LIVE Webinar
Speaker
Vice Admiral Raman Puri – Indian Navy, Former Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CIDS)
Representing WHEELS Global Foundation
& North Texas Chapter:
Mr. Prashant Newaskar – Chemical Industry Executive, IIT Bombay Alumni
Moderator
Ambassador Pradeep Kapur – Former Ambassador & Secretary – Govt. of India, Advisory Board – WGF
Prime Minister Modi’s clarion call for Atma Nirbhar Bharat has spurred India’s ambitious march toward a US$5 Trillion economy. This bold initiative calls for a better understanding of the importance to build a “culture for valuing indigenous skills, technology, policies, processes, and a sense for servitude to the Nation”. Vice Admiral Raman Puri, a Fellow of the Vivekananda International Foundation, retired as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CIDS) in 2006 after a distinguished service of 40 years in the Indian Navy.
Adm. Puri served in several important positions during his career. These include a Destroyer and a Carrier Command, Founder Director of the College of Naval Warfare, Director Staff Requirements (NHQ), the Flag Officer Offshore Defense Advisory Group (FODAG), Flag Officer Maharashtra Naval Area (FOMA), Fortress Commander Andaman and Nicobar Islands (FORTAN), His vast experience as a leader and a patriot has shaped important views on culture, how to build self-confidence, why it is important to revive India’s glorious heritage in science and technology all this as necessary foundation for Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Please note our esteemed panelists and register for this interesting and informative webinar.
Please join us LIVE on zoom this Thursday, AUGUST 11th, 2022, from
9:30 PM EDT, 8:30 PM CDT & 7 AM IST onwards.
Upon registration, you may send your questions in advance to info@wheelsglobal.org. The webinar will also be broadcast on WHEELS Facebook Page and other social media platforms. Attendees will also be able to post their questions during the webinar. You can join the webinar 15 min early (i.e. 09:15 PM ET OR 06:45 AM IST) to watch the slide show on WGF activities and related project videos. Past webinars have stressed the importance of collaboration among NGOs to scale operations and increase the impact. For more information visit: www.wheelsglobal.org
Panelist’s Overview
Vice Admiral Raman Puri was commissioned in the Indian Navy in Jan 1966. He is a Gunnery and Missile specialist and holds a Masters’s degree in Defence Studies from the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He is also an alumnus of the Command and General Staff College from the erstwhile USSR and the National Defence College, New Delhi. The Admiral has held a number of important Command and Staff Appointments during his distinguished career.
These include command of 5 frontline warships of the Indian Navy including the Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant. He saw action in the 1971 war. His ashore appointments include founder Directorship of the College of Naval Warfare, Flag Officer Offshore Defence Advisory Group, Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area, Fortress Commander Andaman, and the Nicobar Islands, the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, New Delhi, and the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Eastern Naval Command. Prior to his retirement, the Admiral was the Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC).
He has been a passionate supporter of R&D and indigenous production of defence equipment as he believes that a nation can not have an independent foreign policy without being self-reliant in armament production. During his tenure as the CISC, a number of bold initiatives were implemented to strengthen the Higher Defence Management of the Armed Forces. These included streamlining the acquisition process, Development of Industry-Academicia-Armed Forces partnership for formulating indigenous solutions to the needs of the Armed Forces, Development of the Defence Space Vision for the Armed forces etc. The Admiral was also a key member of the Committee established by the Government to examine changes in the acquisition process and enable greater participation by the private sector in Defence production. Also lead staff talks with Military staff of other countries. The Admiral retired from the Indian Navy in Feb 2006. Post-retirement he was Advisor to Bharat Electronics Ltd and was on the board of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd till September 2009. He is also associated with NGOs and works towards educating and guiding youth towards a career in the armed forces.
Mr Prashant Newaskar hails from Indore in India. He graduated from IIT Bombay in 1973, majoring in chemical engineering. He worked in India, Kuwait, and Singapore / Malaysia. He has worked in various fields including Refining, Petrochemicals, Oil & Gas, Paper, Power, and Pipelines. He has had experience in both onshore and offshore Oil and Gas. He currently lives in Frisco, Texas in the US with his wife. His son and daughter’s families live in the US. He is respectful of all world cultures. At the same time, he is proud of his roots. Would be happy to contribute to the efforts of Wheels Global Foundation.
Ambassador Pradeep Kapur is an acknowledged “luminary diplomat,” with a distinguished career working with leaders and policymakers around the world. Author and editor of many books, he was Ambassador of India to Chile and to Cambodia and Secretary at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. He is Executive Director of Smart Village Development Fund (SVDF). He received a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering in 1977 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. In 1979, he received a Master of Technology in Management and Systems from IIT, Delhi.
As a career Indian Foreign Service officer from 1979 to 2013, he held many government posts both in India and abroad. From April 2001 to January 2005 he was the Indian ambassador to Cambodia. From October 2007 through January 2009, he was joint secretary of the Foreign Service Institute in New Delhi. From January 2009 to December 2013 he was the Indian ambassador to Chile.
WHEELS Global Foundation(WGF), “An Initiative of IIT Alumni, USA” with the mission of Technology-Enabled Philanthropy. WHEELS has also been selected by NITI Aayog, Govt. of India as a member of the Committee for Innovation and Technology Transfer. WHEELS has also signed an MOU with the Ministry for Panchayati Raj for a technology partnership in Rural Development.
