Dissatisfied with the recommendation of the National Advisory Council (NAC) for “phased, time-bound universalisation of foodgrains entitlements” across the country, the Right to Food Campaign has announced its decision to mobilise people for a “comprehensive” Food Security Act. “A nationwide call will be given towards this at the national convention being held in Rourkela, Orissa, from August 6,” the Campaign, a conglomeration of activists and civil society groups, said in a...

The proposals on the food security law, tentatively agreed upon by the National Advisory Council yesterday, were opposed by right to food campaigners who insisted their concerns should be taken on board before the bill was put into shape. Some of the campaigners, such as Nikhil Dey and Kavita SRIvastava, were closely associated with council members Jean Dreze, Aruna Roy and Harsh Mander when they had worked together on the...

Indian Ocean sea levels are rising unevenly and threatening the residents in some densely populated coastal areas of India and Bangladesh, besides the island nations of Maldives and SRI Lanka, a new study has said. Sea-level rise is particularly high along the coastlines of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, as well as the islands of SRI Lanka, Sumatra and Java, says the study carried out jointly by the...

The Central government suffers an annual loss of Rs1,800 crore on account of thousands of coal mafia, which involve themselves in illegal mining across different states, an official said on Sunday. “Thousands of coal mafia (gangs) active in coal-producing belts, including that of Coal India Ltd (CIL), plunder about six million tonnes of coal annually. Going by current prices in the domestic market, this amounts to Rs 1,800 crore a year,”...

Approvals pertain to bauxite mining, alumina factory, wetlands allocation for three thermal projects Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has announced a probe into all kinds of permission given so far for bauxite mining, setting up of alumina factory and allocation of wetlands in SRIkakulam for setting up three thermal power projects. He promised to withdraw all permissions if the report proved that they were given in contravention...