AP Govt Is Leaving Hyderabad Capital: Why June 27 Has Become Such A Flashpoint For 13,324 Govr Employees?

By RADHAKRISHNA | INNLIVE

What prompted Chandrababu Naidu to order his state government to move lock, stock and barrel from the capital city that it has rights over for eight more years?

June 27 is D-Day, as far as the Andhra Pradesh government is concerned. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has asked 13,324 employees of the state government Secretariat and various heads of department to shift from Hyderabad to the transitional headquarters at Guntur by this date. They are expected to move to and begin functioning from near Amaravati, the ambitious new capital being built near Guntur and Vijayawada.

United Kingdom Leaves European Union: How Is GCC Affected?

By SARAH WILLIAMS | INNLIVE

The United Kingdom has decided to leave the European Union (EU), after a nation-wide referendum held recently and voted in favour of an exit, which has come to be known as “Brexit”.

Nearly 52 per cent of voters chose to leave, guaranteeing a win for Brexit. The United Kingdom joined the EU in 1973 under a conservative government headed by Prime Minister Edward Heath.

A Glimpse Of 'Middle Eastern Millionaires' Lifestyle

By FAZIL PERVEZ | INNLIVE

The United Arab Emirates is home to the largest number of high-net-worth-individuals (HNWI) in the Arab world, a newly released report finds.

Produced by New World Wealth, the ranking comes as part of the recently published Middle East 2016 Wealth Report, exploring the regional countries millionaires resided in during 2015.

Spotlight: A Misplaced Emphasis On Indian Highways?

By LIKHAVEER | INNLIVE

Why does the government continue with its blind focus on highways and expressways when infrastructure for water supply, waste management and mass transit system is in desperate need of attention? INNLIVE criticises the government's prioritization and says there is more to public infrastructure than just highways and expressways.

Drought In India: Women Battle Cruelties Everyday And Exit Isn't An Option

By SWETA SALVE | INNLIVE

It's a women's drought", declared Avik Saha, my partner in imagining and designing this padyatra, and now my co-passenger. This was the third day of our padyatra in Marathwada. We had just gone past yet another queue of women and girls waiting for water with their pitchers and cans.

It took some time for his formulation to sink in. Avik is always on the lookout for a way to summarize what we have seen. I guess his astonishing range of experience - a high-flying real estate lawyer, a humble organic farmer, the patron of a classic guitar society and a connoisseur of indigenous seeds - accounts for his knack for thinking a step ahead of everyone else. I had learnt not to let his remarks go past me.

The Reasons Behind Mumbai’s Ever Increasing, Unaffordable Home Prices

By NISHI SAWANT | INNLVE

There are many ways to describe Mumbai. India’s financial capital. Maximum city. The city of dreams. The city of seven islands.

And as most who’ve lived there would surely know: India’s most expensive housing market.

Focus: Why PM Modi’s 'Gold Schemes' Are Impractical?

By NEWSCOP | INNLIVE

The Indian government has announced the gold bond and the gold monetisation schemes with great fanfare. The aim is to utilise the approximately 25,000 tonnes of gold in the country and channel them into financial savings or instruments so that annual gold imports of 800-1,000 tonnes come down.

However, as is the case with most of the government schemes, the actual rules, regulations, KYC (know your customer) requirements, capital gains and low rates of interest of 2.5% among others, are likely to make these schemes unworkable.

Special Report: Are Indian 'Startups' Hiring Recklessly?

By SUMAN KAPOOR | INNLIVE

Indian technology startups have been on a hiring spree lately—thanks to easy availability of funds. But, given their business models, the huge manpower they have accumulated may soon turn into a liability. In fact, several companies are already reworking their hiring policies, and some are trimming their staff size drastically.

On Aug. 31, food ordering startup TinyOwl laid off around 100 employees at its Pune and Mumbai offices to cut costs. “The elimination of certain positions in the company have been made on a strategic level, to increase efficiency, productivity, and re-direct our diverse talent to focused departments, providing the best innovative offerings to our customers,”

Focus: Is India The Next 'Emerging Markets' Destination?

By SHEENA SHAFIA | INNLIVE

India was among the wealthiest nations in the ancient times, aptly nicknamed the golden bird. Throughout history, India has been subject to multiple invasions, the most damaging one being the two-century long British colonial rule that shattered India’s social and economic fabric. 

When India finally achieved a hard-won independence in 1947, it was a divided nation with a destitute economy, poor infrastructure, over dependence on imports and a legacy of poverty and illiteracy.

Special Report: Land Pooling Strategy For The New Andhra Capital Could Become A Model For India's Smart Cities

By M H AHSSAN | INNLIVE

Andhra Pradesh's experiment with voluntary land pooling could provide an alternative to forcible land acquisition.

Tallayapalem is a village like many others in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district. It has lush green fields, and its prosperity is evident from the concrete houses scattered along its central thoroughfare. Somewhat incongruously, one field off the main road houses a canvas tent under which a small group of policemen has been doing 24-hour duty since June 6, 2015.

Costliest Deal: Mumbai's Penthouse Sold For Rs.202 Crore

Even as Mumbai's real estate market reels under a stressful period with slowing sales velocity and with buyers sitting on the fence, waiting for prices to drop, a one-off deal in the island city's luxury market for Rs 202 crore is making headlines.

According to confirmed reports, a sea-facing triplex penthouse measuring 17,000 square feet in South Mumbai's Napean Sea Road has been sold to a prominent industrialist for a whopping Rs 202 crore. This works out to be one of the most expensive transactions in the country as the buyers is paying Rs 1.20 lakh per square foot.

