When Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee came to the All India Congress Committee headquarters on Tuesday evening to meet the Congress Working Committee members and party office bearers and hear their suggestions on what should be incorporated in the coming budget for the aam admi, he was bombarded with suggestions.
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, it appears, is peeved with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram over the punishment being meted out to government servants on charges of corruption.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was saddled with a number of handicaps when he presented the Union Budget 2012-13 on Friday morning.
One thing is clear from watching MPs on the Lok Sabha's biggest day: the only thing that unites them is the words "outlay was doubled".
The government on Friday proposed setting up a Rs 5,000 crore venture fund with SIDBI to enhance availability of equity to micro, small and medium enterprises.
The Union Budget has proposed to extend concessional basic customs duty of 5 per cent with full exemption from excise/countervailing duty to six specified life-saving drugs and vaccines, even as the stress has been laid on vaccine security.
Mandatory reporting of assets held by individuals abroad and re-opening of I-T return filings up to 16 years are among the steps being proposed by the government to tackle the menace of black money.
Ram Buxani said increase in the customs duty on gold will help Dubai's business.
"The roadmap given by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee makes it clear that this budget will increase financial burden on common people," CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters outside Parliament.
Tax collection at source on purchase, in cash, of bullion or jewellery in excess of Rs 2 lakh is one step announced.
Inflation is expected to moderate to 6.5-7 per cent by March end but spiralling global crude oil prices pose a challenge in the coming months, said the Economic Survey 2011-12.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said the medium-term outlook for the economy is bright and presents an excellent opportunity to take the growth process forward.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee earlier this month approved the proposal for deputing the officials at the Paris-headquartered body as advisors.
Finance Minister is unhappy over lack of storage capacity.
Senior Congress leader and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee resigned as chief of party's West Bengal unit on Sunday citing "heavy government responsibilities", and Congress Legislature Party leader Manas Ranjan Bhunia was appointed to the post by Sonia Gandhi.
The four-day tour, beginning September 21, includes World Bank-International Monetary Fund meetings, as well as interactions with investors.
As the finance ministry gives the final touches to the country's biggest financial planning exercise, there is widespread criticism over the government's inability to tackle inflation, bring back black money stashed overseas and keep fiscal deficit in check.
Called 'Swabhiman', the programme, to be launched by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, was to be introduced earlier, but put off twice.
There have been many innovative and helpful developments in the Indian education sector in the last 4-5 years.
Output of the manufacturing sector, which constitutes over 75 per cent of the index, rose 8.5 per cent in January, compared to 8.1 per cent in the same month last year.
The government on Saturday said it has served notices to 17 persons who allegedly kept untaxed money in foreign banks and prosecution has begun against them, but refused to reveal their names. The comments, made by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, came a day after some media reports revealed names of 15 entities, including individuals and trusts, who allegedly kept illicit money in LGT Bank of Liechtenstein, an European country neighbouring Switzerland.
The government is set to announce some significant measures to reduce the high transaction costs faced by the country's exporters in their day-to-day operations. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will be unveiling the measures on February 8.
Concerned over a spike in crude oil prices in international markets due to turmoil in West Asia, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday the government is monitoring the situation and will manage it.
Rashtriya Janata Dal's Lalu Prasad was the odd man out in the Lok Sabha on Saturday when he questioned the need for a debate on the Lokpal issue saying a bill in this regard was already before a Parliamentary Standing Committee.
Government on Friday ruled out replacing its Lokpal Bill with another, saying it will be better to have amendments to the one already introduced.
In his desperate bid to bring back the India-England World Cup match to Eden Gardens, Cricket Association of Bengal chief Jagmohan Dalmiya on Saturday called on Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, though authorities in Kolkata denied taking any political help.
All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi today said that he was concerned over the logjam in the wake of Anna Hazare's agitation against corruption.
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee late on Wednesday night rebutted the charges by Team Anna that he had told them the Gandhian's health was not government's concern, saying the remarks were "distorted."
R Gopalan has been appointed as Secretary Economic Affairs. He will hold this position, in addition to his current charge as Secretary Financial Services.
Hectic efforts to break the deadlock over Lokpal were on for the second day on Wednesday as Team Anna presented a fresh draft for consideration by the government.
In the first major breakthrough in the week-long standoff, the government on Tuesday appointed Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as its negotiator for talks with Anna Hazare and his aides over their demand for a strong Lokpal. Announcing the government's initiative, Hazare's close aide Arvind Kejriwal said the activist will decide as to who will represent his team in the talks with Mukherjee.
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said that the leaders of the civil society movement for a Lokpal Bill have given an impression as if they have become legislators.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said the agreement signed with Switzerland for sharing banking information on demand is likely to come into force by September.
The meeting of the GoM, according to sources, will be attended by several senior ministers, including Home Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister A K Antony, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and Telecommunication Minister Kapil Sibal.
He says current arrangement is working fine.
Food inflation had soared to a year's high of 18.32 per cent for the week ending December 25 before declining to 16.91 per cent in the subsequent week.
The strike is because of the government's decision to levy 10.3 per cent service tax on the film industry.
The Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry comprising top industrialists and bankers met on Wednesday and reviewed the economic situation, particularly in the wake of the European financial crisis.
Food inflation rose to 18.32 per cent for the week ended December 25, because of rise in prices of food items like onion, milk and meat.
Reflecting the growing strains in relations between the two United Progressive Alliance allies, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday criticised attempts of Trinamool Congress to marginalise Congress in West Bengal.
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