As Bharatiya Janata Party backed P A Sangma in the Presidential race, Congress on Thursday rejected as "childish" the Opposition party's complaint that it was not consulted before UPA zeroed in on Pranab Mukherjee as its candidate.
Trinamool Congress strategy of opposing the United Progressive Alliance candidate has raised question mark over its continuance in the Congress-led coalition.
The White Paper, which was tabled by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha, also did not provide government's estimate of black money, within and outside the country, though it quoted various estimates of other agencies on the issue.
Members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha on Saturday debated and discussed the issue of the Jan Lokpal bill, for which activist Anna Hazare has been on a hunger strike since the last 12 days.
Amid vociferous protests by the Opposition on the plight of farmers due to lack of storage for record production of foodgrains, government on Monday admitted a mismatch between procurement and storage and said efforts were on to ease pressure on godowns by encouraging exports and providing foodgrain to MNREGA workers as part of wages.
The just-concluded Indo-US end-user monitoring defence agreement on Tuesday created heat in the Lok Sabha with Opposition parties demanding an immediate statement on the pact, which they charged compromised the country's security and sovereignty.
Skating on a razor-thin majority in the Lok Sabha, the Congress managers have zeroed in on Ajit Singh and his five Members of Parliament to lend support to the United Progressive Alliance government to give the government a much needed cushion, and also to help the party get a Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee while presenting the budget 2009-10 in Lok Sabha on Monday said that the details about this expert group will be announced by the minister of petroleum and natural gas.
"The life of a Finance Minister is not easy. Various players, including policy makers, politicians, agriculturists and business houses, participate in the making of the economy."
The government on Monday proposed removing the sectoral restriction on venture capital funds, a move that will allow more startups beyond the current nine sectors to get access to growth-stage capital.
The government said it will provide capital support of Rs 15,888 crore (Rs 158.88 billion) to public sector banks and financial institutions during the next fiscal to strengthen their capital base.
"Our traditional stand has been that we have never supported any country-specific resolution at the UNHCHR," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha as DMK, AIADMK and CPI members rushed to the Well raising slogans on the issue.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee while presenting the Budget 2009-10 in Lok Sabha on Monday stated that the target for the agriculture credit flow for the year 2009-10 is being set at Rs 3,25,000 crore. Agricuture credit flow for the year 2008-09 was Rs 2,87,000 crore.
The controversial VVIP chopper scam is set to turn the three-month-long Budget session of Parliament beginning Thursday into a troubled affair for the government with the Opposition raring for an attack eyeing the Lok Sabha polls which are not far away.
Acting finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, in a written reply, said Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Petroleum Ltd was one of the 19 companies against which complaints of insider trading were received by market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India.
The United Progressive Alliance government is working towards re-introducing the Land Acquisition Bill in Parliament in the Winter Session to ensure the protection of farmers' interests who play an important positive role in food security, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict for December 5 as to whether the plea of former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma, challenging the election of Pranab Mukherjee as president, deserves a "regular hearing" or not.
'I want to ask the Congress only one question: What is more important than election management in politics?'
The government on Monday asserted that India was not worried by the decision of G-8 nations to curb the transfer of some sensitive nuclear technology to nations which have not signed the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty. The statement from Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee came after Left parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party were seen on the same side in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, demanding a discussion on the key issue.
Abjijit Mukherjee, son of President Pranab Mukherjee and Congress candidate on Saturday won the Jangipur Lok Sabha by-election by 2,536 votes defeating his nearest Communist Party of India-Marxist rival Muzaffar Hussain.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said the agreement signed with Switzerland for sharing banking information on demand is likely to come into force by September.
It will be ready for field trials by the end of December, the government told the Lok Sabha.
In an informal discussion with rediff.com late on Thursday evening, Kolkata-based economist Abhirup Sarkar discussed this burning issue.
Tourism and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja has welcomed the proposals made in the Union Budget 2010-2011 in tourism and housing & urban poverty alleviation sectors.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, while presenting the Union Budget in Lok Sabha on Friday, announced grant of project import status to 'Monorail projects for urban transport' at a concessional basic duty of 5 per cent.
The Left on Tuesday accused the government of asking central public sector enterprises to raise capital from a sinking stock market and saw a game to hand over their shares to private sector at throwaway prices.
The monsoon session of Parliament has been further delayed, indicating that the session may be convened on August 7 instead of earlier planned July 30.
Former speaker of Lok Sabha P A Sangma, who is in the fray for the Presidential poll, on Wednesday resigned from the Nationalist Congress Party.NCP chief Sharad Pawar had urged Sangma to withdraw from the contest, after the ruling United Progressive Alliance unanimously nominated senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee as it its candidate for the President's post.
The government on Wednesday admitted in the Lok Sabha that Pakistan had clandestinely acquired know-how on nuclear weapons technology. In a written reply, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said New Delhi has consistently shared its concerns regarding the adverse effects of such developments on India's security with the international community.
The Budget session of the Parliament is likely to begin from February 25 with the Presidential Address to a joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha followed by presentation of rail budget and general budget on February 26 and 28.
The White Paper, which was tabled by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha, also did not provide government's estimate of black money, within and outside the country, though it quoted various estimates of other agencies on the issue.
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, whose absence from the Lok Sabha was noticed by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee while presenting the Union Budget for 2011-12, has injured himself while exercising and has been advised complete rest for four weeks.
The Survey points out that the increased Minimum Support Price along with various other steps taken by the Government have resulted in higher levels of food-grains.
Rediff.com brings to you Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's Railway Budget Speech Live from Parliament at 12.00 noon, February 25
One thing is clear from watching MPs on the Lok Sabha's biggest day: the only thing that unites them is the words "outlay was doubled".
Tax collection at source on purchase, in cash, of bullion or jewellery in excess of Rs 2 lakh is one step announced.
Much before the honeymoon ended with the public, the Manmohan Singh government delivered a shock in the form of the fuel price hike -- an act of confident UPA -- to compensate the losses of 2010 Union budget.
An overwhelming majority of MPs think that in less than five years the Lokpal will become the most corrupt institution in India. Sheela Bhatt reports.
Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Bannerjee's ultimatum of "48 hours" to finalise sharing of seats in West Bengal worked. Without asking for more seats, the Congress on Thursday talked of "larger perspective of defeating the Communist Party of India-Marxist" in deciding to contest only 14 Lok Sabha seats, leaving the remaining 26 seats in the state for her party.
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