-ThePrint.in Chief Information Commission and its state counterparts have an unwritten rule about not penalising erring public information officers who discourage RTI applicants. Fifteen years after it came into effect, promising a new era in transparency in government functioning, India’s Right to Information, or RTI, Act is dying a slow but certain death, with the executive letting go of no chance to hasten the process. According to an estimate, between 40 and 60...

-The Hindu School closures also interrupted support mechanisms from which many disadvantaged learners benefit The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in education systems across the world. According to a UNESCO report released on Tuesday, about 40% of low- and lower-middle-income countries have not supported learners at risk of exclusion during this crisis, such as the poor, linguistic minorities and learners with disabilities. The 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report noted that efforts to maintain...

-The Hindu Food security and farmer welfare are intertwined It is ironic that it took a devastating pandemic to force the government’s hand for long-overdue agrarian reforms. Amendments have been made to the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. The Finance Minister has urged States to dismantle the Agricultural Produce Market Committees. Several long-term changes have been made to the agricultural sector, such as fair pricing and e-trading, along with liquidity measures. The Centre...

-Down to Earth Its primary aim is to woo voters in Bihar where elections will take place later this year While the whole country is fighting against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the priority of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is to manage Rajya Sabha elections and campaign for the Bihar state assembly elections. The launch of ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20, 2020, is nothing but...

-Down to Earth The warming of the Arctic, as seen by the Siberian heatwave, may also impact western disturbances in India Verkhoyansk, a town in Siberia, has recorded the highest temperature in the Arctic circle in the last 140 years at 38 degree celsius. This is around 18°C higher than the normal temperature for this time of the year for the place. Even though the town is in the Guinness book of world...