Yum! Brands Inc, the US owner of the KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants, expects

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its Indian operations to be around Rs 4,600 crore ($1 billion) by 2015.

With plans to open a total of 1,000 outlets across brands in India by then, the company will also invest Rs 460 crore ($100 million) in the next four years.

"We expect our business in India to grow four-fold [from present] by 2015 with a turnover of Rs 4,600 crore [$1 billion]," Yum! Restaurants India Managing Director Niren Chaudhary told PTI.

With that kind of a revenue growth, India would start contributing meaningfully to Yum! Brands globally, he added.

Though India is a very small market for Yum! Brands in terms of revenue generation at present, the firm is making strategic investments in the country.

"Our business in India is seeing tremendous growth across brands...From now onwards to 2015, we will invest $100 million here," Chaudhary said.

Yum! Restaurants India currently operates close to 400 restaurants mostly under KFC and Pizza Hut brands and three Taco Bell outlets for Mexican food.

"All our brands are growing at double digit rate both in terms of sales and number of transactions...KFC for instance has grown 70% in terms of sales in the last one year," he said.

As it looks to deepen ties with India, Yum! Brands is also looking to contribute to the society through its 'Yum's World Hunger Relief programme'.

"Globally, we have raised $85 million for the United Nations' World Food Programme [WFP]. From India alone, we have already contributed Rs 2 crore since 2007, and hope to raise for funds from both corporates and our customers going ahead," Chaudhary added.