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Tag: Subho Ray

  • SEPC joins forces with IAMAI to script India’s next big digital export success story

    SEPC joins forces with IAMAI to script India’s next big digital export success story

    MUMBAI: In India’s thriving bazaar of code and content, two powerhouses have shaken hands to push bytes across borders. The Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi to jointly drive the country’s digital services exports into high gear.

    The partnership aims to remove policy potholes, expand international market access, and prepare the country’s emerging digital sectors for the global stage. The MoU sets the stage for institutional collaboration across several fronts—from building working groups with ministries to participating in overseas delegations and trade shows.

    Under the agreement, SEPC and IAMAI will:

    ●    Establish joint working groups with ministries and regulators to resolve policy and trade bottlenecks for digital exporters.

    ●    Coordinate India’s participation in global trade forums and business delegations, creating pathways for startups and digital ventures to enter international markets.

    ●    Organise capacity-building programmes to ensure India’s digital sectors are export-ready.

    ●    Promote high-potential verticals including AdTech, FinTech, HealthTech, SaaS, Digital Entertainment, Edutech, Agri Summit, and Cross-Border E-commerce.

    “India’s digital sector holds immense potential in the global services economy. Through this partnership with IAMAI, we aim to create meaningful opportunities for digital enterprises to grow their international footprint and benefit from structured policy and trade support”, said SEPC director general Abhay Sinha.

    IAMAI president Subho Ray added, “This MoU reinforces our commitment to building a robust ecosystem for digital services exports. By working closely with SEPC, we can jointly support Indian digital innovators in accessing global markets and driving the next phase of India’s export growth story”.

    While India has already cemented its name as a global IT outsourcing heavyweight, this pact shifts the spotlight to a new generation of digital players. From SaaS to streaming, from edtech to agri-tech, the initiative focuses on future-facing sectors that could define India’s next trillion-dollar export ambition.

    The MoU marks a decisive step in bridging industry with the government, injecting India’s digital export engine with both structure and scale. With policy in sync and the global market in sight, India’s digital disruptors may soon be trading in new time zones.

  • GST Bill crucial for Start-Up India, Digital India success: IAMAI

    GST Bill crucial for Start-Up India, Digital India success: IAMAI

    MUMBAI: Industry body – Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has urged the Parliament to pass the crucial GST (Goods & Services Tax) Bill in the forthcoming budget session. The industry body has said that the smooth passage of GST Bill is crucial for the success of mega economic and social projects, especially Digital India and Start-Up India.

    The GST Bill, which subsumes all indirect taxes to create one rate and integrate the country into a single market, is the biggest tax reform that is being undertaken since Independence, but is pending approval of the Rajya Sabha.

    The Digital India plan is about connecting, empowering and enabling citizens and encouraging local electronic manufacturing. Similarly, Start-Up India is focused on promoting entrepreneurship, and through small entrepreneurs, generating employment.

    Local manufacturing, NoFN, e-Gov, as a part of Digital India, where private sector is involved, crucially rests on the successful passage of GST Bill in Parliament, which seeks to create one market through one tax system. Similarly, start-ups, online market places, and other online service providers, all require a single market plan.

    IAMAI president Subho Ray said, “The extant tax structure of India is heavily fragmented, with multiple indirect taxes levied by different authorities at different stages of a transaction. Fiscal federalism has led to different procedures and rates of VAT and other forms of LBTs across the states. This creates logistical challenges for the industry, besides giving rise to compliance related complications. Conflict of interests between tax authorities in case of inter-state transaction is a major pain point for the industry today. GST will help the digital industry business model flourish by providing uniformity in tax rates and regulations across the country. This will help doing business in India easier, allow free-play to market dynamics and allow deeper penetration of these services.”

    Given that much of the developments in the digital industry are disruptive innovations, business models like online platforms, aggregators, etc are essentially services provided by intermediaries. Such services are revolutionising the existing markets of both goods and services. Thus, online ticketing services or e-tailing are providing newer modes of access for consumers to existing goods and services, said IAMAI.

    The digital industry unequivocally stands for the smooth passage of GST and hopes that the bill will be passed in the upcoming budget session, as any further delay will push back the transformative projects of the government.

  • GST Bill crucial for Start-Up India, Digital India success: IAMAI

    GST Bill crucial for Start-Up India, Digital India success: IAMAI

    MUMBAI: Industry body – Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has urged the Parliament to pass the crucial GST (Goods & Services Tax) Bill in the forthcoming budget session. The industry body has said that the smooth passage of GST Bill is crucial for the success of mega economic and social projects, especially Digital India and Start-Up India.

