Noida, short for the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, is a systematically planned[2] Indian city under the management of the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (also called NOIDA). It is part of National Capital Region of India. Noida came into administrative existence on 17 April 1976 and celebrates 17 April as "Noida Day". It was set up as part of an urbanisation thrust during the controversial Emergency period (19751977). The city was created under the UP Industrial Area Development Act by the initiatives of Sanjay Gandhi. The city has the highest per capita income in the whole National Capital Region. The Noida Authority is among the richest civic bodies in the country.[3] As per provisional reports of Census India, the population of Noida in 2011 is 642,381;[4] of which male and female are 352,577 and 289,804 respectively.[5] Noida has tree lined roads and is considered to be India's greenest city with about 50% green cover, the highest of any city in India.[6][7] Noida is located in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh state. The district's administrative headquarters are in the nearby town of Greater Noida. However, the district's highest government official, the District Magistrate (DM), has its official camp office in Noida Sector-27. The city is a part of the Noida Vidhan Sabha (state assembly) constituency and Gautam Buddha Nagar (Lok Sabha constituency). Minister of State for Culture, Tourism of Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma of the BJP is the current MP of Noida.[8][9] The current MLA who won in the by-elections is Vimla Batham. Noida was ranked as the Best City in Uttar Pradesh and the Best City in Housing in all of India in awards conducted by abp news in 2015 (Best City Awards 2015),[10][11][12] Noida replaced Mumbai as the second-best realty destination, according to an analyst report.[13] Noida has emerged as a hot spot for IT and IT-enabled services industry with many large companies setting up their businesses here. It is becoming the preferred destination for companies offering IT, ITeS, BPO, BTO and KPO services in various domains such as banking, financial services, insurance, pharma, auto, fast-moving consumer goods and manufacturing. According to a study by Assocham the major advantages include an excellent power supply, a salubrious climate eminently suited to information technology (IT) industries, a capability to increase the pool of skilled manpower, the availability of engineering colleges and other educational institutions, the low cost of setting up an IT unit as well as low recurring costs (including cost of living).
