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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Indigenious Trendsetters report- INgene co created
Sunday, May 1, 2011
''Rural households paid over Rs 470cr bribe for basic services''
Ranging from Re one to Rs 950, rural households in the country could have paid a whopping Rs 471.8 crore last year as bribe to avail basic facilities such as ration, health, education and water supply, says a study.
The ''India Corruption Study: 2010'' report prepared by Centre for Media Studies (CMS), a survey of 9,960 households in 12 states, says on an average a rural household could have paid Rs 164 as bribe for availing these facilities in a year.
The study said the total amount of Rs 471.8 crore is "equal or less" than the total expenditure made under MNREGA during 2010-11 in states like Assam, Gujarat, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.
"The estimation of bribe amount paid by the rural households brings out an amount of Rs 471.8 crore...The percentage of rural households that paid bribe during the last year was relatively higher in PDS (11.5
per cent), followed by hospitals (9), schools (5.8), water (4.3)," the study said.
It claimed that the socio-economically weaker sections were most affected by corrupt practices in public services.
More than 40 per cent of rural households belonging to OBC and SCs felt that the level of corruption has increased in public services during the last one year while 28 per cent each opined that the level of corruption has remained the same, it said.
An analysis by income level indicated that three out of four rural households which had to pay bribe in any of the public services have monthly household income of Rs 5,000 or less, indicating the high dependence of the economically poor households on these public services.
"As reported by rural households, they had to pay even Rs one-two to get a family member examined as an out-patient, mostly to get the registration or OPD card and as high as Rs 900 to avail diagnostic services such as X-ray, blood or urine tests at a public health facility," the study said.
A rural household had to pay Rs five as bribe to get an application form for ration card while they had to pay as high as Rs 800 for getting a BPL card without documents, it said, adding, for getting admission form, rural households had to shell out Rs ten as bribe while some paid Rs 700-800 to get scholarship or admission in schools.
"For proper water supply, the bribe paid by households for various services ranged between Rs 15 and Rs 950. The wide gap between minimum and maximum amount paid as bribe for the same purpose indicate that even submission of a request requires paying bribe apart from paying bribe to get water at the right time to irrigate the agricultural field," it said.
The study said Rs 156.8 crore might have been given as bribe in PDS while for water supply services, rural households could have paid Rs 83.3 crore. Another Rs 130 crore have been paid to avail hospital services.
Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/rural-households-paid-over-rs-470cr-bribe-basic-100100121.html
Monday, April 25, 2011
State of the Nation- survey among youth of India (by Yuva-MaRs)
This survey was published in the March 2011 issue of Yuva magazine just prior to the out break of Anti corruption revolution among youth in India.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Cyber cafes (the internet surfing centres, once the hub of youth to be online) are fading off
The cyber cafes (once the only option for mass young India to be online) is not going great now a days due to the fast-spread of personal internet connections in India.
During 2000, a study found that The average time spent on surfing [at cafes, as there's no other options] was 1.2 hours, with Delhiites logging the highest of 1.7 hours and Bangalore clicking the lowest time of 0.8 hours.The majority of frequenters to these Internet access spots were college students in the age group of 19-25 (49.1 per cent), followed by executives and businessmen in the 26-35 age bracket (32.1 per cent). The survey found that most popular activity was sending e-mail and participating in chats. A majority of them also come from affluent backgrounds.On the spending trends of cyber cafe users, the study found that video games, video cassettes and recorded music were more favoured in comparison to buying of newspapers and magazines or watching television. They spend one-third of their total infotainment budget on cyber cafes. Another interesting finding of the survey was that though 70 per cent of the cafe visitors said they were aware of Internet commerce, only a tenth of them had actually conducted transactions through the Net. The most popular items of purchase were books and CDs.
Yesterday, a news published at The Hindu indicates that with unlimited broadband connection available at less than Rs.1, 000 at home, few come in cafes (other than the students who has no net connections at their rooms). A cafe owner stated “After one year, I suspect there will be hardly any of us around, especially with 3G mobile services in such demand,”. With business having dropped by more than 60 per cent in the last few years, there is hardly any profit made now after the rental and maintenance charge, he says. "Regular scrutiny by the police which ensures cabins are not closed and the demand for details from customers irritate those who seek privacy," said a cafe owner. “We had more than 150 browsing centres in this area alone till last year. While many have shut down, the intense competition has forced most of us to offer unreasonably low tariffs of less than Rs.10 an hour,” says Kannan, who runs the fourteen-year old Galaxy Net in Triplicane. He says he makes barely Rs.8,000 (US$178) a month, which according to him hardly covers the depreciation cost of computers now. He no longer hires assistants like he used to five years ago when the business was at its peak.
