Long-distance calls cheaper subsidy cut 33 per cent
New Delhi: Telecom tariffs will soon fall substantially as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has announced a reduction in access deficit charges. The lower access deficit charges (ADC) will bring down the annual collections from the levy by 33 per cent to Rs3,335 crore during 2006-07 from Rs5,340 crore during the current fiscal.

The decrease in the total subsidy amount, which is used to fund rural telephony, will enable all telecom operators to lower STD rates to Re1 a minute from the present average tariff of Rs2.50 a minute. Consumers can also expect ISD rates to come down by Rs1.70 a minute across all destinations following a similar reduction in the ADC rates on outgoing ISD calls.

At present, ISD tariffs vary between Rs7.20 a minute (BSNL tariff) and Rs14.24 a minute (private cell operators tariff).

There will be no significant impact on local call tariffs from today's announcement.
Telecom service providers said they would pass on the benefits on the long-distance segment to the customers. However, the extent of actual reduction in tariff in the long-distance segments will be known only in the next few days.
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No humans infected by bird flu
New Delhi: The Health Ministry has categorically said that there has been no human infection of bird flu among the samples tested though the result of one sample is awaited.

The Government sent 95 samples for testing to the National Institute of Virology, Pune and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), Delhi. These include those from the 12 people who were kept under observation. The patients have not shown any symptoms of the disease, including fever, and are unlikely to develop symptoms as the peak period for the disease to surface is over.
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India, US begin talks on nuclear deal
New Delhi: Just days before the US President, George W Bush's visit to India, the foreign secretary, Shyam Saran, and the US under secretary of State, Nicholas Burns, began their third round of talks here to iron out differences on the deal on which the US says 90 per cent of negotiations have been completed.

The two sides had encountered 'difficulties' over the issue of separation, with the US insisting that India put more reactors than it was ready to in the civilian side. These included the indigenous fast breeder reactors (FBRs), a move opposed by New Delhi. The two sides are now understood to have expressed readiness to show flexibility on their respective positions.

India, on its part, is believed to have agreed to put at least half of 22 nuclear reactors in the civilian side while the US is understood to have accepted to leave FBRs out of the loop for next seven years.
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Textile sector wants duty structure rationalised
Ludhiana: The textile industry has sought reduction of excise duty on synthetic fibre and import duty on wool waste from the Government.

The industry says the existing anomalies in the duty structure of textile sector should be removed by reducing the excise duty on synthetic fibre, polyester and acrylic fibre to 8 per cent from the current 16 per cent, on par with the synthetic yarn, S P Oswal, chairman, Vardhman Group, said. The industry also hopes the Government would reduce import duty on wool waste by 10 per cent to 5 per cent.

"With duty reduction, wool product manufacturers, who consume 400 to 500 tonne of wool waste annually, will be able to source cheap raw material for their production," said Ashok Jaidka, chairman, wool & woollen export promotion council.
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