The government will set up statelevel independent bodies to carry out financial and social audits of its flagship rural employment guarantee programme, which critics say is riddled with Corruption. The rural development ministry will also make it mandatory for state governments to submit a report on the social audit, which unlike other government audits, allows beneficiaries of the scheme to register complaints. The move to increase transparency in the Mahatma...

As we close in on 20 years of Manmohanomics, it's worth remembering one chant the chattering classes uttered, first with pride, later to console themselves. “Whatever you say, we have the most honest man in Dr. Manmohan Singh. And no one can speak a word against him.” It's less heard now — those affections having been transferred to other punters in the honesty sweepstakes. But growing numbers do say this...

-PTI   Union minister and a key member of the Lokpal bill drafting committee Kapil Sibal said that Team Hazare's version of the legislation was unacceptable, as some of its provisions were against the basic tenets of the Constitution. Addressing Congress workers, Sibal described "Team Anna" as "an unelected group with accountability to no one." He also said, jokingly, that Centre should have taken "inputs" from Vilasrao Deshmukh, who had the experience of dealing...

NCPRI proposes bringing PM under Lokpal, suggests basket of anti-Corruption measures The National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) has proposed bringing the Prime Minister under the Lokpal with the safeguard that the executive head can only be investigated on the recommendation of the full benches of the Lokpal and the Supreme Court. At a consultative meeting held here on Friday, the NCPRI, which has two National Advisory Council members, Aruna...

The current debate on the Lokpal Bill is split along two lines: the UPA’s draft and that of Team Anna Hazare. But now, not just the political establishment, other sections of “civil society” are standing up to call for a wider debate and cautioning against a rush to push any version through. So while the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council may have made it clear that it wouldn’t discuss the Lokpal...