-The Hindu Business Line As the Right to Information Act completes 10 years, we examine how RTI has changed people’s lives, become a byword for democracy, and helped alter the relationship between citizen and state Mintu Devi’s relationship with the ration shop changed the day she filed an RTI. In the jhuggis of New Seemapuri, situated on the northeastern edge of Delhi, she is a legend. The 37-year-old mother of four is...

-Livemint.com As many as 23 out of 38 districts have received deficit rain ranging 20-60% of the normal; overall, the 2015 Jun-Sep monsoon recorded a 28% deficit Nitish Kumar, who will take oath as chief minister of Bihar for the third consecutive time, will face a daunting task as he tries to tackle rural distress in the state that has been hit by a drought. The issue had found little mention in the...

-The Hindu Opinion polls have gone wrong in the past. Exit polls too. On counting day of Verdict Bihar, several news channels got their math wrong in calling a BJP win, too soon and too early in the morning. From the beginning to the end, Verdict Bihar as it played out on the news channels had twists and turns that define a blockbuster. In the end, the Mahagathbandhan led by Nitish Kumar...

-The Indian Express Bihar’s female literacy rate, at 53.33 per cent as per the 2011 Census, is the second lowest after Rajasthan’s 52.66 per cent. Did women help win this election for the Nitish Kumar-led Grand Alliance? While that awaits an analysis, the fact is more women cast their votes in this Assembly Election than ever before in Bihar’s history. And this, despite the state’s dismal record when it comes to...

-The Hindu With just 9 lakh more male voters than female voters in the four phases, women are finally in a position to swing the outcome. Fifty years ago, a political party with ambitions of winning in Bihar could safely ignore its women. Not only were far fewer women than men registered to vote, but even fewer actually showed up to vote. In 1967, for instance, female turnout was 41 per cent...