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Tuesday,
September 3, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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BSNL announces cellular services in Oct
Car,
bike exports up 59.5 pc
Migrant vs local labour
Drought puts Asian wheat market up for grabs |
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Gulf Oil Corpn net at Rs 7.70 crore Selloff panel report on Sept 20
WB to finance $ 450 m roads project in UP
Infosys centre in Australia
Wipro ups stake in Spectramind
Madura launches jeans wear
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BSNL announces cellular services in Oct New Delhi, September 2 “The roll-out for the network is scheduled for Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 by which time all the state capitals in the country should get connected by BSNL’s cellular network”, Minister of Communication and Information Technology Pramod Mahajan told newspersons here today. While the post-paid network will operate under the brand name Cellone, the pre-paid service has been branded as Excel. Mr Mahajan said that by December this year 850 more cities will be connected and by April next year another 150 cities will come under the CellOne and Excel service network. “Irrespective of whether it makes business sense or not, I believe that by April 1, 2003, there will be not one district centre in the country which will not be covered by Cellone”, Mr Mahajan said. This will be no mean achievement in the sense that no existing cellular operator can boast of emulating the same network coverage, he said. While the coverage in the North-East and Jammu and Kashmir may not be achieved in the immediate future as the necessary security clearances only recently, Mr Mahajan said that all areas in these regions will eventually covered by the network. On Wireless in Local Loop (WiLL), he said that by next September every SDCA will have limited mobility. The Minister also launched the Meghdoot post card brought out by the Department of Posts. The Meghdoot postcard is priced at 25 paise and will carry
advertisement on the reverse as a revenue generating exercise. The Minister said that by December the mobile postman or “Grameen sanchar sewak” project will be launched. For this purpose electronics company LG is manufacturing a special WiLL phone. The project will initially cover 2000 post offices spreading across 10,000 villages. |
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Car, bike exports up 59.5 pc New Delhi, September 2 The total exports jumped 59.5 per cent to 83,785 units during April-July, 2002-03, from 52,527 units a year ago, data compiled by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers showed. Notwithstanding a negative growth in the domestic market, car exports soared 49.4 per cent year-on-year to 19,383 units from 12,973 units. Ford India posted a 43.4 per cent rise by shipping 12,179 completely knocked down (CKD) kits of its mid-size car Ikon. Maruti Udyog recorded a 68.5 per cent jump at 5,078 units on the back of good sales of the Alto hatchback in Europe. Hyundai Motor also witnessed a 21.1 per cent rise at 1,636 cars while that of Tata Engineering shot up over seven times to 469 units. Exports of General Motors India, however, tumbled 64 per cent to mere nine units from 25 units last year. In the utility vehicles segment, exports dipped 49 per cent to 417 units with Tata Engineering and Telco posting drop of 61.7 and 30.5 per cent to 229 and 109 units. However, Mahindra and Mahindra and Bajaj Tempo saw a rise of 26.5 and 14.2 per cent to 62 and 16 units. Commercial vehicles extended their fine run in the domestic market to the overseas markets too by posting a 16 per cent rise in exports at 3,079 vehicles. While exports of medium and heavy (M&H) vehicles zoomed 89.5 per cent to 1,325 units, that of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) fell by 10.2 per cent to 1,754 units during April-July this year. M&H goods carriers rose by 61.4 per cent to 591 units, led by Tata Engineering and Ashok Leyland’s growth of 63.2 and 21.6 per cent to 289 and 230 units. Exports of M&H passenger carriers’ also went up by 120.4 per cent to 734 units due to good performance by Tata Engineering and Ashok Leyland. LCV passenger carriers raced ahead by 270 per cent despite a 58.8 per cent dip in exports of Eicher Motors. But, LCV goods carriers performed poorly due to 40 and 23 per cent drop at 860 and 80 units by Tata Engineering and Swaraj Mazda. Exports of motor cycle surged 132.8 per cent to 35,214 units during the review period with Bajaj Auto recording an over three times rise to 13,950 units. Yamaha Motor India and Hero Honda posted a 158.2 and 41.8 per cent increase to 11,510 and 6,936 units. Mopeds exports also rose by 7.5 per cent to 6,779 units. Exports of scooters, however, dived 22.1 per cent to 8,199 units due to negative growth by Bajaj Auto, Kinetic Motor Company and Kinetic Engineering. Bajaj suffered a 55.5 per cent dip at 1,921 units while Kinetic Motor declined 80.3 per cent to 288 scooters. Exports of Kinetic Engineering fell by 78.1 per cent to 70 units. Three-wheeler exports went up by 173.1 per cent to 10,549 units due to improved show by Bajaj Auto and Piaggio Vehicles.
