BIO- INCUBATOR FACILITY IN GOA-MOU SIGNED

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up Bio Incubator in Goa has been signed between Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce (DITC), Goa University (GU) and Goa State Industries Association (GSIA) on Tuesday the 10th February 2010 at Hotel Mandovi, Panaji Goa. Bio Incubator will be run by all the three parties having defined scope and obligations.

The MoU was signed in the presence of the Chief Minister, Shri Digambar Kamat, by Mr. Sanjit Rodrigues, Director, Directorate of Industries, Trade & Commerce, Govt. of Goa, Mr. Mohan Sangodkar, Registrar, Goa University and Mr. Atul P. Naik, President, GSIA. Officials from Government of Goa, Goa University, Education Institutions, NIO, Press & Media, Executive Committee Members of GSIA were present for the function.

The purpose of the Bio Incubator is to provide an opportunity to prospective entrepreneurs to develop, test and process their ideas/projects at a laboratory level at reasonable cost. Bio Incubator will provide laboratory space and equipped labs for would be entrepreneurs/graduates to translate their research ideas into commercialisable technologies as well as for upgradation of existing technologies without risking huge investments on building and equipments.

Bio Incubator facility will be very useful for technically competent Small and Medium scale enterprises (SME’s) and entrepreneurial scientist technocrats. This will help the start up companies to tide over the financial crunch due to non availability of financial assistance at initial stage. Such a ready to use facility would expedite the technology development process as it would reduce the time and capital required for setting up of such testing facilities.

The Government of Goa has made a budgetary provision towards setting up of Bio Incubator in the State of Goa during the current year and the provision shall continue till the expiry of the MoU. The MoU shall be valid and effective initially for a period of 5 years from the time of execution and can be extended for a further period of 5 years at a time as may be agreed between the Parties.

The Bio Incubator facility will be set up on Goa University campus and GU will provide necessary space, material and technical human resources. DITC shall provide the required financial assistance and GSIA shall liaise with potential entrepreneurs,graduates, educational institutions engaged in Biotech fields, corporations and industries engaged in Biotech to maximize the use of Bio Incubator facilities in Goa.

Extension of time for filing VAT returns by 20th May, 2009

Extension of time for filing VAT returns by 20th May, 2009,
for the quarter ending 31.3.2009.

Order no.CCT/12-2/2009-10/002 dated 30/04/2009 is received from the Office of the Commissioner of Commercial Taxes towards grant of extension of time for filing VAT returns for the quarter ending 31.3.2009. The quarterly returns was due on 30/4/2009, which has been allowed to be filed by 20th May, 2009 without payment of penalty.

Copy of the order is available at GSIA office.
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US-CERT Cyber Security Tip ST06-003 — Staying Safe on Social Network Sites.

US-CERT Cyber Security Tip ST06-003 — Staying Safe on Social
Network Sites
Cyber Security Tip ST06-003
Staying Safe on Social Network Sites

The popularity of social networking sites continues to increase,
especially
among teenagers and young adults. The nature of these sites
introduces
security risks, so you should take certain precautions.

What are social networking sites?

Social networking sites, sometimes referred to as
“friend-of-a-friend”
sites, build upon the concept of traditional social networks where
you are
connected to new people through people you already know. The purpose
of some
networking sites may be purely social, allowing users to
establish
friendships or romantic relationships, while others may focus
on
establishing business connections.

Although the features of social networking sites differ, they all
allow you
to provide information about yourself and offer some type of
communication
mechanism (forums, chat rooms, email, instant messenger) that enables
you to
connect with other users. On some sites, you can browse for people
based on
certain criteria, while other sites require that you be “introduced”
to new
people through a connection you share. Many of the sites have
communities or
subgroups that may be based on a particular interest.

What security implications do these sites present?

