NEW DELHI: As the probe into the telecom scam grows in scope and scale, the Cabinet Secretariat has begun investigating the nexus between senior bureaucrats and corporate lobbyists.
Four former bureaucrats are under serious scrutiny for their links with a powerful lobbyist, according to top-level officials in the government, who did not wish to be named.
The lobbyist in focus is Nira Radia. Her public relations and lobbying business includes Vaishnavi Corporate Communications, Noesis Strategic Consulting Services, Vitcom Consulting, and NeUCom Consulting.
The bureaucrats are: former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman and disinvestment secretary Pradip Baijal; former economic affairs secretary C M Vasudev; former industrial policy and promotion secretary Ajay Dua and former Trai member D P S Seth. The Cabinet Secretariat is examining their connections with Radia's Noesis.
Radia is part of an escalating multi-agency probe into allocation of 2G spectrum and licences to ineligible corporates at below-market rates. The controversy has cost DMK's A Raja his job as communications minister and has been the subject of a scathing indictment by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, the premier government auditor.
The Enforcement Directorate (which investigates foreign exchange violations), CBI and income tax have been on Radia's trail for a while now. They have been examining the banking transactions, including cash withdrawals, of Radia and her firms to establish if she used money to influence those in decision-making positions.
Times of India-2G-scam-Babu-lobbyist-nexus-being-probed
No comments:
Post a Comment