New Delhi: With the image of his government in tatters, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will present the last Report Card of UPA-II on May 22 in which he is expected to list the positives such as Direct Benefit Transfer and FDI in retail in a bid to boost the sagging morale of Congressmen with elections less than a year away.
Battered by series of scams and the recent sacking of Cabinet Ministers PK Bansal and Ashwani Kumar, the Prime Minister's task to present a positive picture is not easy.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and leaders of UPA constituents will be present at a dinner in which Singh will present the Report Card on the fourth anniversary of UPA-II. Sonia is expected to showcase her backing for the Prime Minister in the backdrop of reports that the two had sharp differences, which has been denied by the party.
The Prime Minister is expected to unveil plans on the occasion on the way ahead for the much-talked about National Food Security Bill and the Land Acquisition Bill, seen by the party as game changers in the next Lok Sabha elections....
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12:58 PM, May 19, 2013
New Delhi: Holding the opposition's "disruptionary tactics" responsible for not allowing passage of the Food Security and Land Acquisition Bills in Parliament's Budget Session, the Congress on Saturday expressed its willingness for a special session if the other parties were agreed. Congress spokesperson PC Chacko also said that the party will take "disruptionary tactics" of the opposition to the people, alleging they had displayed "least inclination" towards passing pro-people legislations...
11:22 PM, May 18, 2013
Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the opposition parties for stalling the Food Security Bill in Parliament, and asserted the UPA government was determined to enact the legislation for the benefit of people. "I am sad that the opposition is acting against the interests of the poor Indian...I can understand politics. But I cannot understand political parties hurting the poor of the country," Rahul...
07:14 PM, May 18, 2013
New Delhi: The BJP on Friday hit back at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that the Opposition was responsible for the UPA's failure to pass the Food Security Bill, saying the UPA government should emulate the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act. The Bharatiya Janata Party said the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act covers a higher proportion of the population and provides foodgrain at a cheaper cost. "If the Congress...
04:12 AM, May 18, 2013
New Delhi: BJP on Friday made clear its reservation over the Food Security Bill being keenly pushed by the government, saying it is a "half-hearted attempt", and hit back at Rahul Gandhi for saying opposition was stalling it. Till now BJP had said it was disrupting Parliament in the second phase of the Budget session due to more pressing matter of resignation of two Union ministers - PK Bansal and...
10:11 PM, May 17, 2013
New Delhi: Congress top brass, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi, on Friday deliberated on the way ahead on the issue of Food Security Bill. All options were considered, was the response of party sources who said no decision has been taken about the future course of action on the ambitious legislation as also on the Land Acquisition Bill. Food Minister KV Thomas was specially invited...
09:28 PM, May 17, 2013
Mumbai: The current size of the Indian food industry stands at Rs 247,680 crore per annum and is expected to grow at 11 percent to touch a staggering Rs 408,040 crore by 2018, an official said in Mumbai on Tuesday. In terms of market segments, the Quick Service Restaurants and casual dine-in formats account for nearly three-fourths of the total chain and cafes make up 12 per cent, with fine...
03:45 AM, May 15, 2013
New Delhi: "Special session is an option, monsoon session is an option, ordinance is an option - what is not an option is the non-passage of these two bills," Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said while talking about the government's plan of getting its ambitious food and land bills through. Ramesh preferred that the bills should be passed "the democratic way" through debate in Parliament while ordinances should be the...
03:32 PM, May 14, 2013
New Delhi: With the crucial Food Security Bill and Land Acquisition Bill still pending, sources say the government is mulling a Special Session of Parliament to get the bills passed. Reports also say the government is looking at the option of introducing an ordinance instead too. But the government had earlier denied any such move. Sources say that the Food Ministry is opposed to bringing an ordinance. The government may...
11:14 AM, May 14, 2013
Mumbai: Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd shares were down over 1 per cent in early trade on Tuesday after the generic drugmaker pleaded guilty to US felony charges related to drug safety and will pay $500 million in civil and criminal fines. The settlement is its largest-ever with a generic drugmaker over drug safety, according to the US government. Ranbaxy USA pleaded guilty to three felony counts related to the manufacture of...
10:13 AM, May 14, 2013
New Delhi: After better than expected industrial production numbers, which came at 2.5 per cent for the month of March, inflation has also hit a 13-month low. Consumer Price Index for the month of April is at 9.39 per cent against 10.39 per cent in March. Rural inflation was also seen going down at 9.16 per cent as compared to 10.41 per cent in March. Food prices for consumers rose...
12:40 PM, May 13, 2013
Enjoy your lunch? Now here's a chance to share that joy with someone less fortunate. The 'Share My Dabba' initiative aims to get food left over in dabbas to hungry street children, using just a tiny Share sticker and the extensive dabbawala network. The initiative is a joint effort between Happy Life Welfare Society and The Dabbawala Foundation.Abhinav Tripathi, who uploaded the video explained that the red 'Share sticker' gives...
10:01 AM, May 11, 2013
New Delhi: After complaints about safety of bottled water sold in the national capital, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has written to the food regulator to check the bottling plants supplying such drinking water in Delhi and their water sources. The minister has also written to the Food Safety and Standards Association (FSSA) to check the chemical contents in the water bottles sold in and around Delhi and whether they...
03:56 AM, May 11, 2013
New Delhi: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is committed to enacting the Food Security Bill after considering all opinions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday. "The Food Security Bill is a very important legislation for the government. The UPA is committed to make this law after considering all opinions," he told reporters here. Corruption, he said, was a major issue in the country and all sections of society...
04:59 PM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: Parliament was adjourned sine die at 12.56 pm on Wednesday, two days before scheduled end of the Budget session. The decision was reportedly taken after the Congress's victory in Karnataka elections. The adjournment would mean that crucial bills like the Food Security Bill and the Land Acquisition Bill won't be passed. It was yet another day of uproar and unruly scenes in Lok Sabha as opposition MPs rushed...
12:56 PM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: The Food Ministry has notified the the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) decision to partially decontrol the sugar sector. The Food Ministry has issued a gazette notification withdrawing the control over sugar industry through Essential Commodities Act and Sugar Control Order, sources said. On April 4, 2013, the CCEA had decided to decontrol the sugar sector by giving freedom to mills to sell sugar in the open...
02:08 AM, May 08, 2013
Mumbai: Fast food chain McDonalds Corp plans to increase prices in India for the second time in 2013, responding to rising inflation which, along with an economic slowdown, it expects to temper demand growth for at least the next seven months. The company said on Tuesday it would raise prices by 5-6 per cent. That follows a 5 per cent hike after the government increased the service tax rate in...
07:59 PM, May 07, 2013
The Samajwadi Party chief slammed the Congress for presenting the Food Security Bill, saying, "The House is not in order. Presenting the Food Security Bill at this time is not appropriate." ...
07:29 PM, May 07, 2013
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said important bills such as Food Security Bill and Land Acquisition Bill needed to be passed in Parliament. ...
07:25 PM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday hugged Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj in the Central Hall of Parliament. The two exchanged pleasantries and spoke for a few minutes. The meeting between the two came days after Sushma had attacked Sonia for destroying spirit of democracy. Last Friday, Swaraj had accused Sonia of instigating her MPs to disrupt her speech in the Lok Sabha. Sonia, who has been under attack from...
06:58 PM, May 07, 2013
