MANGALORE: Speakers at `The Mangalore Today Conclave 2006' organised by monthly magazine Mangalore Today on Saturday called for concerted efforts to achieve higher growth, while keeping the socio-economic balance intact.

The conclave was organised as part of its decennial celebrations, where a panel of achievers from Dakshina Kannada district delivered special lectures.

Columnist M.V. Kamath was honoured for his contributions to the field of journalism. The panelists included Mr. Kamath, Chairman of Karnataka Bank Ananthakrishna, President of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education Ramdas Pai, Chairman of the New Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, B. Raghuram Shetty, former Vice-president of MRPL V.K. Thalithaya, President of NITTE Education Trust N. Vinaya Hegde, Former Justice of the Supreme Court Santhosh Hegde and Chairman of Lasersoft Suresh Kamath.

Education loans

Mr. Ananthakrishna said the Indian Banks Association is worried over the high level of Non Performing Assets (NPA) in education loans. About 20 per cent of the loans end up as NPA. This is an unhealthy trend, he said.

Reforms in the financial sector, including Basel Accord 1, brought about qualitative changes in the banking system. And conventional banking paradigms have become redundant. Banking has become a global activity and a wide range of products is being offered by banks. Globalisation and deregularisation have opened up new markets, new competitions, improved and technology and new products. Systematic principles have replaced arbitrary rule. Decision-making has shifted from Reserve Bank of India to individual banks, which have rendered the bank's balance sheet more transparent. This is a good development, Mr. Ananthakrishna said.

Mr. Kamath said the media seems to have no vision, as all newspaper operations have been given a `market colour' and all editors have become `market editors.'

Newspapers have attained a `product' stature, shifting from the role of an intellectual and conscience-keeper of society to that of an entertainer.

The `Page 3' concept of some `market newspapers' has robbed the newspaper industry of its `trust-worthiness,' Mr. Kamath said.

Delivering a speech on the judiciary and common man, the former Supreme Court judge Santhosh Hegde said it is a fallacy that people are losing faith in the judiciary system. The number of cases filed in the Supreme Court and High Courts is on the rise. This points to the fact that people still believe in the judicial system.But there are problems in dispensing with justice, he said. Chairman of Lasersoft Infosystems Suresh Kamath said the Information Technology (IT) industry gets much more than its share of attention.

This is not a healthy socio-economic trend.

`Time for relook'

Time has come for the IT industries to take a re-look at its priorities.

V.K. Thalithaya said every human activity causes pollution. How to minimise this is pollution was the moot point.

Environmentalists should understand that there are technology-driven solutions to bring down pollution.

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