The notification of new rules for the Right to Information (RTI) Act announced two weeks ago has raised the bar for information seekers. The new rules mean that many RTI applications could cost more. Also, in cases where the applicant appeals to the Central Information Commission (CIC) due to a reluctance on the part of the relevant public authority to provide information, the rules imply that the applicant must be present or available on video-conference. This provision is wrong-headed: it could inconvenience applicants, or even put them in physical danger.

Too high a bar

Business Standard

If Indian women have anything to cheer about this past week after the news of a public molestation of a girl by a group of men outside a Guwahati nightclub, it is the joint statement by about two dozen women&rsquo;s groups demanding the resignation of Mamta Sharma as chair of the National Commission for Women (NCW).

Everyone's fault but ours 

The government&rsquo;s proposal to set up a minimum support price (MSP) commission to fix assured prices for minor forest produce has pros as well as cons, which need to be weighed carefully before a final call is taken. The proposal envisages the forest MSP panel as having its own elaborate establishment, allowing it to set minimum prices for non-timber forest produce while taking into account various criteria, including the minimum wages paid under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The commission will also identify cooperatives and other agencies in each state that will procure the items. Certainly, the idea&rsquo;s objective &ndash; to improve the earnings of forest produce gatherers, mostly members of the Scheduled Tribes &ndash; is laudable.

Forest of problems

The environmental performance of the Indian iron and steel industry is poor, according to the latest indices released by the Green Rating Project of the Centre for Science and Environment. On a scale of 10 (the theoretical best), the global best practitioners score eight, while the Indian leaders score only two. The steel industry, if it chooses to ignore this index, will be an outlier.

Steel isn't green

The Competition Commission of India&rsquo;s order on Thursday that the 10 largest cement companies and industry body Cement Manufacturers&rsquo; Association should pay a cumulative fine of Rs 6,307 crore, as a penalty for forming a cartel to control prices, is a welcome step forward for market regulation in India. It is the first order of such magnitude since the passage of the Competition Act, 2002, which was supposed to ensure free and fair competition, and has been viewed as an act of assertion by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). Each of the 11 entities will have to pay a penalty equal to 50 per cent of its declared profit in 2009-10 and 2010-11, within 90 days of the order&rsquo;s passage. The order has several points of note. First, it specifies that written evidence of cartelisation is not necessary.

Concrete movement 

The controversy surrounding Reliance Industries&rsquo; offshore KG-D6 gas block has thrown up multiple legal and policy issues. It is important that they be resolved quickly and with a view to ensuring fairness, efficiency and impartiality, because the solution could set the blueprint for the evolution of the Indian exploration and production industry.

Honour the contract

All those who value an autonomous education system should help the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) resist the human resource development ministrys brazen attempt to exploit the leakage of a CAT

Hands off

The unthinkable may be happening to Indias traditional spice industry: losing markets to rivals from other countries. 



Losing ground

Laws that prohibit or control trade in liquor, tobacco and lotteries have faced serious constitutional challenges. They are not considered goods worthy of trade like <I>ghee</I> or soap. They are

Judges differ on liquor rulings

<B>Bad candidates are more likely to run for office than good candidates</B> 



Bad news about candidate selection

Has this ball been made out of matchsticks? I asked the young man who looked busy with some scraps of paper and thread. Yes, he said, but its not actually a ball, its a dodecahedron. 



A different role model

You have lost the manufacturing game, there is no way in which you can catch up against the Chinese, or do what they have done. The man delivering that emphatic (and to his Indian audience,

And now, research

Ever since word has got around that were in the market for a pup, our apartment has been turned into a kennel for every species of canine that has walked this earth. 



Neverending dog days

The BJP and the Congress must both be looking for lessons from last weeks elections. 



The missing votes

Recent indicators of the US economy point to a consolidation and strengthening of the forces of recovery. 


Dealing with the US revival

A businessman in Singapore wanted to register a wholly-owned subsidiary in India, and went to a lawyer to get the job done. The lawyer advised him that if it was to be the subsidiary of an

The tape gets redder

A coup or a war is not over until the head of the rival grouping has been beheaded or captured. 


In a hole

The industry ministry is piqued with Nokia which, it feels, has misled the government. The global cellphone manufacturer has obtained a trading licence by claiming that there is insufficient demand to

Licensing mindset lingers 

Standard &amp; Poors revision of Indias long-term foreign currency outlook to stable from negative had already been discounted by the markets, as the decision to review the rating had been made

A timely warning

The World Trade Organisations (WTO) member states have missed yet another deadline in the seemingly jinxed Doha round of negotiations. 


Stalled again

The Securities and Exchange Board of Indias (Sebis) order barring Ketan Parekh and his firms from trading in the stock market for 14 years will make no difference to market sentiment. 


Insuring against repetition

Incisive columns and editorial comment by top opinion leaders

Page 473 - Editorial Comment