The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, March 14, 2007

EMPLOYMENT
`Hiring intentions remain optimistic'
Hiring intention for Q2 of 2007 continues to be optimistic in the country, with about 33 per cent of employers surveyed by Manpower Services India expecting an increase in their hiring activity during the period. Of the 4,858 ... More

Making a living
WORKERS PUT UP a vinyl hoarding from a perilous perch in Kochi. As the economy grows, labour-intensive enterprises provide more job opportunities but workers are often exploited by employers. The average number of employees per employer in Kerala ... More

BUDGET
Well-intentioned Budget, but lacking dynamism
The Government, with all its initiatives on several fronts, is yet to master efficient resource utilisation and effective delivery of services with demonstrable outcomes. More

CII seeks more steps to boost agro-processing
`Five-year VAT exemption for wheat products must be continued' More

`Budget allocation to agriculture not in line with the sector's problems'
The panel members on the Union Budget 2007-08, under the Business Line Budget Talk series held for the second year in succession in the city, treated the public of Madurai to a deeply educative and knowledgeable discussion. The panel consisted ... More

CEMENT
Mills' plan to import cement hits snag
Suppliers await quality certification from BIS More

COURTS/LEGAL ISSUES
CLB order: Hearing to continue
No case was made out under Section 397 of the Companies Act by The Chatterjee Group before the Company Law Board (CLB), and as such, the order of CLB cannot sustain, argued the counsel of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) ... More

ECONOMY
Central bank independence: It's no easy call
Monetary policy seems to have no hard and fast rules - at least not yet. It is still evolving — although more than one economist might feel that this is a cavalier statement. Absent are neat formulas to calculate how much a 25bps ... More

Manmohan assures steps to sustain growth process
`We need to develop a long-term debt market' More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS
3 remanded to custody for tax evasion
The Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence (DGCEI) has detected a significant evasion of central excise duty and misuse of Cenvat credit scheme by three aluminium extrusion manufacturers headquartered in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
India-China Business Alliance formed
China to issue `Express Visas' to Indian businessmen More

Malaysia hopeful of more trade with India
Minister welcomes Customs duty cut on palm group of oils More

HEALTH
Govt ban hits pet food supplies
BIRD FLU FEARS More

INFRASTRUCTURE
Lending to SEZs: `eGoM to take call on RBI's stand'
Kamal Nath seeks Prime Minister's intervention More

Malaysia keen on infrastructure development
Mr Ashok K. Kantha, High Commissioner of India-Designate to Malaysia, on Tuesday met the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and mentioned about Malaysian interest in construction of roads, ports and airports and participation in tourism ... More

PSU
Coal India IPO likely this year
Plans to raise Rs 4,500 cr by issue of fresh capital thru book-building route More

PSUs propose dredging company
Given the huge dredging activity that India is likely to witness for its ports, Shipping Corporation of India, the Jawaharlal Nehru port, the Mumbai port and Mazagon Docks Ltd are considering a move to get together to form a ... More

High attrition: Oil PSUs ask Hewitt for `benchmark study'
`Disparity in compensation packages' More

PETROLEUM
HPCL world cup contest
The Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) is conducting a lucky draw for customers at select filling stations in eight districts during the World Cup being held in the West Indies. Maruti cars, diamond necklaces and Bajaj ... More

BHN mishap: ONGC gets Rs 864 cr as final claim
ONGC on Tuesday received Rs 864 crore towards final and overall payment of all insurance claims for the BHN accident against the corporation's offshore package. In a statement, the company said that with this settlement, the total amount ... More

POWER
Work begins on Talegaon sub-station
The power-strapped State of Maharashtra is poised to get a breather, with work on building a 400 kV sub-station at Talegaon, to supply nearly 1000 MW of power sourced from the national grid, commencing a few days ago. Located on a 42-acre plot ... More

`NTPC-TELK joint venture this month'
A joint working committee, which is looking into the modalities for the venture, will submit its report by the month-end. More

SSI
VSNL, Microsoft to offer messaging tools for SMEs
Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) announced the launch of Ready-Access-business messaging and collaboration services in alliance with Microsoft. The service is targeted towards the small and medium enterprises (SME) market. It will provide ... More

Avaya, Google to collaborate
Avaya Inc is all set to integrate communications with Google Apps to provide productivity-enhancing solutions for small businesses. For integrating communications, Avaya has tied up with Google Enterprise Professional program to ... More

