United Progressive Alliance - First thoughts about

The President of India is the head of state of the Republic of India . The President is the formalhead of the executive , legislature and judiciary of India and is the commander-in-chief of the IndianArmed Forces . The President is indirectly elected by the people through elected members of the Parliament of India ( Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha ) as well as of the state legislatures ( Vidhan Sabhas ), andserves for a term of five years. [ 3 ] Historically, ruling party (majority in the Lok Sabha) nominees (for example, United Progressive Alliance nominee Shri Pranab Mukherjee ) have been elected or largely elected unanimously. Incumbent presidents are permitted to standfor re-election. A formula is used to allocate votes so there is a balance between the population of each state and the number of votes assembly members from a state can cast, and to give an equal balance between State Assembly members and the members of the Parliament of India . If no candidate receives a majority of votes, then there is a sy ...

UNION BUDGET 2013-BAD ECONOMICS, WORSE POLITICS, WORST CONSEQUENCES: The UPA government's last full Budget before the next general election reflects its unthinking adherence to a kind of ideology that makes no economic or political sense. POLITICS, many argue, is always in command. Not, it appears, when it comes to the current version of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. When Budget Day 2013 arrived, the expectation was that the Finance Minister would hike expenditures, dole out some sops and dress up the Budget to show that this was a government that was concerned about the common man who would step out to vote in a little more than a year from now. This was the last chance the government had to make a focussed show of such concern, which would have also been transmitted widely by a media obsessed with budgets. It seems, however, that this opportunity has been missed. In a Budget speech filled with irrelevant trivia, which belied its promise to be “simple, straightforward and reasonably ...

Tripura CM slams UPA government : The UPA government's policies are harmful for the people of the country and the Left Front has alternative pro-people policies, said Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who assumed office Wednesday for a fourth consecutive time. 'UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government's policies are against the people, especially the poor of the country. Their liberalisation policies have been serving the interest of corporate sectors, capitalist and millionaires,' Sarkar told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan here. Seeking cooperation from the opposition parties, he said the Left Front government always wanted to continue development and to resolve problems of the people. 'There will be no wall between government and people. We should correct our weakness. The weaknesses must not be repeated again,' he said. Chief Minister since 1998, Sarkar said in the Feb 14 assembly polls the people had given the Left parties big responsibilities. 'We should keep, respect a ...

IS KALKI THE ONLY HOPE ?-S Gurumurthy With each passing year of the United Progressive Alliance rule, scams are rising in numbers and in the sums looted. According to one compilation, there were seven scams in 2008, nine in 2009, 14 in 2010, 23 in 2011 and 22 so far in 2012. The Indian political landscape had seen scams earlier, but now the scams seem unending, their rapidity unbelievable and monies plundered unprecedented. No one disputes that the coalition headed by Sonia Gandhi, once hailed as a saint, and the government led by Manmohan Singh, once regarded as honest, are the most corrupt ever. The saint-honest duo has produced some 80 big and small scams, involving over `19 lakh-crore! Adding the amount of black money of India said to be stashed abroad, the scams equal half of nation’s GDP in 2011-’12. An active and insistent judiciary uncovered some major scams. It has, at least temporarily, disabled the political power that was harbouring, at times even honouring, the corrupt. It forced the tele ...

It is ill-advised to persist with the Sethusamudram Canal Project The Centre’s decision to reject the report of the R. K. Pachauri Committee on the Sethusamudram project is unfortunate. The committee has found the project economically and environmentally unviable. In ordinary circumstances, the report should have been the last word on the subject. What prompted the United Progressive Alliance government to go ahead with the controversial project is the pressure tactics employed by the DMK. The project is aimed at linking Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka by creating a shipping channel through the shallow sea. It will be the single most expensive sea project India has ever undertaken. Opposition to the project is on economic, environmental and religious grounds. Unlike the Suez and Panama canals, which are land-based, the proposed canal is sea-based. Experts are divided on the economic viability of the Sethusamudram project. Ecologists are upset because the project will break th ...

English booster Paper the hindu section editorial Policing needed, not politics 22 February 2013 English booster There is something distasteful about the manner in which each terrorist attack that takes place in India has begun swiftly to be followed by a bout of political recrimination and bloodletting. So it was that the bombing of a crowded marketplace in Hyderabad on Thursday prompted Bharatiya Janata Party leaders to accuse the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre — and Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, in particular — of indifference to national security, incompetence and worse. No doubt it is the duty of the Opposition to take the government to task for its lapses and failures but statesmanship and propriety demand that the tragedy not bepoliticised. There is a time and place for a debate to take place on the UPA’s handling of terrorism and law and order. But given that the terrorists who planted the bombs in Hyderabad probably set out to cause or sharpen social and poli ...

Recent actions of some senior BJP leaders hint at an understanding between the Congress and the main opposition at the leadership level. | Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) credentials and commitment as the principal opposition party of the country have been repeatedly questioned in the past seven years, the period in which the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has held the reins of power at the Centre. Recent developments in Parliament and outside have revived the debate on this issue, underscoring doubts, expressed by several observers and politicians, about a tacit understanding between the ruling dispensation and the main opposition as a whole or at least between some leaders on the two sides. Two issues, in particular, highlighted this aspect. One, the manner in which Sushma Swaraj, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, reacted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement following the Supreme Court verdict quashing the appointment of P.J. Thomas as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CV ...

With Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) out of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at Centre, Kolkata Metro expansion projects saw a dramatic fall in fund allocation in the railway budget today, indicating an uncertain delay in

After the 2004 general elections, the Indian National Congress ended the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) tenure by becoming the political party with the single largest number of seats in the Lok Sabha. It formed United Progressive Alliance (UPA) with allies and staked claim to form government. In a surprise move, Chairperson Sonia Gandhi declared Manmohan Singh, a technocrat, as the UPA candidate for the Prime Ministership. Despite the fact that Singh had never won a Lok Sabha seat, he "has enjoyed massive popular support, not least because he was seen by many as a clean politician untouched by the taint of corruption that has run through many Indian administrations."He took the oath as the Prime Minister of India on 22 May 2004. For more information visit www.myguru.in

Why India Needs The Death Penalty India is not a weak state. This is not about Politics but Justice. Justice must not only be strong but also seen to be strong. So, The Law has been taking its Own Course, without any help from the political bankruptcy of the Kangress party. The Law took its Own Course and hanged Ajmal Kasab before a Parliament session and co-incidentally Afzal Guru before another Parliament session. The Law’s Own Course is stranger than the river Kosi which changes direction at will (actually, even the Kosi river changes directions because of corruption in the unnecessary embankments the Bihar government builds). Criticism that the United Progressive Alliance government helped the Law take its Own Course has been taken too personally by the otherwise thick-skinned government. So personally that they even have a response! There’s been unfounded criticism that Afzal Guru was unfairly targeted to deprive the BJP of a stick they’d been beating the Kangress with, to play to the gallery, ...

