INFRASTRUCTURE
`Work on Kaladan river project in Mizo to start soon'
THE Governor of Mizoram, Mr A.R. Kohli, has said that India and Myanmar were working on a $500 million project along the Kaladan river, which runs through Mizoram and Myanmar to facilitate trade between India and Myanmar. "Once the right water ... More

PETROLEUM
Kerosene rates soar in Mumbai on shortage fears
MOHAMMED Sabir Sheikh is a troubled man. The 35-year-old wayside tea vendor in south Mumbai, one of the thousands who buy kerosene from the open market everyday, says he is paying 44 per cent more for the fuel as against four months ... More

PSU marketers plan to raise offtake from Reliance to 4.8 mt
The discount offered by Reliance during the fiscal 2004-05 will be on the difference between the notional domestic sale price realised had it sold through its retail outlets and the notional price realised by Reliance had it exported the products. More

PLASTICS
Green-category status for plastics on the cards
HOPES for the revival of the plastic industry in the State have blossomed with the Government planning to accord it a green-category status. For long the industry has suffered with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) banning the use ... More

POWER
KPTCL gets Rs 413 crore to offset overdues
FACED with the inability to recover power sector over dues in an election year, the State Government is now preparing to release more subsidies to the State-owned utility. Sources said here that the State Government has released Rs 413 crore ... More

`Thermal plants must help set up washeries'
A LARGE number of existing thermal power plants located beyond 1,000 km from coal pitheads may find it difficult in the long run to get domestic coal with ash content limited to 34 per cent as stipulated by the Ministry of Environment and Forests ... More

SSI
SAP India to double SMB customer base
SAP India Pvt Ltd, an enterprise solutions provider, plans to double its customer base this year in the small and medium business (SMB) sector. The Director, Sales, SAP India, Mr Srinivas Rao, said that the company acquired about 57 customers ... More

WATER

RADIO/TV
Govt mulls law to broadcast events of national importance
THE clash between the national broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, and Ten Sports has set the Government thinking about a law pertaining to broadcast of events of national importance. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry is now looking at ... More

Star Group CEO meets Minister over DTH foray
THE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Star Group, Ms Michelle Guthrie, came calling on the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad, and other officials pitching for the Group's direct-to-home (DTH) business. A ... More

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS
Rise in steel prices hits margins of auto component cos
THE steady rise in prices of steel and other ferrous products is hitting the operating margins of auto component companies, particularly the smaller ones. According to an industry official, auto ancillaries companies have committed to supply ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
LIC Housing seeks to fund property buys in Dubai
LIC Housing Finance Ltd (LICHF) plans to finance acquisition of housing properties overseas. To begin with, the company is seeking RBI permission to provide foreign currency loans to NRIs to buy houses in Dubai. According to company officials, ... More

READYMADE GARMENTS
Apparel expo attracts 180 buyers
ABOUT 60 exhibitors converged on Mumbai to take part in the Indian Apparel Contract, organised by the Confederation of Indian Apparel Exporters (CIAE) and CIDEX Trade Fairs Pvt Ltd, which ended on Friday. The exhibition had already attracted ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
NGRI gets gas hydrates project
The National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), is undertaking a Department of Ocean Development-sponsored project costing Rs 26.55 crore to to develop methods of better understanding formation of gas hydrates and future exploitation. Gas ... More

CINEMA
Blank screen
Cinema houses closed down in Mumbai and all over Maharashtra on Friday as they began an indefinite strike to protest against the Government's inability to implement the new tax policy it had promised in the winter session of the ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Nabard to bear 25 pc cost of RUDSET institute programmes
THE National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) will bear 25 per cent of the total expenses of rural entrepreneurship development programmes - up to Rs 38 lakh - of 12 Rural Development and Self Employment Training (RUDSET) ... More

Velugu plans procurement centres for non-timber forest produces in AP
IN an effort to help the rural landless poor, especially tribals, get a better deal for their non-timber forest produces (NTFP), the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP or Velugu), has decided to set up about 6,000 procurement centres ... More

HUMAN RESOURCES
Adrenalin to pep up workplaces
ARE Yesudas, Elton John and Sachin Tendulkar working or playing? Both, and they enjoy doing it, says Mr V. Balaraman, CEO, Empower Works Ltd. One's full potential will be realised only if one enjoys one's work. So what is the potential at ... More

EVENTS
Tatas establish tea museum at Munnar
THE country's first-ever tea museum has been set up by Tata Tea at its Nullathanni Estate in Munnar. Inaugurating the museum, the Acting Managing Director of Tata Tea, Mr P.T. Siganporia, said the museum provided a glimpse of the history of ... More

New US envoy urges cos to combat human trafficking
THE US Ambassador to India, Mr David C. Mulford, has urged NGOs and corporations to work together to make India, and this world, a better and safer place for the vulnerable sections of society. He said, "Let us commit ourselves, as individuals ... More

ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneurship development camp for Kerala youth
IN an attempt to introduce the State's youth to the idea of entrepreneurship, the Kochi-based Institute for Development of Entrepreneurial Avenues (IDEA) plans to conduct a four-day entrepreneurship development camp for `FuturePreneurs'. While ... More