The conference will be held in the beautiful campus of National Insurance Academy Pune (NIA Pune), located at:

25, Balewadi, Baner Road
NIA PO
Pune  411 045
Maharashtra State, India.

Pune (pronounced as PooNay) is one of the historic and major cities in India and is located just 192 kilometers (120 miles) by rail and 160 kilometers (100 miles) by road from Mumbai (Bombay), the financial capital of India.

Pune has a domestic (regional) airport which is well connected to all the international airports in India namely, Bangalore, Chennai (Madras), Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata (Culcutta), and Mumbai (Bombay). The frequency of flights is very good (around 20 times a day).

Pune is 559 metres above the sea level and is surrounded by beautiful hills and an ancient fort. Pune is among the greenest urban areas in India, with more than 40% of its area under green cover. It is home to several major educational institutes, tens of software firms (including a software technology park), other industries and research centers.

Climate during the months of November, December, and January is generally very pleasant in Pune and in most parts of the country. The temperatures in Pune and other places of Maharashtra State are around 20-25 C (around 75-80 F) during that time. Many tourists prefer to visit India during these months.

Although people speak many languages in India, English is widely used and understood.

Staying and boarding : People who prefer to stay in NIA during the conference may click here to get the details on making a reservation. The keynote speakers and several members of the conference committee are also staying in NIA.

How to reach NIA once you arrive in Pune: From Pune airport, you can take a Taxi and it costs around Rupees 300-500 (around 40 Rupees = 1 US Dollar) or you can take an Auto-rickshaw (it is a 3 wheeler powered vehicle but smaller in size than a Taxi) and it costs around Rupees 150-170.

From Pune railway station, an Auto-rickshaw costs around Rupees 100-120 and a Taxi costs bit more than that.

In general Pune is a safe place but to be on safer side, it is recommended to take prepaid taxis and autos (there is a prepaid auto/taxi station (booth) near the railway station or airport and you need to pay the money in advance, through that station, before you get into the taxi/auto).

Auto-rickshaws (and sometimes, even the Taxis) don't typically have meters so it is best to negotiate the fare before you get in (unless you are using the prepaid service). There will be extra charges for additional bags (please negotiate the charges for bags, in advance and it should not be more than Rupees 40-50) but tipping is not expected. If taxis are available, they are preferable over autos in terms of overall safety.

See http://www.punepolice.com/prepaidauto.htm for some additional details on prepaid service.

Important Note/Disclaimer: The conference organizers do not accept any responsibility (directly or indirectly) regarding any matters that you may deal with NIA or the travel agent or any one else for your travel, accommodation, boarding and any other services. You need to directly pursue all these matters on your own.