'Prudent and Progressive': Why India's New Budget Gets More Cheers Than Jeers
"Confident," "progressive" and "pragmatic" are just a few of the ways that India observers describe Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's annual budget that starts next month. Any concerns that the budget, which Mukherjee unveiled in late February, would throw the country's economic recovery off course were quickly put to rest with what many view as his deft handling of two major issues -- the fiscal deficit and the withdrawal of stimulus support. Wharton faculty and other experts weigh in on what the budget got right -- as well as what opportunities were missed.

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A Growing Problem: Is There a Future in India for Genetically Modified Seeds?
Fresh from a failed attempt to expand the use of genetically modified (GM) seeds from cotton to other types of crops, India has committed itself to a rigorous, science-based policy for developing biotechnology-based farming. But the debate between the anti- and pro-GM camps is as intense as ever. While some activists claim that GM seeds are too costly and can weaken or destroy other seeds and crops, leaving India's struggling farmers in an even more precarious position, others believe that advances in biotechnology hold the key to improved agricultural productivity and food security.

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Are Happy Days Here Again for Coca-Cola India?
Atul Singh became president of Coca-Cola's India and South West Asia business unit in 2005, when a lot of things were going wrong for the company. Controversy was at its height over allegedly high levels of pesticides in soft drinks; the company faced accusations of overexploiting groundwater resources in the state of Kerala; and revenues were down from the previous year. Meanwhile, archrival Pepsi was gaining ground in the marketplace. Today, the story is different, according to Singh, who joined the company in 1998. "Coca-Cola in India ... has clearly turned the corner," he told India Knowledge@Wharton in a recent interview.

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African Venture: Promises and Pitfalls of Bharti's Deal with Zain
Bharti Airtel, India's largest telecom company by subscribers, has tried twice to enter the African market through a merger with MTN of South Africa. Though those transactions fell through, the third time may be a charm: Bharti appears to be well placed to strike a deal to acquire most of the African assets of the Zain Group of Kuwait. According to Bharti, the deal makes strategic sense because it will help globalize Bharti's business model and create a mobile telephony giant with US$13 billion in annual revenues. Skeptics argue, however, that Bharti may be taking on a massive load of debt that could squeeze profitability in a business where margins are already slender.

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'Stabilized but Cautious': The State of Indian IT
With the global financial crisis seemingly over, the annual meeting of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) in Mumbai earlier this month was positioned as an occasion for celebration. In the lead up to the event, officials were cheering about how the industry had triumphed over troubled times and reached its US$50 billion export target. In reality, India's software exports for the year ending in March are estimated to total US$49.7 billion -- slightly short of the target -- and export growth in 2009-2010 is only expected to be 5.5%. The real story of the Indian IT sector, according to industry executives, is how companies have coped with the crisis, changed strategies and prepared for the future.

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Akshaya Patra: Improving Education, One Meal at a Time
Each school day, Bangalore-based Akshaya Patra, the world’s largest non-governmental organization (NGO) school meal program, feeds more than one million underprivileged schoolchildren in India. Its goal is to reach five million students by 2020 and transform their lives by giving them access to the nutrition they need for an effective education. Compared with other organizations that struggle to survive, how has Akshaya Patra managed to reach so many? And what can other NGOs and social entrepreneurs learn from its success?

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