-The Pioneer   Alleging large scale irregularities in the implementation of the Union Government’s flagship programme, Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the State, the opposition on Wednesday demanded that the Odisha Government should extend the ongoing CBI probe to all the remaining 26 districts. However, Panchayati Raj Minister Maheswar Mohanty rejected the allegation. Since the charges of large scale corruption as levelled by the Center for Environmental Studies and...

-The Hindustan Times   The CBI filed the first chargesheet in the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam on Tuesday. According to the chargesheet, five former UP government officials — among others — have misappropriated Rs 13.4 crore, 68% of the NRHM funds meant to upgrade 134 district hospitals in Uttar Pradesh. The officials were working with the state Construction & Design Services (C&DS), a unit of the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam. Among...

“We are interested in prevention rather than initiating contempt proceedings”   The Supreme Court on Tuesday indicated that it would lay down guidelines for the media on court reporting with a view to striking a balance between protecting press freedom and protecting the right to life. A five-judge Constitution Bench of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justices D.K. Jain, S.S. Nijjar, Ranjana Desai and J.S. Khehar said: “We have to balance Article 21(right...

The CBI is set to chargesheet policemen and government officials for the Nandigram firing once it receives the Bengal government’s sanction for prosecution. “We are preparing the chargesheet,” said a senior CBI official, claiming the agency had an airtight case. He did not reveal the identities of those who would be chargesheeted. “Next week, we will write to the Mamata Banerjee government seeking sanction for prosecution against the policemen, police officers and...

-The Times of India  Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal has been slapped with a privilege notice for calling legislators ``rapists, murderers and looters'' during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh on February 25. The notice has been served by Congress MP Sajjan Singh Verma from Madhya Pradesh.  The Lok Sabha secretariat has sought reply from Kejriwal. This will be the second time Kejriwal has been served a privilege notice in the past...