S P O T L I G H T

2 ministers quit
Lucknow, January 23
Two more ministers have resigned from the BJP-led coalition government in UP dissatisfied with the distribution of ticket for the coming assembly elections. Mr Bihari Lal Arya and Mr Sukhpal Pandey, belonging to the Loktantrik Congress and Lok Janshakti Party, respectively, resigned from the Rajnath Singh-led Ministry last night. PTI

Budget session from Feb 25
New Delhi, January 23
The three-month-long Budget session of Parliament will begin on February 25 with an address by President K.R. Narayanan to members of both Houses in the Central Hall, The Lok Sabha Secretariat officially said today. The session is likely to conclude on May 17. PTI

VAT deferred
New Delhi, January 23
The Centre and states tonight decided to defer the introduction of the Value Added Tax system that was to replace sales tax to April 1, 2003, in view of pressure from the industry and failure to enact the relevant legislations as a result of adjournment of the winter session of Parliament due to the December 13 terrorist attack.
Announcing this at the end of a marathon meeting of the Empowered Committee on States, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Das Gupta, said it was agreed not to allow any further postponement. PTI