DK Kapila The Oracle

Infrastructure is generally defined as the physical framework of facilities through which goods and services are provided to the public or the rails on which the wheels of the economy move. The infrastructure sector covers a wide spectrum of services such as transportation (including roadways, railways, airways and water transportation); power generation, transmission and distribution; telecommunication; port handling facilities; water supply; sewage disposal; irrigation; medical; educational and other primary services. Infrastructure development is a necessary precondition for the integrated development of the economy. Rural infrastructure covers within its ambit, economic infrastructure such as transport and communication, power, irrigation, credit, marketing, storage and processing, animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries, information technology and social infrastructure namely education, health, drinking water, sanitation, research and extension. Infrastructure" is an umbr...

Smile - its the festival season; we all have recollections of something amusing which we may not write about officially in our notes, its unofficial. Well here's one such incident. Its Festival time, its meant to draw a smile !! Remember this if you do decide to scroll through it. in any case words are all I have to share - Happy Diwali. Keep smiling. While posted as a DDM one would often come across cases where one just had to laugh it out at the sheer absurdity of the situation which ostensibly was focusing on development. In one of the districts I was asigned to, the NGO Guru Kripa Society was functioning at the village Kotla Nihang. The NGO was funded by a Jesuit order from Kerala and headed by Father Joseph, a Moses like figure. The village was largish, population around 5000 but comparatively under developed. Father Joseph ran the NGO with skill and committment, always calm; collected and slowly but surely would initiate changes or rope in the district adminstration. Then F...

Military Leadership – Its Relevance for CEOs in the Corporate World. Written 2010. Dinesh K Kapila   The characteristics of Military leadership at the senior level are often not considered as a useful tool for replication in the corporate world. The two worlds, specially in the Indian context are viewed as two exclusive separate streams with a minimal element of commonality. However one has to distinguish between the stereotyped swagger, the spit and fire image prevalent in India of a military leader and search for its essence. It is this essence which this article seeks to explore as also its relevance for the corporate sector. This has been attempted by studying the characteristics and views of military leaders such as Marshals Zhukov & Rokossovsky of Russia, Generals Eisenhower & Patton of USA, Field Marshal Montgomery of the UK and our very own Field Marshals Carriappa and Manekshaw. It’s pertinent to note that as the economy expands rapidly, the challenges for ...

(Thought to share my thoughts) I was privileged to be selected in Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) as a Management Trainee (Administration) in the early 1980s and was assigned to the Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP) in West Bengal. The one year theoretical training imparted was rigorous and covered the entire spectrum of management subjects including safety of the shop floor and steel making. Later I worked in the Plant Personnel Department before moving over to NABARD. When I read about the recent labour strife at Chennai and Gurgaon, I am reminded of my days at DSP. Modern day HR has moved far away from IR and seems focused upon the services sector mainly now, which is mainly non unionised. Such incidents serve to remind us that there is another world out there. After all these years what I remember most are the industrial relations aspects of my work and training, more so as this then the was the most sensitive unit of SAIL in terms of industrial relations. A workforce of over 400...

Written purely in my personal capacity, this does not reflect the views of my employer in any manner. Dinesh K Kapila Upgrading Academic Standards and Employability in Punjab / North West India – Role of Society and Stakeholders – The Broad Perspective Interactions with industry officials and academicians plus my own professional thought processes have led to a perspective on employability and academic standards. The thought process that academic standards in North West India need to upgrade urgently and to be reoriented for employability as also entrepreneurship has now evolved as a reasoned belief. The recent and repeated incidents of violence at the academic campuses (even in the private sector) in this region also masks a deeper malaise, if considered in conjunction with the above. We can safely assume that the attempts to address falling academic standards and violence by an administrative fiat or a law and order approach will not work. The academicians, parents and socie...

Breaking Myths - SHGs Succeed in Punjab Also (This has appeared in the May 2010 issue of the E-Mag of the Chandigarh Management Association pl for which I am thankful to them) Punjab, the name is taken to imply a prosperous state where the concept of Self Help Groups (SHGs) is alien and not required as in the comparatively under developed parts of India. This is a myth; the concept is required, there is a deep hunger for credit and easy access to credit amongst its women and once shown the pathway; the concept is adopted enthusiastically. The only difference, if any, is in the quantum of funds sought for from banks or vide internal loaning as also subscribed to; both are higher than the conventional amounts in most parts of India. Normal subscriptions will often start at Rs 100/- per month per member (Rs 20/- or os in most parts of India); loans from banks or the demand for a loan would also start at a minimum of Rs 25,000/- or so as gainst Rs 10,000/- in most parts of India; but...

The Violence at the Panjab University Campus – The malaise is deeper. The recent and repeated incidents of violence at the Panjab University Campus and at its affiliated colleges in Chandigarh mask a deeper malaise. The attempts to combat violence by students by a law and order approach will not work until and unless parents and society as such join in to control the situation. A law and order approach is certainly required to combat the violence with a firm hand before the university joins the likes of various universities in central & eastern India with a tarnished reputation. Already the university has lost ground and its flagship courses do not attract talent or employers with the same enthusiasm as earlier. The violence if left unchecked due to various factors will simply hasten the process of furthering the slide of the university. Panjab University also seems to be afflicted by a diffused sense of responsibility between the Vice Chancellor and the Senate, in any case a se...

Dear Friends, This is a complete article written by me, the slightly edited / abridged version appears in The E- Magazine of the Chandigarh Management Association at  http://cmaupdate.blogspot.com/ I am thankful to the CMA for publishing the article and the sound editing. My own article has some views which may not acceptable to all and hence the complete text is pasted below.  Happy reading and remember views are welcome. Rural Industrialisation and Its Attendant Issues. By Dinesh K Kapila Agricultural expansion is not enough to conquer poverty; this is the most important issue while discussing the rural non farm sector, of which Rural Industries are an integral part. The World Bank has also observed in its communications that the rural farm and non farm growth is widely shared, with a privately held and competitive agriculture & a vibrant agri business being vital engines of economic growth. Moreover, family farms and non farm enterprises provide ample remunerat...

DO I KNOW YOU By Dinesh K Kapila I think it was WB Yeats who remarked something like " the centre does not hold and things fall apart'. Our present day competitive and goal oriented, as also work obsessed life style seems to cut us off from our relatives and friends alike. As the poet said of the political world, similarly the old generation, which is the epicenter of family life gets ignored in the pell mell rush of affairs. Gradually, the generations move apart as do the cousins of all grades and types. Even real brothers and sisters drift away, some do realize it but even in their sadness and realisation, the sheer pace and demands of sundry other issues pushes away any initiative to reach out. A self confessed workaholic like me realised it rather harshly the other day. In fact it has set some gray cells thinking overtime as to whether I need to renew old ties on a priority basis. A colleague at the office had some work, which could be facilitated by some connections. T...

I have sent this artcle to a journal - maybe they publish or do not publish, but I have decided to put it on my blog. Do read but THE COPYRIGHT IS MINE PLEASE - No reproduction without permission. Comments / Reactions are welcome but comments may be couched in polite language pl.  Gender Equality – Which are the Behavioural / Cultural Traits which hold Back North West India? The Kapila Gender Sensitivity Test. By DINESH K KAPILA North West India has some of the worst affected districts in the country as regards female foeticide and ranks quite low on female nutrition rates and other gender related issues. The Gender Equality Indices rank North West India uniformly low. Economists are of the view that this would ultimately impact adversely the socio economic development of the region quite seriously. But what does an average person in the towns and rural areas of North West India perceive to be gender related behaviour – how does he or she know which attitude or c...