President Pratibha Patil gave protocol jitters as she inadvertently passed the tricolour at the ceremonial reception without bowing, but quickly went back after her attention was drawn by the Mexican guard commander. Patil, who was inspecting a guard of honour by the Mexican Presidential Guards, walked past the Mexican flag without realising that her Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon had stopped to pay respect to his country's flag.
President Pratibha Patil's maiden state visit to Mexico began on an unpleasant note as one of her important engagements -- an address to the joint session of Parliament -- was today cancelled at the last minute in view of the blockade of the House by Left-leaning legislators. Despite intense last-minute negotiations, the Mexican officials informed the President's Secretariat about the cancellation of her address officially.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni became only the second cricketer, a decade after Sachin Tendulkar, to be conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the country's highest sporting honour, at a glittering function at Rashtrapati Bhawan, Delhi, on Friday. India's ODI captain could not attend the function as he was leading the team in the fifth and final One-Day International against Sri Lanka in Colombo. His father Paan Singh received the award on his behalf.
President Pratibha Patil congratulated boxer Vijender Kumar for clinching a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics. ''I am very happy and proud that you have won the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in the middleweight division of the boxing competition,'' the President said in a statement on Friday.
Commending the economic growth, President Pratibha Patil emphasised on Tuesday the need to make development socially inclusive, particularly for the disadvantaged and marginalised sections. Inaugurating the annual India International Trade Fair in New Delhi, she said all the regions of the country should benefit from the fast economic growth.
Against the backdrop of escalating violence in Jammu and Kashmir over the Amarnath land row, President Pratibha Patil on Thursday appealed for calm and said differences could be addressed through 'dialogue and reconciliation'.In her second address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day, Patil made no direct mention of the simmering crisis but said "whatever the problem, whatever the cause, whatever the reason, there is no place for violence in our society."
President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated Abhinav Bindra on his "golden performance" in bagging India's first-ever individual gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. In separate messages, Patil and Singh lauded the achievement of 25-year-old Indian shooter, with the Prime Minister describing the feat as a "golden performance".
A Muslim body fighting for rebuilding Babri Masjid in Ayodhya will not organise any protests on Saturday, on the anniversary of the demolition of the mosque, to express solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.The All India Babri Masjid Re-building Committee said it will, instead, send a memorandum to President Pratibha Patil urging her to order the rebuilding of Babri Masjid at its original site in Ayodhya or refer all disputes related to the SC.
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
President Pratibha Patil will do the honours first by taking a ride on the Indian Air Force's Boeing Business Jets from the Palam air base on Monday. "The inaugural flight of the VVIP jets on April 1 will have the President, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces, as its first passenger," officials said.
The court also dismissed petitions of his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh and another person.
India will resume the dialogue process with Pakistan 'when conditions permit', President Pratibha Patil said on Monday.
Kunal Patil, a photojournalist based in Mumbai, who was treated to Sri H N Reliance Foundation Hospital after he tested positive for the dreaded virus, says he feels fortunate to come out of this nightmare.
Samajwadi Party leaders Amar Singh and Ram Gopal Yadav met President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday. Amar Singh handed over to the President a list of Lok Sabha MPs who contested under the SP symbol.
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.
The Samajwadi Party on Tuesday said it would give a fresh letter of support for the government to President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday.
With the Left deciding to snap ties with the United Progressive Alliance, President Pratibha Patil will face her first real test on whether to ask Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek a trust vote in Parliament or not.Patil, 72, will find herself in the spotlight at the end of a fortnight-long political manoeuvering and intense speculation on whether the Manmohan Singh government will have the numbers to survive a floor test.
The Left parties will submit by July 10 to President Pratibha Patil their letter withdrawing support to the UPA government, Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Biswas said on Monday.
The monks termed the advertisement as disrespectful to Lord Buddha, adding that it hurt Buddhist sentiments.
President Pratibha Patil will do the honours first by taking a ride on the Indian Air Force's Boeing Business Jets from the Palam air base that day, IAF officials said in New Delhi.
"Buddhism is more relevant today than ever," said President Pratibha Patil after visiting Bodh Gaya and Nalanda
Dr Singh said Manekshaw, popularly called Sam Bahadur, had served the army with great distinction for over four decades beginning with the very first military engagement free India was dragged into in the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Parliament, being the national legislative body, also bears the responsibility of setting standards for state legislatures, local bodies and indeed all elected bodies," Patil said.
