The Hindu Business Line : Saturday, November 26, 2005

Fresh `low' promises another wet spell
THE torrential rainfall over the past few days may have reduced in intensity and the sun emerged out of the clouds in many parts of the peninsula on Friday, but a warming Bay of Bengal will not allow the reprieve to last much long. A fresh ... More

NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY

Andhra Bank loan schemes for purchase of solar equipment
ANDHRA BANK has launched three soft loan schemes for the purchase of solar equipment under the interest subsidy programme of the Union Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES). The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara ... More

ECONOMY

IT sector's contribution to employment `not so good'
WHILE the IT sector's contribution to income generation and foreign exchange is undeniable, its contribution to employment is not as good as figures suggest, according to Prof C. P. Chandrasekhar of the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, ... More

FERTILISERS

Ministry concerned over higher subsidy on imported DAP
The estimated subsidy per tonne of imported DAP for the July-September quarter stood at Rs 5,394, substantially higher than the Rs 4,564 for the indigenously produced DAP. More

FOREIGN TRADE

South African envoy moots joint ventures in power, mining
Mr Moloi urged Indian businessmen to identify the major obstacles to more free trade between the two countries, especially in potential areas like pharmaceuticals. More

HEALTH

A woman's heart is `different'
Women have a higher chance of developing irregular heart rhythm, faster heart rates and develop heart failure more often. More

Keep fit
The Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, with the VLCC Health Care Chairperson, Ms Vandana Luthra, during a `Signature Campaign' against obesity in the Capital on Friday. ... More

PETROLEUM

Russia keen to participate in Iran-Pak-India pipeline project
RUSSIA on Friday said that it was willing to participate in the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline project. Also, the Russian gas major, Gazprom, was ready to invest in the multi-million dollar project. Expressing eagerness on the ... More

Asian oil ministers call for integrating energy market
MAJOR Asian oil and gas producing, and consuming, countries have recognised the need for integrating the energy markets of the region as well as improving the transportation structure. Speaking at the concluding session of the day-long ... More

ONGC willing to buy back its equity stake from IOC, GAIL
OIL and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) today said that it was willing to buyback its equity which is with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and GAIL (India) Ltd. ONGC, however, clearly stated that it had no immediate plans to offload the shares it ... More

India, Korea sign 6 MoUs
These include an umbrella agreement on hydrocarbon cooperation between India and Korea, strategic underground petroleum storage facility, gas hydrate related technical collaboration, MoU on hydrogen and compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen and ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS

New pharma policy on cards: Paswan
THE Government will shortly announce a new policy for the pharmaceutical sector based on the recommendations of Dr Pronab Sen, Principal Advisor Planning Commission, after seeking views of the various stakeholders, said the Chemicals and ... More

POWER

AP move to slash surcharge on domestic power dues
THE Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, on Friday directed the power utilities to approach the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) and seek a one-time waiver of surcharge on electricity dues. According to a statement from the ... More

STEEL

Cut excise on iron & steel to 8 pc: PHD Chamber
THE PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry has asked the Government to reduce the excise duty on iron and steel to eight per cent from the present 16 per cent. The reduction would help the domestic industry to be globally competitive, says the ... More

TEXTILES

`Rising crude prices dampen textile industry hopes'
RISING crude oil prices and increasing competition from China are a cause of concern for the Indian textile industry, which is less optimistic about its performance in the current quarter than in the second quarter of the current fiscal, ... More

SSI

Small units must consolidate in a strategic manner: Pranab
THE Defence Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, on Friday called on the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), that play a major role in defence supplies, to look at consolidating in a strategic manner while maintaining their identity. ``The ... More

HDFC Bank turns to SMEs, smaller towns
HDFC Bank is planning to expand lending to small-scale and middle-market businesses in smaller cities as larger corporates increasingly tap equity markets for funds, its Managing Director, Mr Aditya Puri, said. Speaking to Business ... More

COAL

Shortage of off-the-road tyres may hit coal output
Replacement of tyres in old dumpers used in open cast mines may not be possible due to shortage of OTR tyres. This may lead to a fall in coal production. More

EDUCATION

S.P. Jain Center to offer MBA programme
S.P. Jain Center of Management, the international initiative of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, will offer a one-year Global MBA programme, which provides students a choice to specialise in one of the six sectors and do the course in both its Dubai and ... More

PAPER, BOARD & NEWSPRINT

Paper producers want Govt to retain import duty at present level
THE paper industry has urged the Government to keep the import duty of paper unchanged, given its growth potential. The customs duty on imports of paper ranges from 0-16 per cent. The industry fears that a lowering in peak customs duty would ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DSIR to promote indigenous R&D
THE Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) under the Union Ministry of Science and Technology is keen on promoting indigenous capabilities in industrial research and development, according to the adviser to DSIR, Dr A. ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

`FDI in retail key to make India a leading destination'
FDI in retail is a must and would help a long way in making India a leading retail destination in the world, said industry experts at the India Retail Summit on Friday. Ms Bala Deshpande, Director, Investment, ICICI Venture Funds Management, ... More

TRADE & LABOUR UNIONS

`Need for mutual trust to strengthen industrial harmony'
THE guiding principle of labour-related laws is to promote workers' welfare and ensure social security without disturbing industrial harmony, according to Mr S.K. Mukhopadhyay, Chief Labour Commissioner, Ministry of Labour and Employment. He ... More

EVENTS

Programme for managers in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: A two-day programme for managers, supervisors and professionals to examine the secrets of developing world-class, leader-follower relationships began here on Friday at the Centre for Organization Development (CoD). Mr Ira ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS

Rubber shipment target raised
BUOYED by encouraging trends, the Rubber Board has scaled up its targets for natural rubber exports by 5,000 tonnes to 45,000 tonnes during the current fiscal year. "We have already touched 37,723 tonnes of exports. In the coming months, we ... More

Rubber traders threaten to halt exports — VAT claims yet to be refunded
RUBBER exporters under the aegis of the Cochin Rubber Merchants Association on Friday said they would stop exports unless the State Government refunded their value added tax (VAT) claims. According to Mr N. Radhakrishnan, President of the ... More