INDIA COUNTRY BRIEF 111110

Basic Political Developments

AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi today said left front would meet the same fate in Tripura in the 2013 assembly elections for non-performance.

The rebel MLAs who had joined the YSR Congress party are 'keen' to return, while the TRS' move to 'poach' them hitting a road block.

Andhra Pradesh is slowly heading to another major political crisis with the opposition Telugu Desam Party threatening to move a no-confidence motion against the ruling Congress.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Thursday said it had no "official link" with Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday appeared defiant saying his government has the authority to revoke the controversial law.

National Economic Trends Admitting that the government is neglecting research in the farm sector, the agriculture

ministry has sought more funds in the next Five Year Plan (2012-2017) for significant jump in foodgrain production. "I think, we are neglecting agricultural science. The amount of importance that we should be giving, we are not giving, though we have very good scientists," Basu said at an international agri-conference here.

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions The Board of Approval for special economic zones headed by Commerce Secretary

Rahul Khullar is scheduled to meet on November 23 to discuss matters like setting up new SEZs in the country. "The 49th meeting of the BoA for SEZs shall be held on November 23," the Commerce Ministry said.

Diligenta a subsidiary of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and a leading business process outsourcing (BPO) provider in the U.K., will assume administration responsibility for 3.2 million policies for Friends Life.

India's auto sales in October suffered the biggest fall in over a decade, the strongest indication yet that Asia's third largest economy is heading towards a brusque slowdown. Domestic sales of passenger cars were down 23.8%, while production had dropped 28.1% when compared to the same period last year, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. This is the biggest drop in sales since December 2000, when car sales fell 35%.

Viewing India as a big business opportunity, Raytheon, a US-based defence equipment major is exploring the possibility of setting up a joint venture with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for developing products including missiles in the country.

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

Indian Oil Corp Chairman RS Butola said India is staring at an energy crisis after December.

Natural gas production from Reliance Industries' showpiece KG-D6 fields off the East Coast has declined to a one-year low.

The Petroleum Ministry has asked for a two-year extension of the tax holiday for refineries under the Income Tax Act so that state-owned Indian Oil Corp's much-delayed, Rs 29,777 crore Paradip refinery can avail the benefit.

Militant Activity/Terrorism (Particularly in Bangalore, Mumbai, Noida, Chennai, Coimbatore)

Two Assam-based bamboo traders have allegedly been abducted by Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) rebels.

Maoists bulldozed two school buildings in Barachatti police station area of Gaya district on the Bihar-Jharkhand border.

Mamata Banerjee government has given the green signal for operations against Maoists in Jangalmahal.

Labor/Social Unrest

Full Text

Basic Political Developments

Rahul Gives Call for Ousting Left Front Govt in Tripurahttp://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=740965Pointing to West Bengal where the Left Front was removed from power after three decades, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi today said it would meet the same fate in Tripura in the 2013 assembly elections for non-performance.

"The CPI(M) was ousted from Kerala and West Bengal. Now it is the turn of Tripura to oust the Left Front from power," Rahul told public meetings here.

Stating that the CPI-M was still living in the past, the Congress leader said they should remember that the communists in Russia were thrown out and the Marxists in Tripura would meet the same fate.

He also alleged that the the Tripura government was not adhering to the Communist Manifesto.

"The manifesto of the Communist Party speaks of development and uplift of the poor and working class people, but the Communist government in Tripura is not working in this direction," Rahul said.

Alleging that a large chunk of central funds were "pocketed" by the "Communists and corrupt bureaucrats", he said, "It is unfortunate if the funds in flagship programmes by the Centre do not reach the people."

"Despite the Centre pumping in huge funds no infrastructure is being built. People are not getting proper healthcare, no roads or schools are being built. Despite the tall claims of development by the CPI(M) rulers here, none of their claims are reflected on the ground," he said.

Quoting his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi that not even 15 per cent of government money was being spent in the country, Rahul said it was a "reality even now".

Citing statistics, he said, "The Central government under flagship programmes provided funds for development of the state. But only 15 per cent of Central funds are being spent and rest are siphoned off."

He said, 30 per cent of the money from the government exchequer was to be spent for development of tribals, but in reality, not even 15 per cent was being spent in Tripura.

