Manmohan Singh approves interim budget for presentation Monday

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday said the government would go in for disinvestment of public sector undertakings, pointing out that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had expressed this commitment in his budget. In an interview to the CNN-IBN news channel after Mukherjee presented his budget in parliament, Manmohan Singh said: "The finance minister has committed our government to increase disinvestment while maintaining the public sector character of public enterprises." Without dwelling upon the details and the time frame, the prime minister said: "I haven't done any detailed calculations.

July 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said that the government was looking forward to the Budget session of the Parliament with great expectation.

June 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A committee looking into the defence personnel's demand for pay review Thursday made a presentation before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an official release said. "The committee of secretaries headed by the cabinet secretary (K.M.

June 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee held pre-budget discussions with leaders of Congress party ahead of the budget for full fiscal year 2009/10 (April-March) that would be presented on July 6. "As a party man I have an obligation to listen to the views of my party leaders.

June 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The union budget for 2009-10 would be presented on July 6 and the railway budget three days earlier on July 3. The dates were decided early Monday before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's departure for the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, an official said.

June 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The union budget for 2009-10 would be presented on July 6 and the railways budget three days earlier on July 3. The schedule for the budget session of parliament was decided at a meeting of the union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before his departure for the Russian city of Yekaterinburg to attend the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) summits.

February 15th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The first reactions from Kerala to the interim budget presented in Parliament Monday by Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee have been those of disappointment. Mukherjee, presenting the interim budget on behalf of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is recovering from heart bypass surgery, said additional steps would have to be considered in the regular budget to be presented by the next government, after the ensuing general elections in a month or two.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee did not present a populist budget as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had done a 'tremendous job' and does not need to play to the gallery, the ruling Congress maintained Monday. Mukherjee observed 'constitutional propriety' while presenting the interim budget, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Saying that the Mumbai terror attacks had given 'an entirely new dimension' to cross-border terrorism, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee raised the allocation for defence 34 percent to Rs.1,41,703 crore (Rs.1.417 trillion) in the interim budget for 2009-10 he presented in the Lok Sabha Monday. The total revised expenditure for 2008-09 was Rs.1,14,600 crore against the allocation of Rs.1,05,600 crore, said Mukherjee, who was presenting the budget on behalf of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is recovering from coronary bypass surgery.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had to Monday interrupt the interim budget presentation by Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee after Janata Dal-Secular MP M.P. Veerendra Kumar fell ill.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Reacting to criticisms over lack of measures in the interim budget presented Monday, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said in an election year, an incumbent government had the mandate only to present a vote on account. 'I think this is a failure to understand the limitations of an interim budget,' Ahluwalia said, soon after industry and average citizens complained that the interim budget tabled in parliament by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had no specific measures on tax rates or to help cushion the impact of global slowdown.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Following are the reactions from some prominent industrialists and economists to the interim budget presented by acting finance minister Pranab Mukherjee here Monday: Deepak Parekh, chairman, HDFC Bank: Not a disappointment, I did not expect anything in the interim budget. It was never meant to be a giveaway.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had to Monday interrupt the interim budget presentation by Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee as an MP fell ill. A doctor was called in and the Lok Sabha was adjourned for 10 minutes.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday hailed the interim budget as a 'fine balancing act', and said it will stimulate growth for the country in these difficult times. 'I have no doubt that the continued stimulus for the various flagship programmes of the government will provide relief to all sections - specially the 'aam aadmi' (common man),' the prime minister said in a statement.

February 12th, 2009 RAIPUR - The interim railway budget presented Friday by Railways Minister Lalu Prasad has let down expectations of Chhattisgarh despite the fact that the state generates high revenue for the railways, Chief minister Raman Singh said here. 'The interim rail budget is disappointing, it has let down expectations of millions of people of Chhattisgarh,' said Singh in his reaction to the interim budget.