Two leading German utility companies, Bayernwerk group and VEW Energie, are together ready to pick up a 49 per cent stake in the Rs 1,600-crore Maheshwar Hydel project, which is under advanced construction at Mandleshwar near Indore in Madhya Pradesh. According to a press release issued by Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation Ltd (SMHPCL), this will be the first time that investments from German ultilities will come into the hydro-power sector in the country. SMHPCL, a company promoted by the S Kumars group, is developing a 400mw hydel-power project.

Paper industry to hike prices: The paper mill industry has decided to raise prices by Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per MT. According to a press release issued by the Gujarat Paper Mills Association, representatives of paper manufacturing units of Gujarat, Maharashtra and southern states met recently and jointly decided to take this decision. According to the release, this may offset only a part of lossbeing incurred and it is yet to be seen if the paper industry can survive otherwise.

Kudremukh quarterly results: The board of directors of Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd will meet in New Delhi on July 17 to take on record the unaudited quarterly results (provisional) for the period ending June 30, 1998.

Wendt results:

The board of directors of Wendt (India) Ltd, Bangalore, a part of the Murugappa group, is meeting on July 24 to consider the unaudited financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 1998.

Radisson scouting about for partners: Radisson hospitality worldwide, one of the leading hotel and hospitality services in the world, is scouting for partners to set up a five-star business hotel in Calcutta. An official said that since the Radisson group did not make any investments in real estate, they were searching for partners who would make the investments and Radisson would lend the brand name along with technical and marketing expertise.

Training programme for newaccounting software: NIIT has launched a new training programme to benefit professionals and commerce students gain proficiency in computerised financial accounting. According to a press release, the programme, `Swift', would offer training on the new business accounting software 'EX Next generation', recently launched by Tata Consultancy Service. Besides, the 19-week training programme will expose the learner to a range of MS Office products, including MS Word, MS Excel and the Microsoft operating system `Windows NT', it added.

Ramco Systems launches net security package: Ramco Systems has joined hands with Internet Security Systems to provide a range of software solutions that enable companies protect their information from hacking on the Internet. The `adaptive network security' would help individual networks fix security holds and manage security risks in a dynamic networked environment.

Cerc urges centre to suggest alternative sources of funding: The Consumer Education and ResearchCentre has sought Rs 1.38 crore as grant for formulating standards and labels and buying and installing testing equipment for assessing energy efficiency.