IDBI Federal launches insured wealth plan

§   Wealthsurance Dreambuider offers flexible, customized investment options

§   Covers 17 major diseases, hospitalization and accidental injuries

MUMBAI, August 8, 2011: Private life insurer IDBI Federal Life Insurance today announced the launch of its new ULIP called Wealthsurance® Dreambuilder Insurance Plan which will enable customers to save and build wealth under the protective cover of insurance.

Wealthsurance® combines wealth creation and insurance protection into one powerful financial solution. With a minimum premium amount of Rs 25,000 per year and maximum Rs. 1,00,000,  Wealthsurance® Dreambuilder Insurance Plan offers a wide range of insured wealth plans.

Announcing the launch of the new plan, Mr. G V Nageswara Rao, MD & CEO of IDBI Federal Life Insurance said “It is everyone’s dream to create wealth and enjoy quality life, but wealth creation does not happen by chance or accident. It needs a Plan. Wealthsurance® Dreambuilder Insurance Plan can help customers realize their dreams and enjoy the benefits during their lifetime. It is very flexible and can be customized to an individual’s needs with 13 different fund options to choose from. A key attribute of the Plan is that it can be insured not only against risk of death but against 17 major diseases, hospitalization, disability, accidental injuries etc so that you can feel confident that your financial goals can be reached despite the surprises life may throw up. To encourage long term investments, the plan boosts your funds through Guaranteed Loyalty Additions at the end of 10th policy year and every 5 years thereafter to reward customers for staying committed for the long term.”

Wealthsurance® Dreambuilder Insurance Plan offers a comprehensive suite of investment options which are designed to meet the needs of every customer depending upon his or her risk appetite. For instance, conservative customers can choose guaranteed return options which offer fixed, assured returns. Those who can take risks can opt for capital protected options where the entry NAV is guaranteed and returns depend upon the market. Customers who would like to get potential high returns of equity markets in the long-term and understand the risk can opt for market linked equity options.

IDBI Federal Wealthsurance® Dreambuilder Insurance Plan also provides a host of insurance benefits to protect the customers against uncertainties, so that they don’t have to break their investment to meet sudden financial demands and their money can keep compounding. In addition this Plan also offers partial withdrawals facility if funds are required before maturity.

The insurance benefits offered by the Plan include lump-sum cash amounts up to Rs. 20 lakhs to be paid upon diagnosis of any of 17 specified major diseases. These include heart attack, coronary bypass surgery, cancer, stroke, paralysis, coma, brain tumor, renal failure, major organ transplant etc.

“The plan offers a unique investment options called Asset Allocator Funds, where the company’s fund managers invest in equity or debt depending upon market conditions. This is a very useful option for those who do not have the time or expertise to monitor equity market and shift into debt or equity investments depending on market conditions. Moreover policyholder can boost their investments with Guaranteed Loyalty Additions which will be given at the end of specific terms as a reward for long-term investment. The Plan comes with attractive tax benefits. Premium contributions are eligible for tax deduction under Sec 80C. All benefits under the Plan are tax-free under Sec 10(10D),” Mr. Rao added

Another feature is Hospital Cash Benefit in which daily cash up to a maximum of Rs. 5000 per day will be paid for each day of hospitalisation, irrespective of the amount actually spent. The claim process is simple since no bills have to be submitted but only proof of hospitalization is enough. Other benefits include accidental death and disablement benefit and waiver of all future premiums upon death or disablement.

Indian economy poised for great heights, says Economic Survey

Robust growth and steady fiscal consolidation have been the hallmark of the Indian economy in the year 2010-11 so far. The growth rate has been 8.6 percent in 2010-11 and is expected to be around 9 percent in the next fiscal year. The growth has been broad based with a rebound in the Agriculture sector which is expected to grow around 5.4 per cent. Manufacturing and Services sector have registered impressive gains. Savings and investment are looking up while exports are rising. However food inflation, higher commodity prices and volatility in global commodity markets have been a cause of concern underscoring the need of fiscal consolidation and stronger reserves. These are some of the high points of the Economic Survey 2010-11, presented by the Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee in Lok Sabha today.

