-Down to Earth Development economist JEAN DREZE, known for his work on issues such as hunger, famine, social and human development in India, child health and education is not particularly happy with the way the National Food Security Bill has turned out. Although the proposed law has changed dramatically from the time Dreze pushed it during his days at the National Advisory Council, he is campaigning actively for its passage. Currently,...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Undeterred by the tumult surrounding the food security bill and the fear of opposition parties stalling it in Parliament, Congress president Sonia Gandhi is ready to launch the Flagship Food Security Programme at a mega public function in Talkatora Stadium on Tuesday. The Delhi government views this is an opportunity to kick off its poll campaign centred on the aam admi. The launch, which coincides with...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: With the Right to Information (RTI) act slated for consideration in the Parliament this week concerned activists including Aruna Roy met PM Manmohan Singh to press for the deeper examination of the bill. The activists under the aegis of the National campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) including Anjali Bharadwaj and Nikhil Dey also submitted one lakh signatures to a petition seeking deferring the amendments. The...

-The Hindu While the UPA is showcasing cash transfers as a key initiative and has even made a provision for it in the National Food Security Bill (NFSB), there is a strong resistance to it. Major Opposition parties are moving amendments against cash transfers, food coupons and cash allowances in lieu of food even as the law is to come up for approval. So far, Delhi and Bihar are keen on providing cash...

-The Hindu Political parties have acted as judge, jury, supplicant and advocate in their move to amend the RTI Act and remove themselves from its purview. Their rhetoric on transparency sounds more hollow now than ever. The RTI Act provides a regime of consummate transparency of "public authorities". Instead of specifying information to be disclosed, the Act mandates 100 per cent transparency subject only to a tightly defined list of exclusions under...