PAC meeting on 2G deferred amid sharp differences

The meeting scheduled for tomorrow has also been postponed because of Chhath festival

PTI | October 31, 2011



The 2-G controversy rocked Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting here today with opposition parties demanding that former DG (Audit) R P Singh be summoned and asked why he differs with CAG on the quantum of loss while Congress members opposed the move.

With differences persisting, the meeting was adjourned. The meeting scheduled for tomorrow has also been postponed as Chhath festival falls tomorrow.

Sources said the BJP and other opposition parties insisted that Singh should be summoned as he has differed with the figures of loss incurred by the government in the 2-G scam. Singh, who has now retired, has stated that the loss is merely of Rs 6,000 Crore while the CAG had maintained that it was to the tune of Rs 1.76 Lakh Crore.

Prakash Javadekar (BJP) demanded that not only Singh but others like Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal who said there was zero loss- among others, should be summoned by the PAC and asked how they had arrived at figures different from that of the CAG. AIADMK member M Thambidurai insisted that the CBI director should also be called as the agency had arrived at a different loss figure.

BJP, BJD, SAD and AIDMK referred to the letter written by Congress member Sanjay Nirupam asking that the 2-G issue be discussed and said the questions which have not been addressed should be gone into.

Comments

 

Other News

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres

India will be powerful, not aggressive: Bhaiyyaji

India is poised to emerge as a global power but will remain rooted in its civilisational ethos of non-aggression and harmony, former RSS General Secretary Suresh `Bhaiyyaji` Joshi has said.   He was speaking at the launch of “Rashtrabhav,” a book by Ravindra Sathe

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.

RBI pauses to assess inflation risks, policy transmission

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has begun the new fiscal year with a calibrated pause, keeping the repo rate unchanged at 5.25 per cent in its April Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. The decision, taken unanimously, reflects a shift from aggressive policy action to cautious observation after a signi

New pathways for tourism growth

Traditionally, India’s tourism policy has been based on three main components: the number of visitors, building tourist attractions and providing facilities for tourists. Due to the increase in climate-related issues and environmental destruction that occurred over previous years, policymakers have b

Is the US a superpower anymore?

On April 8, hours after warning that “a whole civilisation will die tonight,” US president Donald Trump, exhibiting his unique style of retreating from high-voltage brinkmanship, announced that he agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran. The weekend talks in Islamabad have failed and the futur


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter