The Centre has signed deals or is in talks with 78 countries besides Switzerland to amend double taxation avoidance treaties to facilitate information-sharing on slush funds held by Indians abroad. These countries include Mauritius, Brazil, Canada, Italy, the UK, the US, the UAE and the Channel Islands. The Swiss parliament is set to ratify the tax treaty with changes which will allow India to gain access to information on black Money held...

Concerned at flak, Manmohan asks him to call press meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday to hold a detailed press conference “at the earliest” to clarify the government's position on the black Money issue and what it was doing to deal with the menace. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court sought clarity from the government on how it intended to end black Money, and wanted to know...

Even though the Central Government agreed to link the wages paid under MG-NREGA to the Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPIAL), it shied away from paying statutory minimum wages in various states of India. Their logic for this: Lack of clarity on who will bear the extra financial burden—the Centre or the states? A letter from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to UPA and NAC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi dated 31...

The Centre is mulling summary dismissal of public servants chargesheeted for corruption. The move will ensure that government will not have to wait for long-drawn court battle to sack officials found guilty of corruption. But it is to be seen if such a provision will extend to politicians who are classified as "public servants" in the anti-graft law. A GoM on tackling corruption will take a call on the issue while hammering...

A day after being sworn in, Rural Development Minister Vilasrao Deskmukh Thursday said the Supreme Court's observation on his links with Moneylenders who harass farmers was an "isolated incident". He also said there was no link between his new portfolio and farmer suicides in Maharashtra. "One isolated incident cannot be connected with other things," Deshmukh told reporters after taking charge. The court last month had raised questions on the former Maharashtra...