The Pumba Gazette (february Edition)

THE EDITORIAL Dear all,

CONTENTS

It gives us immense pleasure to bring you the 2nd edition of our monthly newsletter “THE PUMBA GAZETTE”.

•Cover story

With this edition we bring to you an exclusive interview with Mr. Abhishek Sahay (Research Associate-IPR Domain), Evalueserve, on the current trends in the KPO Industry. We also bring to you a 12 part series on various noteworthy CSR initiatives. This series reflects Corporate India’s commitment to be a strong, united and progressive Nation. The series titled ‘Back to Society’ focuses on various ongoing CSR projects. With the recession hitting every sector and leaving many affected, our students have undertaken a project-Antidepressants-Tiding over depressing times. The Union Budget analysis is a report which tells us what’s in store for the Pharma Sector in this budget in comparison with the previous year’s Budget. To keep abreast with the happenings in the industry we have also included a section on BT News, and PUMBA Gazette’s view of the same A section based on PUMBA and the happenings in and around campus, is also included. 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] )

--Antidepressants-Tiding over depressing times •Industry Speaks --A Candid talk with Mr. Abhishek Sahay from Evalueserve •BT News --A Breather for the Industry

•Articles/Analysis --The Age(nt) of change; Obama. --Budget 2009-10: What lies ahead?

•Back to Society --ROSHNI Initiative by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratory

•PUMBA News --PUMBA at Indian Science Congress --Events at PUMBA

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 addiction,, alcoholism etc. Recently there have been other tidings namely the economic slowdown and the rising inflation rate, which has dealt a severe blow to the mental state of people leading to a widespread state, called as “Depression”.

6) Another observation was reluctance of the upper middle class and aged people in approaching the doctors for treating depression, due to the social stigma attached to it. Hence, most of the people prefer to buy antidepressants without prescription for example, through home delivery 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), FelizS, 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. CONCLUSIONS1) 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 depressionrelated 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. 5) An interesting conclusion which emerged during the survey 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.

Compiled by: Amit Pharande, Animesh Sarkar, Nikhil Goyal, Pritesh Shetty, Tejaswini Lunkad (MBA-Biotechnology, Sem II) 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-tooperate searches and Licensing Studies.

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.

2. As far as KPO's are concerned, how is the domestic market different from the international market?

6. How do you ensure that the quality standards are maintained?

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

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.

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 knowledgebased 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.

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 multidisciplinary 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

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.

Where, MC = material cost including cost of bulk drugs/excipients:

(A uniform MAPE of 100% is granted).

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.

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.

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.

CC = conversion cost; PM= cost of packing material; PC = packaging charge; MAPE = Maximum Allowable Post-manufacturing Expenses

The affected pharma majors were Cipla, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and FDC. In the last three years, cases have been filed by NPPA against

Compiled by: Nidhi Nirmal, Vandita Javali (MBABiotechnology, 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 BT & allied Sector Total Other sectors Grand Total % increase in expenditure on BT & allied sectors % increase in expenditure in Grand Total % share expenditure on BT & allied sectors of Grand Total

2004-2005 9497.84 468331.2 477829.04

2005-2006 13037.92 501305.9 514343.8

2006-2007 22915.72 541075.4 563991.1

2007-2008 27329.72 653190.8 680520.5

2008-2009 30612.21 720271.3 750883.5

-

37.27

75.76

19.26

12.01

-

7.64

9.65

20.66

10.34

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.

35000

7

30000

6

25000

5

20000

4

15000

3

10000

2

5000

1

0

0 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Budget Year

BT & allied Sector Total

Percentage Share of Grand Total

Expenditure (in Rs. Crore)

Graph 1:Year wise absolute expenditure on BT & allied sectors & its percentage share of total expenditure

Percentage share expenditure on BT & allied sectors

Graph 2: Percentage expenditure in BT & allied sectors Biotechnology 100

AYUSH

90

P e rc e n ta g e

80

Health

70 60

Food Processing Industries

50 40

Agro and Rural Industries

30 20

Animal Husbandry and Dairying

10 0 2004-2005 (9497.84)

2005-2006 (13037.92)

2006-2007 (22915.72)

2007-2008 (27329.72)

2008-2009 (30612.21)

Agricultural Research andEducation 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 Agarwal (MBA-Biotechnology, Sem II)

2009- 2010: 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 there are about 41 million diabetic patients in India and this no. is predicted to rise to almost 70 million by 2025. It is estimated that every fifth person with diabetes will be an Indian. It has become one of the major challenges for India st in the 21 century. Diabetes is a common condition which if not treated in time can be fatal. Diabetes type 2 is spreading among the adolescents at an alarming rate. In expert's opinion, both genetics and environmental factors (such as obesity, lack of exercise) play a vital role in the occurrence of diabetic type 2. Diabetes reduces the blood flow to brain, legs and hands, heart leading to severe consequences like strokes, amputations. Therefore, it has become imperative to create awareness among patients & their families. Dr. Reddy’s is playing its part in this fight with its venture ’Roshni’. Dr. Reddy’s is using the time tested maxim ‘Prevention is better than Cure’ 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 aims to combat Diabetes by spreading information and awareness about the diseases and the lifestyle choices which predisposes an individual to diabetes. 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 spearhead this movement to spread information about the disease at the school level. 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.

• • • •

Take confirmation from the concerned school. Conduct glucose level diagnosis of the students. Thereafter the information about the disease is distributed by the doctors through the presentation. After this, the awareness in the community is created through the school students using flip charts.

Dr. Reddy's is motivated by the positive response shown to ROSHNI by the local newspapers and media. This has created awareness among people in and around Hyderabad. Dr Reddy's has garnered support among doctors as they have attended this program found the idea very novel and interesting. The company has formed an image of ‘We Care’ in the minds of people. This is evident by the fact that many NGO's like Chronic care India, Helpage India have come forward to associate themselves with ROSHNI.

We wish ROSHNI All the Best for its future endeavours! (Special thanks to Mr. Jabeelullah Mohammad, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratory)

Compiled by: Ameya Budukh, Birendra Choubey, Nivedita Singh, Shweta Sharma (MBA-Biotechnology, Sem II) Mentor: Danesh Irani (MBA-Biotechnology, Sem IV)

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 anticompetitive 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 (MBABiotechnology, 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. 1. 2. 3.

The papers presented & their abstracts are as follows: Assessment of genetic relationship and diversity of some important grape genotypes using RAPD markers. Effects of gamma radiation on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) pollen development in anther culture. 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.