-The Hindu Boards are understaffed, have little time for meetings, inspection or regulation, says study Mumbai: Environmental protection seems to be in shaky hands with political appointees nominated to head state pollution control boards (SPCB) in some places. In one case, the educational qualification of the chairperson was tenth standard. In Karnataka, for instance, the chairperson of the SPCB is Vaman Acharya, a senior BJP leader. In Himachal Pradesh, it is Kuldip Singh...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Dams and disasters in the Himalayas -Anirudh Burman
-Live Mint Fast clearance of river projects and the lack of disaster preparedness have wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand Relief operations in disaster-ravaged Uttarakhand have ended and the time seems ripe to take account of the institutional frailties that have contributed to the ongoing human disaster in the state. Chief minister Vijay Bahuguna has been blamed for inaction when the disaster first struck and has also admitted that the state did not...
More »A case of misplaced euphoria -Vani S Kulkarni and Raghav Gaiha
-The Hindu In spite of the rosy picture painted by the World Bank, the prospect of eliminating extreme poverty remains distant In a protracted period of gloom and persistent recession with feeble signs of recovery in a large part of the developed world, the World Bank, Brookings Institution and others can be forgiven for their euphoria over the accomplishment of a key Millennium Development Goal (MDG) - of halving extreme poverty in...
More »Six people who pulled strategic levers to open up political parties' finances -Soma Banerjee
-The Economic Times If India is now debating opening the books and operations of political parties to the public, it's because of these six people who pulled strategic levers and applied relentless pressure. Soma Banerjee traces a four-year effort that converted intent to action Balwant Singh Khera, a politician from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, is not a name that will strike a chord in mainstream politics or social discourse today. It might in...
More »Central Information Comission tells Congress, BJP, BSP others to respond to RTI queries in 4 weeks
-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: How much rent does Congress Party pay for its sprawling office in Lutyens' Delhi? Who are the people who contribute to BJP's coffers? How much tax exemptions has NCP claimed? Whose aircraft are used by Congress President Sonia Gandhi during election campaigning? Now the common man can access information on all this and much more - all for just 10. In a landmark judgement that could force...
More »