Governments can acquire land for “public purpose” while making sure that the displaced are compensated, relocated and rehabilitated. THE violent conflict over land acquisition in Uttar Pradesh and the persisting resistance to land acquisition for the Posco project in Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa are merely recent instances that exemplify the growing stand-off between the Indian state and its people centred on land. On the one side are governments (both Central...

The central government on Saturday set up a committee to examine ways to tighten laws to curb black money generation. The panel is to submit its report within six months after consultations with the stakeholders. The panel headed by thw Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) chairman will study ways to prevent the transfer of black money abroad, besides recovering such illegal assets. The committee will also examine the existing legal and...

-DNA   Populism is the buzzword these days in the government and it seems ministries are competing with each other to win the race in UPA. While the mining ministry had proposed that companies will have to share a part of their profits with the people whose land is acquired for mining purposes, rural development minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has proposed a moon to farmers. Coming as it does in the backdrop of...

-PTI   Taxmen have seized black money to the tune of a whopping Rs 30,000 crore in the country in the past two years, said the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) which is set to get investigative powers to boost its drive against wrong-doers. The CBDT is in the process of creating a Directorate of Criminal Investigation after getting approval from finance minister Pranab Mukherjee last week. CBDT chairman Sudhir Chandra said...

The chairman of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), Ashok Gulati, is a well-known proponent of reforms and an agricultural economist with diverse experience. Prior to taking charge of CACP, he was the International Food Policy Research Institute director in Asia. In an interview, Gulati spoke about the urgency for initiating reforms in the agricultural sector and made a strong case for intervention to check falling wheat prices either...