PTI |
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Migrant vs local labour Chandigarh, September 2 The main grouse of the local labour is that a large army of migrant labour, estimated to be more than 25 lakh, has reduced the employment opportunities and prospects of the local labour, the level of wages and living and working conditions. This is because migrants have been found to be docile, willing to work on lower wages and accept poor working conditions. Mercifully, there is no major strain in the relationship between the two but heart-burning remains. No wonder, even the urban slums owe their existence as much to the labour force as government apathy. This has taken a heavy toll of urban settlements, where civic amenities remain woefully inadequate. Most of Punjab’s small towns with 0.10 million population and corporation towns stink to heavens. Migration is neither new nor an unknown phenomenon. It is as old as the industrial revolution itself. Several studies on different aspects of migratory labour have been conducted in the state and elsewhere. The latest is on ‘“Migrant labour and the trade union movement in Punjab — a case study of the sugar industry’”. It is by Dr Krishan Chand, a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development here. Dr Krishan Chand told TNS today that sugar industry is one of the important agro-based industry, directly employing about 15,000-20,000 persons, mostly seasonal labour (only about one-third is regularly employed), a majority of whom are migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. But there is a fair sprinkling of migrant labour in sugar mills from as far as Kerala, West Bengal, and as near as the next door Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Average stay of migrant labour in this industry is four to five months. Punjab has 23 sugar mills out of which 16 are in the cooperative sector. The trade unionism in sugar industry is not very strong but on occasions it has made its presence felt and procured for the labour some monetary benefits (wages, allowances, bonus etc) and improved working conditions. The unions primarily dealt with economic issues of the labour. A lot needs to be done about labour that cramps into small shanty hutment, four or five to a small room. Interestingly, despite presence of some strong labour unions most of the conflicts and problems in Punjab still get solved through adjudication. The local labour, as such, has no quarrel with migrants. But one message is clear to both sides, no stoppage of work, which otherwise could lead to estrangement with farmers. Whatever one may say, Dr Krishan Chand concludes that there is no dispute over wages that a migrant or a local labourer gets. Yet, there are several aspects that need to be studied in respect of migration and industrial relations. |
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Drought puts Asian wheat market up for grabs FEARS by big Asian flour mills that they will not be able to get enough wheat to put bread on dinner tables is suddenly opening the huge Asian market for the first time to eager distant suppliers. Drought has hit simultaneously in Australia, the US and Canada, main traditional wheat suppliers to Asia. These countries are cutting export availability and driving up prices. “This year Pakistan and India are taking over Australia”, a trader in Hanoi told Reuters of Vitenam’s wheat buying plans. This is just one small part of an unprecedented Asia-wide swing to import wheat, often for the first time, from countries such as France, Poland, Ukraine, Argentina, India and Pakistan. Some mills even hope to buy from China, despite its promise to the World Trade Organisation that it would import wheat, “This is a great chance for new suppliers to present their case in front of Asian buyers,” a regional grains trader said. Many hoped to forge long-term relationships, if prices and quality were good enough. Many were also undercutting traditional exporters, hit by rising drought-driven prices, he said. French wheat is presently trading at $20 a tonne less than US wheat. India is offering wheat at around $103, including cost and freight C&F to Southeast Asia, Ukraine is offering at around $97 C&F to South Korea while Poland is offering wheat at less than $ 100 C&F, traders said. The landed cost of any grade of Australian, US or Canadian wheat in any Asian destination would be over $ 160 a tonne, they said. The battle is for the biggest wheat import market in the world. In 2000-01, Asia as a whole, from Pakistan to Philippines, imported 18.5 m tonnes of wheat. Main suppliers to this huge market were the big three of the world wheat trade, the US, which exported a total of 28.9 m tonnes, Canada, which exported 17.5 m tonnes, and Australia which exported 16.6 m tonnes. This year the three nations are producing abysmal crops. The Australian crop has been slashed to 15.5-17.5 m tonnes, its lowest since the El Nino drought year of 1994-95 and around 30 per cent down on last year. The Canadian crop has been cut to 15.5 m tonnes, the lowest since ‘74 and down 25 per cent on the previous year. The US crop is headed for around 45 m tonnes, down by around 11 per cent and the smallest in 30 years. A Reuters survey of major Asian flour mills and import agencies this week has shown: South Korean flour millers are testing French wheat before jointly importing from France for the first time. Philippine flour millers are considering buying wheat from Argentina, France and Poland to counter rising prices from traditional suppliers — Australia, Canada and the US. Indonesia’s big PT Bogasari Flour Mills is seeking wheat from Easterm Europe, including Poland, from former Soviet countries, including Ukraine, and from Argentina and China. “There is a chance that France will become a major exporter to new destinations this year, particularly in Asia,” an analyst in Paris said. “The market is totally changing.” The exception is Japan. Always jittery about food supplies, Japan pays top prices for assured tonnages of wheat. An official with the government backed Japan Food Agency said the drought would not change Japan’s pattern of importing Australian, Canadian and US wheat. “We don’t expect any disruption in wheat supply, as Japan has long been a key export market for the countries,” he said. India and China are wild cards in the Asian wheat pack. Many Asian buyers want Indian wheat but fear increased prices for exporters by the Food Corporation of India is designed to cut exports as drought deepens — despite assurance by Indian Food Minister Sharad Yadav that exports would not be curbed. Reuters |
