-PTI   To step in to prevent “more Nandigrams” The Supreme Court on Monday criticised the Uttar Pradesh government for acquiring prime agricultural land to build luxury flats in Greater Noida and questioned the invoking of an urgency clause that bars farmers from raising objections. It noted it would step in to prevent “more Nandigrams.” “Whose residential use are these flats for? Who is building them? What are the prices? We want to...

The episodes of violence in land acquisition by the government, as witnessed recently in Bhatta-Parsaul in Uttar Pradesh and in other states earlier, occur because patterns of violence are inbuilt into the process. Despite a bill pending in Parliament since 2007, there has been little effort by political parties to evolve a consensus on acquisition of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes. The law as at present and also the provisions...

Land acquisition by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board for the proposed steel plant by South Korean steel giant Posco in Gadag district has run into rough weather. The main reasons for the villagers' opposition are that 3,300 acres identified for the project in Halligudi village off National Highway 63, about 500km from Bangalore, are fertile land and agriculture is the villagers' only source of income. KIADB special land acquisition...

Many in India feel betrayed that neoliberal economic policies have not ended but increased fraud and corruption Corruption is not exactly new in India. Quite apart from the extensive historical evidence of its spread, during and after the "mixed economy" period of state planning, the "licence-permit raj" was regularly accused by commentators of breeding graft, constraining economic activity and forcing citizens to be at the mercy of corrupt officialdom at all...

Taking ahead its fight against corruption in schemes under MGNREGA, the Aruna Roy led Suchna Evum Rozgar Ka Adhikar Abhiyanhas begun work for bringing the glare of the Supreme Court and the Centre on cases of misappropriation in the state. The Abhiyan's move comes after alleged complacency by the state in handling these cases. And while the Abhiyan would be taking up the numerous cases where sarpanches have been found...