Recognizing the fact that inflation continues to be high even though it has come down markedly from where it was at the start of the fiscal year, the Survey underlined the need to monitor emerging trends in inflation on a sequential monthly basis. In order to check food inflation, it has suggested, the Government should improve the delivery mechanisms by strengthening the institutions and addressing corruption. The survey has pointed out that the inflation is expected to be 1.5 percent higher than what would be if the country was not on the growth curve.

The Survey has observed that a rise in savings and investments and pick up in private consumption has resulted in 9.7 per cent growth of GDP at market prices (constant) in 2010-11.Savings rate has gone up to 33.7 percent while the investment rate is up to 36.5 percent of GDP in 2009-10.

The Survey points out that the agriculture sector growth in the first four years of the 11th Plan (2007-12) is estimated at 2.87 per cent. The foodgrain production went up to 232.1 billion tonnes from 218.1 billion tonnes in 2009-10. With a relatively good monsoon the agriculture-sector is expected to grow at 5.4 per cent during 2010-11. The rising food inflation and the critical role of agriculture underline the need for a larger investment in agriculture enroute to the second green revolution.

The Survey reports that the industrial output growth rate was 8.6 per cent while the manufacturing sector registered a growth rate of 9.1 per cent in 2010-11. During April-November 2010 telecom, crude oil production, civil aviation sectors performed well while the power generation, cement and fertilizer production, railway freight traffic and cargo handling at major ports have grown at comparatively lower rates. Six core industries registered a growth of 5.3 per cent (provisional) in April-December, 2010 as against 4.7 per cent during the same period in 2009-10.

Economic Survey 2010-11 has highlighted the increasing role of infrastructure services which have been deepening rapidly with rising investments. However unmet gaps still remains large and accelerated investments will be needed in the next Plan period for addressing delays, cost overruns and regulatory and pricing impediments. The telecommunications sector has done exceedingly well as the tele density has increased from 20.74 per cent in 2004 to 143.95 per cent in 2010 in urban areas. While in the rural areas it has gone up from 1.57 per cent in 2004 to 30.18 per cent in 2010.

Lauding the role of services sector as the potential growth engine, the Survey has called for the policies to promote further opportunities in new areas in global demand such as accounting, legal, tourism, education, financial and other services beyond the IT and business process sectors.

The Survey points out that the exports in April-December 2010 went up by 29.5 per cent while the imports during the same period registered a growth rate of 19 per cent. The trade gap narrowed down to US $ 82.01 bn in the same period. Balance of payment situation has improved due to surge in capital flows and rise in foreign exchange reserves which have been accompanied by rupee appreciation. During current fiscal foreign exchange reserves increased by US $ 18.2bn from US $ 279.4 bn in end April 2010 to US $ 297.3 bn in end December 2010.

The inclusive growth agenda of the Government is reflected in the 59 per cent rise in Net Bank Credit . The expenditure on Social sector programs has been stepped up by 5 percent point of GDP over the past five years.

The Survey points out that Gross Fiscal Deficit is 4.8% of GDP in 2010-11 as against 6.3 percent of GDP in the previous year. The Revenue deficit in the current financial year has been 3.5 percent of GDP as against 5.1 percent in the previous year.

The Economic Survey 2010-11 has expressed satisfaction at the progress of fiscal consolidation and the role of monetary policy on tackling inflation, ensuring availability of funds and expansion of credit growth. It has called for efficient taxation of goods and services by a new GST, raising revenues, installing stronger safeguards and measures to accelerate financial inclusion.

The Economic Survey 2010-11 has lauded the Government’s efforts in addressing social and financial inclusion. The specific schemes for Scheduled Castes, Tribes, OBCs and the regions such as North-East, expansion of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan , National Rural Health Mission, in terms of coverage as well as the spending and monitoring have found specific mention in the report. The survey has advised that a better convergence of the schemes to address the issues of unemployment and poverty alleviation could avoid duplication and leakages.

A call for reforms in the university and higher education and correcting the demand supply mismatch in the job market has been made in the report. It says the gap in resources for higher education may be met on the basis of public private partnership without diluting the regulatory oversight of the Government.

