OUTSOURCING
Curbs on outsourcing may not last: Maran
INDIA today said establishing protectionist barriers to outsourcing due to political and emotional response would not survive in the face of overall economic gains. "Concern over job losses due to offshoring activities on a grand scale is ... More

ECONOMY
Sitting on cash pile thanks to high oil prices — Gulf throws open more opportunities
THE recent announcement of mega oil and gas projects in Abu Dhabi emirate and expected surplus funds this year due to high oil prices, that are likely to be funnelled into new investment avenues in various sectors, ... More

Tax receipts fluctuate in rich countries in 2003: OECD
RICH countries tax revenues as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), after falling between 2000 and 2002, levelled out in 2003 and in some cases began to rise again, according to the rich countries club, the ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Clark identifies ICT as thrust area
THE Prime Minister of New Zealand, Ms Helen Clark, has called for greater trade co-operation between India and New Zealand. Speaking at a meeting organised jointly by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and ... More

South Australian Premier woos investors, students
SOUTH Australia, with a small population of 1.5 million and a greateconomic potential, would welcome skilled manpower and investors from India. With its rich mineral resources, port facilities and a low-cost production base, the province could ... More

HEALTH
Natco Pharma launches cancer drug
NATCO Pharma Ltd (NPL) has announced the launch of anti-cancer drug Curcumin in 500 mg capsules form under the brand name Turcumin. In a press release here on Wednesday, the company said Curcumin is essentially an extract of turmeric and is ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
Kerala to speed up land acquisition for infrastructure projects
THE State Government is evolving a fast-track mechanism to speed up land acquisition for implementing infrastructure projects in the State. The decision, taken by the Cabinet on Wednesday, comes in the wake of the announcement made by the ... More

Kinfra park at Koratty ready
AS many as 12 firms have been allotted land to set up industrial units at the newly set up Kinfra Industries Park, Koratty, which is to be inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, on Friday. The industries park, built by the Kerala ... More

Review of MoU with ONGC will hit SEZ development: Kanara Chamber
THE Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has said that the recent statement of the Union Petroleum Minister, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar, on the proposed coastal Special Economic Zone (SEZ) here will unnecessarily postpone the implementation ... More

PETROLEUM
IOC raises $100 m through ABN Amro
INDIAN Oil Corporation has said it has signed a loan agreement with ABN Amro Bank to raise a short-term oil import loan of $100 million. The amount raised through ABN Amro's Amsterdam branch will be used to finance the IOC's oil import ... More

TAXATION
TN: No entry tax for scheduled goods
THE Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms Jayalalithaa, said that the State Government would exempt from entry tax all scheduled goods that are directly imported and used in the manufacture of goods within Tamil Nadu. She announced this at the third ... More

SSI
SIDBI to hike credit to Kerala SMEs
THE Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has adopted new instruments and avenues for deploying credit to the SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) sector in the State on a war-footing, according to Mr R. Madhavan Nair, Deputy General ... More

WATER
Concern over water shortage in Sriramsagar
FACED with the unprecedented shortage of water at Sriramsagar project, the State Government has decided to judiciously use the available 11 tmc feet of water to provide drinking water for 12 towns and other villages along the 284-km canal. Of ... More

RADIO/TV
Govt plans to appoint advisor for phase II of FM privatisation
THE Information and Broadcasting Ministry is planning to appoint an investment banker or a financial advisor to oversee the second phase of FM radio privatisation. The Ministry has decided to ask Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd ... More

EDUCATION
IIM-B courses via Direcway
BANGALORE: The Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, (IIM-B) has entered into a partnership with Hughes Escorts Communication Ltd (HECL) to offer a host of long-term programmes to working executives over the Hughes' Direcway Global ... More

IIIF offers two new courses in insurance
THE International Institute for Insurance and Finance (IIIF), a Hyderabad-based institute currently offering post-graduate diploma courses in insurance, has announced the launch of two new courses - Certificate Course in Financial Planning and ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Plea to set up incubation fund
THE Global Forum on Business Incubation has called upon the national and regional Governments to establish an incubation fund for the sustainable growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. It has also called for the growth of the ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Sony's QRIO robot comes to India
QRIO, in other words the `Quest for Curiosity,' is an entertainment robot developed by the company's Entertainment Robotic Company for non-commercial purposes; unlike the Aibo (Japanese for companion), a robotic pet dog, that has sold more than ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Aviation FDI cap hiked to 49 pc — Foreign airlines stay barred from holding stake
IN a move aimed at showing India's keenness to attract greater foreign direct investment, the Union Cabinet, on Wednesday, hiked the FDI cap in domestic airlines to 49 per cent from the existing 40 per cent. However, foreign airlines would not ... More

Fine with us, says Left
THE Left parties on Wednesday said that they had no objection to the Government's decision to go ahead with hiking the foreign direct investment cap in aviation. "We have no objection to the proposal since control of the domestic airlines ... More

`TN best bet for ASEAN investors'
INVESTORS in the Association of South East Asian nations (ASEAN) region should look to Tamil Nadu for investments in information technology enabled services, agro-based industries, biotechnology and pharma industries, the Tamil Nadu Chief ... More

`Success formula' for overseas investors
OVERSEAS investors need to keep in mind that India is not a homogeneous market, but one with a rich variety, said an official from a Singapore company on Wednesday at the India-ASEAN business summit. Mr Joshua Goh, Vice-President of ... More

Assocham hails FDI hike in airlines
THE Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) has welcomed the Government's decision for hiking the foreign direct investment ceiling from the existing 40 per cent to 49 per cent for domestic airlines. In a statement issued here ... More

IPR
`Bill to amend Patent Act in winter session'
THE Patents (Third) Amendment Bill to meet the country's international commitment of adhering to the deadline of January 1, 2005 for grant of product patents through legislation while ensuring that mechanisms are put in place to safeguard public ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

EVENTS
Tata Confluence at IIM-A begins today
THE three-day Tata Confluence, the international management summit organised by Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad (IIM-A), kicks off on Thursday with the organisers claiming a record attendance from leading B-schools across the world. ... More

11 German mining cos to participate in Kolkata fair
ABOUT 11 German companies with standing in the global mining industry have decided to participate in the 7th international mining machinery exhibition (IMME 2004), to be held here from November 24 to 27, according to German Engineering ... More

INCOME TAX
Tax audit returns: ICAI wants date extended
THE Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has suggested to the Finance Ministry that the last date for filing of income-tax returns on tax audit cases be extended. The Income-Tax Department has specified October 31 as the last ... More

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES
`Ayurveda can cure eye ailments effectively'
THE National Ayurveda Seminar on Ophthalmic Diseases will throw light on causes and treatments of some major eye problems affecting the human vision. Ayurveda has befitting replies to many a debilitating and chronic disease which seems ... More

ECONOMIC OFFENCES
Unauthorised SAP centre raided
THE crime branch of the Bangalore Police raided NeoLogik, an unauthorised SAP Training Centre that offered training using unlicensed SAP software. According to a company release, the raid is the second in a span of two months and is a part of ... More