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| Oppn assails economic policies NEW DELHI, Dec 1: The Opposition BJP today assailed Government’s economic policies saying these had created huge economic disparities and were ...more' BAL
Nov motorcycle NEW DELHI, Dec 1: India's second largest two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) today reported a two-per cent dip in its motorcycle sales during November at 2,09,876 units against 2,14,321 units ....more Lack
of service centres THENI/MADURAI, Dec 1: Lack of service centres to provide free service for colour television sets distributed under the Government’s free tv distribution scheme .......more Bharti
must welcome NEW DELHI, Dec 1:Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications today reacted sharply to rival Bharti Airtel’s statement that others have equal opportunity to succeed, saying "if Bharti honestly believes in competition, it should welcome entry of RCom and other ........more |
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Air India to hike fares by Rs 300 NEW DELHI, Dec 1: Air India today said that it will hike fares by Rs 300 effective from Monday even as other airlines are poised to push through a hike due to increase in ......more FM
favours re-visit of NEW DELHI, Dec 1: With Government saddled with a huge subsidy burden, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today favoured re-visiting the sops .........more No
dilution in IIM SHILLONG, Dec 1: Union Minister for Human Resource Development Arjun Singh today said that there would be no dilution in the standard of the seventh Indian Institute of Management(IIM) .....more PAC detects lapses in railway projects NEW DELHI, Dec 1: The Public Accounts Committee has detected some shortcomings in the execution of gauge conversion and new line projects undertaken by the Railway Ministry.In a report tabled in the Parliament today, the Committee said that cost escalation due to delay in completion .....more |
Oppn assails economic policies NEW DELHI, Dec 1: The Opposition BJP today assailed Government’s economic policies saying these had created huge economic disparities and were threatening livelihood of common man. Initiating a discussion on Appropriation Bills that sought Parliament’s nod for additional spending of Rs 33,290.87 crore, Ramdas Agarwal (BJP) said while the economy was growing at nine per cent and there was "flood" of foreign funds, the wealth was increasingly being confined in a few hands. The economic resurgence had left majority of the population untouched and had increased poverty, he said adding "common man has not benefited from the economic boom". The member said unemployment and poverty were the mother of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East and the naxal movement in some states and the pressent day economic policies were creating similar situations elsewhere in the country. The Government in 2004-05 gave concessions to industry worth Rs 158,661 crore, he said. But, prices of wheat, rise, vegetables and edible oil had risen by 50-70 per cent, Agarwal said. The BJP member assailed entry of big corporate houses in retail business saying the move threatened livelihood of small traders. "I will like to warn government that small traders are being put to hardship as big retailers capture their trade." Big corporate houses like Reliance have the world as their market and they should not get into "selling vegetables", the member said. Agarwal flayed forward trading saying it encouraged speculation and volatility in stock, bullion and commodity market that was being exploited by market players to the disadvantage of commoners. (PTI) BAL Nov motorcycle sales dip 2 pc NEW DELHI, Dec 1: India's second largest two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) today reported a two-per cent dip in its motorcycle sales during November at 2,09,876 units against 2,14,321 units in the same month last year. The company's total two-wheeler sales during the month dipped a marginal one per cent to 2,11,600 units (including exports) compared to 2,14,329 units in November last year, BAL said in a statement. BAL said billing during the month was low due to plant closure during Diwali. Sales of recently launched XCD 125 DTS-Si and 100 cc Platina, on which the company is offering a discount of Rs 4,000, have been brisk post the festive season also, the statement said. The company would scale up the production of XCD to 75,000 units a month in December to meet the growing demand. "It is expected that from this month onwards, motorcycle sales would once again show positive year on year growth," the statement said. Exports during the month were up 28 per cent at 46,295 units while three-wheelers sales continued their downward rally, dipping by 18 per cent during November. Total three-wheeler sales during November stood at 24,197 units as against 29,384 units in the same month a year ago. "The continuing de-growth in three-wheelers reflects the sluggish state of the market," BAL said. For the April-November period, the company's motorcycle sales were down 10 per cent to 14,83,741 units compared to 16,56,591 units in the corresponding period last fiscal. (PTI) Lack of service centres for free TV scheme leads to complaints THENI/MADURAI, Dec 1: Lack of service centres to provide free service for colour television sets distributed under the Government’s free tv distribution scheme has led to many complaints from beneficiaries. Official sources said an average of six per cent of the TV sets were under repair, with problems in the tuning or audio systems or even broken cabinets. "People come to us seeking help, but we are not in a position to direct them to any service centre," an official said. "Even Sony or Videocon, who sell 5,000 sets are setting up service centres, where free service is offered during the warranty period. But this is not the case of the Government TV sets" said Kamakshi Muthu, a woman beneficiary. In Theni district, 58,000 sets had been distributed and 78,000 in Madurai. Having assured beneficiaries a warranty, The Government should ask the companies to set up a service centre, officials said. An unofficial survey said at least three per cent of the beneficiaries were selling the Sets for about Rs 1300-1400. Some city dealers buy TVs with minor faults, repair them and them for Rs 2,000 or even higher amounts. If the Government was keen on beneficiaries keeping the TV sets, then arrangements should be made to set up free service centres in every district, officials said. (PTI) |
