Bangalore : Under pressure from religious leaders, farmers and opposition parties, the Karnataka government has decided to shelve acquisition of over 5,000 acres of land for two major industrial projects in Mangalore and Gadag districts. On Tuesday, the government gave in to a 24-hour ultimatum issued by the seer of Udupi Pejawar Mutt, Visvesha Thirtha, to withdraw a move to acquire 2,035 acres of land for an SEZ in Mangalore. On Wednesday,...

-The Times of India   DAVANAGERE: Jana Sangrama Parishat activist Shehanaz called on the farmers of Halligudi in Gadag district warning them against selling their fertile land for Posco steel industry. She was addressing a gathering in Davanagere on Wednesday as part of a state-level awareness procession that started from Raichur on July 9 and will end at Bangalore on July 17. It is being held to create awareness among people...

-IANS   South Korean giant Posco's plan to set up a six million tonnes per annum steel plant in Karnataka is in doldrums with the state government dropping plans to acquire land, in the face of opposition from farmers and religious leaders. "Even if the farmers agree to give land, we will not acquire it in Gadag district," Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa told reporters Thursday. "If Posco is interested in setting...

A host of steel-manufacturing units are keen to set up plants in Karnataka, and all want captive mines. SOUTH KOREA'S Posco is not the only steel-maker keen to do business in Karnataka. The State's estimated 9,000 million tonnes of good-quality iron ore reserves, which is the second largest in India, the State government's assurances on a smooth land acquisition process, the availability of water and the promise of speedy regulatory clearances...

The Mamata Banerjee government has initiated an ambitious project to bring specialised health care to rural Bengal, asking private hospitals to set up “super-speciality” units alongside state-run hospitals in the districts. As a start, the chief minister has taken up with cardiologist and Asia Heart Foundation chairman Devi Shetty a plan to set up six such hospitals that would provide the sort of critical care that is now missing in most...