Against the backdrop of scams such as the VVIP chopper scandal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said the Government was working towards making defence acquisitions ‘transparent’ and ‘less vulnerable to unethical practices’.

The West Bengal Government is committed to compensate the losses suffered by chit fund investors in the wake of the Saradha Group's fold-up, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said.

Not ruling out chances of early elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said all parties, including Congress, are ready for the Lok Sabha polls.

Bihar has decided to buy 200 canines of various breeds at an estimated cost of Rs 17 crore in order to raise 50 more dog squad units to help police in their investigations, officials said on Thursday.

The government is committed to enacting the National Food Security Bill, which legally entitles poor families to five kilograms of subsidized grain per person per month, an official document said on Thursday.

About 30 activists of the BJP's youth wing protesting the UPA-II government's corruption scandals were detained when they tried to march towards Connaught Place in central Delhi.

Jharkhnad Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren on Wednesday said formation of government in Jharkhand is up to the Congress.

Free press and active civil society put pressure on the government for early and decisive action in addressing weaknesses in governance and sometimes it leads to "hasty judgement", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was the cynosure of all eyes at the UPA anniversary function last year, was conspicuous by his absence on Wednesday.

Detailing economic growth during the UPA regime, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the slowdown last year was "temporary" and a longer term view would show that India has notched up an average "8 percent growth" in the past nine years.