H I G H L I G H T S :

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 V , I S S U E V I I I

I N S I D E T H I S

Foreword

1

Farewell & welcom-

ing of Consul´s

General

2

India Tourism &

Culture

3

G20 Summit 2017 4

Spotlight on India 5

India - Germany

Business news

6

News Roundup 7

Dear friends,

I am happy to arrive in Frankfurt, Germany in the pleasant month of August,

which is also significant as India's Independence Day falls in this month. This

year we are celebrating 71st 'Independence Day'. I take the opportunity to wish

all my fellow Indians a very Happy Independence Day.

India and Germany share multi-dimensional and expanding bilateral relations.

The socio- economic and cultural ties have strengthened over the years. I hope

that the trend continues in the coming years.

I look forward to productive and happy tenure in Germany.

Foreword

Mrs. Pratibha Parkar

Consul General of India,

Frankfurt

Moment of Pride for Consulate General of India, Family On completion of his successful tenure as the Consul General of India Frankfurt, Germany,

Mr. Raveesh Kumar has moved back to the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) headquarters

in New Delhi all set to take a step forward in his astonishing career. Mr. Raveesh Kumar has

been appointed as MEA’s official

spokesperson. He commenced his career

as a young dioplomat at the Indian

Mission in Jakarta. It was followed by

stints in Indian Missions in Thimphu

and London. During his tenure in Delhi,

he looked after the East Asia desk. Prior

to his assignment in Frankfurt, he was

the Deputy Chief of the Mission at the

Embassy of India in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In September 2013, he assumed charge

as the Consul General in Frankfurt.

During his tenure, he spearheaded

extensive outreach programs to bring

the Indian and German business and

diaspora community closer as well as

promoted flagship initiatives launched

by the Government of India such as ‘Make in India’, ‘Startup India’ and so on. Along with

his Team, he launched the India Business Forum in Nov, 2013 which has proven to be a

successful networking platform for all the Indian professionals, entrepreneurs and

businessmen in the four states under the Consulate`s Jurisdiction. During his four year

tenure he undertook around 100 visits to the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

within the Consulate’s jurisdiction to promote the Indian economic and business

opportunities for German enterprises in the Indian market. The Consulate General of India

Frankfurt family will always be proud to have worked under this passionate, young leader

and wishes him the very best for all his future endeavors.

Forthcoming Events

- 15 th August :

Celebration of 71st

Independence Day at

the Consulate.

-Mess und

Automatisierungstechnik

in Indien –

Entwicklungen und

Marktchancen.

- Indian Students

Association Bonn-

Cologne

Celebrating 70 YEARS OF

INDIAN INDEPENDENCE

Date: 19/08/17

Venue: University of

Cologne

Time: 16.00 – 18.30 hrs

-71st Independence Day

Celebration in Bonn

Date: 20/08/17

From : 10:00 to 12:30

CEST

Venue:Schmitt

Sporthalle, Duisdorf

Schmittstraße 23,

53125 Bonn

Chief Guest : Mr. Ashok

Sridharan (Lord Mayor of

City Bonn)

Former CG Mr. Raveesh Kumar

Mrs.Pratibha Parkar, Consul General of India, Frankfurt A Warm Welcome to Mrs. Pratibha Parkar, who

has succeeded Mr. Raveesh Kumar as Consul

General of India, Frankfurt. Mrs. Parkar joined

the Indian Foreign Service in the year 2000 and

commenced her career in Russia. Later she

worked as a Commercial Officer in Jakarta &

Indonesia and as Counsellor (Political) at the

Permanent Mission of India to the United

Nations in New York, United States of America.

Prior to assuming charge as the Consul General

in Frankfurt, Mrs. Parkar was Director at the

Bangladesh Myanmar Division (BM Division)

at the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.

Mrs. Parkar is married to Shri Sugandh

Rajaram, a fellow Diplomat and has a daughter,

aged 13. The CGI Frankfurt Family looks

forward to working with her & wishes her a

successful tenure in Frankfurt and all the best

for her stay in Germany.

