The Hindu Business Line : Saturday, October 01, 2005

Economy logs 8.1 pc growth in Q1 — Manufacturing defies predictions; services up 11.3%
BELYING negative projections, the Government today presented an impressive economic report card that shows that the economy grew 8.1 per cent in the first quarter of the current fiscal, against 7.6 per cent in April-June 2004. The higher growth ... More

Laid-off workers may get higher compensation — Govt plans to amend Industrial Disputes Act
THE Government is planning to amend the Industrial Disputes Act to increase the compensation for laid-off workers. Simultaneously, it is working on a proposal to keep out units employing up to 300 workers from the purview of the Act. The plan ... More

Housing loans may be excluded from priority sector lending
HOUSING loans may no longer be eligible to be considered under the category of priority sector lending by banks. A working group set up by the Reserve Bank of India to review the priority sector lending norms has excluded housing loans from ... More

Petroleum Ministry to approach Cabinet for IBP-IOC merger
AWAITING the necessary approvals since last December, the proposal to merge IBP Co Ltd with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd may finally come through. The Petroleum Ministry is set to move Cabinet to get the mandatory approval for the merger. The ... More

Maharashtra's plastic bag ban may impact exports from entire country
As per the Basel Convention, to which India is a signatory, if a country prohibits a particular article, either on the production or consumption front, that country cannot trade in that product internationally. More

Escorts Heart sale: HC orders status quo till Nov 22
THE Delhi High Court on Friday ordered Escorts Ltd and seven others to maintain status quo regarding the sale of Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre (EHIRC) till November 22. Acting on a petition filed by Mr Anil Nanda, Chairman & MD ... More

ONGC asked to share Rs 2,830-cr subsidy burden in Q2
THE Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has asked ONGC to share Rs 2,830-crore subsidy burden in the second quarter. With this, the company will share a subsidy bill of Rs 5,706 crore during the first half of 2005-06. This is against a ... More

Inflation rises on costly manufactured products
Chromite prices up 35%; barytes rates up 21%. More

Southwest monsoon draws to a close
Cloudiness over Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is expected to clear up in another 48 hours and the rains will subside. More

A Chinese vendor paints India black to woo clients
The battle is not about pricing or quality but about issues on which India's image has been traditionally less-than-bright: poor infrastructure, not to mention manpower attrition in the software industry. More