The Aadhaar or UID project has grave implications for every Indian. It will enable the government to profile every citizen and track their movements and transactions. There is no guarantee that intimate personal information -- pre-existing illnesses, romantic relationships etc -- won't be shared with other agencies, warns Praful Bidwai. An elaborate charade has begun with the rolling out of the first Aadhaar unique identity numbers in a tribal district of Maharashtra by...

Poverty and exploitation forced some tribal women in eastern Uttar Pradesh to turn to Naxals, who proved to be no different. Leading a pathetic life after being sexually exploited and abandoned by the extremists, eight tribal women have now sought CM Mayawati's intervention to help in their rehabilitation. Hailing from the Naxal-affected Kaimur range, which includes Robertsganj, Mirzapur, Sonebhadra and Chandauli, these women had joined the banned outfits between 2000-2005. Most...

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, the Ahmedabad-based Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP) has announced its plans to pioneer an effort to protect RTI applicants against any perceived or real threat. The MAGP helplines: +919924085000 and 07926821553 (fax) will now take details of the applications, nature of threats, and addresses from such applicants and forward them, along with a complaint, to the concerned police...

Noted social Activist Anna Hazare has decided to launch a 'jail bharo' agitation against the 'illegal decision of the state government to condone irregularities' in the Lavasa lake city project coming up near Pune. "The state government's decision to regularise irregularities in Lavasa project is akin to daylight robbery of tribals whose lands have been illegally acquired for the project," Hazare said. "As per law, land of tribals cannot be transferred. But...

The RTI Activist organisations have taken their protest against the latest order of the UP government to move vigilance department out of the purview of the RTI Act a step ahead. A writ has been filed on Tuesday by the National RTI Forum in the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow bench. The writ is against the notification dated September 22, 2010 issued by principal secretary, Vigilance, UP through which the vigilance department...