8th Cologne India Week

The 8th Cologne India Week was organised from 21st June to

3rd July 2016 in the city of Cologne. The event was jointly

inaugurated by Consul General Mr Raveesh Kumar and the

Lord Mayor of the city of Cologne Ms. Henriette Reker. More

than 30 events, including Indian classical dance, music, art

exhibition, food festival, etc were organised as part of the

week. As a part of the India Week, an India Day was also orga-

nized by Deutsche Bank, Koelnmesse, Luther Rechtsan-

waltsgesellschaft and Maier + Vidorno as part of inhanced

engagements economic engagements with India. The Consul General delivered the Welcome remarks at the beginning of

the India Day targeting German businesses and corporations having a presence in India or wishing to expand their oper-

ations in India.

The Consulate General of India in Frankfurt celebrated the second

International Day of Yoga in Cologne and Frankfurt on 21st June

and Bonn on 25th June. The event in Cologne was organised with

the support of the City of Cologne, DIG Cologne, Art of Living and

Isha Foundation. The event was attended by over 300 yoga enthu-

siasts

The daylong event in Frankfurt was organized in association

with some of the top Yoga institutes in this region and in part-

nership with the city of Frankfurt. The event had participation

by around 500 people with more than a thousand onlookers.

Indian Association Bonn celebrated International Day of Yoga as

a part of summer festival of Bad Godesberg, in the City of Bonn

on 25th June 2016.

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Headline

News

1

Outreach

activities

2

Spotlight on

India

Business

news

3

4

Interview of

the Month

5

News-

Round up

6

C O N S U L A T E

G E N E R A L O F

I N D I A ,

F R A N K F U R T INDIEN NEWSLETTER V O L U M E I I I , I S S U E I X

H I G H L I G H T S :

- Second International

Yoga Day In Frankfurt,

Köln & Bonn

- 8th Köln Indian week

- Parade der Kulturen

2016

Celebrating International Day of Yoga 2016 in Cologne, Frankfurt & Bonn

Yoga Day Cologne at historic Roncalliplatz

Yoga Day Frankfurt

CG & Lord Mayor inaugurating the event

P A G E 2

I N D I E N N E W S L E T T E R

Forthcoming events: 15 August: Independ-ence Day Flag hoisting at CGI 19 August: Second An-niversary of Make in India in Frankfurt (By invitation only) 5th September: West Bengal investment pro-motion in Dusseldorf (By invitation only) For invitations contact: events@cgifrankfurt.de

India meets Cologne

On 16th June, Consul General met the Lord Mayor of Cologne Ms. Hen-

riette Reker. Ms. Reker is an independent politician and was elected as

the new Lord Mayor of Cologne in October 2015. Cooperation between

India and Cologne, especially on the economic side as well as tourism

and education were discussed at the meeting.

Consul General visited the Institut of `Südasien-und Südostasien Stu-

dien´at the University of Köln on 28th June. He met the Head of the de-

partment, Prof. Dr. Ulrike Niklas. The Institute is one of its kinds in Euro-

pe considering it is the only Indology focused institute concentrating on

South Indian, specifically Tamil Studies.

Visit to Indology Centre, Cologne University

India Study day organized by the University of Münster On 11th June, Consul General attended a reception hosted by Prof. Klaus Stierstorfer, Chair of British Studies, West-

fälische Wilhelm-Universität Münster on the occasion of the India Study Day organised by the University of Münster. The

other dignitaries present for the reception were Prof. Nilufer Bharucha, University of Mumbai and Prof. Sridhar Rajeswa-

ran, Honorary Director of the Centre for Advanced Studies (CASII). The Study India Certificate is an exchange programme

organised by the University of Münster, which offers courses on Interdisciplinary studies of South Asian culture, history,

language, literature and society in collaboration with the University of Mumbai

60th Anniversary of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce On 15th June, Ambassador of India to Germany along with the Consul

General participated at the 60th Anniversary and the Annual Reception

of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce in Düsseldorf. Indian Ambassa-

dor Mr. Gurjit Singh delivered the congratulatory remarks along with the

German Ambassador to India Mr. Martin Ney and the Federal State Secre-

tary for Trade and Energy Mr. Matthias Maching. Over 400 members of the

Chamber from Germany and India attended the reception.

Visit to Gustav Hensel GmbH & Co. KG in Lennestadt

As part of the Consulate's efforts to promote Make In India in Ger-

many, Consul General visited the German SME Gustav Hensel Gmbh

in Lennestadt on 28th June.The Gustav Hensel GmbH & Co. KG is a

leading company specialised in the manufactur of innovative

electrical installation and power distribution systems for facility

equipment of buildings.

