-Hindustan Times The exemption on stock limits will also apply to big-chain suppliers and super markets, the government added, in a move aimed at easing tight controls over stocking of edible oils due to high prices New Delhi: The Union government said in a notification issued Tuesday that it has lifted restrictions on stocks of edible oil wholesalers can store owing to an increase in global supplies and stable domestic prices. The exemption...

-The Telegraph Citizens’ participation in policy-making is an important factor in assessing the quality of democracy Within five days of the announcement of Agnipath, the scheme had been amended 10 times, raising the larger question concerning consultation in policy-making. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government has taken a number of policy decisions without public consultation — from demonetisation, which saw 60 changes in 43 days, to GST, which has been...

-Deccan Herald With the general elections a little over a year away, a nod for GM food crops could turn out to be as contentious an issue for the BJP By suddenly giving its nod for the environmental release of genetically modified (GM) herbicide mustard crop - the first edible crop that may enter the food chain in India - the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has stirred a hornet's nest. The...

-Newsclick.in On December 6, the Indian Supreme Court will decide on whether non-transparent political donations are hitting the sovereignty of the Indian people and their right to know. Electoral Bonds, in the transparency and accountability graph, as claimed by the government have some inherently anti-democratic characters. Their key feature of anonymity enables a system where people do not know who are giving/donating money to the political parties they then are voting for....

-NDTV.com Wherever we may be in other matters in global rankings, in one we are right at the top. India, where 800 million people are still dependent on government doles for a meal, has the dubious distinction of carrying out the most expensive democratic elections in the world. It has been estimated that the 2019 parliamentary elections cost US $2 billion. In addition, parties and individual candidates spent another US $5...