Destination India- An Overview

India, the world's largest democracy, is the seventh largest country in terms of land area and the second most populous country in the world. It has a land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km. With a land mass of 3.29 million square kilometers and a population more than 1 billion, India represents a nation rich in diversity in terms of its culture, people, language, geographic & climatic conditions and natural resources.

India enjoys a stable political set up, being a socialistic, democratic and secular republic with a parliamentary system of government. Apart from the democratically elected legislatures, the existence of an independent judiciary, a free and vibrant press, a single legal & accounting system and the widespread use of English as the principal language of the business and administration, an abundance of qualified and skilled manpower are some of the attractive features India possesses. A transparent and secure environment for business and foreign investment prevails.

India's huge population of more than 1 billion people, which includes significant middle class people and an emerging rural market, offers a vast untapped market that cannot be overlooked by any investor operating in the global marketplace.

Forestry & Fishing

The forest land in India covers nearly 23 per cent of the total land area. Commercial forestry is largely restricted to the northern highlands, Assam, and the regions bordering on the Himalayas. By-products such as charcoal, fruits and nuts, fibers, oils, gums, and resins are among the most valuable commodities.

Although largely undeveloped on a national scale, fishing remains vital in certain regions, such as the Ganges delta in Bengal and along the southwestern coast. In recent years the government has been encouraging deep-sea fishing by constructing processing plants and underwriting oceangoing fleets and vessels.

Banking & Finance

The Rupee, India's basic monetary unit, is divided into 100 paisa. There are 84 scheduled commercial banks.Apart from the SCBs, there exist 133 regional rural banks (RRBs) and four local area banks (LABs). In addition to this, there are more than 13,000 non-banking financial companies, credit societies and cooperatives. 

Mining & Minerals

India is one of the world leaders in the production of iron ore, coal, and bauxite and produces significant amounts of manganese, mica, dolomite, copper, petroleum, chromium, lead, limestone, phosphate rock, zinc, gold, and silver.

For more details, visit the Mining Overview, Coal Overview

Energy

India faces energy and power shortage. It has been estimated that the country faces an energy shortage of 7.1 per cent and peaking shortage of 11.2 per cent. It has also been estimated that if India was to achieve economic growth of 8- 10 per cent, it would need 10,000 MW of capacity addition every year.

India has 113,506 MW (as on 30.09.2004) of installed capacity and the over all generation in India has increased from 301 Billion Units (BUs) during 1992- 93 to 558.1 BUs in 2003- 04. More than 70 per cent of India's electricity is produced in thermal facilities using coal or petroleum products. About 26 per cent electricity is generated by hydroelectric facilities, and 2 per cent electricity is produced in nuclear power plants.

India opened up its electricity sector in 1991 by amending the Electricity Supply Act 1948 to provide a legal framework for facilitating investments. Though there was an emphasis on generation, several transmission & distribution projects carried out by the State Electricity Boards (SEBs) and the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. were executed.

For more details, visit the Energy Overview, Power Overview, Coal Overview, Oil & gas Overview, Renewable Energy Overview

Transportation

India has a broad network of railroad lines, the largest in Asia and the fourth largest in the world. The major Indian ports, including Calcutta, Mumbai, Chennai, and Vishakhapatnam, are reached by cargo carriers and passenger liners operating to all parts of the world. A comprehensive network of Indian-operated air routes connects the major cities and towns of the country.

For more details, visit the Aviation Overview, Ports Overview, Railways Overview, Roadways Overview

Indian Telecom Network

India operates one of the largest telecom networks in Asia and the 10th largest in the world. Fully automatic International Subscriber Dialing (ISD) service is available to almost all the countries. The total number of stations connected to National Subscriber Dialing (NSD) is over 31,686. The tele-density is about 12.74 per hundred persons. In the field of International communications, progress has been made by the use of satellite communication and submarine links.

The voice and non-voice telecom services include data transmission, facsimile, mobile radio, radio paging, V-SAT and leased line services to cater to variety of needs, both residential and business. A dedicated Packet Switched Public Data Network (I-NET) with international access for computer communication services is also available.