Mr. Nayan Raheja - Young Achievers Award, NDTVGoodTimes

Mr. Navin Raheja - Lifetime Achievement Award, NDTVGoodTimes

Mr. Navin Raheja - News 24, 29th December 2013

Gurgaon most prosperous city in India, Chennai second: Report

GURGAON: Credit rating agency Crisil has confirmed what many had suspected for long: that newbie Gurgaon has emerged as the most prosperous city in the country, leaving the country's financial capital Mumbai way behind. Using ownership of consumer durables as a measure of prosperity, Crisil found Gurgaon has the largest proportion of households with all basic gadgets, including a computer or a laptop. The study covered the top cities in 16 states. Gurgaon, with 27% of its households owning all gadgets, is sharply ahead of Chennai, which is second at 24%. Bangalore comes in a close third at 23.6%. Mumbai, however, trails way behind at 15.7%. Delhi, a city state, and union territories were not included in the study. TV is the most popular consumer durable in Gurgaon — over 77% households have one. Almost a third of Gurgaon's households own a computer or a laptop, and over 41% have a two-wheeler and nearly 30% a four-wheeler. Mobile penetration is also very high in the city with over 60% owning a mobile phone. 

Vidya Mahambare, principal economist at Crisil, said the exponential growth of Gurgaon's wealth could be attributed to the "high growth of financial, ITES and IT services in the city and a surge in its real estate prices". Despite having the richest concentration of households, Gurgaon has a significant number of poor households with almost 7% families in the city without any consumer durable at all. However, this is only 2.2% in the case of Mumbai. The study also highlights that the high incomes in Gurgaon have selectively benefited only the skilled and educated workforce and those who own property. Chhattisgarh capital Raipur has emerged as the poorest Indian city with only 4.6% of its households possessing all consumer goods against 21% with none at all.

Source: The Times Of India

Mr.Navin Raheja - Zee Business, 21st December 2013

Mr Navin Raheja News 24, 22nd December 2013

SBI, HDFC cut home loan rates

State Bank of India (SBI) and Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), on Thursday, reduced the home loan rates with effect from December 20.

“The interest rate on home loans has been reduced significantly, and a separate interest rate structure has been rolled-out for our woman home loan borrowers,” SBI said in a statement.The slab for the lower interest has also been raised from Rs.30 lakh to Rs.75 lakh and now a uniform interest rate on home loans up to Rs.75 lakh is being offered to SBI’s customers. “The revised interest rates on our home loans will be with effect from December 20,” the statement adds. The revised loan structure of SBI would be: up to Rs.75 lakh, the interest rate will be 10.10 per cent annually for women customers and 10.15 per cent annually for others. For loans above Rs.75 lakh, the interest rate will be 10.25 per cent annually for women customers and 10.30 per cent annually for others.

Concession for women. Loan rates for women applicants will be available “where the woman is the sole applicant or first co-applicant and also the sole or first co-owner of the property,” the statement adds. According to SBI statement, the revised EMI per lakh for a loan tenure of 30 years will be Rs.885 for women and Rs.889 for others against the prevailing EMI of Rs.900.

Meanwhile, HDFC has announced a special ‘winter bonanza’ for its home loan customers effective Friday. “This is a limited period offer, and is valid for all new applications submitted before January 31, 2014, and first disbursement taken by February 28, 2014,” HDFC release says. “The new rates for home loans up to Rs.75 lakh will be 10.25 per cent per annum,” HDFC statement adds.

The markets were expecting a hike in indicative policy rates when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reviewed its monetary policy on Wednesday, in the light of high inflation rates. However, the central bank preferred not to hike the rates and it kept the repo rate and Cash Reserve Ratio unchanged at the current levels.

Source: The Hindu

Construction update of Raheja Revanta : December 2013

Construction update of Raheja Shilas December 2013

Construction update of Raheja Sampada December 2013

Construction update of Raheja Navodaya December 2013

Construction update of Raheja Atharva December 2013

Mr. Navin Raheja - Delhi Aaj Tak, 30th November 2013

Home prices rise in 12 cities: NHB Residex

Real estate is showing signs of revival. Residential property prices in 12 cities, including Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai, rose during July-September quarter, as compared to a year ago, according to the National Housing Bank (NHB) Residex.

