The Hindu Business Line : Thursday, May 01, 2008

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
The heat is on!
That AC may be of little comfort if you have to pay more for it! Consumer durables makers are mulling price hikes to compensate for the rise in input costs. More

BUDGET
Parliament passes Finance Bill
Parliament on Wednesday passed the Finance Bill 2008, with the Rajya Sabha returning the Bill. With this, the budgetary process for 2008-09 has been completed. The Finance Bill 2008 was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. – Our ... More

ECONOMY
S&P’s long term outlook on India remains stable
Mumbai, April 30 Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services affirmed its ‘BBB- long-term and ‘A-3’ short-term sovereign credit ratings on India. The outlook on the long-term rating remains stable. This reflects the ... More

Wrong diagnosis on inflation, says Yechury
New Delhi, April 30 The CPI(M) has criticised the Government for making “wrong diagnosis” of the causes behind rising inflation. The steps announced by the Government to control inflation would in fact stifle the high growth ... More

India Inc bullish on investments, worried about input costs: Survey
The high interest rate regime, appreciating rupee, and the rising cost of industrial inputs and raw materials have conspired to give corporate India’s confidence level a hard knock. Fifty per cent of the companies participating in ... More

Meghalaya’s annual Plan pegged at Rs 1,500 cr
‘Slowdown in growth rate in Tenth Plan needs to be arrested’ More

CII survey predicts mixed trends in key sectors
More

FOREIGN TRADE
Australian State looks for closer commercial ties
Hyderabad, April 30 The Victorian State Government in Australia is looking for stronger commercial relationships with India and in particular with Andhra Pradesh. “We are looking at accelerating the engagement with Indian ... More

PETROLEUM
Public sector oil marketing companies facing cash crunch
Expect 2008-09 to be ‘most difficult year to survive’ as borrowings mount More

‘Progress on IPI pipeline project soon’
The tri-nation Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project is likely to see more movement now with the Iranian President, Mr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during his brief stop-over trip here on Tuesday, stating that “the two sides are very close to ... More

Gujarat Refinery to complete mega project by March 2010
Vadodara, April 30 Gujarat Refinery is planning to complete a mega project to upgrade quality of petrol and diesel equivalent to Euro-III and IV grade by March 2010. On January 29, 2007, the Indian Oil Corporation board had approved the ... More

POWER
Chamling lays stone for hydro electric power project
Gangtok, April 30 The Sikkim Chief Minister, Mr Pawan Chamling, last week laid the foundation stone of the 120 MW Rungeet Stage-IV Hydro Electric Power Project comprising three 40-MW Units at Reshi in West Sikkim. The project, a run of the ... More

Centre resolves water row with Chhattisgarh
Allocation to NTPC’s Rs 12,000-cr Sipat project More

STEEL
‘Export duty on steel meaningless’
Chennai, April 30 The measures announced by the Government to bring down the prices of steel will not have the desired effect, certainly not in the short term. Conversely, they will only create confusion in the market, feels Mr Rajiv Rai, ... More

Export duty on steel may not improve domestic supplies, say producers
New Delhi, April 30 The imposition of export duty on iron and steel products may not yield the desirable increase in the domestic market’s availability of steel. This was the mood among steel manufacturers after the Finance ... More

TAXATION
Export tax weakens basmati rice stocks
‘Most cos have good realisation from overseas market’ More

TEXTILES
Ministry allows 3 m apparel articles from Lanka
Without fabric sourcing conditions, entry-point norms More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Sistema to tap real estate, hospitality sectors
To invest Rs 800 cr in office & commercial projects More

Credit Policy brings some relief to real estate sector
Bangalore, April 30 Important announcements by the Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidamabaram, and the Reserve Bank of India Governor, Dr Y.V. Reddy, today brought some relief to the real estate sector, which had feared demand slowdown due to ... More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Kanara Chamber to stage a walkathon
Mangalore, April 30 The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has said that it will stage a walkathon on national highway No.17 in Mangalore on May 9 to draw the attention of the authorities concerned on the condition of roads. ... More

K. V. Kamath is new CII President
Mr K Vaman Kamath, Managing Director and CEO, ICICI Bank, has been elected CII President for 2008-09. He succeeds Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal. Mr Venu Srinivasan, Managing Director, Sundaram-Clayton Ltd, is the Vice-President. ... More

KNITWEAR & HOSIERY
Tirupur exporters happy with RBI stand on rates
The RBI decision to spare bank, repo/reverse repo rates from any hike is a major solace to the industries, according to Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA). The TEA expressed hope that the various measures spelt out by RBI’s ... More

WTO
India seeks Colombia’s help on WTO issues
Scope for joint ventures, tech ties with Indian cos More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
World Bank study advocates integration of SHG centres
More

HUMAN RESOURCES
‘India should focus more on human development’
Chennai, April 30 More attention needs to be paid to developing human resources here as India lags behind many countries in the world on the human development front, Mr N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu Group of ... More

EVENTS
Machinery, equipment expo from May 15
Coimbatore, April 30 The second edition of the India international machinery and equipment exhibition – Intermachinery India – is to be held from May 15-17 at Mumbai’s Bombay exhibition grounds in Goregaon. The fair is ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Exporters urged to explore markets in Europe
The Indian exporting community is passing through a phase of “high uncertainty” and is in “deep distress”. In addition to lower realisation as a result of strong rupee, now even order renewals have started taking a hit, ... More