THE EDITORIAL

Dear all, CONTENTS

It gives us immense pleasure to bring you the 2nd •Cover story

edition of our monthly newsletter “THE PUMBA
--Antidepressants-Tiding over depressing times
GAZETTE”.
•Industry Speaks
With this edition we bring to you an exclusive interview
with Mr. Abhishek Sahay (Research Associate-IPR --A Candid talk with Mr. Abhishek Sahay from
Domain), Evalueserve, on the current trends in the KPO Evalueserve
Industry.
•BT News
We also bring to you a 12 part series on various
noteworthy CSR initiatives. This series reflects --A Breather for the Industry
Corporate India’s commitment to be a strong, united
and progressive Nation. The series titled ‘Back to
Society’ focuses on various ongoing CSR projects. •Articles/Analysis

With the recession hitting every sector and leaving --The Age(nt) of change; Obama.
many affected, our students have undertaken a project-
-Antidepressants-Tiding over depressing times. --Budget 2009-10: What lies ahead?

The Union Budget analysis is a report which tells us

what’s in store for the Pharma Sector in this budget in •Back to Society
comparison with the previous year’s Budget.
--ROSHNI Initiative by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratory
To keep abreast with the happenings in the industry we
have also included a section on BT News, and PUMBA
•PUMBA News
Gazette’s view of the same

A section based on PUMBA and the happenings in and --PUMBA at Indian Science Congress
around campus, is also included.
--Events at PUMBA
THE PUMBA GAZETTE is committed to maintaining the
QUALITY and CONSISTENCY of articles & we assure
you that we offer you more in the forthcoming editions.

Your Feedback & Suggestions are welcome at

thepumbagazette@gmail.com

Wish you a HAPPY READING…!

Sincerely Yours,

THE PUMBA GAZETTE Team

(The detailed project reports shall be provided on

enquiry. Kindly send in your enquiries at
thepumbagazette@gmail.com )
 ANTIDEPRESSANTS: TIDING OVER DEPRESSING TIMES…..

