The Hindu Business Line : Monday, January 24, 2005

A call ill-conceived
THE DEPARTMENT OF Telecommunications directive to Internet Service Providers (ISP) to discontinue within 30 days their Virtual Private Network service — a secure and cost-effective solution used by companies mainly for data transmission ... More

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

ADC: `TRAI has addressed all core issues'
This is with reference to the editorial "Unclear still on ADC" (Business Line, January 11) which raised the following issues: 1. There is no rationale for keeping the ADC sum unchanged at Rs 5,340 crore and the latest TRAI order ... More

TAXATION

VAT 2005: Will it add value to economic reforms?
INITIAL hesitations about the Value Added Tax (VAT) regime have been finally resolved with the announcement by the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, that VAT will be a reality, come April 2005. Only one State so ... More

The disturbing elements of VAT
While the Government's determination to see the VAT system launched on April 1 is welcome, certain problems need to be set right first. These include the concern over allowing officers to enforce penal provisions and reopen closed assessments, as als o the ambiguity regarding the rates applicable on a host of items. Traders feel that all penal provisions should be made effective only from the third year of introduction of VAT because when a new regime of taxation takes effect, mistakes are bound to happen out of ignorance or oversight. More

TECHNOLOGY

Technology and the intellectual conflict
Technology has always suffered from hostility. Its critics want what is flawless; technology knows nothing that is flawless. It can seek better solutions but has no perfect one to offer. If only the occasional risks of technology are accepted, even t he deaths they may cause, year after year many times more number of people can be saved. If such harsh decisions are not taken, the loss would be more not less. That, says P. V. Indiresan, is the crux of the intellectual conflict. More

MANAGEMENT

Human relations
GOOD human relations are the cementing bond of families, organisations and governments. That they make for togetherness and harmony in families is obvious enough. But their importance in the achievement of ... More

TOURISM

Carefully targeting ecotourism projects
As nations develop their projects to take advantage of the ecotourism trend, it is important that they are clear of what experience they are offering the tourist and carefully package it in a manner that meets the expectation of the tourist. More

LETTERS

Scrapping PPF

GM seed: A national policy?

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