Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is introducing a new vision of governance to ensure each and every ministry and department of the Union government performs and delivers the pre-defined results.
The move, if it goes through, will be warmly welcomed by foreign media houses which have been looking to enter India, one of the world's fastest growing economies. The domestic media barons, however, are likely to oppose the move.
The over-a-month long winter session of the Parliament, which is kicks off on Thursday, is expected to witness a storm on a daily basis, as the opposition is armed with not less than a dozen issues to put the government on the mat almost every day.
Notorious poacher and wildlife trader Sansar Chand may be in or out of jail, but his illegal trade in tiger and leopard skins and body parts continues to thrive, with his family members and dozens of aides doubling up to fill the vacuum, after the Supreme Court let him out on bail in August.
The Opposition will be nailing down the government in the winter session of the Parliament starting Thursday for a 'confused' policy on tackling the Maoists -- ruling the roost in 223 districts in 13 states, despite killing of over 2600 people by them in the last three years.
The meeting was attended by all the cabinet secretaries from the SAARC member states. It was noted that SAARC is transforming into an 'implementation body' and the need to strengthen administrative and delivery mechanisms was emphasized. The cabinet secretaries deliberated upon areas where significant innovations have been tried in various member states to benefit their citizens.
The Centre has identified 50 new public sector undertakings (PSUs) to be put on the capital markets for selling 10 per cent of government stakes to raise funds for development programmes.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday took strong objection to the absence of Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, Commerce Secretary Rahul Kullar and top intelligence officials from the Standing Committee meeting of the home ministry. Friday's meeting was held to discuss a bill on Land and Port Authority.
With Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar meeting leaders of political parties in Delhi on Thursday -- a routine drill before commencement of a month-long Lok Sabha session -- hectic political activities have begun behind the scenes.
With this development, Bhajan Lal's son Kuldeep Bishnoi, with just two MLAs on his side, stands isolated. He was expected to join the Congress, but the latest development has taken the wind out of his sails
According to Congress sources, Marandi's party has agreed contest 19 of the 81 seats in the state. There will also be friendly fights in six seats, in which both parties were unable to come to a settlement.
Besides the Union Cabinet, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are giving final touches to major changes in the All India Congress Committee and Andhra Pradesh Congress unit. There is also the likelyhood of shuffling of state governors.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has summoned Andhra Chief Minister K Rosaiah to New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the future of member of Parliament Jaganmohan Reddy, son of late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, and his supporters.
Rashriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat had the final word on the crisis that gripped the Bharatiya Janata Party since Lok Sabha polls, declaring not to allow any Delhi-based leader become the party president and asserting that Lal Krishna Advani would quit as Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha 'according to the schedule agreed by him.'
'I do feel even today that the local angle has not received the attention it deserved. I find it difficult to accept that only two Indians were involved. There has been very strong evidence of their involvement, but the possible involvement of others should be looked into,' says B Raman.
As part of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's State visit to the United States on November 24, India and the US are planning to announce the convening of an India-US Education Council on the lines of the US-India Business Council, Human Resource Minister Kapil Sibal has disclosed.
As the crisis in the Karnataka's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party between the factions led by chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and the other spearheaded by the Bellary mining tycoons cum state ministers G Janardhana Reddy and G Karunakara Reddy, Yedurappa is scheduled to meet leader of opposition LK Advani and other senior party leaders in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The Environment and Forest Ministry has decided to seek bank guarantee for revocation of its orders for closure of industrial units and projects on ground of causing environment pollution.
Some BJP leaders believe the issue is not about Yeddyurappa's moves to contain the mining interests of the Reddy brothers in Bellary. The Rajnath Singh camp, which is pitted in a bitter battle with the Advani camp, has been accusing former Union minister Ananth Kumar, who is close to Advani, of triggering the crisis.
Traders in Sopore say that not only were they cheated in fixing the price, but the buyers in PoK also did not pay the Rs 14 lakh (Rs 1.4 million) that they had arbitrarily decided as the price for the supplies they received.
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