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Corporate Economy Expressions Markets Leisure Tuesday, March 17, 1998   EC to consider EU stand on duties The European Commission (EC) will consider the position of the majority of European nations who have voted against imposing provisional anti-dumping duties on unbleached cotton from six developing countries including India, according to the deputy head, anti-dumping unit, EC, Brussels, Patrick Laurent.   Cumbersome customs norms plague gold imports Gold imports into the country continue to follow the old cumbersome procedures with regular interventions by the customs department despite the fact that the item has been brought under open general licence (OGL). PSUs await new govt to fill up top slots The new government will have to appoint more than two dozen board-level functionaries in the public sector undertakings which shall include 10 chairman and managing directors (CMDs) during 1998. The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) revealed that as many as 27 director-level and above vacancies in the PSUs would be there in the year. Number of export houses may rise in current fiscal Fears expressed by trade and industry that the new criteria laid down in the new 1997-2002 Exim policy for recognition of an Indian company as an export/trading house/star trading super star trading house would stymie their growth appear to be unfounded. The Director-General of Foreign Trade's sub-group report on Exim policy and procedures reveals that there were as many as many as 3,200 such houses in operation in the first half of 1997-98 and the number is expected to rise in the remaining period of the current fiscal.   Bank chiefs back unions' demand on reforms Chiefs of public sector banks are supporting unions' demand for a comprehensive change in the banking sector legislations. The Indian Banks' Association (IBA), the representative body of bank managements, has called for reforms in some aspects of the banking sector. Cochin EPZ likely to miss target The Cochin Export Processing Zone is set to miss the target set for the current financial year as the currency meltdown in the south-east Asian nations had hit the performace of the zone badly. The zone is likely to miss the Rs 200-crore target set for the current fiscal with a margin of over Rs 25-30 crore.     Centre borrowing via ways and means route put past Rs 1,500-cr   Financial Briefing   Korean president orders probe into chaebol trade   ADB fears Indonesia sparking new Asia crisis   Jiang Zemin cements his hold on power   Analysts differ on swap-ratio benefits   Trade bodies move SC against state's review plea on Rent Control Act   Tractor sales pick up in Feb, but it may be too early to celebrate   1.6 bn still live in stark poverty   RBI may allow banks to fund takeovers   Telecom reforms on BJP national agenda   State assembly session starts on a stormy note   New govt to fill up to 10 CMD slots in PSUs   The price of land cannot be added twice while determining rent   Changes in Exim policy to take care of jewellery supply   More consumer courts urged   IT to provide 25% of total employment in 9th Plan   Economy Briefing   Consumer groups take up poverty eradication issue   Power woes cripple aluminium industry   Aqua-train project to go on stream by 2000   Farm produce panel offers land to exporters for cold-storage facility   Sonia Gandhi elected chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party   China sees copper imports easing on LME   Executive Briefing   Jute industry wants single point tax structure   Commodity Briefing