Some cyber cafes still make about Rs.15,000 a month, but only by staying open for 14 hours every day. For the ones in areas where power cuts occur frequently, life is all the more difficult. Some also admit that quite often they resort to dubious means in order to survive, ranging from downloading new movie releases to allowing users to surf objectionable content!
Holding online study centres and examinations, arranging video conferencing between companies and even matrimonial alliance management for families are things we do to keep business on track, says A. Subburaman, who runs a cyber café in T. Nagar.
Since most cyber crime activities originate from cyber cafes, we are extremely strict about recording the identity of the user so that it can be tracked down,” says Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, CCB, M.Sudhakar. Regular checks by instructors also help in deciding which cyber cafes licenses are not to be renewed, he adds.
And then there are the lucky ones like Satheesh Babu, who started Genius Planet, a cyber café in 2002, only to shut it down in 2008. He says, “The regular walk-ins had stopped coming by 2007, and the customers were restricted to medical representatives, and some emergency browsers. I did face a loss of Rs.5 lakh, but that was the time to take the cue.”
Read more at : http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article1718950.ece
http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/businessline/2000/05/26/stories/152639z4.htm
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-info-tech/article993106.ece?ref=archive
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Kaustav is the member of YRP (Youth Research partners http://youthresearchpartners.com). The collaborative youth insight presentation is released at YRP slideshare channel:
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Nokia has lost the "cool" among the youth in India
Nokia is loosing grip over the mobile market in India (for last 2 years) and has already gone off from being either cool or staple among youth.
here's some facts as per Mobilepundit:
here's some facts as per Mobilepundit:
- Nokia’s market share reduced from about 64% in 2008-09 to nearly 52% in 2009-10
- Samsung gained from 10% to above 17%
- In the past 3 years, Micromax, Spice and Karbonn have emerged from nowhere to become number 3, 4 and 5 respectively
- Nokia India, which is second biggest market for the company after China, contributed Rs 18,000 crore to the company’s worldwide sales in 2009
- The Indian mobile handset market has grown by 30.17 % from 116 million handsets in 2008, to 151 million handsets in 2009, as per Analysys Mason data
- As per a CyberMedia Research report, the Indian mobile handset market will grow 25% by volume in 2011 to 210 million units with smartphones contributing sales of nearly 12 million units in 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Rapid growth in India, China aids fight against poverty
Thanks to rapid growth in India and China, two-thirds of developing countries are on track or close to meeting key targets for tackling extreme poverty and hunger, the World Bank and IMF said today. On the whole, the fight against poverty is progressing well, said the Global Monitoring Report 2011 noting based on current economic projections, the world remains on track to reduce by half the number of people living in extreme poverty. "On current trends, and despite the recent global economic crisis, developing countries are on track to reach the global target of cutting income poverty in half by 2015, thanks in large part to rapid growth in China and India," it said.
The number of people living on less than $1.25 a day is projected to be 883 million in 2015, compared with 1.4 billion in 2005 and 1.8 billion in 1990. "Much of this progress reflects rapid growth in China and India, while many African countries are lagging behind: 17 countries are far from halving extreme poverty, even as the aggregate goals will be reached," the report said. India is also on track to meet the MDGs, but the scheduled tribes are largely off track, it said. "Although educational enrolment rates are fairly high for all groups, scheduled tribes suffer from high under-five mortality, poor access to water and sanitation, nutrition deprivation, and low levels of adult literacy." The report said India's strong growth-focused since the 1980s on moving from a state-controlled, inward-looking economy to an outward-oriented, market-led economy-has not been damped by its poorly performing targeted programmes. Wars have led to shifts in priorities among international donors, it said noting "China and India, with some other developing countries, have emerged as economic powerhouses." Trade bounced back in all developing regions, driven by a vibrant rebound in emerging economies. By 2010, all developing regions recovered to their pre-crisis export volumes, with East Asia and the Pacific and South Asia, especially China and India, leading this recovery. "Good macroeconomic policies remain crucial to progress toward the MDGs," said Hugh Bredenkamp, deputy director of the IMF's Strategy, Policy, and Review Department. "The challenge in low income countries is to sustain and accelerate growth through better policies that will create jobs and greater opportunities for the private sector. "Advanced economies need to do their part to secure the global recovery, by repairing and reforming their financial systems and tackling their fiscal imbalances," he said. (IANS)
Source: http://headlinesindia.mapsofindia.com/india-and-world/china/rapid-growth-in-india-china-aids-fight-against-poverty-80438.html