Hope Steve Argue doesn't mind me cutting and pasting his article. Steven Argue General Strike Called in India for February 20 - 21 by Steven Argue With all 11 central trade unions participating, the working class of India will strike for 48 hours at the end of this week. One hundred million workers are expected to strike. Various professionals are joining as well. This is expected to be the largest strike in India's history. Tens of millions of workers participated in a similar one day general strike last February 2012. This strike has been called against the anti-worker policies of the governing coalition called the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), led by the Congress Party. Workers' demands against the UPA government include: * Raise the National Minimum Wage to 10,000 Rupees! (The current minimum wage is between 5500 and 6500 rupees, depending on the state and the industry.) * Secure Pensions For All! * National Social Security For Unorganized Workers! * End Delays in Registering Trade Unions! * End ...

What transpired between Modi and Pawar in Goa? February 17, 2013 Last week in Goa Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra’s iron man Sharad Pawar reportedly met for more than 90 minutes to discuss various possibilities of Indian politics in the coming months. Their private meeting to discuss politics took place on sideline of the wedding of Gujarat’s richest industrialist Gautam Adani’s son Karan Adani to Paridhi Shroff, the daughter of Cyril Shroff, partner of India [ Images ]’s most distinguished corporate law firm. In the three-day extravaganza, one evening was unique with Pawar, Modi, Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Praful Patel and few other politicians shared a room for chitchat at the Hyatt hotel in Goa where the best drinks and food were served. Congress believes that Nationalist Congress Party supremo Pawar will remain the ally of the United Progressive Alliance [ Images ] until the elections, but after that, he will keep .. ...

Emaar-MGF link surfaces in VVIP chopper scam February 16, 2013 01:09 IST The demand to probe the Congress link into this scam are getting louder, and according to Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ]’s national secretary Kirit Somaya, the United Progressive Alliance [ Images ] government had signed an agreement with private corporate Emmar-MGF to develop the Commonwealth Games [ Images ] village in New Delhi [ Images ]. Under original agreement the government was to get 389 flats from Emaar-MGF. The name of Emaar-MGF comes into the case due to the association it had with *** Ralph Haschk, one of the middlemen in the deal, who was also the director of the company between Septembe 2009 to December 2009. Somaya has demanded that association needs to be probed for various reasons. To begin with Emaar-MGF is owned by the late V P Gupta, whose grandson Kanishka Singh is a close associate of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi [ Images ], and also his advisor. In the name of Commonwealth Games, the Congress go . ...

State Government Schemes: 1. Rajiv Gandhi Rehabilitation Package for Tsunami Affected Areas, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Budgetary Allocation Rs.2347.19 crores 2. Rajiv Gandhi Social Security Scheme for poor people, Department of Revenue and Disaster... Management, Govt. of Puducherry 3. Rajiv Ratna Awas Yojna â€“ Congress party president and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi had announced that the Centre would give a package of Rs.1,500-crore for providing housing facilities to the poorer sections in Delhi, thus announcing the scheme. 4. Rajiv Gandhi Prathamik Shiksha Mission , Raigarh 5. Rajiv Gandhi Shiksha Mission, Madhya Pradesh 6. Rajiv Gandhi Mission on Food Security , Madhya Pradesh 7. Rajiv Gandhi Mission on Community Health, Madhya Pradesh 8. Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation Limited is a Government Company established by the Government of Karnataka to cater to the housing needs of the Economically and Socially weaker sections of the society. Registered in April 2000, ...

PMK was founded by Dr. S. Ramdoss and the president is G.K. Mani. Ramdoss had earlier worked with the Vanniyar Sangham (Vanniyar Union) founded by him in 1980. PMK is based amongst the Vannsiar caste, an OBC community. PMK has advocated the bifurcation of the state of Tamil Nadu, a proposal that was seen as a casteist line. PMK was mainly based in the northern half of the state. Ahead of the 2004 election PMK joined the broad Tamil political front Democratic Progressive Alliance where also DMK, Congress, CPI, CPI (M) and Indian Union Muslim League are members. After the formation of PMK, and under the leadership of Ramadoss, PMK was able to obtain a significant share of power both in the regional government in Tamilnadu and the central government, primarily due to coalition pressures. Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, the son of S. Ramadoss, is currently the Health Minister in the government of India. Following the 2004 general election Lok Sabha elections, PMK joined United Progressive Alliance party. In June 2008, ...

In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha poll and several upcoming Assembly elections, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has turned to the people to find volunteers who can outwit netizens campaigning against the government in cyber space. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&...

FEBRUARY 9th NEWS: PERSONS IN NEWS: MOHAN PARASARAN: Mohan Parasaran, the senior-most Additional Solicitor- General, is being appointed Solicitor-General, to succeed Rohinton Nariman. Mohan Parasaran was initially appointed the Additional Solicitor-General on July 29, 2004, for three years, and reappointed for two more years in July 2007. In 2009, when the United Progressive Alliance formed the government, he got a second term for another five years, till 2014. ANINDYA KUMAR MITRA: Aninindya Kumar Mitra resigned as West Bengal’s Advocate-General. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has appointed Bimal Chatterjee the new Advocate-General. GOPINATHAN: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), on 8th February, said Rajesh Gopinathan would succeed S. Mahalingam as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. BANMALI AGRAWALA: General Electric (GE), on 8th February, appointed Banmali Agrawala as President and Chief Executive of its business operations in India. NATIONAL NEWS: HELICAPTOR GIVEN TO ARMY Public sector defence m ...

The recent move of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to partially deregulate the price of diesel has been conveniently framed within the discourse on austerity—it is made out that the measure was vital to rein in the fiscal deficit by controlling an ever-expanding “subsidy bill”. Whil...

Rahul Gandhi steps up 2014 general elections plan Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has stepped up preparations for the general elections with a panel to explore pre-poll alliances meeting on Friday and another on coordination issues likely to meet Saturday. Keen to return to power with the third edition of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, the general agreement in the party is that it needs to have healthy alliances with friends and allies while reaching out to different sections of society, said party sources. The issue of alliances was discussed at the introspection *** strategy session 'Chintan Shivir' in Jaipur Jan 18-20 where party chief Sonia Gandhi urged the workers to respect allies but not at the expense of rejuvenating the Congress and expressed concern at the party's eroding traditional support base. The Congress's Jaipur Declaration called on all secular forces to unite in its ideological battle against divisive forces. The states where the Congress is looking for alliances in ...

BY MOHD MAJID MALIK If the year 2012 proved to be the ruling UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government’s annus horriblis – buffeted as it was by sundry scams, gumming up of decisions due to a policy paralysis and a leadership vacuum — the new year promises to be no different.Despite displaying a reformist spine at last by pushing through FDI in multi-brand retail, slashing fuel subsidies and unleashing the transformative direct benefits transfer scheme, new developments have pushed the UPA on the back foot again. Narendra Modi’s tumultuous win in Gujarat, and the countrywide angst triggered by the brutal Delhi gang rape, have again foregrounded UPA’s governance deficit. The government’s hopes of riding back to power a third time in 2014 on the strength of its economic rejuvenation plan, may be dashed for various reason. Firstly, its numbers in both houses of parliament look fragile. PM Manmohan Singh’s government seems precariously poised after severing ties with Mamata Bannerjee, the Tri ...

