India Special Edition 2017

India

Special Edition Exclusive interview to H.E. Ambassador of India in Rome Interview of India tourism Manager in Milan

Quarterly magazine on-line, May/July 2017

Indo-Italian Synchrotron Collaboration

AMBASSADOR OF INDIA H.E. Mr. ANIL WADHWA

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Sommary 10 Exclusive interview to H.E. Ambassador of India in Rome

32 Vger is an Italian excellence from more than 25 years ...

21 Interview of India tourism Manager in Milan

34 Hepatitis C: a revolution in place

26 Indo-Italian Synchrotron Collaboration

37 The Progress Time Event

21

10 32

37 26 34

THE PROGRESS TIME Quarterly magazine on-line, May/July 2017 Aut.Trib. di Arezzo n. 4/13RS del23/07/2013 Aut. Modifiche dal Tribunale di Arezzo del 02/07/2015 EDITOR Mr. Ivan De Stefano EDITOR IN CHIEF Mrs. Barbara Ganetti GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGNER Mr. Tosi Lucio TRASLATOR Ms. Giulia Ruzzenenti QUESTO NUMERO È STATO FINITO DI IMPAGINARE IL 18/05/2017 CONTATTI editore@theprogresstime.com - redazione@theprogresstime.com

Editorial

by Barbara Ganetti

The Progress Time Magazine keeps distinguish itself, with its multicultural information devoted to the global economy, using eminent and reliable sources, it enhances the readers an increased knowledge of the treated countries, overcoming the stereotypes often imposed by miscommunication, and today, in some frequent cases, the complete lack of information from Italian companies that address their services and products to international markets.

In this issue, we will know more about India, this wonderful country, the manner it gets ready to become an always more competitive worldwide player and the current

possibilities that it could offer to the Italian Know-How; we recommend two important interviews, in particular, with H.E. Mr. ANIL WADHWA, Ambassador of India in Rome, and with India Tourism Manager in Milan, Mr. C. Gangadhar. Moreover, we could read another important article, concerning the preview convention of 20th April in Milan, “Vietnam and its Possibilities for Italian Companies�, an event promoted by THE PROGRESS TIME Magazine, in collaboration with the Vietnam Embassy in Italy and the high patronage of Regione Lombardia.

Enjoy the read

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO AMBASSADOR OF INDIA H.E. Mr. ANIL WADHWA FOR THE PROGRESS TIME

By Ivan De Stefano

Today, India represents H.E., I thank you for a significant potential your willingness. Could market, perhaps uniyou explain us the reque worldwide, for the launch planned by the extent of its integration Italian-Indian board on margins. From the asthe last 19th October at signment of the Modi the Ministry of Foreign Government, the archiAffairs office, concertecture of reforms and ning the cooperation economic development of these two countries programs, launched by in the technological, the executive branch, scientific and innovaarises as well-structured tion field? and on the move.

Ambassador H.E. Mr. Anil Wadhwa In support of “Make in InThe first Inter-Governmendia”, the program for the tal Agreement on Science transformation of India in a universal manu- & Technology between India and Italy had facturing hub, the new Foreign Trade Policy been signed in Rome on 28th April 1978. A re2015 2020 (FTP) has been presented and it is vised Agreement has been signed between the directed to make India an increasingly impor- two countries in New Delhi on 28th Novemtant player in the goods and services global ber 2003. Under the framework of this revised trade, to augment the export share from 2% to Agreement, a Joint Committee for Scientific 3,5% within 2020, with a value of 900 billion and Technological Cooperation has been estadollars. blished. The last meeting of this Joint CommitAmong the made in Italy sectors, the Indian tee took place in Rome on 19th October 2016. market shows a significant interest for infra- A Declaration of Intent has been signed betwestructures, mechanics and mechatronics, rene- en the Department of Science & Technology wable energies, automotive industry, agri-fo- of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & od technologies and not least interior design, International Cooperation of Italy. Both sides fashion industry and the luxury segment. […] agreed to jointly finalize a list of R&D propoIn this interview, kindly consented by H.E. Mr. sals for co-financing, involving exchange of ANIL WADHWA, Indian Ambassador in Italy, researchers and bilateral projects in various we will go into detail regarding economic thematic areas. reforms implemented by Indian Government They decided to work on establish a new Induand the manner this wonderful country gets strial R&D program, in order to develop new ready to become a worldwide player, always technology / process prototypes with potential more competitive. for commercialization, and evaluate the pos

