The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, April 04, 2007

POLLUTION
Pollution control awards
The Kerala State Pollution Control Board has invited applications for the State Pollution Control Award 2007. The awardees are selected based on the performance in pollution control during the calendar year 2006. Awards will be ... More

CLIMATE & WEATHER
Weather woes: Kanan Devan claims crop loss
Severe drought and frost in the high ranges of Kerala have inflicted an estimated crop loss of Rs 8.8 crore to Kanan Devan Hills Plantation Company. The company had suffered a "crop loss of around 16 lakh kg of made tea and with an average price ... More

The heat's on
CORMORANTS WAIT as the bovines cool off on the Raidurgam Lake on the outskirts of Hyderabad, as the mercury touched the 40-degree mark on ... More

NRIS
SBH lowers NRE deposit rates
State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) has revised interest rates on Non-Resident External (NRE) term deposits with effect from April 1, 2007. According to a press release issued here, interest rate on deposits for one year to less than two years has been ... More

Karnataka Bank cuts NRE rates
Karnataka Bank has revised interest rates on its NRE and FCNR(B) deposit schemes with effect from April 3. A bank release said on Tuesday that the rate on NRE deposits has been reduced to 5.72 per cent (5.74 per cent) for tenure ... More

NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY
Ethanol blended petrol: Road show begins tomorrow
High taxes, levy prevent OMCs from implementing the programme More

CEMENT
Cement makers irked over lifting of addl customs, CVD
The cement manufacturers have expressed concern over the Centre's decision to do away with countervailing duty and additional customs on imported Portland cement. However, the impact is likely to affect investor sentiment and capacity creation ... More

Import duty cut may hurt cement stocks
`Move will not have financial impact but to affect sentiment' More

ENVIRONMENT
FICCI move to cut use of mercury
The US Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a joint initiative with FICCI for reduction in use of mercury in Indian hospitals. The joint `mercury partnership' initiative would enable the Indian healthcare industry to ... More

ICICI Bank gives green push to debit cards
In the coming months, ICICI Bank will strive to establish a connection in the minds of its customers between using their debit cards and saving the planet. Today, most people use debit cards to draw money from ATMs and spend the money at ... More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS
Govt scraps additional duties on cement imports
Checking domestic prices through increased availability More

FOREIGN TRADE
PM allows duty-free access to Bangladesh, 3 others
Further reduces sensitive list for these countries More

HEALTH
HarvestPlus aid for boosting nutrition levels
Rice, wheat and maize — the main staple food crops of the poor in India — are set to receive a major scientific thrust to boost levels of nutrition, especially minerals and vitamins. The Union Government's long-term initiative ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
Need to acquire more land
With three thousand applications for industrial land from manufacturers, primarily auto ancillary companies, pending with the Government, the process of adding acreage to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation has ... More

Gammon gets contract for Amalapuram-Razole bridge
The Andhra Pradesh Government has awarded the contract for the proposed Vynatheya bridge on the Godavari river, connecting Amalapuram and Razole. to Gammon India Ltd, Mumbai. "We have signed an agreement with Gammon in this regard and the ... More

PSU
APIIC crosses Rs 1,000-cr mark
The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) crossed Rs 1,000-crore mark in turnover during fiscal year 2006-07, according to a release issued here on Tuesday. To mark the occasion, the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. ... More

PETROCHEMICALS
Colours of petrochem
GOING STRONG: A rainbow of colours adorns the cooling section of the storage facility of Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd at Haldia in West Bengal. The project completed its seventh year on Monday. HPL is to finalise plans on the proposed second ... More

POWER
Haldia Petro mulls gas-based power generation
HPL Cogeneration can easily switchover from naphtha-fired technology, says MD More

`No respite from power cuts till end of rabi season'
Due to continued mismatch between demand and supply in the State, the AP Transco Chairman and Managing Director, Ms Rachel Chatterjee, has ruled out the possibility of lifting power cuts in villages and towns till the rabi season ends. Speaking ... More

Lanco units registered for CDM
The Hyderabad-based Lanco Group has announced the registration of two of its hydro projects as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) based in Geneva. ... More

PFC to appoint consultant for ultra mega projects
With the Sasan bidding process mired in controversy, Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has now decided to appoint a consultant with expertise in vetting contracts and commercial transactions for Ultra Mega Power Projects in the pipeline. It has ... More

REC may borrow up to Rs 13,000 cr this fiscal
The Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), which has commitments to lend Rs 1.10 lakh crore to the power sector over the next decade-and-half, expects to borrow between Rs 12,000 crore and Rs 13,000 crore in 2007-08. Stating this REC's ... More

TAXATION
Service tax return form revised
The Finance Ministry has come up with a revised service tax return form (ST-3), which incorporates the changes in service tax law and procedures over the last two years. The revised format is now fully compatible to automation ... More

`Service tax on rentals will affect small retailers'
The imposition of service tax on rentals from commercial establishments, announced in the Union Budget recently, is causing consternation amongst the landlord-tenant community. The initiative is bound to squeeze the margins of small and medium ... More

SSI
Big business avenue exists for small, medium units: Study
`Fashion, IT, design, health and biotechnology are promising sectors' More

RADIO/TV
Kairali plans youth channel
Malayalam Communications Ltd, which owns the Kairali and People satellite television channels, will launch a youth-oriented channel. Speaking to newspersons, actor Mammootty, who is the Chairman of Malayalam Communications, said that the ... More

EDUCATION
`Businesses will turn investment focused'
Innovation has shifted from product and technology to management of funds and projects in the current context. In a decade's time, businesses will turn investment focused, Mr M.P. Ramasamy, Managing Director, Ansaldo Caldie Boilers India, ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
DivyaSree planning separate vertical for affordable houses
Negotiations on with construction cos for mass housing More

RMZ, AIG Global in pact for realty, hospitality projects
Real estate developer RMZ Corp and AIG Global Real Estate have entered into an equal joint venture to develop commercial/office space and to evaluate hospitality development projects throughout the country. RMZ Corp is currently present in ... More

99acres, builders forum ink MoU
Real estate portal 99acres.com and the Builders Information Bureau (BIB), an industry forum for builders in India, have signed a memorandum of understanding to partner in organising exhibitions, seminars and conferences in India ... More

ENTREPRENEURSHIP
`India's future lies in development of entrepreneurs'
"The future of India lies in the development of entrepreneurs," said Mr Hari Shankar Singhania, President of J.K. Organisation. While speaking at the convocation ceremony of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, he gave insights on ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Campco bags US order for 100 tonnes cocoa butter
Good demand in Africa for drinking chocolate `Winner' More

BOOKS
Book on micro credit released
Leading publishers DC Books has brought out a book on micro credit, titled Sookshma Vaaypa, Sookshmam Allatha Sadhyathakal, Prashnangal. Formally released here on Tuesday by the Finance Minister, Dr Thomas Isaac, the book is a ... More

Management journal released
Mr B. Sambamurthy, Chairman and Managing Director of Corporation Bank, released the Nitte Management Review - a biennial research journal of the Nitte-based Justice K.S. Hegde Institute of Management - at Nitte in Udupi ... More