“UnLtd India is looking for start up social entrepreneurs for it’s unique programme which offers start up funding and hands-on support. Applications are now open. Write to incubation.support@unltdindia.org to get started.

UnLtd India is a launchpad for social entrepreneurs.

UnLtd India finds, funds and supports exceptional individuals whose ideas, passion and entrepreneurial skills can transform India’s social problems.

It works with early-stage social entrepreneurs to help them:

1. Accelerate their progress
2. Develop as leaders
3. Prepare their high-impact organisations for scaling and further investment

UnLtd India has four key programmes:

1. Incubation support – seed funding and support
2. Bootcamp – an intensive accelerator
3. Bombay Hub – a laboratory and co-working space for social change
4. Social Mashup – a national conference for early-stage social social entrepreneurs

Learn more at unltdindia.org

Agriculture is a key sector in India that employs two-thirds of the country’s work force. It continues to be a significant contributor to the GDP, accounting for around 20% of the GDP. A question that constantly nags us is the quest to understand the ecosystem of this sector and its related dynamics. Ironically the most striking observation is the most banal. There is no one dominant industry player in this sector!

Agriculture sector is a fragmented market that is majorly unorganized, leading to an evident conclusion that this sector is fraught with opportunities, particularly for entrepreneurs. Various gaps in the business of agriculture present ample growth and monetary benefits for young entrepreneurs who are ready to challenge themselves with this opportunity. An added advantage: Agriculture entrepreneurs will also be able to improve the lives of the poor farmers through their efforts.

ITC began few initiatives targeting the periphery of agriculture few years back and have since then contributed to the well being of hundreds of poor villagers of our country. The strategy to work in such an area has also resulted in profits for ITC. There is an urgent need for more players to enter this market and work for overall benefit of the ecosystem. Presently, the profits of much of the hard work of poor farmers are reaped by middle men, capitalist companies and the like.

I am sharing this article with you from a personal experience – Last month, I visited my native village and few nearby villages. After spending quality time with villagers, I appreciated their problems better and realized that they were unable to improve their livelihood in spite of having fertile land.

My journey to the village introduced me to some of the most common problems of farmers. They are as follows.

• Lack of business acumen to convert their sweat into money

• No awareness of new technologies that can improve efficiency and hence output

• Less ideas on the kinds of seed that will be best suited for land

• Lack of exact information on most relevant kinds of fertilizers, optimal amount of water needed by farm lands, agriculture insurance etc.

• Lack of information about government schemes and subsidies

• No information about markets, especially about far-off mandi’s that can be profitable during buy-sell process

• No idea of the end-price of their produce in city markets

• Lack of knowledge about optimal quantity, quality and number of crops to grow for maximum benefit

The above points have been derived directly from the farmers and are real pain points.

The issues listed above are only a partial list of potent opportunities entrepreneurs can target on the manufacturing side of the agriculture business not only to reap profits but also to help farmers live better.

Entrepreneurs need to draw tailor made plans to offer solutions to various problems stated above. Agriculture is a big market that runs in several billion dollars. An agile step by an entrepreneur can prove to be significant in terms of profit making and doing well for the poor farmers. Operationally, too, farmers can bring in efficiency in their production with the help of latest technology, application of right fertilizers and suitable crops for a particular farm-land etc with the help of right entrepreneurial consultants.

The fragmented supply chain of agriculture sector provides another set of opportunities for entrepreneurs. Hundreds and thousands of quintals of raw staple perish due to unavailability of effective warehouse / cold-storage in our country. Government of India shows immaturity in handling such warehousing problems, leading to such a loss. The government doesn’t invest well in developing more warehouses with the lack of professionalism in taking up such work acting as cherry on the cake. Gaps in supply chain are also a multi-million dollar opportunity that can be targeted by entrepreneurs.

Wait no more! Indian farmers are calling all entrepreneurs with the promise to make each of you a billionaire; all you have to do is be successful in making their lives better.

This article has been written by Jitendra Mishra, one of the volunteer contributors at Machaan Labs. Please write to info@machaanventures.com for any query.

Rarely has it happened in the history of independent India that one man showed the guts to stand up against the mighty government. Anna proved that such a thing was possible. Equally rare was the result of such standup – the government and the ruling party initially looked limping  as if shot at the bottom, then slowly morphing into a badly wounded but clueless demon towards the climax of Annaji’s anti-corruption fast. Though the government over the past few months seems to be in avenging mood, Anna and his team look poised to create an unprecedented history in India if part of what they are rooting for becomes reality.

