In an effort to wean away tribals from the Maoists, the Environment Ministry is pushing for a minimum support price for minor Forest produce like bamboo and tendu patta. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is taking up the matter with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee . A minimum support price (MSP) for minor Forest produce (MFP) would help increase the earnings of the tribal population. At present, the more valuable items of minor Forest...

Ever since Malkangiri collector R Vineel Krishna and junior engineer Pabitra Mohan Majhi were released by the Maoists, development work has taken a beating in the "cut-off" area under Kudumulgumma block of Malkangiri district. Maoists had abducted Krishna and Majhi at gun-point from near Bodopoda, located within the "cut-off" area, while they were returning after inspecting a development work there on February 16. The Red rebels had released the collector on...

The Samajwadi Party, Balangir unit, on Friday demanded a CBI inquiry into the irregularities in MGNREGS and PDS in Khaprakhol block of Balangir district. The party citing how thousands of people from this region migrate due to irregularities in wage payments and bungling in PDS, submitted a memorandum to Governor M C Bhandare. Led by the party's district president Arun Mishra, thousands of people gathered at the block office and demanded a...

Prashant Bhushan seeks CBI probe into financial irregularities Scrap power purchase agreement with State government Land acquisition orders served on 46 villages The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to reverse the stop-work order imposed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on the construction of the Maheshwar dam for “non-compliance” of various norms. The dam is being built by S. Kumars group in Madhya Pradesh. Addressing a joint...

India's nuclear power growth must come from home-made heavy water reactors rather than foreign reactors using a variety of technologies in order to avoid Fukushima-style meltdowns, according to Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week, Mr. Ramesh communicated the concerns of his Ministry regarding the safety of nuclear power as well as the public perception of that safety. He argues that Indian regulators have expertise...