The Hindu Business Line : Wednesday, January 23, 2008

ACCIDENTS
EMRI plans call centres and expansion
Ahmedabad, Jan. 22 The Hyderabad-based Emergency Management Research Institute (EMRI), a non-profit organisation providing integrated emergency services in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, is set to expand across India by 2010 and employ one lakh ... More

NRIS
NRI body keen to set up community colleges
Hyderabad, Jan 22 Maryland India Business Round Table (MIBRT), USA, is looking forward to collaborating with the Andhra Pradesh Government to set up community colleges and IT finishing schools in the State.MIBRT — an Indo-US ... More

ECONOMY
Bounceback in prospect?
Stock markets, the world over, have gone into a free fall. It wasn’t hard to spot the reasons. Foremost was the increasing risk of a US recession. Second, despite the already large writeoffs and capital injections, global banks are yet ... More

ENVIRONMENT
Incentive-based approach to pollution control soon
A toll-free, 3-digit number to be allotted for the public More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS
Excise-exempted units need to file quarterly returns
Industrial units in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh would now be required to file quarterly returns with the excise department giving out production details, value of goods cleared by them and the transactions undertaken with their related ... More

FOREIGN TRADE
India-Arab states explore areas of cooperation
New Delhi, Jan. 22 To boost cooperation with Arab states, India is likely to finalise a memorandum of understanding with the League of Arab States, said Mr N. Ravi, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, while releasing FICCI-IAEF ... More

PETROLEUM
Essar’s delay in rig deployment hits GSPC’s exploration plan
Rigs likely to be available in Feb More

Auto LPG station inaugurated in Vizag
It is desirable to run vehicles on LPG and CNG, and more gas dispensing stations should be set up in the public as well as the private sector, as it will be more economical to drivers and also lessen pollution levels, according to Mr K. ... More

Railways gets Rs 150/kilolitre discount on high speed diesel
Highest consumer of HSD in the country at two billion litres More

TAXATION
Tax expert for scrapping of 5% R&D cess
Direct tax experts are of the view that given the new era of knowledge process outsourcing (KPO), and free movement of technology and design and drawings for betterment of Indian manufacturing, the long standing (since 1986) R&D Cess of ... More

Cooling charges likely to attract TDS
New Delhi, Jan. 22 The Finance Ministry has taken a view that cooling charges paid by various customers to the owners of cold storages would attract tax deduction at source (TDS) provisions under the income tax law as applicable to the ... More

TECHNOLOGY
‘Industry keen to switch over to non-oil technology’
FICCI asks Govt to provide subsidised loans to enable move More

WATER
Second desalination plant to come up near Chennai
Detailed project report submitted to CM More

RADIO/TV
Cable TV operators urge Govt to expedite CAS
Kolkata, Jan. 22 The cable TV sector has urged the Government to expedite the imposition of the Conditional Access System (CAS) and streamline the taxation structure governing it with a view to providing the sector with a level-playing field ... More

EDUCATION
Foreign educational institutions waiting for foray into India
Mumbai, Jan 22 The Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations, Maintenance of Quality and Prevention of Commercialisation) Bill is being watched closely by some foreign institutions, which want to make a foray into ... More

Oxford varsity, Lavasa Corp to set up research centre in UK
University of Oxford and Lavasa Corporation Ltd, part of the Hindustan Construction Company, has announced setting up of a research centre in the UK that will focus on Indian businesses, besides imparting a range of educational ... More

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS
Elantas gets UL certification to test auto insulation systems
Pune, Jan 22 Raw material price volatility, appreciation of Yuan, protection of intellectual property, intense competition, quality performance shortfalls despite certification, lack of infrastructure… goes the list of challenges that ... More

FOODS & FOOD PROCESSING
Solvent extractors plea to Maharashtra Govt
Mumbai, Jan 22 The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEAI) has opposed the Maharashtra Government’s inclusion of stringent provisions to the PFA (Prevention of Food Adulteration) Act. The Government has amended the ... More

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS & HOSPITALS
HCL teams up with Visiprise
New Delhi, Jan. 22 HCL Technologies on Tuesday announced a global consulting partnership with Visiprise Inc for the life sciences industry, covering all aspects of the medical device manufacturing cycle. Visiprise provides manufacturing ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Rreef enters Indian real estate sector with $70-m investment
Bangalore, Jan. 22 Rreef, the global alternative investment management business of Deutsche Bank, has made its entry into the Indian real-estate sector with an investment of $70 million (Rs 273.5 crore). Rreef would be taking an undisclosed ... More

READYMADE GARMENTS
First export shipment from Vizag apparel park today
The first export consignment of readymade garments from the apparel export park at Vadlamudi near here will be despatched at the port here on Wednesday. Sai Theertha Apparels and Exports is sending a container loaded with readymade garments to ... More

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ISRO arm may get more satellite launch contracts
Bangalore, Jan. 22 ISRO’s arm Antrix Corporation may be snapping up some more satellite launch contracts from global customers.The ISRO Chairman, Dr G. Madhavan Nair, indicated as much. “We expect that in the near term, two ... More

MINERALS
FIMI calls for higher drawback rate on zinc
Wants it brought in line with LME prices More

NEWSPAPERS & PUBLISHING
CLB holds Essel Group stake in UNI ‘null and void’
New Delhi, Jan. 22 The Company Law Board (CLB) has held the transfer of unsubscribed shares of news agency UNI to Media West, a firm promoted by Mr Subhash Chandra’s Essel Group, as ‘null and void’ on the grounds that the ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
TRAI mulls lower mobile charges for rural areas
Move flows from plan to abolish access deficit charge More

Nabard projects Rs 37,546-cr credit potential for Kerala
More

HUMAN RESOURCES
8 more apparel training centres planned in TN
Coimbatore, Jan. 22 The Apparel Training and Design Centre (ATDC), a body sponsored by the Apparel Export Promotion Council to step up job-oriented vocational training for the garment industry, has chalked out plans to start eight more ... More

INDUSTRIAL POLICY
No going back on industrialisation: Buddhadeb
‘Need for reorientation in agriculture’ More

EVENTS
Delegates from 33 nations to take part in World Spice Congress
Kochi Jan. 22 With nearly 150 delegates from 33 countries and over 225 Indian delegates poised to participate, the ninth World Spice Congress to be held in Goa has evoked universal and wide response. There has been a phenomenal rise in global ... More

Parents’ day out
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EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Cashew exports drop on slew of factors
Export of cashew kernels declined substantially during the first nine months of the current fiscal “due to a combination of various factors”.During April–December 2007, the total shipments of cashew kernels stood at ... More

IOC to set up LPG import facility at Kochi port
Investment in project at Rs 170 cr More

TOURISM
Australia seeks to cash in on surge in Indian tourists
Mumbai, Jan. 22 Witnessing a surge in inbound tourism from India, Tourism Queensland would now be partnering with some Indian online travel portals, airline Web sites and others in the travel industry to start a gateway site to the Australian ... More