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A senior figure from the <keyword id="396996" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-IT-industry">Indian IT industry</keyword> has said that techies working in the industry have good work ethics, are well-paid, and can even find opportunities outside the company that they work for; which is why they don’t need to form employee unions. The noise about these unions being formed always arises whenever there is a bit of a downfall in the IT industry, but nothing concrete has ever been done in this regard, says <keyword id="138760" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="V-Balakrishnan">V Balakrishnan</keyword>, ex-Chief Financial Officer of <keyword id="6354512" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Infosys">Infosys</keyword>. "Work ethic is very good and salaries are high. Even today the attrition rate in the IT industry is double digit. It (talk of employees' unions) always fizzles out after some point of time. It never sustained," he told PTI. "But I think even if there is a union, I don't think it will impact the industry much because IT industry is one of the best paymasters in the country and second, the people find opportunities outside," he added. He added that industries with bad work ethics and grungy treatment towards employees require employee unions. "IT industry is not bad, IT industry people are well taken care of, well-paid, and they find opportunities. Even one of the bad years, this year, where growth rate has come down, the attrition is still double digit." He even added that the reports about extensive job losses in the industry are exaggerated. "If you look at all the leading companies, none of them are talking about huge job losses; they are all talking about the regular performance-based attrition, that is normal in the industry. So, to some extent the scare of job losses is exaggerated," he said. (Image source Huffington Post India)

Techies don’t need to form unions, says V Balakrishnan

<keyword id="6354512" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Infosys">Infosys</keyword>' former CFO, T V <keyword id="6491998" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mohandas-Pai">Mohandas Pai</keyword> today exhorted institutional investors to raise questions about the huge cash pile on the company's books and governance issues, as investors have an obligation to protect their investment. 
 "Capital allocation is very important. Institutional investors should raise those questions. They have a duty...institutional investors should raise questions on governance because it concerns the company's reputation," <keyword id="249145" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pai">Pai</keyword> told <keyword id="6367495" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="PTI">PTI</keyword> in an interview. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/infosys-employees-in-stresspromotions-and-increments-may-take-a-hit/articleshow/57095393.cms">ALSO READ: ​ Infosys employees in stress: Promotions and Increments may take a hit</a> 
 
Infosys had liquid assets, including cash and cash equivalents and investments worth Rs 35,697 crore (about $5.25 billion) on its books at the end of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/infosys-employees-in-stresspromotions-and-increments-may-take-a-hit/articleshow/57095393.cms">December 2016</a>. 
 
He asserted that founders, who hold 13% stake in the Bengaluru-based company, had raised these questions like any other investor would. 
 "The founders are investors like anybody else. They hold 13 per cent stake. They have every right to question the <keyword id="6364382" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Board">Board</keyword>... Since the largest shareholder has sought clarification, they must also seek detailed clarification," he said. 
 
Pai, along with former colleague <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/infosys-employees-in-stresspromotions-and-increments-may-take-a-hit/articleshow/57095393.cms">V Balakrishnan</a>, had sought a USD 1.8 billion buyback in 2014 just as CEO <keyword id="6369763" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vishal-Sikka">Vishal Sikka</keyword> was taking over. 
 
"We had raised the issue. We hope that other institutional investors will also raise their voice because the institutional investors have an obligation to protect their investment," he said. 
 
Pai explained that shareholders all over the world ask questions about capital allocation when growth slows down for listed companies, that have too much cash on books. 
 
"All over the world, for listed companies when growth slows down and there is too much cash, shareholders will ask what are they doing with the cash...about capital allocations. Most Boards around the world will respond with a buyback to show confidence in the company and stabilise the stock price," he said. 
 
Pai expressed hope that institutional investors who have a "fiduciary responsibility" to their unit holders, will also ask the same questions, as has been in the case of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/infosys-employees-in-stresspromotions-and-increments-may-take-a-hit/articleshow/57095393.cms">Cognizant</a>. 
 Last week, <keyword id="28721" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cognizant">Cognizant</keyword>'s Board approved a plan to return USD 3.4 billion to shareholders over the next two years through share buybacks and dividend, following investor activism. 
 
"Why can't Infosys do something like Cognizant has done. That is very important for shareholders. I hope they ask him that at a time when growth is slowing down," he said. 
 