In today’s world, living in the fast lane results in hectic

lifestyles and busy schedules with various side effects like drug 6) Another observation was reluctance of the upper middle
addiction,, alcoholism etc. Recently there have been other class and aged people in approaching the doctors for
tidings namely the economic slowdown and the rising inflation treating depression, due to the social stigma attached to it.
rate, which has dealt a severe blow to the mental state of people Hence, most of the people prefer to buy antidepressants
without prescription for example, through home delivery
leading to a widespread state, called as “Depression”.
services.
Recently a survey was carried out, in Mumbai by a
leading newspaper, showing an increase in the antidepressant
consumption. In view of this the PUMBA GAZETTE team has
carried out another survey in the Pune region to gauge whether
there has been an increase in the depression-related cases and
the sale of antidepressants over the past one year, because of
the economic slowdown and changing lifestyles. One of the
main objectives was to predict the future potential for this
market. The target sample included doctors (psychologists and
general practitioners) and chemists all over the Pune region.
The results obtained showed an increase in
antidepressant consumption across all age groups and sexes
over the last one year with approximately 90% of doctors and
62% of chemists confirming the same. A prominent increase has
been observed in the age group of 15-30 years and 31-45 years.
Out of the doctors who answered in affirmative, 71% confirmed
an increase of upto 20% in depression-related cases. Similarly,
out of the chemists confirming the increase, 79% saw the sales
of antidepressants go up by less than 20% over the past one
year. Out of the total depression-related cases, the numbers of
acute and chronic cases were almost equal, as stated by the
doctors.
The most preferred molecules were found to be SSRI’s
(Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) like Escitalopram,
Sertraline, Fluoxetine, etc. and TCA’s (Tri cyclic
Antidepressants) like Amitryptiline ,etc. Top selling brands were
Tryptomer (Merind), Nexito & Depranil (Sun Pharma), Feliz-
S, etc. Also, anti-anxiety and benzodiazepines like Restyl
(Cipla-Protec), Alprax (Torrent Pharma) were prescribed in
conjunction with anti-depressants by 84% of the doctors
sampled.
The most important factors considered by the doctors while
prescribing the drugs are –1) Effectiveness of the drug 2) Side
effects of the drug 3) Availability of the drug 4) Economic
condition of the patient 5) Addiction potential of a drug.
90% of the doctors think that the depression-related cases will
increase by around 15% in the coming two years.
CONCLUSIONS-
1) Around 50% of the cases are chronic cases and this shows a
potential market for anti-depressants, in the coming years.
2) Doctors also predict an increase of 15% in the depression-
related cases in the coming two years (2009-2011) and hence a
potential market for anti-depressants.
3) There is an increase of < 20% in the depression-related cases
in the past year because of factors like the economic slowdown,
rising inflation rate and changing lifestyles etc.
4) The potential customers are in the age group 15-30yrs. and
31-45yrs.comprising mainly of students, working professionals
and housewives. Compiled by: Amit Pharande, Animesh Sarkar, Nikhil Goyal,
Pritesh Shetty, Tejaswini Lunkad (MBA-Biotechnology, Sem
5) An interesting conclusion which emerged during the survey
II)
was that, most of the chemists referred to alprazolam as an
antidepressant when in reality it is a sedative given in
conjugation with antidepressant drugs. Mentor: Vishakha Gokhale (MBA-Biotechnology, Sem IV)
“KPO is a knowledge-intensive field wherein only QUALITY will matter in the
long run” –
Mr. Abhishek Sahay, an alumnus of PUMBA (MBA BT-batch 2005), is working for past 2 years with Evalueserve, as a
research associate in IPR domain.
His job entails conducting technological landscapes, licensing studies and ‘Freedom -to- operate’ searches, which is a
study done on/before launching of the products.
The PUMBA gazette team caught up with him to discuss the current trends in the KPO industry.
Excerpt:-
1. How are KPO's functional in BT sector?
KPOs work primarily at two levels in the BT sector. First is
where they provide classical Business Research Solutions. These
include, but are not limited to, identifying new markets, R&D focus
and strategic alliances, competitive intelligence etc. Second major
area is the Intellectual Property Domain, wherein the work involves
conducting technological landscapes, prior art studies, freedom-to-
operate searches and Licensing Studies.
2. As far as KPO's are concerned, how is the domestic
market different from the international market?
As their business models are based on the off-shoring (or
outsourcing) concept, KPOs generally find an audience in the
overseas market where the cost effectiveness factor brings in the
business. The Domestic market is yet to feature in the main
clientele list of KPOs. This could be partially attributed to the
conservative nature of the domestic players to confide in 3rd party
bodies about their intellectual assets or strategic plans and
partially to their reluctance to pay the kind of money that KPOs ask
for.
3. How has India responded to KPOs? Do you see India as a
potential market for the KPOs or does India act as a source of
KPOs?
India is not primarily a market for KPOs. India cannot be an
outsourcing centre as the outsourcing cannot take place within
India itself. KPO’s are not friendly with the acceptability of low
amounts whereas India cannot offer such high amounts demanded
from KPOs. Majority of the business i.e. almost 90% comes from
the global markets majorly Europe and USA.
4. How has the current meltdown affected the KPO
industry?
Contrary to public perception, I, personally, would like to believe
that in the long term, the current meltdown is a sort of blessing in
disguise for the KPO industry. This is because as a part of their
cost-cutting exercise, US and EU based companies would become
more interested into outsourcing their activities to knowledge-
based destinations like India. A good PR combined with quality
work could mean a long lasting business for KPO firms.
Having said that, I would also like to add that many niche
KPOs, which were dependent on a single line of business
(providing only Investment Research solutions, for example) and
single digit client base are facing the heat now. Increasing the
client base and entering into multiple lines of business and
geographies is what companies are looking at. And it goes without
saying that the QUALITY of work is what will separate the leaders
from the rest.
5. What kind of career opportunities does a KPO
offer in the current scenario?
KPOs are playing it safe these days. Lateral
recruitments have been frozen at most places. Campus
recruitments will only begin in the later part of the year
and only then it would become clear on the kind of job
profiles that are being offered to the freshers.
6. How do you ensure that the quality standards are
maintained?
There are many ways to evaluate the quality
standards. Peer QC is a part of every communication
and execution step. Further, we have a SOP/Check List
for all major project types and they are strictly adhered to
from the initial stages of the project to the final. Lastly,
we rely on the best databases and analytical tools to
arrive at client-specific solutions.
7. What kind of expansions and diversifications are
possible in this industry?
Expansions within KPO could be both organic and
in-organic, that is, it could be affected both by growing
utilizing the organization's capabilities and resources
and/or by acquiring other players. Diversifications, as I
mentioned earlier, could be through expanding in new
geographies and adding new lines of business to the
portfolio.
8. What advice would you give to emerging
Managers in this field?
KPO is a knowledge-intensive field wherein only
QUALITY will matter in the long run. Emerging
managers must be flexible to acquiring new skill sets
(some projects, for e.g., may require you to create/work
on some IT based platform to meet client needs),
understanding the client's need, integrating multi-
disciplinary approach to solve a problem (like using
Business Research and Intellectual Property Solutions to
advise a client on issues related to entry into a new
market) and of course they must have an eye for detail.
The employer of the interviewee may or may not share
the same opinion
Compiled by: The PUMBA Gazette Interview
Team

