PHARMACEUTICALS
Patent cases againt Dr Reddy's, Ranbaxy — `Pfizer's victory not to impact Indian generics'
A FAVOURABLE decision from the US Courts, twice in a little more than a fortnight - against Dr Reddy's and now Ranbaxy - may be a double whammy for Pfizer Inc, but it is not necessarily a thumbs-down for Indian generic companies, feel ... More

Will Indo-Pak bonhomie open up export of medicines?
EVEN at times when relations between India and Pakistan were at their worst, when the two countries amassed their armies along the border following the attack on Indian Parliament — the business community on either side were comfortable ... More

POWER
Highest safety rating for PowerGrid bonds
ICRA has reaffirmed the highest safety `LAAA' rating assigned to the long-term bonds programme of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL). The rating reflects PowerGrid's strategic role in the country's power sector as a sovereign-owned ... More

Power trips, cuts in offing
WITH tripping and technical problems hitting several power generating units across the State, reduced supply from central generating stations and shortage in hydel power, the Andhra Pradesh Government is taking steps to regulate the demand to ... More

STEEL
Irani launches steel futures trading
Dr Jamshed J. Irani, Director, Tata Sons Ltd, Mr Jignesh Shah, Managing Director, MCX, Mr Hemant Mehta, Chairman, Maximus Commodities, and Dr Kewal Ram, Chairman, Forward Markets Commission, at the launch of trading in steel futures contracts in ... More

TEXTILES
Standardising testing systems for textiles' quality stressed
ASSESSMENT of quality attributes of both raw material and finished products has assumed increased significance in the fast globalising business world. Textiles, in particular, are a unique class of materials possessing high in-built variability ... More

SSI
Accounting norms panel to specify SMEs' exclusion
The National Advisory Committee on Accounting Standards (NACAS) plans to specify "permitted exclusion" for SMEs in each of the accounting standards so far issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Such a move is expected to ... More

Seven cos coming to ARCI Incubator
AT LEAST seven private start-up companies are in the process of establishing their semi-commercial production units with an investment of more than Rs 7 crore at the Advanced Materials Technology Incubator (AMTI) here. Capri Cables will set up ... More

WATER

RADIO/TV
Asianet yanks Ten Sports; cricket buffs in a tizzy
WITH the first one-day match between India and Pakistan less than 24 hours away, it is proving to be an anxious wait for cricket buffs in Kerala as the State's largest cable operator Asianet Satellite Communications Ltd suspended telecast of Ten ... More

TV channels to carry political ads despite ban
"If religious channels are available, then why is political advertising prohibited?'' More

Child experts endorse Pogo programming
POGO, the recently launched television channel for children, says it has got the stamp of approval from educators, psychiatrists and child psychologists for its programming. In a recently commissioned study by the channel, these three groups of ... More

Cable rates to remain at Dec 26 levels: TRAI
THE broadcast regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today said that cable rates will continue to remain at December 26, 2003 levels, irrespective of whether the Conditional Access System (CAS) is implemented or ... More

HCV/LCV/TRACTORS
Tractor industry grows 45 pc in Jan-Feb period
The industry has grown 45 per cent in January-February 2004. In fact, the turnaround in growth in the second half of this fiscal has been so good that the industry is set to grow by 8-10 per cent this fiscal, after seeing four consecutive years ... More

TELEVISION SETS
`Indian switchover to flat TVs will be faster'
THE key to growth in the consumer electronics category would lie in offering technologically advanced products at an affordable price. "The colour television (CTV) market transition in India to flat panel televisions would be faster than people ... More

CONSULTING
KVIC to start consultancy services in rural areas
THE Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has plans to start Rural Industry Consultancy Services soon in all districts of Tamil Nadu, to guide the new entrepreneurs to commence their units in villages and rural areas. According to Mr ... More

LEATHER
`Footwear component makers need to treble capacity'
FOOTWEAR component manufacturers would need to treble their present capacity and go in for massive upgradation if they are to cater to the market being created by the shifting of overseas shoe manufacturing operations to India. Mr Mani Almal, ... More

HANDLOOM
Tantavi 2004 Expo
NIFT students check the products at the Tantavi 2004 handloom exhibition in Kolkata on Friday. The exhibition, organised by the National Centre for Textile Design, displays 193 exclusive handloom fabrics on the theme ... More

RESORTS & AMUSEMENT PARKS
3 hotel chains sign pact to develop resorts at Bekal
THE State Government-owned Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC), which is responsible for developing Bekal in Kerala's Kasargod district as a tourist destination, has entered into licence agreements with three hotel chains for developing ... More

DISINVESTMENT
And the Oscar for disinvestment goes to...
ARUN SHOURIE is no longer a worried Minister. With oil IPOs on fire, he is happy that the privatisation programme is going strong and if there were an Oscar for his branch of work, you could bet who the winner would be. ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
Corpn Bank donates Rs 15.61 lakh to HelpAge India
CORPORATION Bank celebrated its 98th Foundation Day by donating Rs 15.61 lakh to HelpAge India Ltd, in Mangalore on Friday. The Chairman and Managing Director of the bank, Mr Cherian Varghese, who handed over a cheque for the amount to the ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Municipal Corporations in Kerala getting set for ADB aid
ASIAN Development Bank (ADB) is to send a high-level delegation to help the Kochi Corporation identify and prioritise the projects for receiving financial aid. The civic body is likely to get around Rs 350 crore along with four other corporations ... More

LABOUR REFORMS
`Labour reforms key to employment generation'
A PROPOSAL in the Central Government's labour reforms plan that transfers some powers from the judiciary to the bureaucracy is a retrograde step, according to Mr R.K Somany, Chairman & Managing Director, Hindustan Sanitaryware. The proposal's ... More

EVENTS
`Supportive legal system vital for economic growth'
THE Director of National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, Dr N.R. Madava Menon, has said that a supportive legal framework and a regulatory mechanism can help in the economic development of the nation. He was delivering the Foundation Day lecture on ... More

INCOME TAX
I-T staff decry CBDT's stance on outsourcing
THE buzzword could be `outsource,' but the members of the Income Tax Employees Federation (ITEF) have taken offence to the Central Board of Direct Taxes' (CBDT) stance on outsourcing departmental functions. Alleging that `outsourcing' was a ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Sugar import likely as domestic output dips
sugarTHE financial and other problems arising out of excessive stocks carried by the domestic sugar industry may soon come to an end if production and consumption trends this season are any indication. But concerns over the emergence of another ... More

Export units want sops on par with SEZs
THE Confederation of Export Units (CEU) has demanded that the rules applicable to units situated in the special economic zones (SEZs) should be extended to the 100 per cent export-oriented units (EOUs) also in order to keep them globally ... More

BEARINGS, CASTINGS & FORGINGS
Forging body shifts base to Pune
The new office would have a depository of information, as also a central area where the industry members could meet. More