Mainstream Weekly

Our Experiments with Truth: Political Parties Band Together to Keep Themselves Out of RTI

Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey — 2013-08-12T11:24:17Z

by Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey
Engulfed in scams and in the midst of a growing credibility deficit of the political establishment, the government's move to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act to keep political parties out of its ambit is most unfortunate and injudicious. This step will deepen the chasm between the political system and the people. It is especially unwise at this juncture as it's another setback to expectations of responsible and fair governance.
The dilemma lies in the (…)

- 2013

Wiping Out Transparency

Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey — 2011-07-25T13:01:41Z

If actions speak louder than words, then the government has just spoken loud and clear. There could be no stronger indication of the government's lack of serious intent in building an effective anti-corruption regime than the decision to remove the Central Bureau of Investi-gation (CBI) from the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) law.
Without any discussion in the public domain, the government has decided to use Section 24 of the RTI Act to exempt the CBI—a decision with (…)

- 2011

How MGNREGA Is Being Undermined

Aruna Roy — 2010-11-24T18:26:50Z

Despite its seminal success in beginning a process of addressing issues of poverty, star-vation and empowering the poor, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) needed a general election to breathe life into it. However, the disproportionate influence of the middle class on social sector policy has led to the same set of pre-election prejudices resurfacing.
“What use is the MGNREGA to the economy at large?” asks the businessman, one eye fixed apprehensively on (…)

- 2010

Prabhash Joshi and the RTI Movement

Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Shankar Singh — 2010-05-01T18:21:00Z

TRIBUTE
On May 5 it will be six months since Prabhat Joshi left us. Remembering that towering figure in the field of journalism on this occasion, we are carrying the following tribute which brings out yet another facet of his personality. It was written quite sometime ago but could not be published earlier due to unavoidable reasons.
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Prabhash Joshi was one of the most important journalists and thinkers of our times. He was also one of the most controversial. He was a journalist (…)

- 2010