The number of people living on less than $1.25 a day is projected to be 883 million in 2015, compared with 1.4 billion in 2005 and 1.8 billion in 1990. "Much of this progress reflects rapid growth in China and India, while many African countries are lagging behind: 17 countries are far from halving extreme poverty, even as the aggregate goals will be reached," the report said. India is also on track to meet the MDGs, but the scheduled tribes are largely off track, it said. "Although educational enrolment rates are fairly high for all groups, scheduled tribes suffer from high under-five mortality, poor access to water and sanitation, nutrition deprivation, and low levels of adult literacy." The report said India's strong growth-focused since the 1980s on moving from a state-controlled, inward-looking economy to an outward-oriented, market-led economy-has not been damped by its poorly performing targeted programmes. Wars have led to shifts in priorities among international donors, it said noting "China and India, with some other developing countries, have emerged as economic powerhouses." Trade bounced back in all developing regions, driven by a vibrant rebound in emerging economies. By 2010, all developing regions recovered to their pre-crisis export volumes, with East Asia and the Pacific and South Asia, especially China and India, leading this recovery. "Good macroeconomic policies remain crucial to progress toward the MDGs," said Hugh Bredenkamp, deputy director of the IMF's Strategy, Policy, and Review Department. "The challenge in low income countries is to sustain and accelerate growth through better policies that will create jobs and greater opportunities for the private sector. "Advanced economies need to do their part to secure the global recovery, by repairing and reforming their financial systems and tackling their fiscal imbalances," he said. (IANS)
Source: http://headlinesindia.mapsofindia.com/india-and-world/china/rapid-growth-in-india-china-aids-fight-against-poverty-80438.html
Friday, April 15, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Anti corruption and "Hazare" are now the "element of cool"!
There's 24 badges in www.picbadges.com commercially promoting "hazare" as a brand!
The Tee shirts are also sold with "hazare" quote as an element of "cool".
Source: http://www.tshirts.in/xtees/mens-tshirt_mt00574/mera-neta-chor-hai-support-anna-hazare-fight-againt-corrpution-tshirt.htm
The Tee shirts are also sold with "hazare" quote as an element of "cool".
Source: http://www.tshirts.in/xtees/mens-tshirt_mt00574/mera-neta-chor-hai-support-anna-hazare-fight-againt-corrpution-tshirt.htm
Sunday, April 10, 2011
the serious anti-corruption movement is showing a tendency to become "COOL"!
The anti corruption movement (among the youth in India) which we have reported in our earlier post is showing a tendency to become "cool" and "fashionable". The online games are appearing as well as tee shirts and caps.
These can make the movement more "funky" and in process will dilute the seriousness to generate another "fake-o-consciousness".
Source: http://ypm.ibibo.com/
Friday, April 8, 2011
India: A global power in the making
India's shining all over again and it's not just the cricket team that's making waves across the globe. The G-20 has predicted that India will be one of the 10 largest members in the IMF and its rank in the IMF will improve to eighth position from the current 11th in terms of quota.
Leaders from across the globe are all set to meet in the US later this year for the prestigious Wharton India Economic Forum meeting to discuss how India continues to position itself to compete and succeed in the rapidly changing global environment. The theme for this year's conference is ''India: Gaining Momentum''. With an economy that's growing over 8%, that's hardly surprising.
The country is an emerging global power. R Seetharaman, the Chief Executive Officer of Doha Bank in Qatar, says "India will become one of the most sustainable economies in the future and by 2030, Asia's economy -- mainly encompassing India and China -- will be larger than that of the US and European Union combined." Seetharaman said the world has seen India and China emerging as the main contributors to the recovery of the global economy from a crisis situation.
Another point to note here is that the Sensex crossed the much awaited 20000 mark. The Indian indices defied all global markets and held its fort through the disaster in Japan and the Libya crisis. Exports too have been advancing greatly.
So what is contributing to India's stupendous growth story?
• Youth population
• An Educated society
• High domestic Consumption
• Investments
• Grass roots entrepreneurship
India's Gen Y is its best asset and will be the biggest contributor to India's growth. In the next two decades, it will add over 200 million people to its working age - between 18 to 60 years - population. Much more than any other country in the world.
For India, more working people means more income. More income means a more prosperous nation. For a country that will become a middle income nation - per capita annual wages of $1,200, translating into Rs 4,500 a month - by the end of 2010/11 after more than a century of penury, its young population presents a never-before opportunity for transition.
Now if only we elect the right leaders, there's no stopping India from being the next super power.
Source:http://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/India-A-global-power-making-yahoofinancein-945208064.html
Leaders from across the globe are all set to meet in the US later this year for the prestigious Wharton India Economic Forum meeting to discuss how India continues to position itself to compete and succeed in the rapidly changing global environment. The theme for this year's conference is ''India: Gaining Momentum''. With an economy that's growing over 8%, that's hardly surprising.
