The $12 billion mega steel plant project of South Korean behemoth Posco proposed to be set up near Paradip port hangs in balance between promise and protest. While chief minister Naveen Patnaik assured the South Korean president, Lee Myung-Bak, to expedite the much-delayed project, anti-plant protesters have launched an indefinite dharna opposing the project. “I assured the South Korean President that the Posco steel plant project will be expedited. Of course, our...

The Centre has decided to go ahead with the controversial proposal of constructing Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendras at the panchayat level at a cost of Rs.10 lakh each from funds meant for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mgnregs). Notwithstanding the opposition against the use of funds meant to provide 100 days of manual employment to the unemployed in rural areas, the Ministry of Rural Development has decided to...

It is probably the best news for Mumbai's leading builders who had invested thousands of crores of rupees on buying prime plots to develop flats and residences but got stuck in the environment tangle as the land was classified later as forest area. After years of uncertainity, the Supreme Court on Monday cleared their Construction activity. However, the green light came with two riders — one they must pay the...

Post-independence policies have taken away all securities of the small farmer Historically, compared to other developing economies, India has had relatively smaller agricultural land-holdings. Mixed farming and animal tending was the backbone of small and marginal rain-fed agriculture. Diverse food crops along with animal produce ensured relatively balanced nutrition. But policies in independent India reduced diversity while increasing the market dependence of small farms. Small farmers became victims of policies favouring...

After deliberating for well over seven months, the Union government has eventually evolved a scheme to extend the scope of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) on individual land holdings with Rs. 1.5 lakh as the upper limit of expenditure. The Rural Development Ministry has prepared a draft guideline, detailing not only the works that could be taken up for implementation but also the conditions to govern the...