The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, July 21, 2004

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
DVD player sales may top 5 m in next couple of years
WITH increasing product awareness, coupled with a possible reduction in price, the market size for digital versatile disc (DVD) players in India is expected to grow to five million plus in the next few years from the current level of ... More

ECONOMY
Learn from China and tap NRKs: Unido expert
Kerala has to answer the question often posed implicitly by foreign investors: `Why Kerala? And why not Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat or Karnataka.' More

Kerala Govt rules out drastic changes in spending pattern
The Money Lender's Act will be amended and relevant rules strictly enforced to check the growth of `blade' companies. More

`Avoid bureaucratic hassles to canalise funds effectively'
THE Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, has said that bureaucratic hassles have to be avoided if funds from the Centre were to be canalised effectively and efficiently. Speaking to reporters after attending a ... More

Reforms process stays on course in AP
THE economic reforms process, set in motion in the State by the Telugu Desam Government, appears to continue unhindered under the present Congress (I) Government. Sending out signals that it is not anti-reforms, especially in respect of the ... More

`One in five is a thatched-roof house'
IN the wake of the Kumbakonam school tragedy and the subsequent crackdown on the thatched-roof schools in Tamil Nadu, it is worthwhile to know how many houses/households are there in the country with thatched roofs/walls. According to the 2001 ... More

HEALTH
Apollo to set up clinic in Mahindra City
APOLLO Hospitals has signed an agreement with Mahindra Industrial Park to provide healthcare facilities in Mahindra City, a business city located about 40 km from Chennai. Mahindra Industrial Park's press release said the two companies had ... More

Avesthagen gets marketing rights for Finnish co's product
THE Bangalore-based Avesthagen announced that it has signed an agreement with the Raisio Group of Finland giving Avesthagen exclusive marketing rights to Raisio's product - Benecol in India. Benecol is a plant-derived product, which has been ... More

Marico may buy out partner's stake in Kaya Skin Care
MARICO Industries is expected to buy out the stake of its partner, the New Jersey-based Adil & Associates, in its joint venture company Kaya Skin Care Ltd. Mr Harsh Mariwala, Chairman & MD, Kaya Skin Clinic, told Business Line, "We are ... More

New Donor Station from Terumo Penpol
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Surgicals major Terumo Penpol has announced the launch of an improved version of its product, Donor Station DC 200. According to a company spokesperson, the Composafe Donor Station has been modified to reduce adverse ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
`Strengthening Mumbai's infrastructure tops our agenda'
FOR a city whose resources are stretched to the limit and where civic amenities are fast degenerating, there appears to be a glimmer of hope. The agenda that the recently elected President of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), ... More

PETROLEUM
ONGC asks Centre to refund Rs 2,690 cr
OIL and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) has asked the Centre to refund Rs 2,690 crore, its share of cooking gas and kerosene subsidies, that it was asked to bear along with oil refining and marketing companies in 2003-04. The subsidy burden ... More

Essar Constructions bags TN pipeline contract
ESSAR Constructions Ltd, along with Stroytransgaz of Russia, has bagged the 683-km, Chennai-Tiruchi-Madurai product pipeline for Indian Oil Corportation Ltd (IOC). According to a company release here on Tuesday, the Essar-Stroytransgaz combine is ... More

POWER
Restore full gas supply to private power projects: AP Govt
As against the allocation of 4.85 MCMD, the actual quantity of gas supplied to the four IPPs in 2003-04 was 3.68 MCMD. More

Consumer metre purchase — KSEB workers' union seeks judicial probe
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Electricity Workers' Federation has demanded a judicial probe into the purchase of consumer meters by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). In a statement, the union Working President, Mr A.N. Rajan, ... More

TEXTILES
`Drop move to raise excise duty on viscose filament yarn'
THE proposed move in the Central Budget to increase the excise duty for the viscose filament yarn from 12 per cent to 16 per cent should be given up as it will seriously affect the interests of the handloom industry, the Madurai Kaithari Javuli ... More

`Bias will harm man-made fibre players post-MFA'
THE Government's protracted "discrimination" against man-made fibre textile players could lead to India losing out on its global textile market share in the post-MFA (Multi-Fibre Agreement) era, according to man-made fibre producers. "Man-made ... More

EDUCATION
Stansfield Group to set up 20 biz schools in India
THE Stansfield School of Business, Singapore, plans to set up 20 business schools in India with an investment of Rs 170 crore. Mr Kannappan Chettiar, Chairman, Stansfield School of Business, said the first schools will come up in Chennai, ... More

HCV/LCV/TRACTORS
DELAYED MONSOON, DEFICIENT RAINFALL
Tractor sales tumble — Price cut hopes add to sector woes
It has removed the 16 per cent excise duty on tractors. But even these are not enough, it appears, to help the tractor industry, which saw its fortunes improve in the second half of 2003-04, a trend that continued in the first quarter of ... More

READYMADE GARMENTS
Customs house agents' strike hits garment exporters
EXPORT consignment of garments worth Rs 450 crore has been held up in the Delhi Airport because of the ongoing strike by the Customs House Agents for the past six days. The President, Delhi Garment Manufacturers Association, Mr Mago, ... More

KNITWEAR & HOSIERY
Plea to make Tirupur Special Export Zone
While buyers from across the world came to Tirupur to source their requirements, the city is beset with infrastructure problems. More

MINING & QUARRYING
ISO for Nuasahi chromite mines
KOLKATA: The IMFA Group's Nuasahi chromite mines, located in Keonjhar district of Orissa, has been awarded the ISO 14001 certification by the Mumbai-based IRQS certification agency. According to a company press release, the Nuasahi ... More

SMALL SAVINGS
No decision on EPF rate; next meeting on Aug 9
THE Central Board of Trustees (CBT) of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Tuesday deferred, for the third time in succession, a decision on the interest payable to provident fund subscribers for 2004-05. The CBT is now slated ... More

WTO
WTO talks heading towards crucial stage
TODAY, there is certain `intensity and nervousness' building up around the world trade talks. Last night, this was reflected in the statement issued by the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), who ... More

Kamal Nath meets political leaders on WTO issues
THE Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, today set off an interactive session with leaders of various political parties on WTO-related issues, especially in the wake of the draft framework for further ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
Single-bulb users in AP to get free power
THE State Government will conduct a survey to ascertain the number of power consumers using single electricity bulb for lighting their houses, the Finance Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, said. Mr Rosaiah said the Government was also convening a ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Nabard's new project to create jobs in Dakshina Kannada dist
THE National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) is looking at reaping the potential of non-farm sector in Dakshina Kannada district with DRIP (District Rural Industries Project). The project, which was launched by the Nabard ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Assocham asks Govt to ensure funds for marine exporters
THE Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) has asked the Government to include a provision of priority lending norms for marine exporters in the forthcoming trade policy for meeting the needs of the fishing industry. "The ... More

Exporters seek tax relief on DEPB credit
WITH the Finance Bill 2004 not providing any specific relief on the contentious issue of taxation of duty entitlement passbook (DEPB) credit, exporters have approached the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, on the same matter and pressed for ... More