In view of the austerity measures, the Prime Minister's delegation for G-20 Summit in Pittsburg in the US has been pruned a bit. At least two officials and three members of the official media have been dropped from the delegation that will leave for the four-day visit on Wednesday, official sources said in New Delhi on Tuesday.
There will also be a ban on purchase of new vehicles, the Finance Ministry said in a direction to all ministries and departments.
While growth in India and China is likely to remain robust, the rest of the world risks falling back into recession if developed countries embark prematurely on fiscal austerity measures, says a United Nations report, released in New York on Thursday.
Informing the Parliament about this, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, however, said the panic button should not be pressed.
Sharif, who recently assumed office for a record third term with a pledge to cut unnecessary expenses, gave directions to officials to cut the staff of the Prime Minister's Office by one-third so that administrative expenses can be curtailed.
Bureaucrats, police officers and the security clan spend public funds as lavishly as ministers do.
The Rajasthan government on Wednesday joined the austerity bandwagon, banning foreign tours by ministers and officers with immediate effect till June 30 next year.
The United Progressive Alliance government's austerity drive is expected to be extended to all Members of Parliament following an all party meeting, according to sources.Vice President Hamid Ansari will call an all-party meeting to decide on the issue once Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar returns from Rome. The chairman of the Rajya Sahba and the Lok Sabha speaker are expected to hold a discussion on the austerity drive.
Plainly put, this austerity drive is being carried too far and it has become a macabre Dickensian joke. Stop it and let us turn to serious business. Not only are the political class and their handmaidens in our media making much ado about nothing, they are insulting our common intelligence, says M K Bhadrakumar
While the US recovery is gaining traction, China's export motor is sputtering, Japan's bid to break out of deflation has not reached escape velocity, and demand in the euro zone is too weak to sustain a job-creating recovery.
Climbing down from its austerity drive, Railway Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday pegged working expenses of the Railways higher at Rs 39447.14 crore (Rs 394.47 billion) for 2003-04
With signs of economic revival becoming more pronounced, the government has relaxed the austerity drive undertaken last year and from April 1, government employees will be allowed to fly first class.
'The Indian government is better prepared this time and has reached out to all contenders and not putting all eggs in one basket.'
Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, is the latest to join a host of politicians taking to austerity and is likely to shift to the modest Karnataka Bhavan here from a 5-star hotel.
Even as problems on the external front look slipping out of its control, the government might keep its expenditure under check to limit its fiscal deficit at the budgeted 4.8 per cent of gross domestic product in the current financial year.
In the clip, Prasad and Sahni were seen enjoying fish and roti, with Prasad explaining that he eats quickly during election campaigns.
Never before in history have Cannes and its sidebars found space for eight Indian, or India-themed, films.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been receiving invitations for functions scheduled much after the Lok Sabha polls, which showed the 'entire world believes his return to power is inevitable'.
Morarji Desai was 81 when he was elected prime minister and ruled India for two years, from March 1977 to July 1999.
The government's austerity drive announced on Thursday , would lead to a saving of up to Rs 40,000 crore (Rs 400 billion) or 0.3 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but poses risks to growth, Japanese brokerage Nomura has said.
'When Prabhas informed his mother that he is turning vegetarian, she threw a fit.'
'Shooting with Pankaj was a delightful experience because he was a charming, easy and effortless singer.'
This simple kind of upma, made from cracked wheat, is a great beginning to a day.
Will the new Congress government implement the five 'guarantees' that helped it in part to wrest power from the Bharatiya Janata Party in toto or will they now add a "conditions apply" clause?
'Kejriwal could have easily deputed someone to step in as chief minister, but being the authoritative and self-centered personality that he is, he chose not to do it.' 'If the AAP loses Delhi, where it has a huge majority, the only one to blame would be Kejriwal,' asserts Ramesh Menon.
Rajasthan is reeling under a huge financial burden with the state's debt having gone beyond Rs 5.59 lakh crores. Rajasthan has increased expenditure on education by 203.4 percent, by 105.4 percent on health, by 227.14 percent on housing. Its expenditure on social welfare schemes has increased by almost 2,475 per cent.
Who better can embody the joy of everyday dressing than the Khiladi actress?
Arjun Menon looks at some Tamil films from the last decade that tick all the right boxes, and lists where you can watch them.
The United Nations on Wednesday pared down India's growth forecast by 20 basis points to 5.8 per cent for 2023 calendar year, citing higher interest rates and risks of recession in the developed world weighing on investment and exports. "Economic growth in India is projected to moderate in 2023, with higher interest rates weighing on investment and slower global growth weakening exports," it said in its latest World Economic Situation and Prospects report. The report has projected global trade to contract 0.4 per cent and the world economy to grow at 1.9 per cent in 2023.
Book reveals how Akshay Kumar terminated his own contract to save IPL team from incurring loss
The launch of Koel Puri's Clearly Invisible In Paris, in Mumbai, last Friday, revealed Suhana's star power.
'Rahul Gandhi is on a 3,500 km-long march. For me, kilometers do not matter'
The jewellery designer opened the show for Helen Anthony.
The ceremonial arch, inaugurated in July 1836, in a rather austere ceremony, stands proudly at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle with 12 grand avenues radiating outward from the commemorative landmark.
After moving into 10 Downing Street a couple of weeks go, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is making his first outing on the world stage.
Gandhi's decision to fly economy class followed a similar act by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and an announcement by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna that he would be undertaking official trips to Belarus and Turkmenistan.
Air India pilot unions IPG and ICPA on Monday sought Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri's intervention on the wage cut issue and also requested for an "urgent" meeting with him on several other issues. "In our meetings in September, you had given us an assurance to look into our grievances positively. "While other airlines are rolling back the austerity pay cuts for their pilots, the wage cut for Air India pilots further increased from October.
'Who am I to say that the happiness of individuals is any less significant than Memorandum of Understandings signed between governments?'
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi traveled in the chair car of the Shatabdi Express on Tuesday to reach Ludhiana from Delhi.
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