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Casual Articles - Blazing a Trail in Infrastructure Management Education in India
When I was in school I typically started looking for a summer job a couple of days after my exams ended. I always wondered why some people found such terrific jobs while I seemed to have so much trouble.The best summer jobs I ever had were places where I already had some kind of an in? The first was in my senior year of high school, at a local utility company where my aunt worked. There I earned much better than average income for my age and got some great accounting experience. During my university years I had a summer job with our local school board that I heard about from my next door neighbour who, again, worked for thereBut what about when you do not have an in? Yes, I found jobs, but they were not always that great. Having a crummy, low-paying job can not only wreck your summer, but also lead to financial hardship during the school year, I often found myself working 2 or 3 part time jobs throughout the school year to make my rent and tuition payments, never mind having spending money for entertainment.There are ways that one can avoid
New Demands on Infrastructure Management
As path-breaking concepts, frameworks and methodologies are being evolved, at the national, regional and local levels, especially in the critical facets of infrastructure management such as financing, contracting and regulation, an Infrastructure Manager today needs to have a variety of skills: Marketing, business development and financial management skills for mobilizing and administering project resources. Engineering and tec
Working for a bad boss can be an ongoing problem especially if it starts to affect your not only your work life but your personal life, too.Certainly, the most drastic measure you could take to rid yourself of a bad boss would be to get a new job but luckily there are other options you might consider before taking this route.Here are some things you should consider before taking any action: 1. Keep doing your job and don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Remain professional and don’t do or say anything you may later regret.2. Document your work and any positive comments others in the company have made about you in case you ever need to refer to examples of your track record with the company should the need arise ie. if you get fired and your boss blames you for the problem(s).3. Remember that when you start talking to others in the company about the problems you have with your boss, your comments could end up reaching your boss and causing even more trouble.4. Depending on the actual problem with your boss, you might consider speaking wit
The Planning Commission has set an ambitious double-digit national economic growth rate during the 11th Five-Year Plan. How do we go about pursuing this tall order? There is now a general consensus that the answer lies mainly in the creation of high quality infrastructure – physical, social and economic. How the Interstate Highway System launched by the Eisenhower administration in the ‘50s helped create a more mobile and vastly wealthier America is now legendary. Back home, in India, we have the classic case of the Grand Trunk Road, built by the 16th Century ruler, Sher Shah Suri, to promote trade. A 2000 km stretch of the Grand Trunk, linking six Indian states, still acts as the backbone of commercial prosperity across India.
Several studies in the past have shown that the spread of rural infrastructure assists economic growth and leads to a decline in poverty. According to the Rural Infrastructure Report, recently brought out by the NCAER, development of rural infrastructure has a five-fold impact on the economy. Good infrastructure creates better access to employment and provides further earning opportunities; increases production efficiency; gives access to previously inaccessible commodities and services; helps citizens save time and, thereby, involve themselves more in productive activities; and improves the health and physical condition of the rural population.
Infrastructure-centric Governance
Economic liberalization heralded the beginning of a new era of infrastructure-centric governance in India. The government is already putting in place a transparent and independent regulatory framework for the infrastructure sector, based on international best practices. A committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, to closely monitor the progress in all key infrastructure projects, on a quarterly basis. A Viability Gap Grant Scheme has been instituted for supporting infrastructure projects (like power, roads, ports, airports, railways, water supply & urban transport) which, despite being economically viable, are financially unviable. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called the India Infrastructure Finance Corporation Limited (IIFC), has been set up to lend funds with longer term maturity to commercially viable projects in infrastructure sectors, including projects which become viable after receiving viability gap funding from the government. Comprehensive Model Concession Agreement (MCA) Frameworks for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are either in place or being formulated for the Highway, Seaport & Airport sectors. These MCAs, based on internationally accepted principles and best practices, unbundle risks and costs, and allocate them to the party best suited to manage them. Rail container movement, so far monopolised by the public sector entity, CONCOR, has been thrown open to competition, making private sector entities eligible for owning and operating container trains.
Today, the sectoral policies at the national, regional & local levels are being developed around ‘touchstone’ principles, like: (1) Efficient use of existing assets and optimal allocation of additional resources, (2) payment for services, (3) equitable contractual structures, (4) transparent process of procurement, (5) fair regulatory framework, (6) enabling institutional infrastructure, and (7) sustainable incentives and concessions.
