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UPA-Left consensus on divestment in profit-making non-Navratna PSUs
New Delhi: A meeting of the UPA-Left parties coordination committee has paved the way for the introduction of the Pension Bill in the coming session of Parliament. It would appear that the Govt. also may have secured a go-ahead for disinvesting small equity stakes in profit making non-Navratna public sector companies, subject to certain parameters.

The new pension system is for all newly recruited government employees, except armed forces. The finance minister, P. Chidambaram, said that the Left parties had been given a note on this subject and after consulting among themselves would revert to the Government.

The Left parties may not oppose the disinvestment move since the proceeds would be utilised for beefing up the National Investment Fund that would arrange resources for some of the commitments made in the National Common Minimum Programme of the UPA Government.
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Aiyar: Oil demand in India may grow 5 per cent in 2005-6
Riyadh: Demand growth for oil in India oil could touch five per cent in 2005-2006 as the economy is growing rapidly, oil minister Mani Shankar Aiyar told a meeting of oil producers and consumers in Saudi Arabia. India imported 100 million tonnes of oil till March 2005.

Analysts say the pipeline deal has been jeopardised by India's decision to join the United States in September and vote to refer Iran's nuclear programme to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

Aiyar said India would have to cut gas subsidies if it wanted to increase imports as oil companies at present refused to import liquefied natural gas (LNG), as they could not recoup costs through domestic sales.
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FCI says chances of wheat imports nil
New Delhi: The Food Corporation of India, India's largest grain procurement agency, has said that there is no need to import wheat because of sufficient stocks and stable prices.

The corporation's response has come in the face of speculation that India, a wheat exporter in recent years, may import wheat for the first time in six years because of lower procurement by grain agencies.

FCI said government agencies had 8.1 million tonne of wheat and 11.6 million tonnes of rice on Nov. 18. On a consumption of around 1.5 million tonnes of wheat a month, the agency says it will be left with at least 1 million tonne in April 06.

According to the corporation, next year's harvest is expected to be good because of ample soil moisture after widespread monsoon rains in September. Wheat crop in India is sown in November and December and harvesting begins in April in the main northern growing states of Punjab and Haryana. Harvesting for the early grown varieties in Madhya Pradesh begins in February.
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Television over telephone cable coming
New Delhi: By December Indian consumers will be able to get IPTV (Internet protocol Television) which will enable them watch television programmes using the telephone line.

US-based technology company, UT Starcom, has tied up with an Indian operator to offer the services, which will allow users to pause, fast forward and rewind live and record content stored on a remotely located server by the service provider.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Reliance Infocom are planning to launch IPTV in a big way.

IPTV uses a two-way digital broadcast signal (sent through a switched telephone or cable network by way of a broadband connection and a set-top box programmed with software much like a cable or DSS box) that can handle viewer requests to access many available media sources.

The viewer's TV connects to a set top box that decodes the IP video and converts it into standard television signals. IPTV allows operators to deliver content to their subscribers using telephone lines through IP technology. So far, this technology was used to deliver voice through Internet telephony. The services on IPTV include video-on-demand and digital video recording.
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Maharashtra government in MoUs with MBT, MICO
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Government has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mahindra British Telecom and Mico to bring in investments to the tune of Rs1,000 crore to the state.

The MoU with Mahindra British Telecom (MBT) is for its Rs450-crore new software development campus, coming up at Hinjawadi, near Pune, while Motor Industries Co (MICO) is investing Rs550-crore for its expansion project at its Nashik facility.

Spread over 25 acres, the new MBT campus will have office space, housing facilities, training centres, food courts and sports complex.
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