The Hindu Business Line : Tuesday, September 20, 2005

`Lack of career growth at the crux of attrition among youth'
MR Ganesh Chella, CEO of strategic HR consulting firm, Totus Consulting Pvt Ltd, will deliver the inaugural BL Club lecture on `The new employment arrangement and career development - oxymoron or opportunity,' at the Department of Management ... More

CLIMATE & WEATHER

Cyclone crosses Andhra Pradesh coast; brings heavy rain
SUNDAY's deep depression over northwest Bay of Bengal moved west-southwest and intensified into a cyclonic storm the same evening. In an update, the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) said the system had crossed ... More

Vizag: Cyclone brings heavy rain; disruption in coastal areas
According to the initial estimates, paddy crop on a thousand acres and sugarcane on a thousand more may have been inundated in the district. More

NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY

Tapping plant power
WITH crude oil prices soaring and the movement for cleaner environment gathering pace, the world is looking at renewable sources of energy more seriously than ever before. Economies are now keen to secure energy independence by reducing carbon ... More

Fuelling around with ethanol
SUGAR MILLS are hoping that the ethanol-blended fuel programme, the option immediately available for large-scale implementation to cut fuel costs, will be pushed more effectively by the policy-makers. The sugar mill representatives feel that ... More

Mercedes steps on biodiesel
IF YOU were asked to suggest the next class of Mercedes vehicles, you may as well bet on `BD', for bio-diesel. DaimlerChrysler India (DCIL) is so charged up on the idea that in August it took two C class vehicles — Mercedes Benz and Viano, ... More

The growing interest
A WIDE range of companies, private and public sector, and NGOs are interested in biofuel related projects particularly, jatropha cultivation. Here is a sample list of some companies that have evinced interest in biofuels. D1 Mohan Bio ... More

Is biofuel the energy of future?
With petroleum product prices rising steadily; diesel alone has become 25 per cent costlier over the last year. Apart from the search for alternatives, it is the need to achieve energy independence that is directing so much focus on biofuels and the crops that will help yield these oils. If sugar mills are being encouraged to produce ethanol from sugarcane for blending with petrol, efforts are on to cultivate such crops as jatropha and pongamia, which yield oil that can either be blended with di esel or used independently. More

ECONOMY

Hung parliament spells economic blues for Germany
THE general election result culminating into a "hung parliament" has triggered deep economic uncertainty in Germany. It is obvious that the new German coalition administration — whatever shape and form it takes— will be "seriously ... More

Goa reconstitutes Planning Board
THE Goa Government has reconstituted the State Planning Board, which will be headed by the Chief Minister, Mr Pratapsing Rane. Congress MLA Mr Karl Vaz has been nominated as the Deputy Chairman of the board (the Deputy Chairman is accorded ... More

FOREIGN TRADE

India, Pak to review air services, shipping pacts
INDIA and Pakistan will soon initiate a dialogue to renegotiate their existing aviation and shipping agreements, besides looking to liberalise the visa regime. This was indicated by the Pakistani Commerce Minister, Mr Humayun Akhtar Khan, at an ... More

Thailand calls for deepening ties under FTA
THAILAND has advised India not be deterred by the "aftershocks" of a tariff reduction on products under the Early Harvest Scheme in the Indo-Thai Free Trade Agreement (FTA) initiated in September last year. Both countries should resolve to deepen ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE

Bangalore needs complete makeover, says Mallya
"I AM ashamed at the state of affairs," declared Mr Vijay Mallya, Chairman, UB Group, commenting on the city's `hopelessly inadequate state of infrastructure'. He was categorical that it was the Government's job to provide infrastructure, adding ... More

PETROLEUM

Iran gas pipeline project — Uncertainty over global reinsurers taking up risk cover
None of the domestic insurers currently have the requisite capacities for covering the risks of scale, as measured by the probable maximum loss ratio. More

Shell, ConocoPhillips offer Australian LNG to India
THE Petroleum Secretary, Mr S.C. Tripathi, has said that international oil and gas majors Shell and ConocoPhillips have offered to sell Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the country. "Shell and ConocoPhillips have offered us Australian ... More

