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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Bird-flu outbreak rattles Nandurbar

Around 2.40 lakh hens culled, Nine-lakh eggs destroyed Mumbai: For the third time in 20 years, Avian Influenza has hit Navapur, in Nandurbar district, with over 2.40 lakhs birds culled in the past few days as worried farmers await compensation and effective vaccines. In some areas, all the infected birds in big and small farms have been eliminated by specialist teams, as per World Health Organisation (WHO) and central government’s guidelines. This is the third time after 2006 and 2021...

Bird-flu outbreak rattles Nandurbar

Around 2.40 lakh hens culled, Nine-lakh eggs destroyed Mumbai: For the third time in 20 years, Avian Influenza has hit Navapur, in Nandurbar district, with over 2.40 lakhs birds culled in the past few days as worried farmers await compensation and effective vaccines. In some areas, all the infected birds in big and small farms have been eliminated by specialist teams, as per World Health Organisation (WHO) and central government’s guidelines. This is the third time after 2006 and 2021 that the town – which produces 10-lakh eggs daily – has come under the attack of Avian Influenza, commonly known as ‘bird flu’, said Navapur Poultry Association (NPA) President Arief Balesaria. “We rank the biggest in production of eggs by Layer Chicken after Pune and Baramati. There are other egg producing centres in the state. The Layer Chicken are among the best laying hens. But in the past fortnight or so, our production has come to a complete stop,” a concerned Balesaria told The Perfect Voice. The 10-lakh eggs are sent to markets in Mumbai, Nashik, Jalgaon and even Surat, which will now be fed by other smaller suppliers from Maharashtra or other states, he said. The outbreak in Navapur started mysteriously on April 12, when a local farmer discovered five dead chickens in his farm. Initially it was suspected to be heatstroke and a local Veterinary prescribed medicines, but by afternoon more than four dozen birds were snuffed out. By next morning, the farmer lost more than 300 chickens even as other alarmed farmers in a three-km vicinity reported similar tragedies as the birds simply dropped dead without apparent symptoms, said Balesaria. In Balesaria’s own Wasim Poultry Farm, the situation was ditto – five days after the first incident, he found 55 birds dead and by that evening, over 130 were no more, though the chickens were eating normally and not appearing sick. After the local authorities were informed, samples were collected from three of the worst-hit farms and tested at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal. They tested positive for the dreaded ‘Avian Influenza’, shocking the poultry farmers in Navapur. Swift Action Nandurbar Collector Dr. Mittali Sethi swung into action and declared large parts of Navapur as an ‘infected and surveillance’, spread over nearly 10 kms radius, banned all sale of poultry, bird-feed, and other related materials for three months, and local police were deployed to enforce the restrictions. Meanwhile, by Monday, the infection figures zoomed up dramatically and till May 6, over 2.40 lakhs birds have been culled, nearly 9-lakh eggs destroyed plus 210 tonnes of bird feed disposed off, said Balesaria of the sudden calamity. State and district officials have expressed apprehensions that the toll could climb much higher and have enforced strict monitoring in Navapur and also other egg-producing centres in north Maharashtra region. Culling continues with the help of 18 officers daily while over 125 veterinarians and support staff have fanned out in the affected zone. His son and third-generation independent farmer Tausif B. is grappling with his first bird-flu calamity and is worried about the future with his entire stock of 6 lakh eggs, 62,000 birds and 72-tons of feed destroyed. “This time, my farm was not affected. But according to official protocols, my 30,000 chickens were culled and over 60,000 eggs destroyed. The government has banned us from restarting or restocking for at least three months, or till July 31, when the crisis is expected to be over. Presently, we are sitting idle and helpless as the losses pile up for all the 27 NPA member-farms,” rued Balesaria. Farmers cry for better vaccines As death stalks egg farms in Navapur, distressed farmers urged the Centre to urgently permit more effective vaccines to contain the spread of Avian Influenza, as existing measures are proving inadequate. The NPA leaders claimed that the currently approved vaccines target the relatively milder H9N2 strain, while farms in the region are being devastated by the far more lethal H5N1 virus. “The government has allowed vaccines for H9N2 strain. But the Layer chickens are hit by the deadlier H5N1 strain. Vaccines for H5N1 are already in use in several countries, including China, the United States and parts of Europe. Why are we being denied access to the same protection?” asked the NPA leaders. India currently does not allow use of H5N1 vaccines, citing various concerns and relies on the traditional culling, movement restrictions and biosecurity measures in such outbreaks, though NPA alleges that Indian vaccine manufacturers are creating obstacles for getting better vaccines.

