-The Times of India MARGAO: Locals who have been regularly attending Gram Sabhas of Cavelossim panchayat criticized the panchayat body both past and present for its inaction in implementing gram sabha resolutions causing heavy loss of revenue to the panchayat. The gram sabha members even pointed out that the recently held gram sabha last Sunday should have been held in the month of October as per provisions of law and after much...

-The Hindustan Times Nearly 18 months after he brought corruption in sharp focus with his demand for a lokpal, Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday launched the Aam Aadmi Party, to take on the well entrenched political class on its own turf. The meeting was attended by 320 founding members of the party, which promises to provide more power to Gram Sabhas and revive the slogan of swaraj (self-rule), which was effectively used...

-The Times of India How can a right given under one Act be a criminal offence under another, members of a Parliamentary standing committee have asked officials from the Union environment ministry, raising concern about conflict between the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, and the Indian Forest Act (IFA), 1927. The House panel on science and technology and environment and forests headed by T Subbarami Reddy of Congress was gathering evidence on...

-Frontline After the year-long Jansamvad Yatra and Jansatyagraha, the Ekta Parishad has a written commitment from the Rural Development Ministry to advance land reforms.  Celebration and caution. These sentiments dominated the deliberations of senior activists of the Ekta Parishad as they gathered at Delhi’s Gandhi Peace Foundation office on October 18, one week after the organisation and the Union government had signed a 10-point agreement to advance land reforms. The agreement had...

-The Times of India Keen to snap out of a policy coma and rev up an anaemic economy, the government is looking to slash " green tape" by making lease extensions simpler, amending restrictions on work beginning on projects where forest land is involved and easing expansion norms for mines. Sifting through highly polarizing arguments, new initiatives aim to reduce points of contention that have often locked ministers in charge of economic...