Business Archive

Pirated Windows 7 generates $100,000 in India

Published: November 4, 2009Posted in: Business, NationalTags:

Lucknow, Nov 4 – About 50,000 pirated DVDs of Microsoft Windows 7 are estimated to have been sold here since the official launch on Oct 22, generating unaccounted business of around Rs.50 lakh (nearly $100,000).

The reason for the allure of the pirated versions: These cost Rs.40-Rs.250 in Naza Market in Hazratganj here, drawing buyers from not only the rest of Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand but also Nepal and Bangladesh.

‘This is the biggest market in the region,’ said a shopkeeper in Hazratganj, claiming at least 50,000 DVDs of the pirated Windows 7 have been sold since hitting the local markets within 24 hours of the official launch, fetching sellers about Rs.50 lakh so far.

The legal version of the new operating system launched by Microsoft Corp costs between $150-$300 (Rs.7,500-Rs.15,000) in the international markets. The company, however, tagged its prices 20 percent below international rates in India, where it is available in the Rs.6,000-Rs.11,000 range through official channels.

Despite the discounted company rates, buyers are opting for the pirated version.

‘Why invest Rs.10,000 when it is available for Rs.250?’ asked Pramod Yadav, a student pursuing a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) course.

Added Mohit Singh, who runs a computer hardware and software maintenance company: ‘We pay for only the DVD as we are regular customers. A DVD hardly costs Rs.20-40.’

Most computer service providers or ‘regular customers’ in Lucknow and elsewhere in India use pirated software, contended Nishant Kumar, a software engineer with HCL Technologies in Greater Noida.

According to him, what makes the pirated operating systems more attractive is that cheap pirated anti-virus software is also freely available.

‘A lot of anti-virus software, for example Awast, is available on the Internet,’ Kumar said, adding that it was equally effective and has the same service life.

Those selling pirated Windows 7 deny doing anything illegal.

‘There are over 200 shops in Naza Market. All have everything you want. We are not doing anything illegal as everything is available on the Internet,’ said a shopkeeper not willing to be named.

‘We are only transferring and supplying to buyers who include students, professionals and even big business houses.’

Those selling authentic software are unhappy.

‘Be it software or encyclopaedia, everything is available in pirated form within 24 hours. We do not get the expected business,’ Amit Mishra of Newgen Technologies, the authorised distributor of Compaq, HP, Microsoft and Lenovo in Hazratganj, told IANS.

The police express helplessness in combating piracy. ‘We know what is going on for the past couple of decades. But we cannot act on our own. We need a formal complaint to act or else you (the media) will come down on us,’ police spokesperson A.K. Pathak told IANS.

Besides software, the Naza Market and the Naka Market in the Naka area are also famous for producing CDs and DVDs of newly released Bollywood movies within 24 hours.

‘You name the movie and you will have the CD, DVD the next day,’ boasted Harnam Singh, a Naka shopowner.

(Rajat Rai can be contacted at rajat.r@ians.in)

Lalit Modi gives nod for biopic

Published: November 3, 2009Posted in: Business, Cricket, Entertainment, NationalTags:

New Delhi, Nov 3 – Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi Tuesday gave his nod to Bollywood production house Percept Picture Company (PPC) for a ‘fictional biopic’ on his life, said a top official of PPC.

‘We had to wait for a bit but its through now. I had a meeting with him (Lalit Modi) in Mumbai at 11 in the morning and he is now very excited that he has committed for the film. It’s a fictional biopic like ‘Guru’ on Dhirubhai Ambani,’ joint managing director of PPC Shailendra Singh told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

‘The film is a great mix of entertainment, sports and a whole emotional vibe. Lalit’s story has all the ingredients – rags to riches, fame, money and all that Indian audiences are going to enjoy watching. Indians at large would love to watch a good cricket marketing film,’ he added.

Titled ‘The Commissioner’, the script of the biopic is being written by Shridhar Raghavan and is ‘under development’.

