'I have serious doubts about the longevity of the NDA government and the longevity of the 18th Lok Sabha itself.'
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Monday reported multiple irregularities in the accounts of units under the IT and telecom ministries, including purchases of hardware and software worth Rs 890 crore by NICSI in contravention of rules. In its audit report for financial years 2017-18 and 2018-19, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has flagged anomalies in the decision taken by state-run telecom firm BSNL, C-DoT, the Department of Posts, ITI Limited and CDAC that had adverse financial implications. "NICSI procured hardware and software costing Rs 890.34 crore through the 'Strategic Alliance' route in contravention of General Financial Rules, 2005 and departmental instructions and thus failed to ensure transparency and competitiveness in the procurement process," according to the CAG report tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday.
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After a prolonged delay, government will soon notify new pictorial warnings on tobacco products, which will be "harsher" in case of chewing tobacco as it has been found more harmful than smoking.
The information and broadcasting ministry has decided to lodge FIRs against the publications for producing "misleading" circulation data to fraudulently obtain its advertisements.
Propagating the prime minister's messages doesn't come cheap, reveals an RTI response. The one-year anniversary message, for instance, cost Rs 8.3 crore, reports Prasanna D Zore.
Alert: Wanted, Delhi-based translators on a casual basis.
The campaign sought to highlight the achievement and policies of the Congress-led UPA government in electronic and print media.
To highlight the achievements and programmes of the government, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday allocated a fund of Rs 630 crore to the information and broadcasting ministry, of which over Rs 200 crore could be spent in the current financial year.
Government auditor CAG has flagged "undue favour" to Wipro Ltd by UIDAI.
The focus on Swachh Bharat has sharpened with Prime Minister Modi asking ministers to show the outcomes of schemes launched since the NDA government came to power
The information and broadcasting ministry's business-like and result-oriented handling of several issues has set a template for other ministries to follow, says A K Bhattacharya.
'So in the tens of thousands of ads released in India from now on, we will get to see the photographs of only three people: The President, prime minister and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.' 'Political parties will not like the order. It cuts at the single most important messaging tool available to them, and it will be interesting to see how our leaders will work their way around this hurdle,' says Aakar Patel.
Amid talk of Congress preparing to project Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate, Union Minister Manish Tewari on Tuesday said the party vice president is its "natural leader".
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