The country is an emerging global power. R Seetharaman, the Chief Executive Officer of Doha Bank in Qatar, says "India will become one of the most sustainable economies in the future and by 2030, Asia's economy -- mainly encompassing India and China -- will be larger than that of the US and European Union combined." Seetharaman said the world has seen India and China emerging as the main contributors to the recovery of the global economy from a crisis situation.
Another point to note here is that the Sensex crossed the much awaited 20000 mark. The Indian indices defied all global markets and held its fort through the disaster in Japan and the Libya crisis. Exports too have been advancing greatly.
So what is contributing to India's stupendous growth story?
• Youth population
• An Educated society
• High domestic Consumption
• Investments
• Grass roots entrepreneurship
India's Gen Y is its best asset and will be the biggest contributor to India's growth. In the next two decades, it will add over 200 million people to its working age - between 18 to 60 years - population. Much more than any other country in the world.
For India, more working people means more income. More income means a more prosperous nation. For a country that will become a middle income nation - per capita annual wages of $1,200, translating into Rs 4,500 a month - by the end of 2010/11 after more than a century of penury, its young population presents a never-before opportunity for transition.
Now if only we elect the right leaders, there's no stopping India from being the next super power.
Source:http://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/India-A-global-power-making-yahoofinancein-945208064.html
Anti corruption movement and the youth in India
During 2008, INgene reported the growing anger and irritation among youth in India against corruption (http://ingene.blogspot.com/2008/08/indian-youth-lifestyle.html) and now the obvious out break is visible through Anna Hazare’s movement against corruption. Earlier, I have also mentioned how internet is giving power to people to be aware of corruption and put their voices against corruption ( http://ingene.blogspot.com/2010/11/internet-is-giving-power-to-people-in.html).
The awareness is spreading faster throughout the country among younger generation of India and growing anger is clustering into protests even in Sec II cities (http://therealtimer.com/Nagpur-comes-out-in-support-of-Hazare). This is the time for a-political revolution against corrupted individuals in politics, Govt. officials, and social classes and this is the first time in India, the politicians were politely denied the right to join in with Hazare on stage so that nobody can gain any political advantage from it (http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/no-politicians-on-stage-anna/195861?from=NDTV) . "We've decided that politicians can't come upon the stage. If they want to come and listen, like the public, they can sit in the audience, not with me or on the stage. We've decided that no politician will be allowed to manipulate our movement," said Anna Hazare, who is on fast-unto-death demanding a strong anti-corruption law.
A new tactic of movement against corruption, which Anna Hazare coined as “Swaraj and Shivaji” (non violent yet aggressive) way is spreading through social networks (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=166826046705957) , micro blogging sites(http://www.convoflow.com/search.php?searchfield=Anna%20Hazare), bulk mails, sms texts which are considered as more reliable and “non corrupted” media to spread the awareness other electronic and printed media. It’s reported that more than 40,700 netizens have already joined the Facebook page of the movement 'India Against Corruption' (http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/apr/070411-Hazare-agitation-gathers-steam-online.htm). Even, the support is pouring from the Indian students in Oxford (report added below).
The youth are promoting this movement in their own way via youtube, like this video:
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSSSwZ4BXQ8
the anti corruption movement started spreading through youtube with videos and musics like this:
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQM5zHqpiVg
Even the movie stars are voicing their protests through various alternative media:
Report:Aamir Khan, Bollywood support Anna Hazare
6 Apr 2011, 1756 hrs IST, AGENCIES
Bollywood celebrities including superstar Aamir Khan have come out in the support of veteran social activist Anna Hazare, who is on a indefinite hunger strike demanding a comprehensive anti-corruption bill. The 72-year-old activist began his hunger strike yesterday demanding the government to draft a new Lokpal Bill, which will give more powers to Ombudsman to check corruption.
Aamir has reportedly written a letter to voice his support for Hazare's movement while other celebrities took to twitter to back the campaign. Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said, "I support Anna Hazare's fast for national debate on Lokpal Bill. Atleast need Parliament to come out and respond to issue. People like Anna Hazare will force a people's movement against the system. Like Gandhi did against the British."
Anupam Kher asked fans to join the campaign. "When somebody is fighting corruption, I don't judge his ways. I applaud his intentions and actions. I am with Anna Hazare. Are you?," he said. Actress Diya Mirza tweeted her support. "Finally, people are voicing strong support for a man that has, should and will be a great example to our generation. I support Anna Hazare."
