US Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on Friday night for a general exchange of views ahead of a visit next week by a top Bush administration official to India.
Opposition members said the former finance minister had misled the Lok Sabha on the Calcutta Stock Exchange payment crisis and the UTI fiasco.
In a bid to boost economic and trade ties with energy rich Central Asia, India has agreed to actively participate in building trans-Afghanistan road and rail links between Uzbekistan's Termez to Iran's Chahbahar Port in the Gulf.
The finance minister could well be on her way to setting a record of achieving the biggest single-year reduction in the government's fiscal deficit, explains A K Bhattacharya.
'Challenges will come but we will stay the course. No big step can be taken if one is afraid of criticism. We will not flinch from criticism,' says Railways Minister Piyush Goyal.
External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on Thursday discounted the 'junk' grading of the rupee by rating agencies like Moody's and S&P, saying it was based on a few 'weak' parameters rather than the overall macro-economic picture.\n\n\n\n
The external affairs minister said Pakistan should emulate the Sino-Indian model of not allowing one single issue to hold up progress in all other issues.
External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday said he did not see any pattern in the actions against Indian IT professionals in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Netherlands
There are about 50 Indians, including embassy staff, in Iraq, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said.
He said Pakistan to take cue from the approach that India and China have adopted to resolve their differences.
We have sent a clear message that Pakistan cannot capture Jammu and Kashmir by cross-border terrorism, the external affairs minister said.
The external affairs minister said cross-border terrorism had to end to make the dialogue process meaningful.
The external affairs minister, however, rejected the possibility of summit level talks soon.
The fiscal deficit totalled Rs 83,394 crore (Rs 833.94 billion) at the end of November, representing 61.5 per cent of the Budget estimate of Rs 1,35,524 crore (Rs 1.355.24 billion), according to data released on Tuesday.
The Opposition on Monday demanded immediate release of all political detainees in Jammu and Kashmir, especially three former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.
'The first clear cut call for 'engagement with all stake holders including separatists' came, not from the political class but the men in uniform,' points out Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished observer on Kashmir.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sihna on Wednesday moved a breach of privilege notice against Defence Minister A K Antony, accusing him of misleading Parliament on the killing of five Indian jawans along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
"We are little perplexed that the two cases are listed on two different dates when the order was that these matters will be heard together," the bench said.
Taking a jibe at Yashwant Sinha, the finance minister said that he doesn't have luxury of being former finance minister.
Banerjee said the two leaders discussed the current political scenario and strategies to oust the BJP in assembly and Lok Sabha elections at the 20-minute meeting at Gandhi's residence.
'They should have offered a ticket for his constituency to Advaniji's daughter Pratibha or son Jayant. But, of course, that is too much to expect.'
Amid tight security, 62.60 per cent of 56,18,267 voters exercised their franchise in 17 to decide the fate of 309 candidates.
The Modi government is notoriously honest about one fact: It does not listen to economists, observes Shekhar Gupta.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday welcomed the appointment of noted economist Raghuram Rajan as RBI governor but advised him not to compromise on the autonomy of the institution or get cowed down by the government.
The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election witnesses several high-stake battles between the Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition parties, with people from 51 Lok Sabha constituencies across seven states casting their votes today to form the next government. Here's a look at who were among the early voters!
Shortage of ICU beds, oxygen, ventilators, vaccines, doctors, nurses and crematorium space in India has dominated headlines around the world in the past few weeks with Covid-19 cases surging beyond control and the government failing to deliver. Yes, election rallies, Kumbh Mela, blatant flouting of social distancing and mask protocols coupled with a messy vaccination process are said to be responsible for the health crisis of colossal proportions that India is facing today. But an analysis of Budget speeches made by finance ministers over 75 years also offers a glimpse of how low on the priority list healthcare has featured for the political class and policy-makers, which is a significant reason for the current situation.
Against the backdrop of unhappiness among some senior leaders in the Bharatiya Janata Party in the wake of controversy over denial of ticket to Jaswant Singh, party leader Yashwant Sinha on Friday said things could have been done more "gracefully" and "smoothly" to look "more natural".
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