-Outlook Trade bodies representing around four lakh coal workers today said they oppose e-auction as well as the enabling provision in the proposed Ordinance for commercial mining by private players, and warned of a nation- wide strike if the Centre goes ahead with the changes. The Cabinet yesterday recommended promulgation of an Ordinance to facilitate e-auction of coal blocks for private companies for captive use and allot mines directly to state and...

-The Hindustan Times The government plans to put up coal mines for bidding by private steel, power and cement companies and introduce changes in the law to enable commercial mining in the future, signalling its intent to fully open the sector to private players. The new auction-based system will replace the earlier controversial policy of allotting coal blocks based on recommendations of a panel of bureaucrats, which the Supreme Court had struck...

-The Hindu In many cases, forest clearance was not obtained, says committee The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has found large-scale illegal mining of iron and manganese ore in the forest lands of Odisha. In its report submitted to the apex court in a public interest writ petition seeking a ban on illegal mining in Odisha, the CEC, quoting the figures of the Odisha government, said, "As per the details given by...

-The Times of India MUZAFFARPUR (Bihar): The Union government has started dumping MGNREGA by restricting the expenditure on wages and also limiting the area where this central project is being implemented in the country, said RJD national vice-president and former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh here on Sunday, who had launched the project in February 2006 during his tenure as Union minister for rural development in the UPA regime. Talking to the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: As part of the Centre's grand plan to convert the hilly areas of the country as exclusive zones of high-value organic farm products, the government on Saturday launched a scheme to encourage farmers in J&K to cultivate scientifically tested and commercially beneficial aromatic and medicinal plants in the state. Under the scheme -- known as 'Jammu Kashmir Arogya Gram Yojna' - the government's key R&D body...