They had waited for six years to know the status of their dues from forest department. Brothers Pandurang and Narayan Gaekwad, tribals from Dang district, had expected a favourable reply to their application filed under Right to Information (RTI) Act. However, what they received on Friday was a threat from an official for seeking to know by when will they receive their money for the 12 teak trees worth Rs...

-The Hindu The Central Information Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs.25,000 on the Public Information Officer of the Delhi Government's Urban Development Department for violating provisions of the Right to Information Act by delaying furnishing of information to the appellant on regularisation of unauthorised colonies. The appellant, Bhupender Singh Rawat, who is convener of non-government organisation Jan Sangharsh Vahini, had sought details on 13 points from the Urban Development Department. When...

West Bengal is likely to simplify restrictive laws on Land Ownership, making it easier for industrial estates to sell surplus land. The state’s land ceiling laws cap private ownership of land at 24 acres, and there were restrictions on transfer of land held under exemption from the threshold. The new policy, which is expected to be ratified by the state cabinet on Friday, would allow companies to transfer even leasehold land given...

-The Hindu   5.6 per cent of the households now comprise single couple There is a quantum jump in the number of families going nuclear in Andhra Pradesh in just about a decade (2001-2011) with 75.6 per cent of the households now comprising single couple, indicating a major societal shift from the traditional joint family system, Census 2011has revealed. The rate at which families are turning nuclear in the State could be gauged from...

Compulsory licence can go a long way to ensure access to cheaper drugs In a momentous development, the Indian patent office issued the ever-compulsory licence in a highly contentious pharmaceutical patent case. The decision is a thumping victory for several patients and health activists who have been fighting what can only be labelled as highly inequitable pricing strategies by multinational drug firms for the past several decades. In August 2011, Natco, an...