Latest news with #YellowBook
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Delhi CM gets death threat over PCR call in Ghaziabad, security increased
A death threat to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was made via a call to the Ghaziabad Police Control Room (PCR) late on Thursday, said police. Following the incident, the Delhi Control Room was informed, and efforts were made to identify the caller and trace the location. However, the phone number was switched off shortly, said police. 'Assessment of the threat perception of VIP or VVIPs is conducted by the security agencies on the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),' a senior officer said. Ghaziabad Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kotwali), Ritesh Tripathi, said, 'We received a call on the 112 control room number around midnight between Thursday and Friday. The caller stated that the Chief Minister of Delhi would be killed. We immediately informed the Delhi Police and also formed a team to trace the caller.' Tripathi added, 'Efforts are underway to trace the caller.' Meanwhile, on receiving the information, the Delhi Police increased the chief minister's security detail and security outside her residence in Northwest Delhi. This comes a few days after senior officials received emails threatening to blow up two major government buildings in the city — Udyog Bhawan and Nirman Bhawan — which later proved to be a hoax after security agencies checked the premises. The Delhi Police has accorded 'Z' category security cover to Gupta. As per the 'Yellow Book' of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which contains guidelines regarding security arrangements for VIPs and VVIPs, a Z category protectee gets around 22-25 personnel, including personal security officers (PSOs), escorts, watchers, and eight static arm guards. According to protocol, the Delhi Chief Minister is entitled to Z-category security, which can be enhanced after an assessment, sources said.
Indian Express
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva's security raised to ‘Z' category
The Delhi Police have enhanced the security of Delhi BJP head Virendra Sachdeva from the 'Y' category to 'Z' after an assessment of the threat perception, said police sources Sunday. As per the 'Yellow Book' of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which contains guidelines regarding security arrangements for VIPs and VVIPs, a 'Z' category protectee gets around 22-25 personnel, including personal security officers (PSOs), escorts, watchers, and eight static arm guards. A 'Y' category protectee gets eight to 10 personnel, including six PSOs and four static armed guards. There are six grades of security cover: X, Y, Y Plus, Z, Z Plus, and the Special Protection Group (SPG). The SPG is exclusively for the prime minister and immediate family. The other security categories can be assigned to anyone for whom the Central or state governments have received intelligence regarding a potential threat. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Minister for Environment, Forest and Wildlife Manjinder Singh Sirsa are the two other ministers with 'Z' category security in the Delhi Cabinet. Sachdeva, 55, has been active in politics since 1988 and has held several roles, including party general secretary and vice president, a position he was appointed to in 2020. He was appointed as the Delhi BJP president in March 2023. Earlier, he had stepped in as the party's working president following its defeat in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls in 2022. Sachdeva belongs to a Punjabi family that came to India after Partition. He was raised in Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk and has strong support from his community, as well as among traders in the capital. During the Assembly elections in February, Sachdeva led the BJP's campaign to corner the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The BJP won 48 seats in the 70-seat Assembly, unseating the AAP and forming the government in the capital after 27 years.
WIRED
18-03-2025
- Business
- WIRED
'It's a Heist': Real Federal Auditors Are Horrified by DOGE
Mar 18, 2025 4:04 PM WIRED talked to actual federal auditors about how government auditing works—and how DOGE is doing the opposite. Photograph:Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has spent the first six weeks of the new Trump administration turning the federal government upside down. It's moved from agency to agency, accessing sensitive data and payment systems, all on a supposed crusade to audit the government and stop fraud, waste, and abuse. DOGE has posted some of its 'findings' on its website, many of which have been revealed to be errors. But two federal auditors with years of experience, who have both worked on financial and technical audits for the government, say that DOGE's actions are the furthest thing from what an actual audit looks like. Both asked to speak on the condition of anonymity because they weren't permitted to speak to the press. 'Honestly, comparing real auditing to what DOGE is doing, there's no comparison,' says one of the auditors who spoke to WIRED. 'None of them are auditors.' In September, in a speech during the presidential campaign, then candidate Donald Trump said that he would create a government efficiency task force, headed by Musk, which would do a 'complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government.' Musk initially said that he wanted to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, more than the entire 2023 discretionary budget of $1.7 trillion. Musk has since tempered his ambitions, saying he'd aim to cut $1 trillion in government spending. Still, he has alleged that much of this money can be cut by identifying waste, fraud, and abuse, and has continued to claim DOGE's cuts of agency staff and resources are all part of an audit. While there are certainly instances of government money siphoned off to fraud—a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study published in 2024 estimated that the government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion to fraud each year—even recovering all that spending wouldn't amount to the $1 trillion Musk hopes to cut from the budget. The auditors who spoke to WIRED allege that not only is Musk's claim not true, but that DOGE appears to have completely eschewed the existing processes for actually rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse. 