Certain provisions in the rules notified under the IT Act cause concern about the security of sensitive personal information. ON April 11, the Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology notified new rules under the Information Technology Act, 2000, to regulate the use of the Internet. This led to widespread apprehensions that the government and private persons might gain free access to sensitive personal information concerning Internet users. The government, however,...

-The Telegraph   Excerpts from the draft of the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill, 2011, which was circulated among MLAs on Monday. Whereas it is expedient to provide for taking over of the land covered by the lease granted to Tata Motors Limited for the sole purpose of Small Car Manufacturing project and letters of allotment issued to the Vendors as recommended by Tata Motors Limited in view of non-commissioning and...

-Deccan Herald   The Central Information Commission (CIC) has pulled up the Prime Minister’s Office for ''casually handling'' a plea filed under the RTI Act that demanded details of the foreign visits undertaken by Sonia Gandhi as chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC). Chief Information Commissioner Satyanand Mishra expressed displeasure as the Prime Minister’s Office forwarded the RTI plea seeking information on the Congress president’s visits to foreign countries, first to the Ministry...

-The Indian Express   Amidst heated exchange of words and walkout by opposition members, West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill scrapping the previous Left Front government's deal with Tata Motors to return land to 'unwilling' farmers in Singur, fulfilling a key election pledge of Mamata Banerjee. The Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill, 2011, enabled the government to return land to farmers who had unwillingly parted with their land and also...

Rural households having a member earning more than Rs 10,000 a month or anyone serving in a government or government-aided organisation or owning a landline phone will not be included in the below poverty line (BPL) category in the new poverty census being conducted by states. However, the new census, which also includes questions about religion and castes, will compulsory include rural households without shelter, destitutes living on alms, manual scavengers,...