-Outlook Some 31 per cent of MPs in the Lok Sabha have criminal cases pending against them, and their pay package is 68 times higher than the national per capita income, according to the National Social Watch Report on Governance and Development-2013 released here today. "The pay package of MPs in India is higher than that of their counterparts in Singapore, Japan, Italy, and Pakistan. In terms of the ratio of the...

-The Hindu     The political executive and the permanent executive should realise they are public servants first and work in harmony to achieve the constitutional objectives There is a need to arrest the ‘laal batti' [red beacon] culture in public governance. The Supreme Court of India has been delivering a variety of judgments on matters of public governance, and these have been the subject of debate and discussion. Some of these related to...

-Outlook Delhi Assembly elections this time saw not just the highest voter turnout but also the highest number of violations of the Model Code of Conduct. A total of 42,000 litres of liquor worth more than Rs 1 crore was seized while Rs 1.64 crore, which was allegedly meant for distribution among voters in order to lure them, was recovered from various constituencies. Delhi Election Commission also detected 21 cases of paid news...

-The Business Standard Nearly half the 3,337 politicians contesting elections in 5 states have not provided details of their I-T returns With total assets of around Rs 56 crore, Dhanvantri Chandela, fielded by the Congress from the Rajouri Garden constituency, is easily one of the richest among candidates for the Delhi Assembly election. But she neither has a permanent account number (PAN) nor has she reported details of her income-tax returns to...

-The Indian Express The Supreme Court has said it was not for the courts but for Parliament to decide whether there should be a "cooling off" period before considering a retired government official eligible for the post of State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC). Steering clear of the issue, a Bench of Justices A K Patnaik and J S Khehar said the appropriate authority to dwell on the necessity of a "cooling off"...