The United States on Wednesday expressed concern over punitive action taken by the National Democratic Alliance government against scores of non government organisation, asserting that a vibrant civil society was important for democratic traditions and that those who act peacefully to seek change are not anti-government.
In the wake of Congress President Sonia Gandhi's remarks against the Opposition and civil society, Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari said on Monday her charges were baseless and sought to know if the Congress feels yoga guru Ramdev's demand for bringing back black money is anti-national.
A group of lawyers representing Pakistani doctor Shakeel Afridi, sentenced to a 33-year jail term after he helped the Central Investigation Agency track Osama bin Laden, appealed against his conviction on Friday.
The report urged the top court that the matter may be taken up by the petitioners and other parties with utmost sensitivity as any misinformation or rumour or even suspicion may aggravate the situation in Manipur, where things are slowly returning to normal with the concerted efforts of the central and the state governments.
Former army chief V K Singh, who has assumed an activist's role after retirement, will join a Parliament gherao agitation by sugarcane farmers on Tuesday, its organisers said. The protest has been organised by the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan and is expected to be joined by farmers' leaders and civil society members.
The home ministry on Monday lodged a protest with the ministry of external affairs over the visit of eight envoys of the European Union to Nagaland without any intimation and security clearance and raised concern on the delegation meeting with political leaders and civil society.
'I want us not to underestimate Indian voters. They can tell good work from bad.'
India on Tuesday announced a $5 million contribution to a joint initiative with a US agency to identify and invest in innovation by civil society, and bring them to scale.
Various civil society groups on Wednesday gathered in support of the arrested IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt, and alleged that the Narendra Modi government was trying to create atmosphere of fear by suppressing those who speak the truth.
Capart wants to help the industry fulfil corporate social responsibility
They are trying to better the country's education system.
An apex body of psychiatrists in India has said members of the LGBTQA community should be treated like all citizens of the country and have access to marriage, adoption, education, employment, property rights and healthcare.
The records of the debate are expected to be sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee examining the Lokpal Bill
Aruna Roy, prominent member of civil society, chairman of the National Campaign for People's Right to Information, and an alternative voice in the ongoing debate on the Lokpal Bill, speaks to Rediff.com
The second part of lawyer and brain behind the Anna Hazare campaign, Prashant Bhushan's interview to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
Against the backdrop of charges against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and realty major DLF, the Janata Dal-United on Thursday said the key issue of Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail should not be forgotten in the din over other issues and suspected that those involved in coal and 2G scams may be trying to divert attention.
Civil society groups welcome the submission of a memorandum opposing Aadhaar and other anti-people policies to the prime minister along with a big truckload of signatures numbering 3.57 crore on March 14, says Gopal Krishna
Congress has rejected demands for a probe against Robert Vadra, Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law, in the wake of allegation by civil society activists Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan that he was favoured by realty major DLF.
The World Economic Forum last week named former Clinton Administration official, erstwhile Congressional staffer and longtime Democratic Party activist Shamina Singh, 41, as one of its Young Global Leaders for 2010.
Activist Anna Hazare claims that 85 per cent people in Telecom and Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal's constituency in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, support the draft Lokpal Bill drawn up by 'civil society' activists.
'The Centre prevaricates on the question of effecting a change of state-level leadership or on the imposition of President's rule in the state.'
The extension comes three days after the Centre constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Registrar General and Census Commissioner Vivek Joshi with Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry Piyush Goyal as its Member-Secretary.
The agitational programmes include the 'Loktantra Bachao Mashal Shanti March' starting from Red Fort on Tuesday and a series of press conferences in 35 major cities across the country on March 28 and 29.
Srinagar, which is no stranger to angry protests, on Saturday witnessed a demonstration with a difference as civil society activists took to the streets to protest the growing menace of stray dogs in the city.
The Congress on Monday hit back at L K Advani for describing it as a 'fiefdom' of a single family, saying his views reflect "his frustration from unfulfilled desires".
Anna Hazare-led activists on Monday reacted sharply Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for accusing the civil society of trying to undermine democracy and said his statement betrayed a "distorted understanding of democracy and arrogance of power".
Under pressure from civil society to take concrete action on black money, the government said on Monday it has enough tools to deal with transactions arising from non-cooperative jurisdictions and would take action as and when necessary.
A senior leader, who declined to be identified, said the party was not told about the police action, like it was also not aware of the four ministers, led by Mukherjee, driving down to the Delhi airport on June 1 to meet Baba Ramdev, a move which had come for flak from several party leaders
The Lokpal Bill, which seeks to curb corruption, has run into rough weather after the government objected strongly to certain clauses in the much-anticipated bill.The prime bone of contention during Monday's meeting between representatives of the civil society and the Centre was the proposed inclusion of both the prime minister and the judiciary within the purview of the Lokpal bill.
A 60-page report by the Human Rights Watch titled 'Between Two Sets of Guns: Attacks on Civil Society Activists in India's Maoist Conflict', documents human rights abuses against activists in India's Orissa, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh states. This is the final part of the three-part series
Here's what your favourite Bollywood celebrities are tweeting.
Nationalist Congress Praty leader D C Tripathi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday.
China on Thursday sharply criticised US special coordinator for Tibetan issues Uzra Zeya's meeting with the Dalai Lama and her visit to Dharamshala, saying it violated Washington's commitment that Tibet is part of China and it does not support Tibetan separatists.
'Here I am, at a forum where perhaps I do not have many whose thought process is similar to mine but there are enough thinking people whose constructive criticism is something I greatly look forward to'
The ruling dispensation seems to have plumbed the depths of depravity following the constitution of the Lokpal panel. Whatever residual respect that one might have for a 'clean' prime minister was lost once a carefully orchestrated campaign of calumny was unleashed against civil society nominees on the Lokpal panel, says Virendra Kapoor.
Expressing his resentment at the recent smear campaign against civil society members by certain elements, including some within the Congress and the government, to derail the fight against corruption, social activist Anna Hazare shot off a strongly-worded letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Briefing mediapersons about Saturday's first Lok Pal joint draft committee meeting after a three-hour closed door meeting between Anna Hazare, Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and Justice N Santosh Hegde on Friday, the members declared their assets to the press, claiming they had nothing to hide.
Admitting that incidents of money distribution were occurring despite its strong measures for Wednesday's Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, the Election Commission warned for the second day that it may postpone elections in areas where the malpractice takes place.
Following is the text of the Gazette Notification issued by the government constituting the Joint Drafting Committee comprising ministers and civil society activists to prepare the draft Lok Pal Bill.