New Demands on Infrastructure Management
As path-breaking concepts, frameworks and methodologies are being evolved, at the national, regional and local levels, especially in the critical facets of infrastructure management such as financing, contracting and regulation, an Infrastructure Manager today needs to have a variety of skills: Marketing, business development and financial management skills for mobilizing and administering project resources. Engineering and tech
Do you want to change your job but don’t know the right way to go about it? Are you vacillating between waiting for your dream job or accepting the first one that comes your way? Or are you a fresher falling in line with what your parents wish you to be rather than what you wish to be? If this is the kind of situation you find yourself in, then the next few minutes will help you get a clearer picture. Here is our bowl of chicken soup for the job seeker’s soul. Read on…Searching for a job today is almost a job in itself because you are spending so much of your time and effort on it. Enthusiasm, excitement, anxiety, frustration and depression-all these are phases one encounters during a job search. The key point is to take this phase positively and persevere till you get that pot of gold at the end of your job search rainbow- your dream job. In today’s cut-throat working environment, looking for a job is not just about working hard but about working Smart.So to stay ahead of the herd, here are a few tips from the team of Naukri.com, India’s No.1 Job portal-
Infrastructure-centric Governance
Economic liberalization heralded the beginning of a new era of infrastructure-centric governance in India. The government is already putting in place a transparent and independent regulatory framework for the infrastructure sector, based on international best practices. A committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, to closely monitor the progress in all key infrastructure projects, on a quarterly basis. A Viability Gap Grant Scheme has been instituted for supporting infrastructure projects (like power, roads, ports, airports, railways, water supply & urban transport) which, despite being economically viable, are financially unviable. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called the India Infrastructure Finance Corporation Limited (IIFC), has been set up to lend funds with longer term maturity to commercially viable projects in infrastructure sectors, including projects which become viable after receiving viability gap funding from the government. Comprehensive Model Concession Agreement (MCA) Frameworks for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are either in place or being formulated for the Highway, Seaport & Airport sectors. These MCAs, based on internationally accepted principles and best practices, unbundle risks and costs, and allocate them to the party best suited to manage them. Rail container movement, so far monopolised by the public sector entity, CONCOR, has been thrown open to competition, making private sector entities eligible for owning and operating container trains.
Today, the sectoral policies at the national, regional & local levels are being developed around ‘touchstone’ principles, like: (1) Efficient use of existing assets and optimal allocation of additional resources, (2) payment for services, (3) equitable contractual structures, (4) transparent process of procurement, (5) fair regulatory framework, (6) enabling institutional infrastructure, and (7) sustainable incentives and concessions.
New Demands on Infrastructure Management
As path-breaking concepts, frameworks and methodologies are being evolved, at the national, regional and local levels, especially in the critical facets of infrastructure management such as financing, contracting and regulation, an Infrastructure Manager today needs to have a variety of skills: Marketing, business development and financial management skills for mobilizing and administering project resources. Engineering and tec
This article is continued from ‘Ten Things NOT To Write In Your CV – Part One’. Your CV (Curriculum Vitae) – Resume for our American friends sells you to your prospective employer. It has to be straight and too the point. However too many CV’s contain irrelevant information. What are the ten things that you shouldn’t write in your CV?6) Don’t be all things to all peopleSome people with a broad range of experience or an eclectic background feel that this can’t be anything but good news for their employment prospects. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! In all but a handful of circumstances, unless you can demonstrate a clear, logical career progression in your CV then you’re diminishing your chances of future employment. This doesn’t mean that you should lie about your past on your CV. It simply means that you should try and find a common trail of experience in the bullet point summaries of your previous experience. Try not to highlight a vast range of skills from administration to sales unless you’re applying for a general management position.7) Don’t mention every q
Today, the sectoral policies at the national, regional & local levels are being developed around ‘touchstone’ principles, like: (1) Efficient use of existing assets and optimal allocation of additional resources, (2) payment for services, (3) equitable contractual structures, (4) transparent process of procurement, (5) fair regulatory framework, (6) enabling institutional infrastructure, and (7) sustainable incentives and concessions.
New Demands on Infrastructure Management
As path-breaking concepts, frameworks and methodologies are being evolved, at the national, regional and local levels, especially in the critical facets of infrastructure management such as financing, contracting and regulation, an Infrastructure Manager today needs to have a variety of skills: Marketing, business development and financial management skills for mobilizing and administering project resources. Engineering and tec
Working as computer consultants for small businesses can be very financially rewarding and very gratifying. In this article you'll learn about some of the benefits you'll realize as computer consultants.You Can Pick Your WorkAs computer consultants, you have so much flexibility that you're not likely to get bored. You choose what you want to do. It’s a lot of fun. You get to select exactly which technologies and the platforms and the products that you’re able to sell, service and support. You don’t have to get boxed into working with products that you don’t want to deal with anymore.You Can Find Plenty of Clients in Your AreaIt doesn’t matter where you are located. If there are small businesses, no matter what the industry, you can build a very nice business servicing and supporting their IT needs. But let’s face it, it really isn’t just about the financial rewards. You can make a very good living as a computer consultant for small businesses right in your local area. And if that two-hour commute is really getting on your nerves you can set up your computer c
Today, the sectoral policies at the national, regional & local levels are being developed around ‘touchstone’ principles, like: (1) Efficient use of existing assets and optimal allocation of additional resources, (2) payment for services, (3) equitable contractual structures, (4) transparent process of procurement, (5) fair regulatory framework, (6) enabling institutional infrastructure, and (7) sustainable incentives and concessions.
