Ernst and Young's Entrepreneur of the Year `99, Mr Subhash Chandra, Chairman Zee Telefilms Ltd receives the honour from the former Finance Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh — Photo by Vijender Tyagi.

Zee chief is ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ NEW DELHI, Sept 17 — Mr Subhash Chandra, who rose to become a media baron and Chairman of the multi-billion rupee Zee Telefilms Ltd in the post-liberalisation period has been honoured as the “Entrepreneur of the Year” for 1999 by leading global business consultants, Ernst and Young.

Managing as Japanese do
CHANDIGARH, Sept 17 — There is need to identify the 3MUs-all Japanese words — Muri (strain), Mura (inconsistency) and Muda (waste) at a workplace to achieve operational improvement.

PIL on sick units challenged
NEW DELHI, Sept 17 — The Delhi High Court today issued notices to the centre, the Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) and others on a petition challenging a public interest litigation seeking to strike down a section of the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provision) Act. (SicA).

Architects’ meet opens
NEW DELHI, Sept 17 — Mr Ashok Pahwa, Secretary, Urban Affairs, today inaugurated a three-day conference of architects and an exhibition of architecture, interiors, and materials here.

Wipro to bless five millennium babies

BANGALORE, Sept 17 (UNI) — Expectant mothers now have a chance to create history with the Wipro Millennium Baby initiative, launched by Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting Limited here.

Addressing newsmen here today, Wipro Vice-Chairman P.S. Pai Marketing Manager Anil Chugh said Wipro Baby Soft had launched a drive to bless the new born of the year 2000.

According to the programme, the parents expecting their baby after December 15, 1999 can take part in the contest. Babies born closest to 00.00 hrs of January 1 next will be given special recognition.

The first five babies born on that hour will be awarded by Wipro Baby Soft. The company is contemplating three different areas of recognition for the millennium baby.

Five babies will be selected from each city and from the lot, five others will be selected to represent the state for the national event in which five millennium finalists will be decided.

The company proposes to provide a life insurance policy, a bond for educational and medical support for life for the finalists.

Zee chief is ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Sept 17 — Mr Subhash Chandra, who rose to become a media baron and Chairman of the multi-billion rupee Zee Telefilms Ltd in the post-liberalisation period has been honoured as the “Entrepreneur of the Year” for 1999 by leading global business consultants, Ernst and Young.

Mr Chandra, born at Adampur in Haryana, was selected among 300 top Indian entrepreneurs by a high profile jury chaired by the Chairman of HDFC Ltd, Mr Deepak S.Parekh, and consisting of the FICCI Secretary General, Mr Amit Mitra, the Chairman of Hero Honda Motors, Mr B.M.Munjal; the Chief Executive of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, Dr Isher Judge Ahluwalia; and the Vice Chairman of the Sanmar Group, Mr N.Kumar.

Mr Chandra will now rub shoulders with the world’s top entrepreneurs at the 13th annual Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year international conference at Palm Springs in California between November 11-14, the Chairman of the Indian arm of Ernst and Young, Mr K. Memani said.

Mr Memani announced that the company would institute more award categories in the new millennium to perpetuate the search for entrepreneurial excellence.

The jury also selected Mr Rajendra S.Pawar and Vijay Thadani of NIIT Ltd as the “Master Entrepreneur” of the year. The award for the Entrepreneur of the Year for Manufacturing went to K.Raghvendra Rao of Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd while the Entrepreneur of the Year for Services went to Mr B.Ramalinga Raju of Satyam Computer Services Ltd.

The four Indian enterprise stars were chosen from a short list of 20 successful entrepreneurs that included Mr Anil Moolchandani of Archies Greetings and Gifts Ltd, Mr Arun Jain of Polaris Software Lab Ltd., Mr B.V.R.Mohan Reddy of Infotech Enterprises Ltd, Mr G.V.K.Reddy of GVK Industries Ltd., Mr Kalpathi S.Suresh of SSI Ltd, Mr K.Anji Reddy of Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Mr K.V.Reddy of Shanta Biotechnics, Mr M.S.Shashikaran of Hical Magnetics, Mr P.D.Gupta of Liberty Shoes, Mr Raj Jain of R.S.Software, Mr R.C.Mody of Silicon Automation Systems, Mr Ramesh Gelli of Global Trust Bank Ltd, Mr R.Screwala of Unilazer Group, Mr S.D.Sharma of Network Solutions Pvt Ltd, Mr Sunil Bharti Mitta of Bharti Enterprises and Mr Yunus G.Bilakhia of Mitsu Industries Ltd.

The awards, instituted for the first time in Asia by Ernst and Young, were given away at a ceremony in the capital last night and adding colour to the evening were the former Finance Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, who was responsible for unleashing the Indian entrepreneur by his path breaking reforms measure in the early nineties and the country’s very own Rahul Bajaj of “Hamara Bajaj” fame.

