Business Standard brings to you a snapshot of average current rates and unit sizes in localities that offer property in the price range of Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore.

Realty check

Business Standard

Despite the global slowdown, our growth rates in Gujarat have not been impacted very adversely. We have acquired an element of resilience in the economy. It stands equally on all three important pillars &mdash; manufacturing, services and agriculture. We have, thus, not only been able to sail through, but have maintained 10 per cent plus growth rate in all the three sectors. Our economy has sustained itself and sustained our jobs and livelihoods.

'Gujarat's model has insights for the developing world'

Bad loans or non-performing assets (NPAs) in the banking sector have been steadily increasing, and bankers are, understandably, not happy at being constantly questioned on the issue. Recently, on the sidelines of an event, an irate Union Bank of India Chairman and Managing Director D Sarkar said, &ldquo;Do not blame the banker by saying they are increasing NPAs. We, too, are very much under stress. Except my family members, everyone else is asking me about NPAs.

NPAs a tough ask

GREATER integration between India and Pakistan, including economic integration, seems to have been put on hold by recent events at the Line of Control. This is in spite of the fact that the countries were on the brink of reversing the recent slide, seen in Table 1, in the (already small) relative importance of bilateral trade. Pakistan&rsquo;s concerns of a trade imbalance with India seem borne out by the data.

StatsGuru-21-January-13

Every Monday, Business Standard analyses one family&rsquo;s finances and suggests a suitable way forward(Click on graphics)

Case study

Yes, there can be, depending on the equity holding period. If one redeems equity investment over a very short period on a regular basis, say a few weeks or three months, the tax department can term it business income. Any income from share sale made for earning profit is called business income. Whereas, investments made for earnings through dividends are called capital gains, where the holding period should either be one year or less but more than three months.

Tipping point

The patent wars between global smartphone majors have taken a new turn after the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected three key Apple patent claims that featured in lawsuits brought by Apple against Samsung, HTC and Motorola Mobility (now part of Google). After the rejection, the award of $1.05 billion by an American jury to Apple against Samsung for patent violation is likely to be reviewed. This is also likely to be a consideration when US courts examine Apple&rsquo;s plea for injunctions against the sale of several Samsung products in America. European patent offices are more conservative than the US in granting sweeping patent claims. Hence, Apple&rsquo;s chances of getting these patents granted in other jurisdictions are not so good. Courts in Japan, Korea and Germany have also delivered more nuanced judgments in Apple vs Samsung lawsuits with, for example, a Korean court finding that Apple and Samsung had violated each other&rsquo;s patents.

A patent revolution

A price index for agri commodities: A Business Standard and Indicus Analytics initiative

Indicus price monitor

I am 35 and earn Rs 10 lakh a year. I plan to pursue an MBA in the next two years. I don&rsquo;t have any liabilities by way of any kind of loans. I have savings of Rs 7 lakh in equity and debt mutual funds, bank fixed deposits and some cash in a savings bank account.

Financial Planning: Malhar Majumder

Inevitably, much attention this past weekend was devoted to the official elevation of Rahul Gandhi to the number two position in the Congress party. Yet the events at the Jaipur &ldquo;chintan shivir&rdquo;, or party retreat, where he was appointed to the apparently largely ceremonial post of Congress vice-president, do not even finally settle the question of whether he will be a prime ministerial candidate next year.

A change of emphasis

Despite security and cost issues, IT managers are keen on investing in virtualised data centres.

Data centre for cloud deployment

This refers to the report &ldquo;Infra firms exit projects: NHAI&rdquo; (January 18). Whatever be the reason for the exit of GMR from India&rsquo;s largest road project, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is guilty of waking up too late in the day. Getting environmental clearances is a critical aspect of road development. Not only does the contractor mobilise the site with manpower and equipment but he also starts paying interest on the credit he took.

