Most telemarketers flouting rules
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Govt sells 49 pc of Bharat Petroleum to Shell
New Delhi: The union cabinet on Friday approved the sale of 49 per cent equity of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to Shell or its affiliate for Rs 1.5 billion in cash.
The proposed sale will enable BPCL to withdraw from a joint venture company that has a competing business interest-- production and sale of branded lubricants in India-- and to concentrate on building and promoting its own brand of lubricants, a government spokesperson said.
Source: IANS
Sensex gains 350 points
Mumbai: Indian capital markets opened on a robust note Thursday in tune with global peers. There was buying across all sectors.
Just after the opening bell, the benchmark sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) went sharply up to 19,297.10, a rise of 358.23 points over Wednesday's close of 18,938.87 points. The broader S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also jumped by 77.50 points to 5,695.05.
The rupee appreciated by nearly eight paise against the US dollar. It was quoted at 39.7250/7300 a dollar in morning deals.
The broader indices continued to outperform the benchmark index. The BSE mid-cap index moved up by 53.94 points or 0.64 percent at 8,437.43. The BSE small-cap index also progressed 64.62 points or 1.20 percent at 10,439.92.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have pulled out funds to the tune of $43 million in equity as per numbers provided by the watchdog till now, while domestic institutional investors continued to be net buyers.
Asian markets were trading firm. Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 3.32 percent or 908.71 points to 28,279.95, Japan's Nikkei rose 2.38 percent or 361.02 points to 15,514.80, Taiwan's Taiwan Weighted gained two percent or 165.88 points to 8,442.14, Singapore's Straits Times advanced 2.51 percent or 84.62 points to 3,454.34 and South Korea's Seoul Composite was up 2.59 percent or 47.45 points at 1,882.14.
The top gainers on the Sensex were HDFC Bank, which moved up 4.68 percent to Rs.1,683, ICICI Bank advanced 4.59 percent to Rs.1,178.50 and Maruti Suzuki scaled up 2.85 percent to Rs.994.25.
The top losers on the Sensex were Bharti Airtel, down by 0.77 percent to Rs.903 and Bharat Heavy Electricals that declined 0.52 percent to Rs.2,710.50.

Source: IANS

Most telemarketers flouting rules
Mumbai: Almost 80 per cent of telemarketing firms continue to pester thousands of subscribers in blatant violation of telecom regulations.
An Indian telemarketing company makes 20 to 25 calls per “seat” (operator) and most of these companies have a minimum of 20 to 25 employees.
Even conservative estimates would peg the figure at around 30 million calls per day by all telemarketers across the country. Telemarketers sell services for everything from mobile phones to credit cards and bank accounts.
Effective October 12, 2007, it has become mandatory for telemarketing companies to register with the recently launched National Do Not Call (NDNC) registry.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has authorised service providers to either penalise errant telemarketers with a fine of Rs 500 per unsolicited call or disconnect their lines following subscriber complaints.
However, with the regulator not fixing a deadline for registering with the NDNC, the menace is expected to continue for a while.
“Of the 55,000 to 60,000 telemarketing companies in the country, only 10,700 have registered with the NDNC. This is alarming. Only listed companies are allowed to operate while the remaining continue to make unsolicited calls to telecom subscribers,” an official with DoT confirmed.
Applications of 3,000 companies are under process and, as on November 27, the regulator had rejected 7,100 applications after preliminary verification. The unregistered companies, and those rejected, are still doing business, added the official.
A Trai official confirmed that unsolicited calls were being made by telemarketers and that it was receiving complaints from customers.
The regulator is also considering making norms stricter for telemarketing companies, while it would also double the current fine per unsolicited call to Rs 1,000.
Gaming in India set to grow 72% by 2010-11
The Indian gaming market is growing at a dizzying pace. The figures tell the story.
The Indian gaming segment comprising mobile, computer and console games and development touched Rs 192 crore in 2006, and is likely to cross Rs 1,700 crore by 2010, states Nasscom.
The compound annual growth rate is 72 per cent over 2006-2010. Industry players are more bullish. They peg the figure for 2010 at almost Rs 2,500 crore.
“Interactive online entertainment is changing the way an entire generation consumes gaming... it is expanding beyond passive consumption to include story-telling and that is where we get our casual, first-time gamers,” said Rohit Sharma, COO, Zapak, which is collaborating with Intel and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), to organise a gaming summit on November 28, in Mumbai.
The summit, insists Sharma, will bring to the fore issues like retailing games both mobile and online that players haven’t been able to master.
“Zapak, which already has 10 gameplexes (dedicated cyber cafes that promote online gaming), will more than double the number in 2008. Besides, pre-paid game cards should see us reaching to the next million consumers,” he said.
Subho Ray, president, IAMAI, agrees with Zapak’s efforts to make cybercafes the ‘Mecca’ for gaming. Most of the revenues for online games come from organised cybercafés (Rs 12.17 crore), followed by subscription-based revenues (Rs 6.6 crore), and advertising (Rs 2.24 crore).
Already retailing at 1,300-odd retail shops, Zapak has been able to attract the younger crowd with a range of “easy-priced game cards”.
Zapak is also committed to invest $30 million (around Rs 120 crore) over the next two years, developing its content and delivery model in India.
Meanwhile, Vishal Gondal, CEO of Indiagames, is busy with his own retail strategy for mobile games. “Video clips, games and advertising have been available in limited capacities on mobile phones, accessing the content has typically been cumbersome, due to slow response times, high costs, and the need for excessive clicking on the part of the consumer,” he points out.
Indiagames is ready to launch pre-programmed scratch cards and CDs in retail stores by January 2008, which will enable users to load their mobile phones with games of choice.

