India Inc on Monday gave a thumbs down to the Interim Budget 2009-10, proposed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, saying it is a non-event and more of a political statement.
External Affiars and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said the government cannot indulge in 'reckless borrowing' and did not have Parliamentary mandate to tweak taxes.
The economic stimulus package to protect the country from the impact of the global financial crisis would continue till the economies of Europe and the US recover, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday.
In a surprise statement, Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the Congress has announced that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is not their Presidential candidate, comments that came shortly after a Congress spokesperson suggested he is too "valued" to be spared.
Finance Minister and Congress trouble-shooter Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday took command of the consultations with Andhra Pradesh leaders to prepare the ground for the creation of Telangana, even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh decided against imposing President's rule in the troubled state after holding talks with Governor E S L Narasimhan. Assisting Mukherjee in the consultations are Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy and members of a core committee.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday elicited the views of their junior cabinet colleagues and Congress leaders from Andhra Pradesh on the Telangana statehood demand, which has virtually divided the party on regional lines.
Concerned over the washout of Parliament this week, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said Parliament is not meant for "disruptions" and also appealed to his "political colleagues" to keep aside politics from major economic decisions.
With the rupee fast losing value against the US dollar, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday blamed volatility in global commodity prices for currency depreciation and said deteriorating balance of payment (BoP) situation in several Asian countries also put stress on currencies.
For the past one-and-a-half months, railway minister Mamata Banerjee has stopped her informal interactions with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee after a sharp exchange on telephone over a municipal election issue.
Just 6.4% of branches owned by new private sector banks are in the rural areas
What effect is the Budget going to have on your daily life? Find out how what's cheaper and what's costlier after the Budget.
What effect is the Budget going to have on your daily life? Find out how what's cheaper and what's costlier after the Budget.
Concerned over a spike in crude oil prices in international markets due to turmoil in West Asia, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday the government is monitoring the situation and will manage it.
Market participants say the focus of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will be on fiscal deficit, more so in the wake of the recent debt crisis in some Europeon countries.
The Customs tariff is much too complicated with basic Customs duty, two types of additional Customs duty and two types of cess.
Pranab Mukherjee, who will be on a five-day visit to US from September 21, will address the 8th Annual India Investment Forum Meeting.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday alleged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is "directly and openly" trying to put all the blame for the economic slowdown on former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and charged that he was equally responsible for the state of affairs.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said that he proposes to exempt the income of New Pension System Trust from the income tax and any dividend paid to this Trust from Dividend Distribution Tax.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said that government has taken a conscious and bold decision to enhance the Gross Budgetary Support for the Annual Plan 2009-10 by Rs.40,000 crore (Rs 400 billion) over the Interim Budget for 2009-10.
The old India was economically fragmented. New India will create one tax, one market, one nation, said Jaitley.
Contrary to the finance ministry's initial idea that some large industrial houses could be given bank licences, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) did not name any big corporate in the first round of licensing.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has questioned the granting of hefty funds to certain states by Pranab Mukherjee, the United Progressive Alliance's Presidential candidate, and sought to know if this was meant to influence the ruling parties including Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal - United and the Trinamool Congress.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee would also share his perception on exit strategy at the G-20 Finance Ministers' meeting in Scotland, starting from November 6.
"Real estate is facing a slowdown. So we should make an arrangement for giving loans at 6.5 per cent interest for houses in the below Rs 5 lakh (Rs 500,000) category to the poor," Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy said. He suggested an extension of housing loan at the rate of 7.5 per cent presently available for flats up to Rs 20 lakh to those priced at Rs 30 lakh in the cities. "The revival of real estate is key for generating employment," he said.
The announcement of the Assembly election schedule in five states between January 30 and March 3 has raised the possibility of rescheduling of the Budget for 2012-13 this year.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Maneka Gandhi, who met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi on Monday, described him as an excellent candidate for the coveted post of President of India.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh late on Tuesday night and is understood to have briefed him about his talks with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Battle lines have already been drawn and the opposition has insisted on a debate on demonetisation.
The minister blamed ground realities like lack of majority of ruling party toward the failure of finally signing the Teesta water sharing deal.
Giving a new turn to the Presidential race, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday ruled out supporting Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari or any other candidate who may be put up by the Congress but is open to supporting anyone chosen by the non-Congress parties.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday declined to disclose who will be Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's successor and whether the United Progressive Alliance government will have new partners. "I have been churning it in my mind," said Dr Singh when asked whether he has thought of Mukherjee's successor after his nomination as UPA's candidate for the Presidential elections.
The Bills pertaining to the introduction of a new law and amendment to the Constitution will not be tabled in the coming Budget session of Parliament. finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and state finance ministers will meet in April to decide a new date for the GST rollout.
The New Telecom policy 2011 and the Spectrum Act are expected to address these concerns.
Mukherjee, along with Parliamentary Affairs Minister PK Bansal and Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal, held meetings with BSP leader Satish C Mishra and RJD chief Lalu Prasad as the debate was underway in the Rajya Sabha in effort to woo them
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee made a quantum leap.
In an interesting development, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who is very much in the news these days would be travelling by a special plane to Udaipur, Rajsamand and Nathdwara temple in Rajasthan, accompanied by Union Road and Transport Minister C P Joshi for a one-day trip to the state on Saturday.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is cutting short his visit to Washington and rushing to New York to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, amid a storm back home over his ministry's note to the prime ministers on the 2G scam.
He will pitch for American investment in Indian business opportunities.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday put the onus on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to give a reply to Home Minister P Chidambaram's letter which asked the government to disarm CPI-M cadres in the state. "The home minister has written to the state government. He has fulfilled his responsibility. Now the state government should fulfil its responsibility and reply by acknowledging receipt of the letter," he said.
Amidst the flurry of political activities in Delhi over selection of the Presidential nominee, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, whose name has been reported to be Congress' first choice as candidate, on Thursday telephoned former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
