A date is finally set. The Union Budget will be presented on March 16 post the State elections. This could be the UPA government's make-or-break Budget. The economy is going through a slowdown. The bureaucracy is in a state of paralysis and corporate India is suffering from a bout of depression. Given these fiscal and political constraints can Pranab Mukherjee change the mood of the nation? Will he present an...
04:17 PM, Feb 13, 2012
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is in a key meeting with Cabinet ministers Kapil Sibal, Salman Khursheed, Pranab Mukherjee and P Chidambaram to find a way out of the 2G mess. The ministers reached 7 Race Course early on Saturday morning to review the rules and guidelines to be applied for an auction of 2G spectrum. The leaders are likely to decide whether to cancel licences issued in 2008...
12:08 PM, Feb 11, 2012
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to meet Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Telecommunications and HRD Minister Kapil Sibal in the next few days to discuss Supreme Court's order cancelling all 122 2G spectrum licences allotted by former telecom minister A Raja on or after January 10, 2008. Singh will discuss the fallout of the cancellation of 2G licences by the Supreme Court and...
04:00 PM, Feb 09, 2012
New Delhi: A Group of Ministers on Civil Aviation, headed by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, is likely to meet on Thursday to decide on allowing foreign direct investment in the Aviation sector. On the agenda are issues like allowing foreign carriers to have a stake in domestic airlines and sales tax on jet fuel. On Tuesday, the GoM had decided to allow the airline companies to import jet fuel...
08:28 AM, Feb 09, 2012
New Delhi: A worried Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said he is losing sleep over the rising subsidy bills, notably on food, fertiliser and petroleum products. "As finance minister when I think of the enormity of the subsidies to be provided, I lose my sleep," Mukherjee said in New Delhi at a conference to discuss reforms in the public distribution system (PDS). Due to a sharp increase in subsidies...
05:31 PM, Feb 08, 2012
Mumbai: Scrips of three listed domestic carriers, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and SpiceJet rallied after the government on Tuesday allowed airlines to import jet fuel directly. The decision on direct jet fuel imports was taken by an empowered group of ministers (EGoM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Analysts said the move, announced by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, would help airlines to cut 10-15 percent of their operating cost....
04:46 PM, Feb 07, 2012
New Delhi: The dates of Union Budget 2012-13 and Railway Budget 2012-13 have been finalised. While Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will present the Budget on March 16, Railway Budget will be presented on March 14 by Union Minister Dinesh Trivedi. The Economic Survey 2012-13 will be released on 15. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said that dates of the Budget session were finalised at the Cabinet Committee ...
02:20 PM, Feb 07, 2012
New Delhi: India on Monday introduced a comprehensive national policy to help curb trafficking in narcotic drugs. "The national policy released today, presents evidence of India's strong commitment and intent to rise to the challenges posed by the drug menace," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said after releasing the policy documents. "It also reflects the country's willingness to shoulder the responsibility which is cast upon it because of its strategic position,...
12:29 AM, Feb 07, 2012
New Delhi: With the budget session round the corner, Union Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that India may have to settle for a GDP growth of 7 per cent in the coming year. In an exclusive interview to Network 18, Mukherjee said, "In the first two quarters, our GDP growth is 7.3. I don't think in the remaining two quarters there will be substantial improvement. Perhaps we may have...
10:56 AM, Feb 06, 2012
With the budget session round the corner, Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that India may have to settle for a GDP growth of 7 per cent in the coming year. ...
09:52 AM, Feb 06, 2012
New Delhi: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee says though food inflation has moderated the country is not out of the "woods totally", asserting inflationary pressures must be brought down to a tolerable and acceptable level before Indian economy can revert to high growth. "In the last 20-22 months food inflation has been obstinate. Food inflation reached as high as 22 per cent in February 2010. From December onwards the pressure has...
05:36 AM, Feb 06, 2012
Murshidabad: Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said the central government had taken up a lot of welfare projects, but many people remained unaware of them and their benefits. Citing the MGNREGA programme as an instance, he said over last few years, the Centre had undertaken a number of projects like it. "Over the last few years we have taken up a number of projects like MGNREGA. But many...
11:47 PM, Feb 05, 2012
Support for Home Minister P Chidambaram coming in from Finance Minister Pranab Mukharji who says someone was unfairly prosecuted. ...
05:23 PM, Feb 05, 2012
New Delhi: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday welcomed the 2G trial court's order on P Chidambaram, dismissing the plea against him by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy. Welcoming the verdict, Mukherjee said, "Someone was unfairly persecuted. Even in the Supreme Court's order, it was never mentioned that the (then) finance minister's (P Chidambaram) directive was ignored. Rather, it was the Finance Ministry that was mentioned by the SC." Meanwhile,...
03:02 PM, Feb 04, 2012
New Delhi: A day after Army Chief General VK Singh won the first round against the Government on his age row, the Government walked the safe line, remaining cautious and refraining from commenting on the issue. Congress troubleshooter and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee refused to discuss details of his meeting with General Singh on Thursday evening. Mukherjee did not comment on the SC order which pulled up the Government on...
12:16 PM, Feb 04, 2012
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