The Hindu Business Line : Friday, October 01, 2004

ECONOMY
`Foreign experts' controversy — Plan panel dismantles consultative groups
IN a face-saving `formula' to put an end to the raging controversy over the inclusion of "foreign experts" into the consultation process for the mid-term appraisal of the Tenth Five-Year Plan, the Planning Commission today announced the ... More

GDP grows 7.4% in April-June
THE Indian economy is on song, with a real gross domestic product growth of 7.4 per cent being registered during the first quarter of the current fiscal, against 5.3 per cent for the corresponding period of the previous year. The higher growth ... More

External debt at $112.6 b
INDIA'S total external debt stood at $112.6 billion as on June 30, 2004, registering an increase of $121 million during April-June 2004. Excluding valuation effects on account of the appreciation of the US dollar against other major international ... More

Fiscal deficit for Apr-Aug higher
EVEN as the economy is riding on the crest of a recovery phase, there is not so good news emanating on the fiscal front. According to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) here on Thursday, the Centre's fiscal deficit during ... More

External liabilities down by $12 billion
INDIA'S net foreign liabilities have come down by $12 billion to $48.60 billion as on March 2004 as against $60.64 billion a year ago. According to the data on `India's international investment position' released by the Reserve Bank of India ... More

NRI Institute to raise grievances of Indians in Gulf
THE newly launched UAE chapter of Delhi-based NRI Institute will seriously pursue the demands of NRIs. The call for lower airfares will be the primary issue the institute will take up with the Indian authorities, said Mr Jagmohan Singh, Secretary ... More

HEALTH
Medical costs: Not a `healthy' picture for senior citizens
A SERIOUS illness and a couple of visits to the hospital can more than burn a hole in your purse. But the picture only gets grimmer as one moves into the senior citizens bracket and counters escalating costs in healthcare, say officials ... More

Greenpeace cries foul over Bayer's GMO trials
ACTIVISTS of the environmental NGO Greenpeace chained themselves to the front doors and to the fence of Bayer House in Powai, Mumbai on Thursday. They were protesting the alleged field trials by Pro Agro (wholly owned subsidiary of Bayer) of the ... More

New research facility for brain imaging at Gurgaon
NEW DELHI: The Government has set up a research facility for brain imaging at the National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon. The facility is equipped with functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment. It would help researchers ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
DDA signs MoU with infrastructure finance corpn
THE Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Thursday has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) Ltd. "The objective of entering into this MoU is speedy, comprehensive and orderly development of ... More

PETROLEUM
Govt decides not to hike petrol, diesel prices
THE Government today decided that petrol and diesel prices would not be raised even though the public sector retailing companies have sought an upward revision owing to rising global crude prices. IOC, BPCL, HPCL, and IBP have been seeking a ... More

IIM Prof favours 2-company oil sector structure
AS part of the proposed restructuring exercise to make public sector oil companies globally competitive, IIM professor N. Venkiteswaran has suggested that two major corporates be formed through mergers and acquisitions. Prof Venkiteswaran, who ... More

POWER
Simplex bags contract from Nagarjuna Power
CONSTRUCTION major Simplex Concrete Piles India Ltd has bagged a Rs 980-crore contract from Nagarjuna Power Corporation for carrying out civil construction works for the company's upcoming 1,015 MW thermal power project at Padubidre near ... More

TAXATION
Service tax waiver on payments in convertible forex may go
THE Finance Ministry has hinted that the existing service tax exemption on taxable services for which payments are received in convertible foreign exchange would be withdrawn as soon as the rules spelling out the meaning of `export of taxable ... More

SSI
Why Thailand scores in small industry sector
"Compared to India, the cost of power is cheap and 80 per cent of power is generated through compressed natural gas." More

TN SSI policy to focus on rehabilitation
TAMIL NADU will announce a SSI policy soon, the Small Industries Secretary, Mr D. Rajendran, has said. Briefing presspersons here today, Mr Rajendran assured that it would be the most comprehensive package available with policy support, credit ... More

WATER
Canned Capital
Water shortages are becoming regular to large chunks of the urban population, especially in the metros. The national Capital is no different with jerry cans and water tankers being a familiar sight in many parts of the city. ... More

RADIO/TV
`Team India plays for BCCI, not Govt'
EVEN as the Government today backed Zee, supporting its stand that the Indian cricket board is a `State' within the meaning of Constitution, counsel for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that players like Sachin Tendulkar, ... More

EDUCATION
XLRI `Lekh' contest last date tomorrow
XLRI Jamshedpur has set October 2 as the deadline for `Lekh,' an international paper-writing competition that it conducts annually. According to a press release from XLRI, the competition is open to students in management schools across South ... More

GENDER
Perversions that adults can inflict on the young
THIS case is not for the weak-hearted because the topic is sexual violence against a three-year-old girl. The story in Harland Craig Renfrow vs State of Mississippi, decided by the Court of Appeals on September 21, began on June 11, 2000, when ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
UAE likely to raise foreign investment cap
FOREIGN investors will be allowed to own up to 70 per cent in investments in UAE companies if new federal law currently being prepared is endorsed, an Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce official revealed here, according to the official Emirates News ... More

Flextronics among 48 FDI plans cleared
SINGAPORE-based Flextronics International Ltd's plan to acquire 100 per cent stake in Chennai-based Future Software Ltd involving foreign direct investment worth Rs 185.04 crore was among the various FDI proposals cleared by the Government on ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
Welfare fund for Kerala construction workers needs fine-tuning: ILO
OVER one million of the estimated 1.5 million construction workers in the State are registered with the Kerala Construction Labour Welfare Fund. Despite this, the Fund's coverage in some districts of the State needs to be improved, ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Kerala: Rural Development Week from Oct 2
THE State Government will observe Rural Development Week throughout the State from October 2 to October 8 under the auspices of the Rural Development Department. The Department will lay emphasis on poverty eradication, labour oriented ... More

LABOUR REFORMS
Unorganised Sector Workers' Bill being redrafted
THE Ministry of Labour is redrafting the Unorganised Sector Workers' Bill, 2004, in consultation with other Central Ministries, State Governments and trade unions. The Social Security Scheme launched earlier this year for unorganised workers is ... More

EVENTS
India-US info security summit on Oct 12-13
THE National Association of Software and Services Association (Nasscom) and Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) would organise India-US Information Security Summit in the Capital on October 12-13 to explore possible joint ... More

Khadi exhibition from tomorrow

In Hyderabad today

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Block rubber shoots up as exports spurt
BLOCK rubber prices have shot up in an unprecedented manner to reach nearly on par with the RSS-4 grade as the sudden spurt in exports have led to its shortage in market. "There is no ISNR-20 (the grade for block rubber) available in the ... More

TOURISM
KTM spotlight on Wayanad, Malabar
ENTREPRENEURS have come together to promote tourism destinations in Wayanad and Malabar at the three-day Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), which begin at the Le Meridien Hotel here. The Wayanad Tourism Organisation (WTO) and Malabar Tourism Board had ... More

Call for proper maintenance of tourist spots
THE Registrar of Mangalore University, Mr K. Sundar Naik, has stressed the need for the proper maintenance of poorly managed tourist destinations. Inaugurating the "World Tourism Day" celebrations at Mangalore University recently, he said that ... More

STANDARDS & BENCHMARKS
Call to focus on quality to stay competitive
THE Minister for Transport, Mr S. Santosh Reddy, has called for launching a campaign to tap creativity in human resources to prepare them for global competition. "Competition is increasing in the global markets. Technological upgradation is ... More