 |
|
Reforms to
continue, PM tells industry Oil price
revision after OPEC meeting Govt may infuse
Rs 200 cr in Exim Bank PowerGrid to
start rural electrification Telecom
snippets
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indian ISPs block
communal site Graphic: Destination
India
HP launches dual processor
module
|
|
Reforms to continue, PM tells industry New Delhi, May 27 “There will be continuity in the reforms programme. The policies will be FDI-friendly and the overall approach will be to encourage greater value creation. The government wants to see a vibrant capital market in the country through an environment which will encourage foreign investor institutions,” Dr Singh told a CII delegation which called on him here today. The Prime Minister said he wanted to make the life of the common man easier and hassle-free. “The same philosophy will apply to the corporate sector,” he said. The Prime Minister said his government would focus on greater professionalism, higher usage of technology and enhanced efficiency in the nationalised banks. On the interest rates, he said a pragmatic approach was called for, which would encourage savings as well as make industry efficient. Dr Singh said another priority of the government would be to revitalise the rural areas. He urged the corporate sector to play a key role in enhancing rural development through improved connectivity by way of roads, information and communications technology and marketing inputs.
|
|
Industry representatives, who were quite worried about the drastic policy announcements in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the United Progressive Alliance under the influence of Leftist parties, felt relieved today. The government has assured the industry that it would continue with the economic reforms. Terming the CMP as progressive and forward looking, industrial chambers have expressed hope that it would help sustain higher socio-economic growth. “The CMP is an honest attempt to blend social priorities with policies, aimed at sustaining higher rate of growth,” PHDCCI President Ravi Wig said. Assocham President M. K. Sanghi said, “the proposed National Employment Guarantee Act is a step in the right direction but difficult to implement till bold measures are taken to make labour laws flexible and make the entire agriculture sector economically viable through various means like corporatisation, leasing land and promoting GM food.”
|
|
Oil price revision after OPEC meeting New Delhi, May 27 The meeting is likely to take a decision to cool off international crude oil prices, which are currently ruling at all-time high over the past five months. The USA, European and other developed countries are pressing upon the OPEC countries to increase production to curb oil prices, now touching $41 per barrel. Expressing concern over the impact of the rising oil prices on Indian oil companies, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Panchayti Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar said, “The government will wait for the outcome of OPEC ministers’ meeting on June 3 before considering any price revision. We will come up with a new price mechanism soon.” He was talking to mediapersons after presenting “Awards of Excellence” to oil companies He said, “before the increase in oil prices, we will have to see whether the current higher international price is a transitional phenomenon or a permanent one. The government may review import duty on oil prices to assure affordable price of petrol and diesel to common public.” He indicated that government may not increase kerosene and LPG prices keeping in view of its commitment for the common man in the Common Minimum Programme of the United Progressive Alliance announced today. He said, “we are in favour of providing autonomy to the oil companies but they will have to behave as socially responsible corporates.”
|
|
Govt may infuse Rs 200 cr in Exim Bank
New Delhi, May 27 “The bank has a capital base of Rs 650 crore and the government is likely to infuse another Rs 200 crore during the financial year 2004-05,” Exim Bank Chairman T C Venkat Subramanian told PTI here. The NDA government had agreed to infuse additional capital last fiscal. The bank had now to take up the matter with the new Congress-led government. Official sources said the proposal might be approved as it will increase Exim Bank’s capital base to Rs 850 crore by March 31, 2005, enabling it to borrow more funds from domestic and international markets and step up lending to exporters.
— PTI
|
|
PowerGrid to start rural electrification New Delhi, May 27 Addressing a press conference here today, Mr R. P. Singh, Chairman, PowerGrid, said it had already set up its 100 per cent subsidiary for rural electrification to provide access to power in 23,000 villages in Bihar at Rs 184 crore. He said now onwards the subsidiary would work in tandem with the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) in Jharkand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Goa.
|
|
Telecom snippets
Mumbai, May 27 “This tie-up will enable us to put up a world class state-of-the-art network, with wider coverage and enhance service quality, apart from providing economies of scale and improved cash flows,” Bharti Tele-Ventures President (Mobility) Manoj Kohli told reporters here today. Under the three-year deal, the companies would build and manage a mega network, which would service the communication needs of over one million existing customers in its three existing circles, Mumbai, Maharashtra and Goa and Gujarat, and two new circles, Bihar and Orissa. Under the agreement, Nokia would also take over 100 employees from Bharti and deploy Enhanced Data Rate for Global Evolution (EDGE) technology, voice enhancers and dual band networks across Airtel circles on a need basis, Chowdhary said. This would result in Nokia deploying up to five times the current network capacity in the next 24 months in the five circles that Bharti operates, he added
PowerGrid
The 20,000-km of optic fibre telecom network over PowerGrid’s transmission will be commissioned next month. Executed at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore, the network will provide a robust highway of telecommunication at an affordable cost with ultra-modern and eco-friendly implementation techniques. “At least 13,000 km are already
operationalised, rest of the network will be operational by 2004-05,” Chairman and Managing Director of PowerGrid Corporation R. P. Singh said today. He said commercial operations have already begun on existing links: Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Shimla, Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Lucknow-Mumbai-Ahmedabad.
Tata Indicomm
Tata Indicomm today announced the launch of Push-To-Talk service in India, which allows users to connect with each other by the press of a single button on their Push-To-Talk capable handsets. Built on Qualcomm’s BrewChat technology, Push-To-Talk has features of a walkie-talkie and provides fast connection between individuals or even groups, a company statement here said. Initially, the service is being offered to corporates and will be later rolled out for mass consumers.
— PTI, UNI
|
|
Indian ISPs block communal site Mumbai, May 27 Among those that have blocked access to the site include
VSNL, MTNL, broadband operators like Pacenet and others. According to the sources here, the blocks have been in place since the beginning of this month. “Under the law, the government may order ISPs to install firewalls to block access to objectionable sites,” says a spokesperson for
Pacenet. According to state government sources here, the decision to block the Website was taken after Muslim groups complained about remarks against the minorities featured on the site. However ISPs have been unable to effectively block these sites and access was possible through proxy servers. The contents of the site include communal illustrations and the will of Nathuram
Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. The copy hits out at Indians for selling out the country by voting out the National Democratic Alliance government and voting in the coalition government headed by the Congress. According to the Website, HinduUnity is an organisation run by Rohit
Vyasmaan, a Bajrang Dal activist in the USA. An angry Vyasmaan sent messages to media outlets here saying blocks were attempts to destroy
Hinduism. Vyasmaan who has been linked with extremist Jewish organisations in the past has also posted links to graphic videos featuring the beheading of journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan. Incidentally, the site has been shut down in the US in the past. The site’s host in the US shut it down in 2001 forcing Vyasmaan and associates to look for alternatives.
|
bb
SMS 333 for Class X results Exporters’ card UTI Bank stake Morepen drug OBC bonds Chola fund |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Video