A BREATHER FOR THE INDUSTRY…
The prices of more than 170 medicines have been revised
by the drug price regulator National Pharmaceutical
Pricing Authority (NPPA) to an extent of 33%. The types of
drugs on this list include antibiotics, asthma drugs,
medicines to treat pneumonia, malaria and painkillers
such as ibuprofen and aspirin. Companies whose product
prices have seen a rise include Pfizer, Novartis and
Shreya Life Sciences.
The prices of drugs in the country are regulated by the Drugs
Prices Control Order (DPCO), 1995, issued by the
Government of India under Section 3 of the Essential
Commodities Act, 1955. The list of price-controlled drugs,
procedures for fixing and implementing drug prices and
penalties for defying such provisions are given by the DPCO.
The power to implement DPCO provisions have been vested in
the NPPA.
Under the current DPCO 1995, the Retail Price is fixed
according to the following formula:
RETAIL PRICE = (MC+CC+PM+PC) x (1+MAPE/100) +
excise duty
Where,
MC = material cost including cost of bulk drugs/excipients:
CC = conversion cost;
PM= cost of packing material;
PC = packaging charge;
MAPE = Maximum Allowable Post-manufacturing Expenses
(A uniform MAPE of 100% is granted).
In October 2008, the prices of 149 medicines, including
monocomponent insulins, dettol antiseptic and aspirin with
combinations were revised by NPPA, out of which prices in
case of 14 formulation packs were reduced. The brands
concerned were from companies such as Eli Lilly, Shreya
Life Sciences, Reckitt Benckiser, Aventis Pharma,
Wockhardt and Pfizer. Prices of three bulk drugs, including
salbutamol sulphate for the treatment of bronchial asthma
were also slashed.
The affected pharma majors were Cipla,
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and FDC. In the last three
years, cases have been filed by NPPA against
companies like GSK, Ranbaxy, Cipla for overcharging
of drugs. In recent years, many new drugs including
Cilanem injection, Caverta tablet and Roscillin,
manufactured by Ranbaxy have also been brought
under the price control by NPPA.
In addition to this, the ceiling for price increase for
non-scheduled drugs had been brought down from
20% to 10%.
Many Industry associations like Assochem, OPPI,
CIPI etc. have raised concern over the price control
regulations of DPCO. They have asked the
government to raise the prices of non-scheduled
drugs by 20% in view of their rising input costs. This is
due to currency fluctuations, price hikes of packaging
materials like plastics & PET and commonly used
antibiotics like ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and cefixime as
well as increase in travel costs and manpower costs.
Taking cognizance of the rise in input cost, a move to raise
the cap on the packaging cost of medicines has been
proposed. This would lead to sharp increase in prices since
packaging comprises of a significant chunk of the cost of
medicines. The companies were asked by the pricing
regulator to submit their actual cost data so that the
regulatory norms could be revised.
The current price increase is for 41 formulation packs, in a
range of less than 1% to about 33%. Prices of four
Prednisolone brands marketed by Pfizer, India have been
raised by about 11% and 15%. The price of a vitamin tablet
brand from Novartis has been increased by 10.82%. The
list also includes monocompetent insulin from Shreya Life
sciences. According to an official in NPPA, the prices are
revised on the basis of applications received from
companies.
Such amendments by NPPA ought to be welcomed by the
pharmaceutical industry and could give a boost to the drug
manufacturers, especially when there is growing frustration
in the pharmaceutical industry due to the present
regulations. This decision could also give a respite to the
rattled drug industry and bridge the widening gap between
the drug makers and the government, while it will lead to
costlier medicines for the common man.
Compiled by: Nidhi Nirmal, Vandita Javali (MBA-
Biotechnology, Sem II)
 BUDGET – 09: What lies ahead?