Branded "criminal tribes" by the British, about 200 so-called Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNT), who are among the most poor and destitute and whose number run into millions, may finally get a chance to join the national mainstream. The National Advisory Council (NAC), led by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, has asked the government to enumerate these tribes in the current Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC). "DNTs should be given special focus in the SECC...and priority while issuing UID (unique identification) cards," the council said in its communication to the government that was shared with IANS. It said the home ministry should issue a special advisory to all state governments to develop a code of conduct in dealing with these tribes. The tribes, mostly nomadic communities who at one time were known to indulge in criminal acts for a living, were notified as "criminal tribes" under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871, by the British government. The Criminal Tribes Ac ...

Sonia Gandhi Sonia Gandhi, born Edvige Antonia Albina Maino on 9 December 1946 is the President of Indian National Congress, one of the major political parties of India. She is Italian-born daughter-in-law of the late Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. After her husband Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991, she was invited by the Indian Congress Party to take over the Congress but Gandhi refused and publicly stayed away from politics amidst constant prodding by the Congress. She finally agreed to join politics in 1997 and in 1998, she was elected as the leader of the Congress. Since then, Gandhi has been the President of the Indian National Congress Party. She has served as the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in the Lok Sabha since 2004. In September 2010, on being re-elected for the fourth time, she became the longest serving president in the 125-year history of the Congress party. Her foreign birth has been a subject of much debate and controversy. Although Sonia is actua ...

Hindu Terror: The darkest of all conspiracies – B.R. Haran "The Congress and its pseudo-secular allies have a dangerous agenda. They want to protect their vote banks by diluting the fight against jihad and evangelisation. “Hindu terror” and “saffron terror” are nothing but aspects of a conspiracy to emasculate and destroy the idea of India." - B.R. Haran Since the formation of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in 2004 there has been a marked rise in the number of sleeper modules of jihadi organisations across India. The high priority accorded by UPA-1 to the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002, had a significant bearing on the career of Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). This terrorist group, which acted on direct orders of the Lashkar- e-Tayyeba (LeT) found the latitude accorded by a pseudo-secular regime in Delhi to reinvent itself as “Indian Mujahideen”, “Deccan Mujahideen” and “Popular Front of India.” Between 2004 and 2008 terrorist strikes either in t ...

Lalu Prasad Yadav is an Indian politician from Bihar. He was the Minister of Railways from 2004 to 2009 in the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, and the President of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party. He is a Member of Parliament in the 15th Lok Sabha from the Saran constit...

More discussion about Rahul than other problems at Congress meet: BJP Last Updated: Saturday, January 19, 2013, 15:11 New Delhi: The BJP Saturday said the Congress was discussing more about Rahul Gandhi taking a bigger role in the party than the problems of common people at its strategy session in Jaipur. "There is more discussion about Rahul Gandhi than other problems at Congress' 'Chintan Shivir'," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said. He said India has suffered a deficit of good governance under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. "Good governance suffered most under the UPA. Rampant corruption, shielding corrupt with impunity, gross inaction and policy paralysis is the hallmark of UPA governance," said Prasad. On Congress chief Sonia Gandhi raising concerns about creating more jobs for youth, Prasad said: "Employment has declined big time under the UPA government in the last nine years."

Zee News Govt seeks public feedback on RTI Eight years after the enactment of one of its biggest achievement - the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is ready to review its own performance. After facing a lot of criticism from RTI activists for showing intent to modify the Act, the government has offered to study the problems being faced by information activists. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) earlier this month invited bids to conduct a 360 degree study of the implementation of the RTI Act and to gauge the level of satisfaction among the people with the functioning of the RTI Act. While the framework for eliciting the feedback is yet to be made public, the proposed study would also record the experience of public authorities at different levels in dealing with RTI applications and appeals filed with them. The study also aims to *** the level of reduction in corruption due to the advent of the RTI Act. The decision to float the tender for a .. ...

STATE Of the ECONOMY: - - India’s economic prospects are looking slightly brighter. The last year has been an extremely tough year for the Indian economy. Practically everything which could go wrong did turn sour. For much of the year, the United Progressive Alliance government has been a rudderless ship, buffeted by storms several of which were of their own making. Most sectors of the economy limped along, with the index of industrial production fluctuating quite alarmingly. In fact, the index for November shows that factory output was slightly lower than that of the previous year. Of course, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, has claimed that the November figures are somewhat misleading partly because of the base effect — November 2011 had witnessed a sharp rise in factory output. While there is some truth to the assertion that monthly figures are unreliable because they tend to fluctuate so much, there is no getting away from the fact that the average rate of gr ...

We are going to look back this week about our Indian current political move. Today it seems to be more complex political situation in India. First we need review our central political alliances for the brief idea about political. In 2009 elections, UPA (United Progressive Alliance) led by Indian National Congress won the election with UPA constituted parties which are All India Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Indian Union Muslim League, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Kerala Congress (Mani), and Sikkim Democratic Front. Where NDA (National Democratic Alliance) led by Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) opposing to UPA with parties participated in NDA are Janata Dal (United), Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Asom Gana Parishad, Nagaland People's Front, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal. From 2009 to 2012 UPA is beating his teeth for securing its central alliances. UPA had s ...

The following is the text of a note released by 208 scholars, activists and concerned citizens on the United Progressive Alliance government’s plan to introduce cash transfers linked to the Aadhaar (UID) numbers of beneficiaries:

By TCN News, New Delhi: The Sachar Committee report and its recommendations are discussed by Muslim community and political leaders time-and-again. In fact, the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government had received plaudits for its remarkable step taken for analysing the condition of Muslims in India. However, since the report was presented in Lok Sabha in 2006 hardly any major step is taken by the Central government to implement the recommendations made by the committee. On Tuesday (December 25, 2012) Human Chain – a Delhi based non-government registered society working for Muslim issues for past a couple of years took an exception and organized a symposium at India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC), New Delhi to find out the reasons behind the delay made in implementation of the recommendations. In presence of K Rahman Khan, Minister of Minority Affairs, Govt of India, who was chief guest of symposium the Sachar Committee report was discussed in detail in other key speakers like Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmoo ...

NEWS; Russian disciples appeal Putin to allow the Dalai Lama’s visit Phayul[Monday, December 24, 2012 13:00] His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his visit to the Russian republic of Kalmykia in 2004. (Photo/AFP) DHARAMSHALA, December 24: Coinciding with the visit of Russian President Vladmir Putin to India, a group of Russian Buddhists who are currently in New Delhi, attending teachings of the Dalai Lama, plan to send him an open letter appealing for the Tibetan spiritual leader’s visit to their country. President Putin arrived in India Monday for a bilateral summit during which major defence deals are expected to be signed. He will also be having parleys with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Pranab Mukherjee, and Sonia Gandhi, chairman of India’s ruling United Progressive Alliance, amongst others. Telo Tulku Rinpoche, a Russian reincarnate lama, who is the president of Buddhist Union of Kalmykia in Russia said that through their open petition, they want to attract Putin's attention to an urg ...

