-The Times of India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has turned down suggestions from both Left and BJP leaders on considering changes in the appointment process of the comptroller and auditor general (CAG), while replying to a letter from CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta on November 5. The PM, however, is open to changes in the appointment, resignation and removal process of election commissioners, including the chief election commissioner, as part of electoral...

-The Hindustan Times The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) should be given constitutional status empowering them with appropriate autonomy and independence to make them effective instruments for fighting corruption, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai said on Wednesday. “If you really want some of these institutions to deliver, you must take a risk and ... take courage to make them constitutional,” he said, while speaking...

-The Indian Express Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily on Thursday refuted Arvind Kejriwal’s accusations of the UPA government favouring Reliance Industries Ltd saying that the decisions were taken objectively “without fear or favour” and assured that his ministry would continue to uphold transparency. “The ministry is committed to upholding the rule of law and decisions are taken objectively without any fear or favour. The system is not influenced or guided by whims and...

-The Economic Times The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in its performance audit of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), highlighted deficiencies such as less effective regulatory control on medical x-ray units and lack of inspection of few types of radiation sources that have greater hazard potential, among others. These need urgent correction. CAG should not have offered advise on the possible structure and constitution of a regulatory body when...

-The Indian Express Sharp differences have emerged between the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) over the scope of an audit into the production sharing contract between the company and the government for RIL’s off-shore gas fields. RIL had set two conditions: the audit should maintain the confidentiality arrangement between it and the government; and the scope of the audit should be restricted to accounting procedures of the...