COMPASS 2012 - The Mega IT Fair

COMPASS-2012

EAST INDIA’s MEGA IT EVENT TO OPEN

ON MAY 4, 2012 AT MILAN MELA

Eastern India’s  ICT spend expected to grow by 12-15% in FY 2012

Kolkata, April 30th, 2012    : The  overall  Indian  IT

spend  for  2012  is  expected  to  reach  about

Rs100,000  crores  in  FY  2012  according  to  esti-

mates by various research  agencies.  The share of

Eastern India out of this is likely to be around 9 %

. Despite a very sluggish JFM quarter (Q1)  in 2012

, trends for Q2 indicates that  the markets are re-

viving and consumer and institutional confidence is

returning led by  buying from the government sec-

tor and  retail customers.   In  2012  strong  growth

opportunities  have  emerged  in  the  200-400

smaller cities in India, where vendors are expand-

ing their retail and  distribution presence.  Around

45% of new PCs sold in the Indian market are now

shipping  outside  the  top  75  cities. The  govern-

ment's  policy  of  providing  reservation  for  local

hardware manufacturers in  government purchases

should  help  keep  prices  down  and  support

growth.   During  the last few years, a  number of

initiatives have been taken at the central and state

government  levels  to  computerize  administrative

functions for rendering better services to citizens .

Various government departments have earmarked

1-3% of their budgets on improving their IT infra-

structure.    Key  pointers as per  our analysis is as

follows :

• In 2012  it  is expected  that  around  1.15  crore

Desktops and  portable PCs will  be sold  in  In-

dia. This  figure  does  not  include  tablets  and

WWW.COMPASSFAIR.COM

other  large  purchases  proposed  like  the  UP

government’s  plan  to  buy  25  lakh  laptops/

tablets for free distribution.

• In our assessment the much publicised low cost

tablet Akash will not impact these figures

• HDD shortage and  prices remains critical. Any

further price increase would impact shipments.

• Government  buying  will  continue  to  provide

the  growth  momentum  this  year . Corporates

will  be  replacing  old  systems  . SME’s  will  pro-

vide  growth  opportunities  for  solution  based

sales including cloud computing.

• Desktop sales will continue to grow specially in

the  government, BFSI  and  manufacturing  verti-

cals.

• eCommerce  sales  is  not  an  immediate  chal-

lenge to brick and  mortar retailers , but retail-

ers will need to reorganise their offerings.

• Channels will continue to face margin pressure

and huge credit risk .

• Software Pracy levels will continue to decline if

governments  and  IP  owners  work  together  in

educating consumers.

• Mobile Computing, Smart Phones,  Tablets will

continue  to  expand  their  market  share  with

marginal  impact  on  Desktop  and  portable  PC

sales.

• Eastern  India ICT  growth rates will be around

12-15% .

About COMPASS 2012 ;  One of the largest Information Technology  (IT)  shows in  the country, COMPASS 2012, would be held in Kolkata from  May 4th to 7th 2012.  The Mega IT  Fair is organised by the Computer Association of Eastern India (COMPASS) which  is  industry  body  representing  IT vendors, hardware and software manufacturers in the eastern region. The flagship event of COMPASS is now in its 15th edition . COMPASS 2012 is being held at the Milan Mela Grounds for the first time. COMPASS, which is a  very popular annual  IT Fair in  the eastern  region  attracts  thousands  of visitors  who  eagerly await this annual event which was traditionally held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.

“COMPASS  2012  is  the  15th  Mega  IT  Fair  being held  at  a  new  venue  in  Kolkata  which  is  spread over  34,000  sq  ft  of  space.  Nearly  10,000  sq  ft more space is available this year at  the Milan Mela Grounds  which  has  enabled  us  to  accommodate the participation of reputed brands and  IT companies  to  showcase  their  products  and  services. About 10 new international brands are participating at the IT Fair this year,”  said Mr Pawan Jajodia, Chairman   Exhibition Committee, COMPASS 2012. “This year the theme for the Mega IT Show is “Infinite Possibilities” which is in tune with the fast moving changes that  is taking place  in the  ICT  world” said B. Hari President of COMPASS .

