Posted on: 03-03-11 19:54:11
There is no end to the scandals under "clean, honest and intelligent" PM.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-verdict-on-CVC-case-a-blow-to-Manmohan/articleshow/7623666.cms
If you care to read the article, you would realize that nay self respecting person would resign - but not our honest and clean PM.
It is interesting to note that TOILET , ups I mean TOI cleverly tries to shift the blame to bureaucracy while THOMAS was clearly defended by MMS and appointed to such a sensitive position. I think TOI and MMS have no standard for probity and honesty.
Shame on them
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pm-washes-his-hands-off-sband-spectrum-deal/144246-37.html
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has completely washed his hands off the controversial deal between Devas Multimedia and Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) commercial arm Antrix Corporation Ltd that is alleged to have caused a loss of over Rs 2 lakh crore to the Government.
He said that the decision regarding the Antrix-Devas deal was made by the departments concerned and ISRO, and that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was not in the know of the details of the deal. He added that the only time the matter came up with the PMO was when his office had to facilitate the deal regarding two satellites.
"The issue of providing two satellites was before the Cabinet. The Cabinet note did not, however, mention the details of the Devas-Antrix deal," Singh said while replying to supplementary during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.
The Prime Minister said that there was no question of the PMO being asked to approve the Antrix-Devas deal on S-band spectrum.
"The Antrix-Devas issue did not come to the Cabinet. These decisions are taken by the departments," said Singh. The Department of Space, under which ISRO comes, is handled by the prime Minister.
However, the Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley targeted the Prime Minister asking how the deal could have been cleared without the Government being kept in the loop.
"We are given to understand that the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister's Principal Secretary, National Security Advisor and Cabinet Secretary are all privy to that decision. Are we to understand that while all this was happening, the PMO despite participating of all senior officials including the Minister of State was completely unaware that a valuable public asset is being placed in hands of an Indian company which is an arm of an American company and at an inadequate consideration and we were completely unaware of this," said Jaitley.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had on February 17 decided to terminate the Antrix-Devas citing national security.
The decision to annul the deal was taken at a meeting of the CCS chaired by Singh on the basis of a recommendation from the Space Commission.
The annulment comes in the wake of a raging controversy over the deal for handing over 70 Mhz of S-Band spectrum to the private firm for Rs 1,000 crore on which the CAG has already initiated action.
According to certain estimates, this deal may have resulted in a loss of Rs 2 lakh crore to the exchequer.
Our soft spoken, honest and clean PM has one more scandal to his CREDIT. This guy has no shame or soul. Skeletons keep tumbling out of cup board but he is happily whiling away his time.
Interestingly, my feeling is that this scandal would probably die without much hoopla as I believe that Mukesh has BJP and other politicians also in his pocket (or on phone tapes).
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has come down hard on Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), suggesting the company grossly overstated its development costs in India’s largest gas field, possibly causing “significant” financial losses to the exchequer.The first audit report of the independent
government auditor that followed allegations of “gold-plating” of costs while developing the KG-D6 field in Andhra Pradesh probed RIL, Cairn India, BG (the former British Gas) and others, but the Ambani firm gets the main attention.
As the production-sharing contract involves profit-sharing with the government, a higher capital expenditure results in the profit being lower for the government than it would be otherwise, which the CAG has explained in its 200-page June 7 report to the petroleum ministry.
The report is a draft. The final version will be placed in Parliament after comments from the ministry
Several attempts by email and phone to get RIL’s response on the CAG report on exploration work in the 2003-2008 period did not elicit any comment from the company’s senior executives until the time of going to press on Sunday.
The CAG report has revealed severe irregularities and violations on part of private operators and government departments and ministries.
The report – in possession of Hindustan Times – says the petroleum ministry and oil sector regulator Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) facilitated RIL to flout contractual stipulations on “discovery areas”.
“The undue benefit granted to the contractor (RIL) is huge, but cannot be quantified,” the report said.
The CAG’s main focus is on Reliance’s revision of the development cost of the KG-D6 gas field from $2.4 billion in 2004 to $8.8 billion in 2006 within a gap of only two years, without the company offering a single comprehensive development plan as required under the contract.
“The intent of the operator (Reliance) right at the outset, to submit revisions and changes to the development plan was evident all through from the submission of an initial development plan (IDP) rather than a comprehensive plan,” the report said.
“The increase in cost… is likely to have significant adverse impact on the GoI’s financial take,” it added.
The CAG report also raised questions on high-value procurement activities by RIL involving huge payments. The CAG cited many instances where it could not verify the “reasonableness of costs incurred” by RIL.
This, the CAG said, was primarily because of a lack of adequate competition, including single financial bids, with major revisions in scope and specifications.
All this resulted in “adverse implication for cost recovery and GoI’s financial stake,” the CAG observed.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/nacs-food-bill-entitles-70-to-subsidised-grain/articleshow/8958122.cms
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/NAC-clears-food-security-Bill-draft/807431/
This is one more instance of Congress pushing its socialist agenda and buying vote by false promises. As NAC passed this draft, there are all chances it will be passed in Parliament.
While I do not want anybody to go to bed hungry, IMO such bill just gives rise to more avenues for corruption. Rather than addressing the problem, why not address the cause of it? Also, it doesn't prevent an eligible person from reselling the subsidised food. This idea almost sounds like David Miller's idea of building more baseball courts to keep kids busy.
Also, all this extra subsidy is coming at common taxpayer's expense.
With more than a dozen fuel price hikes within one year and the consequent price rise of essential food grains and edible oil the economy is in shambles. Need not be when a Prime Minister happens to hold a doctorate from the London School of Economics.
The situation going by historians, resembles the reign of Ibrahim Lodi in Delhi prior to the invasion by Babur. Instead of a Lodi, we have a Lady and MMS or Lady MMS ruling from Delhi. Doesn't make a difference whichever way we say that.
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Quote:
Originally posted by ramar2005
With more than a dozen fuel price hikes within one year and the consequent price rise of essential food grains and edible oil the economy is in shambles. Need not be when a Prime Minister happens to hold a doctorate from the London School of Economics.
From my very limited knowledge of macroeconomics, I can say that MMS has nothing to do with price of food/oil. In an open market, this a purely supply and demand scenario. The middle class in India is growing and generating more income and has more money to spend. This leads to increase in demand of basic necessities and hence to inflation. If we want to bring oil and food prices down, we should drive less, not buy new cars and not eat out that much. Or we should focus more energy on agriculture to produce more grains. If you want to stimulate economy, inflation is an unwanted consequence. (Any economics expert may correct me here)
The above statement in no way indicates my support to MMS.
Quote:
Originally posted by meghal
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/nacs-food-bill-entitles-70-to-subsidised-grain/articleshow/8958122.cms
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/NAC-clears-food-security-Bill-draft/807431/
This is one more instance of Congress pushing its socialist agenda and buying vote by false promises. As NAC passed this draft, there are all chances it will be passed in Parliament.
While I do not want anybody to go to bed hungry, IMO such bill just gives rise to more avenues for corruption. Rather than addressing the problem, why not address the cause of it? Also, it doesn't prevent an eligible person from reselling the subsidised food. This idea almost sounds like David Miller's idea of building more baseball courts to keep kids busy.
Also, all this extra subsidy is coming at common taxpayer's expense.
However, the more dangerous part of this all is that they are running a parallel parliament / government which has more power than the real elected puppets. While Sibal and company deplored Anna Hazare and company for dictating terms to the govt, how is NAC different? And it is headed by the real PM of the country.
Hiren
