Indian businesses plan fresh wave of investment

October 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor Sunday goes to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on a five-day trip that is expected to reinvigorate India's economic and political ties with the energy-rich Gulf countries that are home to a large Indian diaspora. In Bahrain, he will hold talks with Foreign Minister Majid Bin Muhsin Al Alawi on a range of bilateral and regional issues.

September 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government has approved 13 foreign investment proposals worth Rs.393.62 crore, including Sterlite Technologies' plan to issue and allot warrants valued at Rs.103.95 crore on preferential basis, an official statement said Wednesday. "Based on the recommendations of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in its meeting held on September 11, government has approved 13 proposals of foreign direct investment amounting to Rs.

September 15th, 2009 IRS issues rules to ease mortgage refinancingWASHINGTON — The IRS issued new rules Tuesday designed to make it easier to refinance some commercial real estate loans in an effort to curb the number of defaults. The rules would allow commercial loans that are part of investment pools known as Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits, or REMICs, to be refinanced without triggering tax penalties for investors.

September 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry for the formation of a company 'Invest India' under Section 25 of the companies Act, 1956, for promotion of foreign investments during the XI Five Year Plan. The proposed company which will be a joint venture between the Government of India, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the State Governments will be responsible for promoting Foreign investments into the country in a more focussed, comprehensive and structured manner.

September 9th, 2009 BANGALORE - Global technology storage equipment major EMC Corp will invest $1.5 billion in India over the next five years to expand its research and development (R&D) activity and business operations, a senior company official said Wednesday. The incremental investment will be in scaling operations, people and capacity building at our R&D facility, EMC India managing director Sarv Sarvannan told reporters here.

September 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Thursday approved eight foreign investment proposals amounting to Rs.1.31 crore, while deferring decision on seven others and rejecting another. Among the approved proposals, only two have fresh investment inflows: Rs.1.28 crore by telecom equipment manufacturer Tecnotree Convergence, and Rs.300,000 by power equipment maker Powermax Communications, according to data released by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).

August 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Promising to push the peace process in Nepal, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Wednesday unveiled a slew of initiatives, including an industrial security plan, to attract Indian investment to his country. Making a strong pitch for a revised trade treaty between Nepal and India, Nepal's prime minister stressed that attracting foreign investment topped priority of his government and assuaged anxieties of Indian investors wishing to invest in his country.

August 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Tuesday said it had already placed orders for 80,000 MW of fresh electricity generation capacity, against the target of 78,700 MW during the entire eleventh five-year plan period of 2007-12. "A capacity of about 16,395 MW has already been commissioned and the remaining capacity of 64,215 MW is under various stages of construction," Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said during his inaugural address at a two-day international conclave here.

July 30th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala will host a seminar on Indo-British business partnership here Aug 6 to explore fresh business opportunities in the European country. According to a statement issued by the British Deputy High Commission, Chennai, a 10-member team representing the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) will hold talks on discuss business opportunities with top officials of Kerala-based companies at the seminar.

July 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India along with China will again emerge as the preferred destinations for foreign investors, the research arm of global rating agency Moody's said Wednesday. "Investment opportunities in China and India will soon be in hot demand again.

July 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian companies with interest in the Gulf have witnessed their business in the region decline by 20 percent, an industry lobby said here Sunday. According to Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), strict visa rules in many countries in the Middle East are obstructing easy flow of manpower for project execution.

June 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India's largest state-run refiner, Indian Oil Corp, is planning to ramp up its capacity by over 30 percent in two years with an investment of Rs.60,000 crore ($12.5 billion), a top official said Tuesday. Indian Oil's director (refineries) B.N.

May 1st, 2009 At least 18 dead in severe heat wave in IndiaNEW DELHI — At least 18 people have died in a scorching heat wave that has swept through more than a dozen Indian states, the weather department and officials said Friday. The highest temperature of about 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47.5 Celsius) was recorded Thursday at Khandua in the central Madhya Pradesh state.

January 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian businesses are unprepared to deal with the growing threat of terrorism with more than 75 percent of corporates lacking a comprehensive response plan for such incidents, a survey report by global consultancy KPMG says. According to the survey, 53 percent of respondents (corporates) have not conducted any threat analysis, while only 39 percent have insurance cover for terrorism-related incidents.

January 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - With the easing global oil prices, Gulf countries like Oman look forward to investment from India and joint ventures with Indian firms. 'We welcome investment from Indian companies and also an arrangement where Indian companies can form join ventures with our companies,' Oman Oil and Gas Minister Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Rumhy told reporters on the sidelines of the Petrotech 2009 conference here Monday.