Usha Martin Telekom Ltd (UMTL), the Calcutta-based cellular service provider, has doubled the validity of its `Yes!' pre-paid cellphone cards to 60 days with effect from Monday. The validity of the card, which renders facilities of free incoming calls for minimum Rs 1,000, is being increased from the existing 30 days, a company statement said. This would enable subscribers to get more flexibility in using the amount in the card and restrict their monthly expenditure to Rs 500, it said. No monthly rentals, membership charges or deposit for STD/ISD facility is required for the subscribers under the scheme, which also offers free value-added services.

Vibrant Tech

Venture capital companies in the country currently have a collective pool of over Rs 5,000 crore and this figure is likely to touch Rs 20,000 crore in two years, according to Vibrant Tech director V Kumar. Briefing the media in Bangalore, Kumar said Vibrant Tech was closely observingthe growth of VCs in the country. The company is working on 15 venture capital proposals worth Rs 100 crore in the areas of infotech, telecom, entertainment, electronics, retailing, hospitality, services and engineering. "The company is expected to raise and mediate VC deals worth Rs 500 crore for our clients over the next two years," said Kumar.

Delhi excise dept goes online

The e-governance solution developed by HCL Infosystems for Delhi excise department has gone on-line. The project focuses on better revenue generation and regulation of the liquor trade by Web-enabling a comprehensive range of decision-making applications and an integrated management information systems. Comprising the intranet for the excise department, wholesalers and retailers, the new system encompasses hotels and restaurants, excise control laboratory and the spirit, country liquor, entertainment tax, luxury tax, administration, accounts, vigilance, excise intelligence, legal and care-taking branches.