"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."
Food production in the current fiscal is likely to go down as sowing will be 20 per cent lower due to the weak monsoon, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday. Also, 161 districts have been declared drought-prone, he added.
Having rejected the three names proposed by the Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party combine, the Congress is expected to come out with the name of the United Progressive Alliance candidate either on Thursday or Friday.
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.
President Pranab Mukherjee has convened a three-day Governors conference from February 12 to articulate the stability of the Union Government, anticipating a hung Parliament in May 2014.
The money, together with disinvestment proceeds, is crucial for Mukherjee to meet his fiscal deficit target of 5.5 per cent for 2010-11 from 6.7 per cent in 2009-10.
Mukherjee could not implement nine of the promises he made in his Budget for 2009-10 and most of these pertained to significant areas of the economy.
White Papers, which are issued by the government, lay out the policy or proposed action on topics of current concern.
"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.
India's Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will arrive in London on Thursday to participate in the two-day G20 Finance Ministers' and Bank Governors' meeting commencing on Friday to discuss the financial crisis.
The government on Saturday said it has served notices to 17 persons who allegedly kept untaxed money in foreign banks and prosecution has begun against them, but refused to reveal their names. The comments, made by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, came a day after some media reports revealed names of 15 entities, including individuals and trusts, who allegedly kept illicit money in LGT Bank of Liechtenstein, an European country neighbouring Switzerland.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said the Direct Taxes Code (DTC), which will replace the Income Tax Act, is proposed to be implemented from April 1, 2012."
The decision was taken a meeting held by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi with Mukherjee, Chidambaram and other senior leaders like A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Prithviraj Chavan and Saifuddin Soz, party sources said
Ahead of the crucial meeting of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam top brass in Chennai, Congress on Saturday signalled that its seven-year-old alliance with the Dravidian party in poll-bound Tamil Nadu, would be saved.
Making a strong defence of the nuclear deal during the debate on confidence motion, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee rejected the Left parties' allegations of betrayal and took potshots at leader of opposition Lal Kishenchand Advani, saying he should not "distort" facts in "over enthusiasm" to score political points.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said surging food and fuel prices amid weak global economic growth are adversely impacting GDP growth of the country.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the government is examining the decision of the Income Tax tribunal in the Bofors case and will decide the future course of action later.
The Union defence minister, however, said India wanted to strengthen its "good" relations with Pakistan.
Hitting back at the Bharatiya Janata Party for demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into the 2G spectrum allocation, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said it had no right to speak on the issue as the Tehelka sting operation had earlier exposed its party president taking a bribe on camera. "People should not forget what we have seen in the earlier regime, what happened in Tehelka. How the president of a national party was found taking money," he said.
Ending days of suspense, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday made it clear that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was her first choice for Presidentship and Vice President Hamid Ansari was also in the reckoning.
GDP growth in 2010-11 stood at 8.5 per cent.
The two parties are deadlocked over on a deal over sharing of seats following DMK's decision on Saturday to pull out its ministers from the UPA government over Congress attitude.
However, so far only 16 states have amended their Acts based on the model provided by the centre.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee might have to fall back on divestment and other non-tax revenue sources while presenting the Budget for 2009-10 on July 6, economists believe.
The Empowered Group of Ministers, which is looking into the debacle of the Dabhol power project
Insisting that all options are open on dealing with terrorism emanating from Pakistan, The government said on Sunday that nobody should think that India is "helpless" and asserted that the menace would be confronted with "courage and fortitude".
Mukherjee is in Washington, DC to co-chair the US-India CEO's Forum with US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
The economic stimulus package to protect the country from the impact of the global financial crisis would continue till the economies of Europe and the US recover, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday.
India is ready to share more information with Pakistan if Islamabad wants any more dossiers to further its investigation into the 26/11 Mumbai attack, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said. He reiterated that Pakistan has not given any report to India on its probe into the terror strikes and that a lot of reports have appeared in the media in this regard. Mukherjee's statement contradicts that of National Security advisor M K Narayanan.
Describing the Mumbai attacks as the "most gruesome" manifestation of terrorism, India on Thursday asserted that it will use all means at its command to put an end to the cross-border scourge. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Mumbai was chosen as a target by Pakistani terrorists as they wanted to hit India's business and corporate "vistas".
On the occasion of his 81st birthday, political leaders across parties and other eminent personalities greeted President Pranab Mukherjee.
"We are for fight against terrorists and all sorts of terrorism. Therefore, we have no sympathy for any terrorist activity indulged in by any organisation, particularly LTTE (which) is a banned organisation in India," he told media persons. He made the remarks hours before his departure to Sri Lanka, where the government has claimed to have captured Mullaithivu, the last bastion of LTTE.
Mukherjee said uncertainty was still there on oil prices front due to unrest in West Asia and North Africa.
Slowly, Rahul Gandhi is becoming more pro-active and taking a great deal of interest in matters of governance and key programmes of the United Progressive Alliance government. On Thursday, Rahul called on Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at his residence (the first time he paid such a visit) with a Budget wish-list.
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".
"Terrorism remains a scourge for our region. If a country cannot keep the assurances that it has given, then it obliges us to consider the entire range of options that exist to protect our interests and people from this menace," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, without naming Islamabad.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said the wrong policy and non-functional police of the Left Front government in West Bengal were responsible for the rise of Maoism in the state. "The Left Front government should be blamed for the rise of Maoists in West Bengal. Their wrong policy and non-functional police have allowed the Maoists to enter the state and strengthen their base in Junglemahal," the senior Congress leader told an election rally at Harishchandrapur.
From starting off his career a teacher in West Bengal to joining politics and holding several ministerial positions, it has been an enviable journey for Pranab Mukherjee through the echelons of power.
The controversial note on the 2G spectrum allocation by the finance ministry, which created a storm by suggestion that the then finance minister P Chidambram could have prevented the scam by enforcing the spectrum auction, was drafted after consultation with the Prime Minister's Office and officials of the cabinet secretariat.
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