-Outlook After a row over implementation of a expert committee report, the Centre has ruled out appointment of any more panel to study Western Ghats in an attempt to address concerns of the six states through which the ecologically-sensitive hills traverse. Environment Minister M Veerappa Moily said the states concerned should appoint committees respectively to assess the kind of activities that could be allowed in the tract. After the committees submit their...

-The Hindu The decision of the Ministry of Environment and Forests to revalidate the environmental clearance issued to South Korean steelmaker Posco for the proposed steel plant in Odisha is based on a piecemeal approach, rather than a comprehensive and cumulative assessment of all parts of the project. It cannot claim to rely on sound judgment. What distinguishes the proposal from the welter of projects before the Ministry is its...

-The Hindu Protect interests of farmers while safeguarding ecology, he says Kochi: Agriculture has become a "legal responsibility" of the state following the enactment of the Food Security Act, eminent agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan said on Thursday. Delivering the inaugural address at the Tenth Anniversary conference of the Foundation of Agrarian Studies here, Prof. Swaminathan said, "Right to Food can be implemented only with home-grown food." Observing that public procurement of coarse cereals was...

-World Resources Institute India struggles with water scarcity, a problem that poses especially huge implications for the country's food security and rural livelihoods. The country has long-battled its scarcity issues through Watershed Development, a participatory approach to improve water management through afforestation and reforestation, sustainable land management, soil and water conservation, water-harvesting infrastructure, and social interventions. But while watershed development has been employed in communities throughout India, its potential long-term costs...

-The Business Standard India remained firm on its stance as World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations reached the third day in Bali. As Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma ruled out any possibility of a compromise, whispers were already being heard of a possible collapse of the talks. Edited excerpts from the minister's press conference, which invited admiration as well as sharp criticism: * India has exceeded the de minimis requirements of the...