-Deccan Herald Rights activists led by Aruna Roy on Monday demanded that the proposed Whistleblowers Protection Bill and the Grievance Redressal Bill be made more stringent. At a public debate involving intellectuals and MPs, the activists suggested that both the Bills, pending in Parliament, should be amended. The Whistleblowers Bill has been passed by Lok Sabha and is awaiting Rajya Sabha nod, while the Grievance Redressal Bill is still in Lok Sabha. National Campaign...

-The Hindu The National Advisory Council has set up a two-member working group to study the report on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) prepared by the High Level Expert Group and the government’s proposal to expand the scope of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and convert it into a National Health Mission. The two-member group, comprising Mirai Chatterjee and A.K. Shiva Kumar, will work closely with the Ministry of Health and Family...

-The Times of India The government is likely to incorporate significant amendments to the Whistleblowers protection Bill that will keep matters pertaining to national security, public order, Cabinet papers and foreign relations outside the Bill's purview. The exemptions can be seen as a "dilution" of the Bill by activists, but are seen to be necessary after it was pointed out that revealing sensitive details regarding national security could become "lawful" if provisions...

-The Pioneer Plans to gag babus in amended Bill The UPA Government is mulling on bringing amendments to the Whistle Blowers Protection Bill, which is pending in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha in the last Winter Session without any debate. According to sources, the amendments will dilute the spirit of the Bill by stripping the status of Whistleblowers to officials who tried to use Government documents like Cabinet...

-The Hindustan Times Condemning the attack on RTI activist Akhil Gogoi, the National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information (NCPRI) on Monday asked the Assam government to immediately disclose the Central government’s report on tackling floods in the state. Gagoi, who is also general secretary of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), was assaulted while he was surveying the flood situation in Punni village, Dharmapur area of Assam and is currently in...