Think India Foundation

Orissa betters national rate, poor becomes poorer

BHUBANESWAR: The claims of Odisha Government of a growth rate higher than the national average has not done any good to the poor of the State. The southern and northern regions of the State remain one of the poorest and are home to the highest concentration of those living below poverty line (BPL).

A whopping 85 per cent of the poor are in southern and northern regions, the State Economic Survey, 2011-12, has revealed. On the contrary, the coastal Odisha remains affluent with just 16 per cent living below poverty line. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Inequality has grown in last 20 years, P Sainath

INEQUALITY has grown a lot more in last 20 years became of neoliberal economic policies than any other period in the history of independent India, said famous journalist and Magsaysay Award winner P Sainath. He was delivering the second C Sarath Chandran Memorial lecture on "Inequality, livelihood and agrarian crisis" organised as part of VIBGYOR International Film Festival-2012 at Sangeeta Nataka Akademi KT Muhammed Memorial Theatre yesterday. 

P Sainath, eminent journalist and Magsaysay award winner delivering Sarath Chandran memorial lecture on "Inequality, livelihood and agrarian crisis" as part of VIBGYOR-2012 at KT Muhammed Smaraka Theatre yesterday.

Kerala is the most globalised economy in India. So, the state is more vulnerable to the volatility of global market prices. The neoliberal policies followed by the central government will be implemented full-blooded after the coming elections to five states with various international treaties affecting the farm sector in the state, which is focused more on export-oriented cash crop cultivation, he warned. Read more

Source : cityjournal.in

Jobless growth continues in India

India's growth since 2004-05 has been driven by labour productivity rather than employment increases.

Informal employment is not restricted to agriculture alone, but is prevalent in the urban economy as well.

The report on Global Employment Patterns 2012, released recently by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), is heroically sub-titled “Preventing a deeper jobs crisis”, even as the global economic crisis is deepening. It expresses a fond and vain hope that its scholarly and detailed profiles of the labour scenario will be effective in protecting it from the warp and weft of a situation that it already considers rather hopeless; as it admits: “The policy space to boost recovery remains limited.” Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

Poverty not declining in Bihar, despite high growth

Patna : Bihar has been changing and developing fast but its poverty is not declining, warned Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen here.

"It is a matter of serious concern that there is no decline in poverty in Bihar despite a high growth rate and development," Abhijit Sen, who is here to attend a three-day global meet on changing Bihar, told IANS. Read more

Source : prokerala.com

Industry doyens give thumbs up to Bihar dvpt, credit Nitish for progress

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said that though the state’s interest had been ignored by successive central governments since Independence, the spirit of the people had not been dampened and they had set the course for development with social justice under NDA rule.

Speaking at the conclusion of the three-day Global Summit on Changing Bihar, Kumar singled out agriculture as the backbone of the state’s economy. Read more

Source : firstpost.com

Companies must fight climate change

Leaders from across the world gathered in Durban in December last year to find common ground on what is currently the most important challenge facing humanity: climate change. With virtually no headway made since the Kyoto Protocol, there is precious little time left for all nations to act before we reach the point of no return. Governments across the world must give a clear signal that they are committed to a legal deal on climate change that puts the world on track to a low-carbon economy. 

While both developed and developing nations put forth their arguments keeping in mind their respective economic interests, it is important to note that businesses can, and must, play a vital role in building a greener world. Today, businesses across the world are committed to green growth and building a 'sustainable' global economy as it will ensure their future growth. There is a unique opportunity for businesses from developed and developing nations to collaborate and develop low-carbon technologies and business models. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

'12th Plan must give special emphasis on agriculture'

Bhubaneswar (PTI) : Advocating a separate budget for agriculture in Odisha during the 12th five-year plan, a noted agricultural economist has said it would enable the state to achieve more than four per cent growth in the farm sector by giving special thrust and removing hurdles.

"Since Odisha'’s economic growth is over 9 per cent, higher than national average, there should be a separate budget for agriculture during 12th Plan period (2012-2017) to transfer the benefits of high growth to rural poor," said Dibakar Naik, Professor in Agriculture Economics in Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) here. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Bihar can develop as a BPO hub: Kamath

Patna (PTI) : ICICI Bank's Non-Executive Chairman K.V. Kamath today said that Bihar could become a BPO hub in the field of information technology sector given unlimited opportunities in this sector over the next 2-3 years. Bihar's youths have been going to Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune for employment opportunities, but they could find job in their own state which could become a BPO hub as there were unlimited opportunities in the IT sector over the next 2-3 years, Kamath said at the Global Summit on Changing Bihar.

