-The Indian Express Government has an opportunity to enhance use of social audit to monitor schemes In contrast to its rhetoric, the current government’s record on transparency, accountability, and citizen participation has been uninspiring. Even essential laws such as the Lok Pal and the Whistle Blower Protection Act are yet to be operationalised. However, recent developments on social audits, the conduct of which actually finds a place in the BJP’s 2014...

-Economic and Political Weekly Govind Bhattacharjee (govind100@hotmail.com) is a Director General at the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. According to the evidence presented in the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and studies elsewhere, 11 years of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act have not been able to make much of a dent in rural poverty. This article also suggests some innovative ways...

-PTI The court was hearing a PIL alleging that the statutory cess levied from real estate firms for the welfare of construction workers was not being utilised properly. Where has a whopping amount of Rs 20,000 crore, meant for workers’ welfare, gone? Spent on tea parties or vacation of officials? Even the Comptroller and Auditor General doesn’t know, wondered the Supreme Court. These posers were put to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)...

-The Hindu We need a legal mechanism to ensure that all generics are of the same standard as the innovator product The Prime Minister’s recent announcement on making it mandatory for doctors to prescribe only the generic name, and not brand name of a drug, has led to a flutter. If enacted, the move will make it illegal for Indian doctors to write out a prescription for the trademark of the drug,...

-The Indian Express Govt orders 18-hr power supply to villages, all villages to be covered by 2019 THE STATE Cabinet on Tuesday decided to allow central audit agencies such as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to audit development authorities in the state, which included the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA). The previous Akhilesh government had denied permission to the CAG to audit GDA. In the second Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief...