1 Session on Export Finance – Emerging Trends
12th April 2023
The Chamber under the auspices of the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) and Logis�cs Commi�ee organised a Session on Export Finance – Emerging Trends jointly with Con�nex and Drip capital.
The objec�ve of this program was to bring an awareness about the new innova�ve finances which are available and to understand the nuances of various finances available for exports.
Mr. Vi�al Raj, Chairman, BFSI Commi�ee welcomed the delegates and the par�cipants and set the context for the session.
Mr. R Karthikeyan, Deputy General Manager & Member of Faculty, Reserve Bank Staff College, Chennai made an elaborate presenta�on on Interna�onal trade se�lement in Indian rupee covering the exis�ng mechanism, ra�onale for the new framework, salient features of Special Rupee Vostro Account (SRVA) and the regulatory enablement for INR Trade.
Mr. Murali Sampath, AGM – Interna�onal Banking, SBI LHO, Chennai made a presenta�on on Export Finance. He covered the eligibility for pre and post shipment finance, eligible exporters, assessment of export packing credit, and release of epc.
Mr Srinagesh , Director – Opera�ons, Con�nex introduced Con�nex and Drip Capital and the services provided to the par�cipants.
A�er the Q and A session, Mr. U. Udayabhaskar, Chairman, MCCI Logis�cs Commi�ee proposed the formal vote of thanks. The mee�ng was a�ended by 40+ par�cipants.
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2
Interac�on Mee�ng with Regional PF Commissioner on "Enhanced Pension Scheme"
13th April 2023
The Chamber under the auspices of the HR and IR Commi�ee organised an Interac�on Mee�ng with Regional PF Commissioner on "Enhanced Pension Scheme" – 13th April 2023 @ Hotel Deccan Plaza.
The Employees Provident Fund Organisa�on (EPFO) had recently issued guidelines giving procedures for eligible employees to submit applica�on for higher pension under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS). Even employees who had not earlier applied for higher pension under EPS, but were en�tled to do so as per the guidelines and the deadline to apply was May 3, 2023.
Considering the importance of the subject the Chamber had invited Mr. Rakesh Shekar, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner II, Chennai and his team for an interac�on mee�ng.
Mr.Shyam Sundar, Chairman, MCCI HR & IR Commi�ee welcomed the delegates and par�cipants.
Mr. Rakesh Shekar, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner II addressed the par�cipants and his team made a presenta�on on the procedures for applying for higher pension.
Mr.Anand Gopalan, Co-chairman, MCCI HR & IR Commi�ee moderated the Q and A Session and proposed the formal vote of thanks.
More than 80 par�cipants found this program useful and gave a posi�ve feedback.
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IWorkshop on Preven�on of Sexual Harassment at Workplace (POSH)
19th April 2023
The Chamber organized a Workshop on “Preven�on of Sexual Harassment at Workplace (POSH)”on 19th April 2023 at Hotel Savera.
Mr. Shyam Sundar, Chairman, MCCI HR & IR Commi�ee welcomed the delegates and par�cipants.
Ms. Madhri Guruswamy, Co-Chairman, Women Business Council introduced the Special Guest and briefed about the objec�ves and the structure of the workshop.
Ms. A. S. Kumari, Chairperson, Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women informed that the Act is a landmark act and elaborated on her experiences in her previous organisa�on about the act, its implementa�on and her present experiences of inspec�ng the workplaces and ensuring that the ICC members are given the necessary awareness to protect the women at the workplace from sexual harassment.
Ms. Madhri Guruswamy, Advocate, T S Gopalan & Co., POSH Act made a detailed presenta�on on the Overview, Challenges and Updates and played a few videos for discussion.
Dr. Saras Bhaskar, Counselling Psychologist, dealt with the psychological impact of the POSH ACT by involving the par�cipants in a group ac�vity.
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The knowledge partner Lexposh and its team had a session on POSH ACT – Rehash & Assess and interacted with the par�cipants to understand the takeaways from this session.
Ms. K. Saraswathi, Secretary General proposed the formal vote of thanks.
Around 42 members ac�vely par�cipated in the discussions and gave a posi�ve feedback.
4
Industrial Visit
20th April 2023
The Chamber under the auspices of the Manufacturing Commi�ee organised an Industrial Exposure Visit to ZF Commercial Vehicle Control Systems India Ltd. Amba�ur and Hanon Systems, Maraimalai Nagar on Thursday 20
The main objec�ve of this visit was to get an exposure to the Industry 4.0 technologies and smart manufacturing which are partly implemented in the factories and also to understand the energy efficiency products which are commissioned.
29 members from different organisa�ons took part in the Industrial visit and had an opportunity to get first hand knowledge on some of the best prac�ces followed in ZF and Hanon.
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5
Session on Urban Ocean Roundtable
24th April 2023
The Chamber under the auspices of the Sustainable Chennai Forum in collabora�on with Okapi Research & Advisory and the Chennai Resilience Centre (CRC) organised the Urban Ocean Round table on 24th April 2023 at the MCCI Conference room. This is a partnership of The Circulate Ini�a�ve, Resilient Ci�es Network and Ocean Conservancy.
