The economy is growing at 6.5 per cent this year, says the Finance Minister; at 6 per cent, said the Reserve Bank of India; while the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE) has made a more sober projection of around 4.5 per cent. While the assessments of the pace may diverge, the consensus is that the economy is growing; more goods are being produced than last year. But the big question is: Are they being moved, and who is moving them? The Railways, for one, is not seeing any of that growth; indeed, it moved 2 per cent less cargo between April and October 1998 than in the same period last year.

Poll results no threat to reforms, says PM

Appearing unfazed by the heavy electoral reverses suffered by his party in the recent State polls, the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, today urged the business community "not to be overly influenced by the democratic drama of the day", while asserting that political volatility will have "no fundamental impact" on the economic reforms programme. "The reform process has become irreversible. Indeed, my Government has depoliticised the economic agenda," he said.

Maruti ups ante with more Zen features

Faced with very low demand for the diesel Zen, Maruti Udyog Ltd (MUL) is attempting to boost sales by offering additional features at the same price. These features are currently available in the petrol version, the Zen-VX. This could help MUL tip the scales in its favour when compared to the competition from Fiat Uno's diesel model, which is cheaper by about Rs. 40,000. The additional features include a Kenwood music system, body-coloured bumpers, internally-adjustable outside rear view mirrors and side-impact bars.

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