How many airports can a city afford to have?

Planning can make the difference; Western examples may not work

The public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and public opinion in Bangalore have suggested the retention of the existing HAL airport for the city, even after the new greenfield airport becomes operational on April 2, 2008 at Devanahalli. The distance from the core city seems to be the main criterion for voicing this demand. Such a move obviously has major consequences and may violate the terms of agreement reached with the consortium developing the new airport ̵ 2; the Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL).

At the heart of this debate lies the central issue — how many airports can a city have? Aviation officials and infrastructure consultants offer diverse views. “It is not such a simple or straight forward answer that we can give. It depends on the city, the traffic potential, and the distance between the two airports if there are two of them,” reasons a senior official at the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Passengers and airline officials certainly prefer an airport that is located closer to the city centre, and in the case of Bangalore, the HAL airport takes the cake — it may be just 9 km from the core city, while the new airport may be over 35 km away. Aside from the cost of transportation, what weighs of these two constituents is obviously the time taken. For a passenger flying from Chennai to Bangalore, takes a maximum of 45 minutes by a turboprop aircraft. But it may take much more time to reach the city from the new airport.

Infrastructure consultants say that it may not suffice to point to western examples to suggest that London or New York has two or more airports to handle the traffic. These decisions are taken on the basis of traffic and aircraft movement, not just on distance. “The most convenient differentiation relates to domestic and international airports, when a city goes for more than one. But the basic requirement is that the two must be well connected by a public or even a dedicated transport system that provides immediate connections to passengers coming from one flight and going to catch another in a different airport,” explains R. Menon, a consultant with an airport developer.

At a time when Bangalore and Hyderabad are in the process of getting their new greenfield airports ready, Chennai has sought not just a major expansion of the existing airport at Meenambakkam, but another new airport near Sriperambudur, about 40 km from the city centre and at least 25 km from the old airport. Whether it is viable to develop two airport projects simultaneously remains to be seen.

Traffic projections

Those involved in the development of new airports now have no doubts. They insist that the terms of agreement read very clear — the existing airport will be closed down when the new one becomes functional. Civil Aviation Ministry sources say that in the case of Delhi and Mumbai, a major redevelopment project is under way.

The Maharashtra Government even proposes another airport at Navi Mumbai. “All these are based on traffic projections over the next 5-10 years. Our earlier projection was about reaching 100 million passengers in our airports by 2010. Given the current rate of growth, which is averaging 25 to 30 per cent every year, we may achieve it even earlier. So, there is no doubt on the need to speed up expansion and redevelopment of airports around the country,” he says.

Bangalore debate

On the Bangalore debate, he says that without the concurrence of the BIAL, there can no be change in the plans. One option that needs to be considered, even a little later, may be to designate the existing HAL airport as the low cost airlines’ terminal. In addition to HAL’s activities, a maintenance and repairs establishment will also come up there.

Of course, HAL will lose about Rs. 150 crore that it now earns from user charges from airlines and other levies. The low cost airlines may also feel the pinch of the additional travel cost to their passengers if all operations get shifted to Devanahalli. The HAL airport just cannot handle the growth in Bangalore’s air traffic.

According to AAI sources, Mumbai handles nearly one-third of the passenger traffic in the country, followed by Delhi at a close second. Among the southern airports, Chennai tops, followed by Bangalore and Hyderabad. Bangalore’s growth has been constrained because of the airport’s limitations.

The Authority manages over 125 airports in the country. The Planning Commission has estimated that about Rs. 40,000 crore may be required to upgrade, expand and modernise the airports to deal with the projected growth in traffic.

Canopies can crash when overloaded

Sunshades in some instances are not being used for the original purpose for which they are meant.

Sunshades could be the least dramatic things to write about, but when there is a news report in the city pages that a child died because of a sunshade collapse, we tend to sit up and look around for potential dangers. And there are many, if one were to look at things with the unusual eyes of suspicion that only accountants are famed for.

Before launching onto the exercise, we need to be clear about the meaning of sunshade. Dictionary defines the word as something, such as an awning that is used as a protection from the sun’s rays; a canopy made of canvas to shelter people or things from rain or sun. Awning is a roof-like structure, often made of canvas or plastic that serves as a shelter, as over a storefront, window, door, or deck. We see sunshades as projections above windows and doors. In otherwise nice buildings, sunshades are often the neglected and abused areas.

A common use of sunshade is to place a frightening pumpkin on top to ward off evil spirits. Nature-lovers look upon sunshades as a patch of rare surface to immediately fill with pots, even if it meant that whenever they watered these pots, water would drain off down below, trickling on heads of passers-by, and making them curse under their breath. I’d rather suggest they count their blessings because it is only water and not the pots that fell on their heads. For those habituated to throwing trash through windows, sunshades become the suspended garbage heaps with anything from cigarette butts to used latex.

“Sunshade is provided to protect rooms from slashing of rainwater inside,” explains Mr C.H.Gopinatha Rao, my architect friend. “It is a cantilevered member.” Means what, I ask. “A beam which is built in and held down by weight or otherwise securely fixed at one end and hangs freely at the other end. This corresponds to the old bracket of masonry or cast iron or timber. The normal projection is two feet. More the projection better is the protection, however the room will get less light.” So, there is a trade-off between shade and light. I ask Mr Rao why in many places sunshades seem to age faster than the building. “A common mistake committed by masons is to use only three-fourths jelly or broken mosaic chips, which results in steel bars coming down. Then, the cantilever collapses.” Never overload the sunshade, is his advice. So, instead of brickwork for facia of sunshade, use chicken-mesh; avoid mortar because it may fall apart and cause injury. Sunshades are supposed to be safe shades too. So, if you see sunshades that accommodate heavy split AC units, or where somebody has constructed an extended room on what was meant to be a simple sunshade, remember not to throw safety to the winds by seeking shelter under such shades.

Banking as a career

We move on to bank management, with an introduction to the country’s banking sector.

Banks play a vital role in the economy of any country. A bank is much more than “a financial institution that accepts deposits and channels the money into lending activities.” Its broad functions cover areas such as credit intermediaries, bank-related operations for customers, electronic funds transfer, cash management for corporate customers, maintaining endowment funds, keeping safe deposit lockers, managing trust accounts, and underwriting securities. In dev eloping countries like India, it plays a pivotal role in national development.

The origin

The term ‘Bank’ is derived from banco, the Italian word for bench, as the Lombard Jews in Italy kept benches in the market place, where they exchanged money and bills. If a banker collapsed, his bench would be broken up by the people; hence the term ‘bankrupt’.

The Preamble of the Reserve Bank of India, which is the foremost monitoring body in the Indian financial sector, indicates the basic functions of the Reserve Bank as: “...to regulate the issue of Bank Notes and keeping of reserves with a view to securing monetary stability in India and generally to operate the currency and credit system of the country to its advantage.” It is a prerogative of the RBI to regulate, control, and inspect the banks in India.

Indian milestones

Milestones in the growth of Indian banking

1786: The General Bank of India (defunct).

1806: The Bank of Calcutta, changed as The Bank of Bengal in 1809.

1840: The Bank of Bombay.

1843: The Bank of Madras.

1861: Paper Currency Act.

1870: Bank of Hindustan (defunct).

1921: The Imperial Bank of India (amalgamation of the three Presidency Banks).

1935: The Reserve Bank of India, as the central bank.

1949: Transfer of Reserve Bank to the Government Sector.

1949: The Banking Companies Act / Banking Regulation Act.

1955: The Imperial Bank of India became the State Bank of India (first nationalisation).

1961: Insurance cover for deposits.

1969: Nationalisation of 14 major banks on July 19.

1971: Credit guarantee corporation.

1975: Regional rural banks.

