Reckitt and Colman acquires Colin brand: Reckitt and Colman of India Ltd has acquired `Colin', a glass and household cleaner brand from Fernhill Laboratories and Industrial Establishment. A company release said in New Delhi that Colin is expected to add value to the company's brand portfolio, not only in the domestic market but also in the international market.

Reliance top official raided: The Delhi police on Thursday claimed to have seized "incriminating" documents and computer floppies from the office and residence of a top official of Reliance group in connection with the investigation into the case of Romesh Sharma,suspected to be a frontman for Dawood Ibrahim. Joint commissioner of police Amod Kant told newsmen in New Delhi that the raids on the premises of V Balasubramanian, group president of Reliance, had been conducted by a joint team of Delhi police and income-tax authorities after obtaining a search warrant.

State to supply onions at Rs 15 per kilo: To arrest the spiralling prices of onions and to bring relief to the common man, the Maharashtra government has decided to supply onions through ration shops at Rs 15 a kg in the metropolis from November 1 on an experimental basis. Maharashtra Panan (marketing) Mahasangha would purchase 3,500 tonnes of onion from the markets in the state and the loss suffered by state's marketing agency would be made good by the state government, chief minister Manohar Joshi told a press conference in Mumbai on Thursday.

Madras Cements H1 net jumps 84%: Madras Cements has posted a 84 per cent jump in its net profit to touch Rs 40 crore in the first half of 1998-99.The current first half-year profit has, in fact, exceeded the full year profit of 1997-98. The company had posted Rs 21.69 crore profit in the first half of the previous year and Rs 33.10 crore for the full year. For the period April-September 1998-99, the company has posted a turnover of Rs 269.54 crore (Rs 245.43 crore in the previous period).

Arvind Mills H1 net down: Arvind Mills Ltd, flagship of the Lalbhai group, has reported a sharp drop in net profit at Rs 15.28 crore for the first half of the current fiscal against Rs 60.28 crore in the same period last year.

Cipla posts Rs 56 cr H1 net: Cipla has reported a net profit of Rs 56 crore for the first half of the current financial, a 25 per cent jump from Rs 40.25 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net sales/income from operations totalled Rs 322.75 crore as compared to Rs 268.05 crore, while other income jumped to Rs 11.83 crore from Rs 5.6 crore.

Sun Pharma H1 net rises by 2%: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries hasreported a 2 per cent increase in net profit to Rs 26.67 crore in the first half of the current fiscal, up from Rs 26.16 crore for the corresponding period last year. Sales increased by 12 per cent from Rs 136.68 crore in the first half last year to Rs 152.84 crore in the current half.

P&G Q1 net goes up 31%: Procter & Gamble India Ltd on Thursday announced a 31.29 per cent increase in net profit to Rs 14.18 crore in the first quarter of the financial year 1998-99, as against Rs 10.80 crore in the corresponding period last year. Sales grew by 9.8 per cent to Rs 117.76 crore during the period as against Rs 107.19 crore last year.

SG Awasthi tenure at Daewoo Motor extended: Daewoo Motor India Ltd on Thursday reappointed company managing director Shiv Gopal Awasthi for a term of another five years. The decision to reappoint SG Awasthi as the managing director was taken at the company's annual general meeting held in New Delhi, sources said. SG Awasthi will take charge of his second tenure onFebruary 15, 1999.

Stroh Brewery signs pacts with 2 firms: The Detroit-based Stroh Brewery Company, the first American company to license the production of an international beer brand in India, has formed alliances with two more Indian companies to sell beer in bottles. Stroh has signed collaborations with two brewing companies, Mount Shivalik Industries, Delhi, and Empee Distilleries & Breweries in Chennai to produce Stroh's Premium and Super Strong beers in bottles, a company official said.

India Cements implements VRS: Fast-expanding cement maker India Cements Ltd has implemented a successful voluntary retirement scheme at its Sankari plant in Tamil Nadu, with as many as 950 employees opting out. ICL went in for VRS as part of a wider plan to improve operational efficiencies and to cut down the `overload' of labour strength at the plant, company sources told PTI in Chennai.

RBI opens up primary securities market: The Reserve Bank has thrown open the primary government securitiesmarket for private and foreign players. The RBI on Thursday granted "in principle" approval to seven entities to be accredited as primary dealers in the government securities market. It has appointed DSP Merrill Lynch, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, Ceat Financial Services, promoted by the RPG group, Tata Finance Securities, a company promoted by the House of Tatas, JP Morgan Securities, ABN-Amro Bank and Deutche Bank.

CCFI to take up 8 proposals: The Cabinet Committee on Foreign Investment is likely to take up eight foreign investment proposals amounting to about Rs 2,000 crore at its meeting scheduled for Friday. Majority of the proposals slated for the meeting, the first since the BJP-led government took office, are from telecommunication sector and are for amendments in equity structure, government sources said.

EC caveat on exit polls likely: The Election Commission will soon issue a notification banning opinion and exit polls during the forthcoming November elections in Delhi,Rajasthan, Mizoram and Madhya Pradesh. This statement by the commission counsel Harish Salve was recorded by the Supreme Court on Thursday during the hearing of an application by the commission for transfer of two petitions pending in the Delhi and Rajasthan high courts challenging a similar notification issued in February this year during the general election.

Urban land ceiling may go: A draft ordinance seeking to repeal the Urban Land Ceiling Regulation Act, 1976 (Ulcra) is likely to be taken up for approval by the union cabinet at its meeting on Friday, official sources said on Thursday. Aimed at giving a boost to housing activities, a bill to repeal the Act was introduced in Parliament during its last session.

SC go-ahead for Ashok Jain questioning: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate media baron Ashok Jain in connection with certain Fera violation cases in Bombay Hospital at Mumbai. A three-judge bench comprising justice MK Mukherjee,justice SP Kurdukar and justice KT Thomas passed the order after perusing a report on the health of Jain submitted by a medical board set up by the court. Counsel KK Venugopal said Jain was critically ill and needed a heart transplant immediately. Jain would be going to the USA next month in this regard, he added.