sibility to launch Indo-Italian Innovation Forum, to help in fostering R&D based techno entrepreneurship, by linking Technology Business Incubators, Science Parks, Startups, etc.

The meeting expressed satisfaction on successful completion of the third phase of IndiaTrento Program for Advanced Research (IPTAR).

The two sides agreed to launch the fourth phase of this Program. The Indian delegation offered to host the 2018 edition of Technology Summit with Italy as partner country.

The delegations appreciated collaboration in Synchrotron. The jointly constructed diffraction beam lines ‘XRD2’ and ‘XPRESS’ has been inaugurated on 20th October 2016 at the Synchrotron facility in Trieste.

The Agreement on Science and Technology between India and Italy has been successful, with the implementation of various projects and collaborations and it will continue to be significant for both countries.

In support of “Make in India”, the program for the transformation of India in a global manufacturing hub, what are the reforms scheduled by your government to facilitate foreign investments in the country?

The Government of India announced the policy of ‘Make in India’ in September 2014, the idea of which was to make India a global manufacturing hub by attracting foreign

investment and technology in to different sectors. The Policy identified key sectors such as aviation, biotechnology, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, leather, food processing, automobile, auto components, infrastructure (highways, railways, airports and ports), defence manufacturing, electrical and electronics, tourism and hospitality, energy, IT and BPM. The policy accentuated the importance of reform the business and investment climate in India, so as to attract foreign and domestic investments. As part of the reform measures, the Indian government has opened earlier closed or restricted sectors like defence manufacturing, railways, airports for investment, increased the cap on investments in most of the sectors to 100% and kept approval for investments in most of the sectors under automatic routes and brought new sectors like single retailing, multi retailing, banking, insurance, olive oil plantation, media etc. for investments.

The government has also taken steps to remove obsolete rules, regulations and requirements while opening business establishments in India. To increase competition among

State Governments for investment, the state governments were ranked on different variables for taking steps on reforms. As part of the projects under ‘Make in India’, Indian government announced multi-billion USD projects: construction of 100 smart cities, modernization and renovation of whole railway system, expansion and modernisation of existing airports and ports, construction of new green filed projects, dredging of about 106 rivers to make water transport better and cheaper, providing urban facilities in rural areas, sourcing of 175 GW of energy from renewable sources, electrification of all villages by 2018, digital India (to connect India with broadband connectivity), start-up India, skill training for 40 million Indians annually, establishment of 50 solar parks each of 50 MW and 48 food parks etc. The government also took some reform measures in taxation, banking and policy in winding up business. In Budget 2017-18, Indian government announced decisions like no payment of MAT (Minimum Alternate Tax) by companies with no permanent establishment in India, and to reduce corpora

te tax to 25% over the years and bringing GST legislation by 1st July 2017.As per UNCTAD data, India received 46.4 billion dollars as investment in 2016 and it is the forth attractive investment destination country in the world.

Currently, India is having 7.1% growth rate and it is expected that there will be higher growth rate of 8% in coming years (World Bank and IMF forecast). According to PWC, Indian economy will be the second largest economy in the world, overtaking the US by 2040.

To attract investments, beyond reform banking, taxation and industrial policy sectors, Indian government has begun to reduce requirements for getting land, electricity, water connections which are prerequisites for setting up an industry in India.

Italy and India are two civilizations rich in cultural heritage and they have interacted in cultural and commercial exchanges for more than 2000 years.

What are the new opportunities about economical and value exchanges between Italy and India?

Italy and India have always enjoyed very good relations. Both are home to ancient civilizations with rich cultural heritage.

With the intention of fostering cultural, educational and scientific relations, a Cultural

Exchange Program (CEP) has been agreed upon and signed periodically between India and Italy, under the auspices of the bilateral Agreement on Cultural Cooperation. The exchange program and the broader cooperation agreement form the framework for strengthening cultural collaborations between the two countries, including in the fields of arts, language, literature, education, visual and performing arts, architecture and protection, conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. Another Agreement on Audio Visual Co-Production to develop audio-visual

relations (film, television and video co-productions) between the two countries has also been signed. These agreements have allowed both India and Italy to promote their cultural heritage in each other’s country.

We have seen an increasing demand in Italy for Indian cultural activities, from the fields of performing arts, fine arts, handicrafts, films

and related areas. Moreover, India looks with growing interest towards Italian creativity and capabilities in several fields that include fashion technology and design, heritage management and restoration techniques.

Over the years, the Indian traditional form of medicine – Ayurveda has gaines traction in the Italian society. In addition, Yoga, another gift from India to the world, is steadily becoming a healthy daily practice in Italian way of life. The tremendous response received for the celebration of International Days of Yoga during the last two years is an evidence of its popularity. The contemporary India provides opportunities to Italian companies for investment and business in sectors like automobile, auto-components, chemicals, biotechnology, textiles, food processing, leather, infrastructure, design, financial and banking services, energy, tourism etc. The positive factors for India are its democratic credentials, robust banking and financial sectors, expanding middle class (more than 400 million), low cost labour, abundant skilled professionals and country of more than 50% of population of average age of 30 years. Italian companies can explore both investment and business in all the above-mentioned sectors. Presently, the bila-

teral trade is valued at more than â‚Ź 7 billion, but there is scope to expand it further.

Indian Embassy on its part had organized a series of commercial and tourism promotion events in 2016, to provide information about Indian market in different sectors to Italian companies. In the process, more than 1000 Italian companies have been informed of the prospects in India. The planned visit of a large business delegation from Italy to India in the last week of April 2017 will create more awareness and space for both sides to explore business and investment opportunities.

There is, indeed, a huge potential for expanding cooperation between the two countries as the intrinsic affinity between India and Italy, which has served to strengthen and diversify bilateral cooperation in various fields, continues to expand commercial and value exchanges.

What are the strategies that your country would like to implement to increase modernization and new technologies, with a regard to environmental protection?

India was one of the important countries which advocated COP 21 at Paris Conference in 2016. Understanding the difficulty in con

struction of mega hydro-dams, nuclear power projects, Indian government has drawn up an ambitious target to add 175 GW of renewable and solar energy by 2021. Government is also attempting modernization of the whole industrial sector, waste management and affluent treatment. Some of the sectors like auto components, automobile have gone for automation in India. There is an ambitious plan to clean the polluted rivers of India. There are rules enunciated by the government regarding forest, wildlife, water resources, and environment. Some of the industrial activities are not allowed in sensitive zones, declared as protective or restrictive zones.

In this moment, in which sectors have Indian entrepreneurs the main interest about long term investments in Italy?

Indian entrepreneurs have interest to enter sectors of IT, textile, leather, engineering, pharmaceuticals, railways, steels for long term investment in Italy. There are about 40 Indian companies who have business and in-

vestment interest in whole Italy.

In conclusion, I ask you the last question about tourism in your wonderful and huge country; what are the strategies that you are realizing in the touristic promotion domain and with which instruments?

The numbers of Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India have been increasing steadily. During 2014, 2015 and 2016, the numbers were 7.68 million, 8.03 million and 8.89 million respectively. This is a testimony to the myriad ways in which India can enthrall travelers.

