Mumbai-based SP Jain Institute of Management and Research has announced that it will provide initial financial assistance to the tune of Rs 20 lakhs (Rs 2 million)to any of its students who wishes to don the entrepreneurial hat. The business school has set up an entrepreneurship cell in association with National Entrepreneurship Network.
Surinder Kapur, president of the company's 'vendor council,' said it has about a dozen representatives from Tata Motors and an equal number from the vendors. "We supply for about 4-5 per cent of our revenues to Tata Motors and we do not have payment issues," he said. Lumax, which derives about 15 per cent of its turnover by supplying almost half of the lighting solutions for Tata Motors worth about Rs 60 crore a year, said they had not experienced any payment issues.
After a year of sluggish growth in fuel retail outlets, the three state-run oil-marketing companies--Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation--have chalked out aggressive plans for expansion in the next financial year. They will be commissioning over 2,100 outlets in 2009-10--over three times what they added in the current year--at an investment of about Rs 1,200 crore.
According to sources, the government has provided a list of 20 companies to Reliance Industries for sale of gas as per the gas utilisation policy. Some of these companies include Nagarjuna Fertilizer & Chemicals, Chambal Fertilizers & Chemicals, Tata Fertilizers and Oswal Chemicals & Fertilizers among others.
Wockhardt, the Mumbai-based leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology company that is struggling to repay its nearly Rs 900-crore
Germany-based Merck KGaA, the world's oldest multinational pharmaceutical company, is eyeing to acquire a prominent Indian pharmaceutical company and established drug brands.
The fuel price revision on Wednesday is likely to wipe out the Rs 1,100 crore net revenue earned by the three oil marketing companies--Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation -- in the last one month, say officials from these companies.
The merger of Pfizer and Wyeth is expected to create the second-biggest drug maker among multinational companies in India. The world's largest drug maker Pfizer yesterday announced a $68-billion acquisition of US-based Wyeth.
At present, the annual cost-to-company of an entry-level officer in an oil-marketing company stands at Rs 6,30,000 per annum, including the annual performance bonus and various allowances, perks and retirement benefit that these officers are entitled to.
Falling oil rates have made rigs available for hire at a cheaper rate. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation planned to foray into building rigs in June 2008 owing to its short supply as crude oil prices zoomed northwards.
The 7,480 MW project will be the largest gas-fired power project at a single location in the world and will cost about Rs 20,000-25,000 crore (Rs 200-250 billion). Mukesh Ambani-controlled RIL for the supply of gas from the Krishna Godavari basin, where RIL is developing the largest gas reserves in the world. The matter is currently under litigation in the Bombay HC and a decision is expected soon.
"We are looking at an investment of several million dollars or up to a billion in the coming years, depending on how India's government allows commercialisation of the nuclear power sector," said Dennis Hays, vice-president of Thorium Power. The investments and areas of operation can be in various technologies, manpower training, fuel processing, and operation & maintenance of power plants in the nuclear sector, he added.
For instance, Indian Oil Corporation, the nation's biggest marketer and refiner, doubled its R&D spend from Rs 30 crore to Rs 60 crore (Rs 600 million) this year. The company is conducting research in areas like biodegradable lubricants and oil refining technology. The company will shortly commission a pilot at its Faridabad centre, where it will install technology for coal gassification and production of ethanol from biomass.
Many domestic and foreign companies in banking and financial services, consulting and consumer goods are believed to have written to the Indian Institutes of Management, requesting them to waive participation and recruitment fees.
With 4,00,000 sq km in acreage and over 100 blocks to be awarded, Nelp VIII is touted as India's biggest-ever auction of oil and gas blocks. Industry observers say there is a strong case for the government to postpone the Nelp VIII, keeping in account the present liquidity situation and low crude oil prices. "It will make sense to postpone Nelp VIII as a lot of exploration and production companies are re-looking at their investment strategies," said a sector expert.
Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Power is likely to announce the financial closure of its 3,960-Mw Sasan ultra mega power project (UMPP) in a few weeks.
Oil sector officers, who brought the country to a grinding halt, by going on strike for nearly three days, will appeal to their respective management to reinstate the employees sacked by the companies.
Dr Reddy's has reached an out-of-court settlement to launch the Glaxo-patented Imitrex, a migraine drug that had annual sales of $878 million as of March 31, 2006, in the US. Experts estimate Dr Reddy's may not get more than $8-$15 million sales in 2009 since majority of sales revenue has to be given to GSK, for allowing the launch the authorised generic version.
Retail sales of Ranbaxy Laboratories, Cipla, Nicholas Piramal, Lupin and other drug makers have jumped by over 10 per cent in the domestic market despite the sales of generics or copycat versions of patented drugs falling in leading global markets such as the US and Europe.
After a gap of five years, Hindustan Unilever has bagged slot zero position on B-school campuses. In 2007, the company had slipped to number 14 on the recruiters' list of B-schools. "It's an improvement of our brand value and affirmation of our employer brand," says Leena Nair, executive director HR, Hindustan Unilever.