Rachana Felicitates KCCI President Jeevan Saldanha, Holds Talk on GST
Mangaluru: The Catholic Chamber of Commerce and Industry ‘RACHANA’ held a felicitation ceremony and a talk on GST (Goods Service Tax) at Hotel Maya International here on October 30.
The programme began with an invocation. President of Rachana Gilbert D’Souza welcomed the gathering. The past president of Rachana John Montiero introduced the KCCI President Jeevan Saldanha to the gathering.
The members of Rachana felicitated Jeevan Saldanha on the occasion. In his felicitation speech, Jeevan said, “It is indeed an honour for me to be felicitated by the Catholic Chamber of Commerce today. I accept your felicitation with great regard for it and with all humility and will remember this moment with fond memories for the rest of my life. I am being felicitated due to the fact that as a Catholic I have become the president of the prestigious Kanara Chamber Of Commerce and Industry. It has been a long journey for me to reach this point in my life. With hard work and by the grace of God and with the support of my family especially my mother, I was successful. It was dedication and integrity which helped me on my journey of life”.
Jeevan further said, “The company that I started, in 1993, Spectrum Industries, sold over 1,400 optical sorters for over 40 applications and we have been able to reach out to over 25 countries. We have also diversified into the manufacture of cleaning, grading and sorting machinery and install turnkey solutions for seed and grain processing. We have a tie up with the CSIR for developing machines for polymer identification using infra-red spectroscopy. We are presently working on identification of the percentage of fat, protein and moisture analysis on-Line in the process industry. We are also working on shape size and blemish sorting with sweetness identification using the Brix value in fruits and the snack industry. We have filed patents for two stage drying systems with reversible air circulation for coffee drying and for other industrial processes. We employ 150 people directly and have many exclusive vendors. We have four manufacturing units in Yeyyadi and Baikampady industrial areas”.
Briefing his journey towards KCCI Jeevan said, “The KCCI is the Apex body in the region of Dakishna Kannada and has 25 affiliated bodies such as the Karnataka Cashew Manufacturers Association, Kanara Small Industries Association, DSIA, UK Hotels and restaurants Association, Kanara Builders association, Steamer Agents association including the Puttur and Sullia Chamber of Commerce and Industry. We have 40 subcommittees that look into issues and concerns of the Trade and commerce as well as of the general Public such as the Automobile, Banking and Finance, Customs and Shipping, Airport and Air Services, Foreign Trade, IT, direct and indirect taxes etc to name a few and also include Road transport and safety as well as social causes and public safety. Our aim is to make Dakshina Kannada one of the most sought after destinations for setting up businesses in South India”.
The Kanara Chamber has been open and proactive to all initiatives regarding the economic and the landmark developments in DK District, such as the seaport, airport, national highways, railways, MRPL, MSEZ etc.. We are on the Board of Trustees of NMPT, Board of MSEZ, Airport Consultative Committee, Divisional Railway users consultative committee. Konkan Railway Corporation Advisory Committee. Through our various representations and interactions with people that matter, we have been able to contribute to the development of our District and in a large way, shape its future.
“These days whenever the Economic potential of a Country or region is spoken of along with favorable Government policies and infrastructure, people refer to the Entrepreneurial Capital of a region as one of its pillars of development. A renowned economist once described an Entrepreneur as someone who does not accept reality as it is. If there is no demand for a particular service or goods, the Entrepreneur will create such a demand: he will make people want it. These people venture into high-risk areas and their ventures when successful will create breakthroughs and have the potential to create substantial wealth”.
“These are people who bring about disruption in the status Quo. They know that the existing players are too big to be taken on, so they disrupt the system by using technology and leapfrog the challenges of current business models. Technology has leveled the playing field. Now with technology and the web revolution and the immense talent pool here waiting to be unleashed, India can catapult to the next level. Today kids barely out of college are taking risks into new and unexplored areas, we have the Olas, Zomatos, Flipkart and many other high profile ventures by young men in their twenties. However, great all this may sound a word of caution”.
Entrepreneurship is not exactly a walk in the Park. 90% of failures happen in the execution stage and only one in 10 businesses make it beyond the first ten years. It requires hard work and a never say die attitude. If you fear failure, lack discipline, and the perseverance, Entrepreneurship is not for you. Go get a safe job and live a secure and comfortable life. On the other hand, if you are willing to take risks and have a Can do Attitude and have the will to do it, then you have the right stuff. lndia is currently placed at 130 out of 189 Countries in the Ease of doing Business”. A manufacturing Company in India has to comply with 70 Laws & Regulations. 40 inspectors & government Officials visit Factories on an average every year. Apart from multiple inspections a Company has to file around 100 returns every year imposing significant costs on businesses especially MSMEs.
Jeevan also said, “We need to introspect whether we are being encouraged by our institutions to be better employees only rather than employers of people. We have very few Catholic industrialists in Dakshina Kannada and I was one of the few that I could recall who was an active industrialist in Yeyyadi and Baikamapady industrial areas. If we have more Catholic Entrepreneurs, we will be able to employ more of our people and help in improving the economic condition of our people, as well as prosper greatly in our own hometowns, without having to look for job opportunities elsewhere such as Mumbai or the Middle East”. He thanked the managing committee of Rachana for the felicitation.
A talk on GST was held by Jennifer Arun Mendes CA. Heera Vas compered the programme. Elias Sanctis delivered the vote of thanks.
Thanks for sharing update on GST