The Survey has also made specific mention of Government’s active engagement on issues related to climate change with expanded financing of programs and better policies.

The Economic Survey has suggested that in the long run the potential engines of growth for the country could be from skill development and innovative activity and therefore, efforts should be made to promote them.

Regarding the outlook for the Indian economy, the Survey says that despite the risks of global events, such as volatility in commodity prices like crude oil exacerbated by political turmoil in the Middle-East, the Indian economy seems poised to scale greater heights in terms of macro economic indicators. It sums up by stating that the real GDP growth is expected to reach the 9 per cent mark in 2011-12 and the next two decades may well see the economy growing faster than it has done any time in the past. (PIB)

Columbian Chemicals into Aditya Birla Grp fold

Birla Carbon announces agreement to acquire Columbian Chemicals
The acquisition will catapult Birla Carbon to become a leading global player


MUMBAI: The Aditya Birla Group today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Atlanta based Columbian Chemicals Company, from One Equity Partners, the merchant banking arm of J. P. Morgan Chase & Co.

The Aditya Birla Group has bought One Equity Partners’ equity in Columbian Chemicals through its associates, Alexandria Carbon Black Company and Thai Carbon Black Company Limited along with SKI Investment, an Aditya Birla Group Company.

Briefing the media on this significant development, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said, “The acquisition of Columbian Chemicals catapults Birla Carbon to become a leading player globally in this sector, by raising its annual production to 2 million tons.  We look upon the carbon black business as a core business that has a strong growth potential both in terms of revenues and earnings. This acquisition is in keeping with our objective of being a leader in every business that the Group operates in. The Aditya Birla Group’s Carbon Black business and that of Columbian Chemicals complement each other. This acquisition will create a business which will have the advantage of cutting edge technology and low costs, and will have a truly global footprint.”

 “Our vision has been to be a premium carbon black player, global in size and reach.  The acquisition of Columbian Chemicals, which takes us closer to our vision, is a perfect fit for Birla Carbon.  Their assets and the expertise of the team will provide a stronger platform for higher growth and ongoing success” averred Mr. Birla.

Dr. Santrupt Misra, CEO, Birla Carbon and Director, HR, of the Aditya Birla Group, added – “We look forward to leveraging the strengths of both Columbian Chemicals and Birla Carbon. Their world-class service coupled with that of Birla Carbon, positions us well.  Additionally, Columbian Chemicals accords us access to markets that we currently do not serve, thus enhancing our geographic reach.  Columbian Chemicals also has a very strong Research & Development team of scientists engaged in process, technology and innovative products development.  Columbian Chemicals has a rich legacy, a committed workforce and values that are in sync with our Group values”.

The Aditya Birla Group is one of the most cost efficient manufacturers of Carbon Black.  Its operations span four countries, with six manufacturing plants.  It caters to the requirements of leading tyre manufacturers globally. Columbian Chemicals operates 11 plants in 9 countries.

The acquisition is subject to customary approvals.  The deal is expected to attain closure in the second half of CY-11.

ANZ, BankAM, HSBC, RBS and StandChart are participating in the financing of the transaction and were also the financial advisors for this deal.

KPMG were our tax and accounting advisors, and Shearman & Sterling LLP, the legal counsel.

India emerging as global role model for economic development

by Ashok Handoo*

The forward march of the Indian economy is continuing on the expected lines. The comfortable indicators promise to drive the economy out of the slowdown it faced in 2008-9, when the growth rate dipped to 6.7 per cent, after experiencing a 9 per cent growth for five consecutive years.

The most gratifying is the fall in food inflation which has been coming down consistently for the last five weeks and has now touched the 17 month low of 10.3 per cent. It stood at about 14 per cent in the corresponding period last year.

High food inflation has been a major source of worry to the Government for the past one year as it has been hitting hard the poorer sections of the society. Fall in food inflation is attributed to a better Kharif crop leading to increased supplies of agricultural products in the markets. With the end of the rainy season, disruptions in production and supplies of agricultural commodities have also ended. Economists believe that the stage is now set for food inflation to come down to a single digit soon. It was first witnessed in July this year but that was a brief relief.

