India ranks high in building business

Photo ©thehindubusinessline.com

With more regulatory reforms and less time required to get building permits, India has thrown open its doors to global business.
The study was done jointly by International Finance Corp (IFC) and World Bank which ranked India 132 out of 185 for business ease. The report says that India is the first economy in the region to make construction permits faster for entrepreneurs, making start up enterprises, paying taxes and international trade easier.
Singapore rates as number one in the global ranking for the seventh consecutive year. Over all South Asia has introduced 65 regulation reforms to improve business conditions. The business conditions in India have climbed up steadily since 2005 said the Global Indicators and Analysis Director of the World Bank Group. Despite all the efforts, he also stressed that further progress is mandatory in the coming years to make India’s private sector bigger and stronger.

(Based on India.nydailynews.com)

India runs out of mobile numbers

Photo ©ibnlive.in.com

In an unthinkable situation, the current ten digit series is fast grinding to a halt in India, with the subscriber base fast shooting past one billion in the number allocating system.
The director general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said that there could be a serious problem if a new series of numbers is not introduced by next year. A possible solution is by adding another number making it eleven digits. The batch system was earlier used to avoid chaos from random digit phone numbers creating chaos in the telecom market. The operator is allocated 98 or 99 as the first two digits to a particular series of numbers to make it easier to  identify them.
But since the consumer market is overshooting the one billion mark, phone numbers have to increase by one or two digits at least to accommodate more device or users. Other alternatives are also being explored such as removing inactive users for a temporary solution till a more permanent one is implemented.
         
                                                                         (Based on Zdnet.com )

5 lakh warriors to be hired to stop cyber attacks on India

Photo ©dekhobhopal.com

Cyber warfare is now a top threat to national security in India. Sophisticated systems are increasingly emerging to cripple the country from hostile attacks around the world.To step up defence, the National Security has decided to speed up and strengthen the cyber world with 5 lakh cyber warriors in the next five years.
This is a critical gap in Indian defence forces. Many other western and Asian countries have already armed themselves with this new strategy but India still lags behind with a shortfall of 4.7 lakh experts, despite being an IT and software powerhouse.

                                                                    (Based on Timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

India becomes more ‘Yum’!

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Domino’s Pizza has fiercer competition in India. The country has finally opened its gates to Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Pizza Hut through its parent company Yum! Brands.
Till now, Pizza Hut in India was operated on a 100% franchise. Now Yum! Brands Inc, the world’s largest restaurant company, is opening outlets in the world’s fastest growing market for a better hold and bigger brand value. More than USD 1 billion in revenue is expected from India within just five years. The first Pizza Hut through Yum! has opened in Mumbai’s Mira Road. The company plans to double its investments by opening at least 500 outlets by 2015. Yum restaurants in India own about half of KFC outlets. All other Yum! Stores are operated through franchise.
Yum! Brands Inc is a Fortune 500 company that also owns A&W, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s restaurants worldwide. The company has over 3000 restaurants in 100 countries.

                                                                                 (Based on Indiatimes.com)

Facebook 101: 25 Tips and Tricks

Chances are, if you're not on Facebook already, then you're likely to be getting on it pretty soon. Whether it's your kids or your next door neighbor (or those old friends you just reunited with at your high school reunion), folks around you have been hounding you to sign up, set up a profile, and start "social-networking" with all your friends, and their friends, and so on. Truth is, social-networking sites such as Facebook (and MySpace, Bebo, LinkedIn, etc) are increasingly turning into the first place people go when they get on the Internet, as these services offer e-mail, chat, music players, photo sharing, and so much more beyond just staying in touch with your Friends.

But the best (or worst) part about Facebook is all the people from your past who come out of the woodwork (we're talking grade-school past). All this means you'll want to look your very best on your Facebook profile, and make the best use of all that the service has to offer, which is why we've come up with 25 tips that'll optimize your social-networking experience. Try 'em out by clicking on 'Next' below, and if you've got any tips we've missed, please let us know!

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Aryans were natives of India, not foreigners!

Photo © Photokore.com

In a recent analysis that could change history, it has been concluded that the ancient races that combined to make up the people of India, Aryans and Dravidians, were both natives of India.
All these years it was believed that Dravidians were the natives and Aryans were nomads who came in from Central Asia but the study by Dr Lalji Singh, vice-chancellor of Benaras Hindu University (BHU), said that proto Aryan races were present in the Harappan civilization. Both Aryans and Dravidians had the same genetic basis and both used Sanskrit as their language.
The script however was an older form of the oldest script in India, the Brahmi script. Called proto Brahmi, the father of the Brahmi script of the Indus Valley Civilization still remains a mystery. This script along with the Kohi script engraved on palm leaf manuscripts comprised about 18 letters and pictures and was written from right to left. It was only much later, around 2000 to 1500 BC that the left to right system was created. The longest manuscript from the Harappan civilization unearthed so far had about seven lines engraved on a palm leaf.