India offers foreign tourists a variety of experiences. The months from October until March are strong growth months for foreign tourist arrivals in India. India is a tourist destination that offers fabulous experiences, both to ‘budgetary’ and to ‘exclusive’ travelers.

The Ministry of Tourism is the nodal agency for formulation of national policies, programs, for activities coordination of various Government Agencies and Private Sector for

development and promoting tourism in India.

Some of the key steps taken by the Ministry of Tourism and by the Government of India to promoting tourism in India are: I - Introduction of e-Visa facility for citizens of 161 countries arriving at 16 International

Airports in India. In 2016, a total of 1.08 million tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 0.445 million in 2015, registering a substantial growth of 142.5%.

II - Augmentation of quality tourism infrastructures throughout the country, including amenities along highways with interpretation centers.

III - A major skill development initiative has been undertaken to impart the requisite training to the youth entering the hospitality industry.

IV - Launching of a toll-free 24x7 Multi-Lingual Tourist Helpline in 12 international languages, including Italian, offering support ser-

vice in terms of providing information relating to Travel and Tourism in India, and to assist tourists in distress while travelling in India.

V - Promotion of India as a holistic destination in the international markets under the Incredible India brand line. The country offers new and niche tourism products like Spiritual, Heritage, Wildlife, Religious (including Buddhist circuit), Rural Tourism, Adventure, Weddings, Eco-tourism, Wellness and Medical. India is emerging as a hotspot for medical tourism with the arrival of foreign tourists on medical visa, registering a phenomenon growth in the last two years. The ability to offer holistic medical services such as yoga, meditation and Ayurveda is also a huge attraction.

VI - The Ministry of Tourism has launched ‘Welcome Booklet’ with information on Do’s and Don’ts for tourists, contact details of India Tourism domestic offices and Tourist Helpline Number for distribution at immigration counters to tourists arriving at international airports.

The emphasis of the Government is on developing tourist products that are best suited to the visitors’ expectation and are adorned with the legendry Indian hospitality, ancient culture and contemporary vivacity. ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’ a Sanskrit adage that simply means – consider the guest as god is the motto followed in India.

Control Panel for Elevator and Plc system

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Exclusive interview of India tourism Manager in Milan, Mr. C. Gangadhar (Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India), for THE PROGRESS TIME

by Ivan De Stefano

Mr. C. Gangadhar

Please tell us briefly about India.

India is a country with countless destinations. India is highly rich in culture and cultural heritage, everything is available in India, for instance wellness tourism, Yoga, Ayurveda, Adventure, Nature, Rural Tourism, temple tourism, architecture, world heritage monuments, palaces, heritage buildings, monuments, lovely golden beaches, lakes, rivers, mountains, wildlife and National Parks etc. India is a 365 days’ destination.

India has a rich, diverse, cultural and religious heritage. Ranging from prehistoric Vedic period to Mughal era, the architecture of India’s temples, palaces, and forts, the grandeur of its sculptures, rock-cut structures and the beauty of its paintings, offer an unparalleled experience. The desert circuit of Rajasthan, snow-bound Himalayas, back waters of Kerala, the beaches of Goa are very popular with international tourists. India has 32 World Heritage Sites which include historic monuments and natural wonders.

What is the main reason that drives people to visit your destination?/ What are the main products of tourism available in India?

The Incredible India Campaign will be our main marketing initiative to showcase the innumerable authentic experiences that India offers. We intend to showcase the lesser known and “waiting to be discovered destinations” including in the North-East India.

