As non-governmental organisations question the relevance of the World Water Forum being held here this week and slam its "corporate" nature, the United Nations says that a coordinated approach to managing and allocating water is critical. The fourth edition of the triennial World Water Development Report (WWDR), which brings together the work of 28 U.N.-Water members and partners is being officially launched Monday at the Forum. It stresses that water "underpins...

Right to Information (RTI) activist Sanjay Bhaklika has alleged that the Adharwadi prison authorities demanded Rs 1.29 lakh from him for 12,500 pages of information on the jail. Bhaklika, 40, a resident of Sai Chowk, Kadakpada in Kalyan, said, “I was in jail for 43 days on a false forgery case. During my time inside the prison, I saw many irregularities. So, after getting released on bail, I decided to expose...

Did the Supreme Court confirm that sports bodies selecting national teams were public authorities? At least the people opposing the move appear to think so. Minutes of anIndian Olympic Association (IOA) meeting in May 2011 -- Accessed through RTI -- suggest that the members were informed of the SC order and were studying the contents.  The interpretation could have a bearing on the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI)...

The results for the assembly elections held across five Indian states, announced yesterday, threw up some surprises. But a welcome surprise in these elections was the high voter turn out. Voters, and particularly women voters, went to the polls in unexpectedly high numbers. Voter turnout jumped nearly 50 percent in one state, Uttar Pradesh, and women voted at higher rates than men in all five states that had elections. Activists credit...

Parliament must use budget session to discuss key pending bills The budget session of Parliament begins today. The last few sessions have been characterised by disruptions and consequent loss of productive time. To see one indicator, the 15th Lok Sabha, half-way through its term, has lost 30 per cent of scheduled time — the worst ever. As a result, many important bills have been pending. It is to be seen whether...