-Business Standard TSR Subramanian committee for altering procedures under key laws to speed up decisions on applications from or for industries The T S R Subramanian committee has recommended a massive revamp of various forest laws, to expedite the processing of industrial applications. These range from the way forests are defined to cutting the procedures in attaining forest clearance for industrial projects. At present, three laws - Indian Forests Act (IFA) of 1927, Forest...

-DNA The government has spent a whopping Rs 80 crore since 2009 to maintain VVIP samadhis. In an RTI filed by dna, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) that is responsible for maintaining the Samadhi Complex in Delhi has revealed that these expenses were incurred to maintain plush lawns, electrical supply and security. The Samadhi Complex spread over 245 acres of Land along the bank of Yamuna on Ring Road in Delhi...

-Economic and Political Weekly   The runaway growth in states of subsidised solar pumps, which provide quality energy at near-zero marginal cost, can pose a bigger threat of groundwater over-exploitation than free power has done so far. The best way to meet this threat is by paying farmers to "grow" solar power as a remunerative cash crop. Doing so can reduce pressure on aquifers, cut the subsidy burden on electricity companies, reduce...

-The Hindu Business Line There has to be a reasonable compromise between the two In seeking to industrialise in a hurry, the government is pushing for changes in Land acquisition and environment laws that are politically shortsighted and economically flawed. The proposed changes in the Right to Fair Compensation in the Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act involve diluting the consent clause in the case of PPP projects to 50 per cent...

-The Hindu The deaths of Chaiti Bai and other women after a botched tubectomy in Chhattisgarh are an opportunity to reflect on the problems India faces in the pursuit of modernity and global status, especially in health and education A sudden death always has great pedagogical value. The death of Chaiti Bai, a Baiga tribal woman, following a botched tubectomy at a mass sterilisation camp in Chhattisgarh recently, can improve our perspective...