Why Is India So Obsessed with GDP Growth?
A recent announcement by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) says that the GDP of India will grow by 7.4% during 2017-18 and 7.6% in the next fiscal.
Announcements such as the above are very common. Whenever people – policymakers, politicians, economists, international agencies as well as the media – across the world want to talk about progress they talk of ‘growth’ – pointing to economic growth (GDP Growth). It is not surprising if leaders in Ind
Why Indian “Secularism” Is So Distorted ?
Indian intelligentsia and media are in love with the word “secularism”; it is taken as a sign of being liberal and progressive. But when you look at their discourse, you soon begin to see signs of their empty brains. Whenever they pretend to be championing the cause of ‘secularism’, they are either deriding Hindus by calling them communal or pretending to be the advocates of minorities (for all practical purposes, minority in India mostly means the
Why "Development" should Focus on People, Not Economy
Development should focus on people, not economy.
Why Poverty? Let's Talk People's Development
People should be the Focus of Development
“People are the real wealth of a nation.”
This is how the historic first Human Development Report titled “Concept and Measurement of Human Development” in 1990 opened, outlining the onset of a new thinking on what development should be and how to go about quantifying it. Since then, e
Who killed Lalit Mehta ?
Submitted by Hardnews on Fri, 07/04/2008 - 09:05
The widespread corruption in the Ćagship scheme of the UPA government, NREGA, is hidden from none. Social audits conducted by civil society groups and individuals have proved the existence of corrupt practices being followed by the district administration of various states. These social audits are threatening the people who have been brazenly siphoning oĂ funds from public schemes for decades.
Consequently,
What are the powers and functions of Information Commissions?
Complaints
Section-18. (1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, it shall be the duty of the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission, as the case may be, to receive and inquire into a complaint from any person,—
(a) Who has been unable to submit a request to a Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, either by reason that no such officer has b
What are some of the shocking, weirdest, silliest RTI requests made in India?
As Abraham Lincoln said “Government is of the people, by the people, for the people”
The government is our servant and we have no duty to explain why we seek information from them. The government holds all the information in our behalf, in trust. Like a banker can’t ask you why you want to see your bank account statement, similarly the government can’t deny if you ask them how they are governing our country.
Timebound Justice
AUGUST 30, 2017 BY SHAILESH GANDHI
Presently there is considerable focus being paid to the Judicial accountability and Judicial appointments bills. These are necessary but do they address the biggest problem of the judicial system? The biggest problem of our judicial system is that it does not deliver in any reasonable time. Consequently over 80% of Indians will not approach the courts, unless they are trapped by the system. If a poor man is implicated in a civil or
The Times of India (Delhi) - 70K Judges
May 29 2016 : The Times of India (Delhi)
BY INVITATION – Don’t need 70,000 judges. Just fill vacancies to cut backlog
SHAILESH GANDHI
Everyone agrees that judicial pendency is a serious problem in India.Most of the suggested big-ticket reforms call for major changes in the way the judiciary and bar function, way the judiciary and bar function, and a threeto four-fold increase in the sanctioned strength of judges. On the ground, though,
The Supreme Court Still Adamantly Refuses to Yield to RTI
BY ANIKET AGA ON 03/09/2015
While the government often comes under fire for not effectively implementing the RTI Act, few have noticed that India’s highest court violates the Act routinely, and with an impunity that makes the government’s evasion of the RTI Act seem benign.
Consider the following:
On 20th February 2008, Satnam Singh, a prisoner in Ludhiana’s Central Jail sent a Right to Information (RTI) request to the
The Right to Information Act and Good Governance in India
by Prof. R. N. Mishra
Problems and Prospects
The passage of the Right to Information Act, 2005 represents a mile stone in Indian politics. It is a weapon in the hands of common men to fight for their rights and derive the advantage of true democracy. Gandhiji said, “The real Swaraj will come not by the acquisition of authority by a few but by the acquisition of capacity by all to resist authority when abused.” The Ac
Stakeholders Need to Work Together to Improve RTI Implementation, Says Study
BY GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR ON 24/01/2017
A report from several civil society actors has found that the Right to Information Act is not functioning as it should be.
New Delhi: Two organisations working in the field of right to information assessment and advocacy and a publishing house have come together to bring out ‘Tilting the Balance of Power: Adjudicating the RTI Act for the Oppressed and the Marginalis
Serious Concerns on the Indian Drug Industry
DEPARTMENT-RELATED PARLIAMENTARY STANDING COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
FIFTY-NINTH REPORT ON THE FUNCTIONING OF THE CENTRAL DRUGS STANDARD CONTROL ORGANISATION (CDSCO)
(PRESENTED TO THE RAJYA SABHA ON 8TH MAY, 2012) & (LAID ON THE TABLE OF THE LOK SABHA ON 8TH MAY, 2012
Drug Regulation
1.1 Drugs are an integral and inseparable part of medical care. As per the directory of pharmaceutical manufacturing units in
This village has finally tasted the power of RTI:
For about two years, Suvarana Bhagyawant made rounds of the panchayat office to get her grandfather's death certificate. Every time, the official there would tell her to come later or pay a bribe of Rs 500 to get the work done.
