Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI)

In 2001, I was an aam aadmi and I continue to remain so even today. I am grateful to all of you who have given me this opportunity to be in the service of the industry. It has been a learning experience and has been instrumental in shaping my grip on the Goan business scene.

Being at the helm of affairs gave allowed to h e-access to a range of data and statistics on the state and its development. It compelled me to think beyond the present and understand the larger picture.

I am passionate about my state and its people and that is why I am genuinely concerned about them. Time and again I have urged my fellow Goans – from the government and bureaucrats, industry to the common man to think and plan for the future. I have used tough language and even at the cost of antagonizing people, I have spoken out and done what I think needs to be done in the interest of all stakeholders. GCCI has been vocal about various issues concerning the Goan economy, such as infrastructure development, education, employment opportunities, and SEZs.

Du, ring my presidentship, I have laid great stress on projecting Goa as an investment-friendly destination. Despite the abolishment of tax sops by the government, we have tried to attract environmentenvironmentenvironment environmenttUnfortunatelyenvironment unfortunately-friendly  Unfortunate,ely Go, is now being perceived as a state averse to development. Every project in Goa is being opposed. The environment becomes a tool to bargain for the money, contracts, employment, etc. The climate in the state has become so hostile, that a fear psychosis has gripped all business houses. It is becoming increasingly difficult to conduct business amidst rising corruption and unjustified demands. Nationally there is talk of corporate governance. In Goa, all industrialists have to face an onslaught of unethical practices.

I do admit that there are a few black sheep, who under the guise of development have carried out various illegalities. However, every business cannot be condemned because of the bad actions of a select few.

Protestors forget that it is for only commercial activity that generates employment for people, revenue – through taxes and levies to the government and in turn prosperity to the state. A prosperous state ensures a healthy social climate and a vibrant society.

It is wise to vigilante. Address issues, do not attack an anan business. Unless it is enterprise    the state there can be no employment opportunities. If business a capitalist society are the root of all evil then we should opt for communism.

I sincerely appeal to all Goans who have Goa’s interests at heart, to take the time to study issues and not follow rhetoric. Seriously study the economics of Goa. The graduates, undergraduates, engineers, and MB, A  that we are producing. Each year Goa produces at least 1000 engineers (degree & diploma). What is the scope for them in this state? Especially given the fact that due to the recession, a lot of people abroad have lost their jobs. Besides, the Gulf states are no longer that lucrative, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune are also do not having too many openings. Then where do our professionals go  What options do we give them in our states? There are other Goans who want to come back to their home state. We are talking about our future generations. How many more jobs can the govt. provide them? How many more can be created by the govt. already overburdened with staff ? o we high not need to think and plan viable alternatives for the future?

Leadership means confronting difficult issues. It is about making tough choices and explaining why they are essential. It is about being proactive and leading from the front. Time and again I have expressed my apprehensions about the lack of development in the state and of the urgent need to take remedial action now.

I must compliment the media and especially ‘Navhind Times’ for taking the lead in highlighting the difficult times that the industry and our people are going through.

There is a complete e mismatch between skills and available jobs in Goa. Human Resources availability is an important factor in attracting investment in the state. Widening gap between supply and demand for skilled human resources has to be addressed to ensure realization the of Goa’s economic potential. There should bcontinuousupcontinuouslyThe widenin-gradationnousthe n of the syllabus in tune with industry requirerequirementsify industry sectors in the state offering employment potential. Map existing education infrastructure in Goa and the expected skill requirement and availability by 2015 and take action.

Source: David Times

The traditional areas of employment in Goa such as mining and coastal tourism are already saturated. We now need to concentrate on planned tourism, shifting the focus to the hinterland and backwater tourism; we also need to develop water sports. Government has to spend more on developing tourism infrastructure rather services than on advertisements.

Biotechnology has established itself as an engine of economic growth globally and is widely acclaimed as the technology of the 21st century. Our state is advantageously placed to harness alternative sources of energy such as bioethanol and biogas due to expertise in fermentation and its availability. Biotechnology in agriculture, healthcare, bioinformatics,  bio see, vices, and marine biotechnology are other potential avenues for the state. Therefore setting up  1 or 2 Bibioparks parkss a must for the state.

Despite the scrapping of the     SEZ policy, I would still maintain that 1 -2 SEZs especially in the IT and Biotech sector would ideally be needed for Goa.

