At a time when rice smuggling has become a political issue in Tamil Nadu, the civil supplies department's reply to an application under the Right To Information (RTI) Act reveals that as many as 20,775 tonnes of rice worth Rs 11.73 crore were seized in anti-smuggling operations in the state in last three years. The department also said that 5,152 persons were arrested in three years for smuggling rice meant to...
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Budget falls short on basics by PV Indiresan
The Budget should be an instrument of economic discipline and a promoter of healthy social development. As it is, it is like a leaky tap; it cannot halt inflation without disciplining political skulduggery. March 21, 2011: A lot has been written about the Budget, how it affects this or that industry or business, or how it will increase or decrease the GNP growth rate. Undoubtedly, all those factors are important. But...
More »RTI changes on NAC agenda by Vandita Mishra
The Right to Information Act 2005 is likely to figure prominently on the agenda of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council when it meets on March 24. Discussion will centre on the two amendments to its rules that have been proposed by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). One, to restrict each application to 250 words. And two, to confine one application to one subject. The Right to Information Rules,...
More »Enrolment in primary schools plunges 2.6 million in 2 years by Hemali Chhapia
It is a lesson in misplaced enthusiasm. While the Centre has been busy tom-tomming its efforts to send more children to school, enrolment in primary classes across the country has, in actuality, dropped since 2007. Between 2008-09 and 2009-10, enrolment in classes I to IV in Indian schools dropped by over 2.6 million. The biggest setback was witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, where admissions plummeted by over a million in the last...
More »A Dark Lining To The Shine by Neelabh Mishra
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar recently alleged that Monsanto, the Union environment ministry’s genetic engineering approval committee (GEAC) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) had colluded to start trials of genetically modified maize in Bihar before clearance from the environment ministry and the state government. The charge is significant: Nitish says ICAR’s experimental farms in Bihar did not maintain the stipulated “isolation distance” from normal farmland, meant to...
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