Mumbai

From ArticleWorld

Mumbai is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, India, with a population of about 18 million. This metropolitan city, one of the four major cities in India, is located on a satellite island off the coast of the Arabian Sea. It is the largest port of India.

Economic capital

Mumbai is the financial and economic capital of India, housing important financial institutions like the Reserve Bank of India, The Bombay stock exchange, the National exchange, and many corporate headquarters. Mumbai also has a huge industrial belt comprising of some of the biggest names of corporate India, like The Tata group, the Reliance group, Godrej group, etc.

Mumbai alone accounts for more than 10% of factory employment , 40% income tax collection, 60% customs duty, 20% central excise tax collection, 40% of India’s foreign trade and rupees forty billion in corporate taxes.

Till 1980, the major employment was provided for by the textile mills and seaport activities. But the economy diverted in other fields like engineering, diamond polishing, healthcare and information technology, etc. growing business and livelihood opportunities have attracted migrants from all over the country to this ever expanding happening city of India. Mumbai has a huge population belonging to the service class, unskilled and semi skilled labor population.

Entertainment hub

Mumbai is also the entertainment hub of India, with about 800 films being produced in a year, innumerable television serials, and a buzz of activity in the drama, cultural and musical fields Mumbai has a large number of theatres, cinemas, showing both Hollywood and Bollywood movies. The most famous art galleries- the Jahangir Art Gallery and the National Gallery, and the Prince of Wales Museum are also housed here. The city also boasts of the huge Asiatic Public Library.

Transport

The transport, infrastructure and demands on administrative issues pose Mumbai with serious problems. The city has two railway divisions for addressing the need of its vast commuting population. The central covers the central and north east part of the metropolis, while the western part is covered by the western railway. BEST an autonomous body runs its buses all over Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane District. Fleets of black and yellow taxis also are a very important part of the surface transport of Mumbai. Three seat auto rickshaws ply locally within the suburban limits for short distances. Mumbai is well connected to the rest of the country as well as to international destinations by air. It has two airports- the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, and Juhu Aerodrome.