“These retail packs will be priced at as low as Rs 50 and will allow users to buy particular game subscription for a fixed number of hours,” said Gondal.
Investing largely in developing a business model for the online gaming platform, Zapak believes that advertising-based revenue models are not going to be on its priority lists.

“Since the gamer base is limited today, there are not many advertisers who would bet their money on in-game advertising,” Sharma reasons.
“The main driver for sustained growth in the online games market will be the continued uptake of broadband services,” according to Strategy Analytics, an international research firm.

Ray feels online gaming will accelerate in 2008 “if it were to be declared as e-Sports and all the advantages that accrue to sports are extended to online gaming as well”.

Source: BS
FDI policy review on Thursday
New Delhi: The proposed review of the FDI policy is scheduled to be taken up for consideration by the Union Cabinet this Thursday, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath has said.
Investments in the retail sector, however, are unlikely to be part of the revision.
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has proposed capping foreign investment at 74 per cent for scheduled airlines, chartered airlines, cargo airlines as well as ground handling services of aircraft.
Maintenance and repair operations, flying training institutes as well as helicopter and sea plane services may get FDI inflows up to 100 per cent, if the proposal is approved by the senior ministers in the Union Cabinet.
It has also been proposed to increase the equity component of foreign investment in public sector refineries to 49 per cent from the current 26 per cent.
India is fastest growing market for Dell
Mumbai: India has become the fastest growing market for the nearly $57 billion IT company Dell. For its third quarter of the financial year 2007, the company posted a 47 per cent growth in revenues for India compared with China’s 22 per cent growth.
The company does not disclose India revenue figures. Analysts, however, peg the figure at over Rs 2,000 crore.
“We have registered growth in all segments in India – the public sector, large corporates, small and medium businesses and the consumer segment. We’ve had demand picking up from all the 20 cities we’re present in,” said Steve Felice, president, Asia-Pacific and Japan, Dell. China’s market, though, is nearly five times bigger than that of India, so “the growth rate is maturing”.
Sales outside the US were up 16 per cent and represented 46 per cent of the company’s overall revenue, “reflecting continued strength in emerging countries”.
In Asia-Pacific and Japan, where the company is actively expanding its presence, revenue in the quarter grew by 18 per cent on a 20 per cent increase in units.
China, Brazil and India registered strong unit growth of 26, 30 and 42 per cent, respectively. Combined revenue growth from Brazil, Russia, India and China (Bric) during the quarter was 32 per cent.
BS
Typhoo plans India launch
Kolkata: UK-based Typhoo Tea, which was acquired by the Apeejay Surrendra group in 2005, is eyeing an Indian launch, and may even have a manufacturing facility in the country.
Marcus Banfield, chief executive officer, Typhoo, said a couple of brands were likely to be launched in January 2008. "The research is being done, it would be in the premium segment," Banfield said.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the 11th National Conference of the National HRD Network.
Typhoo has brands like London Fruit & Herb, Heath & Heather, Melrose and Glengetti. Banfield said the Indian teabag market was growing at 40%, and with the increase in disposable income it made sense for Typhoo to tap the market.
Typhoo would also consider having a manufacturing facility in India, which would cater to the South East Asian and Australian markets. Banfield said.
Typhoo has only one manufacturing facility in the UK. Typhoo Tea has its headquarters in the UK in Moreton on the Wirral, where products are blended, packaged and sold to 39 countries across the world.Banfield said a manufacturing facility in India would give the company access to cheaper labour and logistics for export to countries closer to India.
German firm hot on India's solar energy market
New Delhi: Roth and Rau, a Germany-based solar cell manufacturing solutions provider, sees India emerging as the fourth largest generator of solar energy and a key driver of its global business in the coming years.
"Although still a small market, India is catching up fast with world majors in solar energy generation," Thomas Hengst, vice-president of Roth and Rau, said while speaking about his group's plans for India in this clean energy source.
"Roth and Rau is expecting orders worth as much as 80 million euros from India in 2008 from two million euros at present," he told IANS.
Apart from Germany, Roth and Rau supplies equipment to various countries including Japan and China.
"India still is not among the world's top 10 solar energy generators. But at the current pace of 20 per cent annual growth, India can emerge as the fourth largest generator of solar energy after Germany, Japan and China in the coming years." he added.
Hengst said his company had entered the solar equipment-manufacturing segment in India in 2004. Currently four Indian solar cell manufacturers including Central Electronics Ltd and Maharishi Solar were sourcing equipment from Roth and Rau.
According to statistics available with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), India receives solar energy equivalent of over 5,000 trillion kWh per year.
The daily average solar energy incident over India varies from 4-7 kWh per square metres, depending upon the location, but the high cost of equipment remains a constraint in its large-scale utilisation, officials said.
The estimated unit cost of electricity from grid connected solar energy plant is estimated at Rs 12-15 per unit, which is much higher compared to power available from other renewable energy sources like wind and biomass.
For now, solar energy systems are mainly being used for standalone applications such as lighting, telecommunication, small power requirements, battery charging, water heating and cooking.
So far, around 1.4 million solar photovoltaic systems aggregating to about 110 MW peak solar photovoltaic module capacity have been installed in the country.
In addition, about 600,000 solar cookers and 2 million square metres of collector area has been installed for solar water heating applications that is equivalent to about 1,400 MW of thermal capacity, officials said.
Source: IANS