The finance ministry's proposal to seek compensation by way of cess on income and corporate taxes for any duty reduction on crude oil and motor fuels has put the ball squarely in the court of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh. With finance minister P Chidambaram's meeting with oil minister Murli Deora ending in a deadlock on Tuesday, the top political leadership will now have to decide how to save the state-owned oil marketing companies from bankruptcy while cushioning consumers against a fresh burden in an electorally crucial season.

Now, a simple click of the mouse will lead you to all central government gazette notifications with the urban development ministry developing an e-gazette system. The website will also contain Delhi government's notifications relating to subjects under the Centre's jurisdiction. The system, to be maintained by the department of printing and publication of the ministry, will ensure date-wise, month-wise and subject-wise availability of all notifications which contain government policy and directives.

Has 73% Market Share Against India's 6%: Report India might have gained a headstart in the carbon market but it has been left behind by the China juggernaut. The latter has become the world leader in the carbon credit business with a market share of 73% in the volume of credits traded in 2007 as compared to India's 6%, a recently released World Bank report has said. But the entire carbon market could be in for a major shake-up depending on how the negotiations on the future of the Kyoto Protocol, which are to be concluded by 2009, shape up.

In order to check proliferating hazardous e-waste recycling units in the national capital, Delhi Government is roping in private sector to regulate the process. "We have asked the private sector to come forward to develop an electronics waste management project on the basis of public-private partnership,' Delhi Environment Secretary JK Dadoo told PTI here. Delhi is emerging as the world's capital for e-waste recycling, a hazardous activity taking place without any regulations with the major dismantling taking place in unorganisedinformal sector.

Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are embroiled in a battle over road cutting. With MCD suddenly having decided to come down hard on

In what will considerably ease the woes of air travellers in the Capital, the Centre is planning to facilitate checking in of luggage at 20 points in the city which also allow passengers to use a fleet of dedicated air-conditioned buses. The scheme will be rolled out in coordination with the Delhi government. The move will help ease congestion at the airport as traffic increases in the run-up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. It will also introduce facilities that are available at several major destinations where checking in luggage is possible at tube and bus links.

Sivaganga: Union finance minister P Chidamabaram on Sunday said that inflation was a global phenomenon, resulting from rising crude oil prices. Speaking to reporters, he said India was a major importer of crude oil and 75% of the nation's demand of crude oil was met from imports.

Global warming, melting of glaciers, depletion of the ozone layer, rapidly vanishing ground water cache, drastic weather changes and ruthless felling of trees. When many of us are still clinical or insensitive to these issues, how on earth can we expect our corporate citizens to be concerned of environmental issues? Well, better late than never. Many Indian corporates, who only had mind for money so far, are increasingly waking up to these burning issues, and setting their priorities.

Determined to protect interest of its farmers and nascent industries, India will press for changes in the latest WTO proposals on agriculture and industrial goods as hard negotiations begin on Monday in Geneva on Doha Round. India has already rejected the proposals in the drafts on opening global market for agriculture and industrial goods on the ground that they were unfair to the millions of small and marginal farmers.

TIMES NEWS NETWORK New Delhi: The oil ministry has removed the clouds of uncertainty over continuation of Indraprastha Gas Ltd as the city's sole supplier of CNG (compressed natural gas) for automotive and kitchen uses. The ministry has spiked the sectoral regulator's decision de-recognising IGL's projects in the Capital, saying the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board does not have powers to judge entities set up through government orders before it came into existence.