-The Times of India BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha State Information ComMISsion has imposed fines on a public information officer (PIO) for delay in supplying information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to two different applicants in Sundargarh district. State information comMISsioner Jagadananda last week imposed the maximum stipulated fine of Rs 25,000 on Goutam Ranjan Bose, assistant fisheries officer-cum-PIO in Sundargarh in one case and Rs 7,500 in another for violation of...

-The Hindu Terming broadcasters’ attempts at self-regulation “futile and meaningless,” the Press Council of India (PCI) has asked the government to amend law and bring the electronic media — both broadcast and social — under the ambit of an expanded and renamed Media Council. PCI chairman Markandey Katju has been urging the inclusion of the electronic media under the Council’s regulatory umbrella ever since he took charge last year. However, the recent...

-The Hindu The Centre on Tuesday said Bihar and Chhattisgarh had initiated investigation into the alleged removal of uteruses of BPL women as part of a fraud to corner insurance money. Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad laid a copy of his statement, made in response to a calling attention motion sponsored by a host of MPs led by Lok Jan Shakti Party president Ram Vilas Paswan, in the Rajya...

-The Hindu The parliamentary stalemate continues on one of the greatest corruption scandals in Indian history. Allocation of natural resources has been a subject matter of public debate in the last two decades, particularly with the entry of the private sector in infrastructure development. Minerals are an important natural resource. The private sector has a great role to play in development of mineral-based industries. However, the policy of allocation of these...

-The Hindu “I seek the indulgence of the House… 3. …I want to assure Hon’ble Members that as the Minister in charge [for a part of the time covered by the report], I take full responsibility for the decisions of the Ministry. I wish to say that any allegations of impropriety are without basis and unsupported by the facts. 10. The observations of the CAG are clearly disputable. 11. The policy of allocation of...