Bharti must welcome entry
of RCom, NEW DELHI, Dec 1: Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications today reacted sharply to rival Bharti Airtel’s statement that others have equal opportunity to succeed, saying "if Bharti honestly believes in competition, it should welcome entry of RCom and other new players in GSM" segment. RCom said it wants Bharti and other dominant GSM players to surrender extra spectrum held by them illegally so that new players waiting for a long time could start services. "Bharti has illegally captured excess spectrum and thereby restricting entry of new players... Bharti, Vodafone and Idea all are holding excess illegal spectrum free of charge," RCom said in a statement. On the other hand, Bharti had refuted RCom’s allegations of hoarding spectrum. A Bharti Airtel statement had yesterday said GSM operators have only 25 MHz of frequency as against RCom’s calculation of 50 MHz. The GSM player had also said it welcomed competition and everyone had the right to succeed. All the operators have presented their views to an official committee to review Telecom Engineering Centre’s recommendation and is expected to submit report soon. TEC had suggested 2-15 time more subscribers to become eligible for additional spectrum while telecom regulator TRAI had recommended up to six times more subscribers. The GSM operators have also opposed the policy of dual technology for mobile services which has helped RCom to enter the GSM arena. (PTI) Air India to hike fares by Rs 300 NEW DELHI, Dec 1: Air India today said that it will hike fares by Rs 300 effective from Monday even as other airlines are poised to push through a hike due to increase in fuel surcharge this year. Jet and Kingfisher have already declared their hike by Rs 300. The increase in surcharge follows a 12 per cent increase in aviation fuel prices by the oil companies, Air India said in a statement. Oil marketing companies, Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum and Reliance Industries will hike fuel prices at airports across the country from midnight. Aviation fuel in India costs about 70 per cent more than in Singapore or Dubai. In the internatonal sector Jet Airways has hiked fares by 30 dollars on a one-way ticket to the US, and by 25 dollars on the London sector. (UNI) |
FM favours re-visit of subsidies to remove non-merit sectors NEW DELHI, Dec 1: With Government saddled with a huge subsidy burden, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today favoured re-visiting the sops once in three to five years to weed out relief to non-deserving sectors. "We must re-visit subsidies once in three years or five years to remove non-merit sectors and focus on only deserving sectors," he said replying to a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the bills seeking supplementary grants for a total of Rs 33,290 crore. However, Chidambaram insisted that subsidy on food, fertilisers and some fuels would continue. "It is nobody’s case that all subsidy will go. We are not reducing subsidy for PDS. The budgeted provision was higher than the previous year.... And we have not increased the issue price of PDS (ration)," he said. Addressing the full Planning Commission meeting last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had expressed concern over the mounting subsidy bill exceeding Rs one lakh crore on food, fertilisers and petroleum. After Chidambaram’s reply, the House returned the Appropriation Bills on supplementary grants already passed by the Lok Sabha. (PTI) |
No dilution in IIM Shillong:Arjun Singh SHILLONG, Dec 1: Union Minister for Human Resource Development Arjun Singh today said that there would be no dilution in the standard of the seventh Indian Institute of Management(IIM) Shillong. "I see no dilution in IIM Shillong though it is being set up in the North Eastern state," Mr Singh told reporters after laying the foundation stone of the institute at the temporary campus in Mayurbhanj here. IIM Shillong, christened Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management(RGIIM), will get a grant for non-recurring expenditure of Rs 120 crore over five years and Rs 45 crore for recurring expenditure over six years. Mr Singh said IIM Shillong will be made operational from next year and proposed to admit 60 students in the first academic year, 120 students in the second and 180 students in the sixth year. The Institute will conduct courses on PG Diploma in Business Management, Fellowship Programme in Management, Management Development Programmes, besides courses on Tourism and hospitality management, teleservices and telemedicine, information systems and technology and subjects on horticulture and hydel power, he said. The Meghalaya Government has provided 80 acres of land free for setting up the institute in the new Shillong satellite township at Mawdiandiang, adjacent to the super specialty North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Medical Sciences. Earlier, Mr Singh hoped that the launching of RGIIM would contribute to the manpower of tomorrow, not only in the North East Region but also in the whole of country. "The setting up of IIMs in the country was a brainchild of Nehruji and Rajiv Gandhi continued from where he had left," he said. Mr Singh said that the late Prime Minister (Rajiv Gandhi) regarded the North East as an area which deserved special attention from the administrators and policy makers so that the region did not lag behind and higher education is a result of this endeavour. "Today, every NE state has a Central University and the RGIIM will be linked to the global reality of marketing and management," he said. Union Minister in-charge Tribal Affairs P R Kyndiah said the setting up of IIM Shillong will boost the city as a centre of advanced learning. The institute will provide crucial inputs regarding modern management practices to the public and private sectors of the NE Region. The quality of project management in the region will improve, he said. Chief Minister D D Lapang said the RGIIM would boost the image of Shillong and acquire a reputation unknown before. (UNI) |
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