New Delhi, Aug 1 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today left for Sri Lanka Capital Colombo on a two-day visit to attend the 15th SAARC Summit.

On the sidelines of the two-day Summit, Dr. Singh is likely to meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gillani on Saturday.

In his departure statement last evening, Dr. Singh said that in the 23 years since SAARC was established, the South Asian region has traversed a long distance.

Colombo, July 31 : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today took up the issue of recent ceasefire violations along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in Colombo.

Mukherjee raised the issue with Qureshi when they held talks on the sidelines of the SAARC Council of Ministers'' meeting.

“We shared our perception about our bilateral relations, the composite dialogue and certain recent events,” Mukherjee told reporters after the meeting.

New Delhi, July 30: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today expressed shock over the tragic death of ''Voice of India'' contest winner Ishmeet Singh, who was considered as a promising singer for the Bollywood.

The Prime Minister was saddened after hearing about the tragic death of Ishmeet Singh, a PMO official said.

Dr. Singh shares the grief of Ishmeet''s parents and other family members, the official said.

Ranchi, July 29 : Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) president Sibu Soren on Tuesday said in Bokaro that the question whether he would become a Union Minister or the Chief Minister of Jharkhand will become clear after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returns from his impending trip to Colombo.

Soren said, "Be it union minister ship or chief minister ship, everything will be decided only after the Prime Minister completes his foreign engagement."

Ahmedabad, July 28: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday commended the people of Gujarat for the resilience shown by them in the wake of terror attacks on Saturday’s serial bomb blast.

The Prime Minister said this during his day-long visit to Ahmedabad.

"I commend the people of Gujarat for the resilience they have shown. These terrorist acts are aimed at destroying our social fabric, undermining communal harmony and demoralising our people," he said.

Singh also announced enhancement of ex-gratia payment from Rs one lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh each to next of kin of those killed in the terror attacks.

Ahmedabad, July 28 : The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday visited some of the sites that were affected by Saturday’s serial bomb blasts in which over 40 people were killed.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and senior State Government officials received the three dignitaries from Delhi on Monday afternoon, two days after more than 16 bombs devastated parts of East Ahmedabad, causing grief, shock and panic among its residents and damaging property.