NIFT UG 2013 Question Paper with solutions

  There’s an old journalistic axiom that bad news sells. That is reflected every day on our television screens and newspaper headlines. From the lingering impact of the global economic meltdown to acts of terrorism, new pandemics and lately, natural disasters, the bad news seems unending. Yet, in every depressing story there is always a silver lining, an act of courage, independence and enterprise that shows the resilience of the human spirit. Nothing faces more daunting odds than the crucial area of infrastructure. India is the fifth-largest producer of electricity in the world. It has the second-largest road network in the world. The second-largest rail network under a single management, and a civil aviation market that will touch 100 million passengers by next year. It also has the third-largest number of telephone subscribers the world over. Yet the Indian infrastructure story is usually one of shortages, blockages and leakages. Whether it is energy or urban infrastructure, roads or ports, India has unfortunately rarely been known for its efficiency. There have been a few shining examples that have been written about but there are others lesser known but equally important for the role they have played in the infrastructure arena. There are challenges, of course, and we have picked an array of experts to address them. Infrastructure, as everyone knows, will be the key challenge for India’s growth story and John F. Kennedy’s famous words come to mind: ‘American roads are not good because America is rich, but America is rich because American roads are good.’ Hopefully, the same will happen in India too