Blair in Delhi
New Delhi: British prime minister Tony Blair arrived here on Friday from Pakistan for consultations with Indian leaders on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.
Mr. Blair will meet Prime Minister Vajpayee and exchange views on the recent developments following the September 11 attacks.
During his parleys, Vajpayee will be assisted by external affairs and defence minister Jaswant Singh, national security adviser Brajesh Mishra and Iyer. This will be followed by a breakfast meeting between the two leaders in which home minister Advani, deputy chairman of the planning commission K C Pant will be present, besides Singh, Mishra, Iyer and some senior officials.
In Islamabad, Blair had an hour-long meeting with President Musharraf. He announced renewal of defence cooperation with Pakistan and promised a fresh package of assistance, including IMF aid.
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Govt clears 18 FDI proposals
New Delhi: Government on Friday cleared 18 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposals worth Rs 278 crore including the Rs 220 crore proposal of Mauritian company Al-Amin Investments for acquiring 49 per cent stake in Barakhamba Cellular Services.
As per the proposal, Rs 9.8 crore will be brought into India right away while the balance will be invested "as and when required".
Major investment proposals pertain to NBFC activities, food processing, heavy machinery and composite railway brake blocks besides cellular mobile telecom services.
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Software technology parks on privatization route
Pune: Five of the countrys most profitable software technology parks (STPI) are likely to be privatised. The proposal has been put up before the Cabinet for an in-principle approval, after which the disinvestment process can begin. STPIs in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Noida and Pune will be offered under the privatisation plan.

The government expects to raise Rs 500 crore from this sale, the proceeds of which would be used for setting up newer STPIs in areas where IT industry penetration is among the lowest. Lucknow and Sikkim are among the locations where new STPI would be set up.
There are 20 STPs in the country with over 6,000 exporting units and accounting for 70 per cent of the companys turnover.
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