-PTI   The South Korean based Posco wants to exchange high alumina content iron ore with low alumina content mineral within the country Though Posco had agreed not to insist on the import clause in the lapsed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Orissa government, it wanted swapping of iron ore within the country. “Posco-India has given its Consent to delete import clause from the lapsed MoU. However, it wants swapping of iron ore within...

-The Hindu   The Supreme Court on Friday indicated that it would examine the larger question of violation of fundamental rights raised by Bhim Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party in his petition against the preventive detention of Anna Hazare, and asked him to get the anti-corruption campaigner's Consent to prosecute the petition. In his petition, Mr. Singh questioned the correctness of the Delhi Police in having taken Mr. Hazare into...

In her pre-Independence Day address, the President of India advocated the need for enhanced transparency and accountability in government, stressing the need for the adoption of rational and practical approaches in addressing these challenges. Her choice of qualifiers is significant, since the need for reform is especially being felt in government contracts, with recent government initiatives such as enacting a formal public procurement law for India, and for laying down...

Bringing an aggressive outlook to the ministry of rural development, Jairam Ramesh, who took charge of the portfolio in July, has attempted to address and fast-track contentious issues such as the proposed land acquisition legislation and the census for identifying households below the poverty line (BPL). Ramesh spoke in an interview about his blueprint for the ministry and revisiting controversial elements, including identifying the poor and poverty caps imposed by...

The ever-energetic Jairam Ramesh has unveiled a new land acquisition policy for discussion. He has taken on the difficult task of changing an old law whose implementation has led to a sorry mess in Nandigram, Singur and Noida, to mention only a few of the recent cases that have hit the headlines. India’s policy regime for managing land rights and land transactions is totally dysfunctional. Greedy politicians in state governments have...