Cover Story

Growth pangs in techie-land
The IT boom has turned Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Gurgaon into cities of opportunities. But on the flip side, it has turned these cities into urban nightmares.

Young and eager, but...
Three new states, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, are attracting big-ticket investment proposals and latent demand is fuelling a boom in these states, but problems remain.
Second option cities
As state capitals get crowded, businesses are scrambling for newer destinations within and outside their home states. Happily for India Inc., there are quite a few cities to choose from.
Narendra Modi's Ahmedabad, Surat top Best Cities for Business survey
Two of the state's industry-friendly cities, Ahmedabad and Surat, climb up the rankings in the Best Cities for Business survey. That may have something to do with Chief Minister Narendra Modi's avowed goal of achieving economic growth in the state that's even faster than that of China. 
Best cities, or so we say
Bangalore gets pummelled, Delhi climbs, and Mumbai stays put at #1. The surprise gainers in this year's survey: Ahmedabad and Surat. Both the cities are improving urban mass transport, and businesses like Reliance Retail see big opportunities there.
Are SEZs the future cities?
Sprawled across hundreds of acres, India's Special Economic Zones promise to become booming microcosms of industrial, commercial and residential complexes. Will these become our new cities?
City of pipe-dreams
Not much has changed in Mumbai. It's still the best city for business. It still stinks.
Urban India: could small be beautiful?
Do you know the population of Asansol? Or Meerut? Or, for that matter, Jabalpur, Dhanbad or Rajkot? These are all million-plus cities. That makes each one bigger than world-famous centres like Stockholm, Frankfurt or San Francisco.

2007-08-26

Digital

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Editors note

From The Editor

Even extreme optimists can be driven to hopeless tears trying to negotiate traffic in any of India's larger cities.

News Maker

Sanjay Dutt is hardly a stranger to controversy. The actor, the only son of Bollywood power couple, Sunil Dutt and Nargis, the enfant terrible of Bollywood has now been sentenced to six years in prison for illegal possession of weapons.

Current

Bear market ahead?

Perhaps in the US, but in India it's a welcome correction.

Software, hard battles

A shake-out amongst the tier-ii it firms was always on the cards, but the recent bout of rupee appreciation against the dollar would appear to be hastening that eventuality.

Road to nowhere

Dues of over Rs 600 crore may delay Mumbai sea link project.

Thrill of the magic pill

When Dr Reddy's labs announced last fortnight that its anti-diabetic molecule Balaglitazone had entered phase III clinical trials, it was easily one of the highest points of the Indian pharma sector's research & development (R&D) programme in a long time.

Another billion-dollar baby

NVIDIA has big plans for India.

Wrong Medicine?

Novartis' plea to patent Glivec is set back.

RIL's $100-bn (Long) Shot

That's how much Reliance could soon be worth.

Thirsting once again

New launches and M&As are back in bottled water market.

Private equity Pasha

It seems like the gold rush is on in the Indian private equity market. And the man who can claim to be cheer-leading the rush is Ashish Dhawan.

CFA vs ICFAI

One-time partners have turned bitter foes.

Create, but don't own it

TV's content producers are a disgruntled lot.

The sweet Sasan coup

Returning from the brink of defeat to clinch the crown is a phenomenon common in sport. But last week, it was played out in business. Anil Ambani's Reliance Power Ltd (RPL) bagged the Rs 16,000-crore, 4,000 mw Sasan ultra-mega power project.

Dusting up SpiceJet

A new investor gets the low cost carrier to shape up.

There's life after Sasan

Lanco takes stock after losing the ultra-mega power project.

Celebrity clutter

Will the real Big B please stand up?

Small-screen superstore

The TV18 Group spreads wings into home shopping.

Investing in Allah's name

Offshore Islamic funds make a beeline for Dalal Street.

Tapping the Islamic billions

Is India ready for Shariah-compliant financial products?

Out of the box

Dishtv's set-top box is compatible with a PC and a TV.

Trends

What's troubling RBI?

