The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Cancun Climate Summit Global giants join hands to save climate Sanjeev Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 29 On the first day of the Cancun Climate Summit, the global consumer goods industry announced two major initiatives on climate protection: to halt deforestation practices and phase out climate damaging refrigerants that have high global warming potential. In a statement issued from Paris, this was announced by the Consumer Goods Forum, a CEO-level organisation of 400 global consumer goods manufacturers and retailers with combined revenue in excess of $ 2.8 trillion. The initiatives were announced by the board of directors, comprising 50 CEOs and co-chaired by Muhtar Kent, CEO, The Coca-Cola Company and Lars Olofsson, CEO of Carrefour. On deforestation, the Consumer Goods Forum decided to mobilise their collective resources to help achieve zero net deforestation by 2020. On refrigeration, the Forum agreed to begin phasing out hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants as of 2015 and replace them with non-HFC refrigerants. “The initiatives that our industry announced today are good examples of the kind of bold and positive action that will be needed to move the needle in combating climate change” said Muhtar Kent. The team of Forum member companies charged with delivering the deforestation and refrigeration pledges is co-chaired by Unilever and Tesco and includes Ahold, Barilla, Carrefour, Coca-Cola, Delhaize, General Mills, Henkel, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg, Kraft, Kroger, L’Oréal, Metro, Nestlé, Pepsi Co, Procter & Gamble, Sara Lee, S.C. Johnson, Sobeys, Tesco, Unilever and Walmart. Deforestation is one of the principal drivers of climate change, accounting for 17 per cent of greenhouse gases today. The consumer goods industry, through its growing use of soya, palm oil, paper and board, creates many of the economic incentives which drive deforestation. Sir Terry Leahy of Tesco and Paul Polman of Unilever, who lead the Forum’s sustainability programme, stated: “We believe that our industry has a responsibility to purchase these commodities in a way which encourages producers not to expand into forested areas. Our task is to develop specific action plans for the different challenges of sourcing commodities like soya, palm oil, paper and board sustainably.” Both CEOs were confident that this commitment would not result in additional cost to consumers. They emphasised that if the crops were grown sustainably, yields would rise and input costs fall, thus resulting in a ‘win’ for both the farmer and the consumer. Jason Clay, senior vice-president of Markets with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), said “The scale, geographical presence and purchasing power of the CGF companies could transform these commodity markets and help put an end to tropical deforestation in countries like Brazil and Indonesia”. Refrigeration plays a vital role in the retail and consumer goods industry but is also a significant and growing source of greenhouse gases. HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases that are thousands of times as potent as carbon dioxide. While they currently have a relatively small aggregate impact on global warming, HFC emissions are projected to represent 9-19 per cent of projected greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. The US government has targeted HFC reduction as a priority climate action under the Montreal Protocol, and garnered support from 91 nations at last month’s Montreal Protocol conference in Bangkok. Some Consumer Goods Forum companies already have well-established time-bound programmes to cease the purchase of HFCs. Others are beginning to take action to phase out HFC refrigerants as of 2015 and replace them with natural refrigerants, where these are permitted based on country-level regulations. Muhtar Kent of The Coca-Cola Company and Lars Olofsson of Carrefour, noted: “This is the first time that the entire sector has aligned around the importance of taking action to accelerate the move to climate-friendly refrigeration. The technologies exist today for our sector to significantly reduce the direct and indirect emissions of the refrigeration equipment we use.” Amy Larkin, Director of Solutions at Greenpeace, welcomed the announcement, noting: “The Consumer Goods Forum’s commitment to eliminate these potent greenhouse gases shows what corporations can do when they band together for the benefit of the global environment. Major Initiatives n Halt deforestation practices *Phase out climate-damaging refrigerants n Consumer Goods Forum targets zero net deforestation by 2020 n Agreement to phase out HFC refrigerants as of 2015
	Punjab asks traders to take e-toll barrier number Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 29 The Excise and Taxation department, Punjab, has asked all distilleries, courier companies, bottling plants, Carrying and Forwarding (C & F) agents and cement manufacturers sending their goods to Punjab, to use its recently introduced electronic information collection centres (ICCs). Manufacturers and traders have been advised to collect their unique identification number from the department by December 6, so that they can start using this system, which will ensure that the entry of goods in the state is much faster, reduce congestion at the 36 ICCs in the state by reducing the manual work at these tax barriers. A Venu Prasad, Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab, said that ever since they introduced the e-barrier cocept in August, almost 25 per cent of goods entering into the state are using this electronic facility, with 10 per cent of vehicles ferrying goods using this. “By March 31, we plan to have a majority of our operations shifting on this system. Thus, we have advised the above mentioned businesses/ traders to shift to electronic barriers, as they have the maximum volumes of goods coming in the state,” he said. Since the state launched electronic ICCs at 36 places, traders are heaving a sigh of relief. Long queues on goods- laden trucks at these ICCs have become a thing of the past as data entry of goods or their physical verification is not required. Though manual work at these ICCs has not yet been done away with, a number of bulk consumers have already shifted to using this system, thereby saving a lot of time. It is at these ICCs that the goods being brought from outside the state are declared and entry tax (wherever applicable) is paid. The staff at the ICC verifies the challans and bills presented to them, and matches them with stocks in the goods carrier. This generally takes a lot of time. “With the work now being done electronically, the dispatcher of goods just has to log on to the website of Excise and Taxation department, feed the data on the goods that he is bringing in Punjab and generate a form. This form has to be submitted to the Excise Inspector deputed at each ICC, who validates the data and the entry of goods is allowed. The entire process takes 10-15 minutes,” said the ETC.
