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.

How much longer can coal transport continue to subsidise passenger fares? In a changing landscape for power production and transmission, Indian Railways and the Government will need to make new choices, says a new research report published by Brookings India.

The recently released CAG audit report on Maharashtra has heavily criticized the time and cost overruns in Gosikhurd irrigation project in Vidarbha. Himanshu Upadhyaya analyses the report to list the shortcomings of the project.

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.

A three-day planning process undertaken as part of a state-wide campaign called “Yojana Banao Abhiyan” to plan for NREGA implementation in every village in Jharkhand has sensitized the people and authorities to the potential of the scheme and recharged local democratic institutions. Ankita Aggarwal reports.

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.

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 the findings from the most recent audits.

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.

The Rail Budget this year has been hailed for its pragmatic approach and emphasis on modernisation and customer experience. Tanvi Bhatikar raises a critical issue that needs to be addressed in order to deliver on those fronts.

What could the taxes, allocations and schemes in Arun Jaitley’s budget ultimately mean for the country and its people? Shankar Jaganathan takes a bird’s eye view of the government’s most anticipated annual document for the year.

Expansion of social security benefits, focus on infrastructure, easing of fiscal deficit targets and rationalisation of the tax structure - these were some of the most prominent features of Arun Jaitley's budget. A look at some of the provisions:

Four goals, five drivers and 11 thrust areas formed the framework for Suresh Prabhu’s railway budget, otherwise shorn of big ticket announcements or details about the nitty gritty of execution. Here’s a look at some key announcements in the Budget speech.