The Hindu Business Line : `Focus on country's strengths, says SEBI chief

There are role models all around us and we just need to identify and recognise them. Rather than being cynical and focusing on our country's weaknesses, focus on its strengths, was the advice of Mr M. Damodaran, Chairman, Securities and Exchange Board of India, to students taking part in IIT-Madras' business fest Samanvay 2007 that was held from January 5-7.

At Saaransh, an interactive session, Mr Damodaran said some of his major responsibilities at SEBI were to create an environment for people to perform to their best and also to continuously challenge them.

He spoke on `Strengthening and consolidating India's financial security - The regulator's challenge.' He touched upon the issues of energy security, food security, the banking sector and the role of technology. He said issues such as regional disparity, to ensure that growth is inclusive, needed to be addressed.

Saaransh, a contest sponsored by Infosys, had participants from major business schools presenting papers on the theme `Steps to improve India's ranking in the global competitive index of World Economic Forum.' It threw up some interesting suggestions such as encouraging sector-specific FDI and special economic zone modelling.

Dr K.C. Chakrabarty, Chairman and Managing Director, Indian Bank, spoke about technology and its utilisation for increased benefit to the common man. Integrating information with technology was a huge challenge, he said, adding that he was optimistic management graduates would be able to successfully achieve this.

A panel discussion on `Human capital: The supply-demand gap' was part of the proceedings. Panelists included Mr N. Chandrasekaran, Executive Vice-President, TCS, Mr K. Pandia Rajan, Founder and CEO, Ma Foi Management Consultants, Mr R. Subramaniam, Managing Director, Subhiksha, Mr A. Satish Kumar, Managing Director, Henkel India, and Mr T.T. Srinivasaraghavan, Managing Director, Sundaram Finance Group.

Diverse views

There were diverse views on the issue of phenomenal rise in salaries. One view was that it encouraged greater consumption, which in turn helped the economy grow. But there were also concerns that it would reduce the cost advantage India enjoys now. The issue of bridging the divide between academia and industry was also discussed. Another issue discussed was the number of entrepreneurs in India and whether the education system was doing enough to encourage them.

Other contests in the field of strategy, PR and branding were held during the fest.

More Stories on : Education | Regulatory Bodies & Rulings | People | Tamil Nadu

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page