The Hindu Business Line : Tuesday, April 17, 2007

COURTS/LEGAL ISSUES
Legality of BCCI restrictions on endorsements a grey area
Restrictive covenants are not new in most contracts. Only the scope of restriction that the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) seeks to impose has stunned the ad industry. "Thus far, the restrictive covenants imposed by the BCCI in ... More

ECONOMY
9-yr high: Re ends at 41.90 on strong capital inflows
The rupee touched an intra-day high of 41.85 as was seen in June 1998. More

NCAER forecasts 8.3% growth for '07-08
WPI-based inflation rate projected at 5.3% More

AP annual Plan outlay fixed at Rs 30,500 cr
State praised for improving growth rate More

ENVIRONMENT
`Phase out incandescent bulbs'
Environmental group Greenpeace on Monday launched a national campaign to phase out "energy-inefficient" incandescent light bulbs from the country by 2010. It called for moving from the incandescent light bulbs to compact ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
FTAs: `More items must be dropped from sensitive list'
The sensitive list for free trade agreements (FTAs), comprising 709 items, will have to be cut to about 550, according to Mr P.K. Dash, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Speaking at a session organised by the CII on Monday, he ... More

Biz-to-Biz pacts
BOOSTING TIES: The Minister of State for Industry, Dr Ashwani Kumar (right), with the Minister of Industry of Belarus, Mr Anatoly M. Rusetsky, at the fourth meeting of India Belarus Joint Business Council in the Capital on Monday. India signed ... More

HEALTH
Elton John Foundation aid for HIV-hit kids
A foundation started by Elton John, the popular singer, lyricist and composer, has announced a special assistance to the children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in Andhra Pradesh. Christened `Balasahayoga', the $14-million scheme aims at ... More

HOTELS
Kolkata star hotels may hike tariff
Riding on the back of the hospitality boom in India, star hotels in Kolkata might go in for a hike in tariff, by about 25-30 per cent, in September-October this year, according to industry players. "There would be a possible hike in the average ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
12 municipalities merged to create Greater Hyderabad
The Andhra Pradesh Government on Monday notified the creation of a Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) that seeks to cover 625 sq km and a population of 67 lakh. This comes through the merger of 12 municipalities in and around the ... More

PETROLEUM
Kakinada project may be moved to ONGC
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) may seek concessions from the Andhra Pradesh Government for setting up a 15-million tonne refinery at Kakinada involving an investment in the range of Rs 19,000 to Rs 20,000 crore. With the investment cost ... More

Annual energy summit today
The annual Eastern India Energy Summit will be held from tomorrow to discuss a suitable energy substitute for petroleum. The summit is being organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Indian Energy Forum (IEF). ... More

POWER
Rlys, NTPC may ink pact for Nabinagar plant soon
The Railways and NTPC are likely to sign a new MoU for setting up a captive power plant at Nabinagar within six months. The joint venture company, called Bharatiya Rail Bijlee Company, will set up the 1,000-MW plant. NTPC will hold 74 per cent ... More

Govt mulls tax relief to industrial units
Industry associations demand subsidy on diesel More

SSI
London SE sees strong Indian demand for AIM listings
Healthy pipeline of issuers already there More

TRAVEL & PLACES
Belgium, Netherlands open visa centre in Bangalore
Both consulates outsource the task to VFS Global More

Bridge courses planned for immigration to Canada
Immigration and resettlement solutions provider, World Wide Immigration and Consultancy Services (WWICS), is planning to tie up with the Andhra Pradesh Government to offer bridge courses in various trades to facilitate immigration into Canada and ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Hiranandani eyeing Madurai, Coimbatore
Next project in Chennai will be for mass market More

Marvel focuses on super luxury flats
Pune-based builders Marvel Realtors and Developers Ltd are concentrating on setting up super luxury apartments. They are currently constructing 1,400 flats valued at over Rs 2,000 crore in and around Pune. The company, which recently made a ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
CII provides inputs for 20-year vision for TN
CM's guidance sought on State council's role More

MINING & QUARRYING
Meet on Chiria mines inconclusive
The high-level meeting convened by the Ministry of Mines to discuss the fate of Chiria iron ore mines and renewal of SAIL's mining lease there remained inconclusive. "The major point of discussion was what SAIL's requirement ... More

WTO
India, China strive for common position on WTO talks
`Ties between both countries are of global significance' More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Gujarat gets Rs 2,234 cr assistance from Nabard
The assistance provided by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) reached a new high during 2006-07 in Gujarat, which got the maximum assistance of Rs 2,234 crore among all the States. Total sanctions under various ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Rupee gain may hit exporters hard
The sharp appreciation of the rupee by over 5 per cent in the current year is expected to adversely impact the margins of most exporters. The rupee opened at 42.55/57 and closed at 41.90/91, stronger by about 60 paise against the previous ... More

1.5 lakh bales cotton imports in the offing
Shipments to arrive in 25 days More

Meet on letters of credit
The Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry is organising a one-day workshop on `Towards UCP 600' here on Wednesday at Casino Hotel. The workshop will be a learning experience for anyone involved with inland and foreign letters ... More

TOURISM
Growth in tourist arrivals
Better air connectivity, ad campaigns pay off More

Seminar on heritage and museums
The State's Ecotourism Directorate and the Regional Museum of Natural History, Mysore, are organising a three-day seminar on `intangible natural heritage and museums' in Kozhikode. The seminar will begin on April 18 and will be ... More

Kumarakom Tourist Festival
A tourist festival is being organised on the lawns of KTDC Hotel at Kumarakom from April 20 to 22 under the joint auspices of Kumarakom Tourist Society and Kumarakom Village Panchayat with the cooperation of Kottayam district ... More