The farmers' agitation in Uttar Pradesh brings into focus the indiscriminate acquisition of land by the state for corporate-led development. ON May 19, three days before the formal observation of the second anniversary of the United Progressive Alliance government, Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi made a categorical announcement that in the monsoon session of Parliament scheduled to begin in July the ruling coalition would bring in legislation that...
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Lokpal Bill: Talks between the government and civil society activists hit a roadblock
-The Economic Times Talks between the government and civil society activists on the draft Lokpal Bill almost broke down on Monday, with the civil society members threatening to walk out of the drafting committee. This was following government's insistence on keeping the Post of Prime Minister, higher judiciary, Armed Forces, the Election Commission, Public Services Commissions and MPs conduct inside Parliament out of the purview of Lokpal. Members of the civil...
More »Wife hails CBI probe into NREGA worker's death
-The Times of India Babli Devi can finally hope for justice if the CBI inquiry into her husband's death comes to fruition. The wife of the MGNREGA workerSubal Mahto, allegedly killed for asking for his wages after digging a well, has welcomed the proposal of a CBI inquiry by the Centre. The 50-year-old resident of Bhatua village of Bokaro had died on February 19 after being thrashed by his contractor...
More »RTI: Pathetic state of implementation
-The Times of India For a government harping on transparency and accountability, a glance through the websites of various departments brings to the fore the pathetic state of the implementation of the RTI Act. Incidentally, it was Rajasthan that laid the foundation for this law. A survey by the Suchna Evum Rozgar Ka Adhikar Abhiyan, based on the websites of 64 government departments, shows that there are at least 17...
More »Violations May Hit Vaccination Plans by Ranjit Devraj
After a government report confirmed major ethical violations in trials of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccines on Indian schoolgirls, senior doctors are calling for transparency in clinical trials conducted under private-public partnerships. The report is yet to be placed in the public domain, but its contents were revealed early May by senior doctors who assisted in its preparation, sparking outrage among public health advocates and women’s rights groups. HPV is an umbrella...
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