Actor and social activist Rahul Bose said: "That it takes an Anna Hazare fasting unto death to effect systemic change is comment enough. corruption part of our DNA." Juhi Chawla said, "I am complete and absolute supporter of Shri Anna Hazare! All those with a conscience and a clean heart speak up.
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar: "Overwhelming momentum generates in for Anna Hazare's fight against corruption. Is India gonna be the next Egypt??" Pritish Nandy: "Proud to see common man come out in support of Anna Hazare. It took a 72-year-old man to fast unto death to wake us up." Ranvir Shorey: "Anna Hazare's crusade is a great litmus test to see if India has any grit left at all. Or have we become a country of corrupt schmoozers."
Source: http://www.timesnow.tv/articleshow/4369701.cms
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Report:
Support for Hazare grows in Mumbai, more youths join
7 Apr 2011, 2149 hrs IST, AGENCIES
The third day of veteran social activist Anna Hazare's indefinite hunger strike demanding a comprehensive anti-corruption bill, saw youngsters joining the campaign here in large numbers.
"My friends and I will go to the Income Tax office and hold a peaceful protest," Nandita, a student, told reporters at the sprawling Maidan where supporters of the noted Gandhian have been congregating since the last three days to show solidarity with him.
"The campaign is gaining momentum and more youth want to participate in the movement against corruption," she said.
A rally of youth was later organised, starting from the Maidan and making its way to the Gateway of India.
The protest is being supported by NGOs like National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM).
Meanwhile, villagers in Ralegan Siddhi, Hazare's native place in Ahmednagar district, today announced they will intensify their agitation to support the anti-corruption crusader.
"Now, around 350 villagers are on a relay fast. Tomorrow, we will hold a 'rasta roko', followed by a relay fast and morcha at the Parner tehsil office," Datta Awari, who handles Hazare's office at the village, told PTI.
Source: http://www.timesnow.tv/articleshow/4369792.cms
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report:
Indian students at Cambridge University have extended support to the anti-corruption campaign being led by Anna Hazare and called for a more transparent system of checks and balances at the highest level.
In a statement, the student group Swatantra-- Forum for the Advance of Civil Society—expressed "deep concern" over the current state of governance in India and said there was "urgent need to integrate civil society as an extension of the government in order to achieve greater transparency and accountability".
"We sympathise with Anna Hazare’s demands for a strong coalition between the government and its people. Continued inaction by the previous governments over a long period of forty two years reflects poorly on the State. Further, the existing legislation does not grant complete autonomy to agencies such as the Lokpal, resulting in a weak and ineffective regulatory mechanism," said the statement issued by its "chairpersons" Abhimanyu Gahlaut and Arun Sarkar.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article1611651.ece
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Report:
Anna Hazare leads People’s Uprising in India
After sweeping the Arab World, the wave of People’s Uprising has reached India. As the Uprising in the Arab World was against dictatorial rule and for bringing democracy, no one would have believed that such an Uprising could ever happen in India – the biggest democracy in the world.
Democracy alone is not a guarantee for good governance. Politicians in India have exploited the weakness of the democracy and indulged in large scale corruption. Public anger against corrupt politicians has been accumulating for last several decades and reached the tipping point after recent mega scams specially 2 G and CWG. What was needed was an outlet for people to vent their anger. Problem was that almost all political parties have been marred in corruption at some point of time and therefore the general public perception is that all politicians are corrupt. While the opposition parties were hoping to cash in on people’s anger against corruption, people were in no mood to support any particular political party.
Against this backdrop, when respected social activist Anna Hazare started his movement against corruption, it immediately touched a chord with the people across the entire country. Anna Hazare was a perfect flag bearer for the moment against corruption as he has never associated with any political party and at the same time has been working for people’s cause. The present generation of India may not have seen Gandhi but they have been recently primed in favour of the Gandhian Philosophy by the Munna Bhai series of bollywod films. Anna Hazare’s Gandhian way of protest by fasti-unto-death has invoked the Munna Bhai inspired fascinations of Indian masses.
The movement is growing manifolds with every passing hour since last two days. It has perplexed not only the Government but also the opposition parties. On one hand the Government has been forced to sit up and take notice while on the other hand opposition parties have been unsuccessfully trying to piggy back on the movement and convert the same into votes against the ruling coalition. Thankfully, the organizers of the movement have managed to keep the politicians at bay and have not allowed them to exploit the situation. Political leaders like Chautala and Uma Bharti were stopped by the public from sharing the dais with Anna Hazare and hopefully this would have given a clear signal to other politicians also.