The other weekend was a fun bike-ride for me to Ralegan-Siddhi, the place that created the power called Anna. Since my friends Jitender and Manish, who accompanied me to Ralegan, were in hurry to return, I had to come back the same day. However, given a choice, I will like to stay back for few days in Ralegan to get a chance to interact with Anna, who is fast turning into a legend, and know him closely. However, from his fifteen minutes session that some thirty odd people were blessed with, Anna made it clear that he was not going to mince words when he spoke. Anna spoke about his demand for an effective ombudsman in India, his desire to work more actively for the poor, and matters such as ‘Right to Recall’ and ‘Right to Reject’, the discussion for which, he said, will take place in future.  Anna wants to build a better India. So are the political parties. But there is an urgency that Anna and his team show when they talk about reforms in India, an urgency that brings hope for the youth and the next generation of our country.

Anna was at his best when he said, “zindagi hatheli par rakh kar ghoomta hoon” (i roam around the country with my life on my palms). Such is the commitment and fearlessness of this seventy year old man that the most powerful political party of India reworked its strategy innumerable times to handle him during his Jan-Lokpal fast. Needless to say that the Harvard and Oxford dons of Congress found it the most challenging case-study of their careers so far.  There is no better strategy to work with a person like Annaji than the idea of including him in the system for real. I personally believe that the mess that was created by Congress during Annaji’s fast was an outcome of misplaced ego and arrogance.

The most striking of all about Anna is the fact that he acknowledges, with an uncharacteristic calmness for his age, that his activities are just his two-cents for the development of India. He doesn’t just speak these words superficially; there is an inherent honesty, simplicity and awareness about everything he talks. This is remarkable for someone who has not gone to big schools, someone who has almost lived all his life in a village and someone who is too old to have become irritated and irritable by now. It is unbelievable that we can be matured, responsible and educated to such an extent, as shown by Annaji, without actually attending big universities of the world and performing ‘in-depth’ research in those places. The fact that Anna thinks that he is not powerful makes him immensely powerful. In fact, with the changing times, the world needs leaders, such as Annaji, who are powerful and responsible, both concurrently.

This article has been written by Ansh Verma. He can be contacted at ansh@machaanventures.com

Asko Kauppi is founder of BM Design Ltd, a venture that aims to provide automated infrastructure to ease and increase the efficiency of global transportation. Asko is from Helsinki, Finland and has graduated from Tampere University of Technology in 1999, majoring in computer systems and having exposure to usability, electronics etc. After graduation, he worked four years for Flextronics in electronics production, testability and software team leadership positions. Asko likes to develop software that controls real world objects.

He inspired us when he said, “My aspiration is to be a part of the solution for the 21st century world – not the problem. What I mean is causing tremendous CO2 emission savings through my action.”

Read on to get inspired and to know how Asko is trying to bring positive change to our world.

What is your organization type ?

BM Design is a limited company. I am the founder and still have all the shares – hopefully that changes soon. The project has involved maybe 10 people by now, on a subcontracting basis. The company was launched in March 2010.

What has inspired to you start your venture?

I was coming home from work in 2008, in a crowded bus full of wet people. I imagined world in 50 years from now might still be similar. That was creepy. Got to do something about it – so I envisioned what could be a better way. Seems others also have and a whole industry is about to boom up on automated transport. I’m lucky to be riding that wave, and saying the vehicles and track should be light. That has been our central design criteria.

Once getting further, the business aspect of the project has turned out to be interesting. At first, I thought of myself merely as the innovator but as one friend told me: ”I think this project needs you to run it.” Investment business is new to me but I think I’ve figured out by now how it works, and how to use it.

How will your venture bring positive change to our lives?

Our system provides an ”always on”, automated service for taking people within a certain area from station A to station Z. Vehicles are ready for boarding (no waiting) and there are no interim slow-downs (no red lights or congestion). The system makes travel enjoyable, dependable and predictable. It’s also environmentally as efficient as can be because of light rail-bound vehicles. You can think of our ”bubbles” as a horizontal elevator or a Star Trek -type ”beam me up, Scotty” service.