Petrofed report submitted to Aiyar — Oil exploration, production cos seek policy changes
COMPANIES involved in exploration and production (E&P) activities have sought certain policy changes to make investment in the hydrocarbon sector more attractive. This has been conveyed through a paper on `Review of Indian Exploration & ... More

PHARMACEUTICALS

NPPA cuts prices of asthma, anti-inflammatory drugs
THE National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has reduced the prices of several drugs used to treat urinary tract infections, asthma and lung infections, anti-inflammatory drugs, and vitamins. It has also, for the first time, fixed the ceiling ... More

POWER

KSEB supplies hydel power to NTPC Vidyut
High storage levels in the major reservoirs have prompted the Board to generate more power in recent weeks. More

TAXATION

High taxes, inadequate Govt support irk Goa barge owners
GOA barge owners, resenting the high taxes imposed on barges, have said they are not getting sufficient local Government support for the industry. The Goa Barge Owners' Association (GBOA) claimed that various local taxes amounting to Rs 5 lakh ... More

EDUCATION

BL CLUB

`Knowledge management' for engineers advocated
IT is imperative for engineers to learn entrepreneurship, project management, finance, economics, and the basics of creating and managing teams, the Executive Director of BHEL, Tiruchi Complex, V. Gopalakrishnan, has said. Launching the BL Club ... More

FOODS & FOOD PROCESSING

Integrated agri-biz strategy to boost food processing sector
AFTER introducing the Food Safety and Standards Bill 2005 in the Lok Sabha, the Department of Food Processing Industries is working on an integrated agri-business strategy that will enable the industry to grow from Rs 4,50,000 crore to Rs ... More

MEDICAL & SURGICAL EQUIPMENTS

HC orders DCGI to regulate medical devices in 3 weeks
THE Bombay High Court has directed the Drug Controller-General of India (DCGI), the central regulatory authority, to come out with a notification regulating the segment in three weeks. In the absence of a drug licensing authority that gives ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Kochi: Vigyan Utsav postponed
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vigyan Utsav 2005, the science fair that was slated to be held at Kochi during this month, is being postponed to November due to the local body elections in the State. The five-day programme based on the theme ... More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

Japanese cos urged to invest in India
THE Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, on Monday invited Japanese companies to invest in India, stating that the economy was well suited to the small and medium Japanese companies that might have difficulty in operating in their own ... More

HUMAN RESOURCES

Call to identify real needs of technical HR
PROF. B.R. Virmani, Chairman of CORD-M, has called for local and regional-level studies to identify the real requirement for technical human resources by the industry. Delivering the keynote address at a daylong seminar on `Upgradation of ... More

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

ICAI sets up panel for corporate governance
WITH corporate governance nearly becoming a mantra for India Inc, professional bodies too do not want to be left behind. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has set up a 12-member corporate governance committee. Mr Sunil ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS

Rubber exports may top 40,000-tonne target — Volatility in global market dissuading exporters
NATURAL rubber exports are likely to exceed the "incremental" target of 40,000 tonnes this fiscal despite the Centre phasing out financial incentives, according to the Rubber Board Chairman, Mr Sajen Peter. "Though exports have caught on, it ... More

Exim Bank raises $160 m through 364-day loan
EXPORT-Import Bank of India has raised $160 million through a club deal at a margin of 15 basis points over Libor. It offered an all-in-yield of 21 basis points over Libor for on-lending towards export credit. A press release from the bank ... More

NATURAL CALAMITIES

YSR directs evacuation of flood-hit
FOLLOWING incessant rains in parts of the State due to a cyclonic storm, the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has directed the Commissioner for Disaster Management, Mr Shashank Goel, to evacuate those stranded in the low lying areas of ... More

`Hurricanes intensifying in Indian Ocean region'
THE North and South Indian Oceans are among the regions worldwide where the number of intense hurricanes (also known as typhoons or tropical cyclones) has nearly doubled over the past 35 years, says a study by researchers in the US. ... More