Mangalore youth will show WEF a way to make ore export more profitable

M Raghuram
Vivek Raj, 28, a resident of Mangalore, is among the youngest CEOs of a company that has the potential to become a billion-dollar one. His achievements have been recognised by the World Economic Forum. At Summer Davos in China between September 13 and 15, Vivek will brush shoulders with captains of industry from across the world. Leading lights from Pepsi, Airbus, Mahindra & Mahindra, Infosys, Reliance and 100 other companies will be present at the meet. Raj is also scheduled to meet the Queen of Jordon, and the CEOs of Sinosteel, world’s largest steel importer, Nestle and the Chinese prime minister.
The young entrepreneur’s business model is sure to take leaders from core sector industries across the world by surprise. He has developed a formula to add value to low-grade (45 grade) iron ore, so that it is turned into high-grade ore (65 grade) with minimum wastage. “It makes perfect economic sense. All the countries are now looking at importing high-grade magnetite ore, but that is hard to come by. The prospecting for high-grade ore takes a lot of investment and funding, but it is the best way to transform low-grade ore into high-grade ore.”
“I have a technology product called benefaction of ore. This is a process of treating crude ores and mineral products in order to separate valuable minerals from waste rock or gangue. It is the first process that most ores undergo after mining, so that a concentrated material is obtained. The primary operations are called ‘comminution’ and ‘concentration’. I am planning to set up a plant in Goa. The government of Goa has already given me the initial permission to acquire land; this will be the first ore benefaction plant in the country.”Vivek Raj further explained,“It does not make good economic sense to export raw ore. Benefaction of ore will help to create greater value for the produce, as it will be converted into high-grade ore. Crude ore is exported at Rs200 per tonne; if it is subjected to benefaction, it could be sold at Rs3,500 per tonne, which would still be at least 20% below the market rate. That would represent huge forex earnings.”
Such is this young man’s wisdom that he even has a plan for the by-product, ore slurry, which results from the benefaction. He would like to make bricks with the slurry that can be used in construction. Some costs incurred in the whole process will also be covered by the brick manufacturing process.
So how did the young man get into all this? “I come from a poor family. I started work when I was 14. After matriculation, I migrated to New Zealand with the help of a family friend. I studied for an MBA degree, and then took to export of New Zealand’s dairy produce to Sri Lanka. Later, I also started export of mining produce. Then I returned to India and set up Panama Group in Mangalore.”
But why Panama? “Was any ship ever stopped at the Panama Canal?” he asks with a sparkle in his eyes.
m_raghuram@dnaindia.net
http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_mangalore-youth-will-show-wef-a-way-to-make-ore-export-more-profitable_1436609

Today's young politicians inspire Bollywood stars

NEW DELHI: Call it a reflection of changing times or a desire to be real, young Indian leaders like Milind Deora, Sachin Pilot and Priyanka Gandhi are defining the image of on-screen politicians in Bollywood.

Till recently, politicians had been portrayed as old, potbellied and often sleazy. That has now changed.

Abhishek Bachchan, who played a young politician in R Balakrishnan's 'Paa' says he modelled his look on young leaders like Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora.

"I modelled my look after Sachine Pilot and Milind Deora in the film. There were no special effects taken for my look in the movie because we wanted to keep the character as normal as possible," Bachchan had said about his role.

The actor will be playing a young leader once again in Ashutosh Gowarikar's 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se', where he portray's the role of communist activist Surya Sen, who was hanged by the British. Based on Manini Chatterjee's 'Do And Die', the film tells the story of 1930 Chittagong uprising.

Similarly, 24-year-old Deepika Padukone, who is famous for her glamourous roles, has opted for cotton sarees and a no make-up look to play Sen's comrade Kalpana Datta.

Katrina Kaif, in the latest Prakash Jha hit 'Raajneeti' picked up pointers for her character from Priyanka Gandhi. Kaif said she watched Priyanka's election videos to get her body language and look right.

"Priyanka is a young, strong, independent and modern leader with the right blend of values. Though my character is not based on her, I watched her campaign videos to observe her body language and how she campaigns and interacts with the crowd," Kaif said.
Earlier, reports had said Katrina's character in 'Raajneeti' was modelled on Sonia Gandhi and that had landed the film in trouble with the censors. But Katrina's admission that Priyanka was her inspiration, quelled the controversy.

Jha, who mixed epic Mahabharata and 'The Godfather' to make his blockbuster, said his film was a reflection of the changing face of Indian politics.

"The Gandhi-topi and dhoti-kurta wearing politician is a thing of past. Today politicians are young have studied in foreign universities. They are from the urban milieu," Jha said.

Other Bollywood hits focusing on the youth politics in India are Mani Ratnam's 'Yuva', Varma's 'Sarkar' and 'Sarkar Raj', Anurag Kashyap's 'Gulal', Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Satta', Tigmanshu Dhulia's 'Haasil' and Gulzar's 1975 classic 'Aandhi' and 'Maachis'. 

