The Hindu Business Line : Friday, March 21, 2003

Entry tax reintroduced; liquor licensing liberalised — Bengal to mop up Rs 825 cr thru taxes
It has proposed to revive an ancient land revenue levy, which was imposed way back in 1850 under the Calcutta Land Revenue Act for Kolkata and Howrah. More

WB: Growth rate seen at 7.6 pc
WEST Bengal hopes to achieve a 7.6 per cent growth in State Domestic Product (SDP) in 2002-03, according to the Economic Review for year, tabled by the Finance Minister, Dr Asim Kumar Dasgupta, in the Legislative Assembly here today. During ... More

ECONOMY

Growth rate will plunge if war prolongs: FICCI
THE Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) today said that the growth rate could plunge to 2.5 per cent with oil prices shooting up by 45 per cent if the US war with Iraq continues for a longer duration. ``If the war ... More

ENVIRONMENT

Bio valley gets a step closer to reality
The Herbal Bio Valley is proposed to be developed over a region extending from the Silent Valley to Wayanad and including portions of the Western Ghats. More

FOREIGN TRADE

Panel set up to develop land customs stations
THE Union Government has constituted an inter-ministerial committee for the development of land customs stations, which would facilitate trade with neighbouring countries and also contribute significantly to the economic development of the ... More

Bulgaria keen on tie-ups
MR Milen Keremedchiev, Deputy Minister of Economy, Republic of Bulgaria, on Thursday sought better economic cooperation with India. Speaking at a business forum, organised by the FICCI, he highlighted Bulgaria's competitive edge because of its ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE

ADB to step up aid for infrastructure projects
THE Asian Development Bank will step up its investment in the infrastructure sector in India, with its lending almost doubling to $2 billion during 2003-04. It will also look at new sectors such as inland water transport and agro-processing for ... More

PETROLEUM

Tax makes petrol dearer
RISING global crude oil prices alone are not responsible for the high price you pay for petrol and diesel today. Taxes are as much to blame. Do you know that taxes and duties account for well over half of the dear price you pay for petrol and a ... More

Supplies won't be hit: Naik
INDIA has entered into "contingency supply agreements'' with oil producing countries which are not in the "war zone'' to ensure that crude oil supplies are not disrupted. "We have been importing nearly 65 per cent of crude requirements from the ... More

Soft crude may not help consumers
MARKET expectations of a `quick and decisive' war in Iraq has led to a sharp reduction in international crude prices to around $26 per barrel from $33-34 till a week back. But this softening trend need not translate into immediate good news for ... More

TAXATION

Chambers flay move to re-impose entry tax
LEADING chambers of commerce today expressed serious concern over the re-introduction of entry tax which was abolished earlier, and suggested that it ran counter to the concept of integration of State taxes, which was crucial for rationalisation ... More

Scrap entry tax under VAT regime: FICCI
TAMIL Nadu should do away with multiple levies such as surcharge, additional sales tax and entry tax under the finalised value added sales tax (VAT) regime to fully benefit from the advantages that VAT offers, according to the Federation of ... More

VAT Bill `anomaly' to cost traders dear
If the Act comes into force, goods that a dealer may have bought before January 1, would not be eligible for input tax credit, although the dealer would have paid sales tax. This means that the same goods suffer tax twice — once as sales tax, a nd again as Value-Added Tax. More

TEXTILES

Powerlooms clearing stocks
WHAT bothers the powerloom manufacturers and cloth trade most right now — the impending `Cenvat' chain or the stocks of fabrics they would (like to) hold? Obviously, from now and the end-March 31, it is the fabric stocks that should be ... More

TYRES

Truck, bus tyre production up in Jan
TRUCK and bus tyre production continued to show robust performance in January, with the segment registering a production level of 8.69 lakh tyres in that month. This performance was just short of the best production performance recorded so far ... More

RADIO/TV

Cable operators tampering with DD to face the music soon
Prasar Bharati, at its next board meeting on April 9, plans to recommend to the Government to reintroduce licence fees for TV and radio sets as it would be a major source of revenue. More

EDUCATION

Be ready for challenges, IIMC graduates told
THE Director-General of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mr Tarun Das, urged the students of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) to be prepared to face the new challenges which will come along with the growth opportunities ... More

ICFAI training for school teachers
As a part of this, the ICFAI University has announced the launch of the bachelor of education (B.Ed.) programme for students interested in pursuing teaching careers. More

`Education quality in B-schools uneven'
IN terms of sheer numbers, business schools have proliferated in the country, but as far as quality is concerned, many are found wanting. Though, several of these 930 B-schools produce glossy brochures and promise a lot, there is uneven ... More

CINEMA

`Shadowlines' gets UGC video award
HYDERABAD: Shadowlines, a documentary film about people's struggles to become even partners in the power and wealth of the nation, has been adjudged the best documentary film of the year at the 15th UGC video competition in New Delhi ... More

DISINVESTMENT

Punjab tourism properties for sale
THE Punjab Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) has put up four of its properties for sale to a strategic investor. These are the Amritsar International Hotel, Amritsar, Queen's Flower Tourist Complex, at Neelon district, Ludhiana, the ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Nabard should go for direct lending
A WORLD Bank team is in talks with Nabard (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) to extend a line of credit to fund micro-finance initiatives such as the SHG-Bank Linkage Programme. As an intro, the two have agreed on the World ... More

Dakshina Kannada banks provide loans to 1,872
BANKS in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka have assisted 1,872 people under various subsidy-linked self-employment schemes, according to an estimate made here. At a review committee meeting organised by Syndicate Bank, the lead bank of ... More

EVENTS

`Funds for local bodies available but with riders'
There are alternative models available for funding local bodies. For instance, local bodies, including in Tamil Nadu, were looking at raising tax-free municipal bonds, said Mr Rajamani. More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS

No UN certifying inspectors at ports — Exporters in a fix over Iraq-bound cargo
With no UN inspectors left at any of the ports of Iraq to certify cargo arrival, Indian exporters are concerned about the "financial risk" that the new situation may present on all their current shipments including in-transit shipments bound for ... More

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