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<keyword id="328347" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Angel-Network">Indian Angel Network</keyword> (<keyword id="36015" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="ian">IAN</keyword>), which is world’s largest network of angel investors, has invested Rs 4 crore as funding in <keyword id="3259573" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wiwigo">Wiwigo</keyword>.com, an inter-city taxi service provider. 
 The <keyword id="3505565" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="inter-city-cab-market">inter-city cab market</keyword> stands at $20 billion as of now, with several players making good use of the growing market. Wiwigo, which is an online platform for intercity travel, has its USP in addressing the expensive problem when passengers have to travel just one way. The company claims to help them save almost 45% of current fares. 
 
As of now, the cab-operator is present in over 40 cities, offering roundtrip and multi-city travel options. With the new funding, it aims to expand its operations to over 100+ cities by yearend. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Angel-network-invests-in-Staqu/articleshow/52884054.cms">IAN invests in AI-based research venture Staqu</a> 
 
In India, the intercity car rental market in India stands at approximately $9 Billion, growing at 12% annually. However, around 90% of this market is still unorganized. Started in April last year, Wiwigo aims to organize this market. 
 Talking of the funding, it was led by IAN investors <keyword id="3505566" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Priyank-Shankar-Garg">Priyank Shankar Garg</keyword> &amp; <keyword id="438872" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Harsh-Chitale">Harsh Chitale</keyword>, and Garg would also be joining the Wiwigo board soon. 
 
<a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/63xzWedfN9w/maxresdefault.jpg">Image source</a>

IAN invests in Wiwigo to get a taste of the inter-city cab market

Why do you find just a handful of Indian IT companies in the billion dollar fellowship? We take a closer look... 
 Industry experts, consumers, businessmen and entrepreneurs have been waiting for the Indian IT explosion. In fact, big and small IT companies have been mushrooming all over the subcontinent. Yet, when it comes to the coveted billion-dollar club, only a handful of companies (such as HCL, <keyword id="6354512" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Infosys">Infosys</keyword>, <keyword id="10862" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Wipro">Wipro</keyword>, etc.) have made the cut. Notwithstanding the slowdown, India is doing well in the software and allied services industry, and the companies catering to the segment have been enjoying the billion-dollar guild. However, other segments of the IT industry such as hardware, telecom equipment and packaged software are lagging far behind and are nowhere near the mark. 
 Today, the IT industry is facing major problems related to infrastructure and technology, which are pulling them back. In fact, India lacks the proper environment to develop devices from inception to the final product. Yes, the Indian IT industry is good at conceptualisation, design and innovation, but when it comes to the actual product development, our IT giants outsource it to other countries, which only adds to the costs and lowers their profits. “While research and development is happening in our country, for manufacturing, the sector is looking at countries like China,” says <keyword id="305594" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rajiv-Bapna">Rajiv Bapna</keyword>, <keyword id="24973" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="managing-director">managing director</keyword> at <keyword id="168942" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Amkette">Amkette</keyword>. 
 
To give you an example, countries like China can build a prototype of a phone within a week or less than that. But the same process in India will take more than a month or in some cases, even two months. This just shows that the IT hardware industry is not equipped to handle such tasks. China is not the only country building a name in the IT hardware. Other South-east Asian countries such as Thailand have also hopped on to the hardware-building bandwagon and are manufacturing various products. 
 The good news is that to overcome this obstacle, the government has taken several initiatives. In fact, it is a big buyer of the IT industry – 25% of the total IT spend in the country comes through it. To give a boost to our nation’s IT manufacturing, the <keyword id="44734" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Indian-Government">Indian government</keyword> has been working on projects for the past five years to develop more IT parks and industry workplaces. The Indian government is also initiating projects, which will help companies develop and manufacture products such as mobile phones or tablets within the country. 
 Similar plans are also being developed by private players with the help of the governments of <keyword id="37102" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Andhra-Pradesh">Andhra Pradesh</keyword> and Gujarat. This will not only generate jobs, but will also bring down the manufacturing, transportation and other costs considerably, in return boosting revenues of the IT companies. That said, however, industry insiders and experts feel that the delay in making concrete decisions is hampering the growth. Faster pronouncement and action from the government is required for rapid expansion and it also needs to spend more on IT services and allied segments. 
 Another way for IT industries to stay ahead – and join the billion-dollar revenue club in time – is to branch out into different verticals. “The IT sector needs to diversify into verticals where there is growth. For example, last year in India, the telecom, infrastructure and utilities verticals have gone through a downturn and have not been presented with opportunities for growth. At the same time, verticals such as banking, healthcare and education have continued to grow,” explains Harsh Chitale, CEO &amp; whole time director at <keyword id="792739" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="HCL-Infosystems-Ltd-">HCL Infosystems Ltd.</keyword> 
 
