Often credited with his party's victory in the 2012 assembly polls, now 59, he became the youngest chief of the Shiromani Akali Dal, when he was elevated to the post in 2008.
Sources in various parties suggest that two lakh votes of the Patel community, locally known as OBC kurmi, for which mother-daughter led Apna Dal (S) and Apna Dal (K) are competing and over one lakh of OBC Rajbhars would be crucial in deciding the outcome of the assembly seats in Varanasi.
The veteran leader breathed his last at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla at 3.40 am, senior medical superintendent Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) Dr. Janak Raj said.
Cross-border trade and bus service between India and Pakistan will resume at Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector on Monday, after more than a fortnight-long suspension, following escalation in tension at the Line of Control over the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops.
Cross-border trade and bus service between India and Pakistan will resume in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector on Monday, after more than a fortnight-long suspension following escalation of tension at the Line of Control over the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops.
According to the survey, conducted by the Land Reforms Department, only 22,412 acres of vested non-agricultural land is available in the state for industrial and commercial use.
Trouble broke out when IAC supporter Archana Sharma was pushed out of the conference hall, where the press conference was being held, by Congress workers while she was trying to ask a question to Scindia, the Union Minister of State for Industries and Commerce.
Speaking at 'Business Standard Gujarat Round Table 2012' in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, Minister of State for industries, energy and petrochemicals, Saurabh Patel, said the state was way ahead of others in the country.
Only in the case of public infrastructure did the government facilitate purchase. Hence, Gujarat would not have to make much changes post the Bill," said C L Meena, revenue secretary.
The policy aims at attracting quality investments, increasing employment opportunities in the state, develpoing special investment regions, encouraging public private partnership model, setting up of mega projects and core infrstructure projects, said minister of state for industry Saurabh Patel, who released the policy in Ahmedabad. The first objective of the policy is to attract investments in the areas of SIRs, PPP projects, mega projects, innovative projects etc.
Investment made by a domestic company in which foreign firms might hold a small stake but the majority 51 per cent shareholding and managing control is with Indians, will not be treated as foreign direct investment for the purpose to calculating the sectoral cap.
FDI inflow of $14.6 billion in the first five months of 2008-09 showed an impressive growth of 124 per cent over the same period last year. Earlier, in October the government had expressed optimism saying India would exceed its target of $35 billion this fiscal. Sectors that attracted maximum FDI in 2007-08 were services, telecom, housing, construction activities, real estate, electrical equipment, computer software and hardware.
India will not achieve the $200 billion trade target fixed for the current fiscal but the government and the Reserve Bank of India are closely monitoring both domestic and international economic developments, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
Giving a clear indication on unveiling a package in the interim budget to stimulate industrial demand, the government said on Thursday it is not restrained by the Constitution from announcing urgent policy intervention in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
The Centre is actively involved in pushing through the PPCIR projects which would be spread over an area of 200-300 sq km each, Minister of State for Industry Ashwani Kumar said. "Once the policy is notified, it will lead to mega-investments through the PPP (public-private-partnership) mode in the coastal states," he added, adding that inter-ministerial consultations were on at present and rules are to be framed.
When minister of state for industries Saurabh Patel announced on Monday the new industrial policy in a press conference, there were a flurry of questions pertaining to the incentives given to the Tata's car project, which was relocated from Singur in West Bengal to Sanand near Ahmedabad.
In a major initiative to pump prime the economy through public expenditure, the government has decided to inject a whopping Rs 50,000 crore (Rs 500 billion) for funding infrastructure projects.
"Government is not helpless and has means to ensure prices are brought down. More measures -- both administrative and fiscal -- are in the offing to control inflation," Minister of State for Industry Ashwani Kumar told reporters in New Delhi. Iron ore, steel and cement would continue to remain under the government scanner, he said. A series of calibrated measures would ensure that inflation is brought down by at least one percentage point in the next two months, he added.
After prevailing upon steel producers to reduce prices, the government on Thursday got assurance from cement producers also that they would substantially cut prices voluntarily.The assurance from manufacturers came after government announced to take tough action against them, besides banning exports and allowing duty free import of cement.
Union Minister of State for Industry Ashwani Kumar has asked investors to grab the opportunities in the fast expanding infrastructure, manufacturing and consumer goods sectors in the country.
Indian Minister of State for Industry Ashwani Kumar speaks on 'The India factor and a comparative analysis of the opportunities and risks in China and India' at Waldorf Astoria in New York on June 4.
It is the diamond in Africa and Russia that is dazzling India these days. India is planning joint ventures with diamond mining companies across Russia, Africa and the CIS nations.
First look on the Japan PM Shinzo Abe's arrival in New Delhi.
With generalised system of preferences in US coming to an end in June 30 and the American market showing little scope for growth
Actress Madhur Jaffery strikes a conversation with Minister of State for Industry Ashwani Kumar (right) at the launch of Indian mangoes at the Indian Consulate in New York on Thursday.
The government is preparing a draft policy for special investment regions that would be spread over an area of hundreds of kilometres and offer investors all the infrastructure for setting up manufacturing units.
India is seeking major investments in the manufacturing sector as a part of its effort to take the benefits of development to the poorest of the poor, Minister of State for Industry Ashwani Kumar said.
To bring in transparency and curb corruption, the government has put in place a Public Services Guarantee system in the state.
A Texas company will submit a report by June on whether a company controlled by RIL 'stole' natural gas from the wells where ONGC is contracted to operate in the KG basin, as alleged by ONGC.
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