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/Todays-young-politicians-inspire-Bollywood-stars/articleshow/6498137.cms 

Youth, real wealth of India: Nair

Former chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dr G Madhavan Nair on Sunday described India emerging as a country with highest youth population as the real wealth.

He was speaking after inaugurating the 95th birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Shivarathri Rajendra Mahaswamiji of Suttur Mutt organised at the Mutt near the foot of Chamundi Hills in the city. “If the youth were imparted with education to hone their skills, the country can meet the requirement of both national and global level in the coming days”, Dr Nair noted. To achieve the same, all it needs is a particular vision and dream of the future, he added. Nair said, the facilities must reach villages and it is only through education development of rural parts would be a reality. Of the 700 million villages in India, half of the population is below poverty line. They should be assured of food security, besides water and health. Saying that India is endowed with intellectual people since history, Nair said it is due to the progress achieved in those days, the country is enjoying most of the advanced facilities in the present days. It may be security or information, there is a million fold increase in its availability. Nair was happy to note that India has emerged as a global power and cited the example of ‘Chandrayaan-1’, as a path breaking discovery in the field of space. Former president, Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Prof G S Siddalingaiah in his ‘Nudi Namana’ went down memory lane recalling the odds Rajendra Swamiji had to face in establishing hostels for the benefit of students. “Swamiji had to sell the valuables in his possession to meet the expenditure pertaining to food at the hostel”, said Siddalingaiah. Vice-chancellor, Dr Gangubai Hanagal, Music and Performing Arts  University, Dr Hanumanna Nayaka Dore said that the contribution of veerashaivas to the field of music is immense. Veerashaiva Punyashrama in Gadag is dedicated to music irrespective of caste, he said. Vice-chancellor, Rani Chennamma University, Belgaum Dr B R Ananthan and  Vice-chancellor, Gulbarga University, Dr E T Puttaiah spoke about their association with the mutt since several decades. Vice-Chancellor, University of Mysore, Prof V G Talawar also spoke. Mayor Sandesh Swamy in his presidential address hailed Rajendra Swamiji as a man of mettle who set an example for others by selling valuables, for the cause of education, when the educational institutions are mushrooming only to reap enormous wealth. The bust of Rajendra Mahaswamiji placed on a flower bedecked sliver palanquin, mounted on an open jeep was taken out in a procession from JSS Mahavidyapeetha to Suttur Mutt. The procession was accompanied by several cultural troupes. Suttur Seer Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji, MLCs Prof K R Mallikarjunappa, Thontadarya and others were present.

Geriatric Power

Reaffirming that age has never been an obstacle for Indian politicians, a recent report lists India as the country with the oldest head of government as well as the oldest ministerial cabinet among 15 of the largest economies in the world. At 78, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is one of the only two septuagenarians on the list. The average age of the Indian cabinet 64.4 years is almost two-and-a-half times the country's median age at 25.9. This is far greater than most of the developed economies where the difference is only a decade or so. Even the Chinese leadership is more youthful with an average cabinet age of 61.2 years.

We might have one of the youngest populations in the world, but the difference in age between our leaders and the populace is palpable. There is thus an increasing disconnect between the leadership and the people. Apart from the age gulf dynastic politics too is a massive hurdle to youth finding expression. The present lot of young leaders has to live in the shadow of political patriarchs until the latter make way, which in the Indian context could take an extraordinarily long time. A gerontocracy is fundamentally conservative and risk-averse, blocking reform in any direction. India's yawning age gulf goes a long way towards explaining the quality of the leadership we get. Reservation for women is now a hot-button political issue. Perhaps we also need to think in terms of reservation for youth, leaving out the creamy layer of those who come with dynastic connections. Institutionalisation of inner-party democracy would help, too.

Read more: Geriatric Power - Edit Page - Opinion - Home - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6462628.cms?frm=mailtofriend#ixzz0yACmk6Dr

Youngest nation, oldest cabinet

India may have the youngest population of the world's biggest countries, but it has the oldest leader and oldest ministerial cabinet. In most of the world's top economies, the average age of a cabinet minister or his equivalent is just a decade or so higher than the median age of the population. But in India, the average age of a cabinet minister is almost two-and-a-half times the country's median age.

At 78, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the oldest head of government in a major economy. In fact, Singh is only one of two heads of government older than 70 in 15 of the world's biggest economies, which account for more than 70% of the world's GDP and 60% of the population. Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, 74, is the other. Four leaders are in their 60s; all of them from Asia. The rest are either in their 50s or their 40s, with Britain's David Cameron the youngest at 43.

Of course, Singh is not an exceptionally old leader by Indian standards. Atal Behari Vajpayee and P V Narasimha Rao, for instance, were in the prime minister's chair when they were in their late 70s. Morarji Desai became PM at the age of 81.

Nor is Singh the world's oldest head of government. All of th following are older: Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe, Abdullah bin Abd al- Aziz al-Saud, king of Saudi Arabia, Abdoulaye Wade, president of Senegal, Hosni Mubarak, president of Egypt, Raul Castro, president of Cuba and Mwai Kibaki, president of Kenya.

