20/11/2015 (Hindu Business Line) - The cash-strapped Railways has proposed an annual Plan outlay of Rs. 8,600 crores for 1996-97, against Rs. 7,500 crores in the current fiscal. According to sources, the Ministry plans to seek budgetary support of around 33 per cent on the annual Plan size which translates to over Rs. 2,830 crores. The proposal will shortly be forwarded to the Planning Commission, which has convened a meeting on November 30 to discuss it. Sources said emphasis in the work-plan would be on acquiring rolling stock, in view of the current shortage of wagons and locomotives.

Malaysia hopes to sell more palm oil to India

The Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council (MPOPC), which has launched a drive to enhance palm oil exports, expects India to import seven lakh tonnes of palmolein by the end of the year. India has already imported nearly five lakh tonnes so far from that country. The council's Chief Executive Officer, Tan Sri Dato Dr. Mohamed Yusof Hashim, told reporters that among the edible oil traders, vanaspati producers had shown special interest in imports. The council, which organised a high-level interaction with the private oils and fat industry here recently, was persuading the trade to import more packaged and branded edible oil.

Liberalised textile policy advocated

The Union Minister of State for Commerce, Mr. P. Chidambaram, calling for a new textile policy, said today that the process of liberalisation had skirted textiles. The country did not have a liberalised policy for the textile sector. After the Uruguay Round negotiations on textiles ten years ago, the scenario covering the industry had changed and events had overtaken the 1985 textile policy. This necessitated drafting of a new policy.