The Hindu Business Line : Saturday, July 01, 2006

URBAN DEVELOPMENT
New beauty in the making
FOR A BETTER VIEW: A panoramic view of Guwahati. Assam is launching a Rs 200-crore beautification project by demolishing government offices and bungalows located on the banks of the river Brahmaputra. The plan to convert the riverfront into parks ... More

CLIMATE & WEATHER
Tardy oilseeds planting causes concern
Growers could switch to pulses More

Heavy rains likely in Goa, Konkan regions
Some areas in Konkan and Goa are expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 48 hours. Intermittent rains or thunder showers with a few spells of heavy to very heavy rainfall is predicted for the city and suburbs, according to ... More

ECONOMY
UNDP's new HDR for Asia-Pacific — For an inclusive development strategy
Strategic, rather than indiscriminate, integration into the global economy remains the key to successfully managing globalisation. More

`Rise in inflation not to hurt growth'
`Govt constantly watching the situation' More

CWC expresses concern over price rise
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has expressed deep concern over the price rise and asked the Union Government to work out an effective mechanism to manage the demand and supply of essential commodities. At its meeting on ... More

External debt up $ 2b
The stock of external debt went up by $2 billion during 2005-06 to reach $125.2 billion, according to statistics put out by the Reserve Bank of India on Friday. As much as 45.1 per cent of the debt is in US dollars, while another 19.9 per cent ... More

ENVIRONMENT
Need for integrated water management policy stressed
To prevent desertification of land in the State More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS
Palm oil tariff values hiked
But cut for crude soyabean oil More

FOREIGN TRADE
SAFTA takes effect from today
884 items in sensitive list for tariff concessions More

HEALTH
Wyeth launches new 7-in-1 vaccine
To protect from pneumococcal disease; expected to gross $2 b this year More

INFRASTRUCTURE
Wockhardt to set up SEZ
Wockhardt Ltd is setting up a special economic zone (SEZ) in the Shendra Industrial Park, near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, the Chairman, Mr Habil Khorakiwala, told the shareholders at the company's annual general meeting here on ... More

PSU
Board to select CEOs of Kerala PSUs
Professionals to be recruited to run the units More

PETROLEUM
Ambani brothers in race for CBM-III blocks
Govt gets 54 bids for 10 blocks More

IOC firm on corporate restructuring plan
To focus now on the merger with CPCL More

Of under-recoveries, losses, subsidy and discount
How the public sector oil companies tally the numbers More

DGH issues notices to RIL, Niko
Revised Block D6 reserve assessment More

POWER
MIDC mulling equity in group captive power projects
The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) is considering picking up equity in the upcoming Group Captive Power Plants (GCPP) projects that are being set up in the various industrial estates in the State. Rising demand for power ... More

STEEL
Private stake in Vizag Steel Plant opposed
The Telugu Desam Party is opposed to the proposal for inviting private investment in the expansion project of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. Mr K. Tata Rao, secretary of the Visakhapatnam urban Telugu Desam Party, said here in a statement on ... More

TAXATION
Indian ship owners seek level playing field
Say tax disadvantages affecting profits More

COAL
RINL bids for coking coal blocks in US, Canada, Australia
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) is bidding for four coking coal blocks in Australia, Canada and the US. Out of these, the bids for the Australian blocks are jointly with Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL),the Minister for Steel, Chemicals ... More

RADIO/TV
Sun DTH, Lankan TV to ride on Insat 4C
First international client clinched in global bid More

TN to withdraw Bill on cable TV network
Bill aimed at taking over operations of eight MSOs More

FOODS & FOOD PROCESSING
Govt to form advisory panel to close gaps in food chain: Sahai
The Union Government has decided to constitute an Advisory Committee to examine and close the gaps in the entire food chain, along with the formation of a sub-committee with representatives of all the stakeholders to elicit suggestions for ... More

FICCI team for UK food fest
To project India as a destination for processed food industry, industry chamber FICCI, along with United Kingdom Trade and Investment, is taking a business delegation to the UK. The delegation, led by the Minister for Food ... More

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS & HOSPITALS
LV Prasad eye hospitals in Vizag, Bhubaneswar
OEU, Canada donates Rs 20 crore for the projects More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
`Photos must for registration'
The Tamil Nadu Government has made it compulsory to affix passport size photographs and fingerprints of sellers and buyers on all documents presented for registration, according to an official press release. This comes into ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
New head for Bangalore Chamber
Mr Venkat Kedlaya has been elected President of the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce for the year 2006-07. Mr Kedlaya, Managing Director, Convergent Communications India Pvt Ltd, succeeds Mr Anant R. Koppar, President, ... More

New Vice-President for Fapcci
Mr Suraj Prasad Agarwal of Annapurna Builders has been elected Vice-President of the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Fapcci) for the year 2006-07. He had been a managing committee member for seven ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
Award instituted to help NGOs financially
Resource Alliance (formerly International Fundraising Group) — an international organisation committed to help NGOs and voluntary organisations attain financial sustainability — and Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation jointly launched ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
$120-m aid from World Bank to strengthen gram panchayats
The World Bank has extended a $120-million assistance to Karnataka, which will help strengthen the Gram Panchayats in managing the public resources and improve the rural delivery services, such as education, health and drinking water. The ... More

PM brings rains and hopes to Vidarbha
Dr Singh says fair price not being given for farmers' produce More

LABOUR REFORMS
Rangarajan calls for labour law flexibility, but not hire and fire
Dr C. Rangarajan, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, on Friday called for more flexibility in labour laws. But the flexibility he advocated was "the ability to fix the wage rate depending upon the demand and supply ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Current account surplus of $1.8 b in Q4
Software exports up 40.7 pc & private transfers 16.9 pc More

Mango exports to Japan resume
The first export consignment of mangoes to Japan, after 20 years, was sent from Mumbai on Friday. Japan had imposed a ban on import of Indian mangoes in 1986 on the ground of infestation by melon fruit fly and oriental fruit fly. ... More

TOURISM
FCm Travel plans to expand network
With these expansion plans, the company hopes to post a Rs 780-crore turnover this year. More