Indian Economy Surges

Visit India - Indian Economy Surges 8%

With the world still gripped by an economic slump, the Indian economy surprised everybody by surging 8%. India's economy is one of the strongest in the world at the moment, growing by 7.9% in the quarter to the end of September compared to last year, way ahead of forecasts of 6.3%.

Economists said it was mainly due to stimulus measures. It means the central bank will be under pressure to raise interest rates.

Despite the heavy falls in Middle Eastern markets due to Dubai's debt problems, shares on the Indian stock market rose 1.8% today.

India's Sensex 30-share has ended November up 6.5%, compared to its 7.2% fall in October.

As the world's largest democracy and 2nd largest nation, with 1.2bn people, India is an increasingly important global player where change is the name of the game.

India has one of the youngest populations in the world, almost half being aged below 26 and the numbers of people using credit cards, mobile phones, eating out, shopping and spending money on healthcare, travel and luxuries is increasing all the time. The middle class is expected to rise to 500m over the next 8 years and they all speak English. Perhaps I should go and work there ! Or put my millions in an Indian bank account.

ASR

India Travel Tips and Advice

1. For a vacation in India what is the best time of year to travel?

If you want to travel to India it is worth remembering that India is a very hot country, particularly southern India. The weather is coolest from November to early-March, when mornings and evenings are fresh and dry, and there is a lot of sunshine.

2. What to do with the beggars and street children?

Ignore them completely if you can, if not give them a stern look. If you really want to give them something, then 1 or 2 rupees is more than enough.

3. What sort of clothes should I wear when I travel to India?

Don't expose too much flesh, except on beaches. Despite the Kama Sutra don't be fooled, India is a convervative country. People in Bollywood films don't even kiss. Trousers, skirts, tops and shirts are fine. Women might like to try a salwar kameez which is very cool.

4. Should I tip waiters ?

In restaurants and hotels for tourists a 10% service charge will probably be added to your bill, so there is no need to tip. In smaller establishments tipping is optional, and a few rupees should suffice, not a fixed percentage of the bill. Tipping waiters, guides, porters and drivers is customary.

5. How safe is the water in India?

Drink bottled water. Avoid drinking water or juices from roadside stalls and vendors.

6. How safe is non-vegetarian food in India?

Indians are primarily Hindus so beef is rarely served. You are more likely to see a cow loitering outside the restaurant than on your plate. Pork is also not eaten much. Only eat non-vegetarian food in high quality restaurants.

7. Are there bars, pubs and discotheques in India?

Yes. Though only in metro cities and large towns. Mumbai and Bangalore has several cocktail lounges and coffee bars.

See video of tourist destinations for a vacation in India
Home : Visit India

Visit India - Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

At this site the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by this site and how it is used.

Log Files
Like many other Web sites, this blog makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons
This blog does not use cookies.

DoubleClick DART Cookie


.:: Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on your site.

.:: Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to your users based on their visit to your sites and other sites on the Internet.

.:: Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html

Some of our advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site. Our advertising partners include .......
Google Adsense

These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on this site send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

This site has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. this site's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites

India Makes $10 Laptop

India Travel and News - The $10 Indian Laptop

The Times of India has reported that India will be making a $10 prototype laptop (Rs 500) available. The laptop will have 2 GB RAM capacity, operate on 2W of power and have wi-fi capabilities and will be on display in Tirupati this week. It sounds amazing and it makes you wonder how much profit other companies are making on their $500 latops etc...

Although the aim is to get the price down to $10 the first ones on sale will probably cost $20.

The project is in response to the $100 laptop that Nicholas Negroponte was trying to sell to India. The $10 laptop is the result of work by students at Vellore Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore scientists, IIT-Madras and PSUs like Semiconductor Complex.

The main reason for resistance to Negroponte's Laptops is the hidden cost that worked out at $200.

It's not clear when the $10 laptops will be available to the general pubic but if you intend to travel to India it may be worth making enquiries.

