-The Hindu     While the legitimacy of political parties depends on their acceptance of financial transparency under the RTI Act, their internal decision-making processes should be left alone The Central Information Commission (CIC) decision declaring political parties as public authorities under the Right to Information Act has again pit the political class against the people. Political parties have increasingly lost legitimacy due to opaque financing, cultivation of individuals with a criminal background, subversion of...

-The Hindu Caterpillar infestation and continuous drought have hit yield Ramanagaram: The precarious groundwater situation and the black-headed caterpillar infestation have hit coconut growers in Ramanagaram district. Coconut is grown on nearly 12,000 hectares in the district, with growers here supplying at least four crore tender coconuts annually to various parts of the country. This year, however, they have been forced to axe thousands of dying trees over the past two months. Along...

-Mail Today   During interaction, about 1,000 girls disclosed that the people exploiting them sexually resorted to touching their private body parts. NEW DELHI: As the country has been raising a clamour to curb sex crimes against women, a large number of pre-teen girls studying in Haryana schools have reported sexual harassment. The startling revelations have come to the fore through a survey conducted by teachers of government schools in the state's Rewari district....

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: How much rent does Congress Party pay for its sprawling office in Lutyens' Delhi? Who are the people who contribute to BJP's coffers? How much tax exemptions has NCP claimed? Whose aircraft are used by Congress President Sonia Gandhi during election campaigning? Now the common man can access information on all this and much more - all for just 10. In a landmark judgement that could force...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: No-detention provision in the Right to Education (RTE) Act is being touted as a big barrier towards quality education but a comprehensive report by the HRD ministry has revealed that 25 states already had no-detention policy even before the historical law came into force in 2009. It has also been revealed through analysis of District Information of System of Education data that learning ability in states...