Clearing a protracted uncertainty over India’s largest-ever foreign direct investment, the Union Environment Ministry today gave its approval to South Korean steel major POSCO’s proposed iron and steel plant in Orissa. In an order today, the Ministry gave environmental clearance for the construction of a 12-million tonne per annum capacity iron and steel plant (4 million tonnes in first phase) and a captive power plant at Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa. It also...

The Centre has turned down Tripura government's request to amend the Forest dwellers Rights Act 2006 to provide land to non-tribals traditionally living in forest areas of the state.According to the new Forest dwellers Act, the people who have been living in forests for more than 75 years can get land allotment, but "we have demanded an amendment to the Act for giving 'pattas' to non-tribals living in forest areas...

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has passed the Posco buck, nominally to the government of Orissa but, in reality, to the courts. His final clearance of the project depends on a categorical assertion by the government of Orissa that there are no 'other traditional Forest dwellers' among those whose land would be diverted for the project. Three committees appointed by the Union environment and forests ministry, which do not see eye-to-eye...

Enthused by the Centre's nod to Korean steel giant Posco's mega-steel plant, the Orissa government on Monday said it would soon resume land acquisition at the project site. At the same time, given its past experience with a reluctant environment ministry, the government said it will adopt a wait-and-watch approach on issues like mining and renewal of memorandum of understanding. ''We welcome the decision and thank the Union government and...

The Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council has been snubbed once again by the government, this time by the tribal affairs ministry. The ministry rejected all recommendations made by the council to reform the implementation of the Forest Rights Act — the UPA's flagship programme and law to give land rights back to tribals and Forest dwellers. The National Advisory Council had recommended strong measures for restoration of forest lands to...