-The Indian Express Unfinished car shells rusting in a deserted factory in India's West Bengal state lie testimony to flaws in a century-old land-acquisition law the government now wants to replace. * Jobs, housing, cash to landowners made mandatory * Costs, project delays to increase - Indian corporates react * Bill to push up costs by 350 pct for big plots - analysts, cos * Bill likely to be passed in December Tata Motors was forced...

The episodes of violence in land acquisition by the government, as witnessed recently in Bhatta-Parsaul in Uttar Pradesh and in other states earlier, occur because patterns of violence are inbuilt into the process. Despite a bill pending in Parliament since 2007, there has been little effort by political parties to evolve a consensus on acquisition of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes. The law as at present and also the provisions...

By ignoring the unorganised sector that currently handles 90 per cent of India's electronic waste, the Union Government's new draft regulations may not be effective in controlling illegal trade in e-waste. A study by the Centre for Science and Environment here notes that the draft rules insist e-waste can be handled only by companies registered with the Central Pollution Control Board. Currently, only 13 companies are registered to segregate e-waste and...