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| JAL launches products in Jammu markets Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 8: Jupiter Aqua Lines (JAL) Limited, a 17 years old company, manufacturing more than one million bath fittings and accessories, launched.........more DMRC Chief gets lifetime achievement award by Zee NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Managing Director E Sreedharan has been conferred the 'ZeeBusiness Pinnacle Lifetime Achievement .......more DHL wins three top awards at Asia Logistics Awards 2006 NEW DELHI, Oct 8: DHL, one of the world's leading express and logistics company has been rewarded by readers of Lloyd's ........more Safari Bikes gets National Award NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Ludhiana-based bicycle manufacturer Safari Bikes Ltd has bagged national award for quality from the Ministry of Small Scale Industry......more |
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Whyte & Mackay not sold out to
Mallya's UB Group NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Shrugging aside rumours of its acquisition by Vijay Mallya's United Spirits, a part of United Breweries, for a sum of 400 million pounds, .........more PPL's Ex-employees take their grievances to PM NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Seeking a better deal for themselves, former employees of State-owned Paradeep Phosphates Ltd i ...........more 'Gold jewellery sold with impurity levels of 13.4% to 44.6%' NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Taking due advantage of the mad rush for gold jewellery, what with the marriage and festive season just .......more UK Scientists achieve forensic breakthrough LONDON, Oct 8: British scientists have developed a new technique, which could help in cracking thousands of unsolved crimes.The Forensic Science Service (FSS) has evolved a computer............more |
JAL launches products in Jammu markets Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 8: Jupiter Aqua Lines (JAL) Limited, a 17 years old company, manufacturing more than one million bath fittings and accessories, launched its products at ‘Jal Tarang’ at Sunjawa Morh here today. Chief Business Development Officer Vinod Kumar Sharma while speaking at the launch of Jal Tarang stated that the company besides selling its produce in India is also exporting a good number of unit too. JAL guides and educates customers and plumbing technicians on various technical features that are available in Bath Fittings and Bath Wares, through workshops, technical seminars and literature. JAL is one company which attaches much importance to the performance of the products. The quality parameters are very high in JAL. The JAL products are easy to maintain and need very elementary care. Together with JAL, discerning customers would discover the art of making beautiful bathrooms. Company has also opened a permanent display cum service centre JAL TARANG at Sunjuwa Morh where the specially trained customer care executives will always be at prospective buyers call not only to dismount relevant information but also to meet customers needs. JAL TARANG at Sunjawa Morh in Jammu is the recent endeavour of the company to come closer to customers in this region.. |
DMRC Chief gets lifetime achievement award by Zee NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Managing Director E Sreedharan has been conferred the 'ZeeBusiness Pinnacle Lifetime Achievement Award' by Zee Business for his contribution to the transportation system in the capital. Zee Business also presented awards to Asian Paints, Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) and HDFC Bank. The Pinnacle Awards were given away in 19 categories from the construction, building and allied industries in real estate. On the occasion, Minister of Urban Development Jaipal Reddy, Minister of State for Industries Ashwani Kumar, senior BJP leader Sahib Singh Verma, and many other luminaries were present. The Zee Group instituted the ZeeBusiness Pinnacle Awards for the first time.(UNI) |
DHL wins three top awards at Asia Logistics Awards 2006 NEW DELHI, Oct 8: DHL, one of the world's leading express and logistics company has been rewarded by readers of Lloyd's Freight Transport Buyer Asia (FTB Asia) at the Asia Logistics Awards 2006 for its innovation, service excellence and commitment in providing customers with superior express and logistics solutions. DHL was named Express Operator of the Year, Airfreight Forwarder of the Year and 3PL Operator of the Year. The awards follow a series of recent DHL initiatives to tap growth opportunities in Asia Pacific, especially in China. Recent developments include a 110 million dollars expansion of the Central Asia. The awards ceremony, held last night, recognised leading companies shaping the most dynamic logistics region in the world. DHL was also a finalist in three other categories -- Sea Freight Forwarder of the Year, Project Forwarder of the Year and Ethical Responsibility. The accolades reaffirm the value of its relentless pursuit towards product and service enhancements to offer customers a global platform and a stronger product portfolio. Appropriately, the criteria for Express Operator of the Year focused on reliability, cost and level of customer service. DHL is one of the global market leader of the international express and logistics industry, specialising in providing innovative and customised solutions from a single source. It offers expertise in express, air and ocean freight, overland transport, contract logistic solutions as well as international mail services, combined with worldwide coverage and an in-depth understanding of local markets. Its international network links more than 220 countries and territories worldwide.(UNI) |