1980: Nationalisation of seven more banks, with deposits over Rs.200 crore.

The nationalisation of major banks in 1969 ushered in big changes in the style, approach, and functioning of banks.

•The main priority was making profit by collecting deposits and giving credit. This shifted to functioning as an instrument for desirable social changes.

•While advancing money, the focus was the person to whom money was lent. After nationalisation, the purpose of the advance gained importance.

•The common people got priority over the elite.

•The emphasis moved from profit to service.

•Small transactions became as important as large transactions

•Agriculture became as important as industry in the eyes of the banker.

•New styles including mechanization and automation were evolved.

•The overemphasis on urban areas disappeared; operations spread to the rural sector.

•Modern trends in structural organisation and management were invoked.

•Training schemes were evolved to move in step with changing times

Against these merits, there are shortcomings as well. Enthusiasm for development banking has often witnessed the sacrifice of basic banking principles of prudential norms, profitability, and risk management. The gross and net non-performing assets as percentages of advances leave much to be desired.

Tech-savvy banks

The emergence of new generation tech-savvy banks in the early nineties set in motion a new style in the banking system in the country at certain levels of operation.

There are substantial contributions from the nationalised, private, and foreign banks in the country. Indian banking is fairly mature in terms of service, product range and reach. However, the focus of private and foreign banks is still the urban sector. There are adverse comments on some of their styles.

“Given the multi-tier financial system of our economy, and the complementarity and synergetic relations among these different tiers, it is difficult to isolate the efficiency of banking system from that of the long-term financial institutions, co-operatives, rural banks and non-bank financial companies.

Reorientation

A more meaningful reorientation of objectives and functions of various tiers of financial institutions would be necessary in dealing with the long-term issue of enhancing competitiveness of the system as a whole,” says Bimal Jalan, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.

Strides in technology have blessed us with several gifts like ATMs, Mobile Banking, SMS Banking and Net Banking. The big leaps in Indian economy being contemplated are sure to bring forward new challenges in financial engineering.

The services of properly trained professionals are essential for ensuring the efficient discharge of banking functions, in tune with the emerging competitive dynamics of the market and consequent demands.

Training institutes

The main facilities for training in bank management in our country are the following:

National Institute of Banking Management, Pune; The Reserve Bank of India has six Training Establishments. Three of them – College of Agricultural Banking, Bankers Training College, and Reserve Bank of India Staff College – are part of the Reserve Bank.

The other three – National Institute for Bank Management, Indira Gandhi Institute for Development Research (IGIDR) and the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) – are autonomous institutions.

Jobs aplenty in sunrise areas

An ASSOCHAM study says certain sectors such as retail and IT-Enabled Services will lead the employment boom in India, reports Abdul Latheef Naha

It is boom time in India. The country’s economy is poised to touch double digit growth after achieving the 9.2 per cent mark in the current fiscal. The credit for engineering this robust growth goes chiefly to manufacturing and services sectors. The brisk pace of the country’s economic growth is set to throw open innumerable job opportunities for the youth. But little is heard about the new career alternatives from the campuses of our 200-odd universities, incl uding over 100 general universities, a dozen science and technology universities, 30-plus agricultural universities, five women universities, 11 language universities, and 11 medical universities.

New thrust

A recent study conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has found that sectors such as retail, aviation, hospitality, entertainment and brokerages will get paramount thrust in the next few years. A vast array of opportunities will be generated in these so-called sunrise industries. The study on ‘job opportunities in emerging sectors’, brand-named the ASSOCHAM Business Barometer (ABB), has revealed that a wide information gap exists for the students aspiring for rewarding careers. Says Venugopal N. Dhoot, president of ASSOCHAM: “Our ABB is aimed at bridging the information gap for students thronging the university campuses. The students, as also their parents, are well advised to seek admissions in those areas where opportunities exist than making a beeline to a selected courses.”

