-Live Mint An investigation found DCGI cleared drugs without conducting mandatory clinical trials After five rounds of consultations in six months, a committee tasked with making recommendations on cleaning up India’s drugs-approval process and ending the cosy relationship between doctors, pharmaceutical companies and government officials had no suggestions to offer by way of a crackdown. It has, instead, suggested setting up 20 sub-committees. The report submitted to the health ministry in November is...

-NDTV Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has earmarked Rs. 10,000 crore as incremental cost to implement the Food Security Bill, which he described as a promise of the UPA government. A centrepiece of the ruling government's campaign in 2009, the Bill was cleared last month by a Parliamentary Committee. The Bill says 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the poor in urban India - about 800 million people...

-The Times of India Two months after questioning the rationale behind commuting death sentences of five rape-murder convicts to life imprisonment during then President Pratibha Patil's tenure, a Parliamentary Committee has now suggested that the mercy petitions should not be by and large considered for such criminals. Though the Committee is not in favour of completely knocking out the provision of mercy plea for convicts like those on death row, it wants...

-The Hindu On February 11, the Supreme Court issued notice to the government, seeking its response on making intelligence agencies accountable to Parliament. This question is pertinent and in some ways captures the sentiments expressed by many and best vocalised by two leaders in recent times. Vice-President Hamid Ansari had said in his 2010 speech on this subject “....responsibility to the legislature, and eventually to the electorate, is an essential element...

-Tehelka The National Food Security Act is probably going to undergo many changes before it is presented in Parliament. But everyone seems to agree that it’s time has come Towards the end of January, a few days after Republic Day and a little over a week after the Congress’s conclave in Jaipur, large half-page advertisements appeared in major newspapers: “Celebrating the 63rd year anniversary of our Republic by putting food on everybody’s...