Once we are operational, local operations will be run by local people, for local people. The business model is akin to opening a McDonald’s restaurant. Through this, it offers work for the local community. Our job is to design a product that allows such operations and to keep up the excellent service quality. We will do the branding.

A vital by-product of using ”bubbles” to implement community transport is that road level congestion is relieved. This can mean safer and more efficient road level traffic and/or more greenery instead of asphalt. More chances for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Also animals will freely roam below our track.

How did you conceptualize the idea? Was the idea of inclusiveness for communities / doing good for society in your mind when you started?

Yes. Maybe this comes from home upbringing, but the way the business integrates with *local* people is essential. Being local – while being global. I’ve heard that anthem in my Flextronics years, but to really pull it through in a suburb way is a thrilling challenge. The world’s seen so much of quarter-based bad capitalism that it’s simply time to move on. The Internet is social, and future companies should be social as well. Something that really puts a relaxed smile on your face, whether you’re a passenger, employer or customer. This is our human goal.

Our primary goal is to develop tools to cut CO2 emissions radically, in urban transport.

To conceptualize an idea, I crafted novel-like descriptions on how it would feel to use such a service in practice. Those texts were based in Greenwich, London, and haven’t been used anywhere public. But they gave the passenger interface idea on how I would like to interact with a transport service. They are a guidance that will be used again, if we were to loose track of the end user.

(Such texts are called ”case studies” in design industry but I would rather refer to these as narratives. Or stories.)

What is the current status of your venture/ initiative? How many lives has it touched since inception?

Probably some hundred people have heard of this, in live presentations. While investors generally yack! it (though politely) regular people both get and love it! The best feedback I’ve gotten from two taxi drivers, one in London and another in New Delhi. They both welcomed the change wholeheartedly – maybe because they know the daily traffic so well!

If I have to choose either users or investors to love an idea, I naturally prefer it exactly this way!

How did you fund your initiative during initial phases? Has any investment made in the venture / initiative till date?

My IT consultancy ”day job” has luckily been paying for most of the bills from the new endeavour. Also, I got a small loan from a Finnish government venture organisation at a crucial time that has helped to carry on.

We’re now ready for the initial investment to be able to change to bigger gear.

What are short term and long term goals of the venture / initiative? What is the vision?

Short term (seed investment) goal: #1 proof of concept CAD simulations on the hardware. We got Autodesk Cleantech Partnership software grants so the tools are there. This will not cost much but is crucial. If the concept wouldn’t work, we must learn why as soon as possible (no-one has stated it wouldn’t work but still). #2 patent application further (we have a PCT application filed in March 2010). #3 starting of software development (because good software takes time).

Middle term (ca. 2014): to have a working, public pilot track preferably in Finland.

Long term: to help cities create safe, fun and carbonless person transport networks that don’t ruin the cityscape. To seriously impact a drop in CO2 emissions from city traffic and through that help mitigate climate change from going crazy.

Describe in detail the problems you are facing to achieve your goals now?

Financing is currently the only hurdle in front of us. Passing the initial step from ”one man, pictures only” to a small company with steady, measurable success is what must happen.

I’m confident we shall get through that hurdle. What lies ahead behind that hurdle is clear, and we are prepared for the work.

For some, the plans seem way too big and the company (me) way too small. I was suggested in the very beginning to contact someone like Siemens. But here lies a catch. Companies who’ve actively caused the current (lack of) infrastructure to exist would not be the best ones to fix the situation. They do try – but a change of attitude is needed. For this reason, Google came from nowhere though Digital had AltaVista. We intend to do the same when it comes to automated urban transport.

What, according to you, is the solution to your problems? How can this venture / initiative be more successful in achieving its goal?

First of all, we need people (on the investment side) who take climate change seriously. Who realize it is potentially a life threatening out-of-control situation we don’t want to gamble with. Traditionally, investors are often exactly that – gamblers (sorry, but… it’s true). So we need a special breed of investors, ones we ”get along with”.

Second, we need them to be hungry as well. This is where company-lead ecological projects differ from traditional green movement. We want to kick ass. We are hungrier than the average green movements (maybe with the exception of Greenpeace). We really want to make a change, and also make money. But money comes second – or third.

What is your message to other aspiring entrepreneurs / change-makers who, like you, would like to change our world through their entrepreneurial leadership?

