Pranab's earlier fear of Sonia relying too heavily on a coterie due to her lack of experience turned out to be unfounded. As per Pranab, Sonia had her close advisers but she did not follow anyone's advice blindly. A fascinating excerpt from Sharmistha Mukherjee's Pranab, My Father: A Daughter Remembers.
Top government officials in New Delhi have started discussions with stakeholders ranging from shipping and container companies to export promotion councils to understand the impact of the Iran-Israel tensions and plan ahead. Inter-ministerial talks are also being lined up amid the crisis situation in West Asia, sources confirmed. While the crude flows are not directly under any threat, elevated oil prices remain a concern, according to officials.
Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai, who is retiring on Thursday after 39 years of service, told rediff.com in an exclusive interview, that, "No bugging took place" in the office of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday jokingly stated, "I have become an antique piece," about his transition from an active political life to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. "Of course, it (being the President) has the other side of the picture that perhaps I have become an antique piece in the theatre of Indian economic activities," Mukerjee said.
Set to file nomination papers for the Presidential poll, a sentimental Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday resigned as finance minister to "embark on a new journey", leaving behind his four-decade stint as a political activist.
False and acrimonious debates such as Modi versus Manmohan might allow for victories that are political and partisan. But the real loser is the nation, India and Bharat, notes Arvind Subramanian, former chief economic advisor to the Modi government in its first term.
'There was trust, but perhaps there was also this apprehension that given the supreme post of prime minister, Sonia Gandhi felt her authority may be a challenged.'
The commission in its report, tabled in Parliament, recommended increase in share of states to 32 per cent of central tax proceeds from the current 30.5 per cent.
A quick assessment of the ground reality will tell you that it is a reflection of the finance ministry's mistaken faith in factors beyond its control.
The flow of funds to Kalignar TV begins on 23rd December 2008 and goes on till August 2009. The Finance Minister during that time was Pranab Mukherjee - the UPA's candidate for the post of Presidency.
The forward process is on, the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee tells NDTV 24x7.
President Pranab Mukherjee addressed a joint session of Parliament ahead of the budget session which began on Tuesday. Here are the highlights of President Pranab Mukherjee's speech:
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presents his 5th Budget in Parliament.
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.
Banks have sought relaxation in norms for classifying loans to delayed infrastructure projects as sub-standard assets even as the Reserve Bank of India has indicated its unwillingness to ease the group exposure ceiling.
As finance ministry officials remained glued to news flashes on the LCD screens in their rooms, others were constantly monitoring news on the web. The support staff got its share of the news feed by keeping a close watch on politicians visiting North Block, reports Vrishti Beniwal
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday hinted at financing for sorting out Eurozone crisis after a credible assessment of solvency problem is made.
Rejecting opposition demands, government on Wednesday refused to make public information received from foreign countries with regard to Indian account holders but expressed readiness to issue an elaborate document on the problem.
P Chidambaram was on Tuesday made the finance minister as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh undertook a minor reshuffle in portfolios in the Union Cabinet, necessitated by the exit of Pranab Mukherjee in June. According to the announcement, Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde is the new home minister in place of Chidambaram.
Falling rupee, sluggish stock market is set to make his task more challenging.
Pranab on Sunday met the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed budget-related issues with him.
The controversial note, made by the finance ministry and sent to the Prime Minister's office on March 25, 2011, involved two Cabinet ministers -- finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and home minister P Chidambaram, who was the finance minister at the time of the 2G scam in 2007-08.
India's macroeconomic authorities must focus on fiscal stabilisation and Mukherjee has to provide the leadership as finance minister.
Duvvuri Subbarao recounts how his tensions with P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee, then finance ministers, over monetary policy spilled over into other issues in the central bank in this excerpt from Who Moved My Interest Rate?, his memoir of his term as Reserve Bank of India governor.
Indian banks, which are increasingly getting worried due to asset-liability mismatch, have sought the government's approval to float tax-free bonds.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed the Union Budget 2009-10, which was presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on the floor of the Parliament on Monday.
India's finance minister Pranab Mukherjee is all set to become the next President of the country.
The Union Budget 2011-12 is just round the corner. On February 28, even as Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announces his Budget proposals there are a lot of challenges that face him.
In a relief to individual tax payers, the government on Friday changed the slabs cutting the rate to 10 per cent for income up to Rs five lakh, while leaving the threshold limit for tax-free income unchanged at Rs 1.6 lakh.
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.
The 2G spectrum case has taken a wild turn with the release of a note that could be a game changer.
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday that there are no reliable estimates of black money generated by Indians within and outside the country, but it is estimated at being between Rs 500 billion and Rs 1,400 billion.
The two entities' combined distribution network would comprise 4,182 banking outlets and 476 ATMs across 34 states and Union territories of India, with more than 31,000 employees serving about 15 million customers across the country.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee seems to have stuck to increasing income for the government as the sole focus of the Budget 2010. The key problem faced by people -- inflation has been thrown out of the window of consideration.
Here is the entire text of the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's Budget Speech:
In her Budget 2023-24 presentation, she also said the Centre will launch the 'Dekho Apna Desh' initiative to promote domestic tourism.
Rediff.com takes a look at the revamped Cabinet of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh:
The announcement came just ahead of the meeting of a ministerial panel, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, to look into the Cairn-Vedanta deal which was struck in August.
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