-The Times of India The government has diluted its stand on requiring consent from tribals before handing over their forestlands for projects in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on the Vedanta case. The changed policy cited in the affidavit of the government, contrary to existing regulations, could now make it easy for hundreds of other projects as well which require formal consent from tribals who have Rights over forestlands under...

-The Hindu Koynanagar (Maharashtra): First, a dam, then an earthquake and finally a tiger reserve — families in Satara district’s Koyna have been displaced thrice in one generation. In 1960, the people had to move, paving the way for the Koyna dam; in 1967 following the earthquake and then for the Koyna tiger reserve in 1985, says Jagannath Vibhute, an activist of the Shramik Mukti Dal and one of the many...

-PTI   The government needs to do a lot to create new jobs, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said on Thursday adding the NSSO data does not necessarily reveal "what exactly is happening". "It is not sufficient to reach to any conclusion about the workforce scenario. I don't believe that we can come to an unambiguous conclusion on the basis of NSSO data that what exactly is happening", he said addressing...

-PTI People from all walks of life will come together in the capital on Thursday to participate in cultural events as part of the 'One Billion Rising' global campaign, making the demand to end violence against women and children. Women organisations, elected representatives, legal luminaries, actors, artists, NGOs and academic institutions apart from individuals are expected to participate in the day-long programme, its organisers said. The campaign will simultaneously be held in...

The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, the 73rd amendment and the landmark PESA and Forest Rights Act (FRA) have progressively acknowledged the Rights, and special powers of the Gram Sabha in deciding developmental projects as well as playing a role in protecting the ecology and forests. But a clutch of clever exemptions in recent months are ensuring that centralised authorities take away the same powers through the back door, without routing...