-The Indian Express Shimla: In a landmark judgement having wider implications on government-funded NGOs and organisations run on public contributions, the State Information Commission (SIC) on Friday ruled that all “substantially” financed NGOs (receiving over Rs 1 crore from state or government grants) are public authority under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and must make their annual ‘income and expenditures’ public. In the Commission’s order, passed by a two-member bench of...

-The Hindustan Times The Election Commission on Tuesday ticked off the Union government for announcing the implementation of Aadhar-based direct cash transfer scheme during election time in Gujarat and himachal pradesh and directed it to keep the process in abeyance in the two poll-bound states. The three-member commission, in its meeting chaired by chief election commissioner VS Sampath, in its order stated that the government's announcement was "avoidable", keeping in mind the...

-The Times of India CHENNAI/NEW DELHI: Chief election commissioner V C Sampath on Tuesday expressed his disapproval over the Centre's decision to go ahead with the direct cash transfer scheme when assembly elections were round-the-corner in Gujarat. himachal pradesh, the other state that went to polls, is yet to know the result, and model code of conduct is still in force. Sampath, who was in Chennai to review the ongoing summary revision of...

-The Times of India By announcing the direct cash transfer scheme and fielding senior ministers from the Congress platform, the Manmohan Singh government may have risked the ire of the Election Commission (EC). The election watchdog will meet on Sunday to deliberate over opposition BJP's complaint that cash transfers are essentially a poll sop, unveiled ahead of the Gujarat assembly election. The timing of the announcement in November although the scheme is to...

-The Times of India Houses built for the poor allotted to ineligible beneficiaries, diversion of over Rs 100 crore to unapproved ventures, and a huge lapse in completion of projects mark UPA's flagship programme for urban areas — the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has found serious lacunae and irregularities in the implementation of JNNURM in a nationwide audit that was tabled...