Vajpayee hints at hard budget as reality bites
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has set the agenda for a hard budget by highlighting the gravity of the fiscal situation and underlining the urgency of raising charges of utilities like electricity tariff and irrigation services in addition to addressing the question of subsidies more boldly.

Centre plans mega petrochem unit at Barauni
The Centre plans to set up a six-million-tonnes per annum (mtpa) petrochemical complex near the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) refinery at Barauni to boost industry in Bihar. The complex is likely to cost Rs 4,000 crore.

Mobil Peevees woos foreign firms for Beypore port project
Mobil Peevees Ltd will resume work at the Beypore project once the Kerala government plays a more proactive role in providing a conducive environment, simultaneously sending the right signals to other investors for utilising the port facilities. The company is also talking to a couple of MNCs who could become partners and take up port development works.

CORPORATE
Madras Fertilizers submits plan to wipe out losses
ONGC mulls infotech arm

ECONOMY
RBI asks banks to set up asset-liability committee
Govt urged to privatise AI, IA immediately

EXPRESSIONS
Silverline scorches bourses, but will the dream run last long?
Playing bull before the budget

MARKETS
CDSL receives good response prior to takeoff
ISE proposes Rs 2 crore SGF

LEISURE
Good tanala opportunity in Eclipse Stakes of India
South Korea's troubled automobile firms may post higher net in 1999