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President
Patil declares assets worth Rs.2.5 crore
A farmhouse and gold jewellery worth Rs.31 lakh are listed among
Rs.2.5 crore worth of assets of President Pratibha Patil, the
first Indian head of state to make the information public.
After a Right To Information (RTI) query, Patil -- the country's
first woman president
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New
Delhi:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had taken strong exception to a
remark last month by a senior member of parliament on his personal
integrity, led his council of ministers in declaring their
personal assets on the official web site. His wealth is estimated
at Rs.5 crore and he owns a Maruti 800 of 1996 vintage.
In a three-page declaration, the prime minister's personal wealth,
which included land, property, as well as cash and bank balances,
has been estimated at Rs.5.1 crore ($1.3 million). Deposits in
banks amount to Rs.3.3 crore ($733,000).
In contrast, the poorest member of his ministerial council is
Defence Minister A.K. Antony whose declared wealth is less than
Rs.1 crore ($222,000), while Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath
could be the richest with stakes in over 25 companies and several
high-end properties.
Speaking on the debate on corruption in the Lok Sabha Aug 25, the
prime minister had said he was hurt by the remarks made by
Bharatiya Janata Party's Murli Manohar Joshi, attacking his
personal integrity during his long years in public life.
"Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi is not here. Yesterday, he made a
powerful speech and he turned (it) into a personal attack on me as
if I am the fountainhead of corruption and that I have knowingly
connived at corruptions of some of my colleagues," he said.
"I would like to assert before this House that I have a public
life in the service of this country for nearly 41 years. In these
41 years of my public life, 20 years in parliament I have tried to
serve this country to the best of my ability," he said.
"All I can say is that if any wrongdoing has been done by me, I
invite the Leader of the Opposition to look at my property which I
may have accumulated in the last 41 years, my members of my
family," he said.
"I would accept the verdict of the Leader of the Opposition (Sushma
Swaraj), if they find that I have used public office to amass
wealth for myself or for any member of my family."
In the assets declared by Manmohan Singh, the residential house in
Chandigarh is valued the most at Rs.90 lakh in terms of present
market rate, followed by one at Vasant Kunj in the national
capital which is valued at Rs.88.67 lakh.
A former governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), it is
evident the prime minister does not believe much in speculative
investments, as he neither holds shares, nor does he have much of
jewellery. He has declared just 150.8 grams of gold valued at
Rs.2.75 lakh.
He may travel in a custom-made BMW on official duties, but when it
comes to his personal car, it is a Maruti 800 of 1996 vintage,
valued at Rs.25,000 -- less than $560.
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