Manmohan Singh looks forward to budget with great expectation

July 30th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has lauded his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh after positive remarks by the Indian premier in parliament on the peace process with Pakistan. Gilani praised Manmohan Singh "for his bold vision of peace and prosperity in South Asia and the statesmanship he demonstrated", the Nation newspaper reported on its website Thursday.

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 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government will set up an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) to look into the recommendations by the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday. "We are contemplating to set up an EGoM to implement the voluminous document of the ARC," the prime minister told a news channel.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Friday said that Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has done a highly competent job by presenting a pro-poor Rail budget.

July 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The next session of Parliament will begin from today. The Economic Survey will be presented in the Lok Sabha today.

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.

May 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - US President Barack Obama Saturday telephoned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to congratulate him on his victory in the general elections and hoped for a continuity in the India-US strategic partnership, an official said. Manmohan Singh reiterated his invitation to Michelle and Barack Obama to visit India, a key aide to the prime minister said.

May 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Manmohan Singh was Tuesday elected leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party, with party president Sonia Gandhi saying his record of the last five years was an inspiration for all. Sonia Gandhi proposed Manmohan Singh's name at a meeting of the newly-elected Congress MPs held at parliament's Central Hall.

May 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Saturday rang up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulating him as India's ruling coalition was on its way to victory in the Lok Sabha elections. According to sources in the Prime Minister's Office, Manmohan Singh is expected to call on Sonia Gandhi later in the evening when all results of the election are known.

April 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government's failure to enact legislation reserving 33 percent of seats in parliament and the state legislatures for women was a 'matter of great regret', Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday. 'That is a matter of great regret.

March 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday said that the country looked forward to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's continued service.

March 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - With elections to the Lok Sabha announced, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has again warned partymen against infighting, saying the factor had harmed the party during elections. In a message in the party magazine Sandesh, Gandhi reposed faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said the party is looking forward to his continued services.

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 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Congress president Sonia Gandhi has said she looked forward to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 'continued leadership', amid speculation over the party's prime ministerial candidate ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. 'He has many more years of service both to our party and our country,' Gandhi said in a statement in the latest issue of the Congress mouthpiece Sandesh.

February 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Amid speculation over its prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party Friday said Manmohan Singh was the prime minister and there was no vacancy for the post. 'Manmohan Singh is our prime minister and there is no vacancy to the post of prime minister,' Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan told reporters here.