-The Telegraph   The government plans to revisit the minimum space criterion for special economic zones as developers are facing problems in acquiring land. “Land issues are critical... I think the minimum size is something that needs to be looked at again definitely. You are not going to find 5,000 (hectares) of land area, it is a pipe dream. It’s not going to happen... I think that’s something we need to talk...

-BBC   India will set up an environment regulator to bring in a "complete change" in the process of granting clearances for industries. PM Manmohan Singh said the regulator would also ensure the compliance of "green norms" by industry. India's Environment Ministry has been often embroiled in controversy over how to balance development with the preservation of the environment. This has led to the delay of a number of projects across the country. Announcing the...

-The Hindu   ‘Will work on full-time basis to evolve more objective standards of scrutiny' Amid criticism that industrialisation and economic growth were getting blocked due to delay in granting “environmental clearances” to industries, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday announced the government's plans to set up an independent regulator for giving environmental clearances. “We also hope to establish an independent regulator — the National Environment Appraisal and Monitoring Authority — soon. This...

The former environment minister is making headlines once again. Just a week after taking over Rural Development, minister Jairam Ramesh is all set to make his ministry more transparent. The CAG will be auditing the government�s flagship NREGA scheme in a few months. Sources say Ramesh had extensive discussions with CAG officials today and for the very first time the NREGA scheme will be undergoing an audit in September of...

Bhubaneswar: Orissa’s steel and mines minister Raghunath Mohanty is faced with the most difficult task of his tenure—orchestrating smooth land acquisition for South Korean steel maker Posco, maintaining peace in the villages affected by it and responding to pressure from the Central government that wants to showcase the 12-million-tonne (mt) project as one of the successes of its foreign investment policy. With the Environment Ministry giving its final clearance for the...