-The Business Standard Chhattisgarh proves no cash transfer or UID is needed to make PDS work Viewed from a ration shop in Surguja in the largely poor tribal north of Chhattisgarh, the arguments for and against the food security Bill seem way off the mark. We had travelled there to see first-hand Chhattisgarh's much-celebrated transformation of its broken, corrupt public distribution system (a recent survey found that wastage of PDS grain dropped...
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India to seek details from US about snooping reports
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Amid reports that India was the fifth most monitored country by the National Security Agency (NSA), US' foreign surveillance agency that scans worldwide internet data, India on Monday expressed concern and surprise over the disclosure. The foreign ministry said that it will take up the matter with US authorities. The government also made it clear that it would be "unacceptable" if it was found that domestic...
More »60,000 sq km of Western Ghats to be green zone -Nitin Sethi
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Union environment ministry is expected to approve the K Kasturirangan panel report on Western Ghats and declare around 60,000 square kilometers of the southern hills - spanning across six states - as no-go area for Mining, thermal power plants and heavily polluting industries. Sources in the ministry said, the process has begun to finalize the decision after receiving comments from public and state governments on...
More »Scene At Land’s End -Prasenjit Bose
-Outlook The LARR bill must plug gaps that allow ingress of misery for the affected The UPA's proposed land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement (LARR) bill contains several provisions which seek to improve upon the existing land acquisition law. Anyway, the present law has clearly run its course, with people no longer willing to submit to coercion by the state. The enactment of a new land acquisition law, in order to make...
More »Tribal affairs ministry 'turning tables' on SC order on Niyamgiri Mining rights -Nitin Sethi
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Despite the Supreme Court's order, the village councils, or gram sabhas of the Dongria Kondh tribals may not be able to decide upon their traditional and religious rights against the Mining interests of Vedanta. A narrow interpretation of the SC order by the tribal affairs ministry promises to turn the district administration into the final decision-making body and the village councils of the tribals as...
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