The campaign sought to highlight the achievement and policies of the Congress-led UPA government in electronic and print media.
Manmohan Singh has mooted a 'specific financing window' for the ambitious Rs 174,000 crore Bharat Nirman Programme aimed at giving a new deal to rural India.
Experts agree Bharat Nirman, which has completed four years, has indeed brought about significant improvements in the country's rural infrastructure.
After recent poll defeats, Sonia asks party to focus on development.
Handed over the charge of BJP's campaign in the next Lok Sabha polls, Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually sounded the election bugle as he targeted the UPA government over various fronts and asked party cadres to work for "Congress-free Bharat Nirman".
He won two terms in office, which was a stunning feat for a leader who used his silence as the most vocal weapon to change the economy and the lives of a billion people, asserts Tarun Vijay, former BJP MP and former Chief Editor, Panchjanya, the RSS weekly.
Mutual suspicion and prejudice hang over India and its neighbours, says Barun Roy.
To the detriment of national interest, Arunachal Pradesh has not yet been vested with even a fraction of the powers or resources as mandated by the Constitution, says L C Jain.
The outlay for the flagship programmes, which -- in addition to the Bharat Nirman scheme -- include the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and others, is proposed to be raised to Rs 1,23,000 crore (Rs 1,230 billion) during 2009-10 from Rs 90,000 crore last year, representing an increase of about 37 per cent.
To highlight the achievements and programmes of the government, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday allocated a fund of Rs 630 crore to the information and broadcasting ministry, of which over Rs 200 crore could be spent in the current financial year.
FMCG: Cut in excise duty on baby, clinical diapers, adult diapers and sanitary napkins.
The first meeting of the newly-reconstituted Central Employment Guarantee Council last week, meant to oversee the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, saw two prominent members, Jean Dreze and Aruna Roy, object to various new ideas of the government, beginning with the one of using it to build Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendras, meant to serve as offices for panchayats.
The government is committed to provide Rs 100 a day as wages under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, said finance minister Pranab Mukherjee.
This meant targets set for primary school admissions, assured income for every family and roads, water, housing and electricity. And yearly spending of over Rs 1,20,000 crore (Rs 1,200 billion), up from Rs 36,000 crore (Rs 360 billion) in the last year of the National Democratic Alliance government.
Since there is no constraint on the availability of central funds for these programmes -- thanks to additional grants, over and above liberal allocations at the start -- tardy implementation by states seems wholly to blame for the lack of progress.
Given the tight control on expenditure the finance minister has exercised and how niggardly the increases have been on flagship programmes - Bharat Nirman has risen from Rs 32,473 crore (Rs 324.73 billion) to Rs 35,953 crore (Rs 359.53 billion) and employment guarantee from Rs 39,100 crore (Rs 391 billion) to Rs 40,100 crore (Rs 401 billion) - it's natural to wonder whether the deficit reduction targets are for real.
Faced with huge cost overruns due to a delay in building the rural roads under Bharat Nirman, the Planning Commission is now looking at alternative ways to fund the ambitious rural development project of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.The rural road project, christened the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), has seen tardy performance on the target of constructing 146,185 km of rural roads by 2009.
"There are new developments in the neighbouring country. We are keeping a close watch on the happenings. I and the prime minister are taking stock of the situation," he told reporters.
Rural roads have been identified as one of the six components of Bharat Nirman
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday told district administrators to focus on improving the economy of agriculture to alleviate the rural distress on a sustainable basis.\n
A massive outlay of Rs 11,000 crore (Rs 110 billion) has been earmarked this financial year for laying of rural roads, a key component under Bharat Nirman programme.
There may be two years left for the general elections but the United Progressive Alliance government is already planning a Rs 550-crore
India Inc was urged Wednesday to invest in rural India, which according to a McKinsey survey, will provide a market worth $500-600 billion by 2020.
Money to be used for the Rs 174,000-crore Bharat Nirman programme to develop rural infrastructure.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said his government was investing a mammoth Rs 1,80,000 crore (Rs 1800 billion) for building highways and road network as part of efforts to develop world-class infrastructure.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram presented the Union Budget for 2008-09 in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday rated Budget 2005-06 as "outstanding" and credited Finance Minister P Chidambaram for producing a document which lived up to meet the challenges of the time.
Captains of the Indian industry on Monday welcomed the Union Budget 2005-06 describing it as growth-oriented.
The Benegal panel, in its first report submitted on April 26, had urged the government to lay down a "holistic framework for certification of films."
The Ram Mandir issue continues to be on Bharatiya Janata Party's "core agenda", the party said in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The meetings with various ministries will go on till December 12, according to an office notice
The new government may enhance the Plan expenditure for 2014-15 by around Rs 11,000 crore (Rs 110 billion) in the Budget next month, which would be about 2 per cent higher than what was provided in the previous fiscal budget.
Virtually launching the party's campaign for 2014 elections, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday talked about the need to "heal the wounds" of Kashmiris and connect its aspiring youths with the national mainstream for the development of the state.
Tata Steel has ventured into pilot projects that promote use of steel in furniture and house doors.
Social media is the new advertising tool for today's politicians and political parties, says Viveat Susan Pinto
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