The Hindu Business Line : Saturday, November 15, 2003

Festive Oct drives car, 2-wheeler sales
THE festive month of October has brought in good news for the automobile industry, particularly the two-wheeler manufacturers. While car sales in the month grew by 24 per cent, sales of two wheelers jumped by 25 per cent to 5.55 lakh units. ... More

CHEMICALS

Ministry mulls study to set up Chemical Industrial Estate
THE Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers is contemplating a study to establish the viability of setting up mega Chemical Industrial Estates across the country. Mr Sharad Gupta, Joint Secretary, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, ... More

ECONOMY

Finance Ministry review bullish on 7 pc growth
THE Finance Ministry is confident about the economy registering a seven per cent plus growth this year on the back of a sustained industrial revival and a strong monsoon-led agricultural rebound. "Assuming growth rates of more than eight per ... More

Chambers hail `positive picture of economy'
EXPRESSING optimism in its reaction to the mid-year review of the Indian economy where the Government has forecast a 7 per cent growth in 2003-04, India Inc has said that that the mid-year review presents a positive picture of the economy. ... More

ENVIRONMENT

Kambalakonda eco-park inaugurated
THE Member of Parliament from the city, Mr M.V.V.S. Murthy, inaugurated the Kambalakonda nature park, an eco-tourism project taken up by the Forest Department. "The projects taken up by the Telugu Desam Government during the past eight years ... More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS

Excise dept cuts transaction costs
THE Central Excise Department has reduced the transaction costs to make the exports competitive. According to Mr N. Krishnamurthy, Chief Commissioner of Central Excise, the transaction costs have been reduced through extending the facility of ... More

FOREIGN TRADE

To maximise trade potential through Nathula Pass — Bengal keen to discuss with chambers
Mr Nirupam Sen said an officer-level delegation of the two States would meet in the future to deliberate upon what the State Governments and the Centre can do to maximise the scope of trade through the Nathula Pass. More

HEALTH

EC to aid Hyderabad health institute
THE European Commission (EC), as a part of its Institutional Co-operation Component (ICC), has approved a proposal for strengthening and supporting the Indian Institute of Health & Family Welfare (IIHFW), Hyderabad. The major task before the ... More

Symposia on medicare
EVEN as India promotes itself as a global healthcare destination, issues related to outsourcing medical care from India and whether domestic hospitals meet global standards will be deliberated at Medicare India 2004 - a medical and healthcare ... More

Gadget to detect foot-related problems
SUNDARAM Medical Foundation (SMF) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, have jointly developed a machine to detect foot-related problems that are an offshoot of diabetes. Early detection is expected to minimise the possibility of ... More

PETROLEUM

IOC threatens to set up overseas investment arm
IOC has threatened to set up a wholly owned overseas investment vehicle if the Government rejects the plan to replicate the successful ONGC Videsh Ltd with participation from the other Government-controlled downstream majors or give it a stake in ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS

Pharma cos `shocked' over exclusive rights to Novartis
THE pharmaceutical canvas in the country is set to trace uncharted territory with the Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association (IDMA) protesting against the first exclusive marketing right (EMR) given by the authorities to Novartis' blood cancer ... More

POWER

Tata Power to stop supply to Reliance Energy `area'
TATA Power Company on Friday assured the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) that it would "unconditionally" stop supplying power to consumers in rival Reliance Energy's (previously BSES Ltd) territory. The company's offer ... More

`Green cess' for renewable energy consumers mooted
THE Maharashtra Energy Development Agency, which promotes the use of renewable energy, has suggested a `green cess' to be collected by charging industrial and commercial consumers in the State at the rate of five paise per unit. Mr G.M. Pillai, ... More

STEEL

Steel: `Govt may cut import duty if necessary'
THE Union Government may reduce the import duty on finished steel products if the domestic producers increase prices above international levels, according to Mr B.K. Tripathy, Union Minister of State for Steel. He was talking to the newspersons ... More

TAXATION

Panel to draw new roadmap for VAT regime
"We are better prepared this time round. All the bottlenecks have been identified. The Empowered Committee has been asked to prepare a new roadmap for introduction of VAT," Mr Satish Chandra said. More

Calcutta HC refuses extension of order on tax tribunal
MR Justice K.J. Sengupta of the Calcutta High Court today refused to extend the interim order passed earlier on November 6, 2003 - which was extended on November 11, 2003 - in the issue of constitution of the Tax Tribunal. A writ petition ... More

TEXTILES

Maharashtra textile processing units in a bind
THE textile processing sector in Maharashtra, mainly dominated by small power and hand processing units, could find itself in a quandary if the Sales Tax Department has its way. The Sales Tax Office has ruled that textile processing units, ... More

Cauvery weaving park: Investors' meet tomorrow
THE promoters of the Cauvery Hi-Tech Weaving Park proposed to be located in the weaving cluster of Thiruchengodu in Namakkal district would launch the formal distribution of application/prospectus/scheme details to the prospective investors in ... More

TN chamber seeks sops to revive powerloom industries
THE Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TNCC&I) has urged the Union Government, especially the Textile Ministry, to initiate remedial measures immediately to provide the much-needed succour to the ailing handloom and powerloom industries ... More