For a map of India see - India map

Home : Visit India

Delhi India Property Prices Cut

India Today - House Prices Cut in Delhi

In the Delhi real estate market, Connaught Place in Delhi is one of the most expensive addresses in the world : rental values of commercial properties located in Connaught Place have risen sharply recently, not least because of the Commonwealth Games in India in 2010. Connaught Place is now the eighth most expensive real estate market in the world.

(India gate Connaught Place New Delhi)

However, in certain areas of India today buyers are becoming scarce, so property developers have taken the decision to cut prices by 5 to 10%.

The thinking is that people are waiting for prices to fall so the announcement of price cuts will help boost the market.

Rohtas Goel, President of Naredco and CMD of Omaxe said : "At present, end users are waiting for the prices of real estate to fall to enter the market. The decision to cut prices should meet their demand and make them purchase houses."

Kumar Geram, Chairman of Credai and CMD of Punebased Gera Properties, said the association has urged its member developers to lower prices to boost demand.

The rate cut came just 2 days after Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s plea for lower prices had been dismissed as unrealistic.

It is thought that prices of apartments between Rs 20 and 40 lakh should fall by 5%
apartments above Rs 40 lakh could see a 10% drop in prices.

Prices of the most expensive houses, i.e. over Rs 3,000 per sq.ft., will drop by a minimum of 10%. That means, a typical 3 bedroom apartment over 1,500 sq. ft. will now be Rs 45 lakh. Prices of apartments over Rs 1 crore would fall by at least Rs 10 lakh.

Affordable houses, of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 40 lakh, will only come down around 5% as thedevelopers say that they are already so low that there is little room to cut prices further.

The willingness to cut prices may make economic sense due to the high holding interest rate that builders par of 20% per annum. They also need funds to repay banks.

The cost of steel and other commodities has also fallen by 20 to 25% in the last three months.

India Travel
Connaught Place (official name Rajeev Chowk) is one of the largest commercial areas in Delhi. It is situated in the centre of New Delhi and is often abbreviated to CP. It is the location for the headquarters of a number of Indian firms.

Connaught Place is the commercial and business hub of Delhi. It has numerous restaurants, bars, shops and cinema halls. Outlets of most international brands can be found in the "inner circle" Benetton, Reebok, Allen Solly, Levi’s, Nike, Lee Cooper etc... . Some of the best restaurants, cafes and bars are here too

Map of India with States

Visit India - Map of India

A Map of India

India map Along with a list of states and territories, which shows how many states there are in India.

National Capital Territory ------ Capital
Delhi = New Delhi

States ----------------------------- Capital
Andhra Pradesh = Hyderabad
Arunachal Pradesh = Itanagar
Assam = Dispur
Bihar = Patna
Chattisgarh = Raipur
Goa = Panaji
Gujarat = Gandhinagar
Haryana = Chandigarh
Himachal Pradesh = shimla
Jammu and Kashmir = Srinagar (Summer capital)
Jammu (Winter capital)
Jharkhand = Ranchi
Karnataka = Bangalore
Kerala = Thiruvananthapuram
Madhya Pradesh = Bhopal
Maharashtra = Mumbai
Manipur = Imphal
Meghalaya = Shillong
Mizoram = Aizawl
Nagaland = Kohima
Orissa = Bhubaneswar
Punjab = Chandigarh
Rajasthan = Jaipur
Sikkim = Gangtok
Tamil Nadu = Chennai
Tripura = Agartala
Uttar Pradesh = Lucknow
Uttaranchal = Dehradun
West Bengal = Kolkata

Union Territories ------------- Headquarters
Andaman and Nicobar Islands = Port Blair
Chandigarh = Chandigarh
Dadra and Nagar Haveli = Silvassa
Daman and Diu = Daman
Lakshadweep = Kavaratti
Pondicherry = Pondicherry

Home : Visit India