No CAG report on coal scam: PM
With media reports of audit raking up a coal scam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday said the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has clarified there is no report and maintained there was no need for him to clarify in Parliament.
CAG Vinod Rai on Thursday admitted to the existence of a “draft report” which a newspaper published to claim that there was an estimated loss of over Rs 10.7 lakh crores in allotment of coal blocks between 2004 and 2009.
According to CNBC-TV18, the final CAG report on coal blocks will be submitted in a month and will quantify losses. CAG’s 3-page letter has blamed the leak on coal ministry as the report was only shared with coal ministry officials. It has also sought investigation of the leakage of the draft report.
The Prime Minister’s Office left out two sentences from the letter of CAG Vinod Rai while coming out with a release to debunk media reports on a massive scam.
(Source: Economic Times, Times of India, the Hindu, ZeeNews, IBNLive)
India votes against Sri Lanka, UN resolution on war crimes adopted
The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution on Thursday urging Sri Lanka to "credibly investigate" allegations of violations during the war against Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009.
The US-led resolution was adopted with 24 votes in favour, 15 against and eight abstentions.
India voted against Sri Lanka on the resolution after pressure from political parties like the DMK and AIADMK on the issue.
China, however, firmly backed Sri Lanka against the US-sponsored resolution at the UNHRC on alleged war crimes, saying it is against any country putting pressure on others in the name of rights violations.
(Source: Livemint, Times of India, the Hindu, ZeeNews, IBNLive)
Mukul Roy rolls back rail fares drives Indian Railways towards intensive care
Railway Minister Mukul Roy on Thursday rolled back the fare hike, except for three high-end classes of travel, which his predecessor proposed. Mr. Roy also struck down the plan to restructure Railway Board.
Without much fanfare, both Houses of Parliament ratified Mr. Roy's proposals and passed the Railway budget, bringing the curtain down on a week-long political drama that held up passage of the budget Dinesh Trivedi had presented on March 14.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had opposed the fare hike and demanded its immediate withdrawal and the resignation of Mr. Trivedi, her party's nominee in the Cabinet. He quit on Sunday paving way for Mr. Roy's elevation as Railway Minister.
(Source: Hindustan Times, Times of India, the Hindu, Economic Times)
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