While you will find an array of IT companies in China under the billion-dollar banner, there are just a few in India that have exceeded that billion-dollar point in returns. If we take a look at the figures, the Indian IT companies contribute just a fraction to the worldwide IT industry. Worldwide projections for the IT industry for 2013 stand at about $3.7 trillion, out of which India will contribute to just 1%. Reports also say that the Indian IT services industry will reach $10.2 billion in 2013 – implying that the rest of the revenues will be generated by other IT segments. This can be a good opportunity for others to capitalise on, but can only be done if proper infrastructure and technology are in place. 
 
The billion-dollar club may have the most sought-after membership, but any Indian firm keen to join the ranks needs serious support and backing up by the government. We need some serious reforms to get the process rolling and make India a manufacturing hub. 
 
Where we stand: A quick view 
-- The India IT services market is forecast to reach $10.2 billion in 2013 – 12% increase from an estimated $9.1 billion in 2012. 
-- Worldwide projection for the IT industry for 2013 is about $3.7 trillion. 
-- Government buys 25% of IT services and devices. Rest is taken up by other sectors and consumers. 
-- India’s IT market size is about 1/8th the market size of China. 
-- Current domestic IT market is worth about $25 billion, which is just about 1% of the total global IT market (while our GDP is about 2% of the global GDP and our population is 20% of the global population). 
 
Worldwide IT Spending Forecast (In billion U.S. dollar) 
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="666">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				 </td>
			<td>
				2012 
				Spending</td>
			<td>
				2012 
				Growth</td>
			<td>
				2013 
				Spending</td>
			<td>
				2013 
				Growth</td>
			<td>
				2014 
				Spending</td>
			<td>
				2014 
				Growth</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Devices</td>
			<td>
				627</td>
			<td>
				2.9%</td>
			<td>
				666</td>
			<td>
				6.3%</td>
			<td>
				694</td>
			<td>
				4.2%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Data Centre Systems</td>
			<td>
				141</td>
			<td>
				2.3%</td>
			<td>
				147</td>
			<td>
				4.5%</td>
			<td>
				154</td>
			<td>
				4.2%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Enterprise Software</td>
			<td>
				278</td>
			<td>
				3.3%</td>
			<td>
				296</td>
			<td>
				6.4%</td>
			<td>
				316</td>
			<td>
				6.8%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				IT Services</td>
			<td>
				881</td>
			<td>
				1.8%</td>
			<td>
				927</td>
			<td>
				5.2%</td>
			<td>
				974</td>
			<td>
				5.1%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Telecom Services</td>
			<td>
				1,661</td>
			<td>
				-0.1%</td>
			<td>
				1,701</td>
			<td>
				2.4%</td>
			<td>
				1,742</td>
			<td>
				2.4%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Overall IT</td>
			<td>
				3,588</td>
			<td>
				1.2%</td>
			<td>
				3,737</td>
			<td>
				4.2%</td>
			<td>
				3,881</td>
			<td>
				3.8%</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
 
n By 2016, the Indian IT services sector will grow at 14% and touch Rs 96,600 crore. The hardware industry will grow at 6% and touch Rs 44,400 crore while the software products segment is expected to grow at 14% and reach Rs 34,400 crore. 
Data source: Gartner, HCL and others

The Billion Dollar IT Pie: What’s India’s Share?

