INDIA

New Delhi 

1518, Hemkunt Chambers
89, Nehru Place
New Delhi 110019  
India   

Email: 
new_delhi@ibng.com 

Contact person: N. S. Loomba

Chennai

New No. 13
First Floor
Gopalakrishna Street
T.Nagar Chennai 600017
India

Email:
chennai@ibng.com 

Contact person: V Ramachandran

 

General Information

Country (name in full):	Republic of India
Capital:	New Delhi
Surface Area:	3,288,000 sq km
Official Languages:	Hindi, English
Population:	1,095,351,995 (July 2006 est.)
Exchange Rates:	Real Time Converter
Real GDP Growth:	8.4% (2005 est.)
GDP per capita:	purchasing power parity - $3,400 (2005 est.)
Head of State:	President A.P.J. Abdul KALAM (since 26 July 2002)
Head of Government:	Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since NA May 2004)

Principal Trading Partners

Export Destinations
US 16.7%, UAE 8.5%, China 6.6%, Singapore 5.3%, UK 4.9%, Hong Kong 4.4% (2005)

Import Destinations
China 7.3%, US 5.6%, Switzerland 4.7% (2005)

Indian Overview

Geography & Population
India is a country which is 3,200 kms north to south and 2,900 kms east to west and has a population more than 1 billion people making it the second most populated country in the world.

Language
The official language is Hindi however the lingua franca of India for business and government is English.

Government and Law
India has a parliamentary system of government which, it inherited from the British. India became independent from British colonial rule on 15th August 1947.

Climate
India is principally a tropical country with the exception of the northern regions toward the Himalayas, which are temperate. Extremes of temperatures however are found throughout the country with very hot and dry summers reducing to cold winters in the central and northern districts.

Religion
Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

Indian Calendar

Business travellers to India should note that India enjoys a wide range of public holidays due to religious, national and other festive events. 

IBN clients are recommended to consult with their regional Business Centres to obtain more specific regional travel advice in relation to public holidays as they may impact upon visit schedules.

Exhibitions and Conferences

IBN clients should consult their regional Business Centre for detailed information on exhibitions and conferences including exhibiting, booking requirements etc.

For a useful link on exhibition details, please visit the Fair Guide - www.fairguide.com.

To contact us, click here.

Travel Information

The major international airports are located in the cities of New Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras) and Kolkata (Calcutta).

International airport travel times to the city centre:

• New Delhi - Indira Gandhi International Airport – 1 hour
• Mumbai (Bombay) - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Andheri) – 2 hours
• Chennai (Madras) -  Anna International Airport – 1 hour
• Kolkata (Calcutta) - Netaji Subhash Chander Bose – 1 hour and 30 minutes

Domestic airport travel times to the city:

• New Delhi – Palam Airport/Indira Gandhi International Airport – 1 hour
• Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Santa Cruz) – 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Kolkata/Calcutta Netaji Subhash Chander Bose – 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Chennai - Kamaraja Airport – 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Bangalore - Hindustan Aeronauticals Ltd – 45 minutes
• Pune - Civil Lines Airport – 30 minutes
• Ahmedabad - Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel – 20 minutes
• Hyderabad - Begumpet – 20 minutes

Allow extra time when travelling during the peak hours, which are from 8.00am-11.00am and 5.00pm-8.00pm.

International seaports are located in the cities of Calcutta, Chennai, Kandla, Mormugao, Mumbai, New Mangalore, Paradip, Tuticorin and Vishakapatnam.

The following information is provided to assist travellers when planning to visit India:

IDD:                                                      +91
Time:                                                    GMT +5.5
Voltage:                                                 220V
Cell Phone System:                                 Dual Band system (GSM and CDMA)
Dress:                                                    Business suit for first meeting then only long sleeve shirt and tie
Taxi Fare to city from airport (average):     Various
Departure tax:                                       Yes

Foreign Visa Requirements

Foreign nationals require visas prior to entry into India. Visas may be obtained ranging from Transit (15 days) through to Long Term (multiple entry for up to 5 years). Specific visa approval must be obtained and stated on visas for travel to Restricted, Protected and Cantonment areas.

As visa requirements vary for visitors from country to country travelers should consult their respective Indian Embassies or Consulates for specific advice. IBN clients are able to obtain specific information including supporting Letters of Invitation for business travel from their respective Business Centres.

Health Considerations

Visitors to India requiring specific medication should carry medication with them and do not anticipate availability of selected prescription drugs. Wide ranges of diseases are prevalent throughout India and visitors should consult their local doctors prior to travel to ensure that adequate regimes are adopted prior to travel.

Visitors should also consult their respective health insurance providers to ensure that adequate health cover is available in the event of an emergency.

Local Currency

The local currency is the Rupee. The Rupee today is found in a wide range of denominations from coins through to notes of up to Rp.1,000.

Currency exchange facilities are readily available in most cities, however visitors should ensure that they obtain sufficient local currency prior to travel in remote regional areas as exchange facilities are not always available in particular for selected foreign currencies.

To use our Real-Time Converter, click here. 

Useful Links

For business, national and regional news as well as current affairs, government and a more in depth view of India today, the following links should prove to be useful:

Trade NIC - http://tradenic.nic.in
India Times - http://www.indiatimes.com
The Asian Wall Street Journal - http://online.wsj.com/public/asia
Asia Today - http://www.asiatoday.com.au

Disclaimer

Whilst IBN Group Pty Ltd (IBN) has taken due care to obtain and provide the country information detailed on this site, it cannot accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the same information and data. As this country information and data has been received from various sources, accepted by IBN as being reliable, IBN itself makes no representation concerning its completeness, truth or accuracy or its suitability for any particular purposes.