The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, September 15, 2004

NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY
Hydrogen Energy Board to discuss panel proposals
THE National Hydrogen Energy Board (NHEB), which is meeting here on Wednesday under the chairmanship of the Minister for Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Mr Vilas Muttemwar, is to take up the recommendations of the Group on Hydrogen Energy for ... More

ANTI-DUMPING
Mid-term review of dumping duty on acrylic fibre imports initiated
THE Designated Authority in the Commerce Ministry has initiated mid-term review of anti-dumping duty imposed on imports of acrylic fibre from the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil and Bulgaria, as also on imports from Italy in two separate ... More

ECONOMY
Karnataka urged to take steps to curb fiscal deficit
KARNATAKA, which has the foundation for a satisfactory basic Public Financial Management and Accountability (PFMA), has to adopt more measures to bring effective control over the mounting fiscal deficits. Budget being the primary decision ... More

ENGINEERING
Engg cos allege harassment by Legal Metrology officials
THE engineering industries here are upset over the treatment of engineering products like pumps on par with FMCG goods and medicines. States such as Andhra Pradesh and Orissa are insisting that the products are packed with details of MRP and date ... More

NZ envoy visits BHEL unit
BANGALORE: The High Commissioner designate of New Zealand, Mr Graeme Waters, visited the Electronics Division of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd on Tuesday. Mr A. Bhattacharya, ED, took him around the facilities of its power plant ... More

ENVIRONMENT
Bay of Bengal most polluted between monsoons: Study
RESEARCHERS at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Germany, have found pollution plumes drifting in from Africa and Southeast Asia pollute Central Indian Ocean in the southern hemisphere during monsoon transition periods. The most polluted ... More

Hussain Sagar lake clean-up funding: JBIC team arrives
GOING a step further in the Hussain Sagar lake clean-up operation, a high-level fact-finding mission of Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC) is on a five-day visit here to finalise a Rs 270-crore loan. The two-member team, ... More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS
10% cut in tariff values of edible oils likely
A CUT in the tariff value or base price on which import duty is levied on edible oils is now almost certain. "Tariff values will be adjusted and new prices would be announced tomorrow," the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, said after a ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Expert assails Kerry's trade policy
WHETHER the Democratic nominee for this November 2 Presidential election is going to heed the advice of the former President, Mr Bill Clinton, and start concentrating on his economic strengths as opposed to getting ... More

Turkey seeks Indian investments in energy transportation sector
SEEKING Indian investments in the burgeoning energy transportation sector of Turkey, involving oil and natural gas, the Ambassador of Turkey to India, Mr Hasan Gogus, said here on Tuesday that the build, operate and transfer (BOT) model being ... More

PSU
BHPV assets attached to EPFO
THE plant and machinery, locomotives, vehicles, furniture, office equipment and other movable assets of Bharat Heavy Plate and Vessels Ltd here were attached on Tuesday to the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation for defaulting on PF dues of Rs ... More

PETROLEUM
CNG supplies not to be hit on protest day: IGL
INDRAPRASTHA Gas Ltd (IGL) has said that the supply of compressed natural gas (CNG), the clean automotive fuel, would not be adversely affected on Wednesday in the wake of the proposed `Protest closure day' as declared by the Delhi Petrol Dealers ... More

POWER
`Purchaser-provider' model for Karnataka power sector
THE Karnataka Government has decided to implement the `purchaser-provider' model to achieve the goal of ultimate viability in the power sector and quality power at affordable rates to the consumer. This is to ensure reduction in power sector ... More

TAXATION
Life insurers permitted to pay monthly service tax provisionally
The flexibility to pay provisional monthly service tax is being made available only to those insurers who decide to pay service tax on the risk premium certified by an appointed actuary. More

WATER
Karnataka CM's assurance on Tunga water
KARNATAKA has assured Andhra Pradesh that it would take measures to release Tungabhadra water. Announcing this at a felicitation meeting here on Tuesday, Mr N. Dharam Singh, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, said he had held discussions with ... More

