The next course of action against the Naxalites, who blew up a rail track in West Bengal that resulted in a collision between a passenger train and a good train, would be taken shortly following a high-level meeting, Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said.
The fourth round of tripartite talks on Gokhaland issue on Monday failed to come to an agreement in the absence of a consensus and the organisation spearheading the movement for a separate state has sought political dialogue at the next round of talks within 45 days.
The Centre on Friday clarified that it intends to go ahead with the creation of a separate Telangana state in spite of wide-spread opposition, with Home Secretary G K Pillai stating that Hyderabad will be the capital of Telangana and the process to create a new state will commence soon.Telagana Rashtriya Samiti chief K Chandrashekhar Rao has chosen to stay silent on the issue and watch the political developments unfold.
It is "too premature" to talk about the extradition of US national David Coleman Headley to India for his alleged role in Mumbai terror attacks, a top Obama Administration official has said.
The government on Tuesday said that Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the terror siege on Mumbai who was sentenced to death by a special anti-terror court last week, may be hanged by the end of this year, provided there is no legal bar."If there is no petition from him (Kasab) challenging the sessions court verdict in the higher court, he can be hanged by the year-end," Union Home Secretary G K Pillai told a TV channel.
India indicated the possibility of gaining access to terror suspects David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Rana, both arrested by FBI, once they are "indicted" by the US.
The board of approval, headed by commerce secretary G K Pillai, will also consider requests from realty major DLF for de-notification of its IT-ITeS SEZs in Gujarat, Haryana, West Bengal and Orissa. Larsen and Toubro has proposed to set up an IT SEZ in Mumbai, while Gulf Oil Corporation has moved application for a similar tax-free zone in Bangalore.
The Centre on Tuesday ruled out use of air power in the fight against Naxalites and admitted obviously some element of failure in the operations led to the killing of 75 security personnel in Chhattisgarh.
Home Secretary G K Pillai said if Headley gets severe punishment and comes out of the judicial process, it would be easier for India to get access to the Pakistan-born American national in jail. "If he is given a light sentence, it would not only be disappointing but we will be registering a very strong protest with the US," Pillai told NDTV hours ahead of the hearing against Headley in Chicago.
The Indian government said on Thursday that the use of Indian Air Force helicopters in any offensive against Naxals is not part of a strategy in its new plan to deal with rising Maoist violence.
Union Home Secretary G K Pillai has given a missive to Kerala DGP and the Kochi city police commissioner on the possibility of a Lashkar terror attack in the city in the near future.
A day after Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said Maoists had plans to overthrow the Indian state by 2050, top Naxal leader Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji on Saturday claimed it would be achieved much before that date.
"Whatever we have given in the affidavit is a fact available with the Home Ministry...we are not backtracking from the affidavit," Home Secretary G K Pillai told media-persons in New Delhi. However, he went on to add that "terrorists cannot be killed in cold blood", indicating that due process of law had to be followed.
None of the nine persons killed in the Pune blast is a foreigner and the three bodies identified so far are of Indians, Union Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai said in New Delhi on Sunday. Pillai said among the injured, four are Iranians, two Sudanese, one Taiwanese, one German and two Nepalese.
Preliminary information suggests that this "seems to be some sort of a blast," Chavan said. Forensic experts have reached the spot, he said. The Pune police commissioner has said that till the entire place is searched, it won't be all right to comment, he added
Even in the midst of a liquidity crunch, Special Economic Zones still remain a lucrative investment option among developers. The government on Monday cleared 22 of these tax-free industrial enclaves.
David Headley and Tawahur Rana who had surveyed several targets in Mumbai which were attacked by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba were in Pakistan at the time of the Mumbai attack, Home secretary G K Pillai said.
Making it clear that no clean chit has been given to anyone so far in the Headley-Rana terror case, the government on Sunday said the probe to complete the duo's trail in India will take four to six weeks.
The FBI has provided access to agents from India's domestic and external intelligence agencies to the information it has gathered on David Headley and his associate Tahawwur Husain Rana, who is also in the FBI's custody.
David Coleman Headley, arrested by the FBI for plotting a major terror attack in India at the behest of the LeT, had visited the country, including Mumbai, several times, Home Secretary G K Pillai said today.
India for the first time has said that the Maoists are getting arms from China, which is a "big supplier" of small weapons.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Gopal K Pillai said the agriculture text proposals on the special safeguard mechanism were not acceptable to India. A country can use the SSM to impose up to 50 per cent additional import duty on farm products which have seen a surge in imports.
With the US economy in recession, the Obama administration is coming under a domestic pressure to protect its economy by restricting outsourcing of manufacturing and services. Newly appointed US trade representative Ron Kirk said in Geneva on Wednesday that countries like India and China which are seeking leadership position in WTO should agree to give improved market access.
India's exports in March fell below $12 billion, showing negative growth for the sixth month in a row, as demand for merchandise slumped in the world's major economies, which are battling recession.
India has lifted the ban on importing Chinese toys imposed in January, but retained the safety standards for consignments from China. Pillai said he has assured the Chinese vice-minister that India is in the process broadbasing the safety norms for imports from all countries.
Falling sugar production in the European countries would provide an excellent opportunity for Indian sugar exports to the European Union market, says a top government official.
However, the board of approval in the commerce ministry asked the DLF to return all the tax sops it had taken from the Centre before its SEZs in Gujarat, West Bengal, Orissa and Haryana could be denotified. The BoA, headed by commerce secretary G K Pillai, also allowed more time to the K Raheja group to build its tax-free zones in Goa, Hyderabad and Navi Mumbai, an official said.
The ministry also expects the pace of job losses in export-oriented units to slow down in the coming months.
The BoA, headed by Commerce Secretary G K Pillai, will consider granting formal clearances to Mukesh Ambani-promoted Navi Mumbai Special Economic Zone and Hindalco aluminium SEZ in Orissa.
Taking a hard knock in the recession-hit US and other major markets, India's exports nose-dived by 22 per cent in January, dashing all hopes of a recovery riding on the December figures.
The finance ministry is considering a suggestion by the Commerce Ministry to enhance duty neutralisation rates to make up for revenue lost by exporters due to sharp appreciation in the rupee.
India said on Wednesday developed countries were still not willing to fulfil their commitments under the World Trade Organization agreements and warned this could put the entire global trade at risk.
Former Union Home Secretary RK Singh is expected to join the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday afternoon.
The government on Friday cleared seven co-developers in Mukesh Ambani-promoted Navi Mumbai SEZs, thus endorsing fresh investment through private equity players by a key partner of the Reliance Industries chairman, Mukesh Ambani.
The Board of Approval on Tuesday cleared 10 special economic zone proposals, including three Mukesh Ambani-promoted IT zones in Navi Mumbai.
India's trade with China will touch the 100-billion dollar mark in the next five years, coming close to bilateral trade target with the European Union by 2013.
"We have always said if the WTO Director General feels there is a chance for (another) opening, then we will be prepared to come again to Geneva," Commerce Secretary G K Pillai told reporters on the sidelines of a Ficci-CUTS conference in New Delhi. A marathon meeting of 30 trade ministers failed to reach a common ground when they met in Geneva between July 21-29 on an issue of the level of protection for developing countries in case of import surge.
Russia had imposed a complete ban on import of these commodities originating from India citing poor quality with affect from May 1, 2007.
Not the one to give up hope, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy is visiting India next week to find ways for picking up the threads from last month's failed trade talks in Geneva.
The talks are being held in Brussels between high-level delegations from India and EU, led by Commerce Secretary G K Pillai and Director General of European Commission Davis O'Sullivan.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances