31 Aug : Parliament on Tuesday passed the much talked about bill to hike salaries of MPs by over three times from Rs 16,000 to Rs 50,000 and doubling two of their key allowances to Rs 40,000 each with the Rajya Sabha approving the measure.

The Salary, Allowance and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2010, have already been passed by the Lok Sabha.
During the debate on the bill in the Upper House, a strong demand was made for setting up an independent body to decide on their future pay.
As …

31 Aug : The US has decided to release a postage stamp in the honour of India’s Nobel prize winner Mother Teresa on 5th September, the US Postal Service has announced.

“The US Postal Service will pay tribute to Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work,” the USPS said in a statement.
“Noted for her compassion toward the poor and suffering, Mother Teresa, a diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary US citizen, served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 …

31 Aug : The Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement signed with Switzerland will allow India access to banking details of its citizens in that country including for enforcement purposes, but it will be operational with prospective effect, Govt told the Lok Sabha.
“This (DTAA) will provide us an opportunity to have the relevant bank information for taxation purposes,” Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in a statement.
However, he said the new provision will be applicable only for prospective information and not for past information.
Mukherjee and Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey had signed the …

31 Aug : HMT Limited, India’s premier Engineering conglomerate, a Public Sector Undertaking under Ministry of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises, Government of India, today entered into an agreement with Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited (REIL), Jaipur for marketing and sale of its dairy machines and equipments in India. The Agreement was signed in New Delhi today in presence of Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, Honourable Minister for Heavy Industry & Public Enterprises, by Shri A.V. Kamat, Chairman & Managing Director, HMT Limited and Shri P.M. Bhardwaj, Managing Director, Rajasthan Electronics & …

31 Aug : A group of Parliamentarians has recommended that state governments should urge and motivate the government doctors to prescribe generic non branded medicines to bring down the cost of health care for the vast rural mass. This is contained in a report of the workshop with Members of Parliament on the Jan Aushadhi programme held in New Delhi presented to the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Shri Srikant Kumar Jena here today. The outgoing Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Shri Ashok Kumar was present. The workshop has …

31 Aug : The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil will be visiting Leh tomorrow. During her stay, the President will tour the affected areas and meet the people at the relief camp. The President will also be briefed by civil and military officials about the ongoing relief and rehabilitation operations following the cloudburst earlier this month. The President will be distributing shawls and sweaters to the affected people in the Camp. Later the President will address the Defence Personnel in Leh.