Tatas to invest $2 bn in telecom
New Delhi: At the ongoing CII Telecom Summit 2004, Tata Group officials have spoken about company plans to invest around two billion dollars in telecom during the next two years by way of expansion and rollout in existing and new circles. They have indicated that the amount would be used for expansion in their existing six-telecom circles of Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The rollout will be in the 11 new circles of Uttar Pradesh (E), Uttar Pradesh (W), West Bengal, Kolkata, Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Kerala.
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Bombay Dyeing rating reaffirmed
Mumbai: Bombay Dyeing & Manufacturing Company Ltd has informed BSE that ICRA has reaffirmed the `A1+' rating assigned to the Rs 100-crore short-term debt (including CP) programme.
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Total Gaz to take stake in Shell Hazira
Ahmedabad: Shell Gas BV, a member of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies, has announced that it has agreed to terms for Total Gaz Electricité Holdings, France to take a 26 per cent share in the Hazira project. This would be subject to the requisite approvals from the Central and State Governments.Total will take a shareholding of 26 per cent in each of the three companies that comprise the project. These include Shell Hazira Gas Private Ltd, Hazira LNG Private Ltd and Hazira Port Private Ltd.
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Dr Batra's clinics move east
Kolkata: The Rs 25-crore, Dr. Batra's Positive Heath Clinic Ltd (DBPHCL) is planning to launch two more clinics in the eastern and the north-eastern regions - one in Kolkata and the other in Guwahati. According to the company, the two would be set up in the next six months.

The Rs 25-crore company at present engages 90 qualified physicians and serves six lakh patients a year through its chain of clinics as also its online consultation service.
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GGS India to expand
Chennai: The US-based GGS Information Services has announced that its book services division's production support office in India has joined with its Pennsylvania and New Jersey offices to offer a full range of editorial, content development and management services for book publishers. The company provides technical information management services. The new India operation, will be known as the GGS Information Services India Pvt Ltd.
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Novartis seeks tie-ups in India
Mumbai: On the eve of it's 'Art of Collaboration' symposium to be held in Mumbai from the 5th of March, Novartis has spoken about the future of collaborations in India and elsewhere. Novartis is seeking collaborations in therapeutic areas such as, oncology, cardiovascular disease, transplantation, nervous system disease and infectious diseases, among others.

Novartis has said that it viewed neighbouring China more favourably as it was the most important growth market, though India too demonstrated potential to grow rapidly. Till date, Novartis has held only three such events, one in Japan and two in the United States. The symposium intends to showcase Novartis' strengths in various therapeutic areas and several Indian companies are expected to participate.
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IOC ties up LNG sales
New Delhi: Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), a co-promoter of Petronet LNG Ltd., has said that it has tied up its share of LNG sale through strategic Gas Sales Agreements (GSA) with key customers. The GSA for the last tranche of supplies was signed recently with Essar Steel Ltd. Commercial supplies to customers is expected to commence from April 2004 onwards, according to an official release.

Other major customers who have signed up with IOC for gas supplies include Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation, Haryana Sheet Glass, Hindustan National Glass Industries Limited and Surya Roshni Limited. The agreements are valid for a five-year term.
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Wipro ties up with Brillian
Bangalore: Wipro Technologies has signed a systems electronics development agreement with Brillian Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of high-definition television (HDTV) products. Wipro will be responsible for the over-the-air tuner (ATSC standard) and other high-definition content sources for Brillian's 720p and 1080p liquid-crystal-on-silicon Gen II HDTV products, slated for introduction in the second half of 2004.

With television broadcast turning digital, Wipro's Consumer Electronics group has invested in its own set of ATSC and DVB stacks and other re-use components which will enable development processes.
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Sanwaria Agro: Will move into the power sector
Mumbai: Sanwaria Agro Oils Ltd, one of largest soya oil refining companies in the country, has informed the BSE that its board of directors has approved the proposal for a foray into the power generation sector.

