-The Times of India Opposition parties on Tuesday sought to put the government on the mat over the Coalgate scam front-paged by TOI with Parliament adjourned till noon and Left demanding a joint parliamentary probe on the reported Rs 1.8 lakh crore benefit to private companies. Opposition members stalled question hour in both Houses demanding a discussion on the CAG report. As soon as Rajya Sabha met for the day, Rajiv Pratap...

The Comptroller and Auditor General's final report on allocation of coal blocks between 2004 and 2009 without auction is expected to peg the value of "undue benefits" that the government extended to private entities alone at more than Rs 1.8 lakh crore, sources have indicated. The last draft of the report, first reported by TOI on March 22, had said the government extended undue benefits of Rs 10.67 lakh crore by...

-The Business Standard The Odisha government expects to send the comprehensive document for the 12th Plan (2012-17) to the Centre by the end of June this year. Ahead of submission of the document to the Centre, the department of planning & coordination has urged all administrative departments to submit their respective reports for compilation of the 12th Plan, listing their priorities and thrust areas, by May 31. “We will be submitting the 12th...

A parliamentary panel has cited the practice in developed countries to reject a key provision in the land acquisition bill allowing the government to acquire plots for private companies. The committee said in the US, Japan and Canada, land is purchased by private enterprises, not acquired by the state. Why should India continue this “anomalous practice”, asked the parliamentary standing committee on rural development in its report on the Land Acquisition,...

The proposed liberalisation of the mining and minerals sector is an assault on the rightful owners of the land and its resources. Tribal and indigenous communities across the world have been asserting their rights to the mineral wealth often found under the land they own or possess or have traditional rights to. They have been historically denied even a share of that huge wealth, leave alone legal rights of ownership. Under...