NMCP is an independent organisation that assigns senior advisors, many of whom are retired or have taken early retirement, to companies and organisations in developing countries including India. These advisors share their knowledge and experience without receiving any financial reward.

Now NMCP works in 80 countries and has about 3000 senior advisors on file. At least 1300 are assigned each year in Africa, Asia, Latin America and East and Central Europe.

These advisors who had driven Netherlands to its present enviable position as chief executives of private enterprises aretrying to help managers in the developing countries who are facing the pangs of growth. Shortages of money, manpower and markets are universal problems for which individual solutions are to be found.

It is found that personal and direct advice is more effective than theoretical answers. NMCP has senior advisors in almost all fields of agriculture, industry, trade, healthcare, management and social services. It operates through its country co-ordinators from Netherlands and local representatives.

j. van. de Vijver has been the country co-ordinator for India. He is being replaced by G J W Mollink. S Raja, based in Bangalore, is the NMCP representative in India.

Active in India since 1992, NMCP has conducted about 160 missions. Vijver and Raja declined to reveal the details about the beneficiaries of the missions as `` it is part of NMCP strategy''. However the mission ranges from a school for the blind in Bangalore to a community welfare programme in Leh, Jammu and Kashmir, they said.

Of late there hadbeen 30-35 missions a year. Vijver said the plan is to do 75 missions annually by the turn of the century. They were making a presentation to the members of the Madras Management Association here on Monday.

On receiving the fairly comprehensive application from a company which approaches NMCP for specific requirement, an appropriate expert to match that requirement is identified and his bio-data is sent to the applicant company. On acceptance and agreement on the duration of a mission, the expert's travel is arranged according to mutually agreed schedule. The applicant will have to provide decent accommodation, food, local transportation and office facilities to the advisor.

If found necessary, NMCP will also arrange for a short fact-finding mission. It may even be followed by a longer mission. For selected representatives of Indian companies, on the recommendation of the advisor, NMCP will arrange for training programme in Netherlands.