He said that while reports of the rift would not impact the company's performance but there is "some reputational damage because of this" and pointed out that the board "has to remedy this situation". 
 Over the last few days, Infosys has come under fire from founders like N R <keyword id="6355623" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narayana-Murthy">Narayana Murthy</keyword> who have publicly raised concerns on alleged corporate governance lapses at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/infosys-employees-in-stresspromotions-and-increments-may-take-a-hit/articleshow/57095393.cms">Infosys.</a> 
 
Infosys, however, has denied the allegations and said that its board is fully aligned with the strategic <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/infosys-employees-in-stresspromotions-and-increments-may-take-a-hit/articleshow/57095393.cms">direction of Sikka </a>and is very "appreciative of the initiatives taken by him in pursuance of this transformation".

Infosys should clarify capital allocation policy: Mohandas Pai tells investors

If you think <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>’s prolonged search for the next <keyword id="5645" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="CEO">CEO</keyword> is getting a bit nutty, especially with a disgruntled <keyword id="62333" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Steve-Ballmer">Steve Ballmer</keyword> waiting on the sidelines to hand over the mantle, you are not far from the truth. But then, that is the actual state of the coveted C-Suite nowadays – volatile is the right word if you want to sum it up. There is no job security at the top and even the best performer for years can get redundant within the span of a few weeks. The issues could be many – right from <keyword id="646347" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="poor-performance">poor performance</keyword> to <keyword id="610960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="business-restructuring">business restructuring</keyword> to alleged <keyword id="6375736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="corruption-charges">corruption charges</keyword>. But the biggest factor is relevance, a perfect future-fit that can take companies ahead, according to <keyword id="67736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Industry-experts">industry experts</keyword>. In a difficult <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword>, companies are compelled to twist and turn to keep track of profitability and their requirements change accordingly. Hence, their leaders have to adapt, shape up or ship out, as the case might be. 
 India is no exception and business leaders across the country have been frequently ‘released’ by industry giants. Many of them leave with ‘immediate effect’ while others are on garden leave or worse still, waiting for their predecessors to turn up (just like Ballmer). Yet, most of the C-Suite executives are tight-lipped about their departures, at least here in India. We are yet to come across an announcement like the one made by <keyword id="384914" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Groupon">Groupon</keyword>’s founder and former CEO <keyword id="488139" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Andrew-Mason">Andrew Mason</keyword>. But exit happens all the same – be it discreet or blatant. Here’s a quick look at some of the top-notch C-Suite executives from India who parted ways with their respective companies in 2013, their official exit lines and what happened behind the scene.

Strife At The Top: These
11 C-Suite Execs From India
Were ‘Let Go’ In 2013

The opposition Congress-led <keyword id="204591" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="United-Democratic-Front">United Democratic Front</keyword> (UDF) Monday moved a no-confidence motion against the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government in Kerala, raising a slew of allegations including the <keyword id="1888344" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="gold-smuggling-case">gold smuggling case</keyword>. Congress legislator V D Satheeshan moved the motion, saying the Chief Minister's office was "hijacked" by the gold smuggling gang. "While the Chief Minister was attending the press conference and saying that everything was fine with the government and was ready to face any probe, his former principal secretary was being questioned by investigating agenciesfor hours," Satheeshan said. He said the ministers and the chief minister were trying to "put all the blame in the gold smuggling matter on the shoulders of suspended senior IAS officer and former IT Secretary M Sivashankar". The state government has been facing severe criticism from the opposition Congress and the BJP, who alleged links of the gold smuggling case accused with the Chief Minister's Office. The state government had earlier suspended Sivashankar, for his alleged links with Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the gold smuggling case involving diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE consulate here. The Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan has allotted five hours for the discussion on the no-confidence motion, the first against the four-year-old <keyword id="6356705" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="pinarayi-vijayan">Pinarayi Vijayan</keyword> government. Adhering to strict COVID-19 protocols, the Kerala Assembly convened for a day on Monday and passed the Finance Bill 2020-21, which could not be passed after the state budget in February as the House was adjourned sine die on March 13 due to the coronavirus scare. The opposition has been attacking the government on various issues, including the gold smuggling case and Life Mission housing project for the poor since the past few days. In the 140-member house, LDF has 91 members and UDF 45. A no-confidence motion against the government is being brought after 15 years. In 2005, then CPI(M) MLA Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had moved a motion alleging corruption against the Oommen Chandy government. However, the UDF, is in aquagmire as the Jose K Mani faction of its ally Kerala Congress has decided to stay away from the motion owing to a factional feud. The Kerala Congress party has five members, three belonging to party chairman P J Joseph and two of Jose Mani faction. P C George, an independent member, has said he will vote for the motion. BJP has one member-- O Rajagopal. The by-election to the Rajya Sabha seat which fell vacant after the death of sitting member 83-year-old M P Veerendra Kumar, a media baron and veteran socialist, on May 28, is progressing in the Assembly today. The session was to have been held on July 27, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 situation. A medical team conducted rapid antigen tests on the members early in the morning and social distancing in seating arrangements have also been ensured. However, visitors were not allowed for the session. Each member will have a separate seat for the session, and provided with a sanitiser, mask and a pair of gloves and those entering the assembly complex were subjected to thermal scanning. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/from-priyanka-gandhi-vadra-to-manmohan-singh-these-are-the-stated-views-of-congress-working-committee-members-on-sonia-gandhis-resignation/slidelist/77713740.cms">From Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Manmohan Singh, these are the stated views of Congress Working Committee members on Sonia Gandhi's resignation</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/congress-working-committee-cwc-meeting-updates-decision-on-congress-new-president-sonia-gandhi-or-rahul-gandhi/articleshow/77717675.cms">Sonia Gandhi offers to quit, Manmohan Singh holds her back and Rahul Gandhi questions party leaders — the CWC meeting reveals the cracks in Congress</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/cognizant-says-it-will-spend-2-7-crore-to-restore-sebakkam-lake-and-help-natural-marshland-pallikaranai-wetland/articleshow/77716094.cms">Cognizant says it will spend ₹2.7 crore to restore one of India's last natural marshlands in Chennai</a>

