The Anil Ambani group got approvals for starting 18 TV channels in 2008, even as applications for starting another 34 channels are pending with the government, according to data from the ministry of information and broadcasting. The ministry has kept pending all the applications tendered by Ambani for starting news channels, while his applications for […]
A staggering 43 per cent of total investment projects worth a humongous Rs 52 lakh crore attracted by states across India remained non-starter as of March 2013, while over 34 per cent of these investments are stuck at the stage of announcement, implementation of about six per cent of projects has been stalled and there […]
In an attempt to stem the relentless bleeding in the desktop market, Taiwanese major Asus has launched a desktop that does not require a UPS (uninterruptible power system). The new model, with prices starting from Rs 50,000 onwards, also features wireless charging for smartphones, high-speed storage ports, high-speed USB charging etc.. It also seeks to […]
STORY NOT AVAILABLE
The government’s move to promulgate a ‘food security’ ordinance to give subsidized food to two thirds of India’s population has drawn a mixed reaction from experts. While on the one hand, nearly all the experts agree that a form of food security is indeed required for the poor who cannot afford to eat, most are […]
While you may not have felt it, there has been an improvement in on-time performance of trains in the Indian Railways, according to numbers given by the ministry of railways. According to them, in July 2013, there was a 5% improvement in the number of trains reaching within 15 minutes of scheduled time compared to […]
The Punjab Wakf Board, which is the custodian of a large number of mosques and related properties, has opposed government’s move to prevent the leasing of land under Wakf boards. The board, in a memorandum to the central government, has opposed a law currently under the consideration of the parliament. If passed, the law will […]
The total number of passengers using the Indian Railways dipped slightly to 210 crore during the first three months of the financial year compared to a year ago, numbers from the ministry of railways showed. Though the dip was minor (0.7%), in terms of number of tickets sold, the difference was nearly 15 million (1.5 […]
The government has started conducting hydrological surveys to start the development of India’s fourth and fifth inland navigation routes – called National Waterways 4 & 5 – in South India and East India. Hydrological survey as the first phase of development, and serve as the prelude to the development of terminals etc.. The Inland Waterways […]
TechCrunch, arguably the world’s top profiler of technology start-ups, is launching its first event in India, at the country’s IT capital. Called ‘TechCrunch Bangalore’, the event follows the familiar recipe of hackathons, investment pitches and start-up networking. TechCrunch, though primarily a website, has in recent years successfully diversified into a broad platform for technology start-ups […]
The numbers are in – and they don’t paint a pretty picture of India’s economy, with growth continuing to slow and prices remaining very high. According to “Quick Estimates” by the government, the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) declined by 2.2% in June, compared to an initial estimate of 1.6% decline in May. The IIP, […]
There is not a single person belonging to the scheduled castes among India’s top ranking bureaucrats — the 149 ‘secretaries’ to the government of India. Scheduled castes are those that are named in the ‘first schedule’ of the constitution for the purpose of protection from a historical trend of exploitation. Along with Scheduled Tribes (tribes […]
Almost two in every 5 faculty seats in central universities in India are lying vacant, according to numbers from the Human Resources ministry. Out of a total of 16,542 faculty positions in India’s central universities, 6152 were lying vacant as of March end, according to a reply furnished by the ministry in response to a […]
Samsung continued to hold the top slot in the Indian tablet market that doubled year-over-year, CyberMedia Research said in its updated Quarterly Tablet PC Market Review. Samsung held a share of 21.2% in the June quarter of 2013, down slightly from 23.9% it held in the September quarter of 2012. Micromax, which was number 2 in […]
A special committee set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC), India’s top higher education body, has faulted the agency for excluding high-scoring candidates from the ‘merit’ or ‘general’ list just because they belonged to a ‘reserved category’. In other words, if a ‘reserved category’ candidate qualifies in merit list, he or she cannot be […]
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), or investment by foreign companies to start or expand their operations in India, remained lackuster in the first quarter of the current financial year, according to data from the trade ministry. A total of $5.4 billion was received by India during the June quarter, compared to $22.4 billion during the whole […]
The Center for Science and Technology (CSE), which was instrumental in getting CNG mandated as a fuel of choice for public vehicles in Indian cities, has called the government’s recent move to increase gas prices “stupid.” In an editorial in its flagship publication, Sunita Narain, head of CSE, said the decision to increase the price […]
Sales of DTH set top boxes fell 45% in the quarter-ended June 2013 compared to the March quarter, while those of cable set top boxes rose 12%, according a quarterly tracker from 6Wresearch, a firm tracking the IT and communications market. Spurred by regulation that requires all cable operators to shift to a digital, addressible […]
The Aam Aadmi Party will launch its Karnataka unit in Bangalore on 27 July, the party said. The launch follows a series of district level meets organized by the fledgling party. Anti-corruption activist and leader Arvind Kejriwal will be in Bangalore on the day for the launch, which will take place at a school in […]
After a controversial clearance of the Navi Mumbai Airport in five months ago, the Bangalore Airport’s expansion plans seem set for a smooth take-off. The project, which would increase the airport capacity by 50%, has won the crucial Environmental Appraisal Committee approval, clearing the way for final approval at the hands of environment minister Jairam […]