Indian National Congress-I (also known as the Congress Party and abbreviated INC) is a major political party in India. Founded in 1885 by Dadabhai Naoroji, Dinshaw Wacha, Womesh Chandra Bonerjee, Surendranath Banerjee, Monomohun Ghose, Allan Octavian Hume, and William Wedderburn, the Indian National Congress became the leader of the Indian Independence Movement, with over 15 million members and over 70 million participants in its struggle against British rule in India. After independence in 1947, it became the nation's dominant political party, challenged for leadership only in more recent decades. In the 14th Lok Sabha (2004-2009), 145 members (out of 545), the largest contingent amongst all parties, serve in the house. The party is currently the chief member of the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition. It is the only party to get more than 100 million votes in the past two general elections (1999, 2004). Founded in 1885 with the objective of obtaining a greater share in government for educated I ...

Congress reshuffle soon: Sonia Gandhi Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said that a reshuffle in the party is likely to take place before the Jaipur brainstorming session scheduled for the 18 and 19 of January. Upon being asked specifically whether Rahul Gandhi's elevation will also take place before the session, she said that it would soon be made known. The Congress party might have won the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections but the drubbing it has received in the Gujarat elections is a major setback for the ruling United Progressive Alliance ahead of the national polls in 2014. However, Mrs Gandhi, speaking to NDTV, said "I am very happy and pleased with the Himachal results." Even though the front runner for the Chief Minister's post is veteran Congress leader Virbhadra Singh who led the party to victory as the Pradesh Congress Committee chief, sources have told NDTV that it is not yet a decided matter.

New Delhi: Crucial legislative measures aimed at improving the country's educational system are getting sidelined as both houses of parliament witness unruly scenes and are disrupted over different issues. Human Resource Development Minister M.M. Pallam Raju has however not lost hope although just four days are left for the winter session of parliament to end. "We hope to get the bills passed. They are being listed every day, but the house is getting disrupted," Raju told IANS when asked about the fate of the education bills. Three bills - on forming an education tribunal, restricting unfair practices in education and establishing a nodal accreditation authority - were listed for debate and passage in the current session. The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2012, providing for setting up two central universities in Bihar, was listed for introduction and this was done amid din in the Lok Sabha on Nov 26. A government source said that for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance's main agenda dur ...

India Against Corruption on Wednesday brought Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani in its line of fire alleging that the United Progressive Alliance and the previous National Democratic Alliance governments had favoured his company by giving contract on gas exploration in KG Basin and concessi...

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday hit back at the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government and its chairperson Sonia Gandhi, over her remark that RP Singh's revelations have exposed the BJP. The BJP alleged that Gandhi's statement and thereafter the demand for a discussion from DMK have exposed the government's intension behind this controversy. New Delhi: The government has spent Rs 80 lakh (Rs 8 million) on assistance to over 100 Indian women living abroad who had been deserted by their spouses and were in distress, a minister told the Rajya Sabha. Ujjain: Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev on Saturday lashed out at the Congress Party over the new controversy on CAG’s report regarding 2G-spectrum allocation scam, and said the party is trying to regain its lost zeroed credibility by defaming the constitutional audit body.

The recent reshuffle in the Union Ministry was billed as an exercise that would rejuvenate the government, the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA), and its leading partner, the Congress party. It was also projected as a corrective measure to address the “corrupt” branding that the ruling dispen...

Uneasy calm in old Hyderabad after row over temple Updated on : Nov 12,2012 11:30 am Hyderabad, Nov 12 (IANS) An uneasy calm settled over the old city of Hyderabad Monday, a day after leaders of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) protested and were subsequently arrested over a temple controversy. With tension still palpable in the usually busy areas around historic Charminar and in the interior areas, Road Transport Corporation (RTC) suspended all its bus services. RTC officials said 157 services were cancelled as a precautionary measure. A curfew-like situation prevailed in the usually busy markets around Charminar. All schools and colleges declared a holiday. Police said the situation remained peaceful. No untoward incident was reported overnight. Police remained on high alert in view of the reported plans by some groups to take out a rally to Bhagyalakshmi Temple abutting Charminar. Armed policemen were seen patrolling the streets in communally sensitive localities. Trouble broke out Sunday after . ...

Current Affairs Saturday, August 22, 2009 National News(July) 01/07/2009: The government defers the introduction of a Unique Transaction Number (UTN) for filing of income tax returns by assessees whose tax is deducted at source (TDS). The Centre announces a new scheme for slum dwellers and the urban poor, Rajiv Awas Yojana, in an effort to promote a slum-free India in the next five years. Following a rise in the international price of crude oil and the increasing under recovery of State-run Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), the United Progressive Alliance government increases the price of petrol by Rs.4 a litre and diesel by Rs.2 a litre. The Government modifies its policy on external commercial borrowings (ECBs) to suit the funding requirements of corporates, developers of integrated townships and special economic zones (SEZs). Union Home Minister P Chidambaram inaugurates the National Security Guards (NSG) regional hub in Chennai. Well-known writer and senior civil servant Tarunkanti Mishra is announced ...

17 Sham Exercise and trumpeting 17.1 I submit that the Director General of hydrocarbons and the petroleum ministry now as a sham exercise have divided the entire KG Basin into many blocks and bids are invited from private companies for exploration and production of petroleum products, the blocks are being auctioned in a sham exercise and through collusive biding by defrauding the national exchequer. Many blocks are acquired by the Reliance industries through sham and collusive biding and the reliance Industries is now making false proclamation stating that the oil and gas found in the D^ Block of KG Basin owned by then is around 40 times bigger than that of the Bombay High field, and double the total gas production of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.The Ambanis made the announcement on the gas discovery at the company’s annual general meeting in the year 2009.they falsely claimed gas reserves in its exploratory block KGDN-6, off Vishakapatnam, are to the tune of 40-50 million cubic metres per day ...

NANAVATI COMMISSION REPORT 1984 - the untold story VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN in New Delhi The Prime Minister's apology over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots is seen as a statesmanlike gesture but is of little value unless he makes good his promise to seek the truth and punish the guilty. GAMMA A New Delhi street four days after the riots started in 1984. ON February 10, 2005, a day after Justice G.T. Nanavati submitted the report of the inquiry he held into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots to the Central government, Home Minister P. Shivraj Patil made a categorical statement that the government had "nothing to hide" in the report and that it would be tabled in Parliament soon. He said this at a conference of the National Commission for Minorities, and added: "There is nothing of which we can be shy because we know how we [Congressmen] had conducted ourselves, how our leaders had conducted themselves." At that time, the indications from the Home Ministry were that the report would be tabled in the latter part of the Budget s ...

The manner in which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demoted Jaipal Reddy and promoted Salman Khurshid has done little to salvage the reputation of an already tarnished United Progressive Alliance government, writes Renu Mittal | PM, Sonia have shot themselves in their feet

Is this it? Reshuffle must be followed by speedy reform Business Standard / New Delhi Oct 30, 2012, 00:47 IST The reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers cannot, by any means, be considered sufficient to reinvigorate a United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government viewed as either moribund or beset by paralysing inter-ministerial wrangling. The reshuffle, which was unnecessarily and excessively delayed, comes a full six weeks after the government’s much-discussed administrative measures – a slight increase in diesel prices, a cap on the number of cooking gas cylinders supplied for domestic use, and liberalisation of Foreign Direct Investment in retail and civil aviation – were announced. Those measures were largely welcome, but were too little and too late. Unless the reshuffle is followed by sufficient speedy activity to follow up on the reforms push, neither the October reshuffle nor the September measures are likely to lighten the November gloom. What should come next? At least part of the age ...