‘GCC landscape will undergo a fundamental shift’

Piyush Kedia, the Co-Founder and CEO of InCommon, believes that Global Capacity Centres (GCC) have evolved rapidly from cost centers to delivery engines. In a conversation with ‘The Perfect Voice’ he predicts that India-based teams are owning a meaningful share of product, AI, and business outcomes in this next phase. Excerpts…

What are the biggest challenges companies face when setting up a Global Capacity Centre (GCC) in India, and how can they be mitigated?

One of the biggest challenges companies face when setting up a GCC in India isn’t finding talent, it’s bringing all the moving parts together. Most mid-market firms lack the internal infrastructure of a Fortune 500 company, which means they often juggle multiple vendors for entity setup, compliance, IT, payroll, and recruitment. This fragmentation slows down execution and makes costs unpredictable. Another major hurdle is leadership. Securing the right country head or site lead early on can make or break the setup. However, traditional hiring channels rarely reach leaders who have actually built and scaled centers before, the kind of hands-on experience that’s essential to establishing a strong foundation. Finally, culture and operating rhythm often get deprioritized in the early stages. Many firms treat their India GCC as an “execution arm” rather than a true extension of the business, only to realize later that speed and impact come from outcome ownership, not ticket-taking. The most successful GCCs today get the fundamentals, structure, leadership, and operating rhythm, right from day one.

 

How can mid-sized firms leverage GCCs to compete with larger enterprises?

Mid-sized firms don’t need to replicate the playbook of large enterprises, they can move differently. With a leaner footprint and flatter decision-making, they can stand up GCCs faster, embed product and data teams closer to the work, and iterate at a pace that bigger organisations, bound by long approval chains, often can’t match. This agility becomes a real competitive edge when the GCC is designed as a front-line product and innovation hub rather than a back-office support center. Moreover, India’s evolving state-level policies have made it even easier for such firms to scale. States like Karnataka and Maharashtra now offer single-window clearances and a host of incentives that significantly reduce both setup time and cost.


How will AI, automation, and hybrid work models shape the future of GCCs?

The next generation of GCCs won’t just adopt AI, they will be structured around it. Routine operational layers will shrink as intelligent and agentic workflows take over, allowing teams to move faster and make decisions closer to the ground. With AI accelerating feedback loops, iteration cycles will become tighter, and value delivery will happen in real time. Hybrid work models will remain, but they will evolve into smarter, more intentional structures, with core teams based in key hubs and distributed pods operating from elsewhere. Instead of tracking hours or activity, companies will measure actual shipped outcomes and business impact. The result is GCCs that are leaner, more technical, and built for speed, far ahead of the models that came before them.


What does the next phase of GCC maturity look like in India?

GCCs have evolved rapidly from cost centers to delivery engines, and now to outcome platforms. In this next phase, India-based teams aren’t just executing tasks; they’re owning a meaningful share of product, AI, and business outcomes. The shift is already underway. Leadership roles are being established in India much earlier in a company’s journey, and state governments are actively competing to attract GCCs, not only from Fortune 500s but increasingly from mid-market firms as well. With AI accelerating the need for agility and smarter structures, the next five years won’t be defined by scale alone, but by the depth of ownership and impact these centers deliver.


How does InCommon plan to deepen its presence across key Indian cities beyond traditional hubs like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune?

Tier-2 cities are emerging as attractive GCC destinations not just for their cost advantage, but because state policies are actively enabling growth. Karnataka’s ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ initiative and Maharashtra’s new GCC policy are strong examples of this momentum. Our approach is to anchor expansion where policy, infrastructure, and talent already align, rather than forcing it. By combining flexible EoR models, strong local leadership, and referral-driven hiring, we’re able to build faster, more seamlessly, and with far less friction.


What trends do you foresee in GCC setup and operations over the next 3–5 years?

Over the next three to five years, the GCC landscape will undergo a fundamental shift. Mid-market growth will outpace enterprise expansion, with more small and mid-sized companies setting up GCCs than ever before. State competition will heat up, with more states introducing GCC-friendly policies and incentive programs similar to Karnataka’s Beyond Bengaluru initiative and Maharashtra’s GCC policy. AI-first organizational design will become the new default, with centers built around automation, telemetry, and compact, high-ownership teams. Leadership gravity will continue to shift, as experienced site heads and domain experts play a bigger role in shaping how GCCs are structured and scaled. Most importantly, speed will emerge as the ultimate differentiator. Success will no longer be measured by headcount but by how quickly companies can move from idea to live product and deliver real outcomes.


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