In February 2011, India will become the first country in the world to issue its residents biometric-based numbers (UID) to establish identity. For this purpose, the Central government has constituted the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under the Planning Commission. The UID number is marketed as a fundamental enabler for efficient delivery of government services and inclusive development. As per the Authority, benefits of the UID number include elimination...

A landless labourer dies on Christmas day after going without food for five days. Neither he nor his wife, who was a job card holder under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, knew they could demand work or avail of unemployment benefits as a right It was a death that could have been avoided. Kishen Singh, a 45-year-old landless labourer, died of hunger in Champakheda village in south Rajasthan. What...

As a fallout of the Ruchika molestation case, trials in all sexual offences including rape will now be completed within two months as far as possible and all victims will have the right to appeal against a court order, under new amendments to CrPC. The amendments which came into effect yesterday would come as a big relief to complainants as till now only the state could file an appeal against...

Missing job cards, fudged muster rolls and diversion of NREGS funds through fake bills. What the Rajasthan social audit has revealed is the tip of the iceberg.  Bhilwara-2009 invited a swift and strong backlash — the government backed off realising it had stepped into a quagmire of corruption The battle being fought in the panchayats, streets, offices, and courts of Rajasthan is not just about social audit To understand why civil society...

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday reiterated his government’s commitment to ensuring better implementation of the Right to Information Act and asked the officials to take “firm steps” to enforce compliance with the statutory provisions. Presiding over a review meeting on the RTI Act at the State Secretariat here, Mr. Gehlot said a relatively better implementation of the law in Rajasthan had been appreciated all over the country. However,...