-Scroll.in Mining companies stand to benefit from one of the amendments being pushed through without proper public consultation. India’s mining law enables the government to recover 100% of the value of minerals extracted illegally. Based on this provision, in August 2017, the Supreme Court of India ordered the recovery of Rs 17,576 crore from mining companies that had extracted Iron ore and manganese in Odisha in violation of envIronmental laws. If the Modi...

-The Hindu Several legal and civil society luminaries have issued a statement against the judgment against Prashant Bhushan in a contempt of court matter. Here is the full text of the statement and full list of signatories: Statement relating to the judgment against Prashant Bhushan in the contempt of court matter August 17, 2020 We, the undersigned citizens of the country, express anguish and disappointment at the verdict of the Hon’ble Supreme Court finding...

-Newsclick.in It was ok for all of us to just label them as “migrant workers” and take shelter in the political correctness of this term since it might so easily have been, “these poor people”. I have often wondered how little of our public discourse is about the poor and the lives they lead. Considering the vast number of people who eke out an existence in our country that bears comparison with...

-The Hindu Food security and farmer welfare are intertwined It is Ironic that it took a devastating pandemic to force the government’s hand for long-overdue agrarian reforms. Amendments have been made to the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. The Finance Minister has urged States to dismantle the Agricultural Produce Market Committees. Several long-term changes have been made to the agricultural sector, such as fair pricing and e-trading, along with liquidity measures. The Centre...

-India Water Portal The time for quick fixes is over; a comprehensive policy overhaul is urgently needed to impede the juggernaut of Punjab's groundwater depletion. Punjab, a small state in northwest India, derives its name from the Persian words panj (five) and āb (water), meaning the "land of five rivers". Ironically, this state is now regularly in the news for its rapidly depleting groundwater levels. The most recent government report on Punjab's...