-Down to Earth MGNREGA budget has declined in real terms over the years, despite claims of “highest ever” allocations In 2004, before India had any legal welfare entitlements for the informal sector, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill, was furiously debated in the Parliament and the media. The aim of this legislation was to address the crisis of under employment and unemployment in the rural economy and provide job opportunities through public works...
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It's lonely on the ground -Christophe Jaffrelot & Basim U Nissa
-The Indian Express RTI Act needs to be protected against attempts to dilute it. RTI activists must be made less vulnerable In April, the government of India proposed amendments to the RTI Act, one of the most empowering pieces of legislation inherited from the UPA era. The most controversial amendment pertained to Rule 12. It would allow the withdrawal of an application in case of the applicant’s death, making the job of...
More »RTI activist says Aadhaar contract gave foreign firms access to unencrypted data -Chethan Kumar
-The Times of India BENGALURU: Contrary to the Centre's claims, contracts signed with foreign firms by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), custodian of Aadhaar data, show that they got "full access" to classified data including fingerprints, iris scan info, and personal information like date of birth, address and mobile number of the applicants. They were also allowed to store the data for seven years. This was revealed through an RTI...
More »RTI may now face privacy hurdle -Rumu Banerjee
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court ruling on right to privacy being a fundamental right could lead to an uncertain impact on right to information as some activists and experts are warning that the order could leave RTI facing new challenges. Former chief information commissioner A N Tiwari said, "Privacy has been addressed by the RTI Act, under sections 8(1)(j) and Section 11. However, the fact is that there...
More »RTI activists fear privacy right shield -Anita Joshua
-The Telegraph New Delhi: Advocates of transparency have a new worry amid the euphoria over the privacy verdict - the possibility of information commissioners citing the new fundamental right to deny answers under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. As it is, RTI activists have had to contend with commissioners using Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act to refuse information on the premise that it infringes upon a person's privacy. The section...
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