	CCI to examine alleged cartels Sanjeev Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 29 The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is examining 130 cases across sectors, including mergers and acquisitions (M&A) involving alleged anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominance. Speaking at an Assocham conference here today, Dhanendra Kumar, chairman, CCI said these cases span sectors like pharma, airlines, electricity, real estate, financial sector, stock exchanges & entertainment industry. The Competition Act, 2002, as amended by the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2007, follows the philosophy of modern competition laws. The Act prohibits anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position by enterprises and regulates combinations (acquisition, acquiring of control and M&A), which causes or likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition within India. Kumar said the CCI would give approvals to M&As in a reasonable period of time and going by international experience, 95% of the cases will be approved within 30 days. He said Sections 5 and 6 of the Competition Act 2002 would empower the CCI to approve high voltage takeovers and mergers, which could have a bearing on competition in the market. Kumar said that as mergers and acquisitions were important for the economy, the Commission's intention was not to retard growth but promote it. It also wants to ensure that the interest of consumers is protected and there is no anti-competitive effect due to these mergers and acquisitions in the market place. CCI will issue a consultation paper before issuing guidelines in certain areas like trade associations. Public procurement is one of the key areas where the agency intends to focus upon. CCI intends to sensitise procuring agencies in a manner that there is a two way process by which CCI also receives feedback from them.
	Etios’ launch tomorrow Bangalore, November 29 Japanese automobile giant Toyota Motor Corporation is gearing up for the launch of Etios car in India on Wednesday with its President Akio Toyoda flying down for the event. The launch is undoubtedly a major milestone for Toyota's Indian entity -- the Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited, its joint venture with the Kirloskar Group. TKM is rolling out the sedan version of Etios on Wednesday, with the launch of the hatchback slated for March. TKM's Deputy Managing Director (Marketing) Sandeep Singh told PTI here today bookings for Etios sedan would begin on December 1 with delivery to start from January 1. Singh declined to talk about the price of Etios before the launch but said the sedan would compete with the likes of Swift Dzire and Tata Manza and the hatchback with Hyundai i20, Maruti Swift, Ford Figo and Polo of Volkswagen. TKM targets to sell 70,000 units of Etios in the first year. "We are very excited about the launch. We are sure the customers will be very happy. Reviews of auto journalists are very, very good," Singh added. — PTI
	What ails hospitality industry in Amritsar? Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 28 Short stay of tourists and high number of unrecognized lodges and guest houses are causing low-occupancy blues to the recognised players in the hospitality industry. As many as 13 hotels, with a proposed investment of Rs 715.76 crore, have either stopped their activities midway, or not responding to the repeated queries of the Department of Industries and Commerce, which is entrusted with the task of keeping the records of mega projects in the hospitality industry with an investment of Rs 5 crore and above. On the other hand, six hotels, including a five-star, with a proposed investment of Rs 362.50 crore are under construction. Many of them are running behind their schedule. Hoteliers are thus keeping their fingers crossed to study the unfolding of the events. Almost all of them have acquired lands while some of them have abandoned their project midway. Six hotels, including a five-star deluxe property , were raised here with a total investment of Rs 232.36 crore over five years. Even as an array of hotels, high-end to low-budget, have come up but they are incurring losses due to low occupancy rate as the pilgrims and tourists visiting the holy city from across the globe shirk from staying overnight. General secretary, Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association, affiliated to the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association India, AP Singh Chatha claimed that barring six days in a year, the occupancy rate did not exceed 40 per cent. Hoteliers feel that a deluge of hotels, mushrooming of illegal lodges and stay houses in the walled city was another potent reason contributing to availability of rooms to surpass the demand.
