The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, April 07, 2004

PENSION PLANS
US firms urged to tap pension market potential
THE Foreign Secretary, Mr Shashank, on Tuesday said the US firms could look to tap potential opportunities in the Indian pension market in the coming days. He also saw scope for joint projects (Indo-US) to be undertaken in third ... More

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
Consumer electronics: Price war hotting up
A `PRICE WAR' is raging in the consumer electronics and durables market, as the sector gets flooded with new players, latest models, fresh features and newer technologies. "With so many players fighting for consumer attention, pricing has been ... More

ECONOMY
`India's external financial position stronger than peers' — Moody's projects 6.5 pc annual growth
PROJECTING a "vibrant growth outlook" for the country, Moody's has said the country's economy is proving to be stronger than its peers enjoying the similar Baa3 foreign currency rating. "The country's external financial position is consistent ... More

Low interest rates gave a boost to economy, says Jaswant Singh
THE Union Finance Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, has said that low interest rate regime has helped boost economic growth of the country. Replying to a query on the impact of low interest rate regime on pensioners and elderly people, at a press ... More

US economy: Inflexion point for jobs?
TREASURY bondholders had a rough ride last Friday. The monthly non-farm payroll data was an unpleasant shock. The US economy added 3,08,000 jobs in March - close to three times the forecast. Although the unemployment rate rose to 5.7 per ... More

Crisil sees buoyant GDP growth
"Significantly, for the first time in eight years, the positive trend in credit quality has been uniform across the manufacturing, finance and infrastructure sectors." More

ENVIRONMENT
Dubey panel's clean chit to endosulfan challenged
MS Sunita Narain, Editor of Down to Earth magazine and Director of the Centre for Science and Environment, has said that the Union Government showed "undue haste" in accepting the O.P. Dubey Committee's report that gave a clean chit to ... More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS
Bangalore zone steps up vigil against duty fraud
DUTY rationalisation and lower duties under special accord between certain countries have not deterred `duty fraud' so much so that it is emerging as a new trend from the Bangalore zone of the Excise and Customs. While the entire Bangalore zone, ... More

HEALTH
Bowling out polio through cricket
THE intense rivalry between India and Pakistan on and off the field notwithstanding, cricket can be a game of great bonding between the two countries. The ongoing Indo-Pak series is not only expected to spread the message of peace and goodwill ... More

Intas launches intravenous cancer drug
THE Ahmedabad-based Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd has launched an intravenous chemotherapy product - Itaspor I.V., a supportive therapy for cancer patients whose immunity is compromised. Itaspor I.V. or itraconazole is touted to be more potent, ... More

Nicholas Piramal backs cough syrup quality
NICHOLAS Piramal India Ltd (NPIL) on Monday said it stood by the quality of its paediatric cough syrup, Tixylix. The company statement comes following recent media reports that the Delhi government's Drug Control Department had said the ... More

Lupin to launch more branded drugs in US — Rolls out anti-infective SupraxO
LUPIN Ltd's anti-infective product SupraxÒ, or cefixime oral suspension, got of the blocks in the US market today. Announcing the launch, Lupin officials said that the company was looking to fortify its paediatric portfolio and another five ... More

Ayurvedic tablets urged
KOCHI: Conversion and consumption of ayurvedic medicines from liquid to solid tablet form will make this traditional system of Indian medicine more universal, Dr K Shankaran, Director of Kerala Ayurveda Medical Education, said. Speaking ... More

Blood donation campaign in AP

INFRASTRUCTURE
Construction, infrastructure expenditures set to soar
CONSTRUCTION activity in the country is expected to triple from the current level of $35 billion to $117 billion over the next 10 years. However, even after a decade, China's construction industry will be 10 times that of its Indian counterpart, ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS
Global draft on generic anti-AIDS drugs soon
IT will be at least another fortnight before companies such as Cipla or Ranbaxy fully understand whether their generic anti-AIDS drugs have received a thumbs-up or not from the recently concluded meeting at Botswana, organised by the US Health ... More

STEEL
Sustained rise in steel use seen
THE Managing Director of Tata Steel, Mr B. Muthuraman, is optimistic of a sustained increase in domestic steel consumption in the years ahead. Addressing a news conference here today, Mr Muthuraman said all "macro-economic factors indicate that ... More