'An audit that follows Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS), also known as a Yellow Book audit, is conducted in accordance with the standards issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO),' says the first auditor. Audits can focus on the finances, compliance, or performance of an agency. 'That is the gold standard for how you audit the government.' There are generally five phases of a GAGAS audit, the auditors tell WIRED: planning, evidence gathering, evaluation, reporting, and follow up. Auditors work to define the scope of an audit, identify all the applicable laws and standards, and come up with an audit plan. Next, auditors conduct interviews with staff, review financial records, and comb through data, reports, and transactions, documenting all the way. From there, auditors will assess that information against policies or procedures to figure out if there's been some kind of alleged waste, fraud, or abuse and issue a report detailing their findings and offering recommendations. Often, those reports are made available to the public. After an audit, the auditors can follow up with the agency to ensure changes are being made. There are also very technical definitions for what constitutes waste, fraud, or abuse. Waste could mean that there are inefficiencies in a program that might lead to purchasing more of something that goes unused, or paying more for a service than is necessary. Fraud involves intentional deception—for instance, bribery or falsifying business records. Abuse means doing things that aren't necessarily illegal, but that are unethical. This could look like nepotism or favoritism in hiring, or spending excessively on travel. In a recent interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Musk said he believed that the government was 'one big pyramid scheme,' and alleged that 'entitlements fraud' was a 'gigantic magnetic force to pull people in from all around the world and keep them here.' The two auditors told WIRED that going through the technological and financial minutiae of even just a single project or part of an agency can take anywhere from six to 18 months. 'You can't coherently audit something like the whole Social Security system in a week or two,' says the second auditor. It's exactly this rush to crack systems open without full understanding, the auditors say, that has led to Elon Musk's false claims that 150-year-olds were receiving Social Security benefits. 'It could be that DOGE didn't de-dupe the data.' 'In no uncertain terms is this an audit,' claims the second auditor. 'It's a heist, stealing a vast amount of government data.' Federal workers who have spoken WIRED say they are worried their own data could be used to surveil and target them for firings based on their identities or political views. There are also concerns that DOGE could access contracts and procurement data that contain sensitive information companies provide in order to work with the federal government. DOGE has also deployed an AI chatbot within the General Services Administration (GSA), and appears to want to expand the use of such tools, bolstered by access to government data. New court documents also indicate that Marko Elez, the former DOGE representative at Treasury, shared a spreadsheet with personally identifying information outside the agency. And without time spent for auditors to understand a new data system—like interviewing agency staff or learning the coding language—the first auditor believes it's likely the DOGE team is flying blind. 'When they collect a data set, they don't get it with any sort of description, I imagine,' they say. 'There are no terms of use for any government systems…There's no supporting testimony from data system owners, from data system experts. They don't even know the language and the database systems that they're working in. That's why they keep messing up.' The auditors described a lengthy vetting process that allowed them to get the permissions necessary to dive into an agency's data and systems. In addition to going through the initial vetting process, the auditors say that they are required to engage in continuing education. 'None of them have any auditing background, none have any certifications, none have any clearances,' says the first auditor. Federal workers who have spoken to WIRED expressed concern that DOGE's operatives appear to have bypassed the normal security clearance protocols in order to access sensitive systems. WIRED found that many of DOGE's youngest members, all of whom were 25 or younger, have very limited work experience, and none in the government. One, Edward Coristine, who goes by 'Big Balls' online, appears to be a 19-year-old high school graduate. Despite this, they were given high level access at places like the GSA, Social Security Administration, and the Treasury. Others, like those at the Federal Aviation Administration, come directly from Musk's own companies, and were not fully vetted by their start dates. The auditors also noted that even canceling contracts, as DOGE has done, can add, rather than reduce costs in the long run. For instance, often the government negotiates deals on large purchases where it gets discounts for bulk purchases. Canceling a contract likely not only means the government needs to pay some kind of fee to compensate for the contract cancellation—maybe 10 to 15 percent of the contract amount—but if some or part of that purchase needs to be reinstated later, that initial bulk discount will likely be gone, making it more expensive overall. This was the case with many of the software licenses that DOGE said it wanted to cut. Since sweeping through the government, DOGE has canceled thousands of government contracts, including 10,000 specifically for humanitarian aid. According to reporting from the Associated Press, 40 percent of those canceled contracts through late February will likely not save the government any money. 