Y.V. Reddy is finessing his strategy to control inflation without sacrificing growth.

Instan tip

The fortnight's burning question.

We will take India to the world

World News Today is the new flagship prime time live news bulletin at 9.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday that is meant for the South Asian market. For the first time ever, an international news programme will have a completely Asia-India focus.

No kidding: Ads can be quite misleading

Following concerns about companies promoting unhealthy practices-especially through advertising targeted at children and young adults-companies are beginning to make all the right noises.

Beware of Vishing

"Vishing" is a more sophisticated form of "phishing" where the malevolent party actually calls you up for information about your bank or credit card details.

The paranoid don't survive

The why, what and how-to of policy making.

Numbers of note

The number of people who left the top four IT firms-TCS, Infosys Technologies, Wipro and Satyam Computer Services-in the first quarter of 2007-08 are 10,000. To know more of such interesting numbers read on.

India Inc. shy of selling out

Indian entrepreneurs just won't let go. The recently released Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) shows that 28 per cent of businesses around the world are expected to change hands within the next 10 years.

Policy Watch

ECB limit may be hiked

A bird's eye view of what's hot and what's not on the government's policy radar.

Columns

King of calls

The Indian business process outsourcing industry is set to see some interesting times ahead, what with the country's leading BPO firm, Genpact, now having successfully completed the listing of its initial public offering of nearly $500 million on the (NYSE).

People

Riding the India wave

The India story seems to be going good for PAUL WHITTAKER as it's not every day that foreign companies declare their preference for India over China.

Back of the Book

The new age do-gooders

Philanthropy and social service find new takers in young professionals who are giving back to the society like never before.

Sturdy and cheap

The diesel Ford Fusion is a nice car, but it's not meant for the speed fiends.

A good device, but...

Make no mistake, the Nokia e90 communicator is a fantastic device, but when you hold it, you can't help but wonder if you have just acquired one of those fancy new dumb-bells.

Book

Native Intelligence

An Indian-American fund manager serves up unique investing lessons from the 'motel Patels'.

Jobs

Get a privacy shield

While the data security vs workplace privacy debate rages on, bt tells you how to safeguard your interest when you sign on the dotted line.

Formula for growth

Biotechnology jobs are on the rise.

Help, Tarun!

Number-crunching pays

Actuaries are in demand from insurance companies.

Money

News round-up

Birla Sun Life's new Dream Plan comes with added overheads. Should you buy it?

Netting the right car

The internet is another medium to snag a vehicle, but you still need to do a physical check.

Health in your hands

When it comes to health insurance, floater policies are tailor-made for your family.

The best loans for entrepreneurs

Banks are ever-willing to fund your start-up or finance your expansion plans. Here's how to get the best deal.

Reporters Diary

The new farmers

Farming gets a technology makeover at Bharti's agri-venture in Ludhiana. Kushan Mitra checks out 'corporate farming' in action.

Noted

Take a note

By the TV Today Network, which broadcasts Aaj Tak, a record 440 per cent growth in net profit to Rs 7.99 crore in the first quarter ended June 2007.

In This Issue

It's raining planes

In July, Boeing delivered eight aircraft to Indian carriers-two each to Air India, Air India Express, Jet Airways and SpiceJet and a further four are scheduled for delivery in August.

Brand new hardsell

How do you turn a music television channel into a marketing vehicle that goes beyond plain vanilla advertising? MTV thinks it has the answer. And it's called Viacom Brand Solutions.

Features

Fresh Fillip

After virtually abdicating its position in the consumer electronics market to nimbler rivals, Philips India is coming back with a radically different, more inclusive game plan. Will it work?

Indian advertising's global march

Indian ad agencies are now pitching for, and winning, mandates from MNCs for creating ads for foreign markets.

Fertilisers once more

Rising cost of production and delays in subsidy payments have stymied capacity addition in the fertiliser industry over the last six years. But with the government mulling a new subsidy regime, fertilisers promise to get hot again.