The need for the media to take voluntary, not paid, ownership of creating awareness for better participation of voters in the election process was recommended at a roundtable on the “Role of media in building voters' awareness” here on Friday. The recommendation was part of a national consultation on voters' participation organised by the Election Commission (EC). Other roundtables at the consultation pertained to fighting urban apathy, connecting with youth in...

Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai clarified on Friday that his ministry was awaiting the draft of the Communal Violence Bill from the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC). “There has been some delay but we hope to get it by the end of March, after which we will study it in the MHA, before it goes to cabinet,” he said. Mr Pillai was responding to a question, at an interaction at...

Appointment to the post of Central Vigilance Commissioner “must satisfy not only the eligibility criteria of the candidate but also the decision making process of the recommendation. If a statutory body like the HPC [high power committee], for any reason whatsoever, fails to look into the relevant material having nexus to the object and purpose of the 2003 CVC Act or takes into account irrelevant circumstances, then its decision would...

People living below the poverty line will receive cash as subsidies and the process will start by March 2012, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in his general budget speech on Monday. "The government will move towards direct cash transfer to people living below poverty line in a phased manner," Mukherjee said in his budget presented to the Lok Sabha. A committee under Unique Identification Authority of India chairman Nandan Nilekani will be...

A six-phased Assembly elections in West Bengal, a two stage poll in Assam and a single day poll in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry were today announced by the Election Commission, setting in motion the largest such exercise after 2009 Lok Sabha polls. With parts of the state affected by Maoists activities, West Bengal will have elections in six phases on April 18, 23, 27, May 3, 7 and 10,...