-The Indian Express   In an apparent attack on Team Anna, Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi today said that corruption cannot be eradicated by mere slogans, and those creating a “hue and cry” should look within. Sonia was forced to cancel her scheduled rally at Gauchar Chamoli (Uttarakhand) because of “a viral fever” today and in her speech read out at the venue, she underlined that her government was committed to...

-The Times of India   Disappointed by Bihar's Lokayukta bill, Team Anna has described it as a "copy" of the Centre's Lokpal draft. Activist Arvind Kejriwal said the team hoped that chief minister Nitish Kumar, who had on June 30 promised Team Anna that he would enact a strong Lokayukta law, brings a strong bill on the lines of the one passed by Uttarakhand assembly. "Bihar government's proposed Lokayukta bill is a...

Team Anna is worried that it is increasingly coming across as the “B team” of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Today, Anna Hazare said he wanted to restructure his team to include Muslims, Dalits, tribals and young people. It was the latest of many U-turns that Hazare has taken in recent days, on issues such as the shape of his core committee and whether his team would campaign specifically against...

-The Indian Express   While Jethava’s killing hit the headlines, many others are nursing their wounds The murder of RTI activist Nadeem Saiyed in Ahmedabad on Saturday is only one among several incidents where those seeking to expose corruption have been targeted. “The Gujarat government has failed to protect rights of RTI activists,” says Bhikhu Jethava, father of Amit Jethava, an RTI activist who was shot dead outside the Gujarat High Court in 2010. Bhikhu...

All rural schemes will also get a common accounting format; audit to begin with MGNREGS in 12 states At a time when the government is reeling under a number of corruption cases—several of these following critical reports from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG)—the ministry of rural development has roped in the statutory auditor to conduct a financial, compliance and performance audit of its schemes. All schemes of the ministries...