India Meters, General Electric sign pact: India Meters Ltd and the General Electric Company (GE-USA) on Thursday signed a patent and technology license agreement for electro-mechancial energy meters. The Agreement was signed at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Energy Summit '98 being held in Chennai. Under license from GE, India Meters will manufacture GE's current line of electro-mechanical meters to provide world class energy measurementequipment for the Indian customer, i.e. utilities, to significantly improve the measurement and billings accuracies of the meters.

Netafin Yiftah commences production: The Israel-based $200-million Netafin Yiftah, which has set up a manufacturing facility at Umargam in Gujarat as a joint venture, has started manufacturing 12mm and 16mm integrated driplines, blank laterals and button drippers. The company is a global major in micro irrigation. The Israeli firm holds majority stake in the venture -- Netafim Irrigation India Pvt Ltd, with the Mumbai-based Excel Industries Ltd and the Umargam-based Jalbindu Agritech Pvt Ltd.

Bridge engineers body workshop: The Indian Institution of Bridge Engineers has organised a two-day national workshop to discuss the use of reinforced soil retaining walls including approach embankments for flyovers. The workshop will be inaugurated by the state public works minister Nitin Gadkari. The technology, introduced recently in the country, has been prescribed by theMaharashtra State Road Development Corporation, a state-owned company responsible for the construction of all the 55 flyovers in Mumbai.

Quantum Pursuits makes local foray: The UK-based lasertag equipment major Quantum Pursuits UK Ltd is venturing into the country to set up manufacturing and marketing facilites for its equipment used in the children's entertainment industry. Quantum Pursuits is the first foreign lasertag company to set foot in India. Azure Veqtor Lasertag Ltd, a strategic tie-up with the Delhi-based Azure Systems Ltd, will market the equipment in the first phase. The second phase will involve manufacturing the lasertag equipment for domestic and the Asian market. Azure Veqtor is awaiting the Foreign Investment Promotion Board approval.

NIIT bags $10m order: NIIT Ltd has bagged a $10-million software order from the US-based National Education Technology Group. The order entails building educational multimedia titles.

Alchemie Organic H1 net rockets to Rs 2 crore:Alchemie Organic Ltd has posted a 386 per cent jump in net profit to Rs 1.63 crore for the half-year ended September 30, 1998, as compared with Rs 0.33 crore during the corresponding period last year. Net sales was up 60 per cent to Rs 21.55 crore, against Rs 13.42 crore, a company release said.

GSFC pays Rs 11.10cr dividend: The Gujarat State Fertilisers & Chemicals (GSFC) chairman KD Jeswani has paid a cheque of Rs 11.10 crore to Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel as dividend for 1997-98. The Baroda-based state undertaking had earned a net profit of Rs 9 crore during the second quarter and a net profit of Rs 14 crore in the first half ended September 30, 1998.