Guidelines for communal harmony issued by home ministry: Khurshid

October 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - President Pratibha Dev Singh Patil was presented a floral and embellished fan by peace organization, Anjuman Sair-e-Gul Faroshan, ahead of the weeklong annual festival known of 'Phool Walon ki Sair'. "This is a big example of Hindu-Muslim unity.

August 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS), a leading infrastructure development and finance company, will be the new promoter of Maytas Infra, union Minister for Corporate Affairs Salman Khurshid announced Monday. "IL&FS will be the new promoter of Maytas Infra following an order of the CLB (Company Law Board)," Khurshid told reporters here.

August 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - President Pratibha Patil will give away the National Communal Harmony Awards for the years 2007 and 2008 here today. For the year 2007, Dr.

August 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said the government and civil society groups must keep an eye on and protest against those who resort to violence in the name of religion to spread disharmony. "I believe that both the government and civil society groups must continuously watch and raise our voice against groups and individuals who use violence in the name of religion," the prime minister said at a function to present the Kabir Puraskar and National Communal Harmony Awards for the years 2007 and 2008.

July 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Thursday told parliament his ministry has a mechanism to regularly monitor the progress in implementation of various development schemes for the minorities undertaken by the government. "Review of progress of implementation of the schemes is done through periodic review meetings and through the memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation," Khurshid said in the Lok Sabha.

July 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government has an elaborate mechanism to trace companies that "vanish" after raising money from the public, Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said Monday. A central Coordination and Monitoring Committee (CMC) has been set up to look into such cases, he told the Rajya Sabha.

July 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government has increased the budgetary allocation to the minority affairs ministry by Rs.740 crore for the year 2009-10 to address the educational and economic backwardness of the Muslim community, Minister Salman Khurshid said Monday. "The plan provisions for the ministry has been enhanced from Rs.130.89 crore in 2006-07 to Rs.500 crore in 2007-08, Rs.1,000 crore in 2008-09 and Rs.1,740 crore for the year 2009-10, Khurshid told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

July 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Monday told parliament that the government is committed to establishing an Equal Opportunity Commission and is examining the recommendations of the expert group regarding its structure and functions. "An Equal Opportunity Commission will be set up by the government.

July 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government will provide Rs.185 crore (Rs.1.85 billion) as loans during the current financial year for income generating activities to help individuals from minority communities living in abysmal poverty, the Lok Sabha was told Thursday. Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Thursday said the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) will disburse the amount to 79,860 beneficiaries living below double the poverty line.

July 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Government provided Rs 1.05 crore to 35 families, which lost one of their kin in the aftermath of the communal violence in August and September 2008 in Kandhmal district of Orissa. "The Central Scheme of Assistance To Victims Of Terrorist And Communal Violence, which came into effect from April 1, 2008, aims at providing assistance to the Next of Kin (NoK) of victims of terrorist (including militancy and insurgency) and communal violence.

June 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Zero tolerance towards terrorism and stern measures to handle both insurgency and Left-wing extremism are some of the tasks before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government as it puts in place a plan to strengthen internal security, President Pratibha Patil said Thursday. The government has already made a detailed plan to address internal security challenges to be implemented in a time-bound manner, Patil told a joint session of parliament.

May 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Satyam fraud case is top priority of the government, and the investigating agency, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), has been asked to put the prosecution on fast track, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs (independent charge) Salman Khurshid said here Friday. "The case is required to be put on the fast track so that the guilty can be punished quickly," Khurshid said after taking charge.

March 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In her message on Holi and Eid-e-Milad, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi Tuesday underlined the ideals of peace and brotherhood. 'This occasion (Holi) has special significance in the centuries-old cultural heritage that propagated the unity of mankind, tolerance and compassion.

January 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Dominic Emmanuel SVD, who has been working on inter-religious dialogue, and Anjuman Sair-e-Gul Faroshan, known for its annual 'Phool Walon ki Sair', have been selected for the National Communal Harmony Awards for 2008, according to an official announcement Monday. The award jury, headed by the vice-president, selected Delhi-based Dominic Emmanuel SVD in the individual category and Anjuman Sair-e-Gul Faroshan, also based here, in the organisation category, the home ministry said in the statement.

January 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a move that will pave the way for facsimile editions of leading global media brands like The Wall Street Journal, the government Wednesay formally notified its decision to allow 100 percent foreign equity for publishers interested in publishing international dailies in India. In the case of facsimile editions of foreign newspapers, 100 percent foreign equity has been permitted with prior approval of the government - provided the investment is by the original foreign publisher, the commerce ministry said in a statement.