Soon after stalling Vedanta's proposed bauxite mining project in Orissa, the Environment Ministry today said the licence granted to mining firms supplying the mineral to its alumina refinery is under scanner. "It appears that project proponent (Vedanta) is sourcing bauxite from a large number of mines in Jharkhand for the one million tonne alumina refinery (in Lanjigarh) that are not in possession of valid environmental clearance. "This matter is being...

The implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 has created controversy in West Bengal. The gram sabha, the basic unit in the process of forest rights recognition, has been replaced by the gram sansad, denoting the village level constituency under the panchayati raj system. This has been followed by contiguous arrangements as well as initiatives which are inconsistent with the Act....

The Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society, JeeVika, a state-led women’s self-help group, is active since 2007. Based on primary research, this article highlights the potential role of the individual rural woman – the didi – in driving the social and economic shifts necessary for sustainable poverty reduction in rural Bihar. The term didi is used to address an elder sister. It embodies the notion of respect. Traditionally, the term has remained...

Orissa will move the Supreme Court against a high court order disapproving its grant of permission to South Korean steel major POSCO to prospect for iron ore in Sundergarh district, an official said on Saturday. A bench of the Orissa High Court July 14 set aside the permission granted to POSCO last year for prospecting iron ore in over 2,500 hectares in the Khandadhar hills in Sundergarh. "We have decided to appeal...

In its action plan on water security, the Planning Commission will likely recommend a cess on the use of groundwater. The quantum of cess will be state-specific and will depend on the volume of water used by farmers. Mihir Shah, Member, Planning Commission, told The Indian Express that the proposed action plan would encompass creating a new legal and institutional framework with a clear focus on sustainability and equity. “It will...