Noted development economist and Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen talks about how government funds find their way into insurgent hands, and why the government is unable to check this. There are a number of reports that suggest that development funds are landing in the wrong hands. What are the various aspects of fund diversions? It's a well-reported fact that public money is finding its way into the hands of extremists. There...

ASSAM is on the brink of a movement, like the one that ended with the 1984 Assam Accord. This time the concern is not illegal immigrants but dams proposed upstream in Arunachal Pradesh. In the past year and a half people in Assam have held a number of protests. The latest one was on September 10 when Union Minister of Environm ent and Forests Jairam Ramesh visited Guwahati to consult academics,...

The farmers need to come out of their traditional mindset and develop business acumen to reap the benefits of food processing that has a lot to offer to the country, says joint secretary, ministry of food processing industries, Government of India, Ajit Kumar. Kumar was in the city to inaugurate one-day orientation training programme on food processing for farmers at then Banaras Hindu University on Sunday. Saying that commercial orientation and awareness...

Prepares a model amendment draft for Goa Panchayati Raj Draft amendments to be debated Clear division of functions, assets proposed Right to Information activist Arvind Kejriwal has suggested a series of powers to strengthen the Gram Sabhas including decision making powers about village affairs and a right to recall Sarpanch for failing to function according to decisions of the Gram Sabha. In a model amendment draft for the Goa Panchayati Raj already put in...

The youth will not take no for an answer. Five years on, the RTI comes of age. At four feet something, Santosh’s energy belies her petite frame. The school dropout was introduced to RTI through activist Arvind Kejriwal, and now, at Parivartan’s Sundar Nagri office, she holds fort, helping others acquire everything from BPL and ration cards to school admissions through RTI. Threats and attacks by local authorities who dubbed her...