However, in April-June, 22 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Chennai, saw a slump in prices after two years. Experts had said developers were resorting to price cuts to spur demand.

Now, with prices moving up, it seems real estate would soon rebound, a person tracking the sector said.

However, an executive with a leading developer said it was too early to comment on where the sector was moving and whether it would revive soon. “The prices will keep fluctuating till elections. Only after there is some stability in the economy and political environment, will the prices move in a direction.”

During July-September, the rise was most in Kolkata, 5.3 per cent jump, followed by Chennai, 4.95 per cent; Hyderabad, 4.77 per cent; Ahmedabad, 2.69 per cent; Lucknow, 2.14 per cent; Surat, 2.12 per cent; Patna, 2.04 per cent; Guwahati, 1.36 per cent; Raipur, 1.29 per cent; Faridabad, 0.99 per cent, Chandigarh, 0.53 per cent; and Mumbai, 0.46 per cent.

In the same period this year, the prices fell in 10 cities, of the total 26. The most was in Meerut (6.88 per cent fall) followed by Delhi (4.53 per cent) and Ludhiana (4.46 per cent). Vijayawada showed a decline of 4.03 per cent; Nagpur, 3.58 per cent; Bhopal, 3.09 per cent; Indore 2.18 per cent; Jaipur, 1.82 per cent; Bhubaneswar, 1.03 per cent; and Bangalore, 0.93 per cent. The prices were stagnant in Pune, Kochi, Coimbatore and Dehradun.

Residex has been tracking the movement in prices of residential properties on a quarterly basis since 2007.

From the quarter January-March this year, NHB Residex has been expanded to include six new cities -- Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Meerut, Nagpur and Raipur.

The data on the transactions are collected from diverse sources and are classified, validated and applied to the model designed to give the representative index for each city. The data based on actual transactions are put through a model that depicts the trend in the market.

The Residex is expected to bring greater uniformity and standardisation as well as greater transparency in the valuation of properties across the industry, according to NHB.

The real estate industry has been battling a phase of low sales and high inventory. Developers have been giving freebies with purchase of flats since last few quarters to spur the demand and boost sales.

Source: Business Standard

Raheja Developers - Zee Business, 21st November 2013

Raheja Developers - ET Now, 16th November 2013

Mr. Navin Raheja - Zee Business, 9th November 2013

Housing FDI may be liberalised

ACCORDING TO A RECENT GOVERNMENT REPORT, INDIA HAS AN ESTIMATED HOUSING SHORTAGE OF 18.78 MILLION

With an eye to address India’s housing shortage and make it affordable, the cabinet on Wednesday is likely to approve a proposal to liberalise the foreign direct investment (FDI) in the real estate sector.

Piloted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the relaxations will help bring in more foreign investments in the sector.

Though currently 100 % FDI is allowed in real estate which includes townships, housing, commercial premises, hotels, resorts and built up infrastructure but stringent norms ensured that the investments remained confined mainly to commercial real estate and upscale housing projects. Now, to bring in more foreign players, the government has proposed to reduce the minimum capitalisation to $5 million from $10 million. The entire amount will have to be brought in within six months of the project’s commencement.

Source: Hindustan Times

Housing Demand Picks Up In NCR : Sales Up 18 Percent

Housing sales have risen by 18 percent in the Delhi-NCR region during the first half of this year at 35,000 units, showing signs of improvement in the property market that has been facing slowdown in demand.

"During H1 2013, the NCR residential market witnessed a total absorption of 35,000 units showing an increase of 18 percent from H1 2012. This increase in sales can be ascribed to the high number of project launches in the affordable category. The NCR market is striving for a better equilibrium. Developers are focusing on project completion and deferring new launches and that the sluggish buyer sentiments have discouraged sales in some areas, but locations like Dwarka Expressway, Gurgaon, Noida Expressway and Greater Noida would continue to lure investors." property consultant Knight Frank India said.

On supply side, nearly 49,000 units were launched during the January-June period, showing increase of 11 percent compared to H1 2012.

Nearly 5.4 lakh residential units are under construction in the NCR market. The unsold inventory is pegged at about 1.32 lakh units, comprising unsold units in ready as well as under construction projects. "The NCR residential market indicated signs of stability in H1 2013. The developers are keeping new launches in check in order to bridge the supply and demand gap" Knight Frank India Chairman and Managing Director Shishir Baijal said.

"Over the past two years, the NCR market has experienced a fall in launches by nearly 40 percent compared to the peak levels of 2010. Both short term and long term moving average of launches confirm a plummeting trend. However, demand has recently stabilised and improved in the last few quarters, which sketches a healthy residential market scenario for NCR and if the supply-demand gap tapers further, the region is likely to face an upward pressure on property prices," Knight Frank's Chief Economist & Director Research Samantak Das said.

Delhi's first slum rehabilitation project by Raheja Developers

Sensex at all-time closing high, but euphoria’s missing

MUMBAI: October 31, 2013

The 30-scrip BSE sensex closed at an all-time high of 21,034 points on the back of aggressive buying by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) with access to low-cost funds in the US. But the euphoria that normally accompanies such milestones was missing—and for good reason, because the real economy is anywhere but on a high. Economic growth is at 4.4% (for the quarter ended June), less than half the 9.2% it was at when the sensex was its previous peak of 21,005 in November 2010. It's not very different from the US situation, where Wall Street and 'Main Street' have diverged.

The record peak for the benchmark index comes at a time when several broking houses are either cutting salaries or shutting shop because retail investors, who have not made much money in the last five years, are staying away from Dalal Street.

This has been a narrow rally driven by a few select stocks that FIIs have favoured. Of the 30 sensex stocks, only 13 have returned double-digit gains since the last peak in 2010. In contrast, five stocks lost nearly 50% and 14 have given negative returns during the same period.

Source: The Times Of India

Raheja Impression - Quarterly Newsletter - Issue : October 2013

Mr. Nayan Raheja - NDTVProfit, 25th October 2013

Raheja's Revanta Royalty - TVC

Mr. Navin Raheja - NDTVProfit, 15th October 2013

Raheja Revanta - DELHI AAJTAK, 12th October 2013

Mr. Nayan Raheja - News24, 13th October 2013

Mr. Navin Raheja - ZeeBusiness, 12th October 2013

Mr. Navin Raheja - NDTV Profit, 12th October 2013

Mr. Navin Raheja - Bloomberg Tv India, 10th October 2013

Mr. Navin Raheja - Delhi AajTak 5th October 2013

Raheja's Revanta Royalty - TVC

Mr. Navin Raheja- CNBC Awaaz 28th Sept. 2013

Mr. Navin Raheja- NDTV India 28th Sept. 2013

Mr. Navin Raheja- News24 29thSept. 2013

Mr. Navin Raheja- NDTV Profit 24th September, 2013

Mr Navin Raheja- Delhi AajTak 23rd Sept, 2013

ZEE BUSINESS 21st Sept, 2013

Mr Navin Raheja- DELHI AAJTAK- 14 SEPT 2013

Mr Navin Raheja- ZEE BUSINESS 14 SEP 2013

Mr Navin Raheja- Delhi Aaj Tak Sep07 2013

Mr Navin Raheja- Delhi Aaj Tak Sep07 2013

Mr Navin Raheja- NDTV India Sep07 2013

Mr Navin Raheja- NDTV Profit Sep06 2013

Mr Navin Raheja ZeeBusiness Sept04 2013

Mr Navin Raheja Sahara Samay Sept04 2013

Profit : 2nd September 2013

Zee Business : 31st August 2013

CNNIBN : 29th August 2013

News24 : 1st September 2013

Sahara Samay : 31st August 2013

Sahara Samay : 30th August 2013

NDTVProfit : 19th August 2013

NDTV Profit : 15th August 2013

Wilderness Days - True jungle stories as never told before...

