I will not take any independent decisions. I will do what my party leadership wants me to do,&rdquo; says Konijeti Rosaiah, who took over as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh three weeks ago under tragic circumstances after the sudden death of YS Rajasekhar Reddy (YSR).

'I have nothing against Jagan or anyone else'

Business Standard

The Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo), a specialised agency of the United Nations, aims at developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system among its 184 member countries. While its efforts are highly appreciated in the developed world, some of its initiatives have drawn flak from various IP stakeholders in developing nations. Just before the ongoing annual general assembly of Wipo began in Geneva on September 22, Delhi-based civil society groups had asked the central government for measures to defend the domestic policy space, as well as the public health safeguards available within the framework of international treaties. In an e-mail response to Joe C Mathew, WIPO Director-General FRANCIS GURRY addresses such fears and says he is personally committed to have Wipo work towards narrowing the knowledge gap in the world, and help developing and least developed countries avail the benefits of the knowledge economy.

&#39;Developing IPR is not a zero-sum scenario&#39;

During the Budget discussion, when you and other senior BJP leaders did not get to speak in Parliament, everyone wondered why your party was missing in the crucial debate. After you were asked to speak on the Indo-Pak joint statement, things seem to be looking up for you in the party.

&#39;India should not bank on America&#39;

The Doha round of trade liberalisation talks seems to have received a fillip in recent weeks. In the last 10 days, World Trade Organisation Director General Pascal Lamy has outlined the road-map to try to conclude the talks next year, the latest in the many deadlines fixed by world leaders over the last eight years. In an e-mailed interview with Sidhartha, the former European trade commissioner explains the challenges ahead.

Let's move to the kitchen and start preparing the final Doha meal: Lamy

EXLService Holdings, the Nasdaq-listed business process outsourcing (BPO) unit, posted a 77 per cent year-on-year fall in its net income for the quarter ended June 30, besides reporting a foreign exchange loss of around Rs 8 crore. The company has almost Rs 550 crore in cash and recently acquired the operations of European logistics provider, Schneider Logistics, in the Czech Republic.

'We want to be category killers in certain areas'

Have you met your successor in the rural development ministry, CP Joshi? His aides told us he wanted to meet you for tips about the ministry.

&#39;RJD should go back to Congress&#39;

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh&rsquo;s biography of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, out today, promises to be much-discussed. He talks about it to Karan Thapar on the CNN-IBN channel&rsquo;s &lsquo;Devil&rsquo;s Advocate&rsquo; programme.

'We needed to make a demon of Jinnah... Let's learn from our mistakes'

Rural electrification, adding on new projects to meet the overall capacity addition targets, increasing plant load factor (PLF) at all its plants would be top priorities of the state power department this year. In an interview with Margaret Williams, G D Gautama, principal secretary, department of power &amp; non-conventional energy sources, government of West Bengal, who assumed charge this month outlines the department's priorities and challenges.Edited excerpts.

'Our biggest challenge is to increase plant load factor'

If you think energy efficiency initiatives are basically fringe play, here is some interesting data. Efficiency measures were responsible for 1,500 Mw of &ldquo;avoided generation&rdquo; last year, worth an estimated Rs 6,000 crore of capital investment. This was more than double the avoided generation in the previous year. The avoided generation targeted in the 11th plan is 10,000 Mw &mdash; the capacity of two-and-a half ultra mega power plants. There is also a plan to introduce tradeable energy saving certificates under the national action plan on climate change. The country is very serious about energy efficiency, Ajay Mathur, director general at the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) tells Vandana Gombar in an interview.

'Our energy efficiency labelling programme has been successful'

The rains this kharif season has played truant and the monsoons so far have recorded a 27 per cent rainfall deficit. At least 246 districts of the country have declared a drought. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the main agency that forecasts weather, has been facing strong criticism for failing to spot the problem early. IMD Director General Ajit Tyagi, spoke to Ajay Modi about what went wrong this year.

'Weather forecasts change with the change in conditions'

The new government has brought part-II of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). You don&rsquo;t seem happy with it.

&#39;Late payment of wages is the main concern&#39;

State-owned Air India, the airline that operates domestic and international routes, is losing Rs 200 crore a month and urgently needs financial resuscitation. As the new Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jhadav tries to put together a rescue package, fingers have been pointed at Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel for several decisions in his last five years as minister that allegedly damaged the struggling airline&rsquo;s competitive position.

'Air India should be sold, but I've been asked to keep it going'

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has been at the forefront of scientific research in India for nearly a century. The institute, the brainchild of the visionary Jamshedji Nausherwanji Tata, has produced many luminaries in science who have been at the vanguard of India&rsquo;s progress. At a time when the government is looking to setting up more IIScs across the country, the credibility of the new institutes could come under a cloud. Professor P Balaram, Director of IISc has a tete-a-tete with Praveen Bose and Bibhu Ranjan Mishra on the status of research in the country and challenges.

&#39;PPPs today are nothing but business deals&#39;

After announcing his first foreign trade policy, commerce and industry minister ANAND SHARMA spoke to Sudheer Pal Singh and Jyoti Mukul on his &ldquo;cautious and modest&rdquo; approach in targeting a two-fold jump in the country&rsquo;s exports in five years.

'We can respond to any situation'

R Chandrashekhar has been appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Information Technology (DIT) at a time when the industry is grappling with the pressures of an economic slowdown besides protectionist measures from countries like the US and UK that could hit business prospects hard. In a chat with Kirtika Suneja , he lays down the government roadmap.

&#39;Growth of both the software and hardware industries is uppermost for us&#39;

Staunchly declining to comment on personalities, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee says there are enough assets with the organisation to enable a sustained improvement in operations which will also push development.

'We can use land to catalyse development'

We pay lip service to environment protection and have to learn to say no, Jairam Ramesh, environment and forest minister, tells Sreelatha Menon.

'We must make firm choices'

You say there will be disinvestment, but the Budget document has only accounted for only Rs 1,100 crore from this.

'The market expected too much'

Soon after Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the Union Budget 2009-10, a finance ministry team led by finance secretary Ashok Chawla explained the challenges and philosophies that guided this year&rsquo;s Budget.

'We do not expect bad times to last for long'

Within 45 days of assuming the office of the Minister of Information and Broadcasting (I&amp;B), Ambika Soni is already in the thick of things. She has set the ball rolling on several key policy issues concerning her ministry. Bringing greater efficiency and transparency in the overall functioning of I&amp;B ministry and Prasar Bharati are part of her mission. Soni speaks her mind on all key issues in a candid chat with ASHISH SINHA.

'We are working on every pending issue'

Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil, the Taliban foreign minister when the Indian Airlines plane, IC-814, was hijacked from Kathmandu to Kandahar in December 1999, tells JYOTI MALHOTRA that India should not look at Afghanistan through the Pakistani lens.

&#39;India should recognise the Taliban&#39;

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