The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, February 08, 2006

First batch graduates from GE Foundation
THE General Electric Foundation, the International Youth Foundation, and Youthreach have announced the first batch of students graduating from the pilot Life Skills for Employability Program in India. The batch of 948 students was trained in life ... More

NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY

Global meet on renewable energy in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: The Indian arm of International Solar Energy Society will organise a global conference and trade show on renewable energy at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre. The ICORE - 2006 (International Congress On ... More

ECONOMY

CSO pegs growth at 8.1 pc — Estimates surpass expectations of RBI, Finance Minister
THE Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) has pegged the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth level in 2005-06 at 8.1 per cent, as part of its advance estimates of national income, compared to 7.5 per cent in 2004-05. This surpasses ... More

Sikkim annual Plan size fixed at Rs 550 cr
THE annual Plan size of Sikkim for the next fiscal has been fixed at Rs 550 crore, inclusive of one-time Central assistance of Rs 20 crore for projects of special priority to the State. At a meeting with the State Chief Minister, Mr Pawan ... More

HEALTH

Finance Ministry not for levying health cess
THE Finance Ministry is not in favour of levying an additional 2 per cent cess as proposed in the draft Pharmaceutical Policy to fund the healthcare needs of the poor in the country. At a high-level meeting chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, Mr ... More

PETROLEUM

Oil Ministry urges Rangarajan panel to submit report soon
WITH the Budget exercise gaining momentum, the Petroleum Ministry has urged the Rangarajan Committee to submit its report at the earliest if the committee decides to recommend tax and duty proposals relating to the sector. To ensure that the ... More

Oil fall will translate to higher stocks, lower bonds
THE bull run in oil has endured for around a year now. Buoyed by rising demand the world over, tensions in West Asia, and the projections of leading investment banks such as Goldman Sachs (which created a sensation last year predicting $100 oil), ... More

Is oil equity stakes in politically volatile regions a risk?
If there is wholesale nationalisation or overnight change of control of oil blocks in these countries, where does that leave the Indian equity stake? More

AP seeks market regulator for upstream gas
`Where there is a significant shortage of supply and a monopoly producer and distributor, allowing the `market' to determine the price will only lead to exploitation.' More

PLASTICS

Maharashtra not to ban all plastic carry bags
Food products like milk, oil and other items like blood pouches will have to be packed in virgin plastic 50 micron in thickness. More

POWER

APERC to hold public hearing
HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) will hold public hearings spread over five days in February to determine the transmission and wheeling charges, following the public notice issued by the licensees on ... More

TAXATION

MTNL to get huge tax refund — `Licence fee is biz expense'
STATE-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd will get a tax refund of Rs 1,233 crore following a direction from the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. The tribunal has directed the Income-Tax department to refund to MTNL Rs 956 crore as tax and Rs 277 ... More

FBT hits insurance cos' group business
Insurance companies say that superannuation schemes are either being discontinued or the decision regarding renewal has been kept on hold until the upcoming Budget. More

MPs seek re-look at fringe benefit tax
MEMBERS of Parliament attached to the consultative committee on finance on Tuesday backed the corporate sector's demand for a re-look at the Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) At a pre-budget meeting with the Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, ... More

Manufacturing council prefers national value-added tax to GST
HOLDING the view that the current constitutional framework would not facilitate an early move towards a comprehensive all-India level Goods and Services Tax (GST), the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC) has made a case for a ... More

SSI

Rise in metal prices hits medium, small units
Copper wire bar, aluminium ingot & zinc slab prices have touched an all-time high
Small-scale units unable to buy raw material at current prices
This has created problems in executing export orders
More

`State council' mooted to protect SMEs
THE Federation of Andhra Pradesh Industries (FAPI) has appealed to the State Government to constitute a State-level Parishramika Mandali (Industrial Council) under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister to promote small and medium enterprises ... More

WATER

Pampa-Vaipar link project off Centre's priority list: Minister
THE Centre has decided to remove the Pampa-Achankovil-Vaipar link project from the priority list in response to persistent pleas from Kerala, the Water Resources Minister, Mr Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, said the State Assembly on Tuesday. In ... More

EDUCATION

IIT-M introduces integrated masters programme
Mr M.S. Ananth, Director, said that the integrated programme would be offered in Developmental Studies, Economics and English Studies, and would be run by the Humanities Department. The first two years of the programme would encompass all three ... More

FOODS & FOOD PROCESSING

Agri-business policy under review: Sahay
APPRECIATING Kerala's progress in developing the food processing industry, the Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Mr Subodh Kant Sahay, said the proposed mega food park in Kochi, to be located on 200 acres of land, would be ... More

GOLD & SILVER

Dubai gold imports up at 522 tonnes in 2005
DUBAI imported 522 tonnes of gold in 2005, up from 502 tonnes in 2004, the Dubai Metals and Commodities Centre (DMCC) said on Tuesday. According to a recent report by GFMS, an independent, London-based consultancy and research company focussed on ... More

IPR

India concerned about data protection: DIPP
INDIA is concerned about data protection as it is not covered within TRIPs (Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights) and if it is to leverage its vast scientific pool and inexpensive manpower, data protection is a must, according to Dr Ajay ... More

EVENTS

Pune Expo 2006 opens tomorrow
THE fifth edition of the five-day Pune Expo 2006 is to be kick-started on February 9. The expo would be inaugurated by Dr Wilfred Aulbur, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of DaimlerChrysler. Talking to presspersons, Mr Ravi ... More

Print expo to showcase latest tech developments
THE print industry in India is worth Rs 1,000 crore, according to Mr P. Chander, Managing Director, Artisan & Co, a printing and packaging company. He was speaking to presspersons here on Tuesday as part of the Madras Printers' and ... More