The urban centres in Bihar could become the BPO hubs as the roads were good and the connectivity in rural and urban areas in the states has increased that could boost expansion of IT-related services, he said. The ICICI Non-Executive Chairman also expressed disagreement with the views of some economists that Bihar's double digit growth rate was a catch up growth rate and said that not only that the cynicism in this regard was unfounded, but it reflected the desire of the state to undertake development. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Growth rates of 9-10% key to employing more

CHENNAI : India would have to achieve a 9-10 per cent GDP growth rate in the coming years to absorb its employable population. In the next 20 years, there would be millions of employable young adults in India. But, the problem would be that their skills might not match the national or global needs, said Mr Shirish Sankhe, Director, McKinsey & Co. For the 9-10 per cent growth rate, he said the unfinished reform agenda has to be expedited in all sectors, especially in the GST programme, power sector, urban land and infrastructure and FDI reform.

Addressing a convention on Reinventing India, organised by the Madras Management Association here on Saturday, he said there would be 600 million people living in cities by 2030. Already eight States, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra are more than 50 per cent urbanised. Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

Per capita income in AP up 14% at Rs 71,540

Services sector contribution up, agriculture down

HYDERABAD : The per capita income of Andhra Pradesh, an indicator of standard of living of people, at current prices has been estimated at Rs 71,540 for 2011-12, registering a growth of 13.71 per cent over the previous financial year in the State and 14.3 per cent more over all India's Rs 60,972. 

According to the Socio Economic Survey 2011-12 released in the State Assembly today, the sectoral composition of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) during 2004-05 through to 2011-12 (advanced estimates) shows that the services sector contributes about 55.1 per cent, the industry 25.7 per cent and agriculture 19.2 per cent. Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

India lagging behind in achieving Millennium Development Goals: ADB

NEW DELHI: India is not faring too well on achieving the Millennium Development Goals, a new report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has noted. Out of the 22 parameters that the ADB studied, it was found that India made appreciable improvement on six counts and was labelled an early achiever. Though it was on track on three counts, it was falling behind in other parameters.

Considering that India has registered one of the highest economic growths in the past several years, the results underline a rising disparity in the society. The ADB study is limited to countries in the Asia-Pacific. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Hyderabad's Old City eats up chunk of civic budget, delivers little

HYDERABAD: With revenue dismally low and expenditure high, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation's South Zone, which includes the entire Old City, is turning out to be a white elephant for the civic body.

The South Zone, which covers Circle 4, 5 and Rajendranagar, is at the bottom among the five zones of the twin cities in terms of revenue generation, while it is second only to Central Zone in expenditure, especially operation and maintenance works in the city. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India’s consumer spending will soar to $3.6 trillion

NEW DELHI: India's consumer spending is likely to expand nearly four times to $3.6 trillion by 2020, fuelled by economic growth and rising household incomes, a new study said Thursday. 

Consumer expenditure in India is set to increase 3.6 times from $991 billion in 2010, at an annual rate of 14 percent, the Boston Consulting Group and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) report said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Delhi per capita income tops in India

New Delhi : In reflection of growing economic prosperity, the Delhiites' per capita income of Rs 1.16 lakh in 2009-10 is highest in the country.

The monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) of Delhiites living in urban areas has increased from Rs 2,078 in 2008 to Rs 2,905 in 2010, which is also highest in the country. Read more

Source : expressindia.com

Jaipur: Now, own a home on Delhi-Jaipur highway!

Jaipur: The world is running out of living space. And, India has an answer. The ministry of surface transport wants to turn areas abutting major highways to turn into residential hubs. Rajasthan will lead the way.

Initiating a new model of highway-at-your-doorstep, the Road Transport and Highways department has proposed development of integrated townships along a 230-km stretch of Delhi-Jaipur expressway. Read more

Source : daily.bhaskar.com

In wasting children, a richer India sees "national shame"

(Reuters) - Crying as she is put on an electronic scale, two-year-old Rajini's naked shrivelled frame casts a dark shadow over a rising India, where millions of children have little to eat.

Severely malnourished two-year-old girl Rajni is weighed by health workers at the Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre of Shivpuri district,Madhya Pradesh 

The children are scrawny, listless and sick in this run-down nutrition clinic in Madhya Pradesh with its intermittent power supply. If they survive they will grow up shorter, weaker and less smart than their better-fed peers. Read more

Source : in.reuters.com

Modi sadbhavana sops way beyond Gujarat’s annual plan

Gandhinagar : Chief Minister Narendra Modi ended the series of one-day Sadbhavana fasts at Ambaji on Sunday announcing developmental works of Rs 1,700 crore for Banaskantha, which was preceded by similar announcements at the other places which hosted the fasts.