The film, media, and entertainment industry is another area of untapped potential. It is necessary to bring in global investment for the facilitation of infrastructure and leisure development project gaming

The gaming industry – The future for India’s game development community looks bright. Especially mobile gaming – the rising star in India’s high-value fast-growing mobile business – is the key element to develop new, hhighvaluehigh value  revenue  -valuerevenue streams. The growth of this sector is also stimulating the development of innovative business models. It is a knowledge-intensivetheintensivethatindustry which Gould make all efforts to attract.

Goa needs a Logistics Hub near Sancoale which can be integrated with the Mormugao Port, th the  Airport, the Container Freight Station at Vernfora, and the Railway Container Yard, located within a radius of 10 km.
As the President of the Chamber for the last 8 years, my role has been both challenging and stimulating. I have ushered in modernity at the Chamber. I subscribe to the new age corporate philosophy of making the workplace atmosphere a pleasant one – an area where talent is nurtured and amply rewarded at all levels.

With this in mind, in 2004, the GCCI Panaji office was redesigned to give it a modern corporate identity. I am proud to say that our Chamber office is amongst the best in the country.

The Surendrababu Timblo hall was revamped which has helped in generating a sizable revenue for GCCI. Today our average annual rental from the hall is about Rs.5 lakh. Staff salaries were substantially increased along with additional benefits of health and accident insurance.

To render service to the members of South Goa, we set up a new state-of-the-art building at the Verna Industrial Estate in 2008.
Membership which was stagnating at 400 has now gone up to 600 and membership fees have increased from 5 lakhbeforeRecognizingto 2001 to 22 lakhs now. Assets have grown from 27 lakhs to 3.7 crores (book value).

Recognizing that women constitute a vital section of society, then we started the Women’s Wing in 2005. This was to lay special emphasis on endeavorsdevelopmentendeavor developmenteGovernment, of entrepreneurial skills of Goan women. It is active in various social endeavors and particularly commendable is its annual exhGovernmentneGovernment ‘AsAsturias This year a Buyer-Seller meet was organized which provided a unique opportunity for women from the weaker sections to interact with the heads of various co-operative organizations such as Bardez Bazar, Goa Co-op. Marketing & Supply Federation Ltd., GHRAsturiasSSIDC, etc. However, there is a lot more which needs to be done.

The State GovernementGovernmentSasha has throunitiativeSasha haswasas s  failed to attract any significant investment in the IT sector. The Chamber established and promoted the brand ‘Goa Agenda’ and conducted mega IT conferences which were very successful in popularizing Goa as an attractive IT destination. Under the brand ‘Goa Agenda’ we also conducted 2 hugely successful tourism meet.

HR Connect: was Given the small number of IT students in individual colleges, big IT companies in India were not conducting any campus recruitments in Goa, thus denying good employment opportunities to Goan students. Under the banner of HR Connect, we were able to attract top IT companies who conducted spot interviews and recruited a large number of Goan students. Given the current job scenario, we need to take this initiative forward with greater focus.

The Chamber can surely take the credit for a smooth transition from Sales Tax to VAT in Goa. It was the Chambethatch who man behind the scenes, do, what e forefront in helping the government with the framing of rules under the Act and took the initiative in educating the trade and industry through numerous seminars and workshops.

IDC – The entire functioning of IDC was revamped and I initiated many changes with help of GSIA Presidents – Sudin Naik, Keshav Kamat, Mr.Atul Pai Kane, Mr.Atul Naik

• Streamlining of plot allotments
• Rationalising of plot premium rates
• Reduction in interest rates on premium installments
• Formulation of OTS Scheme
• Sub-leasing & transfer guidelines
• Establishment of Container Freight Station at Verna
• Improvement in infrastructural facilities at all industrial estates
• Facilitation of import of raw cashew nuts at MPT

I also played an active role in restructuring & revitalizing EDC. Earlier EDC was generating revenue through the sale of land. Now it earns substantial revenue through financing entrepreneurs / providing loan assistance.

The Goa Pharmacy College was almost on the verge of closure. It was the Chamber that took the initiative to form the Managing Committee for the college in which the Chamber representatives played a dominant role. It is thanks largely to the Chamber that the college is on the pathway to recovery.

During my tenure, many new committees were formed to represent emerging sectors such as Food Processing, Logistics, Medical & Healthcare, Retail, and Strategic Planning & Economic Development Committee, etc., We also revamped the existing committees and brought in professionals on board.

