The CAG has pulled up the DRDO pointing out "deficiencies" and "procedural irregularities" committed by it in taking up new projects and splitting sanctions for them to bring it within financial powers of the organisation head. "Scrutiny of project sanctions issued by DRDO revealed procedural irregularities relating to misleading nomenclature of sanction issuing authorities, absence of data base of sanctions and splitting of sanctions," the CAG said in its report...
05:10 PM, Nov 29, 2012
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday pushed for completion of projects in key infrastructure sectors like railways, roads and ports as he took stock of the performance of these sectors, vital for revival of the sagging economy. At a two-hour long meeting, ministers of the railways, ports and road presented the progress reports on the targets set in June this year. Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman...
02:20 AM, Nov 28, 2012
New Delhi: Amid the possibility of a budget cut, the Defence Ministry will on Wednesday review major military modernisation projects of the Armed Forces such as plans for acquiring 126 combat aircraft and raising a Strike Corps in the northeastern sector. In a meeting with the three Services vice chiefs, Defence Minister AK Antony will review the expenditure made by the Armed Forces this year and their plans for the...
03:06 AM, Nov 07, 2012
Mumbai: Whistleblower in the Maharashtra irrigation scam Vijay Pandhare has claimed unnecessary expenses worth Rs 20,000 crore in state irrigation projects. Pandhare wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Governor K Sankaranarayanan in May, 2012 exposing the scam. Vijay Pandhare had claimed at least Rs 35000 crore were siphoned off in 10 years in various projects. Pandhare is a chief engineer in Maharashtra Engineering Research Institute. ...
01:24 PM, Sep 26, 2012
Hyderabad: India's metro man E Sreedharan on Friday said the public-private partnership (PPP) model in implementing metro projects has not been a success anywhere across the world. Two metro projects are coming up under PPP model at Hyderabad and Mumbai. Sreedharan, principal advisor, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, said Hyderabad has the good fortune of having L&T as a partner, which should immensely benefit it. He, however, cautioned that the cost...
12:49 AM, Sep 15, 2012
New Delhi: In yet another trouble for the government, a new report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has exposed the rot in the power sector. According to the CAG, the inefficiency of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has meant only two of 16 planned projects have been completed. The CAG report has said that the cost overruns have led to losses Rs 14,700 crore, adding that 10-year...
06:35 PM, Sep 06, 2012
The villagers, displaced due to two hydel projects, demand that the government gives them alternate land and more compensation. ...
09:13 PM, Sep 05, 2012
Bangalore: Want to know about the assets and liabilities of your councillors or the funds being spent on various ongoing projects? Just log on to the newly-designed official website of the BBMP. The layout of BBMPs official website (www.bbmp. gov.in) has changed from Saturday. The new layout is more user-friendly and eye catching than the previous one, the civic body has claimed. According to sources, the initiative is to make...
03:00 PM, Sep 03, 2012
New Delhi: Real estate developers expect home prices to rise by at least 25 per cent in Noida Extension as the government's approval to Greater Noida master plan has paved the way for start of construction, which was stalled for over a year in the area. The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) has given its nod for master plan, which was made mandatory by a court order in October...
11:12 AM, Aug 26, 2012
Kolkata: Defence Minister AK Antony had an 80-minute meeting on Saturday with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on issues like Ganges riverfront beautification, a metro project and a drinking water scheme where army land is involved. "We discussed the Ganges riverfront beautification project, Joka-BBD Bag Metro project in Kolkata and Balason water supply project in Darjeeling," Banerjee told media persons after the meeting at the state secretariat, Writers' Buildings,...
12:40 AM, Aug 19, 2012
The all-too-familiar political blame game has begun following the CAG reports that said that losses worth lakhs of crores of rupees were caused to the national exchequer by the Centre. ...
08:48 AM, Aug 18, 2012
The CAG report on power projects which is equally damaging, says undue financial benefit given to Reliance Power amounted to over Rs 29,000 crore. ...
11:50 PM, Aug 17, 2012
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said development projects in districts adjoining Nepal would be speeded up to benefit people on both sides of the border. "UP has both emotional and social ties with Nepal and these will be further strengthened ... development works in the districts adjoining the neighbouring country would be speeded up to ensure economic progress of people on both the sides," he said....
02:04 AM, Jul 21, 2012
New Delhi: The long wait of thousands of home buyers to possess flats in Greater Noida finally could be nearing an end as a statutory on Thursday approved the Draft Master Plan for Greater Noida-2021. National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) officials on Thursday said that in its Statutory Committee meeting here "the Draft Master Plan for Greater Noida-2021 was considered and recommended for consideration of the NCR Planning Board."...
08:25 AM, Jun 29, 2012
Dhamra (Odisha): With defence technology projects worth Rs 80,000 crore being implemented now, the Defence Research and Development Organisation is looking for augmenting its manpower. The DRDO has decided to recruit at least 150-200 scientists each year for the next two to three years, for which it is awaiting government clearance, its Director-General Dr V K Saraswat said in Dhamra. The value of the projects which we are working on...
04:48 PM, Jun 25, 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: PWD Minister Ebrahim Kunju said in Assembly here on Monday that a monitoring committee would be constituted to oversee the weekly progress of the Rs 145-crore road development project along the Vattiyoorkavu-Sasthamangalam, Vattiyoorkavu-Peroorkada and Vattiyoorkavu- Vazhayila roads. Replying to a submission by K Muraleedharan MLA, on the status of the Vattiyoorkavu road development project, Ebrahim Kunju said that Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority (TRIDA) has been asked to submit a detailed...
12:15 PM, Jun 12, 2012
New Delhi: Claiming that the infrastructure development plan set out at a meeting convened by the Prime Minister will prove to be a "non-starter", BJP on Friday said the government has no resource mobilisation plan for the one trillion dollars needed for implementing these schemes. "The much-hyped meeting for the infrastructure boost will prove a non-starter.... The Prime Minister stressed that one trillion dollars are required to be invested in...
03:47 AM, Jun 09, 2012
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday held a meeting to finalise the targets for infrastructure for the year 2012-13. The Prime Minister reviewed the targets and approved them. In his remarks, he expressed happiness at the level of commitment being shown by his ministerial colleagues and their officers in giving a major push to these important sectors. The Prime Minister felt that the targets set are certainly ambitious...
10:15 PM, Jun 06, 2012
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called a meeting of the various ministries, including power and coal, on Wednesday to review the progress of infrastructure projects. Singh would meet the ministers of power, coal, civil aviation, railways and shipping in the evening at his residence, sources said. Various power and road projects are stuck due to environment or financial hurdles. Today's meeting may address these issues, sources said. Many...
02:44 PM, Jun 06, 2012
New Delhi: Against the backdrop of slowing economy and perception of policy paralysis, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday sought to give a push to mega projects of over Rs 1,000 crore by putting in place a mechanism to track their progress and address hurdles. Waking up to delays caused to large projects on account of clearances, Singh announced that the Investment Tracking System would submit quarterly reports so that...
02:39 AM, Jun 02, 2012