"The Central government had introduced MGNREGA for eradicating poverty and assured 100 days employment guarantee which was unique in the world, but the Left Front government is not properly implementing it," he said.

"This money is not the Central government's money, it is people's money which is supposed to be spent for infrastructure development, for education, healthcare and shelter to the people," Rahul said.

He said, Delhi, Maharastra, Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, Assam were forging ahead because they were spending funds for development.

"If you unitedly fight to drive out the Communists from power here, I shall stand by you and extend whatever support you need," he said.

'Insulted' by Jagan, Rebel MLAs 'Keen' to Rejoin Conghttp://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=740961

The cheer seems to be back in the ruling Congress government in Andhra Pradesh, besieged with separate statehood stir, as the rebel MLAs who had joined the YSR Congress party are 'keen' to return, while the TRS' move to 'poach' them hitting a road block.

The rapid-fire political developments, unfolded in the southern state in the backdrop of the extended stir for Telangana state, seem to be settling down, political observers said.

Growing buzz in the political circles is that the majority of 26 Congress MLAs, who had shifted their loyalty to YSR Congress party led by Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of late chief minister Y S R Rajasekhara Reddy, are now retracting.

State unit Congress president Botsa Satyanarayana and government whip Kondru Murali Mohan have indicated that many of the 'rebel' legislators have sent feelers about their inclination to return to the party fold.

What is prompting the MLAs, who gravitated to Jagan two months back, to do a rethink on their decision is the 'cold-shoulder' given to them by the Kadapa MP.

At a meeting two days ago with the MLAs and some senior leaders, who were supposed to be backing him, Jagan reportedly spoke harshly and even suggested that those "who are finding it uneasy here" might go back to the Congress.

Jagan particularly spit fire on a legislator from Telangana and a couple of other leaders, leaving other MLAs red-faced.

Another factor in favour of Congress is that the TRS' plan of 'attracting' some more Congress and TDP MLAs into its fold under "Operation Akarsh" has hit a roadblock amid indications that the Central government may announce its decision on separate statehood issue soon.

The TRS had to remain content with the crossover of only three MLAs from the ruling party. Although TRS spread the word that three more MLAs from the principal opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) were all set to switch sides, the legislators themselves debunked such talk.

"We will remain in the TDP and fight for the cause of Telangana. There is no question of joining TRS," MLAs Hanumanth Shinde, P Ramulu and S Devaiah asserted.

"The TRS is deliberately resorting to such false propaganda only to further its political interests," they alleged.

These developments have brought cheer back in the Congress camp as they effectively neutralise any immediate threat to the Kiran Kumar Reddy government.

Also, the TDP's reluctance to move a no-confidence motion against the government at this stage has come as a shot in the arm for Congress leadership.

"The biggest challenge for us now is to cross the Telangana barrier. We have almost come close it and once we cross it, the road ahead becomes clear," a senior minister remarked.

It seems not only Congress but all major political parties in the state are anxious to know about how the 'road ahead' opens up for them.

Can Cong survive a no-confidence motion in AP?http://www.rediff.com/news/report/can-cong-survive-a-no-confidence-motion-in-ap/20111110.htmAndhra Pradesh is slowly heading to another major political crisis with the opposition Telugu Desam Party threatening to move a no-confidence motion against the ruling Congress, reports Vicky Nanjappa.

The equations look a bit strange for the Congress who is trying its best to avert a no-confidence motion, as it may find it difficult to hold on to power.

Although there is an announcement that TDP would do so, there is no clarity whether they would actually go ahead with the plan.

This is mainly because if the government falls, then the state would be forced to go to mid-term polls, and the TDP at the moment seems to be unprepared to take that challenge.

Looking at the developments and also the numbers game, it becomes clear that neither the TDP nor Jagan Reddy's YSR Congress can shake Kiran Kumar Reddy's government at the moment.

Only the Congress MLAs from Telangana region -- who are more than in 50 in number -- can topple the government. Hence it becomes extremely important for both the Congress and its MLAs from Telangana that the Centre issues some sops so that the MLAs have an alibi not to vote against the government.

Most of the leaders from Telangana, cutting across party lines, are under immense pressure from the people to strengthen their stand for a separate state.

Sources say that the TDP may think it out properly before they move a no-confidence motion against the government.