Gold smuggling, housing projects and other allegations against Pinarayi Vijayan government leads to no-confidence motion by Congress-led opposition

<keyword id="58448" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="reliance-retail">Reliance Retail</keyword> will pose the biggest challenge to top e-commerce players <keyword id="18635" type="LOCATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="amazon">Amazon</keyword> and <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> next year due to its wider reach and tremendous penetration of telecom arm Jio, said an IT industry veteran. Consolidation would be the name of the game in e-commerce space next year, with small firms shutting shop, leaving fewer players in an environment of intense competition, former CFO of Infosys TV Mohandas Pai said. "In e-commerce, the biggest threat to Amazon and Flipkart will be Reliance Retail because <keyword id="6354504" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Jio">Reliance Jio</keyword> (<keyword id="6487" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-industries-ltd">Reliance Industries Ltd</keyword>'s telecom arm) is there all over India; they can easily connect to all the small, small retail stores and supply to them and improve their business dramatically," he said. "Reliance Retail will be the biggest challenger to Flipkart, Amazon next year," Pai said. "In retail, India will have three players -- Amazon, Flipkart and Reliance. Reliance has a wider reach, more physical stores, better distribution and more money to invest in India than the other two." V Balakrishnan, another former CFO of the Bengaluru- headquartered IT major, said telecom companies are in a sweet- spot because they are becoming like utility play but added that "they have to own the data". "Data and content become very important because telcos per se will become utilities. I think Reliance is making the right moves to own the data and own the content. That will give them strategic advantage in the market," Balakrishnan said. Meanwhile, speaking on the Indian start-up scene in general, Pai said funding has become discerning, except for large companies to which big firms are pouring in money. "There is keener competition for funding; investors are more cautious. But the investment is going on and start- ups are coming up," he added. Pai said 2018 will be a better year for start-ups as the country's economic growth would improve. "Next calendar year, start-ups will heat up again because many of them have done well and they are going to raise the next round of financing next year." "Next year will be good for start-ups. What is hot (in start-up space) is artificial intelligence, machine-learning, agri-tech and med-tech (life science and medical technologies)," he said. Balakrishnan said funding has become very selective in the start-up scene. "Earlier, all kinds of start-ups were funded. Now, unless you have a strong business idea, the funding environment has become challenging." "The start-up environment is good. They are all getting funded. Last year, some USD 8 billion funding in start-ups was received. B2B companies are the flavour of the market now. And a lot of funds have raised money. "Big boys (like Amazon, Flipkart and PayTm in e-commerce) will attract more capital. Smaller companies will struggle," he said. (Image credits: BCCL)

