Former President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-uae-have-transformed-and-matured-into-strategic-partnership-pranab-mukherjee-248953">Pranab Mukherjee</a> on Wednesday said that he is not worried over the slow growth of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/economy-debate-narendra-modis-nda-versus-manmohan-singhs-upa-267271">Gross Domestic Product</a> (GDP) as 'certain things' that happened had its impact.

"I am not very much worried over the slow <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/wall-street-week-ahead-tariff-deadline-keeps-focus-on-trade-as-2019-draws-to-close-266795">GDP growth</a> because certain things happened, which had its impact," said Mukherjee at a felicitation programme at the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata on Wednesday.

The former finance minister in the UPA government further stated that "the sanctity of data as fact has to be kept intact, it cannot be manipulated or designed in any particular way. That will be disastrous."

"Sometimes I read in newspapers that data is questioned, I feel sad. I used to take pride in the authenticity of the Economic Survey, which was brought out every year before the presentation of the budget," he added.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said that he is not worried over the slow growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as 'certain things' that happened had its impact.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said that he is not worried over the slow growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as 'certain things' that happened had its impact. "I am not very much worried over the slow GDP growth because certain things happened, which had its impact," said Mukherjee at a felicitation programme at the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata on Wednesday. The former finance minister in the UPA government further stated that "the sanctity of data as fact has to be kept intact, it cannot be manipulated or designed in any particular way. That will be disastrous." "Sometimes I read in newspapers that data is questioned, I feel sad. I used to take pride in the authenticity of the Economic Survey, which was brought out every year before the presentation of the budget," he added.

Not worried over slow GDP growth: Pranab Mukherjee

Finance Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/india-to-launch-first-debt-exchange-traded-fund-266182">Nirmala Sitharaman</a> on Wednesday elaborated on key measures being adopted by the center to bring prices under control. The minister dismissed opposition charges about fear factor in the economy and said that that government has taken a series of steps to check the steep rise in onion prices including imports.

Sitharaman, who was replying to the debate on the first batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2019-20, said that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/central-government-involved-in-big-onion-scam-aap-mp-sanjay-singh-265934">onion price</a> surge was due to factors such as a reduction in the area of cultivation and production.

The minister, who laid stress on greater scientific storage of onions also said in response to opposition interruptions, that she does not eats much of onions and garlic and comes from a family where there is not much consumption of the two kitchen ingredients.

She also blamed the UPA government for non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks and alleged that loans were given over recommendations made on phone calls between 2008 and 2014.

The House passed the demands for grants allowing the government to spend an additional Rs 21,246 crore, including over Rs 8,820 crore for the newly formed Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh in the current fiscal.

She also said that more devolution of funds to the union territories will take place through the 15th Finance Commission.

The minister said FDI inflows were growing and "fear factor does not exist" for investments.

Noting that both revenue expenditure and capital expenditure of government had gone up, she said the government has been able to save Rs 1.41 lakh crore due to the implementation of a direct benefit transfer scheme.

She said 6.21 crore people have been given MNREGA employment this year.

Referring to points made by opposition members during the debate, she said "stressed accounts were not recognized as NPAs" during the UPA government. 
 
She said the opposition was shedding "crocodile tears" over the problems of IDBI bank and its advances shot up due to "aggressive lending" from 2008-2014.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday elaborated on key measures being adopted by the center to bring prices under control. The minister dismissed opposition charges about fear factor in the economy and said that that government has taken a series of steps to check the steep rise in onion prices including imports.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday elaborated on key measures being adopted by the center to bring prices under control. The minister dismissed opposition charges about fear factor in the economy and said that that government has taken a series of steps to check the steep rise in onion prices including imports. Sitharaman, who was replying to the debate on the first batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2019-20, said that onion price surge was due to factors such as a reduction in the area of cultivation and production. The minister, who laid stress on greater scientific storage of onions also said in response to opposition interruptions, that she does not eats much of onions and garlic and comes from a family where there is not much consumption of the two kitchen ingredients. She also blamed the UPA government for non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks and alleged that loans were given over recommendations made on phone calls between 2008 and 2014. The House passed the demands for grants allowing the government to spend an additional Rs 21,246 crore, including over Rs 8,820 crore for the newly formed Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh in the current fiscal. She also said that more devolution of funds to the union territories will take place through the 15th Finance Commission. The minister said FDI inflows were growing and "fear factor does not exist" for investments. Noting that both revenue expenditure and capital expenditure of government had gone up, she said the government has been able to save Rs 1.41 lakh crore due to the implementation of a direct benefit transfer scheme. She said 6.21 crore people have been given MNREGA employment this year. Referring to points made by opposition members during the debate, she said "stressed accounts were not recognized as NPAs" during the UPA government. She said the opposition was shedding "crocodile tears" over the problems of IDBI bank and its advances shot up due to "aggressive lending" from 2008-2014.

