Oil sector panel meet on Tuesday

Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's plan of creating two oil behemoths by merging state-owned firms is set to roll next week, with a high-level panel on the restructuring of public sector oil companies meeting for the first time on Tuesday.

The Advisory Committee on Synergy in Energy, headed by National Advisory Council Member V Krishnamurthy, will hold its first meeting on November 16 to discuss ways to end the "destructive" competition among state-run oil firms.