Suvarana, a resident of the Ambhegaon village, needed the certificate so that her grandmother could apply for the widow pension scheme. Finally, Suvarana filed a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Sh
RTI File notings helps 70-yr-old uses RTI to get dead son’s records
Posted by rtiact2005 on August 5, 2006
70-yr-old uses RTI to get dead son’s records
New Delhi, PTI:
A 70-year-old woman from Haryana has used the Right To Information Act to gain access to files regarding the pension and other benefits of her son, a Delhi Traffic Police constable who was killed in a road accident over five years ago.
A 70-year-old woman from Haryana has used the Right To Information Act
Right to Information Act 2005 mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information. It is an initiative taken by Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to provide a–RTI Portal Gateway to the citizens for quick search of information on the details of first Appellate Authorities,PIOs etc. amongst others, besides access to RTI related information / disclosures published on the web by various Public Authorities under the gove
Procedure of filing an RTI In India:
The necessary requisites of an application filed under the RTI Act are:
The aspirant must be the civilian of India. .
The request must cover the details of facts and figures required.
The proof of payment of application fee should be hemmed in.
The address of the aspirant should be accessible for directing a reply.
Private particulars excluding those essential for communicating an applicant are not required to be stated.
RTI AND INTERNATIONAL LEGAL INSTRUMENTS
Various international instruments such as treaties, charters etc
have recognized RTI as right that ought to be available to the people.
All the citizens have a right to decide, either personally or by their
representatives, as to necessity of the public contribution, to grant
this freely, to know to what use fix the proportion, the mode of
assessment and of collection and the duration of taxes.
i) United Nations
The United Nations (UN
RTI : Challenges
Posted on September 6th, 2017 at 7:56 am
Context:
In April, the government of India proposed amendments to the RTI Act
The most controversial amendment pertained to Rule 12.
Amendment to Rule 12 and controversy:
1. It would allow the withdrawal of an application in case of the applicant’s death, making the job of those who file RTIs even more risky.
2. The RTI activists are already exposed to violence, all the more so as the Whistle Blow
Right to Information is Slowly but Surely Being Suffocated
BY SHAILESH GANDHI ON 07/08/2015 - The Wire
Those who say that the Right to Information has made a great impact point out that it is responsible for creating the culture of transparency in the government. The widespread usage of RTI is proof of this. This claim is reasonable and is obvious in the empowerment of citizens and the scams it has exposed. The sudden feeling that corruption has risen in the last few years, and the Ind
RTI constricted
RTI usage and propagation is moving at a fast pace because of citizen enthusiasm and desire for accountable governance. The biggest gain has been in empowering individual citizens to translate the promise of ‘democracy of the people, by the people, for the people’ into a living reality. The law as framed by Parliament has outstandingly codified this fundamental right of citizens. When framing the law cognizance had been taken of various landmark decisions of the Supreme Cou
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention
ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print): 2319 – 7714
www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 2 ǁ March. 2013ǁ PP.11-22
Right to Information and Good Governance
The right to information act is a path making legislation which brings to light the secrecy of administration. It is an effective means to promote democratic ideology. The act is powerful instrument to fight against corruption. By realizing this significance the Second
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention
ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print): 2319 – 7714
www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 2 ǁ March. 2013ǁ PP.11-22
RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT: CHALLENGES
Since came into force on 15th June, 2005 Right to Information act has been successfully working in most of the Indian states. The act is enacted by the state government of Tamilnadu (1997), Rajasthan (2000), Delhi (2001), Maharashtra (2002), Karnataka (2002), Assam (200
Right to Information - International Positions
Right to Information (hereinafter read as RTI) which is the cynosure of this discourse is not something new. In fact there is a long history at international level towards the attainment of this right and mobilization of the masses for achieving it. With development
of human ideals and establishment of democratic governments in most of the civilized countries, this topic came to the fore.
The United States and Sweden constitute the two main
Poverty is Multidimensional, So should be Development
Why Poverty? Let's Talk People Development !
Looking at Poverty, Beyond Lack of Income
Different Types of Poverty
Traditionally, poverty is associated with lowness of income. They don’t earn enough income to take care of all their basic requirements; as a result, they lead a life of shortages and hardships. It is obviously a state of low human well-being. A simple way to look at the well-being of people is to see whether t
Population of India: Women’s Empowerment is the Best Contraceptive.
Is Population a Problem?
Yes; if your thinking is shaped by the enlightened philosophy of English cleric Mr Thomas Robert Malthus prophesied 2 centuries ago. If you see people merely as food eating morons their increasing number is clearly a burden. In his 1798 piece Essay on the Principle of Population Malthus observed, “…in nature plants and animals produce far more offspring than can survive, and that Man too is cap