Safari Bikes gets National Award NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Ludhiana-based bicycle manufacturer Safari Bikes Ltd has bagged national award for quality from the Ministry of Small Scale Industry. Union Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the award to Safari Group Executive Director Suresh Sharma here. With its premium brand Hi-Bird, the company entered in domestic market in 2000 and launched 40 attractive and stylish bicycle models at one stretch. With a network in more than 50 countries, the company is presently making more than 100 varied designs and models of bicycles. The company was earlier honoured with 'International Europe Award for Quality (Paris) France' in the year 2000 and 2001 from Switzerland. Last year Safari Group opened its branches in China and Holland and are in the final stage of signing a technological tie-up with a major bicycle manufacturing company in Europe to manufacture high-end bikes.(UNI) |
Whyte & Mackay not sold out to Mallya's UB Group NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Shrugging aside rumours of its acquisition by Vijay Mallya's United Spirits, a part of United Breweries, for a sum of 400 million pounds, Scotland-based producer of premium spirits Whyte & Mackay has clarified that it 'has not been sold' out. ''Despite recent press speculation, I would like to confirm that Whyte & Mackay has not been sold. We have received offers for part of the business and are continuing to evaluate all of our strategic options,'' said Whyte & Mackay Chairman and Chief Executive Vivian Imerman. After acquiring French wine-maker Bouvet-Ladubay, a subsidiary of Taittinger, for 18.6 million dollars in July, the two billion dollar UB Group had announced that it was eyeing Whyte & Mackay. Earlier, this week a section of the media reported that the deal has already been completed. Contradicting these reports, Mr Imerman said his company is in the middle of a 100 million pounds investment programme and has great confidence in the business to perform well over the next five years. ''Whyte & Mackay has taken many strong initiatives in restructuring its business. The company has consolidated its facilities, merging Scottish plants to increase operating efficiencies with the new state-of-the-art bottling facility now open in Grangemouth,'' he added. The largest-selling scotch brand in Scotland, which has a turnover in excess of 150 million pounds, has also re-launched its flagship brand along with Vladivar and Jura in the UK. It employs over 600 staff in Scotland and the UK. In the near future, the company will also be adding its new all-purpose production facility in Grangemouth, Scotland to its other Scottish distilleries, which include the Isle of Jura (situated off the west coast of Scotland) and The Dalmore (based in Ross-shire). (UNI) |
PPL's Ex-employees take their grievances to PM NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Seeking a better deal for themselves, former employees of State-owned Paradeep Phosphates Ltd (PPL), which was sold to Zuari Maric Phosphates Ltd (ZMPPL) in 2002, have met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ram Vilas Paswan here. In the meeting, the ex-employees had submitted a representation to the government asking for the constitution of a high-level committee under the Department of Fertilisers to redress their grievances. ''In the buy-out of the company, the employees have been handed out a raw deal. Even our basic sustenance needs have been taken away and the right to dignity has been completely relinquished. That is why we are seeking intervention of the Prime Minister and Mr Paswan,'' the PPL Ex-employees Association said here in a statement. In the aftermath of the company's sale, its Delhi office was closed and over 90 per cent of the employees were forced to accept Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) or arbitrary transfer to different parts of the country, it added. ''Moreover, no medical benefits were included in the VRS and we were left with a meagre pension of Rs 500 to Rs 900,'' the employees said while demanding the re-opeing of the Delhi office. Mr Paswan had earlier sought the Law Ministry's opinion on whether the deal could be reversed. He had contended that the controlling interest in the PPL, in which public funds of over Rs 670 crore was invested, was sold to a private company for barely Rs 15 lakh. Terming the minister's move as a positive step, the employees pointed out, ''At the time of privatisation, it was brought to the knowledge of the then minister that the goverment was selling a gold mine.'' They further said that two more plants of PPL's size could have been established on the huge land which has been parted with for a meagre sum of money.(UNI) |
