The Hindu Business Line : Friday, August 20, 2004

EDITORIAL
Redistributing the oil burden
THE REDUCTION IN Customs and excise duties on petrol, diesel, kerosene and cooking gas, effected by the Government on Wednesday, welcome as it is, was also probably inevitable. The runaway rise in global oil prices, which has just crossed the $47 ... More

AGRICULTURE
Free power — Catch-22 situation for Maharashtra farmers
FARM power bills have caused tragedies in rural life for decades. They are now giving rise to a comic situation in Maharashtra. The representative farmers' organisation in Maharashtra, Shetkari Sanghatana, has been ... More

ECONOMY
Reject it outright
IT IS difficult to make any sense out of the puzzling behaviour of associations and trade unions of employees of the organised sector. Despite knowing the parlous state of the finances of the Central and State ... More

Is Indian tiger catching up with Chinese dragon?
THE Chinese never say no to a business proposition. And if they agree to do something, they usually complete the task. On the other hand, when Indians agree to do something, they do not always finish the job. While ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
Why worry over the Indo-Thai FTA?
WITH the India-Thailand free trade agreement (FTA) to be launched on September 1, domestic industries, especially auto-parts and electronics, seem to be a worried lot. They feel that Thailand, with its lower ... More

COMMODITY MARKETS
Future of the commodity futures market
THE Indian commodity futures market has had a long and chequered history. Despite the huge potential, this market has not performed as expected. Currently, there are more than two-dozen commodity exchanges, of ... More

WTO
WTO framework accord — Implications for domestic agenda
It is important for India to make a careful study of the implications of the WTO framework accord for its domestic agenda and prepare to face the challenges, which are especially formidable for the country's farm and manufacturing sectors, says S. D. Naik. More