A Budget is a financial statement representing the
expected income and expenditure for the next fiscal
year of a particular country. The Union Budget of
India is presented by the Finance Minister in the
month of February. However, being an election year
only interim budget has been presented, which is
valid till the next government is formed.
In this article, the Union Budgets of last five fiscals
have been analyzed based on expenditure allocated
to Biotechnology and allied sectors. The allied sectors
include, Agriculture & Cooperation, Agricultural
Research and Education, Animal Husbandry and
Dairy, Agro and Rural Industries, Food Processing
Industries, Health and Ayurveda, Yoga &
Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy
(AYUSH).

Table 1: Year wise comparison of expenditures

Particulars 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009
BT & allied Sector Total 9497.84 13037.92 22915.72 27329.72 30612.21
Other sectors 468331.2 501305.9 541075.4 653190.8 720271.3
Grand Total 477829.04 514343.8 563991.1 680520.5 750883.5
% increase in expenditure on
BT & allied sectors - 37.27 75.76 19.26 12.01
% increase in expenditure in
Grand Total - 7.64 9.65 20.66 10.34
% share expenditure on BT &
allied sectors of Grand Total 1.99 2.53 4.06 4.02 4.08

Analysis of Table 1 shows that, each financial year
there is an increase in the expenditure on BT & allied
sectors from close to Rs.9,500 crores to around
Rs.30,000 crores in the duration of consideration.
There has been an increase in the expenditure of BT
& allied sectors by more than 37% in the fiscal year
2005-06. Moreover, in the next financial year there
has been a whopping 75 % increase in the
expenditure of the same. However, in the next
fiscal it fell down to 19 % and was followed by 12 % in
the fiscal 2008-09. It can be observed that the BT &
allied sector’s share in the total Grand expenditure pie
is increasing with each fiscal year. However, from the
financial year 2006-2007, the increase in the
expenditure on BT sector was stabilized to around 4%
of the total budget. This data proves that less
emphasis was laid on the BT & allied sectors in the
last couple of years as compared to the previous
fiscals.

Graph 1:Year wise absolute expenditure on BT & allied sectors

& its percentage share of total expenditure

35000 7
BT & allied Sector Total
30000 6
Percentage Share of
Expenditure (in Rs.

25000 5
Grand Total

Percentage share
Crore)

20000 4 expenditure on BT & allied

15000 3 sectors

10000 2
5000 1
0 0
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Budget Year
 Graph 2: Percentage expenditure in BT & allied sectors
Biotechnology
100
90 AYUSH
80
70 Health
P e rc e n ta g e

60
Food Processing Industries
50
40
Agro and Rural Industries
30
20 Animal Husbandry and Dairying
10
0 Agricultural Research
2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 andEducation
(9497.84) (13037.92) (22915.72) (27329.72) (30612.21)
Agriculture & Cooperation
Budget Year (Expenditure in Rs. Crore)

