-The Hindu Rural Development Minister asks Jaitley to release Rs. 5,000 crore more With the demand by States for the release of money under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to clear pending liabilities and dues getting more persistent, Rural Development Minister Birender Singh has written to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, urging him to immediately release the additional Rs.5,000 crore as promised. “Since MGNREGS is a demand-driven wage employment programme...

-The Hindu Business Line A CAG report has laid bare the fact that rice millers have for decades reaped undue gains even as they failed to replenish the national food stock Much like rice spilling out of a tear in the sack, the country’s food procurement system has been leaking crores of rupees every year and impoverishing the government. Last week, in a report presented to Parliament the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG)...

-The Times of India New Delhi: The Central Information Commission (CIC) will not return rti appeals and complaints merely on account of non-submission of photo ID of the applicant. rti rules do not specifically provide for furnishing of photo identity document along with appeals and complaints, minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions Jitendra Singh said in response to a written question in Rajya Sabha. "However, in compliance with directions of...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for refusing to make public through Right To Information (rti) its reports on inquiry into offensive practices by private and public sector banks and said as a "watchdog", the central bank had a duty to make public reports on non-transparent activities of banks. "We have surmised that many financial institutions have resorted to acts...

-The Indian Express Government must ensure the disabilities law reaches out to the most needy The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, (PWDA) completed two decades of existence this month. However, the majority of disabled people is yet to avail the entitlements envisaged under the law. Inaccessible public places, non-accommodative educational institutions and the lack of employment opportunities for the disabled are widespread. Under Section...