-TheWire.in There is little doubt that the practice of handing out freebies undermines both democracy and development. But the problem doesn't lie just with the opposition. Constitutional authorities in India have recently spoken about key challenges the country is facing. The Chief Justice of India (CJI) has said that there is “diminishing” space for the opposition, that there was no longer any mutual respect between the Union government and the opposition, and that...

-Down to Earth The Union government's claim about being on track to double farmers' income sounds hollow as it has not even spent the allocated budget for agrarian schemes in three of the past five years  On February 28, 2016 prime minister Narendra Modi pledged to double farmers’ income by 2022-23—his gift to the country in its 75th year of independence. In the six years since then, the Union government has not...

-Livemint.com Bundelkhand Expressway: Opposition parties criticized the ruling BJP government of Uttar Pradesh over potholes in the long-stretched road. A portion of the newly inaugurated 296-km-long Bundelkhand expressway has developed deep potholes due to heavy rainfall in Uttar Pradesh, within a week of prime minister Narendra Modi launching this long-stretched road. Durgesh Upadhyay, UP Expressway Industrial Authority spokesperson informed that the portion of Bundelkhand expressway has developed one-and-a-half-foot-deep potholes due to incessant rainfall...

-TheWire.in * Neither the CDSCO nor the national advisory group on immunisation was taken into confidence before prime minister Modi announced the rollout of booster doses. * In reply to a series of RTI applications by The Wire Science, the PMO and the health ministry refused to divulge details of the government’s decision-making. * One reply indicated that the government had misled the Supreme Court about the availability of the minutes of an...

-Newsclick.in SKM leaders Darshan Pal and Yogendra Yadav have outrightly rejected the committee. The Central government's decision to exclude Punjab institutions and state government representations from a committee on agricultural issues has been called out by farmer leaders. The committee, headed by former agriculture secretary Sanjay Agrawal, will have 26 members, including farmer representatives, agri-scientists and agri-economists, as well as officials from Central and state governments, a notification issued by the Ministry of...