Indians to spend more this Diwali, shows a survey

October 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - After a dim Diwali last year due to the economic downturn and an overhang of business uncertainty, the upcoming festival of lights is shining brighter for the $1.2- billion corporate gift market in India. According to PayPal, the California-based international gateway for online payments, the average Diwali spend among Indians this year is estimated at $213, with household items and health and beauty products topping the popular gift list.

October 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Quite often the joyous mood of Diwali is marred by accidental burns while lighting fire crackers. To reach out and help during such mishaps, a helpline number will be launched next week which will be functional until after the festival is over.

September 22nd, 2009 SRINAGAR - The firecrackers' market in Srinagar is witnessing a surge in sales on the occasion of Eid- ul- Fitr festival. Firecracker sellers are doing good business as many children are purchasing various crackers to celebrate the occasion.

September 2nd, 2009 Survey: Workers strive to get most out of benefitsDES MOINES, Iowa — A new survey finds 90 percent of employees plan to keep or increase work benefits as their company's open enrollment season approaches. It's surprising because many workers have cut back much of their personal spending.

July 31st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Every fourth new car buyer in the US is now ready to buy the next vehicle from India or China, threatening to challenge the dominance of Japanese and Koreans in the American auto market, according to a new survey. The "Opportunity for Chinese and Indian Brands in the USA" survey by AutoPacific shows that 15 percent of the new buyers would look at buying a car from China, while 11 percent would go for a car from India.

June 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Undeterred by the slowdown, Indians continued to spend online in the last quarter of 2008 to emerge as the third highest spenders on the Internet in the Asia Pacific region, a report released Thursday by electronic payments giant VISA said. The report said Indian online shoppers increased their purchases by 42 percent, or by about $1,000 per shopper to $3,450, compared to the $2,420 spent in the previous quarter.

April 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is likely to get 187 seats in the Lok Sabha - nine more than the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), a pre-poll survey by the India TV shows. 'The NDA has a minor edge over UPA, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may win 144 seats - nine more than the Congress.

March 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A pre-poll survey conducted by a private agency for the Congress party shows it crossing 150 seats and emerging as the largest single entity in the general elections, a finding that probably emboldened it to go it alone in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The study commissioned by the Congress recently shows it making impressive gains in Left-ruled West Bengal and Kerala as well as improving its tally in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

March 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - An overwhelming 70 percent of Indians feel that the high-profile Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament that will now be staged in South Africa should have been played in India. A survey conducted by NDTV-GfK-Mode in 13 cities with a sample size of 1,402 Indians also revealed that nearly 60 percent of the respondents felt the decision was a disgrace for the country.

March 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Amidst the hot debate on the Indian Premiere League (IPL) to be held outside India, an NDTV GfK-MODE survey revealed that 71 percent of the Indians would love to see IPL played in India only. The poll was conducted in 13 Indian cities with a sample size of 1402 Indians, to find people's opinion on the ongoing controversy regarding IPL.

March 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian branch of international NGO World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is calling upon every resident of Delhi and Mumbai to switch off their lights and all electrical appliances for an hour at 8.30 p.m. March 28 to convey their support for action to combat climate change.

February 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The global meltdown has forced about 20,000 Indians to return home after losing jobs abroad, the government said Thursday. According to Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, there are reports which indicate that between 16,000 to 20,000 Indians have come back to India after the economic slowdown forced companies across the world to downsize.

February 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - US-based production major Turner International's recently announced entertainment TV channel REAL is set to go on air March 2. 'REAL will start with daily three hours of original programming with a dynamic blend of fiction and reality shows.

January 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Three Indians are being held hostage by Somali pirates on board a Kenyan fishing vessel in the Gulf of Aden since Jan 9, the Indian Navy said Friday while assuring that action would be taken to free them. The ship, M V Alpha Manyara, was taken over by the pirates near the Kenyan coast.

January 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Amid a worldwide economic downturn, Indians have emerged as the most optimistic lot as people who think that their country will climb out of recession in the next 12 months, a survey said. 'Despite the global economic recession, about 51 percent Indians, the highest in the world, seem to be quite confident of the economy picking up in the near future,' said Sonia Pall, Executive Director in Consumer Research at The Nielsen Company, which conducted the survey.