    The GST Bill, which subsumes all indirect taxes to create one rate and integrate the country into a single market, is the biggest tax reform that is being undertaken since Independence, but is pending approval of the Rajya Sabha.

    The Digital India plan is about connecting, empowering and enabling citizens and encouraging local electronic manufacturing. Similarly, Start-Up India is focused on promoting entrepreneurship, and through small entrepreneurs, generating employment.

    Local manufacturing, NoFN, e-Gov, as a part of Digital India, where private sector is involved, crucially rests on the successful passage of GST Bill in Parliament, which seeks to create one market through one tax system. Similarly, start-ups, online market places, and other online service providers, all require a single market plan.

    IAMAI president Subho Ray said, “The extant tax structure of India is heavily fragmented, with multiple indirect taxes levied by different authorities at different stages of a transaction. Fiscal federalism has led to different procedures and rates of VAT and other forms of LBTs across the states. This creates logistical challenges for the industry, besides giving rise to compliance related complications. Conflict of interests between tax authorities in case of inter-state transaction is a major pain point for the industry today. GST will help the digital industry business model flourish by providing uniformity in tax rates and regulations across the country. This will help doing business in India easier, allow free-play to market dynamics and allow deeper penetration of these services.”

    Given that much of the developments in the digital industry are disruptive innovations, business models like online platforms, aggregators, etc are essentially services provided by intermediaries. Such services are revolutionising the existing markets of both goods and services. Thus, online ticketing services or e-tailing are providing newer modes of access for consumers to existing goods and services, said IAMAI.

    The digital industry unequivocally stands for the smooth passage of GST and hopes that the bill will be passed in the upcoming budget session, as any further delay will push back the transformative projects of the government.

  • IAMAI to focus on emergence of mobile marketing in India

    IAMAI to focus on emergence of mobile marketing in India

    MUMBAI: The internet population in India is growing at a healthy rate. With 400 million internet users in India, the medium has provided a huge canvass for marketers to reach out to their audience. But, what is witnessing an exponential growth is the mobile marketing.

     

    The growth of consumer internet companies has also given an impetus to growth in internet users. If India is on the brink of attaining the magic figure of Rs 1 lakh crore in digital commerce, the availability of smart phones at cheaper rates coupled with low internet mobile tariffs have ensured that internet is within the reach of all.

     
    With a huge population of young consumers hooked to the internet, the marketing and advertising fraternity has taken cognisance of the power digital advertising. In 2014, the market size of digital advertising was Rs 2,750 crore and if we are to take 30 per cent y-o-y growth, it will be over Rs 3,500 crore. Though it is still at a nascent stage, planners have woken up to the embrace the power of the digital medium.

     

    IAMAI president Subho Ray says, “If the growth of digital commerce is anything to go by, planners will certainly spend more time understanding how to tap the hidden potential of the digital world. The phenomenon of online shopping is no longer restricted in the urban areas. If you look closely, internet users in rural India is growing faster than in urban India. The coming of age of payment banks and mobile wallets will encourage consumers to transact online. The point is, newspapers might not reach every village, but there is mobile connectivity in almost entire India and people out there are watching the world in their handheld device. It is just a matter of time that most brands will give a huge push for digital marketing.”

     

    The Mobile Marketing Summit, to be held in Bengaluru on 18 December, 2015, will have industry doyens taking a closer look at the emergence of mobile marketing in India.

     

    Acer CMO S Rajendran adds, “The Mobile Marketing Summit event always provides fascinating insights into the way mobile technology is bringing positive changes to how consumers behave and conduct their lives across all facets of their lives.  This summit helps bring audiences one step closer to ideas and developments that are breaking new ground in the market. Some recent trends are quite revealing about the pace of change in this space: the adoption rate of mobile is twice that of the internet, three times that of social media, and ten times faster than PCs. Today mobile is becoming not only the new digital hub but also the bridge to the physical world. That is the reason why mobile will be transformative to entire businesses.”
     

    Echoing Rajendran’s sentiments, Quikr CMO Vineet Sehgal echoes says, “80 per cent of our traffic comes from mobile and in that context it’s pretty clear that mobile marketing is no longer an experimental format but rather a crucial part of the mix for online businesses such as ours. Technological advances have made it possible for consumer touch-points via mobile to be personalized, location-based and hence extremely relevant which brings marketers immense opportunity.”

