There was no applause for Finance Minister P Chidambaram when he spoke to Congress spokespersons summoned to Delhi by party president Sonia Gandhi to explain the economic issues of inflation management.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram today revealed that while he favoured tough administrative measures to control price rise, there was no unanimity on this issue in cabinet.
this is not Orissa or West Bengal or Haryana or any other part of India where villagers are protesting against acquisition of farmland for industry or special economic zones. This is Mayawati's Uttar Pradesh -- where the chief minister wants around 400 hectares from four villages to create the mother of all gardens. The strategic location of the green belt, locally referred as "picnic spot", will ensure that Mayawati's farmhouse, which she hasn't visited even once, wil
Congress member V Kishore Chandra Singh Deo could occupy the Lok Sabha Speaker's chair in case Somnath Chatterjee opts to quit his post. According to top party sources, Singh Deo, who represents the reserved Parvathipuram constituency of Andhra Pradesh, has been considered the most appropriate Congress MP to replace Chatterjee.
The CD, which will have 1940s' film songs, will remind Pakistanis of undivided India and the undivided talent in the Bombay film industry. The first song is Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya by Kundan Lal Sehgal from the film Shahjahan. The album signs off with the title track of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna by Sonu Nigam.
After the CPI(M), the crucial partner of the ruling UPA government, raised its voice against any attempt to shut down three public sector vaccine manufacturing units, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has quickly moved to announce that it will upgrade the units and 'do everything to protect their interest'.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may have used a mix of charm and roguish coercion to let India know that he expected the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline proposal to become a reality in 45 days. But India is in no hurry to take a decision, a top Cabinet minister in the United Progressive Alliance government said. The volatile political environment in Iran and Pakistan has as much weightage now and the UPA government is becoming more reluctant.
According to party sources, the Congress' hopes to regain power are pinned on the first and third phases of the election. The first phase (89 assembly segments) will cover the entire southern Karnataka along with Bangalore and Mysore. In the third phase, 69 constituencies of the northern part will go to polls.
Whole-timers, who form the backbone of the party, are more difficult to get nowadays, admits the CPI-M. Although the party membership has increased in the past few years along with its might in national politics (it has 43 Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha), the CPI-M has conceded its problems of a continuing high attrition rate. The rate of attrition from the party is as high as 7.5 per cent. In other words, for every 200 members, 15 members are leaving the party.
Today, the finance minister received another oblique suggestion for the budget, though it is uncertain how he can accommodate it in his budget speech, which is already under printing in the basement of North Block. This was from Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with some young Members of Parliament from his party for a 'stock-taking exercise' on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme.
The Reserve Bank of India has told parliamentarians that it is concerned over the stock market exposure of various non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) promoted by leading banks in the country.
The Modi mask is one item in the publicity materials market that is selling briskly this year. The mask has Modi smiling enigmatically, his close-cropped grey beard and trademark spectacles in place.
Because the whole party is there to assist Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, he might not get a secretary to help him.
That for many of the UPA allies it will be the first time they would contest in Gujarat's mainly bipolar polity, shows how the Congress has succumbed to the pressure of its allies.
In a significant move towards labour law reform, negotiations have been reopened on the hire and fire policy with the government offering a unique scheme of insurance coverage for retrenched workers to overcome objections from trade unions.
Takes to the sea to save whale sharks off the Gujarat coast from being hunted to extinction.
The amendments will allow women to work night shifts (7 p m to 6 a m), benefiting not just a large section of the female workforce but also industries like textiles. However, the Left unions want better facilities and protection for women employees before the Bill, introduced on August 18, 2005, is passed in Parliament.
The first of the stores in Delhi will be opened by Brinda Karat, the only Bengali politburo member of the party who is in Delhi during Puja, at Chittaranjan Park on October 17.
The four Left parties that support the United Progressive Alliance government have already rejected the Bill, which has been approved by the Cabinet. Instead, they have asked for separate Bills for agricultural and non-agricultural workers.
The ordinance will raise the eligibility limit of bonus payments to those who earn Rs 10,000 a month as basic salary and dearness allowance, from the earlier cut-off of Rs 6,000 a month.
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