Annual reception :IGCC in Düsseldorf

CG at Gustav Hensel GmbH & Co. KG

CG With the Head of the department, Prof. Dr. Ulrike Niklas.

CG with the Lord mayor of City of Cologne

P A G E 3

Spotlight on India

I N D I E N N E W S L E T T E R

India Poised to Be Top Six Business Travel Market by 2019

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Foundation, the voice of the global business travel industry, announced the results of its

latest GBTA BTI™ Outlook – India report, a semi-annual analysis that relates unfolding economic events at home and abroad to their resul-

ting impacts on India’s business travel market. The report, sponsored by Visa Inc., reveals continued double digit business travel spending

growth for India, making it one of today’s fastest growing business travel markets in the world.The report also shows business travel as one

of the top growth sectors in India, growing at the same rate as high technology services and only slightly behind land and pipeline trans-

port and real estate and business activities.“If it continues on its current path, India is poised to be a world leader in business travel for

decades to come,” said Gaurav Sundaram, GBTA India regional director.

India Space Mission: ISRO Sends 20 Satellites On One Rocket

India successfully launched 20 satellites on a single rocket , marking the biggest such launch in the country's history. The

Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C34 mission took off from the island of Sri-

harikota in the southeastern coast.The 320-ton PSLV-C34 was carrying 17 satellites from Canada, Indonesia, Germany and the

United States. The main passenger was a 727 kg (1602 pounds) Indian Earth observation satellite called Cartosat, capable of

taking high-resolution images.

Foreign Direct Investment into India

jumps 26%, UN says Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made attracting foreign

funds a priority, particularly in manufacturing. India’s

fast-growing economy attracted $44 billion in foreign

direct investment in 2015, making it the 10th largest

destination globally for such investment last year, accord-

ing to United Nations figures

India’s IT Industry Maintains Signifi-

cant Growth in Q4 FY2016

India's information technology (IT) services companies

covered in the report continue to perform well, exhi-

biting above-average growth. In this report we analyse

the fourth quarter of financial year 2015-16 of India's IT

sector and compare it with the same period of the previ-

ous year. This report discusses the financial results of

the top nineteen India-based IT companies listed in the

Indian scientist to head Germany-based group of nuclear physicists

Noted Indian physicist Sibaji Raha has been elected as the first chairman of the Joint Scientific Council of the GSI and the

upcoming FAIR facility in Germany for exploring the nature of matter and the evolution of the universe. Sibaji Raha, former

director of the Bose Institute in Kolkata, is an internationally-acclaimed authority on high energy particle and nuclear phy-

sics. He will officiate as the chairman of the Council for an initial period of two years starting from June 2016.The 'Facility for

Antiproton and Ion Research' (FAIR) will be built near the premises of physical research institute the GSI Helmholtz Centre for

Heavy Ion Research at Darmsadt in Germany.

India-Germany Business News P A G E 4

V O L U M E I I I , I S S U E I X

German industrial delegation to visit India in Septem-

ber

A group representing VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen und

Anlagenbau), Germany's mechanical engineering industrial

association, will visit India in September to explore investment

and manufacturing opportunities. VDMA represents about 3,100

small and medium-sized companies. "VDMA would be visiting

India from September 19-23, 2016. They will hold high-level

meetings with the government representatives. This is a positive

support to the Make in India initiative," the Indian embassy

here said in a statement. As many as 500 member companies of

VDMA, the largest industry association in Europe, already have

operations in India. The delegation, including VDMA president

Reinhold Festge, will organise a Mechanical Engineering Summit

in Pune on September 23, the statement said. India launched

'Make in India Mittlestand' programme last year to ease entry of

German 'Mittlestand' companies into the Indian market. The

German term 'Mittelstand' commonly refers to small and medi-

um-sized enterprises.

BASF India’s parent firm to buy Germany’s Chemetall

for $3.2 billion

Specialty chemicals maker BASF India Ltd on said its parent

company BASF SE of Germany has signed an agreement to ac-

quire chemical firm Albemarle Corp.’s global surface treatment

business of its unit Chemetall Gmbh for $3.2 billion. This inter-

national transaction is subject to approval by the relevant au-

thorities and is expected to close by the end of 2016. In India,

Chemetall operates through its subsidiary, Chemetall India Pvt.

