-The Telegraph Shillong: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today allowed transportation of coal from Meghalaya while refusing to lift the interim ban on the mining of the "black diamond". After a series of hearings, the tribunal's principal bench provided partial relief to coal miners by permitting them to pay royalty on the extracted coal within 21 days from today. Transportation of the mineral would carry on until May 31, the bench ruled. "The...

-Frontline The Left and other national parties protest against the NDA government's attempts to dilute the MGNREGS by limiting its budget and reducing its reach. IN a rare show of solidarity, representatives of several political parties took issue with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on its controversial proposal to restructure the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The opposition, which was initially confined to the...

-Down to Earth Shortage of antiretroviral drugs and lack of diagnosis is not new in India, but government does not admit to the crisis The fight against HIV/AIDS in India is becoming tougher by the day as patients continue to face an acute shortage of antiretroviral drugs. This is an alarming situation for a country with the third-highest number of HIV+ people in the world-2.1 million. In 2012, about 140,000 people in...

-The Times of India MUMBAI: Treatment for HIV patients across India has taken a hit, especially in Delhi and Mumbai, due to severe stock-outs of life-saving medicines reported at government-owned centres. Shortage of first-line (initial), second-line (advanced) and paediatric HIV drugs, besides crucial diagnostic kits, has prompted patient groups to send a legal notice to the government, pointing to the scarcity, gaps in procurement and supply of these drugs. The treatment and control...

-Live Mint   Prakash Javadekar's environment ministry proposes reduction in parameters defining forests as inviolate New Delhi: On a day it took the environment approval process online, the new government proposed diluting the norms for allowing industrial units in forest areas, moving to clear a logjam in project mandates that industry groups allege has contributed to declining economic growth. Not only will it make the process of environment clearances easier, the norms, once changed,...