-Article-14.com Even as landslides increased 2900% over five years in a fragile Himalayan state ravaged by deforestation and construction, the government of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami lifted environmental safeguards and made mining easier, two months before state elections. The High Court has demanded the government explain the changes, rushed through in 15 days in a state where mining companies are major funders of political parties. New Delhi: Two months before elections...

-Down to Earth Bihar needs to strengthen and enhance capacities of Gram Panchayats to realise the gains of a decentralised planning Imagine yourself living for ages in a remote village inside a dense forest in the 21st century. Basic amenities such as proper roads, safe drinking water, healthcare and education facilities are missing.  The nearest primary school and health centre is located at a distance of seven kilometres. You have to trek through...

-Scroll.in A one-man judicial commission has recommended that the company pay the full amount as penalty for its violations in a forest that is home to elephants. In July 2020, the government of Assam ordered an inquiry into allegations of Illegal Mining in the state’s Digboi forest division. The division, an administrative category, falls within the larger Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve, one of India’s largest rainforests. In December 2021, the report of the...

-Newslaundry.com Journalists face wrath of authorities and illegal sand mining mafia MP’s Khargone. Pradeep Gangle, 35, was following up on a lead on illegal sand mining on July 1 earlier this year. He found mounds of sand stored in Khargone district’s Umar Khali village, which could potentially be loaded onto 1,000 trolleys. There are 30 designated spots in Khargone district where sand mining is allowed but this place in Umar Khali village...

-The Hindu A troubled Meghalaya will see unrest growing until 2023, when the next elections are due, says the editor of ‘The Shillong Times’, Patricia Mukhim On August 13, an ailing former leader of an armed group was shot dead in the middle of the night at his home in Shillong by a police team. The incident led to unrest in Mawlai where the encounter occurred and resonated in the adjoining neighbourhoods...