Dell is the main sponsor of COMPASS 2012 – with HP  and  Logitech  as  the co-sponsors. The  four-day IT Fair would remain open to the public from 10:30 am  till 8  pm. The exhibition  would  be spread  over three AC-halls  that  would  house  16  pavilions  and 135 stalls put up by 90 participants. Large multinationals  like  Dell, HP, Logitech, Asus, Canon, AMD, Lenovo, D-Link, Samsung, Intex, Acer  had  directly partnered  with  COMPASS  for  the  exhibition. Among  the  new  participants  are  Ricoh,  Envent, Hunt-Key,  Corsair  ,  Chirag,  Imagine  and others.There would  be seminars on 5th  and  6th of May  2012  at  the  exhibition  venue  . On  5th  May there would be a seminar on Ethical Hacking & Cyber Security followed by a seminar on Web Graphics & 2D/3D Animation on 6th May 2012.

  About us : 

COMPASS is an association of IT channel partners and entrepreneurs in Eastern India. Members of COMPASS and partner associations represent  over 80%  of  channel sales in  the Region  and have a significant contribution in promoting the IT business in the remotest locations of Eastern India.

Members of COMPASS and other partner associations in the EAST collectively employ about 25,000

people  and  have  made  significant  contribution  to the growth of the IT business in the region.

WWW.COMPASSINDIA.COM

Union Agriculture Minister launches ‘National Dairy Plan

 “MISSION MILK’ - Union Agriculture Minister launches ‘National Dairy Plan’

- a new Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of Rs. 2,242 crore to increase milk production to meet the rapidly growing demand for milk in the country through a scientifically planned multi-state initiative -

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to provide implementation support

West Bengal among 14 major milk producing states chosen to implement the phase-1 of NDP

 Kolkata, 19 April 2012:

In a significant event, Shri Sharad Pawar, Hon’ble Union Agriculture Minister, Government of India formally launched the ‘National Dairy Plan’ - a new Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of Rs. 2,242 crore to increase milk production to meet the rapidly growing demand for milk in the country through a scientifically planned multi-state initiative, today at National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Anand. Termed as “Mission Milk”, National Dairy Plan–Phase I (NDP-I)  was rolled out  in the presence of Dr Charan Das Mahant, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Food Processing Industries, Shri Bharatsinh Solanki, Union Minister of State for Railways, Shri Rudhra Gangadharan, Secretary (AHD&F), Government of India and Dr Amrita Patel, Chairman, NDDB. Shri Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Animal Husbandry & Dairying Ministers and Secretaries of the major milk producing states were also present.

The Government of India has approved National Dairy Plan–Phase I (NDP-I) with an outlay of Rs. 2,242 crore. It is a six year plan to be implemented in the 14 major milk producing States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The scheme will be largely financed through International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank and implemented by NDDB through End Implementing Agencies located in the states.

The demand for milk is projected to be around 200 million tonnes in 2021-22 as against the production of 122.8 million tonnes in 2010-11. It is therefore necessary to maintain an annual growth of over 4 per cent in the next 15 years. The objective of the NDP is to increase productivity of milch animals and thereby milk production to meet the rapidly growing demand for milk in the country through a scientifically planned multi-state initiative.  The Plan will also provide India’s 70 million small-holder rural milk producers with greater access to the organised milk-processing sector.

Speaking at the launch Honourable Agriculture Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar, said, “In order to meet the food and milk demand of the growing population, the government has launched two plans. One is the National Dairy Plan and the other is to create a Green Revolution in the Eastern States of the country viz. Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Chhatisgarh etc.”

He said there was a need to increase the share of co-operative sector in the milk procurement process. Today more than 70% of milk procurement is carried out by private sector. He said the central government has made necessary amendments in the Co-op Sector Act to strengthen the co-operative model in this sector.

