India to be a science and technology powerhouse

India may be the next powerhouse in science and technology, in the not too distant future, about 10 years from now. Science and technology will regain its ancient glory in the country, which invented the concept of zero, according to a study conducted by brokerage CLSA. The first visible sign of India regaining its past glory is the over 100 R&D facilities already set up by the multi-national companies operating in India.

This in fact is symptomatic of a reversal of the “brain drain” syndrome, to a situation in which the best brains want to remain or return to India. In this situation India gains the brains rather than losing them to countries with better facilities to offer. This is because the opportunities, which lured these talents abroad, are now available in India, in both the public and private sector.

We have now over 200 national laboratories, while the manufacturing sector boasts of another 1,300 R&D units. By ’15, India will have about 20m students enrolled in higher learning, with 1.4m engineering students, 60,000 doctors and 50,000 PhDs. At present, India has over 250 universities, 1,500 research institutions and 10,000 higher education institutes with an annual intake of 10m students. At present, more than 5m graduates enter the workforce every year.

in ’03 alone, nine technology start-ups have filed for patents. There are also other reasons that boost the level of optimism further.

A good number of listed companies have attained a level from which they could liberally fund their R&D wings. The R&D spend of BSE 500 companies have risen 600% over the last 10 years, the report points out.

BBC begins study on `global Indians'

BBC World has recently commenced the new `Global Indian' research to understand the internationally minded Indians who take an active interest in the happenings around the world.
The first phase of the study that looks at understanding international news viewers has revealed that people take interest in the wider world for professional, social and intellectual reasons.

The first phase has indicated that Indians look for international information to widen their horizons - keep abreast of the latest happenings, for work-related developments as well as for personal reasons. They feel that this helps in decision-making and keeps one prepared for the changing scenario.
The second phase is to quantify the population of Global Indians and also try to understand their media and consumption patterns. The third phase will profile the international business traveller - an unexplored affluent sub-group.

‘Brand India’ on a high: Survey
According to The Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index 'Brand India' is rising faster than 'Brand China' on a global sliding scale of consumer preferences and perceptions and India's cultural heritage and high-tech skills give it an increasingly strong international appeal, according to a study of 25 countries' brand reputations.

According to the survey, while China may be the workshop of the world, 'Made in India' remains a more pleasing label than Chinese-branded products.

India scored a healthy seven for its overall cultural appeal and five for its cultural heritage. Consumers picked "films" as the cultural activity or product they would most expect to see produced in India. Indian people were described as "hard-working", ranking 18th, while tourism overall was ranked 19 with India seen as a "fascinating and exciting" destination. In the investment/immigration grade, India came in at 21. And most consumers said they had a mental picture of India's current economic and social condition as "developing".
The world's favourite brand of nation - perhaps because of its beer, beaches, beautiful sunsets and broad vowels - is Australia. Canada is ranked No 2, despite its acres of frozen, unpopulated land; Switzerland is No 3; the UK comes fourth and Sweden is fifth.

Indian retail market's size growing: Kamal Nath

The size of Indian retail market has been estimated at US$170 billion in 2002 as per a study commissioned by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Rajya Sabha was informed.
The study was conducted by Indian Council for Research on International Relations (ICRIER), Commerce and Industry Ministry Kamal Nath said in a written reply.
On an average the sector has grown by seven per cent per annum during 1999 to 2002, he said adding the retail sector in India is predominantly unorganised.
The contribution of Indian retail sector to the total employment has been 7 per cent as compared to 6 per cent, 11.7 per cent and 11 per cent in case of China, the US and the UK respectively.