New Demands on Infrastructure Management
As path-breaking concepts, frameworks and methodologies are being evolved, at the national, regional and local levels, especially in the critical facets of infrastructure management such as financing, contracting and regulation, an Infrastructure Manager today needs to have a variety of skills: Marketing, business development and financial management skills for mobilizing and administering project resources. Engineering and tec
My friend told me about a local restaurant that serves a variety of Chinese dim sum dishes. He went there with five friends for a business lunch and ordered widely from the menu. Each dish featured six bite-sized items, one per person.Most of the food was delicious, but one tofu dish did not measure up. All six diners popped the tofu into their mouths. Then all six turned up their noses at the taste. The tofu had gone rancid.Tofu disintegrates pretty quickly in the mouth, so everyone swallowed hard and reached quickly for their drinks to wash away the taste. The waitress apologized right away and promised to tell the owner. Better-tasting dishes soon followed.But when the bill was presented at the end of the meal, the tofu dish was still included! The waitress apologized again and referred to the restaurant owner. The owner appeared and defended the bill. ‘But you ate the tofu,’ he said, ‘so we still have to charge you. If the tofu was no good, why did you eat all six pieces?’ Despite their protests, the tofu remained on the bill.And that was the last bill ev
New Demands on Infrastructure Management
As path-breaking concepts, frameworks and methodologies are being evolved, at the national, regional and local levels, especially in the critical facets of infrastructure management such as financing, contracting and regulation, an Infrastructure Manager today needs to have a variety of skills: Marketing, business development and financial management skills for mobilizing and administering project resources. Engineering and technical skills for ascertaining the technological soundness of the project. Skills in Participatory Learning & Action (PLA), Information, Education & Communication (IEC), and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to evaluate the location-specific social, economic & environmental impact of the project. Organizational & capacity-building skills to ensure the sustainability of the project.
Need for Holistic Training
With a huge investment requirement of the order of about Rs.14.5 trillion ($320 billion), over the next six years, and a spate of new investor-friendly policies in the offing, Infrastructure is all set to become the most ‘happening’ sector of the Indian economy. The immediate requirement of the Indian economy is a pool of holistically trained domain-ready infrastructure managers, who have the ability and grit to (a) convert the huge investments into quality infrastructure facilities; (b) upgrade the existing infrastructure set-up; and (c) sustain high infrastructure service levels by adopting better management practices. Be it physical, social, economic or environmental infrastructure, the demand for such holistically trained managers is going to be unprecedented.
A Trail-blazer
In response to this crying need for domain-ready managers the first-ever comprehensive Post-Graduate Diploma in Infrastructure Management (PGDIM) Programme in the country was launched in August 2005. The programme, offered by Karnataka’s prestigious Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), is being conducted by the School of Management for Infrastructure and Development Strategies - India (MINDS), at Bangalore. MINDS is a Division of the Centre for Symbiosis of Technology, Environment & Management (STEM), a professional research group with nearly two decades’ standing in Development Research, Consultancy & Training.
The PGDIM is a one-year full-time programme for graduates in all disciplines of engineering and post-graduates in other disciplines. The curriculum is designed on a holistic approach to Infrastructure Management covering Project Management; Marketing; Contract Management; Infrastructure Finance; ICT Applications; GIS Applications; Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA); Legal & Regulatory Environment; and Emerging Paradigms. The programme participants also work on live projects being implemented by reputed infrastructure organizations, and gain hands-on professional experience.
Based on the encouraging experience of running the unique PGDIM Programme, VTU is commencing a new format two-in-one PG Programme in Infrastructure Management from the academic year 2007-08. Very modular in structure, this innovative programme provides for a ‘Dual Qualification Option’ whereby a student receives a Post-Graduate Diploma in Infrastructure Management (PGDIM) on successfully completing the first year and also an MBA Degree in Infrastructure Management, after the second year. One exceptional feature of the Dual Option PG Programme is that it is a highly modular arrangement whereby a student needs to make up his/ her mind only midway or even at the end of the one-year PGDIM whether
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