| Embassy Bulletin |
Vol. 3 August 2010 |
Newsletter of the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands in India
Face2Face
Born in Mumbai, I grew up in the beautiful garden city of Bangalore, which gave me the opportunity to become multifaceted and adept at learning the south Indian languages Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, aside from Hindi. This has proved to be an asset to me professionally, since the NBSO Chennai, till recently, handled the entire southern region of India.
The Dutch connection was dormant in me long before I joined the NBSO. My first assignment was with TNT Skypak Couriers, the then franchisee in India for the Dutch TNT Worldwide Express. Later, a couple of short stints with the travel and hospitality industry made me aspire for more, and I moved from Bangalore to Chennai to join the e-publishing industry, where I did some work for the Dutch publisher Kluwer Academic as well.
I joined the NBSO in June 2000. The first thing that drew me to the job was the exciting idea of working for an office of a foreign government, which generally gives us a feeling of awe. Added to this, the fact that the NBSO, Chennai, was the very first NBSO in the world made it completely irresistible.
My job involved general administration, maintaining finance, preparing market studies, participation in trade fairs, and networking with chambers of commerce and other branch organizations as well as networking with India companies in our region to prepare us in helping Dutch companies as and when required.
This ten-year voyage has been one of continuous learning, challenges, appreciations and relationship building, all of which has contributed in some way or the other to make me what I am today! The most satisfying moment in the ten last years was when an analysis and worldwide evaluation judged our office as one of the best in the world; it is a great feeling to be a part of the office and the team that made it to the top! Every mission that visits our region and returns to Holland satisfied with our efforts in helping them do business in India gives me a feeling of achievement, and there have been numerous such instances. It would, however, be wonderful, if we could achieve at least 50 percent fruition in Dutch and Indian companies that we bring together. We now stand at about 35 percent.
Initially, it was a little difficult getting used to the Dutch way of working. But over time, I have understood that the idea is to improve efficiency, and have tried, and am still trying to inculcate the same in my daily work. I must say that the misgivings are minimal compared to the pleasure of working with the Dutch.
The three tenets of life that I believe and live by are: keep smiling and the world smiles back at you; every problem or obstacle has a solution, whether easy or not; and life has taught me to respect every relationship I make.
I look forward to the continued support of my colleagues in the network to make my journey to the next milestone even more memorable.
Meenakshi PR
Deputy Representative
The Netherlands Business Support Office – Chennai
At Green Works International, we produce tissue culture plants and supply them to our customers. We reproduce plants in the laboratory, which can be done all the year round, irrespective of the season. Since it’s done in a laboratory conditions, it is free of bacteria or viruses.
We have been active in China with the production of tissue culture plants. For some reason, we weren’t successful there. We read about a product called the Market Scan in a magazine and contacted the Agency for International Economic Cooperation and Development (www.evd.nl) to set the ball rolling. Through our Agency for International Economic Cooperation and Development, we got in touch with the Netherlands Embassy and its economic network in India. The Netherlands Business Support Offices did the research to find us prospective partners there in India—reliable tissue culture laboratories. They searched out several of them, and then we reviewed them and decided to visit some of them along with officials from the Netherlands Embassy. After that, we selected two laboratories and now finally work with one very good lab in Kochi. So far we have been very successful with them.
If I had to look for those laboratory partners myself, it would have been very difficult and extremely time-consuming. So the Agency for International Economic Cooperation and Development and The Netherlands Embassy in India have saved me a tremendous amount of time and effort. Because of this, we have been able to find a partner that supplies us with good quality plant material on a reliable basis, which we can then supply to our customers.
Daan Kneppers
Green Works International BV
| Highlights |
| 1. |
World Congress on IT 2010, Amsterdam
WCIT 2010 (www.wcit2010.org) was held in Amsterdam from May 25 to 27. With the help of The Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi, India’s Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology, Mr. Sachin Pilot, attended the WCIT and was accompanied by officials from National Informatics Centre and ERNET. The Minister spoke at the plenary session and was part of the panel discussion on "Innovation". Amsterdam in Business, co-sponsor of the event had extended special invitation to Indian IT companies, and offered an exclusive programme to promote The Netherlands as an investment destination. Well-known Indian IT companies, like CMC, Mastek, Mascon Global, L&T infotech and Omnitech were represented. Amsterdam is home to all the major Indian IT companies and has a growing Indian diaspora from the sector. |
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| 2. |
Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency
From May 26 to 28, The Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi as well as the Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs attended the first of its kind Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency held in Amsterdam. The conference, attended by 1200 delegates from 77 different countries, was organised by the Global Reporting Initiative, which recently opened a representative office in New Delhi. |
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| 3. |
Dutch agro interested in India
The Agricultural Department of The Netherlands Embassy participated in the Asia Challenge held on the June 3 in The Hague, The Netherlands. The interest of Dutch Agro sector in India was confirmed once again. The Agricultural Department met with 15 companies on that day and visited 7 other companies around the Asia Challenge. |
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| 4. |
INBC presidents meet again
The Presidents of the India-Netherlands Business Circles (INBCs) in India met for the second time on 25 June in Ahmedabad. They shared good practices with respect to activities and planning and agreed to work towards common objectives and criteria for membership. In addition, they decided to reach out to Dutch companies in states outside the immediate perimeter of the circle and to operationalise an umbrella website. |