Leadership only needs you to lead. That’s it.

We’re in a stage where most of mankind is very confused of what’s going on. Change and possible ”new era” will come from those seeing things differently and acting with courage, dignity and hunger for change.

Do take expenses seriously. Study what ”lean startup” ideology is and you can get great results with little money.

Initiative / Venture Name: National Network for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities

Website, if any, of the initiative / Venture: www.nned.in

Inception Year: 2011

Email Id: mail@nned.in

How has the initiative brought positive change to our communities / societies / lives?

Amandeep Singh: National Network for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities (NNED) is a philanthropic non-profit organization aimed at promoting and facilitating entrepreneurship among people with disabilities. It aims at creating an equal platform for entrepreneurs with disabilities who are in the initial or development phase of their business and need help regarding the same. It has already touched the lives of many differently abled by providing them support, inspiration, advice and networking to help turn their dreams of owning and running a successful business into reality.

NNED is a place which enables mutual collaboration and connection between the non-disabled and disabled through the market place which results in mutual benefit of both the parties. We thus help creating interdependency between the two groups which helps promote in healthy business interactions. We share our expertise; provide case studies and leverage contacts and connections to a worldwide audience.

How did you conceptualize the idea?

AS: When NNED was formed, it was with a motive and aim to empower and support the people with various disabilities. From its initial phase, it was conceptualized in a way that it provides maximum benefit to that community (the differently abled) that actually needs it the most. The idea behind the project is that we intend to instill in those people a feeling of respect, self-dignity, integrity and confidence. For that, it is very necessary for them to be self sufficient and independent. Providing them with support for their business ventures would be a way to establish that feeling of self sufficiency in them and would also create a global platform for business interactions between the non-disabled and the disabled. Thus, it would help in creating a work place of equality and justice for the disabled.

What is the current status of your venture/ initiative? How many lives has it touched since inception?

AS: Since the initial phase, NNED has remained quite effective. Presently with the support of NNED, nearly 5 to 10 people have been able to set up their own business. Many of them have been recruited too. We have started on a small scale so that the effectiveness of the project does not suffer; however, we are aiming towards increasing these figures as NNED continues to grow larger.

How did you fund your initiative during initial phases? Has any investment made in the venture / initiative till date?

AS: NNED has been a self sustained project. It is run by Armaan and its team. Thus the administrative cost is comparitively low. During the initial phases also, we did not need much external fundings. However, now as the project is becoming large scale, we are getting fundings from Govt. and other private sources.

What are short term and long term goals of the venture / initiative? What is the vision?

AS: We intend to leave an everlasting impact on society by helping the disabled people with leadership qualities overcome the obstacles posed to them in their venture. The short term goals are to reach the disabled people who need funding and support them as much as possible. The long term goal is to make them self sustainable so that they are able to live a life of dignity and respect which is at par with the society. We intend to provide them a platform to progress in their business ventures and turn their ideas into reality so that they have a fair chance of proving themselves and making a respectable name in the society.

Describe in detail the problems you are facing to achieve your goals now? What is the solution?

AS: Well, being first of its kind initiative in India, we are more in improvisation process, we try new things, some work, some don’t, but overall, its being a great journey of consistent and never ending improvement. Having some experienced people on board had been of great help. When we got more feedback, we improvised more, and now we keep on talking with people about the same. And have discovered almost everyone gets excited about the concept and offers support.

Do you need professional / legal / fund raising / consulting support etc.? What sort?

AS: NNED is in its development phase. Therefore, support in all spheres will be much valuable to us. It will help us expand NNED and in turn increase its effectiveness which will be valuable to the society.

What is your message to other aspiring entrepreneurs / change-makers who, like you, would like to change our world through their entrepreneurial leadership?

AS: Just one line, be the change you wish to see, things are never easy nor they are supposed to be, just follow your bliss and work for common good.

Lifeline Express

The Lifeline Express started running on 16th July 1991; so far the service has benefited 400,000 Indians in the remotest rural parts of the country over the course of approximately ninety-three.

At Mahindra our definition of out-patient care is going out to where ever the patient is. Alternative thinking of this nature got us to support the Lifeline express, a hospital on rails whose motto is “if a disabled person cannot reach the hospital, then the hospital should reach him or her.” projects.