Social networking sites rely on connections and communication, so
they
encourage you to provide a certain amount of personal information.
When
deciding how much information to reveal, people may not exercise the
same
amount of caution as they would when meeting someone in person
because
* the internet provides a sense of anonymity
* the lack of physical interaction provides a false sense of
security
* they tailor the information for their friends to read, forgetting
that
others may see it
* they want to offer insights to impress potential friends or
associates

While the majority of people using these sites do not pose a
threat,
malicious people may be drawn to them because of the accessibility
and
amount of personal information that’s available. The more
information
malicious people have about you, the easier it is for them to take
advantage
of you. Predators may form relationships online and then
convince
unsuspecting individuals to meet them in person. That could lead to
a
dangerous situation. The personal information can also be used to
conduct a
social engineering attack (see Avoiding Social Engineering and
Phishing
Attacks for more information). Using information that you provide
about your
location, hobbies, interests, and friends, a malicious person
could
impersonate a trusted friend or convince you that they have the
authority to
access other personal or financial data.

Additionally, because of the popularity of these sites, attackers may
use
them to distribute malicious code. Sites that offer applications
developed
by third parties are particularly susceptible. Attackers may be able
to
create customized applications that appear to be innocent while
infecting
your computer without your knowledge.

How can you protect yourself?

* Limit the amount of personal information you post – Do not
post
information that would make you vulnerable, such as your address
or
information about your schedule or routine. If your connections
post
information about you, make sure the combined information is not
more
than you would be comfortable with strangers knowing. Also
be
considerate when posting information, including photos, about
your
connections.
* Remember that the internet is a public resource – Only post
information
you are comfortable with anyone seeing. This includes information
and
photos in your profile and in blogs and other forums. Also, once
you
post information online, you can’t retract it. Even if you remove
the
information from a site, saved or cached versions may still exist
on
other people’s machines (see Guidelines for Publishing
Information
Online for more information).
* Be wary of strangers – The internet makes it easy for people
to
misrepresent their identities and motives (see Using Instant
Messaging
and Chat Rooms Safely for more information). Consider limiting
the
people who are allowed to contact you on these sites. If you
interact
with people you do not know, be cautious about the amount of
information
you reveal or agreeing to meet them in person.
* Be skeptical – Don’t believe everything you read online. People
may post
false or misleading information about various topics, including
their
own identities. This is not necessarily done with malicious
intent; it
could be unintentional, an exaggeration, or a joke. Take
appropriate
precautions, though, and try to verify the authenticity of
any
information before taking any action.
* Evaluate your settings – Take advantage of a site’s privacy
settings.
The default settings for some sites may allow anyone to see
your
profile. You can customize your settings to restrict access to
only
certain people. However, there is a risk that even this
private
information could be exposed, so don’t post anything that you
wouldn’t
want the public to see. Also, be cautious when deciding
which
applications to enable, and check your settings to see what
information
the applications will be able to access.
* Use strong passwords – Protect your account with passwords that
cannot
easily be guessed (see Choosing and Protecting Passwords for
more
information). If your password is compromised, someone else may
be able
to access your account and pretend to be you.
* Check privacy policies – Some sites may share information such as
email
addresses or user preferences with other companies. This may lead
to an
increase in spam (see Reducing Spam for more information). Also,
try to
locate the policy for handling referrals to make sure that you do
not
unintentionally sign your friends up for spam. Some sites will
continue
to send email messages to anyone you refer until they join.
* Use and maintain anti-virus software – Anti-virus software
recognizes
most known viruses and protects your computer against them, so
you may
be able to detect and remove the virus before it can do any
damage (see
Understanding Anti-Virus Software for more information).
Because
attackers are continually writing new viruses, it is important to
keep
your definitions up to date.

Children are especially susceptible to the threats that social
networking
sites present. Although many of these sites have age restrictions,
children
may misrepresent their ages so that they can join. By teaching
children
about internet safety, being aware of their online habits, and
guiding them
to appropriate sites, parents can make sure that the children become
safe
and responsible users (see Keeping Children Safe Online for
more
information).
_________________________________________________________________

Author: Mindi McDowell
_________________________________________________________________

Produced 2006 by US-CERT, a government organization.

