-The Hindustan Times Prominent Team Anna member Justice Santosh Hegde blew hot and cold over the chargesheet prepared by his colleagues against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and 14 other cabinet ministers — accusing them of corruption. Though Justice Hegde expressed unhappiness over his colleagues in Team Anna using  strong language against the Prime Minister and some other ministers, hours later, he appeared to have toned down his objections. “I am a member of...

A prolonged dry spell in most parts of India is hurting the sowing schedule for paddy, a major kharif crop, raising the country's anxiety about monsoon rains, as parched fields urgently need moisture to plant crops. The weather office has forecast normal rainfall in the June-September monsoon, but showers in the months before the rainy season are vital for soil moisture required to raise paddy nurseries and subsequently to sow the...

On 23rd May, Moneylife wrote on how a Kerala citizen was denied access to Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel Report (WGEEP). The Central Information Commission and the Delhi High Court ordered the ministry to make it public. It has now been uploaded on its site Just when one wondered whether the ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) would turn to the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court on 17th May,...

-The Hindu The organising secretary of the All-India Forum for Right to Education, D. Ramesh Patnaik, has expressed fears that the much-debated legislation that promises universal education might end up facilitating greater commercialisation of education. Speaking at a seminar here on Friday, organised by Karnataka Janashakti, he cited several provisions in the Right to Education (RTE) Act — such as paying for seats under quota in private schools rather than focusing on...

-DNA Though Right to Education (RTE) act caters to the educational needs of children aged between 6 and 14 years, Karnataka has decided to also bring in pre-school students under its ambit. Unaided educational institutions that have pre-school facility, must implement the act from pre-school (LKG) level. Moreover, even at this level the state government has also decided to reimburse a part of the fee to the schools. The education department has issued...