-The Hindu The West Bengal Chief Minister said the decision will benefit nearly 76 per cent of the people who avail treatment in government hospitals in the State. Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has declared that patients will get free treatment in all government hospitals and health centers across the State, other than Medical Colleges in Kolkata. Ms. Banerjee said the decision will benefit nearly 76 per cent of people in Bengal who...

-The Guardian The 3,000MW Dibang dam, rejected twice as it would submerge vast tracts of biologically rich forests, is to get environmental clearance - but huge local opposition could stall the project Six years ago, former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the 3,000MW Dibang multipurpose dam project. The dam, to be built across the Dibang river, in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, will be the...

-The Hindu Hyderabad (Telengana): City-based entrepreneur develops eco-friendly generator which promises solution to farmers hit by power crisis. The cost of the equipment is around Rs. 2 lakh and can be installed on a 100 sq. yard piece of land. A unique eco-friendly generator developed by a city based entrepreneur promises to provide an effective solution to the woes of Telangana farmers hit by power crisis. On Sunday, the Muscle Energy Enviro Mission...

-Outlook In addition to amending the Rules of the Forest Rights Act, greater attention needs to be paid to changing the Land Acquisition Act   There is no explicit provision in the Forest Rights Act, 2006 for obtaining permission of the Gram Sabha for diversion of forest lands to non-forest purposes. However, Section 4(5) of the Act prevents government to evict any forest dweller unless the recognition process as provided in the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Centre's ongoing efforts to streamline green clearance process for industrial, Infrastructure, mining and power projects will soon get another boost with the environment ministry planning to launch a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based decision support mechanism this month which will help decision-makers in taking informed decision quickly and in a transparent manner. The GIS-based decision support system (DSS) will contain high resolution satellite imagery and ground...