-The Hindu Where the citizen-government gap is bridged by using the RTI Act for administrative reforms April 18, 2014 is a day the shepherds around Budgam town near Srinagar will not forget. This was the day when Tosa Maidan — a vast pasture that shepherds from seven districts traditionally grazed their livestock in — was reclaimed from the Indian Army. Leased out to the Army in 1964, Tosa Maidan or ‘the king of...

-The Hindu Business Line After decades of neglect, Delhi’s government schools are finally turning the page with much-needed improvements to facilities and teaching methods. But problems such as staff shortage and a broken primary education system refuse to go away easily Delhi’s bustling IP Extension has a familiar skyline — a linear arrangement of ageing residential complexes. A gleaming new building in their midst catches the eye. Until recently, the Rajkiya Sarvodaya...

-Huffington Post blog A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance. The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises—there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future. Planning in...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that even if privacy was assumed to be a fundamental right, it could not attain a status higher than the right to food ensured through Aadhaar for 270 million impoverished people. A nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar tried its best to elicit a direct "yes" or "no" reply from attorney general K K...

-Hindustan Times Delhi relies heavily on the polluted Yamuna, neighbouring Haryana for its water supply. The groundwater table is also fast depleting. Natural and artificial water bodies in the city are being targeted by land sharks as well as local residents who have turned them into garbage dumps. New Delhi: More than half of Delhi’s 1000 water bodies have either dried up, encroached upon or acquired for infrastructure development. That is...