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Zia clarifies his timing of declaration of independence

What Mujib Said

Jyoti Basu is dead

Dr.BR Ambedkar

Memories of Another day

Memories of Another day
While my Parents Pulin babu and Basanti Devi were living

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Trade policy: Govt continues incentiv...

Trade policy: Govt continues incentives, eyes high growth.

After Nilekani, another Bangalorean makes it to Delhi



Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, chapter 351

Palash Biswas




















India and climate change talks

India and climate change talks


If emitters were to take mitigation, they could achieve reductions without denying poor in India prospects of humane existence.



'Insurance firms must control costs' 


Growth in LIC industry
has come to a grinding halt after years of high double-digit growth. S
B Mathur speaks about the challenges for the sector.


Tax code is unfair to the salaried 


Unable to curb large-scale tax evasion, the I-T department has been eyeing soft targets like salary earners for many years now.




http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinionshome/897228639.cms


ET: Business, Financial, India Stock Market NewsMarkets



Broader indices trading flat; smallcap up about 1%

Broader indices trading flat; smallcap up about 1%Broader indices trading flat; smallcap up about 1%
Duration: 01:25
Posted: 27 Aug, 2009, 1211 hrs ISThrs IST



Markets open in red; Sensex down 48 points

Markets open in red; Sensex down 48 pointsMarkets open in red; Sensex down 48 points
Duration: 01:34
Posted: 27 Aug, 2009, 1011 hrs ISThrs IST



Markets close: Sensex ends choppy session higher

Markets close: Sensex ends choppy session higherMarkets close: Sensex ends choppy session higher
Duration: 01:22
Posted: 26 Aug, 2009, 1604 hrs ISThrs IST
















Bloodshed in bandh final hour














Ranchi, Aug. 26:
A villager playing police guide was killed and a CRPF jawan injured
when a squad of rebels led by sub-zonal commander Kundan Pahan ambushed
a 38-member security party in Bundu barely an hour before the 48-hour
CPI(Maoist) bandh drew to an end last night.





Deputy
superintendent of police (DSP), Hatia, Rajeev Ranjan, who survived the
attack, said police and CRPF personnel were returning from Ulida after
a long-range patrol when the rebels struck.





Tired
as they were, the jawans had stopped for some rest at Nawadih Middle
School. The school, nestled between dense forests and hills about 35km
from the capital on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur highway, made them easy
targets.





An
armed squad of 100 rebels surrounded the campus around 11pm and began
firing indiscriminately from semi-automatic rifles. The security
personnel scurried for cover, many taking shelter in classrooms on the
1.8-acre campus.





“Sukhram
Munda, a village youth who was guiding us, was killed in the first hail
of bullets. CRPF jawan Shivshankar Yadav was injured. We took position
in eight classrooms and a gun battle ensued,” Ranjan said, adding that
they exhausted 800 rounds during the encounter that lasted for three
hours.





The
DSP said that the rebels tried to demoralise the force by heckling them
and asking them to surrender. “They kept saying that they had laid
siege to the campus and we could not escape. Pahan himself was
hollering at us,” he added.





Officer
in charge of Lapung police station Kuldeep Toppo, who also survived the
attack, admitted that he had never faced such a tricky situation. “It
was a difficult challenge for us because we had no long-range firearms.
I found myself helpless with a 9mm pistol. The encounter ended only
after reinforcement and anti-landmine vehicles reached the spot. Bundu
sub-divisional police officer Anand Joseph Tigga led the additional
force to the school around 2am. We stayed on the campus till 7am,” he
said.





A
section of police officers said the patrol team had made a strategic
mistake. “It was foolish to use the same route for entry and exit,
besides entering a forested stretch at night,” one of them said not
willing to be named. Senior police superintendent, Ranchi, Praveen
Kumar, however, claimed that the security team had been caught unawares.





CRPF jawan Yadav has been admitted to hospital, where his condition is said to be stable.





 





Top
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090827/jsp/frontpage/story_11413917.jsp







Land shark boot shifts to other foot












Gaffar Mollah in 2006











Calcutta, Aug. 26: The
acrimony of Nandigram and Singur has given way to political harmony in
Vedic Village but for a discordant note from an unexpected quarter.





Neither
the Trinamul Congress nor the CPM has yet raised their voices on the
Vedic Village flare-up and allegations of forcible land acquisition.





On
the other hand, language expected from the usual crusaders for land
rights has flowed from the lips of state home secretary Ardhendu Sen,
known to be an acolyte of chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.





Words
such as “land mafia” and “acquisition at gunpoint” were uttered over
the past few days by Sen, not by Mamata Banerjee or by Abdur Razzak
Mollah, the land and land reforms minister who cast himself as a vocal
critic of the acquisition policy at cabinet meetings and is portrayed
by others as a future contender for bigger responsibilities.





Bengal’s land boot has shifted to the other foot, to the chagrin of some and the mirth of others.





“A lot of big fish are involved… I will speak out when the time is right,” Mollah told The Telegraph today.





If
Mollah is planning to cast his net wide near Vedic Village, he should
hope that his trawling abilities are as poor as the land management
skills of his department. Otherwise, the net is certain to trap both
CPM and Trinamul fish.





Ask
Mrityunjay Gour, a CPM supporter sitting in a party office in
Shikharpur near Vedic Village, the reason for the silence by the key
parties at a time grievances over land acquisition have changed the
political wind.





He
smiles and says: “If the Trinamul leadership or our leaders start
agitating against the project and the project gets scrapped, do you
think people will hold the flags of their parties? All parties have
benefited from the project.”





Gour
supplies sand to construction sites coming up along the road leading to
Vedic Village. The middle-aged man, in white kurta and pyjama, had also
supplied sand when construction was at full swing at the resort. “I got
contracts because I had party connections,” he said.





The
list of beneficiaries does not include CPM cadres alone. Arabul Islam,
Trinamul’s MLA from Bhangar, said his brother Khude Mollah was on Vedic
Village’s payroll.





“Khude
is an employee of Vedic Village. The village authority has employed
around 500 local youths with allegiance to different political parties.
My brother is one of them,’’ the Trinamul MLA said.





Raj
K. Modi, the chief of Vedic Realty, debunked suggestions that the
project showered benefits on those with political connections to ensure
patronage from all sides. “We wanted to give employment opportunities
to local people irrespective of their political affiliations,” Modi
said.





Examples
of beneficiaries with political connections abound in the five mouzas —
Bagu, Shikharpur, Bajetaraf, Uriapara, Uttor Gazipur — around Vedic
Village and adjoining areas.





Dipankar
Naskar, a nephew of Dolly Naskar, the panchayat pradhan of Chandpur
gram panchayat, has bagged the contract to develop an 80-bigha garden
for Vedic Village.





Similarly,
Rahman Molla, 36, has got the contract to supply stone chips for two
years at Vedic Village. Overseeing the unloading of a truck, he
admitted that his father was close to Rabin Mondol, the CPM MLA from
Rajarhat.





“Everyone
knows that I am a Trinamul worker and my aunt is the panchayat
pradhan,” said Dipankar, before getting into his brand-new hatchback
for a business trip to East Midnapore.





“There
is nothing wrong in people giving up their land voluntarily…. But the
problem here is a lot of people had to sell their land under duress and
no political party came to their rescue,” said a schoolteacher.





While
police are looking for Gaffar Mollah, a local tough who had allegedly
coerced people to sell land for the project, the schoolteacher said
several land sharks were active in the area and they had political
patronage.





Trinamul
sources said Mamata was apprehensive that an aggressive agitation might
boomerang on her party. “Didi is annoyed with MLA Arabul Islam and has
asked him to keep mum,” said a Trinamul source.





“Party
leaders like Mukul Roy and Subrata Bakshi (the party state president)
have told me to keep shut as the leadership will deal with the CPM’s
mud-slinging against me,’’ Islam said.