Note: This tip was previously published and is being re-distributed

to increase awareness.

Terms of use

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Towards Establishing Modern Insolvency and Bankruptcy Codes for Small enterprises in India.

Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) is a national level Federation and widely regarded as’ progressive face of SMEs. FISME is a member of Advisory Committee formed under MSME Act 2006 and Member of Board of Trade (Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India) and closely works with SMEs Associations across India.

With an objective to empower SMEs on trade issues and to create capacity building measures, FISME constantly come out with research and policy papers concerning the issues and problems of SMEs.

Vide their letter no. FISME/Publications/Ass/2008-09 dated 30th March, 2009 FISME has enclosed some of the important publications and reports as given below;

FISME Policy Paper on “Towards Establishing Modern Insolvency and Bankruptcy Codes for Small enterprises in India”.

Interim Findings of FISME in the India MSME Summit.

Brochure on ‘CAPABLE’ an initiative to build capacities of MSME Associations in India.

Poster on “National Database of Consultants for SMEs” an initiative to create a platform between SME’s and Consultants.

Members are requested to contact GSIA office on above mentioned policy papers / important publications, reports and offer your valuable feedback in order to strengthen the efforts put in by FISME for the cause of the SMEs.

Thanking you.
G.P. Chimulkar
Executive Secretary
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GOA STATE INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION
4th Floor, GoaIDC House,
Patto Plaza, Panaji-Goa.
Telefax: 0832 2438395/ 2438210
Email id: [email protected]

Technical Cyber Security Alert TA09-088A.

National Cyber Alert System
Technical Cyber Security Alert TA09-088A

Conficker Worm Targets Microsoft Windows Systems

Original release date: March 29, 2009
Last revised: —
Source: US-CERT

Systems Affected

* Microsoft Windows

Overview

US-CERT is aware of public reports indicating a widespread
infection of the Conficker worm, which can infect a Microsoft
Windows system from a thumb drive, a network share, or directly
across a network if the host is not patched with MS08-067.

I. Description

The presence of a Conficker infection may be detected if a user is
unable to surf to the following websites:

*
http://www.symantec.com/norton/theme.jsp?themeid=conficker_worm&inid=us_
ghp_link_conficker_worm
* http://www.mcafee.com

If a user is unable to reach either of these websites, a Conficker
infection may be indicated (the most current variant of Conficker
interferes with queries for these sites, preventing a user from
visiting them). If a Conficker infection is suspected, the
infected system should be removed from the network. Major
anti-virus vendors and Microsoft have released several free tools
that can verify the presence of a Conficker infection and remove
the worm. Instructions for manually removing a Conficker infection
from a system have been published by Microsoft in
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/962007.

II. Impact

A remote, unauthenticated attacker could execute arbitrary code on
a vulnerable system.

III. Solution

US-CERT encourages users to prevent a Conficker infection by
ensuring all systems have the MS08-067 patch (part of Security
Update KB958644, which was published by Miscrosoft in October
2008), disabling AutoRun functionality (see
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-020A.html), and
maintaining up-to-date anti-virus software.

IV. References

* Virus alert about the Win32/Conficker.B worm –
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* Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-067 – Critical –
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* Microsoft Windows Does Not Disable AutoRun Properly –
< _moz-userdefined="" cas="" ta09-020a techalerts="" www>

* MS08-067: Vulnerability in Server service could allow remote code
execution –
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* The Conficker Worm –
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* W32/Conficker.worm –
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____________________________________________________________________

The most recent version of this document can be found at:

< _moz-userdefined="" cas="" ta09-088a techalerts="" www>
____________________________________________________________________

Automation of Central Excise and Service Tax (ACES)

Members of the trade and public are hereby informed that the Central Board of Excise & Customs has developed a new software application called Automation of Central Excise and Service Tax (ACES), which aims at improving tax-payer services, transparency, accountability and efficiency in the indirect tax administration. ACES is rolled-out in Goa Commissionerate on 18/12/2009. ACES aims at automating all major processes in Central Excise and Service Tax through a workflow-based application. It will replace the current applications of SERMON, SACER, SAPS, STREMS, used in Central Excise and Service Tax for capturing returns and registration details of the assessees. Using the ACES application, the users will be able to take registration online, electronically file statutory returns, claims, intimations and permissions, refunds and requests for provisional assessment, view and track the status of their documents online. Besides, they will also get business related alerts/messages.