While the Centre had indicated that it was ready to bite the Bullet and Increase Prices of Petroleum Products - mainly Diesel- a few months ago, the combination of the slowdown in the Economy, the Drought and the political battles that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was fighting on several fronts rendered the move unlikely. With the Monsoon session in Parliament nearly over, however,it seems about to happen. A little over a Month ago, the Prime Minister virtually ruled out the Deregulation of the Diesel prices, in line with Petrol.This was due to the Failure of the monsoon and the demand by major grain growing states, Punjab and Haryana, for a 5o percent subsidy on Diesel for running pumps to irrigate their parched crops. Tremendous Pressure: The Pressure on the National Exchequer to keep the Diesel price down has been tremendous. In 2010-11, the Fiscal Subsidy on Diesel, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Kerosene- the three most highly subsidised fuels,, accounting for two-thirds of Petroleum pr ...

Indian soldiers praying at Kargil Vajpayee Deliberately Ignored Kargil, Causing 500 Deaths By Arun Rajnath New Delhi: Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee knew about the Kargil infiltration long back, but he did nothing in time, and more than 500 lives of army men were lost. Most of them were young pass-outs from the Military Academy and other army institutions, who were sent straight to the battle field to avoid hefty compensations in case of casualties. The 17th day of April, 1999 is very important in this regard. None of the two review committees dared to blame Vajpayee for security lapses. Though the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has absolved the previous government of its role in the Kargil imbroglio, mystery will remain unraveled until Vajpayee’s role is questioned. The first committee ‘Kargil Review Committee’ headed by K Subramanyam was appointed by the previous government after the war. This committee accused the intelligence agencies for failure to pre-empt infi ...

Gujarat polls announced even as rivals trade charges An air of anticipation descended on Delhi on Wednesday with the Election Commission announcing elections to the Assemblies of Gujarat (December 13 and 17) and Himachal Pradesh (November 4). Since the fight in both States is between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress, political circles see it as a given that the results will spill over into national politics, impacting its course in the coming months. In Gujarat, where Narendra Modi and Sonia Gandhi are already sparring over each other’s alleged misdemeanours, the formal declaration of elections pointed to a worsening of mud-slinging and tossing of allegations between the rival sides. Indeed, Wednesday saw the Congress and the BJP furiously go for each other’s jugular. Addressing a rally in Rajkot, Ms. Gandhi valiantly defended the reforms package unveiled by the United Progressive Alliance government even as she lit into Mr. Modi, accusing his government of corruption and questioning its dev ...

Ratcheting up the pressure on the central government, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee organized a rally in Delhi on Monday as part of a series of protests to demand a rollback of the government’s new economic policies. “These policies will destroy the lives of the common man,” Ms. Banerjee said to a crowd of a few thousand people gathered at Jantar Mantar. “They will punish the ordinary people of this country.” The rally, held in the political capital of the country rather than in West Bengal, home to Ms. Banerjee’s traditional support base, marks a strategic step in the regional leader’s attempts to make inroads into the country’s national political scene, analysts say, after she left the governing United Progressive Alliance to protest the new measures. “She is positioning herself as an important national leader,” said C.P. Bhambhri, a political analyst. Much like other regional leaders, like Mulayam Singh Yadav of Uttar Pradesh and Narendra Modi of Gujarat, who are wi ...

Please watch West Bengal Chief Minister Mr. Mamata Banerjee in an one-on-one with Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai on CNN IBN at 6:30 pm today...this is the first 'EXCLUSIVE' interview after Trinamool Congress quits the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) alliances...

bartan bhande chale gaye.sirf chammache rah gayi.or wo kahte hai ki hum jate nahin. Read this story. Brushing aside criticism over their continuation on various railway panels, pro-Trinamool Congress intellectuals Tuesday said they will continue to be members till new panels are formed. Painter Shuvaprasanna, who heads the Railways Passenger Amenities Committee, even chaired a scheduled panel meeting.Painter Samir Aich, film directors Gautam Ghose and Haranath Chakrabarty and singer Pallab Kirtanya are also members of the panel. The party's exit from the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has put a question mark over the fate of the committees constituted when the Trinamool Congress held the railway portfolio.When Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee joined the UPA in 2009 and took charge of the railway ministry, she constituted several committees and inducted in them several intellectuals considered close to her.The committees were retained during the tenures of the next two railway ministers, Dinesh Tr ...

Corruption and money laundering NUPUR PAVAN BANG AND KHEMCHAND H SAKALDEEP 20/09/2012 10:50 AM The existing systems in India have clearly not prevented black money and the proceeds of corruption from leaving the country. Hopefully the next generation revolutionaries can actually use technology to bring about the change we want to see First the Gandhian, Anna Hazare and then the yoga guru turned social activist, Baba Ramdev; India has witnessed two major voices against corruption in the last year. While Anna and his team's movement primarily focused on bringing a strong Lokpal Bill, Baba Ramdev has been crusading to bring back the black money stashed away in Swiss banks, to India. Corruption has assumed unprecedented proportions with the Coalgate allocation scam running into billions of dollars and everyone from the erstwhile Bhartiya Janata Party government (now the main opposition party), led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the current United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, led by Dr Manmohan Singh, b ...

West Bengal Chief Minister addresses a PRESS conference at Writers' Building...CM says United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is concocting facts that they tried to negotiate, she said UPA did not respond within 72-hours...asks how can policy making vary from state to state. She said Centre was doing this to discriminate between states... she said even a small a family for bare minimum requirements require more than six-LPG cylinders...

Column Why Manmohan Singh was better off being silent Vivek Kaul | Agency: DNA | Wednesday, August 29, 2012 So the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has finally spoken. But there are multiple reasons why his defence of the free allocation of coal blocks to the private sector and public sector companies is rather weak. “The policy of allocation of coal blocks to private parties…was not a new policy introduced by the UPA (United Progressive Alliance).The policy has existed since 1993,” the PM said in a statement to the Parliament on Monday. But what the statement does not tell us is that of the 192 coal blocks allocated between 1993 and 2009, only 39 blocks were allocated to private and public sector companies between 1993 and 2003. Article continues below the advertisement... The remaining 153 blocks or around 80% of the blocks were allocated between 2004 and 2009. Manmohan Singh has been PM since May 22, 2004. What makes things even more interesting is the fact that 128 coal blocks were given away betwe ...

In India, public health expenditure as a share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased from 0.96 per cent in 2004-05 to 1.01 per cent in 2008-09 as per National Health Accounts (NHA) statistics. Problems related to the financing of healthcare continue to be politically insignificant and publicly invisible. Healthcare has not been an important election campaign issue except in 2004 when the United Progressive Alliance promised to raise expenditure on healthcare to 2 to 3 per cent of the GDP. Cuba spends about 10.6% of its GDP directly on the health system, roughly $607 health expenditure per capita (current US$)-2010. The Cuban Constitution makes health care a right of citizens and the responsibility of government. The public health system, which emerged in the early 1960s, is completely public; the Cuban Health System is universal, free and accessible for all citizens at every level. Retirement budget for the elderly is completely managed and assumed by the government through the Social Security System ...