'Gold jewellery sold with impurity levels of 13.4% to 44.6%' NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Taking due advantage of the mad rush for gold jewellery, what with the marriage and festive season just around the corner, major cities across the country have been found selling the metal with impurity levels ranging from 13.44 per cent to 44.66 per cent, a study said. In 16 cities, out of the 162 samples taken and tested for purity, 147 samples (90.7 per cent) were found short in purity, while the average shortfall stood at 13.44 per cent, and the highest shortage at 44.66 per cent, a paper on 'Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery in India: An Initiative to Ensure Purity' brought out by the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry (ASSOCHAM) found. ''Due to the unorganised nature of the trade, the Indian consumer is faced with the problem of irregular metal quality. In India, the emphasis is on high caratage jewellery, and problems have arisen due to the lack of suitable high carat solders. The traditional handcrafted 22 carat pieces contain many soldered joints and the use of solder alloys of a much lower caratage, leads to serious levels of under-carating,'' the study said. The 16 major cities in which jewellery samples were taken and tested by experts recently, are Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Surat, Chennai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Pune, Cochin, Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Bangalore, Agra and Bhopal. This suggests that the campaign for gold hallmarking massively being undertaken by various government and non-government agencies, have hardly made any impact on investors that prefer buying jewellery, Assocham Chief Anil K Agarwal opined. Hallmarking is the accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal and gold. Hallmarks are official marks used in many countries as a guarantee of purity or fineness of gold jewellery. The study also reveals that while on the one hand, the gold hallmarking campaign has made little impact, on the other, it has also been found out that gold jewellery buyers simply wish to buy the gold in traditional form without insisting on hallmarking. This encourages jewellers to incorporate adulteration in the precious metal. The chamber has therefore suggested the need for hallmarking of gold jewellery to protect the interest of consumers as also recommended to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs and Department of Company Affairs to set up over 50 hallmarking centres throughout the country to curb the increasing menace of selling impure gold and save the gullible consumers from being cheated. The proposed gold hallmarking centre should be managed, run and regulated by a hallmarking agency such as the Bureau of Indian Standards, which has been striving hard to establish its credibility in the recent past, said the chamber. With an estimated consumption of 722 tonnes during 2005 (including jewellery consumption of 587 tonnes), India is the largest consumer of gold in the world. India is also estimated to hold nearly 14,000 tonnes, accounting for 9 per cent of the world_s cumulative mine production of around 153,000 tonnes. India is typically also the largest purchaser of coins and bars for investment. The export of gold jewellery is projected to be Rs 31,500 crore by 2010 and Rs 47,900 crore by 2015. The import figure stands out to Rs 5,140 crore in 2010 and Rs 7,900 crore in 2015. The import of gold by the year 2010 is projected to be Rs 62,590 billion and Rs 87,430 crore in 2015. The demand of gold by India is projected to be 980.83 tonnes by 2010 and 1152.64 tonnes by 2015, while the consumption figure is approximated to 404.79 tonnes by 2010. With various government initiatives in the recent years, export of gold jewellery has also increased -- exports increased 42.2 per cent during FY2005 to 3.81 billion dollars, as compared with growth of 77.2 per cent during FY2004. However, exports of gold jewellery have increased in recent years because of health growth in demand in key markets, and intensive efforts by exporters towards improved quality and new designs. Gold jewellers have identified exports as a focus area, setting up manufacturing units and design training centres to improve quality. The industry is also promoting Indian ornaments in the US, Hong Kong, and West Asia. For example, India's export of articles of jewellery to the US has increased from 565 million dollars in 2001 to 1,751 million dollars in 2005. India has thus displaced Italy as the largest exporter of articles of jewellery to the US.(UNI) |
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UK Scientists achieve forensic breakthrough LONDON, Oct 8: British scientists have developed a new technique, which could help in cracking thousands of unsolved crimes. The Forensic Science Service (FSS) has evolved a computer-based analysis system called DNAboost, which can decipher previously uninterpretable clues. The new method will allow scientists to pinpoint DNA samples in situations where more than one person has touched a surface. This is particularly useful when poor quality material or small amounts of DNA have been left behind making it difficult to distinguish one person from another. Combining DNAboost with the FSS's current technique of Low Copy Number (LCN), detecting a DNA match from a small cell sample is expected to take crime-busting to a new level. Commenting on the new technology, DNA manager Paul Hackett said that a great many cases can be solved and that many more families could look forward to securing justice. The FSS runs one of the world's largest national DNA databases, which contributes to busting crime in the UK more than 10,000 DNA crime stain samples and around 50,000 DNA samples from individuals can be handled each month by the FSS's computer-based interpretation systems. (AGENCIES) |
