-Down to Earth The amendment to the RTI Act does not deserve the assent of the President, writes former Central Information Commissioner M Sridhar Acharyulu in the second of this two-part series The Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions told the House that Parliament's competence to enact a law to give effect to the citizens' right to obtain information is located in Entry 97 of the Union List...

-Newsclick.in It is the existence of these Articles that supported the integration of Kashmir into India, unlike the RSS and BJP’s campaign against these Articles. With Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement of a new Presidential Order which finishes off Article 370 of the Constitution and the bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, there is widespread confusion as to what exactly has happened. Due to a sustained campaign by the...

-The Indian Express Helping farmers produce solar energy can help realise the Government’s target of doubling farmers’ incomes. In July, two interesting things happened that can help Indian farmers to a large extent in augmenting their incomes. First, the Union Finance Minister (FM) in her maiden budget speech asked why the annadata (farmer) cannot become the urjadata (producer of solar power). Second, in Parliament, the agriculture minister for state, responding to...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Drivers and riders will become “ATMs for traffic policemen and transport department officials”, traffic and safety experts have cautioned the Government while suggesting that preparatory steps be taken before high penalties for violations kick in. Amendments in the motor vehicle law have been passed by Rajya Sabha and are all set to pass through Lok Sabha on Monday where BJP has a majority. One of the...

-Down to Earth The National Democratic Alliance Government's move is an assault on the independence of information commissioners, writes former Central Information Commissioner M Sridhar Acharyulu Alas! I thought the Narendra Modi Government is strong enough after its re-election. But now it is scared of the Right to Information (RTI) and the Chief Information Commission (CIC), as if they are monsters who can harm the power of the powerful rulers. The Information Commissioner...