-Down to Earth Devansh Mehta believes that people can be sensitised through incentives, be it as small as mobile top-ups In 2016, when Devansh Mehta was asked to sensitise tribal people about the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA), he came up with a simple solution: “Give them an incentive. They will come on their own.” Raipur-based non-profit CGnet Swara, where Mehta heads sustainability initiatives, implemented his proposal on an experimental basis and...

-The Hindu DoPT says search committee’s deliberations are exempted under the Act The Centre has refused to reveal details of the ongoing selection process for four new Central Information Commissioners, despite a Supreme Court order directing it to do so. The only information disclosed is that 256 people have applied for the four vacant positions, which were advertised five months ago. In its reply to a Right to Information request, the Department of...

-The Telegraph Figures in May take the total amount of money invested in this opaque source of funding since January to Rs 4,794 crore Electoral bonds accounting for the maximum amount of political donations in India in May were sold in Calcutta, according to information accessed by a citizen through the Right to Information route. Of the bonds worth Rs 822 crore that were sold in select outlets of the State Bank of...

-PTI A total of 6,800 cases of fraud were reported by scheduled commercial banks and some financial institutions in last fiscal, the RBI said in an RTI query. New Delhi: Over 6,800 cases of bank fraud involving an unprecedented Rs 71,500 crore have been reported in 2018-19, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said. A total of 5,916 such cases were reported by banks in 2017-18 involving Rs 41,167.03 crore, it said. As...

-The Hindu Information panel calls for time bound investigation The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to disclose information on its investigation and recovery of money from the perpetrators of the Saradha Realty chit fund scam. Investigations must be time bound and transparent keeping in mind the interests of lakhs of affected investors, said CIC. The Rs.10,000 crore Saradha chit fund scam came to light...