Governance

The Election Commission on Saturday said the “cVigil” mobile application for citizens to share proof of malpractices by political parties, candidates and activists would be available for use soon after the notification of polls in five States. The Commission had launched the application’s beta version in July, following a pilot …

Airports Authority of India creates a simulated experience of security drills With the aim of dispelling any fear in first-time flyers and educating them about the mandatory security drill, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has recreated an airport experience at an international exhibition here. The AAI, which manages 130 …

Earlier, the all India common entrance examination was conducted on rotational basis by 19 National Law Universities To streamline the conduct of Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), a consortium of National Law Schools has decided to set up a permanent body to oversee the yearly conduct of the entrance exam. …

Pallab Kanti Ghosh, a member of the Special Investigation Team formed by the West Bengal government to probe the 2013 Saradha money laundering scam, appeared before the CBI on Wednesday. Mr. Ghosh, a retired IPS officer, arrived at the CBI office at Salt Lake for interrogation. The central agency wrote …

UPSC allows candidates to withdraw from exams Claiming that only half of the over 10 lakh aspirants who apply for civil services exam actually write the test, the UPSC on Monday said it has, for the first time, decided to allow candidates to withdraw from the examination if they wish …

Will not allow fake news and targeted voter messaging Internet major Google and social media giants Twitter and Facebook have assured the Election Commission that they will not allow their platforms to be used for anything which affects the sanctity of polls during the campaign period, Chief Election Commissioner O.P. …

How a police dog and its handler turn into a crack team — it’s the long, gruelling hours of training When a dog sniffs out evidence of a crime, it barks out the discovery. Between the exploratory sniff and the exultant bark lies a story of rigorous training, stretching the …

Says the actionis ‘unwarranted and mala fide’ The Indian Medical Association (IMA) action committee, in an emergency session in Mumbai, condemned the “supersession” of the Medical Council of India (MCI) and noted that “this action of the Government, at a juncture when the election to the MCI has been announced, …

They will get Rs. 4,335 crore in Central grants The financial powers of the panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir are being enhanced 10 times from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 1 lakh, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday. The panchayat polls in the State would pave the way for …

The Commission has drawn on legal backing for the directive from Supreme Court’s observation in the landmark S.R. Bommai and Others Vs. Union of India and Others (1994) judgment that the caretaker government should merely carry on day-to-day work and desist from taking any major policy decision. The provisions of …

It will be headed by former SC judge Ranjana Prakash Desai After a long delay, the Centre on Thursday constituted an eight-member search committee, to be headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, to recommend the chairperson and members of the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal. The Lokpal and …

The Election Commission on Wednesday said the supply of VVPATs for use in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019 was on track and that it was committed to 100% deployment of machines at all polling stations in the future. The Commission has placed an order of 17.45 lakh VVPATs to …

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday notified new rules amalgamating police forces in six Union Territories. The rules effectively mean that officers who are not direct IPS recruits could be posted in any of the six UTs and will be at the disposal of the Ministry. The National Capital …

The government on Wednesday welcomed the verdict on Aadhaar, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad terming it a ‘historic judgment’ that would bolster good governance, and the delivery of services to the poorer sections of society. “The Supreme Court decision is a historic one,” Mr. …

Punitive vigilance may demotivate, says RBI Governor Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel emphasised on preventive vigilance for improving governance standards in public sector enterprises (PSEs) and said punitive vigilance may not achieve the desired results. “Reserve Bank of India considers preventive vigilance measures as the lynchpin of its …

Asks govt., UPSC to expedite move to post regular chief The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Dilbag Singh, acting Director General of Police in Jammu and Kashmir, to continue in office for the next few weeks till the Union Public Service Commission takes a decision on the appointment of a …

Sells merchandise ahead of 2019 poll One of the main campaign devices of the BJP in the 2014 general election was the volunteer platform of 272+ (the half-way mark in the Lok Sabha), harnessed under various constituency-specific websites. Kicking off the last-mile campaign outreach for 2019, the Prime Minister’s Narendra …

The Supreme Court expressed alarm when it heard that potholes killed almost 3,600 persons in 2017. A Bench led by Justice Madan B. Lokur was even more shocked to hear that some States still dispute the fact that potholes have led to accidental deaths on roads across the country. That …

From driving licences to marriage certificates, residents can now apply for 40 documents; no. of services will be raised to 100 in future, says govt. After months of planning, the Delhi government on Monday launched its ambitious project to home-deliver services, starting with the applications for 40 different licences and …

With the Tamil Nadu government making a renewed effort to obtain the release of the seven life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case through a Cabinet recommendation to the Governor, legal experts differed on the scope of his power. While a senior advocate is of the opinion that any …