The result is that the series of announcements made by him during the fasts are even bigger than the state’s annual plan. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

It will not stop at Rs 60,000 crore

How economically sustainable is food subsidy? The cost could even be double of what the government estimates

Food deprivation and malnutrition are completely unacceptable and everything has to be done to eliminate such an evil. The prevalence of malnutrition in a country like India is in itself a cause for serious concern since malnourished children may jeopardise India’s favourable demographic dividend (as per independent estimates, close to 60 per cent of India’s population is in the age group of 15-59 years). However, the question is whether we can afford to have a food subsidy bill (FSB) and if such an endeavour is economically sustainable. This paper tries to argue that the fiscal viability of the proposed FSB is not clear and the delivery outcomes could be highly compromised given the governance weaknesses and ineffective delivery mechanisms in place. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

Karnataka attracts live investment proposals worth over Rs 9.85 lakh crore

Bangalore: Karnataka has emerged as the fifth most lucrative investment destination attracting investment proposals worth Rs. 9.85 lakh crore at the end of 2011, industry body ASSOCHAM said Monday.

    
Karnataka has clocked a share of about 8.18 percent in the total live investments worth Rs. 120.34 lakh crore at the end of the year, according to The Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Budget 2012: What's in store for healthcare?

Will the Union Budget 2012-13 bring in the desired allocations for the healthcare sector? Will it propel the industry to occupy the top spot in the national and international arena? These are few questions in the minds of all stakeholders in the healthcare space.

The Union Budget 2011 was disenchanting for the healthcare sector. Initiatives to reform the healthcare agenda went unanswered and hopes to confer infrastructure status for this sector were also abandoned. Although the Finance Minister (FM) increased the allocation in this sector by 20 per cent, the healthcare space didn't really fit into their priority list. Moreover, pricing strategies in the healthcare industry went through a turmoil after the FM proposed to tax all services provided by centrally air conditioned hospitals with 25 or more beds and diagnostics labs. Providing a little relief, during the budget debate in the Lok Sabha, the FM announced that the proposed Service Tax (ST) on health services was being dismissed until the Goods and Service Tax (GST) comes into force. Consequently, this left a bitter taste behind. Read more

Source : expresshealthcare.in

‘Poor planning may leave Gujarat high and dry by 2015’

Gandhinagar : Gujarat, which traditionally has less per capita water availability than the national average, may face chronic water shortage in the coming years as per the state government’s own projection. And this may badly affect the state’s overall social and economic development.

A key research paper — Water Resources in Gujarat - Past, Present & Future, prepared by B N Navalawala, Adviser to Chief Minister Narendra Modi on water resources and former Central water resources development secretary — indicates that the per capita water availability in the state is considerably low and is likely to go down further by 2015. Therefore, it says, the state needs to focus on the effective planning and management of its water resources. Read more

Source : expressindia.com

Don’t make light of it

India has come a long way since the early-90s in power sector growth and development. The last two decades have seen an accretion of power generation capacity from 69,352 MW to more than 185,000 MW — more than 150%. On paper, this looks impressive. But in practical terms, India has failed to bridge the demand-supply gap in these 20 years. Even now, it won’t be incorrect to label India as a power-starved State. 

To realise ambitious targets of economic development, India needs a modern and expansive infrastructure. Electrical power availability being the prime requisite for industrial activity, the need for building up the necessary infrastructure for generation, transmission and distribution of electricity can’t be over-emphasised. Against the target of an additional 78,000 MW power-generating capacity in the 11th Five Year Plan, India has achieved only about 50,000 MW till now. At the same time, an increase in demand during this period has neutralised the positive effect on the per capita availability of power. The demand-supply gap of electricity remains in the range of 6-7%. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Resources, implementation bugbears for environment management

Issues concerning the quality of air, water, soil, trees and other environmental and ecological attributes are at the top of the agenda in almost all discussions of our transforming society. However, the economic linkages that these issues deserve are not coming together owing both to India's economic position and individual commitment. As a result, we see a huge environmental and economic imbalance resulting in a slow pace of environmental improvements in the country.

