Mr. Pranab Mukherjee takes charge as Finance Minister on Monday
Mr. Pranab Mukherjee assumed his charge as the new Finance Minister, here today. He was welcomed by the Finance Secretary, Revenue Secretary, Expenditure Secretary, Disinvestment Secretary, CEA, Chairman, CBDT and Chairman, CBEC. After assuming charge, Mr. Mukherjee had a series of meetings with all the senior officers of the Ministry and reviewed the status of various programmes and issues relating to all the departments of the Ministry. Issues relating to forthcoming Budget were also discussed at the meetings.
Mr. AK Antony took over as the Defence Minister here today. He was also Defence Minister in the previous Union Government. After taking over as Defence Minister Mr. Antony said that the security scenario around India is becoming more and more challenging. The Minister said, “developments around us is a cause of serious concern to us. So eternal vigilance is a must”. He said, we have to further strengthen our security measures and also security apparatus by all means. The Defence Minister said, there is a need to give a push to the modernisation of Armed forces. But at the same time he cautioned that “in our anxiety for speedy procurement we cannot and must not compromise transparency”. Mr. Antony said, he is aware of the fact that the task which he has undertaken this time is more challenging. The Minister promised to pay more attention and work with more dedication, commitment and honesty to meet the challenges ahead.
Meanwhile, it is reported that DMK, important ally in the new Manmohan Singh Government, has agreed to the Congress proposal of thre berths in the Cabinet which will be expanded on Tuesday.
Referring to the Mumbai terror attack the Minister stressed the need for paying more attention to coastal security. Mr. Antony was of the opinion that Infrastructure development in the North-East and other border areas is very important. Referring to the service conditions of the Armed Forces the Minister said, “Equipment and training alone will not keep the morale of the Armed Forces high. The welfare of the Armed Forces who are deployed in the far- flung difficult areas like Siachin, Nathu-La and in deep sea in submarines and dense forest have to be protected”. He said, “I will take personal interest to improve their service conditions, including their accommodation, ration, food and clothing”. The Minister sought the goodwill and support of the countrymen in his task of protecting the country. Mr. Antony also sought the support and good wishes of the fourth estate Earlier on his arrival at the Ministry of Defence in South Block, Mr. Antony was received by Defence Secretary Mr. Vijay Singh and other senior officials. Later, the three Service Chiefs also called on him. The Defence Minister also took a meeting of senior officials of the Ministry, where he discussed important issues relating to Defence.
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