Region

Indias Taxes Help Government Acquire More Land

July 11 – As incomes soar in a booming India, the government has collected an unprecedented amount of direct tax – Rs 3,14,000 crore (US$73 billion) last fiscal – more than they know what to do with. In a bid to invest their money prudently, the Income tax department will capitalise on the slump in India's real estate sector.

Deals have been struck for several prime plots of land and office space in many cities across the country worth millions of rupees. The emphasis is, however, on acquiring centrally air-conditioned buildings that are Wi-Fi enabled, fitted with state-of-the-art security systems and plush reception with a lounge-kind of open space, the Times of India reported.

India Has Big Plans for Northeast Roads

July 3 – Trying to buffer India's borders with infrastructure, the national government on Wednesday issued a statement that the country would invest US$7.2 billion to build transport infrastructure in India's northeast by 2012.

A Bloomberg report stated that India plans to invest about 310 billion rupees (US$7.2 billion) by 2012 to build roads in the nation's northeast, improving connectivity with the states bordering China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.

The government will also build airports and railway links to all state capitals of the region, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, inviting private investment in the region.

Interest Rate Rises to 8.5 Percent

June 25 – The Reserve bank of India raised interest rates for the second time this month and asked lenders to set aside more money as reserves to cool inflation running at a 13- year high.

The repurchase rate was lifted to 8.5 percent from 8 percent, and the cash reserve ratio to 8.75 percent from 8.25 percent, India's central bank said. The increase was the biggest since 2000 and followed a quarter-point rise on June 11.

Governor Yaga Venugopal Reddy is under pressure from the finance ministry to tighten monetary policy after record oil prices drove inflation to 11.05 percent in the week ended June 7. That may further hurt consumer demand and threatens to derail India's record 8.8 percent annual economic growth since 2003, the fastest after China among the world's major economies, Bloomberg reported.

Union Cabinet Approves Women’s Reservation Bill

May 6 – Late last evening, India's Union Cabinet cleared the contentious Women’s Reservation Bill in its original form for introduction in the Rajya Sabha (council for states). The women’s bill seeks to reserve one third seats for women in the Lok Sabha (people's council) and the state assemblies and is one of the last major commitments of the Congress-led UPA’s common minimum program, reported the Hindustan Times. Once introduced, the constitutional amendment bill would be routed to the standing committee to help hammer out a consensus on it.

U.S. recession hits Indian IT companies

Infosys Technologies Ltd. Chief Executive Officer K. Gopalakrishnan, center, flanked by Chief Operating Officer S. D. Shibulal, right, and Chief Financial Officer V. Balakrishnan

April 16 – The U.S. recession might not affect the bouyant Indian economy, but India's IT services industry which sources a majority of its work from the west is showing signs of being hit.

On Tuesday, the Indian IT industrys' bellwether company, Bangalore based Infosys posted a lower than expected forth quarter profit. Net profit rose 9.2 percent to 12.49 billion rupees (315.04 million dollars) in the fourth quarter ended March, from 11.45 billion rupees. The profit missed analyst estimates of 12.6 billion rupees.

Terrorism to Tourism

April. 9 – Kashmir once called Paradise on Earth, is back to promoting itself as a tourist destination after a 20 year hiatus, when tourists flocked to it for its intricately latticed houseboats, lofty Himalayan mountains, green pastures, and fresh clean air.

The Northern Indian state is trying to attract wealthy tourists to play golf in its rolling hills in a bid to earn some revenue and change its image as a terrorist hideout. Certainly, the price is right — just US$20 for a round on the 18-hole course, US$10 for a golf cart rental and US$3 for a caddy

Excerpts from The New York Times say that the state is spending US$6.2 million to build a golf course in the winter capital, Jammu, to be completed later in the year, the fifth course in the region, and an international airport is scheduled to open in the summer.