The ABB assures that Information Technology (IT) and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) will continue to hire manpower most aggressively in the years to come. Having hired a workforce of nearly 1.63 million by March this year, IT-ITeS has proved that it has been the biggest employment sector in recent times. The IT-ITeS industry is projected to require 50,00,000 technology professionals in three years.

K.R. Srivathsan, Director of the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITMK), Thiruvananthapuram, says that most emerging sectors need people with capacity to work in unique environment. “Our management schools need to re-orient themselves towards meeting that requirement,” he says. He says logistics management in all sectors should be taught in a more sensitive manner. It should get priority in the changing scenario, Dr. Srivathsan says.

Skill levels

Apart from the highly skilled engineering jobs, Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs), Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPOs) and more recently Legal Process Outsourcing (LPOs) have been offering a variety of jobs requiring different levels of skills. The $9.5-billion BPO industry may employ close to 23,00,000 people by 2010, the ABB study says. Following the BPO success in India, the global companies have begun to increase their presence in the knowledge processing. KPO industry is currently worth three billion dollars and is projected to scale up to $12 billion in three years.

After BPO, the KPO industry is emerging as a lucrative job destination for the youth. KPOs, which require high-end skills and intellectual attributes, will throw job opportunities in the higher pay-scale category. According to ASSOCHAM, the players in the KPO sector are looking to hire professionals for financial analysis, equity research, treasury operation, credit decision processes and accruals services among others. The segment is set to create 2,50,000 jobs by 2010, hiring workforce from a range of backgrounds from science, engineering, law, accounting, pharmaceuticals to technological streams.

Although at a nascent stage, LPO is projected to grow fast owing to a significant cost advantage in India. ASSOCHAM says that LPOs will generate about 79,000 jobs by 2015. At present the processes being outsourced to India include patent application drafting, legal research, pre-litigation documentation, advising clients, analyzing drafted documents, writing software licensing agreements and drafting distribution agreements.

According to Sanjay Kamlani, co-CEO of Pangea3, a global leader in LPO, the entire global legal market is now open to Indian law professionals.

The retail sector

ASSOCHAM study underlines that high consumer spending has spawned a huge interest in the largely unorganised retail sector.

It is estimated that the retail sector will add $14 billion in terms of market size by 2010 to cross $21.5 billion. Considering the size and the purchasing power of the Indian consumer, it is only a matter of time before our domestic retail industry catches up with its Western counterparts. India is in the midst of a retail boom. Some business schools, according to P. Mohan, head of the Department of Commerce and Management Studies, Calicut University, have begun to respond to the retail boom. “Retail management has been added to the MBA curriculum,” Dr. Mohan says.

The ABB study says that retail is expected to create the maximum number of job opportunities among the upcoming fields after IT-ITeS. The forecasts suggest that the sector may produce 20,00,000 jobs by 2010 directly through retail operations.

Aviation, other sectors

The aviation sector in India is growing at a whopping 25 per cent per annum, creating abounding job opportunities.

Openings would be generated in the areas of flight dispatchers, cabin crew, airline managers, airport managers and ground handling personnel as well. The industry would create 2,00,000 jobs by 2017.

With the business travel increasing at a rapid pace and Commonwealth Games round the corner, hoteliers are in the expansion mode. The sector would need a fresh workforce of at least 94,000 by 2010-11. HR managers are looking to hire graduates from home science, commerce, physics and engineering for the sector. Bollywood-driven music industry including expanding reach of FM is leading to expansion of the entertainment sector in a big way. Besides, the content creating firms for the television have grown manifold. The animation industry has grown by over 30 per cent on year-on-year basis in the last three years and looks promising in the time to come as well. The segment alone would need close to 3,00,000 professionals by 2009, says the ASSOCHAM study. Growing at more than 10 per cent for the past three years, Financing, Insurance, Real Estate and Business Services have outpaced overall GDP growth. With investment and banking companies growing at a rapid pace there would be many vacancies in retail banking, asset management and financial management.