New Assessee needs to log onto the system, through internet at http://www.aces.gov.in

In case of any difficulty in accessing or using the ACES Application, assessees can seek help of the ACES Service Desk by sending e-mail to [email protected] or calling up national toll free number 1800 425 4251 on any working day from Monday to Friday between 9 AM and 7 PM.

WTO Stakeholders Consultations

Stakeholders consultations on WTO negotiations were organized by UNCTAD India Project, Centre for WTO Studies and FICCI in New Delhi on 8-9 December 2009. The meeting provided a platform for two-way interaction between stakeholders and Department of Commerce on issues related to some aspects of WTO negotiations, particularly Agriculture, industrial tariffs and services. The stakeholders consultations provided an opportunity to the participants to get informed about the outcome of Geneva Ministerial Conference of the WTO. The Meeting was addressed by experts from UNCTAD, Centre for WTO Studies, FICCI and top officials from Department of Commerce and Agriculture, Government of India.The meeting brought together representatives of farmer organizations, civil society, consumer organizations, industry representatives, experts and policy makers. GSIA President Mr. Atul P. Naik was invited to attend the conference alongwith Presidents of other MSME Association in India like KASSIA, TANSIA etc.

India is determined to take the Doha Round of talks under the WTO towards successful conclusion. When India signed WTO treaty in 1995, fears were expressed that a drastic reduction of import duty would lead to a flood of imports and kill the domestic industries.

The situation is different today, while rich nations are facing deep recession our economic growth is at a respectable rate of six to seven per cent. It does not mean that WTO treaty is good for us, but it has not been able to wreak much damage due to our fundamental strength.

Prior to WTO treaty, developing countries were imposing import duties of 50-100 % on most of the goods as against 10-20% by developed nations. India agreed to reduce the import duties because they were counter-productive for all except for inefficient producers.

India gradually reduced the import duties to the present average of about 15% whereas the developed nations have reduced to about 4%. As a result, global trade has increased, India could get access to global markets and consumers could get better quality of products –imported as well as domestic. Cheap labor available in India has been a major determinant for our success.

Developed countries are demanding that all the countries make further reductions in import duties/subsidies. India demands that the WTO takes up a project to establish an integrated database on non-tariff measures and WTO adopts international standards in respect of sanitary and technical barriers to trade.

The main concern to India is:
  1. Free movement of professionals
  2. Restrictions on Outsourcing
  3. Negative impact of the stimulus packages by developed countries
  4. Inclusion of patent regime in the WTO

BROAD AGENDA IN WTO FOR INDIA


AGRICULTURE
WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) seeks to improve market access and to reduce trade distortion subsidies in agriculture products. The Doha Round of trade negotiations of WTO has been to further liberalize agriculture trade and to further discipline the trade distortion.

Agriculture negotiations are of critical importance to India as two thirds of its population depends on agriculture, a large number of which includes small and marginal farmers.

On Agriculture India is defensive as we are not exporters. India’s objective is to save interests of our farmers. India has been arguing for the introduction of a regime which provides adequate protection to its domestic sensitivities. At the same time, India is seeking greater market access for its products in developed countries by disciplining and caping their trade distorting subsidies.

