-IANS A right to information (RTI) activist here Monday complained to the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG), accusing a senior official of the premier auditing and financial propriety of splurging government money. Aires Rodrigues, in his letter of complaint to CAG chief Vinod Rai, said that Additional Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General Shankar Narayan, who was in Goa for a legislative orientation programme in June, splurged government money on business class air travel...

-The Times of India A middleclass dream that politics can be redeemed by means other than politics has just ended, with Team Anna’s decision to launch a political party and join the fray. Many of his ardent supporters and well-wishers have registered deep disappointment. Anna is becoming part of the problem, they cry. The problem was with the hope that gods out of the machine can serve up deliverance on a...

-IANS Eighteen of the 82 parliamentarians given licences of prohibited bore guns between 2001- 12 had criminal charges pending against them, a study has said, hinting at criminalisation of Indian politics. The 18 MPs were facing cases like murder, attempt to murder and kidnapping at the time the weapons were sold to them. "The study shows the extent to which our politics has become criminalised...we need to take immediate steps to root out...

-The Hindu Instruments that permit people to vote directly on policy and to initiate legislation can ensure that the citizen’s voice is heard   Independent India has been a large-scale experiment in democracy. Unlike many other nations that gained independence from colonial rule but descended into dictatorships and military rule, India has remained a democracy, despite its size and diversity. While we pride ourselves on this achievement, we also need to reflect more...

-The Hindu The response from the officials is not encouraging, says Commissioner The Andhra Pradesh Information Commission has observed that awareness on Right to Information Act among common man was high. The response from the officials was however, not encouraging. The misuse of the RTI Act also came to the notice of Commission, which is contemplating taking suitable action in this regard. Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Information Commissioner P....