If only intent and the content of policy are taken into account, India's environment should have been on a par with the rest of the developed world as legislations are comparable. Water, air and other waste are expected to be managed effectively and there are obligations to protect the ecology and the environment. However, implementation is far from satisfactory. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

SECC awareness programme held at Longleng

Dimapur (MExN): An awareness programme on Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 was held on February 10 at PPC hall Longleng. The Deputy Commissioner, Longleng K. Libanthung Lotha chaired the programme. The main resources person included Petevilie Khatsu, Assistant Director, Directorate of Urban Development, Nagaland and Dr. Juthshutho Phoji, Sr. Lecturer, State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) Nagaland.

A press release issued by the DC Longleng said that a detailed and through explanation on SECC was made during the programme. Various functions and queries were raised during the program and those were being clearly clarified by the resource persons. A good number of village council chairman, Enumerators, Supervisors, Charge officers, master trainers attended the program beside the officials of Phom Student Conference led by its president Chaupong Phom and PPC officials. Chongphe Phom Finance Secretary, ENSF and Chuyalo Kath Census Nodal officer Longleng in-charge also attended the programme. Read more

Source : morungexpress.com

Expect Indian economy to pick up next year: India Inc

Disappointing! That is the word that you will hear from experts, economists, when you ask them about December index of industrial production (IIP). India's industrial production growth has slowed down sharply in December to 1.8% versus 5.9% in November, slowest pace in two months.

However, corporate India is hopeful that the industrial output will pick up ahead. According to them, global problems were weighing on the Indian economy. Since the global economy is improving now, they feel it will have spill over effect on India as well. Read more

Source : moneycontrol.com

Who's who to attend summit on changing Bihar

PATNA: Top honchos of various fields are expected to attend the three-day Global Summit on Changing Bihar, scheduled to open here on February 17.

To be inaugurated by Nepal PM Baburam Bhattarai, the summit will be spread over various sessions and workshops on themes like agriculture, health, industries, urban development, infrastructure, finance, tourism, education and socio-cultural renaissance. It is being organized by Bihar Foundation, Institute for Human Development (IHD) and Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI). Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Educating India’s 'Demographic Dividend': The Role of the Private Sector

The growth prospects of the Indian economy depend to a large extent on how the country tackles certain issues of intellectual capital today. The concern largely centers on the much-debated demographic dividend, or the rising proportion of working-age people in India. The recent One Globe 2012 "knowledge conference" in New Delhi emphasized the role that industry needs to play.

Some 54% of India’s 1.2 billion people are under the age of 25. The TeamLease Indian Labor Report 2009 estimates that 300 million will enter the labor force by 2025, and by then, 25% of the world’s workers will be Indians. The National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) is already grappling with the challenge of providing training and retraining to 500 million people by 2022. The non-negotiables to meet the challenge include fundamental education reform across primary, secondary and higher education, and significant enhancement of supplementary skills development. Read more

Source : knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu

Karnataka CM predicts increase in tax

BANGALORE: Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda told the Assembly on Tuesday that the collection of commercial tax could increase by `500 crore at the end of the current fiscal. He said that the increase in tax collection would be due to the introduction of e-sugam. “Under this scheme, people can pay taxes online where funds can be transferred from one bank to another,” the chief minister added.

Congress demands Bhat’s arrest

The Congress on Tuesday demanded the arrest of RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat for making inflammatory speech against minority communities. Home Minister R Ashok said that a case was booked against Bhat and an investigation is on. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Three-fold rise in urban renewal funds likely: Kamal Nath

The second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) could witness a three-fold increase in its budget, Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath said Monday.

"We are looking at 0.25 percent of the GDP. It will be almost two and a half times or rather three times the size of the first JNNURM," the minister told reporters here. Read more

Source : prokerala.com

Boost financial instruments, discourage gold imports: Assocham

Mumbai : Encouraged by the government’s intention to categorise gold as a holding asset not to bring in circulation, the premier industry body Assocham has urged the government to encourage formal financial instruments to make the investment more productive. A senior government official had recently said that gold is a holding asset which increases massive strain on investible resources.

Terming the current gold import as huge burden on the balance of payments, Assocham’s secretary general D S Rawat said. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Focus on providing urban amenities in rural India: APJ Kalam

NEW DELHI: To become an economically developed nation by 2020, India needs to focus on sustainable development of villages by providing urban amenities in rural areas (PURA), former President A P J Abdul Kalam said today.