The government on the other hand is confused. It doesn’t know how to handle this situation. If it was a protest organized by an opposition party, it would have been so easy to rubbish it by launching a counter offensive and by pointing out the corruption cases of the concerned political party. But how to deal with a 72 year old Gandhian who owns nothing, lives in a 10ft x 10ft room, has no family, is ready to risk his life by embarking on fast-unto-death and above all has suddenly become the darling of the masses. Government can not counter attack, they are forced to be respectful, they must give the impression of not rubbishing the protest and demands of Anna Hazare and yet thwart his attempt to form an independent Anti Corruption Authority called the LokPal. The Government is already having enough troubles with the existing independent authorities such as the CAG, the Supreme Court and the goof up with CVC appointment. In that sense, the ruling parties would probably get a tactical support of even the opposition parties as no political party would like to have an independent anti-corruption authority who could investigate against any minister (including the prime minister) or bureaucrat without having to seek permission.
Anna Hazare’s Movement against Corruption is fast galvanizing all social activists under one banner. Within two days the movement has spread to nearly 440 cities and towns. TV coverage of the moment looks more like a dream movie than being real news.
Soon after the World Cup victory, once again the people are out on the streets; once again the people are on a high but this time for an entirely different cause, for an entirely different purpose.
Source: http://virtualopinion.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/anna-hazare-leads-people%E2%80%99s-uprising-in-india/
An advertisement against corruption:
Further reading: http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles_various/To-The-Youth-710.asp
http://www.indiaenews.com/india/20091209/236744.htm
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/debateshow/7883197.cms
http://republicyouthfederationryf.blogspot.com/
Details of Jan Lokpal Bill can be read here:
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tata Nano story : the downfall saga
As per the available report : "Tata nano the wonder car from Tata motors group has not shown up impressive sales figures as the sale of the India's smallest and cheapest car saw a decline of 509 units in November when compared to last month's sales of 3,065 units.”
(Source: http://www.cardekho.com/india-car-news/tata-nano-sales-drop-in-november-2010-3205.htm). The much talked cheapest car is now facing a downfall in sales.
As I have understood with my decades experiences in socio-psychology of India, the “car” is not supposed to be the “cheapest” to sell in this country (it is not a staple need till date) neither it is perceived to be as affordable to 80% of India. Unfortunately, Mr. Tata understood it wrongly.
Car, in India, is not a “consumable FMCG product” but an “asset” and like all the assets, a car is supposed to be “valuable” and “long lasting” product which will give maximum return in long run.
Tata nano was targeted to Mass and middle class India (Bharatiyas and Indians, in my socio-psychological segmentation) as a replacement of two wheeler! Actually, for them a car is an “investment” of their “hard earned money”.
As Mr. Dheeraj Sinha, the Chief Strategy Officer, Bates 141 (writer of the book ‘Consumer India: Inside the Indian Mind and Wallet') rightly stated “One reason Tata Nano has not taken off is because it was seen as a cheap car. That's a symbol enough to say that even that mass segment of buyers is seeking a premium, in the sense that they are seeking an upgrade, and not value for money. Value has to fall into place but it is one of the drivers, not the only driver.Brands, in the rural space, need to add a bit of imagery to themselves. Those consumers are reaching out to brands that are giving them that sense of premium. We see that across the spectrum, from shampoos and deodorants to mobile handsets. Rural India is seeking a sense of moving up in life, a sense of pride.” (Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/brandline/article1543730.ece)
So, instead of pushing nano as the cheapest car made for “have not’s”, Mr. Tata should try to push nano as a car for in’glo’dians who will use it as consumable car for “daily use” (kind of use and throw).
further references: http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Tata_nano_losing_favor_November_sales_drop-nid-74890.html
recent report on nano and how Tata is trying to promote the car through extended services: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/03/report-tata-nano-sales-stage-big-rebound-in-december/
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Nuovue Riche and the luxury in discount
Nuovue Riche youth of India are buying “luxury” in discount! The rich segment is getting distinctly classified and “traditionally rich” and “new rich” and both clusters are consciously becoming distinct through lifestyle, AIO and fashion, following my theory of adopted differentiation.
Here’s a website selling discounted perfumes!
http://www.tradus.in/fashionaccessories/perfumes-personal-care
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
"brands are trying to become youthful but not for young!"
(Dheeraj Sinha, Chief Strategy Officer, Bates 141, is a passionate miner of consumer minds. One manifestation of this passion is his book ‘Consumer India: Inside the Indian Mind and Wallet', launched at Mumbai hangout Blue Frog on March 11. Billed as a practitioner's account of what the Indian consumer wants, the book is an enjoyable read, rewarding in insights and rich in perspective. In conversation with BrandLine, the author dwells on some issues addressed in the book, and what the takeaways for marketers could be. Excerpts here from The Hindu, Business Line)
Youth Brands Vs Youthful Brands
There are far more young-looking brands in India than there are brands for the youth. Given India's large young population, that's a huge disappointment.