The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) has, in its latest report, estimated a 10 per cent rise in Kharif crop to 114 million tonnes against a 2 per cent decline a year ago. It estimates the Rabi crop to rise by 2 per cent, compared to 1.7 per cent drop in the last season. That should be quite reassuring for the country.

A good monsoon at 102 per cent this year, led to increase in sown area by 7 per cent during the current Kharif season, said the CMIE. It thus predicts an all round rise in agricultural commodities with oilseeds expected to grow at 11 per cent, sugarcane at 15 per cent and food grains at 5.3 per cent.

All this has naturally led to easing of pressure on the headline inflation as well. It has thus come down to a 9 month low at 8.58 per cent in October against 8.62 per cent in September. The Government expects the overall inflation rate to fall to 5-6 percent by the end of this financial year.

It is in this backdrop that forecasters have revised upwards the growth rate for India this year. RBI’s professional forecasters have predicted the growth rate at 8.5 per cent this fiscal. It had put the figure at 8.4 per cent earlier.

Other economic parameters also are showing encouraging trends. FDI inflows during September rose by 40 per cent to $ 2.11 billion. Net capital inflows are expected to reach $ 91 billion by the end of this fiscal. Last fiscal, this figure was only $53.6 billion. The Government expects to touch the target of one trillion dollars in public- private investment in the next five years.

The remarks made by the Chairman of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab at the just concluded India Economic Summit in New Delhi, were therefore in line with the ground situation. He said “at a time when the world is searching for a new model of economic development India’s experience as a crucible for new types of economic growth gives it a special role among developing economies.” The conference took note of the fact that amid the slowdown in the world economy, India stood alongside China to register impressive growth rate.

At the leadership summit in New Delhi too, former British Prime Minister Gordan Brown said that the Indian economy will double in size in next 7 years and that achieving a 10 per cent growth is possible. India’s role at the G-20 is ‘absolutely critical’ and is right at the centre of discussion, he said.

India and China provide a huge market to the world. While the US and Europe account for 20 per cent of world’s consumption, India consumes less than 1 percent while China stands at 3 percent.

A fall in food inflation and slackness in industrial production could now perhaps prompt the Central bank to ease its tight money policy which it has adopted to control inflation. Obviously, the bank will look at other indicators as well at its policy review meeting on December 16.

What is of concern is the sharp fall in industrial growth to 4.4 per cent in September, against 8.2 per cent in September last year. This was because of a slackening in the manufacturing sector which forms about 80 per cent of industrial production in the country. But the fact that industrial growth stood at over 10 per cent in the first six months against 6.3 last year, gives confidence that it would improve in the coming months, more so when agriculture is showing a rebound.

The challenge however remains to ensure inclusive growth to enable the marginalised sections of the society to share the fruits of development. As Dr. Manmohan Singh put it at the Leadership Summit, welfare of vulnerable segments of the society, reducing regional imbalances and increasing social and economic opportunities for backward classes, minorities and women remains the key challenge for the country. The Government has taken a number of steps in this direction which should help in achieving the objective. Its flagship programmes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act are doing wonders to reach to the economically weaker sections in rural areas. Similar other programmes need a push to speed up the process. (PIB Features)

EIL offer to kick-start fresh PSU divestment

Mumbai, July 26, 2010: Public sector undertaking Engineers India Limited proposes to enter the capital markets tomorrow with its follow-on public offer of 33,693,660 equity shares of Rs 5 each. The Offer comprises a net offer to the public of 32,981,660 Equity Shares and reservation of 712,000 Equity Shares for subscription by Eligible Employees. 

The Offer marks a divestment of 10% in EIL by the President of India, acting through the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India.

The Offer is being made through a 100% book building process wherein up to 50% of the Net Offer will be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to Qualified Institutional Buyers. Further, not less than 15% of the Net Offer will be available for to Non-Institutional Bidders and not less than 35% of the Net Offer  will be available to Retail Individual Bidders.

