Net income increased 6.7 per cent over the corresponding period of the previous year to Rs 613.05 crore in the first half of the current fiscal. Profit before interest deprecation and tax increased 30 per cent to Rs 141.12 crore. Gross profit increased 44 per cent to Rs 84.49 crore. Profit before tax was higher at Rs 40.80 crore for the first half.

Depreciation was at Rs 43.68 crore for the first six months of the current fiscal, as compared with Rs 40.23 crore during the same period last year. Paid-up equity capital of the company was maintained at Rs 75.09 crore.

Suraj Diamonds net up: Su-Raj Diamonds (India) have recorded a 15 per cent jump in net profit to Rs 6.21 crore in the quarter ended September 30, 1998. Export sales grew 124 per cent to Rs 139 crore, against to Rs 62 crore duringthe same period last year.

The company is targeting an export turnover of over Rs 500 crore due to its continuing operations restruction as well as enhanced marketing efforts particularly in areas including Middle East and South America.

Binani Metals net dips: Binani Metals Ltd has reported a lower net profit of Rs 0.20 crore for the first six months of the current financial year, against Rs 0.61 crore during the same period last year. Net sales has moved up to Rs 49.34 crore from Rs 40.55 crore. Gross Profit (before tax & depreciation) was at Rs 0.53 crore, against Rs 0.94 crore. Depreciation was at Rs 0.33 crore, against Rs 0.33 crore. Other income dropped to Rs 1.06 crore from Rs 2.41 crore.

Narmada Cement posts net loss: Narmada Cement has reported a net loss of Rs 14.29 crore for the first six months of the current financial year, against a net profit of Rs 0.27 crore during the same period last year. Net sales was at Rs 69.67 crore, compared with Rs 80.85 crore. Total income was atRs 70.16 crore, against Rs 82.12 crore. Total expenditure stood at Rs 76.14 crore.

Advani-Oerlikon net down: Advani-Oerlikon has reported a lower net profit at Rs 3.29 crore for the first six months ended September 30, 1998, as compared with Rs 3.40 crore during the same period last year. Turnover has gone up to Rs 8.89 crore from Rs 5.99 crore. Gross profit was at Rs 8.14 crore, against Rs 7.48 crore.

Rolta Q3 net profit doubles to Rs 10 crore: Rolta, the leading exporter of AM and CAD Conversion Services, have posted a 100 per cent jump in profit to Rs 10.13 crore in the third quarter ended September 30, 1998, as compared with Rs 5.04 crore during the corresponding period last year. Total income rose 72.4 per cent to Rs 28.34 crore. Earnings per share on an annualised basis works out to Rs 8.6. The cumulative nine-month results show a net profit of Rs 30.48 crore and turnover of Rs 88.6 crore.

Eveready net up a shade: Eveready Industries India Ltd, the BM Khaitan group tea andbattery major, has reported a marginal 1.77 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 24.65 crore for the quarter to September 30, 1998, as comparted with Rs 24.22 crore in for the corresponding period last fiscal. Net sales declined 1.19 per cent to Rs 172.25 crore from Rs 174.33 crore in the same quarter the previous fiscal. Total expenditure also declined slightly to Rs 132.89 crore from Rs 133.69 crore. Interest cost shot up to Rs 14.88 crore from Rs 8.16 crore.

Williamson Magor profit after tax slips: Williamson Magor & Co, another BM Khaitan company, has posted a 21.45 per cent increase in net sales to Rs 11.38 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 1998, from Rs 9.37 crore in the corresponding period during the previous fiscal. However, expenditure -- other than depreciation and interest -- more than doubled to Rs 5.52 crore in the latest quarter from Rs 2.46 crore in the three months to September 30, 1997. With no let up in interest cost which stood at Rs 4.97 crore, against Rs 4.55 crore, theprofit after tax dropped to Rs 0.84 crore in the second quarter from Rs 2.30 crore in the corresponding period last year. The company said provision for taxation will be considered only in the full year's profit.

Bishnauth Tea net up to Rs 27 crore: Bishnauth Tea Co Ltd of the BM Khaitan group has registered a 13 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 27.33 crore for the quarter to September 30, 1998, against Rs 24.15 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal. Net sales increased 9.5 per cent to Rs 68.99 crore in the second quarter from Rs 63.03 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal.

George Williamson profit after tax rises: George Williamson (Assam) has reported 7.45 per cent increase in profit after tax to Rs 28.10 crore for the quarter to September 30, 1998, as compared with Rs 26.15 crore reported for the same period last year. Net sales rose 13.55 per cent to Rs 74.40 crore from Rs 65.52 crore. Profit after tax for the quarter was Rs 28.10 crore, against Rs 26.15 crore in thesame quarter of 1997-98.

Krone Communications sales up: Krone Communications Ltd has posted a growth of 34 per cent in sales for the nine-month period ending September 1998. The Bangalore-based company in which Krone AG of Germany has a 51 per cent stake, notched sales of Rs 21.85 crore compared to Rs 16.26 crore for January-December 1997. The company has recently launched its PremisNET range of structured cabling systems. According to a release, 14 per cent of its sales have come from the premises network product range.

Gujarat Narmada Valley Corp sales slide: The Bharuch-based Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers Co Ltd (GNFC) has suffered a 11.38 per cent drop in sales to Rs 544.65 crore in the six months of current fiscal ended September 30, 1998, from Rs 615.77 crore in the corresponding period last year, according to the first half-yearly results approved by the board of directors here on Wednesday. Lower trading in imported fertilisers was cited as one of the major reasons for the 5.39per cent fall in the net profit to Rs 37.66 crore between April-September this year from Rs 39.85 crore over the same period last year.