 

He said the World Bank has shown willingness to finance 80% cost of the overall project cost of 17000 crore. But we need to show them results in the first stage where they have agreed to release first installment of Rs. 2242 crores.

He said he foresees India to not only meet its domestic requirement of milk and milk products but also export it in the International market.

In his address at the function, Shri Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat said, “although Gujarat’s leadership in White Revolution has been acknowledged world over, the state sees scope in improving milk productivity. He shared the state government’s initiatives in the sector. He spoke about ‘Pashu Arogya Mela’ a regularly organized program that ensures vaccination is provided to all the livestock in the state. He also said this exercise resulted in 100% eradication of 170 diseases relating to animals. Showcasing his government’s seriousness in the matter he said Gujarat is the only state in the world to provide dental treatment and cataract operations to animals.”

Dr Amrita Patel, Chairman, NDDB said on the occasion, “The NDP will put in place a scientific approach and systematic process which will take the country on the path to improving the genetics of milk producing animals and encourage the use of modern, proven technologies in milk production. In doing so, it will make much more prudent use of the country’s scarce natural resources, improve the quality of milk being marketed, and help strengthen regulatory and policy measures that will provide an  enabling environment for future growth of dairying in the country”

Multi-pronged series of initiatives to be implemented

Increasing productivity through scientific breeding & nutrition : Genetic progress over a larger population can be accelerated if breedable animals are bred using the semen of a few top high genetic merit bulls. The proportion of milch animals bred through AI need to be raised from 20 per cent to 35 per cent over the 6 year project period.  NDP envisages production of 2500 High Genetic Merit and disease free cattle and buffalo bulls of different breeds using internationally established practices of Progeny Testing and Pedigree Selection and import of 400 Jersey and Holstein Friesian Bulls. Various A & B graded semen stations in the country would also be strengthened for production of about 100 million doses for use by Semen Stations across the country. A pilot model to demonstrate viable and sustainable AI delivery service that follows Standard Operating Procedures will also be funded under the NDP, to reach 4 million AI deliveries per annum by the end of NDP.

To provide high quality, disease-free semen for this initiative, it is necessary for state governments to notify bull production areas and semen stations as ‘disease control areas’ and also implement other disease containment and monitoring programmes.

Additional benefit of ration balancing : In order to maximise the genetic potential of milch animals, they must be fed a balanced ration.  An initiative to educate farmers on feeding their animals a balanced ration will be carried out by 40,000 Local Resource Persons. This is expected to lead to a decrease in feed costs, thus increasing the farmer’s income.  An additional benefit of ration balancing is a reduction in methane emission levels which is a significant contributor to green house gases.

 

Strengthening village based milk procurement systems : Steps will be taken to expand village based procurement systems by strengthening existing cooperatives and facilitating the setting up of Producer Companies or New Generation Cooperatives. It is expected about 1.2 million milk producers in 23,800 additional villages will be covered. Alongside, capacity building, training and education programmes will promote technologies and improved practices at the village level.

Project Management & Learning : Since the initiatives of the NDP are dispersed over various parts of the country, the programmes and their outcomes are to be integrated, tracked and monitored through ICT systems for effective decision making.

New Gallery ‘Mirage’ To Enthrall City Art Lovers

                        New Gallery ‘Mirage’ To Enthrall City Art Lovers

Kolkata: Kolkata, the city of art and culture, now has another dynamic and novel art gallery named “Mirage”. Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, West Bengal, Sri Rachhpal Singh, inaugurates the Preview Show "EXPRESSIONS", an Exhibition of Paintings, Sculptures & Photography at the Mirage Art Gallery.

Mr. Virendra Daga, one of the two founders of Mirage Art Gallery, said, “The most distinctive feature of art is that it can neither be confined nor defined, hence, we at Mirage are trying to recognize the extent of different means and ways of creative expressiveness. At Mirage, we would like to draw the attention of art lovers with the works of the pioneers and would also strive to provide a platform for those artists who use their style innovatively.”