SSI

Small industries workshop at Alappuzha
KOCHI: The Small Industries Service Institute is organising a "sensitisation workshop on geographical indication of goods" at Alappuzha on November 24. The workshop is organised jointly in association with Small Industries Development ... More

Separate PLR for small units mooted
THE Confederation of Southern Small Industries Association (Conssia) has called for introduction of a separate prime lending rate (PLR) for the small and tiny sectors. Mr A. Selvaraj, President, Conssia, in a statement here welcomed the ... More

RADIO/TV

DD News creates waves
THE newly launched DD News seems to be making waves. In the first week itself, the channel has managed to grab substantial share of viewers from other Hindi news channels. According to data provided by TAM India, for the week starting November ... More

DD getting facelift
AFTER moving most of its news and current affairs shows to the newly launched DD News channel, Prasar Bharati is revamping its entertainment fare on the flagship DD National channel. And the queen of saas-bahu soaps - Ektaa Kapoor's Balaji ... More

EDUCATION

Maya Academy to set up more centres
Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics, the animation and special effects institute division of Maya Entertainment Ltd, is planning to set up franchisee centres across the country. "At present, we have got 18 centres, including the one opened in ... More

BEVERAGES

Kerala HC dismisses Coke's plea
THE Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed a writ petition filed by Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd challenging the second showcause notice issued by the Perumatty Gram Panchayat for closing down its soft drink bottling plant in Plachimada ... More

BIO-TECH & GENETICS

International Biotech Park near Pune inaugurated
THE International Biotech Park was launched today on the occasion of the Maharashtra Biotechnology Day. The 110-acre Park would be located at Hinjewadi, near Pune, with a total investment cost of Rs 250 crore, with the Maharashtra Industrial ... More

MINING & QUARRYING

Stringent sand mining rules come into force in Kerala
Strong steps will be initiated against landlords who allow unauthorised mining. Check-posts will be set up at those riverbanks from where junkar services operate. More

SOCIAL WELFARE

Nutri candies in offing
NEEDY children in Andhra Pradesh can look forward to a special `Children's Day' gift. Candies fortified with essential micro-nutrients are to be provided to children between 2-6 years. Thanks to an innovative initiative, the State Government in ... More

Unicef pitches in to improve plight of Bengal children
THE United Nation's Children's Fund (Unicef) is prepared to intervene in certain key areas to help improve the plight of children in West Bengal, Unicef State Representative, Ms Carrie Auer, has said. Speaking on the occasion of the launch of ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Leave self-help groups to themselves
SELF-HELP Groups run by women are a classy innovation in the rural credit delivery system for which probably no organised banking institution, including RBI and Nabard, can take any credit. With entirely indigenous roots, the idea has helped ... More

Grievance redressal thru Net in TN
MADURAI: People in 18 villages in Theni taluk will have direct access to the district administration for redressal of their grievances, thanks to the Internet facility provided. According to District Collector, Mr Atul Anand, interaction ... More

EVENTS

`Industry must work hard to achieve competitive edge in global market'
THE President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, has called for sharpening India's competitive edge in trade and industry so as catapult the country into the league of developed nations by 2020. Inaugurating the twenty-third India International Trade Fair ... More

Integrated approach vital for facilities management biz
AN integrated approach, driven by long-term partnerships between the property developers and related service providers, should be the guiding principle of the newly emerging facilities management business. This would go a long way in ... More

Meet on plastics
MUMBAI: The Indian arm of the Society of Plastics Engineers of USA is holding a three-day international conference in Mumbai from November 19-21. The conference brings together automobile manufacturers, the two-wheeler industry, polymers ... More

Meet on infrastructure at Kozhikode
KOCHI: The Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) and Infrastructure Development Finance Company Ltd (IDFC) is jointly organising a workshop on "identification of infrastructure requirements for increasing ... More

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Bengal chamber plans to encourage entrepreneurs
THE Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BNCCI) on Friday unveiled plans to launch an independent Enterprise Development Institute in collaboration with the West Bengal Government. Addressing newspersons here, Mr S.K. Chakraborty, ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS

Edible oil imports top a record 51 lakh t — Highest after shipments have come under OGL
In view of the reduction in duty difference between crude and refined oils, import of RBD palmolein has started increasing. More

Spices Board to test chillies export for aflatoxin level
THE Spices Board has decided to collect samples of all varieties of whole chillies to be exported for laboratory tests, to ensure that the chilles do not contain aflatoxin above the tolerance limit. Besides, samples from export consignments of ... More

CO-OPERATIVES

Call for reservation for minorities in co-ops
THE 50th all-India co-operative week (Suvarna Sahakari Sapthaha) celebrations, which began at B.C. Road in Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada on Friday, called for reservation for minorities and backward class in co-operative sectors. Speakers at the ... More

ECONOMIC OFFENCES

Stamp Act may be reviewed
THE multi-crore Telgi scam involving printing and selling of fake stamp papers could lead to a review of the Stamp Act. The Ministry of Finance on Friday said it was open to review the Act to ensure that such scams do not recur. ``The ... More

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