The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, August 20, 2008

INDUSTRY & ECONOMY

HUMAN RESOURCES: Skill development body takes shape
Govt-private sector initiative may take off on Sept 1. New Delhi, Aug. 19 The private sector has lent its unequivocal support for the establishment of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). They have agreed to take 51 per cent ...

COAL: L&T close to picking equity in Australian, Indonesian coal mines
Increases focus on the power sector. Chennai, Aug. 19 Larsen & Toubro Ltd is close to buying equity stake in coal mines in Australia and Indonesia. ...

ECONOMY: Inflation or terms of trade adjustment?
It is always and only a monetary phenomenon, say economists of conservative and monetary hues about inflation. Their policy prescription is simple. Keep increasing interest rates and constricting liquidity till inflation starts ...

PETROLEUM: No takers for fuel prices export parity regime
Govt yet to decide on raising petro prices every month. New Delhi, Aug. 19 The high-powered B.K. Chaturvedi Committee’s recommendation to shift to 100 per cent export parity pricing for fixing consumer prices for fuel has found no takers ...

HEALTH: SBI offers loans for heart patients
Tie-up with Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bangalore. There is now a bank loan for poor heart patients. The State Bank of India launched its new loan product, said to be the first of its kind, on a pilot scale on Tuesday. ...

CINEMA: Sathyam Cinemas is now 3D ready
Chennai, Aug. 19 An added investment of over Rs 35 lakh has made the city’s Sathyam Cinemas the first multiplex in the country to have its screens equipped with 3D or the 3-Dimensional technology compatible to play 3D content and comply ...

CARS: Mahindra Finance to fuel rural ride of GM, Hyundai
Mumbai, Aug. 19 Mahindra Finance, the vehicle finance arm of Mahindra Group, has got into an understanding with car makers General Motors and Hyundai to provide finance for their vehicles in the rural and semi-urban markets. ...

PERSONAL PRODUCTS: Relief for FMCGs as palm oil prices plunge
40% down from March peak. Palm oil has become the latest item to join the bandwagon of plunging commodities, its prices falling by nearly 11 per cent over the last week to a 15-month low of about $700 a tonne. Prices of the palm oil complex ...

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION: Matheran project evokes big response
Mumbai, Aug 19 The Mumbai-based Matheran Realty project could well be termed as a demand-supply match. ...

TOURISM: Greenix ethnic village opens at Fort Kochi
Kochi, Aug. 19 Greenix Village, a unique artistic complex where Kerala’s ethnic and cultural diversity has been recreated in its original splendour, was inaugurated by the State Fisheries and Registration Minister, Mr S. Sharma, at Fort ...

TWO/THREE WHEELERS: Growth of two-wheeler industry to slide: Hero Honda V-P
New Delhi, Aug. 19 Hero Honda, the top two-wheeler maker has projected that the two-wheeler industry growth would slide to a single digit in the coming months amid high interest rates and limited availability of finance as against a double ...

URBAN DEVELOPMENT: Hyderabad civic body to start pay and park system
Hyderabad, Aug. 19 The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will be implementing the first automated pay & park system to streamline parking in four heavily clogged roads of the twin cities through a joint venture with Smart ...

ECONOMY: More repo rate hikes likely, says Economist Intelligence Unit
New Delhi, Aug 19 Economist Intelligence Unit, a B2B intelligence arm of the Economist Group, expects the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to hike its repo rate by 50 basis points in the second half of the current fiscal as part of its efforts to ...

RURAL DEVELOPMENT: Affordability key challenge in serving the rural populace: Kamath
New Delhi, Aug. 19 Citing affordability as the key challenge in serving the bottom of the pyramid, the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Mr K.V. Kamath, said, “While technology was improving accessibility to cater to the ...

EVENTS: On the move

FOREIGN TRADE: Boosting ties

INFRASTRUCTURE: Pvt-public model for cruise infrastructure proposed
Indian major ports will develop dockside infrastructure exclusively for cruise shipping under the PPP (private-public-partnership) model, according to a senior official of the Union Ministry of ...

SSI: SME exchange by year-end
Kolkata, Aug. 19 The much-awaited SME exchange may be launched within this calendar year, according to Mr S. Ray, Executive Director, Securities and Exchange Board of India. ...

STEEL: Tata BlueScope Steel forays into retail segment
Pune, Aug. 19 Tata BlueScope Steel, a 50-50 joint venture between Tata Steel and BlueScope Steel, has entered the retail segment with Durashine range of colour-coated steel building products. ...

COKE & METALURGICAL COKE: Higher metcoke cost not to push up steel prices, says Sajjan Jindal
New Delhi, Aug 19 The sudden increase in the export duty of metallurgical coke (metcoke) by China from 25 per cent to 40 per cent is unlikely to result in an immediate increase in domestic steel prices, particularly in view of softening global ...

ENVIRONMENT: Clean business is good business: Kidwai
Chennai, Aug. 19 “I pretty much got thrown out of the room by the promoter of a mining company because we asked for environment audits,” said Ms Naina Lal Kidwai, Group General Manager and Country Head, India of the HSBC Bank. She ...

ECONOMY: ‘Good progress in Kerala’s annual Plan implementation’
The implementation of Kerala’s current annual Plan has so far been better than the achievement during the same period of the previous annual Plan, said the Chief Minister, Mr V.S. ...

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT: US sees Bengal as potential market for investments
Kolkata, Aug 19 Even though there are frequent bandhs in West Bengal, American investors are still considering the State as a potential market for investments, according to the new US Consul General, Ms Beth A ...

HOTELS: Mumbai restaurants plan blackouts
Mumbai, Aug 19 Rising costs, especially of electricity, have forced small and mid-market hotels in Mumbai to take some stern measures. All 8,000 small hotels under the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association will switch off exterior lights of ...

TOURISM: Sikkim tour promotion
Gangtok, Aug 19 The Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS) will be embarking on an enhanced tourism sensitisation and promotion drive besides providing backend support to all the tourism stakeholders in the ...

EVENTS: ‘Less corruption, higher GDP’
India can add $20 trillion to its GDP if it becomes less corrupt, Prof C.K. Prahalad, Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished Professor at the University of Michigan, said here on Tuesday. Speaking at a seminar organised by the Indian Chamber of ...