-The Indian Express Chandigarh: Even as the Group of Ministers (GoM), led by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, will meet on Tuesday to review once again the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill-2011, Haryana is hoping that it will not be made mandatory for the Congress-led states. Severely critical of the proposals, officers involved in the process of land acquisition in the state point out that the Bill is “retrograde” and...

-Live Mint Panel recommends consent of 80% of land owners; key ministers say it would lead to unreasonable delays  Land acquisition for public-private partnership projects (PPP) will become tougher if the government accepts the recommendation of the group of ministers (GoM) and includes it in the new land Bill that it proposes to move in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. The ministerial body has recommended that the consent of 80% of farmers...

-Outlook Fresh changes have been made in the draft Land Acquisition Bill under which the consent of landowners for acquiring land for private purpose has been made stiffer following a suggestion from UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The percentage of land owners, whose consent is a must for acquiring land for private purpose, has been raised from 67 per cent to 80 in the proposed bill. Disclosing the changes in the measure, Agriculture Minister...

Environmentalists, civil society groups and scientists working with marginal farmers have welcomed recommendation of the Supreme Court appointed Technical Expert Committee (TEC) placing a 10-year moratorium on field trials of GM crops in India. The TEC freeze advice includes field trials of Bt transgenics in all food crops which are used directly for human consumption. (See links below for the actual report and more details) The TEC, which was appointed in...

-IPS News Environmental activists are cautiously optimistic that a call by a court-appointed technical committee for a ten-year moratorium on open field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops will shelve plans to introduce bio-engineered foods in this largely agricultural country. “We are now waiting to see whether the Supreme Court will accept the recommendations of its own committee at the next hearing on Oct. 29,” said Devinder Sharma, chairman of the Forum...