In September 2010, a large public meeting was held in Guwahati to discuss the impact of large hydroelectric projects in the Northeast. In attendance was Jairam Ramesh, then the minister of environment and forests in the government of India. Ramesh heard that the people of Assam were worried that the hundred and more dams being planned in Arunachal Pradesh would reduce water-flows, increase the chance of floods, and deplete fish...

-The Times of India The Andhra Pradesh high court on Wednesday set aside the trial court order granting bail to former Karnataka minister and prime accused in an illegal Mining case, Gali Janardhan Reddy.  The judge who granted bail to Reddy was suspended in May amid allegations of a cash-for-bail scam. The judge, Pattabhirama Rao, is facing criminal charges after being accused of granting bail for a bribe.  The court concurred with the...

If the environment ministry's draft proposal for 'inviolate forest areas' is accepted, large swathes of healthy forests, including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and wildlife corridors, would be out of bounds for all Mining activities, and not just coal excavation. The ministry's draft lists criteria for identifying forest patches where Mining should be banned following the GoM on coal's decision to junk the no-go policy of the environment ministry. The...

-The United Nations On the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour, two United Nations independent human rights experts today highlighted that of the 215 million children working throughout the world, more than half are subjected to the worst forms of child labour, including sexual and labour exploitation. “One of the most abhorrent forms of child slavery is found in Mining and quarrying, where children start work from the age of three,”...

-The Hindu Left parties for invoking Revenue Recovery Act against Rakshana Steels ‘owned' by YSR's kin With the State government cancelling the Bayyaram iron ore Mining lease earlier granted to Rakshana Steels, a company allegedly belonging to former Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's kin, the demand for recovery of the lost mineral wealth has gained momentum. An enormous extent of over 1.41 lakh acres of iron-rich areas spread across Bayyaram, Garla and...