Cultural Heritage remains our strength, besides the Ministry of Tourism has identified several niche products like Adventure Tourism, Wellness Tourism, MICE , Cruises including river cruising on the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, Ayurveda, Yoga and Eco Holidays. Our new focus for 2017 ar luxury travel, new destinations and the expansion of cruising. Indian tourism destinations are equally attracted by the Italian youngsters for Adventure tourism and most of the Italian tourists visit for the above-mentioned destinations. Our efforts will develop such

will allow the Italian travelers to experience India in real sense. There are numerous Adventure Tourism opportunities in India ranging from the Himalayan ranges, the Wildlife Parks and Sanctuaries, the rivers, oceans and other natural sites across the country.

to the development of facilities at major cruise ports, and it is seeing a boom in the MICE industry, with industries from all over the world, combining business with leisure

Luxury India The exceptional customer service in India is known to be unparalleled worldwide and will be a principal focus for India Tourism Milan press planned for the current year. Nowhere else on the planet tourists can reside in the palace of a Maharaja, or in exclusive five star accommodations at an extremely affordable rate. The Indian luxury portfolio stretches even further than the royal fortresses too, since destinations such as Goa and Kerala are well placed to offer ‘barefoot’ luxury.

Expansion on the Market The Ministry of Tourism has identified cruise tourism and MICE as two of the niche products available in India for 2017 – both products are rapidly growing areas of travel to the country. India is now increasingly perceived as a major cruise destination, thanks

by holding events in the high-tech, modern venues which sit within easy reach of heavenly beaches or tranquil mountain ranges.

Ministry has also introduced a 24x7 info line for the benefit of tourists travelling in India.

This info line is available in 10 foreign languages including Italian besides Hindi and English. A tourist who needs information is free to contact the Info Line/Help Line while travelling in India.

24 hours TOURIST HELPLINE NO :180011 1363 AND TEL: 1363 IN INDIA: Unveiling Previously Undiscovered Destinations: The tourism outlook for India is going from strength to strength and foreign tourist arrivals have significantly increased in this year.

India Tourism Milan is now looking to further enhance these numbers by inspiring returning travelers to visit new hidden gems of

India. For those who have thoroughly enjoyed the Golden Triangle, for instance, and are now eager to return to the country for their next adventure, the Ministry is hopeful that the lesser-known but stunning regions off the beaten track will be their next port of call.

North East India in particular, where culture and wildlife can be found in abundance, will be a special focus for India Tourism Milan.

https://asi.irctc.co.in Apart from the above measures, other key initiatives have been undertaken by the Ministry of Tourism to cover areas, such as infrastructure development, publicity, promotion and marketing, skill development, niche tourism products development, use of technology for service delivery and the promotion of safe and honorable tourism etc.

Is appealing for sports tourists? Is it interesting for culture enthusiasts, too? / What are the initiatives taken from your Ministry of Tourism in order to promote India?

Identifying, developing and promoting upcoming niche products of the tourism industry, in order to overcome the aspect of

Here some initiatives taken to promote tourism in India: The introduction of E-ticketing for monuments: another step towards a smooth and pleasant travel experience.

The E-Ticketing facility for booking entry tickets online, for national monuments, will facilitate visitors with better access and will help in avoiding long queues.

This facility is at present available for the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi. The URL for booking E tickets is

‘seasonality’, to promote India as a 365 day’ destination. Moreover, it allows to attract tourists with specific interests and ensure repeat visits for the unique products in which

India has comparative advantage.

Such niche products being developed and promoted include Rural Tourism, Wellness, Medical, Adventure, Golf, MICE Tourism, etc.

‘The Himalayas’ are a major tourism product and are being promoted aggressively as a destination for adventure tourism, wildlife, indigenous culture and heritage, through the ‘777 Days of Incredible Indian Himalaya’ campaign.

The Ministry of Tourism is in the process of having its promotional website www.incredibleindia.org translated into Arabic, Chinese (simplified), French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish languages. Other IT related initiatives: availability of guided, multimedia and interactive walking tours and development of an automated holiday planner.

The Ministry of Tourism is also active on Social Media with its own popular Facebook, Google Plus page, YouTube channel and Twitter handles.We are hopeful that the growth trend will continue and we will be able to maintain a growth higher than the world average.

What is your main goal for 2017?

