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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
Urban life is full of stress and uncertainties -- especially those related to what would happen to your investments and savings, will your pay hike be good enough to pay for your housing loan at a time when real estate prices are soaring, will you get a lucrative job that will help give a good life to your family...
With the slowing down of the Indian economy and inflation gnawing into the entrails of our existence, it would be interesting to know if people -- Indians -- are indeed a happy or an unhappy lot. A recent Outlook-Mahindra Club happiness survey threw up some fascinating results.
Some of the premises, on the basis of which the survey was conducted, were the amount of wealth one owns or the outlook for one's future in terms of economy, personal gain, etc....
The poll was conducted in 16 cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna and Pune.
A total of 2,014 respondents (men and women aged 25-50 plus) were polled using a structured questionnaire from October 15-22.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
1. Jaipur
96.8 of the population said they were happy
The capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur, is a major hub for traditional and modern industries.
It has a booming gems and jewellery industry and is one of the largest exporters of gold, diamond and stone jewelery in Asia.
It is also coming up as a major ITES centre, apart from handlooms, textiles, readymade garments, and carpets.
It has been ranked 31st among the 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing cities.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
2. Mumbai
96% said they were happy
The commercial capital of India is one of the world's top ten trade centres.
The city contributes 25 per cent of industrial output and 70 per cent of capital transactions to India's economy.
It is the 26th fastest growing city in India and the world's 108th fastest growing urban centre.
The city accounts for about 1 per cent of the total population in India but has a per capita income which is almost three times that of India.
Mumbai accounts for 14 per cent of India's income tax collections and 37 per cent of the corporate tax collections in the country.
The city is the berth of significant financial institutions like the Reserve Bank of India, Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.
One of the largest special economic zones in India is being set up in Navi Mumbai, to be spread over an area of around 50 sq km.
Numerous corporates and multinational companies have their headquarters in the city that attracts migrants from all over India.
The city offers countless employment opportunities and is known for its interesting and high standard of living.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
3. Patna
95.2% said they were happy
Patna, the capital of Bihar, is a major agricultural hub with its production of foodgrain, sugarcane, rice, etc making it one of the major exporting centres.
Under the new government, headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the state has seen rapid growth and Patna, by far, has been one of the biggest benefactors of this thrust on development.
In 2009, the World Bank ranked Patna as the second best city in India to start up a business.
The city also has lowest slum population of any city in India.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
4. Chandigarh
94.4% said they were happy
The city was reported to be the 'cleanest' in India in 2010, based on a national government study.
Chandigarh is often called a 'pensioner's paradise'.
There are about 15 medium to large industrial including two in the public sector.
In addition, Chandigarh has over 2,500 units registered under small scale sector.
The important industries are paper manufacturing, basic metals and alloys and machinery.
Other industries are relating to food products, sanitary ware, auto parts, machine tools, pharmaceuticals and electrical appliances.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
5. Delhi
92.9% said they were happy
The capital of India's gross domestic product stands at about Rs 1,60,739 crore (Rs 1,607.39 billion).
It contributes 4.94 per cent to all-India GDP.
Being an important commercial centre in South Asia, Delhi has a per capita income of Rs 53,976, which is more than double the national average.
Delhi's key service industries, backed by as strong and well laid out infrastructure, include IT, telecommunications, hotels, banking, media and tourism. In recent times, Delhi's manufacturing industry has grown considerably and consumer goods industries have established manufacturing units and headquarters in and around the capital.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
6. Hyderabad
92.8% said they were happy
Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh, is also known as the city of pearls. With an estimated population of 7 million, the city is the biggest contributor to Andhra Pradesh's gross domestic product, state tax and excise revenues.
It is the 28th fastest growing city in India and the world's 115th fastest growing urban centre.
As per 2006 statistics, the per capita income of Andhra Pradesh was at Rs 25,625 (less than Rs 200 of national average).
The city, which used to be primarily a service city, is now the seat of many businesses, including trade, transport, commerce, storage, communication and lately IT.
Like Bengaluru, Hyderabad too has witnessed a real estate boom in recent times, mainly because of the growth of IT and retail business in the city.
Major pharmaceutical companies like Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Matrix Laboratories, Aurobindo Pharma Limited and Vimta Labs are located here.
Hyderabad has also made considerable progress in the field of bio-technology through initiatives like Genome Valley and Nanotechnology Park.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
7. Indore
90.4% said they were happy
Indore is a major city and commercial centre of the state of Madhya Pradesh.
It is the largest city of Madhya Pradesh.
Indore is often referred as the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh with a bulk of its trade coming from small, mid and large scale manufacturing and service industries.