There is also a petition filed before the Andhra Pradesh high court seeking a directive to the Speaker of the state assembly to conduct a floor test. The TDP may at the last moment quote the pending case to wriggle out of seeking a floor test.

Meanwhile, the Congress is taking no chances at the moment. On one hand the Congress has been claiming that 28 MLAs -- who left the party to join YSR Congress -- will come back, thanks to the disproportionate assets case against Kadapa MP Jagan.

On the other hand, the Jagan camp has stated that at any given time they can pull out 20 more Congress MLAs to ensure that the government is reduced to a minority.

The Congress would do everything under the sun to prevent a floor test at the moment. They do realise it is a litmus test, and to make matters worse, their Telangana MLAs could swing against them.

Although the Telangana MLAs do not want to go against the party, they would be forced to do so in some numbers as they have too much to answer back at their constituencies.

The Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly has 293 MLAs after the death of Rajeshwar Reddy, the MLA from Mehboobnagar.

This would mean that the magic number would be 147. After the last elections the Congress had 155 MLAs, but today that has been reduced to just 127 after 28 left them to join Jagan.

The Congress is, however, surviving on the support of the 18 MLAs of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party.

In addition to this, the Congress have been getting the outside support from Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, whose 7 MLAs ensure that they are safe in the House.

The Congress has full understanding that the biggest problem they could face during a floor test is only from Jagan or its own Telangana MLAs.

Jagan, however, would not pull out a large number of MLAs at the moment as he would not want to antagonise the Congress too much. In fact he is busy protecting his own flock who have been threatening to return to the Congress.

All political parties would play their cards very carefully. At the moment there is no other party in the state other than the Telangana Rastriya Samithi which wants an election.

They are riding high on the 'Congress betrayal' of the Telangana movement and are aware that they could whip up that sentiment and have a cakewalk in the region.

Even Jagan should not mind an election as he could whip up the anti-Telangana wave and ride high in the Seema-Andhra belts. However, he would still prefer to wait it out and have some clarity on his own cases before facing the people.

So, the big question is what would actually transpire once the house is convened? If the TDP is serious about a no confidence vote, then the Congress would try and guard its Telangana MLAs first.

The other scenario is to ensure that there is a lot of ruckus in the House and the Congress would do its level best to ensure that the House is adjourned sine die.

RSS has no links with Hazare's movement: Bhagwat

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/rss-has-no-links-with-hazares-movement-bhagwat/20111110.htmThe Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Thursday said it had no "official link" with Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement and nobody had sought its support for the campaign."Nobody officially sought RSS support for the anti-corruption movement and we also did not extend any help to anyone officially," RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat told the media on the sidelines of a function on the death centenary of Sister Nivedita at the Mahajati Sadan here.

Bhagwat, however, said his organisation had no objection to RSS members joining the movement in their individual capacity. "No swayamsevak has been barred from joining the anti-corruption movement."

Asked to comment on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's allegation of 'double standards' in Anna's movement and that there was a RSS link, Bhagwat said "many people see the ghost of the RSS in everything."

Defiant Omar says his govt has authority to revoke AFSPAhttp://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Srinagar/Defiant-Omar-says-his-govt-has-authority-to-revoke-AFSPA/Article1-767294.aspxA day after holding discussions with the army on the possibility of partial revocation of AFSPA, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday appeared defiantsaying his government has the authority to revoke the controversial law. "I have the authority. The elected state government of any state has the authority. In this case (revocation of AFSPA), the authority rests with the governor who would act on the basis of the state government's recommendations," Omar told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Srinagar.

Insisting that 'no' is not an option for him, the chief minister said he had sought a "feasible and workable" solution from the Army at the Unified Headquarters meeting.

Omar said his case for partial revocation of AFSPA has been backed by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. "(It) is further cemented by what the Cabinet Committee onSecurity has said and also what the Union Home Minister has said in recent media interviews. So I don't think it is anybody's case, least of all the army's, that the state government does not have the authority (to revoke the AFSPA)," the chief minister said.

Debate over the partial revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and Disturbed Areas Act, introduced in 1990 to give the army and paramilitary forces powers to detain suspects and use deadly force, began last month when chief minister Omar Abdullah announced the Acts would be revoked from parts of the state "within few days".