CPM
leaders, too, face a similar predicament. Local party leaders conceded
that deep digging would not stand them in good stead. They referred to
a thorny issue: Mollah’s land and land reforms department had agreed to
an out-of-court settlement with the Vedic promoters, bailing them out
of legal complications.





Besides,
the government is also joining hands with Vedic Realty to develop an
integrated IT township over 1,600 acres. “The issue is likely to be
discussed in the party state committee,” said veteran CPM leader Benoy
Konar.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090827/jsp/frontpage/story_11414960.jsp



Sensex quiet; Bharti, Wipro, SBI lead, ITC, ICICI Bank dip



Moneycontrol.com - ‎1 hour ago‎

At 12.00 pm, the Sensex was
quiet in trade. Both the equity benchmarks were trading near their
previous closing values. The Nifty was trying to move towards the 4700
mark but selling at higher levels was putting pressure.






BGR Energy bags Rs 1633-cr power order



Hindu Business Line - ‎54 minutes ago‎

MUMBAI: Power equipment supplier
BGR Energy Systems on Thursday said it has bagged order worth Rs
1633.71 crore for the construction of thermal power project.






Harley-Davidson to sell bikes in India in 2010



Reuters India - Himani Sarkar - ‎20 minutes ago‎

NEW DELHI, Aug 27 (Reuters) -
Harley-Davidson Inc (HOG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) plans to start
selling its motorcycles next year in India, the world's second-largest
market for bikes, the US-based company said on Thursday.






POSCO to start work on delayed Orissa plant in 2010



Reuters India - ‎3 hours ago‎

BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) -
South Korean steelmaker POSCO will start construction early next year
of a $12 billion India project that has been delayed by farmers'
protests, the company president said.






Ambani dispute hurts markets, says Pranab



Financial Express - ‎4 hours ago‎

New Delhi: The ongoing spat
between the Ambani brothers over the pricing of natural gas will
negatively impact domestic capital markets and the larger interests of
industry and government, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said on
Wednesday.






VHP man in the net after raids recover Rs 10cr



Times of India - ‎2 hours ago‎

JAIPUR: Rajasthan's income-tax
department recovered over Rs 10 crore from eight bank lockers of a
stock broker in Jaipur on Tuesday.








Nagarjuna Construction bags orders worth Rs 311 cr



Business Standard - ‎17 minutes ago‎

Nagarjuna Construction Company
Limited secured three new orders worth Rs 311 crore including one for
Rs 182 crore from Osmanabad Municipal Council for augmentation of the
water supply scheme and has to be completed in 18 months.






Religare reiterates Buy on Aban Offshore with target of Rs 2004



Economic Times - ‎28 minutes ago‎

MUMBAI: Religare Securities has
reiterated its 'Buy' recommendation on Aban Offshore with a price
target of Rs 2004. The company recently announced deployment of four of
its seven idle rigs which will bring in revenues worth $695 million.






Infosys, Wipro hit 52-week high on BP deal



Business Standard - ‎15 minutes ago‎

Major IT stocks had gained
significantly during the run-up to a major outsourcing deal worth
$1.5-billion from UK. Indian IT majors Tata Consultancy Services (TCS),
Infosys Technologies and Wipro, besides global IT giants IBM and
Accenture bagged a ...






ICICI reduces rates for new home loans



Times of India - ‎12 hours ago‎

NEW DELHI: The largest private
sector bank, ICICI Bank, launched new home loan schemes at lower
interest rates for new borrowers. Under the new offer, interest rates
for up to Rs 20 lakh is 8.75%.






Bharti, MTN Close in on a Deal



Wall Street Journal - Costas Paris, Se Young Lee - ‎41 minutes ago‎

SINGAPORE -- Bharti Airtel Ltd.
is offering shareholders of South Africa's MTN Group Ltd. roughly $13.1
billion in cash and shares for a 49% stake and the two sides are close
to an agreement, ...






Indian sugar mills contract imports at high prices-paper



Reuters India - Mayank Bhardwaj - ‎3 hours ago‎

NEW DELHI, Aug 27 (Reuters) -
Sugar mills in India's northern parts have contracted imports of
400000-500000 tonnes of raw sugar at $510-$520 per tonne, cost and
freight, the Hindu Business Line newspaper said on Thursday.






Inflation jumps: Will RBI start hiking rates?



Moneycontrol.com - ‎2 hours ago‎

Inflation still seems to be on
an uptick. The wholesale price index (WPI) for week-ended August 15
stood at -0.95% versus -1.53% in the previous week.






Core sector growth slumps to 1.8%



Business Standard - ‎10 hours ago‎

Hopes of a recovery waned today,
with data for output growth of six core industries dropping to 1.8 per
cent in July, the lowest in the current financial year, and
significantly behind a 6.8 per cent growth in June and 5.1 per cent in
July last year.






Cipla to ink patent deal with Chinese partner



Moneycontrol.com - ‎2 hours ago‎

Pharmaceutical major Cipla is
all set to ink a deal with a Chinese partner for a series of off patent
anti-cancer drugs. The drugs are expected to be launched in the next
two years.






RNRL September futures adds 1.31 cr shares



Sify - ‎2 hours ago‎

Chennai: Turnover remained
moderate at Rs 78077.71 crore in the F&O segment on Wednesday. The
Nifty July futures closed at 4680.85 while the September futures closed
at 4691.5 against the spot close of 4680.85.






HC rejects judicial probe into Batla House encounter



Economic Times - ‎10 hours ago‎

NEW DELHI: In a setback to cop
bashers and civil rights alarmists, the Delhi high court on Wednesday
accepted the findings of NHRC giving clean chit to Delhi Police in the
Batla House encounter case and declined to institute a judicial probe.






Passengers to pay airport development fee, rules high court



Sify - ‎13 hours ago‎

The Delhi High Court, while
dismissing a public interest petition, Wednesday ruled that the
collection of airport development fee (ADF) from passengers is not an
irregularity on the part of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).











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After Nilekani, another Bangalorean makes it to Delhi!

After
Infosys top honcho Nandan Nilekani made it to Delhi to take up the
national ID mission, another Bangalorean has made it to a top position
in Delhi.

Founder
of Narayana Hrudayalaya and well-known interventional cardiologist Dr
Devi Shetty has been appointed as member, advisory board of National
Council for Human Resources in Health. The prestigious appointment has
been made by the Union Health Ministry.


The advisory board of
National Council for Human Resources in Health is tasked with
overhauling health care resources in the country and also oversee the
functioning of several regulatory bodies in medical education including
the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Dental Council of India.


Dr
Shetty along with Dr K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health
Foundation of India, New Delhi, and Prof Ranjit Roy Chaudhary had a
review meeting of the council with PM Manmohan Singh on Wednesday.



The markets slid into a consolidation mode ahead of the crucial August F&O expiry. The Sensex
remained on the higher side throughout the session led by buying in
technology post upgradation of Infosys by CLSA, and the rally in
realty, cement and power stocks.
Solid global cues gave traders a leg up and the frontline indices closed with modest gains. At closing bell, the Sensex traded in a range of 15750-15810 and the Nifty saw 4665-4690 range throughout the session.

Food prices surged an annual 13.3 percent in mid-August even as the
overall wholesale price index fell, and the impact of a poor monsoon on
inflation and the economy could prompt further government relief steps.


The widely watched wholesale price index fell 0.95 percent in the
12 months to Aug 15, its 11th successive fall. That compared with a
1.53 percent decline in the prior week and a market forecast for a
decline of 1.41 percent.




The food articles index surged 13.3 percent from a year earlier as
drought has hit nearly half of India's districts, eroding crop
production and raising major headaches for policy makers.





"Food prices are rising sharply and this will bring the WPI into
the positive zone within a month," said D.K Joshi, principal economist
at rating agency Crisil.




"It won't influence the present easy monetary stance."




A poor monsoon and a possible decline in farm output could lower
overall growth in Asia's third-largest economy in 2009/10 (April/March)
by 1 or 2 percentage points, economists have said.





Officials have said mitigating the impact of the drought conditions
is the government's priority, although any extra spending would not
raise market borrowing beyond the projected record of 4.51 trillion
rupees ($92 billion) for 2009/10.





Separate data on Thursday showed infrastructure output grew 1.8
percent in July from a year earlier, slower than an upwardly revised
6.8 percent in June.


The government will continue a tax refund scheme for exporters until
December 2010 while a duty-free export promotion scheme will be valid
until March 2011, trade minister Anand Sharma said on Thursday.




India exports more than a half of its merchandise to the United
States, Europe and Japan. Exports were down 31.3 percent in the quarter
that ended in June 30 from a year earlier.





India's trade minister unveiled a new foreign trade policy on Thursday.


The government remains committed to a successful end to the Doha
round of the World Trade Organisation talks, Trade Minister Anand
Sharma said on Thursday.


India has targeted exports of $200 billion by March 2011, Sharma
said while announcing India's trade policy for the fiscal year 2009/10.




India's trade pacts with South Korea and the Association of
South-East Asia Nations (ASEAN) would help boost the country's exports,
he added.



Commerce Minister Anand Sharma
unveiled the foreign trade policy today. While staying away from
announcing any major sops for any sector, the minister maintained
status quo by not rolling back incentives announced in the previous
policy.



The
policy continues with the DEPB scheme for exporters till December 2010
and also with Section 10A benefits for IT sector exports. The
government did introduce one new incentive though: a zero-duty EPCG
scheme for specific sectors. Sharma added that the government would
ensure that the dollar needs of exporters would be met.



The
policy’s immediate objective was to arrest the fall in exports, the
minister said, adding that the government was aiming at USD 200 billion
of exports by March 2011, an annual growth of 15% in exports in 2010-11 and that India was looking to double its share in global trade by 2020.


There
would be a special thrust to employment-oriented export units, Sharma
said, adding that the government was looking to expand the export
market to Africa and Latin America. “We are committed to the successful conclusion of the Doha Round WTO talks,” he said.


India plans to cut transaction costs for exporters and ensure the
availability of dollar finance as it looks to reverse a decline in
exports and double outbound sales of goods and services over the next
five years.


Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who reiterated India's
commitment to a successful end to the Doha round of World Trade
Organisation talks, said on Thursday he expects exports to reach $200
billion in the fiscal year ending March 2011.





India's exports were $168.7 billion in 2008/09, but have been have
been falling in annual terms since October as the global credit squeeze
followed by recession in developed nations sapped demand.





Exports were down 31.3 percent in the quarter that ended in June 30 from a year earlier.




Outlining a trade policy for the five years ending March 2014, the
minister said he expected exports of goods and services to double.





"We would like to achieve an annual export growth of 15 percent
over 2010/11 with an annual export target of $200 billion by March
2011," Sharma said.





"In the remaining three years of this foreign trade policy up to
2014, the country should be able to come back on the high export growth
path of around 25 percent per annum," he said, adding that the
government's focus would be on export sectors with high employment.





Since October, as the global downturn hit India harder than
expected, the central bank has slashed interest rates and government
offered tax breaks and interest subsidies to lift exports and prevent
massive job losses.

Economic Times reports:

US fund houses launch five India-specific ETFs!




American fund houses have launched five more India-specific exchange-traded
funds (ETFs) to tap the growth potential of Asia’s
third-largest economy
that defied the global recession to post an impressive growth rate of 6.7% last
financial year.



These funds are BGI S&P India Nifty 50, Direxion
India Bull 3x Shares, Direxion India Bear 3x Shares, SPDR S&P India and
WisdomTree India Total Dividend. The fund houses have filed their papers with
the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), said a person familiar with the
matter, requesting anonymity.



ETFs are open-ended funds that are
designed to track specific indices and trade just like any other stock. They are
priced continuously and can be acquired by placing an order with a stock broker
during trading hours.



Direxion Shares and Direxion Funds, managed by
Rafferty Asset Management, offer leveraged index funds that buy more shares than
you can with cash, ETFs and alternative-class fund products for investment
advisors and sophisticated investors who seek to effectively manage risk and
return in both bull and bear markets.



SPDR ETF, managed by the
Boston-based SSgA Funds Management, are index funds that track the S&P 500
Index. Barclays Global Investors or BGI has filed papers for a new ETF linked to
the S&P India Nifty Index.



Currently, there are just two India
ETFs, from PowerShares and WisdomTree. However, many other providers are looking
to capitalise on the country’s growth. As on July 30, WisdomTree India
Earnings (EPI) was up 63.7% year-to-date, while PowerShares India (PIN) was up
52.7% year-to-date.



The two India ETFs have more than $560 million
in assets. As one of the few economies that grew in a year that saw most of the
world in recession, India has a growing acceptance among global investors, said
Ashu Suyash, India head of Fidelity International.



“A possible
reason for the surge in ETFs investing in India is that risk appetite has
returned sufficiently for investors to look at emerging markets again... As
allocations grow, investors will begin to look for the alpha and follow a more
actively-managed investment strategy,” she said.




















Also Read
 → Nine out of 13 sectoral indices outperform Sensex
 → Investment: Learn from past mistakes for a secure future
 → IT stocks top returns chart on Dalal Street
 → Some long-term investors still give demat a miss




California-based ETF expert Tom Lydon said
investors increasingly recognise that ETFs make it easier to access markets that
have certain restrictions (such as limits on foreign investment) or liquidity
issues.



ETFs have become big investors in India, basically because
the US retail investor has accepted India as part of his global equity
portfolio, said Samir Arora of the Singapore-based Helios Capital Management.
“That money cannot be easily raised by other intermediaries,” he
said.



Over 25% of secondary market inflows were through this route in
recent months, according to Credit Suisse. “ETFs are perhaps securitising
emerging markets like India in the current global liquidity wave, the way
previous liquidity waves saw securitisation of internet or developed world real
estate,” said Nilesh Jasani and Arya Sen of Credit
Suisse.



While there will be occasional outflow cycles in coming
years, the overall influence wielded by ETFs is expected to grow larger. FII
buying in India from April 1, 2009 is close to $9 billion.



A recent
study by Novarica, a research and advisory firm serving insurers and wealth
management companies, says globally the number of ETFs will shoot up from 728 in
2008 to 2,618 by 2015, while ETF assets will increase from $500 billion to $1.15
trillion.


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/US-fund-houses-launch-5-India-specific-ETFs/articleshow/4938789.cms

FIIs buy shares worth Rs 378 cr


oreign institutional investors (FIIs) today made a net investment of Rs 378.54
crore in the domestic stock


markets.



FIIs were the gross buyer of
shares worth Rs 2,289.71 crore, while they sold stocks valued at Rs 1,911.17
crore, resluting in a net purchase of Rs 378.54 crore, according to the
provisional data with the Bombay Stock Exchange
(BSE).



Domestic
institutional investors were also bullish and purchased shares worth Rs 128.65
crore.



Yesterday, FIIs were the net seller of shares worth Rs 53.60
crore, the latest data with the SEBI shows.



However, in today's
trade, the non-resident Indians and brokers, on the behalf of their clients,
booked profit and in total sold shares worth Rs 138.01 crore, as per the BSE
data.



Propritors were optimistic and purchased shares worth Rs 43.64
crore.



The BSE benchmark index Sensex today closed at 15,769.85, up
81.38 points or 0.52 per cent from its previous close.


Reuter reports:


* Targets exports to reach $200 bln by March 2011




* Trade policy thrust on employment-oriented sectors




* Committed to successful end to Doha round
(Updates with details, background)




By Rajkumar Ray and Manoj Kumar




NEW DELHI, Aug 27 (Reuters) - India plans to cut
transaction costs for exporters and ensure the availability of
dollar finance as it looks to reverse a decline in exports and
double outbound sales of goods and services over the next five
years.




Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who reiterated
India's commitment to a successful end to the Doha round of
World Trade Organisation talks, said on Thursday he expects
exports to reach $200 billion in the fiscal year ending March
2011.




India's exports were $168.7 billion in 2008/09, but have
been have been falling in annual terms since October as the
global credit squeeze followed by recession in developed
nations sapped demand.




Exports were down 31.3 percent in the quarter that ended in
June 30 from a year earlier.




Outlining a trade policy for the five years ending March
2014, the minister said he expected exports of goods and
services to double.

.


"In the remaining three years of this foreign trade policy
up to 2014, the country should be able to come back on the high
export growth path of around 25 percent per annum," he said,
adding that the government's focus would be on export sectors
with high employment.




Since October, as the global downturn hit India harder than
expected, the central bank has slashed interest rates and
government offered tax breaks and interest subsidies to lift
exports and prevent massive job losses.




Sharma said India would extend a tax refund scheme to
December 2010 and extend other tax incentives for exporters to
the end of 2010/11.




Exports grew at a rate of more than 20 percent annually
between the 2004/05 and 2007/08 fiscal years, helping the
economy post robust growth before the global downturn.




Exports contribute 17 percent to India's gross domestic
product, smaller than many other Asian nations.




The Doha round of world trade talks, launched in the Qatari
capital in 2001, has made halting progress as WTO members
squabble over calls to cut tariffs and subsidies to boost
commerce in food, goods and services.

http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINDEL48694620090827?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

TV entertainment channels double online promo spending

Online
promotion spending by general entertainment television channels (GECs)
have risen by around five percentage points as compared to the previous
year — from 3-4 per cent to 8-10 per cent this year of the total
marketing budget. Typically, this total amount for a GEC ranges between
Rs 40 crore and Rs 90 crore, depending upon the channel.

"There
has been more than a 100 per cent jump in the spends. All GECs are
spending on the digital medium, as it is the only one from where you
can get responses well and fast. It is a crucial strategy for creating
brand awareness and reaching out to the young. It also has the
advantage of becoming interactive. For channels like Colors and MTV,
the online medium is playing a bigger role than it used to do earlier,"
said Maneesh Mathur, Chief Operating Officer of P9 Integrated, a film
entertainment marketing company.

"Although there are other
established media like print and TV, there is a problem in terms of
buying spots to promote a channel. For instance, Colors cannot buy a
spot on STAR Plus to promote itself because they are competitors. So,
they buy spots on AajTak and other news channels, where the basic reach
is small. But to overcome this problem, the effectiveness of social
networking sites have been realised, adds Mathur.

Viacom 18, for
instance -- which is promoting its channels MTV, Colors, Nick and Vh1
on the web -- is spending almost 10 per cent of its marketing budget on
online promotion. "Along with this, we have tied up with Orkut and
Facebook in a non-commercial agreement, wherein both sides see a
certain mutual benefit and value in the association. There have been
certain other tie-ups (with the likes of MSN, Ibibo) wherein we have
parted with our content and/or offered them tremendous branding and
visibility and hence earned revenues for that," said Anuj Poddar,
Senior Vice President.

"GECs seldom use online platforms for
marketing fiction shows, but for non-fiction shows, 10 per cent of the
spends could be towards online promotions. I believe there's scope for
more," adds Poddar.

When asked if there has been an increase in
the investments by GECs, Poddar says: "Traditionally, GECs did not use
the digital platforms much for their marketing activities, but we are
starting to see this evolve. As shows themselves get hippier and the
target group younger, marketing spends, too, will follow towards
younger media. We have gone from zero to spending about 10-20 per cent
for non-fiction shows."

Channels like MTV, NDTV Imagine, Sony and
Colors have also come with interesting content on the web like MTV's
Facebook Connect -- Facebook users can post who they think their
Celebrity Look-Alike is. If the judges on MTV Connected feel so, you
get a chance to be featured on the show. On Roadies Battleground 2,
watch MTV, note down the tasks, go to the website MTVindia.in and
upload the video of yourself performing the task. If you impress the
judges, they'll let you participate!

Also, recently for the show
Rakhi Ka Swayamvar they came out with a game where you can kiss Rakhi
online. Around 81 per cent of the online Indian population, according
to a report by Hungama Digital Media, engages in some kind of social
interactivity on the web, making it an ideal place for the GECs to draw
young crowds.

"For us, we see the net as a core platform to
engage and entertain our audiences. The only difference is that in
India, entertainment through the internet has yet some distance to go
before catching up with TV. However, this catch-up is happening much
more rapidly amongst the youth. Hence, out of our four brands, MTV
right now is the most evolved online and by default, we now have a
multi-platform approach to most MTV shows. Similarly for Colors, we do
things online more with the non-fiction shows than the fiction shows,
due to the differing TG. Interestingly, kids' online presence is
growing exponentially and hence we have created a very vibrant site for
them at nickindia.com. Just like its TV avatar, nickindia.com now
enjoys the highest time-spent per kid amongst all the kids' channel
sites," says Poddar.

The online promotion for Sony's Bhaskar
Bharti and Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao is carried out by Ignitee Digital
Solutions, a digital marketing company. Danish Khan, marketing head of
Sony Entertainment, says: "We are spending 8 per cent from our total
marketing budget on online promotions."

Atul Hegde, Chief
Executive Officer of Ignitee Digital Solutions, is also not surprised
by the increase in spending. "I see a lot of viability for this trend
to grow, as the target audience the GECs are targeting through social
media are mostly in the age groups of 15-25 years and online is the
best way to attract that target group."

Source: BS

Global mkts still uncertain; India to do well: Jim Walker



www.SharesPost.com






Jim
Walker, Managing Director, Asianomics told CNBC-TV18 in an exclusive
interview that the outlook on global economy still remains uncertain
and that the global economy is more problematic than thought of
earlier. He added that there was a long way to go before seeing a
V-shaped recovery. The stock market, Walker believes, doesn’t see global problems clearly.


With regard to India, Walker is of the view that investors must focus on returns instead of growth. India
will be the biggest winner among Asian markets, he said. According to
him, it will be very difficult to achieve 8% gross domestic product
(GDP) growth in India and that one should be content with a 5–6% GDP growth. He feels at 6% GDP also India will still be a fast growing economy. However, he also added that India’s domestic-demand driven growth is positive.
 
http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/fii-view/global-mkts-still-uncertain-india-to-do-well-jim-walker/412980

Fund raising via ADRs may soon get easier

27 Aug 2009, 0304 hrs IST, Deepshikha Sikarwar,
ET Bureau


NEW DELHI: The government is examining
a proposal to amend its existing rules governing American depository receipts
(ADRs) to allow Indian
companies easier access to the US market. It is
deliberating on whether Indian firms can access the most liberal form of
ADRs—level-I—that require very few regulatory disclosures while
allowing them to diversify their investor base and build a presence in the US
market that may help if they decide to raise capital later.



India
currently allows only level-3 ADRs/GDRs, which involve capital raising and
listing on the regular exchanges and greater disclosures, including costly
compliance with US laws. A finance ministry official told ET that the
deliberations had begun on whether Indian companies should be allowed to access
the US market through level-1 ADRs.



Level-I ADRs, the most liberal
form of depository receipts, allow non-US companies to access sophisticated
investors in the US market with minimal reporting requirements from the US
Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC).



Companies issuing level-I
ADRs are listed only on the over-the-counter (OTC) exchanges in the US and do
not have to comply with the rigorous US accounting standards, US GAAP. This
regime has made it one of the most popular ADR programmes in the
US.




















Also Read
 → Tips to build wealth with different products
 → Investment: Learn from past mistakes for a secure future
 → Some long-term investors still give demat a miss
 → US fund houses launch five India-specific ETFs




The official said
policy experts are divided on whether such ADRs should be allowed. The debate
now centres on whether it was the right time to allowing such a policy move.
Incidentally, the high-powered committee headed by the Prime Minister’s
economic advisory council and Planning Commission member Saumitra Chaudhuri set
up to look into the existing norms governing ADR/GDR issuances in its report in
early 2008 had opined then that it was not the right time to allow level
1.



The view against allowing companies access to such ADRs so far has
been that it allows export of Indian equity market abroad and does not generate
any value for the country. This would be particularly true in the case of Level
I ADRs where no new capital is issued.

Trade policy: Govt continues incentives, eyes high growth

Published on Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 11:27 , Updated at Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 12:54
Source : CNBC-TV18

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Commerce Minister Anand Sharma
unveiled the foreign trade policy today. While staying away from
announcing any major sops for any sector, the minister maintained
status quo by not rolling back incentives announced in the previous
policy.


The
policy continues with the DEPB scheme for exporters till December 2010
and also with Section 10A benefits for IT sector exports. The
government did introduce one new incentive though: a zero-duty EPCG
scheme for specific sectors. Sharma added that the government would
ensure that the dollar needs of exporters would be met.


The
policy’s immediate objective was to arrest the fall in exports, the
minister said, adding that the government was aiming at USD 200 billion
of exports by March 2011, an annual growth of 15% in exports in 2010-11 and that India was looking to double its share in global trade by 2020.


There
would be a special thrust to employment-oriented export units, Sharma
said, adding that the government was looking to expand the export
market to Africa and Latin America. “We are committed to the successful conclusion of the Doha Round WTO talks,” he said.



 
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Understanding how a demat account functions


August 27th, 2009




A
Demat account is very similar to a bank account. In bank accounts you
electronically hold money, whereas in Demat accounts you electronically
hold shares. All buying and selling of shares happens through a Demat
account. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) mandates a
demat account for share trading above 500 shares.


With growing financial awareness, more
and more people now want to dabble in the share market. To do this, one
should understand the basic requirements to trade in shares.


A company enlisted in a stock exchange, is under obligation to offer
the securities in both physical and dematerialised mode. As the name
suggests physical securities mean actual certificates giving
information about the shares of a company owned by a person. In the
same manner, Dematerialisation is the process of converting physical
shares (share certificates) into an electronic form. Shares once
converted into dematerialised form are held in a Demat account. Today, almost all of the shares trading happens using the Demat mode of shares.


What is a Demat Account?


A Demat account is very similar to a bank account. In bank accounts
you electronically hold money, whereas in Demat accounts you
electronically hold shares. All buying and selling of shares happens
through a Demat account. The Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) mandates a demat account for share trading above 500 shares.


Why to use such an exclusive account?


By using a Demat account, you need not be worried about mutilated
share certificates, postal delays, and counterfeit shares. Demat
account is a safe and convenient means of holding securities just like
a bank account is for funds.


What are the features and benefits of a Demat account?


As opposed to the earlier form of dealing in physical certificates
with delays in transaction, holding and trading in Demat form has the
following benefits:


  • Settlement of Securities traded on the exchanges as well as off market transactions
  • Risks like forgery, thefts, bad delivery, delays in transfer etc, associated with physical certificates, are eliminated
  • Shorter settlements thereby enhancing liquidity
  • Pledging of Securities
  • Shares allotted in public issues are directly credited into demat account of the applicants in quick time
  • Auto Credit of Rights / Bonus / Public Issues / Dividend credit through ECS
  • Auto Credit of Public Issue refunds to the bank account
  • No stamp duty on transfer of securities held in Demat form (as against 0.5 per cent payable on physical shares)
  • Increased liquidity, as securities can be sold at any time during
    the trading hours (between 9:55 AM to 3:30 PM on all working days), and
    payment can be received in a very short period of time
  • Change of address, Signature, Dividend Mandate, registration of
    power of attorney, transmission etc. can be effected across companies
    held in Demat form by a single instruction to the Depository
    Participant (DP)
  • Holding / Transaction details through Internet / email

What steps does on need to take to open a Demat account?


As majority of shares trading happens through a Demat account, it is
imperative that an individual dealing in shares has such an account.
The minimum age for opening a Demat account is 18 years. To open a
Demat account, you must:


  1. Choose a Depository Participant or DP (A Depository Participant can
    be a financial organization like banks, brokers, financial
    institutions, custodians, etc., acting as an agent of the Depository to
    make its services available to the investors)
  2. Fill up an account opening form provided by DP, attach relevant
    documents, and sign an agreement with DP in a standard format
    prescribed by the depository
  3. The DP provides the investor with a copy of the agreement and schedule of charges for his future reference
  4. DP opens the account and provides the investor with a unique
    account number, also known as Beneficiary Owner Identification Number
    (BO ID)

Are there any important things that one must remember about Demat accounts?


There are some things that you must know remember about Demat accounts:


  • Pan card is mandatory for opening a Demat account (effective from April 01, 2006)
  • Charges applicable (vary from DP to DP):
    • Account Opening Fee
    • Annual Maintenance Fee
    • Custodian Fee
    • Transaction Fee

  • Similar to a bank account a Demat account may be closed after a
    period of inactivity. Check with the DP about the period and the
    charges associated with reactivating it.
  • http://msn.bankbazaar.com/guide/understanding-how-a-demat-account-functions/

27/08/2009

ADR, GDR shouldn't decide a bank's nationality: Kochhar

New
Delhi: ICICI Bank has asked the government not to take into account
overseas securities such as American Depositary Receipt (ADR) and
Global Depositary Receipt (GDR) while deciding on a bank’s nationality.

Suggesting
that the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) should
make a clarification on the issue of foreign holding in a bank, an
issue on which ICICI Bank's status depends, its Chief Executive Officer
and Managing Director Chanda Kochhar said, "We are an Indian bank and
we are proud of it."

Earlier this year, DIPP issued new foreign
investment guidelines, under which a company's status would change from
'resident' to 'non-resident' Indian, if it has more than 50 per cent of
indirect foreign investment, which would be a sum total of stake held
through ADRs/GDRs, foreign direct investment (FDI), non-resident Indian
(NRI) holding as well as foreign currency convertible bonds and shares.

ICICI
Bank has a little over 51 per cent stake held by foreign institutional
investors (FIIs), but it includes 29.07 per cent stake held through
ADRs alone -- thus changing its status to foreign bank as per the new
guidelines.

"We have written to DIPP and have given our logic. It
is important to clarify... We have not received a written response but
they are clearly working on addressing our concerns," Kochhar said.

Source: PTI


Exports will bounce in 2010


(D. H. Pai Panandiker is President of RPG Foundation. The views expressed in this column are his own)







By D. H. Pai Panandiker




External trade has been the worst victim of world recession.
Countries that depended more on trade were hit harder. The turn round
in most countries therefore depends on how fast the world economy
recovers.




World exports had increased in 2008 by a hefty 15 per cent to cross
$15.7 trillion. In volume, however, exports were up a mere 2 per cent.
The largest exporter was Germany closely followed by China.




They each had a share of about 9 per cent in world exports. India’s
share was a mere 1.2 per cent. Even so, exports do matter to Indian
industry because nearly 15 per cent of industrial production is
exported. The fall in exports was the main reason why industry got a
jolt in October.




The US which was the first to get into recession and would possibly
be the last to get out of it, is the largest importer. In 2008 its
total imports exceeded $2 trillion, more than 13.7 per cent of world
imports.




When US imports declined many countries found their exports and
consequently growth, shrink. US share in our exports in only 12 per
cent and our exports to US declined a mere 1.5 per cent.




