Regarded as the commercial capital of the state, this 15^th century riverside village has come a long way. From commerce, finance, media, art, research, technology, and education, Indore has aggressively exerted its significance in Madhya Pradesh.

Over the years, Indore has established itself as a strong industrial base, with the help of its satellite townships, Pithampur and Dewas. Many privatization initiatives like the country’s first toll road and private telephone network (Airtel) has seen Indore at the forefront of liberalization. With well-developed infrastructure, transport facilities, and cheap labor, the city is also regarded as the educational capital of central India. It is the only city in India that has an IIT as well as an IIM, ensuring a regular inflow of skilled professionals.

Prosperity has been kind to this city, as it nests upon rich black soil, making Indore the fourth largest cotton textile industry in India. Indore is also home to the Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange. Apart from having the reputation of being a financial, industrial, and textile hub, Indore is also an excellent tourist district. It’s neighbour, Mandu, a city of palaces and lakes, is a hot-spot for tourists.

With a booming financial, trading, and industrial sector, Indore defines its own blend of history and rapid future modernization. It is this blend that has made Indore’s real estate market, the most expensive in the state.

Stats And Facts

• The population of Indore, as per the provisional reports of the census 2011, is 2,167,447.
• The city’s sex ratio is above the national average, at 928 per 1000 males. Although, the child sex ratio is still below the national average – 901 girls per 1000 boys.
• The average literacy rate of Indore saw a significant jump in 2011 with 80.87% compared to 75.15% of 2001.
• Ethnically diverse, the Indore metropolitan area contains the highest total Marathi population of any M.P. city. It is also home to the large Jain community outside Gujarat and Rajasthan. Hindi linguistic sub-groups contribute majorly to the population in the city followed by Marathi, Punjabis, Sindhis, Gujaratis and others.
• Indore is ranked as the home to the highest number of billionaires in the state.
• Indore has the highest percentage of constant foreign migrants among Indian cities.

Indore – Striving Industrial Sector

• Cotton textiles are the city’s major product. However, with its decline over the years, iron and steel, chemicals, and machinery have been the forerunners for the manufacturing sector.
• Indore has one of the largest transshipment centers for truck transport that plays a huge advantage in inter-city industrial trade.
• Apart from the textile industry, Indore has industries in oil seed extraction, confectionery, paper and straw board, factories for asbestos products, RCC pipes and poles, machine tools and accessories, electrical machinery and appliances, electronics goods, bicycles and ready-made garments etc.
• Well known industrial houses have opened factories and plants in Indore like Hindustan Motors, Kinetic Honda, Prestige Group, Cipla, Onida Saka. These are just few of the many flourishing companies present in the Indore industrial complex.
• Pune-based Indian multinational, Bharat Forge Limited envision to increase their initial investment of 150 crore on 68 acres of land to 1000 crore by 2016.

Connectivity

• The Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport serves Indore, about 8 km from the city. It is the busiest airport in the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and serves as the nerve centre for international cargo. The airport has operating services back and forth from Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Kolkata.
• The Indore Junction is an A-1 grade railway station with revenue of more than Rs. 50 crore. Indore is directly connected by rail to the majority of metro cities in India. In the Railway budget of 2009, Indore’s main railway station was listed for a major upgrade.
• The national highway NH-3 (Bombay-Agra Road) and NH59 (Indore-Ahmedabad Road) passes through Indore and there are daily bus services from Indore to Mumbai, Jaipur, Gwalior, Bhopal, and so on.
• Atal Indore City Transport Services Ltd, a PPP scheme, operates buses and radio taxis in the city. The buses, designated as City Bus, operate on 36 Routes, with around 170 bus stop stations. The Indore BRTS is a bus rapid transit system under construction, as of 2012, where the BRTS will have its designated lane network to ease traffic congestion on the busy roads of Indore.

Industry and employment
Indore is home to the third-oldest stock exchange in India, the Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange. Indore is the business and trading capital the Madhya Pradesh. Education and healthcare are flourishing in Indore with the establishment of several reputed hospitals and educational institutions. The city has several industrial hubs, including a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), the Sanwer Industrial Belt, the Electronic Complex and more. Leading information technology (IT) companies like Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services have their offices in Indore. Apart from food, apparel, jewellery and pharmaceuticals, automobiles is another prominent business sector in the city. Automobile companies like Force Motors, Mahindra, Eicher and Volvo have offices here.

Lifestyle
Indore offers numerous tourist attractions, temples and historic destinations. The Yeshwant Club and Sayaji Club are renowned organisers of music and art. There are several art centres in the city, including the Brilliant Convention Centre, DAVV Auditorium and Abhivyakti Centre of Fine Arts & Performing Arts. Several reputed artistes from around the world perform in the city every year and it has numerous cultural clubs and literary organisations. The city also has a thriving metal and rock music circuit. Indore offers a variety of eateries, stalls and restaurants offering several cuisines. Hotel Rajhans, Couple Lounge, Teas & More are some of the popular restaurants in the city. Indore also offers many options for entertainment to its citizens. It is home to several cinemas and multiplexes such as BIG Cinemas, INOX and Carnival Cinemas. Treasure Island, Indore Central Mall, Mangal City Mall, Orbit Mall, Malhar Mega Mall and Walmart are major malls in the city, and the local markets like MT Cloth Market, Sitlamata Bazar and Heritage Market fulfill the daily needs of the shoppers.