The Army maintains that any tampering with the law will "handicap" their capability to conduct counter insurgency operations. On the Unified Command Headquarters (UHQ) meeting held yesterday in the state's winter capital Jammu, Omar said he had demanded that the recommendations compiled by Army's two committees, headed separately by General Officer Commanding of Srinagar based 15 Corps and General Officer Commanding of Nagrota based 16 Corps, should be made available.

"I have said (in the UHQ meeting) 'no' is not an option, so other than 'no' as an option you give me other options that are feasible and workable and that is what I want those committees to examine," Omar said.

The chief minister said the Army had given a detailed presentation at the UHQ meeting yesterday and had expressed their point of view. "They wanted to have further discussions with me on this issue. I have instructed that since the two committees have already been set up to finalise the recommendations, I would rather (want) those committees make their recommendations known before I have any further discussions with them on this," he said.

"I now await the early submission of those recommendations. In the meantime, we will continue to discuss at various levels the possibilities for the phased withdrawal of AFSPA from various areas," Omar said.

The chief minister said the winter months provided a "window" to the state government and armed forces to go ahead with the phased revocation of AFSPA."Sooner the better, because winter is normally a phase where militancy is at a low and that obviously gives us a window to consolidate and reorient our deployments and to see how this phased withdrawal is working," he said.

National Economic TrendsGovt neglecting agri-research; more funds sought in 12th plan

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/govt-neglecting-agri-research-more-funds-sought-in-12th-plan/articleshow/10680313.cms

NEW DELHI: Admitting that the government is neglecting research in the farm sector, the agriculture ministry has sought more funds in the next Five Year Plan (2012-2017) for significant jump in foodgrain production.

"I think, we are neglecting agricultural science. The amount of importance that we should be giving, we are not giving, though we have very good scientists," Basu said at an international agri-conference here.

"We are decades behind in agriculture science as compared to other countries like US. It is a poor reflection on our policies," he added.

Basu noted that there is an urgent need for increasing the investment in agricultural science if the government aims to raise foodgrains output to 280-300 million tonnes by 2020.

India had produced a record 241.56 million tonnes in 2010-11 crop year ended June.

"We had discussions with the Planning Commission on this issue. We have asked for more fund allocation for this area in the next plan period," he said.

The government has made the Plan allocation of less than Rs 3,000 crore a year for agricultural research and education in the 11th Five Year Plan.

Stating that the country achieved record production last year simply through strengthening the extension services and giving attention on gaps, he said: "We can produce 25 million tonnes extra in coming years by just focusing on extension but beyond that can be possible through agri- science".

UN body Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) official David Phir said that India has to review its policies to boost agriculture sector to achieve food security concerns.

"India has capacity to rise and tackle the challenges facing agriculture sector. But right policies are to be framed to yield results," he noted

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions

Board of Approval for SEZs to meet on Nov 23

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/board-of-approval-for-sezs-to-meet-on-nov-23/articleshow/10678332.cmsNEW DELHI: The Board of Approval for special economic zones headed by Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar is scheduled to meet on November 23 to discuss matters like setting up new SEZs in the country.

"The 49th meeting of the BoA for SEZs shall be held on November 23," the Commerce Ministry said.

Development Commissioners have been asked to forward proposals regarding SEZs along with their comments at the earliest so that they could be deliberated over at the meeting, it said.

In its last meeting on September 19, the BoA gave extra time to 37 Special Economic Zone (SEZs) developers to execute their projects. The developers include Navi Mumbai SEZ, DLF Commercial Developers and Tata Consultancy Services.

The 19-member inter-ministerial board had also approved three new proposals, including one for setting up a sector-specific SEZ for the petroleum and oil and gas industry in Visakhapatnam.

Under the SEZ Act, SEZ units get 100 per cent tax exemption on profits earned in the first five years of operation, a 50 per cent exemption for the next five years and another 50 per cent exemption on re-invested profits in the following five years.

SEZ developers, on the other hand, get a 100 per cent tax exemption on profits for 10 years.

Merchandise exports from the 143 operational SEZs in the country totalled Rs 72,255 crore in the April-June period, an increase of 23 per cent vis-a-vis the same period last year.

TCS subsidiary wins $2.2 billion outsourcing contracthttp://www.thehindu.com/business/companies/article2612541.eceDiligenta, a subsidiary of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and a leading business process outsourcing (BPO) provider in the U.K., will assume administration responsibility for 3.2 million policies for Friends Life, a provider of pensions, investments and insurance. The agreement, effective March 1, 2012, is worth $2.2 billion (around Rs.10,000 crore) over a 15-year period.