WATER
Water conservation contest
With a view to promote conservation of water, the Hyderabad metro water authority is organising competitions for students, marking the World Water Day on March 22. Unveiling the logo for the fete here on Monday, the Chief ... More

Kerala sees no case for renewal of Parambikkulam-Aliyar pact
Govt mulls new Bill to regulate private financial companies More

EDUCATION
ISB eyes new avenues for funding
Plans to generate money by undertaking corporate research More

Global Indian Foundation, Gujarat school join hands
The Singapore-based Global Indian Foundation today announced collaboration with the Kakubhai Parikh School in Gandhidham to cater to the growing demand of international quality education with Indian values for the wards of those working at Kandla ... More

Child development programme
Global Art & Creative India, a division of Sociable Intellectual Progressive Academy India Pvt Ltd, has opened its first centre in Secunderabad. In a press release, the company claimed that its art programme was unique as ... More

Management and cultural fest
Badruka College PG Centre's Department of Business Management here will organise a management and cultural festival styled Splash on March 21 and 22. The fest will see a mixture of formal and informal events such as young ... More

C-Dac to develop education portal
Info to rural people in local languages More

ISB comes up with business model for `Social Investment Bank'
The Wadhwani Centre for Entrepreneurial Development at Indian School of Business (ISB) has come up with a business model for a `Social Investment Bank.' The core of this flexible model is to make banking services simpler for rural people. "The ... More

`Upgrade training facilities in ITI, engg institutions'
Industry task force meets Karunanidhi More

Singapore institute, Loyola sign MoU
Management development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Loyola College to facilitate knowledge sharing, training, and student and faculty exchange programmes, including scholarships for the needy. The ... More

CARS
Auto majors keen on multi-level car park project
Automobile majors among other companies show keen interest More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Community premium villas
Swarna-KSR Infrastructure India Pvt Ltd announced the launch of community premium villas in the northern tip of Bangalore. The project consisting of 150 villas will come up on a 17.5 acre land The project being developed at a ... More

READYMADE GARMENTS
Garment exports seen rising 9%
There will be a 9-10 per cent increase in the country's garment exports during 2006-07 over last year's performance of $8.2 billion, according to Mr Vijay Agarwal, Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC). "We wanted ... More

MINERALS
Tata Steel supports iron ore export tax
The Managing Director of Tata Steel, Mr B. Muthuraman, has come out in support of the Finance Ministry's proposal to impose an export duty of Rs 300 per tonne of iron ore exports. In a statement issued today, Mr Muthuraman ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
ITC, Rajasthan tie up for watershed development
It will focus on efficient water use, agri-marketing, micro credit, etc. More

HUMAN RESOURCES
SITI sets up recruitment centre in Hyderabad
SITI Corporation has announced the opening of its new Offshore Recruiting Centre (ORC) in Hyderabad to augment its growing business and demand for its Talent Management Products. The new facility can accommodate about 300 people. SITI offers ... More

TRADE & LABOUR UNIONS
Workers' rally
PRESSING DEMANDS: Anganwadi workers from all over Karnataka taking out a protest rally in support of their demands, from the railway station to the old central jail in Bangalore on Tuesday. ... More

EVENTS
Mumbai to host 2-day cotton meet
Buoyed by a bumper cotton production estimate of 270 lakh bales for 2006-07 and increasing global demand, the East India Cotton Corporation and the UK-based cotton trade magazine Cotton Outlook are organising a two-day international cotton ... More

Leaders meet
GLOBAL FORUM: Mr Rahul Bajaj (left), Chairman, Bajaj Auto, with Mr R. Seshasayee, President, CII & Managing Director, Ashok Leyland, at the Global Business Leaders Forum in Mumbai on Tuesday. ... More

ENTREPRENEURSHIP
IIM-A grads flock to desi entrepreneurship
Placement 2007 witnesses new trends emerging this year More

`Everyone is a born entrepreneur'
"There is an entrepreneurial quality in every one of you sitting here. Everyone of you is a born entrepreneur. You have to build on your entrepreneurial skills to become a successful entrepreneur," Mr Dinesh S. Patel, Managing Director, S.F. ... More

INCOME TAX
Over 34-lakh demat accounts remain frozen
Investors still fail to comply with regulations More

Fund houses step up efforts to woo individuals with tax-saving products
`Decline in NAVs makes them attractive now' More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Tea exporters await VAT waiver
Exporters are seeking VAT exemption for tea purchases at auctions in Coonoor and Coimbatore. There are indications that they will not buy at this week's auctions also until they are assured nil-tax operation. "In Kochi auctions, exporters are ... More