-Outlook New Delhi: National Human Rights Commission today issued notice to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments, taking suo motu cognizance of a media report which claimed that over three lakh migrant workers from Odisha would be unable to vote in the coming Lok Sabha polls as they are "tied in brick kilns" in three states. The Commission observed that the contents of the news report, "if true, raise a serious...

-PTI Paid news has three aspects - print media, electronic media and expenditure by candidates Recognising the malaise of paid news, Election Commission has proposed to the government to make it an electoral offence even as it continues to tackle it itself by monitoring the expenditures of candidates. Addressing a press conference here to announce the Lok Sabha poll schedule, Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath said paid news has three aspects --...

-The Business Standard A sting, Operation Prime Minister, by a TV news channel had said opinion polls could be manipulated by research agencies The Election Commission (EC) of India cannot ban opinion polls ahead of elections; all it can do is remind the Union government about its long-pending request. And, this is what India's highest poll-conducting body is planning to do, following a TV news channel's sting operation code-named ‘Operation Prime Minister', which...

-The Hindu In formulating the most effective and inclusive procedures for pre-legislative consultation, the Central government should study and draw inspiration from Kerala's example We should all celebrate the recent decision taken by a Cabinet Secretary-led committee which seeks to institutionalise public participation in the law-making process. The decision requires every Central government department to publicise the details of a proposed legislation on the Internet and other media before being introduced in...

-Reuters   The number of maids has surged by close to 70% from 2001 to 2010, says the ILO New Delhi: Millions of maids working in middle class Indian homes are part of up an informal and "invisible" workforce where they are abused and exploited due to a lack of legislation to protect them, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday. Economic reforms that began in the early 1990s have transformed the...