Reliance Retail is posing the biggest ever threat to Amazon and Flipkart

The demand for professionals is surging in <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword> and this was indicated by the taxes IT experts were paying in the IT hub of India. Professional tax dated indicated there was a demand for more employees and <keyword id="6370971" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Accenture">Accenture</keyword> emerged as the top employer that paid Rs 23 crore as professional tax on behalf of its employees in 2015-16, the highest among all firms, a title it held even in 2014-15 according to the Professional tax data. 
 Professional tax is the tax by the state governments in India. Anyone earning an income from salary or anyone practicing a profession such as <keyword id="6358896" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chartered-Accountant">chartered accountant</keyword>, company secretary, lawyer, doctor etc. are required to pay this professional tax. It is a source of revenue for the governmentThe data highlighted the fact that nine out of ten professional companies in Bengaluru are tech companies. Only BSNL, the government-owned telecom player, is an exception. 
 
The top ten tech firms altogether paid Rs 69 crore in 2015-16. In the two financial years before that, they had paid Rs 62 crore and Rs 66 crore in professional taxes. 
 
It is anyway hard to believe that IT firms are the top tax payers anywhere and its surely confirms the importance of Bengaluru as a city. 
 “Bengaluru is the magnet for the tech industry, and adds to job numbers. I urge Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to read these trends, and address Bengaluru's infrastructure problems so that the city retains its edge." V.Balakrishnan, former director at <keyword id="6354512" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Infosys">Infosys</keyword> told ET. 
 Accenture, <keyword id="10875" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IBM">IBM</keyword> India, TCS, Infosys and <keyword id="10862" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wipro">Wipro</keyword>, in that order, were the top five professional tax payers during 2015-16. In 2013-14, Wipro had nudged Infosys to the fifth place. The latter, however, wrested the slot from Wipro in the following year. 
 
The data also showed that these companies have more permanent employees, and fewer jobs are going out of Bengaluru. 
 "This means jobs are increasing in the city because there is a direct correlation between taxes collected and the permanent jobs. And, also because the monthly tax payout per employee remains constant, Vivek Mallya, a Chartered Accountant and former partner at <keyword id="53186" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="PwC">PwC</keyword>, told ET. 
 "The tax collection numbers indicate that the multinational tech companies prefer to deepen their foothold in Bengaluru, rather than experiment with tier-II or tier-III locations. They perhaps find the best cosmopolitan culture as well as a wide talent pool in Bengaluru," Guruprasad Srinivasan, President (People Service) at <keyword id="6370333" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Quess-Corp">Quess Corp</keyword>, told ET. 
 
An employer is required to deduct professional tax only if an employee is in the job for more than 120 days, and earns above Rs 10,000. The government levies a professional tax of Rs 150 per month on those earning above Rs 10,000 per month, and Rs 200 on those earning above Rs 15,000. Those earning below Rs 10,000 are exempt.

Demand for IT professionals is growing in Bengaluru and these are the top hiring companies right now

DELHI/ BANGALORE: Within 23 days of its stunning debut in the Delhi assembly election, the appeal of <keyword id="6354944" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Aam-Aadmi-Party">Aam Aadmi Party</keyword> appears to have spread across the country, from north to south, west to east. Donations are pouring in and volunteers are lining up to join the party, including some senior corporate leaders who are chucking up prized jobs to work with <keyword id="6356115" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="AAP">AAP</keyword>. 
 In Bangalore, V Balakrishnan, the <keyword id="6354512" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Infosys">Infosys</keyword> board member once seen as a future CEO, who quit the company last month, said on Wednesday he had joined AAP. In Mumbai, <keyword id="48669" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="banker">banker</keyword> Meera Sanyal, the Harvard Business School-educated head of <keyword id="65497" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Royal-Bank-of-Scotland">Royal Bank of Scotland</keyword>, has quit to join AAP. Adarsh Shastri, grandson of former Indian <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> Lal Bahadur Shastri, resigned as head of sales for Apple in western India to join Kejriwal. 
 
And donations to AAP have spiraled. On Wednesday, the party had collected almost Rs 38 lakh from online donations till 10pm. This has been the highest collection in a day so far, barring two days – one when Shanti Bhushan donated it Rs 1 crore and another day when a Singapore-based sympathizer had sent in Rs 50 lakh. 
 Until the Delhi elections, AAP was receiving on an average Rs 6-7 lakh a day. It stopped collections once it reached its target of Rs 20 crore. Fund collection resumed on December 13, when the party formally announced its intention to contest the 2014 <keyword id="6355187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword> elections. Since then, the average collection has been around Rs 17.5 lakh a day. 
 