Forecasts for the year 2017-18 are very encouraging and impressive, an increase of 25 % is expected from Italy to India. Here our goals for the next two years: • Development of main products and topic on the Italian market, such as Wellness & Ayurveda, Luxury and Honeymoon, Incentive & Beach tourism, Culture & Nature, Rural Tourism Unexplored destinations promising rich experiences.

• Marketing initiatives to fight international crisis: product diversification, new and unexperienced destinations, look for emerging markets, highlight our inexpensiveness of packages in comparison to similar destinations.

• Training and initiatives for Italian travel agents and tour operators, such as Know India seminars in small cities and e-learning programs for agents will be conducted, so as to educate the travel agents and expand our tourism to new areas.

• Co-marketing with Italian tour operators: we are always open for co-marketing, joint promotions, joint advertisements, brochure support etc. with tour operators. Good co-marketing proposals from tour operators will be welcome.

For more information, visit: www.incredibleindia.org

Indo-Italian Synchrotron Collaboration

by Ivan De Stefano

Indian research groups have been collaborating with researchers at the Italian Synchrotron radiation source Elettra since past 17 years. The collaboration between Elettra and Indian research institutions is a part of a wider collaboration between the countries sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The high standard of the collaboration in the field of synchrotron radiation was recognized in the joint statement by the prime ministers of both the countries, on the occasion of Italian Prime Minister’s visit to India in February 2007.

Statistics till 2015 indicate that the collaboration has led around 305 visits of Indian groups to Elettra (with an average of three scientists per visit) in the last 17 years and to the publication of approximately 256 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Elettra received around 959 experimental proposals from Indian research groups, corresponding to ~8 % of the total: only Italy and France submitted more proposals (4873 and 1034,

respectively). This makes Elettra the most requested European national synchrotron radiation laboratory by Indian users.

This collaboration has been the earliest possibility for Indian scientists to access synchrotron facilities and played the most crucial role in building up the synchrotron community within India by making it available to even those who did not have any prior access to or knowledge of synchrotron based techniques.

As a part of this project, the community was nurtured to become competitive in preparing their proposals that were evaluated internationally to obtain synchrotron beam-time in various areas of research ranging from solid state and surface physics to nanotechnology, materials science and life sciences wherein the maximum number of proposals have been submitted in the field of condensed matter physics. It is also noteworthy that this awareness and curiosity for the synchrotron assisted research has been uniformly widespread in the entire country spanning various national as well as regional educational and research institutes. In this leaflet, we have attempted

Division of Indian Proposals by Research Area (1998-2015) The proposals submitted by the Indian Scientific community at Elettra at 19 different beamlines cover many different research areas

to briefly account this successful collaboration. Though it is extremely difficult to quantify the spirit, benefits and long lasting deep impacts of this fruitful collaboration using numbers or words, we have made a humble attempt here to outline the path of success which this collaboration has created over the years.

Adapted from the “Indo-Italian Synchrotron Collaboration GLIMPSES 1998-2015”, with permission.

Two new Indo-Italian beamlines inaugurated at the Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste research center.

On 20th October, 2016, two new experimental stations, beamlines, were inaugurated at the Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste research center. They will be used in a wide range of fields from the development of new materials to pharmacology and biotechnology, and will consolidate scientific cooperation between India and Italy.

The event follows the meeting of the IndoItalian Joint Committee hosted in Rome at Farnesina. The Committee approved several

initiatives to immediately relaunch cooperation in the sectors of science, technology and innovation.

Xpress and XRD2, these are the names of the two new Elettra’s beamlines, have been cofunded by the Indian government through the Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST) in New Delhi. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Collaboration (MAECI) and India’s DST have jointly financed Indian researchers conducting studies at Elettra as part of the Italy-India Executive Programme for Major Projects, along with the International Center for Theoretical Physics of UNESCO. A delegation of the Department of Science and Technology, led by the Secretary Ashutosh Sharma, and a MAECI delegation, led by the Plenipotentiary Minister Fabrizio Nicoletti, Head of the Scientific and Technological Cooperation Unit, attended the official ceremony.At Elettra, Alfonso Franciosi, President and CEO of the research center, delivered the opening speech at the inauguration ceremony.

