Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Dharavi makeover: Global developers invited











Just read this newistem from expressindia.com ;

With Government of Maharashtra advertisements published in New York, London, Tokyo, Dubai and other major world cities, global tendering process is finally rolling

From London to Tokyo, readers of the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times in 20 cities across the world found on Wednesday morning a message about Mumbai’s ambitious makeover project. It was an advertisement announcing that the Government of Maharashtra is inviting international developers to transform Dharavi, “one of the largest slum pockets in the world,” into an integrated township.

Project details furnished, projected cost of Rs 9,300 crore or “approx US $ 2.3 billions” stated, it then asked: “Is it enough to turn you on?”

India, Asia's fourth-largest economy, is facing a crisis of "slumification" according to experts, with numerous people leaving the countryside in search of jobs in the booming cities. The Indian government's own figures show the number of people living in its slums has more than doubled in the past 20 years to more than 60m.

Dharavi, the mother of all slums, is a symbol of poverty in India. If Maharastra Government is doing a makeover and sets a role model for other states to follow, Indian cities would undergo a great transformation.


My best wishes for this project.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Chomsky on Globalization



Here is summary of Chomsky's take on Globalization:

1. Globalization means International Economic Integration
2. "Globalization" is the term for "Investor Relations version" of International Economic Integration
3. Free movement of labour is restricted more
4. Free movement of investment is increased more
5. When declaring trade volumes, generally distinctions are not made between actual trade and inter-corporate transfers.