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The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil administering the oath of office of the Prime Minister to Dr. Manmohan Singh at a Swearing-in Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan |
Mr Singh is taking charge for a second time, only the second PM after Jawaharlal Nehru to be returned to power following a full five-year term. The Congress party won a decisive mandate in the recent polls and Mr Singh has emerged politically stronger. Congress has made tackling the effects of the global economic crisis and ensuring growth its key priorities. When votes were counted last weekend after India's marathon five-phase general election, Congress and its allies had 262 seats in parliament, compared to the BJP-led alliance's 158. The President of India has appointed Dr. Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of India. Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, has appointed the following as members of the Council of Ministers:
| List of Cabinet Ministers |
| Shri Pranab Mukherjee |
Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde |
Shri Kapil Sibal |
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Shri Sharad Pawar |
Shri M. Veerappa Moily |
Smt. Ambika Soni |
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Shri A.K.Antony |
Shri S. Jaipal Reddy |
Shri B.K.Handique |
| Shri P. Chidambaram |
Shri Kamal Nath |
Shri Anand Sharma |
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Km. Mamata Banerjee |
Shri Vayalar Ravi |
Shri C.P.Joshi |
| Shri S.M.Krishna |
Smt. Meira Kumar |
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| Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad |
Shri Murli Deora |
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Finance Minister’s remarks at press conference
The Union Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressing his first press conference, in New Delhi |
Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressed his first press conference here today, after joining office on 25th May, 2009. Following is the text of his opening remarks at the press conference:
“According to our manifesto, the new Government is required to present the Union Budget within 45 days of coming to power. We will adhere to this schedule and propose to present the Budget in the first week of July. The regular budget 2009-10 exercises are underway in full swing.
Reviving the growth momentum of our economy which has been affected by the global financial crisis is the top most priority of this Government. The fiscal prudence has to be kept in mind while taking steps for reviving the economy.
As you all know, a major consequence of the global financial crisis has been the loss of confidence among industry and business. Various coordinated steps taken by the government and the RBI have stabilised the economy in a short period of time. The economic system was keenly looking forward to a stable and effective government to steer it out of the current situation. The mandate of the people has provided that booster dose and led to a widespread “feel good” sentiment. I am aware that we need to rapidly build on that with concrete steps which we shall do.
We are assessing the impact of three doses of economic stimulus we announced in December, in January and in the Interim Budget. Sustained stimulus to growth can be harnessed by the next round of economic reforms. We have a broad plan of action in mind. I will get additional inputs when I have my pre-budget consultations with different stakeholders. All this will be distilled into a concrete short-term and medium-term vision and strategy for India’s economic growth. |
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President Obama Congratulates PM
United States President Mr. Barack Obama called Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today to congratulate him on being sworn in as Prime Minister for a second term. President Obama said that the verdict was a welcome endorsement of the policies pursued by the previous government.
The two leaders discussed cooperation between the two countries in various sectors while stressing the importance of strengthening the Indo- US partnership.
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India’s statement on Sri Lanka
S.M. Krishna, Minister of External Affairs
India will work with the people and Government of Sri Lanka to provide relief to those affected by the tragic conflict, and to rapidly rehabilitate all those who have been displaced, bringing their lives to normalcy as soon as possible. It is our view that as the conventional conflict in Sri Lanka comes to an end, this is the moment when the root causes of conflict in Sri Lanka can be addressed. This would include political steps towards the effective devolution of power within the Sri Lankan Constitution so that Sri Lankans of all communities, including the Tamils, can feel at home and lead lives of dignity of their own free will.
On April 27, 2009, the Minister of External Affairs had stated that “the need of the hour is for urgent steps to ameliorate the humanitarian situation of those who have come out from conflict zone as well as to bring the remaining civilians and IDPs in the No Fire Zone out to safety.
The IDPs and innocent civilians are the mainvictims of the conflict and every measure must be taken to protect them and guarantee their welfare. I am happy to announce that the Prime Minister has approved a grant of Rs. 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) for providing humanitarian relief assistance to innocent civilians who have been evacuated from the conflict zone”. |
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