Software major Infosys is a "stunning reminder" of what Indian talent, ingenuity and hard work can accomplish, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said today.
"You have shown to India and the world that an Indian company Cannot just be world class, but be ahead of the rest of the world", the Congress President said after inaugurating the company's Global Education Centre-II here.
She said the success of Infosys, India's second largest software exporter, should not be measured in Dollars alone, but in the difference it makes in transforming a society for the better.
Praising the Indian IT industry, Gandhi said the success of Infosys, Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services and other companies had changed the lives of millions of Indians and propelled the country's economy to a record-breaking growth.
Gandhi also spoke of the enabling environment created by the state government for the growth of Indian IT companies.
She recalled the "temples of modern India" established by former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the groundwork laid down by her husband Rajiv Gandhi for the "revolution" in Communication and Information Technology.
Rajiv Gandhi faced "bitter political opposition" to his vision, not just in introduction of computers, but his greater challenge was on the "mindshift" of people in terms of accepting new ideas, she said.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
IT market
Microsoft testing 'Visual Search'
US software giant Microsoft unveiled a twist on the Internet search experience today with a new feature which allows Web surfers to search using image galleries instead of text links.
Microsoft, which teamed up with Yahoo! in July in a bid to challenge Internet search giant Google, rolled out a beta, or test, version of the feature at the TechCrunch50 technology conference in San Francisco.
Microsoft senior vice president Yusuf Mehdi described "Visual Search," which is being built into the company's recently launched new search engine Bing, as a "more graphical way to search and discover information."
"Visual Search" allows users to conduct certain searches faster than the traditional image search offered by rival Google and other search engines.
Microsoft, in a blog post, said a study conducted by Microsoft Research found that consumers can process results with images 20 per cent faster than text only results.
"It's like searching through a large online catalogue," Microsoft said.
A search at bing.Com/visualsearch for "digital cameras," for example, returns a gallery of thumbnail pictures of digital cameras which can then be filtered by manufacturer or by price, displaying a new set of images.
Hovering over a particular image or clicking on it will provide information about that particular product and the images rearrange themselves on the page as a search query is refined.
Microsoft, which teamed up with Yahoo! in July in a bid to challenge Internet search giant Google, rolled out a beta, or test, version of the feature at the TechCrunch50 technology conference in San Francisco.
Microsoft senior vice president Yusuf Mehdi described "Visual Search," which is being built into the company's recently launched new search engine Bing, as a "more graphical way to search and discover information."
"Visual Search" allows users to conduct certain searches faster than the traditional image search offered by rival Google and other search engines.
Microsoft, in a blog post, said a study conducted by Microsoft Research found that consumers can process results with images 20 per cent faster than text only results.
"It's like searching through a large online catalogue," Microsoft said.
A search at bing.Com/visualsearch for "digital cameras," for example, returns a gallery of thumbnail pictures of digital cameras which can then be filtered by manufacturer or by price, displaying a new set of images.
Hovering over a particular image or clicking on it will provide information about that particular product and the images rearrange themselves on the page as a search query is refined.
IT market
Innocent techie in jail, sues Airtel for Rs. 20 Crores
A techie from Bangalore has sued Airtel for Rs. 20 crores. Airtel had given wrong information to the police which forced the techie to go to jail. "I have spent 50 horrible days in jail. You can't measure the trauma which I went through, my family went through," says Lakshman Kailash, a 28 year old engineer to CNN-IBN.
Kailash was a successful software engineer with HCL and was working in Bangalore. Two years ago, Pune Police team in Bangalore had arrested him for 'defaming Shivaji' in a picture he was supposed to have put up on Orkut. Police was fed with wrong IP address by Airtel, who searched for the IP for two days. The police traced the IP, which belonged to Kailash and arrested him and did not let him go even after the police claimed to have caught the real culprits about two weeks after his arrest.
Maharashtra Human Rights Commission asked Airtel to cough up Rs. 2 lakh as compensation, but Airtel did not do so. Now, its top executives have been summoned by a magistrate court in Bangalore. "Its a small amount for them and I really don't understand why they are not paying up. They have to follow court orders. They are citizens of India, whether they think they are guilty or not is secondary," says Kailash.
