Rain & CAG's Special Audit

"The BJP government (in Karnataka) has set aside Rs 17.5 crore to be spent on prayers to invoke the gods to bless the state with rain, ... On Friday, the muzrai (religious endowment) department issued a circular to its 35,000 temples across the state to hold special pujas to propitiate the Rain Gods. The pujas, comprising Varuna Mantra, Jalabhisheka and Parjanya Japa, will be held on July 27 and August 2. "We've released Rs 5,000 to each of the 35,000 temples to conduct special pujas on two different days,'' muzrai minister Kota Srinivas Poojary said." (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Karnataka-to-spend-Rs-17-5cr-for-rain-puja/articleshow/15068743.cms) This raises some other issues. Since the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Karnataka has already declared that he is an athiest, what if the religious places of say Muslims, Sikhs, Christians etc. also demand such a grant.... If successful, this may become a replicable model and and get repeated for invoking Gods for ending the heatwave, the cold wave, increasing the agricultural yield and who knows, even for increasing our GDP. Bahut potential hai.... And after the next round of elections the BJP may set up a Committee to debate if this move increased their percentage of vote share.... Of course this grant given by government will have to be followed by sending a Utilization Certificate by each recipient that the money was spent for the purpose for which it was released. Thereafter the Accountant General Karnataka will audit the accounts of the Department which gave the grants. And ultimately the Comptroller and Auditor General may conduct a special audit to asess if spending of the public money did result in rain ...the cause and effect ...And heavens forbid if that report gets 'leaked' before it is presented to the Parliament... Slippery ground, no?

Curiouser and curiouser....

Is it true that the Time cover and story of MS as Underachiever was meant only forinfluencing the Indians?...Was it run only in the Asia edition of the magazine....the U.S.A. edition didn't even carry the story let alone the Cover photo!....So much for the 'domestic compusions of the US politics' theory...