Day: February 15, 2021

The Union Budget 2021-22 has been the most awaited, and most anticipated event in the country. Nirmala Sitharaman, the Finance Minister of India presented the Budget in parliament on 1 February 2021 amidst various expectations and speculations. The COVID 19 all through 2020 has brought a regime of doubts, uncertainty and speculations, and in the time people of India has been looking at the budget with great expectations. The Budget was pronounced and brought mixed reactions from the people. We spoke to the industry and some of the industry experts have passed their following points of view – some excerpts: The Union Budget FY 2021-22 is a transformative budget with positive resolve for India to grow further with a vision of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan that compliments the ‘Make-in-India’ initiative of the Government. Atmanirbhar Bharat is an expression of 130 crore Indians, who have full confidence in their capabilities and skills. The union budget has identified the six pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat’s vision. On behalf of Prama Hikvision, we welcome the progressive and visionary budget and look forward to economic growth and stability. The budget has sincere intent to provide momentum to strengthen local manufacturing capabilities. The production linked incentive scheme (PLI) is a welcome move by the government. The review of the customs duty structure is clearly seen as a move towards promoting the domestic manufacturing. We hope that the review of the custom duty structure will be done after extensive consultation with the key stakeholders. As India is set out to become the third-largest security industry in the world, we are striving to accelerate and build on this momentum of local manufacturing. The Indian security industry has seen the self-reliance push in the union budget 2021. We are hopeful that the proposed customs duty hikes on key electronic components will further give boost to the ‘Make-in-India’ 2.0. Smart cities mission is an important driver of growth in the security industry, which has got a big boost in the union budget 2021-22 with allocation of Rs.6450 crore. The move to strengthen the overall research ecosystem to boost innovation and R&D in the country, an outlay of Rs.50,000 crore has been announced for National Research Foundation. It is a big step for accelerating innovation and R&D in India. The budget clearly shows government’s mega thrust on developing infrastructure, road transport, waterways, airports, railway, metro rail, ‘MetroLite’ and ‘MetroNeo.’ It is commendable for its inclusive growth agenda, overall a gradual step toward Atmanirbhar Bharat. Union budget 2021 presented by Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Finance Minister of India on 01 February 2021 was a turning point and a landmark budget which is appreciated by all sections of industry acknowledging the bold initiatives, intent and paradigm shift in strategic planning to propel the growth of Indian economy on the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’,‘Self Reliant India’ and ‘Digital India.’ Muted criticism in a democracy like India proves the degree of acceptance. To me, it gave a feeling of ‘1991 moment’ when India took unprecedented acceleration in reforms. The major structural shift in policy reflects Central Govt’s resoluteness and strong conviction to achieve strategic independence by reduction in imports; unlike in past most of the Govt’s drafted the budget with an eye on the vote bank. Likely impact on the Private Security Industry (PSI) The private security industry does not fall into the bracket of manufacturing segment; it is grossly a service industry. This union budget is likely to have a significant impact on the private security industry in the following ways: Huge investment in infrastructure development like highways, metro rail, air ports, SEZ and sea ports etc., is going to increase business opportunity for providing security and allied services like toll tax management. Disallowing delayed deposit of PF as expenses will compel us to ensure its timely deposit. Reduced time limit for reopening of tax assessments to 3 years and establishment of faceless Income Tax Tribunals would reduce harassment. Announcement of voluntary scrapping policy to phase out polluting vehicles is likely to impact all PSIs but more so those providing CIT services. Impact of increase in custom duty on electronic items on PSI PSAs use a large number of electronic items like mobile phones, surveillance equipment, PCs, servers and related equipment. The increase in import duty on these therefore is likely to increase the cost to the private security agencies. These cost increment would be mostly applicable to the procurement of new equipment. Existing electronic equipment already being held will have the impact only in their repairs or upgrading. Rationale of Govt’s imposition of additional custom duty The government proposed to impose import duty on components of mobile phones and chargers as a part of review of 400 exemptions in customs duty including those applicable on the mobile devices segment. Govt cited following rationale for its action: To enhance local value addition. To align the thrust on easy access to raw materials and exports of value addition. To ensure twin objectives of promoting domestic manufacturing and helping India get on to global value chain and exports. Conclusion The Central Govt’s move to make India a manufacturing hub by boosting domestic manufacturing and to transform it as part of global supply chain as an intent and strategy not only sounds good but appears to be viable. Domestic manufacturing is getting a leg up in allocation of funds and recent procurement orders for instance are TEJAS from HAL with LCH in pipeline and latest version of ARJUN from DRDO, ATAG gun from Bharat Forge, drones from a startup and ship building. Domestic manufacturers of mobile phones like DIXON Technology and household electrical appliances by Amber Enterprises are likely to scale up manufacturing and reduce share of imports. Even during COVID 19 pandemic Indian domestic manufacturers played vital and major role in manufacturing of PPEs, medical devices, ventilators and ICU beds to reduce dependence on imports. In my view, the rhetoric of ICEA which is umbrella body for the mobile manufacturers should be taken with a…

