The CNN-IBN-Outlook State of the Nation poll on corruption in the run up to Republic Day does nor bring good news for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government.   The poll has found Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to have been rather weak in his tackling of the numerous scams and corruption cases that the UPA -II has been facing.   The corruption-hit UPA is facing an image crisis and 57 per cent say they...

A number of questions on the Unique Identification (UID) project continue to remain unanswered while the project itself is necessitated by the government's policy shift to play an indirect rather than direct role in providing services, a panel of researchers told journalists on the sidelines of a public talk on the subject at St. Xavier's College here on Saturday. Usha Ramanathan, researcher on jurisprudence, poverty and rights, said it was not...

The Group of Ministers tasked to suggest ways to curb corruption in public life is weighing a constitutional amendment to fast-track the trials of officials indicted for graft. Sources said changes could be incorporated in Article 311 of the Constitution (dealing with dismissal, removal or demotion of government officials) to provide for summary proceedings in cases of grave misdemeanour or blatant corruption. Also under consideration are amendments to the Prevention of Corruption...

A Delhi court has summoned Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) of India Vinod Rai to appear before it on February 5 as a witness on a complaint by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy, seeking the prosecution of the former Telecom Minister, A. Raja, in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. Special CBI Judge Pradeep Chaddah also asked another CAG official, R.P. Singh, to appear at the Tis Hazari court on that day to...

Even though the Central Government agreed to link the wages paid under MG-NREGA to the Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPIAL), it shied away from paying statutory minimum wages in various states of India. Their logic for this: Lack of clarity on who will bear the extra financial burden—the Centre or the states? A letter from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to UPA and NAC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi dated 31...