-The Hindu The Right to Information Act was a marvel in a country that boasted unbreachable barriers between the ruler and the ruled. It was outside the imagination of the ordinary folk raised in a cloistered environment of fear and secrecy that they could actually call for and obtain records of decisions that critically impacted their lives. Yet in only seven years, the RTI law has not just penetrated the fortress...

-The Times of India LUCKNOW: What the demolition of the disputed structure at Ram Janmabhoomi could not do in 1992, stray rumours did in Faizabad 20 years later on October 24 this year. It was Dussehra day and the processions carrying Durga idols for immersion were passing through the city at their usual pace. Then suddenly rumours of a stone being thrown at idols spread like wildfire. Within hours, it singed...

-PTI In a major relief for former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati, the Allahabad High Court on Monday disMISsed petitions against her in the Taj Corridor case. The Lucknow bench of the court also disMISsed the petitions against her cabinet colleague Naseemuddin Siddiqui. Passing the order, the bench comprising justices Imtiyaz Murtaza and Ashwani Kumar Singh said all petitions were devoid of merit and were accordingly being disMISsed. BSP leader and...

-The Hindustan Times In a report released in October, the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Oraganisation (FAO), which leads international efforts to defeat hunger, said that economic growth is not enough to reduce hunger and malnutrition. To beat the twin menace, it added, a country needs nutrition-sensitive agriculture, social protection and purposeful and decisive public policies. Both statements hold true for India. But the unfortunate part is that while the country has been...

-The Times of India Chief Information ComMISsioner Satyananda MIShra on Saturday lamented that public authorities have failed to make crucial pro-active disclosures despite seven years of the implementation of the RTI Act. Referring to section four of the RTI Act which mandates public authorities to make proactive disclosures and organize records within 120 days of enactment of transparency law in 2005, MIShra said these statutory provisions haven't been complied with even...