The Hindu Business Line : Tuesday, November 21, 2006

INVESTMENTS
`Investors can gain by adopting lifecycle approach'
"Indians are not really in love with passively managed investments - in this case, index funds." More

ECONOMY
FDI inflows double in first half to $4.4 b
TN tops growth chart, Delhi sees highest inflow at $936 m More

Manufacturing sees 12.1 pc growth in H1
The country's manufacturing sector grew by 12.1 per cent in the first six months of the current fiscal against 9.5 per cent in the same period last year. September 2006 saw the manufacturing sector grow by 12 per cent compared to 8.9 per cent in ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit — More hype than substance?
With many ifs in the visit to India of the Chinese President, Mr Hu Jintao, there may not be a turnaround in the relations between the two countries. More

Visa norms eased for Chinese
The Government today announced streamlining of visa guidelines for Chinese businessmen and professionals. The measure would facilitate a relatively longer stay of Chinese business people, professionals and their dependents for ... More

Indo-German trade to touch € 10 b
Indo-German trade is expected to double at the end of the current year at 10 billion euros from the 2004 trade level of five billion euros. "With the trade between the two countries already reaching 6.5 billion euros in the first ... More

`EU team assessing seafood units'
A team from European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) is on a visit in the country to carry out assessment of units exporting marine products to European Union countries. The office checks on compliance of the requirements of ... More

HEALTH
`Govt to look at public-private model for healthcare'
The Government is considering changing regulations to allow the private players in healthcare to take up available Government infrastructure that is lying under-utilised, said the Union Minister of Health, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss. "We have to ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
`SEZs help TN Govt attract Rs 2,750-cr investment'
Will turn Chennai `Shenghzen of India' More

TN special economic zones get going
More

PSU
Balmer Lawrie upgraded to Mini Ratna Category 1
The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has upgraded the status of Balmer Lawrie & Co Ltd to Mini Ratna Category 1, according to company sources. The upgraded status will enable Balmer Lawrie to enjoy greater managerial and commercial autonom More

PETROLEUM
Petro dealers begin indefinite strike in Maharashtra
Pumps may run out of fuel today More

Reddy allays fears on K-G gas reserves
Mr Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, is likely to visit Andhra Pradesh in two weeks to sign a pact with the Andhra Pradesh Government with regard to usage of gas. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, ... More

TAXATION
`Sales to SEZ units eligible for VAT refund'
The cardinal principle behind VAT is tax paid on purchase is deductible from tax payable on sales. More

SSI
`SMEs generate employment'
The small and medium enterprises sector has the maximum potential of generating employment opportunities and plays a crucial role in minimising regional and social differences, said Mr Mahabir Prasad, Minister of Small Scale ... More

Bank of India to lend more to small units
Bank of India is striving to enhance its credit exposure to the SME segment to Rs 1,000 crore this fiscal. Since April, it has formulated and implemented 25 cluster schemes, financed about 27,000 new accounts and sanctioned to the tune of Rs ... More

TYRES
Truck, bus tyre production up 6 pc in Sept
Truck and bus tyre production continued to see consistent growth in September, going by the data released by the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association (ATMA). Production in this category registered a level of 10.22 lakh units as against ... More

BREWERIES
Spirit imports: EU favours WTO talks
More

CIGARETTES
AP seeks review of statutory warning on bidi
The Union Health Ministry would revisit orders relating to printing of statutory warning on bidi bundles as well as the size and space it should occupy. The Union Health Minister, Dr Ambumani Ramadoss, has assured the Andhra Pradesh Chief ... More

TERRORISM
10 killed, 50 injured in Bengal train blast
At least 10 persons were killed and nearly 50 others injured in a powerful blast inside a compartment of the Haldibari-Siliguri Passenger train at the Belacoba station in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district at around 6.20 p.m. on Monday. The ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
New York-based Trikona Capital to enter into realty biz in India
To launch $350-m pvt equity fund for residential projects More

AP seeks land in Ajmer for `sarai'
The Andhra Pradesh Government has sought 750-1,000 sq yards of land from the Rajasthan Government for the construction of a sarai, near the Dargah Khwaja Garib Nawaz in Ajmer. In a letter to the Rajasthan Chief Minister, ... More

LEATHER
Leather meet begins today
The Council for Leather Exports is organising a two-day meet in the Capital on November 21 and 22. As a result of negative trade balance occurring in the leather trade with some European countries and with Chinese volumes likely ... More

GENDER
All set for a heated winter session
The session is beginning at a time when the UPA coalition is half way through its five-year term and facing elections in five States. With so many divisive issues facing the Government, the session is likely to see less of legislative business and mo re of political battle. More

IPR
India ranks second in patent pleas
India is ranked only second to the US in the highest number of patent pleas, which indicates the positive impact of Intellectual Property Regime in developing countries, according to Prof Joseph Straus, Director Max Planck Institute, Munich and ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
Bill to remove hand-pulled rickshaws soon: Buddhadeb
Rickshaw pullers to be offered alternative means More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Not-so-creditable on microfinance
There is a need to evolve uniform regulations and a single regulatory body for the microfinance sector and legislate so as to end all confusions. More

Rs 30-cr Nabard aid for Kerala
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has sanctioned Rs 30.25 crore to the Kerala Government for implementing 99 projects being executed by various departments. A significant part of the assistance under the Rural ... More

Meet to examine agri-biz relevance
A one-day consultative meet to discuss `Role of Agribusiness in Poverty Reduction' will be held in Pune on November 21. Agribusiness has the potential to accelerate the development process by inducing transformation in ... More

HUMAN RESOURCES
Hotels more caring of staff as poaching is on the rise
Facing difficulty in attracting, retaining manpower More

LABOUR REFORMS
Plea to include retail under Apprentices Act scheme
To meet the need for trained people More

Computer training for labourers
The West Bengal Labour Welfare Board has granted permission to welfare centres to start computer-training programmes with the objective of encouraging computer literacy among the working population and its dependents. The ... More

INCOME TAX
Net direct tax collections up 39 pc in Apr-Nov
The Centre's net direct tax collections are nearing the Rs 1 lakh crore mark as the revenue mop up in the April-November 17 period touched Rs 99,254 crore. This represented a 39.1 per cent increase to the net collections of Rs 71,339 crore ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Rubber exporters asked to return duty drawback money
Natural rubber exporters, who received Rs 10.4 crore as one per cent duty drawback from the Centre for exporting 1,28,000 tonnes of rubber during the last two years, have been asked to return the amount forthwith by the Central Excise ... More

ECONOMIC OFFENCES
`Sarda's arrest affects raw jute futures'
He controls 9 jute mills in West Bengal More