Coal-gate: 8 uncomfortable questions for BJP The Congress is showing a combative mood in defence of the party-led United Progressive Alliance's [ Images ] policy on coal allocation. The group of senior ministers are briefing the media on-the-record and off-the-record. Congress's argument is that the Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ] is opposing the UPA's policy which was also followed during the National Democratic Alliance's rule. They have enough evidence of this. The party has a few sharp arguments to weaken the attack of the BJP. Here are some questions which the Congress believes the BJP will find difficult to respond to convincingly. 1. Is it not true that in mid-2005 some BJP Chief Ministers -- Vasundhara Raje and Raman Singh and the CMs of some other non-Congress party led states like Odisha and West Bengal [ Images ] -- objected in writing to changing the system of allocating coal blocks to private companies and PSUs other than Coal India [ Images ] by the introduction of competitive bidding? 2. ...

Congress party president Sonia Gandhi was on Wednesday ranked the sixth most powerful woman in the world ahead of US First Lady Michelle Obama, by Forbes magazine in its list of 100 influential women. Gandhi, 65, is among the five Indian women who have been named in the 'World's 100 Most Powerful Women' list released by Forbes on Wednesday. The United Progressive Alliance chairperson was ranked 7 th last year. The US-based business magazine said Gandhi, the 'one-time heir to the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty', successfully underwent a surgery last year and was 'back in fighting spirit last month when she publicly reprimanded a fellow parliamentarian during session who had criticised her party's handling of this summer's rioting in Assam'. The longest serving chief in the Congress party's history, Gandhi has had to defend herself and the party after a spate of key assembly elections this year, blaming the drubbing on weak candidates and state party organisations. "Lauded for overseeing heavy economic grow ...

Congress's biggest ally in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) - Trinamool Congress - might be on board with the government on Coalgate, but its chief Mamata Banerjee has been *** bent on her opposition to the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in any retail or any other sector the Centre has been c...

Will the current session of the Lok Sabha, which is witnessing turmoil due to Bhartiya Janta Party's demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over the Coalgate, get adjourned sine die? As the deadlock between the United Progressive Alliance and BJP continues, the adjournment of the Lok...

The government's auditor estimates that the private companies allotted coal blocks had a "windfall gain" of over Rs. 1.85 lakh crore because of the low prices they paid for the fields. The report says if a plan to introduce competitive bidding or auction had been implemented, the national exchequer would have got part of that money. (Read full CAG report here) The report does not indict the Prime Minister or his office, but the opposition is targeting the Prime Minister. The BJP's Sushma Swaraj said, "Manmohan Singh is directly responsible. This time he can't blame someone else. He was the concerned minister." The BJP says this is the biggest of all scams in a UPA reign marked by scams; it also says in eight years of UPA rule, the PM held charge of the coal ministry for five and so is responsible for the alleged loss to the exchequer."The UPA II (United Progressive Alliance) is filled with incidents of corruption, each one that comes is bigger than the previous one. And this one is perhaps the biggest," M ...

Mismanaged economy and corruption seem to be polarising people of the country against the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA), apparently giving the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and other parties an upper hand in the next Lok Sabha polls, scheduled in 2014, the findings of late...

Tags: Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari, Jaswant Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party Zeenews Bureau New Delhi: Hamid Ansari was on Saturday sworn in as the 14th Vice President of India, at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan here. This is Ansari’s second consecutive term as Vice President. Ansari was administered the oath of office by President Pranab Mukherjee at a function attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and several Union Cabinet ministers, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partners and leaders from other political parties. In the recently held Vice Presidential election, UPA candidate Ansari had defeated NDA nominee Jaswant Singh by 238 votes. Ansari, 75, polled 490 first preference votes out of 728 valid votes cast in the election. Jaswant Singh polled 238 votes. Observers feel that presidential and vice-presidential elections have provided the Congress an opportunity to improve its ties with its allies in the UPA and forge better understanding with outside su ...

The poor have no kapda, roti, makaan so let them have cell phones. The UPA government is close to finalising a Rs 7,000 crore scheme to provide one mobile phone for every Below Poverty Line (BPL) household in the country. The scheme will be called 'Har haath mein phone

After Dr. Radhakrishnan, Ansari gets a second term History repeated itself after five decades when United Progressive Alliance nominee Hamid Ansari was re-elected Vice-President. He became the second Vice-President to get a second consecutive term after S. Radhakrishnan, who enjoyed two terms from 1952 to 1962. Mr. Ansari won with a thumping majority against the National Democratic Alliance candidate Jaswant Singh. He polled 490 votes against Mr. Singh’s 238. There was never any doubt about the victory of Mr. Ansari, given the numerical strength of the UPA and other parties supporting him.

Polling began on a brisk note on Tuesday for the Vice Presidential election in which United Progressive Alliance candidate Hamid Ansari appears set to fend off the contest put up by National Democratic Alliance nominee Jaswant Singh.

How could you spread such lie. I know Congress is bad but you are going way too far with false propaganda. And no political party in India is without corruption and there won't ever be one in India. And like this article says where Modi is so praised then you just wait for India to turn into Nazi India and birth place for World War III. FYI I don't support either of the parties and personally believe that there should be only 2 party system so we know who to blame for stuff cause the in the current system there is a union of parties running the center hence UPA (United Progressive Alliance) is ruling on India not governing.

New Delhi (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Hundreds of Dalit Christians and Muslims marched in the rain on the streets of New Delhi, to demand the UPA government (United Progressive Alliance) ensure their rights under the Scheduled Caste Law, before the general elections in 2014. Organized by the Catho...

Team Anna ends fast, spells out political alternative New Delhi, Aug 3, 2012, (IANS) : Anna Hazare and his three team members Friday ended their fast and spelled out a political alternative to provide a "clean and corruption-free" government. Hazare, who ended his fast by sipping coconut water offered by former army chief Gen. V.K. Singh, however, made it clear that he will not be contesting elections, but will support his team members. "I will keep going on tours, go to people for an alternative. If people are awakened, we will think of an (political) alternative," Hazare said. Hazare said if the Jan Lokpal Bill, drafted by civil society activists, was adopted, it will make a major impact in fighting corruption. "If Jan Lokpal Bill comes, I do not say 100 percent but 65 percent corruption will vanish," Hazare said as the crowd applauded the 75-year-old crusader. The activist said his campaign was also aimed at giving power to people at the grassroots and bringing electoral reforms like right to recall an ...

While govt looks away, Anna fast enters day 5: Social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday continued with his indefinite hunger-strike for the fifth day at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, a day after his team opposed any forcible removal of fasting activists. Notably, Delhi Police have written a letter to Team Anna saying that its members, including Arvind Kejriwal -- fasting for the past nine days for a 'strong Lokpal', needed immediate hospitalisation. As the health condition of Team Anna members who are fasting is deteriorating, the big worry at this point is that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government seems to be in no mood to engage with the anti-corruption crusader. Anna Hazare yesterday saw a conspiracy by the government to end the stir by forcibly removing them from the Jantar Mantar protest site. He warned that he will not negotiate with the government if it adopts such a strategy.