"The development of 6,00,000 villages is vital for developed India. The foundation of sustainable development of rural areas is PURA which means providing urban amenities in rural areas," Kalam said after inaugurating the second Global Agri-business Incubation Conference here. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Healthcare sector will offer enormous growth opportunities

There are plenty of investment opportunities in the healthcare technology space but most have long gestation cycles and challenging business models

I for one was glad when we bid 2011 goodbye. There was hardly anything to be positive about in the year gone by, what with a scam a day, the rupee at an all-time high and our gross domestic product (GDP) growing the slowest among the Bric (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries. However, we are off to a much better start this year with some key verdicts from the Supreme Court on the 2G case that has sent a strong message that even powerful politicians and top business houses are not above the law. Additionally, the judgement in favour of Vodafone in the capital gains tax case is a positive development.  

In my interactions with my global investor friends, I notice their faith in the Indian judicial system is renewed and they are slowly back to feeling cautiously optimistic about India. As Raghuram Rajan, professor of finance at Chicago University’s Booth School of Business and economic adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said at Davos last week, we need to aim for at least 8.5-9% GDP this year and only then will we end up with 7-7.5%. Read more

Source : livemint.com

Sunny side up

The global job market may be in a turmoil as the economic slowdown forces companies to downsize, but some sectors will buck the trend.

Even as thousands are losing their jobs worldwide on deteriorating economic condition, there is a reason to cheer. Recession or no recession, one may fall ill and, hence, will need a doctor. An economic slowdown or not, one still needs education. Like it or not, business trips will always be part of the corporate world, and, hence, you need hotels to check in and flights to make it to your destination. In other words, at a time when the world is ridden with uncertainty, it is important that job seekers try and choose those sectors that are resilient to economic upheavals. Read more

Source : educationtimes.com

Britain begged India to accept aid money: Telegraph

Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee last year asked the UK to cease giving aid to the country’s booming economy, but relented after being begged to take the money for fear of “grave political embarrassment”, reports the UK’s Telegraph newspaper.

“We do not require the aid. It is a peanut in our total development exercises [expenditure],” Mukherjee told the upper house of Indian parliament, during question time, adding that the government wanted to give it up. Read more

Source : minivannews.com

Building a new urban India

A recent opinion poll sponsored by this newspaper, across the country's biggest eight urban agglomerations, found even the best rated among them barely making it to a rating of 'average'. The frequent sloganeering about Delhi soon becoming "the world's most beautiful city" or Mumbai "a global financial hub" appears straight out of the famous British serial 'Yes Minister'. There, Sir Humphrey Appleby underscores the law of Inverse Relevance - the less you intend to do or are capable of doing something, the more you have to keep talking about it.

What Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata are left to mean to an ordinary citizen is crime, grime and chaos; vast wastelands of miseropolis. Our cities keep bearing the brunt of traumas such as an Uphaar blaze in Delhi or the AMRI inferno in Kolkata. Monsoon downpours paralyse Delhi by waterlogging year after year, much like they turn Mumbai into a familiar cesspool along with its potholed roads and gridlocked traffic. Fires, floods, even terror can benumb any of our cities any time. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

CAG to audit NRHM scheme in 18 states

NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has decided to audit the spending of all states under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scheme. 

After unearthing a Rs 5,754-crore NRHM scam in Uttar Pradesh, the CAG will conduct independent audits of the scheme in 17 other states to ascertain losses to the exchequer, if any. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Urgent challenge to create 600 m jobs over next decade, says ILO

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) recently warned there is an “urgent challenge” to create 600 million jobs over the world in the next decade as one in three workers worldwide are either unemployed or living in poverty.

According to the annual report on global employment by the ILO, the world faces the “urgent challenge” of creating 600 million productive jobs over the next decade in order to generate sustainable growth and maintain social cohesion. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

India shining: Per capita income crosses Rs 50,000

New Delhi : Reflecting growing prosperity, India’s per capita income grew by 15.6 per cent to Rs 53,331 per annum in 2010-11, crossing the half-a-lakh rupees mark for the first time, according to Government data.

“The per capita income at current prices is estimated at Rs 53,331 in 2010-11, as against Rs 46,117 for the previous year, depicting a growth of 15.6 per cent,” said the Quick Estimates of National Income released by the Central Statistical Office (CSO). The growth in per capita income comes on the back of 8.4 per cent expansion of the Indian economy during the last fiscal. Read more

Source : dailypioneer.com

Hunger and riches coexist in India

A national daily presented the other day two contrasting pictures of India. On its front page were the findings of a research indicating the extent of hunger and malnourishment in the country and in one of the inside pages was a report on the explosion on its roads with millions of private vehicles causing traffic jams in its urban centres. One wonders whether these contrasting pictures in a single edition of a daily have caught the attention of those who frame and implement the country’s economic policies. They show, if anything, the growing economic inequality in the country, which can directly be attributed to the policies pursued since economic liberalisation. The government has taken some initiatives to deal with the pervasive hunger and malnutrition but the measures that have been taken seem to have failed to yield the desired results. Read more

Source : groundreport.com

India needs huge infrastructure investment: FM

Chicago (IBNS) : Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said that India needed a huge infrastructure investment boost in the 12th Five Year Plan to accelerate and sustain growth in the country.

