-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Union environment ministry is expected to approve the K Kasturirangan panel report on Western Ghats and declare around 60,000 square kilometers of the southern hills - spanning across six states - as no-go area for mining, thermal power plants and heavily polluting industries. Sources in the ministry said, the process has begun to finalize the decision after receiving comments from public and state governments on...

-PTI CHANDIGARH: Punjab government has chalked out an ambitious Rs 1,900 crore plan for the implementation of the " Greening Punjab Mission" with the target to increase the Forest area from 7 to 15 per cent in next seven years. Under this ambitious mission, 40 crore saplings are to be planted on various places across the state, Forest and wildlife preservation minister, Surjit Kumar Jyani, said in a release here. Under the...

-The Times of India BANGALORE: Ever wondered why the country is fast losing its Forest cover? The simple answer is that large tracts of Forest land are being handed over to public and private agencies in the name of development projects. Digest this: According to recent data acquired through RTI from the ministry of environment and Forests by a group of environmentalists, the extent of Forest land being diverted across the country...

-The Hindu New Delhi should stop its flip-flops and adopt a coherent policy in its negotiations on greenhouse gas emissions If the great Scott Fitzgerald were to have walked into the grand plenary hall of the Durban climate conference in 2011 to announce once again, "show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy," all fingers would have pointed to the tiny Indian contingent in the room. There, Fitzgerald would...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Despite the Supreme Court's order, the village councils, or gram sabhas of the Dongria Kondh tribals may not be able to decide upon their traditional and religious rights against the mining interests of Vedanta. A narrow interpretation of the SC order by the tribal affairs ministry promises to turn the district administration into the final decision-making body and the village councils of the tribals as...