CG Mrs. Pratibha Parkar with HOC Shri. Prem

Singh Chauhan

India being a country of cultural plurality, the country celebrates a diverse range of Cultural events. In this edition we would

like to explore our diversities of varied Indian Cultures. July brings in monsoon & rain sweeps through the country, ending the

repressive summer heat and bringing new life to the landscape, barren after the summer months. India is at its most beautiful

during this season, so take a few days off this July 2017 and explore the country with the monsoon for company!

Ahmedabad makes it to UNESCO´s World Heritage Status List The World Heritage Committee (WHC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)

has included Ahmedabad , one of the biggest cities in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi into the

World Heritage list. The WHC, while including Ahmedabad in its World Heritage list, said, "The walled city of

Ahmadabad, founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah in the 15th century, on the eastern bank of the Sabarmati river, presents a rich

architectural heritage from the sultanate period, notably the Bhadra citadel, the walls and gates of the Fort city and

numerous mosques and tombs as well as important Hindu and Jain temples of later periods. Also the urban fabric is made up

of densely-packed traditional houses (pols) in gated traditional streets (puras) with characteristic features such as bird

feeders, public wells and religious institutions. The city continues to flourish as the capital of the State of Gujarat.

News covering Indian Festivals / Cultural Events

India Tourism & Culture

Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra ,Odisha

The exuberant 12 day Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra festival sees Lord

Jagannath (a reincarnation of Lords Vishnu and Krishna), along with

and his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, venture out of

their abode in Puri's Jagannath Temple. The gods are transported on

massive towering chariots being pulled by thousands of devotees, and

this festival ends with the return of the gods back to the 12th century

Jagannath Temple. Over a millon devotees attend this festival braving

the monsoon rains to offer their prayers.

Amarnath Yatra, Jammu & Kashmir

This being of the holiest pilgrimages in Hindu culture, the Amarnath Yatra is an annual

event where thousands of devotees make the long and arduous trek to the holy Amarnath

cave temple in Jammu and Kashmir. The temple lies around 141 km or a 3-4 hour drive from

Srinagar and the 45 km trek itself starts from the scenic town of Pahalgam. Amarnath is

accessible only during a brief 45-day window in the year & is covered in snow for the

remaining period of the year. The tough pilgrimage requires devotees to fall against the

unpredictable weather and also slippery and often dangerous terrain, all to get a glimpse of

the Shiv Lingam made of ice within the cave.

Hemis Festival at Hemis Monastery, Leh, Ladak

The two days Hemis Festival commemorating the birth of Guru Padmasambhava , who

founded Tantric Buddhism in Tibet is been celebrated every year in Ladhakh. The festival

happens on the tenth and eleventh days of the The festival is famous for the masked dance

called Chaam that the monastery’s Lamas perform to the tune of cymbals, long horns and

drums. The locals can also be seen wearing their most vibrant clothes, with elaborate

headgear and jewelry. The festival also has bustling fair full of handicrafts and other items.

Boat Race on Pampa River at Champakulam, Alleppey in Kerala

The Champakulam Boat Race is the oldest snake boat race of Kerala. It's also the first boat race

of the season. A stunning procession is enacted prior to the race taking place. It features exotic

water floats, boats decorated with colorful parasols, and performing artists. People come from

all over the country to witness this incredible event and cheer the teams participating in this race.

P A G E 4

G20 Leaders´DeclarationShaping an interconnected world

The Leaders of the G20 countries, met in Hamburg, Germany on 7th – 8th

July 2017 to address major global economic challenges and to contribute

to global prosperity and well-being. The highest priority of the G20

leaders was to progress with the common objective of becoming strong,

sustainable, balanced economy and have inclusive growth globally. By

bringing together developed and emerging market economies, the G20 is determined towards

globalisation. The leaders have agreed upon tackling common challenges to the global

community, including terrorism, displacement, poverty, hunger and health threats, job creation,

climate change, energy security, as a basis for sustainable development and stability. The

developed as well as developing countries have agreed upon working together to address these

challenges, building on a rule based international order.

