-Tehelka Close to 30 percent of forests have been converted to Chir Pine monocultures displacing grazing rights of several communities like the Gaddis and Gujjars. There is no quantitative assessement of the impact of loss on people's lives The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, or Recognition of Forest Rights Act - commonly known as the Forest Rights Act (FRA) was passed by Parliament in 2006 to address historical injustices...
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An ecosystem to save, or squander-Madhav Gadgil and Ligia Noronha
-The Hindu Instead of opening a debate on the Gadgil panel's report on the Western Ghats, the government has chosen to sideline and replace it with another by an alternate group This is a challenging time in India's development history where a number of tenets of environmental governance are being questioned by the imperative of growth. Environmental governance in India is under assault, and is thus in need of both fresh thinking,...
More »Activists oppose forest advisory panel’s clearance of land for Kalu dam -Meena Menon
-The Hindu Shramik Mukti Sanghatana appeals to Jayanthi Natarajan not to give final nod After rejecting a proposal last year, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has recommended clearance of land for the controversial Kalu dam in Thane district, drawing sharp criticism from activists and tribals affected by the project. A letter on Thursday to Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan, conveyed their "utter shock and dismay"...
More »Twin SC rulings provide relief for natural resources sector -Neha Sethi and Ruchira Singh
-Live Mint Vedanta can mine bauxite in Orissa with gram sabha nod, some Karnataka iron ore mines to reopen Two key judgements passed by the Supreme Court on Thursday bode well for India's troubled natural resources sector, keeping alive Vedanta Resources Plc's hopes of mining bauxite in Orissa and promising an alleviation of raw material shortages at steel makers by partly lifting a ban on iron ore mining in Karnataka. The country's top...
More »Niyamgiri mining ban to stay, SC says gram sabha will decide if project hits tribals' religious, cultural rights -Utkarsh Anand
-The Indian Express The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the Vedanta Group's bauxite mining project in the Niyamgiri Hills of Orissa will have to get the gram sabha's clearance on whether it affects the cultural and religious rights of the tribals and forest dwellers living in Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. While the gram sabha's nod is compulsory under the Forest Rights Act, the court made it clear that the Act confers...
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