-The Hindu The RTI Act Amendment Bill must be junked The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, has empowered millions of Indians to question governments and hold public functionaries accountable. Of the nearly six million RTI applications filed every year in the country, a large proportion are by the poorest and the most marginalised who seek information about their basic rights and entitlements, like rations, pensions and health facilities. The use of...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Controversy has again enveloped the bailiwick of the chief economic adviser to the finance ministry amid suggestions that the Narendra Modi government has lowered the academic credentials and experience for the next incumbent who will replace Arvind Subramanian. Congress leader Ahmed Patel stirred the pot with a tweet: "Why has government diluted the educational and professional requirements for the post of chief economic advisor? Economist positions, even in...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: At a time when a delayed schedule for this year's winter session of Parliament is a matter of discussion in political circles, an examination of records shows that 47% of bills in the last 10 years were passed without any debate. There has also been a steady reduction in parliamentary hours, a comparison with records of the first 20 years since 1952 show. Between 1952 and...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Advocates of transparency have a new worry amid the euphoria over the privacy verdict - the possibility of information commissioners citing the new fundamental right to deny answers under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. As it is, RTI activists have had to contend with commissioners using Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act to refuse information on the premise that it infringes upon a person's privacy. The section...

-NDTV In his maiden appearance after being named Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath proclaimed that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government would maintain a laser-like focus on the twin themes of combating corruption and restoring law and order. "In the past 15 years," Adityanath noted, "UP lagged behind in the race of development as previous governments indulged in corruption, nepotism, and failed on the law order front." Indeed, one of...