India can never be a truly happy, prosperous country unless our passion for growth is combined with compassion for the poor, said Chidambaram.
The issue of Finance Minister P Chidambaram's lawyer wife Nalini appearing on behalf of income tax department in a court in Chennai rocked the Rajya Sabha on Monday as a determined Opposition stalled the proceedings leading to two adjournments of the
Putting an end to speculation, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday retained the 10 per cent surcharge on those earning over Rs 1 crore annually.
The former home minister also said that the "highest quarters (in government) don't inspire trust".
The meeting with foreign investors assumes significance as the government is undertaking host of reform initiatives to attract investment.
Hinting that the Centre might provide special status to Bihar, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday declared to set up a committee to determine the new criteria for backwardness.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram and actor Aamir Khan have been named by Time magazine among the 100 most influential people in the world in its annual list of global achievers that also includes teenaged Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai and US President Barack Obama.
Chidambaram dubbed the UPA's Common Minimum Programme as a bold declaration on reforms and said it gave him room to take more initiatives in the reform process.
Taking a jibe at Yashwant Sinha, the finance minister said that he doesn't have luxury of being former finance minister.
The minister said while big corporate houses can easily get loans of even of Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion), the poor face problems.
The CAD in 2012-13 was at 4.7 per cent of GDP and in 2013-14 it will only 1.7 per cent, the Finance Minister said.
Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on his arrival at Chennai from Delhi on Wednesday refused to take the official vehicle and instead preferred his private car to proceed to the city from the airport.
Measures announced by Sebi will stimulate financial savings among households.
The Micro Finance Institutions (Development and Regulation) Bill, 2012, is currently being scrutinised by a Parliamentary Standing Committee.
P Chidambaram declined to contest the Lok Sabha election, but Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar runs into the finance minister who is working hard to ensure an unlikely victory for his son Karti in Sivaganga, which Chidambaram has represented since 1984.
The Indian currency on Friday traded at 62.48, down 41 paise against the US dollar at 1645 hours.
After coming out of CBI headquarters in New Delhi, Chidambaram said he had appeared before the CBI and the first information report did not contain any allegations against him.
It may widen because of money outflows.
The former finance minister's only child was arrested at Chennai airport.
India must make tough spending choices, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said on Thursday, as he unveiled one of the most highly anticipated budgets of recent years.
Indicating unleashing of more measures to boost economy, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday ruled out rolling back decisions on diesel, LPG and FDI in retail and expressed confidence that the government faces no threat from allies either inside or outside.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram talked to the press in New Delhi on Thursday to allay public concerns about the economy which is in doldrums.
"Steep rise in Sensex sometimes surprises me, sometimes worries me. I don't think fundamentals of economy changes day-to-day. Sensex is driven by corpus inflow of funds," he said while speaking at Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi..
The statements of the Mukerjeas were recorded by the Enforcement Directorate, which is probing the money laundering angle in the case, while the CBI had only recorded Indrani's statement before a magistrate as per section 164 of the CrPC, they said.
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Saturday strongly backed P Chidambram over the latest controversy surrounding the finance ministry note on 2G scam and accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha of targeting the home minister as he acted against "Sanghi" terror.
At a meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, the cement manufacturers had yesterday agreed for a small roll back in prices. Nath had said though price increase was only two per cent in the last one year, the industry had agreed for a reduction in prices.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram, back in the United States for the second time in less than three months, kicked off a series of meetings with American corporate heavyweights, making a pitch for American investment in India, even as the rupee continued to plummet.
Rejecting arguments of "policy paralysis", Chidambaram said the economy is more stable than what it was two years.
Direct tax collection target set for a big hike, says Chidambaram.
The Congress Jananayaga Peravai is an offshoot of the Tamil Maanila Congress led by late G K Moopanar.
The finance minister said the insinuation that Sri Karpagambal Mills Ltd, said to be owned by his brother, was among the mills in the I-T case was false.
The growth rate in India projected to be up to 6.7 per cent between 2013 and 2014, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said.
In escalation of confrontation, the National Democratic Alliance on Monday decided to target Home Minister P Chidambaram by boycotting him and not allowing him to speak in Parliament, holding him also responsible for the 2G scam.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said the fiscal deficit for 2012-13 will be better than 5.2 per cent as tax collection target of over Rs 10.38 lakh crore has been achieved.
Senior Congress leader and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram has joined the popular micro-blogging site Twitter and says he is on board for sharing serious views.
Citing 'frail' health, Chidambaram also said he is not 'accustomed' to food given to him in the jail and has lost 4 kg weight during judicial custody.
A bench headed by Justice R Banumathi rejected the review plea filed by the CBI saying the last year verdict does not suffer from any error apparent warranting its reconsideration.
Will help to reduce current account deficit and restore growth.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday sidestepped questions on the demands for removal of Union Minister Subodh Kant Sahai, who is embroiled in a controversy over allocation of a coal block in Jharkhand.