Government taking measures to curb price rise in onion: Sitharaman

Former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai today spoke up against the&nbsp;allegations made by the former Telecom Minister A Raja, saying that there reasons for him not&nbsp;speaking about the issue.&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Former CAG Vinod Rai says, &quot;I have not spoken to anybody and there are reasons for that, as and when you will get to know&quot;, when asked about 2G scam verdict and allegations made by former telecom minister A Raja. <a href="https://t.co/9MSfF6wVmY">pic.twitter.com/9MSfF6wVmY</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/955675239517581312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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On Sunday, A Raja made allegations against Rai that some forces are working against the UPA government and they are using Vinod Rai as a tool to fulfil their goals.

He further alleged that Rai was a &quot;contract killer&quot;&nbsp;to kill UPA, demanding prosecution for abusing the power and cheating the nation.

&quot;Vinod Rai should be prosecuted for cheating and abuse of power... (he) was a contract killer... His shoulder was used to kill UPA 2,&quot; Raja said during a media interaction following the launch of his book &quot;2G Saga Unfolds&quot;.

A Raja has further accused Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal of conspiring against him to stop new telecom players from entering the market.

A Raja has recently been freed from all charges relating 2G scam by the Central Bureau of Investigation&nbsp;court.

In 2010, Vinod Rai was consistently in headlines for his unforgiving audits, ranging from the scathing report on the shoddy preparation for the Commonwealth Games to the spectrum allocations for second generation (2G) telecom services&nbsp;

On Sunday, A Raja made allegations against Vinod Rai that some forces are working against the UPA government and they are using Vinod Rai as a tool to fulfil their goals

Former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai today spoke up against the allegations made by the former Telecom Minister A Raja, saying that there reasons for him not speaking about the issue. Former CAG Vinod Rai says, "I have not spoken to anybody and there are reasons for that, as and when you will get to know", when asked about 2G scam verdict and allegations made by former telecom minister A Raja. pic.twitter.com/9MSfF6wVmY — ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2018 × On Sunday, A Raja made allegations against Rai that some forces are working against the UPA government and they are using Vinod Rai as a tool to fulfil their goals. He further alleged that Rai was a "contract killer" to kill UPA, demanding prosecution for abusing the power and cheating the nation. "Vinod Rai should be prosecuted for cheating and abuse of power... (he) was a contract killer... His shoulder was used to kill UPA 2," Raja said during a media interaction following the launch of his book "2G Saga Unfolds". A Raja has further accused Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal of conspiring against him to stop new telecom players from entering the market. A Raja has recently been freed from all charges relating 2G scam by the Central Bureau of Investigation court. In 2010, Vinod Rai was consistently in headlines for his unforgiving audits, ranging from the scathing report on the shoddy preparation for the Commonwealth Games to the spectrum allocations for second generation (2G) telecom services

You will get to know: Vinod Rai on allegations made by A Raja

After six years, a Delhi court will today pronounce its verdict in the 2G spectrum allocation scam cases, which rattled the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government during its second term.

The judgement by special CBI judge OP Saini will decide the fate of former telecom minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and several others accused in the 2007-08 case which, as per a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, caused a loss of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore to the state exchequer.

The court, has directed all accused, including Raja and Kanimozhi &nbsp;to remain present before it for the verdict.

