R. Ramamurthy, CODISSIA president
COIMBATORE is poised to become an industrial megapolis like Chennai and Bengaluru, according to Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA) president R. Ramamurthy. In an interview, he spoke about the priorities of the crucial industry body, which is now in its golden jubilee year. CODISSIA was started in 1969 with 40 members. Today, it has over 6,000 members. Its aim is to cater to micro and smallscale industries and nurture entrepreneurs.
What new plans does CODISSIA have?
Apart from the industrial, technical and agricultural fairs and exhibitions we organise every year, this year we have introduced two new fairs. One is the “Raw Material Fair”, which no one has done although it is the primary requirement for industry.
The second is an educational fair. We brought in a wide variety of educational institutions and aspirants who want to look at the choices in front of them and select a course or an institution. Education is very important for industry too because educational institutions can provide the skills needed for industry.
CODISSIA has also been awarded the Defence Innovation and Atal Incubation Centre by the Ministry of Defence. This idea was mooted by us three years ago. The Defence Production Secretary had come here to assess the possibility and then decided to award the centre to us.
For MSMES [micro, small and medium enterprises], entering defence production is very difficult. CODISSIA has done this breakthrough for MSMES. It is also for the first time in India that an incubation centre is being given to an MSME association.
CODISSIA was planning a few industrial parks.
We have also come up with two industrial parks, both state-of-the-art. This is the first time in India that a small industry body is taking up such a mega project, spread over 350 acres. Almost all the approvals are ready. By the middle of this year, I am sure we can see some industries flourishing. In a maximum of two years, our whole industrial park will be full. This will help propel Coimbatore’s economic development even further because by seeing this cluster of small and micro industries, many large companies will come to Coimbatore.
How do you tackle problems facing small and micro industries?
We represent to governments on issues of policy and other such problems, and governments have been prompt in taking action. We are on the MSME board. For any policy decision in GST [goods and services tax] we talk to both the Government of India and the Tamil Nadu government.
There was a proposal to change the Act governing small industries. For that too, CODISSIA was represented in the Standing Committee in Parliament. Regarding any policy decision, we are definitely there to put forth our views.
Our aim is to take micro and small industries to the next level in sophistication and growth. We understand the problems of these industries. When we give a representation, we also suggest what the possible solutions could be. This is how we work.
tion portfolio is one. The tech part is another component. Living and entertainment is the third component. If you look at our logo, we have three circles. One stands for education, another is for the tech park, and the third is for living and entertainment,” explains Madan A. Sendil, chairman, Rathinam Group.
He says the school has a positive, friendly, challenging and diverse learning community to help students develop their skills in the academic, physical, socio-emotional and artistic dimensions. “We also value the distinctiveness of each student. We help children prepare for life and succeed in their own ways,” he adds.
One way to challenge young people is to push their creativity and thinking by making them part of projects where they are forced to think out of the box. One such celebration is Tinker Fest, a project exhibition on science and robotics organised by schools that are equipped with the prestigious Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) that is funded by the NITI Aayog. Tinker Fest is planned in such a way that it coincides with the birth anniversary of the Missile Man and former President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Rathinam International Public School, which has an Atal Tinkering Lab, regularly invites and supports nonatl schools to realise their innovative ideas in the form of science projects. Schools are also welcome to visit Rathinam School’s ATL and work on their creative ideas. Rathinam International Public School hosted Tinker Fest 2019 as part of its ATL activities.
A total of nine schools and 73 students from the city and neighbouring areas presented 35 projects in the exhibition, which was open to students from Class 3 to Class 12. There were around 250 visitors, including teachers, parents and students.
While the school is a big part of the campus, the other components are also equally important. “Each works well within its own campus. But building a bridge between them is a big challenge,” says Madan A. Sendil. “That’s when we thought that the incubation centre will help to bridge the gap. Luckily, we got it.” A part of this is the initiative not to waste food and to recover excess food from all over the city and reach it to the needy. Edudharma, a crowdfunding platform, was also developed because Rathinam had the incubation centre for educational and health needs.
The “No Food Waste” programme and Edudharma are now successful models of social entrepreneurship ventures. In fact, “No Food Waste” has bagged the President’s Award once. Edudharma has also received a few national-level awards. Edudharma currently generates Rs.30 lakh to Rs.40 lakh every month. This money is given to those who need assistance.
The focus of education will have to keep pace with the current needs, says Sendil. “All the new technologies coming in do not change education fundamentally. So if you are talking about three-year or four-year programmes at the undergraduate level, the first two years remain the same. What has changed is the way you teach. Open learning platforms such as Coursera and MOOCS [massive open online courses] have been disrupters. If you have to teach data science today, I need to teach statistics, mathematics, and Excel, etc.,” he says.
CREATIVE APPROACH
Coimbatore is also home to some of the best creative thinking in industry. Take the case of K.U. Sodalamuthu and Company. Its founder realised the potential in paper conversion machinery and devoted time and energy to give shape to his dreams. Today, the brand, Sodaltech, holds 90 per cent of the Indian market for paper conversion machinery. The company has more than 800 installations worldwide, with 40 per cent of the international market, the company said. This much-felicitated group added another feather to its cap when the Engineering Export Promotion Council selected the company for the regional export award for 2017-18 in the category “Special trophy–medium enterprise”. $