‘We’ve got all the information and the research has been done. He (Raghavan) will take a couple of more months to be ready with the story and we should do the principal filming in 2010 and should be in a position to release the picture by end of the year,’ said Singh.

Asked about the director and the cast, he said: ‘We can’t announce the director yet because we are still to finalise the choice, as it’s first the script, then the director and then the casting for us. However, other than the lead, casting won’t be much of an issue.’

‘But the apt choice would be Shah Rukh Khan. He is India’s number one superstar and the minute we have the product in its true form of presentation, we would approach him for sure,’ he said.

Other actors in consideration for Modi’s role are ‘Irrfan Khan and Shahid Kapoor’.

Singh is also keeping a no holds barred budget for the film.

‘There will be no compromise in this film. Mr. Modi won’t allow me to compromise. It is a typical A-list Bollywood film but we can only get the true perspective of the costing once we have the script in hand,’ he said.

‘However, Lalit Modi practically lives in an aircraft, so that’s one of our headaches. In the IPL, he flew every evening and attended two press conferences in different cities. It involves a lot of filming,’ he added.

Is Modi also going to invest or appear in his life’s story?

‘He will have an option to invest financially if he chooses to… But the only appearance he is making is by allowing us to make the movie on him and subsequently by being present at the press conference to announce the same,’ said Singh.

Singh also hinted at a presence of major cricket players in the movie.

‘They are a part of the script because it happens to be based on IPL that has around 200 cricketers in it. They do happen to be a part of the cast unless any cricketer has a strict objection to being in the film,’ he said.

R-Com launches per second billing plan

Published: November 3, 2009Posted in: Business, NationalTags:

Mumbai, Nov 3 – Telecom operator Reliance Communications (R-Com) Tuesday announced the launch of its per second billing plan.

As per the new plan, to be effective Nov 5, R-Com will offer outgoing calls at one paisa per second across all sectors sans extra charges for short-duration callers.

The new offer follows the ‘Simply Reliance’ plan the company launched last month, under which it charged 50 paise per minute.

Besides, it has also announced a new offer of Re.1 per three-minute call for long duration callers. Both these new tariffs would be available on GSM and CDMA networks, the company said.

In a similar development, another telecom service provider Loop Mobile Tuesday re-introduced its tariff plan of one paisa per second for all local and long distance calls for its prepaid subscribers.

It had first launched the plan in 2004, but withdrawn it later.

The companies’ move comes after other telecom majors such as Tata Teleservices and Bharti Airtel launched per second billing systems.

Keep up the stimulus, but devise credible exit strategies: IMF

Published: November 3, 2009Posted in: Business, NationalTags:

Washington, Nov 3 – In yet another sign of global economic recovery, across the G-20 nations including India, the average overall deficit is projected to fall from 7.9 percent of GDP in 2009 to 6.9 percent of GDP next year, according to the IMF.

Both these figures are somewhat better than projected in July 2009, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in its latest edition of the Cross-Country Fiscal Monitor released here Tuesday.

However, excluding losses from financial sector support measures, deficits are projected to widen in advanced G-20 economies in 2010, with reduced stimulus measures more than offset by higher automatic stabilisers as the output gap widens, and by increases in other types of spending.

Spending pressures affect nearly all emerging G-20 countries and particularly Argentina, China, India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, the fund stated, noting revenue declines relative to 2007 are larger in commodity producers Russia and South Africa.

Moreover, the simulations suggest potentially more adverse debt dynamics for countries where debt levels were higher at the onset of the crisis or where fiscal balances have deteriorated sharply during 2009.

Even in the baseline, debt ratios will remain above 60 percent of GDP for Brazil and India and will increase markedly for Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey, the Fund said, noting: ‘The results underscore the importance for these countries of securing the projected medium-term fiscal adjustment.’

The Fiscal Monitor draws on projections from the October 2009 World Economic Outlook and shows that:

Government debt in advanced G-20 economies is projected to reach 118 percent of GDP in 2014. New IMF research confirms that stabilising debt at these levels would imply increases in interest rates of up to 2 percentage points globally.

