The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, November 26, 2003

MET SIGNS
Monsoon remains weak in Kerala
NORTH-EAST monsoon extended its lull phase with merely isolated rain/ thundershower episodes being reported during the four days ending November 23. The Agromet Advisory Bulletin issued by the Met Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, said monsoon was ... More

ECONOMY

Kerala okays ADB-assisted service delivery project
THE State Government has approved the `service delivery project' forming part of the Asian Development Bank-assisted Modernising Government Programme (MGP) and delineated implementation plans in respect of 93 specific initiatives proposed. The ... More

Where have all the cardholders gone?
A ration outlet in Kerala's Thrissur district presents a tell-tale picture. Ration outlets were buzzing with activity until three years ago. Long queues of cardholders could be seen in front of the outlets during festival seasons, with people ... More

Closed units could help solve land problem: Bengal Minister
THE West Bengal Government is ready to allow owners of the closed industrial units to convert lands and existing available infrastructure of those units into "industrial parks" provided initiatives are taken by them. This was assured here on ... More

CD on southern households
INFORMATION on houses, household amenities and assets pertaining to the four Southern States and two Union Territories is now available on a compact disc (CD) at a price. The Office of the Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh recently ... More

ENVIRONMENT

Pilgrims' predicament: To dip or not to dip
DRYING up of rivers even before the onset of summer has become a cause for concern in several districts, especially in Pathanamthitta where lakhs of pilgrims from various parts of the country congregate in the two-month long pilgrim season that ... More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS

Govt rules out change in edible oil duty
THE Finance Ministry has ruled out any changes in import duties on edible oils. Seeking to set aside market speculation on changes in duty structure, a top Central Board of Excise Customs (CBEC) official told Business Line: "There is no ... More

FOREIGN TRADE

EU-India summit to focus on diplomatic, trade issues
Mr Amari said collective efforts to tackle the scourge of terrorism, strengthening and reforming the United Nations and restarting the stalled negotiations of the World Trade Organisation, after the fiasco in Cancun, would also be discussed during th e summit. More

Attorney to speak on doing business with US companies
THE State branch of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce has roped in a US attorney for a seminar on December 1 that aims to acquaint participants with the details of doing business with US firms. The seminar will suggest ways to remove ... More

HEALTH

Cancer drug: Nicholas to file for approvals
NICHOLAS Piramal India Ltd (NPIL) is set to file for regulatory approvals for its cancer drug that could be applicable in lukaemia, breast or prostrate cancer. NPIL's Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Swati Piramal, told this to newspersons on ... More

PETROLEUM

ONGC bags 5 coal-bed methane blocks; Reliance 3
OIL and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has won the bid for five coal-bed methane blocks, while Reliance has bagged three blocks of the nine coal-bed methane blocks on offer. The Government had received 14 bids for eight out of the nine blocks ... More

Iran offers to bear 60 pc cost of gas pipeline project
IN an attempt to give impetus to the beleaguered $3-billion Indo-Iran gas pipeline project, Iran today offered to foot 60 per cent of the project cost. The proposed pipeline orginates from Iran's southern fields, travels through Pakistan and ... More

POWER

AP: Energy efficiency project improves power supply
THE quality and reliability of power supply in Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda and Hyderabad districts of Andhra Pradesh have improved following the completion of the AP Energy Efficiency Project (APEEP). The project has demonstrated that ... More

`States not keen on nuclear energy due to high tariffs'
Nuclear power forms around 2 per cent of the country's total installed capacity compared to 85 per cent of the costlier and more polluting coal-based thermal power or 13 per cent formed by gas-based projects. More

EDUCATION

`CAT retest date to be announced today' — Online tests likely from 2005
THE Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA), which has taken on the lead role in resolving the impasse that has arisen after the Common Admission Test (CAT) questions were found to have been leaked, was a scene of intense deliberations ... More

CARS

Chhabria's got designs on British sportscar — Pre-assembly work by June 2004
WHEN Mr Dilip Chhabria cites in jest the new expressway and lure of stay in Lonavla as reasons for shifting base to Pune, they assume metaphorical hue. For, his repute in the world of design is indeed gaining altitude. And the modest facility ... More

