The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Cement dispatches rise in December
FOUR cement majors have reported increased dispatches for December 2004 compared with dispatches in December 2003. With analysts and stockists expecting cement prices to increase by about Rs 10 a bag (of 50 kg) during the first week of the new ... More

ECONOMY

Govt turns cash-rich!
Expenditure control is a two-edged sword — it may rein in the deficit but if it is at the cost of new investments, the solution will not stand the test of reason. More

CAG submits accounts to Kerala Govt
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has forwarded the finance accounts and the appropriation accounts to the State Government on December 27 for being placed before the Sate Legislature. Announcing this, an ... More

FERTILISERS

Fertiliser body wants de-regulation of urea distribution
THE Fertiliser Association India (FAI) wants complete de-regulation of urea distribution in the country as envisaged in the New Pricing Scheme that is being implemented from April 1, 2003. Even after de-regulation, FAI favours the Government ... More

FOREIGN TRADE

Indo-Pak trade may touch $10 b by 2010: Assocham
THE Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) has estimated that trade between India and Pakistan can touch the $10-billion mark by 2010 from $345 million in 2003-04, provided the execution of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement ... More

HEALTH

National meet of ENT surgeons in Hyderabad from Thursday
THE Association of Otolaryngologists of India (AOI) with a membership of over 4,000 medical specialists dealing with problems of ear, nose and throat (ENT) is holding its five-day annual conference - AOICON-2005 - here from Thursday, ... More

Govt okays launch of rural health mission
THE Government today approved the launch of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) with a Rs 3,700-crore credit and grants-in-aid from multilateral agencies. The implementation will involve merger of funds and personnel of departments of health ... More

HOTELS

Mumbai hotels seeing high occupancy rates
WITH the conference and meetings season in full swing, hotels across the city are reporting occupancy numbers in the range of 80 to 90 per cent. And, despite the tsunami, hotels emphasise that it is business more than as usual. They are ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE

Andhra Pradesh CM announces housing programme for urban poor
THE Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, on Tuesday announced a massive housing programme for the urban poor, regularisation of encroachments and provision of water connections at reduced charges. Addressing a conference of District ... More

PETROLEUM

20 blocks on offer — Net worth norm for NELP-V bidders cut
THE Government has cut the net worth criteria from $1 billion to $500 millionfor prospective bidders seeking to explore oil and gas in 20 blocks under the fifth round of New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP-V). Besides, to provide marketing ... More

Petrol, diesel prices unlikely to be cut: Aiyar
THE Union Petroleum Minister, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar, said on Tuesday that prices of petrol and diesel were unlikely to be cut in line with the falling international oil prices until the Union Government finalised a stable pricing regime. ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS

NPPA raises prices of Analgin
PRICES of drugs for fever, pain and aches may go up as the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has increased the price of bulk drug Analgin (metamizole) by 4.81 per cent, from Rs 437 per kg to Rs 458 per kg. According to an ... More

POWER

NTPC firms up capital outlay of Rs 8,550 cr
NATIONAL Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has firmed up a capital outlay of Rs 8,550 crore for the year 2005-06, which will be funded on a 70:30 debt-equity ratio, the company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange on Tuesday. The State-run power ... More

TAXATION

Cairn Energy: Ministry seeks legal opinion on production cess payment
THE Petroleum Ministry has sought legal opinion on the dispute over payment of a production tax by Cairn Energy of UK on the crude oil it plans to produce from the Barmer district in Rajasthan. "Cairn Energy signed a contract for the Rajasthan ... More

Service tax on goods transport: Mangalore traders to observe `protest day' today
MEMBERS of trade, industry and transport sectors in Mangalore will observe `protest day' on Wednesday against service tax on transport of goods by roads. Addressing newspersons here on Tuesday, the President of the Kanara Chamber of Commerce ... More

TEXTILES

Curtains for textile quota brokers?
IF the wiping out of quotas in global textile trade has the exporting community celebrating, the January 1 deadline has come as a big blow to a large number of people who have been put out of work. Those left high and dry include a few ... More

