Slain Gujarat—based RTI activist Amit Jethwa has been chosen for a gallantry award instituted by a voluntary organisation working in the field of transparency. The organisation, National RTI Forum, has instituted several gallantry awards for RTI activists who have dared the adversities to get information from government on the issues concerning larger public interest and exposing corruption in the process. Jethwa will be given the ‘Satish Shetty Award for Gallantry’ posthumously. The ‘Lalit...

Demanding adequate compensation to the family of a debt-ridden farmer who allegedly committed suicide, irate farmers in Orissa''s Kendrapara district today detained a senior government officer for three hours, police said. The incident took place at Andara village when Pattamundai tehsildar Pabitra MoHAn Pradhan went there to investigate the alleged debt-induced suicidal death, they said. Locals squatted on the road leading to the village and put the tehsildar under detention for nearly...

An amount of Rs 5.09 cror have been expended by the Rural Development Department on the execution of 433 rural works under MGNREGA upto August 2010, besides 62000 job cards were also issued during the same period. 1336, development works were also targeted to complete them during the current fiscal. This was stated in a meeting of officers and engineers of Rural Development Department to review the progress achieved under the...

The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGOM) on food will meet tomorrow to discuss ways of implementing the Supreme Court order to distribute foodgrain ''free'' to the poor instead of letting it rot. "The EGOM on food is meeting tomorrow," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters on the sidelines of an insurance summit organised by Assocham in Mumbai. The EGOM will discuss various issues related to foodgrain stock including the Supreme Court''s...

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has backed India's efforts to increase measles vaccination in the country through routine immunisation and anti-measles campaigns. In a statement issued here, UNICEF said it strongly supported the government's efforts in increasing measles vaccination campaigns. The statement assumes importance in the wake of four children dying reportedly after they were given measles vaccine during a routine immunisation drive at MoHAnlal Ganj area of Lucknow. An enquiry...