FOREIGN TRADE
Remove visa curbs to encourage trade: Pak team
IN order to increase bilateral trade between India and Pakistan, a high-powered Pakistani business delegation on Friday urged both the Governments to remove visa restrictions between the two countries. Speaking at an interactive session, Mian ... More

HEALTH
Fear and confusion blocking the blood flow
PERSONAL perceptions about the blood system coloured by misinformed concerns of fear and confusion have limited blood donor community to a miniscule minority in Kerala, according to a survey. Also, a combination of adverse circumstances ... More

HOTELS

INFRASTRUCTURE
Goshree Bridges ready for inauguration by mid-March
THE long cherished dream of thousands of inhabitants of the islands in the Ernakulam backwaters would become a reality by March 15 with the completion of three bridges linking these islands with the mainland at Ernakulam. However, the formal ... More

PSU
APHDC pegs Rs 30-cr turnover in 2003-04
THE Andhra Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd is planning to achieve Rs 30 crore sales turnover during 2003-04. Of this, Rs 21 crore is expected from 14 Lepakshi Handicraft Emporia and Rs 9 crore from exhibitions being held in ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS
`Asia set to emerge as global hub for vaccines'
ASIA has the potential to emerge as a global hub in vaccines as it has world-class facilities to come out with modern and cost-effective vaccines for meeting a large part of the region's needs, according to Mr K.V. Balasubramaniam, Managing ... More

POWER
Pvt investment in power sector — Planning Commission expresses reservation on BOOT/BLOT concept
THE Planning Commission has expressed some reservations over the build, operate, own and transfer and build, lease, operate and transfer (BOOT/BLOT) concept for private sector investment into the country's power sector as proposed by the Ministry ... More

WATER
Kalam seeks ISI inputs on river-linking impact
THE President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, today asked the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) to provide "useful inputs on the macro-economic impact of the interlinking of rivers project". Delivering the 38th convocation address at the institute, Dr ... More

RADIO/TV
CAS deferment puts multi-system operators on a sticky wicket
FOR multi-system operators (MSOs) news of deferment of conditional access system (CAS) is detrimental for their survival. "CAS should have been implemented yesterday because the existing distribution system is no business model at all. There ... More

CAS deferment: MSOs stand to lose
MULTI-SYSTEM operators (MSOs) stand to lose a lot of money because of the decision to defer CAS. For instance, SCV, one of the two MSOs in Chennai, is holding a large inventory of set-top boxes ahead of the India-Pakistan cricket matches, which ... More

EDUCATION
No salaries for Vidya Volunteers in AP
MORE than 50,000 `Vidya Volunteers,' recruited by the Andhra Pradesh Government in its ambitious drive to achieve 100 per cent literacy are languishing without any pay for the last six months. These volunteers, who are paid a meagre amount of ... More

MEDICAL & SURGICAL EQUIPMENTS
Centre to fund Bengal surgical units' common marketing facility
THE Centre will provide 75 per cent of the funds required for setting up a Rs 3.2-crore common marketing facility for a cluster of tiny surgical equipment units, located at Baruipur in West Bengal. This was stated here today by the Union ... More

ALUMINIUM
Aluminium cos' credit outlook stable: ICRA
THE credit outlook for the large primary producers of aluminium in the country is stable even as the metal's international prices currently have limited upward potential, ICRA says in its latest report on the sector. International aluminium ... More

BIO-TECH & GENETICS
`VCs courting biotech cos with overseas presence'
India has become a key market for R&D as it offers advantages of costs that far outweigh other disadvantages. More

Icrisat scouting for pvt sector partnerships in biotech
THE International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) is looking to build strategic partnerships with the private sector in biotechnology at the on-going Bio-Asia 2004. The institute is showcasing its technology ... More

GENDER

DISINVESTMENT
5 PSU offers oversubscribed
FOLLOWING some tough talk by the Disinvestment Minister, Mr Arun Shourie, the investors' response to the Government's disinvestment process gained momentum with all the five issues so far opened getting oversubscribed. The investors faith in ... More

Retail investors keeping away
RETAIL investors seem to be refraining from the Government's disinvestment process if one goes by the break-up of the investors' participation in the public offers of IPCL, IBP and CMC. On the other hand, mutual funds and FIIs have emerged as ... More

Response heartening, says Shourie
THE Government on Friday said that the responses to the public offers in five companies so far has been "heartening" with all the issues which hit the market, getting over-subscribed. The allocation of shares for the IPCL public offer, which ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
India, Netherlands sign MoU for investment promotion
INDIA and the Netherlands on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for promotion of investment and setting up of a joint investment promotion committee to promote investment co-operation. Under the MoU, a "Programme for Cooperation ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
PepsiCo, AP Govt in pact for seaweed cultivation
PEPSICO India Holdings Pvt Ltd is set to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Andhra Pradesh Government's Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) and the State Department of Biotechnology to promote cultivation of Eucheuma ... More

HUMAN RESOURCES

EVENTS

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Govt cuts steel duties, freezes export benefits
THE Government today decided to freeze all export incentives to steel manufacturers to facilitate increased availability in the domestic market. In a bid to clamp down on rising steel prices it has also been decided to drastically reduce customs ... More

Asian demand revives soyameal exports
SOYAMEAL exports have got a shot in the arm with demand reviving this week from the Far East and other Asian countries. "Contracts have been signed this week for exports to Japan and South Korea," said Mr Rajesh Agrawal, Chairman, Soyabean ... More

More exporters take options route to hedge
FACED with the rupee's appreciation against the dollar, exporters are increasingly beginning to take to options as a hedging tool. Banking sources said initially, only large corporates, such as Reliance and Larsen & Toubro, took to these kinds .. More

STANDARDS & BENCHMARKS

ECONOMIC OFFENCES
Economic intelligence unit mooted
THE Disinvestment Minister, Mr Arun Shourie, has made out a case for the creation of an "economic intelligence unit" to monitor the capital markets. "I have asked the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to consider an economic ... More