The Hindu Business Line : Tuesday, March 09, 2004

ECONOMY
Insurance cover for family planning in the works — `It could act as check on rising population'
WHAT should you do to reduce your risk against the impact of possible unforeseen calamities that might strike in future? Buy an insurance cover, of course. The Government knows this only too well and is now preparing to come out with an insurance ... More

American jobs data bring bad news for India
While the sluggish job creation is to be expected of an economy that has always boasted of more virtues than it actually possessed, blame-game would continue and with greater vigour. This is not good news in an election year. More

Micro finance: Preparing for a major thrust
It is time to promote NGO-business partnerships in micro finance to provide gainful activities to, and empower, the poor. Many NGOs are funded by corporates, but there are hardly any NGO-business partnerships as in developed countries. The Government must encourage business houses to participate in this activity as they have a stake in creating a market for their goods and services in the rural areas, says S. D. Naik. More

India to be among the faster growing economies: Kelkar
INDIA would emerge as one of the fastest growing economies over the next two decades with an expected annual growth rate of 8 per cent, according to the Advisor to Finance Minister, Dr Vijay Kelkar. "Growth is going to accelerate in the coming ... More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS
To mop up service tax collections — Excise Dept launches public awareness programme
IN a bid to push up service tax collections in a big way, the Central Excise Department has now taken up a major public awareness programme through outdoor advertising and TV jingles in popular channels, to sensitise both providers and users of ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Zanzibar invites Indian entrepreneurs
THE President of Zanzibar, Mr Amani Abeid Karume, on Monday invited Indian entrepreneurs to invest in diversified sectors, including agriculture, agro industry, small and medium enterprises, tourism and services. "We have published the ... More

HEALTH
French cheese to vanish from Indian tables — Fall-out of ban on cattle treated with prostaglandin
INDIAN consumers of Le Bon and Danone cheese and butter may be denied the luxury of having them anymore. That is because the Union Government has slapped a ban on imports of milk and milk products from animals that have been treated with ... More

Natco launches another anti-cancer drug
NATCO Pharma Ltd (NPL) has announced the launch of yet another anti-cancer drug from its stable. The company has been tapping this segment with low-cost drugs. In a press release here on Monday, the company said it has launched Geftinib 250 ... More

Boston Scientific gets US nod for coronary stent
BOSTON Scientific Corporation has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Taxus Express2 coronary stent system. The company plans to launch the product in the US immediately. It has already launched these ... More

Workshop on autism in Hyderabd
HYDERABAD: The National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (NIMH) is organising a four-day Indo-US workshop on `Autism spectrum disorders: A challenging disability' beginning March 10 to take stock of the situation in the two countries ... More

Apollo health card for women
HYDERABAD: Marking the Women's Day, Apollo Hospitals has launched WE (Women's Health Empowerment) scheme offering them an exclusive Web site and a health card. Priced at Rs 495, the card allows women to undergo a comprehensive health ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
Infrastructure development programme — Sikkim plans to source major loan from multilateral agencies
THE Sikkim Government is trying to source a major loan from multilateral agencies for embarking on an ambitious infrastructure development programme. Talks with the Asian Development Bank are likely to commence soon. Sikkim, which needs to ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS
NPPA reduces prices of 34 bulk drugs
PRICES of several important drugs used for treating infections, pain relievers and vitamins have come down after the Government reduced the customs duty and abolished the special additional duty. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority ... More

POWER
Dark days ahead as drought hits hydel power plants in Kerala
THE prevailing drought conditions in Kerala appears to be driving the State to a serious power crisis as the water levels in the reservoirs of all the hydel projects have dropped to the bottom. Deficient rains during the last southwest and ... More

`Electricity Act may affect utilities, small consumers'
THE tariff paid by small consumers and the financial health of the state utilities may be affected by the Electricity Act 2003, according to the finding of a State-level committee. The report, to study the impact of the EA 2003, says a trend ... More

