The Hindu Business Line : Friday, November 17, 2006

INTERIORS & HOMES
Machinery, skills scarcity hits furniture industry
There are over a 1,000 factories in Tamil Nadu producing wooden furniture and other items for interiors. More

COURTS/LEGAL ISSUES
HC extends stay on BSNL tender
The Delhi High Court on Thursday extended the stay on the BSNL tender for 45 million GSM cellular lines till November 30. The stay was extended by a Bench comprising the acting Chief Justice, Mr Vijender Jain, and Mr Justice Kailash Gambhir, ... More

ECONOMY
Deriving the commodity advantage
"Cars to be dearer soon" is an oft-heard refrain in the media. Such decisions are attributed to the rising input costs, mainly raw materials, such as iron, steel, and copper. Given the indigenisation ... More

`Aim for 14 pc growth in manufacturing sector'
The challenge before industry and the Government is to achieve 14 per cent growth annually in manufacturing sector for the next 10 years from the present level of seven per cent, the Chairman of the National Manufacturing Competitive Council ... More

Banks post strong earnings growth in second quarter
Higher yield on advances, fall in bond yields appear to be key factors More

Concern over RBI's move to de-link public debt management
`States in the North East will be hit hard' More

FOREIGN TRADE
India-China economic ties — Time to develop a new paradigm
The understanding of the ground reality in China remains shallow in India and there is a strong undercurrent of suspicion in Sino-Indian economic relations. There is need for a paradigm shift in Indian thinking vis-à-vis China, says RAMGOPAL AGARWAL, suggesting specific approaches for the government, the business community, and academia. More

Taxing trade in cross-border services
Unlike goods, international supply of services cannot be settled at the border. For imported services, the place of supply of services rule is broadly formulated to achieve the destination principle. More

Cabinet okays signing of investment pact with China
This would send positive signals on the occasion of Hu's visit More

HEALTH
Of virus, seeds, patents, competition
The contentious area of TRIPs Agreement about patenting of seeds, which relates to food security, and medicines, impacting the health sector, has not been addressed yet. More

INFRASTRUCTURE
Bengal set to announce new norm for special economic zones
To earmark 50 pc land for industrial usage More

Reliance to develop two ports for SEZ units, retail biz
Reliance Industries plans to develop two ports at Rewas in Maharashtra and Sikha in Gujarat to support its SEZs and retail business. Though details are not available, officials associated with the projects reckon that these all-weather ports ... More

PETROLEUM
IndianOil in talks to take part in Turkey pipeline project
Indian Oil Ltd is negotiating with global crude oil trading lobby to firm up throughput commitment for its proposed participation in the Trans Anatolian Pipeline Project (TAPP) in Turkey promoted by ENI of Italy and Calik Energy of Turkey. The ... More

Oil, gas exploration: Panel to consider winners on Nov 23
Petroleum Ministry is hopeful of completing the process by month-end More

Integrity Pact helps ONGC cut contractual complaints
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) has brought down the number of contractual complaints after it adopted the Integrity Pact last year to institutionalise transparency in its procurement practices. Integrity Pact is a tool devised by ... More

Diplomatic-level talks likely over award of Kazakh oil block
Commerce Ministry may be asked to seek concessions for WTO support More

Security of oil installations reviewed
Concerned over the security of oil installations, the National Security Advisor, Mr M. K. Narayanan, held a meeting with chiefs of oil companies here on Wednesday. Sources told Business Line that security provisions and requirements for offshore ... More

POWER
Power capacity addition may fall short of target
Power generation capacity addition during the Tenth Plan period (2002-07) is slated to fall far short of the original target of 41,000 MW. The Centre now expects actual capacity addition by the end of the current Plan period (by March 2007) to be ... More

Sterlite to set up 2,400-MW power project
Sterlite Industries India Ltd is expanding its business canvas from metals and mining to the power sector. The company will be foraying into commercial energy business by setting up a 2,400 MW green field power plant in Jharsuguda, Orissa, ... More

Dabhol project to get gas by March-end
The Dabhol project is likely to switch to using gas as fuel by March-end next year in place of expensive naphtha being utilised for current operations. "The Petroleum Ministry has assured us of gas or LNG supplies starting March-end 2007," ... More

TNEB seeks allocation of captive coal blocks
Clarification sought on pact with pvt players More

STEEL
Rising zinc prices cause concern to steel units
Centre urged to formulate policy initiatives to curb hikes More