The girl next door

Expectations were high for the ‘Palunku’ girl, Lakshmi Sarma, to perform for the movie

“Keep your heart pure, conceive your own dreams

Respect your fellow man, the earth and the trees...”

These lyrics from the King Klick album ‘Positive Vibes’ would describe Lakshmi Sarma the best. The Palunku girl comes across as an optimistic, contented, girl next door. As prelude to the conversation, she hums an old Malayalam number.

“‘Oru Madhura Kinavin lahariyilengo...,’ Remember Rahman and Sobhana dancing to it? I loved it. I heard this number when I came down to Guruvayur for a visit. I was in the 10th standard then. I went back to Vijayawada and asked some of my Malayali friends to get me that song ,” says Lakshmi.

That was Lakshmi Sarma’s first encounter with Malayalam Cinema. The second one was to come years later, in 2006. “I was doing a bit of modelling, ballets and television once I finished college. By then, we had moved to Hyderabad. I did a couple of Telugu films too. I got a call from a model co-ordinator in Chennai asking me to audition for a Hariharan movie. I did, but did not get through. Later when Blessy was casting for ‘Thanmatra,’ he spotted me from those tapes and offered me Meera Vasudev’s role. I could not take it up then, as I was engaged with my ballets. He called me again for ‘Palunku.”

Though a bit nervous about working in an unknown language, Lakshmi says she managed with the help of the crew. “The director, cinematographer and the rest of the cast were very patient with me. I had to put in extra effort because ‘Palunku’ was different from the films I had worked on. High expectations were pinned since it was a Blessy-Mammootty film. Obviously you have to keep up to the mark. Or at least try not to go below that.”

Lakshmi regards ‘Palunku’ as a special film not only because it fetched her awards, but also because it gave her a chance to meet her all-time favourite hero, Mammooty.

“My brother and I had many Malayali friends. Some of Mammooka’s super hit movies like ‘Dalapathy’ were dubbed into Telugu. He has also done an excellent Telugu movie called ‘Swathi Kiranam.”

Says Lakshmi who is back in Malayalam movies with M. A. Nishad’s ‘Nagaram,’ where she plays an Anganvadi teacher, “I liked the theme of ‘Nagaram.’ It is set in Sivaramapuram - a village where urban waste is dumped. The Government does not provide a proper waste management system. As a result, the natives contract unknown diseases. ‘Nagaram’ is about their fight for the issue. My character progresses from a naive villager to a social activist.”

Although not a hardcore activist, Lakshmi says she too gets agitated with the system at times. “I cannot stand injustice. I do protest, in my own way. I may not be able to change the world overnight, but I will do my bit towards it. I would like to be part of such issue-based films.”

Lakshmi adds that she prefers to work in Malayalam - the only industry where “her kind of roles happen.”

“My colleagues in Telugu used to tell me that I should work in Malayalam. They said that my looks and aptitude matched the Malayali sensibilities. Chiranjeevi Sir once told me that I resemble Srividya. “If Srividya had a daughter, she would look like you,” he said. I know I am no where near her, but it was the most flattering compliment I ever got...”

Waiting for the first cruise terminal

The first cruise terminal in the country will come up in Kochi, if everything goes right, reports Priyadershini S. The blueprint is ready and tourists the world over may drop anchor here

The glamour capital of the State, Kochi, is poised for bigger things. The face of tourism in the State will change when Kochi port gets its star facility, the cruise terminal, the first in the country. With plans past the conceptual stage and with th e tying of loose ends Kochi may see a top-of-the-pops cruise terminal by 2009. The chairman of the Port Trust, N. Ramachandran says, “We have very ambitious plans for a cruise berthing terminal and we are confident that the project will be viable and be ready by 2009.”

Mega project

The increase in the number of cruise liners making Kochi their port of call has necessitated this mega project. With high profile travellers, the rich and the famous, the retirees and the leisurely, the tourism aspect of this new trend cannot be overlooked.

