-The Indian Express Stepping in to resolve the row between the National Highways Authority of India and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) over forest clearance to linear projects, the Prime Minister’s Office Tuesday worked out a formula to end the embarrassing stand-off between two arms of the central government. A meeting called by the PMO decided the MoEF will submit a clarification delinking environmental clearance from forest clearance for linear...

-The Economic Times Come February 4 and all eateries in the country-from restaurant chains such as KFC and McDonalds to restaurants within hotels like Bukhara and Swagath to even school canteens and corporate cafeterias-will need a 'food business operator' licence from central food authority Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to operate. The authority plans to randomly check food joints across the country after the February 4 deadline for obtaining the...

-The Telegraph The Prime Minister’s Office is playing referee in the tussle between the environment ministry and the National Highway Authority of India over clearance for road projects. In a meeting of stakeholders held in the PMO today, the environment ministry agreed to relax norms for project clearance and issue fresh guidelines that would simultaneously address green concerns and not stall road development. The NHAI has also given an understanding that if clearance...

-The Indian Express Twenty-two Naxal-affected districts will now be able to build critical public infrastructure even in forestland, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has decided. Following demands raised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Planning Commission, the MoEF has decided to relax forest conservation rules to allow diversion of forestland for creation of essential infrastructure in 22 districts affected by Left Wing Extremism. Departments will be able to build...

-The Times of India The Planning Commission has bowed to in-house protests that government was using shortcuts to meet the targeted budget expenditure for dalits and tribals, amending the 12th plan document to insert a pledge to reform the annual spend on these communities. The commission has said it will beef up Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan that mandate the government to spend exclusively on SCs and STs in proportion to...