Joint drafting panel on Lokpal Bill holds second meeting; public consultations after agreement on basic principles In the second round of discussions in the joint drafting committee on the Lokpal Bill here on Monday, members of Civil Society invoked the United Nations Convention on Corruption to stress that the underlying principle of the anti-corruption law should be to have an independent body that covers the highest executive and the judiciary. The...

Prickly issues like the inclusion of the PMO or the judiciary within the ambit of the Jan Lokpal Bill were left out in favour of a broader discussion on the proposed legislation by the joint drafting committee on Monday. These and other controversial issues could come up in the May 7 meeting. The joint drafting committee met for the first time after a slew of corruption charges had rocked Civil Society members...

Child sex-ratio dropped to 914 in 2011 from 927 in 2001 Call for better implementation of PCPNDT Act Expressing concern over the declining child sex ratio as indicated in the provisional figures of the Census 2011, Civil Society groups have asked the Centre to take cognisance of the increasing challenges in this area of sex selection and undertake urgent measures to overcome these. As per the figures, the child sex-ratio has further dropped...

“We will not let the anti-corruption movement die or allow it to be put on the back burner,” say rallyists Supporters of Anna Hazare took out a march here on Sunday extending their support to Civil Society members of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee. Armed with banners, placards, posters and flags, the supporters, after assembling at Jantar Mantar, started their march towards India Gate where a programme of songs and street...

“Declare State GM organisms-free on the lines of M.P., Bihar” Farmer groups here on Sunday demanded that Rajasthan be declared a genetically modified (GM) organisms-free State on the lines of Madhya Pradesh, which has recently decided to prohibit any environmental release, including field trials, of GM seeds and crops in view of their safety and impact on human beings and environment still being in doubt. Madhya Pradesh is the second State in...