Social activist and National Advisory Council (NAC) member Aruna Roy has welcomed the government's move to build a “national consensus” through Parliament for a strong anti-corruption and grievance redress mechanism. But she blamed the government of mishandling Anna Hazare's campaign. “Setting up arbitrary conditions, such as limited number of days and protesters before letting Hazare to proceed, and subsequently arresting him when he refused to comply, were anti-democratic actions by the...

The absence of a law regulating surrogacy makes India, especially Anand, a top destination for couples from abroad. UNTIL about 2008, the future looked bleak for Sharadaben Solanki. A landless daily-wage worker in Anand, Gujarat, she earned a paltry Rs.600 a month. Her husband earned an equal amount working as a construction labourer. Together the couple supported three children and their parents. That was when she heard from Maganbhai, the owner of...

-Indo-Asian News Service   Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani on Friday said the Jan Lokpal Bill has several inherent flaws due to which Parliament may find it difficult to pass it in the present format. "I know what are the flaws in the provisions of the Jan Lokpal Bill due to which it will not get passed. And this, I tried to explain to them (Team Anna) yesterday,"...

-PTI   Ahead of the debate on Jan Lokpal Bill in Lok Sabha on Friday, Anna Hazare team tonight reached out to BJP which said a solution to the impasse could be found in consonance with the Constitution if the government has a "constructive" attitude. Hazare's associates Arvind Kejriwal, Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan and Kiran Bedi met senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari for over...

-The Hindustan Times   Parliamentarians on Thursday expressed discomfort over supporters of Anna Hazare holding demonstrations outside the houses of ministers and MPs. MPs cutting across party lines slammed the phenomenon, arguing that it impinged upon their freedom to carry out their duties. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, Congress member MI Shanavas said Hazare's call to his supporters to conduct gheraos and protest outside the houses of ministers...