-The Times of India CHANDIGARH: Tired of avoiding a visit to Indian Railways toilets reeking with a nauseating stench? Get ready to excuse yourself into natty and fanciful washrooms fitted with airplane-like vacuum toilets. New railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who hails from Chandigarh -- one of the cleanest cities of India -- has put the new aviation style engineering design for railways on a fast track. "We have identified some 55 cities...
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Pitfalls for subsidy targeting -Subir Roy
-The Business Standard Cash transfer is targeted at the poor, but Aadhaar has no role in identifying the poor The disbursement of subsidies through direct cash transfers is round the corner. It will begin in 51 districts in the new year, just over a month away, and in half the country in four months’ time. So it is important to ask: do we have the capability to take on this job,...
More »Absurd arrests
-The Business Standard IT laws have clauses that can be too easily misused The arrest of two women in Palghar (near Mumbai) for an innocuous Facebook status update is the latest indicator of an increasing intolerance of free speech, especially online. The state has also increased its surveillance. The focus on surveillance and censorship is evident not only in specific instances but also in the statistics. In February, the government said...
More »'Mumbai shuts down due to fear, not respect'
-The Hindu Mumbai: Two young women were arrested here on Monday on charges of “promoting enmity between classes” and “sending offensive messages through [a] communication service,” after one posted, and the other ‘liked,’ a message on Facebook on Sunday, questioning the Mumbai bandh that followed Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray’s death. Both of them were released on bail by a local court on Monday afternoon. “With all respect, every day, thousands of...
More »21-year-old girl arrested for Facebook post slamming Bal Thackeray
-The Times of India MUMBAI: Police on Sunday arrested a 21-year-old girl for questioning the total shutdown in the city for Bal Thackeray's funeral on her Facebook account. Another girl who 'liked' the comment was also arrested. The duo were booked under Section 295 (a) of the IPC (for hurting religious sentiments) and Section 64 (a) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Though the girl withdrew her comment and apologized, a mob of...
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