Achieving excellence requires an eye for detail, a vision for success and the focus to see it through. It’s a rare combination that Hikvision has created with Hikvision #SeeClear: a set of core technologies that ensure our cameras record the finest details, while always capturing the bigger picture. Hikvision is dedicated to achieving excellence, which is one of our core values, and that’s why we’ve created #SeeClear: a set of technologies designed to give you a precise, uninterrupted view of every situation. Equipped with this comprehensive outlook, you are empowered to make rapid decisions for an optimal outcome every time. Here are 5 examples of how Hikvision core technologies can help you achieve excellence: Hikvision Super Resolution: Always get a precise and clear view To optimize your business operations, you need to see and understand everything. Hikvision Super Resolution allows you to capture both the wider view and the smaller details – all in super-high resolution – so you can maximize your visibility, and focus on achieving your goals. Hikvision Smart Rapid Focus: zoom in on what’s most important Success depends on your ability to focus. With Hikvision’s Smart Rapid Focus, you can zoom in from a bird’s eye view to a close-up image without losing clarity, even for a split second. In this way, you can monitor large areas with just a few cameras, capture critical events in vivid definition, and react quickly to every situation your business faces. Hikvision Image Stabilization: smooth video in unstable locations In locations where movement and vibrations are a constant feature, recording clear video footage is a major challenge. With Hikvision’s Image Stabilization technology, you get smooth, balanced imaging across your camera estate, making shakiness and poor video quality a thing of the past. Hikvision Defog: crystal clear video in adverse conditions Weather can make conditions in outdoor environments extremely changeable and unpredictable – and that can make it tough for video cameras to perform well. In particular, heavy rain, snow, and fog can limit visibility, rendering traditional cameras ineffective. Hikvision’s innovative, defog technology can enhance the color and detail of the field of view, so you never have to battle against poor visibility. Hikvision DarkFighter: clear video in ultra-low light Dark or low illumination conditions can be challenging to your business, whether you are protecting your premises, or actually working in low light. Hikvision’s Darkfighter technology provides high quality video imaging in very low light conditions, ensuring you can monitor and continually optimize your activities 24×7.  

A thought leader and an action catalyzer rolled into one – Anil Puri is a rare combination of a visionary, and one who has mastered the art of strategic and tactical thinking to the core. He has been using this combination to seed new ideas and to lead them to their implementation on-ground. This has been a consistent feature of his career. He has rich experience of approximately 35 years in corporate in diverse domains & from functional managerial level to apex as the chairman of a corporate group. His acumen for handling crisis management has prompted him to share his exclusive and niche experiences. He is discussing the topic in three distinct parts in separate articles; Part 1 – Hostage situation & Role of the Corporate Security; Part 2 – Negotiation Skills; and finally Part 3 – How to survive an abduction or hostage situation. He will take you through realistically at ground zero in visualization and response matrix through series of these three articles. His third article in the series dwells on the survival techniques in an abduction or hostage situation. This will be the closing article in the series.   It’s really scary to think about being abducted or taken hostage, but knowing how you should handle the situation can help you feel calm and focused if it does happen. While the best thing you can do is to avoid an attack in the first place, if someone attempts to kidnap you, try to get away before they can incapacitate you. If you are taken into captivity, comply with your kidnappers and observe your surroundings until you can escape or be rescued. Fighting off an Attack Run away from someone who tries to take you if you can. If you’re ever in a situation where someone tries to abduct you, do anything you can to avoid going with them. Try to pull away from them, then run as fast as you can in the direction of the nearest people or building that you can see. Especially avoid getting into a vehicle, since it will be much harder for authorities to find you if your attacker drives you a long distance. If you’re taken hostage, the situation may unfold very quickly, and you might not have the opportunity to run. Yell to draw attention to the situation. If someone makes an attempt to kidnap you, start shouting right away, especially if you know there are people nearby. Even if the attackers manage to subdue you, keep yelling to try to get someone’s attention. If someone hears a shout and they see what’s happening, they may be able to help you before you’re taken away. Try yelling something like, ‘Help!’ or ‘Call the police!’ As a suggestion, yelling, ‘FIRE!!’ is your best bet. People are more likely to respond to fire, and this can summon help faster. At the very least, an onlooker can contact the authorities and let them know that an abduction has taken place. They may also provide critical details like the kidnapper’s physical appearance or the type of vehicle they’re driving. They may really try to get the license plate to see if the car was stolen or to see if it is really their car. Fight your attacker as hard as you can. It is really hard not to panic, but if you can stay calm and focused on survival, you may be able to fight off an attack if someone grabs you. Fight in any way you’re able, whether that’s hitting, kicking, biting, or scratching. As you do that, try to target your kidnapper’s eyes, nose, throat, or groin, as these are especially sensitive targets. As long as there’s still a chance you could break free and run, it’s worth fighting for. This is your best chance to escape, because the moment it is hectic, and there’s a chance someone will see what’s happening and intervene. Look for objects in your environment to use as weapons. As you’re fighting off your attacker, try to gather yourself enough to scan around you. Look for anything that’s close enough to grab that might give you an edge in the fight. If there’s nothing that you can use as an offensive weapon, check for anything you can use as a barrier between you and your attacker, like a chair or a table. For instance, even if your attacker knocks you down, you might spot a loose chunk of sidewalk that you can grab to hit them with. In your home, you might be able to grab a heavy vase or lamp, a fireplace poker, or even a large book. Dealing with Being Captured Follow your captors’ instructions once you are in captivity. If at any point it becomes clear that your captors have gained the upper hand, stop resisting right away and comply with any orders they give you. You’re more likely to be hurt or killed if you continue fighting after you’re overpowered such as if you’re being held by multiple people, put in restraints, or placed in a vehicle or other confined space. Once you’re abducted or taken hostage, it’s best to take a measured approach to escaping, rather than an impulsive one, so start evaluating the surroundings rather than fighting to get away. If you’re put into a vehicle while you’re conscious, try to pay attention to as much about the trip as you can, like how long the car travels without stopping, the direction of any turns, or any sounds you notice on the road. If you’re in the trunk of a car, look for a glow-in-thedark handle that you can pull to release yourself from the trunk. If this release cord isn’t present, try to kick out the tail lights and wave your hands to alert other motorists that you’re trapped inside. Stay calm and focused on survival. It might be really hard, but once you’re taken captive, try to dig deep within yourself to find your composure. Try to…