     
    The Mobile Marketing Summit 2015 will have sessions like State of Mobile Marketing In India; Mobile First and Brand Marketing; Engaging with multi-screen users: Every advertisers’ challenge; How Brands are considering promotions through Mobile Medium; etc.

     

    Speaking about multi screen users, Titan Company eCommerce head Alokedeep Singh added, “In a multi-screen world, mobile is becoming the primary/first screen for consumers to search, experience and shop online. In coming times, not only targeting users with relevant ads, push notifications etc, newer technologies like ibeacons, wearables will create endless opportunities for brands, marketeers.”

  • IAMAI to kick off India Digital Summit on 18 January

    IAMAI to kick off India Digital Summit on 18 January

    MUMBAI: The Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), flagship event, the India Digital Summit is slated to kick off on 18 January in New Delhi. The summit will consist of a two day event.

    According to an official release, the first day will focus on Internet and will address issues such as “What will drive the growth of Internet in India?, How to leverage Internet to E-nable businesses?, Is youth the driving force behind Internet?”

    Meanwhile, day two will throw light on topics related to “Mobile Value Added Services (VAS) such as What makes a successful mobile marketing company in India?, How can mobile VAS be source of critical Information and Interactivity?, Will mobile payments change the rules of transaction?, Is the policy environment right for MVAS Industry?”

    Commenting on the need for a Digital Summit president Dr.Subho Ray said, “The Summit this year will focus on two distinct areas: internet and related issues of current and future policies, communications tools and commerce; and mobile devices and connected issues of mobile value added services over two days”.

    Much like last year, the Summit in 2007 would also have an array of speakers including:

    – People Group chairman Anupam Mittal
    – eBay India chairman Avnish Bajaj
    – Info Edge Ltd founder and CEO Sanjeev Bikhchandani
    – Makemytrip.com founder and CEO Deep Kalra
    – Google India head sales & operations Sundarraman Kalyanraman
    – Ministry of Communications and IT Joint Secretary Pankaj Agrawala
    – Connecturf managing director & CEO Neville Taraporewala,
    – Mouthshut.com founder Faisal Farooqui,
    – MSN and Windows Media Live CEO Jaspreet Bindra,
    – Zapak Digital Entertainment COO Rohit Sharma
    – Pinstorm Technologies founder and CEO Mahesh Murthy
    – Malayala Manorama COO Mariam Mathew

  • IAMAI appoints Anupam Mittal as chairman, Subho Ray as president

    IAMAI appoints Anupam Mittal as chairman, Subho Ray as president

    MUMBAI: The Governing Council of the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has announced a change of guard at the association with effect from 1 April, 2006.

    People Group chairman and managing director Anupam Mittal has been appointed as the chairman and CII ex-director IT and telecom Dr. Subho Ray as the president of IAMAI.

    While Mittal takes over from Neville Taraporewalla, Dr. Ray takes over the mandate from Preeti Desai.

    The association also announced the appointments of ebay India CEO Avnish Bajaj as vice chairman and Times Internet CFO Ravi Ramu as its treasurer.

    Commenting on the new role as the chairman of IAMAI, Mittal said, “Under the able guidance of Neville and Preeti, IAMAI has played a significant role in organising and bringing together the internet and the mobile industry towards a common vision and agenda. IAMAI now enters its third year as an association and it is important to recognise how much has been achieved in the last two years. The association has gone from an idea to the most credible authority on the Internet and Mobile VAS industries in this country. The foundations have been laid to collectively build one of the leading digital and networked economies of the world.”

    Mittal outlined the three areas that IAMAI will work towards in the coming months:

    Play the role of a thought leader (research, events, networking) to further spur Internet usage and ecommerce growth in India
    Generate awareness amongst consumers and government of the economic as well as social benefits of broad based Internet usage
    Proactively address challenges and hurdles that can hamper the growth of what is perhaps one of the most transformational opportunities of our time
    “I am honored to be nominated for this position and am looking forward to working with and learning from pioneers such as Dr. Subho Ray, Ravi Ramu and Avnish Bajaj,” he added.

    Dr. Ray added, “Ecommerce and MCommerce and mobile content are some of the most exciting sectors today in India. Proliferation of Internet and Internet access through mobile communications has the potential to bring a wide range of financial transactions to an entirely new customer base. IAMAI will play a crucial role in channelising the digital economy’s effort and communicate its true potential for social and economic development. We will continue our concerted efforts of bringing 100 million Indians online by 2007 and empower society and businesses to benefit from the time and cost savings offered by the Internet.”