India is a South Asian country and amongst the world’s leading and fastest-advancing economies. The Indian GDP on the purchasing power parity basis is $4.046 trillion (2010 estimates).

A federal, constitutional republic with a parliamentary democratic form of government, India is spread over a geographical area of 2,973,193 square kilometers of land and 314,070 square kms of water and has 28 states and seven union territories.

The Indian population is estimated at 1,189,172,906. India’s capital is New Delhi, a city with a population of 21.72 million (2009 figures). Other leading cities are Mumbai (population 19.695 million); Kolkata (population 15.294 million); Chennai (population 7.416 million); and Bangalore (population 7.079 million).

Every state has its unique character, resources and development strategies. These are captured in these pages to give the viewer a flavour of the development initiatives and policies followed by the states and the investment patterns that have ensued.