-The Telegraph   An atmospheric depression that created a zone of rain across parts of Orissa caused water levels to rise in several rivers, meteorologists said today. The depression had delivered rain over Balasore, Keonjhar, Angul districts late last week, causing the upper Brahmani and lower Brahmani to swell, but scientists today said they expect no rainfall over the next two days. “At 9 this morning, the Brahmani (river) at Jenapur had risen to...

The Madhya Pradesh government and its top bureaucrat, chief secretary Avni Vaish, have come under the Lokayukta scanner for allegedly organizing a free dinner for about 250 IAS Officers with taxpayers' money. The Lokayukta has registered a complaint in the case and information is being collected in this regard. "This is not an FIR," Lokayukta P P Naolekar told TOI, adding that information was being sought on the complaint. The chief secretary...

-Zee News   The family of RTI activist and India Against Corruption's Madhya Pradesh chapter head Shehla Masood, who was killed here last month, feels the probe into the case would have acquired more urgency had Anna Hazare and his associates "raised the issue the way they should have". "I cannot say why after saying a few lines initially, no member of Team Anna raised the issue the way they should have....

After his successful campaign for the Jan Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare is now targeting electoral reform to curb corruption. While politicians were his main target, few realised that it was the bureaucrats who had enabled the politicians to abuse the system. The war on corruption needs drastic administrative reforms to curb the enormous power of the petty babus. The good intentions of prime ministers, the commitment of good officers and...

-IANS   Are most Indian MPs "anpadh" (uneducated) and "ganwar" (illiterate) as Om Puri alleged at the Ramlila Maidan? While the actor faces a privilege motion in the Rajya Sabha for his remark, an insight into the background of Indian parliamentarians reveals that he is completely off the mark. Over 80 percent of Indian MPs are graduates, and some have studied further, according to parliament records. Anna Hazare's aide Kiran Bedi also faces a...