The Hindu Business Line : Saturday, February 10, 2007

ACCIDENTS
`Low compliance of fire safety norms a concern'
Low compliance on fire safety norms is a major cause for concern as buildings mushroom, according to Mr Laiqut Ali Khan, Fire & Safety Association of India. Addressing a press conference on the association's efforts to enhance awareness about ... More

EMPLOYMENT
Outdated curriculum worries IT, BPOs
`Indian cos spend more on training' More

COURTS/LEGAL ISSUES
Nod for courts computerisation
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Thursday gave its approval for computerisation of district and subordinate courts at a cost of Rs 441.80 crore in the first phase. The main objective of computerisation is to enhance ... More

ECONOMY
Inflation rate touches 6.58%
Highest level in over two years More

`Kolkata poised for high cross-sector realty growth'
`Lower land acquisition costs in Kolkata - compared with most other metros, lower asset pricing and availability of scaleable infrastructure had made the city a favoured destination for corporates and developers alike.' More

PM tells IT sector to target $80 b exports
The Indian information technology industry should be looking at an export target of $80 billion by 2010, said the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, addressing Nasscom's annual conference on Friday. This stretches Nasscom's own export target of ... More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS
Customs duty collections up 34.3% in Apr-Jan '07
The Centre's customs duty revenues continue to be on a roll, with collections during April 1-January 31, 2007, recording a 34.31 per cent increase to Rs 70,872 crore compared with Rs 52,768 crore in the corresponding period in the previous ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Ivory Coast team visits Coir Board
A high level official delegation from Ivory Coast headed by Mr Gilbert Blue Laine, Ambassador to India visited Coir Board and held discussions with Mr A.C. Jose, Chairman of the Board. Apart from the Ambassador, the delegation included Mr ... More

Australia for more trade with Kerala
Mr John McCarthy, Australian High Commissioner to India, visited the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cochin on Friday and held discussions with the constituents of the Chamber. Speaking on the occasion, the High Commissioner said that ... More

Kamal Nath keen on India, EU trade talks
The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr Kamal Nath, said that the country would like to see early commencement of negotiations for the Agreement on Trade and Investment between India and the European Union. Mr Nath noted that India's ... More

US Commerce Secy to stress on bilateral ties
Will seek India's support in reviving Doha trade talks More

HEALTH
Apollo launches new scan method
Apollo Hospitals has performed myocardial perfusion scan with ammonia on PET-CT machine. "We have done it for the first time in India," Dr Hari Prasad, Chief Executive Officer of Apollo Hospitals (Hyderabad), claimed. "This is ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
`Review all proposed SEZ projects'
The BJP is seeking a complete re-screening of all the proposed 467 SEZ projects in the country which have been cleared by the Union Government, said Mr Kirit Somaiya, party leader and member of the BJP's National Executive. He ... More

TIDCO to start marketing space at Ennore SEZ
Govt sanctions Rs 26 crore for road, rail works More

PETROLEUM
ONGC suspends drilling campaign in Mahanadi basin
ONGC has temporarily suspended its drilling campaign in Mahanadi basin and is redeploying the deepwater drilling rig Discoverer Seven Seas (DSS) to KG basin block (KG-DWN-98/2), where the company has struck a major gas find. DSS will join ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS
Drugs patented abroad: Panel to evolve negotiated pricing formula
No marketing rights in India without negotiated pricing More

TYRES
Rubber imports may touch new high
Tyre manufacturers find domestic prices `unreasonable' More

WATER
Move to set up more WaterHealth centres
WaterHealth International Inc (WHI) and Naandi Foundation, which successfully piloted and replicated its potable water projects in several villages in Andhra Pradesh, have now announced plans to open more such WaterHealth centres across the ... More

COAL
Coal blocks allotment for gasification to be notified
Ministry working on declaring underground gasification as permissible end use More

SPV for buying coal mines planned
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL), Steel Authority of India Ltd, National Thermal Power Corporation, National Mineral Development Corporation and Coal India Ltd have embarked on a plan to create a special purpose vehicle (SPV) ... More

RADIO/TV
Nimbus challenges sports feed Ordinance
Nimbus Communications has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court calling for a judicial review of the Sports Broadcast Signal (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Ordinance 2007. The Ordinance, which was promulgated by the Government last ... More

EDUCATION
IT captains urge drastic reforms in education
`Suitability gap needs to be bridged with training' More

Accreditation for KIMS
The city-based Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) hospital has successfully completed the accreditation process of the Nation Board on Hospitals and Healthcare Standards (NABH). With the completion of the NABH ... More

Delhi Govt for 4 more National Institutes of Design in 11th Plan
The Government has approved setting up of four additional National Institutes of Design (NID) during the 11th Five Year Plan, to be established on the lines of NID-Ahmedabad. The opening of the new institutes forms part of the National Design ... More

MEDICAL & SURGICAL EQUIPMENTS
Med-Tech fair in Hyderabad
The second edition of Medi-Tech 2007, an international medical technology fair, will be held here from February 10 to 12. "The expo willshowcase several new technologies such as PACS (Picture Archives and Communication Systems), ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
BSEL Infra to build housing towers in UAE
BSEL Infrastructure Realty (FZE) plans to build four residential towers at a cost of Rs 1,600 crore inEmirates City, UAE. Around 45 lakh sq feet of land was sold to FZE for Rs 135 crore by R Holdings, the State agency in charge of the Emirates ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Liberalisation of FDI in retail on track
The Government is likely to go ahead with its liberalisation agenda for foreign direct investment in specific sectors in retail, such as electronics, stationery and sports goods, according to the Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Kamal Nath. ... More

IPR
Consensus on IP transfer
New Delhi, Feb. 9In what could be a landmark decision for enabling technological advancement in developing countries, major nations have agreed to facilitate transfer of intellectual property to the developing ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
President seeks quality life for rural populace
`Ensure availability of drinking water, medicines' More

Biofuels to power wireless networks
Operators team up for pilot project in Pune More

INCOME TAX
I-T dept, NIIT Tech team up
Partners with NIIT to teach over 5,000 students in Phase I More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Export buying boosts cardamom prices
Poor weather conditions may have negative impact More

`Extend DEPB scheme without any terminal date'
The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) has urged the Government to extend the duty entitlement passbook (DEPB) scheme without any terminal date. The Revenue Department had specified that the DEPB scheme, which serves over 50 per ... More

TOURISM
`Responsible tourism works for all'
Holidaymakers after going on a "responsible" holiday get "converted" and come back for more such experiences. More