-The Times of India The estimate of Rs 1.86 lakh crore mentioned in the CAG report on Coalgate as "windfall gains" to private players who bagged coal mines allocated by the government without bidding is not sacrosanct, according to senior sources in the auditing agency. "We have never claimed that our estimate is not open to debate," sources said, adding that even the expression "windfall gains" was not that of the auditor....
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PM to check refusal of government sanction to probe top babus-Subodh Ghildiyal
-The Times of India The prime minister will personally see every government decision to refuse permission for probe against an officer of the rank of joint secretary and above. The decision to involve the PM to oversee a veto of CBI request for probe against top officers appears an attempt to neutralize allegations that the cover of government sanction was being misused. Section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act makes it...
More »CAG challenges government to identify specific breach of constitutional mandate-Shalini Singh
-The Hindu Not only has the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) defended its position vis-à-vis allegations that it is exceeding its constitutional mandate, it has also been vindicated by the then former Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee. At an Economic Editor’s Conference in 2011, he said, “I am making it clear that I do not think the CAG is exceeding its jurisdiction, because the basic responsibility of the CAG is to identify...
More »CAG Vinod Rai's service records and dossier missing
-IANS The service records of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai "are not traceable", the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has revealed in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application. Lucknow activist Arvind Shukla had filed the RTI application last month, seeking details about the most powerful accountant of the country, who has gained renown as a vigilant anti-corruption watchdog and who is once again in the spotlight after...
More »Food, the new crisis-CP Chandrasekhar
-Frontline A recession-hit world is only just waking up to the prospect of the coming food crisis resulting in a period of political turmoil with unexpected consequences. For the third time in five years, the world is braced for another food crisis. Bad weather conditions are leading to projections of major production shortfalls in some of the world’s leading food suppliers. Substantially reduced access and sharp price increases are, therefore, expected to...
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