Ltd, which generated sales of $24 million in 2015 and has

around 150 employees. The products of Chemetall complements

BASF’s current portfolio by adding surface treatment business of

its coatings offerings, BASF India said in a statement.

India approves manufacturing technology accord with

Germany

The union cabinet gave its approval to a Memorandum of Under-

standing with Steinbeis GmbH, Germany, on technology resourc-

ing in manufacturing, including the sub-sectors of capital goods.

The MoU was signed on April 25 this year during the Hannover

Messe 2016.“Steinbeis GmbH is leading organisation for applied

industrial research in Europe. It will act as a technology re-

source partner for implementing identified projects in manufac-

turing,” a statement from the cabinet said. “The MoU will provide a

platform to various public sector undertakings and capital goods sector

units to have easy access to capabilities and expertise of Steinbeis GmbH

for identifying and plugging technology gaps.

MBD, Germany's Steigenberger Hotel Group form JV in India

Education and hospitality company MBD Group and Germany's Steigen-

berger Hotel Group announced formation of a joint venture to manage

and franchise hotels under the 'MBD Steigenberger' brand in India. MBD

will have 51 per cent stake in the JV, while Steigenberger will hold the

remaining 49 per cent, according to a release issued here. The JV is

targeting to open at least 20 hotels in India over the next 15 years with

projected annual revenue of hotels under management or franchise of

nearly Rs 2,000 crore. MBD Steigenberger, in-line with the international

positioning of the Steigenberger brand, will be positioned to target the

luxury segment in India. The flagship hotel under the JV will be the

MBD Zephyr Bangalore, an MBD Steigenberger hotel, offering 184 rooms

and 118 serviced apartments. Steigenberger Hotel Group CEO Puneet

Chhatwal said, "This is an important milestone in our history of interna-

tional growth. As a company with German roots, Steigenberger Hotel

Group enjoys a good reputation worldwide. We are very excited to bring

o u r h o s p i t a l i t y t o t h e I n d i a n m a r k e t .

Germany to assist Odisha in smart city development

Germany assured Odisha assistance in developing Bhubaneswar as a

model smart city and putting in place systems related to energy, trans-

portation and waster disposal. German Ambassador in India Mr. Martin

Ney gave the assurance during a meeting with Chief Minister Mr. Naveen

Patnaik. The German technologies will help the smart city in sectors

such as sustainable urban mobility, water and waste-water management,

renewable energy and energy efficiency, an official statement said. Earli-

er, Germany had set up a six-member joint committee with India to

identify the cities which it could develop as smart cities. The committee

had two representatives from Urban Development Ministry, one from the

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, and three from Ger-

manyany. Mr. Ney along with a team from his country, also held discus-

sion with Odisha's Housing and Urban Development Minister Mr. Push-

pendra Singhdeo and other officials.

V O L U M E I I I , I S S U E I X

Make in India: ArSta eco Pvt Ltd

How has been your experience in India so far and what are

your future plans in India?

Anyone entering India to do business must first understand it will not be a

quick journey, that one’s goals will not be met overnight, a lot of energy

will be expended but a lot of knowledge gained along the way. When I first

considered investing in India it was because of how far India had to rise

compared to other developing countries. They were the ‘I’ in the infamous

BRICs yet had not risen at the same pace as at least 3 of the others. All of

those others had made costly mistakes in the rush to grow. At the time of

investment there was the stirring of change, the now PM Narendra Modi

was beginning his push for the top and his vision was made clear to those

on the inside and those listening from the outside. Change was afoot and

those that bought in early would benefit the most. For me it was time to

pinch the nose and jump in. Those changes are still being implemented but

unlike the past the pace is somewhat quicker than what previous Govern-

ments had delivered.

What are the three areas where you would like to see improve-

ments to facilitate Ease of Doing Business?

Without any question finance for start ups is extremely hard to come by,

despite the perceived glut of excess liquidity in the global business world.

India needs to do a lot more to fuel its own growth and where it is able to

raise soft loans internationally and pass them on to those in need at soft

rates and not at Commercial bank rates. Local banks meanwhile need fur-

ther encouragement, perhaps even a strong nudge, to channel some of the

funding that is fueling a real estate bubble into more meaningful and gov-

ernment aligned sectors. The Indian government is making great strides to

dilute the oft quoted barrier of opaque bureaucracy attached to doing busi-

ness in India. It needs to keep the foot on the pedal here and where appro-

priate grant direct access to at least upper State level when perceived

blockages occur.

In your opinion, what are the promising sectors for Investment

in India?

