Third ’stimulus like’ package by month-end: Commerce Secretary

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said that the stimulus package given to the print media in February 2009 has been further extended for another six months from June 30 to December 31. Presenting the Union Budget for the year 2009-10 in Lok Sabha on Monday, Mukherjee said: "In February 2009, the print media was given a stimulus package comprising waiver of 15 per cent agency commission on DAVP advertisements and a 10 per cent increase in the DAVP rates to be paid as a 'Special Relief' subject to documentary proof of loss of revenue in non-governmental advertisements." (ANI)

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Monday extended the economic stimulus package for the print media by six months till Dec 31. "Since the print media is still passing through difficult times, the stimulus package for the print media is being extended till December 31, 2009," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said while presenting the budget for fiscal 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha.

May 14th, 2009 Obama defends his stimulus packageRIO RANCHO, N.M. — President Barack Obama says if the government hadn't stepped in to help, the economy would have gone into a tailspin.

April 29th, 2009 Aide says Palin will OK most stimulus fundsANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will sign bills accepting most of the federal stimulus funds available to the state, her spokeswoman said Tuesday.

April 6th, 2009 TOKYO - The Japanese government plans to draw up a supplementary budget for fiscal year 2009 with an economic stimulus package of more than 10 trillion yen ($100 billion), Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano said Monday. During a meeting with Yosano, Prime Minister Taro Aso ordered him to draft a fresh stimulus plan amounting to more than two percent of the nation's gross domestic product, Jiji Press quoted the finance minister as saying.

March 13th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan announced Friday it was drafting a new 100-trillion-yen ($1.03 trillion) economic stimulus package, news reports said. Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano said the details of the package would be made public by the beginning of April.

February 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives Friday approved the $787 billion stimulus package, an unprecedented attempt by the American government to aid the country's economy. The package was approved by a vote of 246- 83 but with no Republican support.

February 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Judd Gregg, a Republican senator picked by US President Barack Obama as commerce secretary in his cabinet, withdrew his nomination Thursday. Gregg made the announcement in a written statement, citing that he and Obama have 'different set of views on many critical items of policy'.

February 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US' economic recovery package overcame a decisive hurdle in the Senate, which voted to close debate on an $827-billion compromise bill that would be the largest in US history. The Senate Monday voted 61-36 to invoke cloture on the stimulus legislation, setting the stage for a final vote in the chamber Tuesday.

January 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - As he discussed his $825 billion stimulus package for the US economy with Congressional leaders President Barack Obama at one point curtly told opposition Republicans: 'I won.' Citing sources familiar with the conversation, the Politico, a publication focusing on Congressional politics, said the exchange Friday arose as top House and Senate Republicans expressed concern to the president about the amount of spending in the package. Obama listened to Republican gripes about the stimulus package, but he also left no doubt about who's in charge of these negotiations, it said citing the exchange.

January 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Maintaining that India will grow by at least 7 percent this fiscal, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath Monday said the government was considering another stimulus package to pump prime the economy. Addressing the 'Partnership Summit 2009' of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here, the minister said the falling inflation rate, now at a little over 5 percent, would help unveil another package.

January 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The urban development ministry has asked for additional changes at the last minute to the second stimulus package, slated to be announced Friday, to make the package beneficial for the end-user. Last month, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath announced that the second stimulus package would attempt to include special provisions to help exporters and the real estate and infrastructure sectors.

January 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The second stimulus package unveiled Friday is in the right direction but falls short of expectations that it would be around Rs.1 trillion, as against the Rs.200 billion (Rs.20,000 crore) announced, a leading industry lobby said. According to D.S.

December 23rd, 2008 NEW DELHI - In a bid to help the economy tackle the global financial meltdown, the government is expected to come out with its second stimulus package within the next three days, commerce Minister Kamal Nath said here Wednesday. 'We are looking at financial, some liquidity issues, export, and something to stimulate demand and realty also,' Kamal Nath told reporters.

December 23rd, 2008 NEW DELHI - Winsome Textile Industries chairman Satish Bagrodia Wednesday formally took charge as the president of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, succeeding L.K. Malhotra. Bagrodia, who was the chamber's second-in-command said he was not satisfied with the stimulus package the government announced Dec 7, and hoped that the second package would bring cheer to the economy.