From the Graph 2, it is observed that the year wise
percentage expenditure on each of the sub-sectors is stable
except for the fiscal 2006-07 where emphasis was laid on
the health sector by increasing its share from around 29% to
more than 54%, simultaneously reducing the percentage of
expenditure on other sectors. The percentage expenditure
on core Biotechnology sector was throughout in the range of
3.4 to 3.5% except in the year 2006-07 where it dropped to
2.6%.
Hence, keeping up with the growth rate of the economy
which is expected to be around 7%, the absolute
expenditure on BT and allied sectors will show an increase.
However the percentage growth of expenditure compared to
last year may not be very exciting. Due to the discouraging
situation of other sectors, the share of expenditure on BT
and allied sectors of the total budget expenditure may not be
as attractive as other sectors. Also, the interim budget had
negligent offerings for BT & allied sectors.

Our Speculations on the Union Budget Compiled by: Ameya Budukh, Anshul Tiwari, Dhruva
Deshpande, Monish Babariya, Tejaswini Lunkad, Vijendra
2009- 2010: Agarwal (MBA-Biotechnology, Sem II)

1) Being a pre-election budget, it will be under the scanner of

the Election Commission. Hence no major announcements
are expected.

2) Biotechnology and allied sectors are perceived to be least

affected due to the slowdown compared to other sectors.
This will lead to more focus on other sectors like Automobile
and IT and other industries like Textile, Leather etc.

3) Also as discussed above, the trend does not show a

major expenditure announcement for BT and allied sectors.
Back to Society: ROSHNI Initiative by
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratory
The program is carried in following steps:
Diabetes which was earlier known as ‘rich man’s disease’
has widened its reach to all strata of society. At present • Take confirmation from the concerned school.
there are about 41 million diabetic patients in India and this • Conduct glucose level diagnosis of the students.
no. is predicted to rise to almost 70 million by 2025. It is • Thereafter the information about the disease is
estimated that every fifth person with diabetes will be an distributed by the doctors through the presentation.
Indian. It has become one of the major challenges for India • After this, the awareness in the community is
st
in the 21 century. Diabetes is a common condition which if created through the school students using flip
not treated in time can be fatal. Diabetes type 2 is spreading charts.
among the adolescents at an alarming rate. In expert's
opinion, both genetics and environmental factors (such as
Dr. Reddy's is motivated by the positive response shown to
obesity, lack of exercise) play a vital role in the occurrence of
ROSHNI by the local newspapers and media. This has
diabetic type 2. Diabetes reduces the blood flow to brain,
created awareness among people in and around Hyderabad.
legs and hands, heart leading to severe consequences like
Dr Reddy's has garnered support among doctors as they
strokes, amputations.
have attended this program found the idea very novel and
Therefore, it has become imperative to create awareness interesting. The company has formed an image of ‘We Care’
among patients & their families. Dr. Reddy’s is playing its in the minds of people. This is evident by the fact that many
part in this fight with its venture ’Roshni’. Dr. Reddy’s is NGO's like Chronic care India, Helpage India have come
using the time tested maxim ‘Prevention is better than Cure’ forward to associate themselves with ROSHNI.
in carrying out this program effectively. Roshni was started
th
on 14 Nov, World’s Diabetes Day. Roshni aims to arrest the
prevalence of type 2 diabetes in adolescents and children. It
We wish ROSHNI All the Best for its future endeavours!
aims to combat Diabetes by spreading information and
awareness about the diseases and the lifestyle choices (Special thanks to Mr. Jabeelullah Mohammad, Dr. Reddy’s
which predisposes an individual to diabetes. Laboratory)

