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World Bank official meets Karunanidhi, reviews projects

World Bank's country director Roberto Zagha met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi here Thursday and reviewed the progress of the six bank-assisted projects in the state.

Tata Chemicals to commission new plant next year

Tata Chemicals Thursday said its fertiliser plant in Babrala, Uttar Pradesh, will start production by middle of next year.

Chunk of hotel rooms coming up in Haryana for Games

India expects over 100,000 tourists during the Commonwealth Games next year and the government is working overtime to ensure that the required number of hotel rooms are ready, with many hotels being constructed in Haryana, adjoining the national capital, an official said.

Sops for green power in Delhi climate plan

Encouraging use of solar power, increase in use of energy-saving lighting, setting up of an electronic waste facility, more CNG buses, promoting use of bio-fuel and shutting down coal-fired power plants form the highlights of the Delhi government's 65-point three-year agenda to fight climate change.

Parliament to mull over shareholders deciding executive pay

Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Thursday said a proposal to allow shareholders decide the salaries of company executives was before parliament.

Murthy's wife sells 1.6 mn Infosys shares for Rs.4.3 bn

Sudha Murthy, wife of Infosys Technologies co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, sold 1.6 million shares of her holding in the IT bellwether for over Rs.430 crore (Rs.4.3 billion/$91.5 million), the company said Thursday.

Government liberalises foreign technology tie-up rules

The government Thursday agreed to permit payments for royalty and lumpsum fee for transfer of technology and use of brand name through the automatic route without any restrictions.

Support price for wheat hiked by Rs.20

The government Thursday hiked the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat by Rs.20, barley by Rs.70 and gram by Rs.30 per quintal for the current rabi crop.

Sensex rises 151 points to end above 16,000

Buoyed by the government's decision to offload at least 10 percent stake in all profit-making state-run firms, a key index of Indian equities markets Thursday climbed up in the last minutes of trading to shut shop above the 16,000-mark.

Kerala conducts tourism road shows in Scandinavia

Kerala believes Scandinavian nations are among the biggest sources of tourists to the state, and has sent one of the largest travel delegations on a roadshow to the region.

Badal rejects wheat MSP enhancement as 'too meagre'

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Thursday rejected the hike of Rs.20 per quintal in the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat announced by the central government, saying it was 'too meagre'.

Dikshit wants share in NCR toll tax collection

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Thursday said that the national capital should get some share in the toll tax collected at Noida and Gurgaon.

Apex court to hear plea against pre-paid mobile ban in Kashmir

The Supreme Court Thursday refused to give urgent hearing to a plea for scrapping the ban on pre-paid mobile connections in Jammu and Kashmir, imposed by the central government apprehending the possibility of its misuse by terrorists.

Banks' internal audits flawed, encourage scams: CBI

Public sector undertakings, especially nationalised banks, often ignore financial crimes in their internal audits and sometimes even delay the prosecution of their accused employees, a senior Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official said here Thursday.

Murthy's wife sells 2 mn Infosys shares for Rs.4.3 bn

Sudha Murthy, wife of Infosys' Technologies co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, sold two million shares of her holding in the IT bellwether for over Rs.430 crore (Rs.4.3 billion/$91.5 million), the company said Thursday.

Audi partners World Economic Forum's India summit

German luxury car maker Audi will partner with the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit by providing its premium model cars for facilitating the travel of delegates attending the event.

Meghalaya defers development work around uranium mining

Following a series of protests by environmentalist and political groups, the Meghalaya government has put on hold the infrastructure development work in the area where uranium is proposed to be mined.

Barista says cheers to coffee with a touch of liqueur

With coffee parlours becoming popular in Indian cities, Barista, the trend-setter in the country, now wants to take the concept to a new level, introducing liqueur-based beverages.

Separate contract okayed for oil exploration in Nagaland

The Cabinet Committee for Economic Affairs (CCEA) Thursday decided to split the production sharing contract for a block in north-eastern India to facilitate more exploration in the area that falls in Nagaland.

Microsoft launches on-demand e-mail solutions in India

In order to enable easy access to its cost-effective business productivity software, Microsoft Thursday launched its online services in India.

Climate friendly policies pay off: Study

Climate-friendly policies not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions and bring environmental benefits, they also boost and diversify the economy, reveals a recent study analysing some 100 climate policies of G20 countries.

Tamil Nadu to issue tender for sourcing television sets

The Tamil Nadu government will issue a global tender this month for sourcing 4.8 million colour television sets for distribution under its free colour television sets scheme.

Punjab, Haryana cross 150 lakh tonnes paddy procurement

Achieving another target despite less than favourable weather conditions this year, Punjab and Haryana have crossed 150 lakh tonnes of paddy procurement this season, officials of the two states said Thursday.

State-owned Ashok Hotel to share brand name with private firms

The 'Ashok' brand of premium hotels, owned by the state-run hospitality major India Tourism Development Corp (ITDC), will now be prefixed or suffixed on properties owned by six private firms.

New tax regime should last 50 years: Finance minister

The government Thursday said it would bring in the new direct tax code only after consulting and reviewing suggestions from taxpayers and the corporate sector to ensure the new taxation regime lasts another 50 years.