Moosa Raza to head steel alliance
THE Indian Steel Alliance (ISA) has appointed former Steel Secretary, Mr Moosa Raza, as its President, according to a press release. ISA is the representative body of the five primary steel manufacturers in the country, namely, Steel Authority ... More

TAXATION
Assocham submits plan for changes in service tax rules
THE Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has submitted a proposal to the Finance Ministry recommending that the services of individual self-employed people where the total value of service is not in excess of Rs 10 ... More

TEXTILES
Textiles council hints at collective work to face post-quota milieu
The Council is also studying the residual issues pertaining to Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) such as carry-forward of quotas. More

Seminar on textile exports in Coimbatore

SSI
TN, Karnataka, Kerala in pact to support SSIs
The States will explore opportunities for development of industrial estates, industrial infrastructure improvement schemes and cluster development schemes. More

WATER
Rainfall intensity proves Kerala's bane
INTENSIVE rainfall associated with normal monsoon seasons, which used to be Kerala's preserve over these years, may well have proved to be its undoing, according to Mr K.R. Gopinath, founder and Chairman of the Chennai-based KRG Rainwater ... More

RADIO/TV
TRAI moots deferment of FM licence fee
THIS could come as a respite for the loss-ridden private FM radio companies. The broadcasting regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday suggested that all private FM radio licence holders could be given the option of ... More

EDUCATION
IIM-C resolution on fee cut ready
THE Chairman of the IIM-C governing council, Mr Y.C. Deveshwar, on Tuesday prepared the resolution on the fee reduction, which is expected to be placed before the board of governors shortly. He has agreed to accept the Union HRD Ministry's ... More

Orient Longman joins hands with Trinity College, London
FOR call centres, software documentation professionals, educational institutions and firms in India looking for an evaluation standard for their staff in English language, there is some interesting news. Orient Longman, the publishing house, ... More

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS & HOSPITALS
Madurai Medical College jubilee
MADURAI: The golden jubilee celebrations of the Madurai Medical College (MMC) have been planned to be held for three days from August 12. The event will have alumni meetings, get-togethers, scientific sessions and a medical exhibition. ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
India Inc wants expert panel to be formed to review laws
INDIA Inc has urged the Government to consider constituting an expert committee to review various laws, and more particularly those that have a bearing on the corporate sector. "It is widely felt that India's legal and judicial system has not ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Tempered by science
A mannequin wrapped in NBC clothing equipment at the `Vigyan Rail', an exhibition of scientific advancements in the country, being displayed on a train that arrived in Hyderabad on Monday. NBC clothing equipment provides protection against ... More

CINEMA
Bokadia Films' preferential issue
MUMBAI: KC Bokadia Films Ltd has announced that it is going in for a preferential issue of 10 lakh equity shares of Rs 10 each at a premium of Rs 25. The company, whose share was actively traded on the bourses in the recent past, has ... More

Film producers guild announces new awards
THE Film Producers Guild of India (FPGI) has announced the `Apsara Film Producers Guild of India Award' to commemorate its golden jubilee anniversary. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) will audit the awards. The nominees for the Apsara FPGI Awards ... More

SMALL SAVINGS
Incentive to savings agents
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Savings agents canvassing Public Provident Fund Accounts and those canvassing deposit schemes from employees retiring from Government service and public sector companies will get their commission paid on-the-spot from ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Zee Tele, Citicorp proposals among 34 FDIs cleared
THE Government on Tuesday cleared Zee Telefilms' proposal to issue Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCB) worth Rs 480 crore to British Virgin Island-based Delgrada Ltd and Mauritius-based Wakefield Holdings Ltd. A total of 34 foreign direct ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
DWCRA: Significant growth in two decades
WHEN corporate majors and banks turn to DWCRA (Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas) to expand their business and political parties come to them to secure votes, they do know that the formidable force of 65.40 lakh women spread across ... More

Tata Tele to support Childline
TATA Teleservices has announced that it would be extending support to Childline India Foundation, an NGO that works for the betterment of street children. The company said that 25 per cent of net revenue generated in April from its global SMS ... More

CONSUMERISM
Consumer forums protest ADC on mobile operators
EVEN as subscribers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) are rejoicing at the recent tariff cuts announced for ISD and STD tariffs, a clutch of "consumer and welfare organisations", have sought the intervention of the Department of ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Export benefits at 10 pc of forex earned sought
THE PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) has urged the Government to continue with the Section 80HHC benefits to exporters, although in a different form. In a memorandum to the Government, the Chamber said that the benefits under ... More