WTO has estimated that world exports will contract about 10 per
cent this year. One reason is that the US may not recover before the
end of the year though Germany, France and Japan have been able to
cross into positive territory.   Continued...

http://in.reuters.com/article/economicNews/idINIndia-41931920090824








Salman tests IPL waters






















Mumbai, Aug. 26: If
Salman Khan wants sweet revenge on Shah Rukh, all he needs to do is buy
Sourav Ganguly should the Kolkata Knight Riders icon make himself
available for bidding after the 2010 season.





The
rivalry between the Bollywood stars now looks set to extend to cricket
with Salman planning to bid for an Indian Premier League team. The
actor is said to have the backing of a real estate group that was once
a sponsor of Shah Rukh’s Knight Riders.





Salman, who met IPL commissioner Lalit Modi over lunch today at Taj Land’s End in Mumbai, was unavailable for comment.





But
a source close to the actor said Salman gave Modi a “Letter of
Interest” seeking more information about the possibility of buying a
team.





“He
does not plan to buy out an existing team. He is interested in buying a
new team — he has been talking to Lalit Modi informally for some time.
Modi briefed him about all the IPL bylaws for owning a team,” said the
Salman aide.





Salman,
the aide clarified, was yet to make up his mind. “Bhai is checking out
the waters. It is not as if he has signed on the dotted line, he is
keen to find out everything before taking the plunge and that is what
he did today,” the Salman aide said.





That
Salman was making more than just polite enquiries was confirmed by
Modi. “He was interested to know what it takes to own a team, what’s
the process, when it will be initiated and what’s the timeline for it.
I think he is a serious buyer,” PTI quoted Modi as saying.





IPL
expects to add two more teams to its existing tally of eight from the
2011 season, when the current players, including icons like Sourav,
would be up for re-bidding. The franchise may “cost over $200-300
million”, said a source.





Salman,
sources said, has expressed eagerness about Nagpur and Kochi, which are
on the list of probables. The cities making the cut would need to meet
IPL criteria, which, besides infrastructure, also look at returns on
investment.





The
sources said four to five investors could be backing Salman — among
them Sunny Dewan (aka Wadhawan), one of the promoters of HDIL, a listed
real estate company.





HDIL was a sponsor of the Knight Riders in the IPL’s inaugural edition, but had backed out in Season 2.





“Sunny and his socialite wife Anu are old friends of Salman,” said a regular on Mumbai’s celebrity circuit.





Sources
close to Salman said the star was also in talks with friends Sanjay
Dutt and Ajay Devgan to form a consortium for owning an IPL team. A
spokesperson for Sanjay, however, denied any such plans. “There is
nothing like that now,” he said.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090827/jsp/frontpage/story_11414872.jsp







Race reopens for Mamata’s rail job



























Calcutta Aug. 26: Railway
minister Mamata Banerjee has withdrawn her own recommendation to the
Prime Minister’s Office for the appointment of a particular IAS officer
as her private secretary, restarting a pan-India race that involves
bureaucrats and factions of her own party that regard the post crucial
because of the power and privileges associated with it.





Returning
to Delhi after her meeting last week with the captains of industry in
Calcutta, Mamata wrote to the PMO cancelling the recommendation she had
made for N. Manju Prasad, a former Bengal cadre IAS officer now
belonging to Karnataka, Railway Board sources said.





Known
for a famous switch of cadre — Bengal to Karnataka — by taking the
issue to the Supreme Court sometime ago, Prasad is believed to have
managed to propel himself into the fray through Mamata’s trusted aide
Mukul Roy, also the junior Union shipping minister and Trinamul
Congress secretary.





Roy, however, denied today any knowledge of, or involvement in, the affair.





“As
late as last week, we were advised to be ready to start interacting
with him (Prasad) as her man on the job,” said a top Railway Board
official in the know of the goings-on regarding the appointment.
“Suddenly, we find the race has begun afresh with heavyweights on the
stage.”





Since
she assumed charge of the ministry two months ago, Mamata has been
scouting across the country for a bureaucrat who can be assigned to run
her office, leaving her enough time to chase the objective of having
Bengal’s ruling Left ousted from office in the 2011 Assembly elections.





During
her last stint as railway minister in the NDA government, Mamata’s
private secretary was Sunil Chaturvedi, a former Bengal cadre IAS
officer who, with help from the likes of Sudheendra Kulkarni, the
erstwhile officer-on-special-duty in the PMO, crafted policies as well
as shot trouble for her.





After
quitting the BJP, Kulkarni is again back with Mamata, who has put him
on an important ministerial committee. But despite frantic wooing,
Chaturvedi is unlikely to return, busy as he is heading an Indian
multinational.





This
time, in search of a faceless minder, Mamata has “informally”
interviewed nearly a dozen bureaucrats, mostly from the Bengal cadre.
Some of them are regarded close to the ruling Left.





But
she has not been able to zero in on anyone as she apparently does not
want to be caught on the wrong foot with the appointment.





“We are facing a tricky situation,” said an official associated with the search.





“People
(IAS officers) are approaching us everyday either directly or through
lobbies or mentors, but they are not the ones she would be interested
in.”





According
to the buzz, among the aspirants who have had a session with Mamata is
at least one senior IAS officer known for his proximity to chief
minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.





Mamata,
it is believed, had come close to taking a decision in favour of this
bureaucrat, who enjoys the backing of a couple of senior Trinamul
leaders, only to alter her position in view of the Bhattacharjee links.





In
an unpublicised move early this month, the Bhattacharjee government
managed to retain the bureaucrat in Bengal by having him taken off the
gunsight of the CPM’s Calcutta district committee and relocated in the
urban development ministry under Asok Bhattacharya.





Although
a favourite of the chief minister, the bureaucrat has been scouting
Delhi for a suitable posting, especially since he has become a target
of the powerful CPM Calcutta unit. Party leaders in Calcutta have been
lobbying for several changes in the civic administration ahead of next
year’s crucial Calcutta Municipal Corporation elections.





To get Mamata’s job, what must an aspirant have?





Going
by the complexion of the interviews held so far, Mamata is looking for
someone who has no love lost for the Left, has a squeaky clean image
and the skill to navigate through choppy politics, is comfortable
handling political heavyweights at the national level and doesn’t mind
a demanding boss.





Kulkarni ‘switch’





Trinamul
has dismissed as “baseless speculation” reports suggesting that former
BJP ideologue Sudheendra Kulkarni may join the party, arguing that his
links with Mamata’s rail ministry predate his resignation from the
saffron party.





Television
channels this afternoon cited Kulkarni’s presence on a railway reforms
panel headed by Ficci secretary-general Amit Mitra to suggest growing
proximity to Mamata. But rail ministry sources clarified that Kulkarni
had been named on the panel in July in Mamata’s railway budget, well
before his resignation from the BJP.





Trinamul sources also claimed that the party had not made any overtures to Kulkarni.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090827/jsp/bengal/story_11414810.jsp










Proletariat shatters boardroom class ceiling



























Calcutta, Aug. 26: Bengal’s proletariat has bowed to the dictatorship of a bourgeois habit: the air-conditioned boardroom.





Leaders
of a Citu-backed union yesterday strode into the boardroom of the West
Bengal Industrial Development Corporation to hold a meeting there,
foregoing the familiar surroundings of a room assigned to them
elsewhere in the building.





What
was discussed at the meeting is not known. Little of substance was
being dissected in the boardroom in any case since the Singur agitation
following which not too many investment proposals have come the way of
the agency meant to promote industry in the state.





The WBIDC Employees’ Union has its own room in the office. But it does not have an air-conditioner.





WBIDC
managing director Subrata Gupta said he had come to know about
yesterday’s incident. “I was not there yesterday. I will ask them why
they held the meeting there,” he said.





The
rooms of the chairman — industries minister Nirupam Sen — and MD are in
the same row as the boardroom on the first floor of the building in
Dalhousie.





