Economical-hubspot

Soaking in the results of the scorching growth pace the Dragon has set! When queried about why India cannot do what its northern neighbour can, he lamented the various issues which hammer (and sickle!) our growth initiatives. However, a World Bank official put things in perspective saying the problem with India was not too much democracy, but bureaucracy, adding “if authoritarian rule was the answer to economic growth, then North Korea would be manna and South Korea would be in the doldrums.” The Bank official hit the nail on the head, but only partially. One only needs to look around to see how China goes about building itself and compare it with what we do. Since telecommunications is the big story in both countries, a close look at the sector itself would provide more than just clues. Nokia, the Finnish GSM giant, is starting a new JV with China’s Putian Communications to develop technology for Chinese 3G mobile standard known as TD-SCDMA. The company, acco

 How can the prince reach the crow-master, who, after having been slashed to pieces after a deft bout of swordsmanship, has flapped out of death in the form a dozen misshapen crows and reassembled himself on a castle battlement to which there is no obvious means of traverse? As the teenager’s mind races and he strategises a route that involves multiple launching pads for superhuman leaps, his mother comes up from behind and orders him to shut down the computer. He has entertained himself enough for the day, with TV, football with his friends, and at least 100 pages of Eragon, re-read for the nth time. Time he got back to his maths. After all, he has do well in his 12th Board exams, do better in assorted entrance exams and prepare himself for a successful life. The son protests that he has already studied enough for the day. This is a routine piece of family drama acted out in most middle-class homes of urban India with much sincere passion on the part of all members

 That sports has taken over the collective consciousness is apparent in the fact that names no longer mean what they used to. Time was when Rubens was associated with the 17th century Flemish artist who painted voluptuous nudes. Today, thanks to the fortnightly telecast of Formula One motor racing, Rubens is the first name of Brazilian driver Barichello who played second fiddle on the Ferrari team until they decided they wanted someone younger. Time was when we used to hum “Michael rowed the boat ashore — Hallelujah!” Today, Michael is the first name of the driver Rubens used to play second fiddle to and who is now going all out to regain the Formula One racing championship to an extent where he was accused of deliberately stopping his car at a bend on the Monaco circuit so as to make it difficult for the reigning champ Fernando Alonso to better his qualifying time and take pole position. And so Schumacher could well be nicknamed ‘Scheming Schumi’ by the Brit tabloi

 Come what come may, penned the Bard, Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. Actually, time brings all things to pass! Everything is a matter of chronology, really. Consider, for instance, the radio frequency spectrum for mobile telephony. In particular, the issue of extra bandwidth for the next — the third—generation (3G) mobile services. With the passage of time and technological change, the notion of routinely licensing chunks of spectrum for service providers is now being vigorously questioned, the world over. Very unlike in the analogue era, today’s digital technologies do allow for new approaches to freeing up and managing spectrum. As much as 99% of even highly saturated bands may be vacant in any specific moment in time and space, innovative software can dynamically shift signals to make full use of the fleeting openings in the wireless “ether”(“white spaces”). The point is, new technologies do allow for much flexibility in spectrum usage. The hith

 upset with the way the department of telecommunications has allocated spectrum for mobile operators. In a missive to the Telecom Commission chairman, and then to the prime minister, he has ripped through the department’s move to link spectrum allocation with technology and subscriber base. Gauging the seriousness of Tata’s allegations, and the fact that it has the potential to derail their ambitions, the GSM operators too have gone into an overdrive, with their association and the individual operators all sending rejoinders to whoever cares to listen. A spectrum war has begun. As the subscriber base has grown, the operators have been unable to meet the service quality, so they claim, due to the inadequate spectrum. However, since most of the spectrum in this country is held by defence forces, it is impossible for the government to make it available to operators at one go, as is done internationally. So the government allots additional spectrum “based on a sub

 Communications minister’s ‘India One’ scheme has everyone excited. While the minister himself cannot stop gloating over the Re 1 per minute call from anywhere to anywhere in India, several others see it as no more than a political stunt. Whether the common man will really benefit from this move, it’s too early to say. But if experts and analysts alone are heard, most feel it’s a move, which, if not ill conceived, is at least not fully thought through. While BSNL may hem and haw about the loss of revenue and others may point to the fine print saying it does not really help anyone except the big users, and that too only if you are on the same network and that the hiked rental offsets any advantage that the common man may really have had, there are more pertinent issues which seem to have been disregarded. For one, as this paper pointed out in a column a while ago, the primacy of India’s telecom watchdog to set tariffs has been undermined yet again. From all ava

 Gurgaon’s glitzy MG Road, also known as India’s ‘Mall Road’ and home to scores of eateries and bars, was witness to a strange protest the other day. Panchayats of villages adjoining the stretch gathered and demanded that bars in these steel and glass structures be shut down as they were corrupting their youth. It is easy to brand this as an act of backward ‘Haryanvis’, but the fact is for all the hype over the scorching pace set by our economy, we seem blissfully ignorant of a very disturbing trend: the rapidly growing divide between India’s haves and have-nots. The tell-tale signs are there for all to see. Traditionally, a large rural family owned land on which they cultivated to earn a living. Along came a builder and bought the family’s entire holding for a price which seemed stupendous for the family. The family rejoiced and splurged on goods and conveniences they always longed for, for years, while their youth invested in cars and other gadgetry which th

 In the late ’80s, when Sam Pitroda controlled the reins of Indian telecom, there was constant talk of a new telecom policy. But once V P Singh came to power in early ’90s, Sam fell out of favour and the nation blundered along without a cogent policy. A few years down the line, the irrepressible N Vittal assumed charge of the Telecom Commission, becoming the first IAS officer to assume that role, and kept assuring all that the policy’d be out any day now, till one day, out of sheer exasperation, he told me, “I think I will just say that the new policy is coming on this day, this month, and not add the year to it”. We have come a long way since then. From a tele-density of under 1, it is now nudging 10, and mobiles have outstripped landlines in number. And sure enough, since the exciting Vittal quote, we are now readying the third policy document, whose draft has been around for a while. Like all documents, this one too is being analysed threadbare by interested

 The wheel has turned full circle. Once India’s premier telecom R&D outfit, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), has tied up with the French telecom outfit Alcatel to develop “broadband wireless access systems”. The new venture, to be a “global research and development centre” is likely be christened AlcaDoT. The whole exercise is ironical, in more ways than one. C-DoT, when it came up in the late ’80s, was conceived with the aim of taking on the MNCs, who were the sole suppliers of telephone exchanges to India then. These MNCs often milked India as there was no local substitute and they could charge what they felt like. C-DoT changed all that. As Sam Pitroda utilised his friendship with Rajiv Gandhi to ensure political patronage, and coupled that with the redoubtable telecom mind of G B Meemamsi, things began to take shape, which shook the MNCs. Alcatel, which was the main supplier of telephone exchanges to India, and had a tie-up with ITI for pr

 A recent visitor to Shanghai came back impressed with the spanking new glass and steel visage of modernity. He also noticed the extent of computerisation and how IT was being used to improve efficiencies in the day to day functioning. Being a regular visitor to the country, he also noticed that most of the IT solutions continued to be in the local language, although English was creeping up too. The attempt is not to compare the IT industries of India and China, for such a comparison is hardly flattering. Except in software exports, where we have a reputation, in the rest of the areas that comprise IT – hardware, domestic software, telecommunications infrastructure, among others, we are pygmies. I am merely trying to re-emphasise the importance of using IT to improve efficiencies on the domestic front. IT is the most efficient tool to improve efficiencies, be it governance or corporate management. A report by the Centre for Media Studies, for example, had shown th

