Kodinar, where slain activist Amit Jethava led a campaign to create awareness about the Right to Information (RTI), this powerful democratic tool and its use has become an agenda against the BJP in the local body elections slated for October 21. Jethava’s two close aides, who say they also had to face the wrath of the rich and powerful for exposing corruption in the system, are in the fray for the...

The United Nations officials from Bonn, Germany, will visit Gumla in the first week of November to take stock of changes that have taken place in villages in this tribal dominated district. Gumla is among the five districts in the state where government of India and UN programme of total village development is underway.   Ever since the district launched its Total Village Development Programme under its model village project in two villages...

As the 19th Commonwealth Games (CWG) ended here on Thursday, the Opposition parties on Friday raised the issue of “corruption” in organising the event and sought a thorough probe. They referred to the promises made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi that no one found involved in “corruption” would be spared after the Games were over. BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar told journalists, “I think the public-jury is out.”...

If Haryana were a country, it would be fifth on the gold medal winners’ list at Delhi 2010 — after Australia, England, Canada and India-minus-Haryana. Fifteen of India’s 38 gold at the Commonwealth Games — nearly 40 per cent of the country’s best-ever haul — have been won by athletes from Haryana. For perspective, Haryana has 2 per cent of the country’s population and occupies 1.37 per cent of its land...

In an attempt to break the deadlock over the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill and the accompanying Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has invited Trinamool Congress chief and railway minister Mamata Banerjee for talks on October 25. Ms Banerjee, who has strong reservations over the twin pieces of legislation, is, as per Trinamool Congress sources, unlikely to relent. Ms Banerjee’s stand is that the state should have absolutely no...