Amidst the storm over CAG report on coal block allocation, the Prime Minister's Office has expressed displeasure over inaction by the Coal Ministry in cancelling blocks where mining has not taken place and asked it to expedite the matter by September 6.
The eighth consecutive day of Parliament was lost on Friday due to the uproar created by the Bharatiya Janata Party over coal block allocations, raising the prospect of a washout of the remaining part of the Monsoon Session, which ends on September 7. Uproarious scenes were witnessed in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in the last seven days, with the CAG report on the coal block allocation issue creating turmoil with the BJP paralysing the proceedings.
In a scathing attack on the government on the 2G spectrum auction issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party said low bidding has vindicated the CAG stand that not going for auctions in 2008 had led to a huge loss.
Parliament was adjourned once again on Thursday amid din as Bharatiya Janata Party persisted with its demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation provoking Congress members to raise slogans.
An advocate, who appeared for many telecom companies in 2G case, suggested that govt should ask SC to restore 122 licenses.
The prime minister, who is under attack over the allocation during 2005-2009 when he held the coal portfolio, has been waiting to make a statement since last week but could not do so because of disruption caused by Opposition, mainly BJP.
The government on Tuesday scotched speculation that the monsoon Session of Parliament will be curtailed and both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will adjourn sine die.
62-year-old Sampath will take over as CEC after incumbent S Y Quraishi demits office on June 10.
Rejecting the Bharatiya Janata Party's charge that bribes were paid to it in coal blocks allocation, the Congress on Monday dared it to make public any proof it had and asked the opposition party to "look within" as its former president had been jailed for graft.
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.
The United Progressive Alliance government in its robust defence has rubbished Comptroller and Auditor General's charges against the allotment of coal mines and its estimate of losses to the exchequer.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Thursday said it would decide its strategy on the coal block allocation issue on the basis of a statement Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may make in Parliament on the matter.
The United Progressive Alliance is expected to put up a united face on Wednesday to counter opposition demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the Comptroller and Auditor General reports on coal block allocation and two other issues.
According to a 2010 CAG report on warship building, this year the navy will have just 44 per cent of the destroyers it needs; 61 per cent of the frigates; and 20 per cent of its requirement of corvettes, reports Ajai Shukla.
Agrees with RIL's stand that CAG cannot do a performance audit of the company.
The coal-gate involving Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in allocation of the coal mines to private parties is set to put Parliament on fire beginning its monsoon session on Wednesday as the CAG report is ready for presentation which will provide ammunition to opposition to fire at the government for the massive scam.
'I would like to convey the message to your readers that the prime minister himself is directly seized of the situation on the ground. He periodically reviews the situation on the ground and how it is moving forward, taking inputs from economists, business leaders, chambers of commerce.'
The erstwhile Bahujan Samaj Party government's decision to transfer over 500 acres of land to the Noida Authority in 2009 has resulted in a whopping Rs 2,600 crore loss to the state exchequer, the Comptroller General of India has pointed out.
'We would be shooting in the foot if we don't play Pakistan in the World Cup. Our aim should be to ostracise Pakistan as a cricketing nation'
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).
After the 2G spectrum scam, the focus is now on the coal scam which has cost the exchequer a whopping Rs 1.86 lakh crore.
The total income of seven political parties from unknown sources was Rs 2,512.98 crore in 2018-19.
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.
"Our demand is that the PM and the government should resign. The CAG reports are not the only issue as there are so many complaints and cases of corruption. There are scams worth lakhs of crore of rupees but perpetrators are being protected. That is why we have decided that we will confront the government till the time it resigns and we will not stop," senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu told reporters outside Parliament.
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Wednesday asserted in the Supreme Court that it did not receive any favour from the government in the contract for exploration of oil and gas from Krishna-Godavari basin.
The BSE benchmark Sensex recovered by over 88 points in early trade today after yesterday's losses on emergence of buying by funds and retailers, tracking a firming trend in Asian markets.
With the Comptroller and Auditor General reportedly accusing Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit of irregularities in awarding certain Commonwealth Games contracts, the Delhi government on Wednesday stoutly rejected the allegations, saying she never "intervened to favour" any firm and all due processes were followed in finalising the contracts.
Cancellation of 2G licenses by the Supreme Court clearly revealed a big scam and it was a "collective failure" of the government which "overlooked" warnings given by the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Central Vigilance Commissioner on the issue, Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy said on Thursday. "Everyone had warned, including the CAG and the CVC, but the government overlooked it," Swamy said soon after the Supreme Court cancelled the 122 spectrum licenses.
He also said that Bharatiya Janata Party MP Subramanian Swamy has not lied about the deal but it seems he has been misled.
Reacting to Comptroller and Auditor General reports on defence preparedness, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday said that the army has been given World War II vintage "toy-guns" to fight nuclear powers, an issue the government is "diverting" attention from by raising the differences between the Army chief and the defence minister.
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".
The Board of Control for Cricket in India filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking review of its July 18 verdict in which it had accepted most recommendations of the R M Lodha panel on reforms in the cricketing body, saying the bench, headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, had "a prejudiced approach" against it and he should recuse from hearing the matter.
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
If such a replacement is done, for example, in the 50 Rajdhani trains, officials said, it will create around 14,400 additional berths for AC-III passengers.
The AG said the country needs the Rafale jet to defend itself 'from F-16 fighter planes that recently bombed us'.
Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman will continue as members of Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) till the new constitution of the Board of Control for Cricket in India is adopted and the elections take place.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was in the eye of a storm in Parliament on Monday with an agitated Opposition paralysing both the Houses demanding her immediate resignation over alleged irregularities in Commonwealth Games projects.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha emphasised that the brand name has both sentimental and economical value.
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
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