India

New Delhi, May 21: Ruling out withdrawal from the Presidential fray, NCP leader P A Sangma on Monday said if necessary, he would contest as an independent and "not let down" Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who have backed him. "There is no going back. I will not let madam Jayalalithaa and Naveen Patnaik down which would mean that if necessary, I

New Delhi, May 21: In yet another twist, the controversial Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill was on Monday referred to the select committee of Rajya Sabha, further delaying the setting up of the anti-graft ombudsman which has been hanging fire for 42 years. The bill, on which debate had remained inconclusive in the Rajya Sabha during the last winter session, was referred to the select committee through a

New Delhi, May 21: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday tabled in the Lok Sabha a white paper on the government's strategy on bringing back black money stashed away abroad. After demands from the opposition for an authoritative report on how the government was dealing with the issue, the finance minister, during the debate on the Finance Bill 2012-13, had promised to table a white paper on

New Delhi, May 21: The monthly pension of Rs. 200 given to the elderly is "an insult to the dignity of an individual", Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has said, requesting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to immediately review the scheme. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the minister has recommended streamlining the disbursal system of Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS

New Delhi, May 21: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to table White Paper on black money in Parliament today, providing information about black money stashed abroad. The Opposition, led by the BJP, has been targeting the government over the issue. The main Opposition charge is that the government is going slow on probe into black money. "I will try to give all the relevant and possible

New Delhi, May 21: Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Sunday stepped up her advocacy for P A Sangma as president, rallying support across the political spectrum. She called up BJP veteran L K Advani, who is believed to have told her that he was "positively inclined" towards Sangma personally but a decision would only be taken only after consultations within the party and with NDA leaders

Mumbai, May 20: Mumbai Police on Sunday evening claims to have bust a rave party. Over 100 people have been detained and medical reports are awaited, TV reports said. According to TV reports, as many as 58 boys and 30 girls are reportedly to have attended the rave party at a Juhu hotel in Mumbai. About 19 foreign national among those present at rave party. The police have also seized 110 grams of

Kolkata, May 20: Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said the steep fall in the rupee was a matter of great concern and the Centre was trying to resolve the situation. "It is a matter of great concern. We are watching the situation. The Centre is not (sitting) idle. We are trying to resolve (the issue)," Mukherjee told press here. "This is due to the Eurozone crisis," he said. Mukherjee

New Delhi, May 20: On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called Presidency University student Taniya Bhardwaj a CPI(M) cadre and a Maoist for asking a question about the conduct of senior state ministers and officials over crimes against women. The question was asked at an open house session with the Chief Minister, conducted by CNN-IBN to mark one year of the Trinamool Congress's

New Delhi, May 20: Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday took a dig at Team Anna, saying Satyagraha does not mean use of derogatory language. Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a national seminar on Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti here, Sibal evoked the principles of Satyagraha laid down by Mahatma Gandhi while taking a veiled potshot at the anti -corruption crusader. "As