Four to five new faces from the Hindi belt as well as some other states could be inducted as All India Congress Committee spokespersons while the 36-member list of television panelists from Congress could witness a thorough rejig this month.
The calculation is based on annual usage of eight cylinders per household.
Shortly after the Union Budget was announced, political leaders from across the spectrum reacted to it. Here's what some of our leaders said.
The world's largest cash transfer programme has eliminated around 40 million ghost connections
It also opposed the suggestion that the contributions be transferred to the National Disaster Response Fund.
Union Minister Manish Tewari made a strong pitch to take forward the "secular agenda", asking spokespersons to talk strongly on issues related to communalism. The Congress has been gearing up to tone up its media strategy ahead of the next general elections.
Budget planners for now have been told to prepare with the assumption that GST will apply from April 1.
Replying to the debate in Rajya Sabha on a motion thanking the president for his address to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament, he said for the first time in decades, people of Jammu and Kashmir got benefits of reservation.
rediffGURU Ramalingam Kalirajan answers your personal finance queries.
The prime minister made it clear that the BJP stood for the welfare of farmers and was committed to them
Penalties for non-disclosure or inaccurate disclosure of these details can be severe.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the financial inclusion scheme in his first Independence Day speech last year.
The DoP has moved a Cabinet note for the government to provide Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) as initial capital to India Post towards starting a bank.
It will allow more transparency in policies and flexibility in premium payment, besides improving processing of claims.
India needs to spread irrigation and do so against a backdrop of rising water scarcity and depleting groundwater resources
'I believe the modified scheme is much more beneficial and simpler.'
As the Centre pushes reforms in the power sector, especially for the beleaguered electricity distribution segment, several states, especially those ruled by Opposition parties, are clamouring against it. Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerela have voiced their reservations against the proposed amendments to the Electricity Act, 2003. The irony is the states opposing the amendments on the ground of threat of privatisation already have private partnerships in power supply. The proposed Bill was slated to be placed on the floor of Parliament in the Monsoon session. But it still awaits Cabinet approval amid several states complaining that they have been not consulted on the issue.
With organisations like the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, which is a front of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, telling Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman they want OPS back, the government is in a bind, report Shiva Rajora and Aditi Phadnis.
In the pre-scheduled meeting, the home minister reviewed the prevailing security situation in the Union Territory and steps taken to deal with the Pakistan-backed terrorists and maintain peace.
Of the seven surveys presented under Modi govt, predictions of three were quite close to the actual GDP growth rate, one saw the base year change in between, but the last three were way off the mark.
The agenda for the year 2020 is well laid out -- launch of UDAY 2.0, installation of smart pre-paid metres, prompt payment by discoms, making coal available for short term and reviving gas based plants. But, it has to ensure effective implementation of various policy tweaks done so far.
These conditions are implementation of the 'One Nation, One Ration Card' scheme, ease of doing business, power sector reforms, and urban local body reforms.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the actual spending under the scheme in the fiscal year ending March 31 "would be highest".
'It's like the BJP is mocking people: Do what you want, we'll still win.'
The most immediate challenge for growth is the disruption of the global economy brought about by the Ukraine war and related sanctions, the Covid shutdowns in China and the rising tide of inflation, points out Nitin Desai.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday assured the industry that momentum of economic reforms will continue to make India a hotspot of global investment. India has turned the crisis created by COVID-19 pandemic into an opportunity to push the economic reforms, which remained pending for decades, she said while addressing the National MNC's Conference 2020 organised by industry chamber CII.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan speaks to Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com.
The BJP also announced a Rs 5 meal scheme for all, named after religious guru Anukul Chandra, and setting up of a Regional Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Agartala.
Finance ministry asks bank, insurance & market regulators to issue notifications
She said that despite government scheme and initiatives ranging from roads to agriculture, housing, scholarships to electricity benefiting lives of people, a false narrative was being created by the opposition that the government was working for cronies.
Stating that pushing GDP growth, which has slipped to 5-year low of 6.8 per cent in 2018-19, is the top priority, President Ramnath Kovind said Modi govt will bring more reforms and raise farm investments to boost growth.
Govt looking for common ground on GST; hopes to pass it soon.
Declining crude price translates into lower under-recoveries for OMCs
NDA's energy plan powered UP win, but it's not a winner yet. Centre has claimed to have saved money by targeted coverage but critics say the system is not yet foolproof.
'Economic issues do not matter during elections; it is the emotional connect that helps swing votes.'
The Indian basket represents the price of Oman and Dubai sour grade crude.
Mamata Banerjee accused Modi of trying to mislead the people with half-truth and distorted facts.
There were concerns that simply opening a bank account wouldn't constitute meaningful financial inclusion, as the poor would rarely use these accounts. However, recent data submitted to Parliament attests to increased account usage, says Ishan Bakshi.
A new formula for pricing natural gas in the domestic market was determined; the decontrol of diesel prices was announced; and the scheme that directly transferred subsidies to bank accounts of users of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders was modified and relaunched.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the inflation index would determine the nominal growth figure, and it is better to set modest targets and outperform them.
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