The Hindu Business Line : Monday, January 02, 2006

Govt to step up monitoring of small hikes in drug prices
THE Government will step up monitoring of even small price hikes of drugs and pharmaceutical products. While currently the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) seeks explanations from companies on price hikes of over 20 per cent in a ... More

Index funds to sell RIL shares on Jan 17, buy back the next day
SEVERAL index funds tracking Sensex and the Nifty are planning to sell shares of Reliance Industries (RIL) on January 17 and buy back them the next day when the stock is traded, without the value of de-merged companies. Managers of these index ... More

ATM sharing to bolster smaller banks' reach
SEVERAL banks are looking to expand their ATM network by tying up with other banks for sharing ATMs. For banks that have limited number of branches this is an easier and cheaper way to expand their reach. Customers on the other hand, get ... More

Call for Re 1 a minute from Reliance mobile
RELIANCE Infocomm today announced that calls from Reliance India Mobile prepaid accounts would cost only Re 1 a minute from anywhere to anywhere in the country. "It is our New Year gift to our subscribers. They can now exchange greetings ... More

SAFTA may not lead to immediate jump in imports
THE ushering in of the treaty on South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) from Sunday is not expected to lead to any immediate quantum jump in imports into India since as many as 884 specific product groups have been kept on the Sensitive List where ... More

Cos seek insurance cover for public offerings
WITH the growing interest of FIIs in domestic equity market, several companies going for public issues are opting for a new insurance cover, which would serve as a safeguard against any legal suit for wrong information in the public offer ... More

Spreading brand awareness — Lenovo takes to movie route
IN the run-up to its foray into the Indian consumer PC market, Lenovo is planning to piggyback on Bollywood by sponsoring movies to create awareness about its brand and logo. Lenovo expects to tap the consumer segment soon with its PCs and ... More

THE YEAR THAT WAS
Software services rides out rough patch to turn winner — Action-packed year in mid-cap software arena
2005 proved to be a mixed year for the software services sector. On one hand, the $400-million application support contract bagged by TCS and Infosys from ABN Amro marked a defining moment for the offshoring trend. Frontline companies also ... More

THE YEAR THAT WAS
Even as local BPOs scale up, MNCs widen captive base
WITH labour issues acquiring political hues, 2005 turned out to be a year of mixed fortunes for the pin-up BPO sector which made a conscious attempt to move up the value chain and stake claim to the $17-billion opportunity posed by the KPO ... More

Hardware growth gallops at fast pace
THE year saw the hardware sector competing with the software sector in terms of performance. Implementation of the IT Agreement from March 2005 brought 217 items to nil Customs duty, setting the competitive pace for the market. Despite initial ... More

Range-bound movement likely — A conservative view is benchmark may produce a moderate return in 2006
THE year 2004 ended with a promise for Indian equities. If India is on its way to become the world's third largest economy by 2010, 2006 could prove to be a defining year for Dalal Street. Renewal of global capital's focus on Indian stocks is ... More

Fog alert on as induced `low' impacts west Rajasthan
Model predictions suggest a rise in night temperatures by about two deg C over many parts of northwest India during the next 24 hours and fall in day temperature by about two-three deg C over the next two days. More