According to the president of GM Brazil, Flavio Padovan, the goal is  increasing brand presence in the Brazilian market, which should receive two completely new models by the end of the year. Consolidation in the market activities of the British brand, under the administration of Tata, will culminate in the construction of a factory in the country.

“The plan of building the plant in Brazil continues, we are in constant negotiation with the government,” said Padovan, who emphasizes the need to stabilize the situation in the country after the striking changes in the market with new automotive regime.

“Under the hat of the Land Rover factory I will negotiate the factory with the government. Under the hat Abeiva, I will negotiate business to ease the weight of the IPI, “said Padovan, who is also president of the Brazilian Association of Importers of Motor Vehicles. According to Padovan, the government’s promise is that by the end of the month is announced an aid package for imports. According to the president of Land Rover, no company is passing on to consumers the total adjustments of the IPI.

Because of the difficulties to readjust prices according to the current IPI, especially the negative impact on consumer perception, Land Rover says that will only disclose the price of Discovery 4 and Range Rover Sport 2012 next week.

Currently, the India plants, the second largest producer of sugar, are more than 100 billion Indian rupees, about $ 1.85 billion to farmers. This situation could encourage farmers to migrate to other cultures, creating a deficit in the sugar production in the country.

In season 2011/12, should be released, according to an anonymous source from the Indian government, about 4 million tons. Rather, the release volume was 3 million tons. However, approximately one million tons of that amount had not been shipped due to delays with the rules for export.

Sugar production in India is estimated between 25 million and 26 million tons for the season 11/12. The use of the product  is projected to 22 million tons.

According to the national U.S. the growth is due to increase in dairy cattle and buffalo in the country by raising the demand for price-sensitive regions such as Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

For Brazil, the USDA forecasts exports 1.4 million tons this year, exceeding the expectations of the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporters (Abiec), from 1.206 million tons. According to the Abiec, Brazil is expected to register growth of 10% in volume compared to 2011, when Brazil exported one million tons.

The President of the Permanent Forum National Beef Cattle CNA, Antenor Nogueira, was surprised by the disclosure, but does not believe in losses to Brazil. “It is a separate market from Brazil, due to low product quality. Brazil has the quantity, quality and consistency, then reaches markets not competing with India”, argues.

Pericles Salazar, president of the Association of Refrigerator (Abrafigo) believes India can overcome Brazil but does not believe in tenure. “Egypt, which is a Brazil customer stopped buying meat from Indian after identifying cysticercoids in the product,” he says. For him, despite the low price, India will serve countries that require low price, not quality, which restricts the scope of business in that country.

The code name of the new Indian model is Mini CAT and its cost is estimated at 6200 euros, equivalent to about U.S. $ 15,860 in a simple conversion, not including taxes and fees. According to the manufacturer, the new compact powered by compressed air will be four times cheaper than an electric model.

Today the story can be told in terms of share of global revenue and assets in the firms’ total numbers. Now, more than half the assets and revenues of the top 15 global Indian companies are sourced globally. Metal and metal products (Tata Steel and Hindalco), software (TCS, Infosys and HCL) and pharmaceuticals and life sciences (Dr Reddy’s and Jubilant) are prominent in the list. Indian companies have gone global largely through their acquisitions. Tata Steel bought Corus; Tata Motors, Jaguar Land Rover; Hindalco, Novelis — and, most recently, Bharti Airtel bought Zain. But if any business organisation stands out, it is the Tatas, who account for as many as six of the top 15 Indian multinationals. They are the most international in their mindset and willingness to do business. However, recent figures (particularly of the last three years) have to be seen in the right historical context. Most Indian acquisitions took place during the period of ample liquidity (debt-funded acquisitions were easy to accomplish during the boom years before 2008). The only large acquisition that took place afterwards was by Bharti Airtel. Thus, the last three years stand out as a period of consolidation of global business in relation to domestic business, and not of going forward. Building competitiveness and going global are slow processes. Both Tata Motors and Hindalco appear to have absorbed their acquisitions well, although Tata Steel will probably take a bit more time to do so. What is more, the relative health of large Indian multinationals, in sharp contrast to the travails that the domestic economy is facing, suggests that it is only a matter of time before global growth picks up pace.

By the beginning of this week, the elected president of France, Francois Hollande, who praised the social policy in Brazil, also confirmed his visit to the country for the event.

So far, 116 heads of State and Government informed that the discussions will be present. Many government ministers and advisors are going to send to the event because of difficulties with the domestic political agenda. The U.S. president, Barack Obama, for example, is campaigning for reelection.

The Foreign Minister, Antonio Patriota, said the challenge of the conference is to seek consensus, without accentuating differences.

‘’The proposal of Rio +20 is to look critically, with balance and [trying to solve the] gaps, showing the areas we go. Countries can show this individually, but there are other areas where progress has been neglected, “said the chancellor, to outline the difficulties in defining consensus.

