-The Telegraph Reclaimed from Maoists, the natural reserves of Saranda are up against unscrupulous adversaries. At least four mining firms have been extracting iron ore and manganese against their sanctioned capacities in this West Singhbhum region since 2008 right under the nose of the mines department and Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB). The startling fact came to light this January after the two laggard state offices replied to separate RTI petitions filed...

The Vidarbha region of Maharashtra which has gained notoriety for its farm suicides, is also reporting a high incidence of child deaths. Data compiled under the Right to Information (RTI) Act shows that in Yavatmal district alone 565 children below five died due to various causes between January and September 2011. In addition, the district reported 489 still births for the same period. Yavatmal is second only to Amravati district which...

AHMEDABAD: She was forced to go for abortion not once but six times by her in-laws as they were obsessed for a male heir. Today she has used RTI to rescue several women who go through this ordeal many times in their lives. Amisha Bhatt, 36, from Vastrapur has exposed errant sonography clinics, how despite laws like Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act and measures to prevent sex determination...

-The Times of India   The amended draft policy on open spaces is ready and the BMC plans to bring private trusts managing public spaces under theRTI Act. If the plan is approved , trusts looking after recreation grounds (RGs), playgrounds (PGs), parks and gardens-on adoption or caretaker basiswill have to share details of their operationswiththe public .  The move comes after the BMC caught flak at a civic improvementscommittee meeting in March...

I recently wrote in this column about two cases where individual efforts to fight corruption and inefficient system brought results. Alas, it is fraught with difficulties and sometimes danger. Manjulaben Vaghela lives in Pardhol village in Dascroi taluka. She for past four years has been trying to get an electricity connection for her chhapra. Starting with the GEB, she has appealed to everyone concerned including the CM's secretariat. This has caused her...