RTI activists are angry with the state government for having appointed three commissioners to the Tamil Nadu Information Commission just before the model code of conduct came into force, with zero transparency. The government announced the appointments on Tuesday, hours before the election commission announced the poll date. Already, the appointment of former chief secretary KS Sripathi as the chief information commissioner is in a legal tangle after RTI activists...
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Govt refuses to pay more to farmers in Bara, Karchana
The state government has ruled out giving additional rehabilitation benefits to farmers who accepted compensation for their lands acquired for Karchana and Bara power projects in Allahabad district. In recent weeks, both places witnessed agitations by farmers which have brought work to a halt. Both projects have been allotted to the Jaypee Group. On Monday, Parliamentary Affairs minister Lalji Verma told the Assembly that the projects had been shelved for now. “The farmers...
More »Activist Outrage at the UN Climate Conference by Anne Petermann and Orin Langelle
During protests against the WTO (World Trade Organization) meetings in Cancún, Mexico in September 2003, Lee Kyung Hae, a South Korean farmer and La Via Campesina member, martyred himself by plunging a knife into his heart while standing atop the barricades at Kilometer Zero. Around his neck was a sign that read, "WTO Kills Farmers." At that time, activists around the world were rallying under the umbrella of the global justice...
More »Vedanta varsity land issue rocks Orissa Assembly
The controversial land acquisition for the proposed Vedanta University rocked the Orissa Assembly on Tuesday with a legislator of the Opposition Congress climbing onto the Speaker's table to reiterate the demand for resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.When the Congress members disrupted the proceedings by entering the well of the House during Zero Hour and raised slogans against Mr. Patnaik and demanded that he step down in view of the...
More »Raman govt attacked for mining scam by Supriya Sharma
The case of Pushp Steel and Mines reverberated in Chhattisgarh assembly, as the congress party attacked Chief Minister Raman Singh, asking him to divulge the name of the owner of the dubious firm that had been granted coveted mining rights in the state in violation of rules. The congress alleged the firm is covertly owned by a senior BJP leader. The persistent uproar finally led the speaker to adjourn the...
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