Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai may prove to be a saviour for the Union government in the last year of the Manmohan Singh dispensation as the top auditor is set to submit a report on the ambitious flagship scheme for rural employment for which more than Rs 1,50,000 crore has been spent from the Centre’s kitty. The performance audit report of the CAG for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act for 12 major states is ready and could be placed before Parliament “any day”.

Finance minister P. Chidambaram will be tackling Maoist violence as a top priority when he presents the annual Budget on Thursday by substantially hiking allocations for schemes to address the development needs of Naxal-affected areas.

Even though the railways had anticipated more than three crore people to converge at Mahakumbh on “Shahi Snan” days, it was caught napping when it came to making full-proof arrangement at the Allahaba

Somewhat cornered, the government has virtually given up the effort to make metal roads in the Maoist-dominated areas.

Hit by fund constraints, the railways is to seek `38,000 crore in the form of gross budgetary support, with indications that its budget in 2013-14 would be low key.

Diesel price hike has put the railways in a spot, as it will have to buy the fuel at the market price with an increase of about `10 a litre.

Emboldened by the lukewarm criticism of the recent hike in railway fares, the first in a decade, the railway ministry is now considering yet another upward revision.

Even though parliamentarians have sought special session of Parliament to pass tough laws against rape cases, the political class appears to have shown least interest when bills came before them to amend existing laws.

Attributing overall decay in social character to incidents like gangrape, Samajwadi Party national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav has said that Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit is indulging in politics by blaming the police for lapses in view of the Assembly elections next year.

Even though chief minister Narendra Modi has retained his undisputed hold over Gujarat, the key NDA ally JD(U) continues to be wary of his rising clout.