The controversy following resignation of Justice Santosh Hegde, the Lok Ayukt of Karnataka, and the subsequent amends purported to have been made by the Karnataka Government has again highlighted the failure of the Lok Pal legislative history at the Centre and equally the passivity and reluctance of all political parties to pass this legislation, which is most urgently desired, if the attempt to control the rapid drift downward to political...

KEY TRENDS   • Section 105 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, which provides for excluding 13 Central legislation, including Land Acquisition (Mines) Act 1885, Atomic Energy Act, 1962, Railway Act 1989, National Highways Act 1956 and Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, from its purview, has been amended for payment of compensation with rigours $ • The amendments have now...

In pushing for a greatly truncated PDS, the Food Security Bill proposed by the NAC, which has many right-to-food activists, undermines the PDS itself. ENSURING food security was the big promise of United Progressive Alliance-2. The promise to enact legislation to ensure a minimum quantity of affordable food to all poor households in the country was part of the election manifesto of the Congress party that leads the government. The 100-day...

The Uttar Pradesh government today scrapped the project for a township near Aligarh and Chief Minister Mayawati unveiled a new policy for rehabilitation of farmers, saying her “government and party were totally against forceful acquisition of farmers’ land”. Under the new policy, there will be provision of annuity for 33 years to a farmer whose land is acquired. This will be in addition to the compensation for the acquired land. The...

Small and medium farmers in the State will get energy efficient motors for their pumpsets free of cost to replace the existing inefficient high energy consuming motors, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi announced on Sunday. “In the case of other farmers, motors will be given at 50 per cent subsidy. This move will save 20 per cent of electricity,” the Chief Minister said in his Independence Day address from Fort St George. He...