<ul><li>Pench alone has over 53 tigers living in the reserve and an additional 80 tigers (approximately) utilising the reserve.</li><li>The reserve was the muse behind Rudyard Kipling’s iconic character ‘Mowgli’ from The Jungle Book.</li><li>Somewhat of a legend, T15, also called <keyword id="4388723" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="collarwali">Collarwali</keyword> Baghin, is a 14-year-old tigress who has happily provided Pench eight litters - in total, she has had 29 cubs, out of which 25 have survived.</li></ul>A mere glimpse of the majestic big cat is the surreal experience most wildlife enthusiasts yearn for, and <keyword id="57596" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pench-Tiger-reserve">Pench Tiger Reserve</keyword> in <keyword id="6355554" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Madhya-Pradesh">Madhya Pradesh</keyword> is undoubtedly an excellent place to start the pursuit. Boasting a healthy population of tigers, this 758 square kilometre park in the southern part of Madhya Pradesh was given the status of a national park in 1975 and was established as a tiger reserve in 1992. Named after the Pench River that cuts through the park, this national park consists of two parts -- the Priyadarshini National Park and <keyword id="10883492" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mowgli-Pench-Sanctuary">Mowgli Pench Sanctuary</keyword>, which covers an area of 299 square kilometres and a buffer area of 464 square kilometres. Around 257 square kilometres of this park lies in Maharashtra, which is also accessible from Madhya Pradesh. The reserve was the muse behind Rudyard Kipling’s iconic character ‘Mowgli’ from The Jungle Book. Supriya Sehgal, a Mumbai-based travel and children's book author and the co-founder of a digital marketing and production house, tells Business Insider, “I had the opportunity to spend a short but memorable time in Pench through the eyes of Pugdundee Safaris, while on a long Madhya Pradesh national parks loop. It is believed that Pench and the surrounding areas were the inspiration behind 'The Jungle Book' by Rudyard Kipling. While this piece of information alone was amply intriguing for me, naturally, spotting a tiger sprawled close to a watering hole trumped it. It was a female, eyes heavy with sleep under a leafy patch that curtailed the harsh hand of the sun, in touching distance of a natural pool — it was the perfect way to unwind — one, I would have wanted for myself, but there was more of the vast jungle to explore.” <div type="image" title="Pench-Jungle-Camp-Mottled-Wood-Owl" msid="81374528" hostid="261"></div>Madhya Pradesh is one of the few Indian states blessed with a substantial number of national parks including -- Kanha Tiger Reserve, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Panna Tiger Reserve, Pench Tiger Reserve, Satpura Tiger Reserve, Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve, Madhav National Park, Vanvihar National Park, Fossil National Park and Dinosaur Fossil National Park. At Pench, apart from a robust population of big cats, wildlife enthusiasts have much more to spot, including mammals like leopards, wolves, jackals, fox, striped hyenas, sloth bears, the Indian gaur, chital, sambar deer, nilgai, dholes (Indian wild dog), macaques, chinkara, barking deer, wild boars, and swamp deer. The reserve also hosts snakes like cobras, pythons and the Indian krait and a diverse population of avian beauties like the Indian pitta, pintail duck, red wattled lapwings, owls, vultures and blue kingfishers. <div type="image" title="Pench Tiger Reserve" msid="81374325" hostid="261"></div><keyword id="10883491" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="deepika-sinha">Deepika Sinha</keyword>, a marketing and communications professional from Mumbai, has visited the Pench National Park four times now, and each time she says she falls more in love with the place. She tells Business Insider, “I have been extremely lucky to have some of my best sightings at Pench from the regal tigress to wild dogs, boars, jackals and the ever-so-shy sloth bear, which I'm told is a very unique sighting in Pench.” <div type="image" title="Pench Tiger Reserve" msid="81374334" hostid="261"></div>A 2018 government tiger status <a href="http://moef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Tiger-Status-Report-2018_For-Web_compressed_compressed.pdf">report</a> estimated that India has around 3000 tigers, and Pench alone has over 53 tigers living in the reserve and an additional 80 tigers (approximately) utilising the reserve. As far as wildlife destinations in India go, Pench is among travel blogger Revati Victor’s hot favourites. She says, “It's one of the easiest to access (a 2-hour drive from Nagpur airport) and is where I have seen the most tigers... This is truly Jungle Book land, where regardless of whether you're here as a tourist to capture the famous tigress Collarwali for your Instagram or as a traveller to enjoy a quiet picnic under the watchful gaze of a pair of brown wood owls far from the crowds -- Pench has something