The Hindu Business Line : Friday, December 08, 2006

AWARDS & HONOURS
Honour for Hyderabad varsity V-C
Dr Seyed E. Hasnain, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad, has been elected member of the prestigious Deutsche Akademie Der Naturforscher (German Academy of Sciences), Leopoldina. He is probably the first Indian ... More

BUDGET
DoT seeks duty cuts for telecom gear, software
Pre-Budget wish list includes extension of tax holiday More

COURTS/LEGAL ISSUES
Supreme Court's push to corruption cases
There has been nation-wide jubilation at the ruling handed down by the Supreme Court (SC) on December 6 freeing cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) from the requirement of prior sanction. The Apex ... More

ENVIRONMENT
Green ink
The power of literature to inspire environmentally sensitive thoughts and action... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Italy exploring trade opportunities in Kerala
Envoy cites tourism, infrastructure and food processing More

HEALTH
Muddling the message
Awareness campaigns against female foeticide often intrude inadvertently, and worryingly, on women's hard-won abortion rights. More

HAL's air ambulance service scores its first action
HAL's newly launched air ambulance service scored its first action by transporting a senior Japanese tourist on Wednesday. The service, `Vayu Vahan,' was called to airlift Ms Ikeda, 82, from a primary health centre in Badami town in northern ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
Domestic majors dominate bids for ultra-mega power projects
NTPC, Tata Power, Reliance Energy among 16 in race; foreign players opt out More

IOB in pact with India Infrastructure
Plans to enhance financing for core sector More

PETROLEUM
Essar Oil may have struck mid-sized reserve in Mehsana
Likely to submit development plan to DGH More

Reliance deal stumbles on pricing issue
The inability to arrive at an appropriate gas price mechanism is holding up the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Andhra Pradesh Government and Reliance Industries Ltd. While the State consumers, including gas based plants and ... More

POWER
Energy-saving measures
NOVEL PROTEST: Two Greenpeace atop the State electricity corporate office in Mumbai on Thursday. Greenpeace unfurled a banner demanding that the Maharashtra Government stop its plans to build eight new thermal plants, until energy efficiency ... More

TAXATION
TN chamber wants meet on VAT implementation
To decide on modalities for smooth transition More

VAT: Implementation at short notice is one more challenge
With the quick passing of the VAT (Value Added Tax) Bill, the coming New Year's Day is slated to usher in VAT, in Tamil Nadu. Business Line contacted Mr S. Sridharan, a Madurai-based chartered accountant, who specialises in VAT. Here is ... More

TEXTILES
Kannur textile centre to be ready by 2008
The Textile Centre Infrastructure Development Scheme (TCIDS) being implemented in Kannur in Kerala is slated to become operational in 2008. The project under the scheme is coming up on a 128-acre plot and is one of 24 such centres identified by ... More

SSI
SIDBI launches software for credit appraisal
SBI, IDBI, Corp Bank, others sign MoUs for software More

RADIO/TV
Travel & Living bets big on India-centred shows
Hopes to break even next year; plans more programmes More

MTNL's Net protocol TV service cleared
Ending the uncertainty over the launch of IPTV (Internet protocol television) by MTNL, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has given a clean chit to the company. The DoT has said that IPTV was being offered by MTNL as value-added service on its ... More

EDUCATION
Aerospace varsity yet to take wings
Will bridge the gap for trained manpower in aerospace engineering, management More

Informatica software for technical courses
Hyderabad-based Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology has adopted Informatica PowerCenter data integration software for its B. Tech and M. Tech curriculum. US-based Informatica Corporation will provide the software. "With Informatica's ... More

CARS
Comnet resource for car segment
Comnet Publishers has launched AutoXchange - The Ultimate Car Marketplace, a print and online resource targeting car buyers. It aims to organise the car market for the benefit of both buyers and sellers. Speaking ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
KSR group plans luxury flats project
Taking luxury residential real estate to a new orbit, KSR group, in association with Jurong International of Singapore, is coming out with a 26-storeyed residential complex at Gachchibowli that would house 600 flats. Designed by Jurong, which ... More

Jaaydaad.com plans to set up 600 showrooms
The Delhi-based Jaaydaad.com, a real estate portal, has extended its services offline by setting up property showrooms backed by computer-aided database video-conferencing facility to infuse transparency into the unorganised ... More

I-T Dept scanning real estate activity
The Income-Tax Department is planning to launch a special drive to look into the real estate activity that has been attracting a lot of investments. The skyrocketing prices in the real estate, particularly in and around the twin cities have ... More

JP Morgan invests Rs 274 cr in Lodha project
JP Morgan has invested about Rs 274 crore in a premium residential project of Lodha Builders — `Lodha Bellissimo' — coming up at Apollo Mill lands in Mahalakshmi. "We have invested significant time and effort in understanding the ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Amend Forward Contracts Act: Assocham
With a view to providing adequate deterrent provisions to curb speculative manipulation of prices of commodities, the Assocham has urged the Government to amend the Forward Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1952. An Assocham paper on `Regulatory ... More

Chambers concerned over politicisation of industrial investment
"There is growing anxiety ... that the thrust towards industrial regeneration could receive a severe setback." More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Call for more ties in media sector
`Big newspaper groups eye for journalistic exchanges' More

EVENTS
Rise of India, China should not worry the West: Manmohan
Dynamic Asia could power global growth and provide new opportunities More

CII meet on facility management today
The CII is organising the second international conference on facility management on Friday here. The conference will focus on facilitating a better business environment by maintaining and developing the agreed services which support and ... More

At Asia forum
MEETING POINT: (From left) Mr O.P. Bhatt, Chairman, State Bank of India; Mr Howard Davies, Director, London School of Economics and Political Science; and Dr Y.V. Reddy, Governor of RBI; at a meeting in the Capital on ... More

CII workshop on energy management
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Kerala in association with State Bank of India is organising a one-day training programme on Energy Management on Saturday at Hotel Lulu International in Thrissur. The main objectives of the training ... More

INCOME TAX
Duplicate PAN cards
The Income Tax Department in Andhra Pradesh has found 1.32-lakh duplicate PAN cards from 65,000 groups. "They have more than one card," Mr D.V. Dharmik, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Hyderabad-1) of Andhra Pradesh, said. Addressing a press ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Oilmeal exports up in November
Soyabean, rapeseed meals contribute towards export figures More

Pepper exports to US rise as prices turn competitive
Short-supply in global market, quality give a hand More

`Export target will be met despite slow growth in Oct'
The apparent slowdown in export growth in October 2006 is nothing but a month-to-month "small fluctuation" and "we are quite confident of achieving the export target of $ 125 to 130 billion by the end of the current fiscal, the Commerce ... More

PEOPLE
Sir Nicholas Stern appointed for IG Patel Chair at LSE
Sir Nicholas Stern, head of the UK Government economic service, is to become the first holder of the IG Patel Chair at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The appointment was announced at LSE's third Asia Forum being ... More