Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday rejected the Opposition’s demand that the government reveal the names of those who had stashed illegal wealth abroad, saying this would violate India’s treaties with foreign nations and also “dry up our sources of information”.

“In UP, MNREGA does not work because the elephant here eats up all the money. Normally, elephants eat grass but the magic elephant in UP actually eats currency and this currency belongs to neither the UPA government nor the UP government — it belongs to you,” said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi while addressing a rally in Badaun on Wednesday.

In an effort to evolve a broader consensus on the Lokpal Bill, the UPA government is willing to place the CBI’s prosecution wing under the Lokpal’s purview.

Ms Sonia Gandhi, Ms Uma Bharti, Ms Mayawati and now Ms Mamta Banerjee.
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are all set to take an interesting turn with four top women politicians jostling for their political space in the state.

The all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the contentious Lokpal Bill failed to reach a consensus on Wednesday evening. Divergent views were expressed on the question of bringing the Prime Minister and lower bureaucracy (Group C and D employees) within the ambit of the anti-corruption ombudsman.

In what could be an alarming development on insurgency fronts, the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom is targeting boys from poverty-stricken communities of the state and recruiting them into the outfit.

The minimum age of children in the city for admission to pre-primary will be 4+ and for Class 1 it will be 5+ as the government has accepted recommendations of the Ganguly Committee report, the Delhi high court was informed on Wednesday.

The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notice to the Central government, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on a petition seeking that the CBI be insulated from the political and other influence that is exerted upon it by the present government.

The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notices to various civic agencies, including MCD and NDMC, on a PIL seeking directions to them for maintaining cleanliness and improving sanitation in the capital.

If the prosecution wing of the CBI is brought under the supervision of the Lokpal, all CBI chargesheets will have to be vetted by the Lokpal and the proposed anti-corruption watchdog will also have a major say in giving legal opinion to the CBI on crucial issues.