I am of course going to sound biased but let’s put it a different way. India

needs energy; India needs solutions to protect its water resources; India

needs food security to feed its already large and growing population. By

addressing some of those needs I believe ArSta eco can create a meaningful

impact. Considering the problems of finance discussed above I see a very

promising role for Private Equity but an even bigger role from the Indian

diaspora based overseas. The Government needs to encourage repatriation

beyond worker salary repatriation and this most likely means breaking

down barriers to outside investment and eventual repatriation of profits.

How do you see the Consulate’s role, here at Frankfurt in pro-

moting India as a business destination to the German investors as

well as supporting them?

Germany is rich in many of India’s needs,“ Vorsprung durch Technik” has

travelled and is highly sought after. The office of the Consular General has

been very supportive of marketing Indian investment opportunities and this

is to be applauded. From my own experiences Germany’s renowned Mittel-

stand still need convincing so more work is clearly needed to gain the trust

of a huge success story in the hope some take the plunge. I’d personally like

to see more effort in securing discussions with India based “decision mak-

ers” at the State level to attend Business roundtables in Germany. I think a

great start has been made but in my opinion one cannot do too much here.

What is the advice you would like to give to a German who

would like to invest in India.

Pinch your nose and dive in. India stands where China was 20 years ago and

has the huge benefit of hindsight. India will continue its renaissance and

will take its place on the World stage. It will do so likely faster and cleaner

than most people currently can imagine. With much of the World faltering

India offers a huge opportunity to enter at relative grass roots level. At every

investment level there is support available and from my own experiences

those State premiers making most effort to woo investment are also the

destinations one should first look at. Global businesses are already well

represented but pick and shovel companies ,or providers of those 3 key

requirements will be made welcome and if executed well will be rewarded.

Paul Guire spent 35 years in finance before furthering his career as an environmental

entrepreneur. During the letter part of his time in Finance, as a managing director for ICAP

GmbH, Frankfurt , he began to understand the immense changes the World would undergo

in the fight to combat climate change. He worked closely on developing the now growing

Green/Climate Bond market and has successfully raised capital for a number of Environ-

mental product start-ups. In 2014 he qualified under former US Vice President, Mr Al Gore’s

tutorage as a Climate Reality Leader and regularly lectures on Climate Change. India

though is the big lure and he now devotes a substantial amount of time as Director of

International Sales & Strategy for ArSta eco Pvt Ltd. June 2016 has seen the successful

launch of the CoCoCabana BBQ Briquette but the ultimate goal remains to roll out the India

devised technology across EU markets and aim high at the soil amendment markets “

Producing renewable energy from what are arguably waste products, whilst developing

markets for the by products and all with the aim of reducing or displacing Co2 emissions is

a wonderful challenge which we aim to face head on”

Mr Paul Guire, Director, ArSta eco Pvt Ltd

P A G E 5

News Round-up

CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA

FRIEDRICH-EBERT-ANLAGE 26, 60325, FRANKFURT AM

MAIN, GERMANY

Telephone :+49 69 153 00 50

For suggestions and feedback, please send your e-mails to ibf@cgifrankfurt.de

Month of July in Pictures!

Hon’ble PM in Frankfurt

Yoga Day Cologne at Roncalliplatz

DIG Remscheid, Germany celebrated its 50th Anniversary.

On 3rd June 2016, Deutsch

Indische Gesellschaft - DIG

Remscheid, Germany ce-

lebrated its 50th Anniversa-

ry.To honour the occasion

the Lord Mayor of the City of

Remscheid Mr. Burkhard

Mast-Weisz presented the

words of Greeting. Consul

PPIC, Ms. Soni Dahiya represented the Consul General at the event.

‘Bala Bharat Divas 2016’

On 3rd July 2016 HSS Balagokulam Frankfurt organised its 2nd Anni-

versary celebrations

‘Bala Bharat Divas

2016’ in Frankfurt. As

part of the event,

variety of interesting

events were perfor-

med by the children of

Balagokulam inclu-

ding classical & folk

dances, magic shows, science shows, stage plays as well as a cultural

parade in addition to many other activities.

ICCR Empaneled ‘Maharaj Trio’ in Darmstadt

ICCR troupe at Parade der Kulturen in Frankfurt

ICCR Europe Tour in Frankfurt

Consul PPIC,Ms.Dahiya giving the welcome speech

Children’s performance at Bala Bharat Divas

Yoga Day Bonn-Bad Godesberg in Bonn