                                                                       (Based on Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

What made Carlos Santana go 'Oh My God!' in India?

Photo ©tumblr.com

The internationally recognized legend who has over 100 million records to his credit captivated audiences recently at the Formula 1 circuit in Greater Noida. He is on his maiden visit to India where he performed at the Formula 1 Rocks concert.
Santana received a traditional welcome on his arrival with a special ‘pooja’ and was hosted at the Presidential Suite at the ITC Maurya. The ten-time Grammy Award winner who enthralled audience to his unique music since four decades has a fan range that cuts across all age groups.
Currently, he seems to be smitten with India and has taken to South Indian food in Bengaluru. “I tried the South Indian breakfast and it was Oh My God food. I gorged on the masala dosa, the spicy cauliflower sabzi and dals. But my favorite was the mango lassi”, he said. The self confessed hippy respect Indian classical music and musicians such as Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan whom he called “the god of the gods”. He said he wanted to collaborate with the maestro but never got a chance.

                                                               (Based on Timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

Delhi University’s English department ranked among the world’s best

Photo © Niyam Bhushan, Flickr

In an annual survey, Delhi University has been ranked among the 100 best places to study English. The survey was conducted by the QS World University Ranking that is known to be one of the three most influential and recognized international university rankings in the world.
DU has been acknowledged to be in the same league as Pennsylvania State University, St Andrew's University and University of Sussex. Interestingly, DU's English has been rated as better than that of Nottingham University, University of Liverpool and Purdue University. Cambridge University ranked number one in the survey.
The reason for this high ranking has been attributed to DU's research and publications. DU also ranks high in MA students. Currently there are about 600 students pursuing their Masters. India is not ranked too high in technology but ideas of democracy and freedom fall under humanities that have in turn pushed up the ranking. The department is a part of the University Grants Commission's Special Assistance Programme.

                                                                                (Based on Timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

India becomes the fastest-growing market for diamonds.

Photo@exportindia.com

With the price of gold escalating to sky high limits, Indians are now looking at diamonds with renewed interest. So far, Indians have been the biggest investors in gold while the Chinese dominated the diamond market.
Now the scales have tipped. This year, according to the World Gold Council, China overtook India in gold demand and India has risen to become the most enthusiastic market for diamonds. Forevermark, a subsidiary of the De Beers group says that India is now a priority for them. Their main competitor in the local market is Tanishq who is sweeping the youth market by their modern designs.
Lavish Indian weddings that invested more in gold are now diamond-centric. The biggest reason for this is that the value of gold is at an all time high in India, further bringing down demand by the devalued Indian rupee. Meanwhile, diamonds have become cheaper by almost 18% per carat. Prices of diamonds vary according to cuts and carats but unlike gold, prices are not official rates that change from day to day. Deals are based on personal transactions.
If prices of gold ride higher, traders worry that the yellow metal may well become a thing of the past in Indian weddings.
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                        (Article From  Cnbc.com  )     

Swami advices Oprah Winfrey to eat with her hands

Photo@koimoi.com

n a recent talk show with Oprah Winfrey, Swami Nithyananda, was asked why Indians eat with their hands.
To this, the self styled Guru quipped back “Just like the West has benefited by accepting Yoga from India, they should also begin eating with hands. It’s one of the healthiest practices of time-tested civilizations.” He went on to explain that Indian sages went and settled in Africa to help them create their civilization which is why local Africans eat with their hands too. He invited the talk show host to return to her roots and eat with her hands to rediscover the joys of natural eating.
Oprah has drawn a lot of flak in India for her lack of awareness. In a recent visit for a documentary film on India, she asked the family who invited her for a lavish meal whether people in India “still ate with hands”. The remark ignited much criticism in the country where eating with the right hand is the custom. A TV show host tweeted that someone as inspirational as Oprah just did not get the pulse of India. Others said it reflected the clichés the west had of eastern cultures. In a statement to MailOnline, Harpo studios said that they enjoyed the country and culture and were touched by the people who shared their stories.
                                                                                                                   (Based on Adgully.com)
                                                                                                                       

Wishing All of You a HAPPY DIWALI

Diwali (also spelled Devali in certain regions) or Deepavali, popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a five day festival which starts on Dhanteras,


The name "Diwali" or "Divali" is a contraction of "Deepavali" (Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāvalī), which translates into "row of lamps".Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (dīpa in Sanskrit: दीप) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil.^[5] These lamps are kept on during the night and one's house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome. Firecrackers are burst because it is believed that it drives away evil spirits. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends
 Diwali marks the end of the harvest season in most of India. Farmers give thanks for the bounty of the year gone by, and pray for a good harvest for the year to come. Traditionally this marked the closing of accounts for businesses dependent on the agrarian cycle, and is the last major celebration before winter. Lakshmi symbolizes wealth and prosperity, and her blessings are invoked for a good year ahead.