Under the supervision of Mr. Raj Rishi Mukherjee, who is an artist himself, the gallery aspires to generate, sustain and develop people’s interest in art and creativity. About his perspective on art, Mr. Mukherjee stated that the connotation of visual creativity does not hold on to any 'ism' or style, but is an outcome of spontaneous playfulness happening as a process of introspection and submission.

The Indian art is today recognized on the global platform and at home the Indian art market is annually growing at 30-35%. Though it is being predicted that this trend would continue, there remains a tremendous unmet demand for independent, impartial and rigorous advice and services for serious collectors of art.

“Mirage will soon evolve as an important arena for artistic display and is committed to bringing concurrent Indian art to pivotal attention, coupled with penetrating insight for picking up some of the best names in the art circuit” said Mr Sandip Somani, co-owner of the art gallery.

The gallery will strive to create a mark in the realm of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, besides its eclectic collection of art that brings together the MODERN, the CONTEMPORARY, the ABSTRACT and EXPERIMENTAL art.

One of the most striking features of Mirage is its unique endeavor of showcasing the art of young and upcoming talent. The gallery aims at empowering young practitioners and experimenters not only by providing an arena to showcase their talent but also helping them to surge ahead in the world of creativity.  

The new art gallery will present “Expressions” - an exhibition of paintings, sculpture and photography from 20^th April till 20^th May, 2012 (except Monday).

About Mirage Art Gallery:

Mirage Art Gallery, located at 701 Block P, 1st Floor, New Alipore, Kolkata 700 053, looks at art with an open mind and is desirous to inspire artists and art lovers from all walks of life. The goal of art is to communicate the tangible, that which eludes normal seeing and resists the standardization resulting from perceptions dulled by everyday monotony. The fundamental thought behind the gallery is to discover, appreciate and encourage young artists by recognizing their work and providing a platform to display their talents.

Godrej Interio opens their biggest store in North Kolkata

Godrej Interio opens their biggest store in North Kolkata

Kolkata: To commemorate Bengal’s colorful spirit, Godrej Interio, India’s leading manufacturer of home and office furniture, today opened their biggest store in North Kolkata. Located at BT road, it is the ninth store in Kolkata spreading over 5000 sq. ft. hosting a vast range of modern, stylish furniture for bedroom, living room, kitchen and dining area. The store is aimed at discerning customers looking for fashionable solutions for their homes.

The store will offer a wide range of furniture - right from pristine sofa to the exclusive Kreation Wardrobe Collection. The sofa collection has curvilinear design that encourages communication and helps family bonding. The exclusive Kreation Wardrobe Collection has been designed to cater to the constantly evolving and growing storage needs combining aesthetics with functionality. It blends the strength of steel with the beauty of wood to add warmth to any room. The store will also showcase innovative products like the Sizzle Dining Table. A dining table enhances the quality of family time by allowing one to heat the food right on the dining table, thereby saving unnecessary trips to the kitchen.

Announcing the launch,Mr.  Ratul Mazumder, AVP Sales, East Zone Godrej Interio said, “Kolkata has been one of our biggest aspirations for state-of-art and design-heavy products. We have been constantly working to enhance customer’s experience at our stores in line with the design needs with our superior quality and thoughtfully designed furniture. The store will enhance even further Godrej Interio’s equity among customers here.”

“Godrej Interio is evolving itself and setting benchmark in the furniture category. The launch of Design HQ – a futuristic design centre – is a step in that direction. Design HQ will research and produce fashionable furniture based on lifestyle and design trends and create furniture products that are modern yet practical,” adds Mr. Mazumder.

Notably, East India and Kolkata are Godrej Interio’s fastest growing markets. The region contributed 27 percent to the company’s market share, despite huge competition in the organized home furniture market. The company is focusing on aggressive growth strategies in the region by improving distribution network. It plans to open 5 more stores in the region this year. The company saw a 25 percent growth in East India in the last two years and is now targeting a 30 percent growth this year.