These industries range from automobile to pharmaceutical and from software to retail and from textile trading to real estate.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
8. Lucknow
89.6% said they were happy
Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, is home to many a huge manufacturing and industrial unit.
It is the 17th fastest growing city in India and the world's 74th fastest growing urban centre.
Lucknow is not only a major market and trading city in northern India, but is also an emerging hub for producers of goods and services.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
9. Pune
88.8% said they were happy
This major industrial city of Maharashtra, located roughly 170 km east of Mumbai, has a booming economy.
Pune has recently been ranked as the world's 29th fastest growing urban centre.
Starting from automobile majors like Tata Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Pune will soon house units of global biggies like General Motors, Volkswagen, Fiat, et cetera.
A number of important engineering goods industries like Cummins Engines Co Ltd and Bharat Forge Ltd, electronic goods companies like LG, Whirlpool, food companies like Frito Lay and Coca Cola are also located here.
Of late, Pune's software industry has grown by leaps and bounds. IT parks like Rajiv Gandhi IT Park at Hinjewadi, Magarpatta Cybercity, MIDC Software Technology Park at Talawade, Marisoft IT Park at Kalyani Nagar are seats of technology that the city can boast of.
To meet the demands of this explosive economic growth in Pune, the state of Maharashtra is planning a 1,000 MW power plant to exclusively cater to the need of Pune.
MIDC is the lead agency for the project.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
10. Chennai
87.3% said they were happy
The booming southern city of Chennai scores high on education and safety.
It has a diversified economic base anchored by the automobile, software services, hardware manufacturing, health care and financial services industries.
According to the Confederation of Indian Industry, Chennai is estimated to grow to a $100-billion economy, 2.5 times its present size, by 2025.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
11. Bengaluru
84.2% said they were happy
Bengaluru is also known as the Silicon Valley of India because of its position as the nation's leading IT exporter.
A demographically diverse city, Bengaluru is a major economic and cultural hub.
With a per capita income of Rs 74,709 ($1,515.1) in 2006, the city is the third largest hub for high net worth individuals and is home to over $-10,000 millionaires and about 60,000 super-rich people.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
12. Guwahati
83.2% said they were happy
It is said to be the 'Gateway' of the North East Region and is also regarded as the one of the largest city in eastern India along with Kolkata and Patna.
During the past few decades it has experienced unprecedented spatial expansion and also steep rise in population.
The city is one of the most rapidly growing cities in India.
According to a survey done by a UK media, Guwahati is among the first 100 fastest growing city of the world and is 5th fastest growing among Indian cities.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
13. Kolkata
81.8% said they were happy
The city is a blend of the old colonial charm and modern facilities.
Once the center of modern education, science, culture, and politics in India, Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation in the years following India's independence in 1947.
However, since 2000, economy was rejuvenated.
Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of East India and the northeastern states.
Until recently, flexible production had always been the norm in Kolkata, and the informal sector has comprised more than 40 per cent of the labour force.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
14. Kochi
74.4 said they were happy
The city of Kochi is Kerala's second largest city.
It is the most densely populated city in the state.
Kochi city is also a part of Greater Cochin region and is classified as a B-1 grade city by the government of India, making it the highest graded city in the state.
Kochi ranks first in the total number of international and domestic tourists in Kerala.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
15. Bhubaneswar
70.1 said they were happy
Famous for its Sun Temple, the capital of Orissa is fast emerging as a major player in the outsourcing industry.
The city accounts for almost all of the IT revenue of Orissa and is one of the fastest growing regions in India in this sector.
The city is home to more than 30 engineering colleges.
Recent times have seen large scale retail chains such as Reliance, Vishal MegaMart, Big Bazaar, Pantaloon, Pal Heights, Indulge, New Leaf, Habib's, have outlets in Bhubaneswar.
Large corporates like DLF Universal and Reliance Industries have also entered the real estate market in the city.
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The happiest cities in India; Jaipur tops!
16. Ahmedabad
50.9% said they were happy
India's seventh largest city, Ahmedabad, is a major commercial hub in Gujarat, one of the fastest growing states in India and also one with the most business-friendly policies.
The city's economy is growing at breakneck speed and it houses major chemicals and pharmaceuticals companies.
Numerous foreign companies have set up bases in the city. Ahmedabad also boats of a thriving information technology industry.
Chemicals and pharmaceutical industries contribute to the city's economic growth, with two of the biggest pharmaceutical companies of India -- Zydus Cadila and Torrent Pharmaceuticals being based here.
Ahmedabad also forms the corporate headquarter of the Nirma group of industries and Adani group.
Of late, many foreign companies have set up their units here. Among them, Bosch Rexroth of Germany, Stork and Rollepaal of Netherlands deserve special mention.