He was followed by the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza, and the University and Re

search Councillor of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Loredana Panariti. D.D. Sarma, professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, spoke in his capacity as coordinator of the Indian team that participated in the construction of the two beamlines. Ashutosh Sharma and Fabrizio Nicoletti both stressed their great satisfaction with the success of the collaboration.

The Xpress beamline has been built to study the structure of materials under extremely high pressure. It uses X-ray diffraction technology on specimens on which diamond presses exert pressures of over 500,000 atmospheres. The main fields of research and application include the synthesis of new compounds, such as ceramics or alloys, mineralogy, geophysics and the study of the properties of materials.

The XRD2 beamline has been designed to determine the 3D structure of proteins and biological macromolecules and its applications span the fields of biology, medicine, pharmacology and biotechnology.As in the case of other Elettra beamlines, built and managed in collaboration with international agencies (including

the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Graz University of Technology and the Czech Academy of Sciences), the two new beamlines will be available to the Indian, Italian and international researchers, according to the scientific quality of the research projects and their impact, assessed by a peer-review system.

VGER IS AN ITALIAN EXCELLENCE FROM MORE THAN 25 YEARS ...

by Barbara Ganetti

With an expertise of more than 25 years in the field of elevators checks, Vger is specialized in the most modern technological requirements, thanks to studies and agreements with quality partners. Every product is certified and tested according to the parameters requested by the law, combining the technology with the knowledge of their employees’ fieldwork; for this reason, the assistance offered is of excellence.

Vger is an import-export company. Its mission is to meet companies around the world in or-

der to establish strong cooperations. They are operating in different branches.

Vger principal branch: Electric and electronic branch like as project for high quality control panel for elevators or microprocessor control system, Control Panel with plc system, AC motor electronic control, System control by PC, is able to offer a wide range of automated systems through the use of modularized components that comply with the specifications of the main European companies and guarantee a safe choice over time.

The ideal partner for companies that deal with: CHEMICAL INDUSTRY PHARMACEUTICAL PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY REFINERY AND STORAGE PLANTS FOR GAS PRODUCTION GAS RECOVERY SYSTEMS WATER TREATMENT PLANT electrochlorination PLANTS TREATMENT PLANTS AND PAINTS SOLVENTS Alternative energy power: With its partnership, Vger is able to supply components for solar power and wind power.

Monitor your installation from everywhere you are. The high tecnology on-board allows to have everything under control.The possibility to monitor and set every parameter of the controller via pc, tablet and smartphone it’s a major feature to grant quickly response in every situation.

Quickly response means money save, one of the most important matter nowadays. High quality components - Guarantee of quality and reliability.

The co-operation of Vger with the mainly lift components’ producers, allow the company to offer a complete plant suitable for all the customer’s requests, always granting High Quality, High Reliability.

Controller for Elevators Made in Italy and Europe.Vger Lifts’ can offer high quality Controller for lift, for all kind of applications.

For passenger elevator, freight elevator, car elevator, food elevator, panoramic elevator.

Vger can also offer a complete plant like as INDUSTRIAL LIFTS ATEX & IPXX for Electric or hydraulic elevators for hazardous/ explosives atmospheres. The company is specialized in the developing of lift controllers.

The electronic controller used runs particular characteristics thanks to in-plant software realized and carefully checked. The versatility of the product and years of experience allow to solve different problematics.

Vger srl Production base: Via Mottoscarone 101 28019 Suno (NO) Italy http://vgerplanet.weebly.com Email: info.vger@gmail.com

Hepatitis C: a revolution in place.

considerable progresses have been made in the treatment of HCV infection, until that date defined with the only exclusion diagnosis: non-A, non-B hepatitis.

Curative therapies, with new second-generation directed antiviral drugs (DAAs), are available since 2015. But the management of such therapies has represented and represents still now a much more complex challenge.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread all over the world. There are about 71 million people in the world with chronic hepatitis C. Italy is a country with a high presence of the virus in the general population.

This virus is responsible for thousands of deaths per year, due to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Since 1989, the year of the virus discovery,

Which patients to treat? How and when, considering the high costs at least in the initial stages of the treatment? And how to avoid stealing resources to other important healthcare expenditure requirements?

The AIFA (Drug Italian Agency) has managed to obtain the lowest-priced medicines in Europe.Since January 2015, 73,000 patients have been treated in Italy and 95% of cases are fully healed. This unprecedented operation has

Mr. Giuseppe Cerasari, S. Camillo – Forlanini Hospital, Roma

been made possible by the National Health Service which, unlike what is happening in other countries, has been the only interlocutor for the dealership and its payment.

AIFA has now expanded the eligibility criteria of patient to the cures that, so far, were only available to patients with advanced stage of disease including cirrhotic, transplanted or waiting for transplant patients, patients with hepatic tumors or serious HCV-related illnesses.Therefore, it is expected that in the next three years, thanks to a dedicated financial allocation, all patients suffering from HCV infection, from those without liver damage to those with liver impairment, HIV coinfection or severe kidney failure will be treated.

The estimate concerns 300,000 individuals but there is certainly a share of infected people who still does not know to be infected.

Patients can now rely, besides to the other treatments already tested in life, on two new combination drugs, all of them free of charge for the patient: one based on elbasvir and grazoprevir, the other one based on sofosbuvir and velpatasvir. The latter combination is active on all viral genotypes and it also helps to reduce treatment times.

From the point of view of public health, this will allow the suppression of virus circulation within the general population.

Hence, in the coming years we will assist to the disappearance of this disease. After the succession of treatments not always free of important side effects and ineffectiveness, today’s hepatologist could finally have highcurative treatments, of short duration and well tolerated.

For this article, we should thank you the kind cooperation of Mr. Giuseppe Cerasari, Manager of the Center for Study and Management of hepatic and pancreatic transplant, S.Camillo – Forlanini Hospital, Roma.

Hotel Regina Milano Via Cesare Correnti 13 – 20123 MILANO (ITALIA) Tel. 0258106913 – Fax 0258107033 e-mail info@hotelregina.it Web: www.hotelregina.it

THE PROGRESS TIME EVENT “Vietnam and its possibilities for Italian companies”

by Barbara Ganetti

Ambassador H.E. Mr. Chao Chin Tien

Milan, 20th April 2017, 16h30, at the Relais Chateau Monfort (Milan), the preview conference “Vietnam and its possibilities for Italian companies” was held. It has been promoted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy and The Progress Time Magazine, with the high patronage of Regione Lombardia; the meeting has begun with the greetings from H.E. Chao Chin Tien, Ambassador of Vietnam in Italy, successively the program was rich in significant participations with the purpose of increasing the cultural, economic and geoenvironmental knowledge of Vietnam.

Among the speakers Mrs. Sandra Scagliotti, President of the Vietnamese Studies Center, Mr. Paolo Fabbri, President of the Peace Committee of Ivrea and the Senator Mr. Fausto Cò, President of the Italia Vietnam National Association; about the economic part, the development of experiences and possibilities in Vietnam, we have had the commercial ma-

nager of the Embassy, Mr. Bui Vuong Anh, Mr. Pham Van Hong from ASSOEVI and Mr. Fulvio Albano, President of the ItaliaVietnam Chamber of Commerce.

About the Italian companies, they have contributed with videos and testimonies to enrich the dialogue between the two cultures and the exchange of knowledges: UBI Banca S.p.a. – Turatti s.r.l. – O.M.Erea s.r.l. – Colombi Diamonds s.r.l can be reported.