The anti-caste-based-reservation protests 2006, that took place in parts of India, were in opposition to the decision of the Union Government of India, the multiparty coalition 'United Progressive Alliance' (headed by the Indian National Congress), to implement reservations for Other Backward Classe...

New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) As Team Anna's indefinite protest against corruption entered its sixth day, Anna Hazare Monday warned the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to bring a stringent Lokpal Bill or be swept away from power.

The United Progressive Alliance government has been put in a spot by its own watchdog - the Central Vigilance Commission.At a time when Team Anna members are sitting on a fast alleging 15 ministers are corrupt, the commission has expressed its concern over rampant irregularities in the functioning o...

In an embarrassing development for the ruling BJP in Karnataka, at least 13 MLAs from the party appeared to have voted for the United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee in the presidential polls conducted on July 19.

Pranab Mukherjee was on Sunday elected as the 13th President of India, marking a new journey for the veteran Congress leader after over four decades of life in active politics. Mukherjee, United Progressive Alliance nominee, got 5,64,469 vote value, well beyond the half-way mark of 5,25,140 in an electoral college of over 10.5 lakh when counting of votes polled by the MPs and MLAs of 20 of the 30 states was completed. His rival P A Sangma, who was backed by Bharatiya Janata Party and some other opposition parties like All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Biju Janata Dal, could manage only 2,57,466 vote value, according to Rajya Sabha Secretary General V K Agnihotri, who is the Returning Officer for the poll. The 76-year-old Congress leader brings to the top Constitutional post a wealth of experience as he has held key positions in the party and government, including holding the portfolios of finance, defence and external affairs. Please click NEXT to read further...

India set to elect veteran Mukherjee as president Indian lawmakers are voting Thursday to elect a new president, with former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee an apparent lock to take over the mainly ceremonial post. Nearly 5,000 members of parliament and assembly members are casting ballots in national and state capitals to elect India's 13th president. Mukherjee, a member of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, has far more support than his rival, the opposition-backed Purno Sangma. The outcome will be announced on Sunday, three days before the five-year tenure of President Pratibha Patil ends.keshab thapa...

The stage is all set for the Presidential poll on Thursday with United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee expected to romp home with a substantial margin against Bharatiya Janata Party-backed P A Sangma.

The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut India’s economic growth forecast to 6.5 per cent, down from its April projection of 7.3 per cent. It also lowered its global forecast for the financial year 2013 to 3.9 per cent from 4.1 per cent, indicating that there are harder times ahead for economies around the globe. India’s growth has already been slowing, and fell to 6.5 per cent for the financial year ended March 2012, after hitting a nine-year low of 5.3 per cent in the March quarter. On Sunday, US President Barack Obama called on India to press ahead with “difficult” economic reforms, saying US businesses were concerned about the investment climate. He also pointed out that India's slower growth is a reflection of the larger slowdown in the global economy, but conceded the economy “continues to grow at an impressive rate”. The ruling United Progressive Alliance government, now in its second five-year term, has seen growth fall to below seven per cent. Gross domestic product growth for th ...

Hyderabad, Jul 1 (IANS): A minor fire broke out at the historic Jubilee Hall here Sunday, minutes after United Progressive Alliance (UPA) presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee left the building, police said. No casualties were reported. The fire is believed to have been caused by short circuit. After Mukherjee came out of Jubilee Hall, smoke was seen billowing out from the rooftop of the majestic building as tar sheets caught fire. The UPA candidate along with Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and state Congress chief Botcha Satyanarayana had left for a star hotel when the fire broke out. Mukherjee had arrived here from Chennai Sunday morning to address a meeting of Congress legislators. A fire tender rushed to the scene. State minister D. Sridhar Babau described it as a 'minor' incident. The building houses the state legislative council and is also used for hosting receptions to visiting dignitaries. Located in the Public Gardens in the heart of the city, ...

Some of Telangana Amaraveerulu Died in 2009 Movement K. Srikantha Chary, who had studied Physiotherapy course in ISO Junior college,Tarnaka, became an active activist in LB Nagar area. Shocked by the arrest of KCR on 29th Nov 2009. Srikanth dowsed himself with Kerosine and set ablaze. He belongs to Mothkur mandal of Nalgonda Dist, but was living in Chaitanyapuri. When Kamineni Hospital refused him treatment., he was rushes to Appolo Hospital with 71% burns.Later he died on 3rd Dec. in hospital, before taking his body to native village, TRS activists and student organized funeral procession in Hyd and was placed at Gunpark Martyrs stupa for a while before performing last rites. * A MCA student K Venugopal Reddy (23), reportedly depressed over the delay in formation of separate Telangana state set himself ablaze at the Osmania University (OU) campus OU . The charred body of K Venugopal Reddy (23), an MCA student of a private college, was found near Tagore Auditorium in the OU premises. The protesting studen ...

Attacking the United Progressive Alliance government and threatening a fight to the finish by August on the black money issue, Anna Hazare and yoga guru Ramdev on Sunday sat on a day-long fast to protest against corruption. | There is NO rift between Ramdev, Team Anna: Hazare

The Presidential candidate of Indian National Congress led United Progressive Alliance, Pranab Kumar Mukherjee owes an answer to the question: Will “online data base” of residents of India (inclusive of citizens) safeguard the sovereignty of the Republic? The biggest-ever database being attempted in...

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to discuss the presidential elections, officials said on Wednesday. "The Prime Minister has called her (Banerjee) but the time has not been fixed," a Trinamool Congress leader said. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) also confirmed the meeting. Banerjee, who reached here Tuesday evening, will meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence. The meetings are an effort to finalise the United Progressive Alliance's candidate for the President's post.

New Delhi, June 22 (IANS) Team Anna Friday reiterated its demand for an investigation into alleged graft charges against United Progressive Alliance (UPA) presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee, saying a person facing so many serious charges would bring disrepute to the top post.

In the changed geo-political situation that India [ Images ] finds in the 21st century, defence issues and the armed forces both need careful nursing and due attention. One hopes we get a President who is competent to handle the duties as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, says Colonel (retd) Anil Athale. It is often forgotten that with the election of the President, the nation also chooses 'the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces'. The media is full of speculation about the choice of next President and various permutations and combinations being worked out. The new President also needs to lead our defence forces The emphasis is on which grouping, the United Progressive Alliance [ Images ] or the National Democratic Alliance succeeds in putting its 'man' (or woman) in the Rashtrapati Bhavan [ Images ] as that is thought to be decisive for 2014 general elections when a likely fractured verdict may make the presidential inclination important. The danger of having a President without stature or experti ...

The ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on Thursday appeared headed for an internal confrontation over the next month’s presidential election as Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee declared that former president A P J Abdul Kalam would be her candidate for the top post. Mamata announced th...

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government has lost credibility because of its failure to handle social activist Anna Hazare’s movement against corruption and not taking bold economic reform measures, according to a poll marking three years of the second term of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)...

