The Hindu Business Line : Thursday, January 10, 2008

SOCIAL SECURITY
‘Employer obliged to pay gratuity, should not wait for worker’s demand’
Chennai, Jan. 9 Under Gratuity Act, a terminal benefit was given to workman and contingency for such payment arises immediately on resignation, or retirement or death of such workman, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has ruled. ... More

AWARDS & HONOURS
Entries for interior design awards
MYK-Laticrete, a tile and stone installation material manufacturer, and Andhra Pradesh Chapter of the Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID) have invited entries from interior designers for the third annual MYK-Laticrete & IIID AP ... More

COURTS/LEGAL ISSUES
Court rejects Pansari criminal case
Mr Apurba Sinha Roy, Chief Judicial Magistrate of Alipore Court, Calcutta has rejected the petition filed by Mr R.P. Pansari, (Birla Group) against Mr R.S. Lodha and three others, alleging criminal conspiracy besides other criminal infringements. ... More

ECONOMY
Kerala annual Plan at Rs 7,700 cr
New Delhi, Jan. 9 The Annual Plan size of Kerala for 2008-2009 has been pegged at Rs 7,700 crore, inclusive of additional Central Assistance of Rs 100 crore for projects of special importance to the State. This was finalised here on ... More

‘Strengthening revenue flows key to durable fiscal consolidation’
RBI study cautions States against focus on expenditure reduction More

HEALTH
LifeCell to introduce C’elle
Mumbai, Jan 9 LifeCell, a Chennai-based ‘cord stem cell bank’ has entered into a technical collaboration with US based Cryo-Cell to collect and store the stem cells from menstrual blood.“We will start setting up ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE
SEZ: Farmers resist move to acquire more land
Farmers of five villages in Rambilli mandal in Visakhapatnam district, in danger of losing their lands for the SEZ in the second phase of land acquisition, have taken a decision not to part with the lands and to resist the move of the ... More

POWER
PowerGrid in talks for $3.6-b overseas loans
Mumbai, Jan. 9 Power Grid Corporation of India plans to tie up overseas loans of up to $3.6 billion (Rs 14,000 crore) this fiscal, according to its Chairman, Mr R.P. Singh. Additionally, the company will issue a $1-billion global tender this ... More

Karnataka wants Nagarjuna to cut power tariffs
Lanco has not communicated replacing EPC contractor More

TAXATION
Economists not for cut in direct tax rates
Chidambaram told to use revenues to rationalise indirect taxes More

COAL
Surana buys 49% in Indonesian coal mine
Chennai, Jan. 9 Chennai-based Surana Industries has picked up 49 per cent in PT Agate Resources Indonesia, which owns coal mining rights in Indonesia. PT Agate Resources is a part of the Agate group of Malaysia which is owned by Dr Sultan ... More

MANAGEMENT
Stress on innovative management practice
The nature of competition is set to change as customers demand greater choice and products and services are customised to specific market segments. Procurement will find new ways of working with suppliers. Organisations will have to ... More

CARS
BMW’s high-tech M cars to hit Indian roads
Debut with M3 coupe; cars to be imported from Germany More

Mercedes Benz C-Class sedan makes its India debut
New Delhi, Jan. 9 Luxury car manufacturer DaimlerChrysler India used the 9th Auto Expo as a launch platform for introducing the latest C-Class sedan in the Indian luxury car market. The new C-Class sedan, which was introduced in Europe early ... More

Skoda revives small car project for India
Launches Fabia at Auto Expo More

Getting a global imprint...
New Delhi, Jan. 9 The Auto Expo, Indian automotive industry’s showcase event, has grown to be an international event of repute. The 9th edition of the expo is bigger and better and will present a new range of vehicles such as electric ... More

GM unveils Captiva; Year-end launch for Hummer
New Delhi, Jan. 9 General Motors is expected to launch its sports utility vehicle Hummer H3 diesel model later in the year and it will be imported from its plant in South Africa.An official with General Motors told More

Audi to launch A4 in mid-2008
German car maker Audi, a part of the Volkswagen group, launched the A4, a premium sedan which would be produced in India and launched in mid 2008. Priced around Rs 25-30 lakhs, it would be available with a 3.2-litre petrol and diesel engine. The ... More

Fiat launching Linea, Grande Punto soon
New Delhi, Jan. 9 Fiat will launch Linea and Grande Punto during the third quarter of this year while the Palio diesel will be launched in March.The Fiat India Vice-Chairman, Mr Alfredo Altavilla, told newspersons on Wednesday that the ... More

