PAC member N.K. Singh recuses himself from meetings to avoid conflict of interest Two editors, Vinod Mehta of Outlook and Manu Joseph of Open magazine, told the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on Monday it was their journalistic duty to place in the public domain the transcripts of tapped conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and others which had a direct bearing on the 2G spectrum allocation scandal. After the meeting, PAC...
More »SEARCH RESULT
PAC wants leakages in noon meal scheme plugged by Aarti Dhar
Institutional apathy must not be allowed to creep into scheme Lapses can be reduced by ensuring kitchens in schools Noting diversion of funds and foodgrains under the ambitious Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Kerala, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland and Bihar, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said confirmed cases of diversion are indicative of widespread fiscal indiscipline in implementing the scheme. Institutional apathy and lack of concerted efforts should not be...
More »The UID Project and Welfare Schemes by Reetika Khera
This article documents and then examines the various benefits that, it is claimed, will flow from linking the Unique Identity number with the public distribution system and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. It filters the unfounded claims, which arise from a poor understanding of how the PDS and NREGS function, from the genuine ones. On the latter, there are several demanding conditions that need to be met in order...
More »MPs question Nilekani over UID pitfalls
The possibility of the voluntary nature of the unique identity number project becoming virtually a compulsion in the light of entitlements being linked to the scheme saw members of a parliamentary panel quiz UID chief Nandan Nilekani about its pitfalls. At a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee on Friday, MPs told Nilekani that despite his claims that the UID is merely a number — not indicative of citizenship, caste or...
More »How not to tackle the black economy in India by Arun Kumar
Technically, we know how to check the black economy but the problem is political. More studies or committees and treaties with foreign governments are only to stall action. Another Joint Parliamentary Committee has been announced. The government has been trying to create an impression of being proactive with regard to tackling the black economy. The President's address and the speech by Sonia Gandhi in January mentioned the need to curb it....
More »