-Business Standard CIC to adopt new software system from next week to enable applicants to receive notifications and updates Citizens will now get real-time updates on any complaints or appeals filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, reported the Economic Times on Monday. The report added that the Central Information Commission (CIC) would now function akin to an e-court. How will it work? According to the report, from next week, the CIC will...

-The Hindu In a landmark judgment in 2013, the Central Information Commission had ruled that political parties come within the ambit of the Right to Information Act. The tug of war between the six national political parties and the Central Information Commission (CIC) continues as they continue to defy its orders three years after it had declared them as “public authorities” under the Right to Information Act, 2005 making it mandatory for...

-Livemint.com How women in a remote Nagaland village are bringing about transformation rooted in traditional Naga practices Inside a small thatched hut, smoke from the wood fire danced with the sun rays beaming through gaps in the roof. We huddled around the fire, brewed tea and wordlessly consumed the packed breakfast of bread, jam and boiled eggs. An intense CICada cacophony resonated across the hillside; the incessant shrill buzz battering our eardrums...

-The Times of India Nagpur: There has been a major dip in the demand for genetically modified Bt cotton seeds this kharif season. The seeds that were introduced by the US multinational Monsanto in 2002 have become mainstay of cotton farming since then. This year, there has been a sharp increase in use of local varieties of cotton seeds instead of Bt in the northern states. The area seems to have...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission on Wednesday issued show cause notices to five national parties - BJP, CPI, CPM, NCP and BSP - for non-compliance of its 2013 order, even as it gave Congress four weeks to respond. The full bench of the commission has given the six parties time till June 20. In its 2013 order, the CIC had recognised parties as public authorities and directed...