India the Fastest Growing Smartphone Market In Asia/Pacific in Q3 2014

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), India was the fastest growing market in Asia Pacific with a quarter on quarter growth of 27% in Q3 2014 (July September). The market observed exceptional growth owing to festive demand and recorded a new high in smartphone shipments in Q3 2014. As a result, the India smartphone market outshone other emerging markets in the Asia Pacific region in terms of quarter over quarter growth.

The overall mobile phone market stood at 72.5 million units in Q3 2014, which is a 15% quarter-on-quarter growth and a 9% year-on-year growth.

The Q3 results reveal the second consecutive quarter of more than 80% year-on-year shipment growth for smartphones, reflecting robust end-user demand for the category in the devices market in India. The share of smartphones in the overall mobile phone market stood at 32% in Q3 2014, which is a considerable increase over 19% in the same period a year ago.

According to the Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped a total of 23.3 million smartphones in Q3 2014 compared to 12.8 million units in the same period of CY 2013.

"With 6% of the overall smartphone market, Phablets (which IDC defines as smartphones with a screen size of 5.5 inches - 6.99 inches) are observed to be hitting a plateau. Smartphones with screen sizes between 4.5 inches and 5.5 inches are seen as the sweet spot for consumer preference. However, consumers need larger screen sizes to enjoy media content and with the 4G rollout expected in CY2015, we expect the Phablets segment to pick up again," said Kiran Kumar, Research Manager, Client Devices IDC India.

Samsung: With 24% market share Samsung continues to be the market leader in the Smartphone segment. Samsung has witnessed shipment growth in Q3 2014 but the growth is noted to be lower than the industry average. Hence, there is a contraction in their market share.

Micromax: Yet another strong quarter for Micromax. Micromax's market share has increased from 18% in Q2 2014 to 20% in Q3 2014.

Lava: Being one of the fastest growing handset vendors, Lava has witnessed growth in both their brands i.e. 'Lava' and 'Xolo'. Both the brands are currently treated as independent line of business in the marketplace.

Karbonn: Consistent growth has been observed in Karbonn smartphone shipments. More than 85% of their shipment volume is supported by handsets priced less than $100.

Motorola: Motorola's fresh line up of second generation handsets fared well for the vendor, helping it cement its position amongst the top 5 vendors.

In the overall Mobile phone market, Q3 2014 was one of the quarters where feature phone shipments recorded double-digit quarter-on-quarter growth of 10%. However, the contribution of feature phone in Q3 2014 compared with the same period of CY2013 shows a decline of 9% as large numbers of users continue to migrate to smartphones.

Lava's feature phone business shaped up well in Q3 2014. Hence it was able to clinch the number 4 spot in the overall mobile phone business, surpassing Karbonn.

IDC India Forecast:

Shipment growth in Q3 was largely a result of festive demand. Also, IDC expects the trade to hold sufficient inventory leading to a lesser intake in Q4 2014. Based on these observations, the short term outlook of for market remains neutral.

IDC anticipates moderate sequential growth quarter-on-quarter in CY2015.

"With positive consumer sentiments and low levels of inflation, consumers will have more money to spend. The majority of the smartphone users change their phones within 12 to 24 months. With 44 million units shipped in CY2013 and the current market scenario hinting at 80 million plus shipments in CY2014, we have a big chunk of end-user market which is awaiting refresh. To add to this, new initiatives on the 4G front are expected to be rolled out by the vendors, which should spark up demand in the smartphone market in CY2015," said Karan Thakkar Senior Market Analyst at IDC India.

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RBI Opens Door For Rate Cut Early Next Year

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) held interest rates steady as widely expected at a policy review on Tuesday, and said it could ease monetary policy early next year provided inflationary pressures do not reappear and the government controls the fiscal deficit.

Uneasy over India's weak recovery from its slowest phase of growth since the 1980s, the six-month-old government had been seen as favouring an early reduction in rates, but RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan said containing inflation was a prerequisite.

"What again and again we have seen in India, and outside India also, is that the way to sustainable growth is to have moderate inflation," Rajan told a news conference. (Read: What Raghuram Rajan Said at RBI Policy's Meet Today)

Forty-one of 45 economists polled by Reuters had forecast that the RBI would keep the repo rate at 8.00 per cent, while four had expected a reduction of 25 basis points.

