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
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
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
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
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: 1:00 pm: As the Lok Sabha resumed, uproar continued in the House with BJP MPs demanding Manmohan Singh's resignation. The Lok Sabha has now been adjourned for the day and the Food Security Bill may again be taken up on Wednesday. 12:40 pm: The Congress Core Group is meeting in Parliament to chalk out a strategy to end Parliament deadlock. 12:17 pm: Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Parliamentary...
11:21 AM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: The Opposition is in no mood to relent saying it will not let Parliament function without the resignations of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. On Monday, there was uproar in the Lok Sabha with the BJP, its allies and the Left storming the well of the House even as the National Food Security Bill was taken up for discussion....
08:54 AM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: A war of words broke out between the Congress and the opposition over the National Food Security Bill that the government tried its best to debate in the Lok Sabha and get passed on Monday. The opposition continued to disrupt the house over the coal blocks allocation issue as Food Minister KV Thomas moved the bill, saying it was a key UPA legislation that would give the right...
04:05 AM, May 07, 2013
Greater Noida: Noble laureate Amratya Sen on Saturday said it is unfortunate that government has not been able to push through the Food Security Bill that sought to provide subsidised foodgrains to people below poverty line. "It is unfortunate that we are not able to pass the Food Security Bill because Parliament is not able to meet", he said during a seminar at the ADB annual meet here. He further...
08:58 PM, May 04, 2013
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to step in to end the political deadlock over coal scam. Sources said the PM is likely to call an all-party meet to break the logjam in Parliament and try and pass the Land Bill and the Food Security Bill. A temporary truce on the Finance Bill was achieved on Monday and the Bill will now be taken up post noon. It...
10:24 AM, Apr 30, 2013
New Delhi: Government is likely to convene an all-party meeting soon on the ambitious Food Security Bill before it is taken up in Parliament. "We are planning to convene an all-party meeting before taking up for further proceedings. It is likely to be held in a day or two," a Minister, who did not want to be identified, told reporters. The National Food Security Bill gives the right to food...
03:10 PM, Apr 22, 2013
The Food Security Bill envisaging entitlement of foodgrains for 67 per cent of the population will soon become a reality, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Sunday said. ...
08:17 PM, Mar 24, 2013
The first half of the Budget session of the 2012-13 ends on Friday. The House will meet next on April 22. Important reform bills such as the Food Security Bill and the land bill still remain pending. ...
08:15 AM, Mar 22, 2013
Undeterred by adverse political developments, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said there will be no let up in the government's efforts to continue with the economic reforms and he will go ahead with his meetings with foreign investors to persuade them to invest in India. ...
02:50 PM, Mar 20, 2013
The Cabinet has cleared the UPA's gamechanger Food Security Bill. The revised Bill was cleared by the Cabinet without any further changes. The Food Security Bill seeks to provide for uniform 5 kg of foodgrains per month per person at a highly subsidised price of Rs 1-3 per kg to two-thirds of the country's population. ...
05:30 PM, Mar 19, 2013
UPA II's most ambitious bill, the Food Bill, is a step closer to becoming law. The Cabinet is meeting amidst strong hopes that it will clear the Food Bill for passing in Parliament. The Congress believes the Food Bill, which was first tabled in 2011 will be a game changer. ...
07:31 AM, Mar 18, 2013
Racing against the time, the government will consider major amendments to the Food Security Bill in a special Cabinet meeting likely to be held on Monday next week. "We are trying to bring revised Food Security Bill in the Cabinet on Monday (March 18). The note has been circulated," Food Minister KV Thomas said on the sidelines of an event. ...
10:16 PM, Mar 14, 2013
