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Wednesday,
January 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Cabinet approves Auto Fuel Policy
India can’t stop globalisation: Swraj
Hughes scouts for partners for Spaceway
Videocon joins race for Dabhol |
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Hero Honda net up 90 pc
Border tension hits Haryana industry
Puncom unveils GSM-WLL plans
Compaq Computer to post profit
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Cabinet approves Auto Fuel Policy New Delhi, January 8 The decision will lead to an investment of almost Rs 17,000 crore by the oil industry. The Cabinet at its meeting here today also decided to authorise the ministries/departments concerned to take steps for implementation of the recommendations made by the committee. The committee headed by Dr R A Mashelkar, Director General, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, which submitted its report to the government on January 1, 2002, had recommended that Bharat Stage-II (Euro-II) norms, at present in force in four metros, should be introduced in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad by end-2003 and the entire country from April 1, 2005. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan told reporters after the Cabinet meeting here that Euro-III equivalent emission norms for all categories of vehicles (excluding two and three wheelers) should be introduced in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad from April 1, 2004, and extended to other parts of the country from 2010, Mahajan said. “The choice of fuel and vehicular technology will be left to owners and operators of vehicles with government prescribing only the vehicular standards,” the minister said. The report said the government should provide fiscal benefits to the domestic oil and auto industry as investments of up to Rs 35,000 crore and Rs 25,000 crore would be required to be made by these sectors, respectively, to upgrade the facilities and technology to meet the Euro-III emission norms. Outlining a road map for the implementation of the future vehicular emission norms and auto fuel quality, the report said the government should encourage usage of altertative fuels like CNG, LPG, ethanol and electricity. The report said the government should provide R&D support to increase the use of such fuels while giving the option of fuel and vehicles to the users. The recommended Euro-II and Euro-III emission norms and auto fuel quality along with other measures would help to achieve the desired air quality in major cities of the country. Meanwhile encouraged by the success rate of Lok Adalats in settling 1.4 crore cases in the last 10 year, the Cabinet also decided to give greater powers to these courts to handle disputes relating to public utility services barring banking and railways. For the purpose the Cabinet approved the introduction of the Legal Services Authorities (Amendment) Bill, 2001, in Parliament to insert a new chapter in a 1987 act. With this, Lok Adalats would have powers to decide cases on merit if parties fail to arrive at a settlement or compromise, Mr Mahajan said. The Lok Adalats would also be able to settle disputes relating to transport, telecom, insurance, water, power and sanitation among others. |
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India can’t stop globalisation: Swraj Panaji, January 8 Addressing reporters at the Raj Bhawan here today, Lord Paul said “globalisation, once accepted by the country was the matter of how to make the best use of it”. “Even if we fight hard we cannot stop globalisation,” he felt. Asked for his views on permitting entry of the print media in the country, the India-born chairman of Caparo Group of Companies said he had no personal views on the issue. However, he said “after allowing visual media it is crazy not to allow print media. I am in favour of complete globalisation. I think we should open up everything”. Lord Paul said the industrial climate in India was reasonably good and the country was also a good place for investment but not on top as compared to some other places. “It is the failure of Indian government’s ability to make use of NRI strength. It is not the other way round,” he felt. Every government was making efforts to come out of the present phase of recession, he said, adding, “recession, in my view, is very necessary to bring down to earth people especially businessmen”. Charging the “lobby of vested interests” for tardy implementation of the reform process, Lord Paul said “although the reform process was fairly good the implementation was slow. However, the government including the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was sincerely committed to it”. He blamed corruption as the single element which was keeping the country down and underlined the need for the press to forcefully expose those indulging in corrupt practices. On his views on the demand from some quarters for dual citizenship, lord paul said “I am as much an Indian as British. It does not make any difference to me”. It was an “unnecessary diversion”, he said, adding, it was for the Government of India to take a decision on the issue.
PTI |
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Rates of long distance calls to crash further New Delhi, January 8 Use of Internet phones is prevalent in the country but is against the law. “But the law is inadequate and difficult to function in a country like India,” Secretary, Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) Amitabh Singhal told UNI. Once it is legalised those currently using voice over the Net will have to pay much more. Today the user in India only pays the equivalent of a local charge while using voice in the Net. “The price would be somewhere near the current International Long Distance charges, which too will have to come down by at least 40 per cent,” Mr Singhal said. In China the rates have come down from 60 cents to three cents. ISPAI, which advocates the legalising of net telephony, has said that all service providers offering this facility must be obligated to pay revenue sharing license fee which is in consonance with the government policy for all voice licences. Mr Singhal said, “No entry fee should be charged from the service providers offering Internet telephony since there is no exclusivity in offering such services”. He said Internet Telephony Services should be allowed to be offered by all existing telecom service operators by suitably modifying the scope of services spelled out in their respective licences. Managing Director and CEO of Satyam Infoway Limited , R. Ramaraj said technology should not be held back. In most of the countries, voice over the net is legal. “Anybody with a telecom license should be allowed to operate the service,” he said. Moreover all operators must give a part of their revenue as access fund, he added.
