Corruption and inflation, the bugbears of UPA-2, dominated discussions Congress functionaries held with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee amid expectations from the party that a populist Budget would help check the negative tide against the Centre. Party leaders are hoping specifically for income tax relief for the middle class and concessions for rural populace as the budgetary antidote to the negativity post-2G spectrum scam. Mukherjee assured his party that prices would come down...

The central government had diverted Rs 20,000 crore of funds meant for tribal people’s welfare to other departments in the past two years, CPM Politburo member and Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch president Brinda Karat alleged here on Monday. Speaking at a dharna organised by the AP Girijana Sangham in front of the office of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) here to seek release of more funds for the welfare of...

The state government has ruled out giving additional rehabilitation benefits to farmers who accepted compensation for their lands acquired for Karchana and Bara power projects in Allahabad district. In recent weeks, both places witnessed agitations by farmers which have brought work to a halt. Both projects have been allotted to the Jaypee Group. On Monday, Parliamentary Affairs minister Lalji Verma told the Assembly that the projects had been shelved for now. “The farmers...

The daughter-in-law of a Right to Information (RTI) activist who exposed a pension scam in Haryana was allegedly murdered by the village council head involved in the scam. Sonu was killed when she tried to rescue her father-in-law, Jagdish Sharma, after the village head, Dharambir Malik, crushed Sharma’s legs under the wheels of his car near Bhuna in Fatehabad district, around 50 km from here. A murder case has been registered against...

On Monday evening, when the Group of Ministers (GoM) on corruption, headed by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, meets, it is likely to decide to make a recommendation to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to end all discretionary powers enjoyed by Ministers, informed sources have said. This comes in the wake of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) submitting to the GoM a list of 38 departments in the...