Battling a string of scams, the UPA government is likely to introduce a bill in the Budget session of Parliament to rein in corruption. "We are bringing a separate bill on corruption in accordance with the UN convention," Law Minister M Veerappa Moily told reporters here. He said the government intended to bring the legislation in the next session itself. "In that direction, we are proceeding," he said. "We have agreed to the...

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...

Describing black money stashed away abroad by Indians as “pure and simple theft of national money”, the Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the Centre's approach to tackling this menace and retrieving the huge amount kept in foreign banks. “Mind-boggling crime” When Solicitor-General Gopal Subramaniam furnished in a sealed cover a list of 26 names who had accounts with Liechtenstein Bank, a Bench of Justice B. Sudershan Reddy and Justice S.S. Nijjar was...

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered Monday to appear before a committee investigating a telecommunications scandal that has rocked India’s political establishment. He rejected claims by opposition parties that he had been trying to avoid any questioning. “I wish to state categorically that I have nothing to hide from the public at large,” Mr. Singh said on the final day of a plenary session of the Indian National Congress Party. “As proof...

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said he was aware of the "nervousness in the corporate sector" over phone tapping and asked cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar to look into the matter and submit a report within a month. "I am aware of the nervousness in the corporate sector arising out of the powers conferred upon the government authorities to tap the phones for protecting national security and preventing tax evasion and money...