TAXATION
Trade wants Indo-Mauritius tax agreement to stay
The Mauritius Global Business Industry wants the existing double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) between India and Mauritius to remain in the current form as it could continue to enhance foreign direct investment (FDI) and other investment ... More

TEXTILES
Orient Craft to develop textile SEZ in Gurgaon
Garment exporter Orient Craft Ltd (OCL) plans to develop a 750-acre textile SEZ in Gurgaon with an investment of Rs 2,000 crore. "We have acquired 460 acres of land for the purpose and will expand it to 750 acres. The first phase of the SEZ ... More

RADIO/TV
Sharing of signals: Tata Sky files appeal against Sun
Tata Sky has filed an appeal with the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against the Sun Group accusing the latter of refusing to share signals. The DTH service provider TataSky is believed to have told the Tribunal that ... More

Nod for community radio stations
The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of Community Radio Stations (CRS) by non-profit Organisations (NPO) and educational institutions. Only NPOs working with the community for more than three years qualify, on condition that the station ... More

FM space gets hotter in Hyderabad
5 channels vying for listeners' attention More

EDUCATION
IIT to come up in Palakkad
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) being sanctioned by the Centre to the State will be established in Palakkad, said Mr Elamaram Kareem, Industries Minister. He said here on Thursday that the biggest challenge the State ... More

Meet on corporate communications
The Department of Commerce and Management Studies, Andhra University, is conducting a two-day national seminar on corporate communications from Friday, in association with the National HRD Network, Visakhapatnam Management ... More

Amrita School of Business to host business festival
The Amrita School of Business, a constituent of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, is organising a national level `B-Fest' on December 1 and 2. The festival, styled `ASB Pragati' is being organised for the 9th year and it `aims to bring ... More

Tata Technologies teams up with SAE for tech course
An online training programme is posted on www.ikstata.com where every student is given a username and password to access the course. More

`As in cricket matches, projects too count'
Does it not sound strange to hear that Six Sigma, a tool for perfection, has relevance to the game of cricket, particularly Indian cricket whose players are inconsistent in performance and often falter in a crunch and do not live up to the ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Kerala realty developers go digital
The real estate developers in Kerala are logging in to create hi-tech environment in designing flats and residential villas in the State. This was evident from the new projects announced by the Kochi-based Asset Homes, which has adopted ... More

Kerala property expo in Dubai
The Kerala Builders Forum is organising the `Kerala Property Expo' in Dubai on November 23 to 25. An earlier expo was successfully conducted in various locations in West Asia, including Dubai, last May. The Consul General of India in Dubai, ... More

A case of `fake' documents
When Mr Narayanan's company, Annai Builders Real Estates Pvt Ltd, purchased a house in an auction held on behalf of UCO Bank in December, little did he suspect an impending legal tangle. The auction was for a property that was pledged by a ... More

No lock-in period for NRIs' sale proceeds
The RBI has dispensed with the lock-in period for remittance of sale proceeds of immovable property of NRIs or Persons of Indian Origin from their Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) accounts in India. The remittance of such sale proceeds was subject to ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Prof Bibek Debroy quits PHDCCI
The Secretary General of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), Prof Bibek Debroy, today relinquished his office. He was the secretary general of the chamber for 10 months. The Deputy Secretary General of the chamber, Mr S. Kapur, will ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Italian cos keen to invest in Bengal
Several Italian companies have expressed their keenness to invest in eastern India in general and West Bengal in particular. The sectors in which these Italian companies are scouting for investment opportunities include auto and auto ... More

EVENTS
Home-spun
KHADI DISPLAY: A scene at the Khadi pavilion at the India International Trade Fair 2006 in the Capital on Thursday.

IIITM-K lecture series
Mr Russell. A. Mittermeier, President, Conservation International Washington DC, and Dr Cristina Mittermeier, Director, International League of Conservation. Photographers, are visiting the Indian Institute of Information ... More

Somaiya Institute's workshop
K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research (SIMSR) is organising a workshop on `Brand Management' on November 18. The workshop is intended for managers who deal in brands. Mr M.G. Parameshwaran, Executive Director, ... More

Shaffi Mather to represent India

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
AP to diversify export basket
Andhra Pradesh is planning to diversify the export basket with emphasis on increasing exports from highly labour-intensive sectors. The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, said that though the State's share is about four per cent of the ... More