Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has brought about a coup in North Block by bringing an Indian Foreign Service officer Venu Rajamoni as Joint Secretary to head multilateral institutions division.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand, Kerala and Delhi have already announced cut in value added tax on petrol.
India and China will remain the fastest growing economies in Asia-Pacific by expanding at respective rates of 8.7 per cent and 9.5 per cent in 2011, much above the average of the region, UN agency ESCAP said.
Warning that volatility in international food and fuel prices may be on the way to becoming a long term and global phenomenon, India on Thursday called for a coordinated effort at the global level to control inflation.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on wednesday said the Reserve Bank of India would have to step in to stem the downslide of rupee.
The Indian rupee slid to a fresh low of Rs 55.32 against the US dollar in the afternoon trade on Tuesday as foreign funds pulled out from emerging markets avoiding risky assets.
The 97-page document tabled by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee made a strong case for setting up Lokpal and Lokayuktas. Though, there was no was mention of government's estimate of black money within and outside the country, it pitched for courts to expeditiously deal with the offence.
The White Paper, which was tabled by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha, also did not provide government's estimate of black money, within and outside the country, though it quoted various estimates of other agencies on the issue.
The TERC, which comprises, among others Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, will also review the state of play in the Doha Round of talks for a multilateral trade agreement under the aegis of World Trade Organization, sources said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said the country needs creativity and innovation to address the problems of poverty, health and environment.
The Jammu and Kashmir cabinet is unlikely to take any final call on the partial revocation of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act as proposed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, top government sources told rediff.com.
The Jammu and Kashmir cabinet is unlikely to take any final call on the partial revocation of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act as proposed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, top government sources told rediff.com.
In an interesting development, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who is very much in the news these days would be travelling by a special plane to Udaipur, Rajsamand and Nathdwara temple in Rajasthan, accompanied by Union Road and Transport Minister C P Joshi for a one-day trip to the state on Saturday.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was conspicuous by his absence at a joint group photograph of members of both the Houses on Wednesday to commemorate 60th anniversary of Parliament as he was not informed.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh late on Tuesday night and is understood to have briefed him about his talks with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, holding special sittings on Sunday, will focus on the '60 years journey of Indian Parliament' as they celebrate 60th anniversary of its first session.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday hinted at financing for sorting out Eurozone crisis after a credible assessment of solvency problem is made.
The Finance Ministry will soon unveil the simpler income tax return form 'Sugam', which is aimed at reducing compliance burden on small businessmen and professionals.
The controversial note on the 2G spectrum allocation by the finance ministry, which created a storm by suggestion that the then finance minister P Chidambram could have prevented the scam by enforcing the spectrum auction, was drafted after consultation with the Prime Minister's Office and officials of the cabinet secretariat.
Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy's remarks that Mahatma Gandhi would have turned corrupt in the present day politics on Monday drew sharp reaction from leaders including Gandhian Anna Hazare, who wondered how the country could eliminate corruption if leaders talk like this.
Dubbing the United Progressive Alliance at the Centre as "the most corrupt government ever seen by independent India", senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Saturday wanted the Lokpal bill to be passed in the next session of Parliament itself.
Dismissing the Opposition charge that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was "weak", Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has asserted he was "very much alert and proactive" to all issues including corruption.
According to sources in the government, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is firmly against activist Anna Hazare's demand for formally constituting a joint committee, with representatives from the civil society and the government, to draft a strong anti-corruption bill. Hazare has been on an indefinite fast in New Delhi since Wednesday to press for his demand.Mukherjee has stopped the government from issuing a notification to make the joint committee formal.
To narrow the gap, corporates should join hands with the state and Central governments to create healthcare facilities through their social responsibility activities, he said.
As chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on finance, former finance minister, Yashwant Sinha, says he is committed to expediting the legislative work associated with important Bills, including the direct taxes code (DTC) and Goods and Servies Tax.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that the government will have to find some solution to the feisty issue of opening up of retail sector for FDI.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said the global slowdown will impact India's growth prospects, but expressed hope that inflation will start moderating from December.
The people of Kashmir are strong enough to handle the National Conference. But what about the soul-searching Congress, asks Aditi Phadnis
The Parliamentary panel examining the nuclear liability bill on Wednesday decided to seek an extension for submitting its report on the controversial legislation. The decision to seek an extension came after top Bharatiya Janata Party leaders including L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley had a meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee."The committee cannot hustle through the proceedings," said BJP leader Jaswant Singh.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to oppose suggestions to introduce a financial transaction tax, commonly known as tobin tax.
The crowd at the Confederation of Indian Industry's annual general meeting and national conference 2012 merely issued a round of half-hearted applause, though finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had earlier hinted a rate cut was in the offing in the next 'half an hour'.
Exuding confidence that India will be able to come out of every difficult situation, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said the country needs to be ever ready to respond to external shocks on real time basis.
Cigarette pricing in India can go the liquor way as ITC, the undisputed leader in the sector, may consider state-specific pricing for its popular brands. This comes after the ad valorem duty imposed in the Union Budget, coupled with the varying value added tax (VAT) rates across states.
The much-awaited talks to finalise the seat-sharing issue between Congress and Trinamool Congress for the coming Assembly elections in West Bengal ended inconclusively in Kolkata on Tuesday night.
Congress on Wednesday said Rahul Gandhi is the "future" of the party and the country, echoing senior leader and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's sentiments that he is going to be a "new leader" of the party.
The Union finance ministry has kicked off the exercise for preparation of the Union Budget for the fiscal year 2012-13 and has asked all ministries to rush proposals by October 31 for inclusion in the second supplementary budget for 2011-12 to be presented in the winter session of Parliament.
Five things you did not hear the finance minister Pranab Mukherjee say in the budget speech.
Insisting that the controversy over the finance ministry note on 2G spectrum issue with inferences against P Chidambaram is not over, Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has bowed to wishes of the "head of the family" and asked him to clarify where he disagreed with it.
The minister further said that he would respond to the issues in his reply to the discussion on the Finance Bill 2011, later during this session.
The seven-member grouping has seen two changes -- S Jaipal Reddy replacing Murli Deora after taking over as the Oil Ministry, while Kamal Nath has given away to the new Road Transport and Highways Minister C P Joshi.
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