The Centre for Management Development is celebrating its Silver Jubilee Year from August 2003 to July 2004. A series of lectures on topics of current relevance is planned during the year.

The Silver Jubilee Year was formally inaugurated by Shri P.K. KUNHALIKUTTY, Hon. Minister for Industries and IT, Government of Kerala, on August 30, 2003. The first Silver Jubilee Lecture was delivered by Dr. ABID HUSSAIN, former Member of the Planning Commission and Indian Ambassador to USA. He talked on the topic 'GLOBALISATION - A RACE TO THE BOTTOM OR A CLIMB TO THE TOP'.

A report on the talk that appeared in The Indian Express, Thiruvananthapuram, dated August 31, 2003 follows:

Shed fear of Globalisation, says Abid Hussain

Thiruvananthapuram, August 30: Dr. Abid Hussain, noted economist and former Ambassador to the US, today said that there was no meaning in opposing globalisation.

“There could be different opinions. But I do not understand why people fear globalisation,” Hussain said while delivering the first silver jubilee lecture organised by the Centre for Managemenst Development (CMD) here. 

“There are people who equate globalisation with colonisation. But they forget that the uni-polar society has lost its meaning. We are living in an era where the civil society is rapidly changing, thanks to the communication revolution,” 

Hussain said. “Gone are the days when it took weeks for the Queen to learn that Columbus had discovered America. And it took seven weeks for the people outside America to learn that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. We are living in a new era, an era of communication revolution. Why should we shrink into our own shells while people across the world are flying like liberated birds? Shatter your shells and start flying like free birds,” he said. 

“This is an era of knowledge and knowledge is free. Then why should people be afraid of globalisation?,” he asked.Hussain said that most of the people in the developing countries were afraid of globalisation as their knowledge was limited.

“They never realise that multi-polar society had already become a reality and our nation has nothing to lose from this,” he said. 

CMD chairman V. Ramachandran presided over the function which was inaugurated by Industry Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty. CMD vice-chairman G. Rajamohan welcomed the gathering. CMD Director Dr. M. Sivaraman presented a report. CMD governing board member A.K. Nair proposed a vote of thanks

The second Silver Jubilee lecture was delivered by Shri. T. L. Sankar, Advisor Energy Group, Administrative Staff College of India on the topic "Power reforms in Kerala: Exploring new approaches under the Electricity Act 2003" on October 18, 2003.

A report on the talk that appeared in The Hindu Business Line is reproduced here.

'Affordable power to weaker sections is a viable option'

It is possible for Kerala to achieve commercial viability in the power sector while simultaneously ensuring that affordable power is available to poor households, according to Mr. T.L Sankar, Advisor - Energy Group, Administrative Staff College of India. He made this observation during a presentation on 'Power reforms in Kerala: Exploring new approaches under the Electricity Act 2003'.

According to him, if this strategy is followed, the State will be able to overcome most hurdles confronting the power sector in about seven years. The need is to prepare a plan that looks at, among other things, reducing transmission and distribution losses to around 18 per cent, while also reducing the subsidy requirements to near zero, he said. Annual consumption growth rates should also be pegged at reasonable levels, he added.

In order to implement these measures, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) must look at a clutch of measures including options such as consumer mapping and energy accounting, said Mr. Sankar. Once the mapping exercise has been completed, the electricity meters of all consumers should be changed to more accurate electronic meters, he added.

Similarly, detailed accounts of power consumption should be maintained and evaluated, he said. Improvements in performance should be rewarded, while non-performance should be penalized, he added.

As operating costs in Kerala's power sector are higher than that in other states, efforts must be taken to control costs by rationalizing the tasks of employees, he declared. The KSEB should also look at measures such as long term, short term and spot purchases of power to keep a check on power purchase costs, said Mr. Sankar.

Creation of strategic business units and the establishment of a task force to monitor the reform process were some other measures recommended by him.

The presentation on power sector reforms in Kerala was organized by the Thiruvananthapuram - based Centre for Management Development (CMD) as part of its Silver Jubilee celebrations. Mr. V. Ramachandran, Chairman, CMD and Vice-Chairman State Planning Board was among those present on the occasion.

The Third Silver Jubilee lecture was delivered by Dr. Prakash. G. Apte, Director IIMB on Saturday, December 13, 2003 at CMD on the topic: "INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MARKETS AND FULL CONVERTIBILITY OF RUPEE"

The Fourth Silver Jubilee lecture was delivered by G.V. Ramakrishna , Former Chairman of  the  Disinvestment Commission on Saturday, January 10 , 2004 at CMD on the topic: " THE PUBLIC SECTOR AND DISINVESTMENT"

A report on the talk that appeared in The sunday edition of Indian Express is reproduced here.
 

Former Chairman of disinvestment commission on public sector G.V. Ramakrishna  has said that there should be more transparency, systematic approach and involvement of the people in the disinvestment process.

      Delivering the lecture on “The Public Sector and Disinvestment “ organized by the Centre for Management Development here today ,he said that all the proceeds from disinvestment should go into a disinvestment fund .Though the disinvestment   commission has recommended the constitution of such a fund in 1997  it  has not been implemented till date, he said.

      The fund should be used for creating social infrastructure for the benefit of the poor in the rural areas ,  for restructuring other public sector undertakings  before selling them to get better prices and for repaying public debts . However , money realized through disinvestment has so far been utilized to meet the revenue expenditure on salaries of government servents, he said.

       The  government cannot go on selling assets to meet the current expenditure .Disinvestment  should be viewed as asset restructuring .the public sector share holding was an asset. When one sells assets , one  should try to replace it with other assets for the benefit of the people, he said.

        Planning board vice chairman V.Ramachandran presided over the function . former chief secretary Padma Ramachandran  planning board member C.P John industry principal secretary John Mathai and planning and economic affairs secretary S.M Vijayanand were present 

The Fifth Silver Jubilee lecture was delivered by Dr. Rakesh Mohan , Deputy Governor ,  Reserve Bank of India on Saturday, February 14 , 2004 at CMD on the topic: " MEDIUM TERM OUTLOOK FOR THE INDIAN ECONOMY"

The Sixth Silver Jubilee lecture was  delivered by Dr. (Ms.) Amrita Patel , Chairman ,  National Dairy Development Board on Saturday, March 27 , 2004 at CMD on the topic:  " ENSURING A FUTURE FOR CO-OPERATIVES IN INDIA - The law and other challenges"

The Seventh Silver Jubilee lecture was  delivered by Smt. Ranjana Kumar, Chairperson,  National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development on Friday, July 2, 2004 at CMD on the topic:  " VISIONS THAT INSPIRE PEOPLE AND TRANSFORM SYSTEMS"

The Eighth Silver Jubilee lecture was delivered by Shri G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO, Chairman, Space Commission and Secretary, Department of Space, Government of India on Tuesday, August 10, 2004 at CMD . 

Topic:  "SPACE APPLICATION FOR SOCIETAL NEEDS"

The Ninth Silver Jubilee lecture was delivered by Mr. Jim Spiers, Director General, National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) and President, Institute of Quality Assurance (IQA), UK on Thursday, September 23, 2004 at CMD . 

Topic:  "TOWARDS A QUALITY DRIVEN SOCIETY"

A report on the talk that appeared in The Indian Express is given below

Product manufacturing sector - China surging ahead: Jim Spiers

 Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 23: The Director General of National Inspection Council for Electronic Installation Contracting (NICEIC) and president of the Institute of Quality Assurance in UK, Jim Spiers, today said that China would become the topmost product manufacturing country in the near future.

He was delivering the Ninth Silver Jubilee lecture of the Centre for Management Development (CMD) on ‘Towards a Quality driven Society’ here.

“China will be behind none in the product manufacturing sphere in the coming days.  It is hungry to learn things and make use of them.  I am a frequent traveler to China and every time I reach the country I feel the changes taking place there step by step,” he said.

The global industry cannot ignore the end user.  “Quality is an ability to meet customer satisfaction and it is the very foundation for repeat business. It is not what you put into it but what the client or customer gets out of it.”

The commitment to quality in any organization should begin from the top level.  Then only commitment would prevail at all levels.  The senior management leaders should have a clear-cut idea about the day-to-day activities in their companies in order to sense the changing consumer trends and plan the future course of action according to that, he said.

He said that among the management system certificates, Health and Safety Certification and Social Accountability Certification were becoming more and more important to companies across the globe.

In order to survive and improve in the present competitive market, business houses have to be like dolphins rather than dinosaurs.

“They should be sleek, intelligent and adaptive to changes like dolphins or else they will be wiped out from the earth like dinosaurs,” he said.  Planning Board Vice-Chairman and CMD Chairman V. Ramachandran and CMD Director M. Sivaraman spoke.