Letters: NHAI's double standards

The ostensible reason for the Congress&rsquo; just concluded &ldquo;Chintan Shivir&rdquo; in Jaipur was to discuss the party&rsquo;s strategy for the forthcoming state and general elections. But a big part of the strategy is also to frame a strategy to counter Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s growing clout in national politics. But many senior Congressmen think this is an overreaction from the party&rsquo;s leadership.

Chief concerns

The government&rsquo;s decision to defer the General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) till 2016 will give an added growth stimulus to the economy. In order to generate additional revenues, the government is going all out to woo foreign investors after their initial disenchantment over such regressive tax policies as GAAR. India&rsquo;s image as a promising investment destination was also impacted.

Letters: Revive SEZs

This refers to the editorial &ldquo;Watering down GAAR&rdquo; (January 16). It is unfortunate that the government has shelved the implementation of the General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) under pressure from foreign institutional investors, instead of defining the rules and the modality of their implementation to save genuine investors from being harassed. Dollar flow through FIIs does not help in asset creation or employment generation.

Letters: Wrong move on GAAR

Here&rsquo;s a novel way to dodge a direct question. On being quizzed by journalists about the company&rsquo;s plans for the Indian two-wheeler market at its Manesar facility on Thursday, Honda Motorcycle Vice-President (sales &amp; marketing) Yadvinder Singh Guleria&nbsp;assured the media that all the information it sought would be periodically communicated. &ldquo;I have kept a budget for four to five conferences for the whole year.

Stalling tactic

Last year, Cadbury created a massive, award-winning activation in Kolkata in an effort to get Bengalis to try chocolate. Now the brand is back, making an even bigger attempt to enter Bengali hearts and minds, reports afaqs.com.

Cadbury weds Mishti

Following a year where equities outperformed bonds and emerging markets outperformed developed markets, global fund managers started 2013 with a greater appetite for risk.

Bulls are still timid

Apropos T N Ninan&rsquo;s column &ldquo;Moving on wheels&rdquo; (Weekend Ruminations, January 18), the writer uses an apt metaphor of the automobile industry to show how changes in the sector reflect changes in the economic growth of a country. This analogy could be extended to cover two other features of Indian economy. First, the invasion of the industry by manufacturers from other countries, such as the US, Germany, Japan and Korea, is proof of the success of India&rsquo;s 1991 policy of liberalisation and globalisation. What is striking is that foreign players are the major market players, particularly in the passenger car, three-wheeler goods carrier and two-wheeler scooter sectors, with more than 50 per cent market share. They dominate the passenger car sector (which accounts for 66 per cent sale of passenger vehicles) with 88 per cent share. However, the triumphant entry of Tata Motors abroad shows that it is not a one-way traffic.

Letters: The economy's auto test

This refers to Ashoka Mody and Michael Walton&rsquo;s article &ldquo;The inflation elixir&rdquo; (January 17). The recent shift in the government&rsquo;s policy in the name of &ldquo;second dose of reforms&rdquo; has hastened the process of transfer of resources from the poor to the rich. Political parties with varying interests that form the ruling United Progressive Alliance government make it expedient for the BPL (businessmen-politician-lawyer) combined to get &ldquo;majority&rdquo; support in legislature for different conflicting initiatives, at different times, using the carrot and the stick approach. In this light, the impact of rising inflation and dwindling return on savings has not been properly discussed. The plight of those who retired in the 1990s and had anticipated a return of 12 per cent per annum on their retirement savings could be a case study for the present government that is pushing a New Pension System (NPS).

Letters: Saving for survival

Ruling and Opposition parties rarely see eye-to-eye in India, and Tamil Nadu is no exception. The political rivalry between members of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the state is such that they don&rsquo;t appear to recognise each other even at events that have nothing to do with politics. At a recent pre-Budget meeting, the printed speech of Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thiru O Panneerselvam addressed Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Minister of State Namo Narain Meena, finance ministers of state governments and officials from the Centre and other states. But it didn&rsquo;t mention the name of his fellow Minister of State S S Palanimanickam, who was present but belongs to the DMK.

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