Dear Members,

I am thrilled to announce that FADA has ushered in the new fiscal year with a series of exceptional events. Some were detailed in my previous address, but there were two pivotal developments in the latter half of the month deserving of your attention.

It fills me with immense pride to reveal that FADA Academy & Research celebrated the convocation for its flagship 16-week course on Leadership and Management for Entrepreneurs. This convocation signifies another noteworthy milestone in FADA's journey. During the convocation, accolades in the form of certificates and medals were presented.

I would like to express my profound gratitude to my friend and colleague, Mr. Vinkesh Gulati, for leading this commendable initiative. I also seize this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all our mentors. Their invaluable contributions have made this accomplishment possible. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to our Academy Consultant, Mr. Shailesh F Shah, for his sterling work in designing this comprehensive curriculum. I am also indebted to our Dealer associates who generously offered their dealerships as internships sites. This provided invaluable hands-on experience in Dealership   Management for our students.

Looking forward, the FADA Academy is poised to launch a new course, 'Management by Dashboards'. This course aims to equip Dealer Principals and their CEOs/General Managers with the knowledge and tools to consistently develop their businesses in a sustainable way, leveraging dashboard insights.

Regarding the FADA event, the 14th edition of Vyapar and the inaugural Vyapar Odisha: Wheels of Odisha was successfully conducted in Bhubaneswar on the 29th of April. As this marked the first FADA event in Odisha, FADA Odisha left no stone unturned to ensure it was grand in every aspect - from the participation and content to the speakers and guests. The event witnessed an overwhelming turnout of over 250 attendees, featured 10 distinguished speakers, and was supported by 10 remarkable partners.

I express my deep gratitude to His Excellency, the Hon’ble Governor of Odisha, Professor Ganeshi Lal, for honouring us with his presence as our Chief Guest. His invaluable insights and perspectives greatly enriched the gathering. The Hon’ble Governor's support in committing the Dealer community to the Green Initiative was crucial - this involves offering a sapling with every vehicle sold from here on out. His inauguration of the Buckle-up Campaign for helmet usage and seat belt adherence promises to improve road safety within the state. Additionally, the Hon’ble Governor's graciousness extended to honouring all the partners who played an instrumental role in organising the event on such a grand scale.

My appreciation extends to Ms. Padmini Panigrahi, Regional Director of FADA Odisha, for her mesmerising Odishi dance performance and invocation of Lord Jagannath. I also thank Maj. General (Dr.) G D Bakshi, SM, VSM (retd) from the Indian Army, whose motivational session on When the Going Gets Tough - the Tough Get Going was particularly inspiring.

I also wish to express my sincere thanks to the other esteemed speakers of the day: Mr. Arun Malhotra, Auto industry veteran; Mr. C S Vigneshwar, Vice President of FADA & Deputy MD, Anaamalais Toyota; Mr. Hari Pulipati, Industry Head, Automotive & D2C, META; Mr. Nalin Mehta, Business Coach, Expandus Business Coaching Private Limited; Mr. Pratik Shah, Director of Business Consulting- Performance Improvement, Ernst & Young LLP; Mr. Rama Shanker Pandey, CEO, Tata Green Batteries; Mr. Sanjay Behara, RTO Cuttack; Mr. Sandip Mukherjee, Head of Rural & Lead Sales Operation, Hero MotoCorp; and Mr. Vinkesh Gulati, Chairman, FADA Academy & Research.

A special word of gratitude goes out to all our partners for their immense contribution: EVOS Buildcon; Jyote Group; PPG Asian Paints; SBI; OSL Prestige; Realbooks; Sparecare; Ajanta Advertisers; Prameya; and News 7.

Last but not least, the unsung heroes of the event - the diligent dealer associates working tirelessly behind the scenes - deserve high praise. I would like to extend a special thank you to the organising committee members of Vyapar Odisha, led by Chairperson FADA Odisha - Mr. Pradeep Agarwal, alongside Mr. Devjyoti Patnaik; Mr. Aditya Patra; Mr. Tutul Kishore Das;  Mr. Akhil Poddar; Ms. Preeti Patnaik; Mr. Asish Kumar Agarwal; Mr. Shamsher Singh Hura; Mr. Saurav Agarwal; Ms. Padmini Panigrahi; Mr. Rajiv Dubey; Mr. Ajit Kumar Jain; Mr. Manoranjan Das;  Mr. Sriram Mandothia; Mr. Kamal Sitaram Agarwal; Mr. Sanjay Das; Mr. Rajan Gugnani; Mr. Sanjib Kumar Mallick; Mr. Ravindra Agarwal;  Mr. Prasanta Kumar Patra, and Mr. Siddharth Garg.

FADA has embarked on a series of enlightening webinars. By the time you receive this journal, you will have likely participated in at least two of these sessions - one focusing on the Consumer Protection Act: Do's & Don'ts for Auto Dealers, led by Mr. Anand S Jha, Advocate on Record, Supreme Court of India, and the other shedding light on New CMV Rules, conducted by CMVR Expert Mr. Hans Kumar Sharma and moderated by Mr. Sai Giridhar, Secretary - FADA. These webinars serve dual purposes; not only do they foster ongoing engagement with our members, but they also aim to educate, inform, and clarify any queries that dealer principals and their teams may have. We are currently planning several more webinars, aiming to host at least two every month. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions on this initiative.

