The Hindu Business Line : Tuesday, December 19, 2006

ECONOMY
Net direct tax collections up by 41 pc
The Centre's net direct tax collections have surged by 41.55 per cent in April 1-December 15 period to Rs 1,09,000 crore as compared to Rs 77,000 crore collected in the same period last year. This represents about 52 per cent of the budget ... More

We must learn to cope with globalisation: PM
`State still has a role to play in globalised world' More

FOREIGN TRADE
Multilateralism at crossroads
The aggressive push for preferential trade agreements by rich countries will only attenuate the rule-based multilateral system and the limited developmental gains scored by the WTO till now. More

HEALTH
Nooyi looks to tackle pesticide issues
Co working on tech to detect even very small quantities More

INFRASTRUCTURE
Lanco combine, Tata Power emerge lowest bidders
2 ultra mega power projects in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh More

Orissa to have sports complex
The foundation stone of a sports complex was laid at Shankarpur, Keonjhar, by the Orissa Chief Minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik, on Monday. Mr H.M. Nerurkar, Vice-President, Tata Steel, along with senior officials of the Government ... More

PSU
Kerala determined to revive sick PSUs: CM
`The Government is in the process of creating essential infrastructure for industrial development of the State.' More

PETROLEUM
IndianOil to market kerosene in small containers
Targets non-public distribution scheme consumers More

Tripura seeks long-term policy for utilisation of gas reserves
Wants GAIL's Myanmar pipeline to be routed via North-Eastern States More

Essar Oilfields to invest $400 m to acquire rigs
Essar Oilfields Services Ltd (EOSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cyprus-registered Essar Shipping and Logistics Limited, will be investing $400 million for acquisition of onshore and offshore oil drilling rigs. EOSL has been formed to focus on ... More

POWER
CESC inks Rs 854-cr pact with BHEL for 250 MW plant
CESC has entered into a Rs 854-crore turnkey EPC contract with BHEL for building a 250 MW capacity unit at the power utility's existing thermal power station at Budge Budge. The unit will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 1,100 crore within ... More

AP power generation loss widens
With tripping of two 500-MW units at Simhadri Thermal Power Station on Saturday evening, the total loss of generation in Andhra Pradesh has shot up to over 1,800 MW. While one of these units was already restored in a few ... More

STEEL
Govt urged to allow steel cos to raise external debt
To enable them to raise project finance afresh More

TAXATION
Scope of road cess use to be expanded
Financing rural projects and for repayment of loans More

TEXTILES
Govt releases Vision document for textile industry
Textile sector to make investment of Rs 1,94,000 cr by 2012 More

SSI
Award for Eastern Mattresses
Eastern Mattresses Pvt Ltd, the makers of Sunidra brand, was selected for Best Performer Award for 2005 in Kerala under the category of small-scale industries in Idukki district and Kerala by the State Government. The company ... More

CII move to attract small enterprises from Japan
The CII would enter into dialogue with SMRJ, the Japanese organisation for Small and Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation and Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) to promote bilateral trade. "Small and Medium Enterprises are ... More

RADIO/TV
Internet TV for non-resident Mangaloreans
The Mangalore-based Web portal - daijiworld.com - is planning to launch an Internet TV channel to cater to the needs of non-resident Mangaloreans overseas. Addressing presspersons here on Monday, Mr Walter Nandalike, Editor-in-Chief of ... More

EDUCATION
Nalsar ties up with US varsity
Nalsar University has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US-based University of Oklahoma. The agreement was signed at a two-day international conference on `Impact of TRIPS - Indo US exchange' at NALSAR University held ... More

ICFAI welcomes foreign varsities
Prof Subhash Sarnikar, Chairman of ICFAI, has welcomed the move to allow the entry of foreign universities in India. Addressing the Convocation of ICFAI University here on Saturday, he said emergence of private universities and ... More

Engg college in pact with US co
Andhra University College of Engineering signed a memorandum of understanding here on Monday with an American company, UND Life Sciences, for joint work on bio-informatics and diabetes mellitus. According to Prof. Allam Appa ... More

Symposium on fisheries development
The College of Fisheries, Mangalore in association with College of Fisheries Alumni Association will conduct an international symposium on `Sustainable fisheries development for food and health security' in Mangalore on December ... More

Medical aid
COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION: The President, Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, at the inauguration of Thrombosis Research Institute, at Narayana Hrudayalaya near Bangalore on Monday. Also seen from left are: The Karnataka Governor, Mr T.N. Chatruvedi, the ... More

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS
Bengal plans auto parts SEZ to boost engg exports
More such SEZs including multi-product ones were being planned in Bengal. More

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS & HOSPITALS
IBM writing out a healthcare Rx
Targets mid-sized hospitals for its `New Mantra' initiative More

KNITWEAR & HOSIERY
Uzbekistan invites Tirupur units
The Uzbekistan Government has extended an invitation to the Tirupur-based knitwear industry to invest in Uzbek textile industry by taking advantage of the rich cotton base enjoyed by that country. The Uzbekistan first Deputy ... More

NEWSPAPERS & PUBLISHING
Metro Plus expo begins in Coimbatore on Friday
Quality products from international and domestic brands More

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
`For Japan, India is a first mile investment'
"Japan is now focussed on India. The first tranche of it can easily be $2 billion, immediately, in the next 15 months. What they have not done in 15 years they will do in 15 months... " — MR KAMAL NATH, COMMERCE MINISTER More

`German industry keen on India'
German industry is interested in investing in India in general and West Bengal in particular, according to Mr B. Muetzelburg, the German Ambassador to India. During his visit to Kolkata on Monday, Mr Muetzelburg called on the ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
AP cells to redistribute `assigned' lands to poor
Health insurance scheme to be reintroduced More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
RBI mulls interest for EEFC balances
After having brought in a bunch of measures towards capital account convertibility, the Reserve Bank of India is working on the next set, said Mr Salim Gangadharan, Chief General Manager. Among the `measures under assessment' are payment of ... More

Corporates feel exports will rise in 6 months: FICCI survey
High export growth rates are likely to be maintained More

Cabinet nod for sugar exports
The Union Cabinet on Monday gave its nod for sugar exports to those advance licence holders, who have pending export obligations. The sugar stock now is more than 70 lakh tonnes, which is 24 lt more than the buffer requirement. ... More

TOURISM
Kerala to have 5,000 rooms for `homestay'
The Kerala Government is planning to have 5,000 rooms in the State under the `homestay' concept of the Tourism Department. The Government has issued an order categorising the project, which will be implemented with the cooperation of the local ... More