Proposes that the percentage of land to be acquired by state agencies should be decided by their governments. The modified Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill is likely to suggest giving state governments the power to determine their roles in acquiring land for industry. Also, in a positive for farmers, the Bill proposes that if the land remains unused for five years, it should be automatically returned to them. If sold to a third...

-The Hindu   Rs.49 crore sanctioned, 31 temporary posts for the purpose Rs.150 to each BPL family as project expense Special CABinet to work out details of 100-day action plan Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said the State government is working towards providing Unique Identification (UID) number for all in one year. Briefing reporters after the weekly CABinet meeting here on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said the CABinet had sanctioned Rs.49 crore and 31 temporary...

To protect the interests of students seeking admission, the Centre is planning a law to check unfair practices in schools, ranging from donations and nexus with coaching centres. The proposed “The Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Schools and Intermediate Colleges Bill, 2011” aims at promoting transparency through mandatory self-disclosure in the prospectus and on the website, and provide adequate and accessible recourse for remedial action arising out of non-adherence to self-disclosed...

-IANS   Alleging that there was forcible land acquisition at Rajarhat in the city's outskirts during the Left Front's tenure, the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government Tuesday decided to halt the distribution of land. 'I held talks with our chief minister. It has been decided to hold up the further processing of distribution of land. We will review the distribution process conducted from Dec 1, 2010,' Housing Minister Shyamapada Mukherjee told reporters...

-The Times of India   For a government harping on transparency and accountability, a glance through the websites of various departments brings to the fore the pathetic state of the implementation of the RTI Act. Incidentally, it was Rajasthan that laid the foundation for this law. A survey by the Suchna Evum Rozgar Ka Adhikar Abhiyan, based on the websites of 64 government departments, shows that there are at least 17...