Considered a potent weapon for combating Naxalism, the distribution of land titles to tribals and Forest workers under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, is not moving at a satisfactory pace in UP in comparison to other states. This, despite chief minister Mayawati's repeated orders to expedite the process. The Naxals mislead tribals living in abject poverty. The latter are also exploited by Forest officials and police. The FRA recognises...

The Environment Ministry on Friday issued a show cause notice for revoking environment clearance to Jindal steel and power plant in Angul in Orissa for violating green laws. The Ministry issued the notice under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, for revocation of environmental clearance in view of Jindal not obeying its conditions. The Ministry, while giving environmental clearance to the 6 million tonnes per annum (MMTA) integrated steel...

Wants States to have power to ban pesticides Forest Minister Benoy Viswom has said Kerala was of the considered opinion that the Centre should take a relook at the Pesticide Management Bill of 2008. In a letter to Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh on Saturday, he said that Kerala, upon studying the draft of the Bill, had found it not addressing the core issues of pesticide misuse,...

Focus may be on Forestry issues and reducing emissions from deForestation This beach resort, swarming with tourists and sports utility vehicles and having opulent hotels and evident unsustainability, may not be the ideal place for a climate change conference but the real issues of climate change are too critical not to be debated anywhere. The United Nations Climate Change Conference that gets under way here on Monday may not result in much...

The 9900-MWe Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project has received environmental clearance, but with quite a few strings attached. Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh announced the clearance with 35 conditions and safeguards during a press conference here on Sunday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan termed it a historic day and said that the project would see an investment of Rs. 1 lakh crore. “It is the largest engineering project...