-IANS The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has gagged at least two of its senior leaders in Chhattisgarh after they slammed their own government for not taking the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) report seriously, sources say.  Top sources in the BJP here said former union minister and Lok Sabha MP Ramesh Bais and the former Lok Sabha MP Karuna Shukla were advised by the party to "restrain" themselves from making public statements...

-The Deccan Herald   Cover eight states, hold meetings in 87 villages   Rights groups released a report here demanding the implementation of Panchayats (Extention to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) and rights of the tribals in India.  The recommendations were based on the 39 days of foot march conducted by the Adivasi Janjati Adhikar Manch (AJAM), supported by ActionAid. The primary demand put forth by the tribals was implementation of PESA in Forest Rights Act, 2006...

The government continued to give away coal blocks without bidding even after a meeting headed by Manmohan Singh (in his role as coal minister) on October 14, 2004 decided that all future allocation would be through the competitive route, says a CAG report. The government auditors' draft report on performance of coal block allocations also says the Centre opted for the longer process of amending mining laws when it could have...

The Chhattisgarh government has filed a writ petition in the Delhi high court against the Central government over Jayaswal Neco Ltd’s applications for mining leases in a case that throws light on the murky world of mining in India. The state alleges that the mid-sized steel-maker forged documents in its application to get iron ore mining leases in Rowghat in Bastar district and that the Union government directed it to consider...

Against auctions for concessions, wants PSU reservation to stay and Centre's veto on mining rights to remain The Supreme Court might have made a case for auctioning of natural resources, but voices within the government do not seem in conformity with the apex court directive. The Union steel ministry has raised serious objections over the auctioning route proposed as the key reform measure in the new mining legislation. The Bill is being...