-The Economic Times The recent decision of the government to allow FDI in multi-brand retail trade has attracted heated debate and emotive reactions. Though the main consideration for allowing FDI in retail is not its benefit for farm sector, the debate has predominantly focused on threats and benefits to the country's farmers and the farm sector. Interestingly, the main stakeholders, i.e., farmers, have not reacted much to the policy decision and...

-The Indian Express Notwithstanding the recent Supreme Court judgment re-drawing their eligibility criteria, Attorney General G E Vahanvati has said that the central and state information commissioners can continue for now. According to him, the SC ruling will be operative with prospective effect, but the government should not delay its review petition as the apex court’s decision is capable of creating “disarray” in their functioning. In his opinion submitted to the government...

-Economic and Political Weekly The recent Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and, more broadly, on nuclear safety regulation has highlighted many serious organisational and operational flaws. The report follows on a series of earlier CAG reports that documented cost and time overruns and poor performance at a number of nuclear facilities in the country. On the whole, the CAG reports offer a powerful indictment of...

-The Times of India CHANDIGARH/AMBALA/YAMUNANAGAR/KURUKSHETRA: Even as Punjab and Haryana governments are getting ready for procurement of paddy from October 1, the previously stocked wheat has not been cleared from mandis across the two states. The storage houses and government godowns are packed with previous year's produce, leaving no space for the fresh produce in the country's food bowl. Various food agencies have stocked 1.45 crore tonne wheat and paddy in...

-Forbes India Why the recent Supreme Court ruling threatens to kill citizens’ Right to Information The Supreme Court has placed the Central Information Commission (CIC), the apex body to deal with appeals regarding RTI, as well as the Information Commissions across the states in a fine pickle. On September 13, a division bench of the Supreme Court, chaired by Justice AK Patnaik and Justice Swatanter Kumar, passed an order which would fundamentally change...