-Hindustan Times According to the revised norms, coal mines with environmental clearances to expand by 40%, can now expand by up to 50% without any environment impact assessment or public consultation The Union environment ministry has relaxed the mandatory compliance norms for coal Mining expansion projects citing higher demand for coal amid an ongoing power crisis -- a move that has been criticised by environmentalists, especially since the coal ministry has said...

-DailyPioneer.com Food grain traders protest against tax hike Ranchi: Different trade bodies associated with Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) on Wednesday staged a symbolic protest against the agriculture marketing tax imposed by the State government. The trade organizations associated with fruits, vegetables, food grains, rice mills, retail traders and others participated in the protest. The trade bodies questioned the imposition of new agriculture tax in the State (Jharkhand) where...

-South Asia Netwrok on Dams, Rivers and People In addition to destruction of rivers eco-system and disruption of environmental services to riparian communities, the illegal and unsustainable sand Mining practices in India have also been causing avoidable violence and accidents resulting in scores of human deaths and injuries on annual basis. However, there is no comprehensive picture emerging on this man made disaster. To fill the gap, SANDRP has been trying...

-Hindustan Times The MoPNG is seeking a separate category of clearance for oil and gas because if it is considered a Mining activity, the environmental norms may prove to be more stringent, an official in the ministry said. The Union environment ministry is considering a proposal to delink oil and gas extraction from Mining projects, as far as environmental appraisal is concerned, people familiar with the matter said. If approved, oil and gas...

-Newsclick.in Recently, many tribal activists, journalists and human rights activists from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra came to the Press Club of India to highlight the contemporary situation in the tribal belt of India. New Delhi: Understanding the scope and reasons for anti-tribal violence necessitates a state-by-state comparison. Tribals are oppressed in various ways in every state. The sex industry rings exploit tribals in Madhya Pradesh, while counter-insurgency operations against Maoists in Jharkhand,...