Archive for September, 2006
Wind Energy in India
During a recent visit to India, over dinner with a friend, I got confirmation that India was now among the top five countries in terms of wind power generating capacity. Renewable energy and climate change have been interesting theoretical topics for me, but they are also a huge business opportunity. The fifth largest manufacturer of [...]
India on the Global Competitiveness Report
The World Economic Forum has released its 2006-07 rankings for global competitiveness. The rankings are based on weighted scores in 9 areas: Institutions, Infrastructure, Macroeconomy, Health & Primary Education, Higher Education, Market Efficiency, Technological Readiness, Business Sophistication, and Innovation.
The big surprise seems to be that the United States has moved from number 1 to 6. [...]
Law and Justice in India
This past Wednesday, Mr. S. Jaipal Reddy, the Cabinet Minister of Urban Development in responding to the Supreme Court’s (SC) order on sealing illegal commercial establishments in Delhi said:
Making laws is the prerogative of the government, not the courts…If required, we will amend the Constitution.
Mr. Reddy is, of course, right. Any school student can explain [...]
India’s Architecture Catches Up
My friend Gaurav pointed me to a story in BusinessWeek on India’s Modern Architectural Wonders. Good reading for a proud country.
Now if only the general quality of building design came up to these levels. And if we could get Delhi’s traders to stop violating building laws and the government to plan urban living. And give [...]
Questioning Islam
Muslims the world over seem to have a short fuse. If it isn’t cartoons or Vande Mataram, the Pope offends them.
While each of these cases are very different in origin, the outcome has been similar. The Danish newspaper retracted the cartoons and issued an apology. Even European governments lined up to apologize. In India, the [...]
The Indian Pharma Industry - Where to Next?
Alex pointed me to a recent working paper on the Indian pharma industry: The Sectoral System of Innovation of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry by the CDS. Since the Indian patent laws were revised to become TRIPS complaint in 2005, there has been much speculation on how the industry would progress. This paper has some important clues.
India - Aid Recipient or Donor?
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), India was its 15th largest donor in 2006, donating $52 million, much of it for Iraq and Afghanistan.
First came the criticism that India should not be spending money to feed others, when its own citizens are starving or malnourished. Then came the counter-arguments explaining why malnourishment would not [...]
India’s Higher Education Policy - New Rules
The Hindustan Times is carrying a print article today (14 Sept, 2006) on plans to invigorate the higher education system.
Centre plans new ‘ground rules’ for higher education
The Union commerce ministry wants to change the ground rules in the higher education sector through a liberal “playing field†for the private sector, including foreign education providers (FEPs).
In [...]
