Moreover, the government has also decided to constitute a standing committee to examine the increased costs in hydro projects executed by the private sector. A decision has also been taken on reducing the normative availability factor from 90 per cent to 85 per cent for projects to be executed in the Himalayan range.

Other measures incorporated in the final policy draft, to be put up before the Cabinet soon, includes levying of a 5 paisa per unit developmental charge on hydro power generated by the state and central schemes towards the hydro development fund (HDF).

Giving details on the tariff changes made under the new policy, officials said there is a two-part tariff formulation. The first part is a capacity charge which covers the return on loancapital and depreciation and the second part, which is the energy charge, takes into account return on equity at 16 per cent, operation and maintenance (O&M) charges, tax on income and any other variable charge.

TVS Suzuki
CHENNAI: TVS Suzuki Ltd has registered a 27 per cent increase in turnover and an 18 per cent increase in profits for the first four months April-July of the current fiscal 1998-99.

During the period it has posted a turnover of Rs 394 crore (Rs 310 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year) and in number terms sold 2,16,000 vehicles (1,80,000 vehicles) registering a 20 per cent increase.

In July '98 the company sold 61,700 vehicles, the highest ever sales in a month in the company's history.

This was announced by the company's chairman and managing director Venu Srinivasan at the company's fifteenth annual general meeting. He hoped that the company would be able to maintain the trend in the forthcoming months too.