Mumbai, May 10 : Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari handed over the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian cinema, Friday to Pran, 93, at his residence here.

The legend could not make it to the 60th National Film Awards ceremony held in the capital last week for health reasons.

"It's a great honour to present the honour to Pran saab. His contribution to the Indian cinema has been huge and the greatness of the award gets bigger after honouring Pran with Dadasaheb Phalke," Tewari told reporters at Pran's residence. The brief ceremony was telecast live.

New Delhi, May 7 : Slamming the opposition for not debating and letting the Food Security bill pass by repeatedly stalling parliament, the Congress said Tuesday that the opposition was making the poor suffer for its political gains.

"It's extremely sad and most unfortunate that the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) believes that hunger should be removed, food security should be ensured and it seems that certain sections of the opposition believe that it is not hunger but it is the hungry who should be removed," Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told reporters outside parliament house.

New Delhi, April 11 : The Congress party Thursday said it was worried over violence in student politics and that it was the responsibility of all parties to ensure that political dialogue be carried out in a sober manner.

"We are worried... we should not go back to the days of violence in student politics," Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told reporters here while referring to the attack on the Presidency University in Kolkata by members of Trinamool Congress' student wing, Chhatra Parishad.

New Delhi, April 2 : The Congress Tuesday said BJP leader Yashwant Sinha should not have commented on the 2G scam as he was a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probing it.

"There is a Joint Parliamentary Committee (on the 2G scam) in progress at this point. Since I was a member of this committee, I do not want to comment on its proceedings. Sinha is a member of the same committee. Whatever they (the BJP) want to articulate, it would be much more appropriate if they do so within the confines of that committee," Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told Times Now news channel.

New Delhi, Mar 7 : The Union cabinet on Thursday failed to arrive at a consensus on the way forward on anti-rape laws, but reiterated its commitment to introduce tough laws to combat crimes against women.

It maybe recalled that the Centre had constituted the Justice Verma Committee to recommend changes in the laws that deal with crimes against women in wake of nationwide protest against the gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012.

New Delhi, Feb. 11 : Asserting that journalists are an integral part of the Indian democratic process, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Monday said the journalistic fraternity must be treated with due respect and regard.

New Delhi, Feb. 11  : With Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stating that he fears the hanging of Afzal Guru may reinforce a feeling of alienation in his state, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Monday said every individual and every leader is free to express his or her views in the Indian democratic milieu, but added that capital punishment is given in the rarest of rare cases, and each case rests on its own unique facts and circumstances.

New Delhi, Feb 9 : The law had taken its own course in the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said here Saturday.

"The process of Article 72 unfolded and the once the mercy petition was rejected by the president (Pranab Mukherjee) the law took its own course," Tewari told Times Now news channel, referring to the article of the constitution under which a president can grant pardon or commute the sentence of any convict.

New Delhi, Feb 6 : Alleging Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of ‘blowing hot air and misleading the people’, the Congress party on Wednesday said that his speech at the Sri Ram Collage of Commerce (SRCC) here is not backed by any substantive or concrete achievement on the ground.

Referring to Modi’s address to the students at SRCC earlier in the day, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Manish Tewari said that the Gujarat Chief Minister has made a reference to a cliché called P2 and G2, but he did not mention a single word about Gujarat massacre.

New Delhi, Feb 5 : Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Tuesday said the unveiling of a new logo of ''Employment News'' with the motto "opportunities for all" was a manifestation of the commitment to reach out to job seekers thereby seeking to fulfill their aspirations and harness their skills and capabilities.

Through this new initiative, the publication would not only get a new brand identity, it would also become attractive to the aspiring youth.

New Delhi, Feb 4 : The government Monday defended its decision to come out with an ordinance on sexual assault, saying it has an open mind to other suggestions that might follow.

"The ordinance is the first step in the making of law," Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told the media here.

"If there are objections, the government will look into them with a positive framework and take into consideration whatever is necessary," the minister said.

New Delhi, Jan. 31 : Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari has said there was a need to revisit the Cinematograph Act to ensure that the decisions of the Censor Board are implemented.

"Time-cinematographic act revisited to ensure implementational integrity (of) certification decisions, otherwise each state would be its own censor (board)," he tweeted against the backdrop of the ongoing controversy surrounding actor Kamal Haasan''s film Vishwaroopam.

New Delhi, Jan 29 : Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Tuesday said with the exponential growth in the media space, a paradigm shift has taken place wherein regulations have to keep pace with changing technologies.

Tewari said ''an enabling statutory environment has to be in place to keep pace with changes takingplace across platforms''.

New Delhi, Jan. 29 : Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Tuesday poked fun at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the infighting within its fold on Narendra Modi being projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate, saying 2014 is far off and Delhi is even farther for the main opposition party.

New Delhi, Jan 12 : The killing and beheading of two Indian Army soldiers by Pakistani troops was against the Geneva Convention and the rules of engagement and government, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tiwari said here Saturday.

Describing the killing and beheading of two Indian soldiers in Poonch district in Kashmir Jan 8 as an "inhuman act", Tiwari said that both the Defence Minister A. K. Antony and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid have assured that every action would be taken, including diplomatic steps, to take the matter to its "decisive conclusion".

New Delhi, Jan 11 : Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Friday said the ceasefire violations committed by Pakistan is completely intolerable, and added that Islamabad really needs to account for the actions of its personnel.

"It''s extremely unfortunate as to the manner in which elements of the Pakistani armed forces have acted on the border. Decapitation and mutilation of serving personnel is indeed a very grave matter and India has taken very serious note of it," Tewari told the media here.

New Delhi, Jan 2 : Amid reports that family members of the Delhi gang-rape victim have no objections to naming the revised anti-rape law after the brave heart, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Wednesday said one must wait for the reports of the Justice Verma Committee and Justice Usha Mehra Committee on this very substantive issue, which requires urgent action.

Tewari reiterated that this unfortunate incident should really become the trigger for both updating the laws as well as ensue that the wheels of justice turn expeditiously.

New Delhi, Jan 2 : Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Wednesday welcomed Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit''s move to participate in a silent protest march to demand better rights and greater security for women.

He said all sections of society and the political spectrum must engage themselves urgently on this issue.

New Delhi, Jan 2 : Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Wednesday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for adopting double standards on the appointment of Lokpal and the Lokayukta, saying the people of the country want a reply from the main opposition outfit on this issue.

With an aim to remove investment bottlenecks and fast-track mega projects worth more than Rs 1,000 crore, the government on Thursday established a new panel called Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI).

While Indian economy is in dire need of huge investments to expand, more than one hundred projects of Rs 1,000 crore or more are stalled due to delays in various clearances they require.