There have been reports that as many as 150 persons including children reportedly died in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh in the last year. However, Minister of State for Agriculture KV Thomas in his reply to parliament earlier this week claimed there were no starvation deaths in the country during the last year. “No state government, Union Territory administration has reported any incidence of starvation death during last three years,” he said...
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Shortchanged by Manoj Mitta
For Sonia Gandhi, the change could not have been more dramatic. Just last year, her contribution in pushing for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was hailed as the single largest reason for the fresh mandate received by a government avowedly dedicated to the aam aadmi. Yet, last week, Gandhi, as chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC) was reduced to lodging a complaint with Prime Minister...
More »India telecoms minister refuses to quit over licences
India's telecommunications minister has rejected calls that he resign over claims that licences were improperly allocated to mobile phone firms. Opposition anger over A Raja's alleged role in the sale of second generation (2G) licences has been growing. Mr Raja's ministry issued licences on a "first-come first-served" basis instead of auctioning them, reports say. Federal auditors reportedly estimate billions of dollars were lost as a result. Mr Raja denies any wrongdoing. In May, India's...
More »Govt may exclude chief justice from RTI Act by Ruhi Tewari & Anuja
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government is considering changes to the Right to Information (RTI) Act to keep the chief justice of the Supreme Court out of its ambit, prompting protests against the move by those who see it as a dilution of the law. “The proposal includes...safeguarding the sensitivity of the office of the chief justice of India,” Prithviraj Chavan, outgoing minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions,...
More »Indian judge could be impeached for 'corruption'
A High Court judge in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta faces possible impeachment after a judicial committee found him guilty of corruption. Justice Soumitra Sen misappropriated "large sums" of money and made false statements, said the three-member committee set up by parliament. The indictment paves the way for impeachment proceedings against Justice Sen. He denies any wrongdoing. It would be the first time such a senior Indian judge has been impeached. Such a...
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