Rail budget disappointing: Raman Singh

July 20th, 2009 RAIPUR - The Chhattisgarh assembly witnessed uproarious scenes on the first day of the monsoon session Monday and was later adjourned for the day as opposition Congress members demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Raman Singh over the July 12 Maoist attack. The 38 Congress legislators in the 90-member house displayed paper-sheets bearing slogans such as "Raman Singh Istifa Do" (Raman Singh, Resign) and "Yeh Sarkar Nikammi Hai" (This government is incompetent).

July 6th, 2009 MUMBAI - The budget has proved to be a letdown for the corporate sector and has not been very encouraging in view of the current economic scenario, according to noted city-based corporate tax consultant J.P. Purohit. "Even the raised exemption limit of Rs.10,000 in personal income tax is hardly any relief given the high prices in the markets, though the abolition of fringe benefit tax is a good step," Purohit observed.

July 6th, 2009 RAIPUR/NEW DELHI - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Monday termed the union budget as "anti-poor" and aimed to serve the Congress party's "political interests". Singh, who is in New Delhi, told reporters that the budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in parliament "is anti-poor.

July 3rd, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Friday said that it was not fair on the part of the central government to ignore the interests of the people of the hill state in the railway budget. "It's unfortunate on the part of the central government to ignore the interests of the hill state in the railway budget," he said in an official statement.

June 24th, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has written to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, listing the state's demands, including that of four new trains and five new railway lines, to be incorporated in this year's rail budget, an official said Wednesday. "Since the railway budget is schedule to be presented July 3, Raman Singh has sent a letter to the railway minister listing out Chhattisgarh's demands," the official told IANS.

April 8th, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Wednesday rejected allegations by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi that the state government had misused funds provided by the central government under various welfare schemes. 'The allegations by the Congress MP Gandhi against Chhattisgarh for misuse of central funds lack facts,' Singh told a press conference at the state's northern city Ambikapur.

March 30th, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will stage road shows in all 11 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state from April 1. Party sources said Singh will travel in a special mini-bus in all constituencies and address at least five public meetings in each constituency besides holding road shows till campaigning ends April 14 for the state, which goes to polls April 16.

February 12th, 2009 BHOPAL - The interim railway budget presented Friday is disappointing for Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said. 'The proposals like plying a daily Habibganj-Kurla train, running daily train between Bhopal and Lucknow, making the Puri-Jaipur Express bi-weekly, extending the Shatabdi to Indore, starting a third Bina-Itarsi line and adding a coach from Bhopal to the Jabalpur Mumbai-Garib Rath have not been implemented,' he 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.

February 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railways Minister Lalu Prasad is set to present the country's interim rail budget for the next fiscal in parliament Friday, with an expectation that he would once again spare the average citizen from fare hikes and introduce some new trains. The minister had presented all the five previous rail budgets for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government since 2004, during which he set a record of sorts in terms of generating revenues despite lowering fares.

February 8th, 2009 RAIPUR - The Bharatiya Janata Party Monday presented a Rs.222.11 billion budget which levies no new taxes for the fiscal 2009-10. The budget has a deficit component of Rs.11.85 billion.

February 8th, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh's Bharatiya Janata Party government Monday presented a Rs.222.11 billion (Rs. 22,211 crore) budget which levies no new taxes for the 2009-10 fiscal.

February 5th, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh skipped the three-day Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive meeting that began in Nagpur Friday as his mother passed away at a private hospital here. Sudha Singh, 84, died early Friday at the Ramkrishna Care Hospital where she had been since mid-December after she slipped into a coma at her native town Kawardha, some 125 km from here.

January 31st, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, who holds the finance portfolio too, will present the state's annual budget Feb 9. Assembly speaker Dharamlal Kaushik told reporters Sunday that the budget session of the 90-member state assembly will begin Feb 2 and conclude Feb 20, and the annual budget to be presented Feb 9.

December 22nd, 2008 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Tuesday appointed nine legislators of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as parliamentary secretaries with minister of state rank - seen as a move to stem dissension among the newly-elected members. The nine are Siyaram Sahu, Komal Janghel, Bhaiyalal Rajwade, Bharat Sai, Omprakash Rathia, Vijay Baghel, Sidhnath Paikra, Mahesh Gagra and Yudhvir Singh Judeo.