Manmohan to take charge of finance ministry

June 27, 2012

pm

New Delhi, June 27: Pranab Mukherjee resigned as Union finance minister on Tuesday, giving Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a free hand to reorient the key ministry during an economic slowdown while raising the possibility of a larger Cabinet reshuffle in about six weeks from now.

Mukherjee submitted his resignation to the prime minister to end his career as Congress leader ahead of filing the nomination for the presidential election for which he is a clear favourite. The PM is expected to retain the ministry in the coming days during which he is widely expected to tweak policies seen as contributing to negative sentiment.

Singh replied to Mukherjee's resignation by lavishing praise on the outgoing minister. "Our government owes a deep debt of gratitude to you for your invaluable contribution to its work over the last eight years," he wrote. "It is a testimony to your extraordinary abilities and your stature in public life that you have carried an onerous range of responsibilities with ease and accomplishment."

President Pratibha Patil accepted Mukherjee's resignation. The Prime Minister will look after the work of the finance ministry while power minister Sushilkumar Shinde is the likely replacement for Mukherjee's other key role as the leader of the Lok Sabha.

The Prime Minister is sure to look at fresh ideas to deal with the slowdown and low market sentiment under Mukherjee's watch. Sources in the government said the PM was not in sync with Mukherjee over how to deal with the sliding economy, but was hamstrung by Mukherjee's clout and seniority as party insider. In fact, the President-in-waiting was never the PM's first choice for the finance ministry but Mukherjee landed the job because of the leadership's preference for a politician.

His exit from the government now gives Singh an opportunity to carry out the changes he could not implement so far. However, there are indications that the exacting nature of the job, rendered tougher by the slowdown, may lead him to opt for a full-time finance minister of his choice before the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament scheduled to begin in a month's time.

Many in the party view home minister P Chidambaram as the frontrunner for the vacancy in the finance ministry. But shifting Chidambaram to the finance ministry will create its own set of complications, leaving the leadership with the complicated task of finding a replacement in the politically crucial home ministry. The job, given the looming terror threat, cannot be juggled casually.

This can set the stage for a larger Cabinet rejig, a possibility necessitated as much by the likely need to find a fulltime replacement for Mukherjee as by the vacancy triggered by Virbhadra Singh's resignation as small, micro and small enterprises minister on Tuesday over graft charges. There is a view in the Congress that the PM needs to shuffle the pack to revive a business-like perception about his government after the impression of policy paralysis created by anti-corruption campaign of civil society and shocking defeats in assembly elections.

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News Network
May 25,2020

New Delhi, May 25: India witnessed the highest ever spike of 6,977 positive cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of COVID-19 to 1,38,845, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

India is now among the top 10 countries in the world regarding the total number of COVID-19 cases.

With 154 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 now stands at 4,021 in the country.

Out of the total number of cases, 77,103 are active cases and 57,721 have been cured/discharged/migrated.

Maharashtra continues to remain the worst affected state with 50,231 COVID-19 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu (16,277), Gujarat (14,056) and Delhi (13,418).

The fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown imposed as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19 is scheduled to end on May 31.

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News Network
June 27,2020

New Delhi, Jun 27: Fuel prices were hiked by the oil marketing companies for the 21st day in a row on Saturday. Petrol and diesel will now cost Rs 80.38/litre and Rs 80.40/litre respectively in the national capital.

The price of petrol is increased by Rs 0.25 per litre while that of diesel by Rs 0.21 per litre.
Rates differ from state to state depending on the incidence of value-added tax (VAT).

Notably, oil marketing companies have been adjusting retail rates in line with costs after an 82-day break from rate revision amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. These firms on June 7 restarted revising prices in line with costs.

The Congress party had called the increase in the price of petrol and diesel 'unjust', 'thoughtless' and demanded from the Central government to roll back increase with immediate effect and pass on the benefit of low oil prices directly to the citizens of this country.
In an official statement, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had said that no government should levy and impose such unacceptable strain on its people.

Before the nation entered the lockdown, the average price of petrol and diesel in Delhi was Rs 69.60 per litre and Rs 62.30 per litre respectively.

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News Network
February 27,2020

New Delhi, Feb 27: An Indian Air Force aircraft on Thursday evacuated 76 Indians and 36 foreign nationals from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan.

The C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft was sent to Wuhan on Wednesday and it carried 15 tonnes of medical supplies for coronavirus-affected people in China.

On its return, the aircraft brought back 112 people, including 23 citizens from Bangladesh, six from China, two each from Myanmar and the Maldives and one each from South Africa, the US and Madagascar.

Earlier, India had evacuated around 650 Indians from Wuhan in two Air India flights.

“In all 723 Indian nationals and 43 foreign nationals have been evacuated from Wuhan, China, in these three flights,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

On the medical supplies delivered by India to China, the MEA said they would help augment the country’s efforts to control the coronavirus outbreak which had been declared as a public health emergency by the World Health Organisation.

“The assistance is also a mark of friendship and solidarity from the people of India towards the people of China as the two countries also celebrate 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year,” it said.

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