In fact, the port is capitalising on this very aspect and is ready to have a terminal that will compel cruise travellers to enlist Kochi as a must-see destination on their wish list.

With over 40 bidders responding to the global tender floated by the port, it is the consortium of Transystems of USA, Virginia and Mir Projects & Consultants Pvt.Ltd. of India that has been chosen to conceive the project. Mir Projects & Consultants is the Asian partner for Transystems Corporations.

Arun Kumar K, MD, Mir Group says, “Cruise tourists are the richest in the world and they don’t travel much in the port of call. The liner is in the port for not more than 10 to 12 hours, so we need to have a very attractive facility that will draw them out from the ship into the terminal.”

And so the cruise terminal is planned as a glitzy public plaza that will have facilities ranging from large immigration halls to shopping malls, trade centre, food plaza, ayurvedic spa and even a star hotel attached to it. “We have earmarked 12 hectares of land near the Port Trust Guest House and with possibility of more land in the vicinity for this project, plus a deep water front to make the jetty. As of now Kochi gets cruise ships only during the tourist season, from August to April. We must have a facility that will generate enough revenue to maintain and set off the investment that we have made,” says Mr Ramachandran,

And to make this a profitable venture the terminal is to be an attractive round-the-year spot for both travellers and locals. To make it so, Mr. Arun Kumar says, “We have envisaged something like the ‘chaukidhani’ in Jaipur that showcases Rajasthan in its entirety, at a point.

We are planning something unique like that. It should truly reflect Kerala. From large scale shopping malls selling handlooms, cashew, coir that will promote our own trade to large food plazas serving ethnic foods from all over India will be an attraction.

As these cruise liners have restaurants serving different continental foods we have to provide them with local cuisine. We are also planning high-end office spaces to lease out for the Port to earn revenue.

As this will be the first cruise terminal in India there are plans for a five star hotel on the premises. This should become a brand like Miami or the Aloha terminal in Honululu, to be included in International tourist maps.”

Mir Group says it envisages this 500 crore mega project as a Public Private Partnership( PPP)venture.

Viable

Excited at the prospect of such a terminal says, Sejoe, Director Marvel Tours, a company which handled the Queen Elizabeth 11 and Queen Mary passengers this past season, “There is a huge need for this. It will definitely be viable as more passenger ships will dock once this facility is available. As of now the QE11 took the extra effort to come to Kerala because Kerala is a hot destination. Such a terminal will attract more such ships. It will ease the present problems, like now, often, unloading of coal goes on the other side when the passengers are disembarking.”

But the nagging question that remains is whether Kochi will attract this many cruise liners after all, to make this a viable project. People from the shipping community seem upbeat. Says Rajesh Asher, President Cochin Steamer Association, “In 2005-06 we had 26 cruise vessels which became 38 the very next year. For 38 to become 72 will be easy if such an attractive terminal comes up. If 26 can become 38 without facilities why not 38 turning 72 with facilities?” With the general cruise business increasing the world over the timing to drop anchor for a cruise terminal in Kochi port is perfect.

Congress wrests Madurai West from ADMK

The Congress on Friday increased its tally of seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly from 34 to 35 by wresting Madurai West seat, where its nominee K S K Rajendran trounced the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Sellur K Raju by 31,115 votes.

The result was also a shot in the arm for Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam patriarch M Karunanidhi's elder son and its pointsman in the southern districts, M K Azhagiri, who spearheaded the campaign for Rajendran.

The candidate of Congress, part of the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance, was leading since the counting began at 0800 hours on Friday.

The by-poll, on June 26, was necessitated due to the death of rebel AIADMK member S V Shanmugham.

In 2006 polls, Shanmugham defeated a Congress nominee by over 3000 votes.

