National Statistical Commission seeks comments on GDP back series report

The National Statistical Commission (NSC) has sought public comments on a panel report which showed that the economy grew at fastest pace under the Congress rule, amid a political row over the growth numbers.

The report of the panel, constituted by the NSC, was made public last week.

The government has maintained that the GDP Back Series Report 2011 was an unofficial document that has not been accepted by it. The Centre had also said the report was only at discussion stage and its acceptance will be based on wider consultations.

Modi wants to enforce supremacy; not an advocate of peace talks: Musharraf

Pakistan and India were on the path of peace and reconciliation under his regime, former Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf has said while claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not an "advocate of peace talks".

The former president and chief of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) in an interview with Voice of America claimed that when he was in power, India and Pakistan were on the "path of reconciliation", but that is not the case anymore, the Express Tribune reported.

"At the time, I spoke to both the prime ministers, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, they were both from different political parties but we wanted to move forward from the disputes, he said.

The 74-year-old retired general, who is facing high treason charges, has been living in Dubai since last year when he was allowed to leave Pakistan for medical treatment.

Musharraf claimed that a four-point initiation of peace was strategised by the former president and was put in implementation by the leadership of both countries.

The four points of contention included Siachen and Kashmir as well, he said.

Did Manmohan Singh get the idea of 90s' reforms from a Pakistani economist?

India borrowed Pakistan's economic and reforms plans and implemented them successfully while "we squandered the opportunity largely because of political instability", Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said.

"During the 90s the then Indian Finance Minister Manmohan Singh borrowed economic reforms strategies from his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz and successfully implemented them in India," said Iqbal, who also holds the portfolio of Interior Minister.

He was speaking at the inauguration of Pakistan National Centre for Cyber Security in Islamabad, the Express Tribune reported on Tuesday.

Iqbal claimed that Bangladesh also successfully used the same strategies but Pakistan could not put its own plans to use as the decade was lost to political instability, the report said.

Jan Aakrosh rally: Rahul Gandhi raps Modi-led BJP, RSS for polarising India

Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections on May 12, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday led a massive Jan Aakrosh rally at Ramlila Ground in Delhi, where he spoke extensively about the alleged failures and corruption of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. He made a claim that his party will surely win the polls in Karnataka and other states and return to power at the Centre in 2019. It was the first such rally by Rahul Gandhi since he assumed the post of the President of the Congress party.

Rahul also censured PM Modi-led NDA government for failing to hear the grievances of Indian citizens.

An angry Congress President also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of sowing seeds of hatred and polarising the country, and also charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi with spreading "lies" against the Congress and its leaders.

Cong to take on Modi over charges against Manmohan as Winter Session begins

The government is ready to discuss all the issues, including those to be raised by the Opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said here on Thursday, adding that he would request all the MPs to work "full time" to dispose of the business. 

"The government is ready to discuss and debate any issue. Several issues would be raised by the opposition and the government would obviously give its response," he said when asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegations against his predecessor Manmohan Singh and others vis-a-vis their meeting with Pakistani diplomats would disrupt the Houses.

"It is also the opposition's responsibility to run Parliament. The Prime Minister has sought opposition's cooperation for smooth functioning of Parliament," he said.

Ananth Kumar said 25 Bills are listed in the Lok Sabha and 39 Bills are pending in the Rajya Sabha which would be taken up and disposed of "according to priority".

The most important business would be the Supplementary Demands for Grants, which is the first one after the implementation of GST; the 123rd Constitutional Amendment for setting up of National Commission for Backward Classes as a constitutional body; and the Bill against triple talaaq, he said.
READ MORE

Where are the jobs, asks Congress

Latest News - A day before the release of the official account on the state of the economy, the Economic Survey, the Congress party tore apart the government for hiding behind the dazzle of the GDP number, and ignoring key metrics such as jobs and investment.

It released its own detailed report titled 'The Real State of Economy 2017', fielding its two most senior leaders in these matters, Manmohan Singh and P Chidambaram. Introducing the report, which he claimed was "closer to the truth that what I believe the government will say tomorrow", Chidambaram launched a broadside on the performance of the economy under the Modi government.

The report put together by Rajya Sabha member and IIM professor Rajeev Gowda pointed out the fact that against (Read More)