Presenting the Union Budget for 2013-14 in Parliament, Finance Minister P Chidambaram also quoted his favourite poet Tiruvalluvar towards the end of his Budget speech after referring to Stiglitz in the beginning.
The 'Group of 23' leaders who participated included Ghulam Nabi Azad, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Anand Sharma, Mukul Wasnik, Prithviraj Chavan, Manish Tewari, Shashi Tharoor, besides Sibal who hosted the post-birthday dinner for them.
P Chidambaram and Rajeev Shukla of the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party's Sumitra Valmiki and Kavita Patidar, former Congress leader Kapil Sibal, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Misa Bharti and Jayant Chaudhary of the Rashtriya Lok Dal were among the 41 winners declared elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha.
The Congress on Wednesday attacked the government over the dip in vaccination numbers after a record high earlier this week with former party chief Rahul Gandhi saying the country is not safe unless vaccination is done on a large scale but sadly the government is "unable to move beyond a PR event".
Sheela Bhatt spoke to various members of Parliament to elicit their opinion about Finance Minister P Chidambaram's last Budget before the general elections, and found them lukewarm in their reaction. 'Political nuksaan nahi, lekin faida bhi nahin. Bach nikle,' about sums it up
'India will succeed. I know this past year has caused a lot of concern, but this year is over and by elections we will achieve our ambitious economic agenda.'
The panel will likely play an important role as the Personal Data Protection Bill gets tabled in Parliament.
Chidambaram said he would count every additional rupee the government infuses into the economy and examine what the poor, hungry and devastated migrant workers get after walking hundreds of kilometres to their home states.
Unions have also demanded raising the income tax exemption limit from Rs 2 lakhs to Rs 5 lakhs.
Singh had taken the two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on March 4 and April 3.
Chidambaram came down hard on the Jahangirpuri demolitions and those in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone earlier, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders' justification of the bulldozer-enabled demolitions 'flies in the face of the law'.
In 2013-2014, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said growth would be between 6.1% and 6.7%. In 2014-2015, India, he said, wants growth to be above 7%.
He was produced before the court after the Supreme Court refused to entertain his plea challenging the Delhi high court order which had dismissed his anticipatory bail plea in the corruption case lodged by the CBI arising out of the INX Media scam.
"There is no doubt any longer that Rafale aircraft deal deserves to be examined thoroughly by a joint parliamentary committee. Congress reiterates its demand for constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee," he said, citing a newspaper report that claimed the Modi government's decision to buy 36 jets, instead of 126 planned earlier, jack up the price of each aircraft.
The case is related to the alleged irregularities in granting clearance by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board to INX Media, once owned by Peter and Indrani Mukherjea, for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore.
Party chief Rahul Gandhi formed a nine-member Core Group Committee, a 19-member Manifesto Committee and a committee comprising 19 top party leaders who will look after the publicity during the elections.
The Congress will hold a chintan shivir immediately after the Budget session of Parliament and the CWC will meet again before that, he told reporters
Apart from around 100 MPs of the Congress, leaders of several opposition parties including Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena, Communist Party of India-Marxist, Communist Party of India, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party attended the meeting.
Former Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jarnail Singh passed away in New Delhi on Friday due to COVID-related complications, his family said. He was 48.
Blaming the "misconceived" policy of the previous (National Democratic Alliance) government for shortage of IAS and IPS officers across the country, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said that steps are being taken to recruit more number of officers in both categories to "make up" for the problem.
Wipro CFO Suresh C Senapaty on Thursday said there is hope of corporate sector sentiments improving after P Chidambaram assumed charge as Union Finance Minister and wanted the Centre to convert it into policy action.
The CBI has asked Karti to appear before it on October 4.
'Why are the people who stood with the Congress through thick and thin, why are they leaving?'
As the Budget 2008 gets ready to unfold, find out how much you know about the man behind it. Take the Rediff Business Quiz on Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
A BTech and PhD in police, human rights and social justice, Singh joined the federal anti-money laundering investigations agency in 2009 on deputation from Uttar Pradesh where he was serving as a state police service officer.
Congratulating Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for the massive surrender, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram assured those who surrendered that they would be treated with honour and dignity. K Anurag reports.
The CBI had summoned Karti to appear before it on October 4.
In a huge relief to Finance Minister P Chidambaram, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea for making him a co-accused in the 2G spectrum case, saying there was no prima facie material against him of any criminal conspiracy or procuring of any pecuniary gain.
The Congress hit out at the BJP, demanding the immediate arrest of those who have defamed India at the international level instead of enacting a "drama of action".
State governments must think again before opposing Home Minister P Chidambaram on the Nation Counter-Terrorism Centre, says Aditi Phadnis
The move comes after CBI gets sanction to prosecute him in Aircel-Maxis case
With just over a month to go for assembly elections in Goa, political observers feel the Congress may upset the Bharatiya Janata Party's plans for retaining power in the coastal state, but appear less enthused about the Trinamool Congress, whose entry has added colour to the poll campaign.
Chidambaram complained of illness and pain in the stomach, the sources said, adding that he was treated for gastrointestinal-related problems.
Justice A K Pathak had asked Chidambaram to join questioning and cooperate in the investigation as and when called by the CBI.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, complaining against Home Minister P Chidambaram's comment on the issue of IPS officers, alleging that the United Progressive Alliance government was trying to destabilise his government.
The Congress leader was brought to the jail on Thursday evening and he has got no special facilities, except a separate cell and a Western toilet as specified by the court, prison officials said. Like other inmates, he will also have access to the prison's library and can watch television for a specified period.
'The signal is crude oil prices will rise, I am cutting my subsidy. Be prepared, prices will rise.'
"If the government wishes to target me, they should do so directly, not harass friends of my son who carry on their own businesses and have nothing to do with politics," he said in a statement shortly after reports of IT and ED searches on some premises connected with Karti's friends.
A special Delhi court on Thursday allowed Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy to become a witness in his complaint against Home Minister P Chidambaram in the 2G case. The court also told Swamy to appear in the witness box on December 17 to give his statement. Swamy had sought the court's permission to examine witnesses, including senior Central Bureau of Investigation officials, to establish erstwhile finance minister and present Home Minister P Chidambaram's role.
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