Since Airtel has not paid any kind of compensation so far, Kailash has moved to National Consumer Disputes Forum and now seeks a compensation of Rs. 20 crores. "You can't scale those horrible moments in money. I feel it's a less amount with respect to the trauma I went through because I have to carry it throughout my life," says Kailash.
Kailash was a successful software engineer with HCL and was working in Bangalore. Two years ago, Pune Police team in Bangalore had arrested him for 'defaming Shivaji' in a picture he was supposed to have put up on Orkut. Police was fed with wrong IP address by Airtel, who searched for the IP for two days. The police traced the IP, which belonged to Kailash and arrested him and did not let him go even after the police claimed to have caught the real culprits about two weeks after his arrest.
Maharashtra Human Rights Commission asked Airtel to cough up Rs. 2 lakh as compensation, but Airtel did not do so. Now, its top executives have been summoned by a magistrate court in Bangalore. "Its a small amount for them and I really don't understand why they are not paying up. They have to follow court orders. They are citizens of India, whether they think they are guilty or not is secondary," says Kailash.
Since Airtel has not paid any kind of compensation so far, Kailash has moved to National Consumer Disputes Forum and now seeks a compensation of Rs. 20 crores. "You can't scale those horrible moments in money. I feel it's a less amount with respect to the trauma I went through because I have to carry it throughout my life," says Kailash.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
IT market
Swine flu: Karnataka blames IT pros
With the H1N1 virus claiming 53 lives in Karnataka, the state authorities are blaming frequently travelling IT professionals and pollution in cities like Bangalore for the surge in swine flu cases.
"We are trying our best to control it. But look at the pollution level in cities like Bangalore -- it is compounding the problem of swine flu," Karnataka principal secretary (Health) I.R. Perumal told IANS.
"Pollution and less precaution on the part of IT people have worsened the situation. IT people travel a lot and during the initial days they hardly took any precaution," said Perumal.
In terms of swine flu fatalities, Karnataka is second only to Maharashtra, which has seen 72 deaths from the disease so far. The health secretary said even companies like Infosys had failed to do their duty in helping people take precaution against the disease, which has affected nearly 700 people in the state.
"They have become conscious, but initially none of these IT guys, even Infosys, took the required precaution. I have information that now they have started conducting regular health checkups of employees," he added.
He said pollution in Bangalore is making respiratory diseases intensify and there are hundreds of cases of pneumonia in the state. Health experts have said people with respiratory problems and pneumonia are at high risk at a time when the H1N1 infection is spreading fast.
"Pneumonia is affecting the swine flu situation. We have experienced some 200-300 pneumonia cases in the last couple of months in Bangalore alone. What can I do? The pollution is so heavy here," the secretary said.
Last year too the IT capital had reported over 300 cases of pneumonia in this season, he said.
Statistics show that the ambient air quality in the Karnataka capital is deteriorating rapidly. The amount of nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide and suspended particulate matter is much higher in the air and is leading to respiratory problems among people.
With over 2.5 million vehicles plying on the narrow roads of Bangalore, the air quality is definitely worsening gradually.
"Look at the number of vehicles," Perumal said. The health secretary said he had asked all hospitals and IT firms to report to swine flu screening centres if any of their employees was suffering from pneumonia or swine flu symptoms.
"Now, we have roped in 90 private hospitals across the state for the job. As you know, the government has made swine flu treatment free even in private hospitals. We pay Rs 2,000 to these hospitals for treating each swine flu patient and Rs 3,000 extra for conducting the test," Perumal added.
He also said the state government is distributing ayurvedic medicines to help people improve their immune system. "We are trying our best. The chief minister is taking extra care and has asked us to work hard to curb the virus."
Since the first instance was reported in Hyderabad in early May, India has reported nearly 6,000 cases of swine flu. Of these, at least 160 have died.
"We are trying our best to control it. But look at the pollution level in cities like Bangalore -- it is compounding the problem of swine flu," Karnataka principal secretary (Health) I.R. Perumal told IANS.
"Pollution and less precaution on the part of IT people have worsened the situation. IT people travel a lot and during the initial days they hardly took any precaution," said Perumal.
In terms of swine flu fatalities, Karnataka is second only to Maharashtra, which has seen 72 deaths from the disease so far. The health secretary said even companies like Infosys had failed to do their duty in helping people take precaution against the disease, which has affected nearly 700 people in the state.
"They have become conscious, but initially none of these IT guys, even Infosys, took the required precaution. I have information that now they have started conducting regular health checkups of employees," he added.
He said pollution in Bangalore is making respiratory diseases intensify and there are hundreds of cases of pneumonia in the state. Health experts have said people with respiratory problems and pneumonia are at high risk at a time when the H1N1 infection is spreading fast.
"Pneumonia is affecting the swine flu situation. We have experienced some 200-300 pneumonia cases in the last couple of months in Bangalore alone. What can I do? The pollution is so heavy here," the secretary said.
Last year too the IT capital had reported over 300 cases of pneumonia in this season, he said.
Statistics show that the ambient air quality in the Karnataka capital is deteriorating rapidly. The amount of nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide and suspended particulate matter is much higher in the air and is leading to respiratory problems among people.
With over 2.5 million vehicles plying on the narrow roads of Bangalore, the air quality is definitely worsening gradually.
"Look at the number of vehicles," Perumal said. The health secretary said he had asked all hospitals and IT firms to report to swine flu screening centres if any of their employees was suffering from pneumonia or swine flu symptoms.
"Now, we have roped in 90 private hospitals across the state for the job. As you know, the government has made swine flu treatment free even in private hospitals. We pay Rs 2,000 to these hospitals for treating each swine flu patient and Rs 3,000 extra for conducting the test," Perumal added.
He also said the state government is distributing ayurvedic medicines to help people improve their immune system. "We are trying our best. The chief minister is taking extra care and has asked us to work hard to curb the virus."
Since the first instance was reported in Hyderabad in early May, India has reported nearly 6,000 cases of swine flu. Of these, at least 160 have died.
Infosys, IT market
No hikes, promotions at Infosys
Top IT companies such as TCS, Wipro and Cognizant have kicked off promotions and salary hikes for some employees but the country’s second largest software exporter Infosys prefers to wait and watch till the environment becomes more stable, according to the company’s CEO and MD Kris Gopalakrishnan.
Talking on the sidelines of ICT event Connect 09, Gopalakrishnan also shared his views on the 3-year extension of tax benefits on STPI units proposed by Union Minister A Raja and also a possible solution to counter the recent changes in UK’s immigration norms. Excerpts from the interview:
Some companies in the top five have announced promotions and hikes. When can Infosys employees expect something similar?
The thing is the industry is still facing uncertain times. We would like to look at the situation. As it develops, as it evolves, we are constantly looking at it and then when we decide we will let you know.
Union Minister for IT and telecom A Raja said that he plans to extend the tax benefits on STPI units by another three years from 2011 to 2014. What are your views on the same?
If it is done properly, it is going to help the industry. So, what is needed is extension of the 10-year holiday to 13 or 15 years. Then it will help, because most of the STPs have come out of the 10-year holiday. The 3 year extension will also help but in a smaller way.
As the law stands today, the tax break is available for new units. When you create a SEZ it’s a new unit, when you create a STP, it’s a new unit. So the benefits are available only for new units as it stands today. You need to extend the benefit to existing units by extending the term to 13 years or 15 years.
Recently, there’s also been a lot of noise about stricter immigration norms in UK, where lobbyists are trying to work out rules that will benefit local workers. How will this impact Infosys, for which UK & Continental Europe is the second-biggest revenue generator after US?
Till now, the impact has been minimum. But definitely there is a change in attitude because unemployment is going up in these countries. So, they are looking at how they can tighten their immigration rules. This is also targeted towards illegal immigrants. And what is needed is to make sure that you work with these governments to reduce the impact. India is becoming a very attractive location for overseas people, for foreigners to work in. So we can have a counter agreement with these countries.
And we need to canvass for a different kind of visa, which is a work permit visa. Today immigrant visa is used for work permit. So, it’s confusing the issue, because most employees going there are not going to immigrate. They are just going to work and come back.
Nasscom, CII are working with the govt of India, with these governments to make sure that our perspective, our voices are heard and a proper solution is found. This is also part of the WTO discussions.