Lions in Madhya Pradesh

Yes, you heard it right. If all goes well, Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh may soon be the new home for Indian Lions after Gir in Gujarat. The forest department of MP has already started the groundwork for the arrival of the king.

In our forthcoming episode of Wilderness Days, we take a close look at Kuno-Palpur, as also various issues connected with this ambitious project.
 

The episode will also feature the enchanting Nauradehi Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
This sanctuary is full of little secrets, exciting terrain and wildlife to match. 

Please switch on for an interesting episode on ‘WILDERNESS DAYS’ this Saturday(17th August) on DD National at 11 am or on DD India on SUNDAY (18th August) at 9.00 hrs. & 16.30 hrs. IST and also on Wednesday (21st August) at 8.30, 16.30 & 23.30 hrs. IST  - worldwide.

Construction update of Raheja Sampada : August 2013

Construction update of Raheja Revanta : August 2013

A Spectacular Royal Romance

As far as love stories go — the tales of the
regal feline inhabitants of Ranthambore National Park
continue to be a blockbuster

Text Navin M Raheja

The month of May was coming to its last days, when the tourists in Zone 4 , Goolarkui area of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, were in for a photographer’s delight – capturing on camera the mating of T25 (Zalim) and T19 (Krishna) tigers. My niece Sriroopa and Nachiketa Bajaj were also amongst the first lucky witnesses.

Oblivious of the presence of the host of Gypsies, the mating continued - to be captured on more and more cameras. The news spread like wildfire and in the next 3 days it was perhaps the most widely circulated photograph on the internet, facebook and twitter. While more and more tourists craved to capture these rare scenes, this also caught the attention of the close by territorial male tiger – T28.

I have been witness to many clashes between T25 and T28. They have already fought a number of times over T 17, the elder sister, which has since become extinct from the prime areas of Rajbagh and Malik Talao. I have seen both the tigers getting injured in these fights, but invariably T28, despite sustaining injuries, always had an edge and managed to snatch the female from T25.

It is a different story that T28 was always unlucky and both T17 and T19 continued to be unfaithful. On the intervening night of 1^st June, T28 reached the mating pair. There was a short fight in which T25 yielded and T19 meekly accompanied T28 back to home territory. And tourists of Zone 3 then had a royal spectacle of their lovemaking in Royal Chhatris of Ranthambore Kindom.

While this phenomenon left a delighted lot of wildlife photographers, it also spawned several questions that needed to be analyzed and answered.  

1.       While it is believed that tigers mate between November and April, then why and how was this happening in the months of May end and June?

2.       Why were two male tigers mating with one female? (It is a general perception that one male tiger keeps territorial dominance over 2-4 females).

3.       Why didn’t T17 bring or keep her cubs in her original home territorial area of Rajbagh and Malik Talao which falls under Zone 3 and partly Zone 2 of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve?

4.       It is believed that T17 who was not bearing cubs for over 3 years had her last litter from T25 as she always kept the cubs in his territory and never brought them to her home territory which was dominated by T28 as he would have killed these cubs from T25.

In his famous book ‘Maneaters of Kumaon’ the legendary Jim Corbett also mentions that November to March is the mating season for Tigers. (Please refer to the story of ‘Thak Maneater’)

I had been under the same impression and overpowered with various readings and theories on tiger behavior, till the time when on 13^th June 2002, my car was charged and mock attacked by two mating tigers in the Rohini Padao area of Corbett Tiger Reserve.

My subsequent research brought my focus on the latest studies by the Wildlife Institute of India and that of Rajesh Gopal, Member Secretary, NTA in Pench Tiger Reserve between March 2008 and December 2011 -  in which it was established that although tigers can mate at any time, breeding is more frequent during November to April.

