The beleaguered Indian tea industry is on a comeback trail with exports increasing and prices firming up in the weekly auctions despite competition from several countries producing cheap teas, an industry official said here Monday.

Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) Monday decided to increase the price of government-supplied milk by Re.1. This is the fourth hike in the price of milk after the LDF government came to power two years ago.

Indian investors are a nervous lot, and say the bailout bill announced by the Congress is a much watered down version of what was expected and is needed to add liquidity in the system.

Tyre maker Ceat Ltd, the Rs.26-billion flagship company of the diversified RPG group, is planning a new radial tyre manufacturing plant, and is considering Gujarat as the location, a government official said here Monday.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian drug major Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (OCPL) has bagged a more than $100 million deal with US drug giant Merck and amp; Co, for drug discovery, development and commercialization, a top OCPL official said here Monday.

Indian equities market ended deep in the red on all round nervousness following the US financial contagion spreading to Britain and mainland Europe and the US Congress announcing a much diluted version of the $700 billion bailout plan, analysts said.

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), known for supporting emerging talent in the country, has now extended its ambit to help young designers showcase their collections at international platforms.

Even as the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) raised milk prices to Rs.20 a litre Monday, the LDF constituents announced they have asked Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan to lead a protest march outside parliament against the economic policies of the Manmohan Singh government.

The Rs.65-billion ($1.4-billion) Sterling Infotech Group, which has interests in renewable energy and biofuel among other business interests, is going slow on its ambitious ethanol production plans in the US and India, thanks to the global credit crunch and high corn prices.

Unhappy with the rising crime graph in the state, Jharkhand traders Monday launched an agitation to highlight the threat to businesses and failure of the police to curb the menace.

Brakes India Ltd, a leading manufacturer of braking systems and ductile castings, will invest $16 million to expand the production capacity of its foundry facility in Oman, a top official said.

Despite the US Congress passing legislation for the unprecedented $700 billion bailout for troubled assets, Indian equities markets opened weak and slid into the red on short selling and large institutional sales, analysts said.

Tinsel town's favourite designer Manish Malhotra may have been the one man who started the trend of bringing a celebrity to walk the ramp for a fashion show but has now discontinued this as he feels it has become a marketing gimmick.

Putting aside their differences, the constituents of West Bengal's ruling Left Front Sunday decided to renew the licence of German firm Metro Cash and Carry while the Forward Bloc withdrew its threat of boycotting the state secretariat on the issue.

Investments for India's infrastructure projects are on track, but high interest rates and input costs are a major concern for developers, according to a new survey by an industry lobby.