The Hindu Business Line : Friday, February 17, 2006

Dressing up global homes
When all other textile manufacturing centres in Tamil Nadu had till recently chosen to remain content with producing and selling generic yarn or fabrics, at least two textile clusters — Karur and Tirupur — ... More

Local credit
Karur has for long been identified as a region of economic promise thanks to its abundant natural resources and industrial base. The late Venkatarama Chettiar and Athi Krishna Chettiar — founders of Karur Vysya Bank, or V.S.N. Ramalinga ... More

SOCIAL SECURITY

`New Pension plan offers flexibility'
THE New Pension Scheme (NPS) under the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill 2005 addresses the concerns of the subscribers by offering a credible choice of funds and fund managers the option of switching between ... More

BUDGET

Car prices may not come down after Budget
CONSUMERS expecting a significant decline in car prices following this year's Union Budget may be in for a disappointment. While there has been considerable speculation that the Finance Ministry may decrease the excise slab on passenger cars ... More

Budget wish-list: PSBs seek higher FII investment limit
BANKERS have asked for higher FII investment limit in public sector banks. At present foreign institutional investors can hold only up to 20 per cent stake in state-run banks. In banks such as Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank, the FII ... More

10-year tax holiday sought for new hotel projects
A 10-YEAR tax holiday for new hotel projects, single-window clearances, infrastructure development and rationalisation of taxes are among the budget expectations of the hotel industry, which has been on the growth path for the past two ... More

With all smiles
The President, Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the Vice-President, Mr Bhairon Singh Shekawat, the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr Somnath Chatterjee, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr P.R. Das Munshi, arriving to ... More

Chidambaram holds pre-budget talks with RBI Governor
AHEAD of the budget to be presented later this month, the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram,held an hour-long detailed discussion with the Reserve Bank of India Governor, Dr Y.V. Reddy, on Wednesday. Indications are that the discussions at ... More

ECONOMY

India goes missing in Forbes capital hospitality list
The Forbes Capital Hospitality Index measures macroeconomic indicators like GDP growth and international trade, along with societal factors affecting investment, including poverty, bureaucracy, technological advancement, and corruption. More

Rising fiscal liabilities of Kerala threaten growth: CAG
`The Government should strive, in the years to come, to reduce revenue deficit and fiscal deficit by additional resource mobilisation.' More

ENVIRONMENT

Altering landscape
Indiscriminate reclamation of wetlands is on the rise in Ernakulam thanks to the boom in real estate market in the district.

FOREIGN TRADE

Govt aims to double India's share in world farm trade
THE Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Mr.Kamal Nath, contended that the share of agricultural exports in the country's aggregate exports must be stepped up substantially from its extant level of a little over 10 per cent. Presiding over ... More

Russian envoy calls for greater economic ties
THERE is room for greater economic co-operation between India and Russia and the latter is also keen on playing its part in the expansion and modernisation of the steel plants in the country such as the one here, according to Mr Vyacheslav I. ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE

Govt to focus on infrastructure: Kalam
On increasing FDI flows, the President said that the UPA Government has already taken steps to remove `outdated restrictions'. More

BoB, IDFC tie up to finance infrastructure projects
BANK of Baroda has tied up with the Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) for providing finance and other related products and services to infrastructure projects. The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding to this ... More

AP Govt plans to establish four SEZs
THE Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has said that the Government is in the process of establishing special economic zones (SEZs) in Penugonda and Hindupur, Nellore, and Chittoor. This means that the State would be able ... More

Assembly to hold discussions on Lavalin on Feb 21
THE Kerala Assembly will have separate discussions on the references in the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to the renovation of Pallivasal, Sengulam and Panniar hydel projects and augmentation of the Kuttiadi hydel scheme, ... More

Kerala Govt urged to change Service Tax clause for SEZ units
`The clause on consumption of services within special economic zones is narrowly interpreted to mean only those services that take place in the zone.' More

