I am delighted to share with our members the resounding success of the Centenary Celebrations of the Chamber inaugurated by none other than by Hon'ble Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. The celebration, meant to mark the occasion of the completion of one hundred years of service to the community was, indeed, a unique achievement and contributed, in a major way, to enhance the stature of the Chamber.

It has indeed been inspiring for PHDCCI that the architect of economic reforms, - Hon'ble Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, - was present amongst us to inaugurate the hundredth birth anniversity of Chamber. During his address he dwelt upon the enormous challenges faced by our country in order to bring our dreams to fruition. And his vision has certainly infused tremendous confidence among business leaders that under his stewardship the country would not only sustain the momentum of reform oriented growth but also move further to usher in the next generation of structural changes. All this would certainly help our country to realize its aspirations of becoming the growth engine of the global economy along with China by next decade.

We very much agree with the Hon'ble Prime Minister who said that India is at a cusp in its development trajectory wherein after years of resigning ourselves to the so called 'Hindu' rate of growth we have broken fresh grounds and paved a path for further prosperity and success. Indeed, we appreciate the Prime Minister's commitment to put in place a set of policies which will provide the necessary environment to enhance India's position in the comity of nations.

We also had the honour of holding a panel discussion on " India's Challenges and Opportunities" where distinguished speakers included Mr. Arun Jaitley, Mr. Som Pal, Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia, Mr. T.N.Ninan and Mr. Omkar Goswami. Mr. L.K.Advani spoke eloquently on the topic of "India Vision 2020" at another programme.

I would say that the overwhelming support received from patrons and members has enabled us to make this flagship event a grand success, marking a landmark occasion not only for the PHDCCI but for all of us in trade and industry. We would further strive to rededicate ourselves towards realizing the vision of the Chamber incorporated in the special meaning of the letters P, H, D, namely Progress, Harmony and Development which, as Dr Manmohan Singh said also constitutes the paradigm of development that the government would like to pursue.

While it was truly a matter of pride for PHDCCI to host such a prestigious event to mark the centenary celebrations, we cannot rest on our laurels. There is still a long way and arduous path to transverse before we sit back content. Hence, we are planning to carry forward our legacy by further designing mega programmes for the Centenary year. These events would be announced in due course. After all, it is our utmost endeavour to leave behind, through our programmes, the lasting impression that the Chamber is continuing to work relentlessly to sensitize members on issues of vital importance and for building a resurgent and vibrant India by 2020. That will be the best way to pay tribute to the founders of our great Chamber and also our predecessors who tirelessly worked to build this organization.

In the meanwhile I am happy to report that our Centenary year also coincides with the period wherein our country is emerging as a shining example of exemplary economic and business performance, as evinced by the glittering statistics of net sales and net profit realizations of companies as well as an upturn in growth numbers. We are sure that if we in trade and industry make the best of this opportunity and the government sincerely implements the reform agenda, there is no stopping us from realizing our goals-that of stepping into leadership-by 2020.

(K N Memani)
President