The number of people flocking to the party has seen a dramatic rise. Since December 8, 2013, when the Delhi election results were announced, 3.03 lakh volunteers have joined AAP across the country and over 1 lakh have become members. "These figures are of those joining online and don't include volunteers and members who have registered manually at party offices. The party's membership fee is Rs 10 but people below 18 years of age cannot become members. Similarly government officials cannot become members. Such people instead register as volunteers," said Ankit Lal, who handles AAP's online campaign. 
 One of those joining online is Balakrishnan, who was on the CEO track at Infosys before he quit. He told media on Wednesday that he had paid the Rs 10 AAP membership fee but said it was too early to talk about his role in the party. Balakrishnan's entry into AAP pits him against his long-time Infosys colleague Nandan Nilekani, who is tipped to be the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> candidate from the South Bangalore in the LS elections. Balakrishnan described AAP as the most successful startup ever by an IIT-ian and said he wanted to be part of the revolution that AAP was bringing about in the country. 
 
AAP's online campaign, managed by a young and tech-savvy team, is rarely short of ideas. The most recent — one of the reasons for the spike in collections on Wednesday – was a simple message: ‘Donate Rs 2014 in the year 2014'. Till 10pm, 1,273 people had donated Rs 2014 or more. "It started with one volunteer wanting to donate Rs 2014 to mark the New Year. We decided to put it up on the party page and it seemed to have caught the fancy of a lot of people," said Lal. 
 AAP suddenly grabbing national attention hasn't gone unnoticed by political parties, with leaders either racheting up their criticism of the newbie or acknowledging the potency of AAP's politics. On Wednesday, Congress's <keyword id="227742" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mumbai-MP">Mumbai MP</keyword> <keyword id="56431" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Sanjay-Nirupam">Sanjay Nirupam</keyword> took a cue from the <keyword id="6354952" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Delhi-Government">Delhi government</keyword>'s decision to slash power tariff by threatening to launch an agitation if the <keyword id="6356172" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Maharashtra-government">Maharashtra government</keyword> too didn't cut electricity charges. 
 In neighbouring Goa, <keyword id="5269" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Chief-Minister">chief minister</keyword> <keyword id="6363133" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Manohar-Parrikar">Manohar Parrikar</keyword> – an IIT alumnus like Kejriwal – appeared to be praising the AAP leader at a time when some of his colleagues in Delhi have sharpened their criticism of AAP, possibly because they feel more threatened by it. Parrikar said, "He (Kejriwal) has shown the right intent. Let us see if he can deliver." 
 
CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on Wednesday said his party considers AAP to belong to non-Congress, non-BJP political forces — a space that CPM seeks to create and promote. He said any alliance with AAP would depend on how it evolved on the political and policy platforms, on whether it would be anti communalism and against "neo-liberal economic policies". 
 
In Ahmedabad, former BJP MLA Kanu Kalsariya, a gynaecologist who had led the agitation against Nirma's cement plant in his Gariadhar constituency, joined AAP on Wednesday. He admitted that he was about to join Congress, but now saw AAP as "a symbol of people's power." 
 There have been reports about BJP and Congress being worried by the new kid on the block. For starters, they joined hands to quickly pass the Lokpal Bill. Since then, Congress leaders like Digvijay Singh have claimed that AAP's programme was similar to that of <keyword id="5268" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rahul-Gandhi">Rahul Gandhi</keyword>'s, while the BJP brass has reportedly met to assess the impact of AAP in the coming LS polls.

AAP grabs national attention; volunteers, funds pour in

BANGALORE: This is perhaps a first for any major company in India. A former CEO and a former CFO of <keyword id="6354512" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Infosys">Infosys</keyword> will contest the coming general elections — <keyword id="44604" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Nandan-Nilekani">Nandan Nilekani</keyword> for <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> from South Bangalore, and V Balakrishnan for <keyword id="6354944" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Aam-Aadmi-Party">Aam Aadmi Party</keyword> (AAP) from Central Bangalore. 
 Coincidence? Not entirely, said <keyword id="1040732" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Priya-Chetty-Rajagopal">Priya Chetty-Rajagopal</keyword>, executive director in RGF Executive Search. “The Infosys story is about possibilities, about dreams, conviction, integrity, and the success that knowledge can bring. Both (Nandan and Bala) come from that golden time when anything was possible, and perhaps there is a connection in what both plan to do,” she said. 
 Management consultant <keyword id="175362" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Harish-Bijoor">Harish Bijoor</keyword> believes that Infosys is an eco-system of excellence. Rajagopal pointed out that Infosys has had a particularly strong reputation of leaders w<keyword id="6354185" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="IT">it</keyword>h a public or philanthropic <keyword id="819560" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="bent">bent</keyword>, be it <keyword id="170488" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="co-founder">co-founder</keyword> N R Narayana Murthy or Nilekani (he played a key role in BATF — <keyword id="772065" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Bangalore-Agenda-Task-Force">Bangalore Agenda Task Force</keyword> in the early 2000s), or TV Mohandas Pai (former CFO and HR head who has been very active in public spaces). 
 
