A controversial Bill which aims to set up an anti-corruption watchdog has been introduced in the lower house of the Indian parliament. Activists have criticised the Lokpal Bill for failing to include the prime minister and senior judiciary within the remit of a new ombudsman. Activist Anna Hazare has called the Bill a "cruel joke". He said he would go on hunger strike from 16 August. India has recently been hit by a...
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CBI books Shukla, Sachan in NRHM scam; registers 2 cases
-PTI CBI has booked former Chief Medical Officer of Lucknow A K Shukla and former Deputy CMO Y S Sachan, who recently died inside Lucknow district prison under mysterious circumstances, in the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission scam. The agency has filed two cases in the scam as it found leads which indicate that huge financial bungling was allegedly committed by the UP Health Department officials in connivance with the contractors, CBI...
More »Twin catalysts for land bill
-The Telegraph The upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections and its importance for Rahul Gandhi have prompted the Centre to try and speed up the land acquisition bill’s introduction and passage. The government is keen to introduce the Bill in the current session of Parliament, which ends on September 8, though rural development minister Jairam Ramesh had earlier indicated that the consultation process would take some time. The Bill will go to the standing...
More »Right to Food Campaign gives call for ‘action' against draft food Bill by Gargi Parsai
-The Hindu The Right to Food Campaign on Tuesday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to set aside the government draft of the Food Security Bill which “minimises government's obligations, restricts people's entitlements and is devoid of any accountability”. Rejecting the government's draft Bill, the Campaign gave a national call for action. In an open letter to the Prime Minister, the Campaign said the draft Bill approved by the Empowered Group of...
More »A better Land Acquisition Bill
-The Hindu The longstanding demand to correct anomalies in the Land Acquisition Act (1894) and check its misuse, and the impending Uttar Pradesh Assembly election have compelled the United Progressive Alliance government to come up with a much-improved piece of legislation. In speedily reshaping the proposed Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, which has been placed in the public domain as part of a pre-legislative consultative process, Jairam Ramesh, the new...
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