-Newsclick.in The state government is said to be formalising plans to give 40% of "degraded forest land" to private firms, allege activists. New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing battle by tribal communities in India to formalise their land claims, the Madhya Pradesh government has reportedly proposed the privatisation of 40% of “degraded forest land” to private firms. The government claims that this land is wasteland and has degraded for multiple reasons, and that private...

-The Hindu MoEF issues fresh guidelines to accelerate environmental appraisal of projects The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) wants to expedite the environment appraisal of industrial projects. These appraisals, as per norms, are conducted by independent panels of experts that have representatives from the government as well as from outside, trained in matters of ecology, wildlife and habitat preservation. The Expert Appraisal Committees (EACs) opine on whether a proposed project beyond a...

-Hindustan Times Paharganj, once a bustling, thriving market whose entire economy depends on foreign tourists, is a microcosm of the devastation caused by the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the capital’s tourism sector. Satyam Bhatnagar runs a handicrafts shop in Paharganj’s main bazar, a backpackers’ paradise that boasts of hundreds of touristy establishments such as money changers, hotels, rooftop restaurants, tour operators, and handicrafts shops selling a range of stone and wood sculptures,...

-NDTV According to the data available with the Controller General of Accounts, however, the central government's total spending fell from ₹ 14.9 lakh crore in April-September 2019 to ₹ 14.8 lakh crore in April-September 2020, a drop of almost 1 per cent. In a year when the government has announced multiple stimulus packages to revive India's covid-hit economy, the central government has spent less than the previous year, NDTV has found. The...

-Livemint.com The former RBI governor, and Viral Acharya, a former RBI deputy governor questioned timing of the RBI panel's proposal at a time when 'India is still trying to learn the lessons from failures like IL&FS & Yes Bank' New Delhi: Raghuram Rajan and Viral Acharya on Monday criticised RBI Internal Working Group's recommendation to allow Indian corporate houses to set up banks as part of proposed changes to the banking sector. Raghuram...