Members across the political spectrum expressed concern in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday over attempts by the Press Council of India to “suppress vital information” on “paid news,” and demanded that the government intervene and make public the report of the PCI sub-committee. Raising the issue during zero hour, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Brinda Karat said the 72-page report was not being made public, and the names of big media...

Former Union Panchayat Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, lately in the news for denouncing the Commonwealth Games, is aiming his guns much closer to the UPA government’s heart, at the way it is implementing the flagship National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). He is joining forces with like-minded critics of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) such as economist-actvist Jean Dreze to drive home the fact that its basic promises...

The violent agitation by farmers in western Uttar Pradesh spread further on Tuesday, despite the state government's offer of more money as compensation for land acquired for the 165 km long Noida-Agra Expressway. While the agitating farmers of Aligarh and Mathura rejected the government's offer, farmers in neighbouring Agra district also began protesting on Tuesday. Under pressure from agitating farmers and political parties, the Mayawati government on Monday night increased the total...

A police constable has been arrested and three persons detained in connection with the murder of Right to Information (RTI) activist Amit Jethva here last month. Jethva, who had filed a public interest litigation against illegal mining in the Gir forest area, was shot outside the Gujarat High Court on July 20. “After a long investigation, we have tracked down the main accused, Bahadursinh Wadher, a police constable in Junagadh district, for...

With the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) showing the red flag to Posco and Vedanta projects in Orissa while giving a green signal to the Polavaram hydel project in Andhra Pradesh, the ruling Biju Janata Dal has accused the UPA of hatching a conspiracy to sabotage the state’s growth. All the 20 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members of BJD on Wednesday staged a dharna in Parliament alleging that the...