The company has very effectively used its vast field force
and ground level knowledge in fight against Diabetes. They
have recruited top physicians and diabetologist who will Compiled by: Ameya Budukh, Birendra Choubey, Nivedita
spearhead this movement to spread information about the Singh, Shweta Sharma (MBA-Biotechnology, Sem II)
disease at the school level.
Mentor: Danesh Irani (MBA-Biotechnology, Sem IV)
Dr. Reddy’s pan India presence will help the company in
taking this initiative to national level. The doctors are
provided with well defined material which is simple & easy to
grasp for school students. The material is in the form of
presentation which is delivered by leading doctors. The
material has pictorial representations to make it interesting
for school students. The students below Std 8 are of prime
focus. Dr. Reddy’s Foundation has committed to spend Rs.
30-40 lakhs per annum for this noble cause.
THE AGE(NT) OF CHANGE; OBAMA
November 4, 2008 was a historic day for the reigning
superpower USA, the day of election of Mr. Barrack
Hussien Obama as The President of the country. Seen as
messiah of hope or ‘The Agent of Change’ as he is
popularly called, he donned the mantle of president ship
at the time when the global economy is going through a
critical financial crunch along with worst recession since
economic depression of 1929.
Analyzing the various policies of Obama, it is apparent
that one of his reforms is proposed to reduce the health
care cost of a typical American household. Healthcare
spending in the US is much higher compared to any other
developed nations both as a proportion of gross domestic
product (GDP) and per capita has reached at $ 7,026 per
resident in 2006, which is accounted for 16 percent of the
nation’s GDP. The objective of this government is to
contain costs, increase access and improve efficiency in
healthcare sector. In order to speed up health reforms
Obama may go or an overhaul of the healthcare system
and put more regulatory mechanisms or ensuring quality
control. Also, a new legislation favours the use of low cost
generic drugs. This move will encourage increased use of
generics in government funded programs and should
boost Indian generic drugs which accounts for one fifth of
the global production.
Dilip Shanghvi, Chairman and Managing Director, Sun
Pharma, which earns over 40% of its revenue from U.S.
operations, says, “President Obama’s win is strong
positive for the generic industry since he has indicated
universal healthcare as one of the important priorities for
his administration.”
Another way of reducing the cost in the healthcare
segment in U.S. market would be the development of
biosimilars. Although biosimilars are already being
manufactured in Europe and India, there is no pathway
for regulatory approval in the U.S., stalling their
introduction in the lucrative U.S. market. The new U.S.
administration may speed up regulatory pathway for
biogenerics. This will be beneficial to companies like
Biocon and Dr. Reddy’s who already have built
capabilities in biosimilars.
Indian generic players would compete with their U.S.
counterparts, on both the quality and cost parameters.
Obama policy may allow for the reimportation of drugs
with a caveat that prices of reimported drugs should be
lower than their cost in US. Allowing reimportation would
provide Indian manufacturers with greatly expanded
access to the profitable US market where the expenditure
in healthcare segment surpassed $2 trillion last year.
Barrack Obama has also fuelled hopes and expectations
in the life sciences industry by promising to give the
green signal for embryonic stem cell research. This may
lead to new breakthrough in pharma industry leading to
development of new drugs.
However, the other side of the coin is gloomy. The
outsourcing activities might be adversely affected as
Obama has a conservative stance about the outsourcing
business. Moreover, in this phase of meltdown, he is
keen on developing more job opportunities in US itself so
as to lessen the impact of global meltdown. Besides IT,
the Pharma industry also banks a lot on the outsourcing
activities generated from US. The business generated
from outsourcing activities by Pharma Industry from US
alone, is in the range of $4-5 billion comprising of active
pharmaceutical ingredients (API) supply, contract
manufacturing, contract research (drug & clinical). In
bird’s eye view and looking at the scale of business, any
policy by Obama administration against outsourcing
activity will have an adverse impact on Indian
Pharmaceutical Industry.
Another issue that will influence Indian generics
companies is the Hatch-Waxman’s Act and the
controversial issue of ‘authorised generics’. This is a
mechanism by which big US Pharma companies restrict
the profit potential of generic players. Authorised generics
deny generic companies from availing the lucrative 180
days marketing exclusivity that they routinely seek. Indian
companies have in the past and will continue to challenge
patents of US MNCs in courts to seek this marketing
exclusivity. This is because after this period, other players
can enter into the fray, bringing the prices down
drastically and thus eroding the profit margins. The anti-
competitive nature of authorised generics is widely
debated, with a very strong political lobby in favour of
preserving it. So, the policy of the current administration
in this regard is significant.
Furthermore, an aspect that can jeopardise or worsen the
situation is the increased use of generics that can deprive
the US pharma industry from inspiration and incentive of
developing new drugs. Such scenario may have a
negative impact on the Indian contract research services
sector over a period of four to five years when the new
drugs will be ready for development by service providers.
The current contracts of both research and clinical
services are expected to continue with no major change
in the scope. However, the future contracts will depend
on the outcome of the four year term of the new US
President.
For times to come a ‘wait and watch policy’ should be
central to any planning exercise; the future being
uncertain would present both opportunities and pitfalls.
Obama’s stand in this kind of a situation should be
noteworthy with respect to their policies and norms, as
they will affect some of the chief facets of development
for a nation like India.
Compiled by: Nivedita Singh, Shweta Sharma (MBA-
Biotechnology, Sem II)
 PUMBA at Indian Science Congress

