-The Deccan Herald   The Congress-led UPA Government is all set to re-launch its flagship rural self-employment scheme as a national mission to reach out to all the rural Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and link them to sustainable livelihood opportunities. Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will launch the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) at Banswara in Rajasthan on Saturday. Rural Development Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh said that the NRLM –...

The 117-year-old Land Acquisition Act cries out for reform, but there is resistance to introducing positive changes. The Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to amend the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, has had a long period of gestation. The Union Ministry of Rural Development initiated the process of amendment way back in October 1998. But it took around 10 years for the government to bring the Bill before Parliament. The 1894...

-The Telegraph   The Mamata Banerjee government today struck at the foundations of a crony real estate network that allegedly flourished during the reign of CPM leader Gautam Deb and was spreading its reach by co-opting operators from the Opposition as well. The government disbanded the authority that had arranged the land for Vedic Village, abolished the Hidco chairman’s quota for distribution of plots and decided to review all New Town land...

-IANS   Alleging that there was forcible land acquisition at Rajarhat in the city's outskirts during the Left Front's tenure, the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government Tuesday decided to halt the distribution of land. 'I held talks with our chief minister. It has been decided to hold up the further processing of distribution of land. We will review the distribution process conducted from Dec 1, 2010,' Housing Minister Shyamapada Mukherjee told reporters...

Agitators have threatened self-immolation if demands are not met The State government has opened negotiations with agitating farmers in Katesar village in Chandauli district bordering Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The farmers, who have been protesting the acquisition of fertile agricultural land for a cultural and institutional hub on the banks of the Ganga, continued with their dharna on Monday. They have threatened self-immolation if the land acquisition process launched by the Varanasi...