The Hindu Business Line : Monday, March 19, 2007

COURTS/LEGAL ISSUES
Madras HC strikes down second enquiry against VAO
An order removing a Village Administrative Officer (VAO) in Dharmapuri district from service on the basis of a second enquiry conducted by the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) was erroneous, illegal and not supported by any evidence. This was ... More

Police reforms
The Supreme Court judgment of September 22, 2006, has sparked a national debate on police reforms aimed at removing any scope of political or other extraneous interference and influence in discharging its ... More

ECONOMY
How to contain inflation
Increasing interest rates reduces the demand for money and increasing the CRR reduces the supply of money. Both have the effect of making money costlier. More

ENVIRONMENT
Special region, special solutions
Plans for the revival of the Kuttanad wetland region should be welcome as it is not only a highly productive ecosystem and source of biodiversity but also a symbol of the State's social and cultural vibrancy. More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS
Inverted duty structure hits many products: FICCI
`A disincentive for domestic manufacturers' More

FOREIGN TRADE
Dutch export consultancy to mentor 25 Coimbatore units
To help them enhance biz processes, export competitiveness More

HEALTH
United India announces new scheme for tsunami victims
A Union Government-sponsored health insurance scheme for the families below poverty line and affected by the tsunami was launched here by the Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, on Sunday. The total insurance premium of Rs 36 crore for ... More

Call to promote medical tourism in Visakhapatnam
There is a great potential for attracting patients from abroad and promoting healthcare tourism in the country in general and in places such as Vizag in particular in the next decade or so, according to Dr G. Vivekanand, the Managing Director of ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
`Uncertainties on SEZs must be removed'
After enactment of the SEZ Act, investors gained confidence in the policy's stability and continuity, and the response has been enthusiastic. — MR L. B. SINGHAL, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL FOR SEZS AND 100 P ER CENT EOUS More

Limping back to normalcy
WOMEN AND CHILDREN going for fishing at Khejuri near Nandigram, one among the disturbed villages in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal. The clash between police and protestors on the issue of land aqcuisition for the proposed SEZ killed and ... More

STEEL
Indian exporters can still hit pay-dirt
Duty hike on iron ore More

TAXATION
Rs 1.33-cr worth teas unsold at Coonoor auction
Teas worth about Rs 1.33 crore went unsold out of the nearly Rs 3.07 crore worth on offer in the postponed Sale No: 10 of the Coonoor Tea Trade Association (CTTA) here. The sale was postponed last week because only the unsold portion of the ... More

SSI
HP plans to focus more on small, medium segments
To offer solutions to `micro verticals' More

TRAVEL & PLACES
VFS inks Rs 1,700-cr deal to process UK visas
To provide administrative, processing support More

RADIO/TV
BCCI, Nimbus await encryption committee report
Willing to pay estimated Rs 10-20 cr for encrypting DD signals More

EDUCATION
Can a CA firm publicise feats of its staff?
A practice paper in auditing for CA (Final) students More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Ptarmigan to invest in realty, focus on southern States
Ex-HDFC official to head Indian arm More

GOLD & SILVER
Gold may test resistance level
Gold futures ended higher on Friday, on a slew of positive data bought investors back into gold. A rise in US consumer prices, along with the weaker dollar worked to keep gold's strength intact. Investors have started to regain confidence after ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
New Chairman for CII, Madurai Zone
Mr V. Krishnamurthy, Head-Works, LANXESS India (P) Ltd, has been elected as the Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Madurai Zone, for the year 2007-08. A press release said Mr R. Dinesh, Executive Director, T.V. Sundaram ... More

SOCIAL WELFARE
Urban SHGs to be expanded in AP
The number of self-help groups (SHGs) in Andhra Pradesh will be increased with the inclusion of all white-card holding BPL families in urban areas. The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has asked concerned departments to ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Making cities of villages
What slums need most is a halt to further immigration. What villagers need most are export-oriented programmes such as SEZs. Neither will happen until villages get urban amenities and become as attractive as the cities. The solution to the three prob lems is PURA, says P. V. INDIRESAN. More

Vijaya Bank to sun-power rural branches
It does not take much to automate or network a rural branch, says Mr T. Valliappan, Executive Director of Vijaya Bank. The bank has successfully tested networking 60 of its rural branches using VSATs. "We now intend to scale it up to cover all ... More

HUMAN RESOURCES
`Career choices bring with them major challenges for students'
While today's students enjoy the luxury of choices in career and jobs, the very same choices confront them with challenges, said Ms Uma Rao, Head (Human Resources) of Idea Cellular Ltd here. Will you go for a brand, go by your own gut feeling, ... More