Leaders cutting across the political spectrum mourned the death of veteran Marxist Jyoti Basu on Sunday, describing him as a towering personality and a powerful regional voice who had played crucial roles in the national political scene.
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas is India's flagship annual event, which aims to connect with the Diaspora spread around the globe and focuses on boosting investment and sharing of expertise.
President Pratibha Devisingh Patil had an interactiion with a group of eminent women at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday.
Justice S H Kapadia, the senior most judge of the Supreme Court, was on Wednesday sworn in as the 38th Chief Justice of India by President Pratibha Patil.
The Bhartiya Janata Party lashed out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday over the selection of Telecom Secretary P J Thomas as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner. The Opposition party claimed that the Centre had appointed Thomas to scuttle the ongoing probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the Rs 60,000 crore spectrum scam. The BJP urged President Pratibha Patil to cancel the appointment of Thomas, who will be administered the oath of office by her.
The 30-year-old world champion trap shooter was bestowed with the country's highest sports award.
According to Rashtrapati Bhawan sources though controversial New York based businessman, Sant Singh Chatwal wanted to recieve the Padma award from President Pratibha Patil on March 31, mandarins in the home ministry did not agree to this. "This part of the information is not correct," said an official of the media unit of Rashtrapati Bhawan.
President of India Pratibha Patil will be conferring the Padma Awards to the selected recipients on March 31 at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan -- a senior official from the president's office confirmed this.
Mohammad ElBaradei, director general of International Atomic Energy Agency, was on Wednesday honoured with the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for his 'impassioned opposition to use of nuclear energy for military purposes.'
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had a brief meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on salient features of the Budget.
President Pratibha Patil today embarked on her maiden visit to Russia seeking to consolidate the relations between the "close friends and partners" in the changed global geo-political situation.
Pranab on Sunday met the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed budget-related issues with him.
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday recommended the lifting of President's Rule in Jharkhand to pave the way for the formation of a new government there on Wednesday.The home ministry's note was placed before the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who approved it, official sources said.The Cabinet recommendation will now go to President Pratibha Patil who will issue orders for lifting of the central rule imposed on January 19 this year.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee performed the first protocol duties of the prime minister on Saturday as he received Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev at the ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underwent a by-pass surgery, Mukherjee joined President Pratibha Patil in welcoming Nazarbayev on the forecourt of the majestic Presidential Palace."Our prime minister is indisposed, hence I am receiving you,"Mukherjee said
To corner the Manmohan Singh government in the Budget Session of Parliament, a united opposition today demanded a debate on price rise on February 23, before the Railway Budget and the Union Budget are placed in the Lok Sabha.
On his first official visit to India, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Monday met leaders across the political spectrum and discussed issues of bilateral interest. Prachanda called on President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari.
Leader of opposition L K Advani on Tuesday led a delegation of 146 members of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and met President Pratibha Devisingh Patil to intervene in the row triggered by the joint-statement issued after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani at Sharm-el Sheikh, Egypt -- wherein the issue of Baluchsitan was mentioned for the first time.
An advocate on Wednesday informed the Delhi high court that he will represent two death row convicts in the December 16 gang rape -- Mukesh and Pawan whose counsel had withdrawn from the case on Tuesday -- but the court rejected his plea for recusal of one of the judges from the case.
Training her guns on the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati was extremely critical of President Pratibha Patil's address to the joint sitting of parliament in New Delhi on Thursday.
On the eve of a brief session of Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday met President Pratibha Patil and discussed internal security, the Mumbai terror attack and other issues of national importance. The hour-long meeting took place amid speculation that the prime minister would soon be undertaking a cabinet reshuffle in the wake of resignation of Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and indisposition of Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi.
Paving the way for formation of a popular government in Meghalaya, the Centre on Friday night decided to revoke the President's rule imposed in the state nearly two months back.
President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday paid homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 17th death anniversary. Amid a continuous drizzle, the departed leader's widow and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, along with her son Rahul and daughter Priyanka Vadra, reached his memorial 'Vir Bhumi' to pay their tributes. A prayer meeting was organised in the premises of the memorial.
Setting aside their bitterness, both within and outside Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi shook hands at a function to felicitate NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, who turned 75 on Thursday.
India is sending two naval ships with relief and medical supplies to Myanmar, where a severe cyclone claimed over 3,000 lives and rendered thousands more homeless. The ships, carrying food items, tents, blankets, clothing and medicines will sail to Yangon from Port Blair, the External Affairs Ministry announced in New Delhi. The top leadership has conveyed India's readiness to provide immediate emergency relief assistance and to assist Myanmar in its rehabilitation efforts.
President Pratibha Patil allocated the additional charge to Sharma on the advice of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement said late Saturday night.
The Indians in Beijing celebrated the Independence Day on Friday with Ambassador Nirupama Rao hoisting the tri-colour at a function at the embassy. Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi and other key Indian Olympic Association members also attended the ceremony.
Even as it sought to 'internationalise' the Jammu and Kashmir situation, Pakistan said on Thursday it was committed to improving relations with India and resolving all outstanding issues in a just and peaceful manner for the progress and prosperity of the two countries.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday and discussed the internal security in the country and the forthcoming South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit meeting in Sri Lanka.
Glimpses from the trust vote debate in Parliament.
The godman is very popular in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh because of his spiritual and social works.
The Air India Office in Chennai has received a letter warning attacks by 'suicide bombers' and threats to disrupt the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) beginning in the city on Thursday, police said.
The National Investigative Agency Bill and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill on Tuesday became a law as President Pratibha Patil gave her assent to those legislations which were passed in the last session of Parliament."NIA will be established to investigate terrorist offences. As and when any case is assigned to the NIA, it will take up investigation," he said. Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters that the presidential assent has been received today.
To be fair, the President's speech does separate the mention of large foreign investment flows (particularly foreign direct investment) from 'the need to augment resources in the banking and insurance sectors,' in turn 'to serve the needs of society better.' But the sentences follow each other -- the kind of wording which permits either forward movement or backtracking, depending on how matters develop, says Govindraj Ethiraj.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday strongly condemned the serial blasts in the national capital and appealed to the people to maintain calm
Leaders of the Left parties, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Telugu Desam Party will meet President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday to demand immediate convening of Parliament session. The meeting comes in the wake of the Left demand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should quit for "lying to people and Parliament" on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Following is the trascript of President Pratibha Patil's address to the joint sittingof Parliament on Thursday.
In fact they had been expecting the defeat once the United Nationl Progressive Alliance decided to abstain from the election and not support Shekhawat.
It was astonishing that the statement of a 86 year old leader, virtually retired and who by his own admission is not even in the party, should create so much turbulence in the BJP. From the way the party reacted, it seemed as if he was about to snatch away the PMship from Advani, says Neerja Chowdhury
The Union home ministry was in constant touch with the Gujarat police, the state chief secretary and state administration, seeking details of the blasts, Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta told reporters in New Delhi
The Left Front leaders, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat, have reached the Rashtrapati Bhavan to submit their letter withdrawing support to the United Progressive Alliance government to the President. Following the withdrawal of support by the Left parties the strength of the ruling coalition has been reduced to 230.
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