India's ties with Thailand will get a further boost with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit in Bangkok next week, but the long awaited FTA will not be signed during the trip aimed at elevating bilateral relations into a 'strategic partnership'.
Other panelists of the 23-member council includes external affairs minister S M Krishna, City group CEO Vikram Pandit, NRI entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria, economist Jagdish Bhagwati, educationist Sam Pitroda.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi are expected to meet on Friday evening in the backdrop of opposition demand for a probe by a joint parliamentary committee into the Indian Premier League controversy.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday described as "worrisome" reports that Indian Consulate General in Jalalabad was the target of a terror plot in Afghanistan.
The United States, which foiled a major terror plot by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba to target India, has cited legal limitations in allowing Indian investigators to quiz arrested operatives David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Rana. US National Security Adviser James Jones said President Barack Obama has shown personal interest in the Headley-Rana case and the matter was discussed during his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday.
Sheela Bhatt, who traveled with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the BRICS Summit in Durban, gauges the buzz ahead of the event that begins Tuesday.
Terming the National Sports Development Bill a "landmark initiative" aimed at "stemming the rot" in Indian sports, legendary athlete PT Usha has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure that it is cleared by the Cabinet and passed by the Parliament.
Dalbir Kaur, the sister of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian on death row in Pakistan following his conviction for alleged involvement in bomb attacks, has reached Jaipur in her endavour to meet visiting Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.
Experts tell the PM that India's nuclear power plants are designed differently from the ones in Japan, so a similar crisis is unlikely to happen here. Also it seems certain that events in Japan are unlikely to dampen India's nuclear energy plans. Sheela Bhatt reports.
An unidentified person along with the official Indian delegation attended the November 24 State Dinner President Barack Obama hosted for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a media report said on Monday.
India has conveyed its concerns to Beijing over the presence of Chinese troops and their activities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
China was a major focus during talks between United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Indian political leadership during his two-day visit.
'I give a lot of credit to Rahul Gandhi for standing up and fighting it for a long time and surviving, nobody else would have been able to survive'
As the country embarked upon setting up new IITs, IIMs and central universities, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said attracting the best faculty for these premier institutions remains a problem.
Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas has dragged Dr Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the controversy surrounding the Palmolein import case. In his latest affidavit, Thomas states the PM knew about his pending Palmolein import case since 2008 and the Kerala government's request to withdraw sanction of prosecution.
The reforms in September improved business sentiment but as economy slows firms are restraining from fresh investments.
Asserting that India has made tremendous progress under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Indian National Overseas Congress USA has said that The Washington Post article on the architect of economic reforms has done grave injustice to the legacy of a great man.
The Indian Olympic Association has set up an Ethics Commission comprising three former Supreme Court and High Court judges to look into matters related to 'ethical principles of the Olympic movement'.
Shashi Tharoor, who is in the midst of a controversy regarding his role in the Kochi Indian Premier League franchise, has become a liability for the Congress party.
Differences between the Home and Defence ministries on the use of special forces of the Army and setting up of a unified command centre for anti-Naxal operations today came to the fore at the Cabinet Committee on Security meet on Thursday, which ended without any decision being taken.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was the chief guest at the Golden Jubilee Convocation at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay at Powai. This is how he inspired the students of the prestigious institute.
The second conference of the Heads of Indian Missions abroad began on Monday morning at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The four-day conference will comprise three days of active sessions with many thematic discussions and debates. Dr Singh will address the diplomats on Tuesday morning.The conference was formally inaugurated by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna. In his address, the EAM said, "Development, inclusive economichave to be our main goals".
Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are not eligible to travel by IAF aircraft and helicopters. They have to travel in the company of eligible persons which includes the prime minister, the home minister and the defence minister for official purposes.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh summoned Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday and asked him to explain why he had made the uncalled-for comments earlier.
The Centre is contemplating raising an Arunachal regiment of the Indian Army, on the lines of the Ladakh Scouts formed in 1963, to protect the northeastern state from Chinese incursions.The proposal, initiated by the Arunachal Pradesh government, has reportedly been approved by both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony; the latter is now drawing up a proposal to present it before the Union Cabinet.
Pakistan expressed hope on Tuesday night that the issue of an Indian woman diplomat being arrested on charges of spying for the Inter-Services-Intelligence would not overshadow the expected meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in Thimphu.
Polling is scheduled in all 20 seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, six seats in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Bihar, three seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir.
With his new book creating a major controversy, former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai on Tuesday said he has nothing personal against former prime minister Manmohan Singh, but all the "acclaim and the blame" has to be taken by the head of the government.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had reported a "serious breach of security" in his office in a letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September last year. In his letter, Mukherjee claimed that "planted adhesives" were found in 16 locations including at his office, the offices of his advisor Omita Paul and private secretary Manoj Pant and two conference rooms used by the finance ministry. Mukherjee clarified that no microphone or recording devices were found.
It's time India re-visited its Western alliances for the attitude and approach that the West reserves for the nation when it comes to security cooperation of the kind that they might not have visualised outside of China, India's bug-bear, asserts N Sathiya Moorthy.
The issue of foreign direct investment in retail came to haunt the government again in Parliament with a united Opposition demanding an inquiry and reply from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on reports of Wal-Mart spending huge money to lobby for entry into the Indian market.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Karunanidhi said, "There is no requirement of joint patrolling at this juncture. The issue of joint patrolling was once discussed and did not find favour with our government due to a number of reasons."
The government should 'encourage infrastructure funding by mandating five or six institutions to create an infra bond market,' IMC President Gul Kripalani said in the action plan submitted to the prime minister. It wanted deregulation of the labour market to stimulate investment and employment. 'Encourage contract labour employment to enhance labour flexibility. Amend labour laws to provide flexibility in respect of entry and exit,' IMC said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the "senseless act of violence and barbarism" in Kabul on Friday, saying the Indians who were killed in the bomb attack were on a "mission of goodwill and friendship".
"The government is willing to talk to every person or group in Kashmir which abjures violence, within the framework of the Constitution," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday. "Unrest in Jammu and Kashmir over the last few weeks is a matter of concern," said Dr Singh, adding, "The youth of Kashmir are our citizens and their grievances have to be addressed." The prime minister was speaking on the vicious cycle of violence and killing of civilians in firing.
'I am still the girl who grew up in a close family in Madras, in the South of India, and I am deeply connected to the lessons and culture of my youth. I am also the woman who arrived in the US at age twenty-three to study and work and, somehow, rose to lead an iconic company, a journey that I believe is possible only in America. I belong in both worlds,' says the ex-Pepsico chief in her memoir
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said Italy's stand on the return of two of its marines to India to face the trial for killing two Indian fishermen has violated all norms of diplomatic discourse.
"If implemented 'honestly and sincerely', the programme would increase the rural income and 'certainly we will be able to soften very considerably the harsh edges of extreme poverty," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.
The meeting, which will take place almost a month after incumbent CIC Wajahat Habibullah resigned, is being looked forward to by RTI activists who have been demanding transparency in the selection process and pressing for the appointment of a non-bureaucrat to the post.
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