'They'll end up costing more in some way, whether it's time, inconvenience, or money,' says the second auditor. But the auditors say that there are ways DOGE could get it right. 'If DOGE wanted to be the good guys, they could,' says the first auditor. 'I'd start by looking at existing Inspector General recommendations.' On the website for the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, for instance, there are more than 1,200 recommendations that have yet to be implemented that could potentially save the government hundreds of millions of dollars. In an interview on FOX Business with Larry Kudlow, when asked about how his team was identifying what to go after in the government, Musk replied, 'We look at the president's executive orders, and we also just follow the money.' The auditors say they aren't necessarily against bringing in people from outside the government to help streamline government processes—something that the government was already doing before Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term. For instance, 18F, the digital services agency within the GSA's Technology Transformation Services (TTS), was explicitly designed to serve as an in-house consultancy that would allow federal agencies to leverage private sector expertise. As part of DOGE's sweep of the government, however, it has gutted the group, putting a pause of several ongoing projects to make government services more efficient for users. And it's these actions, the second auditor says, that best show that DOGE's intentions may not be geared towards 'efficiency' at all. 'It's a con,' they allege. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Associated Press
17-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
The Appraisal Foundation Announces McKissock as Host of Foundation Asynchronous Courses
The Appraisal Foundation today announced that McKissock, LLC, a leading provider of real estate appraisal education, has been awarded the contract to be the exclusive host of The Appraisal Foundation's asynchronous continuing and qualification education courses. These courses cover the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), Yellow Book, and other essential valuation topics. This new contract extends a longstanding partnership between The Foundation and McKissock Learning that has served hundreds of thousands of real estate appraisers throughout their career journeys. As demand for qualified appraisers grows, access to high-quality, flexible education is more important than ever. This renewed partnership ensures that professionals can continue to rely on McKissock's expertise to meet evolving industry standards. Following a rigorous RFP process, McKissock emerged as the top provider, surpassing six competitors. Their extensive market reach and proven ability to deliver engaging, high-quality coursework set them apart. 'McKissock's commitment to developing innovative new courses that engage appraisers and promote excellence across the profession aligns perfectly with our mission to promote public trust,' said Kelly Davids, President of The Appraisal Foundation. 'I congratulate them on receiving this award after a highly competitive proposal process, and our team is eager to collaborate with McKissock to bring the Foundation's courses to life.' 'McKissock has been a trusted partner in real property valuation education for decades, and we're excited to continue our collaboration with The Appraisal Foundation,' said Michael Schenk, General Manager at McKissock Learning. 'As a leader in appraisal education, we're proud to support the Foundation's mission and advance excellence in the profession. Our team looks forward to offering next-level USPAP courses that enhance engagement, accountability, and real-world application—ensuring appraisers are well-prepared for success.' The contract extends The Appraisal Foundation's partnership with McKissock through December 31, 2029, with an option for a two-year extension. Details on new course updates and availability will be announced soon. For the latest information, please visit About The Appraisal Foundation The Appraisal Foundation is the nation's foremost authority on the valuation profession. The organization sets the Congressionally-authorized standards and qualifications for real estate appraisers and provides voluntary guidance on recognized valuation methods and techniques for all valuation professionals. This work advances the profession by ensuring appraisals are independent, consistent, and objective. More information on The Appraisal Foundation is available at About McKissock For over 30 years, McKissock Learning has been the leading provider of real estate appraisal education, delivering top-tier training to valuation professionals nationwide. As the premier appraisal education provider in the U.S., McKissock is powered by a passionate team with decades of experience in both education and professional appraisal. Part of Colibri Group, McKissock is committed to equipping the next generation of appraisers with high-quality, accessible education that fosters their success and career growth. For more information, please visit CONTACT: Amy Kaufman Director of Communications The Appraisal Foundation [email protected] Direct phone: 202.624.3048 Michael Schenk General Manager McKissock Learning [email protected] Direct phone: 781.308.4976 SOURCE: McKissock Learning Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 03/17/2025 12:09 PM/DISC: 03/17/2025 12:10 PM