2. NAMA (Non Agricultural Market Access)
Major focus in WTO has been to reduce customs duties on non-agricultural products. In the NAMA negotiations WTO members discuss the terms or modalities for reducing or eliminating customs tariff and non-tariff barriers on trade in industrial products. The negotiations take place on “bound tariffs” which are the bindings taken during the negotiations at the WTO. The “bound tariffs” are the upper limit of the applied customs tariffs.

In the ongoing Doha Round, modalities for reduction of custom duties on industrial goods is a crucial issue. Reduction of custom duties is being negotiated by application of a formula called the “Swiss Formula”.

As regards tariff cuts in NAMA negotiations, India has been defensive. In the NAMA negotiations there are tariffs on which no bindings have been taken and these are known as the “Unbound Tariff Lines”. Based on the commitment taken by India, at the commencement of Doha Round in 2001, India has more than 31% of its NAMA tariff lines as unbound.

3. SERVICES
The General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) came in existence as a result of the Uruguay Round of negotiations and entered into force on 01-01-1995 with the establishment of WTO. The main purpose of GATS has been to create a credible and reliable system of international trade and services rules. The liberalization of trade and services helps the countries to strengthen their economic development, capitalize on their competitive strength, give wider choice to customers and encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

GATS provides for four modes of supply of services. Mode-1 Cross border, Mode -2 Consumption Abroad, Mode-3 Commercial Presence, Mode-4 Movement of Natural Persons. India has been a demandeur/aggressive in services. The modes of supply of interest to India are Mode-1 (Cross border supply) and Mode -4 (Movement of Natural Persons). Trade through Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)/Information Technology Enable Services (ITES) is undertaken through electronic modes of delivery i.e. Mode-1. Developed countries particularly the US and EC have not been forthcoming in offering substantial openings to our professionals in Mode-4. Even where these commitments have been offered, they lack in sectoral spread and/or are subject to numerical and other limitations.

In order to take the negotiations forward, a fresh round of offers would need to be tabled at the WTO by member countries once the Doha Round of negotiations gain momentum. A timeline for the submission of the second revised offers in Services would be decided after a breakthrough is achieved in Agriculture and NAMA.

4. AGREEMENT ON SUBSIDIES AND COUNTERVAILING MEASURES
Subsidy is an important development tool available with sovereign governments to achieve various goals. At the same time it is recognized that subsidies encourage channeling of economic resources into sectors where the country may lack comparative advantage. It also imparts an artificial competitiveness to subsidized product which can be sold cheaper in the world market than its actual cost of production. This leads to an unfair trade advantage to the domestic producers of the subsidizing country and creates adverse effects in different ways like injuring the domestic industry of importing country or displacing the products of other countries in third country markets.

In view of such adverse effects, certain categories of subsidies are recognized as unfair trade practices. To regulate subsidies and to take anti-subsidy action, there is an elaborate discipline in the WTO called the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures(ASCM).

Subsidies and countervailing measures are the two sides of the same coin. A subsidy is a monetary benefit or compensation to a producer or exporter which could be in the form of financial grant, tax exemptions etc,. Countervailing measures are like a penalty imposed on the exporter in the form of a duty at the point of importation to balance the benefit enjoyed by the exporter. Thus, this is an attempt to provide a level playing field for the domestic producer of importing country to meet the paramount objective of the multilateral trade regime i.e. free and fair international trade.

The Doha Ministerial Conference of the WTO had mandated negotiations aimed at clarifying and improving the WTO disciplines on fisheries subsidies, taking into account the importance of this sector for both developed and developing countries as well as the impact of fisheries subsidies on sustainable development.

Proponents of fisheries subsidies disciplines such as New Zealand, Australia, US, Norway and to some extent the EC maintain that a broad prohibition may be appropriate. They advocate for strong fisheries management measures, adequate transparency provisions through strict notification requirements.

Developing countries such as India, Indonesia, China, Piliphines are demanding effective special and differential treatment considering the importance of this sector in the national economy and livelihood issues of fishermen.