	Sibal may look into appointments of BSNL, MTNL chiefs Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 29 There is good news for the employee unions of the two public sector telecom companies, BSNL and MTNL, as their demand for a review of the appointments the companies’ CMD may finally come through. Reports suggest that the new Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal may review the two top appointments in view of the allegations of the eligibility norms being changes by the former minister A Raja and his aide RK Chandolia. The employee unions of the PSUs had alleged that the eligibility norms had been changed to ensure that Telecommunications Consultants India (TCIL) CMD RK Upadhyay became BSNL chief and Kuldip Singh MTNL chief. The move comes as the employees unions had also moved the Delhi High Court in connection with the appointments. The Delhi High Court, earlier this month had sought the Centre’s stand on alleged irregularities in the appointment of CMDs of BSNL and MTNL. It also sent notices to RK Upadhyay and Kuldeep Singh after the telecom watchdog and employee unions from the PSU jointly moved the court seeking quashing of the appointment procedure. Incidentally Chandolia is also under probe from both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum scam, which forced Raja to resign as telecoms minister. The employees unions have alleged that the selection process was in violation of the recommendations of the prime minister appointed Sam Pitroda committee. While suggesting that the telecoms ministry must not interfere in day-to-day working of PSU, it had also said that the telcos must have separate posts of chairman and managing director. The PSU’s employee unions also allege that while over 170 executives had applied for the post of BSNL chief, Raja and Chandolia ensured that only 12 people were called for an interview and that too on a Sunday, when the head of the selection panel, the cabinet secretary, was not present. The next day, on October 4, five short-listed candidates were taken to the cabinet and Upadhyay and Kuldip Singh were selected for the posts of BSNL and MTNL respectively, the unions say.
	Old GSM operators gained most in spectrum policy: Tatas New Delhi, November 29 Tata Teleservices has said it has been denied extra spectrum even as the old GSM operators like Bharti, Vodafone and Idea have been allocated excess spectrum in many circles though there isn't much difference in subscription base of the Tata group company and other three. In a recent presentation to the government, Tata Teleservices (TTSL) has pointed out that old GSM players like Vodafone, Bharti, Idea and Aircel have been allocated 43.8 Mhz of spectrum between 2003 and 2008 for free of cost. Vodafone today stated that all allocation have been made as per the government's policy linking with the subscriber base of each operator. TTSL said that ‘in many circles, TTSL has been allocated only a maximum of 4.4 MHz of GSM spectrum, whereas other incumbent operators were allocated much higher spectrum, some times more than twice, for a similar subscriber base’. According to information submitted by TTSL to the telecom ministry, in Tamil Nadu, Bharti holds 8.6 Mhz of spectrum for over 56.17 lakh subscribers, Vodafone holds 7.2 Mhz for 55.52 lkah user base and Aircel has been given 9.8 Mhz for 56.52 lakh subscribers. Whereas TTSL has been allocated only 4.4 Mhz for having equal or more (56.5 lakh) users. Similarly in Mumbai, Bharti and Vodafone have been given 9.2 Mhz and 10.0 Mhz spectrum respectively vis-a-vis only 4.4 Mhz of spectrum to TTSL for similar number of user base. — PTI
	Nestle plans more investments in Moga Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service Moga, November 29 Nestle India plans to accelerate investments in India and set up green-field facilities. The board of directors has reviewed its financing strategy and plans to expand facilities at Moga in Punjab and Samalkha in Haryana. It is also considering three other places in the country. The company has invested Rs 450 crore this year taking the total capital investments over the last three years to Rs 650 crore. The company has seven factories and more than 5,000 employees. Nestle would continue to invest in brands and distribution capabilities, while accelerating investment in capacities to provide consumers a range of products from popular products for low-income consumers to premium offerings. Nestle has also planned a diabetes research unit for setting up a specialised business unit to develop personalized nutrition products to treat/prevent diabetes by recently roping in National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation to study the specifics and patterns of diabetes prevalence in the country, sources said. The company provides a reliable market to small-scale farmers by sourcing milk and providing technical support to as many as 85,000 dairy farmers in the Moga district and adjoining areas in Punjab contributing to the continued success of white revolution in the state. Nestle India’s net sales in 2009 were Rs 5,129 crore with 18.6 per cent growth. In the first nine months of this year, it achieved 21 per cent growth, with net sales of over Rs 4,500 crore.