ECONOMY
Kerala's annual Plan outlay fixed at Rs 5,369 crore
`Kerala should further explore the possibility of foreign investment in infrastructure and tourism.' More

ACCOUNTANCY
ICAI panel okays framework for `networking' CA firms
CHARTERED accountancy firms may soon be able to deliver services at multi-locational points without having their physical presence at these points. The Central Council of the ICAI has approved the conceptual framework for "networking" amongst CA ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Malaysian PM moots FTA with India
THE Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has underlined the need to deepen the Indo-Malaysian economic and trade cooperation through a free trade agreement (FTA). He invited Indian businessmen to suggest a framework to ... More

HEALTH
Doctors advise caution on arthritis drug
IF you are an arthritis patient taking a locally-made version of Pfizer's drug Celebrex or celecoxib - it is time to sit up and take notice of any "drug-related parallel reaction", say doctors who have administered the drug at some point in ... More

Separate norms likely for drug trials on children, elderly, pregnant women
WITH a large number of clinical trials poised to move to India, the Health Ministry is planning to come up with separate protocols and norms for testing of new drugs on specialised population groups such as geriatrics, paediatrics and pregnant or ... More

Arab Health woos Indian healthcare cos
ARAB Health, the Dubai-based organiser of healthcare industry expositions, has invited the Indian healthcare industry to take part in `Arab Health-2005', the region's premier health and medical exhibition and conference, and take a share in West ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
Roadmap to develop infrastructure sector by Jan-end: Montek
THE presentations on the roadmap for development of infrastructure including roads, ports and railways are expected to be made to the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, by January-end. "I am hoping that by end of January, meetings would be ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS
Steps to strengthen drugs Act
"Apart from regulating the clinical trials, the measure would also help the contract research organisations (CROs) gain creditability and confidence of foreign companies." More

COUNDOWN TO PATENTS REGIME - 2005
Novartis' Glivec story: A sign of things to come?
A LITTLE more than a year ago, a significant step towards establishing a product patent regime was taken in India. Novartis was granted the country's first exclusive marketing right (EMR) for its blood cancer drug Glivec. But today the ... More

TAXATION
Chidambaram allays fears of traders on VAT — To hold series of meetings to deal with genuine difficulties
THE Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, intends to soon hold a series of meetings with members of the trading community in different parts of the country to allay their apprehensions over the implementation of value-added tax (VAT) regime ... More

FICCI wants Govt to revisit dividend tax
WITH the Government kicking off the pre-Budget exercise, India Inc would like the Finance Ministry to revisit the existing dividend distribution tax regime and make it more corporate-friendly. According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of ... More

Kerala Coir body feels VAT is detrimental to it
LACK of regular supply of good quality coir fibre is a major problem faced by the coir industry in Kerala and several measures announced by the State and Central Governments have not yielded the desired results, according to Mr T.A. Kaleelur ... More

TEXTILES
Processing, weaving, garmenting key growth areas in post-MFA era
THE textile industry is bracing itself to breathe freely in the post-quota regime beginning from January 1, 2005, with the end of the multi-fibre arrangement (MFA) that parcelled out export quotas among developing countries. Industry sources ... More

SSI
PHDCCI for effective debt restructuring scheme for SMEs
PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) on Monday called for the formulation of an effective, borrower-friendly and optional debt restructuring scheme for small-scale industries. Such measures will not only benefit small enterprises, but ... More

WATER
Transmission losses hit water supply to RINL
WATER supply to Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd's Visakhapatnam Steel Plant through the Yeleru canal has been affected due to heavy transmission losses. The water level in the Kanithi balancing reservoir is gradually coming down, causing concern to ... More

RADIO/TV
DTH channels: Govt plans law to address security, obscenity issues
THE Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry is planning to enact a legislation that will address security concerns and check obscenity on television, following the launch of direct-to-home (DTH) services in the country. The I&B Minister, More

Sun Network ties up with Malaysia's Astro
MALAYSIA'S leading broadcaster, Astro All Asia Networks plc has entered into an agreement with Sun TV for setting up a joint venture to originate, aggregate and distribute television programming and channels for the global audience. Investments ... More

EDUCATION
Narsee Monjee students bag Crisil awards
THE Mumbai-based Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), now a deemed university, has bagged the maximum number of awards at this year's Crisil Young Thought Leader (CYTL) Awards. Three papers submitted by students of NMIMS have ... More

GEMS & JEWELLERY
Dazzling Necklace
Bollywood actress and Miss India 1993, Namrata Shirodkar displaying a diamond necklace worth Rs 1 crore at the Great Diamond Show organised by the House of Alappat in Kochi on Monday. The total carat weight of the necklace is 53.86, which ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
CII-Coimbatore launches soft skills training programme
COIMBATORE: CII Coimbatore zone has launched a soft skills training programme to strengthen students communication skills and career prospects. The soft skills training initiative, according to Mr K. Jayaramakrishnan, Chairman-Task ... More

KNITWEAR & HOSIERY
KniCMA seeks higher interest subsidy for TUFS borrowings
THE Knit Cloth Manufacturers Association (KniCMA) has suggested to the Centre to increase interest subsidy given to textile entrepreneurs availing technology upgradation fund scheme (TUFS) capital borrowings from 5 per cent to 8 per cent. A ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
Food aid shipments may top 8.5 mt
TOTAL food aid shipments in 2004-05 are expected to reach an estimated 8.5 million tonnes (mt), matching the volume shipped in the previous year, according to Food Aid Committee (FAC), a group of donor countries. Members' commitment under the ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Bidders shortlisted for AP broadband project
THE Andhra Pradesh Government has shortlisted the preferred service provider for its ambitious Rs 600-crore rural broadband network project that seeks to connect all villages across the State by December 2005. 3Com is among the shortlisted ... More

Dr Raj Reddy makes PCs talk the masses language
DR Raj Reddy, Head of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Carnegie Mellon University, is on a mission to bridge the digital divide but with a difference — empowering illiterates to actually use computers! Having started with the ... More

Biomass gasifier unit installed in Tirunelveli dist
MADURAI: A biomass gasifier unit installed at Aayiraperi panchayat in Tirunelveli district has started functioning. The unit, established at the cost of Rs 3,14,515, requires 1.50 kg of firewood as fuel to generate 1 KW electricity an ... More

EVENTS
CII workshop on vanilla
IN a bid to bring together all the stakeholders in vanilla to overcome the current crisis and create a more stable market, CII Kerala is organising a participatory workshop called `Vanilla Sustainable Solutions' on Wednesday. Extractors and ... More

Active Chinese participation in trade fair in Kolkata
THE 18th Industrial India Trade Fair began here on Monday with active participation by China as a partner country of the fair. A 65-member business delegation from China, under the leadership of Mr Jing Fuli, President of China Chamber of ... More

TOURISM

STANDARDS & BENCHMARKS
Demand to bring tea imports under PFA Act
TEA imported into India for re-exports should be brought under the ambit of the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act and the norms for value-addition should be re-introduced before any such consignment is re-exported. This was stated by Mr ... More

PEOPLE
Rathi Vinay Jha to head FDCI
THE Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) today announced the appointment of Ms Rathi Vinay Jha as its Director-General, the first woman to hold such a post since the council's formation in 1998. She played a key role in the setting up of the ... More