New Delhi: Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, who demits office on Wednesday, will be remembered for turning the statutory body into a pugnacious watchdog of good governance and administrative integrity at a time when India is experiencing the need for greater transparency and a rebalancing of power that has tilted over the years towards the executive.
Rai's five-year tenure (2008-2013) has been a tad controversial because of the unprecedented public profile the CAG's office - which the average Indian knew little about previously - acquired and the political storms it generated, with many of the audit reports proving troublesome for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
The CAG's reports on the 2010 Commonwealth Games and allocation of licenses for 2G telecom spectrum and coal mining blocks have severely dented the UPA government's image and provided ammunition to the opposition. There have been also suggestions of the CAG has exceeded its brief.
"Nobody in the political class, except for saying that I have political aspirations or that I am looking for a post-retirement career in politics, has actually made any substantive criticism of my work...Saying that I want a political career is an easy allegation to make," Rai said in an interview. ...
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12:45 PM, May 21, 2013
Melbourne: High-intensity active video games may improve cardiovascular health in children, according to a new study. While other studies have assessed children's energy expenditure and physical activity while playing active video games, this is the first study to measure the direct health benefits of high-intensity gaming on children's arteries. Researchers from The University of Western Australia with colleagues from Swansea University evaluated 15 children aged from 9 to 11 to...
03:32 PM, May 20, 2013
Los Angeles: Sonic the Hedgehog is rolling with Nintendo. Sega says it will exclusively release the next three games starring the popular blue critter on Nintendo platforms. The first title will be called "Sonic Lost World" and is set for release on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS later this year. "With 'Sonic Lost World,' we're going to introduce new gameplay and enemies, which is always fun," said John Cheng,...
10:49 AM, May 18, 2013
Los Angeles: The popular mobile game 'Angry Birds' is jumping off smart phones and onto the big screen in a new animated 3D film due to be released in 2016, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced on Wednesday. The film will be a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Finnish game-maker Rovio, and follows the game's foray into television with an animated weekly series that began in March 2013. "Sony impressed...
09:01 AM, May 16, 2013
New Delhi: Modifying a trial court order, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday said the Investigating Officer and the Public Prosecutor can interview the prosecution witnesses "before hand" in the Commonwealth Games-related graft case involving sacked Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi. Justice Kailash Gambhir said, "The order is modified to the extent that the duo can interview the prosecution witnesses before hand." The court modified the trial court's March 14...
03:16 PM, May 14, 2013
Mumbai: Expressing optimism ahead of next week's meeting between the Indian Olympic Association and International Olympic Committee at Lausanne, snooker ace Aditya Mehta said the interest of Indian sportspersons should be kept in mind of all concerned. "We are now part of the Asian Indoor Games and hopefully everything goes well between IOA and IOC. We are keeping our fingers crossed. We are hoping to at least go to the...
06:01 PM, May 10, 2013
Mumbai: Zapak Mobile Games, a mobile gaming division of Reliance Entertainment Digital, has achieved a milestone record of 100 million game downloads on Nokia Store, a company official said here Saturday. Known for its hit titles like "Real Steel", "Total Recall", "F1 2011", "Ben 10" and "ICC Cricket", 22 games from the Zapak kitty like "Chhota Bheem Racing", "Ninja Strike" and "WWE Raw" pushed towards the 100 million mark. The...
11:24 AM, Apr 21, 2013
London: Britain's most successful Olympian Chris Hoy is to retire from track cycling having exhausted "every last ounce of effort and energy", the six-time Games gold medal winner said on Thursday. Hoy, 37, has decided against competing in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in his native Scotland. "I am officially announcing my retirement. It was not a decision I took easily or lightly, but I know it's the right...
04:49 PM, Apr 18, 2013
Los Angeles: The princess-rescuing adventurer Link is coming to the Nintendo 3DS. The Japanese gaming giant announced plans Wednesday to bring a new "The Legend of Zelda" installment to its hand-held gaming system. Nintendo of America Inc. president Reggie Fils-Aime said Tuesday that the new "Zelda" game would be set in the world of "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past," which was originally released in 1992 for...
12:14 PM, Apr 18, 2013
Mumbai: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Maharashtra Legislature has indicted former Indian Olympic Association president (IOA) Suresh Kalmadi for irregularities in organising the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008 at Pune and asked the state government to file a criminal case against him. The PAC report, which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, also asked the government to submit an action taken report (ATR) to the committee within...
05:51 PM, Apr 17, 2013
Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence credits mother Karen for convincing her to accept Katniss Everdeen's role in 'The Hunger Games' franchise. ...
06:24 PM, Mar 30, 2013
Gesta Final starts with the user joining the 82 rebels who in 1956 sailed to Cuba from Mexico aboard the Granma. ...
12:46 PM, Mar 29, 2013
Sacked CWG organising committee chief Suresh Kalmadi was on Monday questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with its probe into alleged forex violations in the run up to the 2010 sporting extravaganza. ...
08:12 PM, Mar 25, 2013
Wrestling officially became part of the inaugural 2015 European Games despite being axed from the 2020 Olympic Games last month by the IOC. ...
10:20 PM, Mar 12, 2013
A resounding 71.94 per cent of voters said no to the proposal with only 28.06 per cent in favour of the Games to be hosted. ...
07:27 PM, Mar 12, 2013
Switzerland-based Swiss Timing Ltd has been put on trial for allegedly conspiring and cheating the exchequer in a Commonwealth Games scam case, involving Suresh Kalmadi and nine others, by a Delhi court which also asked CBI to file a chargesheet against the firm's 3 senior officials. ...
06:29 PM, Mar 07, 2013
Playing action video games can boost reading skills in dyslexic children, a new study has found. ...
03:22 PM, Mar 02, 2013
Trial in a Commonwealth Games related case involving Suresh Kalmadi and nine others will commence on Wednesday in a Delhi court which had invoked charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery, cheating and other offences against them entailing maximum punishment of life term. ...
08:07 PM, Feb 19, 2013
The IOC mulled over dropping hockey to the relegation zone for the 2020 Games but eventually put wrestling in that group. ...
01:40 PM, Feb 14, 2013
