-IPS News World Water Week recently concluded in Stockholm with a special emphasis on the linkages between water and food security. From the worst drought in 56 years in the United States Midwest, to the Karnataka’s drought in India, to the protracted drought in the Sahel region of West Africa, we have also seen how in our globalised world the nexus between lack of water and food security in one corner of...

-The Times of India The government may be standing firm against scrapping coal block allotments to private companies but a high-level official panel for monitoring progress in these mines is pitching for largescale de-allocation to "defuse the current crisis" over Coalgate. "Out of the 90 coal blocks allocated to private players since 1993, 60 coal blocks with 6.7 billion tonnes (estimated reserves) valued at nearly Rs 2 lakh crore can be cancelled...

-The Hindustan Times The Jammu and Kashmir government’s fresh amendments have rendered the most successful institute of public transparency and accountability, state Right to Information Act, powerless, triggering sharp reactions from civil society and political parties.   Surprised state’s chief information commissioner G.R Sofi accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led government of making unnecessary changes to make state information commission (SIC) a “toothless body”.   “In first place, there was no reason to come up with...

-The Times of India BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha State Information Commission has imposed fines on a public information officer (PIO) for delay in supplying information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to two different applicants in Sundargarh district. State information commissioner Jagadananda last week imposed the maximum stipulated fine of Rs 25,000 on Goutam Ranjan Bose, assistant fisheries officer-cum-PIO in Sundargarh in one case and Rs 7,500 in another for violation of...

-The Times of India PANAJI: Officers not furnishing information on time may land in trouble as the State Information Commission (SIC) has already penalized two panchayat secretaries of Penha da Franca panchayat and Siolim-Marna panchayat. The SIC, hearing the Sachin Kalokhe petition for delay in furnishing information under RTI Act, imposed a penalty of 7,000 on the Penha da Franca panchayat secretary and directed that the amount of penalty should be recovered...