The only RTI activist appointed in the Central Information Commission as an Information Commissioner, Shailesh Gandhi has set the bar high for the other Commissioners by clearing nearly 20,000 cases in four years. On Friday, July 6, as he demitted office at the end of his term, he spoke to Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar about how to improve the delivery of information through the Right to Information Act. Excerpts. How do you...

-The Hindu Most people remain at the mercy of a venal administration that, encouraged by the absence of an independent watchdog, exploits them relentlessly   The state of affairs in the country is characterised by rampant corruption at all levels leading to a breakdown in the rule of law and lack of accountability all around. One can say that there is a complete collapse of governance in the country. Something drastic needs to...

-The Hindu The CAG, after completing this month a detailed ‘internal appraisal’ of two of its most high-profile reports, has not just stood by its findings “regardless of media comments and the statements made by senior functionaries of the government,” but also substantiated them, citing additional crucial events. The internal assessment has been done on its reports on the 2G spectrum scam of November 2010 and Civil Aviation (Air India) of September...

-The Times of India LUCKNOW: Having invited comparisons with Mayawati's profligate ways, a rattled UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday reversed his decision to allow all legislators to purchase four-wheelers worth up to Rs 20 lakh by dipping into their local area development fund.  This is the second time in three weeks that Akhilesh has been forced to revoke his decision within 24 hours. Last month, he rescinded his order of...

-The Hindu We are grateful to the busy Minister and his associates for taking the trouble of reading our article and responding to it. But we are concerned that in spite of all the wise talk, the bottom line remains an article of faith — “Aadhaar is a must.” The purpose of our article was to point out, first, that ground realities loom large in this matter, and second, that the role...