Home users more prone to cyber attack: Study NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Home users are being increasingly targeted by cyber attackers as they are less likely to have established security measures in place and are prone to attacks for theft, fraud and other motivated crimes, a latest internet security threat report released by Symantec said here. The report notes that home users constitutes the most targeted sector by attackers, accounting for 86 per cent, followed by financial services business. According to the report, vulnerabilities affecting web applications, including web brousers, e-mail clients and other desktop applications, accounted for 69 per cent in the first half of 2006. Attackers are now using a variety of techniques to escape detection and prolong their presence on systems in order to gain more time to steal information, hijack the computer for marketing purpose, provide remote access or otherwise compromise confidential information for profit, it added. "Attackers see end-users as the weakest link in the security chain and are cosntantly targetting them in an effort to make illegitimate gains," Symantec India Managing Director Vishal Dhupar said. Given the effect this has on company’s large and growing customer base, Symantec, an internet security solution developer, introduced new metrics to further understand how to better protect customers against these security concerns in years to come, he added. During the first half of 2006, Symantec observed an average of 6,110 denial of service (DoS) attacks per day. The US was the location of the most DoS targets, accounting for 54 per cent of the worldwide total, and the internet service provider (ISP) sector was the second most vulnerable target for DoS attacks. The US also had the highest percentage of bot-command-and-control servers with 42 per cent of the total, and China had the highest number of bot-infected computers with 20 per cent of computers in use across the world.(UNI) |
5 MNC telecos face
litmus test as NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Five top telecom equipment suppliers - Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, Siemens and ZTE - will face a litmus test tomorrow when telecom PSU BSNL opens the financial bids of its mega GSM tender for adding 45.5 million lines at an investment of over Rs 20,000 crore. Stakes are high for all the five shortlisted bidders as this is said to be the biggest ever tender floated by any telecom company. The actual tender was for 60 million lines, but an order for 15 million lines has been placed to ITI-Alcatel joint venture in the reserved quota for a PSU. According to tender conditions, two bidders would be selected. The lowest bidder gets 60 per cent of the contract while second lowest would get the remaining 40 per cent. While the tender was floated in June this year, all the five bidders completed their technical evaluation after a number of rounds and clarifications by both bidders as well as BSNL only last week. None of the top official was available for comment but sources said the financial bids are likely to be opened tomorrow. Although 18 companies had shown interest in the project and had bought the documents, only five submitted the bids in June for BSNL’s 4.8-billion dollar tender. If Motorola wins the bid, the US telecom giant could source some equipment for the BSNL tender from Chinese vendor Huawei, sources said. Recently, Huawei was at the centre of a controversy for failing to supply equipment, in a venture with Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd, to BSNL on time for its CDMA project. However, the government decided against blacklisting Huawei from participating in future projects of BSNL and MTNL. One of the clauses in BSNL’s GSM tender specifies that at least a third of the equipment bid must be manufactured in India. This is being seen as Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran’s objective to develop India as a manufacturing hub in IT and telecom. Recently, US-headquartered Motorola announced plans to set up a manufacturing plant near Chennai. Nokia also has a manufacturing plant near Chennai. Among other bidders, Ericsson has a manufacturing facility in India, while Siemens and ZTE have announced their plans too. The BSNL tender is expected to cater to both 2G and 3G services of BSNL. (PTI) Durable Cos target sales of over NEW DELHI, Oct 8: With yet another festive season kicking in and the market continuing to post healthy growth, consumer durable companies are readying to cash in on the spending spree, targeting a combined sales of about Rs 4,300 crore. "The market is good and we expect our sales in the festive seaason to grow by 30 to 35 per cent at Rs 300 crore compared to Rs 200 crore last year," Godrej Applainces Vice-President Marketing and Sales Kamal Nandi told PTI. He said the sales are expected to come from across the product portfolio the company has in the home appliances segment and as usual, the company is banking on its festive offer to boost sales. Echoing similar sentiments, Videocon Industries Ltd Joint-President Sunil Mehta said the company was targeting a sales of Rs 500 crore this festive season. "This will be a growth of 48 per cent over what we achieved last year (Rs 337 crore)," he said, adding the company’s bullishness was on account of new products that it has introduced in the market. Mehta said the company would be spending about Rs 30 crore for promos and marketing activities during the season. Already, Korean