Former Telecom Minister A Raja is accused of allocating spectrum licenses to telecom operators at much lesser prices in return for bribes instead of allocation through a fair auctioning process. The chargesheet against him also accuses him of misleading the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The former DMK leader has denied the charges and said the decisions were taken keeping Manmohan Singh in the loop.

A Raja was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2011 following which the trial in the case commenced. He was released on bail nearly a year later.

DMK leader Kanimozhi, daughter of DMK chief M Karunanidhi is accused of accepting kickbacks. The CBI alleges bribes worth Rs 200 crore paid by a telecom company to A Raja was deposited in the account of a television channel partly owned by her. She has denied the accusations against her.

Kanimozhi was arrested in 2011 and released on bail the same year after spending over six months in jail.

Two cases have been filed by the CBI and another one by the Enforcement Directorate. The court is likely to pronounce its judgement in all the cases today.

The judgement by special CBI judge OP Saini will decide the fate of former telecom minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and several others accused in the 2007-08 case which, as per a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, caused a loss of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore to the state exchequer

After six years, a Delhi court will today pronounce its verdict in the 2G spectrum allocation scam cases, which rattled the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government during its second term. The judgement by special CBI judge OP Saini will decide the fate of former telecom minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and several others accused in the 2007-08 case which, as per a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, caused a loss of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore to the state exchequer. The court, has directed all accused, including Raja and Kanimozhi to remain present before it for the verdict. Former Telecom Minister A Raja is accused of allocating spectrum licenses to telecom operators at much lesser prices in return for bribes instead of allocation through a fair auctioning process. The chargesheet against him also accuses him of misleading the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The former DMK leader has denied the charges and said the decisions were taken keeping Manmohan Singh in the loop. A Raja was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2011 following which the trial in the case commenced. He was released on bail nearly a year later. DMK leader Kanimozhi, daughter of DMK chief M Karunanidhi is accused of accepting kickbacks. The CBI alleges bribes worth Rs 200 crore paid by a telecom company to A Raja was deposited in the account of a television channel partly owned by her. She has denied the accusations against her. Kanimozhi was arrested in 2011 and released on bail the same year after spending over six months in jail. Two cases have been filed by the CBI and another one by the Enforcement Directorate. The court is likely to pronounce its judgement in all the cases today.

Delhi court to pronounce verdict in 2G scam today

Pandemonium erupted in Parliament&#39;s Upper House, Rajya Sabha today with the Congress staging a walkout after Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s jibe at former PM Manmohan Singh over 
corruption.

Modi, who was replying to the Motion of Thanks for the President&#39;s budget address said, &quot;For almost 35 years, Manmohan Singhji had a lot of influence on country&#39;s economic policies. Is there not a single taint on him. Only Manmohan Singh understands the art of taking bath in a bathroom wearing a raincoat.&quot;

He was alluding to the fact that the former PM&#39;s name was not singled out for corruption despite the fact that his UPA-led government was implicated in a series of corruption scandals including the allocation of coal blocks, spectrum and telecom licenses.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said it was &quot;unbecoming of a prime minister to malign a former prime minister in such a manner&quot;.

&quot;Walked out as protest, such harsh and ugly comments not acceptable. No PM in past made such comments about a former PM,&quot; the former finance minister said.

It is unbecoming of a prime minister to use such language for a former PM, unbecoming for anyone to say such harsh ugly statement,&quot; Chidambaram said.

Senior Congress leader Ahmad Patel said he was &quot;speechless&quot; after the PM&#39;s remarks. Congress politician Kapil Sibal described the allegations as &quot;unsustainable&quot; and said Modi was being &quot;arrogant&quot;.

&quot;Look at his arrogance, he chooses to speak when everyone else is done and then makes unsubstantiated allegations,&quot; Kapil Sibal said.
<centre><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GCZrkqGT-LM" width="560"></iframe><centre>
PM Modi also defended demonetisation, stating that no other country in the world had taken such a big decision and that it would be a case study across world universities. He said banks had received a lot of cash and interest rates had fallen down after demonetisation.