 The Infosys chairman and I have something in common It was only the other day, while flipping through a magazine, that I realised that the founder of one of India’s most innovative corporates and I had something in common, apart from living in Bangalore. “Why can’t you learn from him?” has been the constant refrain at home ever since N R Narayana Murthy rightly became an icon after starting a company which, in the space of 25 years, has become a household name all over the world. The question of “Why can’t you learn from him?” has been reiterated with each magazine story on the simplicity of the guy who thinks nothing of picking up a broom to clean the toilet on a daily basis. I have been known to pick up a broom but that is only when there is a cockroach to be disposed of late in the night when there is no maid to do the needful. Magazine stories on how he queues up for his meals at the self-service office-canteen have evoked caustic comments on my habit of park

  The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has a former telecom hand, having been the Telecom Commission chairman earlier, He would soon realise the telecom world has undergone a change since his DoT days. More importantly, he followsl, who came minus any telecom experience, but with the blessings of the then communications minister, and left behind a considerable legacy. Of course, whether that legacy is good or bad is debatable, depending on which side of the fence you are on. And this (which side of the fence) issue is what has turned the regulator into a controversial body and controlling that would undoubtedly be the challenging part of new assignment. Speculation that his the chosen one to succeed  he had been doing the rounds for months. So much so that his appointment as the head of C-DoT-Alcatel venture, several months ago, was made precisely with this in mind. Apparently, for a person to be appointed Trai chairman, he must be holding some sort of

very good afternoon Of course a very warm welcome to all of you in this GDP I could tenth session on basics of Indian economy now I hope you are not studying very well you're over the tiredness of the exam seasons and you are ready to take on the next challenge that is Gd and PA why it's the basic concept behind these series of lectures is to give you a brief idea of what all is going around as far as Indian economy and certain political issues social issues are concerned so what you will be having are a series of six lectures and this is one all basics of Indian economy so I do hope that you have your pen and paper ready at hand I'll be scribbling down a lot of stuff giving you a lot of information beyond what is given in the presentation and the handouts that you will have so please make sure you have your pen and paper ready at hand also another thing as far as the handout of this particular presentation is concerned that those are available in your inbox article tab in

  The economic growth that a country and its people achieve over a period of time, is achieved at the cost of the environment. Environment is badly damaged because of various economic activities — industrial activities, mining activities, and infrastructure development, etc. Sustainable development is the need of the hour. It has the potential to address the challenges of the environment and also of the economy. All biotic and abiotic factors collectively constitute environment. All living organisms, such as animals, human beings, plants, birds, insects, and all other single cell and multi-cell organisms are biotic elements. All other non-living things, such as air, water, land, etc. are abiotic elements. Significance of Environment Environment plays a significant role in every aspect of life. The contributions of the environment are varied: It provides resources (both renewable and non-renewable resources). It has the capacity to assimilate wastes. It provides diversity,

  Macroeconomics is a broader concept; it talks about the whole economics of the country. For example − Growth of GDP Total production of cereals in India Total export in 2014 Unemployment Inflation etc In the economy of a country, the output level of all the goods and services in the company have a tendency to move together. For example, if output of food grain is experiencing a growth, it is generally accompanied by a rise in the output level of industrial goods. The prices of different goods and services generally have a tendency to rise or fall simultaneously. We can also observe that the employment level in different production units also goes up or down together. Macroeconomics simplifies the analysis of how the country’s total production and level of employment are related to attributes (called ‘variables’) such as prices, rate of interest, wage rates, profits and so on. When these attributes start changing fast, like when prices are going up (in what is called an i

  Needs are the basic items required for human survival. And, goods and services are produced to satisfy those basic needs. Every individual in one or the other way is engaged in the production of goods and services. As resources are limited; therefore, allocation of the resources and the distribution of the final mix of goods and services are the basic economic problems of our society. The basic economic activities of our society are production, exchange, and consumptions of goods and services. If production does not meet the demand, it leads to scarcity . These problems can be solved either by a personal discussion with the individual (whose demands need to be fulfilled) as done in the market or by a planned approach initiated by the central authority, i.e., the government at the center. Types of Economy Based on the characteristics, an economy is divided into two types. They are − Centrally planned economy Market economy In a centrally planned economy , the government o