India is fast emerging as the global online tutoring hub by delivering top-notch teaching services at down-to-earth rates.

With a large number of dedicated post-graduates well-versed in English language, India has the greatest potential to grow in the online tutoring industry, say industry insiders.

Indian teachers provide tutoring services at a fraction of the amount charged by their counterparts in the United States, United Kingdom and other European countries.

"When it costs $40-100 per hour in the US, Indian teachers charge three to four times less," says V Rameshwar, Chief Quality Officer of Chennai-based Tutors World Wide (I) Pvt Ltd.

Going a step further, Bangalore-based Tutorvista provides unlimited tutoring for a month for USD 100, says its Chairman and Founder, K Ganesh.

Within a short span of two years, ever since supplementary education through internet attained an industry status in India, the growth rate is 100-150 per cent, says Rameshwar.

The company, which was started in 2004, now has 400 teachers in its pay-roll and around 5,000 students across the globe.

According to Ganesh, 18 months back, Tutorvista started with one teacher and one student and now has 500 teachers and over 2,000 students.

India now earns around 15 million USD per year from online tutoring --10 per cent of the total market share. "This is expected to swell to 2.4 billion USD within three years", says Ganesh.

Tutorvista has students in 12 countries, including Australia, Turkey, Denmark, Singapore, the Middle East and Canada. But majority of the students are from the US and the UK.

Thirteen-year old Kathreen of Westchester county, New York, says, "My Indian tutor is very patient and kind. She takes time to explain things to me and I have improved in classes".

"With online tutoring, we can do sessions at our convenience. We save a lot of time, instead of having to drive

up and down", Kathreen, who has been receiving tuitions from Tutorvista for English since October last year, says in an

online interview.

Among the other developing countries which have ventured into the "eBay of education", such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, India has an edge, says Ganesh.

India has a large number of post-graduates with sufficient computer know-how compared to these countries, he says.

"When we gave a recruitment advertisement, we received applications from 6,000 post-graduates, many of them being Ph.d and M.Phil holders", says Ganesh.

Through online tutoring, globalisation, whose merits were hitherto enjoyed only by the technologically qualified, has reached the homes of people educated in all subjects.

It gives opportunities to science and arts degree holders to earn from home. For seven hours work a day, Tutovista pays them Rs 12,000-14,000 monthly. Moreover, there are no commuting hassles and the timings also are flexible, he says.

According to Rameshwar, TWWI recruits freshers and trains them for the job.

But Tutorvista has retired professors, teachers and qualified housewives in their pay-roll.

These companies also have representatives in many of the client countries, especially in the US and the UK, through whom the necessities of the market are ascertained.

By online tutoring, Indian outsourcing companies have even ventured into the B2C (Business to Consumer) model, says Ganesh.

They deal directly with the parents and the students. There is no other brand or company intermediating in the B2B (Business to Business) model, he points out.

Tutoring through letters and couriers had been a mode of supplementary education in sparsely populated countries like Australia for long.

But, with the advent of voice technology on the internet, "real-time voice-based online education" has become accessible to everyone across the globe, adds Ganesh.

Courtesy : Expressindia.com

With the Government exploring various options to attract long-term funds for infrastructure, savings in certain categories up to Rs 1.3-1.5 lakh a year may qualify for income tax exemption in the coming Budget against Rs 1 lakh currently.

Over and above Rs 1 lakh, income tax exemption might be given for another Rs 30,000-50,000, especially for infrastructure, sources informed. Or alternatively, there might be consolidated savings limit of Rs 1.3-1.5 lakh they said.

The Finance Ministry might also go for raising zero income tax slab to Rs 1.50 lakh against the current level of Rs 1 lakh, they said.

The Ministry is looking at these three options and one of them may figure in the Budget, the sources said. However, the possibility of raising the income tax slab to Rs 1.5 lakh is remote, they said.

In the Budget 2005-06, Finance Minister P Chidambaram raised the savings limit to Rs 1 lakh, which would qualify for income tax exemption under Section 80 C. The Section provides for tax exemption for investments like insurance premia, contributions to provident fund or schemes for deferred annuities, purchase of infrastructure bonds, payment of tuition fees, repayment of principal amount of housing loans.

This fiscal's budget extended these benefits to fixed deposits of five years of maturity in banks. Banks are demanding that this benefit now be extended to three years of deposits as well.

Infrastructure development requires a whopping 320 billion dollars in the next five years. The Finance Ministry is evaluating various options to attract funds for infrastructure.

Recently, US-based Citi Group and Blackstone have joined hands with infrastructure finance companies--IDFC and IFCL to raise long term funds for infrastructure.

So far as the slabs are concerned, currently, income up to Rs 1 lakh did not attract any tax with Rs 1-1.5 lakh drawing tax at the rate of 10 per cent.

Income from Rs 1.5-2.5 lakh attract 20 per cent income tax and 30 per cent above Rs 2.5 lakh. Besides, there is surcharge of 10 per cent on Rs 10 lakh taxable income.

For women, income up to Rs 1.35 lakh does not attract income tax and Rs 1.35-1.50 lakh draws 10 per cent tax rate.

Above this level, the tax rates are same as that for men.

Senior citizens get tax exemption up to Rs 1.85 lakh and do not have 10 per cent tax slab. There is also likelihood that the Budget 2007-08 would lower the age for senior citizens from 65 years to 60 years, the sources added.


Courtesy : Expressindia.com

India's Tata group and Singapore's Changi Airports have set up a joint venture to bid for contracts to run the fast-growing airports in Kolkata and Chennai.

Changi Airports International, a state-owned airport developer, said in a statement on Wednesday that Tata would hold 51 per cent of the company, while Changi Airports would own the rest. It did not give financial details.

The Tata group's interests span automotives, commodities, energy, hotels, retail, financial services, broadcast, software and telecoms.

Changi Airports said that 6.77 million passengers used Chennai last year, making it the country's third-busiest airport, while Kolkata served 4.4 million passengers, ranking it fifth.


"Privatisation programs for both airports are expected to be formally announced some time later this year. The scope of the joint venture will also extend to investments in other airports including regional airports as well as airports which have already been privatised," it said.

Changi Airports, which is part of Singapore's Civil Aviation Authority, also has investments in South and Central America, China and Abu Dhabi. It is due to take over the management of a new terminal at Moscow's airport in April.

Courtesy : Expressindia.com