, Author at Electronic Gurudev

Apr32017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

New RTI draft rules are seemingly inspired by citizen-unfriendly and overtly bureaucratic approach

National

The Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005. The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Cent...

Apr22017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

RTI pleas on pension issues should be decided in 48 hrs says CIC

National

RTI applications seeking pension details should be replied to within 48 hours as it pertains to the "life and liberty" of the elderly, the Central Information Commission has held as it pitched for early redressal of such grievances. The Commission also directed that if an RTI application is a genuine grievance of a pensioner, steps should be initiated within 48 hours to redress it. The directive of Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu will come to the aid of over 58 lakh central government pensioners. Acharyulu in a recent order held that the information pertaining to pension of a person pertains to his/her life and liberty which is mandated to be replied to within 48 hours as per the Right to Information (RTI) Act. He said the moment an RTI application on pension iss...

Apr22017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

Liquor ban: States ask Centre to de-notify national highways

National

After Supreme Court's ban on Liquor shops along the highways, the state government is mulling the denotifying of even existing highways. The bar owners, wine merchants in the states have decided to demand denotification of highways as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh did, hoping to reduce the impact. A closed liquor shop as the Supreme Court order to ban liquor vends located within 500 meters of Punjab's National and State Highways from April 1 in Amritsar. PTI According to the owners, 90 per cent of the shops are on these roads and the government would lose significant amount of tax, besides lakh of people losing their source of income. As per the latest reports, Maharashtra is adversely affected with this liquor ban. The state would be losing yearly revenue of ...

Apr22017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

Draft RTI Rules, 2017 in supersession of RTI Rules, 2012

National

Apr22017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

‘Baahubali 2’ release biggest movie event ever: Karan Johar

Entertainment

Filmmaker Karan Johar says April will witness the biggest movie event ever as the two parts in the "Baahubali" franchise will release within a span of two weeks. He also said "Baahubali: The Conclusion" is going to be "bigger" and "grander". Ahead of the release of "Baahubali: The Conclusion" on April 28, the first part is being re-released in select theatres on April 7. "When a movie continues to be topical for two years, you know people love every bit of it! Both, exhibitors and film lovers, have approached us to make 'Baahubali' a binge-watching experience," Karan, who will be distributing the Hindi version of the film, said in a statement. "Hence, we are re-releasing the first part on April 7 with a special offer that takes care of tickets for both parts. We're excited. Ap...

Apr22017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

Centre Invites Comments On Draft RTI Rules, 2017 [What Does RTI Activist’s have to say]

National

In a recent circular, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Department of Personnel and Training has invited comments on the draft RTI Rules, 2017. These Rules would replace RTI Rules, 2012. Suggestions from concerned stakeholders may be sent by 15th April, 2017, via email to Ms. Preeti Khanna, Under Secretary (RTI), North Block, at usrti-dopt@nic.in. The Rules add definitions for the Chief Information Commissioner, Decision, Information Commissioner, Non-compliance, Representative, Secretary and Section. They add provisions elaborating on the documents and the format for filing a complaint with the Commission, return of such complaint, and the procedure for deciding complaints. Compliance of orders of the Commission has been prescribed to be filed within 30 days of...

Apr12017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

Jio Prime membership now available till April 15, ends free service & offers Summer Surprise

Technology

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited had a bevy of announcements centered around Jio on Friday. Friday was also supposedly the last day before Jio starts charging customers to avail its 4G services. The company informed that its promotional Prime offer had received a whopping 7.2 crore subscriptions in one month, and that it was extending its timeline to April 15, albeit with a slight twist. "Customers who could not enroll for Jio Prime by March 31 for whatever reason can still do so by paying Rs 99 along with their first purchase of Jio's Rs 303 and other plans till April 15," the company said in a statement. This means, all existing and first-time Jio users can still avail Prime and the host of benefits that the scheme brings along with it until April 15 provided they mak...

Apr12017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

Government Approves App Proposed By Akshay Kumar To Support Families Of Martyr Jawans

Entertainment

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar had recently donated Rs 9 lakh each to the families of the 12 CRPF personnel who were killed in a recent Naxal ambush in Chhattisgarh. On Saturday his suggestion to give back to security forces killed in line of duty received government approval, reported India Today. The Bharat Ke Veer app, which was first proposed by the actor, through which people can extend financial support to the families of the killed soldiers has been approved, the channel reported. Ahead of Republic Day, the 49-year-old actor had posted a video on Twitter, suggesting the creation of a website or a mobile app that connects people directly to the families of the killed jawans in order to help them financially. https://twitter.com/akshaykumar/status/823855393973538816 The new ...

Mar312017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

Modi to address world’s largest hackathon

National, Technology

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will address the "Smart India Hackathon", said to be the world's largest hackathon. Aimed at promoting innovation, the exercise would see nearly 10,000 students producing digital solutions to 598 problems, a release from the Ministry of Electronics and IT said. The 598 problems have been identified and posted by 29 central government departments and include issues like geo-fencing of airports, online toll collection, smart traffic management, cyber attacks and smart drones to make the airspace safer. The 36-hour non-stop digital programming competition would start at 8 a.m. on Saturday in 26 different locations in the country with each location handled by one central department or ministry. The top three teams would be awarded Rs 1 l...

Mar312017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

These items will turn expensive from 1st Apr 2017 – Check out the complete list

Economy

From the next fiscal year, that is from April 1, a lot of things of your daily needs as well as things of your comfort is going to get dearer. During the presentation of Budget 2017-18, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hiked custom and excise duty on some, while it has been reduced on some products which will eventually lead to commodities getting costlier or cheaper. Here is a list of things that will become dearer from April 1, 2017 Cigarettes Pan masala Cigar Cheroots Paper-rolled handmade bidis Chewing tobacco LED lamp components Cashew nuts (roasted and salted) Aluminum ores and concentrates Polymer coated MS tapes used in manufacturing of optical fibres Silver coins and medallions Apart from this, you will have to pay more premiums for car...