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C.K. Prahalad: ’The Poor Deserve World-Class Products and Services’
C.K. Prahalad, author of The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid; Eradicating Poverty through Profit (Wharton School Publishing, 2004), has long championed the notion that business -- rather than government handouts -- represents the most effective solution to poverty. In a keynote speech at the recent TiE Entrepreneurship Summit in New Delhi, he noted that India must pay more attention to entrepreneurship, which he described as the essence of development. We ne...
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- South Asia
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If I.T. Merged With E.T.
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Well, here?s something you don?t see every day. I was visiting an Indian village 350 miles east of Hyderabad and got to watch a very elderly Indian man undergo an EKG in a remote clinic, while a heart specialist, hundreds of miles away in Bangalore, watched via satellite TV and dispensed a diagnosis. This kind of telemedicine is the I.T. revolution at its best. But what struck me most was that just underneath the TV screen, powering the whole endeavor, were 16...
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- South Asia
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BiD Challenge India 2007: Awarding Entrepreneurship for Development
Jointly organized by the Business in Development (BiD) Network Foundation and Intellecap , the BiD Challenge India 2007 business plan competition awarded six amazing entrepreneurs who are making a difference and rewriting the rules for running profitable enterprises for development.
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- South Asia
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UN Launches Project For Micro Entrepreneurs in B`desh
A new United Nations backed development project has been launched to help nearly 120,000 Bangladeshi micro entrepreneurs, 90% of whom are women, expand their small enterprises and develop new ones. The UN International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) will provide USD 35 million of the estimated USD 60 million finance for enterprise development and employment creation project. A new United Nations backed development project has been launched to help nearl...
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- South Asia
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Wheels of Misfortune
Small cars have had it good for quite a while, but the market could undergo a drastic transformation with the advent of ultra-cheap, small cars led by the Tatas’ Rs 1 lakh model. The Tata car, the stuff of dreams millions of potential vehicle owners haven’t yet dared to dream, is slated to roll out of its factory in Singur, West Bengal, in 2008. The state government has done everything in its powers to facilitate the project, from land acquisition to fiscal breaks. At t...
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- South Asia
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SME Policy
The long awaited first-ever small and medium enterprises (SME) policy was finally launched by the government on 15th August, 2007. Speaking at a press conference, the Minister for Industries Production and Special Initiatives, Jahangir Khan Tareen, flanked by the Governor of State Bank and the Secretary for Industries, revealed its salient features, emphasising that the new policy aims to create globally competitive SMEs with a hassle-free business environment and to ensure provision of modern i...
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- South Asia
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“Push for Innovation” is the New Mantra for IIT Graduates
Pointing out that there would be a much greater premium on innovation in India in future than has been the case so far, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Saturday hoped that the students graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, will push for innovation. Entrepreneurs NEW DELHI: Pointing out that there would be a much greater premium on innovation in India in future than has been the case so far, Planning Commission Deputy...
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- South Asia
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Sri Lanka Agribusiness Firms Reach out to Farmers
Sri Lanka’s agribusiness companies have started a programme to get corporate executives to volunteer their services help farmers improve productivity, reduce waste and get better access to markets. The aim of the programme, launched under the aegis of the National Agribusiness Council (NAC), is to get member firms to provide two executives who will visit rural farmers during their leave period and help solve problems, said Mario de Alwis, former president of NAC. ...
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- South Asia