Water for Chennai: AP asks TN to send technical team
THE Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has asked his Tamil Nadu counterpart, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, to depute a technical team to explore the best options available for the supply of water to Chennai. He was responding to Ms ... More

BREWERIES
Murree Brewery in talks to take Indian spirits to Pak
PAKISTAN'S alcoholic beverage group Murree Brewery Company Ltd, is in talks with Indian spirits majors for manufacturing and marketing alliances as the latter seeks a presence in that country's drinks market. Pakistan has an official ban on ... More

RADIO/TV
Ten Sports sets up own distribution team
NEW DELHI: Ten Sports on Tuesday said it had set up its in-house distribution team and would manage this part of the business independently. As such, the channel will not join or align itself with the Zee Turner bouquet. With the ... More

EDUCATION
Welingkar Institute opens Bangalore centre
THE Mumbai-based Welingkar Institute of Management inaugurated its Bangalore centre on Tuesday. In the current academic year, the institute is offering a two-year PG Programme in eBiz and a Professional Programme in Retailing (PPR). Besides ... More

CARS
Passenger car sales up 18 pc in August
PASSENGER car sales increased by 18.1 per cent in August 2004, as a slew of new launches and easy finance schemes helped drive the industry forward. A total of 62,846 cars were sold in the month compared to over 53,177 units in August last ... More

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS & HOSPITALS
Apollo Hospitals prunes income info
APOLLO Hospitals' annual report has reduced disclosures related to income to safeguard the interests of the company and shareholders from competition, said a company official on Tuesday at the annual general meeting. Its 2003-04 annual report ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
CII team to woo Taiwan investors
A Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) delegation will visit Taiwan to project India as an attractive investment destination. The 11-member delegation will focus on exploring vast potential in the telecom, information technology, machinery and ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Societe Generale FDI plan cleared
THE Government on Tuesday approved France-based Societe Generale Asset Management's proposal to acquire stake in SBI Funds Management Pvt Ltd involving foreign direct investment (FDI) worth Rs 167.4 crore. The Finance Minister, Mr P. ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
AP Govt gesture to ailing kids
HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Government has announced that it would bear half of the cost of treatment for children suffering from cardiac diseases. The Government has decided to bear 50 per cent of the cost or Rs 25,000 a surgery. ... More

EVENTS
BL Club launched in Vellore
A thought-provoking lecture and an interaction on job reservation in the private sector were the highlights of the inauguration of the Business Line (BL) Club in the Department of Management Sciences (DMS), Vellore Institute of ... More

In Thiruvananthapuram today

INCOME TAX
Tax system should be efficient: PM
NEW DELHI: THE Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has said that the tax system should be efficient, equitable and user-friendly so that there is minimum scope for harassment to the taxpayer. ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Mills may gain from zero duty raw sugar imports
DOMESTIC sugar mills are likely to benefit substantially from the Government's decision to allow them to import duty-free raw sugar, under the advance licence scheme (ALS) and sell the processed white sugar in the domestic market. On Monday ... More

NATURAL CALAMITIES
EU keen on tie-up with India on disaster studies
THE European Commission (EC) is keen to have on board key Indian scientists, who would participate in the multi-country, multi-institute, research studies underway on global issues such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, forest fires and ... More

TOURISM
Kerala targets 15 pc growth in foreign tourist arrivals
Domestic tourist inflow is expected to grow by about six per cent this year over the 5.7 million last year. Revenues from tourism might increase by 11 per cent from last year's Rs 5,000 crore. More

Urban Ministry told to provide land for budget hotels
THE Ministry of Tourism has asked the Ministry of Urban Development to expedite the allotment of land for construction of budget hotels. Addressing a press conference here, the Minister for Tourism, Ms Renuka Choudhury, said that her Ministry ... More

IBA panel on tourism sector
MUMBAI: Indian Banks Association (IBA) has constituted an eight-member working group on tourism industry under the chairmanship of Mr M.B.N. Rao, Chairman and Managing Director, Indian Bank. The working group will examine the role of ... More

PEOPLE
Prof Kochhar elected to WAITRO committee
PROF Rajesh Kochhar, Director, National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS), New Delhi, has been elected a member of the Executive Committee of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research ... More