TEXTILES
Textiles stocks draw special attention
TEXTILES counters today drew attention of a section of investors over general and specific value-related issues. According to analysts, the broad impetus that has come off recently was inclusion of textiles items for potential bilateral trade ... More

WATER
Kerala HC declines to stay Govt order on Coke
A DIVISION Bench of the Kerala High Court today declined to stay the Government order prohibiting Coca-Cola from drawing ground water from the wells in its plant at Plachimada till the onset of monsoon. The Bench, comprising Mr Justice Cyriac ... More

EDUCATION
Looking ahead
Children at a "graduating" ceremony at a school in Hyderabad on Monday, marking their promotion from kindergarten to a higher class.

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Assocham seeks better credit flow to SMEs, farm sector
`Time has come to look at moving onto a receivables-based model with a view to addressing the credit disbursement problem, especially in the services sector. Unless and until India can channel capital at productive rates, it would be unable to genera te investment and jobs needed for growth takeoff.' More

CII, Myanmar chamber tie up
IN an effort to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Myanmar, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has tied-up with the Union of Myanmar Federation of Commerce and Industry, to set up a task force to examine areas of cooperation ... More

CII chief for Madurai zone
MADURAI: Mr M.D. Vel, Managing Director, Indian Foods (P) Ltd, Madurai, has been elected as the Chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Madurai zone, and Mr T. Johnson, Managing Director, St. John Freight Systems Ltd, Tuticorin, ... More

TEXTILE MACHINERY
Textile machinery makers seek TUFS-like fund
TEXTILE machinery manufacturers are hoping to convince the Centre to set up a Rs 1,500-crore fund, similar to the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS), to revive the industry. However, in its absence, the industry is proposing that its ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
C-DAC tool for editing scanned Malayalam text
THE Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Thiruvananthapuram, has developed an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system that converts scanned images of printed Malayalam documents to editable text. The Malayalam OCR, ... More

GENDER
NIIT gesture on Womens' Day
NEW DELHI: On the occasion of International Women's Day, lIT trainer NIIT Ltd on Monday launched a short programme that aims to acquaint ladies with computers. `Swift Jyoti' for women, a unique curriculum specially tailored to meet their ... More

Meet calls for equal opportunities to women
A CALL to ensure equal opportunities to women in education and training, encouraging entrepreneurship through coordinated action by the agencies concerned were among the outcome of a conference on women entrepreneurship development organised here ... More

SMALL SAVINGS

Reward for savings agents

WTO
Indian textiles in quota-free world
A tough future awaits the Indian textiles and apparel industry after the end of the MFA quota dispensation. Competition will be rife. The industry will do its best to protect existing markets and make inroads into those of its rivals, mainly from Chi na. More

SOCIAL WELFARE
Sankara Eye Foundation on a mission for vision
UNDETERRED by the economic downturn, the volunteers of the Sankara Eye Foundation, USA (SEF) appear to be working tirelessly to realise the 20/20 vision by the year 2020 all over India. This non-profit organisation, incorporated in California ... More

Charity plans Rs 100-cr hospital in Hyderabad
GOSPEL to the Unreached Millions (GUM), a charitable society, is planning to set up a world-class hospital in Hyderabad. It has completed the first phase of Rs 400-crore Charity City project on some 1,000 acres at nearby Sadasivapet. GUM ... More

EVENTS
National Bread Day on March 11
THE All India Bread Manufacturers Association (AIBMA) on Monday announced that it would observe March 11 as National Bread Day and would be organising a national conference on the bread industry on the same day. This would be done with the ... More

`Invest Futura' on March 13

INCOME TAX

I-T refund advices

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
`Restore DEPB scheme for stainless steel'
THE Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA) has urged the Ministry of Steel to restore the Duty Entitlement Pass Book (DEPB) scheme for stainless steel items. According to the ISSDA President, Mr N.C. Mathur, while the domestic ... More