consumer durables major LG has made its intentions clear to make the most out of the festive season. "We are targeting a combined turnover of Rs 2,500 crore for the festive season nationally, and to meet the promotions and advertising requirements we would be spending Rs 100 crore across India," LG Electronics India Ltd Sales and Marketing VP Girish V Rao said. Not to be left far behind, LG’s Korean counterpart Samsung also said it was aiming at sales of about Rs 850 crore during the season. The sales are expected to be driven by slew of new digital and media product the company has introduced and also of flat screen televisions, including 20,000 LCD Plasma and around 40,000 unit of the normal flat TV sets, a senior Samsung official said. Samsung would be spending close to Rs 55 crore on its festival marketing campaigns and promotions. Likewise, another consumer durables major Electrolux is eyeing a sales of about Rs 120 crores during the two months of festivities. "This time of the year is most important for every company, especially those selling home appliances, as it is responsible for 30-35 per cent of our total year’s sales," Marketing Head of Electrolux Madhav Nene said. He said the company would be spending around Rs six crore in gifts as well as the promotional schemes. (PTI) |
UPA points to China to convince Left on financial reforms NEW DELHI, Oct 8: The UPA Government is using China’s example to get across to its Left allies that neither is FDI a dirty word nor full capital account convertibility a bad concept. "Russia has recently made the rouble fully convertible. China has announced that the renminbi will be fully convertible in two years, but after Russia’s decision, this is expected to happen sooner", the Government told the Left parties. The Government cited the China’s example, while replying to points raised by Left parties on various issues and performance of the Government that completed two years in May. It also noted that there was no National Common Minimum Programme embargo on the examination of the relevant issues for capital account convertibility. This was to justify appointment of a committee under the Chairmanship of RBI Deputy Governor S S Tarapore to work out a fresh roadmap for achieving full rupee float, a move attacked by the Left. It also cited the Chinese miracle to drive home the point that FDI is not a bad word. Debunking the Left fears on foreign capital, the Congress-led coalition told them that liberalisation of FDI brings in the best international practices and improves domestic industry’s competetiveness. "Contrary to the misplaced apprehensions of a negative impact on domestic employment and asset creation, FDI supplements domestic investment and promotes employment. It is this realisation that has led all State Governments to actively seek FDI", the Congress-led coalition informed the Left parties in its reply last week. Noting that FDI is a vital source of capital inflows to augment the capital account surplus, which in turn is imperative to offset the growing current account deficit, Government said that China received FDI of 60.3 billion dollars in 2005 while India received FDI of only 8.5 billion dollars in 2005-06. India’s total FDI inflow since it opened its economy in the 1990s is 50 billion dollars. On the Left’s objections on FDI in retail, the Government has told them that FDI in Retail in Single Brand has been allowed only to "expose in a very limited way" the Indian economy to the international trends to gear them to take on the best in the world and also provide a wider choice to the consumers. In its reply, the Government dismissed as "misplaced" the apprehensions that foreign institutional investors (FIIs) wield considerable powers in the market. "FIIs contribute only 13-14 per cent of the turnover of the stock exchanges", it said discounting the possibility of capital flight. Besides, it noted that major policy decisions relating to financial sector are always taken in consultation with RBI and SEBI. The Government made it clear that on the issue of FDI in insurance and print media sectors, it has "not yet taken any decision." The Congress-led coalition begged to differ with the Left’s perceptions that the National Common Minimum Programme talks about encouraging FDI in areas of infrastructure, high technology and exports and where local assets and employment are created in a significant scale. It said the NCMP states that FDI "will continue to be encouraged and actively sought particularly in areas of infrastructure, high technology and exports" and not exclusively in these sectors. The Congress-led coalition sought to impress upon the Left parties that there was an urgent need to enhance credit flows to the productive sectors of the economy to boost investment and output. "This enhanced credit flow in turn requires a commensurate strengthening of the capital base of the banks by infusion of additional capital in the banking sector," it said. Government told the key outside supporters that it has proposed to amend Section 12(2) of the Banking Regulation Act. which currently caps voting rights to ten per cent irrespective of economic ownership, as international experience also shows the absence of such ceiling in general. The amendment was subject
to safeguards being provided in the form of requirement
of prior approval of Reserve Bank of India to any
acquisition of shares in excess of five per cent. (PTI) |
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