The deal will increase the total number of policies administered by Diligenta to just under eight million. Outsourcing much of its customer service and IT functions for its U.K. heritage business will allow Friends Life to focus on its new proposition developments, including its new corporate platform, in its core markets of corporate benefits, protection and retirement income.

Addressing the media, N. Chandrasekaran, CEO and MD, TCS, and Chairman, Diligenta, said, “Our domain-centric, platform-based solutions enable us to help companies transform their businesses. Our strong presence in the insurance segment, track record and the early investments in building products and platforms have contributed to this win. This deal is the second largest one signed by TCS after the $2.5 billion Citi deal some years ago.”

In 2006, Diligenta secured its first 486 million pound sterling deal with the Phoenix Group (formerly Pearl Group) and has since then secured several new clients in the life and pensions sector and today administers around five million policies.

TCS BaNCS platform, developed in 2006, is a scalable platform that provides improved customer service through a high degree of straight through processing.

The deal is a step in the direction of increasing TCS' non-linear revenues and validates TCS' early investment in building platforms according to Mr. Chandrasekaran. “The deal is transaction-based and we will charge the client a fixed monthly fee per policy. It is unique because over the last five years, since the Pearl Group deal, we created a platform in the U.K. to integrate multiple legacy systems on a single platform and this now functions on the cloud paradigm. Since we already have a platform ready, we will shut the legacy platform and migrate the policies of Friends Life to this one over the next 2-3 years.”

He also added that TCS would be keen on taking the BaNCS platform to other markets and was currently in discussion with some clients for the same.

Diligenta and TCS will deliver IT infrastructure and IT services with some policies migrating to TCS BaNCS Insurance, a globally recognised insurance platform.As a result of the deal, around 1,900 Friends Life employees across a number of offices in the U.K. will transfer under existing terms of employment to Diligenta. All of those who transfer will continue to service Friends Life customers.

TCS' CEO said there would be no loss-making period as a result of this.

“Revenues from the deal will kick in from this quarter onwards but the true revenues will come in from next fiscal onwards. The margins will be lower initially but will eventually come to TCS level of profit margins.”

Fall in India car sales signals slowdown

Published on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 14:35 | Source : ft.com

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/fallindia-car-sales-signals-slowdown_615017.html

India's auto sales in October suffered the biggest fall in over a decade, the strongest indication yet that Asia's third largest economy is heading towards a brusque slowdown.

Domestic sales of passenger cars were down 23.8%, while production had dropped 28.1% when compared to the same period last year, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. This is the biggest drop in sales since December 2000, when car sales fell 35%. Policymakers are increasingly concerned about the health of India's economy, as the country's ballooning fiscal deficit, slowing exports and high interest rates have damped investors' sentiment over the past month. The rating's agency Moody's downgraded India's banking system to negative on Wednesday, citing concerns the global economic turmoil and a domestic slowdown may trigger more defaults and curb profitability. "India's economic momentum is slowing because of high inflation, monetary tightening, and rapidly rising interest rates," Vineet Gupta, a senior analyst at Moody's. Although the fall in car sales was partially due to a prolonged strike at India's largest automaker Maruti Suzuki , the poor figures reflected the broader impact tighter monetary policy and rising fuel prices are having on consumer spending, experts said.

The Reserve Bank of India has raised key lending rates 13 times since March 2010 as it seeks to curb inflation, which has been hovering at about 10% in the past 12 months.

Separately, India's trade deficit widened to a 17-year high of USD 19.6bn in October, according to official data. The gap was exasperated by a fall in export growth, which grew at its lowest rate in more than two years last month, due to worsening economic jitters and slowing demand in the US and Europe, India's top sales destinations.

"It is clearly something to be very worried about. At this rate, our annual trade deficit could reach USD 150bn," said Rahul Khullar, India's commerce secretary.

However, what is concerning economists the most is India's ballooning fiscal deficit, which stands at more than 70% of its full-year target in the first six months of the year ending in September 2011.

"The fiscal situation is scary, this is the biggest problem the country is facing at the moment, it's more serious than high inflation," said A Prasanna, chief economist at ICICI securities.

