The Indian government is adopting a rights-based approach and converting the Directive Principles into Fundamental Rights, which are enforceable in the court of law. That is why we have seen a plethora of rights-based laws recently-right to education, right to employment, right to forest, right to information and now, right to food.
Governance of the state of Sikkim is one of the key issues that we take pride in for being very, very good. It goes down to the level of the panchayats. In three districts we have panchayati raj in full flow. Interestingly, in north Sikkim, we have the Zumsa system of local governance.
The centre and states usually have a very stormy relationship. I would want to draw attention to the different aspects of this relationship. We live in a federal structure of government with three levels; centre, state and the panchayati raj institutions.
Citizens have long been frustrated by the secretive nature of the public-private partnerships (PPPs). A Madras High Court judgement on Tirupur water project SPV kindles hopes that PPPs will now be compelled to open up.
A scathing CAG audit report on Kerala's Akshaya, the country's premier e-gov initiative, shows why billions being spent on e-governance would be wasted if the bureaucracy does not learn quickly.
India's high economic growth in recent years, the resultant worsening of economic disparities and the struggle for scarce resources, such as land, forests, and water, have brought a new focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR).
As an expanding economy looks for fuel for further growth, India needs to raise its coal production. But Sriprakash Jaiswal, minister of state (indpendent charge) for coal, faces challenges from the Maoists as well as form environmental lobbies. In an interview, Jaiswal discusses his plans to meet these challenges and also the future of the coal sector.
Even as Delhi and NCR reel under power cuts, solar energy is beginning to light up villages just a few miles into the countryside. The sun no longer sets on Nakshandabad. It continues to light up this small village in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh well past dusk.