But India is unlike these countries in that it is a multi-party democracy and our prime minister clearly stands out when compared with his democratically elected counterparts in much of the world. Even big economies that are not democratic, have younger leaders with China's Wen Jiabao much younger at 68 and ripe to be replaced by a much younger person in 2012 when China chooses the fifth generation of Communist party leaders.

UPA 2's Cabinet has an average age almost two-and-a-half times the country's median age. The average age of the 33 cabinet ministers is 64.4 years, which is 14 years more than the recently elected British cabinet, the youngest cabinet in our list. Averaging 61.2 years, China is the only other country where the average age of the cabinet is above 60 years.

But comparing just the average ages of different cabinets doesn't tell the full story. The fact is that India has the lowest median age — the level at which half the population is younger and half older — of 25.9 years on this list of the 15 largest economies. It, therefore, also has the largest mismatch between the age of its population and the age of its leaders.

The difference between the average age of India's cabinet and the median age of its population is almost 39 years, which is three times the gap for the developed countries on this list. In fact, with the exception of the US, where this age difference is above 20 years, all the other G-8 countries have cabinet ministers on average less than 20 years older than the median age of the country.

The list indicates that developing countries tend to have a higher age difference between their leaders and the population. This gap is 31 for Brazil, 28 for Indonesia, and 26 for China. But remember that China's median age is 10 years more than India's, so a gap of 26 years is much less significant.

Could the response to a young leader like Rahul Gandhi, or his father Rajiv Gandhi in an earlier era, be a manifestation of a yearning among many for this age gap between the leader and the led to be reduced? Your reading is as good as ours.

 

Read more: Youngest nation, oldest cabinet - India - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Youngest-nation-oldest-cabinet/articleshow/6453873.cms#ixzz0y3teHjzU

At NDRI, Rahul invites youth to politics

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi today appealed to the youth of the country to join politics to invigorate the political system and build a stronger and resurgent India.

Interacting with more than 750 students of the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Rahul repeated the theme of ‘two Indias’ that he used — in a different context — while in Orissa only yesterday.

India today, Rahul said, is divided into two parts, the haves and the have-nots, in the form of the urban and the rural populations. While people in the urban areas avail of multiple opportunities, the rural population is deprived. For the growth and the progress of the country, it is necessary to carry along all its people. The dairy sector, he said, could become the bridge between the two sets of people — with its development, the rural population would be able to earn a decent living.

Asked for how long the system of reservations would continue in the country, Rahul said students should rather ask when more educational institutions would be set up, so that they get new opportunities.

Rahul mingled with the students during his hour-long stay at NDRI, shaking hands with and hugging several of them. “So far we had only read about his nature, his intellect and his political vision. Today we had a first-hand opportunity of knowing him from close quarters,” said a beaming Arpana Verma, a student of Animal Biotechnology. Another student, Dr Sohit Ojha, said, “He talks from his heart. He is sincere and genuine.”

Union Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan accompanied Rahul. No local political leader was present.

Earlier in the day, Rahul visited the CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, and Kurukshetra University. A protest demonstration by slogan-shouting members of the CPM-backed Students Federation of India (SFI) at Kurukshetra was followed by a mild lathicharge by the police.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/at-ndri-rahul-invites-youth-to-politics/673672/0

Young India Inc backs needy kids

More than 400 underprivileged students across 40 schools from the steel city have a date with Kshitij, the annual flagship extravaganza with a conscience, to be hosted by the CII’sYoung Indians Team at XLRI tomorrow.

Jusco chairman and Tinplate Company of India Ltd director Bushen Raina will inaugurate the daylong event, now in its third year, at the Tata Auditorium, while prizes worth more than Rs 35,000 will be distributed by East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Himani Pandey.

Tinplate is this year’s official sponsor of the event, which, as its name suggests, seeks to help less-privileged schoolchildren reach new horizons of achievement through a host of competitions such as quizzing, painting, singing and dancing.

Aishwarya Kalyan, a member of the external linkages cell of the premier B-school said that the CII Young Indians network in XLRI was led by student Harsh Jhawar under the guidance of professor M.G. Jomon, and comprised 26 team members across management streams of XLRI. The CII Young Indians’ XLRI chapter worked to provide a leadership platform to young minds at the B-school, with a focus on nation building initiatives, including socially relevant development projects in the areas of education, employability, youth affairs and health.

Kshitij is an important vehicle and platform to fulfill those ends, say organisers, as it actively involves children of vernacular medium schools and project schools of the steel city.

“Kshitij helps boost confidence among students who hail from the economically weaker sections of society. They have talent, but they need opportunities and encouragement to display and hone it. This platform can really help them strive for betterment in their lives,” said a senior professor of the B-school.

Last year’s event had been a resounding success, said the organisers, which prompted them to reach out to more less-privileged students this year.

Members of the external linkages cell said, it was only because of sustained efforts of the Young Indians network at XLRI that Kshitij is being able to help more children every year. Active involvement from the faculty and students at XLRI and generous support from the industry have made this event a success, they said.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100821/jsp/jharkhand/story_12836323.jsp