Amid a furore over 26 per cent profit-sharing with locals under the proposed new mining law and demands for watering down the provision for PSUs, the Mines Ministry today said its final draft will go with the recommendations of the Group of Ministers. "Based on the discussion of the Group of Ministers (GoM), the final draft of the new mining bill is being prepared by the Mines Ministry and will be...
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Plan panel against PDS for all, to propose differential pricing by Nistula Hebbar
To avoid a big burden on the exchequer from the proposed food security law, the Planning Commission will propose some key changes to the plan, including a virtual abandonment of the concept of universal public distribution system (PDS) endorsed by the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC). Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia in a presentation to Gandhi later this week would suggest that under the proposed scheme, grain be...
More »Flood situation worsens in UP, 177 more villages inundated
The flood situation worsened further in the western districts of Uttar Pradesh with the death of four more persons in rain related incidents even as around 177 villages of Bareilly, Badaun, Pilibhit and Shahajanpur were inundated. Meanwhile, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has arrived here to undertake an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas, officials said. "The Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who this morning undertook a tour of flood and cloudburst hit...
More »Poverty figure fight at Sonia’s door by Moushumi Das Gupta
The list of cabinet ministers unhappy with the Planning Commission's view on various policy matters seems to be growing longer. The latest to join it is Housing and Poverty Alleviation Minister, Kumari Selja, who has taken a dispute between her ministry and the Planning Commission over redefining India's urban poverty estimate to UPA president Sonia Gandhi. Sources said Selja wrote to Gandhi in August last week. "The minister has sent a...
More »76 dead in Uttarakhand flood; Sonia visits state
At least 76 people have died and several are still missing in Uttarakhand after cloudbursts and landlslides triggered by heavy rains. The region has seen some respite after four days of heavy downpour. The Chief Minister himself took stock of the situation in Haridwar and Almora districts, which have been most affected by the floods. Congress President Sonia Gandhi too visited the nature ravaged state on Tuesday accompanied by Defence Minister...
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