The 96th Indian Science Congress was held at Shillong & was a five day event from 3rd – 7th Jan’09.
The event was inaugurated by Honourable Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh & the chief guest for the event was the
Science & Technology Minister, Mr. Kapil Sibal.

The event was marked by the presence of eminent scientists like Dr. M.S. Swaminathan & Mr. Rao (ISRO Chief),
researchers and students.

One of our students Laxmikant Kahar (MBA-BT, Part I), who has been attending this event from the past 3 years,
presented his research papers in 2 sections out of the total 12 sections.

The 2 sections included New Biology And Biotechnology and Plant Science Department.

The papers presented & their abstracts are as follows:

1. Assessment of genetic relationship and diversity of some important grape genotypes using RAPD markers.
2. Effects of gamma radiation on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) pollen development in anther culture.
3. Fingerprinting of important grape (Vitis spp.) cultivated using RAPD markers.

Assessment of genetic relationship and diversity of some important grape genotypes using RAPD markers.

Abstract
Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to analyze genetic diversity and genetic relationship
among grape accessions. DNA from 42 grape accessions was used to amplify with 10 highly polymorphic primers. The
10 primers yielded 105 scorable bands with an average of 10.5 marker per primer. The screening of 45 decamer
oligonucleotide allowed the selection of 10 primers used for the analysis. RAPD fingerprints of 42 grape samples were
obtained.105 bands, intense and easy to score, were chosen as markers. On average 10.5 bands per primer were
amplified with an average of 87.6% polymorphism. The size of amplified bands ranged from 222-2833 bp. The four
primers OPI-20, OPA-08, OPK-17 and OPH-19 showed 100% polymorphism. Primer OPH-19 has been found to be
most informative primer and has helped distinguish 35 accessions. Based on the similarity matrix, cluster analysis was
performed. A dendrogram of genetic relationship was obtained. The genetic diversity and genetic relationship among
accessions have been discussed. RAPD markers have proved to be useful for identification as they are quick and easy
to use.

Effects of Gamma Radiation on Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Pollen Development in Anther Culture

Abstract

In this paper we have dealt with the effects of pre-treatment with low dosage gamma rays on wheat pollen development
in vitro. Wheat anthers from the wild verity "Khiri" from the hilly part of M.P. were pretreated with gamma rays at 50,
100, 150, 200, 250 R at Bhabha Atomic Center, Mumbai. Then these anthers were cultured on the culture medium. It
was observed that 50 R treatment stimulated pollen development in culture, gave rise to the highest percentage of
pollen grains undergoing first division. In the 100, 150 and 200 R treatments, the rate of first division of pollen grains
increased at the beginning of culture but it soon dropped, indicating inhabitative effects of the treatments. It was
observed that the rate of second division of pollen grains in the 50 R treatment on the seventh day of culture was
16.22%, higher than other treatment (0% for 250 R and 7.89% for the control). The 50 R treatment reduced the
deterioration of pollen grains and increased the number of multicellular pollen grains in culture. In addition, it was found
that the epidermal cells of anther walls treated with 50 R developed better than in other treatments. The protuberances
on the plasmic membrane of the pollen grains treated with 50 R decreased compared with the control and 250 R.
Pollen development in culture was better than with 100, 150, 200, 250 R and control

Fingerprinting of Important Grape (Vitis spp.) Cultivars using RAPD Markers.