Communication of exit strategies now can help contain any potential adverse market response, it said, suggesting credible exit strategies for advanced countries will need to go well beyond the non-renewal of stimulus measures.

Weak pre-crisis structural fiscal positions in many countries have been further eroded by underlying spending pressures, the Fund said.

To get debt below 60 percent by 2030 will require raising the average structural primary balance by 8 percentage points of GDP over 2010-20 and then keeping it there for a further decade.

This could be achieved by a combination of non-renewal of stimulus measures; a freeze in real per capita spending excluding pensions and health; reforms to keep the growth of pension and health spending in line with that of GDP; and tax increases averaging about 3 percentage points of GDP for advanced G-20 countries.

Fiscal policy will continue to provide substantial support to aggregate demand in most countries this year, and is projected to remain supportive of economic activity in advanced countries in 2010, the Fund said.

Though maintenance of fiscal support remains appropriate, governments need to devise and communicate credible exit strategies now, it added.

Rice yield to fall 15 mn tonnes this kharif season: Estimates

Published: November 3, 2009Posted in: Business, NationalTags:

New Delhi, Nov 3 – India’s rice output is expected to be around 69.45 million tonnes this kharif season, or about 15 million tonnes less than in the previous season, according to the government’s first advanced estimates for foodgrain production released Tuesday.

During the 2008-09 kharif season, rice production stood at 84.5 million tonnes.

The first advance estimates of production of major crops grown in the country during the kharif season gains significance as the summer crops, mainly paddy, have been hit by drought.

Earlier Tuesday, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee acknowledged as much, saying that the erratic monsoon this year, followed by floods in some parts of the country, could have lowered India’s foodgrain output by some 14-15 million tonnes.

‘I’m waiting for a hard assessment of the sub-normal southwest monsoon and the impact of floods in some parts of the country,’ the finance minister said at the annual Economic Editors’ Conference.

‘There are some estimates that grain production will be less — 14-15 million tonnes. But we will have to wait for the inputs,’ he said during the interactive session.

India had logged record foodgrain output in 2008-09 (July-June), estimated at 233.87 million tonnes. But the failure of monsoon — on which depends 60 percent of India’s agriculture — has cast a shadow on this year’s crop.

The latest estimates put the total kharif foodgrain output at 96.63 million tonnes.

Of this, coarse cereals accounted for 22.76 million tonnes, maize 12.61 million tonnes, jowar 2.55 million tonnes, bajra 5.83 million tonnes, kharif pulses 4.42 million tonnes, tur or arhar 2.47 million tonnes, urad 0.88 million tonnes, and moong 0.52 million tonnes.

The estimates were earlier expected to have been released in September, but the process was deferred on account of the drought in several parts of the country.

‘The estimate is delayed as drought-affected states have not been able to provide figures in time,’ Agriculture Secretary T. Nanda Kumar had said then.

The government releases four advance estimates of farm production across the year apart from making a final projection.

Mukherjee hopes for end to spectrum vacation tangle

Published: November 3, 2009Posted in: Business, National, Sci-TechTags:

New Delhi, Nov 3 – Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday said he hoped the ministries of defence and communications and IT would reach a consensus on vacation of third generation (3G) spectrum by the armed forces.

‘I do hope the decision will be taken as per the letter and spirit of the memorandum of understanding,’ said Mukherjee at the annual Economic Editors’ Conference here when asked about the delay in spectrum vacation.

The finance minister was referring to the agreement signed in May between the defence ministry and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) outlining the roadmap for the vacation of radio waves or spectrum.

The issue of the exact radio frequency to be released by the armed forces and the timing of the vacation has long been an issue of contention between the two ministries.

‘I am aware of the fact that there are certain areas of differences in regard to the vacation of spectrum,’ Mukherjee said.

