The Hindu Business Line : Thursday, February 20, 2003

State ranked 4th in investment
KARNATAKA accounts for about 8.6 per cent of the total investments on hand in the country and profit and sales of companies in the State are higher than the average of the corporate sector for the first six months of the current ... More

States to raise Rs 14,151-cr loans from debt markets
SEVERAL States will raise loans worth Rs 14,151 crore before the end of this financial year from the Indian debt markets. This would include fresh borrowings under the `debt-swap scheme' between the Centre and the States and normal additional ... More

FOREIGN TRADE

`Security may be the next trade barrier'
THE issue of `security' in the aftermath of 9/11 is likely to emerge as a new non-tariff barrier for accessing the US markets for all countries, and this would most likely result in fresh trade frictions among members of the WTO. Addressing ... More

HEALTH

`Nimesulide safe for children'
PARENTS who have administered Nimesulide to their children can take some comfort in the Union Health Ministry's statement on the issue. "More than 20 expert paediatricians across the country and the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) were ... More

PETROLEUM

`Incremental' gas sold to power plants — GAIL to charge market rates in AP
CONSUMERS in Andhra Pradesh will soon begin to pay higher power bills. This will collectively cost the consumer over Rs 150 crore per annum. The Government, in a decision early this week, has allowed gas marketer, GAIL India Ltd, to charge market ... More

POWER

APTransco projects revenue increase; no retail tariff hike
THE Transmission Commission of Andhra Pradesh (APTransco) has projected a revenue increase of Rs 748 crore during 2003-04 and reiterated its proposal for not increasing the retail tariffs in the next fiscal. In her presentation before the ... More

STEEL

Duty-free hot-rolled stainless steel coils — Salem Steel wants mint usage norms fixed
THE public sector SALEM Steel Plant (SSP) has asked the Finance Ministry to fix the standard usage norms for the duty-free imported hot-rolled stainless steel (HRSS) coils used for producing coin blanks for the Government of India's mint as the ... More

TAXATION

Chamber wants entertainment tax in North lowered
THE PHD Chamber of Commerce (PHDCCI) has urged the northern States to limit the entertainment tax to not more than 20 per cent. "The low rate of entertainment tax will generate more revenue due to higher volumes and would help in creating more ... More

TEXTILES

Textile sector urged to gear for post-MFA era
THE Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Mr K.C. Pant, has called for a partnership between the decentralised sector and modern mill sector of the textile industry. Inaugurating the annual general meeting of the Northern India Textile ... More

SSI

Neglect of SSI sector flayed
`The policy of development banks such as the IDBI and the ICICI to extend vehicle and consumer loans did not augur well for the growth of the economy.' More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

Curb borrowing for unproductive use: Assocham
THE Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has urged the Government to arrest the trend of borrowings being used for unproductive purposes and has called for channelising capital to finance sectors such as housing and ... More

CONSUMER FINANCE

10 million visit Birla Science Centre
THE B.M. Birla Science Centre here has held a special ceremony on Tuesday to mark ten million visitors to the institution that has started in 1985. The centre has a planetarium, a science museum and a dinosaurium. It is recognised as an ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO control facility at Bhopal

PRINTING

Printing sector in TN weighed down by taxes
`The prevailing import duty on paper at 67.3 per cent makes it impossible to compete with countries like China.' More

DISINVESTMENT

HPCL, BPCL disinvestment — Shourie allays fears of private monopoly
THE Union Disinvestment Minister, Mr Arun Shourie, has stated that Parliamentary sanction was not required for disinvesting Government stakes in HPCL and BPCL as these two companies were governed by the Companies Act. In the case of Coal India ... More

WTO

Australia keen to work with India on key WTO issues
AUSTRALIA is looking forward to working closely with India in negotiating and concluding the Doha round of talks. As an influential developing country leader in the WTO, India is well placed to play a key role, the Australian Minister for Trade, ... More

`Set up separate Ministry to deal with WTO issues'
THE Institute of Chartered Accountants of India's (ICAI) Trade Laws and WTO Committee is set to recommend to the Government that a separate Ministry be set up to handle all matters relating to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This ... More

India, Australia to work to preserve Doha agenda
INDIA and Australia have agreed to work jointly in the WTO for implementation of the Doha Development Agenda without dilution, besides interchanging views on regional cooperation and trade agreements and voicing concerns over the high level of ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

SBI okays Rs 14.15 cr to rural project
BANGALORE: State Bank of India has sanctioned Rs 14.15 crore to Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRP) for expanding its development efforts for rural masses in the Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. Prior to the ... More

EVENTS

`Executrix 2003' to be held tomorrow
COIMBATORE: The State level inter-collegiate meet on management `Executrix 2003' will be held on Friday at the PSG college of arts and science. Over 400 student-participants of management studies from different colleges are expected to ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS

Indefinite strike threat again over Bangla exports
EXPORTS to Bangladesh via the Petrapole Land Customs Station (LCS) in West Bengal, which resumed on Monday after a 48-hour stoppage because of a skirmish between the BSF personnel and some khalasis of Indian trucks on Saturday last, is again ... More

TOURISM

Nepal woos Indian tourists
THE Nepal Tourism Board today unveiled a series of initiatives and packages to woo Indian tourists to Nepal. The Board has chalked out a five-pronged strategy for the Indian market, which includes promotion of Nepal as a year-round destination ... More

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