According
to conventions that could be termed archaic in seamless, not to mention
classless, organisations, besides Sen, Gupta, the two executive
directors and independent directors, no one uses the room.





If
the union’s objective was to shatter the invisible ceiling, it did so
in keeping with the highest traditions of iconoclasm. The union
apparently did not seek permission to use the room.





Some 15-20 Citu supporters led by one Subrata Sengupta attended the meeting. Sengupta could not be reached for comment today.





Ever
since investment proposals had ebbed, the boardroom was being regularly
used by various panels of the corporation. An executive committee
meeting took place on Monday.





Top
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090827/jsp/bengal/story_11414811.jsp







Maoists slay CPM leader











Midnapore, Aug. 26:
Maoists last night slit the throat of a schoolteacher who had earlier
been made to hold his ears and promise to dissociate himself from the
CPM.





At Pirakata, 25km from Lalgarh town, Ratan Mahato, 50, had distanced himself from the party since but not quit.





About
20 people surrounded Ratan’s house around 9pm, said neighbour Bharat
Mahato. “They had rifles and were kicking the door. Ratan’s wife Sabita
opened the door and they stormed in,” said Bharat.





Ratan
tried to escape through the rear but the attackers caught him, tied him
up and took him away. “We saw from behind a bush Ratan was made to
kneel. ‘We asked you to quit the party, you didn’t,’ one of them
barked. Then they started hitting him,” said Bharat.





West
Midnapore police chief Manoj Verma said supporters of the People’s
Committee Against Police Atrocities were also among the attackers.





In
July, Ratan, who taught English and Bengali in the local high school,
had been forced to do squats holding his ears. “He became aloof from
the party after that but did not put up posters declaring his
dissociation with it,” an officer said.





Top








SALVAGING THE PROTOCOL












- Over climate change, the battle lines are clearly drawn
























The
red carpet was certainly rolled out for Hillary Clinton during her
recent visit to India. She was fêted, wined and dined, so much so that
there were some caustic queries about whether we had moved back in time
to the colonial era. But one man stood out in the midst of this
sycophancy. Jairam Ramesh, the state environment and forests minister,
told her very bluntly that “there is simply no case” for the pressure
faced by India to reduce carbon emissions since India was amongst the
world’s lowest emitters on a per capita basis.





Ramesh
was, of course, reiterating the official position of China, India and
other developing countries on the issue of climate change and how best
to coordinate the international community’s response to the increasing
levels of carbon emission. Every country recognizes that something
needs to be done because there has been a sharp acceleration in
aggregate carbon emissions during the last decade — the increase in
emissions has been 3 per cent since 2000, compared to just 1.1 per cent
during the 1990s. Unfortunately, there is no consensus at all about how
to control emission.





The
battle lines are very clearly drawn between the developed and the
developing countries. The former group point out that they are now
using both increasingly energy-efficient technology and cleaner sources
of energy such as electricity. This has enabled them to effect
significant reductions in emission. Some of the greener countries have
also set very ambitious goals — for instance, the United Kingdom
targeted a 20 per cent reduction of carbon emission from 1990 levels by
2010. Although this target will not be achieved, the mere stipulation
of an ambitious target is taken to be a sign of good intentions. The
developed countries also contend that emission levels have been rising
very sharply in the developing countries.








The
main ‘culprit’ has been China. The rapid growth of the Chinese economy,
combined with its continued dependence on coal-fired power stations
(particularly in the interior provinces), has ensured that China has
now earned the dubious distinction of being the biggest emitter in the
world — it dethroned the United States of America from this position in
2006. Emission levels in India have also been rising, and for pretty
much the same reasons. What is more discouraging is that both countries
seem likely to continue with their dependence on coal, although this is
the dirtiest fuel.





Of
course, the developing countries are not without their own ammunition.
They contend, with more than a little justification, that it is the
past actions of the developed countries which have brought about the
degradation in the world’s environment. Over three-fourths of the
cumulative anthropogenic carbon dioxide has still come from the
developed countries. Also, the focus on aggregate emissions by
individual countries is clearly not appropriate because it gives a
misleading picture. The larger and more densely populated countries are
bound to emit more carbon. Perhaps a more accurate picture is provided
by comparisons of per capita emission levels. This comparison of per
capita emission levels gives a completely different perspective. It
turns out that the per capita emission level in China is only a quarter
of that in the US.





Fortunately,
the fight against climate change is not completely lost. Environment
ministers and officials of almost 200 countries will meet in Copenhagen
in early December in the hope that they can agree on a new treaty to
replace the Kyoto protocol, the first phase of which expires in 2012.
The main aim of the Copenhagen summit will be to hammer out an
agreement on how to share the burden of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. Climate scientists estimate that by 2050, the world must cut
emission levels by 80 per cent, compared with 1990 levels, in order to
ensure that global warming does not exceed two degrees centigrade.





Given
the sheer magnitude of this task, it is clear that all the major
countries will have to reduce emission levels — there is no way in
which the aggregate emission levels can be reduced to required levels
unless China, and to a lesser extent India, also cut back on emissions.
This is, of course, a very costly exercise — the main reason why we use
coal is because alternative sources of energy are several times more
expensive. India simply cannot afford to foot the entire bill involved
in exploiting, say, solar energy. The huge subsidies involved will
essentially imply that the government will have to make drastic cuts in
social-welfare spending and other development expenditures.





That
is why several developing countries have been arguing that the
developed countries must subsidize the costs incurred by the developing
countries in reducing emissions. One school argues for this on welfare
grounds — since all countries will benefit if global emission levels
are slashed, it is the richer countries that must pay the bulk of the
costs.








A
more sophisticated argument puts forth the case that the developed
countries have essentially ‘outsourced’ carbon emissions to developing
countries. That is, the emissions emanating from China are a
consequence of the huge quantities of carbon-intensive manufacturing
taking place in China for buyers in the West. Western consumers benefit
since the goods imported from China and other developing countries are
significantly cheaper than what these goods would have cost if they had
been produced in the developed world. Why should the entire burden rest
on the producers of these goods? Why should consumers not share the
burden? There is more than a grain of truth in this argument, though
perhaps it ignores the fact that the ‘outsourcing’ of carbon emissions
also benefits the developing countries through the creation of more
jobs.





Some
Western economists do acknowledge that the developed world must not
only reduce their own emissions, but also provide incentives to the
developing countries to cut emissions. Of course, there are also the
hawks who rave and rant about the need to impose stiff penalties in the
form of trade sanctions against those developing countries which do not
cap carbon emissions. What is going to be crucial is the official
American position. George W. Bush almost singlehandedly scuttled the
Kyoto protocol. Fortunately, there seems to be a sea change in the
attitude of the Obama administration. The US seems determined to
implement stiff emission targets for the US economy. Perhaps, it can
also be persuaded to subsidize the developing countries if they cap
emissions.


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090827/jsp/opinion/story_11410881.jsp

HOME PAGE







IT players eye big bucks from Govt projects

Move to help industry beat slowdown in US and Europe, say experts.
After a slugfest for business in the US and Europe, Indian IT vendors
are now rolling up their sleeves for the next skirmish — in the
domestic ...



Airport development fee at Delhi, Mumbai legal, says Court
New
Delhi, Aug. 26 The Delhi High Court has held that the Airport
Development Fee (ADF) being charged at Delhi and Mumbai airports is ...

















Tapping a new source: The...


TODAY'S PICK (Latest Audio: English/Tamil)

Alok Industries (Rs 21.8): Buy
Investors
with a short-term perspective can buy Alok Industries. The stock
underwent a steep correction in June and July when it plunged from Rs
29 to Rs 15. Things are looking up since then and the stock is in a
short-term uptrend since July ...





Alstom plans metro rail coach facility in Sri City
Andhra
Pradesh CM to announce details on Sept 9. Chennai, Aug. 26 French
transportation major Alstom is planning to set up a metro rail coach
factory near ...