At the At Home hosted by President Pratibha Patil, the diminutive French leader was something of a rock star as guests vied with each other for his autograph.
The President will give away the Fakharuddin Ali Ahmed Award to noted film personality Shabana Azmi and journalist Shekhar Gupta at a function to be organized at the Pragjyoti ITA Cultural Complex, Machkhowa in Guwahati on Sunday evening.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday hailed Sachin Tendulkar as a 'genius' after the master batsman eclipsed Brian Lara to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket. Tendulkar surpassed Lara to become the highest run getter in Tests on the opening day of the second Test against Australia at Mohali.
In an alarming disclosure, police on Tuesday said they intercepted a car displaying fake national emblem, moving along the route that President Pratibha Patil was to take in Pune on Saturday night. The two suspects in the vehicle, however, had managed to flee, they said.
India has mended its stand on Sri Lanka, no longer insisting that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, should lay down arms as a pre-condition for talks with the government in Colombo for a political settlement. Instead of asking the LTTE to lay down the arms, India now wants it to at least agree in principle to lay down the arms as that can pave the way for negotiations with the Sri Lankan government.
In her address to a joint sitting of Parliament, Patil said coal is the main source of energy in India and the government has allocated 158 blocks with reserves of almost 40 billion tonnes to public and private sector companies in power, cement and sponge iron for captive use. Coal-abundant India has been pushing for the $6-8 billion coal-to-liquid project to cut its dependence on imported oil.
The VHP leaders presented a memorandum to the President, seeking an immediate ban on the conversion activities of Christian missionaries and foreign funds to these organisations. They also demanded a thorough scrutiny of the accounts of these Christian missionaries and urged the President to ensure that no foreigner is allowed to practice religious conversion in the country.
A major disaster was averted at the Mumbai airport on Monday when an Air Force helicopter of President Pratibha Patil's fleet landed on the runway as an Air India plane was about to take off for Delhi. The pilot of the Air India flight to Delhi aborted take off when he saw the helicopter landing on the runway he was about to use, official sources said.
Shops, business establishments and educational institutes remained closed due to the strike and most public vehicles were off the road. Geelani on Wednesday called for complete shutdown in protest against the President's visit claiming that there was "no justification" for her visit as "human rights violations by security forces were going on unabated in the state."
Patil, who is visiting the state for the first time after she assumed office as President, went to a bunker located at 9,600 ft altitude and interacted with army officers and jawans. "I am so delighted to visit this very important and strategic post. I simply admire courage and morale of the jawans who are keeping vigil on the border day and night in such a hazardous area and climatic conditions," Patil wrote in visitors book at Tangdhar.
The cabinet meeting was convened at a short notice to discuss the political situation in Nagaland against the backdrop of the Bharatiya Janata Party-backed Democratic Alliance winning a controversial no-confidence motion in December.
Senior police officers said that the terrorists blew up a CRPF vehicle killing the deputy commandant Diwakar Mahapatra, his driver L Kore Singh and two jawans--N K Jha and S D Burman.
President Pratibha Patil on Saturday spoke to veteran actor Dilip Kumar and wished him a speedy recovery. The 86-year-old thespian was admitted to the Indraprasth Apollo Hospital late on Thursday night."His wife Saira Bano was with the actor when President Patil called him up and made inquiries about his health. She sent flowers to the ailing actor. She also wished him a speedy recovery so that he is able to celebrate Id at his residence," a senior official said.
In fact they had been expecting the defeat once the United Nationl Progressive Alliance decided to abstain from the election and not support Shekhawat.
The book titled Mohin kahan vishram (No rest for me) penned by noted Hindi writer Dr Kanhaiyalal Nandan spanning half a century of Arjun Singh's political career is full of understatements that may kick off many controversies even while he escapes saying he did not mean it. In an interview to the author, Arjun Singh talks of the internal democracy that was once the hallmark of the decision-making process of the Congress.
Sachin Tendulkar is not alien to honours but the cricket icon said the Padma Vibhushan award, which he received from President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on Monday, was close to his heart.
The government has enhanced the emoluments of the President, the Vice President and governors to Rs 1.5 lakh, Rs 1.25 lakh and Rs 1.10 lakh respectively. The Cabinet secretary and defence chiefs too have been given substantial increments.
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