The Hindu Business Line : Friday, January 02, 2009

INDUSTRY & ECONOMY

ECONOMY: Lower inflation, hopes on Govt sops boost markets
Bulls take Day 1 honour, though volumes remain low. Mumbai, Jan. 1 Indian equities began the New Year on a positive note with benchmark indices gaining more than 2.5 per cent, buoyed by lower inflation figures and expectations of further ...

EXPORTS & IMPORTS: Exports continue declining trend
November registers 10% dip; imports rise 6.1%. New Delhi, Jan. 1 Continuing their consecutive decline, Indian exports registered a decrease of 10 per cent in dollar terms in November 2008 fetching $11.5 billion, against $12.8 billion in the ...

ECONOMY: Small savings see more outgo than inflows
PPF, savings deposit and certificates saw net outgo. New Delhi, Jan. 1 Repayments by the Central Government of past small savings deposits have exceeded the inflows up to end-November this fiscal. This has led to a negative balance of Rs ...

CLIMATE & WEATHER: Fog affects flight operations at Delhi airport, but why?
New Delhi, Jan. 1 New Year celebration plans of hundreds of travellers were ruined as flight operations at the Indira Gandhi Airport came to a standstill this morning because of heavy fog. Thirty five flights were delayed and seven ...

ENVIRONMENT: JP Morgan launches ‘green’ NFO
Very few existing investors opt for e-statements. Chennai, Jan.1 As the mutual fund market grapples with dampened investor sentiment in a bear market, JP Morgan Asset Management has launched its first “green NFO” — the JP ...

ECONOMY: ‘Onus on govts to handle commodity conundrums’
Public work programmes not adequate to uplift poor families, says World Bank. New Delhi, Jan. 1 Even as global food and fuel prices have come down from their elevated levels of last year in recent months to the comfort of global citizens, the ...

POWER: NTPC to change tack in bidding for mega projects
Says current procurement process puts it at a disadvantage. New Delhi, Jan.1 Having lost out in tariff-based bidding for the first set of Ultra-Mega Power Projects (UMPP), NTPC Ltd is getting its act together for ...

URBAN DEVELOPMENT: Unsung urban heroes
Ordinary folks who have helped change cityscapes in extraordinary ways. In spite of the current hiccups in economic growth, India is urbanising at an unprecedented pace. The metros are growing at 12 per cent on average, the large towns at 10 ...

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS: Coimbatore auto components industry in distress
‘5,000 to 10,000 workers laid off, axe may fall on more’. Coimbatore, Jan. 1 The wild swing in commodity prices and the meltdown faced by the automotive industry, both within and outside India, has created a crisis of confidence ...

BREWERIES: Liquor sector sees bubbly growth
No slowdown hiccups; growth rate at about 15% during 2008. Bangalore, Jan.1 Not long ago, Mr Vijay Mallya said the liquor industry is ...

EXPORTS & IMPORTS: Cummin exports surge on global short supply
Crop fails in major producing countries. Kochi, Jan. 1 Sharp fall in cumin seed supply from other origins last year has led to a surge in its exports from India and for the first time in its history shipments reached 27,300 tonnes valued at Rs ...

CARS: Multi-brand car after-sales service segment bucks recessionary trend
Chennai, Jan. 1 Multi-brand car after-sales service appears to be insulated from the recessionary trend and witnessed a growth during the last quarter ...

COAL: Singareni expects output to touch 43.6 mt by March
Hyderabad, Jan. 1 Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) expects its coal production for the current financial year to grow 7.38 per cent to around 43.6 million tonnes (mt) against 40.6 mt achieved ...

PETROLEUM: Domestic crude output up 0.5% in Nov
Refinery output dips 1.1%. New Delhi, Jan. 1 While the domestic crude oil production, in November 2008, was up 0.5 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year, the natural gas output fell by 0.5 per ...

SSI: Commercial banks urged to assist MSMEs
Commercial banks should take the requisite steps immediately, as suggested by the RBI, to help the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country, as the units are facing a crisis due to economic recession and are in danger ...

EXPORTS & IMPORTS: No let-up in tea exports to Pakistan
Kolkata, Jan. 1 There has been no let up in tea export to Pakistan which has been identified by India as one of the thrust countries for the purpose of tea promotion. If at all, the export ...

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT: FDI policy must focus on tech transfer: FICCI
New Delhi, Jan. 1 Concerned over the low share of foreign direct investment in some of India’s strategic sectors like industrial machinery, agriculture machinery and ship building, FICCI has called upon for a comprehensive action plan ...

MINERALS: Iron ore exporters continue to get discounts for using rail
New Delhi, Jan. 1 The Indian Railways has decided to extend the distance-based discounts of up to 50 per cent for iron ore for export ...

EXPORTS & IMPORTS: Shades of opinion on import of sugar, its timing
Mumbai, Jan. 1 Should India import sugar? If yes, raw or white? When should import begin? Now or after 2-3 months? Should import be under open general licence or against an export obligation? If latter, what is the timeframe for meeting ...

Columnists: • B Venkatesh • C Gopinath • Bhanoji Rao • P.V. Indiresan