The Prime Minister, Mr. I.K. Gujral, asserted in the Lok Sabha that the guilty will not be spared as the Opposition BJP and its allies, and the Left constituents of the United Front demanded the resignation of the Bihar Chief Minister, Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav and others for their alleged involvement in the fodder scam. The Prime Minister’s brief intervention came at the end of a two-and-a-half hour long impromptu debate on the announcement made by the CBI chief, Mr. Joginder Singh, that the agency was planning to seek sanctions against the Chief Minister, the Union Minister of State, Mr. Chandradeo Prasad Verma, and others for their involvement in the scam.

Mineral royalty rates revised

The Ministry of Mines has notified the revised rates of major minerals. The increase in royalty in the range of 8-14 per cent is likely to reflect in a rise in State Government accruals from major minerals to the tune of Rs. 100 crores. According to a press release, 17 rates have been fixed on an ad valorem basis. This would help eliminate the need for multiple rates for multi-grade minerals and provide buoyancy in revenue accruals for the State Governments, commensurate with the market prices.

Daewoo plans small, utility models

South Korean automobile company Daewoo Motors India is planning to launch two new models — a mini car and a large car — during the current fiscal. The company plans to make 100,000 units of the small car of 800 cc. Subsequently, the company plans to introduce a utility car. Along with the introduction of these additional cars, the company plans to increase its capacity to one lakh cars from its existing installed capacity or 72,000 cars.

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