-IANS   The present version of the Lokpal bill is useless as it will cause confusion and discourage the common man from complaining against corruption, lawyer Prashant Bhushan said Thursday opposing its tabling in parliament. 'The present Lokpal bill is not drafted to deal with corruption at all. In fact, it will deter people who want to complain against corruption,' Bhushan told reporters. Bhushan is a member of the Civil Society group led...

Taking on HRD minister Kapil Sibal, Team Anna on Monday released the interim results of its 'referendum' in the minister's constituency of Chandni Chowk which showed 85% of respondents were against the government-proposed Lokpal Bill. The Civil Society activists question whether Sibal still represented the "aspirations of his people" since the results contradicted whatever he had been saying in joint committee meetings held earlier to draft the anti-corruption Bill. Anna and his...

Faced with lack of awareness about the provisions of Right to Education Act, a massive 100-day campaign involving community mobilization will be launched from November 11, the national Education Day. The decision was taken last week in the meeting of National Advisory Council of RTE. A task force headed by Kiran Karnik, former chairperson of Nasscom, gave a report on community mobilization for RTE. Karnik said knowledge about RTE, "a...

With the August 16 protest deadline drawing closer, the Anna Hazare team has taken its referendum on the Lokpal bill online to mobilize support and create awareness. The team has already done surveys in various parts of the country including the Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency. The results for the Delhi poll will be announced on Monday. "We have hosted an online questionnaire to mobilize support for the Jan Lokpal Bill. The...

It’s been raining “rights” in Indian policy for the last few years — education, work, food, service, healthcare, and much else. This “Diet Coke” approach to poverty reduction — the sweetness without the calories — was always dangerous because of unknown side effects. Commenting in 1790 on the consequences of the French Revolution, Edmund Burke said: “They have found their punishment in their success. Laws overturned, tribunals subverted, industry without...