Kolkata, Sept 20 : Despite global economic recession, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee feel India is going to emerge as a major economic player, as he said a balanced policy would help the economy to grow faster and will take care of the grievances of agriculturists.

He said the centre is taking steps to ensure food security, industrialisation and for creating employment opportunities for the unemployed in the country.

Mukherjee was addressing the annual general meeting of the Bengal National Chambers of Commerce and industry.

The ordinary passport category would avail E-passport by September 2009. This is told by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee at Coimbatore. He was here to inaugurate a new Regional Passport Office.

E-passport is very easy to use and read. It is safe to use against forgeries. The official and diplomatic category of country is already getting the bio metric passport. The very first e-diplomatic passports were given to the President, Vice President and Prime Minister in June. It would be available for all ministers, state ministers and officials within three weeks.

New Delhi, Sept 15: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda today met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the leader of the Opposition L. K. Advani and discussed issues of mutual interest.

Later, Prachanda called on President Pratibha Patil at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Prachanda, who is here on a five-day official visit, will hold discussions with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on various bilateral and regional issues in the evening.

He is likely to seek India''s help in drafting the Constitution of his country.

New Delhi, Sept. 12 : Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith met here today and discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest and importance.

A joint statement issued by the governments of the two countries said the discussions covered a wide-range of subjects, reflecting the increasingly close ties between India and Australia.

New Delhi, Sept 8 : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said India will be able to enter into bilateral nuclear agreements with other countries after the ratification of the 123 agreement between Indian and the US.

The 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) on Saturday decided to lift a 34-year-old ban on nuclear trade with New Delhi, a crucial step to finalise the U. S.-India civilian nuclear accord.

New Delhi, Sept 8 : Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, who arrived in Kolkata on a three-day visit to India on Sunday, will reach here this afternoon to meet Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and to hold delegation level talks with the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. 

The Indian leadership is expected to convey its disappointment about Beijing''''s stand at NSG meet at Vienna for granting waiver to New Delhi''''s nuclear trade.

Reports from Vienna suggested that China, which initially refrained from saying much on the India-specific waiver from the (NSG), started playing an "active role" to try to block a consensus before the nuclear cartel decided to give India the waiver on Saturday.