A rare praise for the UPA government in the 743-page CAG report on the Commonwealth Games was courtesy railways. Applauding the work done by the state-run transporter, the government auditor mentioned that all the major activities relating to the makeover of New Delhi railway Station were completed before the Games and within the budget. Though the CAG in its initial review of rail projects in January-February 2010 revealed substantial delay at every...

The Lokpal Bill is in danger of skidding off the rails. As it is introduced in Parliament, eminent activist Aruna Roy tells Shoma Chaudhury why we should not rush into it. THE LOKPAL BILL is now being debated in Parliament, almost 40 years after the idea was first mooted. Unfortunately, parented on one side by decades of wilful government inertia and, on the other, by the panicked hustle of ‘Team...

The Mamata Banerjee ministry will not accept government role in land acquisition for the private sector even under the private-public partnership model, except in “specific and limited situations”, sources said after a cabinet meeting this evening. A “final decision” on the state government’s position on the draft National Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill is still to be taken. Mamata asked the group of ministers led by Partha Chatterjee entrusted with...

Vicky Nanjappa goes through Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde's explosive report on illegal mining in the state and reveals damning figures of corruption. A jaw-dropping Rs 12,228 crore worth of iron ore was illegally exported in a a span of four years (2006-2010), says Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santhosh Hegde in his report released a couple of days back which led to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's exit. According to the report, which...

Kerala has not been very successful in the past to consistently attract big-ticket investments . The absence of strategic investments in key sectors has always been a hurdle in the state's path to economic prosperity. The new chief ministerOommen Chandy, known for speedy decision-making , wants to change this scenario. He has already been able to swing public opinion in his favour by addressing long-pending issues such as the Smart...