The Hindu Business Line : Monday, January 19, 2004

ECONOMY
Why India is not sinking under huge public debt
INDIA continues to astound and amaze international public finance gurus and fiscal purists. On the one hand, as the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Dr Kalpana Kochhar notes, the country's fiscal deficit (Centre and States combined), at 10.2 ... More

Of public debts, lobsters & chickens
PROF Ricardo Hausmann of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University likens public debts to `unwanted pregnancies', as they are usually the `undesired and delayed' consequences of actions undertaken `with other intents' by `more than ... More

ENVIRONMENT
Role of SHGs stressed
KOCHI: Self-help groups should become guardians of the environment and keep vigil against pollution of their surroundings. They play a vital role in maintaining the environment in its pristine form, Mr Shivasankara Pillai of the School of ... More

PETROLEUM
Govt may allow pvt cos to sell surplus domestic LPG
THE Government is planning to allow sale of surplus domestic LPG by private sector `parallel marketing' companies. The Petroleum Ministry is preparing a Cabinet note on this issue. Although there has been a robust growth in LPG demand this year ... More

POWER
Nuke power can improve energy situation: Expert
THE Principal of the Administrative Staff College of India, Dr E.A.S. Sarma, has emphasised the need to harness nuclear energy, since it was a feasible option to improve energy availability in the country. However, it was important to seriously ... More

SSI
Exports looking up for SMEs, says CII poll
THE export prospects for the domestic small and medium sector look bright during the next six months, according to a snap poll on the export trade prospects for the SME sector conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The snap ... More

SSI units urged to increase exports
THE Minister of State for Small-Scale Industries, Mr Tapan Sikdar, has said that the current seven per cent share of the sector in the country's GDP needs to be raised to 20 per cent. Speaking at the 48th meeting of the SSI Board, during which ... More

WATER
Water crisis: TN seeks Rs 700 cr from calamity fund
THE Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms Jayalalithaa, has sought Rs 700 crore from the National Calamity Contingency Fund to help the Tamil Nadu Government tackle the drinking water crisis confronting Chennai. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr ... More

RADIO/TV
Cable operators form body
KOCHI: Cable television operators associations from all parts of South India have got together to launch an umbrella organisation called the South Indian Federation of Cable TV Operators Association (SIFCOA). The association, which has ... More

EDUCATION
DSIR, Osmania varsity sign MoU for MBA
THE Technology Management Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) and the Osmania University Department of Business Management signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the starting of a two-year Master's in ... More

Asianet set to start distance education plan
ASIANET Dataline, the Internet and data services division of Asianet Satellite Communications, has tied up with Career Launcher, a leading education company in Asia, to launch the Integrated Distance Education Project. Announcing this, a ... More

IIM-Kozhikode annual fest from Jan 23
THE Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, is organising its annual management festival between January 23 and January 25 at Kozhikode, where students from other management institutes, including IIMs, XLRI, etc are expected to participate. ... More

FOODS & FOOD PROCESSING
Kinfra plans incubation centre at Kakkancherry
THE Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) is setting up an incubation centre in its food processing park at Kakkancherry, near Kozhikode, to help first generation entrepreneurs. The centre is being put up by Agency ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
IT drives boom in Bangalore real estate
LEADING real estate consultants have said the housing as well as retail markets are witnessing a boom in Bangalore. Colliers International has said India continues to be a preferred destination for setting up back-office operations and for ... More

Concrete jungle
A bird's eye view of Malakpet in Hyderabad. Increasing urbanisation has turned the city into a veritable concrete jungle.

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
FICCI chief for hastening pending reforms
TO make India Inc more competitive, the pace of pending internal reforms needs to be accelerated, according to Mr Y.K. Modi, the newly-appointed President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Speaking to ... More

READYMADE GARMENTS
Govt releases additional 5 pc quota for apparels
THE Textile Ministry has opened an additional 5 per cent first-cum-first- served (FCFS) quota for garment exporters, over and above the 10 per cent of the annual level of quota for readymade garments it made available from January 10, 2004. The ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Lecture on role of science
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT) is organising a lecture on `The role of science and development communication in the current decade' at 5.30 pm on Monday, January 19 at the Press Club ... More

NEWSPAPERS & PUBLISHING
Sun Network plans to enter print media — Second Malayalam channel on cards
SUN Network, the country's second largest television network, is on an expansion spree and has plans to enter the print media, launch a second Malayalam channel and expand FM radio coverage to more areas, according to Mr Kalanithi Maran, Chairman ... More

SMALL SAVINGS
Postal finance mart
The Postal Department opened its 3rd `Postal Finance Mart' in Chennai on Sunday, as part of broadening its investment schemes for the public. The Department entered into tie-ups with various mutual funds and financial firms such as SBI Capital, ... More

EVENTS
Cipher Consulting wins Business Line corporate quiz
CIPHER Consulting, represented by Ajay Kasargod and Mitesh Agarwal, won The Hindu Business Line corporate quiz, organised by the Rotary Club of Madras here on Sunday. Citibank (Anil Kothuri and Srinivasan Rajagopal) came second and Sify ... More

Call for optimum use of resources
MANGALORE: The former Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Mr Mohan Dharia, has said that India could become powerful if it utilised its natural resources to the optimum in a meaningful manner. Delivering the T.A. Pai Memorial ... More

Engagements

In Hyderabad today

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Tea exports to Pak improving
WHILE the year 2003 may not be remembered as a good year for tea exports, it did have a silver lining in the form of improved offtake by Pakistan. The much-needed trigger appears to have been provided with the goodwill visit by senior members ... More

Campco to export 30 t areca to Afghanistan
THE Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd (Campco) is planning to increase its presence in the neighbouring countries. After the export of arecanut to Pakistan a few years ago, Campco is all set to export 30 tonnes ... More

NATURAL CALAMITIES
Disasters could be just a phone call away
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. But what happens when the going is good? Well, that's when smiles turn to grins, optimism is in the air and bad news doesn't simply reach us. Or, even if it did, one tends not to notice. Economy ... More