-The Hindu "This shows a mismatch on reporting of deaths by Railway administration to the Railway Board concerning safety issues," the report said. A recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has blamed the Indian Railways for not providing adequate train services, leading to overcrowding and death of passengers in suburban trains. The report, released last week, noted that 33,445 people died between January 2010 and December 2014, with half the cases being...

-Down to Earth The report highlights that there are inaccuracies and inconsistencies in valuation of auctioned mines In a report tabled in the monsoon session of the Parliament, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India states that despite auctions, multiple bids by corporate groups through joint ventures or subsidiaries did not ensure that potential level of competition had been achieved in the first two tranches. The report highlights that there are...

-The Hindu The audit has also found substantial systemic problems with the Direct Benefit Transfer in LPG scheme, called Pahal by the government. The Centre claims it would end up saving almost Rs. 22,000 crore in the financial years of 2014-15 and 2015-16 since launching its two-pronged approach on cooking gas subsidy — introducing direct bank transfers of the subsidy and asking better off consumers to voluntarily give up theirs. However, a CAG...

-The Hindu Business Line The National e-Governance Plan can ensure that higher devolution of funds translates into improved outcomes Cutting edge technology is, no doubt, empowering. The right application of technology can boost productivity in all sectors of the economy: agriculture, manufacturing, services, business and governmental activities. Technology enables informed decision-making, stakeholder participation and efficient service delivery and can help ensure transparency, accountability, and rule of law leading to inclusive good governance....

Situation alarming: More than one-third population hit by drought   The country is facing severe drought for the second consecutive year. Conservative estimates from official sources show that over a quarter of rural habitations are facing drinking water scarcity. Although both India Meteorological Department and Skymet have predicted a more than normal rainfall during June-September, 2016, the water storage available in 91 major reservoirs of the country has declined from 22 percent...