The RBI's next policy review is in early February, and most analysts had expected the central bank would either cut interest rates then or wait until April.

"A change in the monetary policy stance at the current juncture is premature," the RBI said in its statement.

"However, if the current inflation momentum and changes in inflationary expectations continue, and fiscal developments are encouraging, a change in the monetary policy stance is likely early next year, including outside the policy review cycle." (Read: RBI Chief Says Don't Intend to Flip-Flop on Policy)

India's benchmark 10-year bond yield fell 5 basis points on the day to 8.01 percent as investors cheered the central bank's more dovish stance.

Economy needs more than rate cut

In its statement, the RBI spoke of the need to revive capital investment, and called on the government, which will announce its budget in February, to "stay on course" to meet fiscal deficit targets. Those targets have been jeopardised by weak tax revenue growth and the slow pace in selling off stakes in state-run companies to raise funds.

Data released on Friday showed economic growth slipped to 5.3 per cent year-on-year in the July-September quarter, down from 5.7 per cent in the previous quarter. India needs far faster growth to create jobs for all the young people joining its workforce in coming years.

"Things will not pick up just because of rate cuts," said J. Venkatesan, an equity fund manager for Sundaram Asset Management in Chennai. "A strong reforms push is needed to revive economic growth. That is where the cycle had got stuck."

Helped by tumbling oil prices, India's annual consumer price inflation (CPI) slowed to 5.52 percent in October, sharply down from a peak of 11.16 per cent struck in November last year, but the RBI warned that it expected inflation to rise in December as a favourable base effect wanes.

The RBI has targeted CPI at 6 per cent for January 2016, and the central bank said risks to the target "appear evenly balanced under the current policy stance."

Dr Rajan said if that target was achieved the RBI would then aim for a longer term inflation target of 4 percent.

While there were few expectations that the RBI would cut interest rates this time, officials had told Reuters last week that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley would press Rajan for a reduction when they held a customary meeting before the policy review - though there was no confirmation that meetng took place.

The central bank is not statutorily independent from the finance ministry, but it enjoys broad autonomy in setting monetary policy, though there are plans to amend the RBI Act and incorporate a monetary policy committee that gives voting rights to officials both within and outside the central bank.

Jharkhand Defies Maoist Threat, Breaks Voting Records

RANCHI/NEW DELHI:  The people of Jharkhand on Tuesday defied a Maoist threat and turned up in large numbers to break previous records in the second of the five-phase assembly elections in the state, an official said.

"A record around 65 per cent polling took place in the 18 constituencies in the second phase. Polling was by and large peaceful. No untoward incident was reported in the state," an election official told IANS.

The highest polling of 73 per cent was recorded in Bhragora, followed by Majghao and Kharsawa with 72 and 71 per cent, respectively.

The turnout in these constituencies in the 2009 assembly election was 58.26 per cent, while it was 63.82 per cent in this year's Lok Sabha polls, Election Commission officials said in New Delhi.

Former chief minister Madhu Koda is contesting the polls from Majhgaon.

RELATED

• Turnout Magic Holds in Jammu and Kashmir Polls: 71% in Second Phase
• Who is Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti?
• Brisk Polling in Jharkhand as Voters Defy Maoists

High turnout was witnessed in Maoist affected and rural areas of the state, but the urban areas registered low voting.

Former Lok Sabha deputy speaker Karia Munda caste his vote in Khuti.

Young voters said they wanted a stable government in the state, as Jharkhand has witnessed nine governments and President's rule four times in the last 14 years.

Over 44 lakh voters were eligible to elect their representatives from among 223 candidates in 18 constituencies.

Among the key candidates whose fates were sealed in the voting machines were two former chief ministers - Arjun Munda and Madhu Koda - contesting from Seraikela and Majhgao seats, respectively.

Three Jharkhand ministers - Banna Gupta and Geetasri Oraon of the Congress and Champai Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) also contested the polls.

Balloting took place at 5,051 polling booths.

Polling began at 7 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m. in 18 seats, while it continued till 5 p.m. in the two constituencies of Jamshedpur (East) and Jamshedpur (West).

In the second phase, 17 of the 20 seats were reserved for Scheduled Tribes. The Bharatiya Janata Party had won eight of the seats in the 2009 assembly polls.

Cabinet Clears Bill on Mines Auction to Replace Coal Ordinance

The bill to replace the Coal Mines Ordinance is likely to be brought before the Parliament during the ongoing winter session.

The ordinance has been opposed by the central trade unions, including BJP-affiliated trade union Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS). BMS as also AITUC, CITU, HMS and INTUC have jointly opposed the government's proposal to allow private players to mine coal and sell it in the open market, a right till now reserved with the state-owned Coal India Limited.

The ordinance has also come under attack from Left parties.

Meanwhile government has already said that the 74 coal mines, which government plans to auction to specific end-users in the first phase of bidding on February 11, will not require any green clearances.

The auction will be for the private sector, while state-owned companies will get mines via allotment.

The government had last week announced auctioning and allotment of 74 blocks in the first phase of bidding. These blocks have a potential to produce 210 million tonnes of coal.

Government had already made it clear that the number of mines a company can bid will be capped to avoid monopoly.

PM Modi's First Poll Rally in Valley: Syed Geelani Calls for Shutdown

File photo of Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani

SRINAGAR:  Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani today called for a shutdown on December 8 to protest against the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will hold his first election campaign rally in the Valley.

"Geelani on Tuesday called for complete shutdown on December 8 against the proposed visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Jammu and Kashmir," a spokesman of the Hurriyat said.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to address two election rallies in Srinagar and Anantnag towns of the Valley as part of the campaign for party candidates. Polls in these areas will be held on December 14.

Mr Geelani has also called for a shutdown on December 9 to protest against the holding of elections in Budgam, Pulwama and Baramulla district which go to polls in the third phase.

Meanwhile, Mr Geelani condemned the killing of sarpanch Mohammad Sultan Bhat on Sunday by unidentified gunmen and attack on another sarpanch yesterday in Shopian district.

"It is an un-Islamic, inhuman act and unjustified to kill any unarmed person without assigning any proper reason ... this is an intolerable act," he said
.

Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti Must be Fired for Hate Speech, Says Opposition: 10 Developments

1. 
   BJP MP Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti in Parliament (PTI photo)
   NEW DELHI:  A united opposition is demanding that Prime Minster Narendra Modi sack minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, who made a hate speech and used abusive language at a rally in Delhi on Monday. Opposition leaders also protested against the absence of the PM in Parliament.
   1. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, sworn-in last month as minister of state, had used an expletive at a public meeting as she said, "People of Delhi have to decide if they want a government of Ramzaadon (followers of Ram) or a government of those who are illegitimate."
   2. Initially she seemed defiant, but a howl of protests in Parliament forced Ms Jyoti to apologise in both houses, saying, "It was not my intention to offend anybody. I express regret from my heart and withdraw my words."
   3. The apology came shortly after reports that the Prime Minister had at a BJP meeting on Tuesday morning warned party MPs not to speak out of turn. "There will be no compromise on this," he reportedly cautioned the MPs without taking names.
   4. In Parliament, opposition parties demanded an explanation from PM Modi on his ministers' conduct. They protested not only against Ms Jyoti's comments but also those made by another new minister Giriraj Singh at a different rally in Delhi, comparing Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal to a mythical demon.
   5. Ms Jyoti's apology, the opposition parties said, was not enough. They demanded that PM Modi remove his minister and that criminal charges be framed against her.
   6. CPM leader Sitaram Yechury accused Ms Jyoti of breaking the law by "creating communal divide amongst different groups." He also said, "She has committed an offence...and till an investigation is over, she can't remain a minister. Her apology is an admission of her crime."
   7. In the Rajya Sabha, Mr Yechury sparred with Finance Minister and leader of House Arun Jaitley, who said, "The minister concerned has apologized, expressed regret. I would urge the House to allow the proceedings of the House to continue," adding, "You can't use proceedings of the House to start an investigation."
   8. Talking to reporters, Ms Sadhvi said her comments did not have communal overtones. She also emphasised that she had apologised in both Houses of Parliament and asked, "what else can I do?"
   9. "Please grant the PM a visa to come to this House," said Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool Congress as other parties too questioned PM Modi's absence in Parliament as such a big controversy rocked it. The BJP's Muqtar Abbas Naqvi said, "The Opposition can't decide when and where the PM will speak."
   10. The 47-year-old saffron-robed Niranjan Jyoti is the junior minister for food processing. Known for her religious discourses, the Sadhvi is a first-time MP from Uttar Pradesh and among the six BJP MPs drafted into the party's campaign for the Delhi polls due early next year.
2. 
   
3. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, sworn-in last month as minister of state, had used an expletive at a public meeting as she said, "People of Delhi have to decide if they want a government of Ramzaadon (followers of Ram) or a government of those who are illegitimate."
4. Initially she seemed defiant, but a howl of protests in Parliament forced Ms Jyoti to apologise in both houses, saying, "It was not my intention to offend anybody. I express regret from my heart and withdraw my words."
5. The apology came shortly after reports that the Prime Minister had at a BJP meeting on Tuesday morning warned party MPs not to speak out of turn. "There will be no compromise on this," he reportedly cautioned the MPs without taking names.
6. In Parliament, opposition parties demanded an explanation from PM Modi on his ministers' conduct. They protested not only against Ms Jyoti's comments but also those made by another new minister Giriraj Singh at a different rally in Delhi, comparing Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal to a mythical demon.
7. Ms Jyoti's apology, the opposition parties said, was not enough. They demanded that PM Modi remove his minister and that criminal charges be framed against her.
8. CPM leader Sitaram Yechury accused Ms Jyoti of breaking the law by "creating communal divide amongst different groups." He also said, "She has committed an offence...and till an investigation is over, she can't remain a minister. Her apology is an admission of her crime."
9. In the Rajya Sabha, Mr Yechury sparred with Finance Minister and leader of House Arun Jaitley, who said, "The minister concerned has apologized, expressed regret. I would urge the House to allow the proceedings of the House to continue," adding, "You can't use proceedings of the House to start an investigation."
10. Talking to reporters, Ms Sadhvi said her comments did not have communal overtones. She also emphasised that she had apologised in both Houses of Parliament and asked, "what else can I do?"
11. "Please grant the PM a visa to come to this House," said Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool Congress as other parties too questioned PM Modi's absence in Parliament as such a big controversy rocked it. The BJP's Muqtar Abbas Naqvi said, "The Opposition can't decide when and where the PM will speak."
12. The 47-year-old saffron-robed Niranjan Jyoti is the junior minister for food processing. Known for her religious discourses, the Sadhvi is a first-time MP from Uttar Pradesh and among the six BJP MPs drafted into the party's campaign for the Delhi polls due early next year.

DoT Plans to Auction 3G Spectrum in February, Says Trai

As the government plans to conduct 3G spectrum auction along with 2G radiowaves sale in February, it has asked telecom regulator Trai to expedite the base price recommendations for it.

"DoT requested Trai to expedite the process for its recommendations on the reserve price of 2100MHz band and related issues so that the auction of spectrum in this band could be conducted along with the auction of spectrum in the 800/900/1800MHz bands scheduled in February 2015," Trai said.

In the consultation paper released on Tuesday for valuation and reserve price of spectrum in 2100MHz band, used for 3G services, the regulator has said that theDepartment of Telecom is in talks with the Defence Ministry for the vacation of the band and there are three possible scenarios under deliberation.

In case one, if no spectrum is released by the Defence, then auction can't be conducted in this band. The second scenario is that it releases 5MHz in 17 circles, in that case one block of 5MHz spectrum will be available for auction in 17 circles.

The third scenario could be the Defence swapping 2100MHz spectrum with 1900MHz. In that case, in addition to 5MHz spectrum in 17 circles, it may release 15MHz on pan-India basis by swapping 2100MHz spectrum with 1900MHz.

Telecom companies as well as the regulator have been of the view that the auction should take place only when adequate spectrum is made available, and the bidding should be held simultaneously for both the services - 2G and 3G.

Defence had released 20MHz out of 25MHz in 2100MHz band allocated to DoT under the agreement with Defence on a pan-India basis and one more block of 5MHz in 5 circles, which was auctioned in 2010.

(Also see: Defence Requirement for CDMA Spectrum May Leave Only 10MHz for Auction)

Under the agreement with DoT, the remaining spectrum is to be vacated only after the alternate communication network is completed.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said stakeholders can send their comments regarding 2100MHz band auction by December 15 and counter-comments by December 19.

Trai has earlier reiterated its recommendations for 900 and 1800MHz bands while it has increased the base price by 15 per cent for 800MHz band.

The DoT had sent back Trai's recommendations on 800, 900 and 1800MHz bands for reconsidering some points.

The next round of spectrum auction is proposed to be held in February and the government is estimated to garner at least Rs. 9,355 crores from sale of radiowaves.

