An anaylsis of the recent census done by the ministry of MSMEs reveals that 30% of the registered MSMEs in the state are closed and another 20% of these are untraceable. more

Centre housing rare herbs in need of care & promotion :-
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For those spending huge bucks on some key medicinal compounds used for easing cardiac problems and other ailments, all they need to do is to visit the Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC)-- a ministry of MSME body-- located at Fazalganj that sources various medicinal plants and herbs to commercial sector of the city. What's more, any person interested in growing them in his garden can also approach the centre for saplings and expert guidance. more

OSFC inks deal with SIDBI for refinance facilities :-
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The state-owned Orissa State Financial Corp (OSFC) on Monday tied up with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to strengthen credit flow into the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector in the state. more

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Auto Expo 2010 | more |

Industrial India Trade Fair | more |

Food Tech India 2009 | more |

Knit Show 2009 | more |

Garment Technology Expo 2010 | more |

:::: OUR INITIATIVES ::::

“Training on GMP – GHP” for micro and small firms

The training was organized on November 30, 2009 at Pune Fruit and Vegetable Processing Cluster in collaboration with Amro Institute under the Project “Implementing BDS for MSME“. The main purpose of training was to motivate the Micro and Small firms for adoption of food safety and quality assurance mechanism such as TQM including GMP & GHP. The training program helped Micro and small scale Food processing Industries to understand the stringent quality and hygiene norms and encourage them to adapt the latest quality trends which will eventually prepare them to face competition prevailing in the market. Lectures on HACCP Prerequisites were discussed in first session followed by presentation on Good Manufacturing practices and Good Hygiene Practices. Micro and Small firms were provided information that firms, which are unable to obtain ISO of HACCP, can go in for GMP & GHP.

:::: KNOW YOUR CLUSTER ::::

Panipat Textile Cluster

Panipat also known as city of handlooms in North region of India is situated in the state of Haryana on Shershah Suri Marg (now known as G.T. Road- N.H.1.) 90 KM from Delhi. The textile history of Panipat started after the partition of India and Pakistan, when the weaver's community that was displaced from Hyderabad, a state in Pakistan, was facilitated to settle in Panipat by the Government of Punjab, on the directions of Mahatma Gandhi. Panipat is today world-famous for its beautiful and jubilant handloom made-ups, blankets and other upholstery.

Some important features of the textile industry of Panipat are:

There is hardly any city of this small size in India that has such a big textile-manufacturing base.
Panipat contributes 50% of the total exports of the Handloom products from the country.
Panipat town has got a global distinction of having the maximum number of shoddy spinning units at one particular place.
There is hardly any city of this small size in India that has such a big textile-manufacturing base.
Panipat has been awarded Gold Trophy by the Export Promotion Council for the highest quantity of exports in woolen hand tufted carpets,

The Panipat textile cluster comprises of eight segments i.e. handloom, powerloom, carpet, woollen and shoddy yarn spinning, cotton yarn spinning, woolen blanket, cotton wet processing and woolen wet processing industry. All of these together makes a business of around Rs 4000 crores and provide employment to 2 lacs people.

More than 50000 handlooms (pit looms & frame Looms) are working in Panipat under the ownership of about 4200 different units. Most of the items produced on these Looms are meant for exports. The total export from this Industry is estimated to be more than 1200 crores.

Power Loom Industry is also one of the main textile industries in Panipat catering to the needs of export as well as domestic markets. It has maximum share in the total turn over of Panipat textile Business. There are about 1500 units having 25000 ordinary powerlooms with / without Jacquard attachments and 60 units having 1100 Shut tleless Looms. Some of the units are engaged in the woolen blanket manufacturing with the shoddy woolen yarn as its raw materials.

Panipat carpet industry plays a vital role in the Panipat textile industry with its uniqueness in quality and pricing comparing with other carpet industry in North region. About 400 small and medium units are situated in and around Panipat Town giving employment to about 60000 persons. More than 90% of the carpets manufactured are meant for export and about 10% of the production is for the domestic markets. The total turnover of this Industry is estimated to be more than 150 Crores.

There are about 350 woollen & shoddy yarn spinning units in Panipat catering to the needs of Amritsar, Bikaner, Bhadohi and to the local market of Panipat for the use of blanket, hosiery & carpet manufacturing. There are about 45 open end cotton spinning units and 5 ring frame cotton spinning mills. These units can produce yarn counts from 0.5 to 30s counts of yarns. Out of the total production, 75% is consumed for Panipat Handloom Industry and 25% is sold to the other states. Panipat is also having about 400 units producing woollen blankets, lohi, shawls contributing a turnover of about 250 crores to the Panipat Textile Industry. 70% of the Blankets produced here are for the Government supplies only. Cotton wet processing industry has about 350 dye houses, 75 Printing Units providing its services to the Panipat Textile Industry. There are about 100 Blanket Finishing Units in the Panipat to meet the requirement of woolen Blanket Finishing of the Panipat Woollen Industry.

:::: INFO CORNER ::::

Geographical Indication

A geographical indication is a sign used on goods that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities, reputation or characteristics that are essentially attributable to that place of origin. Most commonly, a geographical indication includes the name of the place of origin of the goods. Agricultural products typically have qualities that derive from their place of production and are influenced by specific local factors, such as climate and soil. Whether a sign is recognized as a geographical indication is a matter of national law. Geographical indications may be used for a wide variety of products, whether natural, agricultural or manufactured.

An appellation of origin is a special kind of geographical indication. It generally consists of a geographical name or a traditional designation used on products which have a specific quality or characteristics that are essentially due to the geographical environment in which they are produced. The concept of a geographical indication encompasses appellations of origin.

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