The project was officially launched on 2nd October 2007, and is the outcome of our deep rooted sense of Corporate Social Responsibility which has been basic to our philosophy since 1945.

Drawing from the experience of conducting two successful Lifeline Express stopovers at Rudrapur and Assam, the CSR Council decided to take the Lifeline Express on another journey to an another remote region.

From January 3rd – 24th, 2010, Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector and Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd. brought Lifeline Express to Wardha, Maharashtra. This halt changed the lives of thousands of people.

Lifeline Express, Wardha (2010)

• Total No. of surgeries & aids provided– 1,434
• Total No of man hours spent by ESOPs Volunteers – 13,752
• Total No of man hours spent by Community Volunteers – 30,575

The Lifeline Express offers free of cost medical and surgical interventions to the disabled in remote areas. The hospital on rails consists of 5 fully air-conditioned and well equipped coaches,. Two of the coaches are a operation theater & recovery room for patients and 1 coach each is a diagnostic centre, office sitting room for doctors & sterilization room, kitchen, staff quarters & Generator. The train has on board sophisticated medical and surgical facilities, which offer on-the-spot diagnostic, medical and surgical interventions to patients with operable orthopaedic disabilities (post polio deformities), hearing related disorders, cleft lip and eye related operable disabilities.

Cochlear Implants

A cochlear implant is a device that helps the severely hearing-impaired perceive sound meaningfully, even when the most powerful hearing aids fail to do so. It employs advanced digital technology to bypass damaged inner ear structure and send electrical signals directly to the auditory nerve. These signals are transmitted to the brain and are interpreted as sounds. The implant is beneficial to adults who have lost their hearing after acquiring spoken language skills, as well as children who are born deaf. Children who are born deaf but receive such implants early develop speech and language skills that are at par with children with normal hearing.

By empowering hearing-impaired children with the power of sound, the Mahindra Group has changed the life and future of 60 children.

Cochlear implants cost Rs. 5 lac each. As of March 31, 2010, 60 cochlear implant surgeries have been successfully undertaken.

The beneficiaries comprise of children below the age of 5, and those belonging to lower socio-economic strata. They are selected in consultation with Dr. Milind Kirtane and his team of doctors, audiologists, teachers of the hearing impaired and social counselors.

Operations are performed by Dr. Milind Kirtane, India’s leading ENT surgeon and winner of the prestigious Dr. B.C. Roy Award.

-As submitted to us by the sustainability cell of Mahindra and Mahindra.

Vision: Villcart aims to provide employment opportunities to people in the rural and tribal areas by helping them market their products.

Products: Presently Villcart has over 900 products in our first brick & mortar shop in Powai. These products are sourced from different regions across the country including rural areas of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, UP, etc. We also have handicrafts from remote violence affected regions such as Gadchiroli in Maharashtra and Bastar in Chhattisgarh. In most cases we procure directly from the artisans / manufacturers. We also have products form over 15 NGOs across the country.

Online Shop: Villcart has over 200 products for sale at www.villcart.com and you can order/gift handicrafts online here. Presently we are shipping all over India with free-shipping for orders over Rs. 200.

First Store: Villcart’s first store in located in Powai, Mumbai (164, 1st Floor, Powai Plaza, Opp Pizza Hut, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, Mumbai). Our store is open from 10 AM to 8:30 PM.

Corporate Gifts: Villcart also supplies handicrafts to various companies for corporate gifting. Gifting a product having social relevance adds to the CSR activities of these companies.

Please provide your feedback / suggestions by visiting our store in Powai / online shop. You can also support us by forwarding our email to your CSR / HR / procurement teams for corporate gifting. Of course, you can buy some handicrafts for yourself or for gifting.

Most often, people confuse Development for Economic Growth which is only partly right. According to United Nations (UN), human development is achieved when people are healthy with a high life expectancy rate, are literate and employable with good income and have political freedom in their country. Within this context, I am presenting a simple case of Water pollution incident in Hyderabad which claimed lives and subsequently thrown light on issues of Public actions and responsibilities, need for strict law enforcement and vigilance etc. This incident spurred a discussion on the social cost and environment cost of industrialization and the thin line between development and ultimate destruction.

