An examination of the Lok Sabha elections from 1951 to 2011 reveals that there are large discrepancies between the seat and vote shares of political parties in each of the 15 elected Lok Sabhas in independent India, especially before liberalisation in 1991. In the post-liberalisation period, the extent of disproportional representation has come down, but is still high, even as the extent of electoral competition has increased.

The abduction of committed bureaucrats by the Maoists will win them no favours or friends. (Editorial)

A new scheme by the district administration of Agra has increased people's participation in monitoring of govt schools. The results are encouraging.

Meena Chaturvedi is an Indian Audit and Accounts Service official of 1987 cadre. After a 23-year career she took voluntary retirement to join SREI Sahaj e-Village Limited as chief executive officer (public services and e-learning) in October 2010.

What happens when a people-centric approach to governance (State Wide Attention on Grievances through Application of Technology) connects with technology.

Eleven state governments have enacted Right-to-Public-Services laws in the last couple of years without any pressure from the centre. All except one of these states are in the Hindi heartland which is known for its fractured polity. These enactments are perhaps an attempt to regain the faith of the middle class in the political and bureaucratic system. While there are limitations in their conceptualisation and implementation, the enthusiasm of the respective state bureaucracies in pushing for these laws is encouraging.