The ELCINA-EFY awards, with a legacy of four decades, continue to spur excellence and growth in the electronics domain
The ELCINA-EFY Awards have stood the test of time and are highly regarded in the industry and in government circles. Since their inception in 1976, the Awards have been recognising excellence in R&D, exports, quality, business, environment management and entrepreneurship in the Indian electronics industry. The support of the officials of the Department of Electronics & IT, government of India, through their participation in the selection process, has further enhanced the stature of these Awards.
The 40th ELCINA-EFY Awards ceremony was held on September 24, 2015, and the awards were presented by the chief guest, J.S. Deepak, secretary, Department of Electronics & IT, government of India. While congratulating the winners on their outstanding performances, Deepak appreciated the unfailing efforts of ELCINA and the EFY Group in encouraging excellence and faster growth. He also assured those present that his office was open for all requirements linked to the growth of the electronics industry.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, the newly elected ELCINA president, Vikram Desai, enthusiastically welcomed Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Digital India’ campaign. He said this initiative of the prime minister is a milestone in the history of India’s governance and will give a major boost to the ESDM sector. Desai also appreciated the foreign investments in the electronics industry by Foxconn, Lenovo, Microsoft, Samsung and Sony, among others. He felt that the international business community is now attracted to India due to the intentions and efforts of the government in providing a conducive ecosystem for manufacturing in the country.
Rajoo Goel, secretary general, ELCINA, highlighted the association’s role in establishing electronics manufacturing clusters. ELCINA’s Bhiwadi cluster, which received final approval from DeitY in August 2015, has become the first greenfield EMC promoted by industry members, to commence operations. ELCINA is now engaged in developing common infrastructure in this 100-acre cluster. The cluster will have ultra-modern common facilities like testing labs, continuous power supply and an e-waste management unit. This could well be a model project employing 15,000 people and attracting investments in excess of ₹ 10 billion.
Ramesh Chopra, founder and editor, Electronics For You, emphasised the role of training and skills development for the betterment of the electronics industry. He said, “The industry needs to train the next generation to become employers through entrepreneurship, and not only aim to be employees. Government, industry and training partners should work together to make training financially viable in order to create value for industry and students.”
The ‘Electronics Man of the Year’ award winner, M.V. Apparao, CMD, Centum Electronics, mentioned the problems faced by him in the starting up days of his business, and motivated new entrepreneurs to take up the challenge and win. He also talked of the importance of getting the right manpower, and attributed his achievements to his employees.
The event was also graced by Ujjwal Munjal, director, Hero Electronics, a firm that has recently entered the ESDM field. The Hero Group is the first major Indian business house that has chosen to invest in electronics manufacturing since the recent announcement of policies.
EB Bureau
