Bauxite Mining of the sacred hill of Adivasis in Lanjigarh, Kalahandi district, Orissa, had been stopped by a decision of the India Ministry for Environment and Forest (MoE&F) on August 24th, 2010. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had constituted an enquiry panel – which in its report recommends that bauxite mining in Niyamgiri hills should not be allowed for mining unless the local Adivasi communities give their Consent. According to this report,...

In a bid to encourage farmers to part with their land for industrial development, the Gujarat government has formulated a new land acquisition policy to make them partners in the development. Announcing this, Minister of State for Industries Saurabh Patel said the State-owned Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) henceforth would acquire land only with the “Consent” of the concerned farmers, pay them at the prevailing market price, and give them a...

The Assange saga may be as good for the jurisprudence of rape as the whole WikiLeaks issue may be for the strength of free speech and the Internet.Julian Paul Assange's life as a hacker and “rogue journalist” (as he is to some people) had the makings of a classic Hollywood potboiler, initially. Eventually, it appeared to have turned into high drama, with two women alleging rape and molestation, a Swedish...

While the Gujarat government may have announced a 'farmer-friendly' land acquisition policy developed by the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation's (GIDC), farmers have so far given mixed reactions to it. Right ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit scheduled in January,GIDC has gone all out to ensure a hassle-free land acquisition process, as the upcoming meet is likely to generate demand for large tracts of land for industry.Saurabh Patel, state industries minister,...

Pfizer tried a new antibiotic on 200 children, allegedly without sufficient documentation. When federal authorities pressed charges, the pharma giant hired investigators to probe attorney general Michael Aondoakaa's and put pressure on him to drop the federal cases.The world’s biggest pharmaceutical company hired investigators to unearth evidence of corruption against the Nigerian attorney general in order to persuade him to drop legal action over a controversial drug trial involving children...