According to a World Bank report titled Dealing with Construction Permits, India is languishing at the 183rd position in this parameter, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Afghanistan (185). But, finally, the government has attacked this in right earnest. March has been a watershed month of sorts in the history of construction in India. The […]
The ´leap´ of the year turned out to be more of a ´hop, skip and jump´. Cautiousness prevailed as FM Arun Jaitley reined in the fiscal deficit to 3.5 per cent of GDP and stood his ground. The month began with the ´Make in India´ extravaganza which helped the state administration revisit the MOUs signed […]
While the global outlook is disconcerting, it has brought in good tidings in the form of nearly $60 billion of savings owing to sub $30 oil prices. However, our stock markets indicate that the near-term outlook for India is yet to see a revival. The Sensex is at the same level as when our current […]
As the smog settles, we will be able to see beyond the smokescreen. And the picture does not look too different yet, despite major efforts in keeping our spirits soaring by our PM who is on overdrive in screening favourable optics, one after another. Once the winter chill wanes, financial thrills may take over because […]
When, a couple of years ago, CW raised the question of whether India could be considered a construction equipment hub, many scoffed at the idea as our delivery on manufacturing was not considered competitive. Over the years, the logic morphed from addressing the needs of neighbouring countries to developing models specific to the needs of […]
The ¨ease of doing business¨ rankings released by the World Bank have indicated a minuscule improvement for India to a rank of 130 owing primarily to better points in ¨starting a business¨ and ¨getting an electricity connection¨. However, there has been no change in our abysmal ranking as far as ¨obtaining construction permits¨, ¨enforcing contracts¨ […]
We are not out of the woods yet. Eight core sectors – coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity – slowed to 1.1 per cent in July after a growth of 3 per cent in June, mainly on account of low expansion in coal output and contraction in steel, crude […]
The global gloom turned into panic as the Chinese stock markets tumbled 8.5 per cent on August 24, paving way for speculation that China has lost its stem and is heading for a major slowdown. Its manufacturing index is at a 77-month low and its auto, cement and steel industry growth has turned negative. The […]
The manufacturing indices, which appeared to be positive till last month, turned negative, killing all joy espoused by optimists. Loans continued to pile up. The RBI maintained its stance. And interest rates didn´t ease off enough to make an impact in a debt-burdened commercial sector. The government is still struggling to get its Land Bill […]
June 25 will be remembered as a red-letter day in the history of urban India as three mission programmes with a huge spend were launched, all backed by India’s dynamic Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Smart Cities, AMRUT and ‘Housing for All’. The depth of these programmes can be gauged from the detailing in the guidelines […]