WHERE?
This is the infamous Bholakpur water tragedy which occurred in Hyderabad in May, 2009. Similar to all the underdeveloped ‘Old city’ areas with potholes, broken roads, gaping manholes, crisscrossing sewage and water pipelines, hanging ‘raw’ animal hides and foul stench ; Bholakpur is famous for leather tanning industry which is operating from more than 5 decades along with iron scrap and plastic trading.

WHAT?
Ground Water was contaminated due to the unorganized and illegal leather tanning and plastic industry practices and pollution, and this water was supplied to the residents for daily consumption by the Water Board (Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB)). This heavy metal contamination along with bacteria resulted in the death of 14 people and close to 500 people had to be admitted to the hospitals overnight. A severe outbreak of Cholera was reported in the nearby areas too. The victims blamed the government and the politicians for not paying enough attention along with the Pollution and Water Boards for such gross negligence and lack of periodic industrial inspections in the area.

WHO and HOW?
In the above incident, Bholakpur has hundreds of residents working in the 107 Leather tanneries, 300 plastic and Iron traders. However, the workers were employed in unhealthy surroundings, they weren’t highly educated or skilled and their human rights were violated daily. Apart from this, they were exposed to dangerous chemicals without safety precautions. The owners didn’t conform to the rules proposed by the State Pollution board and released untreated toxic waste into the surrounding water bodies on a regular basis, which eventually disrupted their lives forever. Even though textiles and leather industry contribute to a significant part of Andhra Pradesh government’s annual GDP; it can be noted that ‘human development’ is low and the cost inflicted on environment is high above the permissible limits.

WHY?
The pollution board never gave thought to seriously impose restrictions on these small scale industries and didn’t bother to check if they were adhering to the basic guidelines laid down by the board. One reason might be due to political pressure by elected members, for the fear of disturbing local sentiments with such uncalled attention and losing precious vote bank. Workers and residents in Bholakpur never complained about the foul stench and solid waste emanating from these tanneries or the unfair wage rates and inhuman work conditions for the fear of losing their jobs and livelihood.

Similar incidents have been reported in Uttar Pradesh where illegal tanneries were punished and closed; and also in Tamil Nadu where an unauthorized leather market operates. It was found that most of the industrial areas in which these tanneries concentrated rendered nearby residential areas impossible for healthy living and had highly contaminated air and water, which was unfit for consumption.

NOW:
After this mishap, the state government suddenly drafted a plan to relocate these tanneries and traders to the outskirts of the city and allocated around 40 acres of land for this purpose. The scrap dealers and plastic traders have extended their interest to relocate to this village but leather tannery owners are averse to this idea. They quote losing their livelihoods and lack of similar business opportunities elsewhere for their reluctance.

2 years hence, there are still new cases of gastroenteritis reported every day and the extent of coli bacteria is found to be 24,000 times the permissible limit by an authority. Also, this bacterium has modified its structure and co-exists with heavy metals which is a phenomena not known earlier.

One important  question which still needs to be answered is whether the victims of Bholakpur know that they were equally responsible for the above incident and that those unnecessary deaths could have been completely avoided if they bothered about their actions and remained vigilant about the environmental pollution in their surroundings. Else, we are waiting for other disasters to happen which results in places unfit to live with unbearable pollution and unhealthy, malnourished people with no employment or future.

About the author: Sirisha Peri (twitter – siri84) is an engineer and researcher on development issues. She is also an avid writer, Social Media practitioner and an activist on Social and Environmental issues and could be contacted at: sirisha@machaanlabs.com

The conflict of interest between Economic growth and Environment has been on the fore front of India’s development from the past few years and perhaps dates to the initial days of the era of liberalization in 1990s. In the early days of Independence, such a dilemma felt distant and buried. But now in the crux of globalization and a GDP growth rate of 9% and an encouraging notion (delusion?) – that we are the major superpower in line with China-, we require more natural resources, power plants, automobiles and machinery, high value manufacturing, developed infrastructure and well equipped cities apart from other basic amenities of food, water, housing, gas supply and channels of communications of mobile, internet and satellite to cater to the needs of a billion plus nation.

At this juncture, we seem to be faltering and incapacitated in making this choice between overall economic developments and preserving our environment along with concerns about social wellbeing and public safety. With our limited landscape and high population density, conservation of precious natural resources also equates to averting major environment disasters in form of floods, famines among others. Also, the responsibility to consider the possibility of compromising the standards or quality of living for the upcoming generation weighs heavily while such a decision is being made.

