This is a story of a man whose dislike for his father’s trade and his inability to lie transformed him into one of the early entrepreneurs of Hyderabad. Sixty years down the line G. Mangilal Surana presides over one of the oldest business houses in Hyderabad, the Surana Group, a major player in copper, automotive and solar panels.

“My father, Gulab Chand Surana, was a wholesale food grain trader at Monda Market in Secunderabad, in the early 1940s. He was a supplier to the British Army. As I was not interested in it, I set up dal mills at Lucknow and Kanpur. This started my business career,” recalls the 83-year-old Surana, who played an active political role, first as a Youth Congress member in Hyderabad and later as a confidant of several national Congress leaders.

How did the miller become an industrialist? “I had a great working relationship with Lal Bahadur Shastri and also Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Shastri Ji, the then Union industries minister, told me to open a small scale industry in Hyderabad. Upon his advice, I founded a nail factory in 1959,” said the patriarch of the Surana Group, who has seen Hyderabad grow from the capital of a princely state to India’s major technology hub.

He studied law at Osmania University Law College, in the Urdu Medium, but did not take up the practice as he could not argue a case if he knew that his client was wrong.

His sons Narender and Devender entered the business in 1982 and 1988 respectively. The group now claims an annual turnover of `500 crore with a fixed asset base of `400 crore. Also the group’s 100-acre land bank in and around Hyderabad at current market prices would roughly be worth over `1,000 crore.

Narender, 52, heads the group’s solar, cables and real estate businesses while his younger brother Devendra takes care of the group’s flagship firm Bhagyanagar India, which manufactures copper-based industrial products.

Surana Ventures has the capacity to install 140 megawatt solar panels. Half of this came from its acquisition of a production line from German solar maker Schiff Solar. “While other solar companies are making losses, we can compete with anybody, including Chinese companies,” says a confident Narender.

Meanwhile 47-year-old Devendra Surana, a mechanical engineer and an IIM-Bangalore alumnus, heads the group’s flagship company Bhagyanagar India Ltd, which makes copper-based industrial products such as copper rods, copper sheets, copper foils. “Almost every vehicle on the road will have our copper foils, which we supply to all automobile companies,” says Devendra, who is also the president of Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Fapcci).

“We expect a steady growth of 10 to 15 per cent in tune with the industry’s trajectory,” says the soft-spoken Devendra, who loves to play badminton at Secunderabad Club.

Narender, meanwhile, loves tennis and watching comedy and action movies. “Once a week, I watch a movie with my family. But I am not the type of person, who can sit through the serious movies. I mostly prefer comedy or action movies,” he reveals.

This Marwari-Jain family is still a closely-knit unit with G.M. Surana at the head. Though living separately, the decisions about the group companies are made collectively.

“All male members of the family meet every day for half an hour from 8 am to 8.30 am to review what happened the day before and discuss the future course of action. So it’s a kind of board meeting every day,” says G.M. Surana, who feels that the days of joint family are over.

“My father used to head a family of 50 members including his family and his four brothers. His word was always final. But times have changed; we can’t expect such behaviour now. In all traditional business families, the second generation may be ready to work around the differences but the problems begin with the third generation, when cousins don’t get along,” says G.M. Surana.

Narender’s son, Manish, joined the group in 2008. A management graduate from Icfai and an alumnus of Harvard Business School, the 26-year-old Surana scion looks after the production of solar panels and EPC business. He is also into brand building and promotion of the group’s solar vertical.

Vinita, Narender’s elder daughter, is studying business management at Wharton Business School in the United States while younger daughter Shresha is studying at St. Francis College, and is the college’s chess captain.

Among Devendra’s children, elder daughter Nivriti is married and the other three, Rahul, 20, Mitali, 17, and Advait, 17, are completing their education.

Meanwhile, the women of the Surana family, Chand Kanwar, G.M. Surana’s wife, Sunita, Narender’s wife, and Namrata, Devendra’s wife, are all homemakers.

Chand Kanwar has been active in the Jain women’s wing while sisters Sunita and Namrata spend their time in household activities, reading, and meditation among others.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Lifestyle> Offbeat / DC / by S. Umamaheshwar / March 10th, 2013

Hyderabad , MARCH 6:

The Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry is organising a two-day conclave and loan mela for the micro, small and medium enterprises in the State from March 9.

