Agriculture
UK sets up food standards body
THE Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries in the UK helped establish a new food standards agency (FSA) early this month. For the first time, all the aspects relating to food safety and standards _ from farm to fork _ are the responsibility of a sin
gle organisation.
Viable scheme sought for copra procurement
THE Cochin Oil Merchants Association (COMA) has urged the State Government to consider whether the procurement operations under the support price scheme should be continued or replaced with an appropriate and viable scheme.
Automobiles
Ashok Leyland's net jumps to Rs.78 cr
ASHOK Leyland's net profit for the year 1999-2000 has gone up to Rs. 78.48 crores from Rs. 20.36 crores in the previous year. However Rs. 21.26 crores of this is due to a mandatory change in the norms for valuation of inventory. But for this change, the
net profit would have been Rs. 57.22 crores, or 181 per cent over the previous year's figure.
The market share conundrum
LAST year (1999-2000), Ashok Leyland's market share in `passenger vehicles' segment increased to 45.2 per cent from 44.5 per cent in the year before. Its share of the `goods' market improved to 30.6 per cent (30.4 per cent).
Banking and Finance
The future belongs Net-savvy banks
WITH the imminent changes in Indian cyber laws and advent of full-fledged Internet banking, the competition in the banking industry will become all the more pronounced and fierce.
Chemicals
Chemical industry gung-ho on e-biz
IN times when `click and mortar' has replaced `brick and mortar' could the Indian chemical industry be far behind. The increasing number of chemical portals being launched clearly indicates that the chemical industry is gung-ho about e-biz.
Corporate
Link the brand, rake in the mileage
HOW does `See you again at the Nestle Milo quiz contest' sound? Or perhaps `Welcome to the Savvy Miss India beauty pageant'? Doesn't quite jell, does it? That's because these events have been associated with certain other brands for years together.
Dhampur Sugar Mills on recovery path
AFTER witnessing two bad years for the sugar industry which led to a huge net loss of Rs. 43 crores in fiscal 1998-99, The Dhampur Sugar Mills Ltd (DSM) is slowly getting back on the recovery path in the current fiscal ending September 30.
Thiru Arooran meet
CHENNAI: Thiru Arooran Sugars Ltd will consider spinning off its cogeneration facilities to a separate company at a board meeting to be held on April 24, according to a company notification to the Madras Stock Exchange. _ Our Bureau
Central Pulp posts higher net profit
CENTRAL Pulp Mills Ltd (CPM), a J.K. group company, has announced a huge increase in its net profit for the nine months ended March 31, 2000. The net profit stood at Rs. 7.47 crores as against Rs. 1.12 crores in the corresponding period of the previous f
iscal.
Taj GVK to invest Rs 40 cr for upgradation
THE Taj GVK Hotels and Resorts has decided to invest Rs. 40 crores this year for upgrading two-five star hotels, Taj Krishna (formerly Krishna Oberoi) and Taj Residency (Holiday Inn Krishna).
Vicks relaunches cough drops
PROCTER & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Ltd has relaunched its Vicks cough drop in a new 2.5 gm blue pack priced at Re one, a press release from the company said.
Corporate Briefs
PUNE: Information Technology Careers, Australia and New Zealand in association with Monotech Systems Ltd will hold an Information Technology Recruitment Fair in Pune on May 6 and 7.
Mirza Tanners plans US foray by July
MIRZA Tanners Ltd (MTL), a leading shoe exporter, said that it would step up efforts to take its flagship brand `Red Tape' to the US markets by July.
Environment
DVC mulls contracting select operations
DAMODAR Valley Corporation (DVC) is weighing the pros and cons of contracting out some of its activity, such as soil conservation, afforestation and ecological improvement.
Information Technology
California Software's new office in US
CHENNAI:Chennai-based California Software Company Ltd, as part of its plan to focus on the emerging eBusiness market, has established a new office in the US named eBiz Infosystems, according to a company statement. The company has started the new divisio
n under a chief executive officer (CEO) for handling eBusiness projects exclusively. _Our Bureau
Softsol India to tap market
SOFTSOL India, a subsidiary of SoftSol Technologies Inc, is embarking upon a Rs. 46-crore expansion programme, which includes development of new e-commerce products and setting up of overseas development centres in the UK, Japan, Australia, Singapore and
West Asia.
Insurance
Govt notifies IRDA
THE Government has notified the constitution of the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (IRDA) to hasten the opening up of the insurance sector to private domestic and foreign investors.
Miscellaneous
Cabinet approves ONGC exploration
THE Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its in-principle approval to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for carrying out exploration in six deep water blocks. It has also allowed the company to form an alliance with experienced exp
loration and production companies.
India moots weapons tie-up ventures with Vietnam, Poland
INDIA has mooted the forming of joint ventures with Vietnam and Poland to manufacture arms and other military equipment, and tap the large export market, according to the Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes.
`SC has tried to meet people's aspirations'
OVER the last 50 years, the Supreme Court has endeavoured to meet the aspirations of people in the largest democracy in the world. Since pre-Vedic times, the march of the judicial system in India has been a march towards securing justice for one and all,
according to Dr. A.S. Anand, Chief Justice of India.
Low rates lure NRIs to HDFC
THE Housing Development and Finance Corporation of India (HDFC) has recorded over 20 per cent spurt in business this month compared to March. It has also received a large number of enquiries following the drop in interest rates for NRIs and the attractiv
e property prices in India.
PSU
No consensus on modalities of divestment
THE disinvestment process of the Government seems to have hit a roadblock with the Cabinet Committee on Disinvestment (CCD) unable to reach a consensus on the modalities for disinvestment of Government equity in the public sector units taken up at its me
eting on Saturday.
Politics
Fernandes flays price hike critics
THE Defence Minister and Samata Party leader, Mr. George Fernandes, on Saturday hit out at those demanding a rollback in price hike of essential commodities, including some NDA allies.
Power
CERC cannot set tariff norms: NTPC
THE National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has recently argued before the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission's (CERC) that the latter ``cannot lay down norms and tariff policies under the functions of determining and/or regulating tariffs.''
