GOING, GOING… NOT GONE! AUCTION OF THE TAJ MAHAL
“Henceforth, let the inhabitants of the world be divided into two classes – them as has seen the Taj Mahal; and them as hasn’t.” -Edward Lear In my series of articles on the Taj Mahal, I am going to introduce you to an interesting episode of our history, where one of the British appointed Governor […]
MANGO THE FOOD OF GODS
India’s summer dovetails into the season for mangoes, that heavenly fruit also known as the ‘king of fruits.’ Our country is home to a whole plethora of mango varieties, each hailed as a delicacy. Eaten ripe or consumed while green and raw, the mango is universally liked and in high demand in Indian markets. India […]
ELIMINATING BUREAUCRATIC CORRUPTION
Kanika Dewan, founder and chairperson of Ka Design Atelier and group president of the Bahrain-based Bramco Group, stresses the importance of eliminating the deeply ingrained corruption in Indian bureaucracy. Dewan’s fi rm was responsible for the design and construction of the new Terminal Th ree of Delhi International Airport, the world’s thirdlargest. She recalls a […]
NRI ENTREPRENEURS HURDLES AND OPPORTUNITIES
According to the country’s Ministry of Overseas Indian Aff airs (MOIA), some 25 million people of Indian origin do not live in India, but abroad. Th e Indian government recognizes this Diaspora as People of Indian Origin (PIO). A high-profi le subset of this group (though, strictly speaking, it is a classifi cation for tax […]
INFOSYS FLIPS FOR A SIKKA
Infosys Ltd. appointed the fi rst outsider to head the company a few weeks ago, in the hope that the new bloodline would infuse fresh life at bolstering its struggle to keep relavent and grow in today’s competitive climes, even as India’s second largest IT icon attempts to devolve and evolve from its origins as […]
SPRING CLEANING THE GOVERNMENT BASTIONS
India’s new Prime Minister is quickly getting the image of being the new “Mr. Clean”– in the literal, not political sense. Those around him, including Ministers, bureaucrats and party MPs, are beginning to take serious note of his fascination with hygiene and cleanliness, his love of neat and orderly work places, and his grand vision […]
A TOUGH BUDGET AHEAD ?
With just about a week to go before he presents his government’s fi rst Budget, FM Arun Jaitley takes to the media to send forth a strong signal that his July 10 Union Budget will shun populism, averring that ‘mindless giveaways’ would not only burden the exchequer but also lead to a high-tax society. Even […]
TRACKING NARENDRA MODI ONE MONTH OF NDA
It has been just a mite more than a month since the NDA government under the helm of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister assumed office. While a lot has happened since then, the overall sentiment in the country remains optimistic, despite some disappointment over the ‘bitter pills’ that the aam aadmi has had to […]
TIME FOR RESUMING PUBLIC CONNECT ?
When a new Prime Minister takes over the reins of power in a country of more than a billion people, he would normally be entitled to a bit of breathing space to settle down, gather together a team of ministers and aides, study the challenges, formulate the strategies and get down to implementing them. But […]
TATAS PLAN TO LAUNCH KITE BY '15-END
Tata Motors is working on a new smallproduct is expected to consume 1,50,000car to take on bestseller brands such as units a year as per the RFQs fl oated by the Maruti Celerio and Ford’s new Figothe company in the market. Th e comto help it regain some lostpany is looking at theturf. The all […]
BJP RAISES THE ABKI BAR: EY TO AUDIT AD. CAMPAIGN EXPENSES
The BJP has appointed Ernst & Young (EY) to audit spending by advertising, media planning, buying and other communication agencies that craft ed and rolled out its advertising and marketing campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Further, EY has also been tasked to come up with a credible independent estimate of the amount spent […]
GOOGLE WILL TIE UP WITH LOCAL INDIAN HANDSET MAKERS
Google is tieing up with local handset makers Micromax, Karbonn and Spice to launch smartphones under US$ 100 (INR 6,000) on the company’s just announced Android One initiative, which will become available be-tween September and end of the year. India will be the first country where these devices will be launched before going global, intensifying […]
ONGC TO INVEST OVER INR 5700 CRORE IN MUMBAI FIELD
State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation would invest over INR 5,700 Crore to push up production of crude oil to 6.9 million tonnes and 5 billion cubic metres of gas by 2030, from its Bombay High (North) oil and gas field on the west coast. Th e investment would involve a foreign exchange component of […]
NRIs, FOREIGNERS CAN TAKE INR 25,000 OUT OF INDIA FOR TRAVEL
A strong rupee has emboldened the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to and the like, RBI’s bi-monthly policy statement said. Reserve Bank relax some foreign exchange-related restrictions, including the in-of India has also allowed foreigners and non-resident Indians to take dividual overseas remittance limit of US$ 75,000 per year which has currency worth INR 25,000 […]
CHINESE OUTSTRIP DESIS IN LVY LEAGUE
For thousands of Indian students, a Harvard degree, a Yale scholarship, an acceptance letter from Brown, or being a freshman at Princeton may be the ultimate dream, but when it comes to realizing it, our desis seem to trail behind the Chinese. While the number of Chinese students in the elite club of Ivy League […]
CLOGGED LOOS FORCE AI FLIGHT TO TURN BACK
An Air India flight AI 121 to Frankfurt that took off from Delhi three weeks ago had to return three hours later as all four toilets on the aircraft were found clogged. With two meals, an evening snack and unlimited supply of beverages awaiting the 214 passengers on board, completing the over eight hour-long journey […]
NRI BUSINESSMAN WINS ABU DHABI CHAMBER ELECTIONS
Prominent Indian businessman and head of Middle East’s retail major, Lulu group, MA Yusuff Ali has won the prestigious Abu Dhabi Chamber election for the third time. Ali, 58, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi-based EMKE, who had won the previous two elections as well, retained his seat with 1,721 votes, highest among expatriate candidates. The […]
PUNJABI GROUP IN KUWAIT HELPS YOUTH IN WAR ZONE
Even as the ISIS continues with its Iraq rampage, India is on tenderhooks, with many of its nationals stranded there. Meanwhile, a 200-member Indian community group in Kuwait is extending moral support and providing food supplies and even phone recharge to hundreds of Punjabi youth trapped in strife-torn Iraq. In some cases, the Punjab Welfare […]