Solar home systems for rural Bangladesh

Rahimafrooz Batteries has played a leading role in the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Project (REREDP) - a large scale programme to provide solar home systems to rural households in Bangladesh.

From Bangladesh to Spalding

The story of Monuhor Ali who escaped unrest to open an Indian restaurant.

Tata's African Safari

Seen on: YouTube

Tata is planning significant investments across sectors in Africa with $768 million earmarked for new projects in Auto, Hospitality, Hotels, and IT sectors.

ICICI-Bank arrives in USA

ICICI-Bank, India’s largest private sector bank, has opened its first branch in New York. Under the licence granted by regulators in the country, it will initially provide services to corporate customers, but aims to go into retail banking.

Via Calcutta-Telegraph

Image Day - Gates of India

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates gestures as he speaks to the media following his visit to the Humayun's Tomb, in New Delhi, India.

India's quest to modernize its military against a backdrop of China's defense growth and an ongoing regional terrorism threat are the focus of current talks.

> AP Images

The $45bn Indian Pie

The US secretary of defence, Robert Gates, arrives in the Indian capital, New Delhi, next week to promote a $10bn jet fighter contract, underlining the country's emergence as one of the world's biggest military markets.


To update its Soviet-era arsenal India says it will need to spend $45bn in the next five years, and it has been courted by western states that are barred by arms embargoes from selling to China, the other expanding Asian military power.

K Subramanyam, a defence analyst, said: "With the Americans you purchase not just weapons but a security relationship." However the rising defence budget, which dwarves spending on education and health, has met mounting criticism.

Praful Bidwai, a prominent columnist, said defence accounted for almost 19% of government spending. "We spend 1% on health and education is 5% -6%."

"[India is] a poor country and we are spending like crazy on guns. A government report last year found that 77% of Indians live on less than 20 rupees per day."

Via Guardian-Unlimited

Mobile-Communication boosts Bangladesh

Bangladesh has ended 2007 with 34.37 million mobile phone subscribers, up from 33.10 million in November last year, according to the latest update BTRC.

Grameenphone had 16.48 million customers, up from 16.01, while bangalink ended the year with 7.08 million customers, up from 6.51 million in Dec-2007.

Aktel has been losing customers during the year and ended December with 6.40 million subscribers while CityCell increased its subscriber base to 1.41 million.

Teletalk-Bangladesh had 850,000 subscribers, up from 720,000 a month earlier, and Warid Telecom ended 2007 with 2.15 million customers.

Via NFB-Blog

Image Day - The BSE-Plunge

People watch a giant screen showing the Bombay Stock Exchange index on BSE building in Mumbai, India, Monday, Jan 21, 2008. Indian shares plunged amid a regional sell-off sparked by worries that the U.S. economy may enter a recession.

> AP-Image

Brown in India

Britain and India should step up cooperation in the fight against terrorism and work together to isolate militants, prime-minister Gordon-Brown said on Sunday.

Brown, on his first visit to India as prime minister, said he would like to see India join an international body that fights money laundering and terrorist financing, the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force.

"What I would like to see is greater contact between our two countries in winning the battle of hearts and minds, isolating extremist ideologies who try to poison young people," Brown told a news conference.

Aid-Pledge
Brown arrived bearing promises of hundreds of millions of dollars of development aid to combat poverty in India, where 400 million people live on less than $1 a day despite the country's rapid economic-growth.

Britain said that over the next three years it will give India £825 million in development aid, with more than half spent on health and education.

Via Box-UK

Innovation Takes-Flight in India

India's National Association of Software and Service Companies has launched a $25 million innovation-fund in collaboration with ICICI Knowledge Park.

The Knowledge Park Innovation Fund (NIIF) is expected to be operational within the next three months and attract a first-round of investments from 8-10 institutional investors.

Investors include India’s largest services company, Tata Consultancy Services, and the country’s leading private telecom operator, Bharti-Airtel.

Via Red-Herring

Image Day - Tata Nano

Visitors look on at the Tata-Nano at the 9th Auto-Expo in New Delhi, Jan 11, 2008. India's Tata Motors has unveiled its much anticipated US$2,500 car, an ultra-cheap price tag that brings car ownership into the reach millions of people.

> AP Images

Tata Nano: World’s Cheapest Car

Tata Motors today took the covers off the world’s cheapest car — Nano.

Speaking at the unveiling at the 9th Auto-Expo in New Delhi, Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group, said, "I observed families riding on two-wheelers – the father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a little baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a family."

The base price for the Nano will be 120,000 rupees, including road tax and delivery. Higher level models will cost more and come with air-conditioning.

Via NYT

Image Day - Maruti Concept

An Indian model poses with the Maruti-Suzuki concept car at the ninth Auto-Expo in New Delhi, 09 January 2008.

India's giant Tata-Group was set to unveil the world's cheapest car that analysts say could revolutionise automobile prices worldwide.

Ford selects Tata

Ford has selected Tata as the preferred-bidder for Jaguar and Land-Rover, putting India's largest truckmaker in a position to take over the two British iconic-brands.

Buying Jaguar and Land Rover, which date back to Britain's colonial era, would give Mumbai-based Tata a presence outside Asia.

Tata's bid reflects a "new-guard" in automaking, said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

India ready to open

Addressing a gathering of parliamentarians from eight Saarc countries in India, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee underlined the need for the revival of intra-region connectivity to enable South Asia to emerge as a economic power house.

Referring to South Asia Free Trade Area and Saarc Development Fund, he said these can create opportunities for exploiting synergies based on comparative advantages, intra-regional trade and cross-border infrastructure projects.

News via Financial Express