‘The GoM (group of ministers) has given certain directions, and the ministry of communication sat as per the instructions given by the GoM so far the 3G auction is concerned.’

The auction of 3G spectrum was initially scheduled for December, but may have to be postponed.

The DoT had last month announced that the auction of the 3G spectrum would be conducted in four stages — invitation of the bid, pre-qualification, auction, and finally the grant of spectrum.

Foreign countries to attend Bengal agriculture summit

Published: November 3, 2009Posted in: Business, NationalTags:

Kolkata, Nov 3 – The Netherlands, Nepal and Bhutan are likely to participate in the agriculture summit to be organised here by the Indian Chamber of Commerce and the West Bengal government later this week.

‘Many farmers will participate in this summit. Technological upgrading of farming is necessary to achieve 4 percent growth in this sector,’ Sanjeev Chopra, state agriculture secretary, said here Tuesday.

There will be exhibition and conferences for the farmers in the event to be held Nov 5-7.

Around 2,000-3,000 farmers from West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, and northeastern states are expected to participate in the summit.

The event would help farmers in soil mapping and nutrient management and also urge them to produce more pulses and oilseeds.

Rajasthan asked to detail steps to control oil fire

Published: November 3, 2009Posted in: Business, NationalTags:

Jaipur, Nov 3 – The Rajasthan High Court Tuesday asked the state government to detail what steps it was taking to control the fire that has been raging in the Indian Oil Corp (IOC) depot near here since Oct 29.

Responding to a public interest litigation, a division bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Bhalla and Justice Manish Bhandari asked the state government to furnish a reply in the form of an affidavit by Nov 9.

The fire at the depot in Sitapura, about 20 km from here, broke out last week Thursday, killing 11 people and injuring over 150. It seems to be abating now, with only two-three of the 11 tanks ablaze on the sixth day.

The court also directed the government to provide details of oil depots situated near residential and industrial areas and what safety and security steps have been taken.

The petition, filed by advocate S.K. Singh, also asked the government for details of its relief package to the industrial units as well as people living in the vicinity of the depot.

A private company has also filed a police complaint against the IOC and charged it with criminal negligence.

‘The FIR (first information report) was filed Monday by Pratipal Singh, an employee of Genus Power Infrastructure Limited, a factory that is situated near the IOC depot,’ a police officer told IANS Tuesday.

‘We have lodged a case under Section 304 A, which relates to causing death by negligence, and other appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code,’ he added.

According to the management at Genus, the factory has suffered massive damages because of the oil depot fire.

‘There were three casualties in our factory and 15 others were injured. It is difficult for us to assess the damage to the industrial unit as of now. We would only be able to do it once the fire is controlled in the depot,’ an official of the factory said.

The district administration has decided to shut educational institutions in Sitapura for the next eight days. The decision was taken as some of the buildings at the institutes were damaged.

A union petroleum ministry team has already visited the site and started its probe into the fire. The team is to submit its report in 60 days.

IOC officials say it will take over a year to rebuild the depot which has been completely damaged.

People living close to the depot have been complaining of breathing difficulties and itching in the eyes. ‘Since Friday night I have been having problems in breathing. I complained to my doctor and he told me it is because of the smoke in the air,’ said Adesh Kumar, who lives in a colony close to the depot.

Madhu Koda a good friend: key accused Vinod Sinha

Published: November 3, 2009Posted in: Business, NationalTags:

Ranchi, Nov 3 – Vinod Sinha, a key accused along with MP Madhu Koda in a Rs.2,000 crore scam in Jharkhand, says the former chief minister ‘is a good friend’ and that the scandal is politically motivated ahead of assembly polls from Nov 25.

‘Koda is a good friend of mine. I belong to his (Singbhum) constituency and I know him well. The income tax (IT) department and Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids are poltically motivated and are aimed at defaming Koda and us,’ businessman Sinha told the Sadhna news channel Tuesday.