The apartment is on the 20th, 21st and 22nd floors of the Residence, being built by the Runwal Group and offers views of the the Arabian Sea and the Queen's Necklace and has 21 car-parking slots as part of the transaction.

Is Indian Real Estate Heading For A 50% Crash In Prices?

By M H Ahssan - Editor in Chief

PERSPECTIVE: We all know that real estate in India is terribly expensive and is now selling at prices making it practically unaffordable for almost everybody who wants to buy a home to live in. But how expensive is expensive? This is an important question that needs to be answered.

One way of looking at this problem is through the rental yield available on houses at any point of time. Rental yield is the annual return that can be earned by renting out a house. The number is obtained by dividing the annual rent of the house by its market price.

And what is the rental yield in India? As Ashwinder Raj Singh is CEO – Residential Services of JLL India points out: "Rental yields vary across the globe, but an average of 2 per cent of rental yield is considered a good deal for residential properties in India."

Sports Spotlight: Why Does Cricketer Suresh Raina's Name Crop Up In Every Other Controversy?

By Fahad Shah in Mumbai

Time and again, INNLIVE has brought to the notice of its readers the Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee's findings on the IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.

It's going to be a tough Monday for the senior national selection committee. The five selectors will meet in the Capital to pick the Indian team for the tour of Zimbabwe. Sandeep Patil & Co. were reportedly looking to rest some of the key players for this low-key comprising three ODIs and two Twenty20 games.

But things have dramatically changed over the last 48 hours after former Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi tweeted on Saturday that Chennai Super Kings players Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo were in "close contact" with a real estate tycoon known to be a "big punter and also a bookmaker".

The Great Ancient Voyage: How Ancient Port Near Pondicherry Discovered By Real Count Of Monte Cristo?

By Kavita Murugappa in Chennai

He was a French astronomer who arrived in the coastal city in 1768 to witness a rare celestial event of Venus passing directly between the sun and the earth.

The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss, which won America’s national book award for biography in 2013, tells the story of  Thomas Alexandre Dumas, father of the famous French novelist. Thomas Alexandre was born of a French nobleman and his Haitian slave in Haiti, then called Saint Domingue and a French colony.

Modi Govt's Plan To Uncover The 'Big Urbanisation Strategy': Will 'Realty Lobby' Makes A Difference Or Not?

By Kishore Jindal in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to announce the implementation details for three major initiatives today. He will release implementation guidelines for three projects — 100 Smart Cities, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) for 500 cities and Housing-For-All by 2022 in urban areas.

These three projects have been in the work for some time now and the implementation guidelines are going to be the single largest investment by this government.

Prespective: Uncle Lalit, Aunty Sushma, Vasundara Ma'asi

A unique concept is developing - converting professional relationships into `family' ties, nowadays, Indians are creating conflict of interest at all levels of society.

From Donald Trump to Richard Branson, from Vijay Mallya to Lalit Modi, buccaneering, system-gaming, high living billionaires are the stuff of urban legend. The righteous scream for Lalit's head and secret admiration combusts with shrill jealous moralism that Lalit is brazenly rich, boasts about his many connections and is seen partying with Paris Hilton and Naomi Campbell.

'Firoz Merchant', A Businessman In Dubai: Why He Is Rescuing Thousands Of Debtors From UAE Prisons?

By Mohd Ahsanuddin Haseeb
Principal Gulf Editor in Dubai, UAE

Softly-spoken Indian businessman Firoz Merchant is a self-made millionaire, ranked number 30 on the recent '50 Richest Indians List', with a wealth estimated at around $440m. This is a far cry from having to leave school at the age of 11 because his parents could not afford the fees and living in a cramped Mumbai bedroom with his eight siblings.

Fast forward to Dubai and he now owns a gold retail conglomerate that is one of the biggest names in the industry and, in the midst of a challenging retail sector, has just announced multi-million-dollar expansion plans, is set to create 2,000 new jobs and is aiming to enter the hospitality sector.

Investing In India: Lots Of Optimism, No ‘Short-Term Fixes’

India has a growing population of educated young professionals, rich natural resources and close contact with the world leading nations. Experts and observers from around the world discussed how the nation can fulfill its enormous potential and evolve into a global economic power.

Optimism has grown in some circles since the new government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power last May. Indeed, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley recently forecast that India’s economy will accelerate from 7.4% GDP in fiscal year 2014-2015 to 8%-8.5% in 2015-2016.

Achhe Din For Real Estate: Upbeat Investment Climate, Rate Cuts To Boost Property Market By March 2016

Global rating agency Fitch said the likely upturn in the country's investment climate and reduction in interest rates will improve the property market by the end of March 2016 and provide relief to the debt-ridden developers.

"The property development sector (will) be a key beneficiary of reductions in housing loan interest rates by several domestic banks in April 2015," the agency said, adding that they would also boost credit growth.

Misplaced Priorities, The Burden Of Expectations And Social Challenges Mark Modi's Second Year As PM

Last year, India saw an overwhelming victory for the BJP and Narendra Modi, who nearly single-handedly ran the high-pitched parliamentary election campaign. Mr. Modi was sworn in on 26 May last year, as the 15th Prime Minister of India, in a high-profile event, the type of which has now become trademark of everything that the leader does.

A year down the line, "report cards" are flying thick and fast, often with vastly differing assessments.