The tsunami-triggered nuclear crisis in Japan will not slow down India's nuclear power plans. The Government on Tuesday made it clear that there would be no rethink on the Jaitapur nuclear power plant in Maharashtra. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh who has been criticised by civil society groups, for clearing the proposed 9,900 MW nuclear power project in the eco-sensitive Western Ghats, said his ministry would put in additional safeguards as part...

Outlook, Open editors to testify, question of N.K. Singh recusal open The Public Accounts Committee examining the CAG report on the 2G spectrum allocation affair seems to have made up its mind to examine the players featuring in, and connected to, the Radia tapes. On Monday it will start with two editors, Vinod Mehta of Outlook and Manu Joseph of Open, who were among the first to publish transcripts of tapped conversations...

The prestigious Harvard University will honour Ela Bhatt, founder of the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), for her "life and work" that has had a "significant impact on society" . Bhatt (77), whose trade union has helped over a million women in India gain access to opportunities for themselves and their families, will be awarded the Radcliffe Institute Medal by Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She would be presented the medal...

The seemingly never-ending slugfest between the Centre and state governments over the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has taken a new twist in Uttar Pradesh. The Union ministry of rural development, in a circular dated 11 March, has laid down detailed processes that will be invoked in cases where the Centre receives any complaint regarding the issue or improper utilisation of funds. Though the Central government notification...

Out of 400 government offices in the Pune district, till January 2010, not even a single one had a board displaying the names of the Public Information Officer (PIO) or the Appelate Authority. However under the Right to information Act (RTI), 2005, it is mandatory for all offices to display such information prominently. A year later 240 of them have put up the boards with names, addresses and contact numbers of...