The Hindu Business Line : Saturday, October 18, 2008

INDUSTRY & ECONOMY

PETROLEUM: Is it time to expect retail prices of petrol, diesel to fall?
Not if we go by domestic fuel pricing patterns, say oil cos. Chennai, Oct. 17 International crude oil prices are in a free fall. The Indian basket of crude oil, valued at $62.86 a barrel on Friday, is very close to the average price last seen in ...

REGULATORY BODIES & RULINGS: MRTPC orders probe into Jet-Kingfisher alliance
Companies say initiatives will begin only after DGCA approval. New Delhi, Oct. 17 The high-profile alliance between Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways may have flown into some turbulence, with the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices ...

MINERALS: ‘India should shore up iron ore capacity’
To meet sustained long-term growth needs. Bangalore, Oct. 17 Reiterating his stand against export of iron ore to encourage smoother capacity in steel production, Mr B. Muthuraman, Managing Director of Tata Steel Ltd, said no major steel ...

TEXTILES: Ginners in a spot on higher cotton support prices
Financial crisis forces them to close their units. Mumbai, Oct 17 The substantial rise in minimum support price (MSP) for cotton has put the ginners and textile industry in a quandary. The prevailing financial crisis has pushed many ginners to ...

POWER: Chennai’s continuous process units on 5-day ‘power holiday’
Effectively they will work only for 20-22 days a month. Major continuous process industrial units, including Hinduja Foundries and Madras Fertilizers Ltd, have declared a five-day ‘power holiday’ and stopped production because of ...

EVENTS: ‘Customer service excellence needs to be an obsession’
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 17 Excellence in customer service, as in life, needs obsession or a burning desire and concentration, said billiards champion Geet ...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: Chandrayaan may encounter peaking monsoon
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 17 The launch of Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-1 lunar spacecraft scheduled for October 22 may have to deal with a north-east monsoon peaking just around the same ...

PHARMACEUTICALS: Pharma ingredients potential put at $20 b by 2015
Macro trends prompt restructure initiatives. Pune, Oct. 17 The projected growth in the global healthcare market holds huge potential for the Indian pharma industry, in general, and for active pharma ingredients (API), ...

PETROLEUM: Jack-up rigs charter rates may moderate
Kolkata, Oct. 17 It may be too early to pick up the trend, but expectations are ruling strong that the turmoil in the financial market, and fall in crude prices, has finally paved the way for a correction in the charter rates of offshore ...

SOFTWARE: `Slump in realty temporary'
BuildArch 2008 and BuildUp 2008 to be held in Bangalore later this month. Though the GDP is likely to be around 7 per cent only, it is good enough to provide a good momentum in the real-estate industry, said Mr J.P. Nayak - President ...

INFRASTRUCTURE: ‘More States must enact SEZ Acts’
New Delhi, Oct. 17 State Governments must take a proactive approach and enact SEZ Acts at their level to boost investments in such zones, Mr L.B. Singhal, Director-General of the Export Promotion Council for EOUs and SEZs (EPCES), ...

STEEL: Steel industry pitches for 15% import duty, revival of DEPB facilities
New Delhi, Oct 17 Faced with falling steel prices and rising imports, the major steel producers today urged the Steel Ministry to impose 15 per cent import duty on hot rolled steel, revive DEPB benefits on exports, set a floor price and ...

EVENTS: ‘Panel on aviation industry to meet soon’
New Delhi, Oct 17 The inter-ministerial committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary, which was set up to examine ways to make the domestic aviation sector viable, is to meet soon, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, said here ...

URBAN DEVELOPMENT: Move to offer affordable rental homes in Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct. 17 The Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority has undertaken an ambitious project to provide 5 lakh houses in the metropolitan region for the middle and lower middle class on a rental basis, the Chief Minister, Mr ...

TOURISM: Singapore plans positioning as MICE destination
In a bid to wriggle out its imagery as just a ‘leisure and shopping destination’, the Singapore Tourism Board is now planning to promote the country as a destination for MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and ...

CONSULTING: E&Y India launches policy advisory group
New Delhi, Oct 17 Ernst & Young India, a professional services firm, has announced the launch of a Policy Advisory Group. This Group would advise clients across industries, governments and industry associations focusing on ...

SSI: Collateral-free loans for micro, small units
Bangalore, Oct.17 Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) has announced the launch of an experimental collateral-free loans through its member banks for loans banks up to Rs one ...

PETROLEUM: ‘Need agency to nurture talent in oil sector’
New Delhi, Oct 17 The Petroleum Secretary, Mr R. S. Pandey, has mooted formation of a nodal agency to facilitate talent development for the oil and gas industry in the country. He was addressing a brainstorming session in the capital on ...

CEMENT: Bheema Cements plans Rs 567 cr investment to expand capacity
Hyderabad, Oct. 17 Bheema Cements Ltd (formerly Ckoramaandel Cements) is planning to invest Rs 567 crore in setting up a new manufacturing line of 15 lakh tonnes capacity at its plant in Ramapuram of Nalgonda district in ...

NRIS: Andhra Bank's NRE term deposits
...

NRIS: FCNR deposit rates hiked
State Bank of Travancore (SBT) has raised the interest rates for FCNR and NRE term deposit rates with effect from October 17. As per the revision, the interest rates for NRE deposits will be 4.96 per cent for a period of one year to less than ...