As per estimates, auction of spectrum in 2100MHz band in February can fetch bids worth at least Rs. 5,000 crores.

50,000 Redmi Note Units Go Out of Stock in 6 Seconds, Says Xiaomi

Xiaomi's first flash sale for its newest budget offering in India, the Redmi Note, has been successful in the manner the Mi 3 and Redmi 1S flash sales have been in the past. 

The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has announced that 50,000 units of theXiaomi Redmi Note that were up for purchase in the first flash sale went out of stock in just 6 seconds on Flipkart, the firm's exclusive retail partner in India. Xiaomi Vice President, Hugo Barra, made the announcement on Twitter. The company's official Twitter handle for India also announced the feat.The firm has also announced that the next flash sale for the Redmi Note will be on December 9, and that registration will be open from Tuesday 6pm IST to Monday, December 8, midnight.

Priced at Rs. 8,999, the Redmi Note features dual-SIM support with dual standby, and runs Android 4.2.2 with Xiaomi's MIUI v5 skin on top. Powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MTK6592 SoC, it is coupled with a Mali-450MP4 GPU and 2GB of RAM.

The Redmi Note bears a 5.5-inch 720x1280-pixel IPS LCD screen and features a 13-megapixel rear autofocus camera with LED flash, as well as a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with 8GB of built-in storage with expansion via microSD card (up to 32GB).

Connectivity options on the Redmi Note include GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with Wi-Fi Direct and hotspot functionality, Bluetooth 4.0, a Micro-USB port with OTG support, and A-GPS. It is powered by a 3,100mAh battery.

Notably, what is arguably the cheapest 4G LTE smartphone in India, the Redmi Note 4G, will launch in India in the second half of December at Rs. 9,999. Apart from flash sales, customers will have to register separately to buy a Redmi Note 4G from Airtel stores.

The Redmi Note 4G features identical specifications, excepting a different processor, number of SIM cards support, and Android version. The Redmi Note 4G runs on a quad-core 1.6GHz Snapdragon 400 CPU coupled with 2GB of RAM, and is a single-SIM device that comes with Android 4.4.2 KitKat and the MIUI v5 skin. Xiaomi has indicated that updates to Android 5.0 Lollipop will be available in the future, though no time frame was announced.

Xiaomi Redmi Note

Rs. 8,999

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Display

5.50-inch

Processor

1.7GHz

Front Camera

 5-megapixel

Resolution

 720x1280 pixels

RAM

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 Android 4.3

Storage

8GB

Rear Camera

13-megapixel

Battery capacity

3100mAh

See full Xiaomi Redmi Note specifications

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Telecom Commission Likely to Deliberate on Spectrum Auction on December 8

Inter-ministerial panel Telecom Commission (TC) is likely to meet on December 8 to deliberate on the next round of spectrum auction proposed to be held in February.

"The meeting is likely to be held on December 8 but the agenda has not been finalised yet," a DoT source told PTI.

The next round of spectrum auction is proposed to be held in February and the government is estimated to garner at least Rs. 9,355 crores from sale of radiowaves. Sectoral regulator Trai has already submitted its revised recommendations on the pricing of 800MHz, 900MHz and 1800MHz bands.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has reiterated its recommendations for 900MHz and 1800MHz bands while it has increased the base price by 15 percent for 800MHz band. The DoT had sent back Trai's recommendations on 800MHz, 900MHz and 1800MHz bands for reconsidering some points. The Telecom Commission will discuss the recommendations to take a call on the reserve price and other details regarding the auction.

Most of the spectrum which is proposed to be put up for sale is being used by Airtel,Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications across various parts of the country. These companies will need to buy back radiowaves to continue their operations in areas where their licences are expiring in 2015-16.

Trai has also released a consultation paper on pricing of 2100MHz band, used for offering 3G services, as the government plans to auction this band along with 800MHz, 900MHz and 1800MHz in February.

Telecom companies as well as the regulator have been of the view that the auction should take place only when adequate spectrum is made available, and the bidding should be held simultaneously for both the services - 2G and 3G.

Anil Sinha Will be the New CBI Director

New CBI chief Anil Sinha

NEW DELHI:  The government today appointed Anil Sinha as the new chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He will take over from Ranjit Sinha who retired today.

