As the Bharatiya Janata Party disrupted the Parliament on the coal block issue, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday attacked the party and dared it to have a debate in the House to let the country judge the truth.
India desperately needs to ugrade the armed forces's war-fighting capabilities and tackle the problem of ammunition deficiency if it is to fight and win on the battlefields of the 21st century, says Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
The court said a 'scam was created when there was none'.
The CAG report had alleged the government had passed on financial gains of Rs 1.86 lakh crore to private companies by not auctioning the coal blocks.
The text of Telecom and Communications Minister Kapil Sibal's statement defending Home Minister P Chidambaram on his alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum scam, on behalf of the United Progressive Alliance government
Modi took on Gandhi for mocking him for chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' at every meeting. The prime minister said he will continue to do so despite Gandhi's 'fatwa' on it.
In an interview with CNN-IBN's National Bureau Chief Bhupendra Choubey, Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murali Manohar Joshi talks about the probe into the 2G spectrum scam and the government's flip flop on Comptroller and Auditor General report. Following is the transcript of the interview
DMK leader T R Baalu has given the notice for a special discussion, saying the reports appearing in the media showed that the loss figure in the 2G issue had been "inflated exponentially".
In another huge embarrassment to the government after the 2G fiasco, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has estimated a Rs 10.6 lakh crore loss to the exchequer on account of allotment of coal blocks during 2004 to 2009 without auction to 100 private and public sector companies.
As the rupee depreciated to a new 32-month low against the US dollar, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said the Reserve Bank is monitoring the situation and will intervene in the forex market "as and when necessary".
Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Monday rejected senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi's attack on Home Minister P Chidambaram on the issue of CAG indictment of his ministry for alleged favours to private firms, saying such attacks would harm decision making at higher levels.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi who heads the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament has said that the prime minister's offer to depose before the committee is being considered. Joshi said that the Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai had not been summoned, but was a partt of the committee's proceedings.
According to reports, CAG has sought details from the department of telecommunication on the total available spectrum in the country and how much has been allocated to private telecom operators from 2000 onward and at what value.
Modi said that these problems are 'deep-rooted' and must be addressed collectively for which he is open to suggestions.
India national team and Bengaluru FC footballer, CK Vineeth was given the pink slip by Kerala Accountant General for lack of attendance
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for 'failing to take action' against former telecom minister A Raja for over three years in connection with the spectrum scam. Speaking at the massive rally organised by the NDA, Jaitley ridiculed Dr Singh's offer to appear before the PAC. "The PAC has a limited role. It can only go into the statistics and report of the CAG," he said.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the Board of Control for Cricket in India's petition seeking review of the court verdict validating Lodha Panel recommendations.
In a draft audit report on the KG-DWN-98/3, or KG-D6, block, the Comptroller and Auditor General said the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons allowed Reliance to hike capital expenditure for developing Dhirubhai-1 and 3, the largest of 18 gas finds in the block, by 117 per cent.
"There has to be a transparent mechanism, where equal treatment is meted out to all. the 3G spectrum auction last year has shown that auction of spectrum is the best way forward," Pitroda said.
That the MVA government, comprising Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress completed a year in office despite frequent murmurs of lack of coordination among the ruling alliance partners is being attributed to the rapport between Thackeray, 60, and NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar.
With his resignation as telecom minister, A Raja appeared to have saved himself from any mention in the Supreme Court today in the controversial 2G case, with petitioners seeking more time to file submissions on the report of the CAG that is to be placed in Parliament.
The praise comes a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed it a 'monument of UPA's failures'.
"I want to reiterate that I went as per the telecom policy of 1999, as per recommendations of Telecom and Regulatory Authority of India and vision contemplated by the government. If there have been any procedural lapses. Let it be investigated. No problem at all," Raja told reporters here two days after he unceremoniously put in his papers.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's core group decided that it will demand the resignation of Telecom Minister A Raja in the wake of his reported indictment by CAG in 2G spectrum allocation and reiterate its demand for JPC probe into the issue as also CWG and Adarsh housing society scams.
Rajya Sabha was briefly adjourned on Tuesday following an uproar by AIADMK over Telecom Minister A Raja's role in Second Generation or 2G spectrum allocation that allegedly led to heavy loss of revenue to the government.
In its report for the year ended March 31, 2008, the CAG has expressed serious concern over deficiencies like 'non-provision of the envisaged job guarantee to rural poor, fake payment of wages and delay in payment of wages to labourers'.
Government claims big successes in agriculture, rural roads & investment scenario.
The apex court was hearing a plea of the NGO seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the Union home secretary and chief secretary of J-K for their alleged 'wilful disobedience' in complying with the court's May 11 order. The top court told the administration that with the change of L-G, nothing changes as the special committee is there to look into the issue.
Sitharaman also directed public sector bank heads to clear long pending vigilance cases against their officials for alleged malpractices.
The Conflict ruling suggested in the Lodha reforms for BCCI came under criticism from several quarters as they believed it stopped the former cricketers from coming forward to help Indian cricket and cricketers.
BCCI Apex Council will work on finalising India's revised Future Tours Program and the domestic season.
Unable to face competition of a liberalised environment, as many as 88 public sector undertakings have eroded
Singhvi said for this government it seems national security is not important.
Is anyone in the BJP listening -- to what Nitin Gadkari had to say, but possibly left unsaid? asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
Having cut off the "umbilical cord" that tied him to the Board, the former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) spoke to PTI on a range of issues from "giving a free hand" to the Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri duo, Anil Kumble's exit as national coach, his frosty relationship with colleague Diana Edulji, sexual harassment allegations against BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and difficulties in implementing the Supreme Court-mandated Lodha recommendations.
On the pricing issue, Eric Trappier said that the present aircraft are cheaper by 9 per cent.
"It is reiterated that the petitioners are using documents with the intention to present a selective and incomplete picture of internal secret deliberations on a matter relating to national security and defence," the defence ministry said.
The apex court said there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the multi-billion dollar Rafale deal.
The apex court-appointed Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha committee moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to appoint former home secretary G K Pillai as an observer to guide' the Board of Control for Cricket in India in the administrative works including award of contracts, transparency norms and holding of future domestic, international and Indian Premier League matches.
