-The Indian Express An accountability framework is critical for flagship schemes In his budget speech, the finance minister gave the assurance that all flagship programmes of the government would be adequately funded. The government pours substantial funds into 70 Centrally sponsored schemes. In 2011-12, an amount of Rs 1,88,573 crore was allocated for the implementation of 13 development programmes, such as the MGNREGA, PMGSY, NRHM and JNNURM, under the auspices of nine...

-The Business Standard Asks banks to take immediate action against officials responsible for lapses A day after a Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report pointed out irregularities in the Rs 71,680-crore agricultural debt waiver and debt relief scheme of 2008, the Reserve Bank of India today swung into action. It asked lenders to verify all the accounts granted benefits under the scheme. RBI said administrative and accounting lapses on the part...

Introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2011, the UPA government’s Food Security Bill is finally going to be discussed in the current (Budget) Session of Parliament. The proposed legislation is now slated to see many additional amendments from the government, following criticism from the States, NGOs and diverse stake-holders working on access to food and child health. Attempt here is to summarise in a Q & A format the...

-PTI State governments have irregularly diverted funds aggregating to Rs 57.82 crore from the central government's flagship Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) to activities not permitted under the programme, a CAG audit has found. In its report on the ICDS for 2012-13, tabled in the Parliament today, the CAG criticised the ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) for "inadequacy" in monitoring systems under the scheme to combat child malnutrition. The report said...

-Economic and Political Weekly A debate on the study "A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Aadhaar" conducted by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy which was discussed in the EPW of 2 February 2013. Sumathi Chandrashekaran, Shekhar H Kumar, Smriti Parsheera, Ila Patnaik, Madhavi Pundit, Suyash Rai, Ajay Shah A debate on the study “A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Aadhaar” conducted by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy which was discussed in...