28 January 2015: US will make smart cities in India

Ø  India and the U.S. have made swift progress on their agreement to develop Ajmer, Allahabad and Visakhapatnam as smart cities by setting up task forces for each city, chosen for its significance to tourism and trade. The decision was taken at a meeting on Tuesday between Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and visiting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.

Ø  After launching the “Make in India” initiative aimed at the manufacturing industry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to initiate a big push for the services sector in April. Mr. Modi will inaugurate a global exhibition on services on April 23 to showcase India’s strength in the sector and provide a platform to the industry to explore opportunities, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told. Services must grow alongside manufacturing as the services sector contributes over 50 per cent to the country’s economic growth. Over 40 countries are expected to participate in the three-day exhibition. Besides IT, big opportunities exist in tourism, wellness, yoga, healthcare, education, logistics, media and entertainment, R&D, space and hospitality. India’s rank in the global exports of services improved from the 11th in 2009 to the sixth in 2013. Still, there is tremendous scope as India’s share in the global services trade is only 3 per cent, compared with 4.6 per cent of China, Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher said.

Ø  The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to stop the release of Rahasya , a commercial film based on a murder mystery. Nupur and Rajesh Talwar, parents of Aarushi Talwar who was found murdered in her house, had moved the court against the film.