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| 5. |
Package4Growth deadline extended
The application period for the export and investment subsidy Package4Growth is extended to December 31, 2010. Up until June 30, a total of 26 projects have been submitted in the newly established Package4Growth. A new scheme to acquire knowledge has been launched under Package4Growth. The new scheme subsidizes 50 percent of the total costs (minimum Euro 25,000, maximum Euro 100,000) for acquiring specific knowledge the Dutch Government does not provide (www.evd.nl/p4g). |
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| 6. |
Auto sector revs up
Representatives of the Dutch automotive industry visited India from July 12 to 17 as part of the public/private 2g@there initiative in automotive. Their visit was a follow-up of the successful automotive mission last April when steps were made towards cooperation in the field of automotive research, development and testing. The visit was also used as preparation for a large automotive delegation from India to the Netherlands, with representatives from the government, automotive institutes and private sector. |
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| 7. |
Trade mission subsidies granted
The Ministry of Economic Affairs granted subsidies for a mission to India of companies from the cold chain industry scheduled for November and a mission from Indian representatives of the electronic dance music industry to the worldwide leading 15th conference and festival for electronic music the ‘Amsterdam Dance Event’ (http://www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl) to be held from 20 to 23 of October. |
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| 8. |
Indo-Dutch business visas up
The year 2010 has seen a strong increase in business visa applications, a strong sign of increasing economic relations between India and The Netherlands. The Embassy in Delhi, which issued over 9,000 visas up until July, has seen an increase of 14 percent in regular business visa, of 83 percent in Orange Carpet Facility Business visa and of 20 percent in knowledge workers permits. The Consulate-General in Mumbai, which saw almost 12000 visa applications this year until July, has seen an increase in applications for overall commercial and professional visas, including the Orange Carpet Facility Business visas, of 50 percent, and the applications for knowledge worker permits saw an increase of 23 percent. |
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| 9. |
Two Indians go Dutch
Vigyan Gadodia, working for Sahaj Agrofarm India P. Ltd. in Jaipur and Tanmay Aggarwal, working for IDS Infotech Ltd, are two young, bright Indians who were selected to visit The Netherlands for a custom-made programme, visiting world-class companies, research institutes and politicians. The Dutch Visitors’ Programme is being organized since late last year by the Agency for International Business and Cooperation (EVD) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in The Netherlands. This unique study trip is an ideal opportunity to experience the Netherlands first-hand, free of charge. |
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| 10. |
MoU signed for conservation of Dutch tombs in Ahmedabad
The Indo Dutch Business Circle-Ahmedabad signed a MoU with the Government of Gujarat, State Archaeology Department, for the conservation of Dutch tombs in Ahmedabad. The tombs originate from the 17th century and are located on the periphery of Kankaria Lake. In 2004, while the monuments were restored by the city and state archaeology departments, the site itself had been left untouched. |
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| 11. |
Indian researcher to hold Prince Claus Chair at Utrecht University
Dr. Atul Kumar, a young researcher from TERI in the area of sustainability and climate modeling was appointed to hold the Prince Claus Chair at the Utrecht University. The inauguration and oration are scheduled for March 2011. |
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| Date |
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Activity |
| 10-19 September |
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Utrecht mission: A delegation from Utrecht will travel to India, comprising of representatives from the province, the Utrecht Research University, the University of Applied Sciences and the University Medical Centre. The delegation will be headed by the Queen’s Commissioner of Utrecht and the Rector of the Utrecht University. The delegation will visit Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad and will focus on collaboration in the area of medical research, serious gaming and sciences in all field of sustainable development. One of the main objectives is to sign a collaboration agreement with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). |
| 12-18 September |
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Auto mission: Official automotive delegation to The Netherlands to follow up on earlier discussions and the signing of the joint statement in automotive research, development and testing in April this year, a delegation of high-level government officials, together with representatives of NATRIP, ARAI, SIAM and ACMA, will visit The Netherlands for meetings with the top of Dutch automotive industry, the government, R&D institutes and higher educational institutions. One of the objectives is to sign a letter of intent for developing an Indian centre for accident data analysis. |
| 20-23 October |
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Electronic music and dance event: Indian Delegation to the 15th conference and festival for electronic music the ‘Amsterdam Dance Event’ (http://www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl) |
| October/November |
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Oil and gas delegation: Business delegation to India from the Dutch oil and gas industry |
| October/November |
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Clean-tech mission: Business delegation to India (Delhi, Mumbai, Pune) from the Dutch Cleantech sector www.cleantechmissionindia.com |
| 13-20 November |
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Limburg trade mission: Trade mission to India (Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad) organised by the Chambers of Commerce Limburg Province |
| November |
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Cold chain mission: Business delegation to India from the Dutch cold chain logistics sector |
| November |
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Maritime and logistics mission: Business delegation to India (Kochi, Chennai) from the Dutch maritime/logistics sector |
| February 2011 |
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Mission of the City of Rotterdam and the Erasmus University to India: The focus will be on collaboration in the areas of medical sciences, healthcare on the one side and complex logistic processes and urban development on the other. |
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