Seventy-year-old Dau Singh is dancing to the tune of a parody music being belted out in the background by a group of people sitting on the pavement. The song urges people to write letters to their brethren and come there to join the fight. "Come on mazdoors, get into the act to get what you deserve," urges the song. The venue is the Statue Circle in Jaipur, where hundreds of...

The Central Vigilance Commission has received complaints that put the cumulative value of alleged corruption in projects related to the Commonwealth Games between Rs 5,000 crore and Rs 8,000 crore. Sources said the complaints included payment to non-existent parties, wilful delay in execution of contracts, inflated prices and bungling in purchase of equipment through tendering. “The total misappropriation amount may touch a figure of Rs 5,000-8,000 crore. The commission is still awaiting reports...

How would you rate the functioning of the RTI Act five years into its enactment? It has been a mixed experience. It is encouraging that we have one of the best laws in the world but its shoddy implementation is taking the sheen away. The two nerve centers of RTI are simplifying the process of filing an application and making the functioning of the Commission effective. The posts of Information Commissioner...

The Commonwealth Games corruption probe could lead to raids on the homes and offices of some of the organisers to find missing documents, sources said. Agencies investigating wrongdoing in the Games preparations have complained that key files and documents are untraceable or unavailable at the offices of the government departments that carried out the work. Enforcement Directorate sources said they might raid some of the key people behind the organisation of the...

The Jammu and Kashmir Youth Congress Committee today held a demonstration against the alleged failure of the state government in effectively implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Led by party vice-president R S Pathania, over 700 activists raised slogans and held demonstrations at the Deputy Commissioner's office in Samba. Pathania claimed the Centre's flagship job-guarantee scheme has failed to achieve the desired results in the trouble-torn state...