UNI |
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Hughes scouts for partners for Spaceway New Delhi, January 8 “In addition to North America we will have systems in Europe, Asia and Latin America. We are trying to line up partners in Asia Pacific but we do not intend to fund those systems entirely... We hope to have a financing structure in place in the next six to nine months,” Pradman Kaul, Chairman and CEO of Hughes Network Systems told reporters here. The company expected to have a system operational in Asia Pacific by end 2004. “It is very clear that in the satellite space, to go to other parts of the world, one must have local partners. Spaceway Asia Pacific would need partners from three or four countries,” he said, adding that the Asian investment requirement would be pegged at about $ 700 million. Asked about the profile of companies that Hughes would target as local partners, he said, “these will be telecom service providers.” Elaborating on the investments that would come into India through various Hughes companies, Kaul said: Hughes Escorts Communication’s (HECL) investment for Directway service would be pegged at $ 10 million. On the Hughes-Tata Teleservices proposed merger of basic telephony operations, Kaul said, “We are in active negotiations. We are negotiating the definitive agreement and making good progress. We hope to close it during the next 30 days.”
PTI |
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Videocon joins race for Dabhol New Delhi, January 8 When contacted, Chairman of Videocon Group V.N. Dhoot told PTI “we are interested. We will place bids for Dabhol soon.” Dhoot, however, did not comment on whether the company had communicated its intent to Enron-promoted Dabhol Power Company (DPC), financial institutions or Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB). While BSES and Tata Power had put in their Expression of Interest (EoI) for acquiring the 85 per cent offshore equity in the 2,184 MW power project and 5.5 million tonnes LNG import and regassification facilities in November, GAIL joined the race earlier this month. However, Tata Power and BSES are yet to sign a confidentiality agreement with DPC to carry out a detailed due diligence of the project. GAIL has appointed KPMG as its consultants for acquisition of the offshore equity, for which Enron had put a price tag of $ 1.2 billion.
PTI |
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Hero Honda net up 90 pc
New Delhi, January 8 The company’s total turnover — sales turnover and other incomes —for the period has risen sharply by 40 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last year. It achieved a sales turnover of Rs 3209.93 crore for the first nine months of the financial year 2001-02 (April-December 2001), demonstrating a growth of 39 per cent over Rs 2316.84 crore turnover for the corresponding period last year. Profit after tax registered a significant growth of Rs 310.37 crores from Rs 190.75 crore, an increase of 63 per
cent. The profit before tax has also gone up from Rs 287.92 crore to Rs 476.09 crore registering an increase of 65 per
cent. UNI |
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Border tension hits Haryana industry Chandigarh, January 8 According to the Chairman of the Haryana Exporters Association, Dr N.C. Jain, the sufferings of the handloom industry in Panipat, the hand tools industry in Faridabad, the scientific and medical instruments industry in Ambala, the agricultural implements industry in Karnal and the rice industry in the state, which had been in the grip of a recession for the past two years, have been further compounded by the tension between India and Pakistan. Mr Jain told TNS yesterday that foreign buyers were avoiding coming to the state. The USA, Canada, France and the UK had virtually stopped importing goods from Haryana. The West Asian countries too had slowed down the placing of orders, perhaps with a prejudiced mind. The association had approached the Haryana Export Promotion Board to find out ways to help the exporting units. |
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Puncom unveils GSM-WLL plans Chandigarh, January 8 The system being developed by Puncom would work in 400 MHz band covering the 100-120 km range. BSNL has also nominated Puncom on the committee constituted to finalise specifications for the 400 GSM WLL long range system. During their visit, the Minister was acquainted with Puncom’s position which it has acquired in the Indian telecom market based on its technological and production strength of manufacturing 42 type approved products. Mr Dhaliwal showed keen interest in Puncom’s state-of-the art Surface Mount Technology production line. He was told that Puncom is fully equipped to manufacture any complex electronic equipment and is willing to take up manufacture work for various Canadian companies. Mr Dhaliwal assured that he would act as a catalyst in furthering technological tie-up and co-operation between Puncom and Canadian telecom companies like Nortel, etc. |
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PNB housing loan Sealoflex Citizen watch Lipton India Wockhardt IT returns BHEL bags award Ranbaxy Lab |
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