Describing as "farce" the Justice Srikrishna Committee set up by the Centre to resolve the Telangana issue, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said that it does not serve any purpose and was a waste of public money. &
The government has increased the allocation to the education sector by over 25 per cent this year as it gears up to implement the Right To Education Act from April. The Budget raised the total allocation for education from Rs 36,400 crore i
Amid his keenness to impart "strategic character" to India-Saudi Arabia ties, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today embarked on a visit to Riyadh during which the two sides will sign an Extradition Treaty and a number of other pacts.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said the government has presented a "tired man`s budget" which lacked dynamism and the vision to overcome food insecurity and price rise. "This is a tired man`s
UPA ally DMK on Saturday demanded an immediate rollback of the fuel price hike, saying it would have a "cascading effect" on food prices at a time when the Centre and states were "grappling with high food inflation." In
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday exuded confidence the economy would soon break the double-digit growth barrier and said the stimulus measures will not be fully withdrawn until a robust recovery is achieved. Mukherjee, however
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in his budget speech, has outlined a four-pronged strategy to spur growth in the farm sector. He said the government would focus on raising agriculture production, reduction in wastage, credit support to farmers
Financial sector experts, in their initial reactions to the Budget, have described it as a "positive and pragmatic" one. The Sensex zoomed over 350 points backed by strong technicals and a friendly budget which focused on maintai
The government Friday proposed the setting up of a technology advisory group to be headed by UIDAI chairman Nanadan Nilekani for creating reliable and tamper-proof IT projects. The announcement was made by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee
Terming as "exceedingly good", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said the Budget would help the economy to return to nine per cent growth while allaying the fears that it would fuel "inflationary" expectation. &qu
The Union Budget this year has aimed to focus on inclusive growth and insuring food security. These concerns for aam aadami have gone hand in hand with credible measures for improving investment climate, strengthening infrastructure and fiscal con
In a relief to individual tax payers, the government on Friday changed the slabs cutting the rate to 10 percent for income up to Rs five lakh, while leaving the threshold limit for tax-free income unchanged at Rs 1.6 lakh. Income between R
The proposed changes in duties related to petroleum products in the Budget stirred a hornet`s nest on Friday with the entire Opposition walking out from the Lok Sabha and warning that they will not allow Parliament to run till a rollback is announ
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday pegged the fiscal deficit for 2010-11 at 5.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The fiscal deficit, which is the difference between total expenditure and revenue, as percentage of GDP w
The government on Friday allocated Rs.1,47,344 crore towards defence in 2010-11 budget, a paltry four percent increase from last year`s Rs 1,41,703 crore. Of the allocation provided, Rs 60,000 crore would go for capital expenditure, Financ
Income up to Rs 1.6 lakh - nil Income above Rs 1.6 lakh and up to Rs 5 lakh - 10 percent Income above Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 8 lakh - 20 percent Income above Rs 8 lakh - 30 percent. New tax rates would offer relief
The government on Friday exuded confidence of introducing major reforms on direct and indirect taxes front in the form of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Direct Taxes Code (DTC) from April 1, 2011. "I am confident that the government
The government on Friday announced loans at a subsidised interest rate of five percent -- two percent less than market rate -- for farmers who pay their dues in time. Announcing this in his Budget speech for 2010-11, Finance Minister Prana
The government will soon come out with a draft Food Security Bill, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Friday. "Draft Food Security Bill will be placed in public domain," he said unveiling the 2010-11 budget in the Lok Sabh
Allocation for NREGA stepped up to Rs 40,100 crore in 2010-11. Allocation for urban development increased by 75 per cent to Rs 5,400 crore in 2010-11. 25 per cent of plan outlay earmarked for rural infrastructure deve