-The Times of India NEW DELHI: At a time when the Centre is being cornered for not being able to rein in its ministers and leaders of the ruling party who are making provocative speeches, the government has justified before the Supreme Court the retention of penal provision for hate speeches and has even supported the prosecution of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy for promoting hatred between Hindus and Muslims. According to the...

-The Hindu Despite its uneven history in India, decentralisation is vital to strengthen participatory Democracy, facilitate responsive governance and enable public service delivery. Much has been written on decentralisation in India though, on the ground, there is very little to show despite the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments. The rationale for decentralisation comes from the need to strengthen participatory Democracy, facilitate responsive governance, ensure greater accountability and enable public service delivery according to...

-Hindustan Times After a decade of the implementation of the national Right To Information (RTI) Act, it is necessary to reflect on some of its key achievements and the threats it faces. It has spread across the country, and there is no district that has not received RTI applications. It has empowered the ordinary citizen to get respect as an individual from the government and its officials. Citizens are becoming the monitors...

-The Times of India ALIGARH: Mumbai-based Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan is ready to launch a "Public Hearing" in Delhi for the ban on triple talaq, recording the testimonies of Muslim women on how they suffered because of the regressive personal laws. What drives the group to launch the programme is a case from Uttar Pradesh, where 24-year-old Shahida, married in 2008 was arbitrarily divorced. After a month of her marriage her in-laws...

-AFP Global online freedom declined for a fifth year as govts stepped up electronic surveillance and clamped down on dissidents using blogs or social media Washington: Global online freedom declined for the fifth straight year as governments around the world expand censorship and surveillance of the Internet, according to a group that tracks Democracy and human rights. Nearly half of the 65 countries examined have seen online freedom weaken since June...