-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: India's much-delayed Twelfth Five-Year Plan is yet to be officially printed, but the Planning Commission has already begun asking states and ministries to start gearing up for the mid-term appraisals for this Plan period, leaving most of them bewildered. This Five-Year Plan started in April 2012, but the strategy document for the Plan was finalised and approved by National Development Council in late December that year -...

-Live Mint Fast clearance of river projects and the lack of disaster preparedness have wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand Relief operations in disaster-ravaged Uttarakhand have ended and the time seems ripe to take account of the institutional frailties that have contributed to the ongoing human disaster in the state. Chief minister Vijay Bahuguna has been blamed for inaction when the disaster first struck and has also admitted that the state did not...

-The Business Standard Food insecurity and hunger are rooted in bad policies, faulty design, poor governance and a lack of political will According to the latest Global Hunger Report, India continues to be in the category of those nations where hunger is "alarming". What is worse, despite high growth, the hunger index in India between 1996 and 2011 has gone up from 22.9 to 23.7. National Sample Survey Organisation data show that...

-The Hindustan Times Inquiry proceedings against CBI officials may get exempted from the scope of the Right to Information Act (RTI), if the government's suggestions on the working of a proposed accountability commission get through. "Notwithstanding anything contained in RTI or any other law for the time being in force, all records of the proceedings related to a complaint and the inquiry shall not be disclosed by any person in any proceeding...

-The Business Standard Clause empowers both Central and state govts from their obligation to provide subsidised food in the event of war, flood, drought, fire, cyclone or earthquake The government included much-debated 'force majeure' clause in the Food Security Ordinance, despite opposition from civil socieity and a Parliamentary standing committee. However, the clause can now only be invoked if the Central government in consultation with the Planning Commission decides as to whether such...