manmohan

The finance ministry is likely to keep the corporate tax rate unchanged at 30%, as it faces stiff resistance from companies to the draft direct tax code's proposal to cut the rate to 25% and remove all exemptions. "Corporates are resisting the phasing out of exemptions even with a lower tax rate," said a senior government official. Full Article

The annual budget date is being advanced from the normal practice of being presented on February 28, because February 27 is a government holiday on account of Prophet Mohammad's birthday and February 28 is a Sunday. The Cabinet is expected to approve the date soon. Full Article

Preparations for Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s second full Budget under the Manmohan Singh government should be an area of interest for a variety of reasons. His first Budget was presented in July 2009 under trying circumstances, with the Indian economy struggling hard to tide over the impact of a global economic downturn. His second Budget, to be presented in less than eight weeks from now, will have a different set of challenges. Full Article

The Union government is contemplating a bunch of amendments to its flagship Right to Information (RTI) Act to stop ‘mischievous and frivolous’ queries through the right that is aimed at bringing more transparency in government services.The proposed set of amendments would also try to bring a part of the security establishment under the public scrutiny. Full Article

Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan’s recent request to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to protect the judiciary from increasingly ‘‘intrusive’’ queries appears to have triggered an exercise to look for options to effect changes in the RTI Act. Following the CJI’s impassioned letter, which said questions asked by chronic litigants about the judiciary could erode its independence, the government has started looking into possible changesin the RTI Act, highly.. Full Article

Continuing my tryst with capturing the life and times of Nandan Nilekani in his new avatar as a Cabinet Minister, here is what he had penned after his first day in the Parliament. The last entry stopped when the House was just about to begin. Let’s see what happened thereafter. Full Article