All non-government organizations (NGOs), which receive donations from the public or receive foreign funds in excess of Rs 10 lakh, could come under the ambit of the Lokpal, according to the recommendations of the parliamentary panel on citizens' ombudsman's draft report. Significantly, this provision will allow NGOs run by activists like Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi and other Team Anna members to come under the anti-corruption watchdog.  If accepted...

-IBNS   A group of about 35 women economists from different countries of Europe, UK, US, Australia and India, have written an open letter to Prime Ministers and Presidents of South Asian nations, including India, which are facing acute sanitation crisis. From India, Jayati Ghosh, Professor, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Bina Agarwal, Director, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi University and Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Chairperson Board of Governors, Indian...

An unprecedented economic growth during the last decade has also seen increasing malnutrition, hunger and starvation amongst certain sections of society. India ranks 66 in the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO’s) World Hunger Index of 88 countries (Inter-national Food Policy Research Institute). More than 200 million people in this country are denied the right to food. One-third of all underweight children (57 million) in the world due to lack of...

The all-crucial Below the Poverty Line (BPL) survey will not be completed ahead of the start of the 12th Five-Year Plan and consequently the execution of the promised food security entitlement, for which the government intends passing legislation in the coming Parliament session, will suffer. Following a review meeting with officials of all States here on Friday, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh admitted that the deadline for conducting the Socio Economic...

-PTI Home Minister P Chidambaram has expressed concern over the data collection process of Unique Identification Authority of India saying there was real chance of inclusion of non-usual residents and creation of false profile in the project which may compromise internal security. In a letter to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Chidambaram said the process of the National Population Register being prepared by the Registrar General of India have been...