During his ongoing visit to Chicago, Mukherjee said, "Rapid development of infrastructure is the key to sustain high growth and strengthening the domestic growth dynamics of our economy. Read more

Source : indiablooms.com

Scientists urged to find solutions to problems faced by Karnataka

MANGALORE : Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda and top space scientist and Chairman of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad U.R. Rao on Saturday urged the scientific community to find solutions to the “burning” problems of the State and the country.

They were participating in the inauguration of a two-day seminar on “Science and Technology: Challenges and Opportunities” organised by the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy, headed by Prof. Rao, at Mangalore University. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Second industrial rubber park built in Tripura

India's second industrial rubber park has come up in Bodhungnagar in western Tripura to boost the country's elastic polymer industry.

The park, a joint venture between the Tripura Industrial Development Corporation (TIDC) and the Rubber Board, is the second of its kind in the country after the rubber park in Irapuram, Kerala. Read more

Source : smetimes.in

Jump in registration income in TN may be unsustainable

While the steep increase in registration income may be good news for the Government, the real estate developers believe this would be counterproductive in the long run. 

Driven by worries of an expected increase in guideline values in the State, developers and property buyers appear to have speeded up document registrations during the last couple of months, leading to a spurt in revenue to the State Government. Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

Finding the innovation key to million problems

From cars to vaccines, companies are busy introducing a slew of cost-effective products

India’s image in the eyes of the world undergoes a major shift in every 30 years or so. From Independence to the import of PL-480 wheat, it was one of abject poverty and utter helplessness — of a nation unable to feed itself. Read more

Source : mydigitalfc.com

Bharat craves for innovation

Attempts for rural technology incubations have been small and somewhat sporadic so far 

As the Indian economy grew rapidly over the past 20 years, it generated wealth for its citizens. However, the rapid economic rise has been accompanied by high differential growth in prosperity of the people — as incomes of certain sections have grown much faster compared with others. Read more

Source : mydigitalfc.com

MGNREGA enhanced financial inclusion of farmers: WEF report

DAVOS : Allegations of fund leakages notwithstanding, the MGNREGA scheme has improved access to financial services for farmers and holds a great scope for further agricultural and economic growth of the country, a World Economic Forum report said on Friday.

Focus on soft infrastructure in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has led to successes in land rights issues, it said. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Indians may be getting fat, but think of getting fitter: survey

India’s urban population may be rapidly gaining weight as lifestyle changes take hold, altering dietary habits, but most people seem to have the right idea about what constitutes healthy living.

That’s the finding of a Nielsen survey that a dietician describes as a result of rationalization by and a reflection of intent among the people surveyed. Read more

Source : livemint.com

‘New urban development models must focus on eco sustainability, inclusive growth'

CHENNAI : The UN Habitat is pushing for a new urban development agenda focussed on economic and environmental sustainability and inclusive growth, according to Mr Andre Dzikus, Chief, Water and Sanitation Section, UN Habitat.

The new principles of urban development should be through a coordinated and long-term approach with national level policies that prevent investor-driven, irrational urban land prices. Such a national urban policy should coordinate different areas of government, take into account public transportation development, connectivity, economic development and energy strategy. Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

Foreign travel no more an incentive for techies

BANGALORE: For IT engineers, the periodical one- or two-year stints in the US or Europe used to be the primary attraction of their jobs. They not only got to live in places that most Indians aspire to but, during those stints, they also received salaries substantially higher than in India and which allowed them to make significant savings. For business development professionals in IT, foreign travel used to be for shorter stints, but more frequent. 

But that opportunity for travel is now fast diminishing for economic, business, diplomatic, strategic and technological reasons. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Digital drive holds promise for India

NEW DELHI: Boosting mobile and internet penetration in India could offer substantial benefits for the country's economy, according to a new report.

IAMAI and DIT, two government bodies, and ICRIER, a think tank, argued that rising usage of these channels would fuel activity in areas from ecommerce and education to agriculture, healthcare and finance. Read more

Source : warc.com