The Selling Shareholder currently holds 90.40% of the pre-Offer paid-up capital of the Company. The object of the Offer is to carry out divestment of 33,693,660 Equity Shares held by the Selling Shareholder, wherein all proceeds of the Offer will go to the Selling Shareholder.

EIL has provided a range of engineering consultancy and project implementation services on more than 49 refinery projects, including eight greenfield refinery projects, seven petrochemical complexes, 35 oil and gas processing projects, 205 offshore platforms projects, 37 pipeline projects, 11 ports and storage and terminals projects, eight fertilizer projects and 26 mining and metallurgy projects. In the infrastructure space, it has provided a range of engineering consultancy services for more than 26 projects, including for airports, highways, flyovers, bridges, water and sewer management, as well as energy-efficient “intelligent” buildings. The Company has also completed 16 turnkey projects, including refinery and petrochemicals projects and offshore platforms.

About Engineers India Limited:

EIL was incorporated on March 15, 1965 under the Companies Act as a private limited company under the name Engineers India Private Limited pursuant to a formation agreement dated November 20, 1964 and in accordance with a memorandum of agreement dated June 27, 1964 between the GoI and Bechtel International Corporation. In May 1967, it became a wholly-owned GoI enterprise. In 1996, the GoI disinvested approximately 6.0% of its shareholding in the Company and it became a public listed company. It has two wholly-owned subsidiaries, Certification Engineers International Limited and EIL Asia Pacific Sdn. Bhd. incorporated in India and Malaysia, respectively, and two strategic joint venture companies, TEIL Projects Limited and Tecnimont EIL Emirates Consultores e Servico, LDA, incorporated in India and Portugal, respectively.

EIL is an engineering consultancy company providing design, engineering, procurement, construction and integrated project management services, principally focused on the oil and gas and petrochemicals industries in India and internationally. It also operates in a diverse set of other sectors including nonferrous mining and metallurgy and infrastructure. The Company is also a primary provider of engineering consultancy services for the Government of India's energy security initiative under its Integrated Energy Policy for strategic crude storages. EIL’s portfolio includes various technologies for petroleum refining, oil and gas processing and aromatics. It currently holds 10 patents and has 20 pending patent applications relating to various process technologies and hardware developed by the Company.

EIL’s services in these industries and sectors cover the entire spectrum of activities from concept to commissioning of a project. The Company's services include preparation of project feasibility reports, technology selection, project management, process design, basic and detailed engineering, procurement, inspection, project audit, supply chain management, cost engineering, planning and scheduling, facilitation of statutory and regulatory approvals for Indian projects, construction management and commissioning.

EIL has leveraged its track record in India to successfully expand its operations internationally, and has provided a wide range of engineering consultancy services on various international projects, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia. It has established strategic international offices in Abu Dhabi, London, Milan and Shanghai to expand its international operations.

The Company's total income increased at a CAGR of 47.28% from Rs.6,876.5 million for the year ended March 31, 2007 to Rs.21,969.6 million in the year ended March 31, 2010, while its profit after taxation, as restated, increased at a CAGR of 47.31 % from Rs.1,390.0 million in the year ended March 31, 2007 to Rs.4,443.4 million in the year ended March 31, 2010.

During the quarter ended June 30, 2010 of the current financial year, EIL recorded a net profit of Rs. 1,145.6 million as against net profit of Rs. 942.2 million for the the corresponding quarter ended 30^th June 2009 of the previous financial year. The Net Sales for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 was Rs. 6,060.3 million as against Rs. 3,914.3 million for the corresponding quarter ended 30^th June 2009 of the previous financial year.

ARSS Infra PAT jumps by 80%

• Q1 FY11 PAT up by 80% to Rs.34.05 Cr.
• Income up by 59% to Rs.356.48 Cr.
• EPS increased by 52% to Rs.22.94 Cr.

Mumbai, July 26, 2010: The Bhubaneswar based ARSS Infrastructure Projects Limited, a growing corporate in the infrastructure space focusing on construction of roads, highways, bridges, irrigation projects and EPC activities for railways continues to show good growth. It’s PAT in the first quarter of FY 2011, stands at Rs 34.05 crores as against Rs 18.90 crores in the same period in the previous fiscal.

