Without an iota of public debate and due process, Gujarat had increased allocation of Narmada waters for industry five fold last year, eating into the share of drought affected villages. The Comptroller and Auditor General reported this in 2007, finding it untenable. Himanshu Upadhyaya has more.

Public audit of an organisation or individual by a statutory authority is proven to give teeth to enforcement. Why then has India's CAG failed to instill fear in the various government departments and enterprises it monitors? A new book by B P Mathur tackles this and more, says Himanshu Upadhyaya.

Incidents of cracks, breaches and outright collapse of dams have been reported often in the last few years. But the country's water resources establishment maintains an ad-hoc attitude, responding to each disaster as it unfolds, often to little effect. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports.

Agitators in West Bengal have squarely accused the ration dealers of manipulating the supplies of wheat and rice for the open market by selling them at higher prices. Many of the ration dealers are themselves ruling party functionaries presiding over panchayat bodies. Shoma Chatterji has more.

Why does the government not allocate funds to meet all the rights that are protected under the law? Partly, this is because allocations in the Budget each year are made mechanically, without any thought the need for funds, or the rights that ought to be protected, says Videh Upadhyay.

In major finding, the Comptroller and Auditor General reported to Parliament earlier this year that a key objective of the SEZ policy, -- augmenting real exports -- has not only been defeated, but the policy had further resulted in revenue losses of hundreds of crores of rupees. Himanshu Upadhyaya has more.

From wanting CBI-like and CIC-like powers to not being able to push Ministries to learning lessons and more, India's top auditor has time and again rung the bells. Who is listening? Himanshu Upadhyaya on a recent conference.

With support from the Gujarat legislature, the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited's has moved to redeem its deeply discounted bonds prematurely, despite indictments from the audit watchdog and objections by SEBI. The matter is now at the Supreme Court. Himanshu Upadhyaya has more.

The CERC is mandated with balancing the interests of power generation companies and their consumers. But it appears that its new regulations are heavily skewed against the latter. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.

The States of India account for about 55 per cent of the combined expenditure of the Union and the States, but the Centre now collects two-thirds of the combined tax revenues. Kannan Kasturi details this imbalance.

The Chawla Committee backs away from recent efforts to create a market for water rights. Still, it doesn't go far enough in recognising the importance of citizens' involvement. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.

Private telcos see intra-circle roaming agreements as a way to provide pan-India 3G service to customers. But TRAI, BSNL believe such deals violate license conditions.

All the increased budgets for education in the country may not amount to much, if the States don't move the money fast enough to the intended uses, which is not happening now. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports.

Sikkim leads the nation in per-student expenditure by quite some distance, but bureaucratic hurdles to progress common elsewhere are to be found here too. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports.

It is a sign of trouble when experienced players sit out and fly-by-night-type operators take control. In the case of public infrastructure, this is exactly what is happening. We should ask why, writes Sunita Narain.

While the infusion of SSA funds has helped the State make considerable progress on many counts, there is still much to be done, to ensure all the necessary inputs flow to the schools. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports.

Taking a 360-degree view of the Union Budget 2013, Shankar Jaganathan points out that despite 'inclusive and sustainable development' being a stated goal, the emphasis has primarily been on growth and finances.

Findings from the CAG's audit of India's flagship nutrition programme show that hunger and malnourishment among children prevail even in the most prosperous of India's states. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports on the disturbing findings of the ICDS audit.

The claims of the second phase of the Bharat Nirman campaign, glorifying the achievements of the UPA in various sectors, ring hollow when one looks at the crises afflicting the economy. Shambhu Ghatak discusses this in the light of findings of the CAG's financial audit of the Union Government Accounts.

Inadequate training, shortfall in personnel, weak monitoring systems and unconvincing responses from the government to the CAG.s objections regarding the same reveal the flaws in implementation of the NREGS scheme in Uttar Pradesh. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports.

With the World Bank 'banning' construction major Progressive Constructions Ltd on graft charges, R Uma Maheshwari urges a review of the contracts awarded to it in connection with the critical Polavaram Dam project.

The flouting of scheme guidelines in the NREGS implementation in Uttar Pradesh shows how the programme is still locked in top-down planning. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports on the various findings of the performance audit of the scheme.

Given the diversity within its expanding membership base, the AAP is likely to witness more debates over issues such as foreign investment in retail and subsidies. Shankar Jaganathan questions if these discourses will gradually alter the party’s basic ideology as it evolves, or if that is written in stone.

Is brazen unaccountability a national disease in our country, asks Himanshu Upadhyaya as he reads through yet another performance review by the CAG of India, this time of its own performance in carrying out auditing functions.

A recent study from the Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy shows that Indian cities rest on a weak systemic foundation. Madhavi Rajadhyaksha highlights the key findings from the study to argue for a systemic overhaul of urban India.

When river restoration translates merely into cosmetic beautification of its ‘front’, real estate and urban elite are the only ones to gain at the cost of the larger river ecology. Amruta Pradhan discusses the Sabarmati Riverfront Development project and others inspired by it to highlight the risks in the model.

