-The Economic Times The RTI Act is undoubtedly a historic landmark and has energised sections of our population like nothing else before. But despite its careful crafting and a well-defined machinery to back it, getting those bits of information, which vested interests within the government wish to hide, are an extremely arduous task. Therefore, I was not surprised when my RTI, seeking simple information regarding the number of foreign trips undertaken...
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Centre tells states to initiate police reforms -Vishwa Mohan
-The Times of India Giving a new lease of life to various recommendations on police reforms including abolition of 'orderly' system in police force and evaluating quality of service at police stations by citizens, the Centre has written to states asking them to take action on several 'measures' relating to over four dozen 'functional areas' of policing which may help in improving 'law and order' machinery. Though a number of suggestions had...
More »Making it ‘for the people’ again -Harbans Mukhia
-The Hindu The movement by India Against Corruption is a call to the system as a whole to redefine the polity and the economy The one significant question being thrown us by the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement is this: is the movement for or against the country’s much revered democracy? The answer, as often in questions relating to society or politics, is neither a clear yes nor no. It is anti-democratic...
More »India emerges world’s child marriage capital -Rakhi Chakrabarty
-The Times of India Four UN agencies urged India to take "incremental action" to fight the scourge of child marriages in the country on Thursday when the first International Day of the Girl Child was observed across the world. The focus of the first observance of the day is on child marriage. In a letter to Union minister of women and child development Krishna Tirath, heads of four UN agencies in India...
More »Grass-root politics, down in the weeds -Ruchi Gupta
-The Hindu India Against Corruption should realise the ‘aam aadmi’ needs not only decentralised power but also a lofty vision There are two underlying themes of India Against Corruption’s new party: the induction of good people and “people’s power” through consummate decentralisation. The vision document sets out a quest for “swaraj,” people’s right to self-determination. This ideal of self-determination has been conflated with direct democracy. Thus the vision document indicates that “as...
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