However, the board has decided to postpone the decision of declaring interim dividend on equity and preference shares of the company to the next meeting of the board, which is scheduled for March 10.
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Marico: Bonus days are here again
Mumbai: The board of the Marico Industries Ltd meets on March 15 to consider an issue of bonus shares, the third interim dividend for the year 2003-04 and an early redemption of 8 per cent redeemable preference shares. Marico will be offering an interim dividend for the 12th time in a row.
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Phillips Carbon: Looking at a Rs 1,000-cr turnover
Kolkata: Phillips Carbon Black Ltd (PCBL) is targeting a Rs 1,000-crore turnover within the next three years, according to its Chairman, Mr Sanjiv Goenka. CBL has announced a 25 per cent dividend for 2002-03.

During the first quarter, beginning October 2003, PCBL doubled its exports. The company plans to increase its exports (at Rs 53 crore in 2002-03) through its tie-up with an international tyre major for export of carbon black on a long-term basis. The company has plans for a fourth plant, which may either be located outside the country or within. The company is exploring both the options of either a greenfield investment or an acquisition.
The chairman was addressing the company's shareholders.
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Maxtor launches One Touch hard drive
Bangalore: The US-based hard disk drive and storage company, Maxtor, has launched its Maxtor One Touch external storage hard drive in the cities of Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai. Maxtor One is the first `push-button' backup and restore hard drive-based solution in the market, and has capacities ranging from 120 GB to 300GB and comes equipped with Dantz Retrospect Express software.

Priced between Rs 8,000 for the 80 GB version to Rs 18,500 for the 300 GB version, the One touch is targeted at the home users, graphic artists or business professionals.
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ADP Wilco extends BPO to financial services
Hyderabad: ADP Wilco, a subsidiary of the $7-billion Automatic Data Processing Inc., has extended its range of business process outsourcing (BPO) services to the international financial services community and has positioned them as a value-added service to its large client base.

ADP Wilco, with a centre in Hyderabad, provides IT outsourcing for international securities processing through its Gloss service bureau for five years.
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Dabur: IT functions outsourced to Accenture
New Delhi: Dabur India said that it has signed Accenture to outsource its IT infrastructure and application management functions. Under the 10-year agreement, Accenture will manage Dabur's IT functions, including applications management, and provide consulting assistance on the company's business plans.
Accenture would also design, build and run IT systems for the supply chain and secondary sales functions.
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BS15000 certification for Digital
Bangalore: Digital GlobalSoft said it has received the BS15000-IT Service Management certification under the itSMF certification scheme. The certification covers the entire gamut of  ITSM processes used in the provision of infrastructure and application support services, including the internal IT services of the company.
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LG gifts for MY PCs
New Delhi: LG Electronics India Ltd (LGEIL) has announced a special promotional scheme for its MY PC range of computers. The scheme offers an opportunity for consumers to take home assured gifts worth Rs 25,240 on purchase of Pentium IV 2.0GHz based MY PC - EPCN21AC1A. The company has also reduced the basic price of this model to Rs 29,990, taking into account the current reduction in excise duty.
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Fontus Water: Water stores in 50 cities
New Delhi: Delhi-based Fontus Water Ltd is planning to open a series of retail stores called water stores in about 50 cities across the country. These water stores will display a whole range of water purification products, pressure-boosting systems, pumps, test kits, water heaters, dispensers and other water-related products. The company has already set up eight water stores and is planning to make its presence felt in the northern and southern parts of the country. It is using the franchise route to expand its operations.
Fontus Water specialises in solutions for drinking water, process water and wastewater applications. While the commercial segment constitutes a large part of the business, the home and office segment is a growing segment.
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Jaeger-LeCoultre Watches: Time for luxury
New Delhi: The Swiss luxury watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) has announced its entry in the domestic market and also showcased its latest watch, the Master Compressor Dualmatic. Watches under the JLC brand are already available in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Jaeger LeCoultre, founded in 1833, is part of the Richemont Group that also has brands such as Cartier, Mont Blanc, Baume & Mercier in its portfolio.
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