Spotlight on India P A G E 5

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

G20 & FSB both acknowledged India The countries participating in the G20 Summit have praised

the Indian government for its efforts in the areas of startup

funding, ease of doing business and labor reforms. An

international body, The Financial Stability Board (FSB), has

given a good status report, terming India to be ‘compliant or

largely compliant’.The acknowledgment was made during the

2017 G20 Hamburg summit in Germany that was held on 7-8

July, 2017. India was praised for promoting inclusive growth

in the country. This development comes after the increased

efforts of the Indian government to provide security to

workers and increase female percentage in the work force

under the labor reforms. As stated in the Hamburg Action

Plan, India is facilitating external commercial borrowings

(ECBs) by startups, thereby promoting ease of doing business

in the country and encouraging innovation. With the launch of

‘Startup India, Stand Up India’ movement, the Indian

government has created a number of initiatives to support

startups in all possible ways finances, mentoring, tax reforms,

patent protection, reforms & guidelines, tax exemptions.

The land of incredible opportunity Theresa May, (Prime minister of UK) during her visit to India

in 2016 reinforced, there are tremendous opportunities in India

for UK businesses. The UK has long been the largest G20

investor in India with around 550 British businesses

employing almost 800,000 people in India. This is a

staggering one in every 20 people employed in India's

organised private sector. India is the third largest investor in

the UK - Indian companies invest more in the UK than the rest

of the EU combined. Some 800 Indian companies currently

operate in the UK, employing more than 110,000 people.

There are a number of factors driving this growing

opportunity. The fast growth of the Indian economy with a

GDP expanding at 7.2% makes India the world's fastest

growing large economy. By 2030 India will be the third

largest. India's demographics are also compelling. With 600

million of the 1.3 billion population are under the age of 24.

India has the largest youth population in the world. And these

young people are increasingly well-educated, ambitious,

having immense potential to work. Another factor driving

growth and demand for UK goods, services, technology, and

know-how are the stimulatory impact of Indian Governments

programs such as Make in India, Digital India, Skill India and

Swachh Bharat. ‘Make in India’ initiative: India launch World´s first solar powered train Solar-powered DEMU (diesel electrical multiple unit) train

was launched on 14th July 2017, 1600 HP from the Safdarjung

railway station in Delhi to Farukh Nagar in Haryana. In line

with Indian Railways ‘Solar Mission’ for decreasing

dependency on fossil fuels, the train consists of 16 solar

panels that are fitted in six coaches each of which generating

300 Watt peak .The solar-powered trains would be able to

power the entire electrical appliances present in the train. Built

under ‘Make in India’ initiative, the price of these solar panels

is up to Rs54 lakh. Along with a power back-up, the train can

run on battery for minimum 72 hours. Indian Railway Minister

Shri Suresh Prabhu declared that the solar-powered DEMU

would be able to produce 1000 MW of solar energy in the

upcoming five years. Minister expressed, “Indian Railways is

committed to promote clean and renewable energy.”

Harvard study : India the new global growth pole The economic pole of global growth has moved over the past

few years from China to India, where it is likely to stay over the

coming decade, according to new growth projections presented

by researchers at the Center for International Development at

Harvard University. The study attributed India's rapid growth

prospects to the fact that it is particularly well positioned to

continue diversifying into new areas. The diversification

includes political, institutional, geographic and demographic

segments in the country. India has made inroads in diversifying

its export base to include more complex sectors, such as

chemicals, vehicles, and certain electronics. India has

accumulated new capabilities that allow for more diverse and

more complex production that predicts faster growth in the

coming years. Indian Students Win Global Aerospace Competition, CanSat 2017

Team Astral of UPES (University of Petroleum and Energy

Studies) has made its alma mater and country proud by securing

first rank globally at CanSat 2017. CanSat is a prestigious

annual design-build-fly competition with space related themes

organized by American Astronautical Society (AAS) and

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

that provides teams from across the globe with an opportunity

to experience the design life-cycle of an aerospace system. 40

teams from across the world were competing in the finals held

at Texas, U.S.A. The team has been participating in CanSat

competition since 2013 and in a short span of five years has

reached no. 1 ranking. Team Astral has won CanSat 2017 under

the guidance of Dr. Ugur Guven & Prof. Zozimus Labana and

support from School of Design Studies UPES .

