Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the apex authority for approval of large-scale field trials and commercialisation of GM crops, has decided to hold “dialogue” with state governments to iron out irritants being faced in the grant of no objection certificates (NOC) for GM crops’ trials. The development comes after the Centre’s Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation and GM seed industry association petitioned the GEAC regarding the delay or denial of NOC...

-IANS Over 100 NGOs from across India will come together on one platform with government and industry representatives this week to discuss the issue of large number of environment and forest clearances issued in the last few years. Organised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the two-day event Feb 24-25 will see discussion on clearance processes, whether these processes are working, and what they aim to achieve. According to the CSE,...

The recommendations of the Planning Commission’s High Level Expert Group on Access to Universal Healthcare are significant because they make explicit the need to contextualise health within the rights. However, the problem with the report is that it does not ask why many of the same recommendations that were made by previous committees have not been implemented. The HLEG neither recognises the problems, constraints and compulsions at the national, state...

-The Times of India   Education minister Brij Kishor Sharma said that the Right to Education Act will be strictly implemented in the state in order to improve quality of education. However, he said that dialogues are open with private and public schools to maintain their structural set-up. The minister came to Ajmer on Thursday to participate in the convocation of Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education held at Jawahar Rang Manch. Overall, 205...

-PTI The anti-nuclear forum spearheading the stir against Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project today demanded removal of former Atomic Energy Commission chief M R Srinivasan from the state expert panel to allay people's safety concerns, calling him "pro-nuclear".  People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy said it welcomed constitution of the four-member state panel but pointed out that Srinivasan was a "well-known pro-nuclear person."  Srinivasan was the former Chairman and a current member of India's Atomic...