The watchdog risks becoming “a sinecure for retired persons” This May, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is due to appear before the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Geneva for its re-accreditation as an ‘A' grade institution. Ahead of this process, a consortium of non-governmental organisations released a report here on Wednesday on the compliance of the NHRC with the ‘Paris...

A group of citizens including several senior scientists has called on the Centre to review its nuclear power policy for appropriateness, safety, costs, and public acceptance, and conduct an independent and transparent safety audit of its nuclear facilities. The group, including P. Balaram, director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, economist Jean Dreze, and A. Gopalakrishnan, the former director of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, has said that while this...

Social activist Anna Hazare said here on Monday that though the Prime Minister had a good character, the reason he failed to take action against the corrupt was because of ‘remote control'. “It is only because of the ‘remote control' that he cannot do anything. Otherwise he is such a good man,” Mr Hazare said during a press conference organised by ‘India Against Corruption' to gather support for the ‘Jan...

A few years ago, Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, had a chance meeting with Som Pal, former member of the Planning Commission and earlier minister of state for agriculture, and was bowled over by his sage-like views on developmental issues. The president promptly invited Som Pal to his blighted country to suggest policy measures to get out of a developmental quagmire. Som Pal travelled to Rwanda; he was hosted at...

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...