Consumers will be able to register their complaints online and any delay in complying with the orders of consumer courts could invite a fine of Rs. 500 or 1.5 per cent of the amount of penalty. These amendments, introduced to the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2011, will facilitate quicker disposal of cases and amplify the scope of some of the provisions of the Act. The Bill, tabled in the Lok Sabha in the just-concluded session,...

-The Economic Times   The enacting of the Lokpal Bill has been deferred in the Rajya Sabha but that need not end the discussion on how focused the proposals are when it comes to tackling corruption. For instance, what exactly are the quotas in the Lokpal meant to do? If out of an eight-or-nine-member Lokpal, four or five should be from SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities and women, what is the message going...

-DNA The state government has strongly opposed the land acquisition Bill proposed by the Centre, claiming that the rehabilitation cost of development projects will go up by at list four times if the provision in the Bill comes into force. The government has stated that the monetary compensation given to the landholders would be higher than the profit from the project. Comparing the existing expenditure for land acquisition and rehabilitation with that of...

Wary of a political backlash after its campaign against Congress in last year's Hisar Lok Sabha by-poll and the lukewarm response to Anna Hazare's Mumbai stir, Team Anna is divided on whether to extend the anti-Congress movement to poll-bound states. Team Anna's concerns increased after BJP was severely criticized for accepting former BSP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha into its fold and Congress asked whether the activists will turn their guns towards...

-The Hindu Business Line   Even as the blame game over the midnight bedlam in Parliament over the Lokpal Bill continues, Nobel Laureate Prof. Amartya Sen on Monday said the issue of corruption should be solved within the “structure of democracy” according to the “rule of law”. “Corruption is a huge issue in India, and it has been so for long. The importance of corruption elimination is a part of this movement,” Prof....