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 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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
One of India’s biggest export promotion bodies, EEPC India, has warned of a sharp dip in engineering exports from India to the United States unless the government acts fast. The warning has come in the context of the expiry of U.S.’s Generalized System of Preferences — special duty exemptions granted to developing countries — for […]
It’s always been the foreign brands who introduced the latest phone technology in India with Indian brands playing catch up, but in case of Full HD screens, it is Indian brands that are leading. About five Indian brands have launched full HD display phones in India over the past several days in the Rs 15,000-17,000 […]
India’s trade with China, including both exports and imports, have been cooling for several months, and may dip further this year, according to Q1 numbers. India’s trade deficit with China may also dip this year for the first time in many years. That may be good news for the rupee, which has been hit hard […]
The TRAI’s latest consultation paper on the pricing and conduct of yet another spectrum auction has re-started the tussle between big GSM operators who hold high-propagation spectra and others who hold ‘lower quality’ spectrum. However, according to the numbers given in the telecom regulator’s consultation paper, operators would be practically rolling in spectrum by the […]
Kerala High Court judge Kamal Pasha has urged Muslim organizations in the country to rethink their opposition to having a uniform civil code, or the same law for all citizens irrespective of their religion. Pasha, speaking at a conference organized by Justicia – a lawyers’ association, said Muslims must rethink the benefits of sticking with […]
Google has unveiled what seems like a winner for the search company — rich, targeted ads from online retailers next to search results. The new service, called ‘Product Listing Ads’, is far more sophisticated and ‘compelling’ than the link-based ads that used to appear till now. Not only are these richer in information, but in […]
As expected, the Reserve Bank of India today held key interest rates unchanged despite calls from industry lobbies for easing money supply, despite a dip in inflation to about 9.3 percent. The following are key reactions to RBI’s move. CII The quarterly GDP figures point towards a poor health of the economy even while industrial […]
By now, iBall has made a name for itself in the crowded Indian tablet market by coming out with well-crafted and almost high-end devices at mid-range prices. It recently introduced the quad-core Q9703, the most advanced tablet by an Indian brand. It was also the first to come out with a dual-core tablet, along with […]
