-The Hindu The Aadhaar Bill has been passed with no public consultation about the privacy safeguards necessary for such a database and no provision for public or independent oversight. The rights to liberty and freedom of expression cannot survive if the right to privacy is compromised. The Central government has forced the Aadhaar Bill through Parliament in a week. Aadhaar has had an invasive and controversial presence well before the government’s attempt...

-Livemint.com Damage to rabi crops like wheat, mustard has been reported from UP, Punjab, Rajasthan, MP, Maharashtra, Haryana New Delhi: Unseasonal rain and hailstorm in the past few days have damaged winter crops in parts of at least six states across central, north and western India. So far, damage to rabi crops like wheat, mustard and chickpea has been reported from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. It may not...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government on Saturday slammed the country's trade association Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (Assocham) for releasing a "factually incorrect" report estimating lower wheat production in India and said "such incorrect information is being publicized with a view to compel government to reduce import duty on wheat." The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) recently came out with a paper, claiming that...

-Business Standard Research says Aadhaar was not necessary for de-duplication exercise What has been the net benefit that arose out of using Aadhaar within the Direct Benefits Transfer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or PAHAL scheme as it is now called? Research done by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) says the benefit from Aadhaar in the scheme through de-duplication of records was at best limited to Rs 12-14 crore in...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In a blow to transparency in governance, the number of RTI queries have declined as have the number of public authorities submitting data on the legislation. The annual report of the Central Information Commission (CIC) shows that a total of 7.55 lakh RTI applications were filed in 2014-2015, a decline of 79,000 since last year. Almost 90,000 RTI applications were pending decision at the start of...