Abstract

Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was applied for the germplasm characterization in 45 different
grape accessions. A total of 92 polymorphic loci were obtained from ten selected primers after screening. Unique and
low frequency bands were useful for developing fingerprints for accessions because a combination of only a few bands
allowed differentiating large number of accessions. 23 stable and clear bands were selected to construct a fingerprint
map for discrimination of each accession. Out of 23 bands, 19 bands with frequency of up to 10% and 4 additional
bands with a frequency of less than 20% were finally determined by a computer programme to construct the fingerprint
map. 23 RAPD markers generated by seven primers were sufficient to differentiate 37 accessions. 2 genotype specific
bands, one each for H-533 (OPB-07716) and Charas (OPA-02886) were useful for developing fingerprints, which were
used for varietal identification. The fingerprint profile using the genetically defined RAPD markers is a useful and reliable
method for establishing the genetic identities of the important grape (Vitis sp.) cultivars and advanced selection.

Compiled by: The PUMBA Gazette Interview Team

PUMBA NEWS

The month of January saw three major events - Dhruv,

Nostalgia and National Seminar, in PUMBA.

DHRUV
It is one of the largest Inter-collegiate cultural &
management festivals, held in Pune. Dhruv, in its past four
years, has seen participation from over 50 B-schools with
almost 5000 students. This year the theme for the event
was Astrology. The event was inaugurated on 13th January,
2009 by Dr. (Capt.) C.M.Chitale and the faculty of PUMBA.
During the three days of Dhruv,’09, there were 27 events in
all, including various management games , over 10 different
sports activities and various cultural competitions.
The Grand Finale of Dhruv, held at Alpabachat Bhavan,
Pune, was inaugurated by the Honorable Chief Guest, Mr.
Sunil Shende, who is an eminent personality on the silver
screen. The judges of the fashion show and the dance
competition were Mr Sunil Shende, RJ Aditi from Radio
Mirchi, Ms. Aditi Chitnis and Mr. Mahulkar.
The event was declared a huge success.
NOSTALGIA
On the 17th of Jan,’09 PUMBA welcomed all its alumni with
open arms. A lot of old memories were brought back as old
friends got together at Nostalgia ’09, the annual event
organized for the alumni of PUMBA. The event is a platform for
the past and current PUMBAites to interact with each other and
for the past students to revive old memories once again with
their batch mates. This year the theme of the event was ‘Music’.
The event started with creative games, organized by the juniors
for the alumni. This was followed by the main event, initiated by
the addresses of the Dean, Dr. (Capt.) C.M.Chitale and the
Head of Department, Dr. B.V.Sangvikar. Later, the juniors and
seniors exhibited their acting and dancing skills through skits
and dance performances which were thoroughly enjoyed by the
energetic audience. Also, one of the most important segments
in the event was the felicitation of the star alumni of PUMBA.
These were the alumni who spared their valuable time in
helping PUMBA progress and develop, through their valuable
contributions in various areas.

NATIONAL SEMINAR ’09

PUMBA organized one of its most prestigious annual
events - “National Seminar ‘09” on 24th January at The
Regal, Le Meridian, Pune. This year the theme of the
seminar
was ‘India Incorporated-Through the Looking glass’.
The event provided a forum where the stalwarts of the
industry came together on a common platform, to discuss
some of the contemporary issues confronting the Indian
industry. It also unveiled the practical aspects, prevailing
trends, and the expected route of the industry which gave
students an insight into the intricacies of the corporate
world. ”The Hon. Vice Chancellor of the University of Pune,
Dr.Narendra Jadhav was the Guest of Honour and
Mr.Luigino Ricetto, Country Head, Carraro Group India
was the Chief Guest for the event.
The various facets of the corporate world, its past, present
and future were explored through 3 panel discussions:
1) India Inc. – In the global race of economies: 2) India
Inc. – Sector “bytes”:3) India Inc-Resolving
ramifications.