The Hindu Business Line : Saturday, March 27, 2004

ANTI-DUMPING
Dumping duty on titanium dioxide from China mooted
THE Designated Authority in the Commerce Ministry has recommended imposing definitive anti-dumping duty on titanium dioxide (anatase grade) from China. A definitive anti-dumping duty, unless reviewed, lasts for five years. Titanium dioxide is ... More

ECONOMY
Political parties differ on FICCI's 10% growth agenda
THE sustainability of FICCI's proposed economic agenda for the new Government in Delhi, which calls for 10 per cent annual GDP growth in the next five years for employment generation and poverty alleviation, came under a critical scanner here on ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Indo-Lanka trade testimony for successful FTAs
THE increase in trade between India and Sri Lanka is a sure indicator to both Bangladesh and Pakistan that free trade agreements (FTAs) with smaller economies will be beneficial, according to the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Mr Nirupam ... More

HEALTH
Key-hole shoulder surgery performed at Manipal Hospital
THE Shoulder and Sports Medicine section at the Manipal Hospital recently performed "Arthroscopic Stabilisation Procedure", a key-hole surgery to stabilise the shoulder joint, on a 24-year-old youth who had recurrent shoulder dislocations. ... More

`Ayurveda, yoga have good commercial value'
COMMERCIAL exploitation of traditional Indian knowledge and its marketing were topics of interest at a session at the national seminar on "Intellectual Property Rights" organised by Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College of Business Management ... More

PETROLEUM
Gas Act: Gujarat hoping to keep `first mover' gains
THE Supreme Court decision on the Presidential Reference regarding the supremacy of the Centre over the State Government in public distribution of gas has come as a distinct setback for the Gujarat Government. The Gujarat Gas Regulation Bill ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS
Meet against generic AIDS drugs may hurt pharma majors
THE Doha Declaration, a virtual global treatise that put health on top of the agenda for Governments, may just be shaken from its roots on Monday. An old battle will be re-visited in Botswana next week, when the merits of generic anti-AIDS drugs ... More

POWER
NTPC likely to go public by September
THE National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), enthused by the response to its recent bond issue in the international market, is likely to go public later this year, probably in August-September, according to Mr P. Narasimha Ramulu, Director, ... More

Kerala seeks additional 150 MW power
THE Chief Minister, Mr A.K. Antony, has written to the Centre seeking grant of an additional 150 MW power from the eastern grid. In a communication to the Union Minister for Power, Mr Anant Geethe, the Chief Minister said the calamitous ... More

STEEL
India forging group on steel subsidy ban pact
INDIA is in talks with like-minded countries such as Brazil, China and Egypt to form an informal group for the proposed steel subsidy ban treaty that is currently being negotiated at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ... More

TAXATION
Kolkata HC ruling on 2, 4-wheeler lifetime tax
THE Calcutta High Court, here on Friday declared the propositions of the West Bengal Government for paying lifetime tax for two-wheelers and four wheelers as " ultra vires". After extensively hearing petitions filed against the State ... More

IFA Bangalore sub-chapter opened
BANGALORE: The Director-General of International Taxation, Mr Vijay Mathur, on Friday inaugurated the Bangalore sub-chapter of the International Fiscal Association (IFA). The IFA is a non-governmental, international organisation dealing ... More

TEXTILES
NITMA plans widening activities into clothing
The association would strive to upgrade the operational and financial performance of mills in the northern region. More

WATER
Water conservation drive in Kerala
KOCHI: The State Government has chalked out a massive water conservation programme involving local bodies and the Kerala Institute of Local Administration. A State-wide campaign will soon be launched to spread the message that `water ... More

How much deeper?
With the city facing acute water shortage, the number of borewells being dug is increasing. As a result, bore digging companies are flourishing, each digging 3-4 bore wells a day. ... More

COAL
SECL set to create record in coal production
SOUTH Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL), a profit making subsidiary of Coal India Ltd (CIL), is set to create a record by producing at least two million tonnes (mt) more against the targeted production of 69 mt for the 2003-04 fiscal. The production ... More

EDUCATION
IIM fee cut: Deveshwar to frame resolution
THE Indian Institute of Management - Calcutta, has entrusted Mr Y.C. Deveshwar, Chairman of the board of Governors, with the task of framing a resolution that will take into consideration the interests of all stakeholders. The IIM-C board ... More

2 more nominees' names forwarded to ICAI council
THE 19th Central Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), which was constituted in early February, is now fully in place. The Finance Ministry has forwarded the names of its remaining two nominees to the institute. So ... More

CARS
Auto industry weaves deal-making web
THE world of unaligned automobile companies this side of Asia, is beginning to resemble a supermarket. Earlier clarity in tie-ups is getting blurred by a web of shopping deals. MG Rover has a tie-up with Tata Motors to sell the City Rover in ... More

BEVERAGES
Cola majors plan slew of summer roll-outs
THE cola majors are revving up to roll out a range of new products in the market. Coca-Cola, for instance, is all set to roll out Coke Vanilla (a Coca-Cola variant flavoured with vanilla) in the first week of April this year. Though not ... More

Coke claims victimisation in Kerala
COCA-COLA, which was asked to close its plant in Palakkad by the State Government, has said that it had never drawn excess water and allegations were cooked up by some vested interests with a motive to close down the unit. "Nobody told us what ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
IndusInd among FDI proposals okayed
THE Government today cleared IndusInd International Holdings Ltd's proposal to invest Rs 16.90 crore in the company's Indian operations to acquire shares of IndusInd Bank from the secondary market.A total of 34 FDI proposals worth Rs 30.98 crore ... More

EVENTS

In Hyderabad today

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Complex procedures hit exports: CII survey
THE complexity of procedures is believed to be hampering the economy's robust export performance, according to the CII's (western region) survey on `Procedural issues in exports'. The survey found that 70 per cent of its respondents felt that ... More

Rice exports may resume without Govt support
RICE exports from the country may resume if the current bullish trend in the global market continues, though the trade is divided over whether the Government's help is required for it. "We are pretty bullish on rice exports. We think we can ... More

Coffee husk export thru Malpe port
MANGALORE: The Union Government has permitted the export of coffee husk through Malpe port in Udupi district. Mr S.M. Akhter, Under-Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue, informed this to the Kanara Chamber of Commerce ... More

TOURISM
SAARC tourism meet to take up `one visa' issue
THE seven South Asian countries could soon have a Schengen-type visa that allows free travel among 13 European countries on a single stamping. Senior tourism officials of the seven-member states forming the South Asian Association of Regional ... More

PEOPLE
Mishra gets addl charge at CBEC
IN a portfolio reallocation at the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), Mr B.K. Mishra, who had recently been appointed as Member-Legal and Judicial, would now also be in charge of Service Tax. Mr B.K. Mishra, who was Director-General ... More