‘Will impose fresh levies if need be’
Though the government has not imposed fresh taxes, Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa says the state will shortly go in for additional resource mobilisation to remain afloat. Shortly after his Budget speech, he talked to Naveen Garewal on the need to generate more income. (Details on Punjab page)

Debt load getting unsustainable
Chandigarh, June 20
Punjab’s debt, which will zoom to Rs 87,518 crore by the end of this fiscal year, has become unsustainable. This fact has been, perhaps, admitted by the SAD-BJP government for the first time. Till the end of the last fiscal year (2011-12), the debt against the state stood at Rs 78,236 crore, which was 31.51 per cent of the gross state domestic product. (Details on Punjab page)

Pranab vs Sangma for President’s post
Ex-Lok Sabha Speaker quits NCP
New Delhi, June 20
The July 19 Presidential election will witness a contest between Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma. Sangma, founder member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), resigned from the party today. NCP chief Sharad Pawar has accepted his resignation.

RSS chief backs Modi as PM, takes on Nitish Kumar
New Delhi, June 20
The already tenuous relationship between NDA partners Janata Dal(U) and the BJP has come under fresh strain. JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar created a flutter yesterday when he took aim at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, saying the NDA should project a secular Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 General Elections.

Pak to get new PM tomorrow
The National Assembly will meet on Friday to elect a new premier following Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's disqualification by the Supreme Court, senior Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Syed Khurshid Shah has said. Khurshid Shah told reporters that a session of the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament will be convened at 5.30 pm on Friday to elect the new premier.
(Details on World page)

PM talks N-cooperation with Hollande, Putin On Board PM's Special Aircraft, June 20 The new French President Francois Hollande has pledged to continue France's strategic partnership with India with same vigour as his predecessors Jacques Chirac and Nikolas Sarkozy who belonged to rival parties. Hollande expressed this sentiment during his first meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the G20 summit at Los Cabos in Mexico after recently winning the presidential elections defeating Sarkozy. Rio summit opens as world talks sustainable development