Azhagiri was in the eye of a political storm following the attacks on the office of Dinakaran, owned by Maran brothers, after the Tamil daily published a survey that claimed Azhagiri's younger sibling M K Stalin as a possible political successor to Karunanidhi.

The attack led to Dayanidhi Maran's exit from the Union Cabinet, also in the run-up to the polls. The results also showed the increasing popularity of DMDK, founded by film star Vijaykant, whose T Sivamuthukumaran occupied third position with 21,272 votes.

free-hit in ODI, additional fielder in power play

Cricket's bias towards batsmen keeps growing with ICC [Images] giving its nod to a change in playing conditions which empowers a batsman to go for a free-hit without fearing a dismissal in the delivery following a front-foot no-ball.

The International Cricket Council on Friday okayed a number of changes to playing conditions at its annual meeting.

Accordingly, if a bowler bowls a front foot no-ball in an ODI, the following delivery will be deemed a free-hit and the batsman cannot be dismissed by the bowler from that delivery. The changes would come into effect from October 1, ICC said in a statement.

It has also decided that an additional fielder would be allowed outside the fielding circle during the second or third power play in ODIs.

In case a one-day innings is reduced, the number of overs making up each of the three power plays shall be reduced proportionately.

There will also be a mandatory change of ball after 35 overs of each innings in ODIs. The replacement will be a clean used ball.

ICC also decided that the minimum boundary sizes in all international matches will be increased with the square boundary measuring at least 150 yards from one side of the ground to the other.

Outsourcing is a problem: Hillary Clinton

Top Democratic Presidential contenders, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, are of the view that outsourcing was an issue for Americans and favoured measures to retain jobs, including ending tax breaks for outsourcing.

Outsourcing was one of the questions put to party contenders for the Presidential ticket in 2008 at a debate at Howard University in Washington.

"A lot of Americans are concerned with outsourcing of US jobs. Most corporations, I think it's fair to say, don't share that concern. In fact, they argue that we're living in a global economy and Americans have to compete in that environment. Which side are you on? And if you agree that outsourcing is a problem, what's your solution?" was the question put to candidates.

Terming outsourcing a "problem", New York Senator Hillary Clinton said tax breaks for "outsourcing" jobs have to be ended.

"Outsourcing is a problem. We have to do several things: End the tax breaks that still exist in the tax code for outsourcing jobs; have trade agreements with enforceable labour and environmental standards; help Americans compete, which is something we haven't taken seriously, which goes back to the very first question about education and skills," she said.

"Let's not forget that 65 per cent of kids in an age cohort do not go on to college. What are we doing to help them get prepared for the jobs that we could keep here that wouldn't be outsourced? And find a new source of jobs. Clean energy, global warming would create millions of new jobs for Americans," Senator Clinton added.

Senator Obama from Illinois, who recently ran into rough weather with Indian Americans over a document paper prepared by his staffers, called for not only having to come to terms with trade agreements but also ending tax breaks for companies moving overseas.

"Not only do we have to deal with our trade agreements, not only do we have to eliminate tax breaks for companies that are moving overseas, not only do we have to work on our education system, but we also have to have an intentional strategy...to make sure that we are reinvesting in those communities that are being burdened by globalisation and not benefiting from it," he said.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson emphasised the need to upgrade science and maths education in the US and fair trade agreements.

"Most outsourcing jobs are technical. We need to upgrade our science and math standards in our schools. It's education," he said.

"In addition to that, what we need is trade agreements, fair trade agreements, where we say no slave labour, no child labour...we're going to have environmental protection. We're going to have to deal with wage disparity," Richardson said.

He also favoured a policy of investing in high-growth, health, hi-tech and renewable industries to retain jobs.

Former Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska was the only one who did not consider outsourcing a problem.

"No, outsourcing is not the problem. What the problem is our trade agreements that we have, that benefit the management...the shareholders, and have neglected on either side of the issue, whether it's in Mexico...or the United States. That's the problem that must be addressed. So, no, it's not outsourcing," Gravel said.