Leading lenders in the State, including State Bank of Hyderabad, Andhra bank, SIDBI and Central Bank of India, will be participating in the event.

Apart from bringing the lenders and entrepreneurs on a single platform, the event would also see disbursement of loans to some entrepreneurs. “The event will also help the banks understand the gaps in the loan delivery system and enable them to sharpen their services,’’ Devendra Surana, President of the trade body, said.

He said the event would be organised periodically for better interaction between the industry and the banks.

Andhra Bank, the leading lender in the State, is sharpening its focus on lending to this sector in the ensuing fiscal.

“We will be disbursing about Rs 14,500 crore for the MSME sector across India this fiscal, out of which the MSE segment accounts for Rs 9,400 crore. Lending to this sector has been growing at 30 per cent. But next fiscal we are aiming at a growth of 40 per cent,’’ K.V. Kannan, General Manager of the bank, said.

About 65 per cent of the lending of Andhra Bank is in the State.

State Bank of Hyderabad also intends to come out with new delivery schemes to service the MSME sector better. “Our disbursement to this sector this fiscal has been Rs 12,500 crore, out of which the share of MSE segment is about Rs 10,500 crore,’’ SBH Chief General Manager, said.

amitmitra@thehindu.co.in

 Picture for representational purpose only. / Deccan Chronicle

Nellore: 

Decentralisation of rice procurement through rice millers has begun in SPSR Nellore district to supply the rice produced in the district through public distribution system as part of recently launched ‘Mana Biyyam’ (our rice) scheme.

Hitherto millers used to supply the rice procured from farmers to Food Corporation of India (FCI) and Civil Supplies department has been obtaining the same for PDS from FCI.

District administration has earmarked godown fac-ility to store 1,20,000 metric tonnes during the current harvest season. The monthly requirement for PDS is around 1,200 to 1,300 MTs for Mana Biyyam scheme and the authorities will have 10 months buffer at any given point of time.

Rice that was being sold at Rs 25-a-kg in the open market would be supplied at 1kg to the white ration cardholders under the scheme. It may be mentioned here that Nellore district is one among the eight districts in the state chosen for introducing Mana Biyyam scheme.

According to joint collector B. Lakshmikantam, rice millers have already supplied 14,000 MTs of rice as on date to the Civil Supplies department. The rice will be distributed through PDS for cardholders and to schools and hostels for midday meal. Reacting to a question on storage facility, Mr Lakshmikantam said that the newly-built godown to store 30,000 MTs of rice at Chandrasekhara Puram in Kodavalur mandal is ready for inauguration. Simila-rly, another godown to store 8,000 MTs at Vedaya-palem in Nellore town is also ready for opening.

He said that the Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy would open these storage points during his ensuing Indiramma Baata programme in the district.

Office bearer of Rice Millers Association Y. Ran-gaiah Naidu said that Civil Supplies department would procure only raw rice (common and grade A variety) and they would give boiled rice to FCI for export to Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal among other states that prefer boiled rice. FCI would also export boiled rice to countries like Bangladesh, he added.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC, March 05th, 2013

(File photo) Workers unload cargo from the first vessel to enter the Chinese-funded port in Hambantota, Sri Lanka – AFP

Hyderabad: 

The official announcement regarding setting up of a major port in the state and mentioning Andhra Pradesh’s involvement in the major industrial corridor between Chennai and Bengaluru were some of the positive signs in the Union Budget presented on Thursday.

The Budget also came as a shot in the arm for Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy as two of his pet initiatives — legislative backing for spending of funds to SCs and STs under the sub-plan and exclusive women’s banks — echoed in it.

“The Centre is also keen on a sub-plan and provided 25 per cent more funds in the Budget and the state can benefit from this,” finance minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy said.

AP can recover tax arrears from Centre: Anam

Hailing the Union Budget, state finance minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy said the state now had the opportunity of recovering arrears of Central taxes of Rs 1,000 crore with the Centre making a provision for payment of arrears with an outlay of Rs 9,000 crore.

“We will get another Rs 5,000 crore towards infrastructure development in the Prime Minister’s package for extremist affected districts and Rs 1,400 crore under the fluoride eradication programme,” he added.