However, according to Patriot, the challenges may not affect the expectation that the Rio +20 devote a milestone on environmental preservation, sustainable development and green economy, setting a new standard for the industry. “Diplomacy is to reconcile multiple interests. The interesting thing is that these goals are addressed to all countries of the international community. “

The spokesman from Itamaraty, Ambassador Tovar Nunes, added that, as host of the event, Brazil has the role of being a promoter of seeking consensus. “As hosts, the Brazilians should serve a kind of bridge between the existing biases, seeking to consolidate a positive agenda,” he said.

In the debates that preceded the conference and during the Rio +20, the Brazilians will highlight the need to reconcile the issues of environmental preservation, sustainable development and green economy with social inclusion. The authorities want to show that the progress made in the country Brazil to accredit the proposal.

In discussions, the Brazilian will defend the participation of excluded groups in the debates. Thanks to this, there will be a dedicated space for these groups and non-governmental organizations at the Aterro do Flamendo, in Rio, called Cúpula dos Povos.

A dark horse who might make history by being the first incumbent of the office to do a second term is rocket man Abdul Kalam. The outer field includes telephony technocrat Sam Pitroda, Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, Karan Singh and Farooq Abdullah. Just how wide open the race is might be gauged by the fact that the names of Ratan Tata and Narayana Murthy have done the rounds as possible contestants.

Despite Sharad Pawar’s plea that the presidential choice should be determined by non-partisan consensus, it is inevitable that party politics will determine who wins the Presidential Derby and romps home into Rashtrapati Bhavan for the next five years. But as New Delhi’s corridors of power are abuzz with rumours, conjecture and out-and-out kite-flying exercises regarding the outcome of the race, now might be the right time to ask the question as to whether India really needs a president at all. Constitutional blasphemy? Perhaps. Or is it?

India’s parliamentary system is based on the Westminster model, in which the prime minister is the head of government. In Britain, the constitutional head — or, rather, figurehead — of state is the monarch. In India, the role of the head of state is played by the president. It is largely a symbolic role, involving some pomp and an equal measure of ceremony.

The titular chief of the defence forces, the Indian president is supposedly a part of the machinery of checks and balances built into the parliamentary system. When a constitutional impasse takes place in a state assembly or in Parliament because no party or combination of parties can form a government, the presidential office is meant to come into its own, rather like a monitor in a school imposing order on a classroom full of rowdy and quarrelsome brats.

As a monitor, or referee, the office of the president is in theory supposed to be above party politics. But in fact it never really is. Presidents can, and have, been used by the government of the day to serve its own ends. This happened most notoriously in the case of Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, which was endorsed by an only-too-obliging resident of Rashtrapati Bhavan, whose compliance through the infamous 42nd Amendment grievously undermined the Constitution that he was meant to protect and preserve.

While there have been notable exceptions — the scholar and philosopher S Radhakrishnan was one — all too often India`s presidents have been politi-cians by another name. Take away the politics, and the presidency becomes just a decorative accessory to be trotted out when protocol demands for state banquets, Republic Day parades and similar ritualistic exercises.

As pure decoration — the cherry on the cake of our democracy — the presidency with all its establishment costs is an expensive fashion accessory to maintain. If it’s a constitutional safeguard we’re looking for, maybe it’s time to find a less politically pliable alternative to the presidency (the long-delayed Lokpal?). And if it`s only ceremonial show-sha that we expect from that gaddi, we might consider going whole hog and turning Rashtrapati Bhavan into a Rashtriya Mahal, India’s counterpart to Buckingham Palace, complete with a suitably imperious if not imperial occupant. Indeed, there might be a likely inmate waiting in the wings under the right royal banner of ‘Maa, Maati, Manoosh’ to which could be added ‘Monarchy’.

The heaviest satellite built so far by the South Asian nation (850 kg) was released early on Thursday on the spaceport of the coralline Island Sriharikota, informed the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

The RISAT-1, capable of sending images from one to 500 meters with high resolution, is the twelfth of its kind talent that India put in orbit, which correspond India to the one of the leaders in the distribution of data in the global market by having the largest number of satellite TV-watching in the world.

Despite being something more complicated than the previous ones, this has been completely fabricated by scientists, engineers and natives, with also components national.

Three years ago, ISRO has put into orbit the RISAT-2, weighing 300 kg has allowed faithful observations both day and night in any weather conditions including dense fog and clouds.