Volkswagen to launch two sedans this year
European car maker Volkswagen on Wednesday showcased sedan Jetta at the Auto Expo. Priced at around Rs 14 lakh, it is slated to be rolled out by June in two versions — a 1.6-petrol engine and a 1.9-diesel engine. The company is ... More

Volvo hopes to sell 500 cars this year
Bullish on the growing luxury car segment in the country, Volvo Car India said that it expects to sell 500 cars in India during 2008. At present, the company sells the S80 sedan and XC90 luxury sports utility vehicle that were launched in ... More

HCV/LCV/TRACTORS
Renault-Bajaj tie-up: We have no objection, says Ashok Leyland
Co close to finalising site for Nissan venture More

TWO/THREE WHEELERS
Honda Aviator targets males
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has unveiled a new scooter christened Aviator that is targeted at male buyers. The new scooter will be launched by the first week of March, and is expected to be priced at about Rs 39,700 (ex-showroom, ... More

FOODS & FOOD PROCESSING
Leavitt inspects Kochi port facilities
Kochi, Jan. 9 Mr Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, US Department, on Wednesday inspected the facilities at Kochi Port to ensure that shipping and other export related activities are being carried out as per ... More

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS & HOSPITALS
ICICI Venture invests Rs 140 cr in Sahyadri
Pune, Jan. 9 ICICI Venture has announced an investment of Rs 140 crore through its holding company, IVEN Medicate India Pvt Ltd, in Sahyadri Hospitals Ltd .Talking to presspersons, Mr Aluri Srinivasa Rao, Director, ICICI Venture and ... More

AP Govt asks US to invest in hospital infrastructure
The State Government has asked the US to invest in building hospital infrastructure in the State. The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, made this request to Mr Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary, US Department of Health and Human ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
TN cos offer subsidised cement to select consumers
Rs 200 per bag; District officials to issue permits More

READYMADE GARMENTS
Apparel exports may decline to $8.5 billion
Apparel exports could take a hit this year, following a strong rupee, Mr Rajendra Hinduja, Executive Director, Gokaldas Exports, said. “Last year (2006-07), apparel exports were about $9.4 billion. This year (2007-08), it could be ... More

CINEMA
Pune film festival from today
Pune, Jan 9 The Sixth Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) beginning from tomorrow will feature over 170 films and would be inaugurated by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Mr Priyaranjan Das Munshi and the Mayor of Pune, Ms. ... More

WTO
‘Address tariff escalation on value-added products’
Jairam Ramesh asks developed nations to take it up at Doha talks More

SOCIAL WELFARE
IT cos to help in social welfare projects
The Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Board has planned to rope in the support of information technology companies to adopt villages and village schools, its Chairperson, Ms A. Rokkaiah Malik alias Salma, said here on Wednesday. “We have already ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
The magic of micro-credit
The Reserve Bank of India has found a gap in the demand and supply of credit to the poor, and suggested that the scope, outreach and scale of financial services be widened to cover the unreached. The RBI, in its Report on Trend and Progress of ... More

HUMAN RESOURCES
Cadence sees lack of talent hitting semiconductor industry
More

Clickjobs.com to tap small, mid HR consultants
Chennai, Jan. 9 Clickjobs.com, the job portal from Consim Info Pvt Ltd (formerly known as the BharatMatrimony Group), will focus on tapping into small and medium human resources consultants to grow its business in 2008. Speaking to More

EVENTS
Physicians' meet at Kochi from today
More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Govt mulls more cement imports: Kamal Nath
New Delhi, Jan. 9 The Government is contemplating importing more cement to meet the supply-demand mismatch that has led to rise in cement prices, the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Mr Kamal Nath, has said.“We are ... More

Plea to ban cotton exports
The Madurai Spinners Association has demanded a ban on exports of cotton and cotton waste for a period of time to save the industry from its current crisis. In an appeal to the Union Government, the Association Secretary, Mr P.S. Sivaprasad, ... More

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES
Gamma Irradiation allowed in traditional drugs
Mumbai, Jan. 9 After food, Gamma Irradiation (GI) can now be used in herbal drugs Gato prevent microbial contamination, thereby increasing shelf-life and safety . Traditional products using the ayurveda, siddha and unani (ASU) systems ... More

TOURISM
Singapore Tourism hopes for 15% growth in Indian tourist arrivals
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has set its sight on an ambitious target of attracting one million Indian tourists annually in the near future. At present, India constitutes just over 7 per cent of its total tourists, which just crossed ... More

Kodaikanal to have more attractions
Madurai, Jan. 9 The Dindigul district administration is adding more attractions to Kodaikanal to receive more tourists this April. Several modernisation works are undertaken to give a facelift and provide better facilities at all ... More

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