Against the backdrop of drought that affected most states in the past 2 years, it is essential to take a look at a report on improving water governance in the country, which was submitted to the Ministry of Water Resources in July, 2016. That report, which was prepared by the Committee on Restructuring the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under the chairpersonship of Dr. Mihir...
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Information Commission Claims It Doesn't Have Time to Answer RTI Requests -Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar
-TheWire.in The government body meant to uphold the RTI has said they are too understaffed and overworked to collect and collate all the information sought by applicants. New Delhi: The pressure of dealing with numerous court cases is taking a toll on the functioning of the office of the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) of the Central Information Commission (CIC). Due to the lack of time and the effort needed, it is...
More »RBI Rejects RTI Request for Minutes of Demonetisation Decision -Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar
-TheWire.in The official line seems to be, ‘Show me your money but I won’t show you my records’. New Delhi: While the Reserve Bank of India has been forthcoming in placing on its website the minutes of meetings of all committees that provide it with advice, an RTI activist has accused it of deliberately withholding information on the recent demonetisation exercise. Seen against the backdrop of a top finance ministry official –...
More »Validation of India's drug patent policy -Latha Jishnu
-Down to Earth A high level UN panel on Access to Medicines wants members to make full use of TRIPS flexibilities to protect public health If ever India needed a clear endorsement of its laws on intellectual property rights (IPRs) and their application in meeting public health priorities, it has come from the highest quarters. The report of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel (HLP) on Access to Medicines has, directly...
More »Bringing PDS out of the abyss -Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri
-Deccan Herald System overhaul: Transparency measures with strong Accountability mechanisms can usher in change The National Food Security Act (NFSA) passed in 2013 gives statutory backing to the Public Distribution System (PDS). Up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population is entitled to receive food grain under the Act. Beneficiaries are categorised into priority households, entitled to 5 kg of subsidised grains per person per month, and Antyodaya...
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