-The Economic Times The trend in Plan spending so far is disheartening. Actual expenditure during the first five months of the current fiscal year amounted to about 28% of the budgeted spending of Rs 5,21,025 crore for this fiscal - the lowest proportion recorded over the last five years. Ministries and departments are said to be willing to surrender unspent money, rather than take decisions that they fear could be questioned by...

-The Hindustan Times Land acquisition for private projects will require the consent of 80% of landowners, the upcoming bill will stipulate. Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, who heads a group of ministers (GoM) on the bill, on Monday said the earlier decision to seek the consent of two-thirds - 66.6% - of the landowners has been revised. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had reportedly objected to the dilution of the consent clause -...

-The Times of India GUNTUR: Taking serious objection to the queries being raised by the public information officers (PIOs) when information is sought under the Right to Information ( RTI) Act, state information commissioner M Ratan has said that the PIOs have no business to ask questions. He said that providing information sought by the applicant was the job of the PIOs and putting questions to the applicant was not tolerable. Ratan...

-Outlook Fresh changes have been made in the draft Land Acquisition Bill under which the consent of landowners for acquiring land for private purpose has been made stiffer following a suggestion from UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The percentage of land owners, whose consent is a must for acquiring land for private purpose, has been raised from 67 per cent to 80 in the proposed bill. Disclosing the changes in the measure, Agriculture Minister...

-Live Mint Panel recommends consent of 80% of land owners; key ministers say it would lead to unreasonable delays  Land acquisition for public-private partnership projects (PPP) will become tougher if the government accepts the recommendation of the group of ministers (GoM) and includes it in the new land Bill that it proposes to move in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. The ministerial body has recommended that the consent of 80% of farmers...