What is your outlook on the current quarter?
I can’t talk about the current quarter. All I can say is that things are looking better.
Talking on the sidelines of ICT event Connect 09, Gopalakrishnan also shared his views on the 3-year extension of tax benefits on STPI units proposed by Union Minister A Raja and also a possible solution to counter the recent changes in UK’s immigration norms. Excerpts from the interview:
Some companies in the top five have announced promotions and hikes. When can Infosys employees expect something similar?
The thing is the industry is still facing uncertain times. We would like to look at the situation. As it develops, as it evolves, we are constantly looking at it and then when we decide we will let you know.
Union Minister for IT and telecom A Raja said that he plans to extend the tax benefits on STPI units by another three years from 2011 to 2014. What are your views on the same?
If it is done properly, it is going to help the industry. So, what is needed is extension of the 10-year holiday to 13 or 15 years. Then it will help, because most of the STPs have come out of the 10-year holiday. The 3 year extension will also help but in a smaller way.
As the law stands today, the tax break is available for new units. When you create a SEZ it’s a new unit, when you create a STP, it’s a new unit. So the benefits are available only for new units as it stands today. You need to extend the benefit to existing units by extending the term to 13 years or 15 years.
Recently, there’s also been a lot of noise about stricter immigration norms in UK, where lobbyists are trying to work out rules that will benefit local workers. How will this impact Infosys, for which UK & Continental Europe is the second-biggest revenue generator after US?
Till now, the impact has been minimum. But definitely there is a change in attitude because unemployment is going up in these countries. So, they are looking at how they can tighten their immigration rules. This is also targeted towards illegal immigrants. And what is needed is to make sure that you work with these governments to reduce the impact. India is becoming a very attractive location for overseas people, for foreigners to work in. So we can have a counter agreement with these countries.
And we need to canvass for a different kind of visa, which is a work permit visa. Today immigrant visa is used for work permit. So, it’s confusing the issue, because most employees going there are not going to immigrate. They are just going to work and come back.
Nasscom, CII are working with the govt of India, with these governments to make sure that our perspective, our voices are heard and a proper solution is found. This is also part of the WTO discussions.
What is your outlook on the current quarter?
I can’t talk about the current quarter. All I can say is that things are looking better.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Layoffs in India, new openings
Five cos on hiring drive for every four firing staff
The economic downturn may have led to heavy job losses in many sectors, but the situation perhaps isn't that gloomy when looking at all the industries together as an average of five companies expanded their workforce for every four cutting down on their staff size.
An analysis of regulatory disclosures about workforces made by companies in India shows that more than half of them hired employees- some in thousands and many in hundreds- even as many others pruned their employee-strength last fiscal.
Out of close to 450 companies for whom employee figures are available for the past two fiscals, the workforce grew for nearly 250 firms, according to an analysis of workforce details compiled by financial data provider Capitalline, which tracks these details from annual reports and other regulatory filings by the companies for their financials.
Together, these companies added more than 1.5 lakh employees during the latest financial year to their workforce, representing a growth of about 7 per cent from about 19.7 lakh in the previous fiscal.
However, this analysis does not take into account the changes in workforce in the current fiscal year which began in April 2009 for a majority of the companies and in January this year for some. There have been reports that many job losses have occurred in the current fiscal year also and these are not reflected in this analysis.
An analysis of regulatory disclosures about workforces made by companies in India shows that more than half of them hired employees- some in thousands and many in hundreds- even as many others pruned their employee-strength last fiscal.
Out of close to 450 companies for whom employee figures are available for the past two fiscals, the workforce grew for nearly 250 firms, according to an analysis of workforce details compiled by financial data provider Capitalline, which tracks these details from annual reports and other regulatory filings by the companies for their financials.
Together, these companies added more than 1.5 lakh employees during the latest financial year to their workforce, representing a growth of about 7 per cent from about 19.7 lakh in the previous fiscal.
However, this analysis does not take into account the changes in workforce in the current fiscal year which began in April 2009 for a majority of the companies and in January this year for some. There have been reports that many job losses have occurred in the current fiscal year also and these are not reflected in this analysis.
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