About Godrej Interio: Godrej Interio is India’s largest furniture brand. From manufacturing the humble Storwel cupboard 80 years back to being a vibrant, innovative brand with a diverse portfolio Godrej Interio has successfully cherished the exciting journey.  True to the Godrej mission to conserve the environment, we design products, set up processes and use raw materials that are eco-friendly to do our bit to preserve natural resources. We offer our customers home and office furniture, along with solutions for laboratories, hospitals and healthcare establishments, education and training institutes, shipyards and navy, auditoriums and stadiums. We are present across India through our 50 exclusive showrooms in 18 cities and through 800 dealer outlets. Godrej Interio is a business unit of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. - part of the Godrej Group, one of India’s largest engineering and consumer product groups.

Cafe Coffee Day- Cafe Moments Prepaid Card

Café Coffee Day introduces ‘Café Moments’ pre paid cards

Convenient and cashless transactions over coffee and conversations

Kolkata, 26^th April 2012: Café Coffee Day (CCD), the leading retail chain of coffee cafes in India today launched ‘Café Moments’ in the city – the very first pre-paid card usable at all CCD outlets. A tribute to coffee loyalists of the country, the card was launched at an event at the CCD café at Lake Road in Kolkata. Personalities such as the young and talented Bengali actresses Moubani and Mumtaz Sorcar, Pritish Shah, Co-Founder of Calcutta Walks - an immersive experience provider of Kolkata, members of nu-metal rock band ‘Not.Yet.Decided, along with K. Ramakrishnan, President Marketing of CCD, gathered on the occasion to share their personal memorable moments with CCD.

‘Café Moments’ are prepaid cards designed to enable cashless transactions at all the CCD outlets. Customers can top-up their cards with denominations ranging from Rs. 100 to Rs. 5001 on an ongoing basis, enabling ease of use on the purchase of food, beverages and merchandise at their favourite CCD outlets. What’s more, the cards are designed to be a great gift item that can be given out to friends and family members at any occasion. Corporates can also use it as an ideal fun gift for their employees.

The launch event saw young talents of Kolkata share life moments they had spent at Café Coffee Day outlets and how those had become defining moments for them in real life. Like most of the CCD loyalists, the memories of the four youth icons involved funny moments, endearing and romantic incidents as well as professional situations that changed their lives in one way or the other.

Said K. Ramakrishnan, President Marketing, Café Coffee Day, “In many ways than one, Café Coffee Day has been a hub of many a memorable moments for people of all ages and walks of life. Café Moments can be used as an ideal gift or for oneself to create many more happy moments. The card takes away the hassle of carrying cash to CCD and allows you to completely focus on what you’re there for -- enjoying the food, beverage and the company. With the ease of payment that comes with the card, it becomes a must-have for all the CCD frequenters. To make it even more exciting, we have crafted special benefits on load, reload & usage, as well as surprise gifts, that will keep changing from time-to-time. I’m sure the card will become part of even more memorable moments of our customers.”

In addition to the youth icons, the event also saw attendance by a group of young CCD frequenters. There were giggles and the venue roared with laughter as the audience themselves could relate to some funny, romantic, embarrassing and eventful moments shared by them. The event was a light-hearted and fun presentation on “your memorable moments at CCD” where each of the personalities shared their story on how their life changing moments happened at a CCD café.

About Café Coffee Day:

Café Coffee Day is a part of India's largest coffee conglomerate, Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company Ltd. (ABCTCL), the first to roll out the ‘coffee bar’ concept in India with its first café in Bangalore. Café Coffee Day serves the coffee it grows on the 7400 acres of its own estates plus another 2500 acres of managed estates, the group also sources coffee from 11,000 small growers, making its holder the largest individual coffee plantation owner in Asia, this in addition to being India's only vertically integrated coffee company. Café Coffee Day’s menu ranges from signature hot and cold coffees to several exotic international coffees, food, desserts and pastries. In addition, exciting merchandise such as coffee powders, cookies, mugs, coffee filters, etc. are available at the cafés.