India has signed $42 million "Country Programme India 2008-2012' with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to strengthen the competitiveness and productivity of its industrial enterprises, with a special focus on employment generation and the greening of industry.

The government plans to spent Rs 20,000 crore to develop

Uttarakhand Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri has urged the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre to extend the period of special industrial package granted to the State till 2013 to facilitate its industrial and economic development. In this connection, Mr. Khanduri met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath here over the weekend. The Chief Minister told Mr. Nath that initially while granting the package to the Himalayan State till 2010 the Centre had promised to reconsider extension of the Concessional Industrial Package for the benefit of the State.

Recent official economic data reinforce the perception of a slowdown. Industrial production increased by just 3 per cent in March 2008, the lowest in six years. For the entire year 2007-08, the growth rate is estimated to be 8.13 per cent, more than 3 percentage points below the previous year's figure of 11.6 per cent. Though the Planning Commission has maintained that industrial growth being at the lower end of the anticipated band of 8-8.5 per cent was entirely exp ected, the drop in the rate has several negative connotations for the macroeconomy.

The growth of six core infrastructure industries declined to 5.6 per cent in 2007-08 from 9.2 per cent in 2006-07. However, in March , the growth in these sectors stood at 9.6 per cent compared to 10.5 per cent in March 2007, according to the latest data released by the Government here on Thursday.

Maharashtra Finance Minister Jayant Patil has floated a consultation paper on the concept of creating an exclusive club of progressive states to act as a pressure group for their developmental needs. A meeting of the potential members could take place in the next four months. Patil said he had received "overwhelming response" from progressive states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Every week, a fax machine in economic advisor's office at Udyog Bhawan, which houses the commerce and industry ministry, receives price data for items in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) basket. The data have to be the actual transaction price effective each Friday and is to be submitted on a voluntary basis every week.

Yellow card

The two-day Africa summit in New Delhi last month opened a significant chapter in India's external affairs. Inaugurating the summit, attended by 14 African leaders, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh