-The Times of India MUMBAI: "After the Constitutional Amendment and the status granted to the co-operative societies of self-governance, the RTI Act would be applicable to the Co-operative Society. More particularly after it being self-governed by Maharashtra State Ordinance of 2013 laying down the by-laws, rule, Regulations, procedure and modalities," says the legal opinion of Senior Advocate Firoze Andhyarujina, which was released on Friday by Bombay Chartered Accountants' Society (BCAS), at...

-The Hindu   The CPI leader, in his letter to Jaipal, cites "conflict of interest" Close on the heels of 17 MPs urging Science and Technology Minister Jaipal Reddy to withdraw from the Lok Sabha the recently introduced Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill, CPI leader D. Raja has also expressed "serious reservations" over the Bill, which provides for a single-window clearance mechanism for genetically modified crops. Urging Mr. Reddy to withdraw the...

-The Hindu     Hamadoun Toure seeks support for International Telecommunication Regulations ITU Secretary General Dr. Hamadoun Touré, who was at the centre of the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) controversy which erupted at Dubai's treaty meet - World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) in December 2012 - is visiting India this week. Experts in the know of the treaty negotiations believe Dr. Touré will lobby the government and the private sector to persuade India to...

-Tehelka The new biotechnology Bill will allow biotech firms to tamper with our food In March, US President Barack Obama signed the HR 933 continuing resolution - popularly known as the Monsanto Protection Act - that effectively divests the federal courts of their constitutional power to stop the planting or sale of genetically modified (GM) seeds and crops regardless of the health and environmental consequences. In other words, whether you like...

-The Hindu Instead of opening a debate on the Gadgil panel's report on the Western Ghats, the government has chosen to sideline and replace it with another by an alternate group This is a challenging time in India's development history where a number of tenets of environmental governance are being questioned by the imperative of growth. Environmental governance in India is under assault, and is thus in need of both fresh thinking,...