Implementaion of Lean Manufacturing Scheme Under NMCP

The Office of the Development Commissioner (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises), Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Govt, of India, Nirman Bhawan, 7th Floor, Maulana Azad Road, New Delhi- 110 108.

The Office of DC (MSME) is implementing National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme (NMCP) consisting ten different schemes. One such Scheme titled Lean Manufacturing Scheme’ had been approved by Government of India on pilot basis to initially cover 100 mini clusters in the country.

Under the Scheme, it is proposed to deploy competent consultants to carry out Lean Interventions in selected clusters. For the implementation of scheme on pilot basis, National Productivity Council has been entrusted the role of National Monitoring and implementing Unit(NMIU).

The detailed Guidelines of the Scheme are now available on the website of Office of Development Commissioner (MSME) (www.dcmsme.gov.in)

“SME CONVERGE 2009” 6th & 7th August, 2009. http://www.gsnaworldwide.com/SME.html

Towards its focus on generating and nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs, Goa State Industries Association (GSIA) is collaborating with Global Strategic Networking Alliance(GSNA) Worldwide who is organizing “SME CONVERGE 2009” scheduled to be held on 6th & 7th August, 2009 at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.

GSNA is an organization of the knowledge providers of business intelligence; delivering advanced, actionable business information and essential economic data to its clients through its series of unique executive-level global summits, strategic business-to-business conferences, market analysis and complementary services through its professional training divisions.

The objective of ‘SME CONVERGE 2009’ is to bring together all the elements necessary for real venture creation.

‘SME CONVERGE 2009’, will be a networking event for entrepreneurs and investors with a Business Plan Competition which purports to stimulate and nourish the entrepreneurial spirit of young men and women by way of a competition and is open to SME’s from various sectors. The main objective of this Forum would be to encourage new ideas and help in building business, and enable interaction of aspiring entrepreneurs, early-stage ventures, and growth-stage ventures with potential investors, successful entrepreneurs and mentors.

This comprehensive forum of 2 days comprises of business plan presentation and a parallel conference – to provide opportunity to highlight the issues & challenges of the industry.
.
Members seeking private funding anywhere from Rs.50 lakhs to Rs.50 crores can participate in the Business Plan Competition and /or attend the Conference which will throw up ideas, understand global trends, market opportunities, governments latest policies and much more.

Visit http://www.gsnaworldwide.com/SME.html for details for Business Plan Competition and Conference.

All payments should be in favour of “GSNA Worldwide” and sent to Goa State Industries Association, 4th Floor, GoaIDC House, Patto Plaza, Panaji-Goa 403 001.

May also contact Ms. Neetu Patil, Project Manager, GSNA. Cell : +91 98201 66761 for more details.

We look forward to your participation.

Rajkumar Kamat
Hon. Secretary
9823777705
————————————————————————————-
GOA STATE INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION
(ISO 9001:2008 Certified)
4th Floor, GoaIDC House,
Patto Plaza, Panaji-Goa.
Telefax: 0832-2438395/ 2438210
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://214.d12.myftpupload.com/

Industrial Camps with DITC to address various problems faced by Industries in Goa.

ATTENTION
1. GSIA Executive Committee Members
2. All Members.

Dear Friends,

GSIA is planning to organize ‘Industrial Camps at various Industrial Estates’ in Goa to bring about direct interaction between the Industries and the Director of Industries(DI), Mr. Sanjit Rodrigues and other officials of DITC.

These camps would address the various problems and issues of the Industries in the areas of ;
1. Registering for E.M. Part I and E.M. Part II.
2. Obtaining NOCs from various Government organizations.
3. Any other matter directly concerning the Industries.

The Director of Industries, Mr. Sanjit Rodrigues has indicated his willingness to interact with the Industries alongwith their case papers, if there are any specific issues.

The dates, time and place of these camps will be communicated to you later. You are requested to detail your query/ problem as regards the issues mentioned above to GSIA office at the earliest to enable us to prepare for the camps.

Thanking you.

With kind regards,
Atul P. Naik
President
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