The state’s failure to finalise a location for the new major port reflected in the Budget with the finance minister’s speech mentioning Sagar, the specific location for a similar port in West Bengal, while it merely stated Andhra Pradesh. “We will lag behind in making use of budgetary allocations if we continue to dodge on the location,” a senior official said.

Though Central and state officials had narrowed down on Ramayampet, Tirupati MP Chinta Mohan had come in the way of the Union Cabinet taking a final decision by dashing off a letter to the PM to locate the port at Duggarajupatnam.

Meanwhile, there was some ambiguity on whether the industrial corridor between Bengaluru and Chennai would cover AP.

While Ramanarayana Reddy thanked the Centre for including the state in the corridor, officials said the state’s request to take up the corridor encompassing Chittoor and Anantapur districts was not conceded for the first phase.

The Budget estimates also indicated that state would get Rs 4,000 crore additional income in the next financial year as share in Central taxes compared to 2012-2013.

The state as per revised estimates will get Rs 20,270 crore in the current financial year against a projected Rs 24,132 crore for the next financial year.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> News> Current Affairs / by DC, March 01st, 2013

Hyderabad :

In an otherwise disappointing Union budget  for the state, AP has a reason to cheer, as three districts of Nellore,Chitoor, and Ananthapuram are included in the Chennai-Bangalore Industry Corridor being developed with the financial aid provided by Japan International Cooperation Agency ( JICA).

The mega project proposed to come up along the Chennai-Bangalore highway  envisages building world class infrastructure to attract investment in the industry sector on the lines of  Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor . And the Centre is obliged include AP in the Corridor thanks to the frantic efforts of the state government. During the Southern Zonal Council meeting in Bangalore last month, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy had requested the Centre to extend the project to  Andhra Pradesh , saying only Chennai-Andhra-Bangalore corridor could unleash economic potential of the region and ensure world class infrastructure,  economic development  and employment generation.

Responding to the budget announcement made by the finance minister P Chidambaram  on Thursday, minister for large industries Geetha Reddy said, “We are happy that AP is included in the industry corridor. And onus lies on us- the state government- now to leverage on the advantage and build industry clusters along the stretch. We would do it with the help of the Union government.”

As per the plan, Krishnapattanam Port in Nellore is included in the Phase-I of the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor and it would be developed as an alternative port for Chennai and Ennore ports which are burdened by traffic congestion. Geetha Reddy said apart from de-congesting the Chennai and Ennore ports, the up-graded Krishnapatatnam Port would catalyze industrial and economic growth in and around the district.

In the Phase-II, the districts of Chitoor and Anathapur are included along with Nellore where the industrial clusters are planned, and the officials in the department of industry said a detailed report would be prepared in an year’s time. While sectors like manufacturing including automobile and machine tools are in the main focus, some of the non-pollutant industries like IT are on the top priority.

Once the project takes shape, various border towns and cities in the districts will have an opportunity to benefit from the industrial corridor as part of which the Union and state governments are making big plans. Tirupati, Pilaru, Nayudupeta, Gudur and Hindupur are towns to have additional advantage because of the initiatives.

However the industrial captains are bit disappointed, as they were asking for more. Y. Harish Chandra Prasad, Past Chairman, CII AP, and Chairman-Malaxmi Infra Ventures, said the budget announcement was disappointing for AP because the industries were expecting the finance minister to announce Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) connecting Vishakapatatnam and Kakinada, which was not to be.

“There is not much to be cheer about because Krishnapattanam Port is already been developed as the alternative port to Ennore and Chennai in terms of cargo, there nothing new that the finance minister has given bonanza. We would have been happy, if he had PCPIR between Vizak and Kakinada,” Harischandra Prasad said.

Expressing similar sentiment, secretary general of Federation of AP Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FAPCCI), M V Rajeswar Rao said the benefit that AP was going to get from the Industrial Corridor was marginal, as he pegged it at 10 %. “It is not that a great thing has happened to AP. The state would get a marginal benefit provided the state government shows some commitment to provide basic infrastructure like power and water which at the given situation not hopeful,” Rajeswar Rao said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / by B V  Shiva Shankar, TNN / February 28th, 2013