‘The raids are motivated because of the coming assembly polls. There are people who do not want Koda to emerge stronger in our areas (Jamshedpur and Chaibaasa),’ Sinha said on a day when Koda was admitted to hospital.

The IT department, which is probing corruption allegations against Koda and his associates, last week raided 70 places in eight cities and claimed to have discovered documents relating to illegal transactions worth Rs.2,000 crore.

Asked about allegations of illegal transactions, including hawala, Sinha said: ‘Where is the scam? Where is the proof? If the IT department has proof, then it should make us the accused and we will approach court.

‘Why has the issue of hawala transactions been raised at the time of assembly polls?’

Asked about the IT department notice asking him and five others to appear before it Nov 6, he said: ‘I will appear personally before the income tax department before the given date and present my version. Through my representative, I wanted a questionnaire from the IT department which I could have answered, but they didn’t entertain my request.’

At the same time, he said: ‘There is no question of escaping (from the law). We assure cooperation to the income tax department.’

Asked about the names of people who, according to Sinha, are trying to implicate them, he said, ‘Wait for some time and we will disclose everything.

‘Koda can’t be in a scam alone. A scam takes the support of many people, including IAS officials,’ Sinha said.

Ujjawal Choudhary, director in the IT department, had earlier said: ‘It seems the illegal transactions made in three Balaji companies and hawala transactions are fully under the control of Vinod Sinha.’

IT officials have also seized documents worth Rs.550 crore sent through hawala to Dubai, Thailand, Malyasia and African countries.

Punjab shutdown against riots hits normal life (Roundup)

Published: November 3, 2009Posted in: Business, National, ReligionTags: ,

Chandigarh/Amritsar, Nov 3 – Trains were stopped, road traffic was hit while schools and colleges were closed in many Punjab towns as radical groups called for a shutdown Tuesday to protest the denial of justice to families of the thousands killed in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The strike, however, passed off peacefully, police officers said in Chandigarh.

The strike call was given by the Dal Khalsa and was supported by the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC), Damdami Taksal, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (DSGPC), All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) and Shiromani Panthic Council.

‘We have not got justice for Sikhs in the last 25 years. We want the deaf government in the centre to listen to our demands. We will ask the UN to intervene and seek justice for Sikhs,’ Dal Khalsa leader Kanwarpal Singh said.

The KAC and AISSF later claimed that the strike was ‘complete’ in Punjab and thanked people for it.

Dal Khalsa chief Harcharan Singh Dhami, AISSF President Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad and KAC chief Mohkam Singh said in a joint statement: ‘The strike has been supported by everyone in Punjab. People believe that 1984 was a Sikh genocide and Punjab people are together fighting against it.’

Dal Khalsa activists stopped trains at the Amritsar railway station Tuesday morning.

The Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express, Sachkhand Express, Dadar Express, Superfast Express and other trains were stopped. Scores of Dal Khalsa members squatted on the rail tracks.

The Shatabdi Express was later cancelled by railway authorities, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. Some other trains were allowed to leave by railway authorities in the afternoon after the protestors melted away.

Shops in some areas of major cities, petrol pumps and a few banks also remained closed in the first half of the day. Schools in various cities were shut by the authorities. Bus services and other modes of public transport were also affected.

Police in Amritsar stopped about 50 Sikh youths on motorcycles brandishing kirpans (swords). They were intercepted near the Hall Gate and their kirpans were confiscated.

There was a minor clash between the two sides but the youths were allowed to leave.

Road and railway traffic was also affected near Rajpura town, 40 km from Chandigarh. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal urged the protestors to be peaceful.

The strike had partial effect in the industrial and commercial city of Ludhiana. Protesters blocked one over-bridge in the heart of the city and shops remained closed in some areas.

Shops and other establishments were shut in parts of Moga, Sangrur and some other towns.

The Dal Khalsa criticised the the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini parliament of Sikhs, for keeping its offices open.

India’s prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh guards Oct 31, 1984. This led to widespread riots against Sikhs, leaving thousands dead and homeless.

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