During the month, GenX organised an educational visit to Toyota Annamalai’s, Coimbatore, for its students, which saw participation from around 16 GenX members. The students also had the opportunity to visit the Esha Foundation. The Chairperson of Women in FADA (WIF), Ms. Garima Misra, met with WIF State Directors and is planning to arrange a similar study tour for its members in August at Toyota Annamalai’s.

On the state level, members of the FADA Punjab Chapter, led by State Chairperson Mr. Rishi Dada, engaged in productive discussions with the State Transport Commissioner and Additional State Transport Commissioner, addressing the concerns of Auto Dealers.

In another notable development, Mr. Ashish Pande, Chairperson of FADA MP, along with other dealers, met with Hon'ble Finance Minister Jagdish Dewda and submitted a memorandum. Their meeting included a request for a reduction in GST for two-wheelers.

Similarly, Mr. Govind P Mewar, Chairperson of FADA Jharkhand, accompanied by Mr. Raju Choudhary and Mr. Sanjay Modi, RD 2W, met the Hon'ble Finance Minister of Jharkhand, Mr. Rameshwar Oraon. A proposal for the reduction of the two-wheeler GST rate from 28% to 18% was formally presented. Mr. Oraon reassured that he would forward a recommendation letter to the GST council and to Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, Hon'ble Finance Minister, Government of India.

Friends, we are focusing our collective efforts on advocating for a GST rate reduction for two-wheelers from 28% to 18%. The two-wheeler industry is at a critical juncture, grappling with unprecedented challenges such as rising inflation, stringent emission norms and the post Covid-19 effects in Bharat of India. Now is the opportune moment for the GST Council to reduce the GST rate on two-wheelers, making them more accessible for the common man, thereby providing the much-needed boost to the industry, generating employment opportunities and fostering India's overall economic growth.

Despite our correspondence with the Finance Minister, Heavy Industries Minister, Road Transport Minister, and all the GST Council Members, it is also essential that we personally meet with GST Council members and present our case. I am urging all FADA State Heads, particularly those who have not yet done so, to arrange a meeting with their respective State GST Council members and explain them on why this is an opportune moment to reduce GST on two-wheelers.

Given the ongoing GST audits and various concerns faced by dealers, we will soon be launching GST workshop 3.0 across the country. More information will be shared once the program details are finalized.

In our pursuit of implementing Model Dealer Agreement clauses in the existing OEM-Dealer Agreements, FADA senior officials had a fruitful discussion with Mr. Shenu Agarwal, MD & CEO of Ashok Leyland. Key topics included: 1. Empowering more women in the automobile and dealership sectors; 2. Developing training programs for OEM staff at Auto Dealerships; and 3. Advancing the Model Dealer Agreement (MDA). Mr. Agarwal showed keen interest in progressing the MDA, and his legal team is dedicated to finalizing it in the forthcoming months. We are planning similar meetings with other OEMs and will share updates in due course.

I appeal to you for your assistance in arranging meetings with MLAs, MPs, and Ministers in your respective states and regions to highlight the need for an Auto Dealers Protection Act. It is vital that we continue advocating for this Act; otherwise, it may never become a reality. To benefit Auto Retail, we need to work together.

FADA Dealership Excellence Awards 2023 is a special initiative by the Dealers, for the Dealers, and from the Dealers, which recognizes dealership excellence across various parameters. This award is highly esteemed by all dealerships due to its transparency and neutrality in selecting the best among the dealership fraternity. This year, we have 54 awards across 20 categories. Therefore, I encourage you to nominate your Dealership if you haven't done so yet. We have special awards recognizing unique initiatives by your dealership and achievements of GenX & women entrepreneurs.

As the adage goes, "God helps those who help themselves." This saying was put into practice by the Raipur Automobile Dealers Association (RADA), who recently organized a landmark Auto Expo in Raipur, CG.

The significance of this event lies in the persistent efforts of RADA in coordinating with the State Government, resulting in an unprecedented 50% road tax waiver for customers who made vehicle purchases at the Expo. This marks the first instance where such a significant waiver has been granted during an event orchestrated by Auto Dealers themselves.

To draw parallels, events like the Gwalior Mela and those held in Goa had enjoyed similar discounts, however, they were entirely organized by the respective state governments. This independent achievement by RADA sets a new precedent in our industry.

The results of this initiative were highly encouraging. Dealers in Raipur experienced a significant sales surge during the Auto Expo, demonstrating the tangible benefits such strategic events can bring to all stakeholders — the Government, Auto Dealers, and importantly, our customers.

This success story should serve as an inspiration for us all. I implore all FADA State Chairpersons to glean insights from RADA's Auto Expo experience and initiate discussions with their respective State Governments. Let us collectively work towards replicating this success model across all states, contributing to a thriving automotive industry that serves all its stakeholders effectively.

I also urge you once again to participate in the monthly Auto Retail Pulse. Your contribution is critical in enabling your Federation to voice your concerns effectively.

Let us remember that, "The strength of the wolf is the pack, and the strength of the pack is the wolf!"

With these words, I wish you all fruitful sales!

Warm Regards,

Manish Raj Singhania

President - FADA