THE BIGGEST OF THEM ALL: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, the state-owned oil and gas major, is India's largest company by market cap, as on December 31, 2003.
It gained a whooping Rs 64,024 crore (Rs 640.24 billion), or 128.1 per cent, in the year 2003.
The company's market cap surged to Rs 114,003 crore (Rs 1,140.03 billion) by the end of December 2003 from Rs 49,979 crore (Rs 499.79 billion) as on January 1, 2003.
ONGC, which was set up as a Commission in 1956, became a corporate entity in 1993. It is the first Indian corporate to register a five-digit profit figure. It focusses on exploration and crude production, and is also doing exploration work in Sudan, Russia, Iran and Myanmar.
ONGC also plans to enter the retail market.
Above: ONGC's Sagar Vijay drilling ship.
Inset: Subir Raha, Chairman and Managing Director, ONGC.