Himachal Pradesh-based environmental organisations are elated over the recent High Court judgment against cement majors Jaiprakash Associates Limited for flouting environmental norms and illegally acquiring land for setting up their mega business ventures. Non-governmental organisation Him Parivesh that had filed the petition in the High Court had said: “The years of struggle of the communities and their stand against the Jaypee power project and cement plant has been vindicated by the...

-The Deccan Chronicle Adivasis of 40 villages in and around the Kawal wildlife sanctuary, which was recently notified as a tiger reserve by the state government, have started passing unanimous resolutions against the reserve. Adivasi leaders argue that notifying a tiger reserve without the consent of local Adivasis was unilateral and against the Panchayat Raj Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA). They are also demanding, in their resolutions, that state government cancel...

-PTI Terming mining as the "greatest threat" faced by the tribal community in last two decades, Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo has asked the youths selected under an ambitious programme to create awareness among the forest dwellers about their constitutional rights over the land.  "Today the greatest threat that has come to the tribals and people living in forest areas is actually the threat of mining," the Minister told the youths...

-The Hindu Selected youth will work in LEW-affected districts Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh launched the Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellowship (PMRDF) programme here on Saturday. Under the programme, 156 youth selected for the fellowship would work in 78 Left-wing extremism (LWE)-affected districts covered in the integrated action plan (IAP) in nine States – Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand for two years. Speaking...

Tribals who are opposed to the proposed tiger reserve in Kawal wildlife sanctuaryin Adilabad district have decided to move court to seek protection of their Adivasi rights. Interestingly, there is no confirmation of the presence of tigers in the sanctuary although officials claim that the forest has seven big cats.  Sources said that the movement of the tigers has not been recorded by cameras in the forest. An expert recently came...