West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee meets United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Ms. Sonia Gandhi at 10 Janpath Road...Sonia Gandhi takes the names of Pranab Mukherjee and Dr. Hamid Ansari...Ms. Mamata Banerjee on her way to meet Samajwadi Party Chairperson Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav to discuss political issues...the presidential election will have more excitement as still confusion over finalizing names...

The 'Gram Sanvad Yatra', as it is called, will start from June 18 and end on July 12 and will be anchored by Team Anna member Manish Sisodia. The yatra is aimed at drumming up support for its indefinite fast in New Delhi from July 25 against the United Progressive Alliance government for failing to ...

According to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the United Progressive Alliance has killed India’s growth story. Some of the party’s spokespersons decided to share this opinion with a few members of the press yesterday. They also had this prediction to make: The poor shape of the economy, coupled with massive corruption, will result in a defeat of the ruling coalition in the next general elections. This prediction was then backed by a reference to the Emergency in 1975, when inflation was high and corruption was rampant. Déjà vu, anyone? What we find rather amusing is how the party that sits in opposition — irrespective of whether it is the BJP, UPA, Congress or any other — routinely accuses the party in power of the exact same things every other year. The BJP now says that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh failed to steer the economy despite being an economist, adding that indecision and policy paralysis on the part of government resulted in the aforementioned blow to our growth. Let’s take a step back ...

I was on a television programme the other day where all the panellists were going on and on about how the United Progressive Alliance government has failed, how it has no leadership — and how, as a result, the economy is twisting ever more painfully in the chill wind coming out of Europe. After abou...

Eminent lawyer and key member of Team Anna, Prashant Bhushan on Monday attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was using him as a shield like ‘Shikhandi’ to perform all sorts of corruption activities. Politicians across party lines have slamm...

Citizens reeling under massive inflation are spilling onto the streets in protest, corruption has reached new heights, the economy is no longer robust, trade deficit is alarming, the rupee is tumbling down, there is mounting friction between the Centre and the states, and the United Progressive Alliance is no longer cohesive. In short, the country is heading towards a major political and economic crisis, but the Prime Minister and his coalition are living in a world of their own, assuming that the mandate will willy-nilly last till May 2014. Notwithstanding the loss of dozens of lives in a rail accident that morning, the UPA tried to rig up a party of sorts on May 22 to ‘celebrate’ its third anniversary. However, given the coalition’s abysmal performance since 2009, the only promise it has lived up to is to produce an annual report card to tom-tom its ‘achievements.’ No wonder, a Congressman who is disgusted with the aimlessness that distinguishes UPA-II described it as a government headed by a ...

RefreshJagan arrest: Congress misusing CBI, says BJPMay 27, 201223:02 PM Coming in support of embattled Kadapa Member of Parliament Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, BJP today accused the United Progressive Alliance government of using CBI to "selectively" target people like him who are opposing it. "Here is the Union Government using the Central Bureau of Investigation to selectively choose individuals who are opposing Congress and I think it is large ploy by the Congress party to settle scores with those who oppose them," BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters.He said this while referring to the cases against eight other cabinet colleagues of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Reddy and wondered as to why no such actions have been taken against them.

Former Lok Sabha speaker and presidential hopeful P.A. Sangma said his daughter and union minister Agatha Sangma was not campaigning for him and that she will go by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate. "She came with me to meet Jayalalithaa as a representative of tribal people and at that time I was not projected as a presidential candidate. But since then it has been finalised, she has stopped going anywhere to seek support for me," Sangma said during an interaction with party workers. Sangma said Agatha will go by what their party, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the UPA decide. Mr Sangma says he has no objections to NCP chief Sharad Pawar criticising him for projecting himself as a presidential candidate. "Sharad Pawar's stand is correct from his point of view as he is part of UPA but I am an NCP member in Meghalaya where Congress is in power and we are in opposition," Sangma said that NCP has two types of relationships with the Congress -- an ally in Delhi and Maharashtra but r ...

On May 16, 2009, hours after it became clear that the Congress would be returning to power at the head of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the green latticed doors at 10, Janpath swung open. Party president Sonia Gandhi stepped out and walked briskly towards the black BMW that had just swept i...

Nehru dynasty and Congress allies always gave false promises and people always lived in hope which never came. At 2009 Lok Sabha election UPA (United Progressive Alliance, (includes Congress and its allies)) said within 3 months inflation would come down, etc. For decades every 3 months the same words and ploys before the elections, still Congress allies win in the State. It is sad to see this. People are fooled and let down time and time again.

Haryana government spends Rs.80 million on achievement ads Fri Aug 28 2009 14:27:38 GMT+0530 (India Standard Time) by IANS New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) With assembly polls in Haryana slated for October, the state Congress government has gone all out to advertise its achievements and has spent an estimated Rs.80 million of public money on this effort. Dozens of television channels, radio stations and newspapers are full of advertisements issued by the state’s publicity department listing achievements of the Congress party and its state government headed by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The week-long campaign started last Monday. Despite spending public money on the campaign, portrait size photos of UPA (United Progressive Alliance) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Hooda can be seen on the advertisements. “The government has done work so what is the harm if it is advertising?” a senior government functionary said Friday. Insiders put the estimated cost of the campaign at Rs.80 million. Questions are b ...

What is making the rupee fall? There are several reasons for the same. India ran a trade deficit of nearly $185billion in the financial year 2011-2012 (i.e. between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012). Trade deficit refers to a situation where a country imports more than it exports. So in the last financial year India's import of goods and services was $185billion more than its exports. This trend has continued in the current financial year as well. The Indian imports for the month of April 2012 were at $37.9billion, almost 55% more than its exports at $24.5bilion. Imports have to be paid for in dollars because that is the international currency that everybody accepts. They cannot be paid for in rupees. Now when payments have to be made in dollars, the importers sell rupees and buy dollars. When this happens the foreign exchange market suddenly has an excess supply of rupees and a short fall of dollars. This leads to rupee losing value against the dollar. This is the basic reason why rupee has been losing v ...

India’s average annual economic growth during the seven-year period since the United Progressive Alliance, or UPA, formed its government at the Centre in 2004-05 is estimated at 8.5 per cent. The growth figure for the eight-year period under the UPA will be a bit lower after incorporating India’s 20...

NEWS IN BRIEF – APR 27, 2012 1. God has a new House, Sachin First Active Sportsperson To Be Nominated To Rajya Sabha, Rekha, Anu Aga Also Named To : New Delhi: A Bharat Ratna might still be a little distant, but cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar will soon be an MP. This will be the first time an active cricketer, rather any sportsperson, has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha. On Thursday, the government nominated Sachin along with veteran actor Rekha and spunky business leader Anu Aga. [TOI p1] 2. Congress begins seeking out allies on Presidential race : New Delhi :With two months left for the installation of the new President, the Congress has begun consultations with United Progressive Alliance (UPA) allies in the hope of achieving agreement on a common name. Defence Minister A.K. Antony will be flying down to Chennai shortly to meet Dravida Munnetra Kazagham president M. Karunanidhi to discuss the coming presidential elections, senior Congress sources said.[The Hindu p1] 3. No change in visa denial to Mo ...