Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was conspicuous by his absence at a joint group photograph of members of both the Houses on Wednesday to commemorate 60th anniversary of Parliament as he was not informed.
The economic environment is a matter of concern but there is no reason to be pessimistic, said President Pranab Mukherjee during his first visit to Chennai.
"I do not believe in miracles," UPA Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee remarked on Sunday, taking a jibe at his rival P A Sangma who is hoping for a miracle to see him through in the July 19 poll.
Mukherjee said the armed forces were opened to women for combat role in 1991 and at present their percentage is 2.56 in the army, 2.86 in the navy and 5.42 in the air force.
Despite the bitterness between the two, the Didi (West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee) from Kolkata decided to begin a new chapter when she sent Dada (President Pranab Mukherjee) a rakhi to tie on his wrist.
Mukherjee told reporters in Kolkata that two meetings had already been held between the UPA and Left, adding that exchange of notes had also taken place.
Shocked and anguished at the rape of a five-year-old girl here, President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday called for urgent introspection to identify causes behind repeated failure of society to ensure security of women and children.
The overall inflation increased marginally in February to 8.31 per cent from 8.23 per cent a month ago.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that the government will have to find some solution to the feisty issue of opening up of retail sector for FDI.
The minister told Telegu Desam Party member C Ramachandraiah that "if the terrorists are against India today, they are equally against Pakistani establishment." \n\n
When questioned on recent efforts by the US to bring up issues against India at the World Trade Organization, most recently to thwart India's efforts to market generic drugs, Rao reiterated the 'candour in the dialogue' both countries have which had helped maintain a balance, eschewing any extreme decisions.
As the problem of job losses in the domestic economy continues to grow, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will again take up the issue of "protectionist policies" by advanced countries during his G-20 tour. The Union government feels that these policies will add to the massive job losses in the country, especially in labour intensive sectors engaged in exports.
United Progressive Alliance Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee spent the whole of Tuesday in Lucknow, meeting not only Congress legislators but also those belonging to the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.
Criticising the US for resorting to protectionism in the wake of the global financial crisis, India on Friday warned such a "negative" trend will have a cascading effect on major economies and undermine efforts to overcome the downturn in the shortest possible time.
The weekly inflation figure is the highest during the past one year. Soaring onion and other vegetables' prices led to the sharp rise in inflation at 18.32 per cent for the week that ended on Christmas, up from 14.44 per cent recorded in the previous week.
President Pranab Mukherjee, making his first address to a joint sitting of Parliament on the first day of the Budget session, expressed his concerns about economic slowdown, job insecurity and violence against women. Here is the full text of his speech.
The government on Tuesday attributed higher economic growth projected in the mid-year economic analysis for this fiscal than the Economic Survey to robust economic expansion in the first half.It, however, cautioned against the impact of fragile European recovery on Indian economy.
"It is a dastardly attack and I can only tell it has strengthened our resolve to fight against this menace...," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, when asked about Monday's attack by the Maoists.
India will decide what type of arms and weapons it requires in its defence system.
The Taliban forces operating out of Pakistan's Swat region pose a common threat to India and the United States, besides the host country, America's special envoy Richard Holbrooke suggested in New Delhi on Monday. The envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, who met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, said he had sought the Indian leadership's assessment of the situation.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said India has not given any assurance to his French counterpart Christine Lagarde on support for her candidature to the post of IMF's managing director.
Terming as "appropriate" the decision by her favoured candidate A P J Abdul Kalam to pull out of the Presidential race, Congress renewed its appeal to Mamata Banerjee to back UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee.
Congress on Saturday expressed the hope that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will accept the candidature of Pranab Mukherjee for the post of President like other United Progressive Alliance partners who gave their nod.
Industrial output growth rate remained flat in April.
Agitated over the police action against protesting Bharatiya Janata Party youth wing activists in New Delhi on Tuesday, senior BJP leader L K Advani on Wednesday complained to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee that the orders seem to have come directly from Home Minister P Chidambaram.
The assurance was given by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung when India's Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee called on him in Hanoi.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was aware of the contents of the controversial 2G note which was issued as an office memorandum at the insistence of the Prime Minister's Office, a top official told the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Thursday.
"Because when we disrupt the House then it serves no purpose. We cannot hear. We cannot speak. Only a handful of members completely throttle the desire of a silent majority to speak," Pranab Mukherjee said, initiating the debate to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first sitting of Parliament.
"Jobs must be protected even if it means some reduction in compensation at various levels," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said at International Labour Conference in New Delhi.
Breaks self-imposed rule never to return to an office he has occupied in the past.
It's perhaps no small wonder that Pranab Mukherjee, is the go-to person in political circles and not just the Congress Party's savior.
Rejecting reports of a deal with Congress, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said on Saturday that he had proposed the name of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and two others as he felt the Congress appeared to be hesitant in naming Pranab Mukherjee for the President's post.
A day after the Reserve Bank raised its key interest rates to check inflation, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday indicated it may not be the last increase for now.
The hike in prices of petroleum goods led to protests in several parts of the country and many state governments announced the withdrawal of value added tax on petroleum products to lessen the impact of the hike on the common man.
Terming his just-concluded state visit to Bhutan as very successful and his "most memorable", President Pranab Mukherjee hoped that bilateral relations between the two countries would continue to grow from strength to strength.
"Oil marketing companies are to take decision depending on cost of their imports. It is market related as per as oil market companies are concerned on petrol," Mukherjee told reporters.
Driven by high vegetable prices, the food inflation is in double digit for the past two months and even crossed 18 per cent in the last week of December 25.
He said with an aim to make the FDI policy user friendly, all prior regulations and guidelines have been consolidated into a comprehensive document.
Members of Parliament Rekha and Sachin Tendulkar called on President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday morning accompanied by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday sought to downplay the controversy over austerity measures that had kicked up a row in the cabinet meeting on Thursday saying it could be due to some misunderstanding.