]]> http://www.indiabrazilchamber.org/en/?feed=rss2&p=3326 0 http://www.indiabrazilchamber.org/en/?p=3318 http://www.indiabrazilchamber.org/en/?p=3318#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:49:44 +0000 dim http://www.indiabrazilchamber.org/en/?p=3318 India held on Thursday (19) the first test launch of a new long-range missile with nuclear capability that can impact the Chinese territory and non-Asian countries, and puts the country into the select group of countries, holders of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The missile Agni V, a range of 5,000 km (IRBM class missile intermediates of less than 6400 km) was released at 08H05 local (00h35 GMT) in a base located on the sea among the state of Odisha.

The 50 tonnes and 17 meters in height missile can reach targets throughout China, as the rest of Asia and even in some European countries, according to some experts.

Only China, Russia, France, USA and UK have intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), with a range over 5,500 km.

The Chinese Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, congratulated the scientists for the successful launch of the missile, according to a statement released by his office.

The defense minister, A. K. Anthony, mentioned the “impeccable success” and described the launch as “a huge advance in India’s missile program,” according to the version of his spokesman.

However, the head of the responsible agency for the development of military technologies (DRDO), V. K. Saraswat told the television network NCTV that it is a “historical fact that our country honors in the field of missile technology.”

“We’re now a potency that owns a unique missile power in the most countries of the world,” he added.

The DRDO, who manufactured the missile, intended to carry out the shooting on Wednesday night, but the operation had to be postponed because of the bad weather.

The third largest Asian economy initiated in recent years a massive program of military purchases to modernize its army, seeks to strengthen its defense, particularly in relation to China. The border between China and India is a controversial issue since the 1980s, and both countries fought a brief war in 1962.

According to Ravi Gupta, a DRDO spokesman, this missile has “a dissuasive effect to prevent wars and it wasn’t developed against any particular country,” assuring that this program is “purely defensive”.

Agni, which means “fire” in Sanskrit, is the name given to five missiles developed by DRDO in a program originally launched in 1983.

While the short-range missiles Agni I and II (up to 2,500 km) were developed against the Pakistan hypothetical threat, the Agni III and IV models (up to 3500 km) have been perceived as a means of deterrence to China.

India and Pakistan, neighbors and rivals faced each other in three wars since independence in 1947.

“Agni V can reach targets in the heart of China, releasing potentially less powerful missiles to use against Pakistan or in big part of the West and South China,” said Poornima Subramaniam, from the Center of Defense Analyses IHS Jane.

Shannon Kile, nuclear weapons expert at the International Institute for Peace Research (SIPRI) in Stockholm, found that the Agni VI is part of an important development in the context of India’s aspirations to play a greater role in international affairs.

At the same time, the range of the missile will “give the strategists of the Indian defense sector greater margin over the choice of location of rocket launchers, he said.

Leaders of five countries in the BRIC bloc – Brazil besides the President, will attend the meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia, Hu Jintao of China, and Jacob Zuma, South Africa – to discuss creation of a development bank of the block, dedicated to investing in infrastructure projects and sustainable development in poor and emerging countries. The expectation is that leaders sign a declaration of intention to create the Development Bank of the BRICs, which would act as a kind of alternative to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, but without defining the details.

“The creation of the Development Bank of the BRICs should come true in about three years. The intention is to have money to invest in their own countries in the group and other developing countries,” says Fabiano MIELNICZUK, research coordinator of the BRICs Policy Center, an initiative of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro and the PUC / RJ. ”Until now, these countries were forced to submit to political conditionality, and to comply with demands made by the World Bank or the IMF in return for loans. This does not happen with the bank of the BRICs.”
You are still expected to sign acts in relation to a theme that has been discussed since the completion of the first Summit of the BRICs: the creation of mechanisms to facilitate trade and local currency financing of investments between the EU countries.

Rio +20
On the eve of the Rio +20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (which takes place in June in Rio de Janeiro), the agenda of discussions will also include BRIC issues related to the green economy (which includes the use of the environment to generate wealth without degradation) as a way to distribute income and generate social inclusion. ”This involves the transfer of technology from rich countries to developing ones. In this sense, the other BRIC countries have much to learn from China, which pollute much, but invests heavily in research to move to clean technology,” says MIELNICZUK.
Also discussed are issues relating to peace and global security, including the situation in Syria and Iran in addition to the summit of the BRIC countries, is scheduled a financial forum, attended by presidents of central banks. There will be a business forum, which will be attended by 60 executives from Brazil. On Friday, Dilma must sign a series of bilateral agreements with India.

The term BRIC was created ten years ago by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill, who predicted at the time that Brazil, Russia, India and China (South Africa was only added to the group in 2011) would boost the economy world in the decades following. O’Neill predicted that the Brics collectively come to represent 14% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared to their then 8%. In fact, despite the global financial crisis of 2008/2009, this number was exceeded, reaching 19%. According to IMF estimates, in 2012, the BRIC countries will account for 56% of world economic growth, while the G7 countries (U.S., Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy and Canada) should be responsible for only 9% growth.