-The Hindu The State Information Commission agreed to consider some of the demands of the RTI Kerala Federation and other organisations that staged a dharna before the commission here on Tuesday. In talks with leaders of the organisations, Chief Information Commissioner Siby Mathews said the commission would consider their representation against delegation of its powers regarding disposal of petitions to officials. The commission had been returning complaints recently, on grounds that first appeals...

Kanak Dixit: We have with us Aruna Roy, from Devdungri village in Rajasthan, who has, among other things, been able to take the Right to Information (RTI) from janasunuwais, or public hearings at the village level, all the way to national legislation that encompasses all of India. It is a movement that is truly global in scale. Aruna, a question that has been troubling me quite a bit in the context...

As many as 100 girls from Gusai Baliya in Barkagaon block of Hazaribagh district can’t study as the nearest school is about 15km away The primary school at Belamundwar village in Hazaribagh Sadar block has 155 students but no permanent teacher. It needs at least five trained teachers, but is struggling with two para-teachers The primary school at Simgra in Khunti district has only one teacher for 101 students Halwai Tola primary school...

Police officers who have stood up for the truth are made to pay for it. IF there is anyone who can nail the perpetrators of the anti-Muslim riots of 2002 in Gujarat, it is the State's police officers. Witness to the worst communal violence seen in recent times, these officers have first-hand knowledge of the complicity of politicians in the riots and the degree of brutality and negligence of duty that...

-PTI The Centre has issued a new set of guidelines to seize properties or money of corrupt government officials even after their retirement.  The norms, made in consultation with the ministry of law and justice, says a competent authority in the department concerned can give sanction to the Centre for such attachment. The guidelines assume significance as most departments and investigating agencies like the CBI have in the past expressed difficulty in...