The Hindu Business Line : Friday, July 21, 2006

ECONOMY
Will it get better... or worse?
As the economy takes giant steps, there are concerns that the country's higher education system is lagging behind. More

Manufacturing initiative on the anvil
The Government plans to come up with a national manufacturing initiative (NMI) to propel growth in the sector, according to the Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Kamal Nath. "The NMI will take forward the strategy prepared by the National ... More

ENVIRONMENT
WTO and eco-friendly trade
The preamble to the WTO agreement sets the goal of sustainable development, explicitly stating the need to protect and preserve the environment. There has been a resurgence of concern for establishing a relationship between environmental standards an d trade. More

FERTILISERS
Russian vessel unloads record quantity of DAP at Kandla
The Kandla Port recorded yet another achievement on July 15 when a Russian vessel unloaded 15,030 tonnes of diammonium phosphate (DAP) in 24 hours, surpassing the previous record of 14,500 tonnes handled in November 2004 by MV Tai Bai Bai, ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Board of Trade nominee
The Union Ministry of Commerce has nominated Mr A.C. Jose, Chairman of the Coir Board, as a member of the Board of Trade. The board was re-constituted on July 17. The Board of Trade was set up by the Government in July 2004 ... More

HEALTH
`High HIV/AIDS rate may affect economic growth'
In the absence of remedial policy action, the potential cost to the economy arising from high growth rate of HIV and AIDS could pull down the economic growth, according a study done by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and ... More

PETROLEUM
ONGC mulls competitive financial packages for key staff
Aim is to halt attrition of experienced personnel More

Crude output rises in June
Crude oil production in the country went up by 1.2 per cent and natural gas output rose by 1 per cent in June. Crude oil output rose to 2.825 million tonnes from 2.792 million tonnes last year as production from Mumbai High offshore fields, which ... More

POWER
Nuclear major Areva calls India `first priority' market
`Potential to source some components to other global markets' More

Govt targets 15,000 MW hydel capacity
The Centre has set a target of adding about 15,000 MW of hydroelectric capacity during the Eleventh Plan period, the Union Power Minister, Mr Sushilkumar Shinde, has said. Hydro capacity of 5,980 MW has been added during the current plan ... More

`India will be world champions in fast breeder reactors'
`Commissioning a prototype fast breeder reactor is a milestone for India' More

TAXATION
Taxing Ministry
Journalists covering the Finance Ministry are getting the impression that the prime concentration in North Block is to collect taxes. The few press conferences held by the Ministry in the recent past have almost invariably been on taxation ... More

TEXTILES
Duty cut on textile intermediates
The Government on Thursday announced reduction in central excise duty on specified textile intermediates. Subsequently the rates on paraxylene, dimethyl terephthalate, pure terephthalic acid, polyester chips, mono ethylene glycol ... More

TYRES
Govt to make standards for tyres mandatory
In a move that is likely to bring about quality control in the tyre industry, apart from proving beneficial for consumers as well road operators, the Government is likely to soon make it mandatory for tyre manufacturers to adhere to certain ... More

TERRORISM
Ex-gratia to CBEC staff killed in blasts
The Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, has sanctioned payment of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the two employees of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) who were killed in the recent Mumbai blasts. An official ... More

EDUCATION
MBA admissions
The Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE) has announced admission for its M.B.A. (part time) programme for working executives, who have qualified in the I.CE.T. 2006. Applications form would be available at IPE from today and ... More

CARS
Tata Motors offers CNG options for Indica, Indigo
Tata Motors has now launched the Bharat Stage III compliant CNG versions of the Indica and the Indigo Marina vehicles. The option is now available as an after market fitment at the dealer level through a tie-up that the company has entered into ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Pegasus Realty plans Rs 400-cr housing project in Chennai
To commence work by year-end More

New Skyline SFS project
Leading builders Skyline SFS has unveiled its latest apartment project, Silicon Drive, at Kakkanad in Kochi. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on Sunday, performed by Mr K. Srikant and Mr K. Lava, directors of the company. ... More

HUDA plot fetches record rates
The auctions for urban land organised by the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) created a record with the successful bidder quoting as high as Rs 14.45 crore per acre for a five-acre plot on the city outskirts. The auctions on ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Nasscom plans 3 more cyber labs
To provide training to cops investigating cyber crimes More

READYMADE GARMENTS
Duty drawback rate hike too small: AEPC
The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) has said that the recent hike in duty drawback rates on garments was too miniscule to benefit exporters in this sector. The Finance Ministry had on July 14 revised upwards the duty drawback rates ... More

KNITWEAR & HOSIERY
AEPC plans road shows in EU, Japan
To attract foreign direct investment More

NEWSPAPERS & PUBLISHING
Hoist by its own petard?
With the business press getting more aggressive, some corporates seem not averse to guerilla tactics. In the last week, one journalist received an anonymous e-mail saying that he was re-cycling stories. The e-mail was forwarded to some other ... More

HUMAN RESOURCES
CII moots skills development bank
Favours gradual entry of FDI in retail More

EVENTS
Waiting for soundbyte
READY FOR ACTION: Microphones of various news channels outside the Prime Minister's residence in New Delhi on Thursday.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP
India needs more risk-takers: PM
`Look at investment and trade opportunities in our larger neighbourhood' More

INCOME TAX
Income-Tax staff to stage walkout on July 31
Unions call for filling up vacant posts More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Sectoral export target meeting advanced to July 27
Encouraged by salutary trends in Q1 exports More

Millers yet to firm up wheat import deals
Trade on `wait & watch' mode as rupee weakens More

`Sugar export ban can't be indefinite'
The ban on sugar exports would be reviewed by the Centre considering the prospects for increase in sugar production this year, according to Ms Radha Singh, Secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture. She did not give any timeframe for such a ... More

TOURISM
Hyderabad's digital map launched
Locating your destination and reaching it via the shortest route will soon become easier in the growing Hyderabad metrocity. A directory of digital maps, carefully prepared using satellite imagery, would give all the useful information required ... More

Rajasthan Govt's `Adopt a monument' scheme finds takers
Hawa Mahal `adopted' by State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur More

ECONOMIC OFFENCES
Delhi court rejects ex-MP's plea to go abroad
Complaint of alleged misappropriation of Rs 78 cr More