The company’s Net Income from Operations in the first quarter of the current fiscal stands at Rs 356.48 Cr., an increase of 59% from Rs. 224.28 Cr.in the previous fiscal.

In the first quarter of FY 2011, the company has bagged six prestigious projects collectively worth Rs 458.75 crores. This indicates a strong order book and company’s potential for positive performance this year.

In the first quarter of the current fiscal year, ARSS Infra received an order worth Rs 114.49 crores from RITES Limited for construction of earthwork, bridges, supply of P-way material, supply of ballast and P-way linking for proposed private railway siding. It also bagged project worth Rs 99.90 crores from Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation Ltd. in May this year.

Similarly, it has secured assignments worth Rs 80.32 crores and Rs 71.62 crores from Greater Mohali Area Dev. Authority (GMADA) and SAIL, Bokaro Steel Plant respectively. ARSS Infra received another project from Northeast Frontier Railway, Guwahati worth Rs 41.56 crores.

Early June this year, the company has also bagged a project worth Rs 50.86 crores from Rayagada (R&B) Division, Rayagada, Odisha.

Mr. Sunil Agarwal, President & CEO, said, “We are pleased to continue the same growth that we showed last year. As we spread ourselves to other parts of the country and move up the infra value chain, this growth will continue.”

About ARSS Infrastructure Projects Ltd.:

Incorporated in 2000, ARSS Infrastructure Projects Limited (abbreviated as “ARSS.”) is an ISO 9001:2008 company. The Company is engaged in construction activities in India, and undertakes construction of railway infrastructure, roads, highways, bridges and irrigation projects. It started operations as a construction company in the field of railway infrastructure development, mainly in the state of Orissa and subsequently expanded its business activities in the zonal jurisdictions of East Coast Railway, South Eastern Railway, South East Central Railway, Southern Railway and North Western Railway. ARSS has developed expertise in railway construction projects, which includes earthwork, major and minor bridges, supply of ballast, sleepers, laying of sleepers and rails, linking of tracks etc. Over the years it has diversified its field of activities into other construction segments such as development and construction of roads, highways, bridges, irrigation projects, EPC activities for railways.

ARSS has been listed on the NSE & BSE since 3^rd March, 2010. For further details log on to www.arssgroup.in 

For more details contact : Mr. Shahab Shaikh,

                                             E-mail : shahab@conceptpr.com,

                                             D: 022.40558927, M: + 91 93208 97525

Big bucks in the air: Aviation sector to attract $120 billion in 10 yrs

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has inaugurated the integrated tehe T-3 Terminal of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Here are some of the points that he has made:

• We are all very happy and indeed very proud of the completion of our one of the world’s largest airport terminals in a record time of 37 months.
• This airport terminal establishes new global bench marks. It also exemplifies our country’s resolve to bridge and bridge fast enough the infrastructure deficit in our country.
• It proves the success of the Public Private Partnership model in execution of large infrastructure projects. It also proves our capacity to coordinate across agencies and governments and work as a united team.
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• The aviation sector is a vital to India’s sustained economic growth. It plays a major role in generating tourist flow, accelerating industrial development, creating new jobs and integrating our country. In a span of a few years, India has become the 9th largest aviation market in the world. We now have 10 scheduled airlines operating in our country, compared to 2 in 1990.
• It is estimated that India’s aviation sector has the potential to absorb up to US$ 120 billion of investment by the year 2020. Analysts predict that domestic traffic can reach 160 to 180 million and international traffic in excess of 50 million by the year 2020.
• An airport is often the first introduction to a country. A good airport would signal the arrival of new India, committed to join the ranks of modern, industrialized nations of the world. We should have airports that are receptive to the comfort of passengers even as they meet the highest standards of efficiency and safety. They should employ the most modern of technologies but also exude cultural warmth.
• Let me end by once again emphasizing the need to rapidly improve our physical infrastructure. This is one area where we have been lagging behind but I am confident that in the time to come we will achieve much more than in the past. I hope to see many such successful projects in the future.
• This will be in keeping with our ambition, our aspirations and our new found confidence in recent years.