* AVIATION: Air India is evaluating a plan to drop first-class seats in its Boeing 777 planes which go to the US, Europe, China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
* BHARAT PETROLEUM CORP: Bharat Oman Refineries is close to signing up with banks for a 25-bln-rupee loan as it aims to bring down the cost of funds.
* CONSUMER DURABLES: Godrej Appliances is eyeing 18% sales growth in this summer season.
* ENERGY: The government is set to retain trade-parity pricing for calculating the under-recovery of oil marketing companies on the sale of domestic cooking gas even as it shifts to export-parity pricing for diesel and kerosene.
* FINANCE: The finance ministry is believed to have short-listed TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES, WIPRO and TECH MAHINDRA-MHAINDRA SATYAM for a 2-bln-rupee project to automate and electronically link up all debt recovery tribunals in the country.
* MINING: The Goa High Court has directed the state government to file First Information Report against 151 people, including two former chief ministers, in connection with illegal mining in the region.
* PORTS: Three major projects with an investment of 18 bln rupees are being taken up in Visakhapatnam port and finalization of bids is being undertaken this week.
* REGULATORY: SEBI has summoned Sahara Group Chairman and Managing Director Subrata Roy and three group company directors to appear before it on Apr 10 to ascertain details of assets to facilitate their sale in the debenture case. RBI will hold additional liquidity operations on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday in view of the anticipated large volume of banking transactions.
- SEBI has notified small changes in takeover norms that were announced in January, regarding relevant date for a preferential allotment and buyback norms.
* SUGAR: The government today set the Apr-Sep non-levy sugar quota at 10.4 mln tn, moving to a six-monthly quota release mechanism.