I am proud of the round development in the functioning of the Chamber. The Chamber is now accessible even to small entrepreneurs.
Today the Chamber is in a very good financial position.

I wish to place on record my thanks to former Governors of Goa – Shri Mohammed Fazal, Shri Kedarnath Sahani, Shri S.C.Jamir, and,  the current Governor S.S.Sidhu.

During my tenure at GCCI, I have been fortunate to have worked closely with 3 Chief Ministers. Shri Pratapsingh Rane has been my all-time, favorite. Parrikar – a man of initiative and reform and a close friend. He is responsible for bringing IFFI to Goa. In a short time he spruced up Panaji. It was on this base that Goa was subsequently declared a permanent venue for the festival. The present CM – Digambar Kamat– is a calm and collected personality and a dear friend.

I would also like to specially mention – Luizinho Faleiro, the most dynamic Industry Minister, Goa has had. It was he who took the initiative to set up industrial estates and to improve their infrastructure.

Mr.Dayanand Narvekar was an outstanding Finance Minister whose understanding of trade and industry was superb.

As the Chamber head, I was regularly interacting with a lot of bureaucrats –
CHIEF SECRETARIES -Baleshwar Rai, D.S Negi, Kiran Dhingra, J P Singh.

SALE TAX COMMISSIONERS – A T Kamat, YS Pai Bir, Amit Yadav, Ajit Shrivastava, Vallabh Kamat.

EXCISE COMMISSIONERS – P S Reddy, J B Singh, Sandip Jaques

GIDC MDs – Sarjose,Sandip Jaques, Palekar

DIRECTOR OF INDUSTRY – G P Chimulkar, Yatindra Maralkar, Sanjith Rodrigues, P.S.Reddy.

CUSTOM COMMISSIONERS & CENTRAL EXCISE
S S Rana, S D Majumdar, B SBS Ganu, S K Sawhney, S S Singh, S C Mathur

INCOME TAX COMMISSIONERS – J K Rao, S C Jaini, Nilima Mansukhani, P R Dhayal, S M Misra, S S Negi

MPT CHAIRMEN – Mr.Jose Paul, Mr.Mohanty, Mr.Praveen Agarwal

DGFT – Mr.Sandhu, Mr.Rathod

My sincere thanks to you all for considering and implementing our suggestions and addressing our concerns.
Thanks are also due to the Press for taking up our causes.

I have been fortunate enough to work with people from diverse backgrounds and in the process enhanced my knowledge. I could not have reached this goal without the unending support from my Managing Committee. We have worked as a team and I am proud of our performance. Words cannot express my gratitude to the Managing Committee.

I remember in my initial days as President, I could sense apprehension amongst the Chamber staff. There was a distinct sense of discomfort and the feeling was mutual. Then I realized that I had to build trust and establish a rapport. We have come a long way since then and the Secretariat is now a close-knit team, full of enthusiasm and zeal. I thank you all.

It was my good fortune to have Air Cmde. P.K.Pinto, as the director-General of the Chamber. While supporting me in all my endeaendeavors have always ensured that the interest of the Chamber remained supreme. It is amazing how a defenseman behind the scenes, a person of your stature could remain so calm at all times.

The Chamber Director – R.S.Kamat is the man-behind-the-scenes at the Secretariat. An honest and sincere man, you have ensured that the Chamber is accessible to all.

I take this opportunity to thank each one of you and hope that you will extend the trust, loyalty and excellent collaboration that I have enjoyed, to my successor Mr.Cesar Menezes.

This year on the 4th of April, was the culmination of the centenary celebrations of the Chamber. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Chamber, the book ‘100 Years of Goa Chamber of Commerce And Industry (1908 – 2008) was released.
Today, we shall be releasing  Goa Its Tryst with Trade – a book on the commercial history of Goa.  Dr.Pratima Kamat, the author, was the unanimous choice of the managing committee to pen this book. I congratulate her on the fabulous job.

I dedicate this book, to the great visionaries of yesteryears due to whose foresight and efforts stands this great institution.

I was entrusted with a tremendous responsibility for three consecutive terms. I believe I have sincerely discharged it and remain ever committed to the development of Goa and Goans.

As I bid you farewell on my last day as President of the Chamber, a common bond holds – Goa Chamber of Commerce and industry – an institution which binds together all its people, always.