Within this context, various questions arise:

• Broadly, on what basis should justice be delivered or a decision is made while dealing with environment and infrastructure? Example: Thousands of trees were felled for Bangalore Metro which invited scorn of environmental activists and tree lovers. So how do we choose between couple of trees and a joyful ride in the metro? Should we oppose a Cola bottling plant in our area because they are using abundant amounts of water and depleting the ground water table, yet developing our local community with funds for roads, schools and hospitals?
• Should projects be commissioned or rejected based on short term benefits for the local community or long term gains for the country?

To explain, we take the recent case of Jaitapur where local people opposed the construction of a Nuclear power plant. The protestors quoted safety reasons and said that they were more concerned about future environment problems arising due to this plant’s functioning. They are terrified that Ratnagiri, famed for its rich agriculture, biodiversity, fisheries and horticulture, would lose all its assets thereby forfeiting their livelihoods for generations to come. The same kind of fear holds a basis for all the protests concerning the project sites whether at Posco (Bihar) , Lavasa ( Near Pune) or even East Coast energy (Sompeta, Andhra Pradesh). These opinions were further reinforced with the Fukushima Nuclear disaster in Japan.

So, the question whether Maharashtra government should search for a different location for the plant or completely abandon the plan for nuclear energy plant in the state still remains. If this project is stalled, then how can the problems of energy, poverty, shortage be countered and ‘Electricity for all’ aims be met? Solar energy or any form of renewable energy seems uneconomical for now and people don’t want to take the burden of paying extra from their own pockets. So, what is the sustainable alternative and who pays the price? Also, the opinions of industries, MNC’s, people in relatively far urban areas and cities on such issues seem to be nebulous and under reported.

Quoting the above case, if Mumbai or Pune are given surplus round the clock electricity supply, would they support the nuclear power plant proposal at Jaitapur and do they EVENTUALLY pay an environmental cost? Even in Jaitapur, would people rather compromise and give permission for a thermal power plant if they are provided with unlimited electricity supply at nominal price even if a Coal power plant is unhealthy for environment when compared with Nuclear?

The trade offs and the economics of development and environment cost along with public attitudes still remains highly complicated.

More on the same topic would be debated in the next blog post with the aid of case studies.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-About the author:  Sirisha is an engineer and researcher on development issues. She is also an avid writer, Social Media practitioner and an activist on Social and Environmental issues and could be reached at: sirisha@machaanlabs.com

Incorporating the right entity gets you from your starting point to your goal: from your basic business ideas towards a successful business.  While creating your business plan one of the first and foremost things is to choose the right entity that will facilitate the business, tax and capital raising objective of the company.  Every entrepreneur is faced with this question of structuring the company in the right way from day one.  In this article we have covered various choices available in India.  However, please note that Private Limited Companies are the most common form of corporate structure for venture funded companies.

The law of companies in India is governed by the Companies Act, 1956. Broadly, there are two types of companies – Public Limited Companies and Private Limited Companies. While Public Limited Companies describes themselves merely as “Limited Companies”, Private Limited Companies are obliged to indicate clearly the fact that they are a Private Company by adding after their name “Pvt. Ltd.”

A. Formation of a Venture

1. Private Limited Companies

A Private Limited Company can be formed with a minimum of two persons as shareholders and a minimum of two directors. The minimum paid up capital for a Private Company is about RS 1 lakhs (2500 USD approximately).

A private company has the following features:

1. The right to transfer shares is restricted as per its Articles of Association.
2. The maximum number of its shareholders is limited to 50.
3. No offer can be made to the public to subscribe to its shares and debentures.
4. No invitation or acceptance of deposits from persons other than members, directors or their relatives is allowed.
5. Lesser number of compliance requirements.
6. The liability of each shareholder is limited to the extent of the unpaid amount of the shares face value and the premium thereon in respect of the shares held by him. However, the liability of a director of such a company at times can be unlimited.

Thus generally, where there is no requirement for raising finances through the public and the ownership is intended to be closely held, a Private Limited model is followed.

2. Public Company

A company limited by shares in which there is no restriction on the maximum number of shareholders, transfer of shares and acceptances of public deposits. The liability of each shareholder is limited to the extent of the unpaid amount of the shares face value and premium thereon in respect of the shares held by him. However, the liability of a director can at times be unlimited. The minimum paid-up capital required for a Public company is Rs 5 Lakhs (about US$ 12500 approximately) and the minimum number of directors and shareholders are three and seven, respectively.

