Advocates carrot and stick formula to ensure compliance Norms must be enforced, which is often difficult, says Prime Minister “Capacity building, key to effective village level planning” In the midst of the raging debate on environment versus development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has warned that enforcement of environmental standards must not signal a return to the licence permit raj era. Addressing the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)...

To its credit, the ministry under Jairam Ramesh is no longer the money-making racket it once was. But its activism often resembles regulatory overreach The decision by the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to give a conditional green signal to the $12 billion Posco Steel project in Orissa is exquisitely timed. It will hopefully send out a strong signal that India continues to be open for business and environmental...

Enthused by the Centre's nod to Korean Steel giant Posco's mega-Steel plant, the Orissa government on Monday said it would soon resume land acquisition at the project site. At the same time, given its past experience with a reluctant environment ministry, the government said it will adopt a wait-and-watch approach on issues like mining and renewal of memorandum of understanding. ''We welcome the decision and thank the Union government and...

A large number of villagers who have been opposing land acquisition for the proposed 12 million tonne capacity Steel plant project of Posco-India Private Limited in Orissa are now in no mood to give up their struggle already in its sixth year. A day after Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh granted conditional clearance to the company's Steel-cum captive power plant and a captive minor port, hundreds of men and...

Clearing a protracted uncertainty over India’s largest-ever foreign direct investment, the Union Environment Ministry today gave its approval to South Korean Steel major POSCO’s proposed iron and Steel plant in Orissa. In an order today, the Ministry gave environmental clearance for the construction of a 12-million tonne per annum capacity iron and Steel plant (4 million tonnes in first phase) and a captive power plant at Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa. It also...