Dr Manmohan Singh also had a word of advice for the young men: “If liberalisation has to succeed, we need a new vision for our private enterprise inspired by patriotic fervour”.

Dr Singh also spoke about the need for self regulation, good corporate governance and the need to contribute to the society by showing concern for the poor and the needy and the environment also.

Mr Rahul Bajaj in his address spoke about the need for additional Government support to build Indian business. He said there should no guilt in supporting Indian business as this was the practice in the United States, Japan and many of the South East Asian countries. He also talked about privatisation of the public sector units, reforming the labour policy and the need for a strong and stable Government at the Centre.

Incoming calls free from Nov 1
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Sept 17 — Incoming calls on cellular phones will be free from November 1, 1999, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) confirmed today.

Announcing the commencement of Calling Party Pays (CPP) regime, TRAI also specified ad interim tariffs to apply from the same date. This has been done through an amendment to the Telecommunications Tariff Order 1999 and to the Telecommunication Interconnection (Charges and Revenue sharing) Regulation 1999.

Further, for the first time different standard tariffs have been introduced for airtime charge and rentals in these two types of service areas.

As per the new tariff package,outgoing calls from cellular phones in metros will be Rs 4 for first minute and Rs 2 there after for each 30 second duration with a monthly rental of Rs 475. In the case of circles,the tariffs the specified standard tariffs are Rs 4.50 for first minute and Rs 2.25 thereafter for each 30 seconds duration with a monthly rental of Rs 500.

A local call from fixed line to mobile phone will be charged with a double pulse to begin with and then will have a pulse of every 60 seconds. For instance, if Re 1 is charged per metered call upto 60 seconds then a call from fixed line to cellular phone will cost Rs 2 and for duration between 60 seconds and two minutes the call will be charged Rs 3.

Making these announcements at a news conference here, the Chairman of TRAI, Justice S. S. Sodhi said that CPP regime would encourage usage in a major way.

Two other initiatives of the TRAI are also linked to the ad interim tariffs. One is the determination of ‘universal access levy’ which will be decided by the government in consultation with TRAI. This would address some of the revenue concerns of the DoT.

Managing as Japanese do
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 17 — There is need to identify the 3MUs-all Japanese words — Muri (strain), Mura (inconsistency) and Muda (waste) at a workplace to achieve operational improvement.

This was stated by Mr Subir Chowdhury and Mr Sunil Chopra from Eicher Tractors at a session on “Kaizen” organised by the CII at Parwanoo today.

In today’s changing business environment which is driven by customer expectations, product quality, competition and government rules and regulations, it is vital for organisations to change their way of thinking as well as their way of doing jobs, emphasised the experts from Eicher.

Kaizen is a Japanese concept (Kai-change and Zen-good, for the better) which involves a number of steps and signifies small continues improvements by employees in their day-to-day work.

Since it involves employees across all levels and in all areas, Kaizen results in all-round performance enhancement. It channelises the creativity of employees in a direction that is desirable to organisational good and creates a collective sense of pride in them.

Kaizen also entails little or no capital expenditure, as it involves improving work methods using existing equipment, they added.

Mr A.R. Singh, Chairman and Capt Alok Sharma, Vice-Chairman, CII HP State Council, also spoke.

PIL on sick units challenged

NEW DELHI, Sept 17 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court today issued notices to the centre, the Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) and others on a petition challenging a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to strike down a section of the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provision) Act. (SicA).

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S.N. Variava and Mr Justice S.K. Mahajan directed the respondents, including the original petitioner, who moved the PIL, to file replies by November 11, the next date of hearing.

The PIL had sought striking down of the Section 22 of the SICA which provides a wide range of protection to the sick industries including those against recovery of sales tax.

The court also had earlier issued notices on the PIL to RBI, Department of Law, Justice and Company Affairs and Department of Public Enterprises.

The PIL, filed by advocate B.L. Wadhera sought to striking down of the Section 22 of the act on the ground that a large number of companies were “causing sickness” deliberately to take numerous benefits under it.

However, BIFR Bar Association through an intervention plea today sought to challenge the PIL saying that Section 22 itself provides a mechanism to prevent its misuse.

It also said that Indian industries were passing through a recessionary phase due to which references of sick units to BIFR had shown an upward trend.

Architects’ meet opens

NEW DELHI, Sept 17 (TNS) — Mr Ashok Pahwa, Secretary, Urban Affairs, today inaugurated a three-day conference of architects and an exhibition of architecture, interiors, and materials here.

The conference, said to be the first of its kind has been organised by the Indian Institute of Architects. About 500 delegates are expected to participate.

DSQ soft
NEW DELHI, Sept 17 (PTI) — DSQ Software Limited has placed an order of $ 1.5 million for software and services with the US-based Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC). The company’s order is for Parametric’s flagship products.