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Gulf Oil Corpn net at Rs 7.70 crore Mumbai, September 2 The total turnover for the year ended March 31, 2002, was Rs 252.51 crore, a Gulf Oil release said. The IDL division, engaged in mining, manufacturing and marketing of commercial explosives and initiating devices and the lubricants division (erstwhile Gulf Oil India) reported a turnover of Rs 200.92 crore and sales of Rs 51.59 crore. The release said the figures were not comparable with the previous year as the erstwhile Gulf Oil India Limited was merged with IDL Industries Limited on January 1, 2002. Therefore, the current results announced
incorporate the financial performance of the last 12 months of the IDL division and three months of the lubricants division (erstwhile Gulf Oil India Limited). The company has declared a dividend of Rs 3 per share to all shareholders on members’ register as on the book closure date. The company also announced the unaudited first quarter results for the current year. In the first quarter, the turnover was Rs 85.14 crore as against Rs 40.65 crore in the previous year. The operating profit was Rs 4.61 crore as against Rs 1.43 crore reported last year. The net profit was Rs 3.89 crore as against Rs 1.35 crore in the previous year.
UNI |
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Selloff panel report on Sept 20
Chandigarh, September 2 Today’s meeting was the third in the series of prolonged discussions, which began on August 31, on the several points raised by about 20 PSUs and by the one-man Chattha Committee against the Commission’s recommendations for disinvestment, official sources in the Department of Industry told UNI here. Disinvestment Commission chairman P.H. Vaishnav said the representations made against the disinvestment by about 20 PSUs, were discussed at length continuously for three days.
UNI |
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PU business school gets 16th rank Chandigarh, September 2 Dr Manoj K. Sharma, Coordinator, Placement Cell, at a press conference held here today, said the institute has been ranked among top 10 institutes of the country on criteria like infrastructure and intellectual capital. Another survey conducted by Business Today magazine in collaboration with Cosmode had, however, placed it at the 25th rank on the basis of market performance and internal capability. It has noted that 52 companies approached the institute and the average salary offered to the students was Rs 2.40 lakh per annum. The findings of the “Outlook” survey, published in the latest issue noted that UBS had revamped its curriculum and increased financial flexibility, with student bodies are empowered to utilise funds. Dr Sharma claimed that due to efforts of the faculty and hard work of students, UBS had gained the position. He said,‘‘Despite downward trends in placement of students in all management institutes, our students have been employed by big companies like HDFC Bank, ICICI, Bharti Mobile and LG Electronics at a salary of Rs 3 to 6 lakh annually.’’ Mr Apoorva Bakshi, member of the placement cell, observed that the institute was among the best management institutes, which provided a chance to specialise in Human Resource Management, International Business Management, Marketing and Finance at a much lower fee. |
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WB to finance $ 450 m roads project in UP New Delhi, September 2 Mr Bagga said that as many as 227 road and infrastructure projects have already received a feasibility clearance signal of which 15 have been tendered out whereas the remaining are open for private investment. On the power situation in UP, Mr Bagga said the transmission and distribution losses will be brought down to tolerance levels within a year. Mr Arun Kapoor, President, PHDCCI said that with the renewed thrust on correcting fiscal situation, the state would be able to come out of the current problems. |
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Infosys centre in Australia Bangalore, September 2 The centre, the first for the region, was initially expected to create more than 100 jobs, Chairman and chief mentor of the Nasdaq-listed company N.R. Narayana Murthy said in a statement. It would be integrated with other Infosys development centres located in the USA, Europe and India, Murthy said. “Today’s announcement, part of a multi-dimensional investment initiative by Infosys, is a significant milestone for the company and symbolic of its continued commitment to the region and association with the Victoria state government,” he said.
PTI |
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Wipro ups stake in Spectramind
Bangalore According to a Wipro release here, the American Express’ stake in Spectramind, comprised equity shares and warrants to the tune of Rs 17 crore, will now be owned by Wipro under the agreement. With the agreement, Wipro’s aggregate interest in Spectramind eServices will be approximately 92 per cent of all outstanding equity shares, which represents 81 per cent of the company on a fully diluted basis, the release added.
UNI |
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Ruchi group Dharampur Sugar DIY-tool kit TCI gets ISO 9001 Templeton Neelam cycles Tanishq Central Bank Eicher Tractors Volvo sales |
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