&quot;There wasn&#39;t a decision as big taken anywhere in the world.This can become a big case study for the world universities. The massive decision that India took,&quot; Modi said. Worlds&#39; economists don&#39;t know parameters to assess it. What India did will be a case study for economists worldwide,&quot; Modi added. &quot;You quote foreign economists, I can quote 10 of them on the fact that such an action hasn&#39;t been taken in the world ever.&quot;

Modi also said the fight against corruption was not political and that only political parties were opposing demonetisation. &quot;The government and the people were together during the period of demonetisation. For the first time, a horizontal divide was visible. Mood of the people completely different from mood of politicians,&quot; Modi said.

The Lower House of Parliament, Lok Sabha, yesterday, passed by a voice vote the Motion of Thanks to President&#39;s address amid protests by the Opposition led by the Congress party after the PM attacked them for &quot;dynastic politics.&quot; 
 
The President makes a special address to a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament at the beginning of the first session of the year, usually the Budget Session, outlining the legislative and policy achievements during the preceding year and the roadmap for the year ahead.

After being approved by the Cabinet, the address is followed by a motion of thanks moved in each House by ruling party MPs, followed by discussions that last up to three or four days and conclude with the PM replying to the points raised during the discussion.

After the PM&#39;s reply, MPs vote on the motion of thanks and some may move amendments to the address.

 
(WION)
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The Congress staged a walkout from Parliament after Modi's remark that Manmohan Singh had been shielded from corruption allegations

Pandemonium erupted in Parliament's Upper House, Rajya Sabha today with the Congress staging a walkout after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's jibe at former PM Manmohan Singh over corruption. Modi, who was replying to the Motion of Thanks for the President's budget address said, "For almost 35 years, Manmohan Singhji had a lot of influence on country's economic policies. Is there not a single taint on him. Only Manmohan Singh understands the art of taking bath in a bathroom wearing a raincoat." He was alluding to the fact that the former PM's name was not singled out for corruption despite the fact that his UPA-led government was implicated in a series of corruption scandals including the allocation of coal blocks, spectrum and telecom licenses. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said it was "unbecoming of a prime minister to malign a former prime minister in such a manner". "Walked out as protest, such harsh and ugly comments not acceptable. No PM in past made such comments about a former PM," the former finance minister said. It is unbecoming of a prime minister to use such language for a former PM, unbecoming for anyone to say such harsh ugly statement," Chidambaram said. Senior Congress leader Ahmad Patel said he was "speechless" after the PM's remarks. Congress politician Kapil Sibal described the allegations as "unsustainable" and said Modi was being "arrogant". "Look at his arrogance, he chooses to speak when everyone else is done and then makes unsubstantiated allegations," Kapil Sibal said. PM Modi also defended demonetisation, stating that no other country in the world had taken such a big decision and that it would be a case study across world universities. He said banks had received a lot of cash and interest rates had fallen down after demonetisation. "There wasn't a decision as big taken anywhere in the world.This can become a big case study for the world universities. The massive decision that India took," Modi said. Worlds' economists don't know parameters to assess it. What India did will be a case study for economists worldwide," Modi added. "You quote foreign economists, I can quote 10 of them on the fact that such an action hasn't been taken in the world ever." Modi also said the fight against corruption was not political and that only political parties were opposing demonetisation. "The government and the people were together during the period of demonetisation. For the first time, a horizontal divide was visible. Mood of the people completely different from mood of politicians," Modi said. The Lower House of Parliament, Lok Sabha, yesterday, passed by a voice vote the Motion of Thanks to President's address amid protests by the Opposition led by the Congress party after the PM attacked them for "dynastic politics." The President makes a special address to a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament at the beginning of the first session of the year, usually the Budget Session, outlining the legislative and policy achievements during the preceding year and the roadmap for the year ahead. After being approved by the Cabinet, the address is followed by a motion of thanks moved in each House by ruling party MPs, followed by discussions that last up to three or four days and conclude with the PM replying to the points raised during the discussion. After the PM's reply, MPs vote on the motion of thanks and some may move amendments to the address. (WION)

PM Modi's 'raincoat' jibe against ex-PM Manmohan Singh angers Congress

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s office has decided to make public the decisions taken by the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) set up by the first UPA government in 2004 to advise then PM Manmohan Singh, Indian daily <a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/content/590434/centre-make-nac-files-public.html">Deccan Herrald</a> reported.

