Greetings. Switzerland is a very health conscious country, whose governments have over the years provided the best of medical and healthcare facilities to the people of the country. The Swiss pharmaceutical industry has thus flourished in a business climate very conducive for growth. The Pharmaceutical industry, along with banking and finance, and watch-making constituted the backbone of the Swiss economy. The cover story of the current issue of Indo-Swiss Business is on the strides made by the Swiss pharmaceutical industry, which is dominated by Novartis and Roche both of which have grown to be global giants. Switzerland is a very progressive country with a highly liberalized economy. But the country's new Minister for Economic Affairs Doris Leuthard thinks further reforms are vital to boost accelerate economic growth, which is the focus of this issue. One of the main concerns of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) has been the rising inflation. In Order to arrest the rise of inflation and ensure price stability, SNB has increased the three-month LIBOR target range as part of its monetary policy stance. We report the development in the current issue's banking section. Switzerland, which is a global supplier of the most sophisticated textile machinery, also produces superfine fabrics and is home to a flourishing fashion design community. We highlight the forthcoming textile fashion award extravaganza, being held in Zurich on 17 November 2006. Environment protection is an inbuilt facet of the Swiss psyche. We carry a report on the "Green Car" that is being tested by a technology institute, which could help reduce carbon emissions. Dina Banal has passion for travel. She chooses a Swiss autumn for her pursuit and comes up with a write-up about her wonderful rides across Switzerland by train, bus and boat. In addition to the above, the issue carries all the other regular features.

Wish you happy reading,

Satya Swaroop
Managing Editor
satya@newmediacomm.biz