The Hindu Business Line : Thursday, November 25, 2004

EMPLOYMENT
Army recruitment rally in Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An open recruitment rally for enrolment into the Army will be held here at the Pangode Military Ground from December 18 to 25, an official spokesman said. Candidates hailing from the seven southern districts of the ... More

ENVIRONMENT
Paranjpe's new film aims to teach kids a `green lesson'
SHARAD Pawar recently took time off from politics to pick up a broom and do some cleaning up around him. Surprised? But then, that is exactly what film maker Sai Paranjpe, always known for her out-of-the-box style, wanted for the promo of her ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
India seeks MFN status from Pak
The Iran-India gas pipeline passing through Pakistan is a major confidence building measure. More

Indo-Australian trade on the rise
INDO-AUSTRALIAN bilateral trade and direct investments in each country are likely to witness major growth in almost all major sectors, both manufacturing and services, during the next five years. According to Mr Michael Moignard, Minister ... More

HEALTH
CCEA clears cancer programme
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) granted approval for implementation of the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) at an outlay of Rs 266 crore during the Tenth Five Year Plan. This will result in better ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
Dubai sets up industrial city to attract investors
"The move is part of the UAE's strategic plans to diversify its economy and catalyse the role of non-oil sectors such as tourism, trade and industry." More

PETROLEUM
Govt rolls back monthly hike in LPG prices
Under pressure from the Left parties, the Government on Wednesday rolled back its decision to increase the price of domestic cooking gas by Rs 5 per cylinder each month. "It has been decided by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) ... More

STEEL
Coking coal scarcity — SAIL, RINL trying to form joint ventures abroad
STEEL Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) as well as Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) are currently engaged in an attempt to form joint ventures with companies abroad as a permanent measure to overcome the coking coal scarcity, according to Dr ... More

TAXATION
Raising the bar on tax receipt front
AS the Finance Ministry is all set to get incommunicado for the media on the plausible grounds of preparing itself for the next fiscal year's budget, reports about trends in tax receipts until now paint a buoyant picture with the overall emphasis ... More

World Bank for VAT introduction on floor rates
THE World Bank has suggested that the value-added tax (VAT) regime to replace the existing sales tax system be introduced on the basis of floor rates rather than uniform rates. In a report titled `State Fiscal Reforms in India: Progress and ... More

NRE deposits: Tytler hints at removal of tax proposal
THE Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Mr Jagdish Tytler, has hinted at a complete withdrawal of the controversial tax proposal on NRE deposits, but ruled out the likelihood of NRIs being granted ... More

SSI
Foreign trade fair avenues for AP small-scale units
SMALL-SCALE units registered in the State have opportunities to participate in a series of international trade fairs abroad during February-March. To facilitate their easy participation, the Small Industries Service Institute (SISI) here, a ... More

COAL
Govt drops move to privatise coal mining
The pending Bill at the Rajya Sabha recommending to further amend the Coal Mines Nationalisation Act will not be pursued, said Dr Dasari Narayan Rao, Union Minister of State for Coal & Mines. Speaking to newspersons on Wednesday at the venue of . More

RADIO/TV
`Scope seen for more community radio stations'
BESIDES private FM radio channels, there is place for about 4,000 community radio stations in the country said Mr S. Jaipal Reddy, Minister of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) and Culture. Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee . More

EDUCATION
Microsoft to spend $20 m on Project Shiksha
MICROSOFT Corporation India Pvt Ltd will spend $20 million on its "Project Shiksha" initiative, which will be rolled out in 10 States across the country in a phased manner. About 80,000 teachers working in the Government and Government-aided ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Coimbatore industrialist bags Standard Motors property
A COIMBATORE-based industrialist Mr T.S.R. Khannaiyann has succeeded in clinching the bid for the purchase of the assets of Standard Motor Products of India Ltd, for a price of Rs 140 crore. Mr Justice K. Raviraja Pandian, who perused the ... More

MINING & QUARRYING
Bengal CM invites pvt investment in coal mining, mineral sector
INAUGURATING the 7th International Mining & Machinery Exhibition (IMME 2004) here on Wednesday, the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, has welcomed private investment in the coal mining and mineral sectors in the State. ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
CAPART in for makeover — Plans series of regional meets from today
THE Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), responsible for the implementation of rural enhancement projects and encouraging the adoption of appropriate technologies for rural areas, is in for a major makeover ... More

NEW PROJECTS
Rittal to invest $5 m in Indian subsidiary
RITTAL GmBH & Co plans to invest $5 million in its Indian subsidiary's expansion programme. As per the blue print for its expansion, Rittal India Pvt Ltd will be increasing the total area at the Doddaballapur plant to 23,000 sq m from the ... More

EVENTS
Mumbai gears up for mega city festival
THE city will host `The Mumbai Festival' from January 7-16, 2005. Mr Anand Mahindra, Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M) and Chairperson of the festival committee, said: "It will be positioned as the most spirited festival and More

PFC meeting tomorrow
KOCHI: The Union Minister for Power, Mr P.M. Sayeed, will inaugurate the 13th one-day meeting of the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) here on Friday at Hotel Le Meridien. The Chairmen of various State Electricity Boards, State Power ... More

Science Fest in Kottayam from today
KOTTAYAM: The four-day State-level School Science Fest will begin at Kottayam on Thursday. Mathematics Fest, Work Experience Fest, Special School Work Experience Fest and IT Fest will also be conducted along with Science Fest. About ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Spices exports up by Rs 278 cr in April-Oct
A SUBSTANTIAL increase in exports of value-added products such as spice oils and oleoresins, curry powder/paste and condiments, chilli, coriander, turmeric and cumin, has pushed up the overall exports of spices during April-October 2004 to over ... More

Last date for filing trade returns extended to Dec 31
EXPORTERS and importers can now file their annual import/export trade returns up to December 31. The Government has extended the last date for filing of such returns from October 31 to December 31. An official release also said that star ... More

COMMODITY COMMENTARY
Domestic producers hurt by anomalies in vanaspati imports
THAT the indirect tax regime for the vegetable oil sector is full of anomalies and aberrations is well known; but what is less known is that some of these anomalies are beginning to cause distortions in the market and directly impact domestic ... More

AI to shift export cargo handling unit in Chennai
AIR India will move its flight-handling unit for export cargo to its own facility near the old airport terminal in a month's time. In the first phase, the airline will shift only the export division immediately. The imports will be shifted ... More

TOURISM
HK expects higher tourist arrivals for WinterFest
THIS winter Hong Kong expects a higher turnout of tourists, with the country anticipating a 13.4 per cent increase in tourist arrivals during the five-week special WinterFest programme starting November 26 to January 2, 2005. The Hong Kong ... More