-The Indian Express In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on whether the number of lakes has declined substantially across the country over recent years, MoEFCC Prakash Javadekar said rapid urbanisation, development activities and anthropogenic pressures have stressed water bodies. Over Rs 1,000 crore has been released for the conservation of 157 wetlands in the country under the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA), Union Minister...
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Centre red flags Delhi’s ration at doorstep scheme -Sourav Roy Barman
-The Indian Express In a letter to the Delhi Food Commissioner, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has also said that changing the provisions of the Act so as to allow delivery of foodgrains to the doorstep of beneficiaries, would need the approval of Parliament. New Delhi: Six days before the proposed rollout of a Delhi Government scheme to deliver rations to people’s homes, the Centre has raised...
More »Activists disappointed with MGNREGA wage revision -Sumit Bhattacharjee
-The Hindu ‘Not paying minimum wages amounts to forced labour’ VISAKHAPATNAM: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) and Samalochana Association expressed their disappointment over the quantum of increase in the wage rate of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. “The increase in wages by a meagre ₹8, from the existing ₹237 to ₹245 a day, is measly and amounts to mere eyewash. We are concerned about...
More »How Rajasthan can make its Right to Health promise work -K Sujatha Rao
-The Indian Express The state must prioritise removing malnutrition, give uncompromising priority to improving primary health infrastructure In 1947, post-colonial India set off with the ambition of building a modern state on the principles of equality where citizens, by virtue of their birth in the country, would be entitled to a life of dignity. While the Constitution provided the rights to life, liberty, nutritional standards and maternity care, it did not explicitly...
More »Government eases public hearing rules for legacy mining cases -Mayank Aggarwal
-India.Mongabay.com * In its latest decision, the Indian Government’s ministry of environment has come out with an order to help a certain category of mining projects avoid public hearing while seeking environment clearance. * This decision is mainly for projects which were granted environment clearance under environmental impact assessment notification 1994 after a public hearing was conducted. * But experts note that public hearings should be understood as a critical tool for good...
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