Mr Sinha was the Special Director, the second in command at the agency. His name was among the short-listed candidates chosen after a meeting at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence today.

A collegium comprising the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India HL Dattu and the leader of the largest Opposition party or Congress, met for the first time after the anti-corruption Lokpal law was enacted in December.

Mallikarjun Kharge, who leads the Congress in the Lok Sabha, represented the Opposition.

Just weeks before his retirement, Ranjit Sinha was removed by the Supreme Court from the investigation of the 2G spectrum scam, one of the country's biggest financial scandals, based on evidence that he tried to scuttle the probe and met with several of the accused at his residence in Delhi.

The ruling BJP has pointed out that it had objected to Mr Sinha's appointment but was overruled by the previous government of Manmohan Singh.

Last week, Parliament cleared a change in rules to allow the largest opposition party to participate in the selection process even if it does not qualify for the post of Leader of Opposition. The Congress, which lost the May national election and won just 44 seats, fell short of the 55 seats needed to make the cut.

Earlier, a committee headed by Central Vigilance Commissioner used to recommend names for CBI Director.

Huawei Wimax NPM Optimization Engineers Needed Urgently in Congo.

Posted date: Thu, 6th Nov

Location: Congo 

Huawei Wimax NPM Optimization engineers needed urgently in Congo.

The right candidates must have more than 4-5 years experience on Wimax NPM Optimization and be able to start within 1-2 weeks.

Please send your CV to sarah.yan@morson.com

Job Title	Huawei Wimax NPM Optimization Engineers Needed Urgently in Congo.
Post Details
Posted By	Morson International
Start Date
Salary
Email Address	sarah.yan@morson.com
Category
Job Type	Contract
Location	Congo
City or State	Brazaville

Maruti Suzuki Swift and Datsun Go Fail Crash Tests

NEW DELHI:  A pair of India's most popular car models - the Maruti Suzuki Swift and the Datsun Go - crumpled in independent crash tests in ways that would likely lead to fatality or serious injury, a global car safety watchdog has disclosed.

The Go is an entry-level model, which competes with Maruti Suzuki's Alto800 and Hyundai Eon, while the Swift is positioned as a more premium hatchback. 

For the bulk of cars sold within India, air bags remain optional and none are required to be tested for its ability to withstand a frontal collision.

The Swift has received a zero star rating in the 64 kmph frontal collision test. Two variants of the car were tested - one exported by Maruti to Latin America, and another which sells as the base variant here in India. Latin American market regulations mean that the car's base variant too has airbags/Anti-lock braking system (ABS), while in India neither is standard. (Watch: the test preparations and actual crash of Latin American export variant)

Global NCAP's testing protocol mandates that all cars (including the base variant or cheapest model) must carry at least airbags and ABS to get its certification; so on that count alone, the Indian Swift model, which sells for from Rs. 4.5 to 7 lakhs, failed the test even before the test began.

For the Swift, analysis showed the crash-test-dummies having sustained near-fatal injuries, more so in the case of the driver. The car's structural integrity was also deemed as unstable.

The Datsun Go, which sells for about Rs. 3.2 lakhs did not have airbags and ABS. The car's body shell disintegrated severely during the same kind of test. The driver and passenger dummies sustained fatal injuries to the head, torso and legs. 

In January, four of five of India's small cars - including the Tata Nano, the best-selling Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 and the Hyundai i10 - failed crash tests performed by Global NCAP. (Read: Details of the first round of India crash tests by Global NCAP)

The lack of safety features in cars, combined with reckless driving and shoddy roads, has helped give India a road death rate that is more than six times as high as that of the United States and nearly three times China's rate, according to the World Health Organization's 2013 road safety report on the number of deaths compared with the size of a country's car fleet.

Seen another way, one in 10 people killed in a road accident worldwide is Indian.

The focus of these tests is to create awareness amongst Indian consumers, and also suggest the adoption of safety protocols by the government. Very often manufacturers claim they don't offer safety features in base versions because customers aren't willing to pay a little extra for them. (Read: What should you keep in mind when buying a car)

A proposal for new legislation on road safety has been sent by the government to Parliament. Sharing details with NDTV, the Road Transport Ministry says the proposal calls for the setting up of an India NCAP and adoption of safety standards that will mirror what's currently mandated in Western Europe.

REACTIONS

All manufacturers whose cars are crash tested are always informed and invited to witness the test. 

