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RTI on brink of extinction, Central govt wants to subvert Act says Sonia Gandhi

Agencies
July 23, 2019

New Delhi, Jul 23: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said the Centre is hell-bent on subverting the RTI Act which now stands on the "brink of extinction", a day after Lok Sabha passed amendments to the Act amid strong opposition protests.

In a statement, she said it is clear that the present central government sees the RTI Act as a "nuisance" and wants to destroy the status and independence of the Central Information Commission. "It is a matter of utmost concern that the central government is hell-bent on completely subverting the historic Right to Information Act, 2005. This law, prepared after widespread consultations and unanimously passed by Parliament, now stands at the brink of extinction," she said in a statement. Gandhi said,

"Over the past decade and more, 60 lakh of our countrymen and women have used RTI and helped usher in a new culture of transparency and accountability administration at all levels". The foundations of our democracy have, as a result, been strengthened immeasurably, she said.

The weaker sections of our society have benefited greatly by the proactive use of RTI by activists and others. "It is clear that the present central government sees the RTI Act as a nuisance and wants to destroy the status and independence of the Central Information Commission which was put on par with the Central Election Commission and the Central Vigilance Commission. "The central government may use its legislative majority to achieve its aims but in the process it would be disempowering each and every citizen of our country," she said in her statement.

Lok Sabha on Monday passed the bill amending the Right To Information Act, amid objections by the Opposition which alleged that it was an attempt to undermine the law and make the transparency panel a "toothless tiger". The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019, seeks to give the government powers to fix salaries, tenures and other terms and conditions of employment of information commissioners.

Rejecting the opposition's charge that the Bill will weaken the RTI Act, the government said it was fully committed to transparency and autonomy of the institution.

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News Network
January 7,2020

Jan 7: A Delhi Court today issued death warrant against four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case. The hanging will take place on January 22 at 7 am.

During the hearing, the prosecution said there was no application pending before any court or the President right now by any of the convicts and the review petition of all the convicts was dismissed by the Supreme Court.

On Monday, the court had reserved order on issuing of death warrants against four death row convicts.

Today's order comes days after mother of the victim in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder case moved the Supreme Court on opposing the plea filed by one of the four death-row convicts seeking review of its 2017 judgement awarding him death penalty.

The apex court had on July 9 last year dismissed the review pleas filed by the other three convicts — Mukesh (30), Pawan Gupta (23) and Vinay Sharma (24) — in the case, saying no grounds have been made out by them for review of the 2017 verdict.

The 23-year-old girl was gangraped and murdered by six men on a moving bus on 16 December 2012. The main accused, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail during the trial. Another accused was a minor at the time of the commission of the crime and was sent to a reform facility and released after three years.

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Agencies
August 9,2020

Pathanamthitta, Aug 9 : An orange alert has been issued in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district as the water level in Pamba dam is now flowing at 983.05 metres and it is likely to reach 983.50 metres within an hour.

A red alert will be declared at 984.5 metres and dam will open when the water level reaches 985 metres.

"The water level in Pamba dam is 983.05 metres now and is likely to reach 983.50 metres within an hour. So, the second alert- orange alert has been issued. A red alert will be declared at 984.5 metres and dam will open when it reaches 985 metres," said Pathanamthitta District Collector.

Meanwhile, a portion of the Shiva Temple in Aluva continues to remain submerged. However, the water level in the Periyar River is receding gradually and more part of the temple is above the water level now. 

As Kerala has been receiving heavy rain for the past few days, severe waterlogging affects traffic movement at Mannuthy bypass in Thrissur on Saturday.

On Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert in Kozhikode district. It had also predicted rainfall in different parts of the state.

Due to heavy downpour, a massive landslide had occurred in Idukki district recently. The death toll in Idukki landslide has risen to 26, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday.

The Chief Minister said that monsoon fury continues to be severe in the state.

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News Network
March 6,2020

Mumbai, Mar 6: Harried Yes Bank depositors rushed to ATMs to withdraw cash but faced multitude of problems including closed down machines and long queues, after the RBI placed the bank under a moratorium, capping maximum withdrawals at Rs 50,000 per account for a month.

Aggravating the problems of depositors were difficulties accessing the internet banking channel, which ensured that they can't transfer the funds online as well. At an ATM in south Mumbai's Horniman Circle, with the RBI headquarters overlooking it, the shutters were pulled down.

The guard on duty said the machine was non-operational before he reported to work late in the evening and he was ordered to shut it after 2200 hrs. In the residential area of suburban Chembur, one ATM was dispensing cash but had a long queue of anxious depositors.

One man said it was still possible to withdraw up to Rs 50,000 in multiple transactions from the machine.

However, another machine nearby had run dry within minutes of the RBI announcement, a woman said.

The regulatory actions, undertaken by the RBI and the government, came hours after finance ministry sources confirmed that SBI was directed to bail out the troubled lender.

For the next month, Yes Bank will be led by the RBI-appointed administrator Prashant Kumar, an ex-chief financial officer of SBI.

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