-The Times of India   The government plans to bring forward legislation to implement key transparency measures in procurement, exploitation of natural resources and electoral reform in the winter session of Parliament. A meeting of the group of ministers (GoM) on corruption on Tuesday evening decided to move forward on anti-graft measures that it has been considering for some time now. The Vinod Dhall and Ashok Chawla committee recommendations on procurement and natural...

The finance ministry is betting on substantial savings in some of the flagship social schemes and lower commodity prices to stay within the year's fiscal deficit target even as the central bank and economists raise the red flag over the Centre's finances. India's fiscal deficit, or the difference between expenditure and receipts that has to be met through borrowings, during the first four months jumped to 55% of the budgeted amount...

In the backdrop of the Comptroller and Auditor General's scathing reports on award of 2G telecom licences and projects related to the Commonwealth Games, an extra-cautious Ministry of Home Affairs is seeking the audit of the processes of the proposed Rs 30,000-crore housing project for the paramilitary forces by the country's statutory auditor. This would be the first instance of pre-award scrutiny by the CAG. "We have received the reference,"...

Contesting an Income Tax notice to him over money he owes the government, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal has claimed he did not breach any bond norms. However, in a June 2007 letter, he had admitted to having violated the pledge he had signed before proceeding on a two-year study leave from his government service, adding this was done in “larger public interest”. “At the time of taking study leave, I...

-Live Mint   A cabinet committee had allowed the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the nodal agency for the Aadhaar project, to collect biometric data until the National Population Register (NPR) rolls out, Union home minister P. Chidambaram said on Thursday. Chidambaram’s statement follows media reports that Aadhaar and NPR projects are duplicating each other’s work and wasting public money. “UID was authorized to collect the biometric details for a limited period until...