Datsun has told : "Automotive regulation standards in fast-growing countries are constantly evolving and as a global manufacturer, we are willing to adopt as well as help evolve standards in vehicular safety."

Maruti Suzuki's comment: "The cars manufactured and sold by Maruti Suzuki in India fully conform to all the regulations that are presently applicable in India. On similar lines, cars manufactured by Maruti Suzuki in India for export to international markets fully conform to all the regulations of the respective importing country. Maruti Suzuki is committed towards Safety- safety for customers and for public at large. We have given a choice to the customers to select variants having air-bags & ABS."

First Citizen Vadra, When is Good for You?

Are we nuts? Or idiots? Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law says so!

Priyanka Gandhi's buff hubby, Robert Vadra - Delhi's perennial party boy and - front row fixture at assorted fashion shows has landed himself in a mess flexing those pumped up biceps (the size of well-fed puppies) during an altercation with an ANI reporter, who had the himmat to ask him a forbidden question, when he was supposed to stick to the script and focus on body building. 

After all, the individual infamously referred to as a 'thug' and India's 'Al Capone' by Dr. Subramaniam Swamy was doing the honours inaugurating a gym, and not addressing a political rally. The ANI chap bravely tried to push his luck by doing what any hard-nosed journo would have done face-to-face with a person who has a lot to answer for. 

Little did the enterprising reporter know that a politely-worded question about the Haryana land scandal Vadra is embroiled in would lead to a national debate. Vadra lost it! Questioned the man's sanity, called him an idiot, pushed aside the mic and camera, and left his heavies to do the rest (demand the offensive footage get instantly deleted). All hell broke loose after that...

Here comes the far more interesting story. Once the clips went public, responses were sought from Congress-wallas. Diggy Raja dutifully trotted out the tired old, "He's a private citizen..." cliche and made it worse by projecting Vadra as a victim being 'hounded' by the media. Bechaara Bob! He must have felt so hurt, so hurt by that direct question, that his mother-in-law had to rush to his side and console him for 45 long minutes the next day at Priyanka's house. 

Vadra, the private citizen, who has enjoyed the most incredible public privileges in the country all these years, is a seriously pissed off man.

As a very private citizen, who has never held any public office (or any known office, for that matter!), Robert's supporters have every right to protest. After all, the poor guy just happens to get treated like a VVIP - is that his fault? Yes, he has body guards and commandos trailing him... so what? Who stops other private citizens from hiring their own private armies, huh? And why grudge the man a few chhota-mota perks like being exempt from frisking at airports etc. 

These are small, petty matters in a democracy - let's face it, some people are just more equal, that's all. Why are the BJP chaps making such a big deal out of this? And imagine calling his behaviour 'inappropriate'. What is inappropriate about insulting a reporter doing his job? As if their party people have never misbehaved with the media? 

Thank God for Sandeep Dikshit, who showed some sense by not endorsing this particular private citizen's right to intimidate a TV reporter. Unfortunately, Sandeep's simple act has not gone unnoticed by those out to prove their loyalty to Soniaji and her 'Damaadji'. It is being whispered that first Sheilaji (Sandeep's mother) praised Modiji (sort of) and now the son has made conciliatory noises when the First Family is being openly attacked. Definitely, something black in the lentils ...

The Broadcast Editors' Association has demanded an apology from First Citizen Vadra. Meanwhile, the public is being given lessons on what the Constitution of India says about the right to privacy, personal space and liberty by Congress spokesmen.

The question to ask is this: When on earth will Robert Vadra be ready to answer the questions being posed about the Haryana Land deals? Next week? Next month? Next year? Between gym routines? Right after strenuous work outs? Outside his favourite night club? Backstage during Fashion Week? He just has to say the word, and the media will be there at a time and venue picked by him. But if he really thinks the media is going to back off and let it go because of what happened on Saturday, forget it, bro. 

No matter how inappropriate and inconvenient it appears to you and your ma-in-law's acolytes, there is a job to be done. If you have nothing to hide, and you are indeed innocent, prove it! And face the consequences - like any other private citizen of India.

It's true what you said about us a while ago - India is a banana republic full of mango people. There is just one kaddu - you! It's true what you said about us - we are nuts! We are idiots! Those questions should have been asked years ago. But this time we are also serious - jawaab de do, beta. Till then, expect more questions. Aapke intezar mein...