-The Hindustan Times The Jammu and Kashmir government’s fresh amendments have rendered the most successful institute of public transparency and accountability, state Right to Information Act, powerless, triggering sharp reactions from civil society and Political Parties. Surprised state’s chief information commissioner G.R Sofi accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led government of making unnecessary changes to make state information commission (SIC) a “toothless body”. “In first place, there was no reason to come up with...
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Give them their rights -Thomas Chandy
-The Hindustan Times Amid the din of the discordant notes in Parliament and outside on scams, a significant decision by the Union cabinet went almost unnoticed. Earlier this week, the Cabinet amended the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act (CLPRA), 1986, and renamed it as the Child and Adolescent Labour Prohibition Act (CALPA). When Parliament passes the important amendments, CALPA, along with the Right to Education (RTE) Act, it is likely...
More »Medha Patkar responds
-The Hindu The response to my article by Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Rural Development, and his colleagues is a welcome move towards a public debate which we have suggested, time and again, should be held in every State with all people’s organisations. I would like to briefly reply to some points in the Minister’s response: His argument that land is finite cannot be used to justify forcible acquisition. The Bill...
More »Kiran Bedi sees compulsions of ‘vote politics’ in Arvind Kejriwal stand on BJP -Abantika Ghosh
-The Indian Express The aggression of India Against Corruption (IAC) towards the BJP, which was always a “Lokpal ally”, could be linked to compulsions of electoral politics, Kiran Bedi has said. Pointing out that senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley had shared stage with the IAC during Anna Hazare’s Jantar Mantar fast last December, Bedi told The Indian Express that the organisation’s attacks on the BJP may be linked to its transformation “from...
More »Civil rights activists against stalling of Parliament
-The Times of India With the political logjam stalling key legislative business, civil rights activists feel that Parliament should be allowed to function to ensure that the government is held accountable. MKSS head and RTI activist Aruna Roy said that while the issue of corruption was important, Parliament should be allowed to run. "Corruption is a huge issue but there are other laws which will protect people's lives and cub corruption. Political...
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