Congress-NCP talks postponed
New Delhi: The standoff between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) over heading the next coalition Government in Maharashtra continued with the talks scheduled for yesterday evening postponed on account of Sharad Pawar's previous engagements.

The AICC general secretary, Margaret Alva, who is in charge of party affairs in the State, said the Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, was busy attending a meeting of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research the whole day and decided that the scheduled meeting with the Congress to resolve the issue be put off. In all probability, the discussions between the Congress-NCP would be held today.

As a fall out to the state elections in Maharashtra, the Congress has been claiming that the party has 74 seats including 69 won by it, three by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and two independents, as against 72 by the NCP which won 71 on its own and one by the Republican Party of India (Athawale).

On the other hand, the NCP was equally insistent that having emerged as the single largest party it should get the Chief Minister ship, as per the formula evolved and put into practice in 1999.

Meanwhile, the CM Sushil Kumar Shinde made a brief trip to Mumbai to submit his resignation to the Governor, before returning to Capital for the talks.
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India to be invited for ASEAN FMs meeting
New Delhi: With its increasing economic involvement in the Asian region, India is likely to be invited for the next meeting of ASEAN Finance Ministers.

"When the finance ministers of ASEAN meet next time, we would like to invite India," Asean secretary general Ong Keng Yong mentioned at the India-Asean business summit here Tuesday.

Apart from the South East Asian countries, the periodical meeting is also attended by finance ministers of Japan, China and Korea.
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Kamal Nath: India to meet deadline for patent protection
New Delhi: The Commerce Minister, Kamal Nath, has said that the country would meet the deadline for product patent protection.

"Our Patent Law is currently fully TRIPs compliant. Our obligations require that we provide for product patent protection with effect from January 1, 2005. We shall do it," the Minister has said.

Making a pitch for higher FDI, he said economic reforms have unleashed productive capacities and it would be taken forward.

"Reforms enjoy broad political consensus and the Government was committed to reduce transaction costs and do away with archaic rules and procedures," Kamal Nath said.

He said India along with Russia and China would shape global economy in the future. Despite many positives in the country's economy, concerns over infrastructure and poverty still persist, he said.
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