Under the FIRST proviso to Section 21(1), no contract exceeding a value or amount fixed by the Central Government shall be made unless it has been previously approved by:

The FIRST proviso to Section 21(1) requires contracts exceeding a Central-Government-fixed value to receive prior approval of the AUTHORITY ITSELF (its own Board) - a first-tier, internal governance check - which is distinct from the SECOND proviso's requirement of prior CENTRAL GOVERNMENT approval for immovable-property contracts, leases exceeding thirty years, or contracts above a separately Government-fixed higher threshold. There is no requirement under Section 21 for CAG, AERA, or an ad hoc judicial sub-committee's approval at either tier. This two-tier structure (Authority-level for the first proviso, Government-level for the second) is a recurring, easily-conflated point across this Act's contract-approval framework.