-The Telegraph   Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government proposes to set up review committees at village levels and urban areas to keep a tab on all health related programmes. The committees, which will have people from various walks of life, will do social audit of the projects being implemented in their areas. Health and family welfare minister Damodar Rout today said: "The committees will be set up in rural as well as urban areas. All...

-The Hindu   When the Supreme Court has recognised the right to go on hunger strike, why is Irom Sharmila's protest against impunity of the armed forces a criminal act? Over the past 12 years, Irom Sharmila Chanu has carried on an inconceivable hunger strike, which has seen her body wither and her skin turn pale. During this period, she has emerged as the face of the civilian resistance to the immunity, and...

-The Hindu Under Section 8 (1) (a), information can be denied on grounds of national security Bangalore: It is hard to imagine that any information preserved in the Karnataka State Archives on the Bababudangiri shrine in Chikmagalur could potentially threaten national security or incite a breach of the law. However, a reply given by the Directorate, Karnataka State Archives, to a Right to Information (RTI) query suggests that it does. In his RTI application...

-The Indian Express As in the case of lawyers and doctors, a formal qualification must be prescribed for journalists Journalists comment on everything under the sun. But when someone comments on their profession, they let loose furious fusillades flaunting the slogan, "the freedom of the media in danger". Most condemn even the suggestion of a public debate on the issue of media regulation and responsibilities. No one can deny my credentials as a...

-The Hindustan Times Angry that unaided minority schools have been exempt from the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the Forum for Fairness in Education (FFIE) plans to file a Public Interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay high court. FFIE is challenging a notification exempting schools from reserving seats for children from economically weak families. The latest RTE notification, uploaded on a government website on March 20, said unaided minority schools will not...