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS

Auto parts industry for 3 new SEZs
IN a bid to become globally competitive and encourage investment in the auto component sector, the domestic auto components industry has recommended in its pre-budget memorandum to the Government that three domestic special economic zones (SEZs) ... More

ELECTRICAL GOODS

Excise anomaly hits organised sector fan cos
ELECTRIC fan manufacturers in the organised sector are finding it difficult to maintain their market share because of the difference in price of fans produced and supplied by manufacturers in the unorganised sector. This situation has developed ... More

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS & HOSPITALS

Govt rejects Eurobank's plan to set up academic institutes
THE Government has turned down a $170-million (approximately Rs 765 crore) proposal from Latvia-based Eurobank International Trust (EIT) to set up five academic institutions in India in collaboration with Gauri Baidyanath Trust. EIT and Gauri ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

`Corporates must create trustworthiness'
AS FICCI unveiled its new logo in the Capital on Tuesday, Prof Sumantra Ghoshal of the London Business School marked the occasion with his address on "Management's Crisis of Legitimacy". While describing FICCI as an interest group, a shared ... More

CERAMICS

Tile manufacturers seek sops to bolster growth
THE Rs 2,300-crore domestic tile manufacturing sector, hit by tight margins and increasing inflow of low-priced imports, is in the process of seeking tariff changes to facilitate growth. The industry plans to urge the Government to introduce ... More

DISINVESTMENT

Govt banks on legal option to resolve HPCL sell-off impasse
THE Disinvestment Ministry is banking on the legal option to resolve the impasse created by the Supreme Court verdict on privatisation of HPCL and BPCL, but would continue with residual stake sale plans in companies such as CMC, VSNL, IBP & Co, ... More

`State willing to grant tax relief to FACT'
THE Chief Minister, Mr A.K. Antony, has said that the State Government is willing to offer sales tax concessions to Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT) Ltd provided the Centre gave up its disinvestment plans in respect of the fertiliser ... More

Stir against HNL privatisation
KOCHI: HNL Samrakshana Samithy, an organisation formed against the proposed disinvestment of the public sector Hindustan Newsprint Ltd, has decided to intensify its agitation against privatisation. As part of intensifying the struggle, ... More

WTO

50-member core group mooted for Doha talks
DELEGATES at the three-day `India Economic Summit' (IEC) organised by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which concluded here on Tuesday, have suggested that a core group of 50 members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) be constituted to take ... More

LABOUR REFORMS

Labour reforms not to shrink job market, assures Jaitley
THE Union Commerce Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley, on Tuesday put to rest the fears of the trade unions that labour reforms would shrink the job market, saying that it would instead generate more opportunities in the long run. ``Labour reforms ... More

EVENTS

Cardiac meet on Nov 30
KOCHI: Cardiac Seminar 2003 will be held at the International Hotel here on November 30. Orgnaised by the Sree Narayana Centre of Excellence, the one-day seminar will focus on all kinds of treatment methods and holistic intervention to ... More

Hyderabad engagements

EXPORTS & IMPORTS

ECGC shells out Rs 31 cr towards guarantee claims
EXPORT Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Ltd (ECGC) has paid seven large value guarantee claims aggregating to Rs 31.10 crore on account of the failure of exporters to repay the export credit advances to the banks. The corporation has paid ... More

12 vanaspati units to shut shop — `Imports from Nepal hurting industry'
Twelve vanaspati manufacturing units in the eastern region on Tuesday announced indefinite closure of their units in protest against, what they called, "unviable business condition arising from cheap imports from Nepal." The East Zone chapter ... More

ECONOMIC OFFENCES

Stamp paper scam: CBI asked to conduct countrywide probe
PURSUANT to the directions of the Allahabad High Court, the Ministry of Finance has requested the CBI to conduct a countrywide investigation on the episode over printing of fake stamp papers. The CBI is at present investigating seven cases ... More

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