POWER

Govt rules out power tariff policy review
DESPITE objections raised by private players to some of the provisions in the National Tariff Policy, the Government on Thursday ruled out the possibility of any immediate review of the policy. "There is no question of reviewing the policy ... More

TAXATION

Cabinet gives nod for India-Japan convention protocol
THE Union Cabinet has given approval to the Protocol for amending the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) between India and Japan. The first round of negotiations for amending the DTAC was held in Tokyo in February 2005 and the final ... More

WATER

Water levels decline in Kerala reservoirs
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Water levels at the two major reservoirs in the State - Idukki and Idamalayar - have recorded a decline compared to the readings made a week ago. According to figures released by the Central Water Commission, ... More

RADIO/TV

Government plans third phase of FM privatisation
After the successful second phase of FM radio privatisation, the Government plans to put on offer additional frequencies in 70 or more cities. Mr S.K. Arora, Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry, said, "We are looking at coming out ... More

EDUCATION

`Spot an opportunity and build on it for success'
A CAPACITY to perceive an opportunity that is present in every change happening around and to capitalise on the same is necessary for success in business. Changes, viewed as challenges and worked upon further, provide the power to sustain and ... More

GOLD & SILVER

Spot gold may test support level
SPOT gold prices corrected sharply lower after the US dollar rose higher on prospects of more rate hikes, which took the shine of gold as a safe-haven metal. Spot gold prices fell lower in line with our expectations. As expected, prices ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

The `Discovery' of India's grassroots innovators
TO showcase Indian and global innovations, Discovery Channel will be airing a new programme, `Beyond Tomorrow,' where it will televise novel ideas that have been transformed into fully operational machines. Numerous grassroots ... More

DISINVESTMENT

Govt's 49 pc stake in Balco valued at Rs 843 crore
THE much-awaited valuation of the residual 49 per cent Government stake in Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) has been finally completed by the SBI Capital Markets Ltd. According sources in SBI Capital Markets, the company in its report ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

Rs 50,000 crore investments likely from Gulf countries
The GCC is in talks to collaborate with India in the refining sector, which alone will attract investments exceeding Rs 25,000 crore. More

`Allow FDI in single brand retail thro' automatic route'
FOREIGN direct investment (FDI) in single brand retail should be allowed through the automatic route rather than through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has ... More

Wholesale opposition
Members of the Confederation of All India Traders protesting against FDI in retail trade, in the Capital on Thursday.

HUMAN RESOURCES

Nalsar students get good placements
THE students of National Academy of Legal Studies and Research University (Nalsar), located near Hyderabad, have notched up good placements with one student securing a placement with a law firm in London with an annual salary package of £24,000 ... More

EVENTS

IICT to hold meet on pharma R&D next month
THE INDIAN Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), in association with Kasyap Technologies, would organise a three-day conference here next month to discuss opportunities in pharmaceutical research and development. The Focus India-2006 on ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS

Jute industry concerned over rising imports
Imports of jute sackings, used mostly for packaging activities, have increased to around one lakh tonnes in the current financial year against an average 10,000 tonnes in the earlier years. This has created serious concern in the domestic jute ... More

Upper-limit on drawback payments
THE Finance Ministry has brought in a new rule that seeks to place an upper limit on the drawback amount payable by the Central Government to exporters. The Central Board of Excise and Customs has now stipulated that the amount of drawback or ... More

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES

An American vaidji
Dr Robert E. Sbovoda is a licensed practitioner of Ayurveda, which he believes can remedy many ills even in his native America. More

TOURISM

Singapore hopes to receive 7 lakh visitors from India
CHENNAI: Singapore is targeting 7 lakh visitors from India this year compared to 5.8 lakh visitors in 2005, a 24 per cent increase, when it raked in tourist receipts of S$8.9 million, according to Ms Bridget Goh, Area Director, Singapore ... More

Kenya woos Indian tourists
IF the idea of going on a safari to a place made famous by the likes of the former US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, enthuses you then Kenya beckons. "Kenya is keen to welcome more Indians. It offers a wide variety of choices for ... More