Incorporation Formalities:

There is no need to appoint an Indian director or Indian shareholder to incorporate a company. Incorporation is through registration with the Registrar of Companies (ROC). The ROC is a statutory authority formed under Companies Act and has numerous offices all over India.

For incorporation, the following steps are involved:

1. Selection of name of the company and getting it approved from the ROC. Upon scrutiny and satisfaction, the ROC issues a name availability letter.
2. After the name is approved, Memorandum and Articles of Association (MoA) are drafted.
3. MoA along with other necessary documents are filed with the ROC. The filing fees is dependent on the authorized share capital of the Company.
4. After scrutinizing the documents, the ROC issues a Certificate of Incorporation

Whereas Private companies can commence their business from the date of Certificate of Incorporation, Public companies are required to file certain additional documents and obtain a Certificate of Commencement of Business.

A company can normally be incorporated within a period of 15 to 20 days. The Government has recently introduced e-filing through which Company incorporation (including subsequent statutory documents) can be filed in electronic form. Details of e-filing procedure are available at the website of Ministry of Company Affairs at www.mca.gov.in.

3. Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)

A law to allow “Limited Liability Partnership” (LLP) in India has been enacted by the Parliament of India recently. LLP is an alternative corporate business entity that provides the benefits of limited liability of a company but allows its members the flexibility of organizing their internal management on the basis of a mutually-arrived agreement, as is the case in a partnership firm.  This format would be quite useful for small and medium enterprises in general and for the enterprises in services sector in particular, including professionals and knowledge based enterprises. However, there is no clarity on LLP especially with respect to the tax. Moreover, an LLP may be more useful for professionals and knowledge based enterprises e.g lawyers, chartered accounts and such other practitioners.

B. Developing and Protecting Intellectual Property

In addition to choosing the right entity there are other important issues one being the choosing and reserving the right name.  The first step is to determine whether the name is being used by or has been reserved by any other person or a company.  To choose the name the offices of Registrar of Companies is the sole authority in India. However, it may be noted that reserving a name does not give trade mark rights or authorize a company to use a particular business name in commercial activities.  One of the risks is that id an entrepreneur does not do a trade mark search and start using it may expose them to law suit alleging trade mark infringement. Therefore, before reserving a name it needs to be ensured that trade mark searches have been done, with which a trade mark/IP lawyer can assist.  Additionally, availability of domain name also needs to be checked.

1. Legal requirements for registration of trademark in India:

First you need to have a mark.  The selected mark should be capable of being represented graphically (that is in the paper form).  It should be capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one from of others. It is difficult to predict how long it will take for an application to mature into a registration, because there are so many factors that can affect the process. Generally, an applicant will receive a filing receipt approximately 20 days after filing. You should receive a response from the office within six (6) to seven (7) months from filing the application. However, the total time for an application to be processed may be anywhere from almost one and half years (1and ½) to two (2) years, if there is no objection filed against your application by any third party. Goods and services are classified according to the International Classification of goods and services. Schedule IV of the Legislation provides a summary of list of such goods and services falling in different classes which is merely indicative. The Registrar is the final authority in the class in which particular goods or services fall.

2. Legal requirements for registration of copyright in India:

An application for registration of a copyright of a literary work (which includes software programs) shall be made in accordance with Form IV in the Copy Right Act 1957, in triplicate and shall be accompanied by a fee of INR 50. Every such application must be in respect of one work only.  The person applying for registration must give notice of his application to every person who claims or has any interest in the subject-matter of the copyright or disputes the rights of the applicant to it.  If no objection to such registration is received by the Registrar of Copyrights within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the application by him, he shall, if satisfied about the correctness of the particulars given in the application, enter such particulars in the Register of Copyrights.  However, if the Registrar of Copyrights receives any objection for such registration within thirty (30) days, or, if he is not satisfied about the correctness of the particulars given in the application he may, after holding such inquiry as he deems fit, enter such particulars of the work in the Register of Copyrights as he considers proper.  The Registrar of Copyrights shall, as soon as may be, send, wherever practicable, a copy of the entries made in the Register of Copyrights to the parties concerned.