Coalgate: If coal is not mined, where is the loss? asks Chidambaram

August 24, 2012

not_minedNew Delhi, August 24: The government on Friday rejected the CAG report on allocation of coal blocks in which it has indicated a Rs 1.85 lakh crore ($37 billion) loss to the exchequer, saying the notion of presumptive loss is flawed.

"If the coal is not being mined, there is no question of gain or loss... the notion of this presumptive loss is flawed," finance minister PChidambaram said at a joint press conference here with coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal.

Chidambaram said there has been hardly any mining of coal from the allocated blocks which are taken into consideration by the auditor. "As long as coal remain in mother earth there is no loss," he said.

Out of the 57 blocks considered by the CAG, mining was carried out in only one block.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) last week revealed that lack of transparency in the allocation of coal blocks to private players resulted in the loss of a whopping Rs 1.85 lakh crore ($37 billion) to the exchequer.

Jaiswal said the government didn't agree with the CAG assessment. "We don't agree with the CAG report," he said.

Jaiswal said that he had asked the CAG to consult coal ministry official before preparing the final report. "But the CAG did not consult our officials," he said.

He said the CAG also did not take into consideration the views of attorney general and the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on coal mining.

Chidambaram said it was the UPA government which brought about a change in policy for transparency and for that it was now being blamed.

"If you did nothing you will not be blamed; if you tried to change you will be blamed - is that the standard by which we will conduct our public affairs," he asked.

Asked about the future coarse of action on coal block allocations, Chidambaram said the government will take the decision taking into consideration the reports and views of the CAG, the attorney general and the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM).

The finance minister made a fervent appeal to the opposition, especially the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to allow Parliament to function from Monday.

Chidambaram said the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was ready to make a statement and debate the issue in Parliament in whatever manner the opposition wanted.

"The Prime Minister is willing to make a statement in the Parliament. He is fully prepared to answer all the questions that may arise," Chidambaram said.

Both Houses of Parliament were repeatedly adjourned for the fourth consecutive day on Friday as BJP kept up its demand for the Prime Minister's resignation over irregularities in allocation of coal blocks.

"We are disappointed that BJP is unwilling to allow Parliament to function and unwilling to discuss the matter on the floor of the House," the finance minister said.


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News Network
January 31,2020

New Delhi, Jan 31: Slamming the BJP over the Jamia firing incident, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday said such incidents were possible with the ruling party's leaders inciting people to shoot, and asked Prime minister Narendra Modi to answer whether he stands with violence or non-violence.   

Her attack on the government comes a day after tensions in the Jamia area spiralled on Thursday after a man fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters, injuring a student, before walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "Yeh lo aazadi" amid heavy police presence in the area.

"When the BJP government ministers and party leaders incite people to shoot, give provocative speeches, then all this becomes possible. The Prime Minister should answer what kind of a Delhi he wants to build?" Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

Does the PM stand with violence or non-violence, she asked.

"Does he stand with development or with anarchy?" the Congress general secretary said.

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News Network
June 8,2020

New Delhi, Jun 8: India on Monday reported the highest single-day spike of 9,983 more COVID-19 cases and 206 deaths in the last 24 hours.

With this, the country's coronavirus count has reached 2,56,611, including 1,25,381 active cases, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

1,24,094 patients have been cured/discharged so far and 7,135 succumbed to the deadly virus. While one patient has migrated.

With 85,975 cases, Maharashtra is the worst-affected state in the country followed by Tamil Nadu at 31,667 cases.

A total of 1,08,048 samples were tested for coronavirus in the last 24 hours and overall 47,74,434 samples have been tested till now.

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Agencies
July 24,2020

Lucknow, Jul 24: The Congress in Uttar Pradesh on Friday protested against what it dubbed as deliberate and systematic deletions of chapters dealing in freedom struggle and the party's role in it from the syllabi of Classes 10 and 12 of the Secondary Education Board.

Congress leader Anugrah Narain Singh said: "The deletions effected in Class 12 syllabus clearly has political overtones. Chapters dealing with the freedom movement and the Congress role in it have been cut out. The BJP has no role of its own in the country's history and, therefore, wants that the new generations should not learn about the Congress contribution as well."

A Congress delegation submitted a memorandum to UP Eduction Board Secretary Divya Kant Shukla to demand restoration of the deleted chapters and topics.

BJP MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi accused the opposition Congress of "turning every occasion into a political opportunity during the pandemic".

"The Congress is unnecessarily making an issue out of this. Only some portions have been deleted from the syllabi due to shortening of the academic session due to the nationwide lockdown. People already know about the Congress and the cut in the syllabi is only temporary. The Congress is unnecessarily trying to create a political controversy," she said.

Prof Yogeshwar Tiwari of the History Department in the Allahabad University dubbed the changes made in the syllabi as "unfortunate". "The history is not of the Congress alone -- it is the history of the nation and every student must know about it," he said.

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