-Express News Service   The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011 was passed in the Lok Sabha with several amendments but the opposition BJP remained far from satisfied. The legislation now faces an uncertain fate in the Rajya Sabha where the UPA is in minority. Under attack from the opposition and allies like the DMK and Trinamool Congress over the inclusion of Lokayuktas in the bill — what they called an assault on India’s...

-The Hindu   The government's decision on a sub-quota of 4.5 per cent for minorities within the overall 27 per cent reservation for the backward classes promises to be the new trigger for a heated political discourse just ahead of several Assembly elections, including the all-important poll in Uttar Pradesh just a few months away. More than a decade ago, the V.P. Singh government ushered in the ‘Mandal revolution' in North India. It...

-The Hindu   The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has tabled an amendment to the Rules for the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 on the ground that it negates the legislation passed by Parliament. The Act that seeks to fix liability on the manufacturer of nuclear reactors in the event of an accident has been criticised by the United States. Last month the government notified the rules, which have been objected...

There was wide criticism of the perceived attack on federalism Members of Parliament across the political spectrum are apprehensive of what the establishment of a supreme Lokpal — answerable to none — may hold for the future of the parliamentary system of governance as India has known and for the entire political establishment. Even as the process for the historic legislation for establishing a Lokpal began on Thursday with the introduction of...

The uncertainty over the Lokpal Bill has overshadowed an equally significant National Food Security Bill, which was cleared by the Union Cabinet last week and is to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Bill has been in the eye of the storm over targeted coverage of beneficiaries as against universalisation in view of the immense ramifications for the aam aadmi , struggling with rising food prices. In the second...