Air India chief warns of lay-offs, if crisis continues
Mumbai,
Aug. 26 The Chairman and Managing Director of Air India, Mr Arvind
Jadhav, for the first time, warned employees of “lay-offs and
retrenchment” if the crisis at the ...



Core sector growth dips to 1.8% in July
Drop
in output of crude, refined petro-products weighs down index. New
Delhi, Aug. 26 After logging a healthy 6.8 per cent growth in the
previous month, the official index of six core infrastructure
industries registered a tepid year-on-year ...



TCS, Infosys, Wipro win a slice of BP outsourcing deal
For
application development and maintenance services. Bangalore, Aug. 26 In
one of the largest deals of recent times, the top-three Indian vendors
TCS, Infosys and Wipro along with global giants IBM Corp and Accenture
have bagged a slice of the ...



Mills in North contract raw sugar for imports at $520/t
Demand
may fall after Nov; price flare-up unlikely for now. New Delhi, Aug. 26
Indian mills, primarily those in the North, are said to have contracted
4-5 lakh tonnes (lt) of imported raw sugar within the last couple of
weeks at prices ranging ...



Wholesale prices fall 0.95%; food still costly
Index
of all commodities rises to 238.8 points. New Delhi, Aug. 26 The annual
Wholesale Price Index-based inflation fell 0.95 per cent during the
week ended August 15 compared with the 1.53 per cent slide recorded in
the previous week, the ...



10.74 lakh retail applicants get NHPC shares
30%
of unsubscribed employees’ quota allotted to retail. Of the 13.02 lakh
retail applicants who had applied for the big ticket Rs 6,000-crore
NHPC (National Hydroelectric Power Corporation) public issue of 168
crore shares, 10.74 lakh ...



Relief measures likely for exporters in Foreign Trade Policy
New
Delhi, Aug. 26 Even as the Commerce Ministry is set to unveil its
medium-term Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) for 2009-14 here on Thursday in
the face of gloomy global trade situation, the policy would have more
to do with overcoming ...



M.P., Rajasthan, Gujarat likely to get more rains
A
western disturbance was located over Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, an
update from the National Centre for Medium Range Weather ...


INDUSTRY & ECONOMY



ECONOMY:
Core sector growth dips to 1.8% in July

Drop in output of crude, refined petro-products weighs down index. New
Delhi, Aug. 26 After logging a healthy 6.8 per cent growth in the
previous month, the official index of six core infrastructure
industries registered a tepid year-on-year ...




REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION:
Building on cricket
Karnataka
comes up with its own KPL tournament, and realtors have bagged most of
the teams.. Bijapur Bulls vs Bangalore Urban. Davangere Diamonds take
on Belgaum Panthers. Stumped? Well, for the uninitiated, these are
teams from ...




HCV/LCV/TRACTORS:
Tractor makers confident of growth despite drought
See
increased activity in non-farm applications. The Indian tractor
industry expects to register marginal growth this fiscal despite the
second half being impacted by the drought and its impact on the
agricultural sector. This optimism stems ...




STANDARDS & BENCHMARKS:
Bharat Stage-IV norms to be operational from April 1
Hyderabad,
Aug. 26 All automotive manufacturers will have to conform to Bharat
Stage-IV norms beginning April 1, 2010 for vehicles sold in all the
four metros plus Hyderabad and eight other select cities in the ...




EXPORTS & IMPORTS:
Relief measures likely for exporters in Foreign Trade Policy
New
Delhi, Aug. 26 Even as the Commerce Ministry is set to unveil its
medium-term Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) for 2009-14 here on Thursday in
the face of gloomy global trade situation, the policy would have more
to do with overcoming ...




EVENTS:
Diabetes public awareness expo
A
mega diabetes public awareness programme called ‘Diabetes 2009’ is
being organised here during December 18-20 by the Dr Mohan’s Diabetes
Specialities Centre. Dr V. Mohan, Chairman and Chief Diabetologist at
the centre, said ...




TAXATION:
AP to offer VAT rebate for new industries
The
State Investment promotion Board (SIB) today decided to offer 50 per
cent reimbursement of value added tax (VAT) for five years for new
projects, in addition to the incentives available as per the State
Industrial Investment ...




NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY:
More people turn to the sun for energy needs
Waste-energy
recycling also gaining ground. Washington, Aug. 26 For a world
grappling with concerns over climate change and rising carbon
footprint, the sun is increasingly providing some solace and clean ...




NATURAL CALAMITIES:
Crisis management plan on anvil: Kerala Minister
Draft
to be put on public domain. Thiruvananthapuram, Aug. 26 The State
Government is drawing up a crisis management plan to prepare itself to
handle the impact of disasters, both natural ...




REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION:
Aurigo Software offers construction tool to Karnataka
Bangalore,
Aug. 26 Microsoft certified partner Aurigo Software Technologies, which
offers solutions to the construction industry, is talking to the
Karnataka Government for deploying its software which claims to offer
real-time site ...




ECONOMIC OFFENCES:
High-level corruption should be pursued aggressively, says PM
New
Delhi, Aug. 26 The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on Wednesday
asked the anti-corruption agencies to go after the “big fish” and not
just focus on ...




ENVIRONMENT:
Green ride

...




COURTS/LEGAL ISSUES:
First of its kind

...




TOURISM:
Small is successful

...




FOREIGN TRADE:
‘India share in global trade to go up to 3%’
Kolkata,
Aug. 26 India will try to step up its share in global trade from the
current 1.5 per cent to three per cent by 2015, according to Mr Subodh
Kant Sahai, Union Minister for Food ...




PHARMACEUTICALS:
Cipla urges Govt to allow retail sale of anti-flu drugs
Mumbai,
Aug 26 “We are adults and should be treated as adults,” says Cipla
Chairman and Managing Director, Dr Y. K. Hamied, responding to queries
on the Centre’s decision to not allow retail sales of anti-flu drugs
...




STANDARDS & BENCHMARKS:
Platts launches oil price benchmarks for Indian products
New
Delhi, Aug. 26 Platts, a global energy and metals information provider
and a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, has introduced a series of
oil price benchmarks for the Indian oil ...




SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:
PM inaugurates IIST campus
Hosted
on a tele-link from New Delhi, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh,
inaugurated the new campus of the Indian Institute of Space Science and
Technology (IIST) at Valiamala near here on Tuesday ...




BIO-TECH & GENETICS:
TN to encourage bio-tech units
Chennai,Aug.
26 TICEL Bio Park started work on the Rs 120-crore second phase
expansion of the biotechnology laboratory infrastructure facility ...




POWER:
Govt signs pact with World Bank for three projects
New
Delhi, Aug. 26 The Government has signed agreements with World Bank for
three projects here on Wednesday. The three projects are ‘Chiller
energy efficiency project’, ‘National agricultural innovation project
...




NEWSPAPERS & PUBLISHING:
EKL to bring out 50th issue
Executive
Knowledge Lines (EKL), a monthly publishing initiative from a group of
professionals, is bringing out its 50th issue at a function here to be
held on Thursday. Dr G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO, will launch the
issue in the presence ...




HEALTH:
CII campaign on swine flu
CII,
Eastern Region, is organising awareness programmes on swine flu for
corporates and institutions. The initiative started here on Wednesday
with an interactive session at Apeejay School and more than 200
students and teachers of the ...




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New Tax Code: Prepare for the TDS nightmare
27 Aug 2009, 1220 hrs IST,
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The respite from TDS bite for small interest earners by
submitting simple declarations will be a thing of the past under the
new tax code. Tax code: Not Bharat friendly




Switzerland has world's best wages; Mumbai has lowest
27 Aug 2009, 1308 hrs IST,
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Employees in Zurich and Geneva have the highest net wages, a UBS study shows, while those in Mumbai have lowest. Delhi, Mumbai among least expensive cities





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