Two days after the government scrapped a bauxite mining project in Orissa, Rahul Gandhi visited Niyamgiri, the ground zero of the anti-mine protests and told tribals that he was their sipahi in Delhi. Around the same time, farmers in Uttar Pradesh said they wouldn’t sell their land at the rates the government was offering. India is growing fast, but hassles over the acquisition of land are going to be the...

Mohali/Chandigarh: *Govt refuses to give into concession demands*Deputy CM says demands unjustified*Balbir Singh Rajewal sits on hunger strike Even as the farmers from across the state on Monday launched an indefinite agitation to mount pressure on the state government to accept their demands — for a financial package to farmers and waiver of electricity bills—¿ the Punjab government refused to accept any of them. Hundreds of farmers from across the state descended...

ven as the state Agriculture Department maintains that it has a draft organic farming policy ready that might be implemented soon, farmers don’t seem to have high hopes from a policy that is being formulated for five years now. Director, horticulture department, DG Bakwad, said, “We cannot give a definite date for the implementation of the policy as certain procedural matters may take time. We are ready with the draft policy...

Despite announcement of record-breaking price for purchase of sugarcane, some sections of farmers still agitated at Madhya and Sayan Sugar factories demanding enhanced rates for the produce. Police lathicharged them at Madhi Sugar Factory premises near here on late Wednesday. Despite anger over the incident among the farmers, no violent incident was reported on Thursday from anywhere in the region. Purchase rates were announced for Bardoli, Chalthan, Madhi, Kamrej, Gandevi,...

As India rapidly industrialises, the government and private firms are seeking large tracts of farm land to build factories, power plants and highways, sparking off violent protests by farmers and others. Here are some questions and answers on the issue: WHY IS LAND A BIG ISSUE? For many Indians, land is the only asset or social security that they possess and is a mark of social standing. Nearly 60 percent of India's 1.2...