The Roundtable was organised to share key learnings on Chennai’s solid waste management (SWM) especially plas�c waste management status and to present ac�onable project ideas that can address challenges related to SWM and to solicit ideas from par�cipants. Further, to discuss how extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework would present opportuni�es for addressing SWM challenges.
Mr. T.R.Kesavan welcomed the delegates and par�cipants
Ms Supriya Sahu IAS, Addi�onal Chief Secretary, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Govt of TN, Special Guest addressed the par�cipants.
Ms. Parama Roy made a presenta�on on the Urban Ocean project and a short film on the ac�on taken and to be taken for solid waste management was showcased to the par�cipants.
A�er the presenta�ons, the 20 + par�cipants were divided in to 4 groups to discuss about the possible solu�ons/takeaways that could be recommended for necessary implementa�on.
The sugges�ons from the groups were summarised and presented for further ac�on. Mr. Saurabh Gaidhani from Resilient Ci�es Network (RCN) gave the concluding remarks and thanked the par�cipants.
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6
Intellectual Property Rights for Start-ups
26th April 2023
The Chamber under the auspices of the Sustainable Chennai Forum in collabora�on with Okapi Research & Advisory and the Chennai Resilience Centre (CRC) organised the Urban Ocean Round table on 24th April 2023 at the MCCI Conference room. This is a partnership of The Circulate Ini�a�ve, Resilient Ci�es Network and Ocean Conservancy.
7 Panel Discussion on Women in DigitAll World: Opportuni�es and Challenges
27th April 2023
The Chamber under the auspices of the Women Business Council organised the Virtual Panel Discussion on Women in DigitAll World: Opportuni�es and Challenges on 27th April 2023.
Ms. Bhavani Balasubramanian, Chairperson WBC welcomed the delegates and the par�cipants and set the context for the mee�ng.
Ms. Savitha Jagadeesan, member of the WBC moderated the session. Ms.Deepa Seshadri, Partner, Deloi�e India talked about the importance of empowering women to explore the various opportuni�es and challenges that exist in today’s rapidly evolving Digital Economy.
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Ms. Archana Nandakumar, Domain SOC Expert, CISCO shared her experiences and journey in the field of IT and how percep�ons has changed as more women are working in the field of cybersecurity and she also added that there are ample opportuni�es in the digital world.
Mr. Gomeet Pant, Vice President & Global Head, Infosec Services, ABB India stated that the percep�on that technical roles do not fit women should be done away with and we should typecast it. He stated that there are women in the middle management in the IT sector. However, it is necessary for them to scale up and reach leadership posi�ons so that there is a balance.
Ms. Bhavani Balasubramanian proposed the formal vote of thanks. The discussion was a�ended by 50+ par�cipants. And the feedback was excellent.
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Webinar on Covid 19 in 2023
28th April 2023
The Chamber under the auspices of the Healthcare Working Commi�ee organised a Webinar on the topic Covid 19 in 2023.
Mr.P.V.Jaishankar, Chair, Healthcare commi�ee welcome the expert and the par�cipants.
Dr.Srinvas Rajagopala, Director, Transplant Pulmonology and Lung failure unit, Kauvery Hospital was the resource person.
He made a detailed presenta�on covering where are we with regard to ac�ve cases in 2023, what is driving the case load up, symptoms, tes�ngs, treatment op�ons, vaccina�on. He clarified the various queries on wearing masks, medica�ons, and the necessity of a booster dose.
His presenta�on was appreciated by 50+ par�cipants.
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General Commi�ee Mee�ng
The General Commi�ee mee�ng was held on 8th April 2023
Expert Commi�ee Mee�ngs
Healthcare Commi�ee
The Health care commi�ee had a mee�ng on 10th April 2023 and discussions were held with the members about the ac�vi�es that could be planned in the commi�ee. This was followed by the core team mee�ng on 18th April 2023.
IT/Ites Commi�ee
The IT/Ites commi�ee met on 21st April 2023 and discussed the work plan for the next quarter.
Other Mee�ngs
Ms. K. Saraswathi, Secretary General of the Chamber, Mr. U. Udayabhaskar, Chairman, and Mr. Ashwin Vijayakumar, Co Chairman, MCCI Logis�cs Commi�ee had a mee�ng with Ms. Rajalakshmi, Zonal Addi�onal Director, DGFT on 25th April 2023 to discuss about a joint program on the recent Foreign Trade Policy and other related issues.
Ms. K. Saraswathi a�ended the virtual mee�ng on the launch of Na�onal Manufacturing Innova�on Survey(NMIS) reports on 27th April 2023. The Chamber supported the survey and was acknowledged in the mee�ng.
Mr. T.R.Kesavan, President of the Chamber and Ms. K. Saraswathi, Secretary General represented the Chamber in the FICCI’S Na�onal Execu�ve Commi�ee mee�ng held on 29th April 2023 at Hotel ITC Grand Chola, Chennai.
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Industrial Exposure Visit to ZF Commercial Vehicle Control Systems India Ltd & Hanon Systems Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Rakesh Shekar, Regional PF Commissioner II, Chennai, addressing the par�cipants.
Ms. A. S. Kumari, Chairperson, Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women, delivering the Inaugural Address.