The Hindu Business Line : Saturday, February 16, 2002

Plan panel sounds caution on Railway fiscal proposals
THE Planning Commission is of the view that the Railways' Tenth Plan (2002-07) proposals need to be "tempered with caution" in view of the fact that the growth rates projected by the core sector itself are far lower than the indicative GDP growth ... More

FOREIGN TRADE

Australia proposes trade dialogue with India
AUSTRALIA has proposed an official-level trade policy dialogue with India to focus not only on bilateral issues but also on the regional and multi-lateral trade agenda, the Australian High Commissioner to India, Ms Penny Wensley, said here on ... More

Boost for trade with Turkey
IN an effort to facilitate bilateral trade, investment and tourism ties between India and Turkey, attempts are being made to resume direct flights between Delhi and Istanbul, the Turkish Ambassador to India, Mr Hasan Gogus, has said. Addressing ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS

Govt relaxes control on bulk drugs
THE Government on Friday announced a significant easing of price controls on bulk drugs and formulations, bringing only those drugs with an annual turnover of Rs 10 crore and above - and vulnerable to market dominance and anti-competition ... More

TAXATION

CBDT to crack down on defaulting cos
THE Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is all set to wield the stick on corporates defaulting on tax payments, according to a top official. The board is planning to take strong enforcement measures, including surveys in the coming weeks, ... More

Some proposals likely to raise hackles
NEW DELHI: The Inter-Ministerial Group on Customs Reforms has set the cat among pigeons by proposing a reduction in the duty rates of several sensitive agricultural commodities to the `peak' rate of customs duty. In the last couple of ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO plans health satellite
INDIAN Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has plans to develop a health satellite depending on the acceptance and growth of telemedicine in the country, according to Dr K. Kasturirangan, Chairman, ISRO. He was speaking at the inauguration of ... More

DISINVESTMENT

Titagarh, Ruia Coatex bid for Jessop
TITAGARH Industries Ltd and Ruia Coatex have submitted price bids for acquiring 72 per cent of the Government's stake in Jessop & Company Ltd, a subsidiary of Bharat Bhari Udyog Nigam Ltd . "The price bids, submitted by the two bidders, would ... More

IPR

Draft Bill on patents -- `Post-Doha scenario factor missing in JPC report'
MR Narendra B. Zaveri, a senior advocate specialising in trademark and patent laws, has urged Parliamentarians studying the Patents (Second Amendment) Bill, 1999, to bear in mind that it is based on the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

`Time for corporate role in rural growth'
IN a bid to clearly define the role of States in the ongoing campaign to concretise public-private partnership for rural development, the Government has convened a two-day `Colloquium of Secretaries' in Hyderabad beginning on February ... More

AP plans online info on rural funds usage
A NEW initiative that could provide information at the click of a button, especially on how the funds allocated to rural development projects are spent, is set to be launched in Andhra Pradesh. A comprehensive, timely and accurate information ... More

INTERVIEW

French envoy sees good scope for Indian exports
The Ambassador has `high hopes' that import duty on wines would be reduced because the situation today is damaging to the consumers. It is harming the tourism industry and it hurts the Treasury too, because `too much tax kills tax'. More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS

Bumpy road ahead for uniform import duty
EVEN as the Inter-Ministerial Group on Customs Reforms under Dr Arvind Virmani has recommended a target of 20 per cent uniform import duty on all commodities by the year 2004-05, its actual implementation may not be an entirely hassle-free ... More

Rupee devaluation need not boost exports
High-priced imports as a result of competitive devaluation of currency would no doubt generate demand for lowering of tariffs, which can potentially compromise the existing protection available to domestic producers. More

Exim credit for bank in Colombia
THE Export Import Bank of India plans to extend a line of credit of $10 million to Banco de Comercio Exterior de Colombia, S.A. (Bancoldex) in a bid to support India's exports to Colombia. As per the LoC, importers based in Colombia will make ... More

TOURISM

Karnataka tourism: Ferguson to chart divestment course
KARNATAKA'S Department of Tourism has entrusted A.F. Ferguson & Co with the task of preparing a strategy for divesting the operations of its tourism infrastructure. The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation runs some 30 hotels and ... More

ECONOMIC OFFENCES

Fictitious buys under scrutiny
THE Revenue Department is set to launch investigations on a host of companies that have irregular claims on purchase of capital goods - plant and machinery - without it being backed by real investments. Companies indulging in such ... More

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