“It’s a part of their ethic, it seems. They have high believability, authenticity, and realize if they are true to themselves, people will listen, and they can grow collectively,” she said. 
 The industry is delighted at the turn of events. “It’s good to see high-profile corporate leaders opting for political careers,” said <keyword id="6413985" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kiran-Mazumdar-Shaw">Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw</keyword>, CMD of Biocon. Som Mittal, former president of IT industry body <keyword id="6372077" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Nasscom">Nasscom</keyword>, said the country needs a new breed of people, including technocrats, in government and opposition.

Why Two Ex-Infosys Bosses Took The Poll Plunge

It’s that time of the year again when India’s premier engineering institute, <keyword id="57604" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="iit-delhi">IIT Delhi</keyword> hosts ‘Open House’ - its annual exhibition to give people an insight into the revolutionary work happening inside the campus over the past year. As the college is gearing up to host the 12th edition of ‘Open House’, the list of splendid innovations that will be featured at the event has already caught eyeballs across the country. 
 
This is because once again, most of these projects are not only innovative but those with “high societal impact”. 
 
Among a total of 500 research projects and 80 demo projects to be displayed are some really interesting innovations like a hip protective device for the elderly, high productivity bio-fertilizer, Mamma Pod and diagram books for blind students. 
 
There will also be these: A 5 min endotoxin detection kit, Tissue Engineering and 3D Bio printing, Design and Development of Mobile Unit for Biogas Enrichment &amp; Bottlingm among others. 
 But what’s going to be the center of attention is a system of better drainage systems for Delhi. Yes, A lot of eyes, especially from the <keyword id="6354952" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-Government">Delhi government</keyword> will be on this as the event kickstarts on April 23. 
 V Ramgopal Rao, who assumed office as the premier institute’s Director three days ago, said “The idea of <keyword id="2388827" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="IIT-Open-House">IIT Open House</keyword> is to identify projects where a new product or technology is created with high societal impact. We are going to connect with agricultural and healthcare institutions and would like to work on multi-disciplinary projects offering societal benefits.” 
 
IIT Delhi is expecting over 40,000 school students to visit the exposition which will be open and free for public. While demonstrations will close by 2 pm the laboratory will stay open for visitors till 4 pm. 
 
IIT IS STRIVING TO CREATE A BETTER WORLD FOR THE VISUALLY CHALLENGED 
 
The institute has been working towards providing aid to the visually-impaired for quite sometime now and had come up in the past with technology-driven devices like the blind cane, that have shown positive results. 
 
Their latest project focuses on providing blind students access to non-visual representations of diagrams and figures in subjects like maths, science, economics and geography, in tactile form at an affordable cost. 
 
Prof M Balakrishnan, who is guiding the project, said it uses the process of thermoforming with durable PVC sheets as opposed to the more expensive swell paper or the less durable embossing, while using 3D printing technology. 
 
“Thermoforming lies between embossing and swell technology. While embossing might be economical, it is less durable and prone to wear and tear. Swell technology is expensive with each paper costing Rs 100. With thermoforming, more durable diagrams are created at a nominal price of Rs 10-Rs 15 per sheet,” Renu Kaushik and Vibha Chaudhury, who are working as research scholars for the project, said. 
 
The team has been working with NCERT to bring out a map book for Upper Primary grades in blind schools. 
 
They have also brought out science and maths textbooks for ninth grade and economics textbook for the eleventh grade, besides a Yoga book for the Iyengar society that can be used by visually impaired individuals to practise yoga. 
 
Rao also emphasised on the need for tech-based initiatives and said that it will be among one of the primary areas of focus for the years to come. 
 
“I have seen that a lot of start ups are coming up but there are hardly any tech-based start-ups. We have to focus on tech and tech-incubation is what we will focus on in the next few years,” he said. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

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