The Hindu Business Line : Tuesday, June 01, 2004

BUDGET
FM to hold pre-Budget meetings this week — Farm sector, labour unions figure in the guest list
REFLECTING the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government's priorities, the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, is set to hold a series of four pre-budget meetings later this week, starting off with an interaction with representatives from the ... More

ECONOMY
Unctad charts steps for growth of least developed nations
"It is an illusion to think that persistent mass poverty is the result of a lack of integration and insufficient trade liberalisation rather than the result of under-development. More

Corporates reiterate faith in economy
TWO leading city-based industrialists reiterated their confidence in the economy, change of Government notwithstanding. After the market mayhem of May 17 and the guarded economic views it triggered at company press briefings thereafter, equity ... More

PMO not a shopping mall, says Bengal CM
THE West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, has declined to place a `Bengal Package' type of charter of demands before the Congress-led Government at the Centre. Talking to reporters at the State Secretariat here on Monday, ... More

States resort to advance realisation of tax revenues
STRAPPED for cash, States have begun attempts to realise upfront some of the tax revenues that would have accrued to them only in the future. The attempts include persuading corporates to prepay some of their tax liabilities or outright ... More

FERTILISERS
PSU fertiliser cos told to set up grievance cells
THE Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilisers and Steel, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan, has directed the public sector fertiliser companies to set up grievances cell. These cells should attend to the grievances of the farmers about their problems in ... More

Fertiliser subsidy will continue irrespective of WTO: Paswan
THE United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government will continue with the existing fertiliser subsidy policy and compensate the fertiliser manufacturers for the losses they have to incur for selling fertilisers at the Government administered ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Dutch firms looking at India for investments
SEVERAL companies from the Netherlands have zeroed in on India as an investment destination after discovering cost advantages of operating here. Among those looking to set up shop in the country are Quark Media House and Star Diamond Group, ... More

HEALTH
Vivek Oberoi gets No-Tobacco award
HE may smoke in films, but in real life, Bollywood star, Vivek Oberoi, is among 32 others chosen from across the world by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the World No-Tobacco Award 2004 given for efforts to fight tobacco consumption. ... More

Diabetes assuming epidemic proportions
ACCORDING to a recent global report, India will be home to 7.94 crore diabetics by 2030 retaining its dubious distinction of the diabetes capital of the world. In 2000, there were 3.17 crore of them. Economic costs of the disease, which is now ... More

Plea to create awareness on passive smoking
A DELEGATION, comprising leading oncologists and women organisations, has appealed to the Central and State Governments to join hands with non-governmental organisations and other private players to create awareness about the dangers of passive ... More

Decision on handing over diagnostic centres in Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Health Minister, Mr Kadavoor Sivadasan, has said the State Government has decided to hand over regional diagnostic centres in Kollam, Ernakulam and Palakkad to hospital development committees. Addressing a review ... More

PETROLEUM
Chidambaram discusses oil prices with PM
IN the wake of global crude oil prices crossing $41 a barrel, the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, today met the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and is reported to have held discussion on ways to check its impact on domestic fuel prices. ... More

POWER
TN cuts power tariffs for domestic consumers
IN yet another reversal of reforms, a fallout of its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, the AIADMK Government on Monday cut electricity tariff for domestic consumers to be effective from June 16. The Government would directly bear the subsidy and ... More

TAXATION
Online tax system from today
THE much talked about Online Tax Accounting System (OLTAS), a new system for payment of direct taxes and monitoring of tax collections, would become operational from Tuesday. Besides simplifying the procedures for the payment of taxes at the ... More

COAL
Eastern Coalfields gets Plan panel nod for Rajmahal mine expansion
THE management of Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) has received an "in-principle" clearance from the Planning Commission for its proposed expansion programme of the Rajmahal opencast mine from 10.5 million tonnes (mt) to 17 mt per annum. The ... More

TERRORISM
Saudi attacks fuel fear among biz community
SATURDAY'S militant attacks on expatriates in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, that killed 22 civilians, including eight Indians, has sent shock waves among professionals and businessmen who travel regularly to the country and could change the way firms ... More

EDUCATION
IIMs told to evolve uniform fee structure
IN an effort to end the controversial Indian Institute of Management (IIM) fee cut issue, the Government on Monday asked the institutes to work out a common and uniform fee structure by June end. The board meetings of the management institutes ... More

Lintas centre offers PG course in media management
NORTHPOINT, in association with Lintas Media Services, is offering a one-year full-time post-graduate programme in Advertising Media Management aimed at developing media managers through a combination of intensive theory and on-the-job working ... More

HCV/LCV/TRACTORS
Now comes outsourcing of tractors — MNCs drive exports by 18.5 pc
IT IS not only passenger cars that are driving vehicular exports from India. Taking advantage of the lower costs of production, a number of multinational tractor majors have stepped up outsourcing of tractors manufactured in India, which led to a ... More

BEVERAGES
Plea to reopen Plachimada coke plant
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Employees Union has appealed to the government to take steps for the reopening of the Coca-Cola plant at Plachimada in Palakkad. The President of the union, Mr Thennilapuram ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Indo-Israeli fund for joint R&D activities planned
AN Indo-Israel Technology Fund to promote joint research and development (R&D) activity in three focused areas of agriculture, biotechnology and medical equipment, with the participation of industries from both countries, has been proposed. The . More

DISINVESTMENT
Web site `divested'
With the UPA Government deciding to scrap the Disinvestment Ministry, the Web site of the ministry is also in the dumps. When one visits the official Web site (www.divest.nic.in) , the message on ... More

HUMAN RESOURCES
Portability clause: Consulting firms cautious on H-1B visas
CONSULTING firms are cautious in investing in sponsorship of techies since the new H-1B laws allow a consultant to change sponsors because of the portability clause. While the number of H-1B visas has come down from 1,95,000 few years ago to ... More

EVENTS

In Hyderabad today

TOURISM
Govt plans brand-building drive to promote tourism — Hopes to generate 10 million jobs
THE United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre will take up a major brand-building exercise to promote tourism globally that would, in turn, generate nearly 10 million jobs and support tiny industries. Announcing this at a press ... More