-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has said Walmart's $100-million investment in Cedar Support Services, the holding company of Bharti Retail, in 2010, violated India's foreign exchange rules as well as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines but said as these violations did not fall within its purview, it cannot investigate the matter. "The case was analysed which reveals violations of RBI guidelines and Fema regulations," the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Political parties are unlikely to be rapped by the central information commission (CIC) for missing its Monday deadline for appointing public information officers. Though the CIC has recognized parties as public authorities under the RTI Act, it does not have powers to take suo motu action in case of non-compliance, allowing the government at least 45 days to bring in amendments to the RTI Act...

-The Hindu Uttarakhand reiterates that our rulers have contemptuous disregard for the advice of the best scientists and would rather listen to contractors and builders to whom they are beholden for funds In the early 1980s, while doing research on the environmental history of Uttarakhand, I sometimes visited the library of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in Dehradun. Most of the journals in the library dealt with geology and earth sciences,...

-The Indian Express But parties can be made to disclose their finances compulsorily We have received a number of inquiries about the CPI's position on bringing parties under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The decision of the central information commission (CIC) that political parties should come under the RTI, as they receive a substantial amount of financial help from the government, has been rejected by all parties. Many eyebrows were raised...

-Live Mint Fast clearance of river projects and the lack of disaster preparedness have wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand Relief operations in disaster-ravaged Uttarakhand have ended and the time seems ripe to take account of the institutional frailties that have contributed to the ongoing human disaster in the state. Chief minister Vijay Bahuguna has been blamed for inaction when the disaster first struck and has also admitted that the state did not...