On an average tigers give birth to 2-3 cubs every 2-2 ½ years and sometimes even in 3-4 years. If all the cubs die, second litter maybe produced within five months also. Gestation is usually 104 – 106 days and births can occur in a cave, a rocky crevice or in dense vegetation.

This episode of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve between 31^st May and 3^rd June has established that extended mating can happen when more than one male tiger is mating with a female. The matter and actual conception though is still unclear and may become clear only after four months or so.

While generally it is believed and also observed that one male tiger may mate with multiple females in the same forest, but in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve this phenomenon works to the contrary due to the skewed ratio of females and males.

The male tigers here do not go for fatal encounters and have accepted the unusual norm of the female competing for divergent DNA.

My busy schedule and commitments as CMD of Raheja Developers kept me away and I could not take time out to reach Ranthambore, but young wildlifers of our family - my niece Sriroopa Raheja Bajaj and Nachiketa Bajaj - kept on sending striking photographs of these mating tigers.

But my close wildlifer friend M D Parashar, was even luckier to photograph a rare sequence of T28 and T19 mating in the royal ruins as if enacting the reincarnations of the lost love stories of the long forgotten Royal families that are still sung in the folklores of Rajasthan.

Navin M Raheja, Chairman and Managing Director, Raheja Developers Limited, is a wildlife enthusiast and a passionate photographer. In the past 35 years, he has made several contributions in the field of conservation at various levels. A former member of Project Tiger’s Steering Committee, under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, he worked persistently to ensure that the big cats survive in India. He is also Chairman, Wildlife Conservation Society of India. One with a holistic vision, Raheja believes that development and protection of environment can happen simultaneously.

 (For more stories and films on wildlife which has run on National Geographic Channel, Doordarshan National channel and Doordarshan (India), please log on to www.raheja.com.)

Good news for the Tiger lovers…

 

The Center Government has given the nod to grant the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand the status of a Tiger Reserve.

It will be the second Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand after Jim Corbett National Park.

.... the beautiful hilly state of Uttarakhand has much more to offer than Tigers and Elephants. This week lets take you to an unexplored wonder near holy city " Haridwar".

It goes by the name of Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve

The reserve is home to more than 200 swamp deer, commonly known as Barasingha.

Witness this unusual and interesting episode on ‘WILDERNESS DAYS’ this Saturday(3rd August) on DD National at 11 am or on DD India on SUNDAY (4th August) at 9.00 hrs. & 16.30 hrs. IST and also on Wednesday (7th August) at 8.30, 16.30 & 23.30 hrs. IST  - worldwide.

NDTV Profit : 29th July 2013

NDTV India : 21st July 2013

Zee Business : 20th July 2013

News24 : 21st July 2013

News24 : 21st July 2013

Delhi Aaj Tak : 14th July 2013

Construction update of Raheja Revanta : July 2013

Mr. Nayan Raheja, ED, Raheja Developers Limited bagged the Young Entrepreneur Award for the year 2013 organized by Franchise India

It gives us immense pleasure in informing you that Mr. Nayan Raheja, ED, Raheja Developers Limited bagged the Young Entrepreneur Award for the year 2013 at the Franchise India’s Entrepreneur India Award Event 2013. Franchise India aimed at presenting the country's most prestigious awards in the Entrepreneur community.

Entrepreneur India Awards is billed as India's most prestigious awards for entrepreneurship. The awards recognized and facilitated Achievers, Innovators and Suppliers who have contributed significantly towards the development of entrepreneurship in India.

Mr. Nayan Raheja won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 award. The award was given to him by Mr. Gaurav Marya, Chairman, Franchise India and Mrs. Ritu Marya, Editor-In-Chief, Franchise India.

The awards were held on July 6, 2013 at Hotel Claridges, Surajkund, Delhi with the presence of Delhi’s most eminent personalities of business world.

Mr. Nayan Raheja (middle) receiving the Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 award by Mr. Gaurav Marya, Chairman, Franchise India (extreme left) and Mrs. Ritu Marya, Editor-In-Chief, Franchise India (extreme right).