Here are few excerpts from the July 30 debate
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who arrived in Kabul on Wednesday on a two-day visit, discussed cooperation in the field of security and developmental projects with President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Rangin Dafdar Spanta.
Union Finance Minister and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Pranab Mukheree on Sunday ruled out any further division of West Bengal.The minister said no problem could be solved by force and hoped that the GJM would call off its indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling Hills.
As the rupee depreciated to a new 32-month low against the US dollar, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said the Reserve Bank is monitoring the situation and will intervene in the forex market "as and when necessary".
Speaking about the challenges and the opportunities of development in a globalised era, Mukherjee said, sustaining high growth over an extended period has become more complex.
The much-awaited Lokpal Bill today got the assent from President Pranab Mukherjee, providing for the creation of an anti-graft watchdog which will bring even the prime minister under its purview with certain safeguards.
During his whirlwind election tour in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, also the United Progressive Alliance's chief interlocutor, tells Saubhadra Chatterji the government has its own way of moving against corruption:
In the past three years, agreements on defence cooperation have been entered into by India with several countries, including China, Russia, the UK and France, Mukherjee said.
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.
"NDA is a beautiful rainbow of regional aspirations... So nation's development through the development of states... At a time when we are working for a developed India, NDA is taking the lead in showing the spirit of sabka prayas," he said.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee might have to fall back on divestment and other non-tax revenue sources while presenting the Budget for 2009-10 on July 6, economists believe.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday left for Mauritius on a three-day visit during which he will be the chief guest at the national day celebrations of that country.
President will lead a five-member delegation to the memorial service.
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee late on Wednesday night rebutted the charges by Team Anna that he had told them the Gandhian's health was not government's concern, saying the remarks were "distorted."
Anna Hazare-led activists on Monday reacted sharply Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for accusing the civil society of trying to undermine democracy and said his statement betrayed a "distorted understanding of democracy and arrogance of power".
Voicing scepticism over Pakistan acting decisively against terrorists operating from its soil, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said such elements have been let off in the past after some initial action."We can make available whatever evidences we have. In this case, we are also investigating, we have not come to any conclusion. Therefore at this juncture, perhaps, it would be premature to share the evidences," Mukherjee said during a TV interview.
Giving a pat on the back of public sector banks, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said the Indian banking sector has responded well to difficult global environment by meeting credit needs of the economy.
The Reserve Bank of India chief also reviewed the high-level of inflation with the Finance Minister, ahead of the quarterly review of monetary policy next week, amidst expectations of another hike in key interest rates.
With an Interim Budget and an election victory behind him, and a full-year budget ahead, Mukherjee would presumably have lots on his mind, but understandably be coy of revealing much.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who took additional charge of the finance ministry recently, has rejected a Planning Commission proposal to increase the upper limit for Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for infrastructure projects coming up under the public-private partnership model.
Presenting the Interim Budget in Lok Sabha, the minister said the enactment of the Act by the Centre and many states has 'bridged a critical gap in the public decision-making process and ushered in greater accountability of public servants.'
Mukherjee said the demand for small states was not confined to Telangana alone but was there in other states also.
With his candidature for the President's post gaining momentum, Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said no one can become president "on his own wish" and the Congress would decide on the issue.
As the 2G fire rages, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh setting out in detail the events surrounding the controversial allocation of spectrum.
Fearing further moderation in economic growth in the next fiscal, the government on Friday said it would take more steps to boost the labour-intensive sectors.
The Mumbai attacks came up for discussion when UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday, with the Indian side apprising him about Pakistani linkages to the terror strikes and urging him to press Islamabad to cooperate.
Expressing serious concern over the menace of disruptions in Parliament and legislatures, President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said time had now come to address the issue, which cannot simply be brushed aside, to bring a recalcitrant administration to its knees.
India on Wednesday said it had made it clear to Britain through diplomatic channels that it did not share its Foreign Secretary David Miliband's views linking resolution of the Kashmir issue with terrorism.
Terrorism, trade and port transit issues are likely to dominate the bilateral talks as External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee becomes the first high-level Indian dignitary to visit Bangladesh since the assumption of office by Sheikh Hasina.
Amid ballooning fiscal deficit, the government on Tuesday categorically said that it has 'no intention' to monetise its debt, which implies that it will not directly borrow from the Reserve Bank of India. As fiscal deficit is projected to be at 6.8 per cent of gross domestic product this fiscal and the government has pegged its market borrowings at around Rs 4 lakh crore (Rs 4 trillion) for 2009-10.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Russian counterpart Servey Lavrov held wide-ranging discussions on international issues with special emphasis on progress made in the strategic partnership between the two countries and the forthcoming annual summit.
Large number of terror camps active along LoC: Pranab
The government on Thursday insisted Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's office had not been bugged, claiming the whole thing was "bogus" and the matter should be closed now. "I had myself talked to the finance minister on Wednesday evening on this matter. There is nothing to take forward. The finance minister has categorically and emphatically stated (to the media) that it has been investigated and the answer is there has been no bugging," said Ambika Soni.
White Papers, which are issued by the government, lay out the policy or proposed action on topics of current concern.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had reported a "serious breach of security" in his office in a letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September last year. In his letter, Mukherjee claimed that "planted adhesives" were found in 16 locations including at his office, the offices of his advisor Omita Paul and private secretary Manoj Pant and two conference rooms used by the finance ministry. Mukherjee clarified that no microphone or recording devices were found.
According to sources in the government, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is firmly against activist Anna Hazare's demand for formally constituting a joint committee, with representatives from the civil society and the government, to draft a strong anti-corruption bill. Hazare has been on an indefinite fast in New Delhi since Wednesday to press for his demand.Mukherjee has stopped the government from issuing a notification to make the joint committee formal.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday indicated in Rajya Sabha that he might make a statement on Union Minorities Minister Abdul Rahman Antulay's remarks on Tuesday, the last day of the current Parliament session. The statement came after Bharatiya Janata Party members forced several adjournments.
"We expect Pakistan to do whatever it has committed. We want it to fulfill its promises, fulfill its commitments as a responsible nation of the international community," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told media persons, adding, "No responsible nation can escape its commitment."
'He told senior journalists a few days after the Babri Masjid demolition, 'Jo hua theek hua. Maine isliye hone diya ki BJP ki rajniti hamesha ke liye khatam ho jaye.'
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