Raichur Flood Relief Press Meet

It is always AMMA's hand which comes first to the rescue of those who are in trouble. When heavyfloods hit Karnataka and Andhrapradesh in the months of September and October 2009, the MataAmritanandamayi Math headed byAMMAtook up the relief work in both the states. On behalf ofMata Amritanandamayi Math, a press meet on AMMA's flood relief programme was held at AMRITASchool of Business, Bangalore on 27.10.2009 (Tuesday). Amma , then had announced that theAshram will spend Rs. 50 crore (10.68M USD / 7.2M Euro approx.) for the rehabilitation of the floodhitpeople in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and Br. AbhayaamritaChaitanya conveyed this in thepress meet. Also, he briefly explained about the activities carried out by the brahmacharis, devoteesand AMRITA medical team in the flood affected areas. He then put forth the MATH's idea ofextending its hand of support to the victims of flood in a more tangible manner and the plans for therehabilitation activities in both the states.

CEO Meet

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University) organized an International CEO Summit on Feb 8that Taj Gateway, Bangalore. The theme of the conference was “Innovation enriched by human values and business ethics for sustainability”.

The business meet brought together business leaders from India and USA for a one day event which consisted of invited lectures on some of the latest topics of Innovation, Human values, and Business Ethics. The meet provided a platform for business leaders from industry and academia to deliberate on the latest trends, best practices and socio economic approaches towards innovation processes in business that were enriched by human values and business ethics for sustainability.

The meet addressed relevant issues around the adaption of innovation & sustainability practices and how it is possible to succeed & thrive in today's business scenario by upholding human values and business ethics. The delegates discussed on how successful organizations worldwide integrate sustainability to their business processes in order to leverage human capital and sustenance as a part of the creative process that evolves a whole culture change in their organizations.

The key executives who addressed the CEO meet were

• Dr. M.S. Krishnan, Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.
• Mr. S.P Krishnan, Director and CEO, Reliance Engineers Ltd.
• Mr. Parthasarathy, CEO, Infrastructure Management Services of Mindtree.
• Dr. P. VenkatRangan, Vice Chancellor, Amrita University.
• Swami RamakrishnanandaPuri, Treasurer, Mata Amritanandamayi Math.

Speaking in the event, Professor M.S.Krishnan said “As firms embrace digitization and globalization in this new age of innovation, both mangers and consumers need to be sensitive on the impact of these innovations on environmental resources and human values. For innovations to be successful in the long run they need to eliminate waste, conserve resources and they need to be inclusive to benefit every stratum of this society.”

“Human Values and Ethics should be a part of our day to day life. Only when we practice the smaller steps will we get the courage to be truly selfless and serve the needy” urged Swami RamakrishnanandaPuri.

Dr. Parthasarathy drew the attention of the audience towards “The micro, mini and small sector companies and how innovation can improve their operational competency in these times of recession”.

The event was well attended by over 40 senior executives from around 25 companies including Phillips Innovation Centre, Microsoft, Nokia, HP, IBM, Intel, AMD, TCS, Tata Elxsi, Adobe, Cisco and Omnex.

BUDGET Meet

Amrita Vishwavidyapeetham (Amrita University) organized its first annual forum on Insights of Union Budget on Mar 15th at the Amrita School of Business campus in Bangalore. The theme of the conference was “Is the Budget 2010 11 Oriented towards Long term growth”. The forum brought together members from 3 key areas, Government, Academia, and Industry. The forumprovided a platform for members from industry and academia to deliberate on the merits, highlights and short comings of the Union Budget 2010-11.

The forum addressed four key questions related to the Union Budget 2010-11.

• Whether the budget overlooks AamAadmi
• Fiscal Deficit Vs Inflation more importantly, How far the Budget has succeeded in keeping them in balance.
• Economic growth and Employment that the budget promises.
• The Tax Reforms & Fiscal Prudence

The key executives who addressed the Forum were

• Dr. G. Thimmaiah, Former Member, National Planning Commission
• Dr. S. Bisaliah, Former Vice Chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
• Mr. M. Vishweshwar, Senior Director, Deloitte
• Mr. K. Ravindran, Finance Controller, Target

Speaking in the event, Dr.G.Thimmaiah said “Low interest rates, low inflation higher savings, large inflow of FDI resulted in High rate of investment- reasons for 9% growth rate during 04-07.Budget 2010 however might result in High fiscal deficit will reduce investment funds available to Private Sector. Higher inflation will push up the interest rates. FDI may not continue to flow in large amounts because of uncertainty in world economy. Infrastructure Development will not occur .Hence it may not be possible to attain the high growth rate promised”

“Govt should only be an enabler rather than be an intervener.” urged Dr. S. Bisaliah and asked some tough questions to the government” Why not end all subsidies? Why not design a new method to give the subsidies such as vouchers and coupons to deliver benefits? Why not direct payment to farmers instead of fertilizer subsidies? Employment mediates between Growth and Inclusion. 41% of households below poverty line, what is being done to help them? Are we sure that the outcome of the budget will match the outlay?”