Around 700 files containing details of the NAC meetings will &quot;establish&quot; that it was Congress president Sonia Gandhi who was running the UPA government and not former prime minister Manmohan Singh, highly placed sources told Deccan Herrald.

The files will contain the minutes of the NAC meetings, details of foreign and domestic tours undertaken by its members, and other sensitive government matters handled by the council and will be made public shortly, the sources said.

The Deccan Herrald report says that one of the files accessed by Sonia Gandhi was on the drafting of a real estate regulation bill in 2011.

The files show that union minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Shelja, wrote to &ldquo;Madam&rdquo;&mdash; as Sonia Gandhi is popularly called &mdash; &nbsp;on November 16, 2011, &ldquo;informing&rdquo; and seeking her &ldquo;guidance&rdquo; on the &ldquo;Real Estate (Regulation &amp; Development) Bill 2011.&rdquo; At that time, the bill had been circulated among the chief ministers and Central ministers for their feedback, Shelja&rsquo;s communication revealed.

The files establish that suggestions on the draft legislation were made by private real estate developers associations and a leading real estate developer. They also contain a note dated December 2, 2011, from Rita Sharma, who was secretary to the advisory body, giving the salient features of the bill and marked to the Congress president.

The NAC, set up by PM Manmohan Singh in 2004, was criticised by the BJP as an &ldquo;extra-Constitutional authority&rdquo; designed to equip Sonia with remote control to run the UPA government.&nbsp;

Modi, a critic of the NAC, had accused it of drafting a &ldquo;perverse&rdquo; and &ldquo;ill-conceived&rdquo; bill to tackle communal violence while he was chief minister of Gujarat.The bill was seen by the BJP as a tool to target the BJP government in the state.

The NAC was dissolved after the NDA government came to power in 2014.

The Congress defended it as being an advisory body set up to implement the UPA coalition&#39;s Common Minimum Programme. The party argued that its existence marked signs of a healthy democracy, facilitating greater pre-policy deliberations.

Around 700 files will 'establish' that it was the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council which was running the UPA government

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office has decided to make public the decisions taken by the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) set up by the first UPA government in 2004 to advise then PM Manmohan Singh, Indian daily Deccan Herrald reported. Around 700 files containing details of the NAC meetings will "establish" that it was Congress president Sonia Gandhi who was running the UPA government and not former prime minister Manmohan Singh, highly placed sources told Deccan Herrald. The files will contain the minutes of the NAC meetings, details of foreign and domestic tours undertaken by its members, and other sensitive government matters handled by the council and will be made public shortly, the sources said. The Deccan Herrald report says that one of the files accessed by Sonia Gandhi was on the drafting of a real estate regulation bill in 2011. The files show that union minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Shelja, wrote to “Madam”— as Sonia Gandhi is popularly called — on November 16, 2011, “informing” and seeking her “guidance” on the “Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Bill 2011.” At that time, the bill had been circulated among the chief ministers and Central ministers for their feedback, Shelja’s communication revealed. The files establish that suggestions on the draft legislation were made by private real estate developers associations and a leading real estate developer. They also contain a note dated December 2, 2011, from Rita Sharma, who was secretary to the advisory body, giving the salient features of the bill and marked to the Congress president. The NAC, set up by PM Manmohan Singh in 2004, was criticised by the BJP as an “extra-Constitutional authority” designed to equip Sonia with remote control to run the UPA government. Modi, a critic of the NAC, had accused it of drafting a “perverse” and “ill-conceived” bill to tackle communal violence while he was chief minister of Gujarat.The bill was seen by the BJP as a tool to target the BJP government in the state. The NAC was dissolved after the NDA government came to power in 2014. The Congress defended it as being an advisory body set up to implement the UPA coalition's Common Minimum Programme. The party argued that its existence marked signs of a healthy democracy, facilitating greater pre-policy deliberations.

PM Modi to make files public that show Sonia Gandhi-led advisory body ran UPA govt: Report

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