It spreads across five countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa and Bhutan, apart from a total of 34 of the 71 districts in Uttar Pradesh. It involves over 450 Class-I government officials and another 800 middle and lower rung subordinates apart from some 10,000 private entities and may require 5,000 FIRs to cover the scam in totality. The foodgrain scam of Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a strong contender for...

Heavy rains lashed the southern Tamil Nadu and Chennai claiming 30 more lives in the last three days. The death toll went up to 181 since October. Officials said most of the deaths were caused by wall collapses, floods, lightning and electrocution. Standing crops on more than 58,000 hectares have been spoilt and the damage to buildings, bridges and roads is to the tune of Rs 800 crore. Tamil Nadu...

What do you think should be the fine for information officers denying information to citizens? Re 1, nothing more or less, according to a state information commissioner.An RTI response sought by activist Vihar Durve in June 2010 revealed that Konkan Information Commissioner Navin Kumar imposed a penalty of Re 1 in two cases of appeals between 2005 and 2008 for stalling information.The first, imposed on July 5, 2008, was meant...

Polling for the second phase of panchayat elections began in Jharkhand on Monday morning amid tight security arrangements, an official in Ranchi said. The elections began at 7 am and voters were seen queueing at the polling booths despite the boycott call by Maoists. More than 700 companies ofparamilitary troopers and state police have been deployed and three helicopters are doing air surveillance to ensure peaceful polling, the official said.In...

Corruption, No. 1 national security threat, is eating into the vitals of the state, enfeebling internal security and crimping foreign policy.  India confronts several pressing national security threats. But only one of them — political corruption — poses an existential threat to the state, which in reality has degenerated into a republic of mega-scandals. The pervasive misuse of public office for private gain is an evil, eating into the vitals...