The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, August 16, 2006

EMPLOYMENT
Minister moots ombudsmen for rural job scheme
Mr Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister of State for Commerce, has suggested the appointment of ombudsmen to address grievances from job seekers in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). Addressing a workshop on social audit of the ... More

ECONOMY
PM hints at food, fuel price hike
`Farmers must get remunerative prices for their produce' More

ONGC, GAIL, OIL to share Rs 6,000 cr of Q2 burden
Apart from this, they will continue to provide sops to refiners More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS
Panel working on inverted duty
The Anwarul Hoda Committee on inverted duty structure is expected to complete its work by September 7 this year, the Minister of State for Finance, Mr S.S. Palanimanickam, informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply. The ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Ras Al-Khaimah woos Indian cos
To partner IT firms for eGovernance projects More

India Inc to be showcased in Sudan
To showcase Indian industries' strength in areas of oil and gas, power, railways and telecom in Sudan, Assocham is organising a 200-member business delegation to the African country. The delegation represents 75 corporate houses from both ... More

PSU
IPE to host two-day seminar
The Institute of Public Enterprises is hosting a two-day programme on `Statutory Compliance Role of Financial Executive,' beginning August 18. The meet aims to familiarise executives in statutory compliances, including the ... More

PETROLEUM
Crude likely to be bullish, gold weak
Ms Rajini Panicker of Man Financial says she is bullish on crude and, therefore, crude on decline would remain a buy. She also says in the next couple of weeks the trend for gold will be weak. Excerpts from CNBC-TV18's exclusive interview with ... More

HUBERTSPEAK
Of tar sands and sand castles
The International Energy Agency claims that 37 million barrels per day of non-conventional oil will be produced by 2030. This is too optimistic an estimate feels N. SHANMUGANATHAN, looking at the trends and extrapolating the production scenario in th e Canadian and Venezuelan tar sands, the main sources of non-conventional oil. More

PHARMACEUTICALS
Gilead in pact with 3 Indian cos for AIDS drug
AIDS activists express concern over `generous' deals More

POWER
NTPC Simhadri plant's feat
NTPC Simhadri thermal plant, here has generated 2,663.42 million units till now during the current financial year at a plant load factor of 90.96 per cent, according to the Additional General Manager (O&M), Mr P.R. Dahake. After More

STEEL
`Steel-specific SEZ for Vizag'
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (Visakhapatnam Steel Plant) is committed to promoting industrialisation in the Visakhapatnam district and improve employment opportunities for the youth by setting up a steel-specific special economic ... More

TERRORISM
End of a fragile peace in Sri Lanka
As the events unfold in Sri Lanka and newer areas in the troubled nation are drawn into the conflict zone, it is fairly certain that the uneasy, fragile peace has been shattered. With the cricket tri-series and the SAF Games in jeopardy, the coming d ays will tell how tourists respond to the violence in the island-state. More

RADIO/TV
Broadcast Bill: Govt to address concerns
`No intention of encroaching on media independence' More

EDUCATION
`Software industry looks for talent with value addition'
Thought leadership, the value addition that one can bring to one's position, proficiency in the English language and the local accent, conversational skills, situational integrity, the ability to say `no', self-driven motivation, professional ... More

BEVERAGES
Breaking the glass ceiling with aplomb
When it comes to breaking the glass ceiling in the corporate world, Ms Indra Nooyi has done it with aplomb — that too in the global arena. Chennai-born Nooyi is now slated to be one of the most powerful women in corporate America when she ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Karnataka CM announces new housing scheme for poor
Govt envisages creation of Greater Bangalore More

PAPER, BOARD & NEWSPRINT
Newsprint makers plan strategy for difficult times
Swinging facilities in plans to offset times of uneconomic sales price More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Assocham call to focus on manufacturing and services
Assocham has emphasised the need for enhanced focus on manufacturing and services to ensure creation of more employment opportunities in all States, including Kerala. Mr Anil K. Agarwal, President of the Assocham, said the greatest challenge ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Cola ban not to impact FDI: Assocham survey
The partial ban on cola sales in certain States would not impact the FDI inflows into the country and the claim of the US to the contrary is `exaggerated,' felt 89 per cent respondents to an Assocham conducted survey. Seventy-six per cent of ... More

Employees oppose FDI in insurance
Insurance employees have expressed their opposition to any hike in Foreign Direct Investment in insurance. The President of the All India Insurance Employees Association, Mr N.M. Sundaram, who was here to partake in the four-day ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
ORR project oustees seek land instead of money
CM promises better deal and a share of developed land More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Panel for focus on institutional finance for rural housing
`Focussed institutional finance need of the hour' More

EVENTS
ASCI workshop from Aug 17
The Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) is conducting a two-day workshop on `Issues Before The National Knowledge Commission,' beginning August 17 here. About 40 participants are expected. The Centre had constituted the ... More

Commander-in-Chief speaks
WORDS OF WISDOM: The President, Mr A.P.J Abdul Kalam, talking to (from right) the Army Chief, Lt. Gen. J. J. Singh; the Navy Chief, Admiral Arun Prakash; and the Air Force Chief, Marshal S.P.Tyagi; after laying a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti on the ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Nod for re-export of defective goods under SFIS
The goods should be re-exported within six months from the date of import. More

Tariff value hike of palm group of oils rolled back
Centre `corrects' notification', leaves trade in confusion More

NATURAL CALAMITIES
Surat traders seek tax holiday for flood victims
The businessmen and traders of the flood-ravaged Surat and other areas in Gujarat have urged the Centre to declare a tax holiday in view of the unprecedented devastation caused by the natural calamity to the tune of more than Rs 20,000 crore, on ... More

TOURISM
Sikkim aims to be `all-season tourist destination'
Hotels and hospitality industry to be encouraged to offer discounts to corporates More

ECONOMIC OFFENCES
Police caution public against MLM schemes
Close on the heels of the Madras High Court judgment against multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes, the Hyderabad police have cautioned the public not to join these schemes and get cheated. The Superintendent of Police, Economic Offices Wing of ... More