India may soon be the proud owner of a national gas highway network, one that will ensure supply of natural gas across the country. As per an Economic Times report, the oil ministry is contemplating developing this national gas highway as infrastructure firms are refraining from venturing into non-profitable segments. That is the reason why even though there is a nationwide demand for natural gas, gas pipelines are concentrated mainly in the eastern and western regions while the southern, central and north eastern regions lack infrastructure. As such, a balanced distribution of gas will help India achieve a more distributed growth as industries have been known to develop along natural gas pipelines. Besides, with such a massive investment, companies catering to this industry will be direct beneficiaries.
It is important to look at the holistic picture and have an individual opinion rather than get swayed away by the public consensus. This is the view of the man who pioneered the retailing boom in India - Mr. Kishore Biyani, the founder of India’s largest retailing company - Pantaloon. In an article in the Wall street Journal, Mr. Biyani wrote, "Almost daily doses of bad news on television screens and newspapers have possibly done as much damage to the economy as the events on either side of the Atlantic." I completely agree with him. Mr. Biyani’s predicament is based on the fact that an overwhelming majority of Indian consumers are self-employed, who can neither get laid off nor can have pay cuts. Consider some statistics he has provided. The share of the national income represented by proprietor-run concerns and partnerships is 35%. The share of companies is around 15%, government around 25%, and agriculture around 25%. Combine agriculture and the self-employed in industry a...
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