HEALTH
Free AIDS drugs from today, with or without price pact
THE absence of an agreement on drug prices will not hold up the Government's initiative to make free anti-AIDS drugs available to people living with HIV/AIDS from April 1. The Government will kick off the first quarter of the free AIDS-drugs ... More

HOTELS
Marina Towers hotel in Chennai to open tomorrow
THE Marina Towers, a 120-room business class hotel, located near the Egmore Railway Station, will open for business on April 2. Constructed at a cost of Rs 10 crore, it took almost 14 years to complete following some setbacks, according to the ... More

POWER
Simhadri plant crosses power generation target
THE 1,000-MW Simhadri thermal station of the NTPC at Parawada near here generated 7,699 million units during the current financial year, the second year of its operation, against a target of 7,500 million units, achieving the plant load factor of ... More

TEXTILES
India still weighing EU offer of textile quota hike
INDIA is still considering the European Union's latest offer of 30 per cent increase in quota of textiles and clothing, particularly if the exceptional flexibilities are extended to use the increased quota in any of the categories of New Delhi's ... More

SSI
Help on the way for sick SSIs run by AP women
THE State-level Inter Institutional Committee (SLIIC) has asked ALEAP Credit Guarantee Association (ACGA) to identify the sick small-scale industrial units run by women entrepreneurs. At a meeting held at Reserve Bank of India's local office ... More

RADIO/TV
Cathy Peza joins Toonz
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Toonz Animation India has announced the appointment of Ms Cathy Peza, veteran animation producer, as Studio Manager. According to Mr P. Jayakumar, Chief Executive Officer, Toonz Animation, Ms Peza would develop ... More

EDUCATION
IIT-Kharagpur signs MoU with Canadian varsity
THE Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Waterloo, Canada, with a view to exploring possibilities for co-operation in research, scholarship and exchange ... More

DISINVESTMENT
SEBI to probe ONGC share allotment issue: Shourie
THE market regulator SEBI will probe into the issue of over-allotment of ONGC shares to retail investors to find out if there was any ``culpable mistake'' and to determine as to who should bear the consequent losses, the Union Disinvestment ... More

West Coast Paper submits EoI for Govt stake in Hind Paper
MR S.K. BANGUR, Chairman of West Coast Paper Mills Ltd (WCPML), confirmed here on Wednesday that the company, jointly with Rama Newsprint & Paper Ltd, submitted an expression of interest (EoI) for the purchase of 74 per cent of the Union ... More

TRADE & LABOUR UNIONS
Call to put down bandh-hartal farce in Kerala for BPO bonanza
THE bandh-hartal jinx in Kerala has cost the State dearly in terms of investments in business process outsourcing and health tourism and it is high time concerned citizens called the bluff of its perpetrators, according to Mr G. Vijaya Raghavan, ... More

EVENTS
VGP Trade Centre to be opened on April 16
THE VGP Group will hold weekly markets on the East Coast Road at the newly constructed 72,000 sq ft trade centre. Coinciding with the VGP Trade Centre's inauguration on April 16 will be a car sale from April 16 to 18. VGP World Trade Centre ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Hyderabad software exports to cross $1 b
SOFTWARE exports from Hyderabad are set to cross the $1-billion (Rs 4,500-crore) mark during the financial year 2003-'04, an increase of more than 20 per cent over last year. According to the Director of the Software Technology Parks of India, ... More

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES
Taskforce formed to boost traditional medicines
IN order to identify, evaluate, standardise and improve the quality of traditional medicines, a taskforce comprising senior representatives from the Government, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), VHERDS (the ... More

TOURISM
It's now focus EU for AP Tourism
AFTER creating a strong brand in the Indian tourism industry, Andhra Pradesh Tourism has now set its eyes on the global market, with a particular focus on European Union countries. Besides deputing high-level delegations to leading tourism and ... More

AP Tourism fair from tomorrow
HYDERABAD: Promoting Andhra Pradesh as a tourist destination, the State Government, in association with the Bangalore-based India International Travel Mart, is organising a three-day travel and tourism fair here beginning April 2. Slated ... More

PEOPLE
Campco president quitting to contest polls
THE President of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Co-operative (Campco) Ltd, Mr B. Nagaraja Shetty, has said he will resign from the post. However, he will remain as the director of the Campco board. Addressing ... More