-Livemint.com The river interlinking project will adversely affect land, forests, biodiversity, rivers and the livelihood of millions of people Interlinking of rivers is a very expensive proposal. It has huge adverse environmental impacts on land, forests, biodiversity, rivers and the livelihood of millions of people. It is a socially disruptive proposition. It will not only add to climate change impact (destruction of forests means destruction of carbon sinks, and reservoirs in tropical...

-The Hindu The case pertains to clearance given for diversion of forest land at Saranda Forest in Jharkhand’s Singhbhum District to a mining company in violation of Forest (Conservation) Act in 2012. The Central Bureau of Investigation on September 9 conducted searches at the Chennai premises of former Union Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan in connection with alleged irregularities in the approval to a proposal for leasing of 56 hectare forest land to...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The CBI on Saturday registered a corruption case against former Union environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan+ and raided her premises in Chennai in connection with clearance given during her tenure for diversion of forest land for mining in alleged violation of laws. The CBI alleged that Natarajan, as the environment minister during UPA rule+ , abused her official position while giving clearances to Electosteel Casting Limited, a...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In a major setback to mining companies indulged in illegal extraction of iron and manganese ore in Odisha since 2001, the Supreme Court on Wednesday cracked the whip and directed them to pay a compensation of about Rs.17,576 crore. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta ruled that the companies would be liable to pay back 100 percent of the price of mineral...

-Scroll.in The court refused to order a CBI inquiry into connivance of officials in the Rs 60,000 crore scam, but directed the setting up of an expert committee. The Supreme Court on Wednesday said mining companies that had been operating without necessary clearances in Odisha would be subject to a 100% penalty on the price of the ore that had been illegally extracted. The court also said that the government’s policy...