EDUCATION

CBSE to introduce fashion studies as elective subject for class XI
AFTER disaster management, Internet and multimedia, it's now fashion studies that is to be included among the elective subjects for high school students in the country. According to a release, Mr Ashok Ganguly, Chairman of the Central Board of ... More

CARS

Rise in raw material prices to make cars dearer
CAR buyers may have to shell out a little extra in the new year. The recent round of price increases in key raw materials such as steel and aluminium may force passenger car manufacturers to increase prices by a quantum higher than envisaged ... More

FOODS & FOOD PROCESSING

Sick seafood units seek PM's help to stop recovery by banks
AROUND 130 seafood units that are in financial trouble have sought the intervention of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to stop the recovery proceedings initiated by banks and financial institutions against them. The seafood units have ... More

READYMADE GARMENTS

US embargo on 2 shirt categories for exceeding quota
THE US Customs has embargoed two categories of shirts from India — 340/640 and Group II — and there is also a likelihood of embargo in two other categories shortly. Mr A. Sakthivel, Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council, said ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DRDO firming up plans to help in disaster management
THE indigenously developed `Nishant', the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), can efficiently provide crucial data, if it is deployed during times of natural crisis. The night vision devices, including goggles, developed again by defence ... More

EVENTS

`Reassertion of regional parties cause for joy'
NOBEL laureate Professor Amartya Sen has said the reassertion of regional parties was not to be bemoaned but it is a reason for celebration as it demonstrated the inherent strength of the country's democratic traditions. In a dialogue on ... More

INCOME TAX

I-T staff plan dharna tomorrow
ACCUSING the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) of remaining insensitive to their long pending demands, the officers and employees of the Income-Tax department have proposed to stage a day-long dharna on January 6. While the national leaders ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS

Indian roses set to bloom in Russia, Poland
The Pune-based Fila Rozil on Tuesday flagged off a consignment of one million rose plants for Russian and Poland markets. Mr Firoz Poonawalla, Managing Director, Fila Rozil, said this was the first time that rose plants were being shipped ... More

SEZ legislation likely by month-end
THE Union Government is likely to come out with a special economic zone (SEZ) legislation within a month. "A positive development on the SEZ legislation will come by the month-end," said Mr G.K. Pillai, Additional Secretary (Ministry of ... More

NATURAL CALAMITIES

TN: Rs 4,800-crore Central aid sought for tsunami-hit
A detailed memorandum of the damage, based on a quick assessment has been submitted. More

Shrimp, prawn availability unlikely to be affected
Availability of the sea-caught fish could be hit in the coming weeks but it will only have an impact in the short term. More

US scientist questions utility of costly early warning systems
Most warnings for tsunamis in the Pacific, according to the Hawaii Group, have been false. More

Fishermen to be rehabilitated: Minister
THE Union Minister for Shipping, Roads and Highways, Mr T.R. Baalu, has assured that the Central Government would take steps to rehabilitate the fishermen affected by tsunami in the coastal regions and help them resume their work soon. Speaking ... More

India Inc rushes aid
CORPORATES and business houses in the country are contributing generously towards relief and rehabilitation efforts in tsunami-hit areas. Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) has contributed Rs 2 crore towards the current relief and rehabilitation ... More

Banks speed up aid for tsunami victims
BANKS have stepped up rehabilitation assistance to those affected by the tsunami. Surveys to identify those in need of immediate assistance have begun. Speaking at the State-level bankers' committee meeting here on Tuesday, Mr K.M. Shet, acting ... More

Contributions to The Hindu Relief Fund

TOURISM

SriLankan Airlines asks tourists to confirm hotel reservations
SRILANKAN Airlines Ltd has asked all tourists to Sri Lanka to ensure that they have confirmed their hotel reservations and check whether transport is available to reach their destination. In a press release here on Tuesday, the airline asserted ... More

Tsunami hits tourist inflow to Kerala
THE tsunami phenomenon, which hit the Kerala coast along with the entire Asia Pacific region in the last week of December, has badly affected the State's tourism industry. Though the killer waves caused major damages to only some low-lying ... More