HUMAN PLAY-NET

2 020 was a year of trials and tribulations for the real estate sector, as the pandemic-induced lockdown forced the construction activities to near halt. But, with timely government interventions post the pandemic pause, the sector started looking up, witnessing a revival in the home-buying sentiments. However, with predictions of nearly 35 per cent of the Indian population moving to urban areas by 2030, there is a need for creating more and more urban dwellings, with special focus on affordable housing. In this backdrop,  ET Infra  talked to a number of real estate developers, proptech providers and construction equipment makers to understand the issues facing them as well as the expectations from the upcoming Union Budget 2022-23. Urban sector development would continue to remain one of the major focus areas in the Budget, felt  Debashish Biswas , Partner, Deloitte India. Budgetary allocations are expected to be made for strengthening core urban infrastructure like hous...

The on set of Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent economic slowdown had its negative impact on almost every sector, and construction equipment (CE) industry was no exception. Despite the government push for infrastructure development even during the pandemic, the growth momentum of the CE industry – which recorded a turnover of $6.5 billion in 2020 – was hampered due to the slowdown in construction activities, both in real estate and road sector. However, much to the relief of the CE manufacturers, resumption of economic activities post the second Covid wave saw this sector posting an impressive 47% growth in the second quarter of the current financial year, according to  Dimitrov Krishnan , President of Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers' Association (ICEMA) and Managing Director, Volvo CE India Pvt Ltd. In an interaction with  ET Infra , Krishnan reflects on the industry scenario in the wake of the pandemic outbreak and expresses hope that by the close of this fisc...

Sonepur  (Bihar): Away from the din and bustle of city life, rural women can be seen cooking food on hearths using cow dung cakes and dry wood under trees, some others dry their clothes in the open field after a taking dip in the nearby river, while some others can be seen just chatting and listening to popular Bhojpuri numbers on their mobile phones –- that's what the forlorn “Hathi Bazaar” (elephant market) at the famous Sonepur cattle fair looks like this time round. The ever-moving wheel of time has crushed past many traditions and conventions, burying those under the debris of modernisation and aspirations of new-age generations. And like many other traditional events and fests, “Sonepur Pashu Mela” or the cattle fair of Bihar also going the way to enter the pages of history. Spread over sprawling 500 acres along the confluence of the Ganga and Gandak rivers, the Sonepur fair has been known as Asia's largest cattle fair. But this year, the fair doesn't...

Patna, Sep 8 (IANS) They are not Hindus, not even Indians. They all are from various foreign lands, visiting India as tourists; yet they are performing the Hindu ritual of Pind Daan , like lakhs of other Hindus, in the pilgrim town of Gaya in Bihar. Every year during "Pitrapaksh" -- the 15-day lunar period as per the Hindu calendar, falling immediately after "Anant Chaturdashi" or "Ganesh Visarjan" -- Hindus descend on this pilgrim town to perform the  Pind Daan  ritual for salvation of their ancestors' souls. A group of 18 foreign tourists, mostly from Germany, Spain and Russia, offered  Pind Daan  on Friday in Gaya, about 100 km from state capital Patna, much to the surprise of thousands of Hindu pilgrims gathered here from across the country, a district administration official said. "They performed  Pind Daan  in Gaya for their family and ancestors and expressed their amazing experiences," said an official. They will stay in Ga...

By Nirmal Anshu Ranjan New Delhi, Aug 1: "To consume meat or not to" -- has been a never-ending debate between those supporting non-vegetarian lifestyle and those opposing it. And the recent religio-political dash added to slaughter of animals has only accentuated the debate among people. However, a soon-to-be-released documentary that hinges on scientific evidences from top medical institutions and experts from within and beyond India will possibly bury much of the "to eat or not to" confusion. "The Evidence - Meat Kills", a documentary by Mayank Jain, puts forth scientific facts to prove that animal-based food like meat and eggs can cause irreparable damage to human health. However, milk has been kept out of the scope of documentary. "The world over, a movement is going on to drastically reduce consumption of meat, eggs and other animal-based food for better health and longevity. The documentary is a sincere attempt to educate the masses...

By Rupesh Dutta New Delhi, June 2 (IANS)  As India's population continues to grow and threatens to overtake that of China, a campaign started by a group called Taxpayers' Association of Bharat wants every state in the country to execute a two-child policy so that the resources and taxpayers' money can be utilised properly. But critics wonder if that's the right path to tread. The two-year-old campaign, which now has over two lakh members -- including celebrities such as Ajay Devgan , Suniel Shetty , Priyanka Chopra and Virendra Sehwag -- has also written to all the chief ministers to come up with a population control policy on the lines of Assam. Assam in April announced a draft population policy, which suggested denial of government jobs to people with more than two children and making education up to university level free for all girls. According to the campaign, since independence citizens have been paying tax so that the country could be developed in...

By Nirmal Anshu Ranjan New Delhi, March 9 (IANS)  If you are planning to apply online to get your name included in the electoral rolls for a Voter ID Card, hold on -- chances are your efforts may come to naught since the Election Commission (EC) says it is not accepting applications online, at least for now. This digital disconnect of the top election body of the country comes at a time when the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is betting big on its "Digital India" programme by putting more and more people-centric services online. An RTI application filed by me to know the fate of two online applications, including my own, threw up the startling revelation about one of the premier institutions of India, which claims to provide several citizen services at their doorstep. I had applied online for inclusion of my name about six month ago -- on September 2, 2016, precisely -- through the National Voters' Services Portal (www.nvsp.in), touted as the "...

By Nirmal Anshu Ranjan   Nashik (Maharashtra), Feb 9 (IANS)  At a time when there is talk of introducing prohibition across the country, a top Indian wine-maker says the concept has never worked and never will. Rather, efforts should be made to promote wine and beer to wean the people away from hard liquor. "Some states have imposed prohibition in the past and the move has been a massive failure. When will the governments realise that to enjoy a social drink is not same as gulping down liquor," Rajeev S. Samant, CEO of Sula Vineyards, told IANS in an interview. "If there are five million people in a state, out of which one million are alcoholics, that can't be a reason to tell one and all that you can't have drinks. Imposing a blanket ban is a stupid idea," he asserted, mincing no words. Reinforcing his contention, he said that imposing prohibition also means the loss of thousands of crores of rupees in taxes, which help in raising infrastructure, prov...

By Nirmal Anshu Ranjan Nashik (Maharashtra), Feb 4 (IANS)  As winter goes on the wane to make way for spring - a 'tipsy' gourmet music festival here has 12,000 Indian and international visitors flocking to not only tickle their 'wine buds' but also enjoy a rare mix of music genres. Amid the lush green landscape, the 10th edition of the SulaFest 2017 opened to a grand start on Friday in the foothills of Sahyadri mountain range.  The event, that had started as a one-day event in 2008 with 300 visitors, has burgeoned to a three-day festival that attracts a huge gathering of connoisseurs of wine, music and food from far and near. The weekend is set to see around 17,000-18,000 visitors, according to organisers. This year being the decadal year, the festival has been scaled up with more stalls of wines and a stellar musical lineup. At the SulaFest Bazaar - where people buy their preferred wine and liquor from the counters, Bruno Vanzan - the brand ambassador of Antica S...