2007 has in store more work and less play, with many festivals that are public holidays falling on weekends.From among the 50 public and restricted holidays that are observed in both Central and state government offices, as many as 19 fall on Saturdays and Sundays, according to the list of holidays released by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievance and Pensions.

What is more, the year also has fewer number of long weekends.

Out of the 14 occasions, which would otherwise have been public holidays, Mahavir Jayanti (March 31, Saturday), Milad-Un-Nabi (April one, Sunday), Idu'l Fitr (October 14, Sunday), Dussehra (October 21, Sunday) and Guru Nanak's Birthday (November 24, Saturday) fall on weekends.

Courtesy : Express India

An estimated 70 per cent of public sector IT jobs in Britain could be moved abroad to cheaper economies like India or China, a top official of a leading IT firm has said.Bill Thomas, head of EDS's European, African and Middle East units, told The Daily Telegraph newspaper that he expected a dramatic change in public sector IT personnel as former civil servants employed by private sector groups faced the prospect of losing their jobs to so-called off-shoring.

The Texas-based EDS is the biggest supplier of IT to the government.

Although it suffered public humiliation when it lost its biggest contract, with the Inland Revenue, to Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, EDS has recently won a series of other projects including a massive deal with the Ministry of Defence.


Courtesy : Express India

Looking ahead after a heady year like 2006 equities up 43 per cent, gold up 21 per cent, art up 43 per cent stirs thoughts that sit poles apart. On the one hand, it’s easy to be lulled into believing that such appreciation, both in its scope and scale, is here to stay because the Indian economy has moved to another level; and if some more pieces come together, it can move to still another one.On the other hand, meteoric rises like these, that too in back-to-back-to-back years, can leave you feeling flat and thinking that, surely, this winning streak is going to end now. The truth, to flog a cliché, lies somewhere in between.Yes, this streak will end. When? Who knows. Who cares.

We care, but not about whether the Sensex will end the year at 15,000 or 10,000, but about whether the market will deliver at least 15 per cent a year over the next five, 10, 15 years. We care, but not about whether IPOs will list at a 20 per cent premium, but about whether some of those businesses will grow manifold in the next decade. We care, but not about whether foreign funds will flock to India, but about whether valuations are attractive enough for you to be buying stocks today. From the evidence on hand, it looks good. Not as great as it has looked in the past couple of years, but still good.

The economy is on course for a fourth consecutive year of 8 per cent-plus growth and the Centre is talking of turning some screws to scale it up to 10 per cent in the eleventh plan period (2007-12). The business environment has more than its share of shortcomings, but it has never been better for private enterprise to flourish.

- Courtesy : Express India