-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Delhi HC order empowering CAG to audit private telecom companies would not only kick off a massive audit exercise,but also ensure that CAG is empowered to audit PPPs (public-private partnerships), and similar engagements where private sector is engaged in some of the traditional government functions. "It is a landmark judgment, it will be quoted and discussed for years to come," a senior audit official said,...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In the election year and with more complaints of "poor condition" of highways pouring in, the road transport ministry wants finance ministry not to reduce the allocation for road maintenance. The ministry has asked finance minister P Chidambaram to avoid reduction of "non-planned" expenditure since the allocation of Rs 2,000 crore for upkeep of highways is inadequate. Sources said that highways minister wrote a letter to...

-The Hindu Most of the acquisitions by the Central government and public sector companies in the country's resource-rich State are under laws that bypass the new land Bill The UPA has claimed the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Bill 2013 passed by both Houses will reduce forcible acquisition and help tackle Naxalism in mineral-rich areas. But with Coal Bearing Areas Acquisition and Development (CBA)...

-The Economics Times NEW DELHI: The government plans to give a fresh impetus to public-private partnership by overhauling the framework for such projects on the basis of a study being undertaken by the Planning Commission, which is likely to submit its recommendations within a month. The move comes after a few big PPP projects in infrastructure sector fell apart while those in the power sector have been struggling to sail through. "We...

-The Indian Express Two years back, 27 high-density national highway corridors were awarded amid much fanfare to developers who outbid competitors by promising to pay the government a "premium", instead of the general practice of seeking a capital grant from the Centre. Of these projects, all of which were touted as a testimony to renewed investor confidence in the roads sector, 24 sections worth a whopping Rs 34,000 crore and spanning...