India has Higher Potential to Lead in Digital Economy The Mastercard Digital Evolution Index placed India in the

“Break Out” list which refers to countries that have relatively

lower absolute levels of digital advancement, yet remain poised

for growth and are attractive to investors by virtue of their

potentials. According to the Index 2017, India has a strong

potential in a shift toward a digital economy and is attracting

investors for the opportunities that come with the country’s

transition towards becoming a cashless society. The Indian

government announced incentives ranging from 0.75% to 10%

on retail purchase of products such as petrol, diesel and

insurance products from state-run companies to encourage

digital, cashless transactions.

India’s economy still growing faster than China according to IMF The Indian economy will continue to grow at a faster pace than

China's in 2017 and 2018, according to the International

Monetary Fund's (IMF) World Economic Outlook Update

released on Monday. The IMF retained India's GDP forecast at

7.2 % for the current fiscal and sees it accelerating to 7.7 % in

2018-19. Growth in India, is forecasted to pick up further in

2017 and 2018, reported the multilateral agency. Despite to the

demonetisation initiative, growth for 2016 at 7.1 % was higher

than anticipated as one of the measures could be due to strong

government spending.

All News articles & pictures have been sourced from established Media sources

India-Germany Business News P A G E 6

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

Siemens first digi-factory in India open for business Siemens opened its first digital factory in India. The third

globally after one each in Germany and China, as the

industrial conglomerate pitches smart facilities to small and

medium-scale enterprises in the country. The German

company hopes to use Mumbai's newly-opened digital factory

as a showcase to sell a range of plant automation equipment

and software to Indian manufacturing units. The factory is

placed on the outskirts of Mumbai & is capable of producing

more than 180 variants of low-voltage switchgear at the rate of

one product every nine seconds. The plant can manufacture

over five million devices annually. The machines rely on the

Internet of Things technology, where sensors are fitted on

machines and the resulting data is used to improve and track

their performance.

SAP Labs India adding 1,000 people annually SAP’s largest research and development center outside the

company’s headquarters in Walldorf, Germany is steadily

growing in strategic importance, says Stefan Ries , chief

human resources officer of SAP, German. SAP Labs India is

Companies largest R&D center outside the headquarters in

Germany, and the India footprint is steadily growing, adding

800-1,000 people to the overall headcount annually. The India

center is gaining in strategic importance for the Company. The

Fashion Management solution, which is used by Armani and

Gucci, has been built entirely in India. In India, the Company

recently inaugurated the new addition to our Whitefield

campus — the Gerhard Oswald Innovation Space in

Bangalore built with an investment of €50 million. We will

continue to make strong investments in our India center, said

Stefan Ries.

Medical Fair India 2018 offers platform for growing health care market Starting March 16 to 18 , 2018, MEDICAL FAIR INDIA,

India's No. 1 Trade Fair for Hospitals, Health Centers and

Clinics, will be organized in Mumbai. Organized by Messe

Düsseldorf India Pvt. Ltd., the subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf

in Germany, MEDICAL FAIR INDIA 2018 has the support of

the company’s “World of Medica” international network of

representatives and MEDICA – the leading international trade

fair for the medical industry held annually in Düsseldorf,

Germany. Over 500 exhibitors will present the latest

developments specifically geared towards the Indian medical

sector, ranging from medical, diagnostics, laboratory and

rehabilitation equipment to hospital/clinic/pharmacy

furnishings and products as well as communication/

information technology. The country’s healthcare sector is

growing at a 15 % CAGR to reach US$ 158.2 billion in 2017.

