Why are the erstwhile RTI campaigners so alarmed five years after it became law? Why so many dharnas, rallies, conventions and hunger-strikes all over again? Part of the reason is that the silent revolution that the RTI has spawned needs to be defended from surreptitious alterations and manipulations, and partly because the RTI activists are being threatened, harassed and assaulted by the corrupt and the powerful, often with the connivance...

57 lakh tonnes of ore purchased from unlicensed dealers The Department of Mines and Geology has initiated proceedings to recover Rs. 600 crore from iron ore exporters for buying a staggering 57 lakh tonnes of ore from unlicensed dealers since 2003-04. According to sources in Hospet, the scam came to light when the Department of Mines and Geology tapped the offices of the Commercial Taxes Department and verified records. It was found...

Global business abhors uncertainty. The ministerial-level corruption in UPA-II has slowed FDI and FII inflows. The stock market, despite double-digit corporate profit and 8.6% GDP growth, reflects the anxiety of Indian and foreign investors. To take India's growth story forward in the 20th year of economic reforms, political reforms must catch up. Misgovernance won't do in a globalised, interconnected world. Two kinds of political corruption blight India: episodical and ongoing. Episodical...

Demanding enactment of a strong anti-corruption law on the lines of Jan Lokpal Bill, social crusader Anna Hazare on Saturday threatened to go on an indefinite fast unto death at Jantar Mantar here from April 5 if the Prime Minister does not act decisively on his suggestion by March-end. “None from civil society consulted” Addressing a press conference here, Anna wondered how the government could pass the anti-corruption Bill without consulting anyone...

Environment ministry has said that moratorium on mining in Karnataka will not be lifted until the state government provides a report on the cases booked against violators and the action taken on the adverse Lokayukta report. The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) in its January 18 meeting had allowed JSW Steel Limited, Bangalore to divert 200.73 hectaresof forest land for extraction of iron ore and manganese in Kumaraswamy range, Sandur taluk of...