12.02.2007

• Digital music sales
• South Korea is the world’s largest market for music.
• India is expected to emerge as the second largest market. This is for both online and mobile music.
• Satellite TV channels may be asked to shift to C band
• The government is about to ask the satellite TV channels to shift to the normal C band from the lower extended C band, as this will make it possible for it to release 200 MHz of spectrum for WiMax services.
• The lower extended C band means spectrum within the frequency range of 3.4 GHz to 3.6 GHz.
• In the normal C band, services are provided in the frequency band of 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz.
• Currently INSAT-2E is employing the lower extended C band to provide satellite-based TV services.
• Govt. to assign statutory status to NAAC
• To ensure that each of the 300 odd universities and the 13,000 odd colleges in the country’s higher education system is assessed in a transparent fashion, the government is planning to make the NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council), a statutory body.
• The accreditation process assesses each institution on seven parameters. Institutions which get an overall score of 55% or more get the accredited status and any score less than that results in non-accredited status.
• Measures to deepen the corporate bond market
• The government is likely to reduce the minimum investment limit for corporate bonds from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 1 lakh. The move is expected to attract retail investors.
• The government is also considering allowing companies to file shelf prospectus. This will obviate the need for companies to file a new prospectur each time it plans to raise debt.
• A large number of infrastructure companies are expected to come out with inflation-indexed bonds. This will allow companies to set a rate of interest on these bonds different from the prevailing market rates, including a mark-up for the expected inflation rate.
• DFIA Scheme
• The Duty Free Import Authorization scheme, started last year, allows exporters to import raw material without paying any duty on the basis of their export performance. The scheme allows for duty credit, if material is procured from the domestic market.
• There is a flaw in this scheme which is being made use of by steel industry traders to their advantage. The licence issued under this scheme is transferable and even the transferee is entitled for exemption from additional customs duty.
• Coal royalty rate hike on the cards
• Currently, the royalty on coal is fixed only on specific rates. The new system to be put in place will have a specific component and an advalorem component.
• Royalty = (specific rate on a per tonne basis) + (ad valorem duty * price of coal)
• Indian Cement industry
• Has a total capacity of 16 crore (160 mn) tonnes. With this we are the world’s 2^nd largest cement producers.
• This is way behind China’s which is at 106 crore (1.06 bn tonnes) tonnes.
• Duckworth-Lewis formula
• The Duckworth/Lewis system is the system now used to determine the winning score in rain-interrupted one day matches. The system was updated in September 2002 to take account of the higher scoring in recent times. For example, the average 50 over score has been increased from 225 to 235.
• If you have more appetite to know the details of the system follow it here.
• Posco’s radically different technology of steel making
• Posco is the world’s third largest steel producer.
• This technology goes by the name Finex.
• It uses fine iron ore and non-coking fine coal. Therefore, there is no need for sintering plans and coke ovens. With this technology, lower constructions and operating costs are expected to accrue to the steelmakers.
• FDI Vs. FII investments
• Some of you have been asking me about the difference between FDI and FII and I did give some material sometime back. But take a look at today’s centre page article by UR Bhat. While giving some good details about the differences, it details out how one form need not be preferred over the other. He gives some solid reasons for it. Read it in full here.
• SEZ spectre haunting India
• If the proposed 237 SEZs are set up, they will entail an investment of Rs. 2.5 lakh crores, create 30 lakh jobs and clock an annual turnover o fRs. 15 lakh crores. But these will sprawl 34,861 hectarees and displace farmers from their sacred land with little or no effort at their resettlement.
• An interesting statistic about outsourcing jobs
• According to a McKinsey Global Institute study, for every dollar of outsourced work, there was return of $1.46. Of this, 67 cents was a saving and return to the US, 45-47 cents was potentially gained by the US through re-deployment of workers, and 33 cents went to India.
• Thus, there was an overall gain for the global economy.