Imports of medical devices and equipment in India is likely to

cross US$ 4 billion mark by 2018-19 from a level of about

US$ 2.3 billion in 2013/2014. In addition, 6 million medical

tourists are targeted by 2018. The last staging of MEDICAL

FAIR INDIA in March 2017 in New Delhi recorded a visitor

increase of 15% (13,480 attendees) and a 16% booked space

increase by the 519 exhibitors. With these results, Medical

Fair India confirmed its position as the leading medical trade

fair for the Indian market.

DHL Express looks at introducing StreetScooter in India

DHL Express, a group company of Deutsche Post DHL, which

saw 8 % growth in volume terms in the 2017 March quarter is

eyeing India’s 7 per cent economic growth and is also exploring

introduction of its electric van, StreetScooter, used for delivery

of letters and parcels. The company, which plans to double the

production capacity of its own e-vehicles from 10,000 to

20,000 by the end of 2017, sees municipal authorities, strategic

partners and large fleet customers in Germany and the rest of

Europe as potential buyers.

Cabinet apprised of the Joint Declaration of Intent between India and Germany on Indo German-Centre for Sustainability The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri

Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Joint Declaration of

Intent (JDI) between Department of Science & Technology

(DST), India and the Federal Ministry of Education and

Research (BMBF), Germany on Indo German-Centre for

Sustainability (IGCS). The objective of the JDI on IGCS is to

promote cooperation between German and Indian scientists on

fundamental and applied scientific research. It includes areas

such as policy support, teaching, training and dissemination of

information in the area of sustainable development and climate

change through inter-disciplinary/trans-disciplinary research.

The IGCS will nurture future collaboration by widening the

network with other Universities, Institutes and industries both

in India and Germany. On the Indian side, Indian Institute of

Technology (IIT), Madras will act as the host institution for

IGCS.

In South India a new turnkey dairy plant by GEA A contract has been signed by Gesellschaft für

Entstaubungsanlagen (GEA) in India and Hatsun Agro Product

Limited (HAP) to install an automated dairy plant on turnkey

basis at Dharapuram Tamilnadu. This greenfield dairy project is

designed to handle 650,000 liters of milk per day, to produce

300,000 liters per day of milk in pouches and 150,000 liters per

day of curd. The plant is expected to be fully operational by

early 2018. HAP believes, dairy industry in India is ready to

embrace new technologies & higher hygienic standards and

chose GEA as its engineering partner because of its turnkey

approach, its innovative technology and its past work

experience with GEA.The plant is fully automated for the

processing and packaging of liquid milk and curd.

Cabinet approves signing of pacts with Palestine, Germany The Centre approved the signing of a pact between India and

Palestine for cooperation in the field of health and medicine.

Several pacts and proposals were approved ex-post facto at a

meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi including a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI)

signed between India and Germany on cooperation in the field

of health. Under the pact, the two countries will cooperate with

each other in capacity building of the health staff, prevention

and control of communicable diseases, physiotherapy and

rehabilitation, drugs, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment

among others. Under the JDI, the two countries will cooperate

with each other in postgraduate medical education, training of

the medical personnel, pharmaceuticals and pharmacy

economics and health economics.

All News articles & pictures have been sourced from established Media sources

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 pic.frankfurt@mea.gov.in

Consulate General of India, Frankfurt & IHK-Verbund Mittelhessen , IHK Hessen Innovation Deutsch-Indischen Handelskammer in Frankfurt presents :

Mess und Automatisierungstechnik in Indien – Entwicklungen und Marktchancen.

Venue : IHK Gießen-Friedberg , IHK-Geschäftsstelle Gießen , Lonystr. 7 , 35390 Gießen

Time : 12.09.2017 from 15:00 to 17:00 CEST

For more Info and registration :

https://www.giessen-friedberg.ihk.de/Geschaeftsbereiche/International/Mess--und-Automatisierungstechnik-Indien/3771778#titleInText0 https://ausgabe.vstdbv3.ihk.de/vstdbv3/download?secid=%7B3DES%7DF6812453C5C1D7C9