Ignoring the separatists' call for boycott, residents of this south Kashmir block today turned out in numbers to cast votes in the first phase of Panchayat elections, which are being held in Jammu and Kashmir after a gap of 10 years. Men and women turned up in dozens at polling stations earlier than the scheduled 8.00 am start. Polling is being held in eight blocks including Bishnah, Samba and Udhampur in Jammu...

In a veiled attack on non-government organisations (NGOs) that supported Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday suggested the Lokpal Bill should also cover “corporates and NGOs”. He also supported the idea of social activists, who are in the joint committee, declaring their assets. The Congress general secretary took a dig at Hazare for his controversial remarks that people vote for Rs 100 or a sari or a...

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Tuesday suggested widening the scope of the Lokpal Bill by also going into the issue of corruption in the corporate sector and NGOs as part of a comprehensive package against graft. “The anti-corruption law in the U.S. can look into the functioning of the corporate sector and the NGO sector and it should be considered,” he told journalists here. Describing anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare as a...

The anti-politician tirade at the venue of Anna Hazare’s fast is likely to prompt an indignant political class to close ranks and take on social activists in the coming days. Many Opposition leaders who had initially rejoiced when Hazare’s movement cornered the government are now backing the Centre to take a firm stand against the “unreasonable” demands from activists. At a recent meeting with Pranab Mukherjee, key Opposition leaders had asked the...

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has pulled up the state government for its failure to ensure the supply of quality ration to the people. In its annual report, the CAG said there was no testing laboratory or trained manpower for conducting quality inspection of the foodgrains supplied through the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the state. “The PDS (Control) Order, 2001, envisages that the representatives of the Consumer Affairs...