Travelling on a shoestring budget need not mean cutting too many corners. We show you how to bag the lowest rates, yet holiday comfortably.The key to flying smart Luxury that is value for money A guide to 5-star treatment

With its Rs 20,000 crore public-private initiative that will offer three-star lodging at affordable rates across the country, the Indian Railways is set to revive its sagging image. For proof, check out the newly renovated Ginger Yatri Niwas in Delhi.

This is one trend which has already shown signs of reversing. Competition from low-cost airlines has forced the railways to reduce AC I, II and III-class fares for three consecutive years.

There’s nothing like chugging through the countryside. And the Railways has a host of packages to suit almost every tourist and every pocket, says Sushmita Choudhury.

We decipher contrary market signals to tell you what’s in store for real estate this year. Brokers' verdictCost of ownership = Cost of capital + ...The rise of small townsThe best of both worlds

Service tax has come a long way from the time when it was imposed at 5% on telephone bills, stock-broking charges and general insurance premium. The tax rate has since jumped to effectively 12.36%, including the cess. This Budget has added four new services in the tax net, taking the tally to 104.

By the age of 21, Dhruv Shringi's first venture had already failed. After 13 years, he finally found success—without investing a single rupee of his own.

It is easy to prove that the Indian economy would do better if Indians had to pay less tax.

Home to 16 tribes, animistic beliefs, lush green hills and pristine rivers, Nagaland is a fascinating land that time has forgotten.

The UPA government’s stimulation packages held up the Indian economy. As the buzz grows on exiting such expansionary spending, the casualty could be economic goodies.

Consider taking up the construction of dedicated freight corridors on these routes (about 11,500 km double line; approximate cost Rs 1,50,000 crore) as a national project funded by the Government of India, to be completed in 10 years.

Whether GST is implemented in 2010 or gets delayed further, the momentum seems to be building irreversibly towards its introduction. This would be by far the biggest story on the indirect tax front.

Resolve, right men and revenue are the three Rs that can set the economy on fast track. Here's how fixing the three Rs can help the UPA redeem itself as an economic administrator of excellence. Puja Mehra writes.

Infrastructure is one sector where opportunities missed aren’t opportunities lost—not at least for the investors. BT presents a snapshot of prospects across a few key sectors.

There is much by way of investments in the railway sector that are waiting to happen.

House hunting in the NCR is akin to a picnic— take the day off and visit several properties and property dealers, haggle till your tongue drops off and then haggle some more. BT reporters go incognito across five cities to find out what’s the best deal your money can buy against a developer’s listed price.

No doubt the city’s infrastructure is improving, but its satellite towns are still a mess and, worst of all, crime continues to be a serious problem.

Mumbai might be the maximum city with most people surveyed voting for it as the best city to do business in, but it’s among the toughest cities to live in.

BJP government’s first budget in Karnataka is a damp squib. It has no bold reform initiatives of the kind the NDA reign piloted. Instead, it’s a bundle of freebies—a few reasonable, many unjustifiable.

Organised food retailing is going to be huge, but it will be nothing without a back end, and a backbone. That’s where the logistics sector comes into play—right from state-of-the-art warehouses to the entire gamut of cold chain infrastructure. BT's Anand Adhikari says that companies in India and abroad have shown a keen interest to invest in this sector.