Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
A panel headed by Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council Chairman C Rangarajan has proposed creating a mechanism to carry out "concurrent audit" of blocks where companies have invested over $1 billion, enabling the government to keep a real-time vigil on the books of oil and gas producers. "(In cases) where …
The panel, headed by Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council Chairman C Rangarajan, was tasked to suggest design of future contracts for exploration and production of oil and gas The Rangarajan committee is believed to have suggested a complex pricing formula that will lead to near-doubling of the natural gas price …
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has caught Amravati Municipal Corporation (AMC) on the wrong foot. In brazen violation of bylaws, AMC constructed an abattoir without consent of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and is yet to bring it in use despite completing the project six years ago. …
A committee headed by C Rangarajan, the head of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory, has suggested linking the price of domestically-produced natural gas to international benchmarks such as US’ Henry Hub as well as the average wellhead price at which India imports gas, government officials said. “The formula balances interests …
The Centre had announced 17 years ago that people of Kashmir would be provided a cheap and easy mode of transport to Jammu, but the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link is still nowhere near completion. Originally sanctioned from the Consolidated Fund of India and estimated to cost Rs 3,077 crore, the link …
Already way behind schedule, the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla-Rail Link (USBRL), aimed at connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country with an all-weather route, is likely to run into further complexities and higher cost overruns, says the Comptroller and Auditor General. In its performance audit, the CAG observed that the …
The Bombay high court has permitted a social activist to make the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) a respondent in a public interest litigation on the alleged irrigation scam in Maharashtra. Petitioner Pravin Wategaonkar made an oral plea on the addition before a bench headed by Justice Ajay Khanwilkar on …
Unresolved issues include whether to provide an 'in principle' environment clearance to the blocks on offer The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has assured the Coal Ministry that it would examine the issue of whether in-principle environment and forest clearances can be granted to coal blocks that are to …
The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has assured the Coal Ministry that it would examine the issue of whether in-principle environment and forest clearances can be granted to coal blocks that are to be put up for auction. Senior officials of coal ministry today met top officials of Environment …
The Comptroller and Auditor General has slammed the railways for the long delay and cost escalation in the strategically important Kashmir rail link. The original cost of the 29km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line, aimed at providing a rail link to Kashmir, was estimated at Rs 3,077 crore in 1999-2000 and has now …
Lack of due diligence and proper planning by the Railways has caused a massive cost escalation in the rail-link project to Kashmir, with the cost overrun at an estimated Rs 16,488 crore, the Comptroller and Auditor General has said. The report, tabled in Parliament on Thursday, said the Railways did …
The irony was not lost on anyone when Meerut, part of the ancient Harappan settlement renowned for its sophisticated drainage systems, was promised a decent sewerage system under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM) as late as 2005. The city seemed poised for a facelift after centuries of …
Loss due to non-revision of domestic prices by the company in line with movement of market price Iron ore miner NMDC has suffered Rs 745.94 crore revenue loss during 2007-10 for not revising the domestic prices of the steel-making raw material in line with prevailing market rates, government auditor CAG …
The C Rangarajan panel, which is likely to give its report on the licensing of oil and gas fields in a week, is expected to favour production-linked payment for profit-sharing between the government and oil explorers, replacing the existing system of linking it to investments. Currently, producers can decide whether …
The new Bill on Land Acquisition approved by the Union Cabinet will be a huge setback for industrial growth in Odisha at a time when big ticket investors like Posco and ArcelorMittal are already struggling to procure land for their projects, industry experts said. According to the new Bill ratified …
The Prime Minister-appointed Rangarajan Committee may this week suggest sweeping changes in future oil and gas contracts by asking explorers to bid for a percentage of output they would share with the government. Sources said the panel may ask the government to move to a production-linked payment regime where explorers …
EXPLORING REFORMS Wants cost-recovery clause removed, end to govt role in micromanaging fields, tax holiday extension The Rangarajan panel has recommended the end of the controversial system of oil firms recovering their costs from sale of oil and gas in all future contracts and suggested a transparent structure for sharing …
Improved water and sanitation facilities, better housing, streamlined transportation systems and waste management are some of the services that smaller cities in the country can look forwards to in the next phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the flagship programme of the Union Urban Development Ministry. The …
The state government’s failure to implement proper audit practices caused huge losses in revenue from the mining sector, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India said. The report on ‘Controls and systems for sustainable mining in Karnataka’ submitted in the legislative assembly on Wednesday said a …
The illegal mining committed during 2006-11 in three districts of Karnataka has resulted in the state losing a revenue of Rs 3,414.45 crore and the government could recover only Rs 7.22 crore, a report by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India said. In Chitradurga, Tumkur and Hospet divisions four …
