While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is trying to protect Law Minister Ashwani Kumar by changing his portfolio, he finds no support from Sonia Gandhi, reports Renu Mittal
After remaining in the positive zone for three months, India's exports contracted 1.2 per cent to $33.98 billion in July, while the trade deficit widened to $23.5 billion.
'Several leaders leaving the party in quick succession tell us that something is very wrong with the oldest party'
Amid speculation that he may do yet another volte face and return to the National Democratic Alliance, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday visited Buxar district, bordering Uttar Pradesh, to attend a function where senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey was also present.
Kumar became CBI director in 2008, succeeding Vijay Shanker, in the midst of the agency's probe into the Aarushi Talwar murder case that hogged the headlines.
Nagaland Governor Ashwani Kumar resigned on Wednesday, becoming the third person occupying the gubernatorial post to put in his papers since the National Democratic Alliance government prodded some of the Governors, appointed during United Progressive Alliance rule, to quit.
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who was under sharp criticism from the opposition parties after the arrest of his nephew Vijay Singla on charges of allegedly trying to fix promotion for a member in the railway board, put in his papers on Friday evening.
Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ranjit Sinha on Monday admitted before the Supreme Court that certain changes were made in the coalgate draft report on suggestions given by Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, Attorney General G E Vanahvati and the officials of PMO and Coal Ministry.
The Bharatiya Janata Party charged the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government on Friday of shielding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his alleged role in the coal allocation scam by forcing former Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar to quit his post.
'They charge such high fees and offer us this safety. Our lives have become a mockery.'
Kriti Kharbanda knows how to make a simple handwoven sari look festive enough for a wedding.
Pressure mounted for the removal of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Thursday as more instances of impropriety tumbled out amidst talk of a reshuffle of the Union cabinet in which beleagured Law Minister Ashwani Kumar may be shifted to a different portfolio.
Law Minister Ashwani Kumar's rise in politics and elevation to the cabinet was as dramatic as his fall.
Nearly three months after he had to resign as union law minister in a blaze of controversy, Ashwani Kumar has been appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as his special envoy to visit Japan in the rank of a Cabinet minister.
'The Budget needs to focus more on social welfare schemes.'
An increase in the farmer income support scheme PM Kisan Nidhi, the introduction of a 'robot tax' to fund reskilling of people who lose their jobs to artificial intelligence (AI), and a reduced income-tax (I-T) to bring relief to the middle classes - these are some of the items in the Budget wish list submitted by Sangh Parivar affiliates to Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman. Representatives of the affiliates of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), such as the farmer organisation Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS); trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS); Laghu Udyog Bharati, which works for micro and small industries; and Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), which works on economic and policy issues, met the FM and other officials over the last couple of weeks as part of the pre-Budget consultations.
The United Progressive Alliance on Sunday decided not to oblige the opposition by asking for the resignation of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, whose nephew was arrested in a bribery case, as also Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, who is in the eye of a storm over the coal-gate controversy.
It was during his tenure that Air India made its first operating profit of Rs 105 crore in FY17 since the merger of Indian Airlines and Air India in 2007.
India's merchandise exports rose by 9.1 per cent to $38.13 billion in May even as the trade deficit widened to a seven-month high of $23.78 billion during the month, according to government data. Healthy growth in sectors, such as engineering, electronics, pharmaceuticals, textiles and plastics helped register growth in exports despite global economic uncertainties.
'Probably revised guidelines will come, and then the real picture will emerge.'
After hours of uncertainty, Central Bureau of Investigation, the country's top investigation agency, finally has a new director. Reports had earlier indicated that Special Director M L Sharma, to whom Shanker had handed over the charge, would be the next chief.
India's merchandise exports in April 2024 marginally rose to $34.99 billion from $34.62 billion in the year-ago month, according to government data released on Wednesday. Imports too increased to $54.09 billion from $49.06 billion in April 2023.
Senior IPS official Ashwani Kumar took charge as the new director of the Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday. "My top priority would be to reduce the trail time of our cases," the new CBI director said. He added, "the CBI is under tremendous pressure to nab Dawood Ibrahim."
Falling jet fuel prices and a revival in domestic traffic growth offer the new CMD a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday said the Supreme Court's "serious observations" in the Central Bureau of Investigation case relating to coal-gate involving Law Minister Ashwani Kumar confirmed that the probe report on the scam was changed by the minister and demanded his resignation.
Messages sent through Internet-based messaging service providers such as Whatsapp, Signal, and Telegram, as well as those which are encrypted, are understood to be within the Act's ambit.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is likely to convey to the Supreme Court on Monday that changes were proposed both by Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and Attorney General G M Vahanvati in its status report on investigations into the controversial allocation of coal blocks.
Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, who was forced to resign on Friday, put up a brave face on Saturday, claiming he quit to end an "unnecessary" controversy and maintained that the Supreme Court had made no adverse comments against him in the case of vetting a graft probe report by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Central Bureau of Investigator Director Rajit Sinha is likely to inform the Supreme Court that the probe agency's report on the controversial coal mine allocation was shared with Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar but will make it clear there was no dilution of the document.
Left grappling with a mess after the Supreme Court's indictment, government and the Congress deliberated at length on the continuation of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar in the Cabinet but a decision may wait till the next hearing in the Coalgate on May 8.
Rejecting suggestions that ministries are split over various provisions of the proposed anti-rape bill, Law Minister Ashwani Kumar has said proposals are brought before the Union cabinet after sufficient discussions.
Setting a tough condition before the government, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said it will not allow the passage of any bill in Parliament till Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Law Minister Ashwani Kumar resign or are sacked. The opposition party also made it clear that it will not allow the passage of either the National Food Security Bill or the Land Acquisition Bill.
With the prime minister wanting to send the message that he has not been part of any cover-up in the coal scam, Ashwani Kumar's case is looking more and more dismal, reports Sheela Bhatt
Ashwani Lohani is presently working as Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation in Bhopal.
Law Minister Ashwani Kumar on Thursday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a day after the Supreme Court pulled up the government on the probe into the coal allocation scam.
Ganguly was also effusive in his praise for young pacer Renuka Singh.
A decision on Law Minister Ashwani Kumar's continuance in the Union cabinet will depend on the view taken by the Supreme Court on Wednesday when it examines the Central Bureau of Investigation affidavit on the coal blocks allocation report, the Congress said.
The officials of the Delhi Fire Services said the blaze broke out at the children's hospital in Shahdara on Saturday night.
Lohani's job was to turn around the MP Tourism Development Corporation.
The fresh plea, filed through lawyer Ashwani Dubey, seeks dismissal of the pending PILs of various petitioners including the Indian Union Muslim League on various grounds.
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