Endorsing the Economic Survey's emphasis on the farm and the infrastructure sectors for achieving higher economic growth, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said inflation and widening current account deficit remain major areas of concern.
On July 25, Pranab Mukherjee will leave Rashtrapati Bhavan and move into 10 Rajaji Marg in Lutyens' Delhi.
Making a passionate plea to lawmakers to avoid disruption of Parliament and state assemblies, President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday called for "collective thinking" by political parties on the issue. He also asked them to ponder whether there was any need to amend existing rules to ensure smooth functioning of the House.
As West Bengal gears up for the April-May Assembly polls, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit Mukherjee on Monday joined the Congress and is likely to be fielded as the party's candidate for the coming election.
"The puja is around 100 years old. Pranab's grandfather late Jangaleswar Mukherjee started the puja," said Goutam Roy, who has been looking after puja arrangements for the last couple of years.
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."
On the eve of the winter session of the Parliament, which commenced on Tuesday, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee invited Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari for lunch. Mukherjee's overture was clearly to pacify the irate Opposition and ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament. But will the Congress's strategy save the winter session?
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.
The emphasis would be on curbing subsidies and promoting private sector investment by continuing stimulus measures.
Amid a show of strength, United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the July 19 Presidential elections in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and a host of leaders.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Monday said that Pranab Mukherjee should begin his tenure as President by rejecting the mercy plea of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and create history. Congratulating Mukherjee on his election as the 13th President, Thackeray said we have great expectations from Pranab Mukherjee.
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.
The trio met reportedly to discuss the cash row controversy surrounding the Indian Premier League (IPL) and its impact on the future of the sport and the politics of the nation.
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.
Recalling his long association with the CWC, the highest decision making body of the party, Mukherjee thanked the party for all the cooperation and for nominating him for the president's post, sources said.
Pranab Mukherjee, who seems headed towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan, on Saturday turned nostalgic at his ancestral house in Bengal's Birbhum district.
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.
Sharmistha Mukherjee disapproved of his decision, saying he was giving the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Sangh a handle to plant false stories, as his 'speech will be forgotten' but the 'visuals will remain'.
Pranab Mukherjee appears set to be the next President with his candidature announced on Friday by the ruling UPA and endorsed swiftly by supporting parties Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party amid indications that he will gather more support ahead.
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.
Scotching speculation about External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's unscheduled visit to the country, Sri Lanka on Thursday said there was nothing 'secret' about it, which was aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations and to support efforts against terrorism."There seems to be many theories emanating about Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit. There is nothing sensational. It was a normal visit," a senior Sri Lankan minister told reporters.
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.
Just after the senior Congress leader and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee stated that terrorists might try to disrupt poll process in the country, suspected militants triggered a blast in Guwahati city, killing one and injuring 13 others.
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.
Critics call fiscal deficit projections ambitious; government to meet Opposition, chief ministers to discuss issues after Budget session
Scripting a new chapter in his illustrious career, Pranab Mukherjee will on Wednesday take over as India's 13th President.
Congratulations poured in from across the country for Pranab Mukherjee over his victory in the Presidential poll on Sunday, with leaders expressing the hope that the nation will achieve greater heights during his tenure in Rashtrapati Bhawan.
His election to the President's office on Sunday comes as a fitting finale for the 76-year-old Congressman from West Bengal, till recently the trouble-shooter of UPA, a task he has handled for last eight years.
At the first governors' conference chaired by him, President Pranab Mukherjee showed exactly why he was respected by his fellow party-men and opponents alike in his previous, political incarnation .
The minister was also hopeful that economic growth would touch 9-10 per cent towards close of the 11th Five-Year Plan ending 2012.
President Pranab Mukherjee donned the hat of a teacher on Friday and gave lessons in Political History to XI and XII graders of a Delhi school on the eve of Teachers Day.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram will soon have to decide whether to stick by his predecessor's choice of former Reserve Bank governor Y V Reddy for chairmanship of the 14th Finance Commission, to be set up next month.
Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee with Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Nyan Win. Win is in India to enhance bilateral ties, particularly in trade and energy fields. He also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
At a time when Mamata Banerjee has created unease in Congress by not supporting its presidential candidate, the latest issue of Congress mouthpiece on Wednesday recalled that Pranab Mukherjee has won respect even in the opposition.
As Pranab Mukherjee steps down as President, we remember the man, the politician, the Rashtrapati.
Mukherjee said it was not necessary for the RBI governor to consult him before the mid-quarterly review of the credit policy.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was on Friday given the additional charge of Finance Ministry with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being admitted to the hospital for a heart bypass surgery on Saturday.
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