P. Chidambaram

The senior Congress leader said the state should transform to a knowledge-based economy by embracing Information and Communications Technology, Artificial Intelligence of Robotics and a highly networked world.

The Finance Ministry on Tuesday said more than 42 crore people have received Rs 68,820-crore financial assistance under the government's Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana to protect the poor and vulnerable from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said it will take many months before the economy turns the corner and registers positive growth.

Sitharaman on Thursday had said the economy has been hit by the pandemic, which is an 'Act of God', and it will see a contraction in the current fiscal.

Six political parties, including the National Conference and its arch rival PDP, issued the resolution making clear that there can be "nothing about us without us", a statement which clearly indicated that the Centre has to take into confidence people of Jammu and Kashmir before implementing any constitutional change.

Chidambaram highlighted the need for the Centre to insist all central government employees to be bilingual in Hindi and English, if it is genuinely committed to both of these being the official languages of India.

The former Union minister alleged that BJP-appointed governors have violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution and have in the process "gravely impaired" parliamentary democracy, its conventions and traditions.

A bench headed by Justice R Banumathi rejected the review petition filed by the CBI saying the last year verdict does not suffer from any error apparent warranting its reconsideration.

A password protected e-chargesheet was filed against Chidambaram, his son Karti and others before the court of Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar here on Monday.

India's economic growth slowed to 3.1 percent in January-March and to an 11-year low of 4.2 percent for the full fiscal 2019-20 amid a drop in consumption and investment.

Deploring the government action, he urged people to demand from the government that the RBI Bond be restored immediately.

Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said the stimulus package has left several sections like the poor, migrants, farmers, labourers, workers, small shopkeepers and middle class high and dry.

Asked if the measures announced would help propel demand, he said, "I do not find anything in this package that could stimulate the demand.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced massive new financial incentives on top of the previously announced packages for a combined stimulus of Rs 20 lakh crore.

The government has decided to start train services from May 12 connecting Delhi to some select stations across the country, bookings for which will begin from Monday by the IRCTC.

Chidambaram's sharp attack on the government came over the death of 14 migrant workers in a train accident in Maharashtra's Aurangabad. The workers sleeping on rail tracks were crushed to death by a goods train on Friday morning.

"What happened to the promise that the migrant workers will be transported by bus and train? Why are these people still walking to their home states," he asked in a series of tweets.

New or higher taxes are justified only when the economy is booming, the former finance minister said, dubbing the imposition of taxes as "cruel".

His remarks came after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that wilful defaulters were beneficiaries of 'phone banking' under the UPA regime and the Modi government is chasing them to recover the dues.

The former finance minister asked the government to prepare an exit strategy in view of the lockdown and look into the issue of migrants stranded in different place due to it.