India on Monday imposed a 12 per cent provisional safeguard duty for 200 days on five steel product categories, including hot rolled coils, sheets and plates, to protect domestic players from surge in imports. The decision follows a recommendation for the same by the Commerce Ministry's investigation arm DGTR. Last month, the DGTR suggested to impose the duty.
I'...additional concessions, such as opening government procurement, reducing agricultural subsidies, weakening patent protections, and allowing unrestricted data flows -- demands India has resisted for decades.'
Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh were booked on Monday night by the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau under relevant sections of the IPC (Indian Penal Code).
JD-U leaders contend that R C P Singh may have misled the BJP leadership into believing that Nitish Kumar was ready for a smaller share in power at the Centre.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has convened a meeting of Janata Dal-United MLAs and MPs on Tuesday to discuss the scenario that has emerged following the exit of former national president R C P Singh, party chief Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan said on Monday.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said R C P Singh, whom his Janata Dal-United has denied another term in the Rajya Sabha, does not need to resign as a Union minister ahead of the expiry of his Rajya Sabha tenure.
Nitish Kumar has to make an existential choice: Between governance and politics, argues Aditi Phadnis.
Sunday's denial of Rajya Sabha ticket to Union minister indicates that an end game to the JD-U-BJP rift may be in sight.
Singh said it is the principle of BJP not to promote nepotism and fight against dynasty rule and his decision to resign is in line with the party's principles.
In a scathing letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party's senior leader Arun Jaitley has made a number of allegations against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
Senior Congress leaders have realised their work is being monitored by secretary-level functionaries who report to Rahul Gandhi.
Samajwadi Party activists raised slogans and clashed with Congress workers during the foundation stone laying ceremony of a processing unit of the Steel Authority of India by Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma. The Union minister laid the foundation stone of Rs 100 crore steel processing unit at Godani Basahi village in Risia area on Monday evening.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday demanded a high-level inquiry into Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav's allegations of opium smuggling and using charas against Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma. "Shivpal Yadav is a senior (state) cabinet minister and if he has levelled allegations against the union minister, he must have done it responsibly. A high-level inquiry should be conducted into the matter," said state BJP chief spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak.
The war of words between the Samajwadi Party and Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma war turned personal on Sunday with SP leader Shivpal Yadav accusing the Union Minister of smuggling opium and using charas.
Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma, who was ticked off by the Congress after his comments against Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav created a controversy, on Tuesday said he will continue to remain in the party and is not resigning from the Cabinet.
Amidst threat by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to bring no-confidence motion against the UPA government in the winter session of Parliament, Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma on Monday said that the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party would continue to support it.
Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma on Monday went about doling out cash and gifts to Congressmen and journalists in Uttar Pradesh to apparently ensure their allegiance to him before the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Lashing out at Beni Prasad Verma's rationale, BJP accuse Cong of turning blind eye to common man being hit by inflation.
Union minister Beni Prasad Verma was on Monday at the centre of a controversy with remarks that he was "happy" over rising prices of food items as it will benefit farmers, evoking a sharp attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party and other parties.
Coming under the Election Commission scanner for his remarks on minorities sub-quota, Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma on Monday replied to the poll body notice pleading not guilty to violation of model code of conduct.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday complained to the Election Commission against Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma's remarks on minority sub quota, asking the poll body to book him for allegedly violating the model code of conduct. A BJP delegation comprising Jagat Prakash Nadda, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Shahnawaz Hussain, along with R Ramakrishna, convener of the party's election cell, met Chief Election Commissioner S Y Qureshi and ECs V S Sampath and H S Brahma.
The Election Commission is examining whether Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma's remarks on the minorities sub-quota daring the poll body during a rally in Farrukhabad last night were a violation of the model code of conduct.
Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma was on Tuesday granted personal hearing by the Election Commission to explain his minorities sub-quota remarks for which the poll body slapped a notice and he is likely to appear on Friday.
The Election Commission on Saturday issued notice to Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma over his remarks on sub-quota for minorities, holding that prima facie it was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and sought his reply by Monday evening.
Factionalism in Congress came to the fore on Wednesday with Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma terming party MP from Barabanki P L Punia as an "outsider" though the party downplayed it and termed it as media creation.
"Salman Khurshid is a responsible person. He is a central minister. He was a central minister earlier as well. When he is saying there is no scam, he should be believed... I don't think a person like Khurshid will do anything for an amount like Rs 71 lakh. It is a very small amount for a central minister," he told media persons in New Delhi.
The Jharkhand government has ruled out the transfer of any portion of surplus land from Bokaro Steel Plant of state-run Steel Authority of India (SAIL) to private investors to set up industries.
Union Steel minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife have been booked in a two-year- old corruption case by the Himachal Pradesh vigilance bureau, triggering an angry response from the veteran Congress leader who saw it as an act of political vendetta by the Bharatiya Janata Party regime.
European Union steel prices hit their lowest since 2004
"I have already sent a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and spoken to Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and Union Steel Minister Ramvilas Paswan, to use their influence in the Union government to stop attacks on Biharis. Now I am going to write to the Prime Minister," he said, when some opposition members in the state legislative council raised the issue.
A proposed Rs 9,000 crore (Rs 90 billion) greenfield modernisation and expansion programme is expected to give a fresh lease of life to Iisco Steel Plant, a unit of Steel Authority of India.
"I have already floated this idea to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Jan Morcha patron V P Singh and now the ball is in their court," Paswan, also the Union Steel and Fertilizers Minister, told reporters in Lucknow.
Token rollback will only help middlemen, complain large producers.
An FIR has been registered against Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma in Balrampur for calling Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi the "biggest goonda" of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and party's National President Rajnath Singh his "slave".
LJP candidates had split the United Progressive Alliance votes but Paswan's party had also lost out in the process, Lalu said.
The state government had recommended prospecting licence in favour of Posco-India thrice, but was unable to get them through.
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