Expressing serious concern over faulty implementation of the government’s flagship programme, NREGA, in Orissa, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the centre and the state government to explain within four weeks why a CBI probe should not be ordered into the irregularities. “We are constrained to observe that the Union of India as well as the state of Orissa, prima facie, have failed to effectively and purposefully implement the provisions of...

This week’s good news on food price inflation was evened out by the bad news on fuel prices hike. But, both were along expected lines. Thanks to the so-called “base effect” — the fact that last year this time food prices were rising sharply and since last year’s prices become the denominator in this year’s price ratio, the rate of inflation would be expected to moderate — and to an...

With the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka going to get a tiger reserve status, the Soligas living there face imminent eviction.NEVER before have the tigers of the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary burned so bright, either in popular imagination or in administrative priority. With the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests approving “in principle” the status of a tiger reserve for the BRT sanctuary, the endangered cat has taken...

The Finance Ministry has begun its maiden investigation into over 100 offshore "financial structuring deals" undertaken by Indian business entities in foreign tax havens to allegedly evade the taxman's net. The multi-pronged probe has been undertaken by the international taxation wing of the Income Tax department and the foreign taxation unit in the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). A number of investments and deals to the tune of billions of rupees...

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is a Constitutional Authority set up by the Constitution of India. Provisions of the CAG are contained in Article 148 (Comptroller and Auditor General of India), 149 (Duties and powers of the CAG), 150 (Form of accounts of the Union and of the States), and 151 (Audit reports) of the Constitution. He draws a salary equal to the judge of the Supreme Court.POWERS...