In apparel, for example, there are no true blue youth brands. There's an opportunity for youth brands, not the ‘youthful' brands that the Levi's and Nike are becoming. We have a young population that buys apparel through multiple formats of unorganised retail, which stock clothes for people from all walks of life. There's a huge opportunity for retailers to dip into that and make an opportunity out of it.
There's an opportunity in telecom, apparel, food and restaurant retailing. Some part of it is being addressed by the Café Coffee Days and Baristas of the world. They are, in a way, evidence that catering to this segment can prove profitable. What if we had a chain of dating restaurants?
In insurance, what if we don't sell retirement plans to young India, but an ‘entrepreneurship plan'? Can we encourage youth to start saving for that?
We need to look at youth as a separate segment and not address them with brands that are ‘youthful'. Merely having a younger-looking brand ambassador and advertising does not mean you are targeting the youth. Marketers need to get that clear.
Slicing India
India is big, India is growing. Creating a product that will cater to a billion Indian customers at one go is simply not possible. At the same time, hyper-segmenting can be detrimental in a market like India.
A mid-way segmentation, with three big segments, is what I think works. In that segmentation, the partition segment provides the biggest opportunity. When we talk about India, we do not talk about that segment at all.
We say India is young and every brand wants to become youthful. State Bank of India has done a huge campaign trying to look youthful, while there is enough evidence to show that people in the age group of 45 to 65 years have saved money, in part because they felt their sons or daughters may not turn out the way they wanted them to. They have a huge amount of savings and they want to spend that money.
The net result is that second homes are becoming far more popular. LIC is building old age homes. There is huge scope for luxury in several categories such as hospitals and insurance plans that are far more padded.
In advertising today, older people are mostly used as jokers, if at all. Not all brands need to look young. In a banking relationship, I would expect warmth, trust, and expect to be taken care of. I am not expecting a yuppie, yo! looking relationship manager!
Somehow we have this obsession with youth and tend to paint every brand with the same brush stroke.
Premium Opportunity
Most talk about India centres on the bottom of the pyramid. In 2008-09, Audi had a growth rate of 68 per cent. Top-end brands in the premium segment are doing very well. If we do an overlap of premium and youth, that is again a huge segment.
There is a segment of first- and second-generation entrepreneurs with far more money to spend. There are young people getting into sexier jobs with high incomes. Not many brands have targeted this segment dedicatedly. Few exceptions do exist. I would say Max Bupa is the first premium insurance brand in the country. I would imagine there is a huge opportunity for a premium telecom brand. Hypothetically, if Kingfisher was to launch a Kingfisher First mobile service, it would have to be far more differentiated than what the average cellular service gives you.
We can pretty much take any category, carve out a premium segment and create a differentiated offering for them. Targeting the upper end would allow brands to offer services they would otherwise not be able to add. A number of additions have happened at the premium end in apparel and automobiles, but there are many other categories which haven't been tapped.
Rural Enigma
The biggest myth about rural India is that it looks for purely functional benefits — it has, for long, been looked at as part of only the bottom of the pyramid. We did extensive research in rural India. We found, for instance, Pantene sachets in rural households that did not even have a television.
One reason Tata Nano has not taken off is because it was seen as a cheap car. That's a symbol enough to say that even that segment of buyers is seeking a premium, in the sense that they are seeking an upgrade, and not value for money. Value has to fall into place but it is one of the drivers, not the only driver.
Brands, in the rural space, need to add a bit of imagery to themselves. Those consumers are reaching out to brands that are giving them that sense of premium. We see that across the spectrum, from shampoos and deodorants to mobile handsets. Rural India is seeking a sense of moving up in life, a sense of pride.
Women in rural India are saying, ‘Yes, I am married. I wanted to become a teacher but ended up as a housewife. But within the boundaries of my family life and responsibilities, can I start doing tuitions?' That's again a progressive mindset. There are women in rural India who want to start a small beauty treatment business while managing the home. What we see is that this sense of progress is even more in rural India. Unfortunately, a large segment of marketers are lagging in their understanding of rural India, and driven by stereotypes.
Why the Book?
Most titles in the deluge of books on Indian consumers suffer from the problem of painting the larger India picture — of explaining how we have come from being a British colonial state to becoming this power house. They write about it in awe, singing the ‘Slumdog Millionaire' tune.
I have tried to write about India ground up, and drill deep, getting into specific consumer segments, and map the changes that are happening in those segments. The belief is that once the point of view is available, we can reach out to them with products and services created for those untapped segments.
Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/brandline/article1543730.ece
Next Job for the rest of world: Made in India or China! (TIMES)
There is a chance, and maybe even a good one, that you'll walk into work one Monday morning and find out your job is being moved to China or India. Millions have already seen that happen, from shop-floor machinists to IT specialists, in places as disparate as Italy, the U.S. and South Korea. China is a manufacturing machine, charging into the global market for everything from cars to solar panels. India's highly trained engineers are outdueling Stanford grads for jobs in R&D, software development and other sectors that are supposed to be the West's economic salvation. The harsh realities of the globalization of labor have left much of the world's workforce feeling despondent. Everyone in places like London and Los Angeles is competing with smart applicants from Bangalore or Shanghai who are willing to work long hours for a pittance. When there are 2.5 billion people in those two Asian giants combined, how can anyone's job be safe?
Yet there's another way of looking at the great shift of economic power to the East, one that is much less scary and perhaps even inspiring. Those 2.5 billion people are getting richer by the day. This presents an unprecedented opportunity for the workers of the world.
Thirty years ago, the average person in China or India could afford almost nothing beyond basic food and other simple necessities of life. That poverty was a problem for all of us. With so little spending power in the developing world, the global economy was dependent on a handful of wealthy nations, especially the U.S. Today, however, China and India have become a new source of growth for the global economy. Hundreds of millions of Chinese and Indians can now splurge on Sony LCD TVs, Australian steaks and Apple iPhones. Last year, Indians and Chinese bought 19.9 million new passenger vehicles, 70% more than Americans did, according to J.D. Power. This new bonanza for consumer goods increases demand for copper, cotton and other natural resources; the machinery to manufacture those goods; the ships and trucks to transport them; and the people to design and sell them. The result is higher sales and bigger profits for companies such as Boeing and Rio Tinto, as well as more jobs.
We've already seen the benefits. If not for the continued rapid growth in emerging economies like China and India, the world might easily have descended into a real depression in 2008. China lifted all of East Asia out of the recession by buying capital equipment and consumer goods from Japan, South Korea and the rest of the region. U.S. exports of goods to China reached $92 billion in 2010, a 32% jump. The influence of China and India will only spread and strengthen as the two countries get wealthier and purchase more from the rest of the world. In Western Australia, the local chamber of minerals and energy believes the industry will create 40,000 jobs over the next three to five years in that state alone, in part because of expanding exports to China.
The newly rich of China and India are also bringing their money right to your doorstep. Their citizens are becoming active tourists, filling hotel rooms and dining out in Times Square and Tokyo's Ginza. According to the U.N. World Tourism Organization, the number of Chinese traveling outside the country rose to 47.7 million in 2009, 54% more than in 2005, and they spent more than French, Japanese or Canadian travelers. Chinese and Indian companies are expanding overseas in a quest for global presence and markets, creating jobs everywhere. Mumbai-based IT giant Tata Consultancy Services — a firm built on outsourcing from the U.S. and Europe — employs more than 13,000 non-Indians, nine times as many as in 2005. Chinese firms invested $56.5 billion abroad in 2009, up from only $12.3 billion in 2005, and they tend to hire locally as they invest, to absorb talent and know-how. Not one of the 450 people who work in the U.S. for Chinese appliance maker Haier is from China.
The advance of China and India demands an overhaul in the way we think about jobs. You might just find, for example, that your biggest customers are in Chengdu, not Chicago, or that your boss sits in New Delhi, not New York City. Your paycheck could come in renminbi or rupees instead of in euros or dollars. Sure, in this new economic order, your job may be lost to Chinese or Indian workers. But don't worry. They'll give it right back.
Youngest CEO in the world- 14year old girl from India
Sindhuja Rajaraman, a ninth standard student has become the world's youngest Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The 14-year old girl became the head of Seppan Company, an animation firm, in October 2010. The company was set up by her father.
She was adjudged the fastest 2D and 3D animator by software lobby NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies) at the Gaming and Animation Conclave 2010 held in Hyderabad.
"I am just proud to be an animator. The CEO is just a post given in this company," Rajaraman.
"I am learning animation for this CEO post to make myself worthy for the CEO post," she said. "There is no age bar or age limit for animation. Everybody can do animation."
"The scope for animation in India is growing everyday. There is going to be a big boom in India and all industries are into the animation, they need animation and multimedia. I am enjoying work and I am also getting challenging works," she added.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/14yearold-chennai-girl-becomes-worlds-youngest-ceo/765270/
http://in.news.yahoo.com/meet-14-old-ceo-20110319-222644-151.html
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