PHARMACEUTICALS
Drug majors upbeat on regulated markets
THERE is no room for pessimism among Indian drug majors over their plans for regulated markets such as the US. Competition notwithstanding, they point out, the global pharma-pie continues to be an alluring option. Shrugging-off the pessimism ... More

POWER
Dabhol lenders nearing accord
INDIAN lenders to the Dabhol Power Company are likely to buy out foreign loans of about $310 million at a discount of about 35 per cent. DPC's lenders met here on Tuesday to negotiate a settlement that may ultimately help restart the 2184 MW, ... More

MSTC to invite auction bids for selling DVC units
MSTC has already completed its evaluation of the scrap at the two burnt down units and a tentative reserve price of about Rs 25 crore has been fixed. More

TAXATION
Nation-wide network to link sales tax commissionerates
IF you thought evasion of taxes during inter-State trade would be a possibility in the post-VAT regime, think again. Coinciding with the implementation of the value-added tax (VAT) system, State Governments have taken a major step forward in ... More

Kerala wants liquor, petrol out of VAT
THE State Government would like to see that liquor, petroleum and diesel are kept out of the purview of the value-added tax and stay clear of the likely adverse revenue implications, the Finance Minister, Mr K. Sankaranarayanan, told the State ... More

Tax sops sought for dividend from foreign subsidiaries
INDIA Inc has sought rationalisation of taxation on dividend received from a foreign subsidiary to promote India as a favourable investment destination. "It is a well-known fact that outbound investment from India is on the increase with many ... More

SSI
AP Govt meet on SSI revival next week
THE State Government has convened a meet on July 6 in Hyderabad to formulate a draft policy for the revival of sick small units in Andhra Pradesh, estimated at 38,000 out of the total of 1,43,867, according to Mr B.V. Rama Rao, President of the ... More

WATER
Chennai Petro, Orchid Chem to invest more in desalination plants
DESALINATION, which has emerged an option to meet industries' fresh water requirement, can also help the State Government meet public demand, according to industry representatives. The production and distribution facilities will have to be ... More

COAL
SECL records 71-mt output
SOUTH Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd (CIL) has achieved the highest coal production of 71.01 million tonnes (mt) during the financial year 2003-04, up from 66.6 mt last year. The company's profits have also been ... More

EXIM POLICY
Plea to revamp export norms for powerloom sector
THE Powerloom Development and Export Promotion Council (PDEXCIL) has sought the removal of procedural difficulties relating to various export promotion schemes in the new Exim policy for 2004-07, as also a response to supportive policy ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Govt must focus on reducing raw material duties, says CII
THE CII, in its pre-Budget memorandum, has said that there should be no further reduction in peak rate of Customs duty of 20 per cent in 2004-05. Instead, the focus should be on reducing the duties on inputs and raw materials. For example, ... More

CONTRACEPTIVES & PROTECTIVES
New initiative to raise condom use
CONDOMS, the effective weapon to fight HIV/AIDS and keep population in check, have witnessed a decline in sales. A unique public-private partnership between the Health Ministry, ICICI Bank and the United States Agency for International ... More

SMALL SAVINGS
Decision on EPF interest rate deferred
THE Central Board of Trustees (CBT) of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) chaired by the Union Labour Minister, Mr Sis Ram Ola, has deferred its decision on the interest rate payable to three crore subscribers of employees ... More

IPR
Salem fabric bids fair to enter geographical Act
The unique `weave' pattern of the cotton yarn dyed woven fabrics has been cited as hereditary and identified with the region since 1942. More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

INDUSTRIAL POLICY
Orissa plans law for fast project approvals
The Act will prevent departments acting to protect their own turfs instead of getting on with their jobs. More

EVENTS

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Full restoration of 80HHC sought for export earnings
THE Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) has petitioned the Finance Minister for full restoration of income-tax exemption on the export earnings under Section 80HHC to enable plough-back of profits on plant modernisation and technology update by ... More

Congestion at JN port hits exporters, importers
EXPORTERS and importers in this region have been severely affected by the congestion that has clogged the Jawaharlal Nehru port, including the P&O-operated Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT). The congestion has turned worse ... More

TOURISM
KIMS health tourism packages
THE Thiruvananthapuram-based Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) has launched several health tourism packages targeted at the international market. The customised `medical treatment and leisure' packages were soft launched a few months ... More