Union Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran, who has been implicated by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the 2G scam probe, resigned from his post on Thursday, just hours after attending a meeting of the Union Cabinet.
Bharti Airtel Chairman and Managing Director Sunil Bharti Mittal, Vodafone Plc CEO Vittorio Colao, Telenor CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas and Idea Cellular Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla on Wednesday met ministers and senior government officials to present the industry's concerns over telecom regulator Trai's proposals on the auction of spectrum.
A group of officials from the National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank ) are in India to meet officials from the finance ministry, Reserve Bank and market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India to discuss regulatory matters related to the deal.
Telecom companies have been desperately waiting for a bailout package from the government after a Supreme Court order put their statutory liabilities at Rs 1.47 lakh crore.
During the arguments, Swamy said the evidence he had brought on court's record prima facie show that Chidambaram is equally culpable as former Telecom Minister A Raja, who is facing trial in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
The Aakash project was Sibal's brainchild when he was the HRD minister.
Unrelenting on its demand for a JPC probe into 2-G Spectrum scam, Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for giving "repeated clean chits" to former Telecom Minister A Raja and alleged the government was "scared" of embarrassing truths coming out.
Admitting to difficulties in identifying people using websites to spread communal hatred, the government on Wednesday said it was working with social networking sites to create an institutional mechanism to prevent misuse of technology.
The Public Accounts Committee has, in a draft report on 2G scam, strongly indicted former Telecom minister A Raja and came down heavily on the Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Secretariat for not taking "corrective action" while not sparing even the prime minister for "some unfortunate omissions".
Aditya Birla group company Idea Cellular and US-based wireless operator Verizon are all set to get the Letters of Intent for long distance services following clearance of their applications by the Department of Telecom (DoT). Official sources said the applications have been put forward for the Telecom Minister's approval. Idea is awaiting LoI for International Long Distance services while Verizon's application is for both National and International Long Distance services
The government on Wednesday said it will not allocate any spectrum to existing operators, license holders and new applicants till a scientific evaluation was done by the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC)."There is scarcity of spectrum and number of applicants are much more than actually can be accommodated... Applications must be synchronised by a legal process... We have referred the matter to Law Ministry to get Solicitor General's views on the matter," Telecom Minister A Ra
Against the backdrop of the finance ministry note on 2G spectrum pricing, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a key United Progressive Alliance ally, on Thursday maintained that the stand taken by jailed former telecom minister A Raja on the issue has been 'vindicated'.
Did you find his answers satisfactory? Or could he have been more forthcoming? On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 is worst and 10 is excellent), how do you rate his answers?
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday circumvented all controversial domestic political issues, including those that surround Telecom Minister A Raja, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan's alleged role in the Adarsh Society scam, and the Commonwealth Games fiasco, but assured that he would look into the matter once he returns to India and then make any meaningful comment on it.
Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy on Thursday pleaded before a Delhi court that it should bring on record purported new facts that former finance minister P Chidambaram and former telecom minister A Raja had a role in deciding 2G spectrum prices and entry fee. In a fresh application in the court of Special Central Bureau of Investigation judge O P Saini, Swami said he wanted to bring "new facts" on court records through his deposition.
In a huge relief to Home Minister P Chidambaram and to the United Progressive Alliance government, a Delhi court on Saturday threw out a plea to make him an accused in the 2G case.
Government wants social-networking websites to pre-screen content.
Government wants social-networking websites to pre-screen content.
Janata Party Chief Subramanian Swamy on Monday told a Central Bureau of Investigation court dealing with the 2G spectrum case involving former telecom minister A Raja that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi should be made an accused in the case.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar was on Thursday slapped by a youth at a public function, who claimed that he was angry with corruption and price rise.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar was on Thursday slapped by a youth at a public function claiming he was angry with corruption and price rise.
Former telecom minister A Raja, the prime accused in the 2G scam, was on Wednesday criticised by the Supreme Court for using 'intemperate and objectionable' language in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue of spectrum allocation policy.
The ED, in its chargesheet, had alleged that Rs 200 crore was paid by Swan Telecom (P) Ltd promoters to DMK-run Kalaignar TV.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will hold crucial talks with the top US leadership, including his counterpart Jake Sullivan, on the first high-level dialogue on Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).
Former telecom minister Arun Shourie agreed with A Raja that the latter had discussed the 2G spectrum issue with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and then finance minister P Chidambaram before going ahead, but refuted his claim of following the National Democratic Alliance policy.
Former telecom minister A Raja on Monday sought to rope in Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and the then Finance Minister P Chidamabaram in the 2G scam case, telling a court that the issue of dilution of equity by spectrum licencees was discussed with them.
After a Delhi court framed harges against 17 persons in the 2G case, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation to ascertain the role of then finance minister P Chidambaram in the scam and insisted that he should either step down or be sacked to facilitate a fair investigation.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said the government should not make A Raja and Suresh Kalmadi scapegoats in the 2-G spectrum and Commonwealth Games scams and asserted that since all decisions were taken by the Union Cabinet and the prime minister, a joint parliamentary probe alone could bring out the truth. He stuck to the BJP stand that until a JPC is formed, the whole truth will not come out.
The amount is much higher than the earlier target of up to Rs 35,000 crore (Rs 350 billion).
Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday alleged that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram was equally guilty as former telecom minister Andimuthu Raja in the 2G spectrum allocation scam since all decisions were taken by the two together.
Maintaining the zero-loss claim, therefore, involves justifying the failure to do proper price discovery, as through the spectrum auction in 2010 for 3G services.
The instructions followed monthly review of the progress of eight major infrastructure sectors -- Civil Aviation, Ports and Inland Waterways, Railways, Roads, Telecom, Power, Coal, and New and Renewable Energy.
Hailing Supreme Court judgement on auction of natural resources, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal Thursday said the apex court has brought "constitutional clarity" on the issue.
The porn clip controversy in Karnataka Assembly led Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal to take a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday saying the party is having "all the entertainment".
A letter issued on Monday was jointly addressed to the US commerce secretary and trade representatives.
The only way of making the government and the Congress pay a price for their established misdeeds is by making this an electoral issue, says B Raman
The Supreme Court will on Thursday pronounce its judgements on the petitions seeking a direction for a probe into the alleged role of Home Minister P Chidambaram in 2G spectrum scam and for cancellation of 122 radiowave licences granted during the tenure of A Raja as telecom minister.
Mahindra & Mahindra chairman emeritus Keshub Mahindra passed away this morning in Mumbai due to old age. Mahindra, 99, breathed his last this morning at home peacefully, said a person close to the family. After joining the company in 1947, he became the chairman in 1963.
The Ministry of Home Affairs in the past has raised concerns on increasing FDI in telecom sector.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is gearing up to launch a fresh attack on the ruling United Progressive Alliance at a major news conference on Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal defended Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the 2G row, saying irrespective of what the concerned minister says, the PM is not liable for his actions. The Congress Core Committee is scheduled to discuss the spectrum row later in the evening.