India's 10-year bond yields have jumped over the past month from 8.44% in October to 8.92 on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.

The only glimpse of hope for India has come from a buoyant rural economy, helped by government subsidies, good rains over the past two years and rising food prices.

While, car sales are slowing, those of tractors are expected to rise 15%, maintaining a double-digit performance sustained over the past three years, according to Mahindra, the largest tractor maker by revenues.

US-based defence production major looking to tie-up with Bharat Electronics Limited

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/indl-goods-/-svs/engineering/us-based-defence-production-major-looking-to-tie-up-with-bharat-electronics-limited/articleshow/10680442.cms

Viewing India as a big business opportunity, Raytheon, a US-based defence equipment major is exploring the possibility of setting up a joint venture with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for developing products including missiles in the country.

"I will be flying to India to visit BEL at Bangalore for a meeting to explore the possibilities of setting up joint ventures," Sanjay Kapoor, vice president of Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems, told reporters here.

Kapoor said the company was interested in promoting its integrated defence system products, which includes Patriot missiles, to as many countries as possible and was not averse to jointly develop products with BEL.

"We would like more and more countries to adopt this system of defence...whatever we can jointly develop in India, we will do," he said.

Asked if the company was willing to transfer technology to India as part of its sales pitch, Kapoor said it was not an easy task.

"Transfer of technology is not as easy as it sounds. It needs a lot of things-- maintenance, infrastructure, capital, etc -- to accomplish it," he said.

He said every country wanted to leap frog others and get the latest technology available in the global market but it would be better if they buy what satisfies their needs.

"The latest technologies might not be what is the requirement of that country," he said.

"The latest technology will need maintenance and infrastructure to support....moreover, we are a commercial company and need to look after the interests of our shareholders too," he added.

Kapoor said another aspect he would be looking at during his visit to India this weekend will be the possibility of local manufacturing of some of the products. He said India was a big business opportunity.

On being asked how soon did he expect to get the deal through, he said it depends on how soon the prospective partners in India take a decision.

"In the US we take decisions on quarterly basis and follow up on them but that is not how things work in India," he said.

Kapoor, however, said things were improving in India and he expected things to move faster than they used to in the past.

Raytheon has association with the Tata group, with Larsen and Toubro (L&T)and BEL over different projects.

Raytheon is working with L&T on a project for infrared gunner sights capabilities for India's T-72 tanks.

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

Oil cos ONGC, HPCL, OIL, IOC and others may run out of cash to buy oil by Decemberhttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/oil-gas/oil-cos-ongc-hpcl-oil-ioc-and-others-may-run-out-of-cash-to-buy-oil-by-december/articleshow/10672667.cmsNEW DELHI: India is staring at an energy crisis after December as staterun refineries will start shutting down because they will run out of money to import crude oil, Indian Oil Corp Chairman RS Butola said after declaring the company's biggest quarterly loss.

IOC posted the second successive quarterly loss because it has not been compensated for selling kerosene, cooking gas and diesel below market rates. This is forcing IOC to buy crude oil with borrowed money, but banks cannot endlessly support this as the company's borrowings have surged to over Rs 73,000 crore and it is unable to raise prices of fuels.

"We will face problems in raising money after December. Means, we will not have enough money to import crude. We will be forced to shut down some refineries and supplies will suffer," Butola said.

Oil companies are trapped between the government's political and economic compulsions, which are blocking moves to pay subsidy or to raise fuel prices: The government is under strong political pressure to freeze fuel rates as inflation is already high while the finance ministry,

which is struggling to meet its fiscal targets, is looking for ways to raise revenue and reduce expenditure on subsidies.

Brent crude was trading at $114 on Wednesday, down from the previous day's high of nearly $116, but still too high for Indian companies. The International Energy Agency said oil prices would head towards $150 if adequate investments are not made in the Middle-East and north Africa.

Butola said the company had reported its "worst ever" loss of Rs 7,486 crore in the second quarter of the current fiscal after the government did not pay it a penny to compensate its Rs 11,757-crore revenue loss.

Reliance KG-D6 gas output dips below 42 mmscmdhttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/oil-gas/reliance-kg-d6-gas-output-dips-below-42-mmscmd/articleshow/10679302.cmsNEW DELHI: Natural gas production from Reliance Industries' showpiece KG-D6 fields off the East Coast has declined to a one-year low of less than 42 million standard cubic metres per day.

