National Events in April 1998
1st Apr
A 21-month-old prohibition regime under the HVP-BJP Government in Haryana is lifted.
Mr. Prabhat Kumar, a 1963 batch IAS officer, takes over as the new Cabinet Secretary. He succeeds Mr. T.S.R. Subramaniam.
2nd Apr
Mr. Pramod MahaApr is appointed Political Advisor to the Prime Minister ``in the rank and status of Cabinet Minister in the PMO''.
The BJP wrests the Patna Lok Sabha seat from the RJD by a margin of 52,606 votes.
The first Rajdhani train on the Konkan route, Hazrat Nizamuddin- Trivandrum Rajdhani Express, is flagged off by the Railway Minister, Mr. Nitish Kumar, in New Delhi.
3rd Apr
The Government announces a downward revision in diesel prices in keeping with the policy of import parity.
Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu rules out TDP participation in the BJP- led Govt. The party would, however, extend ``issue-based support''.
6th Apr
The Sonia Gandhi era begins in the Congress(I), with a special AICC session ratifying the decision of the CWC appointing her president in place of Mr. Sitaram Kesri.
India resumes export of marine products to the European Union; 25 units have been approved by the Export Inspection Council for exporting to EU countries.
7th Apr
Mr. Soli Sorabjee is appointed Attorney-General of India.
8th Apr
Mr. Prem Singh Lalpura, who defied the Akali Dal leadership, not taking oath as a Lok Sabha member on denial of a ministerial berth, is expelled by the party.
Mr. Sedapatti R. Muthiah resigns as the Union Surface Transport Minister, at the behest of his party supremo, Ms. Jayalalitha. He is involved in court cases.
The CPI parts company with the TDP in Andhra Pradesh in protest against the latter ``joining hands'' with the BJP.
India enters into a historical partnership with France, with the formal launch of a joint programme for restoring and protecting the Taj Mahal.
10th Apr
The CPI(M) also severs ties with the TDP.
13th Apr
The Governors of Goa and Mizoram, Mr. T. R. Satishchandran and Mr. Arun Prasad Mukherjee, resign.
14th Apr
Mr. Kushabhau Thakre is declared elected BJP president.
The Governors of Gujarat, Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar and Pondicherry step down.
The Union Welfare Ministry is renamed Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
17th Apr
The Rashtrapati Bhavan announces the appointment of six Governors and two Lieutenant Governors: Mr. Suraj Bhan - Uttar Pradesh, Gen. (Retd.) J.F.R. Jacob - Goa, Justice (Retd.) Anshuman Singh - Gujarat, Mr. Bhai Mahavir - Madhya Pradesh, Dr. P. C. Alexander - Maharashtra, Mr. A. Padmanabhan - Mizoram, Mr. Vijai Kumar Kapoor - Delhi and Dr. (Mrs.) Rajani Rai - Pondicherry.
The BJP's Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta retains his Lok Sabha seat in the Udhampur-Doda-Kathna constituency defeating National Conference's Mr. Rajinder Kumar Chib by over 50,000 votes.
18th Apr
Dr. A. R. Kidwai is appointed Governor of West Bengal.
19th Apr
The AIADMK leader, Ms. Jayalalitha, demands that all ``tainted leaders'' be dropped by the Vajpayee Government or that Mr. Sedapatti R. Muthiah be taken back.
20th Apr
The Prime Minister sacks Mr. Buta Singh from the Cabinet, following the demand made by Ms. Jayalalitha.
The Congress(I) Government in Orissa, headed by Mr. J. B. Patnaik, is plunged into a crisis with one of the two Deputy Chief Ministers, Mr. Basant Kumar Biswal, sending in his resignation letter.
21st Apr
The services of 12 non-railway chairmen of Railway Recruitment Boards are terminated.
Mr. Ashok Kumar, Special Secretary, Union Home Ministry, who headed a Central team to Tamil Nadu to assess the law and order situation, is transferred to the Planning Commission.
22nd Apr
Mr. S. S. Bhandari is appointed Governor of Bihar, Mr. G. C. Saxena, Governor of J&K and Mr. Darbara Singh, Governor of Rajasthan. Mr. C. Rangarajan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, will hold concurrent charge of Orissa.
India and Bangladesh resolve to work together to ``root out terrorism'', push bilateral trade and harness river waters of the region.
23rd Apr
The second report of the M. Narasimham Committee calls for strengthening of the banking system so that it could handle ``problems'' arising as the country moves towards a more liberal capital account regime.
The Army calls off its unilateral ceasefire with the NSCN (Khaplang), saying the outfit has betrayed it by carrying out ambushes recently.
24th Apr
Twentyfour persons are killed and 28 injured when some bogies of a goods train break free and roll back to collide with the stationary Manmad-Kacheguda Express at Parli Vaijnath in Maharashtra.
25th Apr
The Government announces a new salary structure for university and college teachers, consequent to the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations.
India protests against Pakistan raising the Kashmir issue at the first SAARC Information Ministers conference in Dhaka.
26th Apr
The Orissa Chief Minister, Mr. J. B. Patnaik, resigns as president of the Pradesh Congress(I) committee.
The Centre issues an ordinance creating the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, apex body to regulate tariffs, with similar commissions set up at the State level.
27th Apr
The BJP announces that the TDP is among the new Government's post-poll allies who would be accommodated on the coordination committee.
28th Apr
The BJP formally announces the composition of the coordination committee. The panel will have Mr. Vajpayee as Chairman, Mr. Jaswant Singh as Convener and 12 members or chiefs of the pre-poll allies minus the Janata Party president, Dr. Subramanian Swamy.
The Centre announces extension of the ceasefire with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) group for a further three months.
29th Apr
The Reserve Bank reduces the bank rate by one point from 10 per cent in its monetary and credit policy for the first half of 1998- 99.
The President, Mr. K. R. Narayanan, receives the World statesman award in New York.
India and Myanmar agree upon steps to ensure trans-border security, cooperation in the fight against trafficking of narcotics and implementation of mutually beneficial cross-border projects.
30th Apr
Mr. Sukh Ram, former Union Minister, decides to resign as Minister in the Himachal Pradesh Government.
The Jain Commission, which probed the conspiratorial aspects of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination for 6-1/2 years and submitted two voluminous reports, folds up its operations.
Pakistan troops open fire during the Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes' visit to Siachen.
Mr. Anna Hazare, social worker, is awarded the CARE International humanitarian award for 1998.
Pakistan will not extend the Most-Favoured Nation status to India.