The Hindu Business Line : Friday, October 15, 2004

COURTS/LEGAL ISSUES
Koodankulam: Bench restraint
MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court here, in response to writ petitions filed by two associations, has restrained Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) from filling up vacant posts in Group B, C and D categories ... More

ECONOMY
Transforming lives of rural women
THE Common Minimum Programme (CMP) lays emphasis on empowerment of women as an important socio-economic goal. The UN Human Development Report for 2004, while noting the progress made in the status of women, notes that ... More

AP registers revenue surplus
THE State finances are looking bright, going by the claim by a group of ministers, who said that in the last six months a revenue surplus of Rs 1,704 crore has been realised compared to a revenue deficit of Rs 1,200 crore during the same period ... More

AP to set up task force on investments
HYDERABAD: The State Government proposes to constitute a task force headed by a senior IAS officer for attracting investments into the State. It is also considering extending major concessions to the industry, including reduction in power ... More

ADB team visiting Hyderabad today
HYDERABAD: The President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), along with a high-level delegation, will visit Hyderabad during October 15-16 to discuss various issues with the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and senior ... More

ENGINEERING
Wet grinder units' plea for rail booking facility
THE wet grinder manufacturers here have sought the intervention of the Minister of State for Railways, Mr R.Velu, to restore the parcel booking facility at the Peelamedu and North Coimbatore railway stations. In a memorandum to the Minister, Mr ... More

ENVIRONMENT
SCMC reconstitutes panel for Eloor, Edayar
THE Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC) on hazardous wastes has directed the Kerala State Pollution Control Board to reconstitute the Local Area Environment Committee (LAEC) for Eloor and Edayar regions after it found that the committee set ... More

TTP may contest PCB closure notice
THE State-owned Travancore Titanium Products Ltd (TTP), the leading manufacturer of anatase grade titanium dioxide in the country, is planning to move the Kerala High Court against the closure notice served on it by the State Pollution Control ... More

`Polluting industries, countries should encourage afforestation'
WHILE the whole world is grappling with the problem of environmental pollution caused by emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), Kyoto Protocol has not been able to address the issues arising out of different levels of CO2 emissions by developed and ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Customs pact with EU cleared
THE Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its ex post facto approval to the signing of the agreement between India and the European Community for cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters. The agreement, which was signed on April ... More

HEALTH
Ranbaxy discontinues rofecoxib formulations
RANBAXY Laboratories Ltd has decided to discontinue all its rofecoxib formulations with immediate effect from India. The company will also discontinue marketing rofecoxib formulations in Peru, Myanmar, and Jordan, where it has a small market ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
Forex reserves could be used for infrastructure financing: Montek
THE Planning Commission is considering the use of the country's foreign exchange reserves for financing infrastructure development, said the Deputy Chairman of the Commission, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, here on Thursday. India's foreign ... More

PSU
Govt okays package to clear dues in 24 loss-making PSUs
THE Government has approved a package worth Rs 517 crore for settling employees' dues and statutory dues in 24 loss-making central public sector units (PSUs) under the Ministry for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises (MoHIPE). The amount ... More

PETROLEUM
No decision yet on petrol price hike
THE Government today remained indecisive on a proposal to allow public sector oil companies to hike the retail prices of petrol and diesel. The proposal follows the hardening of global crude prices. "We have to have further discussion on the ... More

ONGC plans foray into oil recovery consultancy
AFTER the increase in recoveries from the Mehsana, Balol and Santhal fields in Gujarat, by using the in-situ combustion method, ONGC is planning to take up consultancy on oil recovery as a business venture. The company has already adopted a Rs ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS
`Emergency drugs must be easily available in post-patent regime'
Certain drugs, which are protected by patent, must be made available through the compulsory licence route, said the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan. More

POWER
Tungathurthy substation opening today
HYDERABAD: The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, will commission on Friday a 132 KV substation and transmission line constructed at a cost of Rs 7 crore at Tungathurthy in Nalgonda district. The substation was constructed under ... More

SSI
Khadi and Village Industries Commission dissolved
THE Union Government has dissolved the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). An official statement issued on Thursday states that the step has been taken to revamp KVIC and make it more professionally competent, effective and efficient ... More

