The Congress on Monday said it would not repeat the "mistake" of entering into alliance with the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, even though the recent by-poll results had prompted some to suggest revival of ties.
Pakistan approached the bank, which is a signatory to the 1960 Indus Water Treaty between the two countries, for arbitration after failure of talks with New Delhi early this year.
The IPO offerings to Bank officials were "the least of the Bank's problems. At the end of the day, whatever they may have gotten with stock options or whatever, I think is nothing compared to the rampant corruption that is being practiced on the Bank's lending operations," says former Bank official Steve Berkman.
The Reliance group is interested in setting up its second Information and Technology University in West Bengal after its first one in Gujarat.
Critical of India's "poor" ranking in terms of investment climate, World Bank on Monday said the economy could grow by 2 per cent if it improves infrastructure, business regulations, labour and land laws.
Improvised cannons and illegal firearms were seized from near a Communist Party of India-Marxist office and another area in West Bengal on Thursday by the police and the joint forces.
West Bengal had a democratic election, but the build-up to it can hardly be called so, says Barun Roy
He was confident of collecting tax revenue of Rs 31,000 crore.
The government had sought additional loan from the World Bank which will be over and above the net disbursement to India, Bansal said. This additional lending will include assistance to the infrastructure projects. It has also put in place various policy measures, including cut in duty rates of customs and central excise, liberalisation of foreign trade regime, re-finance facility to National Housing Bank and Small Industries Development Bank of India, the minister said.
Most senior leaders were not present at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi on the day of the outcome of poll results in five states. The leaders present at the headquarters stayed glued to television sets throughout the day, analysing results
"The polls were held absolutely peaceful and totally incident free," Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi told media persons at the end of polling.
Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Friday wrote to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, protesting the killing of soldiers in BSF firing and seeking an immediate probe into the incident.
The full bench of the Election Commission will visit West Bengal on Thursday to oversee the poll preparedness for the last three phases of the assembly polls. Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi and the other two Election Commissioners V.S. Sampath and HS Brahma will arrive in Kolkata in the morning and hold meeting with the representatives of the political parties.
Exuding confidence that Left Front would come back in its bastions, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Prakash Karat on Monday criticised the United Progressive Alliance-II for following anti-people policy. "In the UPA's first term, the Left exercised all restrains and succeed in checking prices, disinvestment and subjugation by the government to the corporate," said Karat.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday censured veteran Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Anil Basu for using expletives against Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee at an election meeting, while the Trinamool Congress demanded his arrest.
Two presiding officers were removed following allegation of influencing voters and an election agent of Communist Party of India-Marxist detained for interrogation after postal ballots were recovered from him, the sources said in Kolkata.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday termed the West Bengal assembly polls as a "freedom movement" of people entangled into 35-year-long vicious cycle of "oppression".
In what could be a history of sorts, a survery conducted by Star Ananda-Star News-AC Nielsen predicts a two-third majority for the Mamta Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress-Congress alliance.
Prakash Karat, the head (general secretary) of the country's premier Left party, the Communist Party of India -Marxist, tells Saubhadra Chatterji it won't be doomsday if they lose power in West Bengal.
Firmly opposing the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said her party would not allow any move to divide West Bengal.
The names of 75 sex workers and their families existed on the electoral rolls in Shantipur constituency, but only 20 per cent turned up to vote in the last elections.
Ajit Roy, 42, a resident of Ullora village in Memari, jumped in front of a train at Rasulpur in Burdwan.
Cracking the whip, the Election Commission on Friday directed the West Bengal Police chief to arrest all persons named in an FIR for beating up poll personnel in the state and send the compliance report by this evening.
In a shrill attack on the Centre, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused it of an "unholy nexus" with the erstwhile Left Front government of West Bengal, leaving the state in a "disastrous" financial situation with a debt burden of Rs 2 lakh crore, and warned that her patience was running out.
The estimate was presented in the Damage and Needs Assessment (DNA), a survey conducted nationwide by ADB and the World Bank to assess the extent of the flood damage.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's emphasis on a rigid land policy has pleased the farming community but not the industry.
The dissent in Congress ranks ahead of the West Bengal assembly polls has worsened in several districts over the alliance with the Trinamool Congress and selection of party candidates with Congress rebels filing nominations as independents in some places.
Alarmed at the deteriorating financial health of states, World Bank on Tuesday suggested sweeping reforms including early introduction of value-added tax, expenditure control and other fiscal discipline measures to eliminate their revenue deficit by
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's seat offer is unacceptable to the Congress. With Banerjee playing hard to get, the Congress may consider going alone in West Bengal. Renu Mittal reports.
The West Bengal assembly on Tuesday plunged into bedlam with ruling Trinamool Congress and Left members coming to blows and the speaker suspending three Left MLAs, while three injured members were taken to hospital.
Senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday night had a meeting with party MPs, district presidents, Pradesh Congress Committee chief and Congress Legislature Party leader of West Bengal to discuss the strategy for the upcoming assembly polls in the state.
A section of state Congress leaders questioned Bhuniya's demand that the party should be given 98 (one-third) of the 294 Assembly seats even before seat-sharing talks began with Trinamool Congress.
At least 12 pilgrims from Jharkhand were killed and 13 others injured when a truck hit a stranded bus on Durgapur Expressway at Chanditala in Hooghly district early Wednesday, the police said.
The Centre will continue to help the West Bengal government in its efforts to resolve the Darjeeling crisis despite the Left's withdrawal of support to the United Progressive Alliance government, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said.This assurance was given during a meeting between Mukherjee and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee in Kolkata on Sunday.The chief minister has already requested Patil for tripartite talks to resolve the Darjeeling deadlock.
The issue of alliances in the coming assembly polls in five states including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu is ticklish for the Congress with the regional parties in both states playing the 'big brother'.
Maoists were getting encouragement from civil society and support of well-minded citizens was required to stem the menace, West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan said on Friday."The Maoists are getting the upper hand in people's mind because they are getting encouragement from a section of civil society," Narayanan said. "We need the support of well minded citizens so that matters don't go out of control," he said.
Taking a pro-active stand on the law and order situation in the state, West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan is likely to visit Netai village in strife-torn Lalgrah area, where seven unarmed villagers were killed recently.On Thursday, Narayanan had reviewed the overall situation arising out of the spurt in political violence in the state with the top brass of the administration at Raj Bhavan. He had summoned Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh, Home Secretary G D Goutama.
Ashodaya Samithi, an organisation of female, male and transgender sex workers in Karnataka, is addressing the issue of social stigma and discrimination towards HIV+ sex workers and sex workers in general by promoting entrepreneurship among them. Its efforts towards this has given shape to an innovative and sustainable project -- a community kitchen in Mysore.
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