The Dhirubhai-1 and 3 gas fields and the MA oilfield in the KG-DWN-98/3, or KG-D6, block in the Bay of Bengal produced about 41.68 mmscmd of gas in the week ending October 30, according to a production report filed by the operator (Reliance) with the Oil Ministry here.

The current output is a far cry from the 61.5 mmscmd level achieved in March last year and the production plan of over 70 mmscmd for 2011-12.

The Dhirubhai-1 and 3, or D-1 & D-3, fields produced 34.71 mmscmd and the remaining 6.97 mmscmd came from the MA oilfield during the week under review.

Reliance, the report said, has shut four wells due to high water ingress and sanding issues. Current output is from 14 wells out of the 18 wells drilled and completed so far in the D-1 & D-3 fields.

The MA oilfield currently produces an average 13,071 barrels of crude oil per day.

The report said 14.06 mmscmd of the gas output is being sold to fertiliser plants and 24.29 mmscmd to power plants. The remaining 3.3 mmscmd is consumed by other sectors, including gas transported through the East-West pipeline from the East Coast to consumption centres in the West.

Reliance had projected an output of 41.50 mmscmd of gas in the first week of November.

As per the status report, out of the 22 wells planned in in Phase-I of D-1 and D- field development, 18 wells have been drilled and completed so far. Of these, 14 wells were put on production, while four wells were kept closed due to high water cut and sanding issues.

Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas R P N Singh had in August informed Parliament that output from KG-D6 was short of the 70.39 mmscmd level envisaged by now as per the field development plan approved in 2006.

While Reliance holds 60 per cent interest in KG-D6, UK's BP Plc holds 30 per cent and Niko Resources of Canada the remaining 10 per cent.

Reliance started natural gas production from the KG-D6 fields in April 1, 2009.

Ministry seeks 2-yr extension of tax holiday for refinerieshttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/oil-gas/petroleum-ministry-seeks-2-yr-extension-of-tax-holiday-for-refineries/articleshow/10680013.cmsNEW DELHI: The Petroleum Ministry has asked for a two-year extension of the tax holiday for refineries under the Income Tax Act so that state-owned Indian Oil Corp's much-delayed, Rs 29,777 crore Paradip refinery can avail the benefit.

A tax holiday is currently available to units that are commissioned by March 31, 2012, under section 80IB(9) of the Income Tax Act (exemption from payment of tax on income earned from refining).

IOC's 15 million tonnes a year Paradip refinery is running behind schedule because of several problems the company has faced in executing the mammoth project in Orissa, officials said.

The biggest of these were law and order problems and issues related to land acquisition, which have delayed the project commissioning to September, 2013, from the previous schedule of the first quarter of 2012.

Officials said owing to issues beyond its control, IOC had asked the Oil Ministry to seek a two-year extension of the tax holiday till March, 2014. The Oil Ministry, in turn, has written to the Finance Ministry requesting the same.

Currently, refineries commissioned after March 31, 2012, will not be eligible for exemption from payment of income tax on revenues earned in the first seven years of operations. The seven-year income tax holiday for the refining sector ends next year.

IOC plans to sell fuel produced at the Paradip unit in the domestic market, rather than export the products as was earlier planned, due to the rise in fuel demand at home.

The refinery was originally planned to export at least 2.05 MT of petrol and 124,000 tonnes of naphtha out of its yearly output of 15 million tonnes. But double-digit growth in petrol and diesel consumption meant there would be very little left for exports.

The Paradip refinery will produce 5.97 MT of diesel, 3.4 MT of petrol, 1.45 MT of kerosene/ATF, 536,000 tonnes of LPG, 124,000 tonnes of naphtha and 335,000 tonnes of sulphur, all of which will be for sale in the domestic market.

Some of the 200,000-tonne propylene output of the plant may be exported, the company had earlier said.

IOC had previously stated that the refinery will start producing fuel by March, 2012, when it will commission primary units like the Crude Distillation Unit. Secondary units will be commissioned by July, 2012, and operations stabilised by November, 2012.

The Paradip refinery is being configured to process the toughest, heaviest and dirtiest crudes, which are cheaper than the cleaner and more easily processed varieties.