to offer you and you will come away utterly fascinated.” <div type="image" title="The legendary Collarwalli" msid="81374415" hostid="261"></div> Somewhat of a legend, T15, also called Collarwali Baghin, is a 14-year-old tigress who saunters around the park wearing a tracking collar. She has happily provided Pench eight litters -- one litter of four cubs as recently as 2019. In <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/madhya-pradesh-pench-tiger-reserve-population-5875907/">total</a>, she has had 29 cubs, out of which 25 have survived. Two famous male arch-enemies who constantly battle over territory go by the name BMW (because of the B, M and W marking on his thigh) and Sula (referencing the wine brand because of the distinctive wine-glass-shaped marking on his body). The stories the guides and jeep drivers share during these safaris can be quite intriguing, so it's best to keep your eyes and ears peeled. Best time to visit: November to February is considered the best time to visit Pench since the temperature hovers around 10° to 28° celsius, making the safari quite pleasant. With temperatures between 28° to 45° celsius, March to June is often too hot to enjoy the tour, but some still brave the weather and make the trip. July to mid-October, the Pench National Park remains closed primarily because the monsoons are usually the breeding season. <div type="image" title="Pench-Tree-Lodge-Safari" msid="81374444" hostid="261"></div>Safari zones and timings: Pench National Park has seven zones – Turia, Karmajhiri, Jamtara, Rukhad, Wolf Sanctuary, Sillari, and Khursapar. The main entry points are Jamtara, Turia and Karmajhiri. Turia is the most popular because there are several water bodies in the area, thus increasing the chances of spotting wild animals out for a drink. The park timings vary depending on the season. The morning jeep safari starts from 7:30 AM to 10:30 AM, and the evening safari starts from 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM. In the summer months (March to June), the safari timing changes to 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM. There is also a government-approved night safari in the Wolf Sanctuary from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM; this is great for those who want to catch a glimpse of wolves as well as jackals, spotted deer, sambar deer, nilgai and various nocturnal birds. Places to stay: There are a number of good properties in the region. Sinha highly recommends <a href="https://www.tajhotels.com/en-in/taj/baghvan-pench-national-park/">Baghvan, A Taj Safari - Pench National Park</a>, for a perfect mix of the fancy and the rustic. The property has 12 cottages and each cottage consists of a room, indoor and outdoor bathroom and a machaan where, if you are brave enough, you can spend the night in. Another great option is the <a href="https://www.penchtreelodge.com/">Pench Tree Lodge</a>, a Pugdundee Safaris’ property that consists of six treehouses and six luxury cottages set amidst forty acres of wilderness. Kiplings Court is a slightly more affordable option in the region. This well-kept government-run establishment has two 6-bed dorms as well as private cottages. Plus, it has the added advantage of being only a kilometre away from the park's Turia gate. Victor suggests <a href="https://www.penchjunglecamp.com/">Pench Jungle Camp</a> where she stayed in a room modelled after a tent. She says, “It is the perfect distance from both the Khursapar gate and action-packed Turia gate.” SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/ignore-low-cibil-score-for-street-vendor-loans-work-on-holidays-and-other-diktats-from-indian-government-to-banks-rushing-to-meet-march-target/articleshow/81223572.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Bankers may be working all 31 days of March with the government looking to double the loans doled out under the PM SVANidhi scheme</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/check-out-all-the-hiring-opportunities-in-2021-in-india/slidelist/81343839.cms">A whole host of jobs, from government to private to foreign companies in India, are opening up ⁠— here’s a look at some of those</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/these-are-the-worlds-top-food-delivery-companies-indias-zomato-and-swiggy-have-a-long-way-to-go-as-compared-to-their-global-counterparts-like-doordash-or-meituan/slidelist/81344728.cms">These are the world’s top food delivery companies – India’s Zomato and Swiggy have a long way to go as compared to their global counterparts like DoorDash or Meituan</a>

Apart from the big cat, the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh flaunts a variety of fabulous residents

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IAN invests in Wiwigo to get a taste of the inter-city cab market

BI India Bureau

The Billion Dollar IT Pie: What’s India’s Share?

SULABH PURI

Apart from the big cat, the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh flaunts a variety of fabulous residents

Kavita Majumdar

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