Leading information technology companies in India are meanwhile increasing their presence in North America, in step with the improving business climate in the region. Top-tier information technology companies which are increasing their delivery capabilities in North America, includeHCL Technologies which concluded acquisition and expansion of its Parsippany, New Jersey data centre. The North America region currently accounts for 60 per cent of India’s information technology export basket. Information technology company, Cognizant, has similarly announced the expansion of its US delivery centres in Toronto and Phoenix (Arizona).

India’s top-ranking status in the field of basic research came in for mention at the India Eco Summit held recently, where the panelists discussed whether, and how, India could become an innovation hub in the near future, given India’s strengths in science and technology and research and development. The country made a significant stride in science and technology with Indian researchers succeeding in sequencing the entire genome of a human being. The genome sequencing was undertaken by the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, part of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). In another development that would have a bearing on innovative science and technology prospects for Indian companies-on the sidelines of the climate change conference at Copenhagen, India’s proposal for a global network of innovation centres for climate-friendly technologies received wide consensus.

Leading manufacturers of automobiles in India, posted record monthly sales for the month of November 2009, even as car makers and two-wheeler companies improved on their sales posted in earlier months. Two of the leading manufacturers of automobiles in India, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor India reported record monthly sales of 87,807 units and 55,265 units respectively for the month of November 2009. Major manufacturers of automobiles are seeing their India operations contribute significantly to the company’s global operations. For example, Hyundai’s India subsidiary contributes between 15 per cent and 20 per cent to the company’s global turnover.

India’s infrastructure segment has received a boost with representatives from the Power Grid Corporation, the India Infrastructure Finance Co Ltd (IIFCL), the World Bank and the Government of India, signing loan agreements for projects of a total value of US$ 4.2 billion in the month of October 2009. In another fillip to the country’s infrastructure that is certain to speed up infrastructure projects through the route of public-private partnership, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has decided to provide close to US$ 700 million in loans as part of the second India infrastructure project financing facility.

According to a study by Price waterhouse Coopers (PwC) and Urban Land Institute, India heads the top real estate investment markets for the year 2010. The report, which is based on the views of over 270 international real estate professionals, revealed that India, particularly the Indian cities of Mumbai and Delhi were viewed as good destinations with residential properties seen as more attractive sectors. ICICI Bank, a leading private bank, has stated that it was focussing on the home loans segment on the back of a recovery in the real estate segment. HDFC, a top lender of home loans, has said that it expects loan disbursals in the housing sector to remain strong in the current fiscal (FY 2010). HDFC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Keki Mistry, said, “Loan disbursals (in the housing sector) remain very strong. We expect credit growth in excess of 20 per cent.”HDFC Bank, has for its own part, made news in the banking system. HDFC Bank has been named the strongest bank in the Asia-Pacific region, in a survey conducted by Asian Banker, which provides information for the financial services industry. Other Indian banks that featured in the ranking include Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Union Bank of India.

The healthcare sector in India is projected to grow to US$ 77 billion mark by 2012, up 23 per cent from the current size, according to a recently released study. The growth in the healthcare sector in India would come on the back of growth in healthcare facilities in the public and private sector as well as growth in medical diagnostic and path labs, as well as growth in the medical insurance sector. The Indian life insurance industry is on a high growth trajectory, posting a double-digit growth figure of 35.7 per cent year-on-year in October 2009, on the back of high inflows in premiums of the first year.

Some of the Latest Solar Energy Technologies

Solar energy is the most natural form of energy that is available to us free of ongoing cost. Over the ages man has used the solar energy to harness the energy from the sun to produce the energy to keep them warm.

Solar energy can be harnessed in a number of ways to help mankind. But the solar harnessing has not reached its heights till now when man is feeling the pinch of the lost fossil fuels he has been using so excessively.

There are a few latest solar technologies that are currently being talked about. One such technology is for Inkjet printer technology.

The engineers from the Oregon State University a “CIGS” (copper, indium, gallium and selenium elements) solar device with inkjet printing that has revolutionized the way to work in the office as well as the home. This new technology cuts off the pollution and waste as much as 90%. Further research is required however various low cost high performance thin solar cells will be possible in the upcoming years.

The advantage of this type of product is the dramatic reduction in the waste that was otherwise produced in the earlier models said by Chih-hung Chang a leader in the field. The inkjet technology does not uses the chemical compounds deposition on the pattern rather it uses a very low cost techniques to produce the pattern. This work has been published in professional journals with patents applied for the discoveries.

Another important discovery is that of Organic photovoltaic cells.
Assistant professor Qiquan Qiao at SDSU’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science said that these organic solar cells are less expensive than the traditional solar harnessing electricity technologies. They are also working on organic light emitting diodes. The beauty of these cells is their capacity to be produced at low cost and more energy. These cells are manufactured by fabricating material with a less expensive solution resulting in a more renewable energy and greener world. This ease of the production lowers the cost to a significant extent.

A new comer in this field is gold plated solar cells developed by a group of researches at the University of Warwick. At first it might appear that this would not be cheap but the thickness of gold only of the order of 8 billionth of a metre. The ultra low thickness of the plates it viable even at today’s high price of gold as the gold needed to fabricate one square meter is only £4.5. This relatively low cost can be recouped whilst delivering superior flexibility in innovative products.