-The Hindu   Governor H.R. Bhardwaj on Monday alleged that officers in the Lokayukta were being gradually transferred and old cases “whitewashed” taking advantage of the vacuum in the premier investigation agency in the State. Speaking to presspersons at Raj Bhavan after conferring doctorate degrees on two eminent scientists, the Governor maintained that the standoff between him and Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on the appointment of Lokayukta had not created any constitutional...

The Rs.3,884-crore package for the handloom sector, which includes one-time waiver of overdue loans and interests, approved by the Union Cabinet, is expected to benefit about 3-lakh weavers and 15,000 cooperative societies, which would have access to institutional credit once again. However, the package will benefit only those who took loan before March 31, 2010. “There would be many weavers who had no access to institutional credit in the past and...

-Express News Service The government will introduce the Citizens’ Charter Bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said on Monday. Once introduced, the legislation, called The Right of Citizens for Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Their Redressal, will be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee. The move for a separate Bill dealing with the issues covered under the Citizens’ Charter of Team Anna had been...

At a time when it is debating with Team Anna over CBI's inclusion within the Lokpal's ambit, the Centre has moved the Supreme Court seeking to blunt petitions in various high courts challenging the June 9 notification exempting the investigating agency from the purview of Right to Information Act. The ministry of personnel, public grievances and pension had issued the June 9 notification to include CBI, the National Investigating Agency...

-India Education Diary   Top-level academics from India and abroad, policy makers and education experts will unfold their experiences and strategies for an effective implementation of the historic Right to Education (RTE) Act and explore and identify critical issues in the education sector at a national conference that gets under way here on Wednesday (Dec. 21). The day-long conference, titled 'Catalysing Education for All: Intention, Innovation, and Implementation', is being organized by...