With these three recipients, 48 eminent people have been conferred the award so far.
There was a long delay in deciding mercy pleas by the Presidents, which was also highlighted by the Supreme Court on Ffriday, but the situation changed when Pranab Mukherjee took charge on July 25 last year, disposing of petitions of 16 condemned prisoners within nine months.
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday assured that West Bengal would be provided all assistance to tide over its financial crisis.
Brushing aside speculations of tension with ally Trinamool Congress, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said the two parties would form an alliance to fight the 2011 Assembly election.
Hazarika and Deshmukh were given the Bharat Ratna posthumously.
A festive atmosphere prevailed outside the residence of Pranab Mukherjee with beating of drums, distribution of sweets and bursting of crackers as a host of political leaders, associates and his relatives congratulated him on being declared elected as President.
Inflation has remained stubbornly close to double-digit levels during the first quarter of the current fiscal.
On Wednesday, Mukherjee addressed two press conferences at the International Monetary Fund.
Key United Progressive Alliance ally Mamata Banerjee, who kept up the suspense till the last moment before backing Pranab Mukherjee in the Presidential elections, on Wednesday attended Mukherjee's oath taking ceremony while no Chief Minister from Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states were present.
'The Presidential Years' would be the fourth to be authored by Mukherjee, who passed away on Monday at the R&R hospital at the age of 84.
The Indian Statistical Institute on Monday said that Pranab Mukherjee resigned as chairman of the ISI council on June 20, much before filing his nomination as the presidential candidate, though his name was still on its website. "Pranab babu has already submitted his resignation as ISI council chairman on June 20. But by mistake, Mukherjee's name continues to be on the ISI's official website. It still consists of names of several retired and veterans," said an ISI official.
The nation on Saturday remembered former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 31st death anniversary with President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and other leaders paying tributes at her memorial in New Delhi.
Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary and Member of Legislative Assembly Subal Bhowmick on Monday alleged that a group of Congress activists had assaulted Abhijit Mukherjee, a Congress MLA from West Bengal and son of President Pranab Mukherjee, on Thursday at Bamutia, nearly 35 km from Agartala.
Pranab Mukherjee, United Progressive Alliance's nominee for the Presidential poll, on Saturday said he was not surprised by the decision of ally Trinamool Congress's chief Mamata Banerjee not to support his candidature.
"Yes, if the crisis deepens further and there is greater volatility in financial flows, there is an increased risk of this (currency war) happening," Mukherjee said in response to a question.
P A Sangma, former speaker and a candidate for the President's post, on Monday expressed hope that the Election Commission was aware of the fact that United Progressive Alliance's candidate Pranab Mukherjee held an office of profit while filing his nomination for the post.
P A Sangma, former speaker and a candidate for the President's post, on Monday expressed hope that the Election Commission was aware of the fact that United Progressive Alliance's candidate Pranab Mukherjee held an office of profit while filing his nomination for the post.
Opposition Presidential nominee P A Sangma on Monday sought cancellation of nomination of United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee under the office of profit rules on the ground that he is the chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute.
Pranab Mukherjee, who seems headed towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan, on Saturday turned nostalgic at his ancestral house in Bengal's Birbhum district.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday met senior Congress colleagues, including Pranab Mukherjee, to discuss the Presidential poll issue ahead of the United Progressive Alliance meeting.
Pranab Mukherjee and P A Sangma will file their nominations on Thursday, setting off the presidential race between the United Progressive Alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party-backed opposition candidate in which the ruling alliance is set for a runaway victory.
At the 13 Talkatora Road bungalow, his home for 16 years, Mukherjee confessed: "Unlike the Lok Sabha elections, in this election, there is no worry."
A Trinamool Congress leader on Sunday said UPA Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee had all along been a "close friend" of the Marxists from the beginning of his political career to its end.
With the rupee fast losing value against the US dollar, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday blamed volatility in global commodity prices for currency depreciation and said deteriorating balance of payment (BoP) situation in several Asian countries also put stress on currencies.
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday said lack of proper training was found to be the major reason for the large number of fighter plane accidents.
The expectations of our people and that of our global collaborators and the foreign investors from us are high and rising. In the best of times these expectations would rest heavily on our shoulders.
Veteran Congressman Pranab Mukherjee on Monday took over as the Finance Minister and held meetings with top ministry officials to deliberate on various issues faced by the slackening economy as well as the forthcoming Budget.
Infosys chief mentor N R Narayan Murthy and renowned hotelier P R S Oberoi were also conferred with the award. The first man to step on the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary was conferred the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who gave up his smoking pipe years ago, feels that others too deserve encouragement to kick the habit and hence has subject tobacco products to higher taxation, while exempting toy balloons from central excise duty.
The sister of Sarabjit Singh, the death row prisoner languishing in a Pakistani jail, on Friday met President Pranab Mukherjee, seeking his intervention for his release and demanded that the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad visit him in the prison to check on his health.
The President later wrote in the Visitors' Book that "the National Martyrs memorial symbolises Bangladesh's struggle for justice, emancipation and independence. It reminds us of the valiant sacrifices made by innumerable men, women and children who fought for their homeland -- Sonar Bangla. I pay my deep respect and homage to all those martyrs."
Known to be a workaholic, Pranab Mukherjee had a tight schedule on Thursday -- the first working day of his Presidency -- as he held a series of meetings. He also received Vice President Hamid Ansari at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday called on President Pranab Mukherjee, official sources said.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday night sent a strong message to Bangladesh, rocked by violence, counselling that political differences should be resolved through dialogue and communal peace and harmony maintained.
President Pranab Mukherjee and Bangladesh Prime Minister Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday jointly inaugurated the locomotives and wagons supplied under a $800 million line of credit extended by India, reflecting growing bilateral ties in infrastructure sector.
Taking a tough stance, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said that Pakistan had been given enough evidence regarding the Mumbai terror attacks and 'Islamabad must act'."We can deal only with the government of the day. Therefore, all arguments which are coming from the other side (Pakistan) are not really convincing," Mukherjee said.
United Progressive Alliance's Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee will file his nomination papers on Thursday at 11 am in the midst of changing political alignments, with the UPA largely intact while the National Democratic Alliance in considerable disarray as its trusted allies have openly sided with the 'master troubleshooter,' saying Pranab is the best candidate for the country's top job.
Rubbishing reports that he had made a threatening phone call to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari after Mumbai strikes, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today regretted Islamabad giving credibility to a "hoax" call and said it was a bid to divert attention from the fact that Pakistani elements had launched "attack on India".
Finance Minister is unhappy over lack of storage capacity.
