Links for 18/4

India's white collar party dreams of clean politics
Reuters
In India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where corruption and caste have long dominated politics, a group of professionals from engineers to doctors are trying to challenge the grip of traditional parties.

General Motors plans to launch two new models in India
ABC Money
General Motors Corp is planning to launch two models in the Indian market in addition to the recently launched small car Spark, the Mint reported citing the company.

BMD Watch: India test-fires Agni-III IRBM
Monsters and Critics
India appears to have cleared the bugs out of Its ambitious Agni-III Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile. The Agni-III, which has the range to hit targets in China, was successfully test-launched for the first time last Thursday.

General Cable creates India ventures
Hemscott
General Cable Corp., which makes wire and cable products, said Tuesday it will form two joint venture companies in India with the Plaza Cable Group of Companies.

India's banks mull rival network to MasterCard and Visa
Finextra
India's banks are considering setting up a domestic card payment settlement system to rival the networks operated by Visa and MasterCard, according to a Business Standard report.

Summer of discontent in Uttar Pradesh
BBC Online
Wednesday sees the next stage in voting in elections for the 175 million people of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. But do elections mean anything for the mass of rural poor?

Indian outsourcers make inroads into continental firms
Computer Weekly
Indian offshore service providers are now posing a serious challenge to continental European competitors, as enterprises across Europe increasingly seek to take advantage of global sourcing, said analyst Gartner.

Indian shares fall marginally
Monsters and Critics
Indian shares fell 0.6 percent Tuesday, pulled down by top technology companies including Satyam Computer, Infosys Technologies, and top software exporter Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) which had reported handsome rise in net profit Monday.