17 September 2021
Laws that make India’s forest communities secure: The rural employment guarantee and forest rights laws are coalescing to reform government and advance the rights of the native Korku tribe, a model that could be similarly used to benefit India’s 250 million citizens who depend on forests
PM Modi uses the vaccine drive for personal image building: On his birthday, the state machinery is misused to create a new vaccine record of 20 million in one day by stalling supply on previous days; Similarly, an older record was created and institutions misused public funds to write messages such as “thank you Modi” on hoardings
CAG report on government account kept a secret: Rajiv Mehrishi, the former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), has said the centre has held back a report he had submitted to the President of India, to end what he called “a nightmare of accounts that militates against good governance”
Telecom sector troubles: Telecom relief package likely to cost Rs 14,000 crore to govt in 2021-22; The government budgeted Rs 1.33 trillion as non-tax revenues from the telecom sector in 2020-21, but only Rs 34,000 crore could be realised
Police cases against opposition leaders in UP as elections near: In the 14 days between August 27 and September 9, the Uttar Pradesh police have filed six first information reports (FIRs) that charge more than 20 dissenters and opposition leaders in the state with various offence