The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, October 14, 2009

INDUSTRY & ECONOMY

EXPORTS & IMPORTS: China spinning out Indian tyre exports
Mumbai, Oct. 13 Tyre exports this year are heading towards negative territory largely due to the increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers in the traditional markets of Indian tyre ...

ECONOMY: Sugar, milk powder weigh heavily on ‘food products’ output
New Delhi, Oct. 13 Amidst cheers over industrial growth hitting a 22-month high of 10.4 per cent in August, here is some ...

HEALTH: LifeCell cuts stem cell banking rates
To raise Rs 50 cr for expansion. Bangalore, Oct. 13 Stem cell storage company LifeCell International on Tuesday said it had slashed its storage rates by almost 25 per cent to make the therapies affordable and bring in ...

EXPORTS & IMPORTS: Exporters flay curbs on branded sesame oil
Exporters of sesame oil in 5-kg branded consumer packs are now caught in a bind because of a recent Government notification that extends the time allowed for export (of all vegetable oils) till September 10, 2010, without raising the ...

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS: Assocham chief favours lower repo, reverse repo rates
Swati Piramal deplores lack of laws for research. New Delhi, Oct. 13 Dr Swati Piramal, the first woman President of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham), said on Tuesday that repo and reverse repo rates should be reduced ...

NATURAL CALAMITIES: AP earmarks Rs 100 cr for flood relief
Govt to provide employment, housing and also waive school, college fees. Hyderabad, Oct. 13 In a series of relief measures, the Andhra Pradesh Government on Tuesday announced a Rs 100-crore package to provide employment in the flood-affected ...

STEEL: Poor rail facilities, iron ore supply hurting steel industry hub
Centre asked to frame national policy on mining. Kolkata, Oct. 13 Uncertain iron ore supply and poor railway facilities are posing problems to the emerging iron and steel industry hub in the Asansol-Durgapur region and it needs immediate ...

ECONOMY: Plan panel for rigorous evaluation of development programmes
New Delhi, Oct. 13 Given the country’s limited resources to allocate funds for competing demands in the huge developmental task, maximising outcome to match the scarcity value of resources through efficiency in delivery mechanisms has ...

AUTOMOBILES: Auto-makers’ body forecasts double-digit growth in car sales
Stimulus package, interest rate cuts are the drivers. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) foresees double-digit growth for car sales this fiscal compared with just 1.31 per cent last year. The optimism stems from record sales ...

EDUCATION: Varsity body signs pact with Scottish counterpart
New Delhi, Oct. 13 The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and its Scottish equivalent, Universities Scotland, signed an MoU on Monday to promote cooperation between Indian and Scottish higher education institutions. Mr Ashok ...

LINGUISTICS: New English language test
Pearson Plc announced the launch of its Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic), the company’s new computer-based academic test of English language proficiency. The test will be available to test takers in India from November. ...

READYMADE GARMENTS: Notification on readymade garments
The President of Tirupur Exporters’ Association, Mr A. Sakthivel, has welcomed the Reserve Bank of India notification on inclusion of readymade garments under 2 per cent interest subvention with effect from December 1, 2008. He said this ...

COURTS/LEGAL ISSUES: Plan to set up 5,000 village courts
Mangalore, Oct. 13 The Central Government is planning to set up village courts to dispose of the cases in subordinate courts, according to Mr M. Veerappa Moily, Union Minister for Law and ...

FOREIGN TRADE: EU hopeful of free trade pact with India next year
Brussels, Oct. 13 The European Union is hopeful of entering into a “deep and proper” free trade agreement (FTA) with India ...

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: Mashelkar moots ‘Gandhian engineering’
Hyderabad, Oct. 13 You might have heard of electrical or aeronautical or computer engineering, but what about ...

COURTS/LEGAL ISSUES: HC ruling on insolvency notice
Chennai, Oct. 13 The Madras High Court dismissed an application filed by a debtor in terms of Section 9(2) of the Presidency Towns Insolvency Act, 1909 and Order III (A) of the ...

SOCIAL SECURITY: Insurance scheme for poor families this month
The West Bengal Government is expected to shell out Rs 30 crore by 2010-11 to cover 30 lakh families living below poverty line under the Union Government-sponsored social security insurance scheme Aam Admi Bima Yojna. The Life ...

HEALTH: Call for better management of biomedical waste
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 13 Biomedical waste management may be receiving attention after regulatory intervention, but an effective waste management plan for healthcare establishments still remains a ...

POWER: Citizens’ body begins talks with Sikkim Govt over Dzongu power projects
Gangtok, Oct. 13 Ending 915 days of protest against proposed mega power projects in Dzongu, North Sikkim, the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) today formally entered into a dialogue with State Government with both sides expressing hopes of ...

FOREIGN TRADE: Canadian province opens trade office in Alappuzha
Kochi, Oct. 13 In its effort to explore trade opportunities with south India, Manitoba – a province in Canada – has opened a trade office in Alappuzha, through its Indian representative Global ...

ENVIRONMENT: Call to convert coal into product gas to cut emissions
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 13 Underground coal gasification (UCG), which enables coal to be converted into product gas, is an ideal option for adapting to the climate change challenge, says Dr R.K. Suri, Additional Director, Union Ministry ...

POWER: ‘Nuclear sources being sought for power generation’
Hyderabad, Oct. 13 The atomic energy will need special materials that can meet the stringent properties for critical applications in reactors and steam generators, according to Mr R.N. Jayaraj, Outstanding Scientist and Chief Executive, ...

INFRASTRUCTURE: Infrastructure cos sign $4.2 b loan pacts with World Bank
Representatives from the Government of India, India Infrastructure Finance Co Ltd (IIFCL), Power Grid Corporation and World Bank signed loan agreements for three projects amounting to $4.2 billion on ...

TAXATION: New Direct Taxes Code ignores small traders, industries: TN Chamber
Madurai, Oct. 13 The new Direct Taxes Code has been loaded with tax concessions benefiting persons with high income, the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, ...

POWER: Recovery work
In full swing: APGenco staff retrieving the damaged machinery from the Srisailam Right Bank Power House on Tuesday in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. The restoration work of the damaged transmission systems and sub-stations of the ...

TOURISM: Serene setting
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BIO-TECH & GENETICS: Wellcome Trust, DBT India to offer fellowships
The Wellcome Trust (UK)-DBT India Alliance, with funds of up to £80 million to be spent in five years to nurture biomedical research, has set up its centre ...

ENVIRONMENT: Knowledge sharing, key to tackle climate change: PM
New Delhi, Oct.13 The National Council on Climate Change met here on Tuesday to deliberate on the setting up of a network of institutions for mutual exchange of knowledge on ...

PETROLEUM: APGIC, partners to invest Rs 1,600 cr in exploration
Hyderabad, Oct. 13 The Andhra Pradesh Gas Infrastructure Corporation (APGIC), a special purpose vehicle, along with its consortium partners today outlined an investment plan of Rs 1,600 crore in the four blocks it bagged in the NELP VIII ...

EVENTS: Henkel essay competition for students
Kochi, Oct. 13 Henkel India Ltd has announced ‘Henkel Eco-petition 2009’, a national level paper presentation competition for school children on environmental ...

SOCIAL SECURITY: Bharti AXA ties up with AP Govt for insurance scheme
Hyderabad, Oct. 13 Bharti AXA General Insurance Company Ltd on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Andhra Pradesh Government for the implementation of Apathbandhu scheme covering all the BPL (Below the Poverty Line) ...

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