-The Hindustan Times The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) should be given constitutional status empowering them with appropriate autonomy and independence to make them effective instruments for fighting corruption, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai said on Wednesday. “If you really want some of these institutions to deliver, you must take a risk and ... take courage to make them constitutional,” he said, while speaking...

-The Economic Times The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in its performance audit of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), highlighted deficiencies such as less effective regulatory control on medical x-ray units and lack of inspection of few types of radiation sources that have greater hazard potential, among others. These need urgent correction. CAG should not have offered advise on the possible structure and constitution of a regulatory body when...

-The Hindu The postponement conveyed by Petroleum Ministry to CAG on October 29 Only days after the change of guard in the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, the “Entry Conference” by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) with the Petroleum Ministry officials and representatives of Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) to discuss details of the financial audit of KG D6 accounts has been postponed indefinitely. Sources in the Ministry said that after...

-The Indian Express Sharp differences have emerged between the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) over the scope of an audit into the production sharing contract between the company and the government for RIL’s off-shore gas fields. RIL had set two conditions: the audit should maintain the confidentiality arrangement between it and the government; and the scope of the audit should be restricted to accounting procedures of the...

-The Hindu Social activist Medha Patkar has accused the UPA government of reeling under corporate pressure for its decision to shift Jaipal Reddy from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry. Ms. Patkar alleged the decision was taken to provide undue benefits to the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd. “Mr. Reddy has been removed because he questioned the irrational demand by RIL on escalating the prices of natural gas. A few years ago, the...