WATER
Loans for rainwater harvesting in Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government has asked co-operative societies to provide loans for rainwater harvesting schemes and for digging of wells under the 100 days' intensive programme implementation plan. An official quoted the ... More

EDUCATION
Seminar on Kerala higher education
A SEMINAR on `Revamping of Higher Education in Kerala' being organised by Kerala Private College Teachers Association (KPCTA) at CMS College here on Saturday will focus on how the syllabi of conventional degree courses could be restructured to ... More

Professional institutes Bills this session
THE three Bills to amend the legislations governing the functioning of the three professional institutes — Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) and the Institute of Cost ... More

ISB roadshows for PG programme
THE Indian School of Business (ISB) is organising roadshows across cities to announce the admission for its flagship one-year `Post-Graduate Programme in Management (PGP)'. The admission team comprising Mr V.K. Menon, Director (Admission), and ... More

CARS
Maruti launches used car business in Gujarat
MARUTI Udyog Ltd (MUL) has launched TrueValue, its pre-owned cars business in Gujarat after the State Government replaced a 12 per cent tax on sale of second-hand vehicles with a flat levy of Rs 1,000. "We are launching TrueValue at six ... More

FOODS & FOOD PROCESSING
Perambalur agro-based projects
MADURAI: Four agro-based industrial projects in Perambalur district under the New Anna Marumalarchi Thittam await clearance from the State-level co-ordination committee. The projects, worth Rs 1.15 crore, comprise three gur ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Emgee Greens: A breath of fresh air in crowded Mumbai
MUMBAIKARS tired of living in matchbox-sized flats in apartment complexes in a city that is groaning under the weight of an over-burdened infrastructure and gasping for fresh air can look forward to better times with a Mumbai-based real estate ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
`Mangalore airport, SEZ will boost exports'
MANGALORE: The President of the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Mr A. Srinivasa Rao, has said that the development of airport in Mangalore and special economic zone will contribute to the export potential of the district in ... More

ELCIA protest plan called off
BANGALORE: The Electronics City Industries' Association (ELCIA) in Bangalore has called off the protest planned on Hosur Road on Friday, following an assurance received from the Karnataka Government. In a letter to the association, the ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Sibal plumps for adopting best biz incubator models
POINTING out that many research and development (R&D) initiatives in India do not get commercialised for want of investment, the Government has said the system needs to identify and adopt best business incubation models in the country. "India .. More

DISINVESTMENT
Panel to fix PSU share price band
THE Government on Thursday announced the constitution of an Empowered Group of Ministers (e-GoM) to determine the share price bands of PSUs coming up for disinvestment. The group will be headed by the Finance Minister, Mr P. ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
Andhra Bank ties up with NGO to help women entrepreneurs
THE ACGA (ALEAP Credit Guarantee Association) joined hands with Andhra Bank and Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Small Industries (CGTSI) to launch Mutual Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme here on Thursday. The CGTSI has entered into a risk-sharing ... More

EVENTS
Address by ONGC chief
HYDERABAD: Mr Subir Raha, Chairman, ONGC, will address the Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD), which is meeting at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), on October 16. The ISTD is planning to host the next ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Rubber export subsidy: Finance Ministry seeks clarification
THE Union Finance Ministry is learnt to have sought certain clarifications from the Commerce Ministry on the proposal to give subsidy for rubber exports in the current financial year, according to industry sources. "The Finance Ministry has ... More

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES
Oushadhi(Ker) plans two new products
THE Pharmaceutical Corporation (Indian Medicines) Kerala Ltd (Oushadhi) will shortly launch two new ayurvedic products. Speaking to newspersons, its Chairman, Mr Mathew Stephen, said that the products would be launched on October 18 during the ... More

TOURISM
CII moots Chennai as MICE spot
THERE is a need to assess the carrying capacity of ecologically sensitive destinations before allowing indiscriminate construction. Regulatory bodies must also be set up to enforce rules, Mr P.K. Mohan Kumar Chairman, Confederation of Indian ... More

STANDARDS & BENCHMARKS
HACCP awareness meet in Thiruvananthapuram
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The local branch of the National Institute for Quality and Reliability (NIQR) will organise an awareness programme on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) on November 6. Announcing this here, a ... More