India news picks is a selection of links and
comments on interesting, topical or quirky India related news and
current affairs stories that have caught our attention in the world's
press and online media.
NOTE: Items appear
in the order we have added them - not in order of the original publication
date.
India will forever be associated
with Mahatma Gandhi and his spinning wheel (known as "charkha").
Now Bangalore based engineer, R.S. Hiremath, has brought the
"spark" to this device, that in essence has stayed
the same over the centuries. The so-called "e-charkha",
when operated, will charge a battery that is attached to a
LED light. It can be used to light up homes, to play the radio
and hopefully to brighten up the lives of the rural weavers',
many of whom have either no or only very sporadic power supplies.
It has already won the approval of Khadi (home spun) and Village
Industries Commission.
TalkTalk, a British phone
and internet company, was found guilty of racial discrimination
by an Employment Tribunal in Bedford. A Talk Talk employee
from Northampton and of Indian origin, Chetankumar Meshram,
was sent home to the UK after 3 weeks of his 8 week secondment
to train staff for TalkTalk in New Delhi - because he didn't
sound English enough.
capital:
New Delhi population:
1.06 billion area: 3,166,414
sq km population density: 310
persons per sq km GNI (GNP): USD
470 per capita per year languages: 22 official
+ 1600 minor languages and dialects (dec 2003) number of states: 28
+ 7 union territories religion: 80.5%
Hindu, 13.4% Muslim, 2.3% Christian, 1.9% Sikh, 0.8% Buddhist,
0.4% Jain, 0.01% Zoroastrian, 1.3% other (2001) literacy rate: 64.8%
gender ratio: 933
fem to 1000 male (2001) life expectancy: 61.5yr
male; 62.7yr fem
see full stats page
neoncarrot is an online personal travelogue of our travel experiences,
life in India, backpacking life and chai drinking in the Kulu Valley
(also known as the Valley of the Gods) in the Indian Himalaya. The
site contains travelling tips
and hints, articles and
essays, photo galleries,
an online journal / weblog
and some vital Indian
statistics.
