-The Hindu   J.S. Verma fires latest salvo in the war against Markandey Katju's comments The former Chief Justice of India and current head of the television news media's self-regulatory mechanism, J.S. Verma, has fired the latest salvo in the war of words following the recent controversial comments of Markandey Katju, the former Supreme Court judge and new head of the Press Council of India (PCI). “Everyone knows the Press Council has failed in...

-The Indian Express   Ahead of the panchayat polls, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has declared his and his ministerial colleagues’ assets. With movable and immovable properties worth Rs 11.99 crore, Patnaik is the richest among all his ministerial colleagues. The assets were posted on the CM office web site Friday night. Patnaik was followed by Doon School mate AU Singh Deo, who had properties worth Rs 4.8 crore. Urban Development Minister Sarda Prasad...

The tribal people of Chhattisgarh are in an extremely dangerous situation, caught as they are between the state forces and the Maoists. THIRTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD Soni Sori, an Adivasi schoolteacher from Chhattisgarh, was arrested in Delhi on October 4 on charges of acting as a conduit between the Essar group and the Maoists, the former accused of giving “protection money” to the latter. On October 7, she moved the Delhi High Court to...

As the Right to Information Act (RTI) celebrated the sixth year of its coming, there has been much heated discussion, often emotional, of the benefits that it has brought and also the challenges with which it has confronted government. This debate came to a head with the prime minister’s inaugural address to the Annual Convention of the Central Information Commission on October 14. It is accepted in all circles that the...

Against the backdrop of what has been happening in central India over the past few months, Putting Women First possibly has several lessons to offer to policymakers. Situated in Gadchiroli, the image of which in the public mind is that of a “naxal-infested, backward tribal district”, the book provides an insight into what moves the sinews of that community. Rani Bang, the primary author of the book, along with her husband...