The refinery will have a Nelson Complexity Index of 13, the highest in the world.

Militant Activity/Terrorism (Particularly in Bangalore, Mumbai, Noida, Chennai, Coimbatore)

GNLA rebels abduct 2 Assam-based bamboo tradershttp://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/gnla-rebels-abduct-2-assambased-bamboo-traders/893323.htmlShillong, Nov 9 (PTI) Two Assam-based bamboo traders have allegedly been abducted by Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) rebels prompting security forces in Meghalaya to launch search operations to free them. Meghalaya's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos and Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) of the CRPF have been pressed into service to track down the rebels who are suspected to be holed up in the Garo Hills region, police said today. Amir Hussain and Nor Islam were abducted on November one from Dame Apal village in East Garo Hills district. The GNLA has not come forward to claim responsibility for the kidnapping but police said they have registered a case against the GNLA as they believe that it is the handiwork of the outfit under the leadership of one Rahul R Marak, a self-styled camp commander of the group. Quoting family members of the two traders, police said they have not received any demand for ransom money from any one so far. The GNLA, which is not a banned outfit in Meghalaya, is active in all the three Garo Hills districts. It is headed by a former deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Champion R Sangma who deserted his police battalion last year. The Union Home Ministry has reportedly asked the state government about its views on the issue of banning the outfit.

Reds bulldoze two school buildings in Gayahttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Reds-bulldoze-two-school-buildings-in-Gaya/articleshow/10673680.cmsGAYA: An unspecified number of heavily armed Maoists bulldozed two school buildings in the Naxalite-affected Barachatti police station area of Gaya district on the Bihar-Jharkhand border late Tuesday night. The school buildings were virtually razed to the ground.

Reports reaching here said the Maoists used JCB machines of a construction company engaged in the construction work in the area to bulldoze the school buildings, thereby, depriving nearly 800 middle school children the benefit of education at Dhangain and Haiya Sari villages.

Interestingly, Union home secretary R K Singh recently reviewed the ongoing anti-Maoist operations in areas under the Barachatti police station area. The Tuesday night operation is being seen as the rebels' response to the high-level meeting held by officials on anti-Maoist operations.

Although the Maoists reportedly have not left behind any written notes or posters, sources say the school buildings could have destroyed to ensure that security forces did not these as camps during their anti-Maoist operations.

Gaya SSP Vinay Kumar said this the first-time that the Maoists used machines to raze down school buildings in the area. Asked to identify the owners of the machine used in the demolition operation by the Maoists, the SSP said any revelation at this point of time may jeopardize the investigation. The SSP vehemently denied the Maoist charge that the school buildings were used to provide shelter to security ssforces engaged in combing operations against them.

Mamata gives green signal to anti-naxal operationshttp://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/WestBengal/Mamata-gives-green-signal-to-anti-naxal-operations/Article1-767051.aspxAfter the recent murder of a Trinamool Congress worker in Purulia, the Mamata Banerjee government has given the green signal for assault on Maoists in Jangalmahal. Jitu Mahato was killed last week, following which the chief minister's office (CMO) issued the order to for an all-out assault. Senior officers have been told to target senior leaders and the chief minister has sought immediate results, said an official.The assault would be based on the Andhra model of anti-Naxal operations and would be held in collaboration with the Jharkhand police.

"We are under pressure to show results," said a senior police officer of West Midnapore. "We have specific instructions to flush out Maoists from our borders and catch senior Maoist leaders like Akash, Bikash, Jayanto. We are also tracking Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji, who recently used to frequent Bengal."

Before winning the elections, the Trinamool Congress had criticised the action against Maoists in Jangalmahal and had campaigned for the removal of Central forces from the area. After coming to power, the Trinamool-led government had pressed for talks with Maoists. But now, the government has apparently accepted that talks are making no headway, though officially, the team of interlocutors led by Sujata Bhadra have not been asked stop their work.

The process of recruiting fresh IPS officers in the Maoist-hit West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia has started.

Police sources said an IPS officer would be posted at each sensitive police station in the Maoist belt. The CMO has allocated land for permanent bases of central forces in Jangalmahal and requested for the recall of the CoBRA commandos sent to Jharkhand after the anti-Maoist operations were stalled in West Bengal.

Labor/Social Unrest