Mumbai Metro foundation laid by PM

The 50-year-old dream of T. S. Rao, former Chief Engineer of the erstwhile Bombay Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking — of constructing an underground railway in Mumbai — was fulfilled when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched the Mumbai Metro Rail Project on Wednesday.

Read the full article in Rediff and Hindu 

GVK ties up Rs 4,000 crore

Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), the joint venture company promoted by the GVK group, has tied up with the IDBI Bank-led consortium of banks to raise Rs. 4,000 crore for implementing the Rs 7,000 crore modernisation project over 20 years.

Since the yield on the three-year gilt is over 7 per cent now, the cost of loan works out to at least 9.20 per cent. The facility will have a 17-year maturity with a seven year moratorium.

MIAL plans to invest up to Rs 5,800 crore in seven years and the remaining Rs 1,200 crore will be invested in the next 13 years,? GVK executives told Business Standard. MIAL shares 38.70 per cent revenue with the AAI.

Read the Full Article in:
Business Standard
My Iris

Metro rail to take off in Dec

The phase-I of Hyderabad Metro Rail project is all set to take off in December with the meeting between officials and investors held on Friday finalising the estimated cost and dates for grounding the project. The meeting also saw the total estimated cost of the project being increased to Rs 7,986 crores compared to Rs 6,300-odd crores estimated when the proposal was mooted.

Read the full article here in DC

Times of India too 

Human Development Report – 2005

A report entitled Human Development Report 2005 International cooperation at a crossroads: Aid, trade and security in an unequal world

Articles on Higher Education

Majority favour reservation but most of them want income as criterion, not purely caste -THE INDIAN EXPRESS – CNN-IBN POLL CONDUCTED BY AC NIELSEN

Push to encourage Study abroad – Australian HE News, June 13, 2006

SAP in Health & Family Sector in India

There's a report on health sector entitled “Addressing Key Issues in the Light of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in Health and Family Welfare Sector in India” (With special reference to centrally-sponsored projects (CSPs) by “NATIONAL COUNCIL OF APPLIED ECONOMIC RESEARCH” March 2006. 

HEN is Released

HEN(Higher Education Newsletter) by MARCH has been released successfully. Dr.Ramakantha Bal is the Editor for this monthly Newsletter.

The Newsletter is available in MARCH website

International capital markets

International capital markets have been very active in the past year, especially in terms of movements in and out of developing countries. In this edition of Macroscan, C. P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh examine the recent pat terns and their implications.

Read the full article online entitled "What the upsurge in Global capital flows indicate?" 

Education to get SEZ thrust

After allowing special economic zones for IT, biotech and gems & jewellery, the government is now considering SEZs for educational and health services.

• A minimum 100 hectares have been proposed for such SEZs
• Fees in these universities will be taken only in foreign currency
• Universities will have to start making profits by the end of five years
• Half of the university seats will be reserved for Indian students
Read full article in Financial Express

Infrastructure on Airports & Metros

India to modernize 35 airports – The Indian cabinet approved a proposal mandating the state-run airport operator to modernize 35 airports in second-tier cities within the next two years, the civil aviation minister said on Thursday.

Estimates suggest an investment of USD$150 billion to USD$200 billion may be needed to upgrade infrastructure to the levels of leading Asian nations.

Now, Metro plans special IT zone – Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is the latest to join the SEZ bandwagon with plans to develop an information technology special economic zone (SEZ) at Shastri Park.