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| August 21, 2006 | Monday | Rajab 25, 1427 |
Plans and ground realities of foreign direct investment
 LAST year in October, the government announced that it had firmed up a plan to attract nearly $30 billion worth of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the next five years....
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Investment banking too quiet for comfort
THERE is a growing feeling in the financial services sector that its investment banking wing is too quiet for comfort. There are valid reasons for it, not all of them attributable to the slackness of this sub-sector....
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Rozgar scheme ready for launch
THE paperwork has been completed, the systems are in place, the staff has been trained, helpline desks created, bank branches selected and application forms printed and distributed in the designated branches for the aspirants who qualify to avail this facility....
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Issues in livestock industry
 LIVESTOCK sector has played a significant role in national economy and rural social system over the years by providing quality food and export earnings. At present, this sector accounts for nearly 10 per cent of the national GDP....
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Managing sustainable crop production
Non-implementation of recommendations made by the international and national scientists at the conclusion of various seminars on agriculture and related issues has resulted in shrinkage of agriculture sector’s share in the...
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Lettuce prevents cancer
 LETTUCE is the king of salad which is used in the meals. Its popularity and importance is well-established. In Pakistan, lettuce is cultivated around the big cities....
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Experiments in pineapple cultivation
PINEAPPLE is grown in many countries but Pakistan imports fresh and canned pineapple, as it does not produce this fruit. The fresh fruit is sold in the local market at Rs120-180 depending on its size or weight....
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Pakistan Steel assets to be re-evaluated
 Minister for Privatisation Mr Zahid Hamid says “The government has decided to re-evaluate the assets of Pakistan Steel Mills to determine its new reserve price before it is put up for sale again”....
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Gas subsidised at Balochistan’s expense
 THE gas development surcharge (GDS) is the only major source of income for Balochistan. The revenue from GDS is however not proportionate to the current cost of investment in Sui gasfields in Bugti area made as far back as 1952....
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Mega projects — concerns and success factors
MEGA projects are again making headlines. Not only Pakistan but other countries are also approving gigantic projects. Malaysia recently built a whole new city ‘putrajaya’ to function as its new administrative capital....
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Foreign investors acquiring stakes in cement industry
 INDIA’S buoyant cement sector continues to attract the attention of global majors. The latest entrant is Germany’s Heidelberg Cement, which paid almost $100 million recently to acquire a 51 per cent...
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Inflation remains a threat
 WHILE the State Bank of Pakistan has been tightening its monetary instance, inflation continues to remain a threat. Despite a decline in the consumer price index (CPI) from 9.3...
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Flexible working time cost-effective
THE Flexible Working Hours (FWH) can be defined as a system of arranging work time that gives employees freedom in choosing the hours they are required to work each day....
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External sector’s woes
A TRADE deficit of over $12 billion recorded for 2005-06 was higher than cumulative figure of last five years. Exports target was not met while imports rose to unprecedented level...
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Overcoming the power crisis
 TO overcome the deepening power crisis, the government is planning to increase stable electric supply to Karachi and the rest of the country. One wishes that these actions were taken a couple of years ago....
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Privatisation raises profit remittances
IT is very pleasing for a country to receive large foreign direct investment (FDI), but painful to see the large outflow of its profits in foreign exchange....
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How close are the millennium development goals?
 AS on other fronts, Pakistan is sanguine about its progress towards the millennium development goals (MDGs). The UN member countries had adopted eight MDGs in September 2000....
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Buying at dip helps KSE index stay in positive zone
 AFTER passing through a technical correction, stocks were back on the rails during the preceding week as investors covered positions at the lower levels aided by higher cash dividend and bonus shares by the leading oil and pharmaceutical companies....
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Rupee weaker on heavy dollar buying
 IN the inter-bank market, the rupee/dollar parity commenced the week on a mixed note on August 15, after observing a long weekend on account of Independent Day holiday....
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Supply disruptions keep prices bullish
 PRICES of some of the essential items rose further on the Karachi wholesale commodity markets during the previous week as ready demand could not be fully met owing to pressure on ready supplies for various reasons....
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