W.V. Raman appointed coach of Indian women's cricket team
Mumbai, Dec 20: Former opener W V Raman was on Thursday appointed over celebrated South African Gary Kirsten for the post of India's women's cricket coach despite dissension among the administrators over the selection process.
The 53-year-old Raman is currently a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. His first assignment is the tour of New Zealand beginning next month.
"Kirsten was the top choice for the BCCI ad-hoc selection committee but Raman got the job as the South African was not keen on giving up his plum job with IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore. He could not be convinced on choosing between IPL and national team," a BCCI official told PTI.
The selection committee comprised former captain Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy.
The panel recommended three names -- Kirsten, Raman and Venkatesh Prasad (in order of preference) -- to the Board, a reliable source said. Eventually, the BCCI picked Raman for the job.
The appointment was made despite the Committee of Administrators (COA) being divided on the issue with Diana Edulji asking chairman Vinod Rai to put the selection process on hold. BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry too questioned the process being followed as it had Rai's approval and not Edulji's.
Raman, who played 11 Tests and 27 ODIs, is now one of the most qualified coaches in the country. He has coached big Ranji Trophy teams like Tamil Nadu and Bengal, and has also had a stint with the India U-19 team.
From his playing days, Raman is best remembered for being the first Indian to score a century in South Africa during the 1992-93 tour.
Besides Kirsten, Raman and Prasad, the other shortlisted candidates out of the 28 applicants who were interviewed were Manoj Prabhakar, Trent Johnston, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Brad Hogg and Kalpana Venkatachar.
Kirsten was interviewed via Skype with four others while one interview was conducted over the phone. Raman, Manoj Prabhakar and incumbent Ramesh Powar appeared in person.
Kirsten, who had guided India's men's team to the 2011 World Cup triumph, was the number one choice but needed to step down from his RCB role to avoid a potential conflict of interest. BCCI CEO Rahul Johri even spoke to Kirsten and RCB officials but could not reach an agreement.
"Gary's contention was how can coaching a women's national team be a conflict of interest while being in charge of a men's IPL team. He could not be convinced on that. Having said that, Raman is a good choice as the team needs a batting coach at the moment. Prasad was number three in the pecking order," said the BCCI official.
The ad-hoc panel too made it clear to Kirsten that he would have to part ways with RCB to take up the national team role.
"Practically, there is no conflict of interest but if you go by the book but it would have opened pandora's box. Tomorrow, Ravi Shastri (India men's coach) would demand that he be allowed to do IPL commentary and Rahul Dravid (India A coach) might request that he should be allowed to mentor an IPL franchise," the official added.
Kirsten had been head coach of the Indian team for three years from 2008 to 2011. He then coached South Africa from 2011 to 2013. He is currently the RCB head coach in the Indian Premier League.
The BCCI invited fresh applications for the job after Powar's brief stint as interim coach ended last month, in rather controversial circumstances.
The Supreme Court-appointed COA has been divided over the coach selection process ever since fresh applications were invited.
While Edulji wanted Powar to continue at least till the New Zealand tour starting next month, Rai instructed the BCCI top brass to invite fresh applications.
Powar's controversial interim tenure ended on November 30 after a bitter fallout with ODI captain and senior player Mithali Raj over selection issues during the World Cup.
Powar decided to re-apply after T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana came out in strong support of the former India spinner.
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Karnataka offers extensive incentives in its proposed IT policy
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka has proposed a new Information Technology Policy for 2025–2030, offering extensive financial and non-financial incentives aimed at accelerating investments, strengthening innovation and expanding the state's tech footprint beyond Bengaluru.
The Karnataka Cabinet gave its nod to the policy 2025–2030 with an outlay of Rs 445.50 crore on Thursday after the Finance Department accorded its approval.
The policy introduces 16 incentives across five enabler categories, nine of which are entirely new, with a distinctive push to support companies setting up or expanding in emerging cities.
Alongside financial support, the government is also offering labour-law relaxations, round-the-clock operational permissions and industry-ready human capital programmes to make Karnataka a globally competitive 'AI-native' destination.
According to the policy, units located outside Bengaluru will gain access to a wide suite of benefits, including research and development and IP creation incentives, internship reimbursements, talent relocation support and recruitment assistance.
The benefits also include EPF reimbursement, faculty development support, rental assistance, certification subsidies, electricity tariff rebates, property tax reimbursement, telecom infrastructure support, and assistance for events and conferences.
Bengaluru Urban will receive a focused set of six research and development and talent-oriented incentives, while Indian Global Capability Centres (GCCs) operating in the state will be brought under the incentive net.
Incentive caps and eligibility thresholds have been raised, and the policy prioritises growth-focused investments for both new and expanding units.
Beyond incentives, the government focuses on infrastructure and innovation interventions.
A flagship proposal in the policy is the creation of Techniverse -- integrated, technology-enabled enclaves developed through a public-private partnership model inside future Global Innovation Districts.
These campuses will offer plug-and-play facilities, artificial intelligence and machine learning and cybersecurity labs, advanced testbeds, experience centres, and disaster-resistant command centres.
There will also be a Statewide Digital Hub Grid and a Global Test Bed Infrastructure Network, linking public and private research and development, and innovation facilities across Karnataka.
The government has proposed a Women Global Tech Missions Fellowship for 1,000 mid-career women technologists, an IT Talent Return Programme to absorb experienced professionals returning from abroad, and broad-based skill and faculty development reimbursements.
Shared corporate transport routes in Bengaluru and tier-two cities will be designed with Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation and other transport entities to support worker mobility.
The government said the policy is the outcome of an extensive research and consultation process involving TCS, Infosys, Wipro, IBM, HCL, Tech Mahindra, Cognizant, HP, Google, Accenture and NASSCOM, along with sector experts and stakeholder groups.
It estimates an outlay of Rs 967.12 crore over five years, comprising Rs 754.62 crore for incentives and Rs 212.50 crore for interventions such as Techniverse campuses, digital grid development, global outreach missions and talent programmes.
