New Delhi: President Pratibha Patil on Saturday urged the central and state governments to create an "effective deterrence to achieve zero tolerance towards terrorism" and emphasised that the country's internal and external security needs foremost attention. Addressing a conference of governors, Patil said the country cannot lose sight of multiple challenges of the leftwing extremism even as it feels proud of its technological achievements. "India's external and internal security is...
01:11 PM, Oct 29, 2011
Mumbai: Underlining the need to stand up to the challenges to effective democracy in an evolving nation, President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday pitched for electoral reforms saying the country's institutions should be rebuilt in accordance with demands of the changing times. "We need to deliberate and debate on ways to strengthen governance, legislative system, as well as judicial system. There is an urgent need for undertaking electoral reforms. "Alongside, there...
01:03 AM, Oct 19, 2011
New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday took potshots at President Pratibha Patil for getting a Rs 6 crore armoured Mercedes car for her use, saying it appears to have been made for superhero Batman, and has been procured at a time when the poverty line is being fixed at a mere Rs 32 per day. "Colossal extravagance of spending 6 crore on President's car laughable, if not tragic, at a...
09:17 PM, Oct 05, 2011
Bern: India on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on financial dialogue with Switzerland that will pave the way for exchange of views between the two sides on financial and macroeconomic issues. The agreement comes at a time when the issue of black money stashed in Swiss banks has become a matter of major political debate back home in India. The agreement was signed during President Pratibha Patil's visit...
01:10 AM, Oct 04, 2011
Geneva/London: President Pratibha Patil on Sunday led the Indian community abroad in paying homage to the 'Father of the Nation' Mahatma Gandhi on his 142nd birth anniversary. Pratibha, who is in Geneva on a State Visit to Switzerland, offered flowers at the statute, where a group of Indian children sang 'Ram dhun'. In the UK, leading dignitaries, including the Mayor of Camden Councillor Abdul Quadir, gathered at Tavistock Square in...
07:53 PM, Oct 02, 2011
Geneva: President Pratibha Patil on Sunday paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi in the picturesque Swiss city of Geneva on the occasion of his 142nd birth anniversary. Patil, drove to the statue of Gandhi here in the tranquil Ariana Park located on 'Avenue of Peace'. She offered flowers at the statute, where a group of Indian children sang 'Ram dhun'. She later undertook a 'parikarma (round of the statute) in the...
03:39 PM, Oct 02, 2011
New Delhi: Government on Sunday took the unusual step of notifying the resignation of Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court, strengthening speculation that the proceedings against him in the Lok Sabha scheduled for Monday may be dropped, but there was no official confirmation of such a move. Earlier in the day, Sen's brief resignation letter, written and signed in his own hand " a prerequisite as per the...
07:37 PM, Sep 04, 2011
New Delhi: President Pratibha Patil on Saturday accepted the resignation letter of Justice Soumitra Sen and has forwarded it to the Law Ministry for action, said sources. The Lok Sabha will now decide if the motion of Justice Sen's removal will be taken up on Monday or not. The Government on Friday decided to go by Attorney General GE Vahanvati's suggestion that despite the resignation the motion of removal of...
06:45 PM, Sep 03, 2011
BJP leader LK Advani after meeting President Pratibha Patil said that they have asked for her help in the Gujarat Lokayukta matter. ...
02:28 PM, Sep 02, 2011
New Delhi: BJP on Wednesday termed as "unfortunate" Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's comments on Afzal Guru and maintained that a responsible leader like him should not speak the "language" of Hurriyat leaders. Abdullah had tweeted that if J&K Assembly had passed a resolution against the death sentence given to Afzal Guru as was done by the Tamil Nadu Assembly for the killers of Rajiv Gandhi, the reaction...
05:49 PM, Aug 31, 2011
Kollam: President Pratibha Patil's scheduled departure from Kollam to Thiruvananthapuram has been delayed as the helicopter she was to board developed a technical snag, police said on Wednesday. The President was scheduled to leave by the helicopter from the Ashramam maidan at 10.10 am to attend an official function to be held at 11 am in the state capital. As she arrived at the grounds, the helicopter could not take...
11:25 AM, Aug 31, 2011
New Delhi: Sajid Nadiadwala, known for producing movies like Judwaa and Housefull, met President Pratibha Patil earlier this week to present her a coffee table book. He says it was an honour. The book features Nadiadwala among the likes of Ratan Tata, Sachin Tendulkar, Vishwanathan Anand, Amitabh Bachchan and former president APJ Abdul Kalam. "It's a big honour for me to present the book to the president of India, along...
08:04 PM, Aug 26, 2011
New Delhi: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev will meet President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Wednesday to submit a memorandum against the arrest of Gandhian activist Anna Hazare. Ramdev will meet the president at 11:45 am, said a statement from the guru. Jan He will then go to Tihar Jail to meet Hazare, it added. Hazare was jailed in New Delhi on Tuesday ahead of his fast for an effective anti-corruption law....
09:36 AM, Aug 17, 2011
Moscow: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday lauded the "impressive tempo" of India's development after independence, saying it rightfully enjoys high authority in the world. "Keeping intact its national identity and unique, many centuries long traditions, your nation is demonstrating impressive tempo of social-economic growth, scientific, technical, cultural and humanitarian growth," Medvedev wrote in his greeting message to President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the 65th Independence...
08:54 PM, Aug 15, 2011
Following is the text of the President of India, Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patils address to the Nation on the eve of the 65th Independence Day: "Dear Citizens, As I speak to you on the eve of our 65th Independence Day, I extend my warmest greetings to all of you living in India and overseas. To the members of our Armed Forces and Para-military forces who guard our frontiers, and our...
12:16 AM, Aug 15, 2011
In her address ahead of Independence Day, President has cautioned against weakening the institution of Parliament. ...
09:48 PM, Aug 14, 2011
New Delhi: In an apparent reminder to civil society activists campaigning for a "strong" Lokpal, President Pratibha Patil said on Sunday there should be no effort consciously or unconsciously to erode the authority and credibility of institutions like Parliament even as she wanted the cancer of corruption to be eliminated. In the context of the campaign by social activists led by Anna Hazare for an all-encompassing Lokpal bill as the...
09:11 PM, Aug 14, 2011
Chennai: With President Pratibha Patil rejecting the clemency petitions of three killers of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the mother of one of them on Friday demanded a 'fresh and transparent trial' and claimed her son was not at all connected with it. "While A1 (prime accused) Nalini's punishment was reduced to life imprisonment from death, why can't the same be applied to my son (Perarivalan) who is only 18th...
07:31 PM, Aug 12, 2011
New Delhi: Should Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's case be fast tracked? The Congress admits there should a be a time-frame. "So long as the constitutional rules do not provide for a specific time limit, this is bound to happen. You will have different persons taking different time periods because no time limit is provided," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Afzal Guru's mercy petition is pending with President Pratibha...
07:09 AM, Aug 12, 2011
