India's growth, he said, remains resilient with low inflation, fiscal prudence and low current account deficit, talking about robust structural reform measures.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday brushed aside concerns of Parliament's upcoming monsoon session being disrupted over the Lalit Modi controversy, saying some people may be relevant to TV channels but not to governance.
Other ministers who have presented five straight annual financial statements include Arun Jaitley, P Chidambaram, Yashwant Sinha, Manmohan Singh and Morarji Desai.
'The finance minister has messed up the economy.'
'Power sits lightly on Arun Jaitley's shoulders. Just because earth-shaking election results have brought his party in power, he has not gone recklessly ambitious. "Too soon, too fast" is not what he likes,' says Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com about Budget 2014.
Though not a blockbuster budget it does not undermine the fact that key issues were addressed and the finance minister certainly did not under-deliver, says Vatsal Srivastava.
The corporate income tax breaks make up a relatively small part of $80 billion in business giveaways.
Jaitley, the first Union minister to meet Jaya since her conviction, manages to secure the AIADMK's conditional support to the government's crucial legislations in the Rajya Sabha.
He said that non-ideological opportunistic coalitions always get trapped within their own contradictions.
Trashing Arun Jaitley's contention that government's action on snoopgate probe were illegitimate, Law Minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday said he "should go back to law" before making such statements and insisted that a judge to head the inqury will be named before May 16.
A war of words broke out on Sunday between Markandeya Katju and the Bharatiya Janata Party over his article critical of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi with party leader Arun Jaitley dubbing the Press Council of India chairman as 'more Congress than the Congress' and demanding his resignation.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley visited the aircraft carrier INS Viraat in Mumbai on Saturday.
The finance minister is in Singapore for The Singapore Summit.
The dates of general elections in 2019 and the presentation of the final Budget of the Modi government are so far removed from each other that Jaitley is not under any pressure to present a populist Budget. Instead, he could well unveil an array of schemes and proposals that he believes are necessary for the economy, even if a few of them could be unpopular, says A K Bhattacharya.
Totackle the serious challenges faced by the banking sector, the government will bring in more professional management and boards in the banks.
Dolly, who is leading from the front in Amritsar, wakes up early, plans things for her husband's campaign, oversees resources, does nukkad meetings and keeps busy -- all without getting into the limelight. Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com's fascinating insights into the battle for Amritsar!
BCCI's president-in-exile Narayanswami Srinivasan is set to discuss his future course of action with Union finance minister Arun Jaitley.
The Congress said arrogance of the BJP has touched its zenith as it turned 'blind' to farm distress.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who is in Davos to showcase India as an investment destination at the World Economic Forum (WEF), on Wednesday promised India has a "lot in the pipeline" for global investors even as he plans to take up with Switzerland the issue of black money stashed in banks there.
Jaitley said future transactions would be substantially digital as India moves towards a less-cash society
Senior New Delhi-based journalist R Rajagopalan, who has been closely following the Union Budget preparations since 1977, lifts the veil off India's most secretive operation.
Will Jaitley be successful in achieving an economic turnaround?
Ex-servicemen seeking changes in government's OROP scheme on Monday shifted their protest back to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi from outside Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
A last-ditch attempt to convince disgruntled Bharatiya Janata Party leader B S Yeddyurappa, by senior leader Arun Jaitley, has failed. Jaitley, who arrived in Bengaluru late on Saturday, held talks with the former Karnataka chief minister. According to sources, Jaitley had sought to know what Yeddyurappa's conditions were to remain in the BJP.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley on Saturday showed an uncharacteristic discomfort in using Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's name as well as taking on Congress candidate and chief ministerial-hopeful Shankersinh Vaghela in his public address at Kapadvanj constituency in Gujarat's Kheda district. Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore reports from the ground.
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Adani CEO Jeyakumar Janakraj said the Adani issue was not on the agenda of Jaitley's visit.
The state of these public sector units is appalling and disinvestment or even closing some of them appears to be the only option to prevent exchequer from further bleeding.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said on Saturday the country's forces are capable of responding to ceasefire violations along the Line of Control by Pakistan.
'Implementation of GST would lead to the growth story of India'.
India and Australia began training for the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Jaitley said the Budget proposals would boost the realty sector, which would help meet the housing needs of a vast section of the population.
Many private economists consider the deficit target optimistic, citing weak tax receipts in a sluggish economy and high federal expenditure commitments.
In his poll rallies, Modi framed Pitroda's comments in his wider onslaught against the Congress, asserting that they have exposed its hidden agenda and that the party has become so removed from the country's social and family values that it wants to legally rob people of their assets and lifelong savings they want to bequeath to their children.
Jaitely's statement comes amidst the escalating tension between Indian and Pakistan.
There is nothing wrong with government and RBI having conflicting opinions.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was on Friday at the centre of a row over his "small rape incident" remark with attack being mounted on him from various quarters even as he said he had not referred to any particular case and that he had no intention of trivialising any crime.
'Digital India' initiative has a huge potential, he said.
About 15 per cent of the country's total GDP comes from agriculture.
'On the tax front, most of the Budget proposals are sensible'.
In a speech, Jaitley said that while he expected to hit targeted levels for direct taxes, reaching the goal for indirect taxes would be a "challenge".