The smart-card driven CORE-PDS system demonstrates the feasibility of introducing portability in social security systems without the use of biometrics. A student team from IIT Delhi surveys Fair Price Shops in Raipur district following the new system to assess how it has been faring.

In Jahangirpur Gram Panchayat of Bihar’s Kishanganj district, Rs 30 lakh meant for pregnant Muslim women had already been misappropriated, when a community-driven project launched by Oxfam decided to tackle the corruption head on. Ajitha Menon reports.

6,433 model villages by 2024? A summary of the key features of the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, recently launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the objective of facilitating development in villages

Media reports following the two-day Accountants’ General conference have focused largely on the observations and advice on CAG audits by the Finance Minister and the PAC chairman. Himanshu Upadhyaya wonders if such a meet cannot be evolved into a more citizen-focused and constructive exercise.

The success of ‘spot fixes’ and other initiatives by independent resident-collectives or organisations in cleaning up urban spaces and dumping spots has been noteworthy, but a long-term plan for solving waste issues in Indian cities needs more. Pooja Ramamurthi explains.

The report of a high level committee under BJP MP Shanta Kumar proposes radical restructuring of the PDS and reduced coverage of the food security act. But is the estimate of leakages in the report flawed in itself? Shambhu Ghatak presents alternative findings.

Wage delays, inadequate manpower and the indifference of authorities to real issues on the ground are stripping the employment guarantee programme of its strong potential to improve rural lives, and budget cuts have only made it worse. Ankita Aggarwal reports from Jharkhand.

Successive audits of irrigation projects in Karnataka over the years, starting with a report from the CAG for the year ending 31 March 2001, have repeatedly pointed to missed targets, wasted expenditure and negligible benefits. Himanshu Upadhyaya presents findings from the latest audits.

A report published by Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) on the institution of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), its auditing and reporting process falls short in many aspects, writes Himanshu Upadhyaya.

The uneven performance of MGNREGA in the task of rural asset generation requires a careful comparison of the decision making processes involved in those cases where the works undertaken have produced value and where it has failed to, writes Pavan Kulkarni.

It is only by looking back at its own history of audit findings that the constitutional auditor can draw attention to policy decisions that were flawed at the very beginning, says Himanshu Upadhyaya.

Blank Noise, begun as Jasmeen Patheja's personal reaction to street sexual harassment, has grown to record women's experiences in creative ways. The latest of these is a clothes collection effort to tackle the misconception that women's attire invites harassment. Vasudha V reports.

Over 100 posters were displayed recently in New Delhi as part of an exhibition titled 'Poster Women'. The posters, said Urvashi Butalia of Zubaan, "visually map the history of the movement". Like windows, they offer a glimpse of the women's movement spanning the past 35 years. Deepti Priya Mehrotra reports.

Natak jaari Hai, Lalit Vachani's film about the street theatre group founded by Safdar Hashmi, offers priceless vignettes into the character and persona of the activists, but is also an objective record of Janam's struggles against many forms of oppression, writes Shoma Chatterji.

When this social communication event hit Kolkata in 2002, the entire ambience spilled over with empathy and a deep understanding for films – documentary, fiction and docu-fiction – made on or about the marginalised and the oppressed. Very little of all that was in the air during the 2007 version, writes Shoma Chatterji.

West Bengal officials recently called off screenings of various films scheduled to be shown at Kolkata's premiere culture centre, apparently displeased over one of the entries at the film festival. Shoma Chatterji reports on the government's censorship, and the outcry following it.

Dance has long been regarded as an aesthetic form of self-expression and entertainment. Therapy had very little to do with it. But in Kolkata, that is changing now, thanks to a few committed individuals. Shoma Chatterji reports.

The Shillong Chamber Choir follows Neil Nongkynrih, a concert pianist, as he strives to find a balance between his music and the purpose of his life: to look after under-privileged children. Shoma Chatterji reviews the film.

Eashwar Mime Co. presents the opposition between an individual's voice and collective silence using mime - an art form that has almost disappeared since the advent of the spoken word in films, writes Shoma Chatterji.

Despite its grim story, Divine Drums is a wonderful film that explores a performing art we know little about, and also a human interest story about the performers' lives, writes Shoma Chatterji.

Will the FTII, which once encouraged plurality of cinema, be reduced to providing skilled labour for an assembly line production system of films? Students and alumni are worried. Shoma Chatterji reports.

Theatre of the Oppressed or TO is a tool that explores social change through personal change, and offers a new dimension of self-learning and discovery, Charumathi Supraja who was a participant in a Bangalore workshop recently.

Badal Sircar's plays liberated the actor from the inhibiting confines and influence of performances in a rigid framework of conventional indoor stage props and architecture, recalls Shoma Chatterji.

A recent fire at one of Kolkata's major film studios puts the spotlight on the poor condition of these establishments, and the risks faced by the film industry in many buildings. Shoma Chatterji reports.