India, China may get 70 per cent of tech jobs
London: Almost 70 pc of public sector information technology (IT) jobs in Britain could be moved to cheaper economies like India or China, according to Bill Thomas, head of EDS's European, African and Middle East units, giving an interview to a leading daily in the UK.

He said he expected a dramatic change in public sector IT personnel as former civil servants employed by private sector groups faced the prospect of losing their jobs to off-shoring.

The Texas-based EDS is the biggest supplier of IT to the government.

According to the report the news will cause extreme concerns for union leaders, who have already threatened strike action if employers, such as the US giant EDS, start to lay off staff.

Thomas said 60 to 70 per cent of the 8,000 EDS employees working on government contracts including major projects for the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Work and Pensions did not need to be employed in Britain.
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CAS goes online in parts of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata
Kolkata: The Conditional Access System (CAS) was implemented in parts of Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai beginning from midnight of December 31 and subscribers not having set-top boxes (STBs) were not able to view pay channels.
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VAT implemented in Tamil Nadu
Chennai: The value added tax system has replaced the age old general sales tax structure in Tamil Nadu on the New Year day on Monday. Official circles, trade and industry sources expect a smooth transition to the new tax regime.

While the ruling DMK had the backing of its alliance partners in implementing VAT, it is opposed by the opposition party, the AIADMK and a section of the trade.

Official sources expected the changeover to VAT regime to be smooth. The government has also accepted the latest representation of trade and industry and decided to give input credit for the tax paid on opening stocks as on January 1, 2007 since they have already suffered re-sale tax.

Despite revenue implications, the government of TN has slashed tax rates to 4 pc from 12.5 pc on 30 items. This should lead to a drop in prices provided the traders passed on the benefit without claiming them as old stocks.
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Mineral rich states say duty should be levied on power
New Delhi: Coal rich states Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have asked the government to levy duty on power generation to ensure equitable dispensation to the coal bearing states.

In a meeting the prime minister Manmohan Singh the Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik alongwith Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand chief ministers Raman Singh and Madhu Koda discussed issues related to the power sector in the states, a statement from the Orissa Government said.

The states have also demanded allocation of an appropriate portion of power generated in their respective states at a variable cost plus formula bound incentive.

The group of chief ministers also asked for a token contribution by the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) for ecological regeneration in the vicinity of the power plants, which would ensure a more equitable dispensation for the coal bearing states.
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