India Inc on Tuesday described Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as industry's Sachin Tendulkar saying the veteran leader was steering the economy "with ease of a seasoned player" in difficult times.
On the eve of the Supreme Court hearing of his petition on age, Army Chief Gen V K Singh on Thursday met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who has been informally acting as a trouble-shooter in the controversy.
The Reserve Bank of India chief also reviewed the high-level of inflation with the Finance Minister, ahead of the quarterly review of monetary policy next week, amidst expectations of another hike in key interest rates.
Mukherjee's family and relatives paid their last respects clad in PPE kits while conforming to COVID-19 safeguards.
The finance minister as part of his pre-Budget consultations is meeting industry bodies and ministers and has slotted Deora for June 15, a source said. On Deora's agenda will be getting back the seven-year exemption or holiday from payment of income tax for natural gas producers. He may also press for infrastructure status for natural gas.
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee has asked the United States to ease restrictions on supply of dual use nuclear and space technologies, which he said were needed to realise its economic potential
Reverting to high growth, managing inflation and insulating India from adverse global economic situation are the major challenges before the country, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Friday.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday described the failure of talks between India's telecom giant Bharti Airtel and South Africa's MTN on the $23 billion merger deal as "part of the game".
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said the Indian economy could grow by 7.5 to 8 per cent during the current financial year, though price rise and fiscal consolidation remained areas of concern.
Other noted personalities to be bestowed with the Padma Vibhushan include noted playback singer Asha Bhosle, chess wizard Vishwanathan Anand, mountainer Edmund Hillary and industrialists Ratan Naval Tata, Infosys mentor N R Narayana Murthy, steel tycoon Lakshmi Narayan Mittal and hotelier P R S Oberoi.
Strongly defending its decision to allow FDI in retail, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday told Congress Members of Parliament that the government was "compelled" to suspend the move to avoid "pre-mature elections". Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party, Mukherjee also apologised to members who had supported the government in allowing FDI in retail but said going ahead with the decision could have created a "crisis" for the government.
The minister said at a time when banks in the US and Europe needed government support for survival, banks in India were strong enough to sustain on their own.
Amid recessionary fears in advanced economies, India's Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has called for channelising global surpluses to build infrastructure in developing nations to boost world economy.
Amid the rituals of Maha Ashtami (the third day of the five-day festival), Pranab Mukherjee spoke to Shine Jacob on the Moody's downgrade of State Bank of India and other issues.
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday refused to comment on a letter sent by his ministry to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the 2G spectrum scam, saying he cannot make any remark on the matter as it is "subjudice".
Kashmiri Pandits have impressed upon the central government that there should be no dilution of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and nothing should be done to weaken the state's integration with the country. A group of Kashmiri Pandits met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Delhi on Sunday night and apprised him of their views on the current volatile situation in the state.
As the United Progressive Alliance government desperately fights the perception of a policy paralysis, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee dismisses it with equal vehemence contending that the coalition was set on achieving higher economic growth.
Mukherjee said the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including economic and commercial cooperation, was reviewed during the the meeting.
The finance minister said the early signs of improvement in the Indian economy are seen despite no big recovery visible in the global economy.
Scotching speculation about early polls, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has made it clear that the survival of the government was more important than the Indo-US nuclear deal and the Left parties will have to be taken on board. He ruled out the possibility of a minority government signing the nuclear agreement, saying the US was not ready for it.
Denel was blacklisted after the CBI started a probe into reports that the company had paid commissions to middlemen to clinch a deal for selling anti-material rifles to India.
The country's economy is estimated to grow at 7.2 per cent in 2009-10 from 6.7 per cent last fiscal. Inflation on Monday rose to 8.56 per cent in January from 7.31 per cent in the previous month on various food items turning costlier.
The defence minister indicated that major defence deals like building of French Scorpion submarines and multi-role fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force would go through.
Large number of terror camps active along LoC: Pranab
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who took additional charge of the finance ministry recently, has rejected a Planning Commission proposal to increase the upper limit for Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for infrastructure projects coming up under the public-private partnership model.
Presenting the Interim Budget in Lok Sabha, the minister said the enactment of the Act by the Centre and many states has 'bridged a critical gap in the public decision-making process and ushered in greater accountability of public servants.'
Industrial production, measured by the index of industrial production, slowed to a 20 month low of 1.6 per cent in December, from 2.7 per cent in November 2010.
Fearing further moderation in economic growth in the next fiscal, the government on Friday said it would take more steps to boost the labour-intensive sectors.
The sharp decline in rupee against the dollar is a cause of concern and there are expectations that steps would be announced to boost the domestic currency, the finance minister said.
The standoff over Women's Reservation Bill ended on Thursday with the government announcing that the proposed legislation would be brought in the Lok Sabha only after consultations with all sections.
"We expect Pakistan to do whatever it has committed. We want it to fulfill its promises, fulfill its commitments as a responsible nation of the international community," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told media persons, adding, "No responsible nation can escape its commitment."
Government on Friday did not rule out setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe into the Indian Premier League controversy with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee saying a decision would be taken after 'due diligence.'
The chief minister said he recently had meetings with the prime minister, union home minister and foreign minister and discussed matters pertaining to the dialogue and peace.
Toughening its stand, key United Progessive Alliance constituent Trinamool Congress on Thursday said if the Congress names Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee or Vice President Hamid Ansari as its Presidential candidate, it will "contest" the election with A P J Abdul Kalam as its nominee.
Describing the prevailing global situation as "complex", Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today attributed the sharp fall in the stock markets to uncertainty over resolving the Eurozone problems in the wake of the Greek crisis.
Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill; Will introduce a white paper on black money in current session: FM
"Our advice is not to further escalate tension and defuse the situation through dialogue and discussion."
With External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee set to visit Iran on February 6, there will be more than one pair of eyes watching the visit closely.
