In a major embarrassment to the Bharatiya Janata Party's Karnataka unit, Pranab Mukherjee, United Progressive Alliance's candidate who was on Sunday elected President of India, got more votes than expected in the BJP-ruled state.
The Finance Ministry on Friday said that no bugging device was found within its premises, including the office of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, and the suspicious adhesive discovered was chewing gum-like material.
In the turf war between the battered Communist Party of India-Marxist and its arch rival, Trinamool Congress, veteran Congressman and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has found a new place of prominence.
After startling revelations of a possible security breach in his office came to the fore, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said that investigating agencies found nothing during their probe at his office. In September last year, Mukherjee wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asking him to order a "secret inquiry" about the presence of "planted adhesives" in 16 key locations in his office, a leading English daily had reported.
The Finance Minister said government set targets assuming normal conditions.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday strongly refuted observations by US think-tanks, the government and industry that India has gone slow on economic reforms and insisted that a series of reforms are in the process, which will lead to the next round of growth.
Perturbed by high inflation despite the Reserve Bank of India's monetary tightening initiatives, India on Monday asked Britain for lessons to rein in price rise.
There was considerable disquiet in the Congress after Mukherjee accepted the invitation of the RSS to address its workers at its headquarters in Nagpur.
"The Narendra Modi government has not properly utilised funds for the construction of roads under the Gramya Sadak Yojna and the National Employment Guarantee Scheme," Mukherjee said. Speaking to reporters, Mukherjee said that though the Centre had allocated funds to Gujarat for the construction of 1,100 kms of roads under the Yojana, only 179 km roads had been laid.
President Pranab Mukherji 'Indra Dhanush' floated a music extravaganza outfit at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan and held its first World Flute Festival to commemorate Krishna Jayanti on Sunday.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said that G-20 countries, a club of developed and developing nations, have agreed to continue with the stimulus packages till the global economy fully recovers.
President emphasises on innovation for economic progress.
With BJP president Nitin Gadkari refusing to take back his Afzal Guru 'son-in-law of Congress' remark, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said some decency was expected in comments by political leaders.
TMC leaders say party may do a rethink on UPA's choice for President. Kavita Chowdhury reports
He is not one for eating out, reveals Himanshu Sehgal of My Yellow Plate.
"I want to congratulate President Mukherjee on his swearing-in as the 13th President of India. President Mukherjee has been a strong partner to America and the American people, working throughout his career to deepen our cooperation on a wide range of issues," Clinton said in a statement.
Senior Congress leader and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee resigned as chief of party's West Bengal unit on Sunday citing "heavy government responsibilities", and Congress Legislature Party leader Manas Ranjan Bhunia was appointed to the post by Sonia Gandhi.
President elect Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi and other top leaders at their memorials in New Delhi before heading to Parliament to take oath as the 13th President of India.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said that the economy was expected to revive in the second half of the year on the back of the latest Index of Industrial Production numbers, return of foreign institutional investors to the markets over the last two months and the normal functioning of the credit markets
Union Minister of State for Finance S S Palanimanickam of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam will skip his boss Pranab Mukherjee's Budget presentation on Friday.
Eminent lawyer and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ram Jethmalani on Saturday launched himself in the race to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Even as the Congress Working Committee met on Monday morning to salute its seniormost member Pranab Mukherjee (who became a CWC member in 1978) and put on record its appreciation of his services both in the party and the government, the union finance minister spent his day tying up loose ends and saying his goodbyes.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday met President Pranab Mukherjee in the midst of a raging speculation over a reshuffle of the Union Cabinet, which now appears to be on the cards only late this month or early next month.
The minister further said that he would respond to the issues in his reply to the discussion on the Finance Bill 2011, later during this session.
The move comes in the backdrop of a slowdown in the foreign direct investments and its impact on the current account deficit.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's Budget presentation on Monday was in sharp contrast to his colleague Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's disorderly and oft-disrupted performance.
The first task before Mukherjee, who was also in charge of the finance minister in the previous government, would be to present the budget for 2009-10 and spell out policies and priorities of the new United Progressive Alliance government. The minister at his office was received at by key finance ministry functionaries, including finance secretary Ashok Chawla, revenue secretary P V Bhide, expenditure secretary Sushma Nath and chief economic advisor Arvind Virmani.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday announced its support to the United Progressive Alliance presidential nominee, Pranab Mukherjee.
Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy's remarks that Mahatma Gandhi would have turned corrupt in the present day politics on Monday drew sharp reaction from leaders including Gandhian Anna Hazare, who wondered how the country could eliminate corruption if leaders talk like this.
The Opposition says Pranab Mukherjee, who was the chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute Council, did not quit that office before filing the papers for his Presidential run. Mukherjee knows exactly how tricky these details can be, and how they can trip up even the most seasoned politician, says T V R Shenoy.
Troubleshooter for the Congress and the government not long ago, Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday refrained from making any comments on UPA-II at a time when it is accused of non-performance.
The CD, which will have 1940s' film songs, will remind Pakistanis of undivided India and the undivided talent in the Bombay film industry. The first song is Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya by Kundan Lal Sehgal from the film Shahjahan. The album signs off with the title track of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna by Sonu Nigam.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh late on Tuesday night and is understood to have briefed him about his talks with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Concerned over a spike in crude oil prices in international markets due to turmoil in West Asia, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday the government is monitoring the situation and will manage it.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday called for close cooperation between India and Bangladesh for building mutual trust to combat the threat of terrorism.
A day after Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee trashed Team Anna's allegations of corruption against him, its key member Arvind Kejriwal said he should face an independent probe to prove his innocence.
In the first seven months of 2011-12, the Centre's fiscal deficit has crossed 74 per cent of the year's target. Inflation has been over 9 per cent for a year, despite food inflation falling considerably.
