Rediff.com brings to you Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's Budget Speech Live from Parliament at 11.00 a.m. on February 28.
Rediff.com brings to you Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's Budget Speech Live from Parliament at 11.00 a.m. on February 28.
In a developing county like India, the role of the Finance Minister is a crucial one, specially when the country is going through it's worst period in recent times. M R Venkatesh, has a few valid suggestions for Mr Chidambaram.
The FM proposed a rule-based automated process for small taxpayers in FY27 Budget.
Budget has already bombed at the box office and passing it without a revisit will be a mockery of the exercise though any modification may be short lived and perfunctory, observes V Ranganathan.
'The Budget that Mr Jaitley will present on February 29 will be crucial.'
What items did Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman make cheaper?
Finance ministers play a key role in shaping the country's economy.
The Budget session of Parliament will be held from January 28 to April 2, featuring the President's address, the Economic Survey, and the presentation of the general Budget.
However, the prime minister has told confidants that he was unable to do justice to the foreign affairs portfolio and admitted the need for a full-time foreign minister.
Atanu Chakraborty has resigned as chairman of HDFC Bank, citing ethical concerns, marking an unusual departure and prompting the appointment of an interim chairman.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed Rs 10,000 crore investment in the biopharma sector over the next five years, a move which would give a boost to the country's pharmaceuticals industry.
The finance minister said that consolidation of state-owned banks could proceed at any time without waiting for the recommendations of the proposed high-level committee on banking.
For most of his first stint as finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee had Indira Gandhi as his prime minister. In his second stint, the prime minister was Manmohan Singh.
Pakistan's Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin resigned on Tuesday following months of strained relations with other members of the federal Cabinet, saying he was stepping down to focus on his private business interests.
Reiterating Sitharaman's statement that this is a youth power budget, Modi emphasised that the provisions made in the budget will prepare leaders, innovators and creators across different sectors.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has emphasised India's commitment to safe maritime transit and condemned attacks on merchant shipping amidst the ongoing West Asia conflict and global energy market disruptions.
Samrat Choudhary's appointment as Bihar's Chief Minister marks a significant milestone for the BJP, ushering in a new era of leadership in the state's political landscape.
Industrialist Anil Ambani has approached the Supreme Court seeking a court-facilitated debt resolution similar to the one provided to Sterling group's Nitin and Chetan Sandesara, and five other members of their families.
Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Tuesday resigned as Pakistan's Finance Minister amid mounting speculation that he would play a key role in the caretaker administration that is expected to oversee the next general election scheduled for mid-May.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a fiscal deficit target of 4.3% of GDP for FY27, continuing the path of fiscal consolidation. The government aims to reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio to 55.6% by BE 2026-27 and further to around 50% by March 2031.
The Jharkhand High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Hazaribag district, demanding responses from state officials and police regarding the ongoing investigation and lack of arrests.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee sought to soothe the frayed nerves of India's financial regulators by saying the government would not undermine their autonomy. Mukherjee's assurance came a day after Reserve Bank of India Governor D Subbarao went public with his "concerns" over dilution of the central bank's role in dealing with inter-regulatory disputes in the Ordinance issued last month.
Kerala's Leader of Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, has criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI(M) leaders for their language and government spending on advertising.
He added that opposition parties were assured that their concerns regarding the impact of the West Asia situation on India and the safety of Indian citizens were addressed in detail.
Congress leader K Muraleedharan has dismissed the BJP's influence in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections, citing unfulfilled promises and a lack of tangible benefits for the state.
Delhi Police have arrested 11 individuals involved in a cyber fraud racket operating from Delhi and Mumbai, which allegedly defrauded a senior citizen of over Rs 22 lakh with promises of high investment returns. The network is linked to international operators in Cambodia.
'I cannot imagine that any NSA before Ajit Doval would have given us this kind of time and this kind of engagement. They would have offered slogans, or nothing at all. That, too, tells you something.'
Indian banks, which are increasingly getting worried due to asset-liability mismatch, have sought the government's approval to float tax-free bonds.
The Indian government addressed opposition concerns regarding the West Asia crisis in an all-party meeting, outlining its strategy for ensuring the security of the Indian diaspora, fulfilling energy needs, and maintaining diplomatic relations with key partners. The government also dismissed Pakistan's reported mediation efforts.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faces a significant setback with the departure of seven MPs, including prominent figures, impacting its parliamentary strength and preparedness for upcoming elections. This exodus follows a turbulent period marked by the arrests of key leaders and raises questions about the party's future.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS) in Delhi to discuss the global situation following the attack on Iran and the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The tax is collected by brokers on behalf of the government and forms a key component of the Centre's tax revenues.
In a major embarrassment to the Congress-led United Democratic Frontn government in Kerala, state Finance Minister K M Mani was on Thursday booked by the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau in the bar bribe scam.
A Delhi court has granted transit remand to Telangana Police for two Delhi-based bank employees arrested in connection with a cyber fraud targeting a retired doctor in Hyderabad.
There are wide spread speculations in corridors of power in the Capital that Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia may take over as the next finance minister of India.
M Govinda Rao hopes the Budget will contain the deficit while continuing to create conditions for pushing growth.
The minister customarily meets industry chambers, industrialists, economists, agriculturalists, trade unions and so on for pre-Budget interactions.
Will he tax the salaried class more? Will he give respite to the corporates? Will he smile at the housewife, the pensioner, the middle class? Will he usher in more reforms to boost the economy?
There were two questions everyone wanted to know the answer to. 1. Did Raghuram Rajan advise the Congress on the much-discussed NYAY scheme, as claimed by Rahul Gandhi? 2. Will Raghuram Rajan become India's next finance minister?
